bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Upregulation of hyaluronan and its binding receptors in an experimental model of chronic cyclosporine nephropathy
Authors: HAN DONG HE , SONG HYUN KUK , LEE SO YOUNG , SONG JI‐HYUN , PIAO SHANG GUO , YOON HYE EUN , GHEE JUNG YEON , YOON HYUNG JU , KIM JIN , YANG CHUL WOO
Published: June 2009

Aim:  Hyaluronan (HA) is an important extracellular matrix (ECM) proteoglycan. The localization of HA and its binding receptors, CD44 and LYVE‐1, was evaluated in an experimental model of chronic cyclosporine A (CsA)‐induced nephropathy.

Methods:  Sprague–Dawley rats maintained on a low‐salt diet (0.05% sodium) received an s.c. injection of vehicle (1 mL/kg per day olive oil; VH groups) or CsA (15 mg/kg per day; CsA groups) for 1 or 4 weeks. Induction of chronic CsA nephropathy was evaluated according to renal function and pathology and expression of HA, CD44, LYVE‐1, ED‐1 and α‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA).

Results:  CsA treatment for 4 weeks caused renal dysfunction, which was accompanied by typical striped interstitial fibrosis. In the VH group, HA immunoreactivity was observed only in the inner medulla. However, the area of HA immunoreactivity increased with the duration of CsA treatment: CsA treatment for 1 week extended HA immunoreactivity to the outer medulla, and CsA treatment for 4 weeks caused a further extension of HA immunoreactivity to the cortex, which was vulnerable to CsA‐induced renal injury. HA binding receptor, CD44 and LYVE‐1 expression were also upregulated in the CsA groups, and were localized to the area of fibrosis and the peritubular capillaries of the cortex. In the CsA groups, ED‐1 and α‐SMA were predominantly expressed in fibrotic areas in which HA had accumulated.

Conclusion:  These findings suggest that upregulation of HA and its binding receptors are involved in interstitial fibrosis in chronic CsA‐induced renal injury.
Tight relations between coronary calcification and atherosclerotic lesions in the carotid artery in chronic dialysis patients
Authors: KURNATOWSKA ILONA , GRZELAK PIOTR , STEFAŃCZYK LUDOMIR , NOWICKI MICHAŁ
Published: June 2009

Aim:  Both vascular calcification and atherosclerosis are highly prevalent in patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) and have been associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity. Because those two phenomena might be only coincidentally related in chronic haemodialysis (HD) patients, in this study, coronary artery calcification (CAC), common carotid artery intima media thickness (CCA‐IMT) and thickness of atherosclerotic plaques in the carotid artery were simultaneously measured.

Methods:  In a cross‐sectional study of 47 HD patients (31 male, mean age 56.8 ± 11.4 years, and 16 female, mean age 56.0 ± 7.5 years) without history of major cardiovascular complications. CCA‐IMT and presence and thickness of atherosclerotic plaques were measured with ultrasound and CAC with multidetector computed tomography.

Results:  The CAC were present in 70.2% of patients. The mean CAC was 1055 ± 232, the mean CCA‐IMT was 0.96 ± 0.21. The atherosclerotic plaques in the common carotid arteries were visualized in 38 patients (80.1%), the mean thickness of the atherosclerotic plaque was 1.61 ± 0.8 mm. We found a significant positive correlation between CAC and CCA‐IMT (r = 0.70, P < 0.001). The thickness of atherosclerosis plaque positively correlated with CAC as well as with CCA‐IMT (r = 0.60, P < 0.001 and r = 0.7, P < 0.003, respectively).

Conclusion:  The study revealed close relationships between CAC, intima media thickness and the thickness of atherosclerotic plaques in dialysis patients. It may indicate that both vascular calcification and atherosclerotic lesions frequently coexist in patients with ESRD and that the intima media thickness could serve as a surrogate marker of vascular calcification.
The myelin protein MAL affects peripheral nerve myelination: a new player influencing p75 neurotrophin receptor expression
Authors: Buser A. M. , Schmid D. , Kern F. , Erne B. , Lazzati T. , Schaeren‐Wiemers N.
Published: June 2009

The myelin and lymphocyte protein (MAL) is a raft‐associated membrane protein predominantly expressed by oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells. Here we show that MAL regulates myelination in the peripheral nervous system. In mice overexpressing MAL, myelination was retarded and fibers were hypomyelinated, whereas myelination in MAL knockout mice was accelerated. This was not due to impaired Schwann cell proliferation, differentiation or axonal sorting. We found that the expression level of p75 neurotrophin receptor mRNA and protein was strongly reduced in developing sciatic nerves in MAL‐overexpressing mice. This reduction is well correlated with the observed alterations in myelination initiation, speed of myelination and alterations in Remak bundle development. Our results suggest a functional role for MAL in peripheral myelination by influencing the expression of membrane components that mediate axon‐glia interaction during ensheathment and myelin wrapping.
Subunit‐selective palmitoylation regulates the intracellular trafficking of AMPA receptor
Authors: Yang Guang , Xiong Wei , Kojic Luba , Cynader Max S.
Published: June 2009

