bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The role of cortical and hypothalamic histamine‐3 receptors in the modulation of central histamine neurotransmission: an in vivo electrophysiology and microdialysis study
Authors: Flik Gunnar , Dremencov Eliyahu , Cremers Thomas I. H. F. , Folgering Joost H. A. , Westerink Ben H. C.
Published: November 2011

The current study aimed to investigate the effect of histamine‐3 (H3) receptors, expressed in the tuberomammillary nucleus (TMN) of the hypothalamus and in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), on histamine neurotransmission in the rat brain. The firing activity of histamine neurons in the TMN was measured using in vivo extracellular single‐unit electrophysiology, under propofol anesthesia. Extracellular histamine levels were determined using the dual (PFC and TMN) probe microdialysis, in freely‐moving animals. Histamine levels in dialysates were determined using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and fluorescence detection. It was found that systemic administration of the selective H3‐agonist, immepip, decreases, and the reverse H3/H4‐agonist, thioperamide, increases the firing activity of histamine neurons in the TMN and the release of histamine in TMN and PFC. Local perfusion of immepip into the TMN increased, and thioperamide decreased, histamine levels in the TMN but not in the PFC. Local perfusion of immepip into the PFC, however, decreased extracellular histamine levels in both TMN and PFC. It can be concluded that brain H3 receptors, and especially those expressed in the PFC, play an important role in the autoregulation of histamine neurotransmission. It is possible that H3 receptors in the PFC are expressed on pyramidal neurons projecting to the TMN, and activation of these receptors diminishes glutamate excitatory input from PFC to the TMN. As the brain histamine system has a role in pathophysiology of psychotic, affective, cognitive, sleep and eating disorders, H3 receptors are potential targets for future CNS medications.
Genomic insights into microbial iron oxidation and iron uptake strategies in extremely acidic environments
Authors: Bonnefoy Violaine , Holmes David S.
Published: November 2011

This minireview presents recent advances in our understanding of iron oxidation and homeostasis in acidophilic Bacteria and Archaea. These processes influence the flux of metals and nutrients in pristine and man‐made acidic environments such as acid mine drainage and industrial bioleaching operations. Acidophiles are also being studied to understand life in extreme conditions and their role in the generation of biomarkers used in the search for evidence of existing or past extra‐terrestrial life. Iron oxidation in acidophiles is best understood in the model organism Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. However, recent functional genomic analysis of acidophiles is leading to a deeper appreciation of the diversity of acidophilic iron‐oxidizing pathways. Although it is too early to paint a detailed picture of the role played by lateral gene transfer in the evolution of iron oxidation, emerging evidence tends to support the view that iron oxidation arose independently more than once in evolution. Acidic environments are generally rich in soluble iron and extreme acidophiles (e.g. the Leptospirillum genus) have considerably fewer iron uptake systems compared with neutrophiles. However, some acidophiles have been shown to grow as high as pH 6 and, in the case of the Acidithiobacillus genus, to have multiple iron uptake systems. This could be an adaption allowing them to respond to different iron concentrations via the use of a multiplicity of different siderophores. Both Leptospirillum spp. and Acidithiobacillus spp. are predicted to synthesize the acid stable citrate siderophore for Fe(III) uptake. In addition, both groups have predicted receptors for siderophores produced by other microorganisms, suggesting that competition for iron occurs influencing the ecophysiology of acidic environments. Little is known about the genetic regulation of iron oxidation and iron uptake in acidophiles, especially how the use of iron as an energy source is balanced with its need to take up iron for metabolism. It is anticipated that integrated and complex regulatory networks sensing different environmental signals, such as the energy source and/or the redox state of the cell as well as the oxygen availability, are involved.
Effects of losartan on whole body, skeletal muscle and vascular insulin responses in obesity/insulin resistance without hypertension
Authors: Lteif A. A. , Chisholm R. L. , Gilbert K. , Considine R. V. , Mather K. J.
Published: November 2011

Aims: Renin‐angiotensin system antagonists have been found to improve glucose metabolism in obese hypertensive and type 2 diabetic subjects. The mechanism of these effects is not well understood. We hypothesized that the angiotensin receptor antagonist losartan would improve insulin‐mediated vasodilation, and thereby improve insulin‐stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle of insulin‐resistant subjects.

Methods: We studied subjects with obesity and insulin resistance but without hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia or dysglycaemia [age 39.0 ± 9.6 yr (mean ± SD), body mass index (BMI) 33.2 ± 5.9 kg/m2, BP 115.8 ± 12.2/70.9 ± 7.2 mmHg, LDL 2.1 ± 0.5 mmol/l]. Subjects were randomized to 12 weeks' double‐blind treatment with losartan 100 mg once daily (n = 9) or matching placebo (n = 8). Before and after treatment, under hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamp conditions we measured whole‐body insulin‐stimulated glucose disposal, insulin‐mediated vasodilation, and insulin‐stimulated leg glucose uptake by the limb balance technique.

