bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Cellular Automata Model Based on Nonlinear Kernel Principal Component Analysis for Urban Growth Simulation
Authors: Feng Yongjiu , Liu Yan
Published: February 2013

In this paper we present a cellular automata (CA) model based on nonlinear kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) to simulate the spatiotemporal process of urban growth. As a generalisation of the linear principal component analysis (PCA) method, the KPCA method was developed to extract the nonspatially correlated principal components amongst the various spatial variables which affect urban growth in high-dimensional feature space. Compared with the linear PCA method, the KPCA approach is superior as it generates fewer independent components while still maintaining its capacity to reduce the noise level of the original input datasets. The reduced number of independent components can be used to better reconstruct the nonlinear transition rules of a CA model. In addition, the principal components extracted through the KPCA approach are not linearly related to the input spatial variables, which accords well with the nonlinear nature of complex urban systems. The KPCA-based CA model (KPCA-CA) developed was fitted to a fast-growing region in China's Shanghai Metropolis for the sixteen-year period 1992–2008. The simulated patterns of urban growth matched well with the observed urban growth, as determined from historical remotely sensed images for the same period. The KPCA-CA model resulted in significant improvements in locational accuracy when compared with conventional CA models and acted to reduce simulation uncertainty.
The Influence of Fractal Dimension and Vegetation on the Perceptions of Streetscape Quality in Taipei: With Comparative Comments Made in Relation to Two British Case Studies
Authors: Cooper Jon , Su Mei-Lin , Oskrochi Reza
Published: February 2013

In this study we seek to determine the relationship between fractal dimension, the presence of vegetation, and pedestrian perception of streetscape in Taipei, Taiwan. We provide a fractal analysis of street vistas present in Taipei, calculate the amount of vegetation visible in the streets, and assess the perception of the visual quality characteristic of those streets. Correlations between the resultant fractal dimensions, the physical characteristics of the streets, and scores for a single measure of perceived visual quality are discussed and compared with the results from two similar British case studies. The key findings are that judgments of the visual quality of streetscapes are influenced by the presence of vegetation, but they are influenced more by changes in fractal dimension. Vegetation is shown have a strong, positive, and significant correlation with perceptions of variety, coherence, beauty, interest, and preference. Higher levels of vegetation were found in views that were judged as varied, coherent, beautiful, interesting, and likeable. The presence of visible sky and buildings in a view have negative correlations with judgments of variety and interest. The presence of visible boundaries, vehicles, signage, and street furniture all have strong positive correlations with judgments of complexity; conversely, they have strong negative correlations with judgments of order, coherence, and beauty. In the UK cases complexity was correlated positively with perceptions of visual quality, but in the Taiwanese case it was correlated negatively.
Tranquillity and Soundscapes in Urban Green Spaces—Predicted and Actual Assessments from a Questionnaire Survey
Authors: Watts Greg , Miah Abdul , Pheasant Rob
Published: February 2013

A previous pilot study demonstrated the utility of a tranquillity prediction tool TRAPT for use in three green open spaces in a densely populated area. This allows the calculation of perceived levels of tranquillity in open spaces. The current study expands the range of sites to eight and, importantly, considers the views of visitors to these spaces. In total 252 face-to-face interviews were conducted in these spaces. An important aim of the survey was to determine the extent to which reported tranquillity obtained from the questionnaire survey could be predicted by a previously developed prediction tool TRAPT. A further aim was to determine what other factors may need to be considered in addition to the purely physical descriptors in TRAPT. The questions included the sounds and sights that were noticed, factors affecting tranquillity, as well as questions related to the benefits of visiting these areas. Predictions were considered satisfactory and could be improved further by taking account of issues surrounding personal safety. Examining the trends in these data, it was also shown that the percentage of people feeling more relaxed after visiting the spaces was closely related to overall assessments of perceived tranquillity. Further trends and their implications are presented and discussed.
Regret Minimization or Utility Maximization: It Depends on the Attribute
Authors: Chorus Caspar G , Rose John M , Hensher David A
Published: February 2013

In this study we show how the coexistence of different decision rules can be accommodated in discrete choice models. Specifically, in this paper we present a generic hybrid model specification that allows for some attributes being processed using conventional linear-additive utility-maximization-based rules, while others are being processed using regret-minimization-based rules. We show that on two revealed and stated choice datasets particular specifications of hybrid models, containing both regret-based and utility-based attribute decision rules, outperform—in terms of model fit and out-of-sample predictive ability—choice models where all attributes are assumed to be processed by means of one and the same decision rule. However, in our data differences between models are very small. Implications, in terms of marginal willingness-to-pay measures (WtP), are derived for the different hybrid model specifications and applied in the context of the two datasets. It is found that in the context of our data hybrid WtP measures differ substantially from conventional utility-based WtP measures, and that the hybrid WtP specifications allow for a richer (choice-set-specific) interpretation of the trade-offs that people make.
A Formal Approach to the Study of the Evolution and Commonality of Patterns
Authors: Lee Ji-Hyun , Park Hyoung-June , Lim Sungwoo , Kim Sun-Joong
Published: February 2013

