bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relational Goods, Sociability, and Happiness
Authors: Becchetti Leonardo , Pelloni Alessandra , Rossetti Fiammetta
Published: July 2008

This paper empirically investigates the impact of relational goods on individual life satisfaction. By relational goods we indicate the affective/expressive, non instrumental, side of interpersonal relationships. The homo oeconomicus view of human nature is questioned by the recent upsurge of empirical studies on the determinants of self declared happiness, that show that an increasing income does not always lead to more subjective well being (Easterlin's famous (1974)‘paradox of happiness’). The theoretical literature on relational goods has isolated various mechanisms which may induce an under‐consumption and under‐ production of relational goods. The hypothesis we test is that people with a more intense relational life are less affected by this ‘relational poverty trap’ and are therefore happier. Our findings does not disprove our hypothesis: relational goods turn out to have significant and positive effects on self declared life satisfaction, when other determinants isolated in the literature as important are taken into account and when the inverse causality nexus i.e. from more happiness to a more intense relational life is also taken into account. Finally, we show that gender, age and education matter and in particular that the effects of sociability on happiness are stronger for women, older and less educated individuals. These findings can be useful in designing and evaluating public policies with a direct or indirect effect on the quality and quantity of relational goods.
So, What Did You Do Last Night? The Economics of Infidelity
Authors: Elmslie Bruce , Tebaldi Edinaldo
Published: July 2008

This paper develops an economic analysis of infidelity concentrating on the question of how cheating behavior differs between men and women. We develop an expected utility model that borrows from evolutionary biology to form expectations regarding behavior towards infidelity. We use U.S. data from the General Social Survey (GSS) and a Probit model to assess some characteristics of the respondent and his or her spouse that determine the probability of having an extramarital affair. While biology may form basic preferences, some of our results are consistent with the view that people are able to act on more than their base biological instincts alone. Hence, economic theory has a role to play in the understanding of behavior relating to infidelity. More specifically, this study identifies age, social class, individual's own education and the spouse's educational attainment as underlying factors affecting infidelity behavior depending on gender. In general, we find that men and women respond differently to the costs and benefits of having an affair.
Metabolic engineering of hydroxy fatty acid production in plants: RcDGAT2 drives dramatic increases in ricinoleate levels in seed oil
Authors: Burgal Julie , Shockey Jay , Lu Chaofu , Dyer John , Larson Tony , Graham Ian , Browse John
Published: July 2008

A central goal of green chemistry is to produce industrially useful fatty acids in oilseed crops. Although genes encoding suitable fatty acid‐modifying enzymes are available from many wild species, progress has been limited because the expression of these genes in transgenic plants produces low yields of the desired products. For example, Ricinus communis fatty acid hydroxylase 12 (FAH12) produces a maximum of only 17% hydroxy fatty acids (HFAs) when expressed in Arabidopsis. cDNA clones encoding R. communis enzymes for additional steps in the seed oil biosynthetic pathway were identified. Expression of these cDNAs in FAH12 transgenic plants revealed that the R. communis type‐2 acyl‐coenzyme A:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (RcDGAT2) could increase HFAs from 17% to nearly 30%. Detailed comparisons of seed neutral lipids from the single‐ and double‐transgenic lines indicated that RcDGAT2 substantially modified the triacylglycerol (TAG) pool, with significant increases in most of the major TAG species observed in native castor bean oil. These data suggest that RcDGAT2 prefers acyl‐coenzyme A and diacylglycerol substrates containing HFAs, and biochemical analyses of RcDGAT2 expressed in yeast cells confirmed a strong preference for HFA‐containing diacylglycerol substrates. Our results demonstrate that pathway engineering approaches can be used successfully to increase the yields of industrial feedstocks in plants, and that members of the DGAT2 gene family probably play a key role in this process.
Stability and Change in Ethnic Labeling Among Adolescents From Asian and Latin American Immigrant Families
Authors: Fuligni Andrew J. , Kiang Lisa , Witkow Melissa R. , Baldelomar Oscar
Published: July 2008

An important question for the acculturation of adolescents from immigrant families is whether they retain ethnic labels that refer to their national origin (e.g., Mexican, Chinese) or adopt labels that are dominant in American society (e.g., Latino, Asian American, American). Approximately 380 adolescents from Asian and Latin American immigrant families selected ethnic labels during each of the 4 years of high school (age span = 14.87–17.82 years). Results indicated no normative trend either toward or away from identifying most closely with pan‐ethnic or American ethnic labels. Significant numbers of adolescents changed their ethnic labels from year to year, however and these changes were associated with fluctuations in adolescents’ ethnic affirmation and exploration and proficiency in their heritage languages.
DOES COMPULSORY VOTING HELP EQUALIZE INCOMES?
Authors: CHONG ALBERTO , OLIVERA MAURICIO
Published: July 2008

This paper explores the link between compulsory voting and income distribution using a cross‐section of countries around the world. Our empirical cross‐country analysis for 91 countries during the period 1960–2000 shows that when compulsory voting can be strongly enforced the distribution of income improves as measured by the Gini coefficient and the bottom income quintiles of the population. Our findings are robust to changes and additions to our benchmark specification. Because poorer countries are the ones with relatively more unequal distribution of income it might make sense to promote such voting schemes in developing regions, such as Latin America. This, under the assumption that bureaucratic costs related with design and implementation are not excessive.
CSF proteome analysis in multiple sclerosis patients by two‐dimensional electrophoresis
Authors: Chiasserini D. , Di Filippo M. , Candeliere A. , Susta F. , Orvietani P. L. , Calabresi P. , Binaglia L. , Sarchielli P.
Published: July 2008

Background and purpose:  In recent years, different approaches have been used to investigate changes of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteome in patients affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) with the aim to identify protein markers with potential diagnostic or prognostic value. Because of the lack of standardization of current proteomic techniques, contrasting results were achieved until now in different laboratories. In this study, we compare CSF proteome of 10 relapsing–remitting MS (RR‐MS) patients, 11 patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), and 10 control subjects without neurological or systemic diseases.