Results: Whole‐body insulin‐stimulated glucose disposal was not significantly increased by losartan. Insulin‐mediated vasodilation was augmented following both treatments [increase in leg vascular conductance: pretreatment 0.7 ± 0.3 l/min/mmHg (losartan, mean ± SEM) and 0.9 ± 0.3 (placebo), posttreatment 1.0 ± 0.4 (losartan) and 1.3 ± 0.6 (placebo)] but not different between treatment groups (p = 0.53). Insulin's action to augment nitric oxide (NO) production and to augment endothelium‐dependent vasodilation was also not improved. Leg glucose uptake was not significantly changed by treatments, and not different between groups (p = 0.11).

Conclusions: These findings argue against the hypothesis that losartan might improve skeletal muscle glucose metabolism by improving insulin‐mediated vasodilation in normotensive insulin‐resistant obese subjects. The metabolic benefits of angiotensin receptor blockers may require the presence of hypertension in addition to obesity‐associated insulin resistance.
Availability of insulin pump therapy in clinical practice
Authors: Carlsson B.‐M. , Andersson P. Nord , Alnervik J. , Carstensen J. , Lind M.
Published: November 2011

Diabet. Med. 29, 1055–1059 (2012)

Aim  To examine the availability of insulin pump therapy in patients with Type 1 diabetes.

Methods  Patients using insulin pumps among a cohort of 7224 patients with Type 1 diabetes were studied.

Results  In logistic regression, used to evaluate variables not changing over time among the total cohort, use of insulin pumps varied by outpatient clinic (P < 0.001) and sex (P < 0.001). Cox regression analysis in 5854 patients with detailed patient data prior to use of an insulin pump showed higher HbA1c (P < 0.0001), lower creatinine (P = 0.002), high and low insulin doses (P < 0.0001), younger age (P < 0.0001) and female sex (P < 0.0001) to be associated with use of an insulin pump. Women were 1.5‐fold more likely to start using an insulin pump (hazard ratio 1.52, 95% confidence interval 1.29–1.79) and patients in the 20‐ to 30‐years age range were more than twice as likely to begin use of an insulin pump than patients aged 40–50 years (hazard ratio 8.63, 95% confidence interval 5.91–12.59 and hazard ratio 3.98, 95% confidence interval 2.80–5.64, respectively). A 10‐μmol/l higher level of creatinine was associated with a hazard ratio of 0.56 (95% confidence interval 0.39–0.81) of starting use of an insulin pump.

Conclusions  At 10 hospital outpatient clinics in Sweden, use of insulin pumps therapy varied by clinic. A higher proportion of women began using insulin pumps. Younger patients and patients with fewer complications were also more likely to start using an insulin pump. Further research is needed to confirm these findings in other geographical regions and to understand whether the availability of insulin pumps today is optimized.
Understanding standard drinks and drinking guidelines
Authors: KERR WILLIAM C. , STOCKWELL TIM
Published: November 2011

Introduction and Aims. For consumers to follow drinking guidelines and limit their risk of negative consequences they need to track their ethanol consumption. This paper reviews published research on the ability of consumers to utilise information about the alcohol content of beverages when expressed in different forms, for example in standard drinks or units versus percentage alcohol content.

Design and Methods. A review of the literature on standard drink definitions and consumer understanding of these, actual drink pouring, use of standard drinks in guidelines and consumer understanding and use of these.

Results. Standard drink definitions vary across countries and typically contain less alcohol than actual drinks. Drinkers have difficulty defining and pouring standard drinks with over‐pouring being the norm such that intake volume is typically underestimated. Drinkers have difficulty using percentage alcohol by volume and pour size information in calculating intake but can effectively utilise standard drink labelling to track intake.

Discussion and Conclusions. Standard drink labelling is an effective but little used strategy for enabling drinkers to track their alcohol intake and potentially conform to safe or low‐risk drinking guidelines.[Kerr WC, Stockwell T. Understanding standard drinks and drinking guidelines. Drug Alcohol Rev 2012;31:200–205]
The long‐term effect of lockouts on alcohol‐related emergency department attendances within Ballarat, Australia
Authors: MILLER PETER , COOMBER KERRI , SØNDERLUND ANDERS , MCKENZIE STEPHEN
Published: November 2011

Introduction and Aims. Alcohol has consistently been demonstrated to increase levels of aggression and violence, particularly in late night licensed venues. Since August 2003, Ballarat (a regional city of approximately 95 000 inhabitants, in Victoria, Australia) has implemented a 3:00 am‘lockout’ with the goal of reducing alcohol‐related harms. This paper is the first long‐term analysis of the effect of this type of intervention on emergency department (ED) attendances. The aim of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of a lockout intervention within the city of Ballarat, Victoria on alcohol‐related ED presentations.

Design and Methods. This paper examines alcohol‐related injury frequencies pre‐ to post‐lockout intervention in Ballarat, Victoria, from 1999 to 2009, as indicated by ED International Classification of Diseases codes for acute alcohol intoxication and assault. These data are further compared with similar data from Geelong, Victoria, as a control.

Results. A small reduction in alcohol‐related assaults and intoxication rates within Ballarat occurred before and after the introduction of the lockout. However, after this decline these rates steadily increased, surpassing Geelong by 2005.