The formal approach outlined in this paper uses symbolic memes as a framework for the hierarchical deconstruction of a cultural artefact, the traditional Korean pattern known as bosangwhamun, to describe the evolutionary development of such a pattern using shape grammar rules. The formal descriptions of this pattern are thus the basis for generating its variations, and the process is used to evaluate the validity of the rules and their appropriateness for the study of bosangwhamun.
Variability of egg escapement, fishing mortality and spawning population in the market squid fishery in the California Current Ecosystem
Authors: Dorval Emmanis , Crone Paul R. , McDaniel Jennifer D.
Published: February 2013

With an average yield of 70 000 Mt from 1999 to 2006, market squid (Doryteuthis opalescens) represents one of the most commercially valuable and biologically productive populations off California. An egg escapement model was developed for evaluating the population’s reproductive response to varying levels of fishing pressure and, potentially, for aiding management of the fishery. The model is founded on eggs-per-recruit theory, assuming catch fecundity is related to daily-based fishing mortality (F), i.e. analysis generated estimates of proportional egg escapement, S(F), as a function of F per quarter from 1999 to 2006 in three spawning grounds off northern and southern California. Fishing pressure was generally high, with mean derived F ranging from 0.20 to 6 per day. Mean estimated S(F) ranged from 0.08 to 0.75, but in most quarters was higher than 0.30. The classical model was extended for estimating absolute abundance of the resource based on F. Market squid were more abundant in southern California, where mean spawning stock peaked at 1.50 × 109 females, ~108 000 and 130 000 Mt in autumn 2000 and winter 2005 respectively. Although time demanding, this per-recruit analysis represents an effective approach for monitoring reproductive outputs and for aiding stock status determinations of harvested market squid.
Negative feedback by IRE1β optimizes mucin production in goblet cells
Authors: Tsuru Akio , Fujimoto Naoko , Takahashi Satsuki , Saito Michiko , Nakamura Daisuke , Iwano Megumi , Iwawaki Takao , Kadokura Hiroshi , Ron David , Kohno Kenji
Published: February 2013

In mammals, the prototypical endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress sensor inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1) has diverged into two paralogs.
IRE1
α
is broadly expressed and mediates the unconventional splicing of
X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1)
mRNA during ER stress. By contrast,
IRE1β
is expressed selectively in the digestive tract, and its function remains unclear. Here, we report that IRE1β plays a distinctive role in mucin-secreting goblet cells. In IRE1β
−/−
mice, aberrant mucin 2 (MUC2) accumulated in the ER of goblet cells, accompanied by ER distension and elevated ER stress signaling such as increased
XBP1
mRNA splicing. In contrast, conditional IRE1α
−/−
mice showed no such ER distension but a marked decrease in spliced
XBP1
mRNA. mRNA stability assay revealed that
MUC2
mRNA was greatly stabilized in IRE1β
−/−
mice. These findings suggest that in goblet cells, IRE1β, but not IRE1α, promotes efficient protein folding and secretion in the ER by optimizing the level of mRNA encoding their major secretory product, MUC2.
Langerin negative dendritic cells promote potent CD8
+
T-cell priming by skin delivery of live adenovirus vaccine microneedle arrays
Authors: Bachy Veronique , Hervouet Catherine , Becker Pablo D. , Chorro Laurent , Carlin Leo M. , Herath Shanthi , Papagatsias Timos , Barbaroux Jean-Baptiste , Oh Sea-Jin , Benlahrech Adel , Athanasopoulos Takis , Dickson George , Patterson Steven , Kwon Sung-Yun , Geissmann Frederic , Klavinskis Linda S.
Published: February 2013

Stabilization of virus protein structure and nucleic acid integrity is challenging yet essential to preserve the transcriptional competence of live recombinant viral vaccine vectors in the absence of a cold chain. When coupled with needle-free skin delivery, such a platform would address an unmet need in global vaccine coverage against HIV and other global pathogens. Herein, we show that a simple dissolvable microneedle array (MA) delivery system preserves the immunogenicity of vaccines encoded by live recombinant human adenovirus type 5 (rAdHu5). Specifically, dried rAdHu5 MA immunization induced CD8
+
T-cell expansion and multifunctional cytokine responses equipotent with conventional injectable routes of immunization. Intravital imaging demonstrated MA cargo distributed both in the epidermis and dermis, with acquisition by CD11c
+
dendritic cells (DCs) in the dermis. The MA immunizing properties were attributable to CD11c
+
MHCII
hi
CD8α
neg
epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM
neg
) CD11b
+
langerin (Lang; CD207)
neg
DCs, but neither Langerhans cells nor Lang
+
DCs were required for CD8
+
T-cell priming. This study demonstrates an important technical advance for viral vaccine vectors progressing to the clinic and provides insights into the mechanism of CD8
+
T-cell priming by live rAdHu5 MAs.
Cell type-specific genes show striking and distinct patterns of spatial expression in the mouse brain
Authors: Ko Younhee , Ament Seth A. , Eddy James A. , Caballero Juan , Earls John C. , Hood Leroy , Price Nathan D.
Published: February 2013