Methods:  The differential expression of CSF proteins amongst these cohorts of patients was investigated by using two‐dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry.

Results and conclusions:  We found an overexpression of IgG free kappa light chain protein in both CIS and RR‐MS patients, compared with control subjects and an increased expression of an apolipoprotein E isoform in RR‐MS patients, compared with CIS and control groups. Our results confirm the presence of CSF proteome changes in MS patients. Future research should be aimed to investigate the role of these candidate CSF markers in larger cohorts of CIS and MS patients.
Genetic Analysis of 27 Spanish Patients with Hemiplegic Migraine, Basilar-Type Migraine and Childhood Periodic Syndromes
Authors: Cuenca-León E , Corominas R , Fernàndez-Castillo N , Volpini V , del Toro M , Roig M , Macaya A , Cormand B
Published: July 2008

Familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM) is a rare type of migraine with aura. Mutations in three genes have been described in FHM patients: CACNA1A (FHM1), ATP1A2 (FHM2) and SCN1A (FHM3). We screened 27 Spanish patients with hemiplegic migraine (HM), basilar-type migraine or childhood periodic syndromes (CPS) for mutations in these three genes. Two novel CACNA1A variants, p.Val581Met and p.Tyr1245Cys, and a previously annotated change, p.Cys1534Ser, were identified in individuals with HM, although they have not yet been proven to be pathogenic. Interestingly, p.Tyr1245Cys was detected in a patient displaying a changing, age-specific phenotype that began as benign paroxysmal torticollis of infancy, evolving into benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood and later becoming HM. This is the first instance of a specific non-synonymous base change being described in a subject affected with CPS. The fact that the molecular screen identified non-synonymous changes in< 15± of our HM patients further stresses the genetic heterogeneity underlying the presumably monogenic forms of migraine.
Almotriptan and Its Combination with Aceclofenac For Migraine Attacks: A Study of Efficacy and The Influence of Auto-Evaluated Brush Allodynia
Authors: Schoenen J , Klippel N De , Giurgea S , Herroelen L , Jacquy J , Louis P , Monseu G , Vandenheede M
Published: July 2008

Early treatment and combining a triptan with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) are thought to improve outcome during migraine attacks, possibly by counteracting the negative influence of cutaneous allodynia. The aim of this multicentre, double-blind pilot study was to evaluate the prevalence of brush allodynia and its relative influence on the efficacy of a triptan-NSAID combination compared with headache intensity at the time of treatment. In a randomized, cross-over design, 112 migraineurs treated two moderate or severe attacks with almotriptan 12.5 mg combined with either aceclofenac 100 mg or placebo. Patients used a 2-cm brush to assess cutaneous allodynia. Allodynia was reported in 34.4± of attacks. The almotriptan-aceclofenac combination was numerically superior to triptan-placebo on 2-24-h sustained pain-free ( P = 0.07), 2-h pain-free ( P = 0.07) and headache recurrence ( P = 0.05) rates, but not on 1-h headache relief. Allodynia numerically reduced treatment success overall, but this effect was not significant for the primary outcome measures. Headache intensity had a significant negative influence on 1-h relief in both attacks ( P = 0.0001 and 0.0008, X2) and on 2-24-h sustained pain-free rates in triptanplacebo-treated attacks ( P = 0.013). Multivariate logistic regression analysis confirmed that headache intensity at treatment intake, rather than allodynia, significantly influenced most outcome measures, predominantly so in attacks treated with almotriptan and aceclofenac. In the latter, severe compared with moderate headache intensity reduced the likelihood of achieving the primary efficacy end-points [odds ratios (OR) 0.12 and 0.33], whereas allodynia was not a significant explanatory variable (OR 0.76 and 0.65). The results apply to the protocol used here and need to be confirmed in larger studies using quantitative sensory testing.
Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein (CETP) Genetic Variation and Early Onset of Non‐Fatal Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Meiner V. , Friedlander Y. , Milo H. , Sharon N. , Ben‐Avi L. , Shpitzen S. , Leitersdorf E. , Siscovick D. S. , Schwartz S. M.
Published: July 2008

Although Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein (CETP) mediates the transfer of cholesteryl esters and triglycerides between lipoprotein particles and thus plays a crucial role in reverse cholesterol transport, the association of variations in the CETP gene with acute myocardial infarction (MI) remains unclear. In this study we examined whether common genetic variation in the CETP gene is related to early‐onset non‐fatal MI risk in a population‐based case‐control study from western Washington State.

