bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Testable but not falsifiable?
Authors: Crother Brian I. , Murray Christopher M.
Published: October 2014

We are puzzled by a recent comment that suggested that historical hypotheses can be tested but are unfalsifiable. We argue that phylogenetic hypotheses are falsifiable without the aid of a time machine and that they are like any other hypothesis: they are tentative knowledge propositions capable of falsification with character evidence.
Learning Studios for Introductory Accounting
Authors: Yourstone Steven A. , Tepper Robert J.
Published: October 2014

Although originally designed for science courses, learning studios have been introduced at over 100 college campuses in a variety of disciplines. Our study focuses on the differences between classrooms designed as lecture spaces versus classrooms designed as learning studios. The impetus is the growing number of learning studios and proponents’ claim of better collaboration and learning within them. Given the substantial cost of a learning studio and greater demand at the authors’ university than supply, we questioned whether the university administration should be encouraged to build more. Learning studios are classrooms in which the seating arrangement places the students in a face‐to‐face orientation with one another. Our study measures the differences between learning studios and traditional classrooms both quantitatively and qualitatively. The learning studio did not result in higher retention rates (the percentage of students completing the course during the semester) or significant differences in total points earned by students in a learning studio compared to a traditional classroom. When examined by gender, however, a significant difference in total points is apparent. For all students in the study, the ability to interact with other students as well as the instructor was greater in the learning studio.
The glutamate receptor GluN2 subunit regulates synaptic trafficking of AMPA receptors in the neonatal mouse brain
Authors: Hamada Shun , Ogawa Itone , Yamasaki Miwako , Kiyama Yuji , Kassai Hidetoshi , Watabe Ayako M. , Nakao Kazuki , Aiba Atsu , Watanabe Masahiko , Manabe Toshiya
Published: October 2014

The N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor (NMDAR) plays various physiological and pathological roles in neural development, synaptic plasticity and neuronal cell death. It is composed of two GluN1 and two GluN2 subunits and, in the neonatal hippocampus, most synaptic NMDARs are GluN2B‐containing receptors, which are gradually replaced with GluN2A‐containing receptors during development. Here, we examined whether GluN2A could be substituted for GluN2B in neural development and functions by analysing knock‐in (KI) mice in which GluN2B is replaced with GluN2A. The KI mutation was neonatally lethal, although GluN2A‐containing receptors were transported to the postsynaptic membrane even without GluN2B and functional at synapses of acute hippocampal slices of postnatal day 0, indicating that GluN2A‐containing NMDARs could not be substituted for GluN2B‐containing NMDARs. Importantly, the synaptic α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazole propionic acid receptor (AMPAR) subunit GluA1 was increased, and the transmembrane AMPAR regulatory protein, which is involved in AMPAR synaptic trafficking, was increased in KI mice. Although the regulation of AMPARs by GluN2B has been reported in cultured neurons, we showed here that AMPAR‐mediated synaptic responses were increased in acute KI slices, suggesting differential roles of GluN2A and GluN2B in AMPAR expression and trafficking in vivo. Taken together, our results suggest that GluN2B is essential for the survival of animals, and that the GluN2B–GluN2A switching plays a critical role in synaptic integration of AMPARs through regulation of GluA1 in the whole animal.
Mitigation of ammonia, nitrous oxide and methane emissions from manure management chains: a meta‐analysis and integrated assessment
Authors: Hou Yong , Velthof Gerard L. , Oenema Oene
Published: October 2014

Livestock manure contributes considerably to global emissions of ammonia (NH3) and greenhouse gases (GHG), especially methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Various measures have been developed to mitigate these emissions, but most of these focus on one specific gas and/or emission source. Here, we present a meta‐analysis and integrated assessment of the effects of mitigation measures on NH3, CH4 and (direct and indirect) N2O emissions from the whole manure management chain. We analysed the effects of mitigation technologies on NH3, CH4 and N2O emissions from individual sources statistically using results of 126 published studies. Whole‐chain effects on NH3 and GHG emissions were assessed through scenario analysis. Significant NH3 reduction efficiencies were observed for (i) housing via lowering the dietary crude protein (CP) content (24–65%, compared to the reference situation), for (ii) external slurry storages via acidification (83%) and covers of straw (78%) or artificial films (98%), for (iii) solid manure storages via compaction and covering (61%, compared to composting), and for (iv) manure application through band spreading (55%, compared to surface application), incorporation (70%) and injection (80%). Acidification decreased CH4 emissions from stored slurry by 87%. Significant increases in N2O emissions were found for straw‐covered slurry storages (by two orders of magnitude) and manure injection (by 26–199%). These side‐effects of straw covers and slurry injection on N2O emission were relatively small when considering the total GHG emissions from the manure chain. Lowering the CP content of feed and acidifying slurry are strategies that consistently reduce NH3 and GHG emissions in the whole chain. Other strategies may reduce emissions of a specific gas or emissions source, by which there is a risk of unwanted trade‐offs in the manure management chain. Proper farm‐scale combinations of mitigation measures are important to minimize impacts of livestock production on global emissions of NH3 and GHG.
Invited review: climate change impacts in polar regions: lessons from Antarctic moss bank archives
Authors: Royles Jessica , Griffiths Howard
Published: October 2014

