bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impacts of Changing Marijuana Policies on Alcohol Use in the United States
Authors: Guttmannova Katarina , Lee Christine M. , Kilmer Jason R. , Fleming Charles B. , Rhew Isaac C. , Kosterman Rick , Larimer Mary E.
Published: December 2015

Background

Marijuana policies are rapidly evolving. In the United States, recreational use of marijuana is now legal in 4 states and medical marijuana is legal in 23 states. Research evaluating such policies has focused primarily on how policies affect issues of price, access to, use, and consequences of marijuana. Due to potential spillover effects, researchers also need to examine how marijuana policies may impact use and consequences of alcohol.

Methods

The current paper is a critical review of articles evaluating alcohol outcomes associated with marijuana decriminalization, medical marijuana legalization, and nonmedical or recreational marijuana legalization. We identified articles and reports through (1) online searches of EBSCO host database including Academic Search Premier, Econlit, Legal Collection, Medline, PsycARTICLES, and PsycINFO, as well as PubMed and Google Scholar databases; (2) review of additional articles cited in papers identified through electronic searches; and (3) targeted searches of state and local government records regarding marijuana law implementation. We reviewed studies with respect to their data sources and sample characteristics, methodology, and the margin of alcohol and marijuana use, timing of policy change, and the aspects of laws examined.

Results

The extant literature provides some evidence for both substitution (i.e., more liberal marijuana policies related to less alcohol use as marijuana becomes a substitute) and complementary (i.e., more liberal marijuana policies related to increases in both marijuana and alcohol use) relationships in the context of liberalization of marijuana policies in the United States.

Conclusions

Impact of more liberal marijuana policies on alcohol use is complex, and likely depends on specific aspects of policy implementation, including how long the policy has been in place. Furthermore, evaluation of marijuana policy effects on alcohol use may be sensitive to the age group studied and the margin of alcohol use examined. Design of policy evaluation research requires careful consideration of these issues.
Altered white matter integrity in whole brain and segments of corpus callosum, in young social drinkers with binge drinking pattern
Authors: Smith Kathleen W. , Gierski Fabien , Andre Judith , Dowell Nicholas G. , Cercignani Mara , Naassila Mickaël , Duka Theodora
Published: December 2015

Binge drinking is associated with impaired cognitive functioning, but the relationship of cognitive impairments and white matter integrity is less known. We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate the relationships of binge drinking, whole brain white matter integrity and cognitive performance during young adulthood (18 to 25 years), a period of continued brain development in two sessions 1 year apart. Binge drinkers (n = 20) and non‐binge drinkers (n = 20) underwent DTI and completed measures of spatial working memory and motor impulsivity. Fractional anisotropy (FA), a measure derived from DTI, was estimated from whole brain and from five segments of the corpus callosum (CC): prefrontal, premotor/supplementary motor, motor, (SMA) sensory and parietal/temporal/occipital (PTO). FA was lower for binge than for non‐binge men but not women at Session 1 and 2 for all measurements except for FA in the motor segment, which was significantly increased from Session 1 to Session 2. Lower FA in the prefrontal and PTO CC segments was associated with higher binge score, whereas lower FA in all five segments was associated with greater drug use in men and worse spatial working memory both in men and women. These findings extend the literature by showing that in early adulthood, binge drinking and drug use are linked with degradations in neural white matter and that compromised white matter at this period of brain development is linked with impaired cognitive functioning.
Loose Cannons or Loyal Foot Soldiers? Toward a More Complex Theory of Interest Group Advertising Strategies
Authors: Franz Michael M. , Fowler Erika Franklin , Ridout Travis N.
Published: December 2015

Recent court decisions have encouraged new types of interest groups to become involved in election campaigns. Yet questions remain about whether interest group sponsorship of advertising affects the content of the issues being discussed. The ability of interest groups to influence the campaign agenda has implications for the extent to which politicians can be held accountable by citizens. In this research, we present a new conceptual framework for explaining variation in interest group advertising strategies and examine the factors leading different types of interest groups to be loose cannons (diverging from the issue debates among candidates) or loyal foot soldiers (matching the candidates’ issue debates). We find more evidence of loyal foot soldier behavior among new multi‐issue interest groups and among Republican groups and candidates. Fears of interest groups “hijacking” campaign agendas appear unfounded.
Carers' perspectives on an effective Indigenous health model for childhood asthma in the Torres Strait
Authors: Valery Patricia C. , Whop Lisa J. , Morseu‐Diop Noritta , Garvey Gail , Masters Ian B. , Chang Anne B.
Published: December 2015

Objective

To describe parents'/carers' views of the characteristics of a clinical service model shown to improve asthma outcomes.

Design

A randomised controlled study on education intervention for childhood asthma by Indigenous health care workers.

Setting

Thursday Island, Horn Island and Bamaga.

Participants

Thirty‐five children received the intervention and 53 were in the control group. At the last study visit 12 months after enrolment, carers were asked to give feedback about the clinical service delivered by paediatric respiratory physicians and the asthma education intervention.