The AMPA receptor (AMPAR) subunits GluR1 and GluR2 show different properties in central neurons and affect AMPAR trafficking via distinct mechanisms. This subunit‐specificity is partly achieved by recruiting unique protein modifications on different subunits. Here, we show that palmitoylation of GluR1 and GluR2 subunits also displays subunit‐specific properties and functions. Our findings indicate that GluR1 palmitoylation requires dynamic anterograde transport from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi apparatus. In contrast, GluR2 subunits are primarily palmitoylated locally in the ER as immature receptors, and an intact microtubule network is required for their palmitoylation. Interestingly, the majority of palmitoylated GluR2 subunits are not associated with GluR1 subunits. We found that preventing palmitoylation results in loss of mature GluR2, but leaves GluR1 intact, as palmitoylation on GluR2 in the ER prevents their sorting to the lysosome after receptor maturation. Moreover, palmitoylation on GluR1 and GluR2 subunits responds differently to neuronal activity. Blocking neuronal activity by tetrodotoxin increased the pool size of palmitoylated GluR2, but not GluR1. Acute stimulation by NMDA and AMPA also differentially affect AMPAR palmitoylation in a subunit‐specific manner. The present findings thus indicate that AMPAR palmitoylation is a subunit‐specific process that contributes to its regulation and trafficking.
Deletion of TASK1 and TASK3 channels disrupts intrinsic excitability but does not abolish glucose or pH responses of orexin/hypocretin neurons
Authors: González J. A. , Jensen Lise T. , Doyle Susan E. , Miranda‐Anaya Manuel , Menaker Michael , Fugger Lars , Bayliss Douglas A. , Burdakov Denis
Published: June 2009

The firing of hypothalamic hypocretin/orexin neurons is vital for normal sleep–wake transitions, but its molecular determinants are not well understood. It was recently proposed that TASK (TWIK‐related acid‐sensitive potassium) channels [TASK1 (K2P3.1) and/or TASK3 (K2P9.1)] regulate neuronal firing and may contribute to the specialized responses of orexin neurons to glucose and pH. Here we tested these theories by performing patch‐clamp recordings from orexin neurons directly identified by targeted green fluorescent protein labelling in brain slices from TASK1/3 double‐knockout mice. The deletion of TASK1/3 channels significantly reduced the ability of orexin cells to generate high‐frequency firing. Consistent with reduced excitability, individual action potentials from knockout cells had lower rates of rise, higher thresholds and more depolarized after‐hyperpolarizations. However, orexin neurons from TASK1/3 knockout mice retained typical responses to glucose and pH, and the knockout animals showed normal food‐anticipatory locomotor activity. Our results support a novel role for TASK genes in enhancing neuronal excitability and promoting high‐frequency firing, but suggest that TASK1/3 subunits are not essential for orexin cell responses to glucose and pH.
Hippocampal‐dependent familiar area map supports corrective re‐orientation following navigational error during pigeon homing: a GPS‐tracking study
Authors: Gagliardo Anna , Ioalè Paolo , Savini Maria , Dell’Omo Giacomo , Bingman Verner P.
Published: June 2009

It is hypothesized that a central role of the vertebrate hippocampal formation (HF) in behavior is the learning and operation of a map‐like representation of familiar landmarks and landscape features. One critical property of a map is that it should enable an individual to re‐orient towards a goal location following a navigational error. To test this prediction on a spatial scale consistent with their naturally occurring behavior, control and HF‐lesioned homing pigeons were trained from two locations and then subsequently released, while carrying portable GPS‐tracking devices, following a phase‐shift treatment. Analyses revealed that the HF‐lesioned pigeons were less successful than control pigeons in re‐orienting homewards following the phase‐shift‐induced error in their initial orientation. Furthermore, the observation that HF‐lesioned pigeons were found to routinely ignore a land–sea landscape boundary when returning home from one of the release sites suggests that coarse landscape features may be an underappreciated source of navigational information for homing pigeons. The data demonstrate that, on a scale of tens of kilometers, homing pigeons are able to learn a hippocampal‐dependent, map‐like representation of familiar landmarks/landscape features that can support corrective re‐orientation following a navigational error.
Intertwined interspecies relationships: approaches to untangle the microbial network
Authors: Haruta Shin , Kato Souichiro , Yamamoto Kyosuke , Igarashi Yasuo
Published: June 2009