Mosses are the dominant plants in polar and boreal regions, areas which are experiencing rapid impacts of regional warming. Long‐term monitoring programmes provide some records of the rate of recent climate change, but moss peat banks contain an unrivalled temporal record of past climate change on terrestrial plant Antarctic systems. We summarise the current understanding of climatic proxies and determinants of moss growth for contrasting continental and maritime Antarctic regions, as informed by 13C and 18O signals in organic material. Rates of moss accumulation are more than three times higher in the maritime Antarctic than continental Antarctica with growing season length being a critical determinant of growth rate, and high carbon isotope discrimination values reflecting optimal hydration conditions. Correlation plots of 13C and 18O values show that species (Chorisodontium aciphyllum / Polytrichum strictum) and growth form (hummock / bank) are the major determinants of measured isotope ratios. The interplay between moss growth form, photosynthetic physiology, water status and isotope composition are compared with developments of secondary proxies, such as chlorophyll fluorescence. These approaches provide a framework to consider the potential impact of climate change on terrestrial Antarctic habitats as well as having implications for future studies of temperate, boreal and Arctic peatlands. There are many urgent ecological and environmental problems in the Arctic related to mosses in a changing climate, but the geographical ranges of species and life‐forms are difficult to track individually. Our goal was to translate what we have learned from the more simple systems in Antarctica, for application to Arctic habitats.
Study of peripheral blood natural killer cells, T‐cell helper/T‐cell suppressor ratio and intercurrent infection frequency in hepatitis C seropositive prevalent hemodialysis patients
Authors: Ibrahim Mohamed A. , Mostafa Afaf A. , El‐Said Heba W. , Mohab Amr M. , Hebah Hayam A.
Published: October 2014

Hemodialysis (HD) may adversely affect the immune system. It is established that intercurrent infection rate and severity may be increased in prevalent HD patients. Moreover, hepatitis C viral infection, a common infection in many HD centers, may further inhibit the immune system. To our knowledge, no previous study in the literature has attempted to investigate the possible effects of hepatitis C seropositivity on rate and severity of intercurrent infection in prevalent HD patients. The aim of this study was to assess the peripheral blood CD16‐natural killer cells, CD4/CD8 ratio, as well as rate of intercurrent infection in hepatitis C seropositive prevalent HD patients as compared with hepatitis C seronegative prevalent HD patients. Twenty hepatitis C seropositive stable prevalent HD patients (group A), as well as another twenty hepatitis C seronegative stable prevalent HD patients (group B), were randomly selected from our HD unit and enrolled in the study. Both groups were similar in age, sex, body mass index, and duration of HD. Diabetics, smokers, and cases with advanced liver disease (Child classification stages B and C) were excluded from the study. A third group (group C) of 10 apparently healthy subjects (of similar age, sex, and body mass index), was also enrolled in the study. All subjects were investigated by complete blood count, routine chemistry, assessment of peripheral lymphocytes CD3,CD16, CD4, CD8, CD4/CD8 ratio by flow cytometer, as well assessment of intercurrent infection frequency retrospectively (since the start of HD therapy and seroconversion in HD patients, and prospectively for a period of six months. Although we detected statistically significant higher frequency of intercurrent infection in both HD groups compared with the healthy group, we did not detect significant differences between hepatitis C seropositive and seronegative groups regarding frequency or severity of intercurrent infection. Moreover, we did not detect significant differences among the three studied groups regarding levels of CD16, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD4/CD8 ratio in peripheral lymphocytes. It may be concluded that hepatitis C seropositive prevalent HD patients are not at increased risk of intercurrent infection as compared with hepatitis C seronegative prevalent HD patients, contrary to what is reported in hepatitis C seroconverted organ transplant candidates.
How can dialyzer designs improve solute clearances for hemodialysis patients?
Authors: Davenport Andrew
Published: October 2014

Improvements in dialyzer technology and design have led to a reduction in both dialyzer size and cost, but also dialysis session treatment times as hemodialysis has evolved from using the cellulosic coiled drum dialyzer to the flat plate Kiil, to the current generation of hollow fiber capillary dialyzers. Newer manufacturing techniques have led to smoother, more consistent pore sizes and larger pore sizes increasing middle molecule clearances with the development of higher permeability dialyzers, and changing polymer composition to increase hydraulic permeability. Modifications to the dialyzer casing and capillary fibers can also increase the efficiency of solute clearances. Although very efficient in removing the smaller water‐soluble azotemic toxins, the current generation of dialyzers is not so effective in removing other azotemic toxins, including protein‐bound solutes, necessitating the development of newer designs.
Best Practice Guidelines on Publishing Ethics: A Publisher's Perspective, 2nd Edition
Authors: Graf Chris , Deakin Lisa , Docking Martine , Jones Jackie , Joshua Sue , McKerahan Tiffany , Ottmar Martin , Stevens Allen , Wates Edward , Wyatt Deborah
Published: October 2014