Intervention

Additional asthma education.

Main outcome measures

Carers' responses to the open‐ended questions were analysed separately by three Indigenous investigators who assigned codes and developed the themes. These were then cross‐checked and combined to develop an overall interpretation of the data.

Results

The carers (n = 81) of 88 children in the Torres Strait region of North Queensland reported positively to the clinical service delivery. Service was rated as excellent = 26.8%, very good = 51.2%, good = 19.5% and poor = 2.4%. Parents'/carers' views about the clinical service model were grouped into seven themes: clear communication by health professionals, service delivery, professional approach, clear transfer of knowledge and education/clinical knowledge of asthma, established rapport/caregiver satisfaction, importance of coming into the local community, and areas of concern for the carers/parents.

Conclusion

Community‐based perspectives of an effective health service model include empowered Indigenous health care workers currently attached to the medical specialist service with elements of high expertise and appropriate cultural awareness that enabled clear communication and transfer of knowledge.
Surgical mortality audit data validity
Authors: Rey‐Conde Therese , Shakya Riyaz , Allen Jennifer , Clarke Evelyn , North John B. , Wysocki Arkadiusz Peter , Ware Robert S.
Published: December 2015

Background

Surgical audits provide constructive feedback to individual surgeons, hospitals and other healthcare sector professionals. Audits identify deficiencies in treatment processes, evaluate practice trends and detect practice gaps. The credibility and validity of the Queensland Audit of Surgical Mortality (QASM) relies on the accuracy of its data.

Methods

To determine the validity of routine reporting of surgical information to QASM, surgical case forms were compared against medical records (considered the gold standard). Data were extracted by a trained medical research assistant. QASM forensically reviewed 896 of a total of 5636 deaths in 20 Queensland public hospitals between 2008 and 2013. Concordance between the surgical case form and the relevant medical record was determined for 27 objective items.

Results

Overall concordance was 98.2%. The median concordance was 100% (interquartile range 87–100%). Cases with discordance were few and in these, most had only one discordant item. Discordances were mainly omissions.

Conclusion

The QASM surgical case form is a reliable data collection tool that provides high‐quality data. QASM objective data can be confidently regarded as accurate and therefore reliable for use in publications, reports and case studies.
Is the Val66Met polymorphism of the brain‐derived neurotrophic factor gene associated with panic disorder? A meta‐analysis
Authors: Chen Kaiyuan , Wang Na , Zhang Jie , Hong Xiaohong , Xu Haiyun , Zhao Xiaofeng , Huang Qingjun
Published: December 2015

Although emerging evidence has suggested an association between the Val66Met (rs6265) polymorphisms in brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene and the panic disorder, the conclusion is inclusive given the mixed results. This meta‐analysis reviewed and analyzed the recent studies addressing the potential association between the Val66Met polymorphisms and panic disorder susceptibility. Related case–control studies were retrieved by database searching and selected according to established inclusion criteria. Six articles were identified, which explored the association between the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and panic disorder. Statistical analyses revealed no association for the allele contrast and the dominant model. However, the recessive model showed a significant association between the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and panic disorder (odds ratio = 1.26, 95% confidence interval = 1.04–1.52, z = 2.39, P = 0.02). Despite of some limitations, this meta‐analysis suggests that the Val66Met polymorphism of BDNF gene is a susceptibility factor for panic disorder.
Estimation of variance and genomic prediction using genotypes imputed from low‐density marker subsets for carcass traits in Japanese black cattle
Authors: Ogawa Shinichiro , Matsuda Hirokazu , Taniguchi Yukio , Watanabe Toshio , Sugimoto Yoshikazu , Iwaisaki Hiroaki
Published: December 2015

The influence of genotype imputation using low‐density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker subsets on the genomic relationship matrix (G matrix), genetic variance explained, and genomic prediction (GP) was investigated for carcass weight and marbling score in Japanese Black fattened steers, using genotype data of approximately 40,000 SNPs. Genotypes were imputed using equally spaced SNP subsets of different densities. Two different linear models were used. The first (model 1) incorporated one G matrix, while the second (model 2) used two different G matrices constructed using the selected and remaining SNPs. When using model 1, the estimated additive genetic variance was always larger when using all SNPs obtained via genotype imputation than when using only equally spaced SNP subsets. The correlations between the genomic estimated breeding values obtained using genotype imputation with at least 3,000 SNPs and those using all available SNPs without imputation were higher than 0.99 for both traits. While additive genetic variance was likely to be partitioned with model 2, it did not enhance the accuracy of GP compared with model 1. These results indicate that genotype imputation using an equally spaced low‐density panel of an appropriate size can be used to produce a cost‐effective, valid GP.
Demographics of Australian horse owners: results from an internet‐based survey
Authors: Smyth GB , Dagley K
Published: December 2015

Objectives

To obtain information on the demographics of Australian horse owners.