To characterize gene expression patterns in the regional subdivisions of the mammalian brain, we integrated spatial gene expression patterns from the Allen Brain Atlas for the adult mouse with panels of cell type-specific genes for neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes from previously published transcriptome profiling experiments. We found that the combined spatial expression patterns of 170 neuron-specific transcripts revealed strikingly clear and symmetrical signatures for most of the brain’s major subdivisions. Moreover, the brain expression spatial signatures correspond to anatomical structures and may even reflect developmental ontogeny. Spatial expression profiles of astrocyte- and oligodendrocyte-specific genes also revealed regional differences; these defined fewer regions and were less distinct but still symmetrical in the coronal plane. Follow-up analysis suggested that region-based clustering of neuron-specific genes was related to (
i
) a combination of individual genes with restricted expression patterns, (
ii
) region-specific differences in the relative expression of functional groups of genes, and (
iii
) regional differences in neuronal density. Products from some of these neuron-specific genes are present in peripheral blood, raising the possibility that they could reflect the activities of disease- or injury-perturbed networks and collectively function as biomarkers for clinical disease diagnostics.
Endoplasmic reticulum–endosome contact increases as endosomes traffic and mature
Authors: Friedman Jonathan R. , DiBenedetto Jared R. , West Matthew , Rowland Ashley A. , Voeltz Gia K.
Published: February 2013

The endosomal pathway is responsible for plasma membrane cargo uptake, sorting, and, in many cases, lysosome targeting. Endosome maturation is complex, requiring proper spatiotemporal recruitment of factors that regulate the size, maturity, and positioning of endosomal compartments. In animal cells, it also requires trafficking of endosomes on microtubules. Recent work has revealed the presence of contact sites between some endosomes and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Although these contact sites are believed to have multiple functions, the frequency, dynamics, and physical attributes of these contacts are poorly understood. Here we use high-resolution three-dimensional electron microscopy to reveal that ER tubules wrap around endosomes and find that both organelles contact microtubules at or near membrane contact sites. As endosomes traffic, they remain bound to the ER, which causes the tubular ER to rearrange its structure around dynamic endosomes at contact sites. Finally, as endosomes transition through steps of maturation, they become more tightly associated with the ER. The major implication of these results is that endosomes mature and traffic while coupled to the ER membrane rather than in isolation.
Cognitive impairment in heart failure: results from the Trial of Intensified versus standard Medical therapy in Elderly patients with Congestive Heart Failure (TIME‐CHF) randomized trial
Authors: Huijts Marjolein , van Oostenbrugge Robert J. , Duits Annelien , Burkard Thilo , Muzzarelli Stefano , Maeder Micha T. , Schindler Ruth , Pfisterer Matthias E. , Brunner‐La Rocca Hans‐Peter
Published: February 2013

Aims

Up to 50% of patients with heart failure (HF) may suffer from severe cognitive impairment (SCI), but longitudinal studies are sparse, and effects of changes in HF severity on cognitive function are unknown. Therefore, we assessed the prevalence of SCI in HF patients, its relationship with HF severity, its effects on morbidity and mortality, and the relationship between changes in HF severity and cognitive function.

Methods and results

We included 611 patients from the Trial of Intensified versus standard Medical therapy in Elderly patients with Congestive Heart Failure (TIME‐CHF) and assessed cognitive function [Hodkinson Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT)] in relation to severity of HF (NYHA class, NT‐proBNP) at baseline and 18 months (n = 382) and effects on hospitalization‐free survival and mortality. SCI (i.e. AMT score ≤7) was present in 9.2% of patients at baseline, but only 20% of them had a diagnosis of dementia. Prevalence of SCI remained stable during follow‐up. SCI was present at baseline more often in NYHA IV patients compared with NYHA II [odds ratio 2.94; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15–7.51, P = 0.025], but it was not related to NT‐proBNP levels. SCI was related to higher mortality (hazard ratio 1.53, 95% CI 1.02–2.30, P = 0.04), but not hospitalization‐free survival. Changes in HF severity were not significantly related to changes in cognitive function.

Conclusion

SCI is a frequent, but often unrecognized finding in HF patients, but the influence of HF severity and its changes on cognitive function were less than hypothesized.

Trial registration

ISRCTN43596477
Differential Activation of Ammonium Transporters During the Accumulation of Ammonia by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Its Effect on Appressoria Formation and Pathogenicity
Authors: Shnaiderman Chen , Miyara Itay , Kobiler Ilana , Sherman Amir , Prusky Dov
Published: February 2013

