bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Volunteering among Japanese older adults: how are hours of paid work and unpaid work for family associated with volunteer participation?
Authors: Kobayashi Erika , Sugihara Yoko , Fukaya Taro , Liang Jersey
Published: July 2018

As the population ages, older adults are increasingly expected to play multiple productive roles. This study examined how hours of paid or unpaid work were associated with volunteering among older Japanese. Data came from the 2012 National Survey of the Japanese Elderly, a nationwide survey of Japanese aged 60 and older (N = 1,324). We performed multinominal logistic regression analyses to predict volunteering (regular or occasional versus non-volunteer) based on hours of paid work and unpaid work for family consisting of sick/disabled care, grandchild care and household chores. Those who worked moderate hours were most likely to be a regular volunteer while working 150 hours or more per month had a lower probability of volunteering, regardless of whether the work was paid or unpaid. Thus, full-time level work competed with volunteering for both paid and unpaid work for family, but it was more so for paid work. By types of activities, doing household chores and substantial grandchild care were positively associated with volunteering, and the latter complementary relationship was explained by a larger community network among grandparents. Our findings indicate that delaying retirement from full-time paid work may reduce the supply of regular volunteers in the community. Thus, policies to increase part-time work for older adults as well as the types of volunteer work in which paid workers can participate are necessary.
Role of guanylyl cyclase in fertilisation of sea urchin eggs
Authors: Kuroda Ritsu , Kontani Kenji , Kanda Yasunari , Katada Toshiaki , Satoh Yu-ichi , Suzuki Norio , Kuroda Hideyo
Published: July 2018

A transient increase in cytosolic free calcium ion concentration ([Ca2+]i) (Ca2+-transient) takes place in the early stages of fertilisation of sea urchin eggs as well as in other animal eggs (Miyazakiet al., 1993). This transient increase in [Ca2+]ipropagates across the egg as a Ca2+wave, which is thought to be a necessary and sufficient event for egg activation (Whitaker & Swarm, 1993). In sea urchin eggs, the rise in [Ca2+], is caused by release of Ca2+from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) via one or both of two pathways: (a) inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) and the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor/channel (IP3R) or (b) cADP-ribose (cADPR) and/or cGMP and the ryanodine receptor/channel (RyR) (Berridge, 1993). The signalling pathways from sperm to ER of eggs are not yet fully explained. Recent evidence from two lines of experiments has excited more controversy. First, intracellular injection of SH2 domain of phospholipase Cγ, which produced IP3, completely inhibited the increase in [Ca2+]i(Carrollet al., 1999). Another series of experiments showed that nitric oxide (NO) gas was produced in sperm during their acrosome reaction and in eggs during fertilisation, and that the intracellular injection of NO synthase caused egg activation (Epel, this supplement). NO gas is expected to stimulate the production of cGMP by activating soluble guanylyl cyclase (Garthewaite, 1991). Thus, it seems that direct measurements of the second messenger candidates during sea urchin fertilisation are essential to an understanding of the calcium signalling pathway. We previously measured the IP3, cGMP and cADPR contents of sea urchin eggs, and compared the time courses of their changes with that of the [Ca2+]ichange (Kurodaet al., 1997). We now examine further the involvement of guanylyl cyclase in the Ca2+signalling pathway at fertilisation of sea urchin eggs.
Diverse isoforms of guanylyl cyclases in the gonads of echinoderms and medaka fish
Authors: Suzuki Norio
Published: July 2018

For over 20 years it has been known that cGMP concentrations are increased by a wide variety of agents. The formation of cGMP from GTP is catalysed by guanylyl cyclase. Guanylyl cyclase is found in various cellular compartments of most organisms including animals, plants and bacteria, in soluble and/or membrane-bound forms (Drewett & Garbers, 1994). Membrane-bound guanylyl cyclase (mGC) is a single polypeptide which was first established by cloning and sequencing of the cDNA encoding a sea urchin sperm protein crosslinked to a sperm-activating peptide (SAP) IIA (Chinkers & Garbers, 1991). Soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) consists of two different subunits (alpha and beta). mGC is composed of an extracellular, a single transmembrane and an intracellular domain that is further divided into a protein-kinase-like domain and a cyclase catalytic domain. The primary structure of the catalytic domain of both mGC and sGC is highly conserved among vertebrates and invertebrates (Suzuki et al., 1999).
The guanylyl cyclase receptors
Authors: Garbers David L.
Published: July 2018

In the early 1980s both our group (Hansbrough & Garbers, 1981; Garberset al., 1982) and that of Norio Suzuki (Suzukiet al., 1981) identified the active material in sea urchin egg conditioned media that could stimulate sperm motility and metabolism. In the sea urchinsHemicentrotus pulcherrimusorStrongylocentrotus purpuratus, the active material was a small peptide that we named speract, and the Suzuki group named this and subsequent peptides SAPs, for sperm activating peptides. Subsequently, both groups identified other peptides (see Suzuki & Yoshino, 1992 for review), one of the most interesting being one named resact, the active material inArbacia punctulataegg conditioned media. This peptide turned out to be the first animal sperm chemoattractant identified (Wardet al., 1985a). A peptide also turned out to be the active principle that explained previous observations of Ward and Vacquier (Wardet al., 1985b; Suzukiet al., 1984) that egg conditioned media could cause the rapid dephosphorylation of a major membrane protein of spermatozoa. The apparent receptor for resact was later identified as a guanylyl cyclase, establishing a new paradigm for low-molecular-weight second messenger signalling, and the major phosphoprotein regulated by resact was also the receptor itself.
The mechanism of cell membrane repair
Authors: Togo Tatsuru , Alderton Janet M. , Steinhardt Richard A.
Published: July 2018

Disruption of plasma membranes is a widespread, common and normal event that occurs in many mechanically challenged tissues (McNeil & Steinhardt, 1997). After injury to the plasma membrane, rapid resealing of the membrane occurs with little loss of intracellular contents.