In nature, microorganisms live by interacting with each other. Microbiological studies that only consider pure cultures are not sufficient to adequately describe the natural behaviour of microbes. Several microbial interactions have been recognized to affect the growth or metabolism of others; e.g. syntrophic cometabolism, competition, production of inhibitors or activators, and predation. It is believed that third‐party organisms easily affect the two‐species relationships and these relationships form the basis of interspecies networks within microbial communities. A microbial network contributes to ‘functional redundancy’ or ‘structural diversity’ and the microbial communities effectively act as a multicellular organism. It is necessary to understand not only the physiological activity of members within microbial communities but also their roles to regulate the activity or population of others. To access the microbial network, we require (i) comprehensive determination of all possible interspecies relationships among microbes, (ii) knock‐out experiments by which certain members can be removed or suppressed, and (iii) supplemental addition of microbes or activation of certain members. Microbial network studies have started using defined microbial communities, i.e. a mixed culture that is composed of three or four species. In order to expand these studies to microflora in nature, microbial ecology requires the help of mathematical biology.
Paradoxically, prior acquisition of antioxidant activity enhances oxidative stress‐induced cell death
Authors: Murik Omer , Kaplan Aaron
Published: June 2009

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the induction of programmed cell death in a wide variety of organisms. Acquiring antioxidant capacity is thought to enhance the viability of cells challenged by a subsequent oxidative stress. Counter‐intuitively, we show that in two phytoplankton species, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Peridinium gatunense, representing the green and red plastid lineages, oxidative stress induced cell death in cultures that already possessed high antioxidant activity but not in cells that exhibited low activity. Cell death of low antioxidant possessing cultures was markedly enhanced by the addition of dehydroascorbate, a product of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), but not of ascorbate or reduced glutathione, and was preceded by increased metacaspase expression and activity. These data suggested that the level of APX and its products, strongly upregulated by oxidative stress, serves as a possible surveillance signal, reporting that the cells already experienced an earlier oxidative stress. Our data presents a novel role of APX in antioxidant activity and response to oxidative stress in photosynthetic microorganisms. Elimination of cysts production by phytoplankton cells that were already damaged by oxidative stress (indicated by the rise in oxidized proteins) as the inoculum for the following year's population may be the evolutionary trigger for this phenomenon.
Disturbing epithelial homeostasis in the metazoan Hydra leads to drastic changes in associated microbiota
Authors: Fraune Sebastian , Abe Yuichi , Bosch Thomas C. G.
Published: June 2009

Microbes have profound influence on the biology of host tissue. Imbalances in host–microbe interaction underlie many human diseases. Little, however, is known about how epithelial homeostasis affects associated microbial community structure. In Hydra, the epithelium actively shapes its microbial community indicating distinct selective pressures imposed on the epithelium. Here, using a mutant strain of Hydra magnipapillata we eliminated all derivatives of the interstitial stem cell lineage while leaving both epithelial cell lineages intact. By bacterial 16S rRNA gene analysis we observed that removing gland cells and neurones from the epithelium causes significant changes in hydra's microbial community. Absence of interstitial stem cells and nematocytes had no affect on the microbiota. When compared with controls, animals lacking neurones and gland cells showed reduced abundance of β‐Proteobacteria accompanied by a significantly increased abundance of a Bacteroidetes bacterium. This previously unrecognized link between cellular tissue composition and microbiota may be applicable to understanding mechanisms controlling host–microbe interaction in other epithelial systems.
Increased expression of OsSPX1 enhances cold/subfreezing tolerance in tobacco and Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Zhao Linna , Liu Fengxia , Xu Wenying , Di Chao , Zhou Shaoxia , Xue Yongbiao , Yu Jingjuan , Su Zhen
Published: June 2009

Low temperature is a major environmental stress for plants. Many important cultivated crops have limited capacity to survive below freezing/subfreezing temperatures. Low inorganic phosphate (Pi) is reportedly important in triggering cold acclimatization. SPX (SYG1/Pho81/XPR1: SYG1, suppressor of yeast gpal; Pho81, CDK inhibitor in yeast PHO pathway; XPR1, xenotropic and polytropic retrovirus receptor) domain proteins have been shown to be involved in the phosphate‐related signal transduction and regulation pathways. Recently, Arabidopsis AtSPX family genes have been found to possess diverse functions in plant tolerance to phosphorus starvation, and OsSPX1 is involved in phosphate homeostasis in rice and optimizes growth under phosphate‐limited conditions through a negative feedback loop. In this study, our phylogenetic and gene expression profiling approaches identified six rice OsSPX genes up‐regulated during cold stress. Transgenic tobacco plants with constitutive expression of OsSPX1 were more tolerant to cold stress than were wild‐type plants, and showed better seedling survival and reduced cellular electrolyte leakage. In addition, there was decreased total leaf Pi content and accumulation of free proline and sucrose in transgenic tobacco plants during cold stress. To further establish a cause‐and‐effect relationship between intracellular Pi level and cold acclimatization in transgenic plants, we generated transgenic Arabidopsis plants with constitutive expression of OsSPX1. Cold stress resulted in reduced leaf Pi levels in Arabidopsis transgenic relative to wild‐type plants. From real‐time reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction analysis, several Pi starvation‐related genes, such as AtSPX1 (orthologue of OsSPX1), PHO2, PLDZ2 and ATSIZ1, showed differential expression between wild‐type and transgenic plants during cold stress. Our results indicate that OsSPX1 may play an important role in linking cold stress and Pi starvation signal transduction pathways.
The MDG Conundrum: Meeting the Targets Without Missing the Point
Authors: Vandemoortele Jan
Published: June 2009