Discussion and Conclusions. There is no discernible long‐term impact on alcohol‐related ED attendances of the lockout intervention in Ballarat. As such, other interventions may be more appropriate to reduce alcohol‐related ED attendances.[Miller P, Coomber K, Sønderlund A, McKenzie S. The long‐term effect of lockouts on alcohol‐related emergency department attendances within Ballarat, Australia. Drug Alcohol Rev 2012;31:370–376]
Is there a ‘low‐risk’ drinking level for youth? The risk of acute harm as a function of quantity and frequency of drinking
Authors: THOMPSON KARA D. , STOCKWELL TIM , MACDONALD STUART
Published: November 2011

Introduction and Aims. Drinking guidelines have rarely provided recommendations for different age groups despite evidence of significant age effects on alcohol consumption and related risks. This study attempted to quantify the degree of risk associated with lower levels of consumption for people under 25 years of age, with the broader purpose of informing the development of Canadian low‐risk drinking guidelines.

Design and Methods. A random community‐based sample of 540 youth aged 16–23 (54.4% female) completed an interview concerning alcohol consumption patterns and a broad range of acute health and social harms. Logistic regression analyses were designed to test whether there were discernible thresholds of risk as a function of both gender and age.

Results. A significant proportion of young people consumed in excess of adult drinking limits recommended by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) to minimise risk of alcohol‐related harm. Compared with abstainers, rates of reported harm increased linearly with increasing frequency and quantity levels. However, problems were most strongly associated with consumption in excess of two drinks per occasion and a frequency of more than once a week. No independent effects of age or gender were identified.

Discussion and Conclusions. The CAMH guidelines for adult drinkers do not adequately address acute risks for young people. More specific guideline recommendations for young people could be considered with a more prominent focus on drinking quantity (one to two drinks per occasion), and a recommended frequency of consumption (once a week).[Thompson KD, Stockwell T, MacDonald S. Is there a ‘low‐risk’ drinking level for youth? The risk of acute harm as a function of quantity and frequency of drinking. Drug Alcohol Rev 2012;31:184–193]
Conscientiousness in the Classroom: A Process Explanation
Authors: Corker Katherine S. , Oswald Frederick L. , Donnellan M. Brent
Published: November 2011

Although the research literature has established that Conscientiousness predicts task performance across a variety of achievement contexts (e.g., ; ), comparatively less is known about the processes that underlie these relations. To the latter end, the current research examines effortful strategies and achievement goals as mediating factors that might explain why people with higher levels of Conscientiousness are predicted to reach higher levels of academic performance. In a longitudinal study, 347 college students completed measures of personality and achievement goals at the beginning of the class, followed by measures of effortful strategies multiple times throughout the semester. Results support the hypothesis that effortful strategies mediate the association between Conscientiousness and academic performance. Moreover, the statistical effects of Conscientiousness were generally independent of achievement goals, but a small portion of the effect was mediated through approach, not avoidance, achievement goals. These results highlight the importance of examining mediating processes between personality and outcomes, and in the case of Conscientiousness, our results suggest that effortful strategies might serve as a useful target for performance‐enhancing interventions.
Exploring the Personality Structure in the 11 Languages of South Africa
Authors: Nel Jan Alewyn , Valchev Velichko H. , Rothmann Sebastiaan , van de Vijver Fons J. R. , Meiring Deon , de Bruin Gideon P.
Published: November 2011

The present study, part of the development of the South African Personality Inventory (SAPI), explores the implicit personality structure in the 11 official language groups of South Africa by employing a mixed‐method approach. In the first, qualitative part of the study, semistructured interviews were conducted with 1,216 participants from the 11 official language groups. The derived personality‐descriptive terms were categorized and clustered based on their semantic relations in iterative steps involving group discussions and contacts with language and cultural experts. This analysis identified 37 subclusters, which could be merged in 9 broad clusters: Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Extraversion, Facilitating, Integrity, Intellect, Openness, Relationship Harmony, and Soft‐Heartedness. In the second, quantitative part, the perceived relations between the 37 subclusters were rated by 204 students from different language groups in South Africa and 95 students in the Netherlands. The outcomes generally supported the adequacy of the conceptual model, although several clusters in the domain of relational and social functioning did not replicate in detail. The outcomes of these studies revealed a personality structure with a strong emphasis on social‐relational aspects of personality.
To Discover or to Create: Metaphors and the True Self
Authors: Schlegel Rebecca J. , Vess Matthew , Arndt Jamie
Published: November 2011

Three studies examined how endorsement of self‐discovery and self‐creation metaphors influences belief in the true self and its use as meaning source. It was hypothesized that discovery metaphors contribute to belief in the true self and bolster the relationship between true self‐knowledge and meaning. Study 1 supported the hypothesis that discovery is positively associated with belief in the true self among a sample of college students (N = 311). Studies 2 and 3 extended the analysis by showing that the discovery metaphor also facilitates perceptions of meaning and the use of the true self specifically as a source of meaning in a second sample of college students (N = 75) as well as an adult sample of university employees (N = 173). Implications for understanding what enables the true self to infuse life with meaning, as well as an individual differences approach to metaphoric cognition, are discussed.
The Dynamic Role of Personality States in Mediating the Relationship Between Extraversion and Positive Affect
Authors: Wilt Joshua , Noftle Erik E. , Fleeson William , Spain Jana S.
Published: November 2011

One of the most noteworthy and robust findings in personality psychology is the relationship between extraversion and positive affect. Existing theories have debated the origins and nature of this relationship, offering both structural/fixed and environmental/dynamic explanations. We tested the novel and straightforward dynamic hypothesis that part of the reason trait extraversion predicts trait positive affect is through an increased propensity to enact extraverted states, which in turn leads to experiencing more positive affect states.