Genotyping for the CETP −2708 G/A, −971 A/G, −629 A/C, Intron‐I TaqI G/A and exon‐14 A/G (I405V) SNPs was performed in 578 cases with first acute non‐fatal MI and in 666 demographically similar controls, free of clinical cardiovascular disease, identified randomly from the community. In‐person interviews and non‐fasting blood specimens provided data on coronary heart disease risk factors.

In men, there was little evidence for an association between single SNPs and MI risk, but in women the age‐ and race‐adjusted OR was found to be significant in 4 out of the 5 CETP single variants. Haplotype analysis revealed two haplotypes associated with MI risk among men. As compared to men homozygous for the most common haplotype D (−2708 G, −971 G, −629 C, TaqI G and exon‐14 A), the fully‐adjusted multiplicative model identified haplotype G (−2708 G, −971 A, −629 A, TaqI G and exon‐14 G) was associated with a 4.0‐6.0‐fold increased risk of MI for each additional copy; [95%CI 2.4–14.8] and haplotype B (−2708 G, −971 G, −629 A, TaqI A and exon‐14 A) showed a significant decreased risk for early onset MI [OR = 0.18; 95%CI 0.04 – 0.75]. An evolutionary‐based haplotype analysis indicated that the two haplotypes associated with the MI risk are most evolutionarily divergent from the other haplotypes.

Variation at the CETP gene locus is associated with the risk of early‐onset non‐fatal MI. This association was found to be independent of HDL‐C levels. These data and the sex‐specific findings require confirmation in other populations.
Localization of tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), membrane type‐1 matrix metalloproteinases (MT1‐MMP) and macrophages during early endochondral bone formation
Authors: Blumer Michael J. F. , Longato Stefano , Fritsch Helga
Published: July 2008

Endochondral bone formation, the process by which most parts of our skeleton evolve, leads to the establishment of the diaphyseal primary (POC) and epiphyseal secondary ossification centre (SOC) in long bones. An essential event for the development of the SOC is the early generation of vascularized cartilage canals that requires the proteolytic cleavage of the cartilaginous matrix. This in turn will allow the canals to grow into the epiphysis. In the present study we therefore initially investigated which enzymes and types of cells are involved in this process. We have chosen the mouse as an animal model and focused our studies on the distal part of the femur during early stages after birth. The formation of the cartilage canals was promoted by tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and membrane type‐1 matrix metalloproteinases (MT1‐MMP). In addition, macrophages and cells containing numerous lysosomes contributed to the establishment of the canals and enabled their further advancement into the epiphysis. As development continued, the SOC was formed, and in mice aged 10 days a distinct layer of type I collagen (= osteoid) was laid down onto the cartilage scaffold. The events leading to the establishment of the SOC were compared with those of the POC. Basically these processes were quite similar, and in both ossification centers, TRAP‐positive chondroclasts resorbed the cartilage matrix. However, occasionally co‐expression of TRAP and MT1‐MMP was noted in a small subpopulation of this cell type. Furthermore, numerous osteoblasts expressed MT1‐MMP from the start of endochondral ossification, whereas others did not. In osteocytogenesis, MT1‐MMP has been shown to be critical for the establishment of the cytoplasmic processes mediating the communication between osteocytes and bone‐lining cells. Considering the well‐known fact that not all osteoblasts transform into osteocytes, and in accordance with the present data, we suggest that MT1‐MMP is needed at the very beginning of osteocytogenesis and may additionally determine whether an osteoblast further differentiates into an osteocyte.
Neuron‐microglia crosstalk up‐regulates neuronal FGF‐2 expression which mediates neuroprotection against excitotoxicity via JNK1/2
Authors: Figueiredo Catarina , Pais Teresa F. , Gomes João R. , Chatterjee Sukalyan
Published: July 2008

Glial cells and neurons are in constant reciprocal signalling both under physiological and neuropathological conditions. Microglial activation is often associated with neuronal death during inflammation of the CNS, although microglial cells are also known to exert a neuroprotective role. In this work, we investigated the interplay between cerebellar granule neurons (CGN) and microglia in the perspective of CGN survival to an excitotoxic stimulus, quinolinic acid (QA), a catabolite of the tryptophan degradation pathway. We observed that CGN succumb to QA challenge via extracellular signal regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK) activation. Our data with transgenic mice expressing the natural inhibitor of calpains, calpastatin, indicate that together with cathepsins they mediate QA‐induced toxicity acting downstream of the mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase‐ERK pathway. Microglial cells are not only resistant to QA but can rescue neurons from QA‐mediated toxicity when they are mixed in culture with neurons or by using mixed culture‐conditioned medium (MCCM). This effect is mediated via fibroblast growth factor‐2 (FGF‐2) present in MCCM. FGF‐2 is transcriptionally up‐regulated in neurons and secreted in the MCCM as a result of neuron‐microglia crosstalk. The neuroprotection is associated with the retention of cathepsins in the lysosomes and with transactivation of inducible heat‐shock protein 70 downstream of FGF‐2. Furthermore, FGF‐2 upon release by neurons activates c‐junN‐terminal kinase 1 and 2 pathway which also contributes to neuronal survival. We suggest that FGF‐2 plays a pivotal role in neuroprotection against QA as an outcome of neuron‐microglia interaction.
UNDERSTANDING INFORMED CONSENT FOR PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL HEALTH RESEARCH
Authors: JEGEDE AYODELE S.
Published: July 2008