Wiley has updated its publishing ethics guidelines, first published in 2006. The new guidelines provide guidance, resources, and practical advice on ethical concerns that arise in academic publishing for editors, authors, and researchers, among other audiences. New guidance is also included on whistle blowers, animal research, clinical research, and clinical trial registration, addressing cultural differences, human rights, and confidentiality. The guidelines are uniquely interdisciplinary, and were reviewed by 24 editors and experts chosen from the wide range of communities that Wiley serves. They are also published in Advanced Materials, International Journal of Clinical Practice, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Social Science Quarterly, and on the website http://exchanges.wiley.com/ethicsguidelines.
Role of TLR4 C>1196T (Thr399Ile) and TLR4 A>896G (Asp299Gly) polymorphisms in a North Indian population with asthma: a case‐control study
Authors: Sinha S. , Singh J. , Jindal S. K. , Birbian N. , Singla N.
Published: October 2014

Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) is the most important TLR among the pattern recognition receptors which recognizes lipopolysaccharide of gram‐negative bacteria. They identify a highly conserved structure of microbes called pathogen‐associated molecular patterns and activate immune and inflammatory responses that have been shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. The role of TLR4 gene polymorphisms in asthma was detected in a total of 964 individuals, including 483 healthy controls and 481 asthma patients from a North Indian population. The genotyping was carried out using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Statistical analysis revealed that the heterozygous genotype as well as the mutant (T) allele of the TLR4 C>1196T (Thr399Ile) polymorphism shows resistance towards asthma with OR = 0.70, 95% CI (0.49–0.99), P corrected value = 0.046 and OR = 0.72, 95% CI (0.52–0.98), P corrected value = 0.039, respectively. However, no association was found between the TLR4 A>896G (Asp299Gly) polymorphism and asthma patients (P > 0.05). This is the first study conducted in India conferring TLR4 (Thr399Ile) polymorphism resistance towards asthma, while lack of association was found between TLR4 (Asp299Gly) polymorphism and asthma in the studied North Indian population.
Body Structure Perception in Infancy
Authors: Zieber Nicole , Kangas Ashley , Hock Alyson , Bhatt Ramesh S.
Published: October 2014

Structural cues, such as the relative size and arrangement of parts, are key aspects of adults' representation of human bodies, and they are used to derive significant social information such as age, sex, and attractiveness. Prior studies have not clearly addressed young infants' sensitivity to these body characteristics. In the current experiments, 3.5‐month‐olds exhibited a preference between images of intact bodies versus those with parts in wrong locations. Infants also discriminated between intact bodies and those with distorted part proportions. In both cases, infants discriminated when images were presented upright but not when they were inverted. These results indicate that infants are sensitive to the arrangement and size of human body parts at least by 3.5 months of age. Thus, contrary to some prior reports, body representation early in life is developed enough to include structural information.
Pin Size Selection for Normograde Intramedullary Pinning of Distal Humeral Fractures in the Dog
Authors: Shipov Anna , Biton Erez , Shati Shachar , Joseph Rotem , Milgram Joshua
Published: October 2014

Objective

To determine the optimal intramedullary (IM) pin size for open and percutaneous normograde pinning of the distal humerus.

Study Design

Ex vivo anatomic study.

Sample Population

Sixteen canine cadavers.

Methods

Sixteen pairs of forelimbs were harvested from canine cadavers weighing 25–35 kg. The craniocaudal diameter of the humeral medullary canal, at the distal 80th percentile of its length, was measured on a lateral radiograph. Forelimbs within each pair were allocated to percutaneous or open pinning techniques. Cadavers were divided into three groups based on IM pin diameter relative to the medullary canal diameter: Group 25–35%, Group 36–45%, and Group 46–55%. Pins were inserted normograde into the medial epicondyle and advanced until they exited the proximal humerus. Pin tracts were dissected and damage to soft tissue, bony structures, and location of entry and exit points were documented. The humeri were also cut at the thinnest point of the medial epicondyle and damage to the bone was evaluated.

Results

There was no difference in any of the outcomes between the open and percutaneous techniques. Cortical damage was more frequent in Group 46–55% and included blanching and or fracture of the cortex of the medial epicondyle, with fracture occurring in 6/10 limbs in this group. Pins in Group 46–55% exited the farthest and most distal from the optimal exit point and were difficult to place in all limbs.

Conclusion

This study supports a recommendation for open and percutaneous pinning of the humerus with IM pins 36–45% of the medullary canal diameter measured at the distal 80th percentile of humeral length.
The labour market flexibility debate in India: Re‐examining the case for signing voluntary contracts
Authors: ROYCHOWDHURY Anamitra
Published: October 2014

A major focus of India's ongoing policy debate over labour market flexibilization has been the statutory requirement that firms employing 100 or more workers cannot dismiss employees without prior government permission. The case for repealing that requirement (or greatly increasing the workforce threshold) is notably underpinned by Basu, Fields and Debgupta (2009). Here, the author challenges their particular theoretical argument for hiring and firing at will based on the voluntary signing of contracts, demonstrating that their general policy conclusion is logically unsustainable even within the framework of that model. The case for labour market flexibilization through voluntary contracting thus remains unfounded.
The regional distribution of skill premia in urban China: Implications for growth and inequality
Authors: WHALLEY John , XING Chunbing
Published: October 2014