The MDGs are being misappropriated to gain support for a specific development strategy, agenda or argument, mostly being used as a call for more aid or as a Trojan horse for a particular policy framework. As relative benchmarks, they are extremely difficult to meet in countries with low human development. Their misinterpretation as one‐size‐fits‐all targets is leading to excessive Afro‐pessimism, begging the question whether Africa is missing the targets or whether the world is missing the point. The global MDG canon is dominated by a money‐metric and donor‐centric view of development, and is not ready to accept that growing disparities within countries are the main reason why the 2015 targets will be missed.
Private‐Sector Investment in Infrastructure: Rationale and Causality for Pro‐poor Impacts
Authors: Shah Rebecca , Batley Richard
Published: June 2009

This article reviews the arguments for promoting private investment in infrastructure as a basis for poverty reduction in developing countries. It describes the experience leading to the development of international ‘facilities’ intended to address impediments to private investment. It then explores three ‘levels’ of literature: that of the facilities themselves, of donor organisations, and of academic authors. At each, it investigates the rationale and causal pathways leading from support for private investment to pro‐poor outcomes. It finds there is a possible but not necessary association between private investment, economic growth and poverty reduction, but the causal chain is poorly understood. It proposes the development of such a causal framework.
The Rise of China: Implications for Latin American Development
Authors: Paus Eva
Published: June 2009

This article analyses the implications of the rapid economic rise of China for the development prospects of Latin America. Based on an analysis of the changing trade relations between China and 15 Latin American countries over the period 2000–6, it argues that these relations have significantly exacerbated the subcontinent's dilemma of being caught in the middle‐income trap. At the same time, some of the key drivers behind China's economic success point to a possible solution, first and foremost the lessons provided by its proactive development strategy which has focused on developing domestic technological capabilities and diversifying the productive structure with a move up the value chain.
Asymmetrical cortical processing of radial expansion / contraction in infants and adults
Authors: Shirai Nobu , Birtles Deirdre , Wattam‐Bell John , Yamaguchi Masami K. , Kanazawa So , Atkinson Janette , Braddick Oliver
Published: June 2009

We report asymmetrical cortical responses (steady‐state visual evoked potentials) to radial expansion and contraction in human infants and adults. Forty‐four infants (22 3‐month‐olds and 22 4‐month‐olds) and nine adults viewed dynamic dot patterns which cyclically (2.1 Hz) alternate between radial expansion (or contraction) and random directional motion. The first harmonic (F1) response in the steady‐state VEP response must arise from mechanisms sensitive to the global radial motion structure. We compared F1 amplitudes between expansion‐random and contraction‐random motion alternations. F1 amplitudes for contraction were significantly larger than those for expansion for the older infants and adults but not for the younger infants. These results suggest that the human cortical motion mechanisms have asymmetrical sensitivity for radial expansion vs. contraction, which develops at around 4 months of age. The relation between development of sensitivity to radial motion and cortical motion mechanisms is discussed.
The development of spontaneous gender stereotyping in childhood: relations to stereotype knowledge and stereotype flexibility
Authors: Banse Rainer , Gawronski Bertram , Rebetez Christine , Gutt Hélène , Bruce Morton J.
Published: June 2009

The development of spontaneous gender stereotyping in children was investigated using the newly developed Action Interference Paradigm (AIP). This task consists of assigning gender‐stereotypical toys as quickly as possible to boys and girls in either a stereotype‐congruent or a stereotype‐incongruent manner. A pilot study with 38 children (mean age 5.1 years) provided evidence for spontaneous gender stereotyping in the AIP, which was reflected in higher latencies for stereotype‐incongruent compared with stereotype‐congruent toy assignments. The main study, with 66 children (aged 5, 8 and 11 years), compared the development of spontaneous stereotyping with established measures of stereotype flexibility and stereotype knowledge. Stereotype flexibility showed a strong increase from age 5 to 11. In contrast, stereotype knowledge and spontaneous stereotyping remained stable at high levels. The results provide evidence for a dissociation between stereotype flexibility and spontaneous stereotyping, suggesting that spontaneous stereotyping may be more closely related to stereotype knowledge than to stereotype flexibility.
Better working memory for non‐social targets in infant siblings of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Noland Julia S. , Steven Reznick J. , Stone Wendy L. , Walden Tedra , Sheridan Elisabeth H.
Published: June 2009