To participate in health research, there is a need for well‐administered informed consent. Understanding of informed consent, especially in international health research, is influenced by the participants’ understanding of information and the meaning attached to the information communicated to them regarding the purpose and procedure of the research. Incorrect information and the power differential between researcher and participants may lead to participants becoming victims of harmful research procedures. Meningitis epidemics in Kano in early 1996 led to a response from drug companies, especially Pfizer, as well as humanitarian workers from Médecins Sans Frontiers, which resulted in an unethical trial. Pfizer's drug trial during the epidemics has left a lasting controversy, which has yet to be resolved. This paper examines the key issues surrounding the controversy, discusses the context of informed decision‐making, the ethical issues and implications of the incident, and concludes with some recommendations. Relevant texts, journals, Internet materials, newspaper articles and documentary materials on the conduct of the Pfizer's Trovan trial have been consulted. Four types of action (act intuitively, act rationally, act ignorantly, and act contextually – based on information provided) are identified as possible options for decision making. Participants most likely acted in ignorance due to poor understanding of the information contained in the verbal informed consent administered, thereby raising ethical issues. It is concluded that health research ethics committees have an important role to play nationally and locally in overseeing research, and in avoiding future occurrences.
UBERABATITAN RIBEIROI, A NEW TITANOSAUR FROM THE MARÍLIA FORMATION (BAURU GROUP, UPPER CRETACEOUS), MINAS GERAIS, BRAZIL
Authors: SALGADO LEONARDO , DE SOUZA CARVALHO ISMAR
Published: July 2008

Abstract: A new Late Cretaceous titanosaur sauropod from the Bauru Basin of Brazil,Uberabatitan ribeiroigen. et sp. nov., represented by at least three specimens, is described. The material comes from a level of coarse sandstone within the Serra da Galga sequence in Uberaba County, Minas Gerais State. The fossiliferous strata belong to the Marília Formation (Serra da Galga Member), Bauru Group, considered to be Maastrichtian in age. The fossils occur in the uppermost levels of the above‐mentioned unit; thus,Uberabatitan ribeiroiis the youngest titanosaur to have been recorded from the Bauru Basin. The autapomorphies that support the new species are: (1) anterior and mid‐cervicals with postzygodiapophyseal lamina (podl) segmented in zygapophyseal and diapophyseal laminae, of which the first extends rostrodorsally over the second; (2) mid‐dorsals with a robust lateral lamina formed mainly by a diapophyseal lamina (probably homologous to the postzygodiapophyseal lamina), and, to a lesser extent, by a relic of the spinodiapophyseal lamina (spdl); (3) mid (and probably posterior) dorsals with accessory neural laminae, which are lateral to the prespinal lamina, and probably homologous to the spinoprezygapophyseal laminae (sprl); (4) mid‐caudal centra with deeply excavated lateral faces; (5) pubis very thick and robust, with a very stout longitudinal crest on its external (ventral) face; and (6) proximal end of the tibia with a prominent lateral protuberance, which articulates with an equally prominent medial knob of the fibula. The titanosaurian assemblage at Uberaba includes, apart fromU. ribeiroi, well‐preserved specimens assigned to species of uncertain affinities (Trigonosaurus priceiandBaurutitan britoi), as well as a few vertebrae assigned to aeolosaurines.
A LEAFCUTTER BEE TRACE FOSSIL FROM THE MIDDLE EOCENE OF PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA, AND A REVIEW OF MEGACHILID (HYMENOPTERA) ICHNOLOGY
Authors: SARZETTI LAURA C. , LABANDEIRA CONRAD C. , GENISE JORGE F.
Published: July 2008

Abstract:  The ichnospecies Phagophytichnus pseudocircus isp. nov. is described to include trace fossils characterized by leaf‐margin excisions showing eccentricity values of 0.35–0.65 and more than 270 degrees of an arc, a non cuspate margin and vein stringers or necrotic flaps of tissue along the margin. A method for determining ellipse eccentricity was performed on leaf discs obtained from the nests of the modern leafcutter bee Megachile rotundata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), which provided objectively obtained values comparable to the trace fossil from the middle Eocene of Argentina and other world‐wide ichnological records, historically and subjectively considered to be ‘circular’ trace fossils and attributed to leafcutter bees. The material described herein represents the first evidence for fossil Megachilidae from the Southern Hemisphere.
Long‐Term Dynamics of a Fragmented Rainforest Mammal Assemblage
Authors: LAURANCE WILLIAM F. , LAURANCE SUSAN G. , HILBERT DAVID W.
Published: July 2008