We report 5 experience sampling studies (and a meta‐analysis of primary studies) conducted in natural environments and laboratory settings in which undergraduate participants (N = 241) provided ratings of trait extraversion, trait positive affect, extraversion states, and positive affect states. Results of primary studies and the meta‐analysis showed that relationships between trait extraversion and trait positive affect were partially mediated by aggregated extraversion states and aggregated positive affect states.

The results supported our dynamic hypothesis and suggested that dynamic explanations of the relationship between trait extraversion and trait positive affect are compatible with structural explanations. An important implication of these findings is that individuals might be able to increase their happiness by self‐regulating their extraverted states.
Genetic and Environmental Influences on Personality Profile Stability: Unraveling the Normativeness Problem
Authors: Bleidorn Wiebke , Kandler Christian , Riemann Rainer , Angleitner Alois , Spinath Frank M.
Published: November 2011

The present study is the first to disentangle the genetic and environmental influences on personality profile stability. Spanning a period of 10 years, we analyzed the etiology of 3 aspects of profile stability (overall profile stability, distinctive profile stability, and profile normativeness) using self‐ and peer reports from 539 identical and 280 fraternal twins reared together. This 3‐wave multirater twin design allowed us to estimate the genetic and environmental effects on latent true scores of the 3 aspects of profile stability while controlling for method effects and random error. Consistent biometric results were only found for profile normativeness, whereas overall and distinctive profile stability scores turned out to be biased. Over time, we found personality profile normativeness to be relatively stable. This stability was due to both stable genetic and nonshared environmental effects, whereas innovative variance was completely explained by nonshared environmental effects. Our findings emphasize the importance of distinguishing between the different aspects of profile stability, since overall and distinctive stability scores are likely biased due to the normativeness problem. Yet indicating a person's similarity to the average person, the normativeness of a personality profile itself has a psychological meaning beyond socially desirable responding.
The Hubris Hypothesis: You Can Self‐Enhance, But You'd Better Not Show It
Authors: Hoorens Vera , Pandelaere Mario , Oldersma Frans , Sedikides Constantine
Published: November 2011

We tested whether and why observers dislike individuals who convey self‐superiority through blatant social comparison (the hubris hypothesis). Participants read self‐superiority claims (“I am better than others”; Experiments 1–7), noncomparative positive claims (“I am good”; Experiments 1–2, 4), self‐equality claims (“I am as good as others”; Experiments 3–4, 6), temporally comparative self‐superiority claims (“I am better than I used to be”; Experiment 5), other‐superiority claims (“S/he is better than others”; Experiment 6), and self‐superiority claims accompanied by persistent disclaimers (Experiment 7). They judged the claim and the claimant (Experiments 1–7) and made inferences about the claimant's self‐view and view of others (Experiments 4–7) as well as the claimant's probable view of them (Experiment 7). Self‐superiority claims elicited unfavorable evaluations relative to all other claims. Evaluation unfavorability was accounted for by the perception that the claimant implied a negative view of others (Experiments 4–6) and particularly of the observer (Experiment 7). Supporting the hubris hypothesis, participants disliked individuals who communicated self‐superiority beliefs in an explicitly comparative manner. Self‐superiority beliefs may provoke undesirable interpersonal consequences when they are explicitly communicated to others but not when they are disguised as noncomparative positive self‐claims or self‐improvement claims.
Genetic and environmental relationships between head circumference growth in the first year of life and sociocognitive development in the second year: a longitudinal twin study
Authors: Fujisawa Keiko K. , Ozaki Koken , Suzuki Kunitake , Yamagata Shinji , Kawahashi Ikko , Ando Juko
Published: November 2011

Although growth in head circumference (HC) during infancy is known to predict later childhood outcomes, the mechanisms underlying this association with later sociocognitive abilities remain undetermined. Thus, using a sample of 241 pairs of normally developing Japanese twins, this study investigated the underpinnings of the association between HC growth (difference between HC at birth and at 10 months) and sociocognitive abilities at 19 months as measured by 10 items from the M‐CHAT. Phenotypic correlations between HC at birth and sociocognitive abilities and between HC growth and sociocognitive abilities were marginal and not significant. However, multivariate genetic analyses using Cholesky decomposition revealed that genetic influences on HC growth and those on sociocognitive abilities were negatively associated. On the other hand, shared and nonshared environmental influences on HC growth were positively associated with influences on sociocognitive abilities. Genetic and environmental influences on HC at birth were not significantly associated with influences on sociocognitive abilities. These results help to clarify the role of brain growth during infancy in the subsequent development of sociocognitive abilities and highlight the importance of examining the different roles of genetic and environmental influences in studies of these areas.
Making Imperfect Shadow Maps View‐Adaptive: High‐Quality Global Illumination in Large Dynamic Scenes
Authors: Ritschel Tobias , Eisemann Elmar , Ha Inwoo , Kim James D. K. , Seidel Hans‐Peter
Published: November 2011