Based on urban household survey data, the authors find that skill premia increased significantly across all regions of China between 1995 and 2002, but only in coastal regions between 2002 and 2007. By then, these regions also displayed much wider wage inequality and thus contributed more to overall urban wage inequality than non‐coastal regions. While privatization was the main driver of skill premia in 1995–2002, China's (regionally uneven) integration into the global economy became the dominant influence in 2002–07. Reducing skill premia and inequality, the authors argue, calls for reform of the Hukou registration system which impedes skilled labour mobility and possibly also growth.
Why employment matters: Reviving growth and reducing inequality
Authors: NAYYAR Deepak
Published: October 2014

The global economic crisis has led to a sharp slowdown in growth and an even greater slowdown in employment creation. The resulting deterioration in the quality of employment has exacerbated the longer‐term trend of rising inequality. Jobless growth has dampened output growth through a worsening income distribution. Wages are costs on the supply side but are also incomes on the demand side, so that profit‐led growth and wage‐led growth are complements, not substitutes. Thus, growth can create jobs, while added jobs can drive growth. More employment and better jobs can also mitigate rising inequality. If macroeconomic policies focus on fostering employment creation and supporting economic growth, rather than on price stability and balanced budgets, employment would revive growth and reduce inequality.
How disability affects absenteeism: An empirical analysis for six European countries
Authors: GARCÍA‐SERRANO Carlos , MALO Miguel Á.
Published: October 2014

Using data from the European Community Household Panel for six European countries (Austria, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain) for the period 1995–2001, this article investigates how disability affects workers' absenteeism. The results show that workers with disabilities are absent more often than workers without disabilities. This finding is obtained after controlling for individuals' self‐reported health, visits to doctors and nights spent in hospital. The severity of disability is also a relevant factor in higher absenteeism. The total effect of disability on absenteeism amounts to a marginal increase of six to 26 days per year (depending on the country).
¿Cómo afecta la desreglamentación a la productividad laboral? Análisis con datos de panel de 20 países de la OCDE (1960–2004)
Authors: VERGEER Robert , KLEINKNECHT Alfred
Published: October 2014

Mediante regresiones exhaustivas con datos de panel de 20 países de la OCDE (1960–2004) los autores observan que la desreglamentación ralentiza el crecimiento salarial y disminuye la participación salarial en la renta nacional, y ello reduce significativamente el crecimiento de la productividad laboral, lo cual no se explica por la entrada en el mercado de trabajadores de baja productividad, como mantiene la OCDE. El despido flexible y una rotación laboral mayor obstaculizarán la acumulación de conocimientos en las empresas debilitando el proceso de rutinización de la innovación. El análisis no valida las leyes de Baumol y de Verdoorn en este contexto.
¿Predice la producción el desempleo? Una estimación de la ley de Okun para Grecia
Authors: KARFAKIS Costas , KATRAKILIDIS Constantinos , TSANANA Eftychia
Published: October 2014

Estimando una especificación dinámica de la ley de Okun, se examina la relación entre desempleo y producción en Grecia de 2000 a 2012. Estimada la prueba de Granger, el producto real resulta importante para comprender el comportamiento del desempleo y la razón de Okun es de tres a uno (un aumento de un 1 por ciento del desempleo está asociado a una caída de un 3 por ciento del producto real durante el periodo estudiado). El análisis de asimetría muestra que la respuesta del desempleo al producto real es más fuerte durante las contracciones que durante las expansiones de la actividad económica.
El sindicalismo israelí ante el empleo atípico. El fenómeno de la liminalidad permanente
Authors: NISSIM Gadi , DE VRIES David
Published: October 2014

Los comités de empresa israelíes se están adaptando a la economía neoliberal y a las transformaciones laborales concomitantes con una doble postura: por un lado tratan de hacer frente a esta reformulación del capitalismo para salvaguardar los derechos de los trabajadores, y por otro aceptan cada vez más las formas atípicas de empleo. Esta contradicción los sitúa en un estadio de «liminalidad» permanente, en el que sus funciones se reducen a una mera búsqueda de compromisos y soluciones ad hoc. Como consecuencia, su lucha contra los efectos adversos del empleo atípico sigue siendo puntual y fragmentada, lo que contribuye a consolidar estas modalidades de empleo.
El debate sobre la flexibilidad laboral en la India. Argumentos en contra de los acuerdos voluntarios
Authors: ROYCHOWDHURY Anamitra
Published: October 2014

Un punto candente del debate sobre flexibilización laboral en la India es la obligación de que las empresas de 100 asalariados o más obtengan permiso del Gobierno para los despidos. Quienes abogan por revocar dicha ley (o elevar sustancialmente el umbral de trabajadores) se basan en Basu, Fields y Debgupta (2009), cuya argumentación teórica a favor del despido y la contratación libres sobre la base de acuerdos voluntarios se cuestiona aquí: la recomendación política general de estos autores no se sostiene lógicamente ni siquiera en el marco de su propio modelo, por lo que esta alternativa de flexibilización sigue sin fundamento.
Delayed Neurological Complications of Sulphur Mustard and Tabun Poisoning in 43 Iranian Veterans
Authors: Darchini‐Maragheh Emadodin , Nemati‐Karimooy Habibollah , Hasanabadi Hosein , Balali‐Mood Mahdi
Published: October 2014

