bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Complex Adaptive Systems and the Origins of Adaptive Structure: What Experiments Can Tell Us
Authors: Cornish Hannah , Tamariz Monica , Kirby Simon
Published: November 2009

Language is a product of both biological and cultural evolution. Clues to the origins of key structural properties of language can be found in the process of cultural transmission between learners. Recent experiments have shown that iterated learning by human participants in the laboratory transforms an initially unstructured artificial language into one containing regularities that make the system more learnable and stable over time. Here, we explore the process of iterated learning in more detail by demonstrating exactly how one type of structure—compositionality—emerges over the course of these experiments. We introduce a method to precisely quantify the increasing ability of a language to systematically encode associations between individual components of meanings and signals over time and we examine how the system as a whole evolves to avoid ambiguity in these associations and generate adaptive structure.
Electrical activation of the orbicularis oculi muscle does not increase the effectiveness of botulinum toxin type A in patients with blepharospasm
Authors: Conte A. , Fabbrini G. , Belvisi D. , Marsili L. , Di Stasio F. , Berardelli A.
Published: November 2009

Background: Our primary aim in this study was to determine whether electrically induced activation of the injected muscle increases effectiveness of botulinum type A toxin (BonT‐A) in patients with blepharospasm (BPS). The second aim was to assess the safety of BonT‐A by investigating whether BonT‐A injection alters the excitability of blink reflex circuits in the brainstem.

Methods: Twenty‐three patients with BPS received BonT‐A (Botox) injected bilaterally into the orbicularis oculi muscle at a standard dose. In 18 patients, electrically induced muscle activation of the orbicularis oculi muscle on one side was performed for 60 min (4 Hz frequency) in a single session, immediately after BonT‐A injection and in five patients for 60 min once a day for five consecutive days. The severity of BPS was assessed clinically with the BPS score. Compound muscle action potential (cMAPs) from the orbicularis oculi muscles were measured bilaterally. The blink reflex recovery cycle was studied at interstimulus intervals of 250 and 500 ms. Participants underwent clinical and neurophysiological assessment before BonT‐A injection (T0) and 2 weeks thereafter (T1).

Results: Compound muscle action potential amplitude significantly decreased at T1 but did not differ between stimulated and non‐stimulated orbicularis oculi in the two groups. BonT‐A injection left the blink reflex recovery cycle tested on the stimulated and non‐stimulated sides unchanged.

Conclusions: In patients with BPS, the electrically induced muscle activation neither increases the effectiveness of BonT‐A nor produces larger electrophysiological peripheral effects. The lack of BonT‐A‐induced changes in the blink reflex recovery cycle provides evidence that BonT‐A therapy is safe in patients with BPS.
Subclinical tremor in normal controls with versus without a family history of essential tremor: data from the United States and Turkey
Authors: Louis E. D. , Dogu O. , Ottman R.
Published: November 2009

Background and purpose:  Mild action tremor is very common in the population. One fundamental question is whether this tremor is related to the neurological disease essential tremor (ET), which occurs in a much smaller segment of the population? ET is often genetic, and variable phenotypic expression is well‐documented in the literature. We determined whether normal controls who report a family history of ET have greater action tremor than normal controls who do not report such a history.

Methods:  Controls, enrolled in two epidemiological studies (New York and Turkey), were examined in detail and action tremor was rated using a valid and reliable clinical rating scale, resulting in a total tremor score (range 0–36).

Results:  In New York, the total tremor score was higher in 44/406 (10.8%) controls who reported a family history of ET than in 362/406 controls with no such history (4.25 ± 2.51 vs. 3.78 ± 2.93, P = 0.02). Controls who reported a first‐degree relative with ET had the highest total tremor scores. In Turkey, the total tremor score was higher in 7/89 (7.9%) controls with a family history than in 82/89 controls with no family history (3.43 ± 4.54 vs. 1.13 ± 2.54, P = 0.048). All affected relatives in Turkey were first‐degree.

Conclusions:  These data suggest that some of the normal tremor exhibited by people in the population is likely to be subclinical, partially expressed ET and that the sphere of ET is wider than is apparent from a consideration of clinically diagnosed cases.
The orchestration of conscious experience by subcortical structures
Authors: Ressler Newton
Published: November 2009

