bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using Acupressure and Montessori‐Based Activities to Decrease Agitation for Residents with Dementia: A Cross‐Over Trial
Authors: Lin Li‐Chan , Yang Man‐Hua , Kao Chieh‐Chun , Wu Shiao‐Chi , Tang Sai‐Hung , Lin Jaung‐Geng
Published: May 2009

OBJECTIVES: To explore the effectiveness of acupressure and Montessori‐based activities in decreasing the agitated behaviors of residents with dementia.

DESIGN: A double‐blinded, randomized (two treatments and one control; three time periods) cross‐over design was used.

SETTING: Six special care units for residents with dementia in long‐term care facilities in Taiwan were the sites for the study.

PARTICIPANTS: One hundred thirty‐three institutionalized residents with dementia.

INTERVENTION: Subjects were randomized into three treatment sequences: acupressure‐presence‐Montessori methods, Montessori methods‐acupressure‐presence and presence‐Montessori methods‐acupressure. All treatments were done once a day, 6 days per week, for a 4‐week period.

MEASUREMENT: The Cohen‐Mansfield Agitation Inventory, Ease‐of‐Care, and the Apparent Affect Rating Scale.

RESULTS: After receiving the intervention, the acupressure and Montessori‐based‐activities groups saw a significant decrease in agitated behaviors, aggressive behaviors, and physically nonaggressive behaviors than the presence group. Additionally, the ease‐of‐care ratings for the acupressure and Montessori‐based‐activities groups were significantly better than for the presence group. In terms of apparent affect, positive affect in the Montessori‐based‐activities group was significantly better than in the presence group.

CONCLUSION: This study confirms that a blending of traditional Chinese medicine and a Western activities program would be useful in elderly care and that in‐service training for formal caregivers in the use of these interventions would be beneficial for patients.
Healthcare Proxies of Nursing Home Residents with Advanced Dementia: Decisions They Confront and Their Satisfaction with Decision‐Making
Authors: Givens Jane L. , Kiely Dan K. , Carey Kristen , Mitchell Susan L.
Published: May 2009

OBJECTIVES: To describe the medical decisions confronting healthcare proxies (HCPs) of nursing home (NH) residents with advanced dementia and to identify factors associated with greater decision‐making satisfaction.

DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.

SETTING: Twenty‐two Boston‐area NHs.

PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred twenty‐three NH residents with advanced dementia and their HCPs.

MEASUREMENTS: Decisions made by HCPs over 18 months were ascertained quarterly. After making a decision, HCPs completed the Decision Satisfaction Inventory (DSI) (range 0–100). Independent variables included HCP and resident sociodemographic characteristics, health status, and advance care planning. Multivariable linear regression identified factors associated with higher DSI scores (greater satisfaction).

RESULTS: Of 323 HCPs, 123 (38.1%) recalled making at least one medical decision; 232 decisions were made, concerning feeding problems (27.2%), infections (20.7%), pain (12.9%), dyspnea (8.2%), behavior problems (6.9%), hospitalizations (3.9%), cancer (3.0%), and other complications (17.2%). Mean DSI score±standard deviation was 78.4±19.5, indicating high overall satisfaction. NH provider involvement in shared decision‐making was the area of least satisfaction. In adjusted analysis, greater decision‐making satisfaction was associated with the resident living on a special care dementia unit (P=.002), greater resident comfort (P=.004), and the HCP not being the resident's child (P=.02).

CONCLUSION: HCPs of NH patients with advanced dementia can most commonly expect to encounter medical decisions relating to feeding problems, infections, and pain. Inadequate support from NH providers is the greatest source of HCP dissatisfaction with decision‐making. Greater resident comfort and care in a special care dementia unit are potentially modifiable factors associated with greater decision‐making satisfaction.
Nonprescription Use of Pain Relievers by Middle‐Aged and Elderly Community‐Living Adults: National Survey on Drug Use and Health
Authors: Blazer Dan G. , Wu Li‐Tzy
Published: May 2009

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the frequency, distribution, and correlates of nonprescription use of pain relievers by middle‐aged and elderly persons in the United States.

DESIGN: Cross‐sectional data analysis of a national community survey.

SETTING: The 2005 and 2006 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health.

PARTICIPANTS: Ten thousand nine hundred fifty‐three respondents aged 50 and older (6,717 aged 50–64 and 4,236 aged ≥65).

MEASUREMENTS: Social and demographic variables, detailed assessment of nonprescription use (and abuse) of prescription pain relievers (e.g., acetaminophen with codeine, morphine), substance use, major depression, self‐reported medical illnesses, and self‐rated health.