Analysis of plasma membrane repair in the sea urchin egg and early embryos revealed a new model of the mechanism for plasma membrane repair. Resealing of disrupted plasma membranes required external Ca2+that could be antagonised by Mg2+. Block of Ca2+/calmodulin kinase II, which regulates exocytotic vesicle availability at synapses (Llináset al., 1991), inhibited membrane resealing. Resealing was also inhibited by botulinum neurotoxins A, B, C1, and tetanus toxin, which disrupt SNARE vesicle docking/fusion proteins. Confocal microscopic observations of exocytotic events in sea urchin eggs and embryos during membrane resealing showed that inhibition of kinesin or myosin motor activity, which are believed to be required for vesicle transport (Goodsonet al., 1997), also inhibited membrane resealing and delivery of vesicles to sites of membrane disruption. This pattern of inhibition indicates that membrane repair of micrometre-sized lesions requires vesicle delivery, docking and fusion, similar to the exocytosis of neurotransmitter (Steinhardtet al., 1994; Biet al., 1995, 1997).

The mechanism of resealing in eggs and embyros was found to be a general property of all cells (Steinhardtet al., 1994; Togoet al., 1999). It is now known that elevated intracellular Ca2+triggers exocytosis in various types of cells (Dan & Poo, 1992; Coorssenet al., 1996), and that endosomal compartments such as lysosomes can behave as Ca2+-regulated exocytotic vesicles (Rodríguezet al., 1997).
HpEtsimplicated in primary mesenchyme cell differentiation of the sea urchin (Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus) embryo
Authors: Kurokawa Daisuke , Kitajima Takashi , Mitsunaga-Nakatsubo Keiko , Amemiya Shonan , Shimada Hiraku , Akasaka Koji
Published: July 2018

In sea urchin embryogenesis it has been suggested that the initial territories are specified by a combination of the asymmetric distribution of cytoplasmic determinants and cell-cell interactions. At the 60-cell stage blastomeres clonally originated from founder cells divide the embryo into five distinct territories: small micromeres, large micromeres, vegetal plate, oral ectoderm and aboral ectoderm. The territories are identified by the expression of specific marker genes and their cell lineages (Davidson, 1989, 1991). The large micromeres are thought to play a role as an organiser and initiate a cascade of signal transduction toward overlying cells (Davidson, 1989). In this model the large micromeres induce the overlying veg2 tier, specifying the vegetal plate (Ransick & Davidson, 1993, 1995). The veg2 tier then induces the overlying cells, which include gut cells and cells of the prospective ectodermal territories (Wikramanayakeet al., 1995; Wikramanayake & Klein, 1997). Thus, the large micromeres, which are the prospective primary mesenchyme cells (PMCs), play a key role in cell fate specification and axis determination during sea urchin embryogenesis. Previous data suggested that the large micromeres are autonomously specified to become PMCs by maternally inherited determinants (Okazaki, 1975; Kitajima & Okazaki, 1980). An important question in sea urchins embryogenesis is the identity and function of the proposed maternal determinants.
Origin and behaviour of pigment cells in sea urchin embryos
Authors: Kominami Tetsuya
Published: July 2018

Sea urchin pluteus larvae contain dozens of pigment cells in their ectoderm. These pigment cells are the descendants of the veg2 blastomeres of the 60-cell stage embryo. According to the fate map made by Ruffins and Ettensohn, the prospective pigment cells occupy the central region of the vegetal plate. Most of these prospective pigment cells exclusively give rise to pigment cells. Therefore, specification of the pigment cell lineage should occur at some point between the 60-cell and mesenchyme blastula stage. However, the detailed process of the specification of the pigment lineage is unknown.

When are pigment cells specified? Are cell interactions necessary for the specification? Do founder cells exist? To answer these questions, I treated embryos with Ca2+-free seawater during the cleavage stage and examined the number of pigment cells observed in pluteus larvae. Treatment at 5.5–8.5 h and especially 7.5–10.5 h postfertilisation markedly reduced the number of pigment cells. The decrease was statistically significant. On the other hand, the treatment at 3.5–6.5 h or 9.5–12.5 h never reduced the number of pigment cells. By examining the frequency of the appearance of embryos whose numbers of pigment cells were less than 20, it was also found that the numbers of pigment cells were frequently in multiples of 4. Embryos having 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 pigment cells were more frequently observed. Statistics indicated that the frequency of appearance was not random. These results indicated that cell contacts are necessary for the specification of pigment cells and that the specification occurs from 7 to 10 h postfertilisation. The results also suggest that the founder cells, if they exist, divide twice before they differentiate into pigment cells.
cDNA cloning of GTH receptor family in starfish ovaries
Authors: Hirai Toshiaki , Oba Yuichi , Yoshikuni Michiyasu , Nagahama Yoshitaka , Mita Masatoshi
Published: July 2018