Methods

An invitation to participate in an opt‐in, internet‐based survey was sent to 7000 persons who had registered an email address to receive information from the Australian Horse Industry Council Inc. These horse owners represented approximately 1.75% of the total horse owners in Australia. The survey was available for completion between 1 and 31 July 2009.

Results

There were 3377 (48%) useable responses. The respondents were a self‐selected group of approximately 0.85% of the estimated total horse owners in Australia. The overall geographic distribution of respondents was the same as the general population at a state and territory level. In general, respondents were female and aged between 31 and 60 years; most lived in rural areas of Queensland, New South Wales or Victoria; had at least a secondary education, but no formal horse industry qualification; had a higher weekly income if based in a capital city; earned less than 10% of weekly income from horse‐related activities; were a member of more than one horse industry organisation; reported an affiliation with one of more than 300 different horse industry organisations; spent 10–30% of their daily time with horses; and preferred to receive information by email.

Conclusions

The responses from this survey of horse owners provided demographic information that was previously unavailable. Horse owners tended to be older than the general population, had a higher level of education attainment, were in higher weekly income brackets and lived mostly in non‐metropolitan areas of Australia. Because of the self‐selection and small sample size, the results need to be interpreted with caution. Nevertheless, the present results are compatible with other smaller random and non‐random surveys of horse owners internationally.
The use of shrub cover to preserve Mediterranean oak dehesas: a comparison between sheep, cattle and wild ungulate management
Authors: Perea Ramón , López‐Sánchez Aida , Roig Sonia
Published: December 2015

Questions

Oak savanna‐like systems (dehesas) are highly valuable and protected systems that are strongly compromised by a continuous failure of oak recruitment. Our question is whether different long‐term management types involving cattle, sheep and wild ungulates affect the abundance and diversity of safe microsites (shrubs) for oak recruitment. We also assess microsite location and species‐specific differences among the nurse shrubs in order to provide management guidance.

Location

Dehesas of holm oak (Quercus ilex) in central Spain.

Methods

We examined oak regeneration in four different microsites (tree canopy, shrub cover, open and tree–shrub) and across three distinctive and representative management types for a period of, at least, 30 yr: (1) traditional management (i.e. extensive sheep rearing); (2) high commercially competitive management (extensive cattle); and (3) wildlife management (wild ungulate grazing, mostly deer).

Results

Wildlife management showed higher abundance and diversity of shrubs. Predicted seedling density under wildlife management was three‐fold higher than sheep, and almost nine‐fold higher than under cattle management. Highest oak density was found under shrubs that grew beneath trees, twice as high than under trees, ten‐fold higher than under shrubs outside the tree canopy, and almost 40‐fold higher than in open microsites. However, the proportional facilitative effect of shrubs was higher in open areas than under trees. Three shrub species (Erica australis, Genista hirsuta and Rosmarinus officinalis) showed significantly higher probability of facilitating oak seedlings in comparison to other shrub species, indicating species‐specific differences in plant facilitation. Most young oak trees (saplings and juveniles) exceeded the average shrub height, suggesting that facilitation occurs mostly at the seedling stage.

Conclusions

Only dehesas under reasonable wildlife management showed a clear three‐layered structure with a significant representation of the shrub layer, which increased seedling density. Current cattle management was the least sustainable in terms of oak regeneration. Even though shrub cover, in general, facilitated oak seedlings, not all species were equivalent facilitators. Only three low‐palatable and large‐sized shrub species were keystone facilitators that should be especially considered in restoration and management practices. Further agriculture policies should promote reduction of cattle densities, rotational grazing and mixed species management to enhance the regeneration of these systems.
Using management to determine drivers of alien plant invasion and limits to native restoration
Authors: Catford Jane A.
Published: December 2015

Ascertaining whether invasive species are the drivers or passengers of ecological change is crucial for restoration and for optimizing management. Smith et al. (this issue) show that failed control of an invasive forb limits restoration, regardless of whether native species are actively planted. Management‐based experiments that target the complementary processes of invasion and community assembly can help optimize restoration.
Mood disorders: neurocognitive models
Authors: Malhi Gin S , Byrow Yulisha , Fritz Kristina , Das Pritha , Baune Bernhard T , Porter Richard J , Outhred Tim
Published: December 2015

Objectives

In recent years, a number of neurocognitive models stemming from psychiatry and psychology schools of thought have conceptualized the pathophysiology of mood disorders in terms of dysfunctional neural mechanisms that underpin and drive neurocognitive processes. Though these models have been useful for advancing our theoretical understanding and facilitating important lines of research, translation of these models and their application within the clinical arena have been limited—partly because of lack of integration and synthesis. Cognitive neuroscience provides a novel perspective for understanding and modeling mood disorders. This selective review of influential neurocognitive models develops an integrative approach that can serve as a template for future research and the development of a clinically meaningful framework for investigating, diagnosing, and treating mood disorders.

Methods

A selective literature search was conducted using PubMed and PsychINFO to identify prominent neurobiological and neurocognitive models of mood disorders.