We propose an algorithm to compute interactive indirect illumination in dynamic scenes containing millions of triangles. It makes use of virtual point lights (VPL) to compute bounced illumination and a point‐based scene representation to query indirect visibility, similar to Imperfect Shadow Maps (ISM). To ensure a high fidelity of indirect light and shadows, our solution is made view‐adaptive by means of two orthogonal improvements: First, the VPL distribution is chosen to provide more detail, that is, more dense VPL sampling, where these contribute most to the current view. Second, the scene representation for indirect visibility is adapted to ensure geometric detail where it affects indirect shadows in the current view.
Visualising difference, similarity and belonging in paediatric genetics
Authors: McLaughlin Janice , Clavering Emma K.
Published: November 2011

Paediatric genetics is increasingly playing a role in explorations of why a child may not be reaching developmental milestones, while experiencing various health concerns and displaying unusual physical characteristics. The diagnostic processes include close analyses of a child’s body in order to identify ‘clues’ to possible genetic variation. When the genetic variation identified is new and complex there is significant uncertainty about what relationship that variation has to childhood development and what it will mean for a child’s future. This paper, drawing from an ethnographic study of a genetics clinic, explores what versions of childhood difference and normality are produced by genetic explorations marked by uncertainty. The focus is on the significance of visual dynamics within the consultation, in family stories or photographs, and in the images found on websites which catalogue genetic syndromes. Our argument is that inside and outside the clinic the visual interpretations create understandings of the child that at times position him or her as ‘other’, while at other times recognise the child as normal and ‘one of us’. The uncertainty embedded in identifying rare genetic variations enables multiple interpretations to emerge which do not ‘fix’ the child into the category of the ‘genetically other’.
Control Variates for Estimation Based on Reversible Markov Chain Monte Carlo Samplers
Authors: Dellaportas Petros , Kontoyiannis Ioannis
Published: November 2011

A general methodology is introduced for the construction and effective application of control variates to estimation problems involving data from reversible Markov chain Monte Carlo samplers. We propose the use of a specific class of functions as control variates, and we introduce a new consistent estimator for the values of the coefficients of the optimal linear combination of these functions. For a specific Markov chain Monte Carlo scenario, the form and proposed construction of the control variates is shown to provide an exact solution of the associated Poisson equation. This implies that the estimation variance in this case (in the central limit theorem regime) is exactly zero. The new estimator is derived from a novel, finite dimensional, explicit representation for the optimal coefficients. The resulting variance reduction methodology is primarily (though certainly not exclusively) applicable when the simulated data are generated by a random-scan Gibbs sampler. Markov chain Monte Carlo examples of Bayesian inference problems demonstrate that the corresponding reduction in the estimation variance is significant, and that in some cases it can be quite dramatic. Extensions of this methodology are discussed and simulation examples are presented illustrating the utility of the methods proposed. All methodological and asymptotic arguments are rigorously justified under essentially minimal conditions.
Reduced Rank Stochastic Regression with a Sparse Singular value Decomposition
Authors: Chen Kun , Chan Kung-Sik , Stenseth Nils Chr.
Published: November 2011

For a reduced rank multivariate stochastic regression model of rank r*, the regression coefficient matrix can be expressed as a sum of r* unit rank matrices each of which is proportional to the outer product of the left and right singular vectors. For improving predictive accuracy and facilitating interpretation, it is often desirable that these left and right singular vectors be sparse or enjoy some smoothness property. We propose a regularized reduced rank regression approach for solving this problem. Computation algorithms and regularization parameter selection methods are developed, and the properties of the new method are explored both theoretically and by simulation. In particular, the regularization method proposed is shown to be selection consistent and asymptotically normal and to enjoy the oracle property. We apply the proposed model to perform biclustering analysis with microarray gene expression data.
Nail lichen planus: epidemiological, clinical, pathological, therapeutic and prognosis study of 67 cases
Authors: Goettmann S. , Zaraa I. , Moulonguet I.
Published: November 2011

Background  Lichen planus limited to the nail is uncommon, and information about its long‐term prognosis is lacking.

Objectives  We attempted to review the epidemiological, clinical and histological features, the response to treatment and the follow‐up of a large series of patients with nail lichen planus (NLP).

Methods  We searched for the records of all patients with a clinical and histopathological diagnosis of isolated NLP apart from January 1997 to December 2008. The patients presented during this period and followed until December 2009 in the consultation for nail disorder were reviewed in detail.