Abstract:  Habitat fragmentation is a severe threat to tropical biotas, but its long‐term effects are poorly understood. We evaluated longer‐term changes in the abundance of larger (>1 kg) mammals in fragmented and intact rainforest and in riparian “corridors” in tropical Queensland, with data from 190 spotlighting surveys conducted in 1986–1987 and 2006–2007. In 1986–1987 when most fragments were already 20–50 years old, mammal assemblages differed markedly between fragmented and intact forest. Most vulnerable were lemuroid ringtail possums (Hemibelideus lemuroides), followed by Lumholtz's tree‐kangaroos (Dendrolagus lumholtzi) and Herbert River ringtail possums (Pseudocheirus herbertensis). Further changes were evident 20 years later. Mammal species richness fell significantly in fragments, and the abundances of 4 species, coppery brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula johnstoni), green ringtail possums (Pseudochirops archeri), red‐legged pademelons (Thylogale stigmatica), and tree‐kangaroos, declined significantly. The most surprising finding was that the lemuroid ringtail, a strict rainforest specialist, apparently recolonized one fragment, despite a 99.98% decrease in abundance in fragments and corridors. A combination of factors, including long‐term fragmentation effects, shifts in the surrounding matrix vegetation, and recurring cyclone disturbances, appear to underlie these dynamic changes in mammal assemblages.
Effects of an Alien Ant Invasion on Abundance, Behavior, and Reproductive Success of Endemic Island Birds
Authors: DAVIS NAOMI E. , O'DOWD DENNIS J. , GREEN PETER T. , NALLY RALPH MAC
Published: July 2008

Abstract:  Biological invaders can reconfigure ecological networks in communities, which changes community structure, composition, and ecosystem function. We investigated whether impacts caused by the introduced yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes), a pantropical invader rapidly expanding its range, extend to higher‐order consumers by comparing counts, behaviors, and nesting success of endemic forest birds in ant‐invaded and uninvaded rainforest on Christmas Island (Indian Ocean). Point counts and direct behavioral observations showed that ant invasion altered abundances and behaviors of the bird species we examined: the Island Thrush (Turdus poliocephalus erythropleurus), Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica natalis), and Christmas Island White‐eye (Zosterops natalis). The thrush, which frequents the forest floor, altered its foraging and reproductive behaviors in ant‐invaded forest, where nest‐site location changed, and nest success and juvenile counts were lower. Counts of the dove, which forages exclusively on the forest floor, were 9–14 times lower in ant‐invaded forest. In contrast, counts and foraging success of the white‐eye, a generalist feeder in the understory and canopy, were higher in ant‐invaded forest, where mutualism between the ant and honeydew‐secreting scale insects increased the abundance of scale‐insect prey. These complex outcomes involved the interplay of direct interference by ants and altered resource availability and habitat structure caused indirectly by ant invasion. Ecological meltdown, rapidly unleashed by ant invasion, extended to these endemic forest birds and may affect key ecosystem processes, including seed dispersal.
Protection of Genetic Diversity and Maintenance of Connectivity among Reef Corals within Marine Protected Areas
Authors: MILLER KAREN J. , AYRE DAVID J.
Published: July 2008

Abstract:  High‐latitude coral reefs (HLRs) are potentially vulnerable marine ecosystems facing well‐documented threats to tropical reefs and exposure to suboptimal temperatures and insolation. In addition, because of their geographic isolation, HLRs may have poor or erratic larval connections to tropical reefs and a reduced genetic diversity and capacity to respond to environmental change. On Australia's east coast, a system of marine protected areas (MPAs) has been established with the aim of conserving HLRs in part by providing sources of colonizing larvae. To examine the effectiveness of existing MPAs as networks for dispersal, we compared genetic diversity within and among the HLRs in MPAs and between these HLRs and tropical reefs on the southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The 2 coral species best represented on Australian HLRs (the brooding Pocillopora damicornis and the broadcast‐spawning Goniastrea australensis) exhibited sharply contrasting patterns of diversity and connectedness. For P. damicornis, the 8‐locus genetic and genotypic diversity declined dramatically with increasing latitude (Na= 3.6–1.2, He= 0.3–0.03, Ng:N = 0.87–0.06), although population structure was consistent with recruitment derived largely from sexual reproduction (Go:Ge= 1.28–0.55). Genetic differentiation was high among the HLRs (FST[SD]= 0.32 [0.08], p < 0.05) and between the GBR and the HLRs (FST= 0.24 [0.06], p < 0.05), which indicates these temperate populations are effectively closed. In contrast for G. australensis, 9‐locus genetic diversity was more consistent across reefs (Na= 4.2–3.9, He= 0.3–0.26, Ng:N = 1–0.61), and there was no differentiation among regions (FST= 0.00 [0.004], p > 0.05), which implies the HLRs and the southern GBR are strongly interconnected. Our results demonstrate that although the current MPAs appear to capture most of the genetic diversity present within the HLR systems for these 2 species, their sharply contrasting patterns of connectivity indicate some taxa, such as P. damicornis, will be more vulnerable than others, and this disparity will provide challenges for future management.
Ventricular Expansion in Wild‐Type Wistar Rats After Alcohol Exposure by Vapor Chamber
Authors: Pfefferbaum Adolf , Zahr Natalie M. , Mayer Dirk , Vinco Shara , Orduna Juan , Rohlfing Torsten , Sullivan Edith V.
Published: July 2008

Background:  Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reveals widespread brain damage manifest as tissue shrinkage and complementary ventriculomegaly in human alcoholism. For an animal model to parallel the human condition, high alcohol exposure should produce similar radiologically detectable neuropathology. Our previous structural MRI study demonstrated only modest brain dysmorphology of the alcohol‐preferring (P) rat with average blood alcohol levels (BALs) of 125 mg/dl achieved with voluntary consumption. Here, we tested the hypothesis that wild‐type Wistar rats, exposed to vaporized alcohol ensuring higher BALs than typically achieved with voluntary consumption in rodents, would model MRI findings in the brains of humans with chronic alcoholism.