Results

Most models identify similar neural networks and brain regions and neuropsychological processes in the neurocognition of mood, however, they differ in terms of specific functions attached to neural processes and how these interact. Furthermore, cognitive biases, reward processing and motivation, rumination, and mood stability, which play significant roles in the manner in which attention, appraisal, and response processes are deployed in mood disorders, are not sufficiently integrated. The inclusion of interactions between these additional components enhances our understanding of the etiology and pathophysiology of mood disorders.

Conclusions

Through integration of key cognitive functions and understanding of how these interface with neural functioning within neurocognitive models of mood disorders, a framework for research can be created for translation to diagnosis and treatment of mood disorders.
Capabilities and the Definition of Health: Comments on Venkatapuram
Authors: Richardson Henry S.
Published: December 2015

Sridhar Venkatapuram's Health Justice argues that health is a ‘metacapability’ – specifically, as the metacapability of having the ten ‘central human capabilities’ described by Martha Nussbaum. This cannot be right, as it provides no basis for distinguishing health from education, riches, or love. An amendment correcting this problem is suggested, namely that health is the involuntary, bodily aspect of the metacapability for the central capabilities. This amendment is defended against the objection that it fails to capture some important aspects of mental health.
The Epistemology of Moral Bioenhancement
Authors: Crutchfield Parker
Published: December 2015

Moral bioenhancement is the potential practice of manipulating individuals’ moral behaviors by biological means in order to help resolve pressing moral issues such as climate change and terrorism. This practice has obvious ethical implications, and these implications have been and continue to be discussed in the bioethics literature. What have not been discussed are the epistemological implications of moral bioenhancement. This article details some of these implications of engaging in moral bioenhancement. The argument begins by making the distinction between moral bioenhancement that manipulates the contents of mental states (e.g. beliefs) and that which manipulates other, non‐representational states (e.g. motivations). Either way, I argue, the enhanced moral psychology will fail to conform to epistemic norms, and the only way to resolve this failure and allow the moral bioenhancement to be effective in addressing the targeted moral issues is to make the moral bioenhancement covert.
Kernel Machine Testing for Risk Prediction with Stratified Case Cohort Studies
Authors: Payne Rebecca , Neykov Matey , Jensen Majken Karoline , Cai Tianxi
Published: December 2015

Large assembled cohorts with banked biospecimens offer valuable opportunities to identify novel markers for risk prediction. When the outcome of interest is rare, an effective strategy to conserve limited biological resources while maintaining reasonable statistical power is the case cohort (CCH) sampling design, in which expensive markers are measured on a subset of cases and controls. However, the CCH design introduces significant analytical complexity due to outcome-dependent, finite-population sampling. Current methods for analyzing CCH studies focus primarily on the estimation of simple survival models with linear effects; testing and estimation procedures that can efficiently capture complex non-linear marker effects for CCH data remain elusive. In this article, we propose inverse probability weighted (IPW) variance component type tests for identifying important marker sets through a Cox proportional hazards kernel machine () regression framework previously considered for full cohort studies (Cai et al., 2011). The optimal choice of kernel, while vitally important to attain high power, is typically unknown for a given dataset. Thus, we also develop robust testing procedures that adaptively combine information from multiple kernels. The proposed IPW test statistics have complex null distributions that cannot easily be approximated explicitly. Furthermore, due to the correlation induced by CCH sampling, standard resampling methods such as the bootstrap fail to approximate the distribution correctly. We, therefore, propose a novel perturbation resampling scheme that can effectively recover the induced correlation structure. Results from extensive simulation studies suggest that the proposed IPW testing procedures work well in finite samples. The proposed methods are further illustrated by application to a Danish CCH study of Apolipoprotein C-III markers on the risk of coronary heart disease.
Task‐switching ability protects against the adverse effects of pain on health: A longitudinal study of older adults
Authors: Boggero Ian A. , Eisenlohr‐Moul Tory , Segerstrom Suzanne C.
Published: December 2015

Objective

Ageing is often accompanied by increases in pain, which may threaten physical health. Successfully managing increased pain requires the ability to switch attention away from the pain and towards adaptive health cognitions and behaviours. However, no study to date has tested how pain interacts with task‐switching ability to predict future health in older adults. Additionally, no study has tested whether objective (i.e., task‐switching performance) or subjective measures of cognitive ability have a stronger impact on future health.

Design/Methods

The current study tested these interactions in community‐dwelling older adults. Participants included 150 older adults who provided pain, task‐switching ability, subjective cognitive functioning, and health data every 6 months for up to 5 years.

Results

Multilevel modelling was used to analyse the data, yielding gammas (γ) analogous to unstandardized beta weights in regression. A significant interaction between task‐switching and pain indicated that when task‐switching ability was lower than usual, higher‐than‐usual pain predicted poorer health at the following wave (γ = 0.30, SE = 0.12, t(663) = 2.45, p = .009; 95% CI: 0.07–0.65). When task‐switching ability was higher than usual, there was no effect of pain on health (γ = −0.13, t(663) = −0.85, p = .39; 95% CI: −0.44–0.17). No significant interaction was found for subjective cognitive functioning.