RESULTS: A small proportion of the sample (1.4%) reported nonprescription use of prescription pain relievers during the previous year. Combinations of acetaminophen and hydrocodone or propoxyphene were the most commonly used drugs. Use was associated with younger age (odds ratio (OR)=2.39, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.31–4.36), American Indian and Alaska native (OR=8.78, 95% CI=2.50–30.85), and use of marijuana (OR=7.07, 95% CI=3.99–12.53). Fewer than 10% of nonprescription users were abusing these medications or dependent upon them.

CONCLUSION: In a representative sample of middle‐aged and older adults, nonprescription use of prescription pain relievers is relatively uncommon, but the much higher use by middle‐aged adults suggests that, as this cohort ages, the problem may increase in elderly people.
Comparisons of Self‐Reported and Chart‐Identified Chronic Diseases in Inner‐City Seniors
Authors: Leikauf John , Federman Alex D.
Published: May 2009

OBJECTIVES: To examine agreement between self‐report of chronic disease and medical record data for inner‐city seniors, their sensitivity and specificity, and the association between patient characteristics and accuracy of self‐reports.

DESIGN: Cross‐sectional analysis.

SETTING: Two hospital‐based primary care practices serving a low‐income inner‐city population.

PARTICIPANTS: Adults aged 65 and older (n=323).

MEASURES: Data on self‐reported asthma, depression, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension were collected through interviewer‐administered surveys (in English and Spanish) and chart abstraction. Chart‐based disease was defined in two ways: physician documentation and physician documentation plus use of a medication to treat that condition. Sensitivity, specificity, and agreement were calculated. Univariate and multivariable regression analyses were used to determine the associations between patient characteristics and patient–chart agreement.

RESULTS: Agreement between self‐report and chart data was high for diabetes mellitus (kappa=0.94) intermediate for asthma (kappa=0.66), and hypertension (kappa=0.54) and low for depression (kappa=0.4). Sensitivity and specificity were high for diabetes mellitus (0.99 and 0.96, respectively) and low for depression (0.74 and 0.72, respectively). Specificity for hypertension was lowest (0.67). Age, education, health literacy, and other patient characteristics did not have clear associations across conditions.

CONCLUSION: Self‐reports may be most reliable for diabetes mellitus and least reliable for depression for surveys involving older, inner‐city adults. Survey research with older adults should include confirmatory data when assessing presence of depression, hypertension, and asthma.
Self-Help, Policing, and Procedural Justice: Ghanaian Vigilantism and the Rule of Law
Authors: Tankebe Justice
Published: May 2009

Public recourse to vigilante self-help has often been attributed to a lack of effective state intervention; less attention has been given to the character of this intervention. Using the Tylerian procedural justice perspective, I argue in this article that perceived procedural injustice contributes to increased public support for violent self-help mechanisms such as vigilante violence. The current study tests this theoretical argument using survey data of 374 residents of Accra, Ghana. The results show that age, education, and police trustworthiness were the most significant predictors of support for vigilante self-help. The impacts of procedural fairness were found to be embraced within police trustworthiness, but perceptions of police effectiveness and experience of police corruption were not statistically significant predictors of vigilante support.
Genetic Polymorphism of KCNH2 Confers Predisposition of Acquired Atrial Fibrillation in Chinese
Authors: WANG QUN‐SHAN , WANG XIAO‐FENG , CHEN XING‐DONG , YU JIE‐FEI , WANG JUN , SUN JIAN , LU SHANG‐BIAO , SHEN MU‐YAO , LU MING , LI YI‐GANG , JIN LI
Published: May 2009

Introduction:
Nonfamiliar atrial fibrillation (AF) is usually associated with acquired structural heart disease, including valvular heart disease, coronary artery disease, and hypertension. Suggestive evidence indicates that these forms of acquired AF are more likely to occur in individuals with a genetic predisposition. We investigated the effect of the potassium channel voltage‐gated subfamily member 2 (KCNH2) gene on the prevalence of acquired AF in a Chinese population.

Methods:
In a pair‐matched, hospital‐based case control study (297 vs 297) conducted in Chinese Hans, we investigated 4 tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (tSNPs), rs1805120, rs1036145, rs3807375, and rs2968857 in the KCNH2 gene, and determined their association with AF acquired from structural heart diseases.

Results:
We did not observe the association of rs1036145, rs3807375, and rs2968857 with AF. However, we determined that the tSNP, rs1805120, in exon 6 confers the risk of AF in Chinese Hans. Both genotype and allele frequencies of rs1805120 were distributed differently in cases and controls (P = 0.0289 and P = 0.0172, respectively). The most significant association was observed under a recessive model for the minor GG genotype with a 1.45‐fold risk of developing AF (95% confidence interval 1.09–1.93, P = 0.012). The significance remained after controlling for the covariates of age, smoking, BMI, hypertension, and diabetes.