Ammonium secreted by the post-harvest pathogen Colletotrichum gloeosporioides during host colonization accumulates in the host environment due to enhanced fungal nitrogen metabolism. Two types of ammonium transporter-encoding genes, AMET and MEP, are expressed during pathogenicity. Gene disruption of AMET, a gene modulating ammonia secretion, showed twofold reduced ammonia secretion and 45% less colonization on avocado fruit, suggesting a contribution to pathogenicity. MEPB, a gene modulating ammonium transport, is expressed by C. gloeosporioides during pathogenicity and starvation conditions in culture. Gene disruption of MEPB, the most highly expressed gene of the MEP family, resulted in twofold overexpression of MEPA and MEPC but reduced colonization, suggesting MEPB expression's contribution to pathogenicity. Analysis of internal and external ammonia accumulation by ΔmepB strains in mycelia and germinated spores showed rapid uptake and accumulation, and reduced secretion of ammonia in the mutant versus wild-type (WT) strains. Ammonia uptake by the WT germinating spores but not by the ΔmepB strain with compromised ammonium transport activated cAMP and transcription of PKA subunits PKAR and PKA2. ΔmepB mutants showed 75% less appressorium formation and colonization than the WT, which was partially restored by 10 mM exogenous ammonia. Thus, whereas both AMET and MEPB genes modulate ammonia secretion, only MEPB contributes to ammonia accumulation by mycelia and germinating spores that activate the cAMP pathways, inducing the morphogenetic processes contributing to C. gloeosporioides pathogenicity.
An exploration of the microrheological environment around the distal ileal villi and proximal colonic mucosa of the possum (
Trichosurus vulpecula
)
Authors: Lim Y. F. , Williams M. A. K. , Lentle R. G. , Janssen P. W. M. , Mansel B. W. , Keen S. A. J. , Chambers P.
Published: February 2013

Multiple particle-tracking techniques were used to quantify the thermally driven motion of ensembles of naked polystyrene (0.5 µm diameter) microbeads in order to determine the microrheological characteristics around the gut mucosa. The microbeads were introduced into living
ex vivo
preparations of the wall of the terminal ileum and proximal colon of the brushtail possum (
Trichosurus vulpecula
). The fluid environment surrounding both the ileal villi and colonic mucosa was heterogeneous; probably comprising discrete viscoelastic regions suspended in a continuous Newtonian fluid of viscosity close to water. Neither the viscosity of the continuous phase, the elastic modulus (
G
’) nor the sizes of viscoelastic regions varied significantly between areas within 20 µm and areas more than 20 µm from the villous mucosa nor from the tip to the sides of the villous mucosa. The viscosity of the continuous phase at distances further than 20 µm from the colonic mucosa was greater than that at the same distance from the ileal villous mucosa. Furthermore, the estimated sizes of viscoelastic regions were significantly greater in the colon than in the ileum. These findings validate the sensitivity of the method and call into question previous hypotheses that a contiguous layer of mucus envelops all intestinal mucosa and restricts diffusive mass transfer. Our findings suggest that, in the terminal ileum and colon at least, mixing and mass transfer are governed by more complex dynamics than were previously assumed, perhaps with gel filtration by viscoelastic regions that are suspended in a Newtonian fluid.
Epidemiological consequences of household-based antiviral prophylaxis for pandemic influenza
Authors: Black Andrew J. , House Thomas , Keeling M. J. , Ross J. V.
Published: February 2013

Antiviral treatment offers a fast acting alternative to vaccination; as such it is viewed as a first-line of defence against pandemic influenza in protecting families and households once infection has been detected. In clinical trials, antiviral treatments have been shown to be efficacious in preventing infection, limiting disease and reducing transmission, yet their impact at containing the 2009 influenza A(H1N1)pdm outbreak was limited. To understand this seeming discrepancy, we develop a general and computationally efficient model for studying household-based interventions. This allows us to account for uncertainty in quantities relevant to the 2009 pandemic in a principled way, accounting for the heterogeneity and variability in each epidemiological process modelled. We find that the population-level effects of delayed antiviral treatment and prophylaxis mean that their limited overall impact is quantitatively consistent (at current levels of precision) with their reported clinical efficacy under ideal conditions. Hence, effective control of pandemic influenza with antivirals is critically dependent on early detection and delivery ideally within 24 h.
Costs of pleometrosis in a polygamous termite
Authors: Hartke Tamara R. , Rosengaus Rebeca B.
Published: February 2013

Costs and benefits of pleometrosis, as understood from social Hymenoptera, have never been tested in the independently evolved termites. To understand the extent to which such co-founding may be advantageous for colony survival and growth, we tracked the survival and reproduction of 5000 laboratory-established incipient colonies of the facultatively polygamous neotropical termiteNasutitermes corniger. Significantly more pleometrotic groups than monogamous queen–king pairs failed within the first 90 days of establishment, and 99 per cent of pleometrotic groups lost at least one founding member. Oviposition commenced earlier in larger groups, but colony growth was slower and production of workers and soldiers was delayed compared with pairs. Thus, pleometrosis does not increase colony fitness and is in fact highly disadvantageous.
The complex history of the olive tree: from Late Quaternary diversification of Mediterranean lineages to primary domestication in the northern Levant
Authors: Besnard G. , Khadari B. , Navascués M. , Fernández-Mazuecos M. , El Bakkali A. , Arrigo N. , Baali-Cherif D. , Brunini-Bronzini de Caraffa V. , Santoni S. , Vargas P. , Savolainen V.
Published: February 2013