It is argued that conscious emotional feelings can not be adequately explained by just particular circuits or coherent activations within the brain, as is conventionally believed; nor by activations representing environmental stimuli going to the brain. According to the model suggested herein, the limbic system responds to sensory and other inputs according to how closely they are associated with built‐in rewards or punishments. It does this by (a) activating the autonomic nervous system so that it prepares the body to acquire a reward or avoid a punishment, and (b) also activating the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The PFC activations are temporally correlated with the autonomic activations and the feedback to them, so that they become identified with the autonomic attempts to acquire (a reward) or avoid (a punishment). The PFC circuit thus acquires a valence. The valence, along with arousal in a given context, underlies conscious emotional feelings. The model is related to: (a) how attention progresses along networks within working memory; (b) how a single, unified percept is formed; (c) how both value‐based and cognitive‐based responses are formulated; and (d) how the stream of consciousness is put together and driven forward. These concepts are integrated into a scenario of the orchestration of conscious experience and behaviour by subcortical‐limbic system structures interacting with the cortex, and are shown to be consistent with much of the literature.
What did domestication do to dogs? A new account of dogs' sensitivity to human actions
Authors: Udell Monique A. R. , Dorey Nicole R. , Wynne Clive D. L.
Published: November 2009

Over the last two decades increasing evidence for an acute sensitivity to human gestures and attentional states in domestic dogs has led to a burgeoning of research into the social cognition of this highly familiar yet previously under‐studied animal. Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) have been shown to be more successful than their closest relative (and wild progenitor) the wolf, and than man's closest relative, the chimpanzee, on tests of sensitivity to human social cues, such as following points to a container holding hidden food. The “Domestication Hypothesis” asserts that during domestication dogs evolved an inherent sensitivity to human gestures that their non‐domesticated counterparts do not share. According to this view, sensitivity to human cues is present in dogs at an early age and shows little evidence of acquisition during ontogeny. A closer look at the findings of research on canine domestication, socialization, and conditioning, brings the assumptions of this hypothesis into question. We propose the Two Stage Hypothesis, according to which the sensitivity of an individual animal to human actions depends on acceptance of humans as social companions, and conditioning to follow human limbs. This offers a more parsimonious explanation for the domestic dog's sensitivity to human gestures, without requiring the use of additional mechanisms. We outline how tests of this new hypothesis open directions for future study that offer promise of a deeper understanding of mankind's oldest companion.
Energy substrate availability as a determinant of neuronal resting potential, GABA signaling and spontaneous network activity in the neonatal cortex in vitro
Authors: Holmgren Carl D. , Mukhtarov Marat , Malkov Anton E. , Popova Irina Y. , Bregestovski Piotr , Zilberter Yuri
Published: November 2009

J. Neurochem. (2009) 112, 900–912.

While the ultimate dependence of brain function on its energy supply is evident, how basic neuronal parameters and network activity respond to energy metabolism deviations is unresolved. The resting membrane potential (Em) and reversal potential of GABA‐induced anionic currents (EGABA) are among the most fundamental parameters controlling neuronal excitability. However, alterations of Em and EGABA under conditions of metabolic stress are not sufficiently documented, although it is well known that metabolic crisis may lead to neuronal hyper‐excitability and aberrant neuronal network activities. In this work, we show that in slices, availability of energy substrates determines whether GABA signaling displays an inhibitory or excitatory mode, both in neonatal neocortex and hippocampus. We demonstrate that in the neonatal brain, Em and EGABA strongly depend on composition of the energy substrate pool. Complementing glucose with ketone bodies, pyruvate or lactate resulted in a significant hyperpolarization of both Em and EGABA, and induced a radical shift in the mode of GABAergic synaptic transmission towards network inhibition. Generation of giant depolarizing potentials, currently regarded as the hallmark of spontaneous neonatal network activity in vitro, was strongly inhibited both in neocortex and hippocampus in the energy substrate enriched solution. Based on these results we suggest the composition of the artificial cerebrospinal fluid, which bears a closer resemblance to the in vivo energy substrate pool. Our results suggest that energy deficits induce unfavorable changes in Em and EGABA, leading to neuronal hyperactivity that may initiate a cascade of pathological events.
Functional versus radiological assessment of chronic intestinal ischaemia
Authors: Zacho Helle D. , Abrahamsen Jan
Published: November 2009

Introduction:  The diagnosis chronic intestinal ischaemia (CII) is based on the clinical symptoms postprandial pain and weight loss combined with abnormal findings during angiography. Despite the well‐known poor correlation between symptoms and morphology, physiological tests are rarely performed.

Perspectives:  It is possible to measure the total splanchnic blood flow (SBF) before and after a test meal, and the results supply additional information to the morphologic investigations. To date, no papers have addressed the impact of morphologic changes of the mesenteric arteries on the SBF.

Materials and methods:  Forty‐six consecutive patients suspected of CII were investigated. The routine investigation included angiography and measurements of the SBF before and after a test meal. Measurements of the total SBF were performed using the ‘Fick principle’. 99mTechnetium‐labelled Mebrofenin® was used as a tracer. Digital subtraction angiography was performed.

Results:  Agreement between SBF and angiography was found in 44 of 46 patients. Mean baseline SBF for all patients was 985 ml/min, total range (525–1932) and within the reported normal range. The mean postprandial increase in SBF was 480 mL min−1 (−130 to 1353), thus 36 patients were categorized as normal by both angiography and SBF, eight patients were abnormal by both methods and two patients had abnormal SBF but normal angiography.