Delayed neurotoxic complications of chemical warfare agents (CWA), such as sulphur mustard (SM) and tabun, in human beings have not been reported in detail. We thus aimed to investigate possible neurotoxic complications of these agents in Iranian veterans 22–27 years after exposure. After co‐ordination with the veteran foundation and obtaining the approval of the medical research ethics committee, 43 Iranian veterans with late complications of CWA exposure during the Iran–Iraq conflict were studied after obtaining signed written informed consent. Demographic and clinical findings were recorded on pre‐designed forms. Neurological examination was performed by a neurologist. Routine biochemical tests were performed for all the patients. Electromyography (EMG), nerve conduction velocity (NCV) and electroencephalography (EEG) were carried out as clinically indicated. The majority of the patients (38) had been exposed to SM and only five patients to tabun. Hyperaesthesia was the most objective finding (72.1%). Fatigue (93%), paraesthesia (88.3%) and headache (83.7%) were the most common subjective findings in the patients. Sensory nerve impairments, including paraesthesia (88.3%), hyperaesthesia (72.1%) and hypoesthesia (11.6%), were the most common observed clinical complications. EMG and NCV were impaired in seven patients (16.3%) who were all SM‐exposed patients but did not show any significant correlation with organ complications. EEG was negative even in the seized patients. Cholesterol, LDL and triglyceride levels were significantly above the normal ranges. Late neurological complications of CWA, particularly SM poisoning, are considerable even after three decades of exposure and require medical attention.
Hotspot Scenario Analysis
Authors: Pelton Rylie E.O. , Smith Timothy M.
Published: October 2014

Increasingly, organizations are working to reduce the environmental footprint of their supply chains. The use of environmentally preferable purchasing criteria is one strategy organizations use to address this goal. However, evaluating the environmental performance of these criteria (e.g., recycled content, biodegradable, renewable, and so on) has remained elusive. Life cycle assessment (LCA) can measure the impact reduction potential of sourcing strategies. However, full process‐based LCAs are time‐consuming and costly across multiple criteria of thousands of products and inputs purchased in an organizational setting. A streamlined “hotspot” methodology is presented using a combination of environmentally extended economic input‐output (EEIO) approaches and extant literature to identify hotspots in which to constrain a parameterized process‐based LCA. A case study of breakfast cereal manufacturing is developed to (1) assess the efficiencies associated with the hotspotting approach and (2) demonstrate its applicability in generating comparable decision signals of environmentally preferable sourcing criteria for procurement and supply‐chain managers along the dimensions of global warming potential and water use.
Technology Vision for Radical Innovation and Its Impact on Early Success
Authors: Reid Susan E. , Roberts Deborah , Moore Karl
Published: October 2014

For firms involved with the very early stages of emergent radical innovation, technical goals are often held in the mind(s) of only one or a few individuals. The way these individuals mentally imagine or visualize such goals, or “technology visions,” provides an important looking glass for understanding a firm's progression along the path of involvement from a technical discontinuity toward project‐level and organizational‐level involvement with a given technology. Utilizing a large sample of firms engaged in radical innovation in North America and the United Kingdom, this empirical study examines the impact of five dimensions of technology vision on early success: benefits goals, efficiency goals, magnetism, specificity, and infrastructure clarity. Technology vision is found to have a significant positive impact on technical competitive advantage, early success with customers, and ability to attract capital, as measures of early success.
Catalyst or Cause? Legislation and the Demise of Machine Politics in Britain and the United States
Authors: Camp Edwin , Dixit Avinash , Stokes Susan
Published: October 2014

In the nineteenth century, British and American parties competed by hiring electoral agents to bribe and treat voters. British parties abruptly abandoned this practice in the 1880s. The conventional explanation is that legislation put an end to agent‐mediated distribution. But this explanation leaves many questions unanswered. Why did the parties use agents for decades, even though they imposed great expense on candidates and were viewed as untrustworthy? And why, after decades of half‐hearted reforms, did the House of Commons pass effective antibribery reforms only in 1883? In our formal model, parties hire agents to solve information problems, but agent‐mediated distribution can be collectively suboptimal. Legislation can serve as a credibility device for shifting to less costly strategies.
A Chilling Example? Uruguay, Philip Morris International, and WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
Authors: Russell Andrew , Wainwright Megan , Mamudu Hadii
Published: October 2014

The World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is the first international public health treaty to address the global spread of tobacco products. Ethnographic research at the fourth meeting of the FCTC's Conference of the Parties in Uruguay highlights the role of the FCTC in recalibrating the relationship between international trade and investment agreements and those of global public health. Specifically, we chart the origins and development of the Punta del Este Declaration, tabled by Uruguay at the conference, to counter a legal request by Philip Morris International, the world's largest tobacco transnational, for arbitration by the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes over Uruguay's alleged violations of several international trade and investment treaties. We argue that medical anthropologists should give greater consideration to global health governance and diplomacy as a potential counterweight to the ‘politics of resignation’ associated with corporate capitalism.
Arabidopsis HIT4, a regulator involved in heat‐triggered reorganization of chromatin and release of transcriptional gene silencing, relocates from chromocenters to the nucleolus in response to heat stress
Authors: Wang Lian‐Chin , Wu Jia‐Rong , Hsu Yi‐Ju , Wu Shaw‐Jye
Published: October 2014

Arabidopsis HIT4 is known to mediate heat‐induced decondensation of chromocenters and release from transcriptional gene silencing (TGS) with no change in the level of DNA methylation. It is unclear whether HIT4 and MOM1, a well‐known DNA methylation‐independent transcriptional silencer, have overlapping regulatory functions.