Methods:  The longitudinal effects of vaporized alcohol exposure on the brains of 10 wild‐type Wistar rats compared with 10 sibling controls were investigated with structural MRI, conducted before (MRI 1) and after (MRI 2) 16 of alcohol exposure and after an additional 8 weeks at a higher concentration of alcohol (MRI 3).

Results:  Two rats in the alcohol group died prior to MRI 2. The remaining vapor‐exposed rats (n = 8) achieved BALs of 293 mg/dl by MRI 2 and 445 mg/dl by MRI 3. Whereas the controls gained 17% of their body weight from MRI 1 to MRI 3, the alcohol‐exposed group lost 6%. MRI, quantified with atlas‐based parcellation, revealed a profile of significant ventricular expansion, after alcohol vapor exposure, in 9 contiguous slices, extending from the dorsolateral to ventrolateral ventricles. In particular, from MRI 1 to MRI 2, this ventricular volume expanded by an average of 6.5% in the controls and by 27.1% in the alcohol‐exposed rats but only an additional 1.5% in controls and 2.4% in alcohol‐exposed rats from MRI 2 to MRI 3. The midsagittal volume of the full anterior‐to‐posterior extent of the corpus callosum grew between the first 2 MRIs in both groups followed by regression in the alcohol group by MRI 3. Although group differences were statistically significant, among animals there was substantial variability of the effects of alcohol exposure on brain morphology; some animals showed profound effects, whereas others were essentially unaffected.

Conclusions:  The ventricular dilatation and callosal shrinkage produced in wild‐type rats following involuntary alcohol exposure yielded a modestly successful model of neurodysmorphology phenotypes of human alcoholism. As is the case for the human condition, however, in which some individuals express greater alcoholism‐related neuropathology than others, some rats may be more susceptible than others to extreme alcohol exposure.
Prevention of Unintentional Weight Loss in Nursing Home Residents: A Controlled Trial of Feeding Assistance
Authors: Simmons Sandra F. , Keeler Emmett , Zhuo Xiaohui , Hickey Kelly A. , Sato Hui‐wen , Schnelle John F.
Published: July 2008

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of a feeding assistance intervention on food and fluid intake and body weight.

DESIGN: Crossover controlled trial.

SETTING: Four skilled nursing homes (NHs).

PARTICIPANTS: Seventy‐six long‐stay NH residents at risk for unintentional weight loss.

INTERVENTION: Research staff provided feeding assistance twice per day during or between meals, 5 days per week for 24 weeks.

MEASUREMENTS: Research staff independently weighed residents at baseline and monthly during a 24‐week intervention and 24‐week control period. Residents' food and fluid intake and the amount of staff time spent providing assistance to eat was assessed for 2 days at baseline and 3 and 6 months during each 24‐week period.

RESULTS: The intervention group showed a significant increase in estimated total daily caloric intake and maintained or gained weight, whereas the control group showed no change in estimated total daily caloric intake and lost weight over 24 weeks. The average amount of staff time required to provide the interventions was 42 minutes per person per meal and 13 minutes per person per between‐meal snack, versus usual care, during which residents received, on average, 5 minutes of assistance per person per meal and less than 1 minute per person per snack.

CONCLUSION: Two feeding assistance interventions are efficacious in promoting food and fluid intake and weight gain in residents at risk for weight loss. Both interventions require more staff time than usual NH care. The delivery of snacks between meals requires less time than mealtime assistance and thus may be more practical to implement in daily NH care practice.
A Prospective Study of the Effect of Hypertension and Baseline Blood Pressure on Cognitive Decline and Dementia in Postmenopausal Women: The Women's Health Initiative Memory Study
Authors: Johnson Karen C. , Margolis Karen L. , Espeland Mark A. , Colenda Christopher C. , Fillit Howard , Manson JoAnn E. , Masaki Kamal H. , Mouton Charles P. , Prineas Ronald , Robinson Jennifer G. , Wassertheil‐Smoller Sylvia ,   for the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study and Women's Health Initiative Investigators
Published: July 2008

OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationship between baseline hypertension, blood pressure, and the development of cognitive decline in participants in the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS).

DESIGN: Prospective analyses.

SETTING: Thirty‐nine centers.

PARTICIPANTS: Seven thousand one hundred forty‐nine women aged 65 and older.

MEASUREMENTS: The Modified Mini‐Mental State Examination (3MS) was used to assess global cognitive functioning. Participants who scored below pre‐established cutpoints were scheduled for more‐extensive neurocognitive assessments. Results from these assessments were centrally adjudicated.

RESULTS: The mean age of this group of 7,149 participants at baseline was 71.0 ± 3.8, and the mean 3MS score was 95.2 ± 4.3. During a mean follow‐up period of 4.5 years, women without hypertension tended to have slightly higher 3MS scores than women with hypertension (P=.001), but the difference was not seen after adjustment for covariates (P=.17). Women with hypertension also appeared to be at greater risk for probable dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (hazard ratio=1.35, 95% confidence interval=1.07–1.70, P=.01), although when potential cofounders were accounted for, this association was no longer significant (P=.06).