In starfish, oocytes in the ripe ovary do not develop beyond the end of the first prophase stage of meiosis. Such immature oocytes are not fertilisable. The resumption of meiosis in these oocytes and release from the ovary are induced by the maturation-indueing hormone 1-methyladenine (1-MeAde) (Kanatani et al., 1969). 1-MeAde is produced by ovarian follicle cells after stimulation by a gonad-stimulating hormone (GSS) secreted from radial nerves. The action of GSS on 1-MeAde production in follicle cells appears to be mediated by its receptor, G-proteins and adenylyl cyclase (Mita & Nagahama, 1991). It has been shown that upon incubation of follicle cells with GSS, there is a dose-related increase in cyclic AMP production, coincident with an increase in 1-MeAde production (Mita et al., 1989). Thus, it was suggested that a G-protein coupled (seven transmembrane type) receptor is involved in GSS signal transduction in a similar manner to the pituitary–gonadal axis in vertebrates. To elucidate the mechanism of starfish oocyte maturation, we focused on a receptor protein for GSS on the ovarian follicle cell surface. In this study, we cloned the cDNA with glycoprotein hormone receptor homology in a transmembrane region from ovaries of the starfish Asterina pectinifera.

Using consensus sequences from glycoprotein hormone receptors, a 3953 bp cDNA was cloned from mRNA of starfish A. pectinifera ovaries. The region from nucleotide 72 to 3109 represents the open-reading frame. The seven transmembrane spanning domains were found in the region from nucleotide 1745 to 2533. The lengths of specific domains in the cDNA were 1671 bp, 789 bp and 579 bp for extracellular (ECD), transmembrane (TMD) and intracellular domains (ICD), respectively. Similar to other glycoprotein hormone receptors, the cDNA from starfish ovaries had a large ECD region. With respect to the predicted amino acid sequence, the ECD, TMD and ICD were composed of 557, 263 and 192 amino acids, respectively.
Light-induced reactivation of movement in degenerated sperm of echiuroid, oyster and sea urchin
Authors: Kamata Yasuyuki , Fujiwara Akiko , Yamazaki Ken , Tazawa Eigoro , Yasumasu Ikuo
Published: July 2018

Previously, it has been reported that NADH cytochrome c reductase and succinate cytochrome c reductase, in which the redox reaction in cytochrome b is involved, are activated by light irradiation with peaks of photo-activation at wavelengths of 430, 530 and 570 nm corresponding to those in the absorption spectrum of reduced cytochrome b in mitochondria isolated from sperm of echiuroid, oyster and sea urchin (Tazawa et al., 1996). In sperm of these species, augmentation of respiration due to photo-activation of the cytochrome b reaction is observed only when the electron transport in this span of the mitochondrial respiratory chain is inhibited by carbon monoxide (Fujiwara et al., 1991; Yasumasu et al., 1991) or by a decrease in the amount of cytochrome b due to sperm ageing. In sperm cultured for a long time, the respiratory rate was very low and almost all sperm became immotile. In these sperm, respiration was reactivated by light irradiation at the wavelengths of 430, 530 and 570 nm (Fujiwara et al., 1999).

In the present study, photo-reactivation of movement in these somewhat degenerated sperm incubated for a long time was also found to occur, with peaks at the above-mentioned wavelengths. We concluded that photo-reactivation of movement in these sperm, in which the cytochrome b reaction probably became rate-limiting in the respiration chain, is supported by reactivation of respiration by light irradiation. On the other hand, though the ATP level decreased to a rather low level at about 30 min after the initiation of incubation in sperm of all species examined, sperm swam for more than 10 h, by which time the ATP level was quite low. Light irradiation induced reactivation of movement but did not alter the rather low ATP level in these sperm. Thus the ATP level does not seem to be responsible for making sperm immotile. In sperm treated with Triton X-100, movement was induced by adding ATP and Mg2+, even when many sperm had become immotile after a long incubation. Hence, capacity for movement does not seem to be reduced by a long incubation time. The movement of sperm treated with Triton X-100 was not activated bv light irradiation.
Lipid raft on gametic cells as a functional domain for sperm–egg interaction coupled with signal transduction
Authors: Ohta Kaoru , Sato Chihiro , Matsuda Tsukasa , Toriyama Masaru , Vacquier Victor D. , Hirohashi Noritaka , Lennarz William J. , Kitajima Ken
Published: July 2018

It has been shown that lipid raft, a microdomain of plasma membrane, is a hot spot of signal transduction in somatic cells, because it contains several transducer proteins as well as various receptor molecules. The lipid raft is characterised by its low-density detergent-insoluble nature and by enrichment of glycosphingolipids (GSLs). We hypothesised that lipid raft was also on the gamete surface, and might function as a sperm–egg adhesion site as well as in signal transduction during fertilisation. To test this hypothesis, we have initiated studies using sea urchin gametes. Recently we have demonstrated the presence of the lipid raft in sperm of three sea urchin species as the first example in gametic cells (Ohtaet al., 1999). Here we show several lines of evidence for the functional importance of the lipid raft in sperm–egg interaction as well as in subsequent signal transduction.