Results  Data on 67 patients were collected, with an average age of 47 years (6–78 years). A male preponderance was observed (64%). The mean duration of the disease was about 38 months. Fingernails were the site of involvement in 94% of cases. Matrix involvement was observed in 91% of cases. A total of 120 specimen’s biopsy were taken and was contributory in 90% of cases. Two specimens biopsy were practiced in 70.15% of patients. Systemic corticosteroids were used in 46 patients, and associated in 20 cases to intralesional corticosteroids.

Conclusions  Our findings indicate that if NLP is correctly diagnosed and appropriately treated. Nail biopsy is proven to be a relatively simple, safe and useful procedure with a minimal scarring risk. Long‐term observation indicates that the prognosis of NLP is poor with high rate of relapses, with permanent damage to the nail unit.
Applying stable isotopes to examine food‐web structure: an overview of analytical tools
Authors: Layman Craig A. , Araujo Marcio S. , Boucek Ross , Hammerschlag‐Peyer Caroline M. , Harrison Elizabeth , Jud Zachary R. , Matich Philip , Rosenblatt Adam E. , Vaudo Jeremy J. , Yeager Lauren A. , Post David M. , Bearhop Stuart
Published: November 2011

Stable isotope analysis has emerged as one of the primary means for examining the structure and dynamics of food webs, and numerous analytical approaches are now commonly used in the field. Techniques range from simple, qualitative inferences based on the isotopic niche, to Bayesian mixing models that can be used to characterize food‐web structure at multiple hierarchical levels. We provide a comprehensive review of these techniques, and thus a single reference source to help identify the most useful approaches to apply to a given data set. We structure the review around four general questions: (1) what is the trophic position of an organism in a food web?; (2) which resource pools support consumers?; (3) what additional information does relative position of consumers in isotopic space reveal about food‐web structure?; and (4) what is the degree of trophic variability at the intrapopulation level? For each general question, we detail different approaches that have been applied, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each. We conclude with a set of suggestions that transcend individual analytical approaches, and provide guidance for future applications in the field.
The limits of cultural nationalism: Italian Switzerland from a risorgimento perspective*
Authors: HUGHES STEVEN C.
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACT. This article critiques the ‘cultural turn’ in Italian Risorgimento historiography by examining Italian Switzerland, and specifically Ticino. This area paradoxically aided and abetted Italian patriots, especially Giuseppe Mazzini, yet rejected becoming part of the Italian national project. This paradox is heightened by the fact that the vast majority of the Italian nationalist literary canon, as identified by Alberto Maria Banti, was republished in Ticino. The paradox is explained in terms of the conflict between long‐standing traditions of local autonomy and the idea of any form of uniform or centralised control, as originally represented by the Cisalpine Republic and then by both versions (Napoleonic and Piedmontese) of the Kingdom of Italy. However, I also use Banti's cultural concepts to demonstrate the creation of a powerful counter‐myth of Italian Swiss nationalism in the character of William Tell.
Giuseppe Mazzini and the democratic logic of nationalism
Authors: ROWLEY DAVID G.
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACT.This article brings the thought of Giuseppe Mazzini back into the field of nationalism studies, from which it has been largely missing for a half century. It suggests the following: that Mazzini is much more modern and secular than he is usually portrayed; and that his commitment to liberal policies while rejecting liberal principles suggests that the distinction between civic and ethnic nationalism has been misconceived. Nationalism, to Mazzini, was not an end in itself but a means to an end – government of, by and for the people. The demand for such a government was manifested in three popular demands in nineteenth‐century Europe: in the West as democracy, in the East as national sovereignty (the precondition for democracy) and in both East and West as social democracy. Thus nationalism may be instrumental rather than an end in itself, and it may be attributable not to ethnic groups' natural striving for autonomy but to the pursuit of democracy.
The politics of conflict: a constructivist critique of consociational and civil society theories*
Authors: DIXON PAUL
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACT.This article presents a (critical realist) constructivist critique of both consociational and civil society/transformationist approaches and their crude understandings of politics and the prospects for political change. Consociationalism's primordialist or essentialist foundation leads it towards a world‐weary, pessimistic, conservative realism about how far ‘divided societies’ may be transformed. Advocates of the civil society approach, in contrast, take an instrumentalist view of identity and are optimistic that a radical transformation can be achieved by mobilising the people against ‘hard‐line’ political representatives. The constructivist approach can provide a framework in which a more complex and nuanced understanding of identities is possible. This better equips us for understanding the prospects of bringing about desirable political change. The first part of this article is a critique of Nagle and Clancy's consociationalism. The second part provides a brief outline of a constructivist critique of both the consociational and civil society understandings of politics and their contribution to understanding the politics of managing conflict.
Pockmarks enhance deep‐sea benthic biodiversity: a case study in the western Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Zeppilli Daniela , Canals Miquel , Danovaro Roberto
Published: November 2011

Aim  Pockmarks are craters on the sea floor formed by sub‐sea‐floor fluid expulsions, which occur world‐wide at all ocean depths. These habitats potentially host a highly specialized fauna that can exploit the hydrocarbons released. Pockmarks at relatively shallow depths can be easily destroyed by human activities, such as bottom trawling. In the present study, we investigated the combined effects of sea‐floor heterogeneity, rate of fluid emission and trophic conditions of different pockmarks on the biodiversity of the deep‐sea assemblages.