Conclusions

Objective task‐switching ability, but not subjective cognitive functioning, may have health‐protective effects when older adults experience increases in pain.

Statement of Contribution

What is already known on the subject?

As people age, they are more likely to experience pain. Increases in pain threaten health. Older adults are at particular risk for both increased pain and poor health.

What does this study add?

When pain levels are higher than usual, task‐switching ability protects older adults from future declines in health.

Within people, task‐switching ability interacts with pain to promote healthy ageing.
The role of refuges in the persistence of Australian dryland mammals
Authors: Pavey Chris R. , Addison Jane , Brandle Rob , Dickman Chris R. , McDonald Peter J. , Moseby Katherine E. , Young Lauren I.
Published: December 2015

Irruptive population dynamics are characteristic of a wide range of fauna in the world's arid (dryland) regions. Recent evidence indicates that regional persistence of irruptive species, particularly small mammals, during the extensive dry periods of unpredictable length that occur between resource pulses in drylands occurs as a result of the presence of refuge habitats or refuge patches into which populations contract during dry (bust) periods. These small dry‐period populations act as a source of animals when recolonisation of the surrounding habitat occurs during and after subsequent resource pulses (booms). The refuges used by irruptive dryland fauna differ in temporal and spatial scale from the refugia to which species contract in response to changing climate. Refuges of dryland fauna operate over timescales of months and years, whereas refugia operate on timescales of millennia over which evolutionary divergence may occur. Protection and management of refuge patches and refuge habitats should be a priority for the conservation of dryland‐dwelling fauna. This urgency is driven by recognition that disturbance to refuges can lead to the extinction of local populations and, if disturbance is widespread, entire species. Despite the apparent significance of dryland refuges for conservation management, these sites remain poorly understood ecologically. Here, we synthesise available information on the refuges of dryland‐dwelling fauna, using Australian mammals as a case study to provide focus, and document a research agenda for increasing this knowledge base. We develop a typology of refuges that recognises two main types of refuge: fixed and shifting. We outline a suite of models of fixed refuges on the basis of stability in occupancy between and within successive bust phases of population cycles. To illustrate the breadth of refuge types we provide case studies of refuge use in three species of dryland mammal: plains mouse (Pseudomys australis), central rock‐rat (Zyzomys pedunculatus), and spinifex hopping‐mouse (Notomys alexis). We suggest that future research should focus on understanding the species‐specific nature of refuge use and the spatial ecology of refuges with a focus on connectivity and potential metapopulation dynamics. Assessing refuge quality and understanding the threats to high‐quality refuge patches and habitat should also be a priority. To facilitate this understanding we develop a three‐step methodology for determining species‐specific refuge location and habitat attributes. This review is necessarily focussed on dryland mammals in continental Australia where most refuge‐based research has been undertaken. The applicability of the refuge concept and the importance of refuges for dryland fauna conservation elsewhere in the world should be investigated. We predict that refuge‐using mammals will be widespread particularly among dryland areas with unpredictable rainfall patterns.
Spatial Dimensions of Social Capital
Authors: Foster Kirk A. , Pitner Ronald , Freedman Darcy A. , Bell Bethany A. , Shaw Todd C.
Published: December 2015

The neighborhood context affects social capital, yet scholars do not adequately account for the dynamic nature of the social spaces people occupy in measuring social capital. Research has focused on neighborhood effects as though the neighborhood space is fixed across all inhabitants without regard for the ways individuals define their neighborhoods considering their own spatial location and social interactions. Using a neighborhood–level social capital measure, we examine the relationship between cognitive neighborhood boundaries and social capital in residents (N = 135) of two public housing communities in a Southern urban city. As collective efficacy (bonding social capital) increased so too did the predicted size of one's cognitive neighborhood. GIS maps demonstrated that participant boundaries included areas of commerce and services necessary to build and maintain social capital. Larger cognitive neighborhoods suggest one may interact with a wider array of people to achieve instrumental and expressive returns despite the high–poverty neighborhood context.
Deconcentration without Integration: Examining the Social Outcomes of Housing Choice Voucher Movement in Los Angeles County
Authors: Kurwa Rahim
Published: December 2015

This article reports on the social experiences of tenants moving from low–income neighborhoods in the City of Los Angeles to a racially mixed, lower poverty suburb—the Antelope Valley—using Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. Voucher tenants experience significant social exclusion and aggressive oversight. Local residents use racial shorthand to label their black neighbors as voucher holders and apply additional scrutiny to their activity. They aggressively report voucher tenants to the housing authority and police, instigating inspections that threaten tenants’ voucher status. Tenants react to these circumstances by withdrawing from their communities in order to avoid scrutiny and protect their status in the program. These findings illustrate that the social difficulties documented in mixed–income developments may also exist in voucher programs, highlight the ways in which neighborhood effects may be extended to include social experiences, and suggest the limits of the voucher program to translate geographic mobility into socioeconomic progress.
Heterogeneity in Food Demand among Rural Indian Households: The Role of Demographics
Authors: Khanal Aditya R. , Mishra Ashok K. , Keithly Walter
Published: December 2015