Discussion:  In this cohort, SBF detects CII with sensitivity of 1·0, and specificity  of 0·95. SBF supplies additional information in patients with convincing symptoms and normal angiography. In these patients, the affection of the intestinal arteries may be too distant or too subtle to be visualized on angiography.
Monet at the Savoy
Authors: Khan Soraya , Thornes John E , Baker Jacob , Olson Donald W , Doescher Russell L
Published: November 2009

Solar geometry is used to accurately date the four paintings of Waterloo Bridge and one painting of Charing Cross Bridge, from Monet's London Series, that have the sun clearly visible within the image. Monet reworked the ‘enveloppe’ within these images on subsequent days when the sun was in a similar position but did not change the position of the sun. Letters to Monet's wife and contemporary weather data verify the probable dates. This confirms that Monet painted what he saw and that we can cautiously use his London Series as a pictorial ‘weather diary’ of typical Victorian London fogs. Monet painted these images from the Savoy Hotel during stays in 1900 and/or 1901 and the fifth floor balcony he used has now been located for the first time.
Social Change and Social Policy in Japan
Authors: Fujimura Masayuki
Published: November 2009

This paper aims to present and discuss social change and social policy in Japan after the mid‐20th century from a sociological viewpoint. Japanese social change and social policy from the mid‐20th century onward can be categorized into three models in chronological order: escape from mass poverty by means of industrialization, improvement of the social security system to establish a welfare state, and parallel progress of aspiration for a welfare society and workfare. Defined concretely, these are (1) the period that established and improved social security, which started immediately after the end of World War II and ended in 1973, when Japan began to suffer from low growth after enjoying high growth; (2) the period in which finance for social security was adjusted, halfway through which the country experienced a bubble economy; and (3) the period after the 1990s, in which the structural reform of social security went hand‐in‐hand with labor policy and the advent of globalization. In each of the three periods, the direction of social policy was affected by factors that caused changes in such areas as industrial structure (the decline of agriculture), demographic structure (an aging society), and family structure and work pattern (the growing trend of nuclear families, single‐person households, and irregular employment). In Japan, life security now attracts increasing attention, and employment security rather than social security has been the central issue. As it is greatly affected by globalization, employment security grows less conspicuous and makes the vulnerability of social security grow more conspicuous. Social policy has the potential to become an area with which to struggle for national integration and fissures between social groups.
Care Diamonds and Welfare Regimes in East and South‐East Asian Societies: Bridging Family and Welfare Sociology
Authors: Ochiai Emiko
Published: November 2009

This paper tries to bridge the micro‐level analyses of social networks for “care” provision which have been conducted in the field of family sociology, and the macro‐level framework on welfare mix which has been developed in the area of welfare sociology, because the options for creating social networks are given to individuals by society. A group of Asian researchers including the author have conducted comparative research on social networks for childcare and elderly care in six Asian societies, namely Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, and Japan. To reexamine the results, the author draws diagrams of the care diamonds in each society for each type of care (childcare or elderly care) to show the balance between four sectors (the state, market, family and relatives, and the community) which determines the pattern of welfare mix. The most prevalent pattern in Asian societies today is the pattern with a large family and relatives sector and a large market sector. We can interpret it as a familistic welfare regime combined with liberalism. However, Japan alone shows a pattern close to pure familism because the development of the market sector is restricted by immigration policies prohibiting the employment of foreign domestic workers. Unlike other Asian societies which were exposed to the global market before the family could become a closed organization and marketization of care work took place easily, in Japan, where the modern family system had been established, both socialization and marketization of care work have stagnated.
Social Change and Social Policy in Taiwan: New Poverty, M‐shaped Society and Policy Implications
Authors: Hsueh James Cherng‐tay , Ku Yeun‐wen
Published: November 2009

Along with radical changes in the global economy and family structure, Taiwan has experienced the re‐emergence of the poverty problem that was thought disappearing after remarkable economic growth in the 1980s. This article would like to provide an updated profile of social changes in Taiwan, with special reference to the related poverty issues like new poverty and the M‐shaped society, as Ohmae defines it in his well‐known book. To begin with, we place some of the most recent developments in the context of unbalanced growth and increasing family crises. Ironically, people in Taiwan have widely used the terms of new poverty and M‐shaped society since the end of 1990s, while the “economic miracle” the island wrought still remains a fond memory. Official statistics on poverty, unemployment, divorce, mental disease, and child abuse have all shown increases. The trend is a matter of serious concern. Unlike in Japan, the earnings of workers in Taiwan did not significantly decrease in recent years. Taiwan seems to deviate from the M‐shaped society. We have developed two tentative but handy yardsticks for examining the shift of the middle class: the “balance index” and the “M‐ratio”. The former provides as a relative measure among different income groups, while the latter is designed to indicate the change of the middle class relative to the overall contribution of the people. Finally, we also discuss its implications to social policy in Taiwan.
Changing Drivers of Deforestation and New Opportunities for Conservation
Authors: RUDEL THOMAS K. , DEFRIES RUTH , ASNER GREGORY P. , LAURANCE WILLIAM F.
Published: November 2009