A hit4‐1/mom1 double mutant strain was generated. Its nuclear morphology and TGS state were compared with those of wild‐type, hit4‐1, and mom1 plants. Fluorescent protein tagging was employed to track the fates of HIT4, hit4‐1 and MOM1 in vivo under heat stress.

HIT4‐ and MOM1‐mediated TGS were distinguishable. Both HIT4 and MOM1 were localized normally to chromocenters. Under heat stress, HIT4 relocated to the nucleolus, whereas MOM1 dispersed with the chromocenters. hit4‐1 was able to relocate to the nucleolus under heat stress, but its relocation was insufficient to trigger the decompaction of chromocenters. The hypersensitivity to heat associated with the impaired reactivation of TGS in hit4‐1 was not alleviated by mom1‐induced release from TGS.

HIT4 delineates a novel and MOM1‐independent TGS regulation pathway. The involvement of a currently unidentified component that links HIT4 relocation and the large‐scale reorganization of chromatin, and which is essential for heat tolerance in plants is hypothesized.
Assessing diversity in Triticum durum cultivars and breeding lines for high versus low cadmium content in seeds using the CAPS marker usw47
Authors: Zimmerl Simone , Lafferty Julia , Buerstmayr Hermann
Published: October 2014

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal that occurs naturally in soils. Durum wheat is known to accumulate generally more Cd than other cereal crops. The uptake of Cd in durum wheat is governed by the gene Cdu1, which co‐segregates with several DNA markers, such as the co‐dominant marker usw47 and the dominant marker ScOPC20. A panel of 314 durum wheat cultivars or lines originating from 16 countries or regions were assessed with usw47. The plant material was mainly comprised of cultivars and modern breeding lines. From this set, 165 durum wheat lines were classified as low‐Cd accumulators, 144 high‐Cd accumulators and five were heterogeneous. A smaller subset of 16 cultivars had previously been evaluated for Cd accumulation in replicated field trials. Lines with the high‐Cd allele showed a 2.4‐fold higher Cd content in the seeds than lines with the low‐Cd allele. We also compared the utility of markers usw47 and ScOPC20 as selection tools. Marker‐assisted selection appears as a robust and practicable tool for breeding durum cultivars with low‐Cd content.
Impact of time to treatment of oseltamivir on influenza hospitalization cost among Korean children
Authors: Lim Jacqueline K , Kilgore Paul E , Aiello Allison E , Foxman Betsy , Letson G William , Jang Gi‐Young , Chung Eunhee , Song Young‐Hwan , Kim Yun‐Kyung
Published: October 2014

Background

Although oseltamivir is a common influenza treatment, there is a lack of data on the economic benefits of timely oseltamivir treatment.

Methods

From February 2004 through June 2007, 116 hospitalized children ≤15 years of age with laboratory‐confirmed influenza who received oseltamivir were identified via retrospective medical chart review. Demographic, clinical, and cost data were abstracted and multivariate linear regression was used to assess the association between oseltamivir time to treatment and treatment‐related costs among hospitalized children with laboratory‐confirmed influenza.

Results

Overall, 28% (n = 33) of patients were treated with oseltamivir ≥day 3 of admission. Rapid influenza diagnostic test was used in a significantly lower proportion of patients treated with oseltamivir ≥day 3 of admission compared with those who received oseltamivir earlier. On multivariate linear regression, initiation of oseltamivir ≥day 3 of admission was associated with a 60.84% increase (95%CI: 32.59–95.11) in treatment‐related hospital costs, compared with initiation on admission.

Conclusion

Delayed initiation of oseltamivir was found to be associated with increased treatment‐related hospital costs among children hospitalized with laboratory‐confirmed influenza.
Hepatitis B (HB) immunoglobulin plus HB vaccine for intrauterine HB virus infection
Authors: Iwasawa Kentaro , Inui Ayano , Tsunoda Tomoyuki , Kondo Takeo , Kawamoto Manari , Sogo Tsuyoshi , Komatsu Haruki , Fujisawa Tomoo
Published: October 2014

Background

Vaccination against hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in infants born to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)‐positive mothers using HB immunoglobulin (HBIG) and hepatitis B (HB) vaccine was launched in Japan in 1985. Infants testing positive for HBsAg at 1 month of age are considered to have prenatally acquired the infection and are usually excluded from the prevention program. Infants born to HB e antigen (HBeAg)‐positive mothers are at a high risk of perinatally acquiring the infection. In this study, long‐term outcome was evaluated in children with prenatal HBV infection who received the HBIG and HB vaccine in Japan.

Methods

Newborns of both HBsAg‐ and HBeAg‐positive carrier mothers received HBIG within 48 h of birth and at 2 months of age. Subsequently, three doses of recombinant HB vaccine were given at 2, 3, and 5 months of age. Outcome was compared between the following two groups: infants who completed the vaccination program, even if they were HBsAg positive at 1 month of age (n = 15), and infants who did not (n = 51).