Food expenditures, influenced by social, demographic, and economic factors, constitute a significant proportion of the typical rural Indian's household income. Based on cross‐sectional household data, this study employs the Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System to estimate food demand among rural Indian households. Special attention is given to the rural household's two‐stage budgeting in total food expenditure and then to a demand for a specific food item. Conditional and unconditional expenditure and price elasticities for seven food groups are estimated. Results indicate that own‐price elasticities for each group are negative ranging from fairly inelastic to elastic range. Expenditure elasticities indicate that food items are a normal necessity to luxury goods. Additionally, socio‐demographic factors play a significant role in food consumption patterns. Based on our unconditional expenditure elasticities, we also project food demand from rural Indian households for next two decades.

Les dépenses alimentaires, qui sont influencées par des facteurs socioéconomiques et démographiques, absorbent une partie considérable du revenu des ménages ruraux typiques en Inde. Dans la présente étude, nous avons utilisé le modèle de demande quasi idéal quadratique pour estimer, à l'aide de données transversales sur les ménages, la demande alimentaire des ménages ruraux en Inde. Nous avons accordé une attention spéciale à la budgétisation en deux étapes des dépenses alimentaires totales et à la demande d'un produit alimentaire particulier du ménage rural. Nous avons estimé les dépenses conditionnelles et inconditionnelles et l’élasticité‐prix de sept groupes alimentaires. Les résultats de notre étude indiquent que l’élasticité‐prix de chaque groupe est négative et qu'elle varie de plutôt inélastique à divers degrés d’élasticité. L’élasticité des dépenses indique que les produits alimentaires varient de nécessités de base à produits de luxe. Les facteurs sociodémographiques jouent également un rôle important dans les habitudes de consommation alimentaire. D'après les élasticités des dépenses établies dans notre étude, nous avons estimé la demande alimentaire des ménages ruraux en Inde pour les deux prochaines décennies.
Management of paediatric otogenic cerebral venous sinus thrombosis: a systematic review
Authors: Wong B.Y.W. , Hickman S. , Richards M. , Jassar P. , Wilson T.
Published: December 2015

Background

Otogenic paediatric cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is rare but has potential clinical sequelae. Its management has long been debated mainly concerning the role of surgery and the use of anticoagulant therapy.

Objective of review

To review the current literature and examine the medical and surgical management of paediatric otogenic CVST and its clinical and radiological outcome.

Type of review

Systematic review.

Search strategy

The electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane) were searched from inception to November 2014 using text words ‘cerebral venous sinus thrombosis OR cerebral venous thrombosis OR lateral sinus thrombosis OR sigmoid sinus thrombosis’ AND ‘otogenic OR mastoiditis OR otitis media’ AND ‘children OR paediatric OR pediatric’.

Evaluation method

Inclusion criteria were applied by two reviewers and data extraction was carried out. The type of otological surgery (conservative versus extensive) and the use of anticoagulants with their clinical and radiological outcomes were tabulated.

Results

Thirty‐six studies (15 case reports and 21 case series) were included with a total of 190 patients. A total of 92.1% of patients underwent otological surgery, and 69.5% had conservative surgery and 30.5% extensive otological surgery. Anticoagulants were used in 59%. A total of 79.2% of patients were reported to have had a good clinical outcome. Within this group, 56% had conservative surgery and anticoagulants. Follow‐up scans were documented in 61.6% of patients and complete recanalisation was observed in 51%. Complete recanalisation was observed in 47% of those who had been anticoagulated and 55% of those who received no anticoagulation.

Conclusions

Conservative otological surgery with the combination of anticoagulation was the most common treatment modality found in the group of patients with good clinical outcome. However, given the current low level of evidence, a multicentre collaborative study is needed to help establish the optimum surgical approach and the role of anticoagulation in managing paediatric otogenic CVST.
INTEREST RATE CORRIDOR, LIQUIDITY MANAGEMENT, AND THE OVERNIGHT SPREAD
Authors: Küçük Hande , Özlü Pinar , Talaslı İsmaİl Anil , Ünalmış Deren , Yüksel Canan
Published: December 2015

We analyze the determinants of the overnight spread (the spread between the Borsa Istanbul overnight repo interest rate and the average funding rate of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey [CBRT]) using data from both the conventional and the new monetary policy episodes. We empirically document that the overnight spread has recently been influenced by various factors that are directly or closely related to the liquidity policy of the CBRT. (JEL E43, E52, C24)
Improving the photostability of bleached silk without reducing its whiteness
Authors: Wang Zongqian , Chen Weiguo , Zhou Xuewei , Liu Chaonan , Millington Keith
Published: December 2015