Abstract:  Over the past 50 years, human agents of deforestation have changed in ways that have potentially important implications for conservation efforts. We characterized these changes through a meta‐analysis of case studies of land‐cover change in the tropics. From the 1960s to the 1980s, small‐scale farmers, with state assistance, deforested large areas of tropical forest in Southeast Asia and Latin America. As globalization and urbanization increased during the 1980s, the agents of deforestation changed in two important parts of the tropical biome, the lowland rainforests in Brazil and Indonesia. Well‐capitalized ranchers, farmers, and loggers producing for consumers in distant markets became more prominent in these places and this globalization weakened the historically strong relationship between local population growth and forest cover. At the same time, forests have begun to regrow in some tropical uplands. These changing circumstances, we believe, suggest two new and differing strategies for biodiversity conservation in the tropics, one focused on conserving uplands and the other on promoting environmental stewardship in lowlands and other areas conducive to industrial agriculture.
The Future of Tropical Species on a Warmer Planet
Authors: WRIGHT S. JOSEPH , MULLER‐LANDAU HELENE C. , SCHIPPER JAN
Published: November 2009

Abstract: Modern global temperature and land cover and projected future temperatures suggest that tropical forest species will be particularly sensitive to global warming. Given a moderate greenhouse gas emissions scenario, fully 75% of the tropical forests present in 2000 will experience mean annual temperatures in 2100 that are greater than the highest mean annual temperature that supports closed‐canopy forest today. Temperature‐sensitive species might extend their ranges to cool refuges, defined here as areas where temperatures projected for 2100 match 1960s temperatures in the modern range. Distances to such cool refuges are greatest for equatorial species and are particularly large for key tropical forest areas including the Amazon and Congo River Basins, West Africa, and the upper elevations of many tropical mountains. In sum, tropical species are likely to be particularly sensitive to global warming because they are adapted to limited geographic and seasonal variation in temperature, already lived at or near the highest temperatures on Earth before global warming began, and are often isolated from cool refuges. To illustrate these three points, we examined the distributions and habitat associations of all extant mammal species. The distance to the nearest cool refuge exceeded 1000 km for more than 20% of the tropical and less than 4% of the extratropical species with small ranges. The biological impact of global warming is likely to be as severe in the tropics as at temperate and boreal latitudes.
Traditional Plant Harvesting in Contemporary Fragmented and Urban Landscapes
Authors: WEHI PRISCILLA M. , WEHI WILLIAM L.
Published: November 2009

Abstract:  Ecosystem fragmentation and destruction can lead to restrictive administration policies on traditional harvesting by indigenous peoples from remaining ecosystem tracts. In New Zealand, concerns about endangered species and governmental policies that focus on species and ecosystem preservation have resulted in severely curtailed traditional harvesting rights. Although provision has been made for limited gathering of traditional plants from government‐administered conservation lands, it is unclear how much harvesting is undertaken on these lands and elsewhere and what this harvest might consist of. We interviewed seven expert Maori elders from the Waikato, New Zealand, to identify plant species they currently harvested and from where. We compared these data with the data we collected on permits issued for plant collecting on conservation lands in the same region. We sought to gain information on indigenous plant harvesting to determine the extent of permitted harvesting from conservation lands in the Waikato and to identify issues that might affect plant harvesting and management. Elders identified 58 species they harvest regularly or consider culturally important; over 50% of these species are harvested for medicinal use. Permit data from 1996 to 2006 indicated no apparent relationship between species of reported cultural significance and the number of permits issued for each of these species. Currently, few plant species are harvested from conservation lands, although some unofficial harvesting occurs. Elders instead reported that medicinal plants are frequently collected from urban and other public areas. They reported that plant species used for dyeing, carving, and weaving are difficult to access. Elders also discussed concerns such as spraying of roadsides, which resulted in the death of medicinal species, and use of commercial hybrids in urban planning. Local government may have an increasingly important role in supporting native traditions through urban planning, which takes account of cultural harvesting needs while potentially reducing future harvesting pressure on conservation lands. We suggest that active participation by the Māori community in the development and management of urban harvesting resources will result in positive outcomes.
Implications of Urbanization for Artisanal Parrotfish Fisheries in the Western Solomon Islands
Authors: ASWANI SHANKAR , SABETIAN ARMAGAN
Published: November 2009