In sea urchin sperm, lipid rafts were able to be prepared as a low-density detergent-insoluble membrane (LD-DIM) fraction and were rich in GSLs including gangliosides and sulphatide, containing more than 50% of the total amount of GSL present in sperm. On the other hand, cholesterol and sphingomyelin were not so enriched, which contrasted with the LD-DIM from MDCK cells, where these lipids were reported to be abundant (Brown & Rose, 1992).
Role of the fertilisation envelope and specialised microvilli in morphogenesis of starfish embryos
Authors: Matsunaga Maki , Uemura Isao , Tamura Miwa , Nemoto Shin-ichi
Published: July 2018

In the early cleavage stages of animal embryos, blas-tomeres lack devices to connect to each other. It is well known that in sea urchin embryos the hyaline layer plays an important role in maintaining the position of individual blastomeres, and provides a scaffold for morphogenesis to the embryo. In starfish embryos, however, the presence of the hyaline layer is not certain in the early cleavage stages, although it has been observed at the gastrula stage (Dan-Sohkawaet al., 1986). In the present study we have investigated the devices corresponding to the hyaline layer of sea urchin embryos in the early cleavage stages, where blastomeres lack such devices for cell adhesion as desmosomes.

We examined how blastomeres keep their position in the early cleavage stages of starfish embryos usingAsterina pectiniferaandAstropecten scoparius. By neither electron microscopy nor immunofluorescent staining with an antibody against the hyaline layer of sea urchin embryos (Yazaki, 1968) could we detect the hyaline layer, at least up to 6 h after fertilisation.

When the fertilisation envelope (FE) was dilated larger by urea treatment, blastomeres increasingly came apart with the expansion of the FE, resulting in the formation of plural small blastulae due to the failure of the blastomeres to come together into a single mass. In urea-treated embryos, blastomeres were observed closely apposed to the inner surface of the FE. These observations suggest that blastomeres are fixed by some means to the FE. Differential interference-contrast microscopy revealed numerous projections between the cell surface of the blastomeres and the FE. Probably, the FE and the projections are involved in maintaining the three-dimensional position of each blastomere in an embryo.
Lim1-related homeobox gene (HpLim1) expressed in sea urchin embryo
Authors: Mitsunaga-Nakatsubo Keiko , Kawasaki Takahiko , Takeda Koichi , Akasaka Koji , Shimada Hiraku
Published: July 2018

A characteristic cysteine-rich motif, LIM domain, was first detected in three different transcription factors: lin-11, Islet-1 and mec-3. A feature shared by these genes is the presence of two LIM domains linked to a DNA-binding homeodomain (Sánchez-Garcíaet al., 1994). LIM homeodomain (LHX) proteins have been reported to be implicated in a variety of developmental processes (Dawidet al., 1998).

Expression patterns of LHX genes have been analysed in a wide variety of organisms and reported to be cell-type specific (Dawidet al., 1998). In vertebrates, they are expressed in organiser equivalent regions at the gastrula stage, suggesting their involvement in mesoderm induction (Tairaet al., 1992; Barneset al., 1994; Toyamaet al., 1995).Hrlim, an ascidian Lim3, zygotically expresses in the endoderm lineage before gastrulation, suggesting that it is involved in the endoderm determination (Wadaet al., 1995).

Here, cDNA cloning of the Lim1-related homeobox gene (HpLim1) of the sea urchin,Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus, is described together with the spatially as well as temporally regulated expression ofHpLim1during sea urchin development. A possible role of HpLiml in sea urchin development is also discussed based on its spatial pattern of expression and on the result of an over-expression study.
Regulative potential to form an amniotic cavity in mesomeres of a direct developing echinoid, Peronella japonica
Authors: Kitazawa Chisato , Amemiya Shonan
Published: July 2018

Peronella japonica, a direct developer, exhibits certain peculiar features during development, particularly heterochrony, a change in the relative timing of expression among tissues and organs. One of the important heterochronical changes in the species was found in the development of the amniotic cavity, a component of an adult rudiment. In indirect developers the amniotic cavity is formed on the left side of the larval body in the late pluteus stage. In P. japonica the organ is formed at the gastrula stage in the region located on the midline of the larval body.

In the present study, the ability of partial embryos isolated from 8- or 16-cell stage embryos of P. japonica to differentiate an amniotic cavity was investigated to assess the regulative potential of a direct developer.

The embryos were dissected at 8-cell stage with a glass needle to obtain half embryos. Some of the half embryos were further divided into four blastomeres to obtain mesomere pairs. Each half embryo and blastomere that did not form micromeres but divided equally during the next cleavage was identified as an animal cap and presumptive mesomere pair. Isolated animal caps and mesomere pairs were cultured, and differentiation of the amniotic cavity was examined at 24 and 48 h after fertilisation, when the organ in the normal embryos had already completed differentiation.
An HPLC analysis of neurotransmitters in sea urchin larvae
Authors: Yazawa Toru , Uemura Isao
Published: July 2018

Classical neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine (ACh), biogenic amines and ϒ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) have been shown to mediate various forms of intercellular signalling in marine invertebrates including sea urchin larvae (Buznikovet al., 1996). The presence of amines and GABA in the nervous system of sea urchin larvae has been demonstrated by a cytochemical method at the gastrula stage (Bisgrove & Burke, 1987). However, few quantitative analyses of neurotransmitters have been attempted in the embryonic sea urchin. To accomplish this during the period of embryogenesis, in the present study we attempted to make homogenate samples adequate for HPLC analysis and to determine the levels of neurotransmitter in their extracts.