Bleached silk is rapidly yellowed by exposure to the ultraviolet radiation present in sunlight. The conventional application of a water‐soluble hydroxyphenyl benzotriazole ultraviolet absorber (such as UVFast W) to bleached silk reduces its rate of photoyellowing but has a negative impact on the whiteness of the bleached silk, largely cancelling out the improvements in whiteness achieved during bleaching. Therefore, a series of bleaching processes and aftertreatments using UVFast W on silk were investigated, with the measurement of reflection spectrum, whiteness, yellowness, and strength before and after exposure to ultraviolet radiation. The results show that whiteness of silk treated by oxidation–reduction double bleaching can be increased, and the whiteness of double‐bleached silk with 4% UVFast W aftertreatment was even slightly higher than that of the hydrogen‐peroxide‐bleached silk. After ultraviolet irradiation, double‐bleached silk samples with 4% UVFast W treatment resulted in both the highest whiteness and optimum photostability by comparison with unbleached standard silk and hydrogen‐peroxide‐bleached silk samples with and without 4% UVFast W treatment, and its strength difference was superior to the samples, except for standard silk with 4% UVFast W treatment after exposure to UV radiation for 18 h.
Thermal tolerances to cold do not predict upper elevational limits in New Guinean montane birds
Authors: Freeman Benjamin G.
Published: December 2015

Aim

To test predictions of the ‘fundamental physiological niche’ hypothesis that thermal tolerances are tightly correlated with upper elevational limits in New Guinean montane birds.

Location

New Guinea.

Methods

I combined previously published data describing New Guinean montane birds’ (1) metabolic responses to temperature, (2) elevational distributions and (3) recent upslope shifts, with an empirically measured lapse rate (temperature–elevation regression) to test two predictions of the fundamental physiological niche hypothesis – that species’ thermal tolerances to cold temperatures, measured as lower critical temperatures (LCTs) and thermal conductances, are correlated with their upper elevational limits (n = 24 species), and that species’ thermal mismatches (the difference between the mean temperatures species experience at their upper elevation limits and theirLCTs) predict the magnitude of recent warming‐associated upslope shifts (n = 11 species).

Results

Species’LCTs and thermal conductances were not correlated with the ambient temperatures they experience at their upper elevational limits (cold range limit), and species’ thermal mismatches were not related to the magnitude of recent upslope shifts at their upper elevational limits.

Main Conclusions

My results do not support the fundamental physiological niche hypothesis and suggest New Guinean montane birds’ upper elevational limits are unlikely to be set by the direct influence of temperature on adult birds’ thermal tolerances. I also found no evidence that warming‐associated upslope shifts in this avifauna are related to species’ thermal physiology. While this result is based on a small sample size, it is consistent with the hypothesis that recent upslope shifts result from biotic factors indirectly related to temperature.
NFI‐C2 temporal‐spatial expression and cellular localization pattern during tooth formation
Authors: Lamani Ejvis , Gluhak‐Heinrich Jelica , MacDougall Mary
Published: December 2015

Currently, little is known regarding critical signaling pathways during later stages of tooth development, especially those associated with root formation. Nfi‐c null mice, lacking molar roots, have implicated the transcription factor NFI‐C as having an essential role in root development. Previously, we identified three NFI‐C isoforms expressed in dental tissues with NFI‐C2 being the major transcript. However, the expression pattern of the NFI‐C2 protein is not characterized. In this study we performed in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry using isoform specific probes. We show the production of a NFI‐C2 peptide antibody, its characterization, the temporal‐spatial expression pattern of the NFI‐C2 protein during odontogenesis and sub‐cellular localization in dental cells. Moderate NFI‐C2 staining, as early as bud stage, was detected mostly in the condensing dental ectomesenchyme. This staining intensified within the dental pulp at later stages culminating in high expression in the dentin producing odontoblasts. The dental epithelium showed slight staining until cytodifferentiation of enamel organ into ameloblasts and stratum intermedium. During root formation NFI‐C2 expression was high in the Hertwig's epithelial root sheath and later was found in the fully developed root and its supporting tissues. NFI‐C2 cellular staining was cytosolic, associated with the Golgi, and nuclear. These data suggest a broader role for NFI‐C during tooth formation than limited to root and periodontal ligament development.
Short‐term Costs and Benefits of Habitat Complexity for a Territorial Fish
Authors: Bilhete Caroline , Grant James W.A.
Published: December 2015