The location and timing of domestication of the olive tree, a key crop in Early Mediterranean societies, remain hotly debated. Here, we unravel the history of wild olives (oleasters), and then infer the primary origins of the domesticated olive. Phylogeography and Bayesian molecular dating analyses based on plastid genome profiling of 1263 oleasters and 534 cultivated genotypes reveal three main lineages of pre-Quaternary origin. Regional hotspots of plastid diversity, species distribution modelling and macrofossils support the existence of three long-term refugia; namely the Near East (including Cyprus), the Aegean area and the Strait of Gibraltar. These ancestral wild gene pools have provided the essential foundations for cultivated olive breeding. Comparison of the geographical pattern of plastid diversity between wild and cultivated olives indicates the cradle of first domestication in the northern Levant followed by dispersals across the Mediterranean basin in parallel with the expansion of civilizations and human exchanges in this part of the world.
TheArabidopsisF-Box Protein CORONATINE INSENSITIVE1 Is Stabilized by SCFCOI1 and Degraded via the 26S Proteasome Pathway
Authors: Yan Jianbin , Li Haiou , Li Shuhua , Yao Ruifeng , Deng Haiteng , Xie Qi , Xie Daoxin
Published: February 2013

Jasmonate regulates critical aspects of plant development and defense. The F-box protein CORONATINE INSENSITIVE1 (COI1) functions as a jasmonate receptor and forms Skp1/Cullin1/F-box protein COI1 (SCFCOI1) complexes with Arabidopsis thaliana Cullin1 and Arabidopsis Skp1-like1 (ASK1) to recruit its substrate jasmonate ZIM-domain proteins for ubiquitination and degradation. Here, we reveal a mechanism regulating COI1 protein levels in Arabidopsis. Genetic and biochemical analysis and in vitro degradation assays demonstrated that the COI1 protein was initially stabilized by interacting with ASK1 and further secured by assembly into SCFCOI1 complexes, suggesting a function for SCFCOI1 in the stabilization of COI1 in Arabidopsis. Furthermore, we show that dissociated COI1 is degraded through the 26S proteasome pathway, and we identified the 297th Lys residue as an active ubiquitination site in COI1. Our data suggest that the COI1 protein is strictly regulated by a dynamic balance of SCFCOI1-mediated stabilization and 26S proteasome–mediated degradation and thus maintained at a protein level essential for proper biological functions in Arabidopsis development and defense responses.
Foils of flexion: the effects of perch compliance on lizard locomotion and perch choice in the wild
Authors: Gilman Casey A. , Irschick Duncan J.
Published: February 2013

Animals in the wild must navigate habitats that vary in structure and complexity. For arboreal animals, perch compliance (flexibility) is a common and variable characteristic, but the effects of perch compliance on arboreal behaviour and locomotion, specifically jumping, have only been examined for primates in the wild.

In this study, we observed jumping behaviour of green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis) at a site with perches ranging from highly compliant palm leaflets to sturdy trunks and branches. We measured the characteristics, including compliance, of perches found throughout this habitat, those generally used by the green anole and those used for jumping within this population. We then compared the characteristics of these perch types to better understand how green anoles interact with compliant perches in the wild.

We found that green anoles used perches ranging across all compliances found in the habitat, but they selectively jumped from relatively non‐compliant perches. Green anoles also tended to jump farthest from relatively sturdy, low‐lying perches. Therefore, green anoles avoided the most compliant perches when jumping, likely due to the performance costs associated with compliant perch use.

In addition, we discovered that generally, perches become more compliant as they become narrower, but variance in compliance for a given diameter does not allow for the use of diameter as a proxy for compliance in this type of habitat. Thus, studies of compliance effects on small animal movement should include direct measurements of perch compliance.

We assert that perch compliance is an important habitat characteristic that influences behaviour and performance in green anoles, and likely many other small jumping animals.
Phylogenetic detection of novel Cryptomycota in an Iowa (United States) aquifer and from previously collected marine and freshwater targeted high‐throughput sequencing sets
Authors: Livermore Joshua A. , Mattes Timothy E.
Published: February 2013

Fungi are everywhere and interact with humans in countless ways, but a large group of fungi called ‘Cryptomycota’ has escaped detection until very recently. Still, the extent of diversity and ecological habits of this group remain largely unknown. We interrogated publically available 18S rRNA gene datasets, obtained via high‐throughput sequencing from marine and freshwater samples, for Cryptomycota sequences. Contrary to previous work, we found evidence of substantial Cryptomycota diversity in the marine upper water column. Additionally, we produced a sequencing set from a groundwater aquifer, an environment unrepresented among 18S rRNA gene pyrosequencing sets. The Cryptomycota community in this aquifer sample appears distinct from the community in both freshwater and marine environments with evidence of a unique aquifer clade. This study significantly expands the boundary of known Cryptomycota sequence diversity and characterizes the phylogenetic distribution of this diversity in aquatic environments. Furthermore, the approach utilized is generalizable to discovery of novel micro‐eukaryotic diversity from any lineage.
Does Performance‐Based Compensation Boost Economic Growth or Lead to More Income Inequality?
Authors: Chang Juin‐jen , Liu Chia‐ying , Hung Hsiao‐wen
Published: February 2013