Location  Continental slope of the Gulf of Lions, western Mediterranean Sea, at water depths from 265 to 434 m.

Methods  We investigated the biodiversity associated with sea‐floor pockmarks that are both inactive and that have active gas emissions. Control sites were selected on the sea floor outside the influence of the gas seepage, both within and outside the pockmark fields. We examined the combined effects of: (i) sea‐floor heterogeneity; (ii) variable levels of fluid (gas) emissions; and (iii) trophic characteristics of the meiofaunal assemblage structure and nematode diversity.

Results  Sediments within the pockmark fields had lower meiofaunal abundance and biomass when compared with the surrounding sediments that were not influenced by the gas seepage. Although several higher taxa were absent in the pockmarks (e.g. Turbellaria, Tardigrada, Cumacea, Isopoda, Tanaidacea, Nemertina and Priapulida, which were present in the control areas), the richness of the nematode species within all of these pockmarks was very high. About 25% of the total species encountered in the deep‐sea sediments of the investigated areas was exclusively associated with these pockmarks.

Main conclusions  We conclude that both active and inactive pockmarks provide significant contributions to the regional (gamma) diversity of the continental slope in the western Mediterranean Sea, and thus the protection of these special and fragile habitats is highly relevant to the conservation of deep‐sea biodiversity.
mIGF‐1/JNK1/SirT1 signaling confers protection against oxidative stress in the heart
Authors: Vinciguerra Manlio , Santini Maria Paola , Martinez Conception , Pazienza Valerio , Claycomb William C. , Giuliani Alessandro , Rosenthal Nadia
Published: November 2011

Oxidative stress contributes to the pathogenesis of aging‐associated heart failure. Among various signaling pathways mediating oxidative stress, the NAD+‐dependent protein deacetylase SirT1 has been implicated in the protection of heart muscle. Expression of a locally acting insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) propeptide (mIGF‐1) helps the heart to recover from infarct and enhances SirT1 expression in cardiomyocytes (CM) in vitro, exerting protection from hypertrophic and oxidative stresses. To study the role of mIGF‐1/SirT1 signaling in vivo, we generated cardiac‐specific mIGF‐1 transgenic mice in which SirT1 was depleted from adult CM in a tamoxifen‐inducible and conditional fashion. Analysis of these mice confirmed that mIGF‐1‐induced SirT1 activity is necessary to protect the heart from paraquat (PQ)‐induced oxidative stress and lethality. In cultured CM, mIGF‐1 increases SirT1 expression through a c‐Jun NH(2)‐terminal protein kinase 1 (JNK1)‐dependent signaling mechanism. Thus, mIGF‐1 protects the heart from oxidative stress via SirT1/JNK1 activity, suggesting new avenues for cardiac therapy during aging and heart failure.
Grandfather Caregivers: Race and Ethnic Differences in Poverty*
Authors: Keene Jennifer R. , Prokos Anastasia H. , Held Barbara
Published: November 2011

We use data from the 2006 American Community Survey to examine race and ethnic differences in the effects of marital status and co‐residence of the middle generation on the likelihood of poverty among grandfathers who have primary responsibility for co‐resident grandchildren (N = 3,379). Logistic regression results indicate that race/ethnicity and household composition are significant predictors of poverty for grandfather caregivers: non‐Hispanic white grandfathers, those who are married, and those with a co‐resident middle generation are the least likely to be poor. The effects of race/ethnicity, marital status, and the presence of a middle generation are, however, contingent upon one another. Specifically, the negative effect of being married is lower among grandfathers who are Hispanic, African American, non‐Hispanic, and non‐Hispanics of other race/ethnic groups compared to whites. In addition, having a middle generation in the home has a larger negative effect on poverty for race/ethnic minority grandfathers than for non‐Hispanic whites. Finally, the combined effects of marriage and a middle generation vary across race/ethnic group and are associated with lower chances of poverty among some groups compared with others. We use the theory of cumulative disadvantage to interpret these findings and suggest that race/ethnicity and household composition are synergistically related to economic resources for grandfather caregivers.
Cholesteryl butyrate solid lipid nanoparticles inhibit the adhesion and migration of colon cancer cells
Authors: Minelli R , Serpe L , Pettazzoni P , Minero V , Barrera G , Gigliotti CL , Mesturini R , Rosa AC , Gasco P , Vivenza N , Muntoni E , Fantozzi R , Dianzani U , Zara GP , Dianzani C
Published: November 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSECholesteryl butyrate solid lipid nanoparticles (cholbut SLN) provide a delivery system for the anti‐cancer drug butyrate. These SLN inhibit the adhesion of polymorphonuclear cells to the endothelium and may act as anti‐inflammatory agents. As cancer cell adhesion to endothelium is crucial for metastasis dissemination, here we have evaluated the effect of cholbut SLN on adhesion and migration of cancer cells.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHCholbut SLN was incubated with a number of cancer cell lines or human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and adhesion was quantified by a computerized micro‐imaging system. Migration was detected by the scratch ‘wound‐healing’ assay and the Boyden chamber invasion assay. Expression of ERK and p38 MAPK was analysed by Western blot. Expression of the mRNA for E‐cadherin and claudin‐1 was measured by RT‐PCR.