An increase in habitat complexity is thought to decrease visibility and the territory size of visually oriented animals. Hence, the addition of physical structure has been viewed as a useful restoration technique to increase the density of territorial species, particularly in stream fishes. However, a decrease in territory size may have a negative effect on the fitness of individual organisms. We attempted to quantify some of the positive and negative effects of increasing habitat structure on the behaviour and growth rate of wild young‐of‐the‐year (YOY) Atlantic salmon. Fish were exposed to one of two habitat treatments in mesh enclosures in Catamaran Brook, New Brunswick: a gravel substrate (low complexity) or a gravel substrate with boulders added (high complexity). Wild‐caught individuals were tagged, weighed and measured before being stocked at densities of 1·m−2 for 7‐d trials. While fish from high‐complexity treatments benefited from lower rates of aggression, they also had lower foraging rates and smaller territories compared to those in low‐complexity treatments. Specific growth rate, however, did not differ significantly between treatments. While the addition of structure to a habitat may be beneficial at the population level in terms of an increase in population density, our results suggested that individual fish may pay some short‐term costs in these environments. Further research is needed to evaluate the longer term costs and benefits of adding structure to improve the habitat quality for stream salmonids.
Pyoderma gangrenosum‐like oral ulcerations in an elderly patient
Authors: Kaomongkolgit Ruchadaporn , Subbalekha Keskanya , Sawangarun Wanlada , Thongprasom Kobkan
Published: December 2015

Objective

To present a case of pyoderma gangrenosum (PG)‐like oral ulcerations in an elderly patient.

Background

PG is an uncommon idiopathic, ulcerative, chronic inflammatory cutaneous disorder of unknown etiology, which is associated with systemic diseases found in more than 50% of patients. Oral lesions of PG are extremely rare and have not been previously reported on chronic leukemia patient.

Clinical report

This report presents the first case of a 73 year‐old man who had PG‐like oral ulcerations which offered the possibility of an initial finding of chronic myeloid leukemia.

Conclusion

Clinicians should always take into consideration that PG in the oral mucosa is a recalcitrant ulcer and can precede the development of underlying clonal malignancy.
Preparing students for research: faculty/librarian collaboration in a pre‐doctoral physical therapy research course
Authors: Brooks Salome V. , Bigelow Susan
Published: December 2015

In this article, guest writers Susan Bigelow and Dr Salome Brooks from Springfield College, Massachusetts, present an overview of their evaluative research study in which a faculty professor and the liaison librarian collaborated to develop an information literacy course entitled Physical Therapy (PT) and Health care Research Skills, in order to teach necessary information literacy skills to upper‐level undergraduate PT students. Triangulation of the Physical Therapy and Information Literacy standards in alignment with the course objectives strengthened the collaboration, course development and expectations of student performance. Student performance was assessed through formal and expected evaluative means, and the preliminary evidence suggests some key successes in the course outcomes.

H.S.
Switching from a two‐tablet regimen of tenofovir/emtricitabine and efavirenz to a one‐tablet regimen may affect patients’ perceptions and drug management
Authors: Rotzinger A , Locatelli I , Bugnon O , Fayet Mello A , Parienti J‐J , Cavassini M , Schneider M.P
Published: December 2015

Objectives

Simplification of antiretroviral therapy enhances a patient's adherence but a new formulation could also lead to new adverse events and changes in daily routine. This study compared medication adherence, tolerance and satisfaction among subjects switching from a two‐tablet tenofovir/emtricitabine/efavirenz regimen to a one‐tablet regimen.

Methods

Clinical and sociodemographic data were collected and three surveys were administered at month 0 (=switch), and then 1 and 4–6 months after the switch: the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire, the HIV‐symptom index questionnaire, the Short HIV Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS) two‐item adherence questionnaire, and a questionnaire on daily combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) management. Medication adherence of a subgroup of subjects was routinely monitored using an electronic device (MEMS™).

Results

Eighty‐eight subjects gave informed consent to participate in the study. The subjects’ back‐switch rate was 7% (six of 88). Subjects who did not back‐switch preferred the one‐tablet regimen (median = 2; IQR = 1.3–2.5; on a −3 to 3 scale), but no change in adherence was found (10 of 46 nonadherent subjects; P = 1.00). The perception of treatment necessity score decreased (P = 0.004), the efavirenz blood level increased (14%; P = 0.04), and association/dissociation of cART with food intake evolved (P = 0.01) after the switch. Subjects listed equivalent numbers of symptoms during the three visits.

Conclusions

The one‐tablet regimen was preferred but the number of back‐switches was not negligible. The perception of treatment necessity score decreased with the simplification of the regimen from a two‐tablet to a one‐tablet formulation, which could negatively impact adherence. Switching is a sensitive time in a patient's treatment life and professionals should pay particular attention to patient's perceptions of treatment during such a transition.
Flexible Nanocomposite Generator Using PZT Nanorods and Ag Nanowires
Authors: Jung Woo‐Suk , Lee Min‐Jae , Yoon Seok‐Jin , Lee Won‐Hee , Ju Byeong‐Kwon , Kang Chong‐Yun
Published: December 2015

This study presents a piezoelectric composite generator using PDMS polymer, PZT nanorods, and Ag nanowires. To enhance output power of the generator, we inserted the Ag NWs into the PDMS‐PZT composite, which play very important roles in our generator: First, it enables the PZT NRs well distributed in PDMS polymer. Second, it is to reinforce the applied stress of the device by enhancing its flexibility. Finally, conduction paths formed by the Ag networks can reduce the internal resistance of the device. To assess these effects, we have compared and evaluated output voltage and current of four different generators.