We established an HPLC protocol using a batch of four-armed sea urchin larvae, and detected neurotransmitters (per milligram wet weight) in the homogenate of pluteus larvae ofHemicentrotus pulcherrimus(1.5–3.5 pmol dopamine, 0.22–0.51 pmol serotonin, 4.4–40 pmol ACh, 0.28–0.36 nmol glutamate, 20–23 nmol glycine) (Figs. 1, 2). GABA was not detected (detection limit, 10 pmol/10 μl injection). We also observed glyoxylic-acid-induced yellowish-green monoamine fluorescence in the larval nervous system. Serotonin has been a leading candidate neurotransmitter in sea urchin larvae (Nakajimaet al., 1993).
An approach to the phylogeny of the order Echinoida using interf amily hybrids
Authors: Hata Masayoshi
Published: July 2018

Order Echinoida in Japan is now classified into the following five families: Temnopleuridae, Toxo-pneustidae, Strongylocentrotidae, Echinometridae and Parasaleniidae. With the exception of the Parasaleniidae, four of the families are commonly found in shallow waters in Japan. Interrelationships among these four families have been extensively studied by many workers using morphological criteria or at the biochemical and molecular levels, and four different theories have been proposed (Jensen, 1981; Smith, 1984; Mortensen, 1928–1951; Shigei, 1986; Matsuoka, 1988). To examine these theories, I attempted to obtain hybrids using 14 species (4 species of the family Temnopleuridae: Temnopleurus toreumaticus, Temnopleurus hardwickii, Temnopleurus reeversii and Mespilia globulus; 3 species of the family Toxopneustidae: Toxopneustes pileolus, Tripneustes gratilla and Pseudoboletia maculata; 4 species of the family Strongylocentrotidae: Strongylocentrotus intermedius, Strongylocentrotus nudus, Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus and Pseudocentrotus depressus; and 3 species of the family Echinometridae: Anthocidaris crassispina, Echinostrephus aciculatus and Echinometra mathaei).
Experimental hybridisation between two tropical species of sea urchins (genus Echinometra) in Okinawa
Authors: Rahman M. Aminur , Uehara Tsuyoshi
Published: July 2018

Recent morphological, biochemical, ecological and reproductive studies have revealed that there are four sympatric biological species of sea urchins in Echinometra from Okinawa, which are currently referred to as Echinometra species A, B, C and D (e.g. Uehara et al., 1990,1991; Arakaki & Uehara, 1991; Matsuoka & Hatanaka, 1991; Palumbi & Metz, 1991; Nishihira et al., 1991). Of these four species, E. sp. A (Ea) and E. sp. C (Ec), while being most closely related to each other genetically (Matsuoka & Hatanaka, 1991), can also be distinguished from each other by differences in adult morphology and microhabitat preference. No studies have addressed the mechanisms that maintain the independence of these species despite their close affinity and sympatry.

Experimental hybridisation conducted between two genetically very divergent species of Okinawan Echinometra, E. sp. A (Ea) and E. sp. D (Ed), revealed the presence of prezygotic isolation (Asian & Uehara, 1997). To test whether the closely related Okinawan Echinometra spp. are isolated by pre- or postzygotic mechanisms, we carried out experimental hybridisation by using much closer species, Ea and Ec, through a series of cross-fertilisation experiments and rearing of the resulting hybrids. The percentage of successful heterogametic fertilisation was high when eggs of Ec and sperms of Ea were involved, whereas it was considerably lower with eggs of Ea and sperms of Ec. This reduction, at least among some heterogametic crosses, indicates the presence of a gamete recognition protein binding system, as reported by Metz et al. (1994) and Metz & Palumbi (1996), which might eventually lead to gametic incompatibility and reproductive isolation.
Disaster Exercises to Prepare Hospitals for Mass-Casualty Incidents: Does it Contribute to Preparedness or is it Ritualism?
Authors: Verheul Marlous LMI , Dückers Michel LA , Visser Bea B , Beerens Ralf JJ , Bierens Joost JLM
Published: July 2018

Introduction

The central question this study sought to answer was whether the team members of Strategic Crisis Teams (SCTs) participating in mass-casualty incident (MCI) exercises in the Netherlands learn from their participation.

Methods

Evaluation reports of exercises that took place at two different times were collected and analyzed against a theoretical model with several dimensions, looking at both the quality of the evaluation methodology (three criteria: objectives described, link between objective and items for improvement, and data-collection method) and the learning effect of the exercise (one criterion: the change in number of items for improvement).

Results

Of all 32 evaluation reports, 81% described exercise objectives; 30% of the items for improvement in the reports were linked to these objectives, and 22% of the 32 evaluation reports used a structured template to describe the items for improvement. In six evaluation categories, the number of items for improvement increased between the first (T1) and the last (T2) evaluation report submitted by hospitals. The number of items remained equal for two evaluation categories and decreased in six evaluation categories.

Conclusion

The evaluation reports do not support the ideal-typical disaster exercise process. The authors could not establish that team members participating in MCI exercises in the Netherlands learn from their participation. More time and effort must be spent on the development of a validated evaluation system for these simulations, and more research into the role of the evaluator is needed.