KEY RESULTSCholbut SLN inhibited HUVEC adhesiveness to cancer cell lines derived from human colon–rectum, breast, prostate cancers and melanoma. The effect was concentration and time‐dependent and exerted on both cancer cells and HUVEC. Moreover, these SLN inhibited migration of cancer cells and substantially down‐modulated ERK and p38 phosphorylation. The anti‐adhesive effect was additive to that induced by the triggering of B7h, which is another stimulus inhibiting both ERK and p38 phosphorylation, and cell adhesiveness. Furthermore, cholbut SLN induced E‐cadherin and inhibited claudin‐1 expression in HUVEC.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONSThese results suggest that cholbut SLN could act as an anti‐metastastic agent and they add a new mechanism to the anti‐tumour activity of this multifaceted preparation of butyrate.
Last Glacial Maximum and the Gschnitz stadial in the Maritime Alps according to 10Be cosmogenic dating
Authors: Federici Paolo Roberto , Granger Darryl E. , Ribolini Adriano , Spagnolo Matteo , Pappalardo Marta , Cyr Andrew J.
Published: November 2011

Two glacial deposits in the Gesso valley (Maritime, Alps) have been 10Be‐dated at 20 140±1080 (weighted mean±SD) and 16 590±970 years, respectively, thus constraining the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and Gschnitz stadials in the southwestern part of the Alps. The LGM age is chronologically coherent with MIS 2 and synchronous with most other LGM moraines in the Alps. The Gschnitz stadial also appears to be in agreement with the ages obtained from other Alpine sites and with Heinrich Event I. This suggests that the Alpine glaciers reacted simultaneously and essentially synchronously with the climate change associated with Heinrich Event 1. The Equilibrium Line Altitudes (ELAs) of the LGM and Gschnitz reconstructed palaeoglaciers are 1850 and 1910 m a.s.l., respectively. The ELA comparison across the Alps indicates that the palaeoclimate of the Maritime Alps during the LGM was rather different from that of other Alpine sectors. However, the similar Gschnitz ELA value between the Gesso valley and other sites across the mountain chain indicates that Alpine glaciers responded with the same intensity to the climate change associated with Heinrich Event I. Overall, these results suggest that the interaction between the atmospheric circulation of air masses and local Alpine orography was more complex than has previously been argued.
Evolutionary Psychology, Ethology, and Essentialism (Because What They Don't Know Can Hurt Us)
Authors: Meynell Letitia
Published: November 2011

In 2002,Evolution and Human Behaviorpublished a study purporting to show that the differences in toy preferences commonly attributed to girls and boys can also be found in male and female vervet monkeys, tracing the origin of these differing preferences back to a common ancestor. Despite some flaws in its design and theprima facieimplausibility of some of its central claims, this research received considerable attention in both scientific circles and the popular media. In what follows, I survey some of the problems with this study that seem to be characteristic of research into sex differences in a particular research program in evolutionary psychology. I suggest that an epistemology of ignorance is at work that suppresses the methods and insights of an earlier research program, which emphasized the complexity and contingency that ultimately grounds the variety of human behaviors, in favor of one that has been widely criticized as empirically flawed and politically pernicious. I conclude with some speculative remarks on the persistence of this problematic research program in evolutionary psychology.
Care and Abstract Principles
Authors: O'Dowd Ornaith
Published: November 2011

Since Carol Gilligan's analysis of the “Heinz dilemma,” many philosophers working on care have articulated critiques of abstraction and principles in ethics. Their objections to abstraction and principles have not always been systematically set out. In this paper, I try to clarify the debate. I begin by distinguishing several aspects of the care critique. I then consider the strengths of each from a Kantian perspective. I conclude that, although some of these objections point out potential misuses of abstraction and principle, and in doing so, suggest strategies and cautions for their correct and careful use in ethics, they do not present a successful challenge to abstraction or principles as such.
Are Causal Structure and Intervention Judgments Inextricably Linked? A Developmental Study
Authors: Frosch Caren A. , McCormack Teresa , Lagnado David A. , Burns Patrick
Published: November 2011

The application of the formal framework of causal Bayesian Networks to children’s causal learning provides the motivation to examine the link between judgments about the causal structure of a system, and the ability to make inferences about interventions on components of the system. Three experiments examined whether children are able to make correct inferences about interventions on different causal structures. The first two experiments examined whether children’s causal structure and intervention judgments were consistent with one another. In Experiment 1, children aged between 4 and 8 years made causal structure judgments on a three‐component causal system followed by counterfactual intervention judgments. In Experiment 2, children’s causal structure judgments were followed by intervention judgments phrased as future hypotheticals. In Experiment 3, we explicitly told children what the correct causal structure was and asked them to make intervention judgments. The results of the three experiments suggest that the representations that support causal structure judgments do not easily support simple judgments about interventions in children. We discuss our findings in light of strong interventionist claims that the two types of judgments should be closely linked.