Results

Seroconversion from HBeAg to anti‐HBe antibody (HBeAb) before 3 years of age was observed in five children (33%) who completed the vaccination program and in two (4%) who did not (P = 0.005). In 2/5 children who completed the vaccination program and achieved HBeAb seroconversion, seroconversion from HBsAg to anti‐HBs antibody was also noted.

Conclusion

This specific vaccination program for children with prenatal HBV infection has the potential to alter immune tolerance to HBV.
Bile duct adenoma and von Meyenburg complex‐like duct arising in hepatitis and cirrhosis: Pathogenesis and histological characteristics
Authors: Aishima Shinichi , Tanaka Yuki , Kubo Yuichiro , Shirabe Ken , Maehara Yoshihiko , Oda Yoshinao
Published: October 2014

Morphologic features and neoplastic potentials of bile duct adenoma (BDA) and von Meyenburg complex (VMC)‐like duct arising in chronic liver disease were unknown. Thirty‐five BDAs and 12 VMC‐like duct lesions were observed in 39 cases with chronic liver disease. BDAs were divided into the EMA‐cytoplasmic type (n = 14) and EMA‐luminal type (n = 21). EMA‐cytoplasmic BDA composed of a proliferation of cuboidal to low‐columnar cells forming an open lumen with NCAM(+)/MUC6(‐), resembling an interlobular bile duct. EMA‐luminal BDA showed uniform cuboidal cells with narrow lumen, and NCAM(++)/MUC6(++), resembling a ductular reaction. VMC‐like duct showed positive MUC1 expression and negative MUC6. The expression of S100P, glucose transporter‐1 (GLUT‐1) and insulin‐like growth factor II mRNA‐binding protein 3 (IMP‐3) were not detected in three lesions. p16 expression was higher than those of the ductular reaction, and the Ki67 and p53 indexes were very low (<1.0%). Large‐sized EMA‐luminal BDA shows sclerotic stroma. We classified small nodular lesions of ductal or ductular cells in chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis into the following groups: BDA, interlobular bile duct type; BDA, ductular/peribiliary gland type; and VMC‐like duct. They may be reactive proliferation rather than neoplastic lesions.
‘A man of curious enquiry’: John Peyton's Grand Tour to central Europe and Robert Cecil's intelligence network, 1596–1601
Authors: Sobecki Sebastian
Published: October 2014

Between 1596 and 1601 John Peyton the Younger (1579–1635) travelled to Germany, Bohemia, Poland–Lithuania, Switzerland, and Italy. His accounts of the Empire and Bohemia are among the most detailed and best informed reports to have survived from the period, yet they are virtually unknown to modern scholarship. Furthermore, he was the author of the celebrated description of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, A Relation of the State of Polonia and the United Provinces of that Crown, Anno 1598. Based on new evidence, this article shows that John Peyton's travels in Central Europe formed part of Cecil's attempts to gather intelligence on Spanish diplomatic activity in the Empire and in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. I argue that Peyton was one of many contemporaries who left England on an Elizabethan Grand Tour; a peculiar mixture of visiting European countries for culture, education and intelligence. His writings, however, belong to the more sophisticated written achievements in Elizabethan intelligence gathering.
Repetition increases false recollection in older people
Authors: Pitarque Alfonso , Sales Alicia , Meléndez Juan Carlos , Algarabel Salvador
Published: October 2014

Aging is accompanied by an increase in false alarms on recognition tasks, and these false alarms increase with repetition in older people (but not in young people). Traditionally, this increase was thought to be due to a greater use of familiarity in older people, but it was recently pointed out that false alarms also have a clear recollection component in these people. The main objective of our study is to analyze whether the expected increase in the rate of false alarms in older people due to stimulus repetition is produced by an inadequate use of familiarity, recollection, or both processes. To do so, we carried out an associative recognition experiment using pairs of words and pairs of images (faces associated with everyday contexts), in which we analyzed whether the repetition of some of the pairs increases the rate of false alarms in older people (compared to what was found in a sample of young people), and whether this increase is due to familiarity or recollection (using a remember‐know paradigm). Our results show that the increase in false alarms in older people due to repetition is produced by false recollection, calling into question both dual and single‐process models of recognition. Also, older people falsely recollect details of never studied stimuli, a clear case of perceptual illusions. These results are better explained in terms of source‐monitoring errors, mediated by people's retrieval expectations.
Phylogeny of the Aphnaeinae: myrmecophilous African butterflies with carnivorous and herbivorous life histories
Authors: BOYLE JOHN H. , KALISZEWSKA ZOFIA A. , ESPELAND MARIANNE , SUDERMAN TAMARA R. , FLEMING JAKE , HEATH ALAN , PIERCE NAOMI E.
Published: October 2014