CONCLUSION: Hypertension and high blood pressure at baseline were not independently associated with MCI or probable dementia over time in older, cognitively intact, postmenopausal women enrolled in WHIMS after other potential confounders were taken into account. These analyses should not be viewed as discouraging appropriate medical treatment for hypertension.
Resident‐to‐Resident Aggression in Long‐Term Care Facilities: Insights from Focus Groups of Nursing Home Residents and Staff
Authors: Rosen Tony , Lachs Mark S. , Bharucha Ashok J. , Stevens Scott M. , Teresi Jeanne A. , Nebres Flor , Pillemer Karl
Published: July 2008

OBJECTIVES: To more fully characterize the spectrum of resident‐to‐resident aggression (RRA).

DESIGN: A focus group study of nursing home staff members and residents who could reliably self‐report.

SETTING: A large, urban, long‐term care facility.

PARTICIPANTS: Seven residents and 96 staff members from multiple clinical and nonclinical occupational groups.

MEASUREMENTS: Sixteen focus groups were conducted. Content was analyzed using nVivo 7 software for qualitative data.

RESULTS: Thirty‐five different types of physical, verbal, and sexual RRA were described, with screaming or yelling being the most common. Calling out and making noise were the most frequent of 29 antecedents identified as instigating episodes of RRA. RRA was most frequent in dining and residents' rooms, and in the afternoon, although it occurred regularly throughout the facility at all times. Although no proven strategies exist to manage RRA, staff described 25 self‐initiated techniques to address the problem.

CONCLUSION: RRA is a ubiquitous phenomenon in nursing home settings, with important consequences for affected individuals and facilities. Further epidemiological research is necessary to more fully describe the phenomenon and identify risk factors and preventative strategies.
Epidemiology of hepatitis B in Canadian blood donors
Authors: O'Brien Sheila F. , Xi Guoliang , Fan Wenli , Yi Qi‐Long , Fearon Margaret A. , Scalia Vito , Goldman Mindy
Published: July 2008

BACKGROUND: The residual risk of hepatitis B is higher than for other markers such as human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus in nonendemic countries. Evaluating the potential for further risk reduction requires a better understanding of the relationship between donor selection criteria, immigration from endemic countries, and public health vaccination strategies.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Age and sex trends of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)‐positive donors from 1997 to 2006 were analyzed using a Poisson model. All HBsAg‐positive donors in 2005/2006 plus four matched control donors for every HBsAg‐positive donor who participated were invited to participate in a risk factor interview and predictors of HBsAg positivity identified by logistic regression. A survey of 40,000 donors who did not react for all markers asked about vaccination history and country of birth.

RESULTS: Most HBsAg‐positive donations were from first‐time donors (86%), have been decreasing in donors under the age of 30 (p < 0.01), and were correlated with geographic regions with more donors from higher‐prevalence countries (p < 0001). Birth in a higher‐prevalence country predicted HBsAg positivity (p < 0.01). Fifty‐six percent of donors reported being vaccinated for hepatitis including approximately 80 percent of donors under age 30 who reported being vaccinated as part of regular school programs.

CONCLUSION: HBsAg‐positive donations are decreasing in donors under age 30, those most frequently vaccinated through provincial vaccination programs. HBsAg‐positive donations largely reflect immigration from high‐prevalence countries without other deferrable risk factors, mainly chronic cases that will be detected by current testing. Furthermore, risk of incident infections should decrease with increasing vaccination rates in donors, especially the younger cohort now receiving universal vaccination.
FromSpatial Analysisto Geospatial Science
Authors: Berry Brian J. L. , Griffith Daniel A. , Tiefelsdorf Michael R.
Published: July 2008

WhenSpatial Analysiswas published in 1968, it drew together the fruits of the first decade of geography's quantitative revolution. In the decades that have followed, quantitative geography has both diffused and concentrated, abandoned some themes, made major progress on others, and in the contemporary form of geospatial analysis has become an innovative multidisciplinary enterprise. In this article, we sketch the broad outlines of this history, lay out the main threads along which technical capabilities have developed, and describe what appear to us to be the leading questions at the research frontier. Even as many geographers disavow social science, geospatial science has emerged as a lusty arena marked by intellectual vigor, conceptual growth, and enhanced analytic abilities. What now is taking shape is a spatially integrated social–environmental science that is transcending older disciplinary attachments, boundaries, and constraints.
Behavioral Geography and the Theoretical/Quantitative Revolution
Authors: Golledge Reginald G.
Published: July 2008

Beginning with a position statement about the serendipitous nature of the emergence of both normative theory and quantitative methods in Geography, this chapter details the nature of the various contributions to both areas by Behavioral Geographers. Contributions to data collection and both qualitative and quantitative analysis are reviewed for the periods 1960 to the present. Particular emphasis is placed on contributions made by those interested in decision making and choice behavior, particularly in terms of the role of Spatial Cognition (theory and methods) in fostering and extending those dual “revolutions.” Other themes emphasize the development of avenues of publication from the “gray literature” of Department Discussion Papers to the emergence of the journalGeographical Analysisand support by geographers for a variety of interdisciplinary journals. A final focus is on the great variety of themes pursued by the Behavioral Geographer of today, and some suggestions are made regarding possible avenues for future research.
Demographic Modeling of the Geography of Migration and Population: A Multiregional Perspective
Authors: Rogers Andrei
Published: July 2008