We compared working memory (WM) for the location of social versus non‐social targets in infant siblings of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (sibs‐ASD, n = 25) and of typically developing children (sibs‐TD, n = 30) at 6.5 and 9 months of age. There was a significant interaction of risk group and target type on WM, in which the sibs‐ASD had better WM for non‐social targets as compared with controls. There was no group by stimulus interaction on two non‐memory measures. The results suggest that the increased competency of sibs‐ASD in WM (creating, updating and using transient representations) for non‐social stimuli distinguishes them from sibs‐TD by 9 months of age. This early emerging strength is discussed as a developmental pathway that may have implications for social attention and learning in children at risk for ASD.
Sensori‐motor experience leads to changes in visual processing in the developing brain
Authors: James Karin Harman
Published: June 2009

Since Broca’s studies on language processing, cortical functional specialization has been considered to be integral to efficient neural processing. A fundamental question in cognitive neuroscience concerns the type of learning that is required for functional specialization to develop. To address this issue with respect to the development of neural specialization for letters, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare brain activation patterns in pre‐school children before and after different letter‐learning conditions: a sensori‐motor group practised printing letters during the learning phase, while the control group practised visual recognition. Results demonstrated an overall left‐hemisphere bias for processing letters in these pre‐literate participants, but, more interestingly, showed enhanced blood oxygen‐level‐dependent activation in the visual association cortex during letter perceptiononlyafter sensori‐motor (printing) learning. It is concluded that sensori‐motor experience augments processing in the visual system of pre‐school children. The change of activation in these neural circuits provides important evidence that ‘learning‐by‐doing’ can lay the foundation for, and potentially strengthen, the neural systems used for visual letter recognition.
AUTONOMY AND AUTHENTICITY OF ENHANCED PERSONALITY TRAITS
Authors: BUBLITZ JAN CHRISTOPH , MERKEL REINHARD
Published: June 2009

There is concern that the use of neuroenhancements to alter character traits undermines consumer's authenticity. But the meaning, scope and value of authenticity remain vague. However, the majority of contemporary autonomy accounts ground individual autonomy on a notion of authenticity. So if neuroenhancements diminish an agent's authenticity, they may undermine his autonomy. This paper clarifies the relation between autonomy, authenticity and possible threats by neuroenhancements. We present six neuroenhancement scenarios and analyse how autonomy accounts evaluate them. Some cases are considered differently by criminal courts; we demonstrate where academic autonomy theories and legal reasoning diverge and ascertain whether courts should reconsider their concept of autonomy. We argue that authenticity is not an appropriate condition for autonomy and that new enhancement technologies pose no unique threats to personal autonomy.
INTENTION, AUTONOMY, AND BRAIN EVENTS
Authors: GILLETT GRANT
Published: June 2009

Informed consent is the practical expression of the doctrine of autonomy. But the very idea of autonomy and conscious free choice is undercut by the view that human beings react as their unconscious brain centres dictate, depending on factors that may or may not be under rational control and reflection. This worry is, however, based on a faulty model of human autonomy and consciousness and needs close neurophilosophical scrutiny. A critique of the ethics implied by the model takes us towards a ‘care of the self’ view of autonomy and the subject's attunement to the truth as the crux of reasoning rather than the inner mental/neural state views of autonomy and human choice on offer at present.
EPISTEMOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS ON NEUROIMAGING – A CRUCIAL PREREQUISITE FOR NEUROETHICS
Authors: HUBER CHRISTIAN G. , HUBER JOHANNES
Published: June 2009

Purpose: Whereas ethical considerations on imaging techniques and interpretations of neuroimaging results flourish, there is not much work on their preconditions. In this paper, therefore, we discuss epistemological considerations on neuroimaging and their implications for neuroethics.

Results: Neuroimaging uses indirect methods to generate data about surrogate parameters for mental processes, and there are many determinants influencing the results, including current hypotheses and the state of knowledge. This leads to an interdependence between hypotheses and data. Additionally, different levels of description are involved, especially when experiments are designed to answer questions pertaining to broad concepts like the self, empathy or moral intentions. Interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks are needed to integrate findings from the life sciences and the humanities and to translate between them. While these epistemological issues are not specific for neuroimaging, there are some reasons why they are of special importance in this context: Due to their inferential proximity, ‘neuro‐images’ seem to be self‐evident, suggesting directness of observation and objectivity. This has to be critically discussed to prevent overinterpretation. Additionally, there is a high level of attention to neuroimaging, leading to a high frequency of presentation of neuroimaging data and making the critical examination of their epistemological properties even more pressing.