Abstract:  Increasing migration into urbanized centers in the Solomon Islands poses a great threat to adjacent coral reef fisheries because of negative effects on the fisheries and because it further erodes customary management systems. Parrotfish fisheries are of particular importance because the feeding habits of parrotfish (scrape and excavate coral) are thought to be critical to the resilience of coral reefs and to maintaining coral reef health within marine protected areas. We investigated the ecological impact of localized subsistence and artisanal fishing pressure on parrotfish fisheries in Gizo Town, Western Solomon Islands, by analyzing the density and size distribution of parrotfish with an underwater visual census (UVC), recall diary (i.e., interviews with fishers), and creel surveys to independently assess changes in abundance and catch‐per‐unit‐effort (CPUE) over 2 years. We then compared parrotfish data from Gizo Town with equivalent data from sites open to and closed to fishing in Kida and Nusa Hope villages, which have different customary management regimes. Results indicated a gradient of customary management effectiveness. Parrotfish abundance was greater in customary management areas closed to fishing, especially with regard to larger fish sizes, than in areas open to fishing. The decline in parrotfish abundance from 2004 to 2005 in Gizo was roughly the same magnitude as the difference in abundance decline between inside and outside customary management marine reserves. Our results highlight how weak forms of customary management can result in the rapid decline of vulnerable fisheries around urbanized regions, and we present examples in which working customary management systems (Kinda and Nusa Hope) can positively affect the conservation of parrotfish—and reef fisheries in general—in the highly biodiverse Coral Triangle region.
Nurse‐Midwives' Experiences with Planned Home Birth: Impact on Attitudes and Practice
Authors: Vedam Saraswathi , Stoll Kathrin , White Sarah , Aaker Jessica , Schummers Laura
Published: November 2009

Background:
Health care providers' attitudes toward maternity care options influence the nature of informed decision‐making discussions and patient choice. A woman's choice of birth site may be affected by her provider's opinion and practice site. The objectives of this study were to describe American nurse‐midwives' attitudes toward, and experiences with, planned home birth, and to explore correlates and predictors of their attitudes toward planned home birth as measured by the Provider Attitudes towards Planned Home Birth (PAPHB) scale.
Methods:
A survey instrument, which incorporates the PAPHB and assesses demographic, education, practice, personal experience, and external barrier variables that may predict attitudes toward planned home birth practice, was completed by 1,893 nurse‐midwives. Bivariate analysis identified associations between variables and attitudes. Linear regression modeling identified predictors of attitudes.
Results:
Variables that significantly predicted favorable attitudes to planned home birth were increased clinical and educational experiences with planned home birth (p < 0.001), increased exposure to planned home birth (p < 0.001), and younger age (p < 0.001). External barriers that significantly predicted less favorable attitudes included financial (p = 0.03) and time (p < 0.001) constraints, inability to access medical consultation (p < 0.001), and fear of peer censure (p < 0.001). Willingness to practice in the home was correlated with factors related to nurse‐midwives' confidence in their management abilities and beliefs about planned home birth safety.
Conclusions:
The results suggest that nurse‐midwives' choice of practice site and comfort with planned home birth are strongly influenced by the nature and amount of exposure to home birth during professional education or practice experiences, in addition to interprofessional, logistic, and environmental factors. Findings from this research may inform interdisciplinary education and collaborative practice in the area of planned home birth.
Postpartum Perineal Pain in a Low Episiotomy Setting: Association with Severity of Genital Trauma, Labor Care, and Birth Variables
Authors: Leeman Lawrence , Fullilove Anne M. , Borders Noelle , Manocchio Regina , Albers Leah L. , Rogers Rebecca G.
Published: November 2009

Background:
Perineal pain is common after childbirth. We studied the effect of genital tract trauma, labor care, and birth variables on the incidence of pain in a population of healthy women exposed to low rates of episiotomy and operative vaginal delivery.
Methods:
A prospective study of genital trauma at birth and assessment of postpartum perineal pain and analgesic use was conducted in 565 midwifery patients. Perineal pain was assessed using the present pain intensity (PPI) and visual analog scale (VAS) components of the validated short‐form McGill pain scale. Multivariate logistic regression examined which patient characteristics or labor care measures were significant determinants of perineal pain and use of analgesic medicines.
Results:
At hospital discharge, women with major trauma reported higher VAS pain scores (2.16 ± 1.61 vs 1.48 ± 1.40; p < 0.001) and were more likely to use analgesic medicines (76.3 vs 23.7%, p = 0.002) than women with minor or no trauma. By 3 months, average VAS scores were low in each group and not significantly different. Perineal pain at the time of discharge was associated in univariate analysis with higher education level, ethnicity (non‐Hispanic white), nulliparity, and longer length of active maternal pushing efforts. In a multivariate model, only trauma group and length of active pushing predicted the pain at hospital discharge. In women with minor or no trauma, only length of the active part of second stage labor had a positive relationship with pain. In women with major trauma, the length of active second stage labor had no independent effect on the level of pain at discharge beyond its effect on the incidence of major trauma.
Conclusions:
Women with spontaneous perineal trauma reported very low rates of postpartum perineal pain. Women with major trauma reported increased perineal pain compared with women who had no or minor trauma; however, by 3 months postpartum this difference was no longer present. In women with minor or no perineal trauma, a longer period of active pushing was associated with increased perineal pain.
A Birth Education Program for Expectant Fathers in Taiwan: Effects on Their Anxiety
Authors: Li Hsin‐Tzu , Lin Kuan‐Chia , Chang Shu‐Chen , Kao Chien‐Huei , Liu Chieh‐Yu , Kuo Su‐Chen
Published: November 2009