Conclusion:
We report a new genetic variation (rs1805120) in the KCNH2 gene that predisposes Chinese Han individuals to the risk of acquired AF. Further genetic and functional studies are required to identify the etiological variants in linkage disequilibrium with this polymorphism.
Dispersal, edaphic fidelity and speciation in species‐rich Western Australian shrublands: evaluating a neutral model of biodiversity
Authors: Perry G. L. W , Enright N. J , Miller B. P , Lamont B. B , Etienne R. S
Published: May 2009

Over evolutionary time, the number of species in a community reflects the balance between the rate of speciation and the rate of extinction. Over shorter time‐scales local species richness is also affected by how often species move into and out of the local community. These processes are at the heart of Hubbell's ‘unified neutral theory of biodiversity’ (Hubbell 2001). Hubbell's spatially implicit, dispersal‐limited neutral model is the most widely used of the many implementations of neutral theory and it provides an estimate of the rate of speciation in a metacommunity (if metacommunity size is known) and the rate at which species migrate into the local community from the wider metacommunity. Recently, this neutral model has been used to compare rates of speciation and migration in the species‐rich fynbos of South Africa and in neotropical forests. Here we use new analytical methods for estimating the neutral model's parameters to infer speciation and dispersal rates for three sites in species‐rich sclerophyll shrublands (equivalent to fynbos) in Western Australia (WA). Our estimates suggest that WA shrublands are intermediate between fynbos and tropical rainforest in terms of speciation and dispersal. Although a weak test, the model predicts species abundance distributions and species accumulation curves similar to those observed at the three sites. The neutral model's predictions also remain plausible when confronted with independent data describing: (1) known edaphic relationships between sites, (2) estimates of metacommunity species richness and (3) rates of speciation among resprouters and nonsprouters. Two of the site pairs, however, show species turnovers significantly different from those predicted by the spatially implicit form of the neutral model that we use. This suggests that non‐neutral processes, in this case probably edaphic specialisation, are important in the WA shrubland metacommunity. The neutral model predicts similar rates of speciation in resprouter and sprouter taxa, a finding supported by recent molecular phylogenies. Finally, when converted into temporally scaled speciation rates and species longevities, the estimates produced by the neutral model seem implausible. The apparent departure from neutrality in the turnover of species between some sites and the implausible temporal dynamics may be due to the particular model chosen and does not reduce the significance of our other results, which confirm that local dispersal limitation, coupled with broader scale edaphic fidelity, combine to structure this biodiverse metacommunity.
How human disturbance of tropical rainforest can influence avian fruit removal
Authors: Lefevre Kara L. , Rodd F. Helen
Published: May 2009

Fruit consumption by birds is an important ecological interaction that contributes to seed dispersal in tropical rainforests. In this field experiment, we asked whether moderate human disturbance alters patterns of avian frugivory: we measured fruit removal by birds in the lower montane rainforest of Tobago, West Indies, using artificial infructescences made with natural fruits from two common woody plants of the forest understory (Psychotria spp., Rubiaceae). Displays were mounted simultaneously in three forest habitats chosen to represent a gradient of increasing habitat disturbance (primary, intermediate and disturbed), caused by subsistence land use adjacent to a protected forest reserve. We measured the numbers of fruits removed and the effect of fruit position on the likelihood of removal, along with the abundances of all fruits and fruit‐eating birds at the study sites. Fruit removal was highly variable and there was not a significant difference in removal rate among forest habitats; however, the trend was for higher rates of removal from displays in primary forest. Canopy cover, natural fruit availability, and frugivore abundance were not good predictors of fruit removal. Birds preferred more accessible fruits (those proximal to the perch) in all habitats, but in disturbed forest, there was a tendency for distal fruits to be chosen more frequently than in the other forest types. One possible explanation for this pattern is that birds in disturbed forests were larger than those in other habitats, and hence were better able to reach the distal fruits. Coupled with differences in bird community composition among the forest types, this suggests that different suites of birds were removing fruit in primary versus disturbed forest. As frugivore species have different effectiveness as seed dispersers, the among‐habitat differences in fruit removal patterns that we observed could have important implications for plant species experiencing disturbance; these possible implications include altered amounts of seed deposition and seedling recruitment in Tobago's tropical rainforest.
Predator effects on aquatic community assembly: disentangling the roles of habitat selection and post‐colonization processes
Authors: Vonesh James R. , Kraus Johanna M. , Rosenberg J. Shoshana , Chase Jonathan M.
Published: May 2009