Conclusions: Epistemological considerations are an important prerequisite for neuroethics. The presentation and communication of the results of neuroimaging studies, the potential generation of new phenomena and new ‘dysfunctions’ through neuroimaging, and the influence on central concepts at the foundations of ethics will be important future topics for this discipline.
PERSONAL IDENTITY, ENHANCEMENT AND NEUROSURGERY: A QUALITATIVE STUDY IN APPLIED NEUROETHICS
Authors: LIPSMAN NIR , ZENER REBECCA , BERNSTEIN MARK
Published: June 2009

Recent developments in the field of neurosurgery, specifically those dealing with the modification of mood and affect as part of psychiatric disease, have led some researchers to discuss the ethical implications of surgery to alter personality and personal identity. As knowledge and technology advance, discussions of surgery to alter undesirable traits, or possibly the enhancement of normal traits, will play an increasingly larger role in the ethical literature. So far, identity and enhancement have yet to be explored in a neurosurgical context, despite the fact that 1) neurological disease and treatment both potentially alter identity, and 2) that neurosurgeons will likely be the purveyors of future enhancement implantable technology. Here, we use interviews with neurosurgical patients to shed light on the ethical issues and challenges that surround identity and enhancement in neurosurgery. The results provide insight into how patients approach their identity prior to potentially identity‐altering procedures and what future ethical challenges lay ahead for clinicians and researchers in the field of neurotherapeutics.
AN INQUIRY INTO THE PRINCIPLES OF NEEDS‐BASED ALLOCATION OF HEALTH CARE
Authors: HOPE TONY , ØSTERDAL LARS PETER , HASMAN ANDREAS
Published: June 2009

The concept of need is often proposed as providing an additional or alternative criterion to cost‐effectiveness in making allocation decisions in health care. If it is to be of practical value it must be sufficiently precisely characterized to be useful to decision makers. This will require both an account of how degree of need for an intervention is to be determined and a prioritization rule that clarifies how degree of need and the cost of the intervention interact in determining the relative priority of the intervention. Three common features of health care interventions must be accommodated in a comprehensive theory of need: the probabilistic nature of prognosis (with and without the intervention); the time course of effects; and the fact that the most effective treatments often combine more than one intervention. These common features are problematic for the concept of need. We outline various approaches to prioritization on the basis of need and argue that some approaches are more promising than others.
Boards of Directors' Contribution to Strategy: A Literature Review and Research Agenda
Authors: Pugliese Amedeo , Bezemer Pieter‐Jan , Zattoni Alessandro , Huse Morten , Van den Bosch Frans A. J. , Volberda Henk W.
Published: June 2009

Manuscript Type:Review

Research Question/Issue:Over the last four decades, research on the relationship between boards of directors and strategy has proliferated. Yet to date there is little theoretical and empirical agreement regarding the question of how boards of directors contribute to strategy. This review assesses the extant literature by highlighting emerging trends and identifying several avenues for future research.

Research Findings/Results:Using a content‐analysis of 150 articles published in 23 management journals up to 2007, we describe and analyze how research on boards of directors and strategy has evolved over time. We illustrate how topics, theories, settings, and sources of data interact and influence insights about board–strategy relationships during three specific periods.

Theoretical Implications:Our study illustrates that research on boards of directors and strategy evolved from normative and structural approaches to behavioral and cognitive approaches. Our results encourage future studies to examine the impact of institutional and context‐specific factors on the (expected) contribution of boards to strategy, and to apply alternative methods to fully capture the impact of board processes and dynamics on strategy making.

Practical Implications:The increasing interest in boards of directors' contribution to strategy echoes a movement towards more strategic involvement of boards of directors. However, best governance practices and the emphasis on board independence and control may hinder the board contribution to the strategic decision making. Our study invites investors and policy‐makers to consider the requirements for an effective strategic task when they nominate board members and develop new regulations.
Toward a Behavioral Theory of Boards and Corporate Governance
Authors: Van Ees Hans , Gabrielsson Jonas , Huse Morten
Published: June 2009

Manuscript Type: Review

Research Question/Issue: A coherent alternative to an economic approach of corporate governance is missing. In this paper we take steps towards developing a behavioral theory of boards and corporate governance.

Research Findings/Results: Building upon concepts such as political bargaining, routinization of decision making, satisficing, and problemistic search, a behavioral theory of boards and corporate governance will focus more on (1) interactions and processes inside and outside the boardroom; (2) the fact that decision making is made by coalitions of actors and objectives are results of political bargaining; and (3) the notion that not only conflicting, but also cooperating, interests are parts of the boards' decision making and control over firm resources.

Theoretical Implications: The consequences are a new research agenda for boards and corporate governance. The agenda will focus on actual instead of stylized descriptions of board behavior. In a behavioral perspective the emphasis on problems of coordination, exploration, and knowledge creation may dominate over problems of conflict of interest, exploitation, and the distribution of value. A future research agenda based on a behavioral framework calls for novel and adventurous research designs.

Practical Implications: A behavioral theory of boards and corporate governance will be closer to actual board behavior than the traditional economic approach and research about boards and corporate governance may thus become more actionable for practitioners.
The Effect of Crosslisting on Corporate Governance: A Review of the International Evidence
Authors: Ferris Stephen P. , Kim Kenneth A. , Noronha Gregory
Published: June 2009

Manuscript Type:Review

Research Question:This review essay examines the mechanisms by which crosslisting of a firm's shares on a foreign stock exchange and its subsequent exposure to an international capital market can induce changes in corporate governance. We also review reasons why a firm might elect to use crosslisting to improve investor perception of the quality of its governance.