Background:
A father who does not know how to assist the mother in relieving labor pains may experience a sense of powerlessness and anxiety. The objective of this study was to evaluate how an education program for expectant fathers who attended their partners' labor and birth affected their anxiety.
Methods:
In a randomized controlled trial, 87 expectant fathers who attended their pregnant partners through labor and birth at a hospital in central Taiwan were allocated by block randomization to an experimental (n = 45) and a control (n = 42) group. The men completed their basic personal information, a childbirth expectations questionnaire, and a Trait Anxiety Inventory when they were recruited. Two hours after birth of their child, all the expectant fathers completed a State of Anxiety Inventory.Results: Our results showed no statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups of fathers in trait anxiety and their prenatal childbirth expectations. After analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was applied to correct for education level, sources of childbirth information, attendance at Lamaze childbirth classes, and childbirth expectations at baseline, the effect of the childbirth program was significant for the postnatal level of anxiety (F = 3.38, p = 0.001).Conclusions: The study findings justify the clinical implementation of a birth education program based on the self‐efficacy theory as an effective means of reducing anxiety among expectant fathers.
Top‐Selling Childbirth Advice Books: A Discourse Analysis
Authors: Kennedy Holly Powell , Nardini Katrina , McLeod‐Waldo Rebecca , Ennis Linda
Published: November 2009

Background:
Recent evidence suggests that one‐third of women receive information about pregnancy and childbirth through books. Messages about what characteristics are normal (or expected) in childbirth are disseminated in a variety of ways, including popular childbirth education books, but little study of them has been conducted. The purpose of this investigation is to address that gap by examining the discussions about childbirth in the 10 top‐selling books in the United States.
Methods:
Discourse analysis (relating to the public, personal, and political discussions about a specific phenomenon) was used to study 10 best‐selling United States childbirth advice books marketed to childbearing women during the first week of November 2007.
Results:
Book styles ranged from clinical descriptions of pregnancy and birth primarily offering reassurance, self‐help information, and danger signs to more folksy and humorous commentaries. Presentation of scientific evidence to support recommendations was uneven and at times inaccurate. Five focal areas of discourse included body image, labor and birth, pain, power and control, and life preparation for motherhood.
Conclusions:
Top‐selling books shine an interesting light on the current state of United States maternity practices. Women and health professionals should assess them carefully and engage with each other about their recommendations and implications for childbirth.
Chronic Ethanol Consumption Induces Global Hepatic Protein Hyperacetylation
Authors: Shepard Blythe D. , Tuma Dean J. , Tuma Pamela L.
Published: November 2009

Background:  Although the clinical manifestations of alcoholic liver disease are well described, little is known about the molecular basis for liver injury. Recent studies have indicated that chronic alcohol consumption leads to the lysine‐hyperacetylation of several hepatic proteins, and this list is growing quickly.

Methods:  To identify other hyperacetylated proteins in ethanol‐fed livers, we chose a proteomics approach. Cytosolic and membrane proteins (excluding nuclei) were separated on 2D gels, transferred to PVDF and immunoblotted with antibodies specific for acetylated lysine residues. Hyperacetylated proteins were selected for trypsin digestion and mass spectrometric analysis.

Results:  In all, 40 proteins were identified, 11 of which are known acetylated proteins. Remarkably, the vast majority of hyperacetylated membrane proteins were mitochondrial residents. Hyperacetylated cytosolic proteins ranged in function from metabolism to cytoskeletal support. Notably, 3 key anti‐oxidant proteins were identified whose activities are impaired in ethanol‐treated cells. We confirmed that the anti‐oxidant enzyme, glutathione peroxidase 1, actin and cortactin are hyperacetylated in ethanol‐treated livers.