This article focuses on the development and evolution of migration and population redistribution modeling within the spatial context of multiregional demography. It begins in 1965, when the state‐of‐the‐art consisted largely of ideas and techniques imported from other disciplines (regression analysis, gravity models, Markov chains, and matrix cohort‐survival population projection models) and then continues on to tell the story of multiregional demography, its evolution and emergence as a fully developed paradigm for studying the spatial dynamics of migration and population redistribution and, more recently, its approach for estimating the necessary migration input measures from inadequate data.
Statistical Perspectives on Geographic Information Science
Authors: Goodchild Michael F.
Published: July 2008

Statistical geometry applies probabilistic methods to geometric forms. In the early days of the quantitative revolution statistical geometry appeared to provide a useful framework for geographic research, but its value appeared to decline in the 1970s and 1980s. Geographic information science (GIScience) addresses the fundamental issues underlying the geographic information technologies, and statistical geometry has proven valuable in a number of respects. Several classical results from statistical geometry are useful in the design of geographic information systems, and in understanding and modeling uncertainty in geographic information, and several statistical principles are observed to be generally applicable to geographic information. Modeling uncertainty in area‐class maps has proven particularly difficult, and seven possible models are discussed. Statistical geometry provides an important link between the early work of the quantitative revolution in geography and modern research in GIScience.
When Western Interests Trump Values
Authors: MAHBUBANI KISHORE
Published: July 2008

American‐led globalization has enabled the third great powershift of the last five hundred years—the “rise of the rest” following on the rise of the West and then the rise of the US as the dominant power in the West.

When China, India, Brazil, Turkey and the rest sit at the table of global power with the West what will the world order look like? Will it be post‐American? Will it be culturally non‐Western, but play by the same rules of an open international order laid down by the American's after World War II?

In the following pages, leading American and Asian intellectuals ponder these questions.
A Civil Society Emerges From the Earthquake Rubble
Authors: YANG GUOBIN
Published: July 2008

Will China's authoritarian leaders succeed in building a future by erasing the past? Can the ideology of “nationalist consumerism” obliterate memory altogether? Will the Olympic applause drown out the weak and exiled witnesses of the Tiananmen crackdown?

In this section we listen to a key Tiananmen student leader two decades on as well as check in with today's young elites in Beijing. A political leader from the reformist regime in 1989 calls for justice from house arrest and a young Chinese novelist wonders what kind of identity is possible without memory.
Pulpits Versus Ivory Towers: Socializing Agents and Evolution Attitudes*
Authors: Haider‐Markel Donald P. , Joslyn Mark R.
Published: July 2008

Objective. Although debate concerning the theory of evolution is part of an ongoing U.S. dialogue over the proper role of religion in society, academics have provided little in the way of systematic understanding of public opinion on this issue. Important questions, such as the relative influence of socializing agents—religion and education—in shaping attitudes on evolution remain unanswered. Building on socialization and cognitive accessibility theories, we offer a framework for predicting public opinion on human origins and the teaching of evolution in public schools.

Methods. We model attitudes on evolution and related policy through analysis of data from a 2005 national survey of U.S. adults.

Results. Our analysis suggests that religion and education are key predictors of opinion, but that gender, partisanship, and ideology also play an important role.

Conclusion. The socializing agent of religion outweighs the effect of education on attitudes related to evolution.
Running Against a Woman: Do Female Opponents Shape Male Candidate Behaviors?*
Authors: Dolan Kathleen
Published: July 2008

Objective. The male‐dominated nature of U.S. politics still means that the vast majority of women who run for office face a male opponent. As a result, one dramatic change in U.S. politics—the increase in women candidates—may contribute to another change, that being the experience of men who run for office. The research reported here begins to consider how running against a woman might have influenced the behavior of male candidates for Congress in 2002 and 2006. Past research suggests that men who run against women feel that they need to take steps to appeal to women voters by giving attention to issues of concern to women in their campaigns.

Methods. To test the hypothesis that men will alter their attention to women's issues in the face of a woman candidate, I use campaign websites to examine the issue priorities of men who ran against women and compare them to a sample of men who ran against other men.

Results. Counter to expectations, I find no evidence that men “play” to women voters through their attention to women's issues and instead demonstrate the relatively limited visibility that men give to these issues when they run against a woman.

Conclusions. Running against a woman may have some limited impact on male candidate behaviors, but does not appear to be a significant influence.
What Does it Take for a Canadian Political Scientist to be Cited?*
Authors: Montpetit Éric , Blais André , Foucault Martial
Published: July 2008

Objectives. The article examines the factors that influence the frequency whereby scholarly articles published by Canadian political scientists are cited.

Method. We collected data on 1,860 journal articles published between 1985 and 2005 by 758 Canadian political scientists and listed in the Social Science Citation Index. Using these data, we performed OLS and tobit estimations to identify factors influencing citation frequency.

Results. The regressions show that the reputation of the journal in which the article is published, though important, does not explain everything. The gender of the author(s), the number of authors, the geographical focus of the article, the field, and the methodology also matter.

Conclusion. An article is more likely to be widely cited if it is published in a prestigious journal, if it is written by several authors, if it applies quantitative methods, if it compares countries, and if it deals with administration and public policy or elections and political parties. Faculty members who belong to larger departments and those who are women are more cited.