Verheul MLMI, Dückers MLA, Visser BB, Beerens RJJ, Bierens JJLM. Disaster exercises to prepare hospitals for mass-casualty incidents: does it contribute to preparedness or is it ritualism? Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(4):387–393
The Anthroposeen: The Invention of Linear Perspective as a Decisive Moment in the Emergence of a Geological Age of Mankind
Authors: Lepenies Philipp
Published: July 2018

The beginning of the Anthropocene has been inconclusively debated. Usually, its starting point is linked to the moment in which some measurable human physical impact, such as global carbon dioxide emissions, increased in an unprecedented manner. However, to grasp the fact that mankind became at some point the major change agent of the earth system it is important to identify how and when humans began to perceive their role as that of an active creator, capable of dominating and changing nature. Although no monocausal explanation exists, I argue that the invention of linear perspective in fifteenth-century Renaissance Italy was a major trigger. Linear perspective changed the way humans saw and interpreted the world around them. It fostered an anthropocentric worldview that placed humans in control of their physical environment, allowed the advancement of scientific methods and the ultimate disenchantment of the physical world. Linear perspective marks the beginning of the ‘Anthroposeen’ without which the Anthropocene would not have manifested itself in the accelerated way it has. This holds important lessons. It reminds us that to understand the nature of the Anthropocene, we have to understand the parameters that made us think, see and ultimately act the way we do.
AUTHORITY, LEGITIMACY, AND THE OBLIGATION TO OBEY THE LAW
Authors: Dagger Richard
Published: July 2018

According to the standard or traditional account, those who hold political authority legitimately have a right to rule that entails an obligation of obedience on the part of those who are subject to their authority. In recent decades, however, and in part in response to philosophical anarchism, a number of philosophers have challenged the standard account by reconceiving authority in ways that break or weaken the connection between political authority and obligation. This paper argues against these revisionist accounts in two ways: first, by pointing to defects in their conceptions of authority; and second, by sketching a fair-play approach to authority and political obligation that vindicates the standard account.
CROSS-BORDER BANKING AND MACROPRUDENTIAL POLICIES IN ASYMMETRIC MONETARY UNIONS
Authors: Dräger Lena , Proaño Christian R.
Published: July 2018

Against the background of the emergence of macroeconomic imbalances within the European Monetary Union (EMU), we investigate in this paper the macroeconomic consequences of cross-border banking in monetary unions such as the Euro area. For this purpose, we incorporate a union-wide banking sector along the lines in an otherwise standard two-region monetary union DSGE model, accounting for borrowing constraints of entrepreneurs and impatient households and an internal constraint on the bank's leverage ratio. We illustrate in particular how rule-of-thumb lending standards based on the macroeconomic performance of the core region within the monetary union can translate into destabilizing spill-over effects into the other region, resulting in an overall higher macroeconomic volatility. Thereby, we demonstrate a channel through which the financial sector may have exacerbated the emergence of macroeconomic imbalances within the EMU. This effect may be mitigated by macroprudential policies, where especially policies that force the bank's lending standards to be less procyclical prove to be effective in stabilizing output in both regions of the monetary union.
Second language (L2) proficiency, socioeconomic status (SES), and intelligence (IQ) are significant predictors of cognitive control differences among young adult unbalanced Chinese–English bilinguals
Authors: XIE ZHILONG , PISANO TERESA SIGNORELLI
Published: July 2018

The current study investigates how second-language (L2) proficiency contributes to cognitive control differences among three groups of unbalanced Chinese–English bilinguals matched for socioeconomic status (SES), intelligence (IQ), education, age, culture, and L1 background. A Flanker task and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) were administered to measure conflict monitoring, inhibition, and mental set shifting. ANOVA analyses revealed faster performance for the High-L2 Group compared to the Low-L2 Group in the congruent, neutral, and incongruent conditions of the Flanker task. However, there were no group differences on the WCST. Multiple step-wise regression analyses showed that L2 proficiency was a predictor for the Flanker task performance in all three conditions, SES in the neutral and the incongruent condition, and IQ in the congruent condition. These results suggest that L2 proficiency, along with SES and IQ, contribute significantly to cognitive control differences in conflict monitoring among young-adult bilinguals.
Nurse practitioner consultations in primary health care: a case study-based survey of patients’ pre-consultation expectations, and post-consultation satisfaction and enablement
Authors: Barratt Julian , Thomas Nicola
Published: July 2018

Background

Research has not yet fully investigated links to consultation duration, patient expectations, satisfaction, and enablement in nurse practitioner consultations. This study was developed to address some of these research gaps in nurse practitioner consultations, particularly with a focus on expectations, satisfaction, and enablement.

Aim

To explore the influence of pre-consultation expectations, and consultation time length durations on patient satisfaction and enablement in nurse practitioner consultations in primary health care.

Design

Survey component of a larger convergent parallel mixed methods case study designed to conjointly investigate the communication processes, social interactions, and measured outcomes of nurse practitioner consultations. The survey element of the case study focusses on investigating patients’ pre-consultation expectations and post-consultation patient satisfaction and enablement.

Methods

A questionnaire measuring pre-consultation expectations, and post-consultation satisfaction and enablement, completed by a convenience sample of 71 adults consulting with nurse practitioners at a general practice clinic. Initial fieldwork took place in September 2011 to November 2012, with subsequent follow-up fieldwork in October 2016.

Results

Respondents were highly satisfied with their consultations and expressed significantly higher levels of enablement than have been seen in previous studies of enablement with other types of clinicians (P=0.003). A significant, small to moderate, positive correlation of 0.427 (P=0.005) between general satisfaction and enablement was noted. No significant correlation was seen between consultation time lengths and satisfaction or enablement.