Research Findings/Results:After a review of the existing literature, we conclude that there is substantial support for legal bonding in the decision to crosslist, with lesser evidence consistent with reputational bonding. We also conclude that firm growth opportunities and the need for external capital are critical factors in a decision to crosslist.

Theoretical Implications:This study synthesizes the extensive empirical work done on crosslisting and consequent changes in corporate governance structures. It also highlights a number of areas that require further research including more direct testing of governance changes following crosslisting, the effect of crosslisting on corporate equity ownership structures, and the investment/new securities issuance behavior of firms subsequent to crosslisting. This research will help to chart the path of future academic study by scholars of international corporate governance.

Practical Implications:This review of the empirical evidence will contribute to the identification of a set of best practices that can lead to improved governance for firms worldwide. Furthermore, the discussion of what remains unexamined by governance researchers will help to shape the contours of future policy and legislative debate.
The moral regulation of the workplace: presenteeism and public health
Authors: Dew Kevin , Taupo Trina
Published: June 2009

This paper draws on Durkheimian concepts of moral forces, particularly anomie and fatalism, and the forced division of labour, to argue that the current institutional arrangements to protect and compensate workers in hazardous workplaces are insufficient. This argument is illustrated with interview data from workers at a meatworks in New Zealand which examined workers’ responses to illness and injury in the workplace. It is suggested that an imbalance in moral forces leads to pathological outcomes for workers – seen in presenteeism – the phenomenon of staying at work when injured or ill – and workplace injustice. There are state institutions such as worker compensation schemes and occupational safely and health regulations, and other intermediary groups such as unions, that can act as a buffer against anomic and fatalistic forces in the workplace, but at present these countervailing regulatory and advocacy forces are not sufficiently protective of vulnerable workers. Public health advocacy and research could fill the current void.
Older women and suntanning: the negotiation of health and appearance risks
Authors: Hurd Clarke Laura , Korotchenko Alexandra
Published: June 2009

This paper examines older women’s experiences and perceptions of sunbathing, sun avoidance, and suntanned appearances. Using data from in‐depth interviews with 36 women aged 71 to 94, we elucidate the motivations behind the women’s sunbathing practices. Specifically, we explore how the women responded to the health and appearance risks associated with exposure to and avoidance of ultraviolet radiation as well as extant feminine beauty norms. The majority of women put their experiences of sunbathing in an emergent historical context. Although most of the women suggested that suntanned appearances were indicative of health and beauty, sunbathers tended to downplay their health risks by distancing themselves from those they considered to be most at risk, namely tanning bed users and individuals who acquired overly dark suntans. Sunbathers also emphasised the benefits of sun exposure for adequate vitamin D absorption. In contrast, the women who did not suntan tended to have experienced negative health and appearance consequences from their past sunbathing practices. Thus, these women emphasised the importance of future health over immediate appearance dividends. We discuss our findings in relation to the extant research on suntanning and the literature pertaining to health, risk, and beauty work.
Testing non‐nested demand relations: linear expenditure system versus indirect addilog*
Authors: De Boer Paul , Paap Richard
Published: June 2009

In applied economic research computable general equilibrium (CGE) models in which the behavior of economic agents are modeled, are widely used. In many CGE models, the linear expenditure system (LES) is used to model the behavior of the household sector. The disadvantage of LES is that the Engel curves, describing the relationship between expenditure on a certain commodity and total expenditure, are straight lines. Moreover, the LES does not allow for the existence of inferior commodities, elastic demand and gross substitution. An alternative model for the household block is the indirect addilog system (IAS), which is as simple to implement as LES, but which does not suffer from these theoretical deficiencies. In this paper, we test the LES specification against the IAS specification in case one disposes of a budget survey. Consequently, IAS provides a theoretically richer description of household behavior than LES, while it is also easy to implement.

It is not possible to use a standard likelihood ratio test as both models are not nested. We propose to use the likelihood ratio test for non‐nested hypotheses due to Vuong [(1989), Likelihood ratio tests for model selection and non‐nested hypotheses, Econometrica 57, 307–333.] or, alternatively, the distribution‐free test due to Clarke [(2007), A simple distribution‐free test for nonnested model selection, Political Analysis 15, 347–363.]. We apply both tests to the Palestinian Expenditure and Consumption Survey [PECS (2005), Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Ramallah, Palestine.] and find that there is overwhelming evidence that the IAS specification is to be preferred to the LES specification.
Statistical Calibration of Climate System Properties
Authors: Sansó Bruno , Forest Chris
Published: June 2009