Recent observations suggest that as performance‐related pay has been increasingly used, (i) compensation has grown with labour productivity, and (ii) there has been a rise in income inequality. This study is a theoretical attempt to provide a convincing explanation of these observations. We develop an endogenous growth framework comprising a profit/revenue‐sharing scheme that simultaneously governs income inequality and economic growth. Therefore, we show that a share‐based scheme can cause the workers to engage in performance pay seeking and, as a result, boost economic growth. Nonetheless, the intensive use of performance pay also results in higher income inequality. Because of the increased use of performance pay, there exists a positive relationship between economic growth and income inequality. While this result contradicts the traditional notion, it is supported by recent empirical studies. Our welfare analysis indicates that a more intensive sharing scheme does not necessarily raise the level of social welfare, even though it is favourable to economic growth.
Male farmers with mental health disorders: A scoping review
Authors: Roy Philippe , Tremblay Gilles , Oliffe John L. , Jbilou Jalila , Robertson Steve
Published: February 2013

The issue of male farmers' mental health raises many concerns including high rates of psychological distress and suicide amid the poor uptake of health services among this subgroup. Gender is an important social determinant of health, and this paper provides an overview of connections between farming and masculinities in the context of men's mental health disorders. This scoping review summarises findings drawn from 46 studies to discuss male farmers' mental health disorders, psychosocial interventions and barriers to help‐seeking. In providing the review, recommendations are made including the need for an array of study and intervention approaches to advance the mental health and well‐being of male farmers and their families.
Public secrets in public health: Knowing not to know while making scientific knowledge
Authors: GEISSLER P. W.
Published: February 2013

Unknown knowns—or “public secrets”—may play an integral part in publicly funded medical science. In one large transnational field research site in Africa, such unknowing pertains to vital material inequalities across the relations of scientific production. These inequalities are open to experience but remain often unacknowledged in public speech and scientific texts. This silence is not usually achieved by suppressing knowledge but through linguistic convention and differentiation between places and moments of knowing and ignorance. Switching between known and unknown according to situation and interlocutor is an important, largely implicit skill that maintains relations necessary to conduct clinical research—linking bodies, lives, institutions, and technologies across differentials of resources, expertise, and power. Unknowing, then, facilitates research; and it shapes the resulting work and perpetuates the political and economic contradictions that pervade the context and the research endeavor itself. Unknowing thus poses a challenge for conventional anthropological modes of critique and engagement.
A cultural geometry: Designing political things in Sweden
Authors: MURPHY KEITH M.
Published: February 2013

In Sweden, a long‐standing and pervasive discourse delineates the significance of design—especially “Swedish design”—within a distinctly political framework. Just as the social democratic welfare state is in large part organized to “care” for its citizens, design in Sweden is supposed to “care” for the users of everyday goods. I explore this claim in several sociocultural domains in which different aspects of Swedish design are reproduced. I also present an argument for working with design and designing as ethnographic objects of inquiry.
On love: Remaking moral subjectivity in postrehabilitation Russia
Authors: ZIGON JARRETT
Published: February 2013

Love, I argue, is a demand around which moral experience—and thus moral subjectivity—takes shape. Love entails the struggle to ethically remake oneself, and the response to its unavoidable demand has consequences for both oneself and others. I examine the moral experience of love as it was lived by two former participants in a Russian Orthodox Church–run heroin rehabilitation program in St. Petersburg. My discussion thus contributes conceptually and ethnographically to the growing literature on the anthropology of moralities.
Action of hypoxia‐inducible factor in liver and kidney from mice with Pax8‐rtTA‐based deletion of von Hippel‐Lindau protein
Authors: Mathia S. , Paliege A. , Koesters R. , Peters H. , Neumayer H.‐H. , Bachmann S. , Rosenberger C.
Published: February 2013

Aim

Von Hippel‐Lindau protein (VHL) provides the degradation of hypoxia‐inducible factor (HIF). Tetracycline‐induced, Pax8‐rtTA‐based knockout of VHL (VHL‐KO) affects all renal tubules and periportal hepatocytes and leads to sustained upregulation of HIF. Here, we study the phenotype of VHL‐KO in both organs, the time course of changes, and long‐term morpho‐functional outcome.

Methods

Mice with doxycycline‐induced VHL‐KO and controls (CON) were followed for up to 9 months. Systemic and tissue parameters were evaluated using clinical chemistry, histology, immunohistochemistry, RT‐PCR and in situ hybridisation.

Results

At day 3 following VHL‐KO, substantial abundance of HIF‐1α and ‐2α was detected in the nuclei of hepatocytes and renal tubular epithelia. Hypoxia, induced by bleeding anaemia, did not further augment HIF signal. Erythropoietin mRNA was detectable in hepatocytes but not in the kidney. Vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA was upregulated in kidney but not in liver. At day 7 following VHL‐KO, the renal capillary density was enhanced, reaching its maximum at day 14. Blood haemoglobin increased constantly up to day 28 (23.3 vs. 15.8 g dL−1, VHL‐KO vs. CON). Thereafter, it was kept within the normal range by weekly blood collections. Pathological changes were absent from kidney and liver 9 months after VHL‐KO.