The Aphnaeinae (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) are a largely African subfamily of 278 described species that exhibit extraordinary life‐history variation. The larvae of these butterflies typically form mutualistic associations with ants, and feed on a wide variety of plants, including 23 families in 19 orders. However, at least one species in each of 9 of the 17 genera is aphytophagous, parasitically feeding on the eggs, brood or regurgitations of ants. This diversity in diet and type of symbiotic association makes the phylogenetic relations of the Aphnaeinae of particular interest. A phylogenetic hypothesis for the Aphnaeinae was inferred from 4.4 kb covering the mitochondrial marker COI and five nuclear markers (wg, H3, CAD, GAPDH and EF1α) for each of 79 ingroup taxa representing 15 of the 17 currently recognized genera, as well as three outgroup taxa. Maximum Parsimony, Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference analyses all support Heath's systematic revision of the clade based on morphological characters. Ancestral range inference suggests an African origin for the subfamily with a single dispersal into Asia. The common ancestor of the aphnaeines likely associated with myrmicine ants in the genus Crematogaster and plants of the order Fabales.
Genetic risk for co‐occurrence of type 1 diabetes and celiac disease is modified byHLA‐C and killer immunoglobulin‐like receptors
Authors: Smigoc Schweiger D. , Mendez A. , Kunilo Jamnik S. , Bratanic N. , Bratina N. , Battelino T. , Brecelj J. , Vidan‐Jeras B.
Published: October 2014

The prevalence of celiac disease (CD) in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) has been reported to be 5–7 times higher than in the general population. Risk factors for co‐occurrence of both diseases have not been entirely established. The aim of our study was to analyze possible impact of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and killer cell immunoglobulin‐like receptors (KIRs) on the co‐occurrence ofT1DandCD. We analyzed 67 patients withT1D, 68 patients withCD, 69 patients with both diseases (T1D+CD) and 130 controls. Statistical analysis was based on two tailed Fisher exact test with corrections for multiple testing. After stratification byDR3‐DQ2, an association ofHLAclass I part of theCOXhaplotype (A1‐B8‐Cw7‐DR3‐DQ2) was not observed with each of the studied diseases separately, but it could be shown in case of the co‐occurrence ofT1DandCD. Only in the group of patients with coexisting diseases, the presence ofHLA‐C*07(P = 8.65×10−3) andHLA‐B*08(P = 0.03) but notHLA‐A*01increased the succeptibility. Our current data indicated thatC*07, contributingC1ligand (Pc = 3.67×10−5) rather thanB*08, that possesses noKIRligand, could have an impact on the innate immunity rout of this susceptibility. The significant combination ofC1‐KIR2DL3(Pc = 1.97×10−4) observed in patients with coexisting diseases supports this hypotesis. Interestingly, no association was observed whenC1in combination with its stronger inhibitory receptorKIR2DL2was investigated. Predominantly, weak inhibition in patients with coexistingT1DandCDcould lead to a natural killer cell response, making them vulnerable for developing more than one autoimmune disease.
Suicide deaths in rural Andhra Pradesh – a cause for global health action
Authors: Joshi Rohina , Guggilla Rama , Praveen Devarsetty , Maulik Pallab K.
Published: October 2014

Objectives

To determine the proportion of deaths attributable to suicides in rural Andhra Pradesh, India over a 4‐year period using a verbal autopsy method.

Methods

Deaths occurring in 45 villages (population 185 629) were documented over a 4‐year period from 2003 to 2007 by non‐physician healthcare workers trained in the use of a verbal autopsy tool. Causes of death were assigned by physicians trained in the International Classification of Diseases, version 10. All data were entered and processed electronically using a secure study website.

Results

Verbal autopsies were completed for 98.2% (5786) of the deaths (5895) recorded. The crude death rate was 8.0/1000. 4.8% (95% CI 4.3–5.4) of all deaths were suicides, giving a suicide rate of 37.5/100 000 population. Forty‐three percent of suicides occurred in the age group 15–29 years, and 62% were in men. In the younger age groups (10–29 years), suicides by women (56%) were more common than by men (44%). Poisoning (40%) was the most common method of self‐harm followed by hanging (12%).

Conclusion

The suicide rate in this part of rural Andhra Pradesh is three times higher than the national average of 11.2/100 000, but is in line with that reported in the Million Death Study. There is an urgent need to develop strategies targeted at young individuals to prevent deaths by suicide in India.
Insect eggs induce a systemic acquired resistance in Arabidopsis
Authors: Hilfiker Olivier , Groux Raphaël , Bruessow Friederike , Kiefer Karin , Zeier Jürgen , Reymond Philippe
Published: October 2014

Although they constitute an inert stage of the insect's life, eggs trigger plant defences that lead to egg mortality or attraction of egg parasitoids. We recently found that salicylic acid (SA) accumulates in response to oviposition by the Large White butterfly Pieris brassicae, both in local and systemic leaves, and that plants activate a response that is similar to the recognition of pathogen‐associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), which are involved in PAMP‐triggered immunity (PTI). Here we discovered that natural oviposition by P. brassicae or treatment with egg extract inhibit growth of different Pseudomonas syringae strains in Arabidopsis through the activation of a systemic acquired resistance (SAR). This egg‐induced SAR involves the metabolic SAR signal pipecolic acid, depends on ALD1 and FMO1, and is accompanied by a stronger induction of defence genes upon secondary infection. Although P. brassicae larvae showed a reduced performance when feeding on Pseudomonas syringae‐infected plants, this effect was less pronounced when infected plants had been previously oviposited. Altogether, our results indicate that egg‐induced SAR might have evolved as a strategy to prevent the detrimental effect of bacterial pathogens on feeding larvae.