The behaviour of modern climate system simulators is controlled by numerous parameters. By matching model outputs with observed data we can perform inference on such parameters. This is a calibration problem that usually requires the ability to evaluate the computer code at any given configuration of the parameters. As the climate system simulator attempts to describe very complex physical phenomena, the task of running the model is very computationally demanding. Thus, a statistical model is required to approximate the model output. In this work, we use output from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology two-dimensional climate model (MIT2DCM), historical records and output from a three-dimensional climate model, to obtain estimates of the climate sensitivity, the effective thermal diffusivity in the deep ocean and the net aerosol forcing that control MIT2DCM. We use a Bayesian approach that allows for the use of scientifically based information on the climate parameters to be used in the calibration process. The model tackles the problem of dealing with multivariate computer model output and incorporates all estimation uncertainties into the posterior distributions of the climate parameters. Additionally we obtain estimates of the correlation structure of the unforced variability of temperature change patterns. These results are critical for understanding uncertainty in future climate change and provide an independent check that the information that is contained in recent climate change is robust to statistical treatment. These results include uncertainties in the estimation of the multivariate covariance matrices.
Estimating and Testing Haplotype–Trait Associations in Non-Diploid Populations
Authors: Li X. , Thomas B. N. , Rich S. M. , Ecker D. , Tumwine J. K. , Foulkes A. S.
Published: June 2009

Malaria is an infectious disease that is caused by a group of parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Characterizing the association between polymorphisms in the parasite genome and measured traits in an infected human host may provide insight into disease aetiology and ultimately inform new strategies for improved treatment and prevention. This, however, presents an analytic challenge since individuals are often multiply infected with a variable and unknown number of genetically diverse parasitic strains. In addition, data on the alignment of nucleotides on a single chromosome, which is commonly referred to as haplotypic phase, is not generally observed. An expectation–maximization algorithm for estimating and testing associations between haplotypes and quantitative traits has been described for diploid (human) populations. We extend this method to account for both the uncertainty in haplotypic phase and the variable and unknown number of infections in the malaria setting. Further extensions are described for the human immunodeficiency virus quasi-species setting. A simulation study is presented to characterize performance of the method. Application of this approach to data arising from a cross-sectional study of n = 126 multiply infected children in Uganda reveals some interesting associations requiring further investigation.
Do Children Start Out Thinking They Don't Know Their Own Minds?
Authors: MITCHELL PETER , TEUCHER ULRICH , BENNETT MARK , ZIEGLER FENJA , WYTON REBECCA
Published: June 2009

Various researchers have suggested that below 7 years of age children do not recognize that they are the authority on knowledge about themselves, a suggestion that seems counter‐intuitive because it raises the possibility that children do not appreciate their privileged first‐person access to their own minds. Unlike previous research, children in the current investigation quantified knowledge and even 5‐year‐olds tended to assign relatively more to themselves than to an adult (Studies 1 and 2). Indeed, children's estimations were different from ratings made by their mothers: Their mothers sometimes rated themselves as knowing more about their child than they rated their child as knowing (Study 2). While previous research seemed to suggest that children shift from viewing their mother to viewing themselves as the authority on knowledge about them (the children), these new findings surprisingly suggest the opposite.
Gender Mainstreaming in a Development Project: Intersectionality in a Post‐Colonial Un‐doing?
Authors: Baines Donna
Published: June 2009

This article explores some critical reflections engaged in as part of the earliest stages of applying for an international development project grant. Though most of the funding came from the North, which had the potential to reproduce typical North–South relations, both parties involved in the project agreed to predicate relationships on principles of equity in an attempt to decolonize relationships, or what could be seen as a sort of ‘un‐doing’ of traditional colonial relations. Tensions emanating from within and among the teams at early meetings underscored the complexity of un‐doing colonial relationships, as well as the way that colonial relations awkwardly but seamlessly intersect with gendered, classed and heteronormative individual and organizational relations. It also highlights the messiness and difficulty in transform(ing) hegemonic social conditions in a single international institution or project.
Cranky Old Women? Irritation, Resistance and Gendering Practices in Work Organizations
Authors: Irni Sari
Published: June 2009

This article discusses midlife women's irritation and resistance in waged work. Old age is stereotypically conceptualized as a time of tranquility and wisdom, but whether women are included in this stereotype is a matter of question. This article concentrates on instances in which women are regarded instead as cranky and difficult when they age. The article is based on interviews of 56 to 64‐year‐old women and men employees, personnel managers, and trade union representatives employed in 10 work organizations. Of these, the gendering practices of three organizations, a hospital, and food and metal industry organizations, are analyzed in detail. The article asks what irritates midlife women, and suggests that gendering practices in the organizations can be seen to produce that which is perceived as ‘cranky old women’.
On the Genealogy of Moral Pleasure1
Authors: Large Duncan
Published: June 2009

This article explores the problematic relation between pleasure and morality in German thought, from the Enlightenment aesthetics of the eighteenth century through to early twentieth‐century psychoanalysis. Specifically, by focusing on the status and function of pleasure in the moral analyses of Kant, the post‐Kantians Schiller and Schopenhauer, then Nietzsche and finally Freud, it argues for a shift in emphasis, over this period, from the moral evaluation of pleasure to a recognition of the pleasurable value of morality. Along the way, it traces the German reception of the Discourse on the Nature of Pleasure and Pain (1773–81) by the Milanese philosopher and economist Pietro Verri.