Conclusions

Inducible, Pax8‐rtTA‐based deletion of VHL leads to organ‐specific expression of epithelial HIF and erythropoietin in liver and kidney without causing pathological changes. Uniform, maximal and sustained HIF activation along the renal tubule may serve to study the potential benefits of hypoxia adaptation in experimental renal injury.
Randomised clinical trial: vancomycin or metronidazole in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis ‐ a pilot study
Authors: Tabibian J. H. , Weeding E. , Jorgensen R. A. , Petz J. L. , Keach J. C. , Talwalkar J. A. , Lindor K. D.
Published: February 2013

Background

Emerging data suggest that oral antibiotics may have therapeutic effects in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), but published studies are limited.

Aims

To investigate the safety and efficacy of oral vancomycin and metronidazole in patients with PSC.

Methods

Thirty‐five patients with PSC were randomised in a double‐blind manner into four groups: vancomycin 125 mg or 250 mg four times/day, or metronidazole 250 mg or 500 mg three times/day for 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was decrease in alkaline phosphatase (ALK) at 12 weeks. Secondary end points included serum bilirubin and Mayo PSC risk score; pruritus; and adverse effects (AEs). Nonparametric tests were used for analysis.

Results

The primary endpoint was reached in the low‐dose (−43% change in ALK, P = 0.03) and high‐dose (−40%, P = 0.02) vancomycin groups, with two patients in the former experiencing ALK normalisation. Bilirubin decreased significantly in the low‐dose metronidazole group (−20%, P = 0.03) and trended towards significance in the low‐dose vancomycin group (−33%, P = 0.06). Mayo PSC risk score decreased significantly in the low‐dose vancomycin (−0.55, P = 0.02) and low‐dose metronidazole group (−0.16, P = 0.03). Pruritus decreased significantly in the high‐dose metronidazole group (−3.4, P = 0.03). AEs led to medication discontinuation in six patients, four of whom were receiving metronidazole.

Conclusions

Both vancomycin and metronidazole demonstrated efficacy; however, only patients in the vancomycin groups reached the primary endpoint, and with less adverse effects. Larger, longer‐term studies are needed to further examine the safety and efficacy of antibiotics as a potential treatment for patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (clinicaltrials.gov NCT01085760).
Randomised clinical trial: a 1‐week, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study of pancreatin 25 000 Ph. Eur. minimicrospheres (Creon 25000 MMS) for pancreatic exocrine insufficiency after pancreatic surgery, with a 1‐year open‐label extension
Authors: Seiler C. M. , Izbicki J. , Varga‐Szabó L. , Czakó L. , Fiók J. , Sperti C. , Lerch M. M. , Pezzilli R. , Vasileva G. , Pap Á. , Varga M. , Friess H.
Published: February 2013

Background

Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) often occurs following pancreatic surgery.

Aim

To demonstrate the superior efficacy of pancreatin 25 000 minimicrospheres (Creon 25000 MMS; 9–15 capsules/day) over placebo in treating PEI after pancreatic resection.

Methods

A 1‐week, double‐blind, randomised, placebo‐controlled, parallel‐group, multicentre study with a 1‐year, open‐label extension (OLE). Subjects ≥18 years old with PEI after pancreatic resection, defined as baseline coefficient of fat absorption (CFA) <80%, were randomised to oral pancreatin or placebo (9–15 capsules/day: 3 with main meals, 2 with snacks). In the OLE, all subjects received pancreatin. The primary efficacy measure was least squares mean CFA change from baseline to end of double‐blind treatment (ancova).

Results

All 58 subjects randomised (32 pancreatin, 26 placebo) completed double‐blind treatment and entered the OLE; 51 completed the OLE. The least squares mean CFA change in the double‐blind phase was significantly greater with pancreatin vs. placebo: 21.4% (95% CI: 13.7, 29.2) vs. −4.2% (−12.8, 4.5); difference 25.6% (13.9, 37.3), P < 0.001. The mean ± s.d. CFA increased from 53.6 ± 20.6% at baseline to 78.4 ± 20.7% at OLE end (P < 0.001). Treatment‐emergent adverse events occurred in 37.5% subjects on pancreatin and 26.9% on placebo during double‐blind treatment, with flatulence being the most common (pancreatin 12.5%, placebo 7.7%). Only two subjects discontinued due to treatment‐emergent adverse events, both during the OLE.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates superior efficacy of pancreatin 25 000 over placebo in patients with PEI after pancreatic surgery, measured by change in CFA. Pancreatin was generally well tolerated at the high dose administered (EudraCT registration number: 2005‐004854‐29).
Combination of pulse methylprednisolone infusions with cyclosporine‐based immunosuppression is safe and effective to treat recurrent focal segmental glomerulosclerosis after pediatric kidney transplantation
Authors: Shishido Seiichiro , Satou Hiroyuki , Muramatsu Masaki , Hamasaki Yuko , Ishikura Kenji , Hataya Hiroshi , Honda Masataka , Asanuma Hiroshi , Aikawa Atsushi
Published: February 2013

Background

Recurrence of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in pediatric kidney allografts is associated with poor graft survival. Several therapeutic regimens have been proposed, with conflicting results.