Conclusion

Higher levels of patient enablement and satisfaction are not necessarily determined by the time lengths of consultations, and how consultations are conducted may be more important than their time lengths for optimising patient satisfaction and enablement.
CREDIBLE WITNESSING: A. R. WALLACE, SPIRITUALISM, AND A “NEW BRANCH OF ANTHROPOLOGY”
Authors: SERA-SHRIAR EFRAM
Published: July 2018

This paper situates Alfred Russel Wallace's spiritualist writings from his bookMiracles and Modern Spiritualism(1875) against the backdrop of Victorian anthropology. It examines how he constructed his argument, and the ways in which he verified the trustworthiness of his evidence using theories and methods drawn from anthropology. Spirit investigations relied on personal testimony. Thus the key question was: who could be trusted as a credible witness? While much has been written on Wallace's inquiries into spirit phenomena, very little scholarship has taken seriously his remark about how his studies of spirits and mediums were a “new branch of anthropology.” Wallace's aim of aligning his spirit investigations to the practices of British anthropology fed into larger disciplinary discussions about the construction of reliable anthropological data. Most notably, like many of his Victorian anthropological counterparts, Wallace grounded his research in a double commitment to firsthand observation and Baconian inductivism.
US farm bills and the ‘national interest’: an historical research paper
Authors: Lehrer Nadine
Published: July 2018

This paper is an historical analysis of how global pressures and aspirations have affected US farm bill debates over time, from the first farm bill in 1933 to the current debates over a 2018 farm bill. It focuses in particular on how nationalist and patriotic arguments have been used to support the USA's desired place in global agricultural markets over time. For example, debates over the 2008 farm bill reflected strong international concerns around both trade and energy, with early discussion focusing on keeping the USA ‘competitive’ as an agricultural exporter alongside emerging agricultural powerhouses, and later debates focusing on increasing domestic bioenergy production to ‘protect’ the USA from what were seen as risky energy imports. In other words, debates over trade and energy in 2008 provide insight into how stakeholders positioned the USA with respect to the rest of the world and how that positioning changed over the course of debates. But such questions about the USA's global aspirations—whether to maximize US production for export or protect US agriculture from global rivals—have been part of the farm bill since its earliest days. This analysis will examine how concerns over such national agricultural prominence in a globalizing context have played into and influenced the contours of domestic farm policy over time, with implications for the 2018 farm bill debates.
Towards Quantitative Volcanic Risk of Pyroclastic Density Currents: Probabilistic Hazard Curves and Maps Around Somma‐Vesuvius (Italy)
Authors: Tierz P. , Stefanescu E. R. , Sandri L. , Sulpizio R. , Valentine G. A. , Marzocchi W. , Patra A. K.
Published: July 2018

Pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) are hot flowing mixtures of gas and pyroclasts that can cause widespread loss of life and structural damage around the erupting volcano. Hazard assessments that include quantification of aleatory and epistemic uncertainty are a necessary step toward calculating volcanic risk of PDCs in an accurate and complete manner. We develop a three‐stage procedure to quantify such uncertainties for dense PDCs. First, the TITAN2D model is parameterized to simulate the PDC phenomenology at the target volcano. Second, TITAN2D is coupled with Polynomial Chaos Quadrature to propagate aleatory uncertainty from model parameters to hazard intensity measures (flow depth and speed). Third, the TITAN2D‐PCQ analysis is merged with the Bayesian Event Tree for Volcanic Hazard to include other volcano‐specific aleatory uncertainty and estimates of epistemic uncertainty. A comprehensive collection of probabilistic hazard curves and maps for flow depth and speed around the volcano is obtained through this methodology and its application is illustrated at Somma‐Vesuvius (Italy). Our results indicate that, given an eruption from the current central crater, exceedance probabilities are around 30% (aleatory uncertainty only) and between 10% and 60% (aleatory and epistemic uncertainty), for flow depth = 1 m and flow speed = 2 m/s, over the first 2–3 km around the vent. Dense PDCs faster than 30 m/s may cover areas about 50 km2 around the vent, on average, 1 every 10 eruptions. This type of probabilistic hazard assessment represents a crucial step toward quantitative volcanic risk of dense PDCs at Somma‐Vesuvius and worldwide.
Imaging the Growth of Recent Faults: The Case of 2016–2017 Seismic Sequence Sea Bottom Deformation in the Alboran Sea (Western Mediterranean)
Authors: Galindo‐Zaldivar J. , Ercilla G. , Estrada F. , Catalán M. , d'Acremont E. , Azzouz O. , Casas D. , Chourak M. , Vazquez J. T. , Chalouan A. , Sanz de Galdeano C. , Benmakhlouf M. , Gorini C. , Alonso B. , Palomino D. , Rengel J. A. , Gil A. J.
Published: July 2018

The Eurasian‐African NW‐SE oblique plate convergence produces shortening and orthogonal extension in the Alboran Sea Basin (westernmost Mediterranean), located between the Betic and Rif Cordilleras. A NNE‐SSW broadband of deformation and seismicity affects the Alboran central part. After the 1993–1994 and 2004 seismic series, an earthquake sequence struck mainly its southern sector in 2016–2017 (main eventMw = 6.3, 25 January 2016). The near‐surface deformation is investigated using seismic profiles, multibeam bathymetry, gravity and seismicity data. Epicenters can be grouped into two main alignments. The northern WSW‐ENE alignment has reverse earthquake focal mechanisms, and in its epicentral region recent mass transport deposits occur. The southern alignment consists of a NNE‐SSW vertical sinistral deformation zone, with early epicenters of higher‐magnitude earthquakes located along a narrow band 5 to 10‐km offset westward of the Al Idrisi Fault. Here near‐surface deformation includes active NW‐SE vertical and normal faults, unmapped until now. Later, epicenters spread eastward, reaching the Al Idrisi Fault, characterized by discontinuous active NNE‐SSW vertical fractures. Seismicity and tectonic structures suggest a westward propagation of deformation and the growth at depth of incipient faults, comprising a NNE‐SSW sinistral fault zone in depth that is connected upward with NW‐SE vertical and normal faults. This recent fault zone is segmented and responsible for the seismicity in 1993–1994 in the coastal area, in 2004 onshore, and in 2016–2017 offshore. Insights for seismic hazard assessment point to the growth of recent faults that could produce potentially higher magnitude earthquakes than the already formed faults.
Dive into Ocean Issues with Sherman’s Lagoon
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: July 2018