Conclusions:  Alcohol‐induced hyperacetylation of multiple proteins may contribute to the development of liver injury. The abundance of acetylated mitochondrial proteins further suggests that this modification is important in regulating liver metabolism and when perturbed, may contribute to the progression of a variety of metabolic diseases.
HippocampalN‐Methyl‐d‐Aspartate Receptor Subunit Expression Profiles in a Mouse Model of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
Authors: Samudio‐Ruiz Sabrina L. , Allan Andrea M. , Sheema Sheema , Caldwell Kevin K.
Published: November 2009

Background: Although several reports have been published showing prenatal ethanol exposure is associated with alterations inN‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit levels and, in a few cases, subcellular distribution, results of these studies are conflicting.

Methods: We used semi‐quantitative immunoblotting techniques to analyze NMDA receptor NR1, NR2A, and NR2B subunit levels in the adult mouse hippocampal formation isolated from offspring of dams who consumed moderate amounts of ethanol throughout pregnancy. We employed subcellular fractionation and immunoprecipitation techniques to isolate synaptosomal membrane‐ and postsynaptic density protein‐95 (PSD‐95)‐associated pools of receptor subunits.

Results: We found that, compared to control animals, fetal alcohol‐exposed (FAE) adult mice had: (i) increased synaptosomal membrane NR1 levels with no change in association of this subunit with PSD‐95 and no difference in total NR1 expression in tissue homogenates; (ii) decreased NR2A subunit levels in hippocampal homogenates, but no alterations in synaptosomal membrane NR2A levels and no change in NR2A‐PSD‐95 association; and (iii) no change in tissue homogenate or synaptosomal membrane NR2B levels but a reduction in PSD‐95‐associated NR2B subunits. No alterations were found in mRNA levels of NMDA receptor subunits suggesting that prenatal alcohol‐associated differences in subunit protein levels are the result of differences in post‐transcriptional regulation of subunit localization.

Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that prenatal alcohol exposure induces selective changes in NMDA receptor subunit levels in specific subcellular locations in the adult mouse hippocampal formation. Of particular interest is the finding of decreased PSD‐95‐associated NR2B levels, suggesting that synaptic NR2B‐containing NMDA receptor concentrations are reduced in FAE animals. This result is consistent with various biochemical, physiological, and behavioral findings that have been linked with prenatal alcohol exposure.
Implicit Representations of Ethnicity and Nationhood in New Zealand: A Function of Symbolic or Resource‐Specific Policy Attitudes?
Authors: Sibley Chris G. , Liu James H. , Khan Sammyh S.
Published: November 2009

New Zealanders' implicit projections of the national category differ dramatically from those of Americans and Australians. In these latter nations, research using the Implicit Association Test (IAT) indicates that the majority (White/European) group is privileged in automatic or nonconscious concepts of nationhood relative to other ethnic groups. In New Zealand, however, Whites/Europeans and Maori (the Indigenous peoples) are equally associated with cognitive representations of the nation. This difference has been attributed to the strong and consensual integration of Maori culture and identity with national identity. The present research provided a novel test of this argument by demonstrating, in a large undergraduate sample (N = 142), that self‐rated opposition versus support for symbolic but not resource‐specific aspects of bicultural social policy was associated with New Zealanders' generalized pro‐European versus pro‐Maori implicit ethnic‐national associations (estimated using two IATs). This finding provides converging evidence suggesting that the unique pattern of ethnic‐national associations observed in New Zealand owes its genesis to relatively consensual support for the incorporation of symbolic aspects of Maori culture: The ways in which groups are symbolically represented within a nation affects the extent to which they are automatically projected within the inclusive or national prototype. This in turn has important implications for promoting intergroup tolerance.
“Kull wahad la haalu”
Authors: Volk Lucia
Published: November 2009

Recently arrived Yemeni immigrant women in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood face a series of challenges as they go about living their everyday lives in a poor and crime‐ridden neighborhood. They experience feelings of isolation and distress because of their limited English skills, their conservative Islamic dress that draws comments and unfriendly looks, and their household chores as mothers of often large families, which keep them busy at home. Despite living in close proximity to other Yemeni immigrants, these women feel profoundly lonely. In this study, based on interviews with 15 recently arrived Yemeni women, I show different “idioms of distress” that connect the women's emotional states to experiences of physical space and the body. I also raise methodological and epistemological questions about conducting anthropological work in communities whose members experience profound isolation.
Defining HIV Risk and Determining Responsibility in Postsocialist Poland
Authors: Owczarzak Jill
Published: November 2009

Drawing on 15 months of ethnographic research on HIV prevention programs in Poland, I explore the consequences of the shift from models of HIV prevention that emphasize “risk groups” and AIDS blame, to models that focus on “risky behaviors” and universal risk. The centrality of choice making and individual risk management in these models suggests objective risk assessment free from moralizing arguments. The Polish national prevention strategy shifted to focus on choice making, address all risk groups, and include concrete prevention strategies. This shift created a backlash that resulted in the reassertion of moral arguments about risk and risk groups that positioned those most vulnerable to HIV outside the purview of prevention efforts. AIDS organizations working with marginalized, “morally problematic” populations used the label “at risk” to legitimize claims to resources. They enacted a model of risk reduction in which the relevant actor is the individual buffeted by social forces; behavior change, and therefore HIV risk reduction, is a long process because of myriad forms of vulnerability clients face. Despite efforts to reconceptualize risk, organizations positioned the individual as the locus of HIV prevention interventions, rather than attempting to address the social context that shapes risk.
“Health Is Hard Here” or “Health for All”?
Authors: Goldade Kathryn
Published: November 2009