Methods

Ten pediatric patients with recurrent FSGS after kidney transplantation were treated with a protocol of methylprednisolone (MP) infusions in combination with cyclosporine (CsA)‐based immunosuppression. The patients received a drug regimen with infusions of 20 mg/kg MP on three consecutive days at week 1, week 3, and week 5, and then monthly until six months after transplantation. If a complete or partial remission (PR) was obtained, MP pulse continued every three months until 24 months after transplantation. The CsA dose was adjusted according to AUC0–4.

Results

Seven of 10 patients (70%) achieved complete remission (CR) with stable renal function within 18 months of beginning of treatment. One of two patients with PR entered CR 3.5 yr after transplantation. One patient lost her graft due to recurrence four months after transplantation. After observation for 26–119 months, seven patients maintained remission with normal glomerular filtration rate. Few major side effects were observed in association with the high‐dose MP infusion therapy.

Conclusions

MP infusion therapy in combination with CsA‐based immunosuppression could be safe and effective in treating recurrent FSGS after kidney transplantation.
Why Developing Countries Have Failed to Increase Their Exports of Agricultural Processed Products
Authors: Mohan Sushil , Khorana Sangeeta , Choudhury Homagni
Published: February 2013

The article uses the case study of coffee, tea and cocoa to analyse whether tariff escalation constitutes a barrier to market access that thwarts diversification efforts of developing countries into exports of value‐added agricultural processed products. It also examines the extent to which non‐tariff barriers act as market access barriers that constrain developing countries from developing their exports of agricultural processed products. Our analysis shows that tariff escalation is not the main barrier; rather it is the prevalence of non‐tariff barriers (including domestic non‐tariff barriers) that limits the ability of developing countries to increase their agricultural processed exports. This has important policy implications in terms of the emphasis that trade negotiators and policy planners should place on addressing non‐tariff barriers.
Friedman Versus Hayek on Private Outside Monies: New Evidence for the Debate
Authors: Luther William J.
Published: February 2013

Friedrich Hayek is often credited with the resurgence of interest in alternative monetary systems. His own proposal, however, received sharp criticism from Milton Friedman, Stanley Fischer, and others at the outset, and never gained much support among academic economists or the wider population. According to Friedman, Hayek erred in believing that the mere admission of competing private currencies will spontaneously generate a more stable monetary system. In Friedman's view, network effects and switching costs discourage alternative systems in general from emerging and prevent Hayek's system in particular from functioning as desired. I offer new evidence provided by events in Somalia since the 1990s as support for Friedman's initial doubts.
The Libertarian Character of the Islamic Economy
Authors: Salman Ali
Published: February 2013

This article reviews the shari'a approach to markets and examines its treatment by certain twentieth‐century Islamic economists such as Nejatullah Siddiqui, Nawab Haider Naqvi, Umer Chapra and M.A. Mannan. It characterises the arguments of these economists as largely statist, redistributive and socialist, possibly reflecting post‐colonial intellectual experiences. Yet shari'a endorses negative freedom by proscribing price controls and guaranteeing consumer protection from coercion. Islamic law, this article argues, as evinced in both revealed knowledge and human exegesis, has endorsed a market‐friendly, libertarian and limited‐government philosophy.
Individual Preferences for Trade Partners in Taiwan
Authors: Chiang Chun‐Fang , Liu Jin‐Tan , Wen Tsai‐Wei
Published: February 2013

This article investigates economic factors and non‐economic factors of individual attitudes toward free‐trade agreements with different countries. Based on the Stolper–Samuelson theorem, highly skilled workers in Taiwan should be more supportive of free trade with China and less supportive of free trade with the United States than should unskilled workers in Taiwan. Using survey data from Taiwan, we find that highly educated people in Taiwan are more supportive of free trade with both the United States and China, and the effects of education are much stronger with respect to free trade with China. We also find that individual risk attitudes, national identity, and ethnicity play important roles in explaining trade preferences.
Brain networks underlying mental imagery of auditory and visual information
Authors: Zvyagintsev Mikhail , Clemens Benjamin , Chechko Natalya , Mathiak Krystyna A. , Sack Alexander T. , Mathiak Klaus
Published: February 2013

Mental imagery is a complex cognitive process that resembles the experience of perceiving an object when this object is not physically present to the senses. It has been shown that, depending on the sensory nature of the object, mental imagery also involves correspondent sensory neural mechanisms. However, it remains unclear which areas of the brain subserve supramodal imagery processes that are independent of the object modality, and which brain areas are involved in modality‐specific imagery processes. Here, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging study to reveal supramodal and modality‐specific networks of mental imagery for auditory and visual information. A common supramodal brain network independent of imagery modality, two separate modality‐specific networks for imagery of auditory and visual information, and a common deactivation network were identified. The supramodal network included brain areas related to attention, memory retrieval, motor preparation and semantic processing, as well as areas considered to be part of the default‐mode network and multisensory integration areas. The modality‐specific networks comprised brain areas involved in processing of respective modality‐specific sensory information. Interestingly, we found that imagery of auditory information led to a relative deactivation within the modality‐specific areas for visual imagery, and vice versa. In addition, mental imagery of both auditory and visual information widely suppressed the activity of primary sensory and motor areas, for example deactivation network. These findings have important implications for understanding the mechanisms that are involved in generation of mental imagery.