Sherman’s Lagoon creator talks to Eos about providing light-hearted entertainment while weaving in ocean facts and larger messages about threats to the ocean and its creatures.
Production of Negative Hydrogen Ions Within the MMS Fast Plasma Investigation Due to Solar Wind Bombardment
Authors: Gingell Imogen , Schwartz Steven J. , Gershman Daniel J. , Paterson William R. , Desai Ravindra T. , Giles Barbara L. , Pollock Craig J. , Avanov Levon A.
Published: July 2018

The particle data delivered by the Fast Plasma Investigation instrument aboard National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission allow for exceptionally high‐resolution examination of the electron and ion phase space in the near‐Earth plasma environment. It is necessary to identify populations which originate from instrumental effects. Using Fast Plasma Investigation's Dual Electron Spectrometers, we isolate a high‐energy (approximately kiloelectron volt) beam, present while the spacecraft are in the solar wind, which exhibits an azimuthal drift with period associated with the spacecraft spin. We show that this population is consistent with negative hydrogen ions H− generated by a double charge exchange interaction between the incident solar wind H+ ions and the metallic surfaces within the instrument. This interaction is likely to occur at the deflector plates close to the instrument aperture. The H− density is shown to be approximately 0.2–0.4% of the solar wind ion density, and the energy of the negative ion population is shown to be 70% of the incident solar wind energy. These negative ions may introduce errors in electron velocity moments on the order of 0.2–0.4% of the solar wind velocity and significantly higher errors in the electron temperature.
Zinc Geochemical Cycling in a Phosphorus‐Rich Ocean During the Early Ediacaran
Authors: Fan Haifeng , Wen Hanjie , Xiao Chaoyi , Zhou Ting , Cloquet Christophe , Zhu Xiangkun
Published: July 2018

During the early Ediacaran, there was a large influx of phosphorus into the oceans and a resultant high phosphorus concentration in seawater, where multicellular eukaryotes may have been the primary type of marine productivity. The eukaryotes could play a critical role in regulating Zn cycling and isotopes. To establish Zn geochemical cycling patterns in the phosphorus‐rich ocean, this study investigates Zn isotopic signatures of shallow water phosphorite that contains phosphatized microfossils (Weng'an biota) and deep‐water shale from the Doushantuo Formation. Our results indicate that phosphorite commonly preserves heavier Zn isotope composition, with an average of 0.80‰. The positive δ66Zn values in phosphorites may be ascribed to Zn isotope fractionation associated with the complexation of Zn with phosphate and the adsorption of isotopically heavy Zn onto Fe‐Mn oxides and organism's surfaces. We argue that phosphorite may represent an important sink of isotopically heavy Zn in a phosphorus‐rich ocean during Earth history. Meanwhile, deep‐water organic‐rich shale shows an enrichment of isotopically light Zn with an average of 0.23‰, which may be attributed to sulfide precipitation in mid‐depth environment. The organic‐rich shale may represent an isotopically light Zn sink. In addition, the highest δ66Zn value (0.45‰) in a euxinic black shale may indicate that Zn isotope signal of anoxic deep water is similar to that of modern deep seawater. If that is the case, it suggests that Zn geochemical cycling in the early Ediacaran oceans was similar to that of modern oceans.
Seasonal Mixed Layer Temperature Balance in the Southeastern Tropical Atlantic
Authors: Scannell Hillary A. , McPhaden Michael J.
Published: July 2018

Most climate models simulate sea surface temperatures (SSTs) that are consistently 1–4 °C warmer than observed in eastern tropical Atlantic. These biases undermine seasonal prediction efforts and the credibility of climate change projections in this region. To understand what drives the seasonal cycle in upper ocean temperature near the eastern boundary of the tropical Atlantic, we use a 5‐year moored buoy data set from the Prediction and Research Moored Array in the Atlantic at 6°S, 8°E. The buoy is located along the southeastern edge of the Atlantic cold tongue where the seasonal cycle in SST, which is maximum in March and minimum in August, is influenced by the meridional movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and formation of low‐level marine stratocumulus clouds. Associated with these seasonal changes in atmospheric conditions, surface heat fluxes on seasonal timescales are most strongly controlled by shortwave radiation and latent heat flux. The seasonal mixed layer shoals, warms, and freshens in the boreal spring coincident with a southward migration of the ITCZ. The shallow mixed layer amplifies heating from solar radiation on mixed layer temperature at this time. Conversely, during the boreal summer, upwelling leads to entrainment of cold and salty water into the surface layer. From this analysis, we discuss the relative importance of the different components of the seasonal mixed layer heat balance at 6°S, 8°E and how they can be used to better understand the sources of climate model SST biases.