In periurban Costa Rica, undocumented Nicaraguan migrant women are regularly denied medical services from the state health system historically renowned for universal access. Yet Costa Ricans portray migrant women as demanding and disproportionately at fault for health system declines. Medical citizenship is under constant negotiation when undocumented migrants attempt to access state‐provided services within this south‐to‐south migrant circuit. In this article, I draw on 13 months of field research and 138 in‐depth interviews with multiple stakeholders to explore the negotiations over the meanings and experiences of medical citizenship. The case study underscores the importance of medical citizenship for a growing number of south‐to‐south migrants, and theoretically, the gendered dimension of a critically interpretive medical anthropology as well as the limits of biosociality for undocumented south‐to‐south migrants. The ethnographic details of undocumented migrant Isabel's struggles to procure postoperative care interweave the article to reveal how migrant–provider interactions articulate with broader historical processes of Costa Rican health and economic reform.
Effect of periodontal treatment on metabolic control, systemic inflammation and cytokines in patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Correa Fernanda O. B. , Gonçalves Daniela , Figueredo Carlos M. S. , Bastos Alliny S , Gustafsson Anders , Orrico Silvana R. P.
Published: November 2009

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of periodontal therapy on the circulating concentration of high‐sensitivity capsule‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP), fibrinogen (FIB), interleukin (IL)‐4, IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐10 and tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and on the metabolic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients.

Material and Methods: Twenty‐three T2DM patients with chronic periodontitis were enrolled in this study. Periodontal clinical parameters, namely visible plaque index, gingival bleeding index, bleeding on probing, probing depth and clinical attachment levels, were evaluated. Blood samples for plasma were collected and assessed for the levels of hs‐CRP, FIB, IL‐4, IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐10 and TNF‐α. The glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and fasting plasma glucose were also measured. All parameters were evaluated before and 3 months after non‐surgical periodontal therapy.

Results: All clinical parameters were significantly improved 3 months after the periodontal therapy. A univariate comparison showed a tendency towards a decrease of the measured biomarkers, most pronounced for TNF‐α and FIB, after therapy. Periodontal treatment also reduced HbA1c and hs‐CRP levels, albeit not significantly.

Conclusions: The clinically successful non‐surgical periodontal therapy tended to reduce systemic inflammation and the concentration of some circulating cytokines.
Actuarial life‐table analysis of lower impacted wisdom teeth in general dental practice
Authors: Fernandes Marcelo José , Ogden Graham Richard , Pitts Nigel Berry , Ogston Simon Alexander , Ruta Danny Adolph
Published: November 2009

Fernandes MJ, Ogden GR, Pitts NB, Ogston SA, Ruta DA. Actuarial life‐table analysis of lower impacted wisdom teeth in general dental practice. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2010; 38: 58–67. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S

Abstract –  Background:  The appropriateness of extraction of asymptomatic impacted third molars has been much debated and as a result the number of extractions has fallen in the UK in the past few years. As a direct consequence of this decrease more impacted third molars are left in situ and yet, little is known about the natural history of these teeth.

Objective:  The aim of this study was to create an actuarial life‐table and related survival analysis that would shed light on the natural history of an impacted lower third molar.

Methods:  Panoramic radiographs taken in 14 different general dental practices in Scotland were analysed and matched with their respective case notes in order to generate a sample of patients with asymptomatic impacted lower third molars. Subjects were assessed to confirm the presence of impaction and absence of symptoms and then re‐assessed 1 year later for the development of symptoms during the study period to relate the incidence of symptoms within 1 year in the sample studied to age. Logistic regression was used to construct a life table based on the survival of symptom‐free teeth (independently of extraction) during the study period.

Results:  The number of patients included in the study was 583 and 421 for the baseline and follow‐up assessments respectively. The total number of teeth analysed in both appointments was 676; from those 37 (5.47%) were extracted during the study period. About 562 teeth (83.13%) survived the study period symptom‐free. There was a statistically significant inverse association between the development of symptoms studied and age. There was no statistically significant association between extraction and age.

Conclusions:  The study indicates that older patients are less likely to develop the symptoms studied. In addition the authors believe that there is evidence to suggest that general dental practitioners might not be following current guidelines when deciding whether or not to extract an impacted lower third molar in the centres studied.