Top predators are known to play an important role in the assembly of communities via two mechanisms: (1) by altering the colonization (or emigration) patterns of prey through behavioral habitat selection, and (2) by altering vital rates (e.g. mortality, birth) of prey after colonization. While both these mechanisms act to determine assembly, research has focused on either their combined overall effects (confounding them), or examined them singly. As a result, it remains unclear how these mechanisms act to sequentially shape community structure. In this study, we experimentally disentangle habitat selection and post‐colonization effects of predaceous fish to test their independent and combined influence on the assembly of insect and larval amphibian communities in experimental freshwater habitats. Specifically, we ask, ‘do the behavioral choices of colonists continue to structure aquatic communities even after post‐colonization processes have occurred?’ Like previous studies, we found that colonization was strongly reduced by the presence of fish cues. More importantly, these effects of fish on prey colonization behavior combined independently with post‐colonization processes to determine the overall effect of predators on community assembly. Although habitat selection and predation both reduced abundance and biomass of most taxa in the post‐colonization communities, these factors had qualitatively different effects on aspects of trophic structure. Habitat selection altered the ratio of secondary to primary consumer abundance and biomass, while post‐colonization predation drove strong trophic cascades not observed in response to habitat selection. Our results suggest that behavioral choices regarding habitat selection can have lasting and unique effects on the structure of aquatic communities.
Predator inadvertent social information use favours reduced clumping of its prey
Authors: Hamblin Steven , Mathot Kimberley J. , Morand‐Ferron Julie , Nocera Joseph J. , Rieucau Guillaume , Giraldeau Luc‐Alain
Published: May 2009

When animals forage socially, individuals can obtain prey from their own searching (producer tactic) or by using the behaviour of others (scrounger tactic) when it provides inadvertent social information (ISI) that food has been located. This ISI may either indicate the location of food (social information, SI), or it may indicate the quality of the resource (public information, PI). To date, few studies have explored the selective consequences for prey of being exploited by predators that use ISI. Prey exploited by such predators should evolve traits that favour high levels of ISI use (scrounging) because this would result in lower predator search efficiency given that fewer predators would be searching directly for the prey. Our simulations confirm that ISI‐using predators should increase their use of ISI when their prey form larger clumps resulting in higher prey survival. Our objective therefore is to explore whether prey will evolve towards higher clumpiness when their predators use ISI, using genetic algorithm simulation. The prey were subjected to one of three types of predators for over 500 prey generations. The predators either used: (1) no social information (NS), (2) SI only, or (3) PI. Surprisingly, the prey evolved the highest clumpiness for NS predators. Prey evolved towards smaller clump sizes with SI predators and the clumps were marginally larger when predators used PI. The result is due to the prey evolving the minimum clumpiness required to cause maximal ISI use by their predators. We discuss how this response by prey may favour the use of PI over SI in their ISI‐using predators.
Multiple life stages with multiple replicated density levels are required to estimate density dependence for plants
Authors: Ramula Satu , Buckley Yvonne M.
Published: May 2009

Negative density dependence resulting from intraspecific competition can regulate plant populations by limiting demographic rates (survival, growth, fecundity). However, the strength of intraspecific competition can vary within and among populations due to spatial or temporal environmental heterogeneity, or genetic differences. Quantification of variation under a relatively constant environment is needed to assess the inherent potential for density dependence to vary. This knowledge will help adjust data collection effort required for parameterisation of density dependence. Our review of published plant demographic studies revealed that only half of the studies included the whole life‐cycle in the analysis of density dependence. Approximately half of the studies manipulated density, while the rest examined density dependence from observed densities in the field. Regardless of the design used, density dependence was estimated from a small number of replicates. To investigate inherent variation in density dependence during the life‐cycle, and the effect of low replication on density dependence estimates, we combined an experimental approach with simulations for an invasive herb Senecio madagascariensis. We found significant negative density dependence for five out of six examined demographic rates in a constant environment, with the strength of density dependence increasing during the life‐cycle. An exception was plant growth, in which the direction of density dependence varied from positive to negative depending on the life stage. Simulations showed substantial deviation for density dependence parameterised from a small number of replicates even when environmental variation was minimal. This suggests that data collection procedures currently used to assess the effect of density on plant demographic rates may produce inaccurate estimates, increasing uncertainty in demographic models. Due to variation in the direction and strength of density dependence during the life‐cycle, multiple life stages with multiple replicated density levels are required to parameterise density dependence for demographic rates.
Oxytocin and the oxytocin receptor underlie intrastrain, but not interstrain, social recognition
Authors: Macbeth A. H. , Lee H.‐J. , Edds J. , Young W. S.
Published: May 2009

We studied three lines of oxytocin (Oxt) and oxytocin receptor (Oxtr) knockout (KO) male mice [Oxt−/−, total Oxtr−/− and partial forebrain Oxtr (OxtrFB/FB)] with established deficits in social recognition to further refine our understanding of their deficits with regard to stimulus female's strain. We used a modified social discrimination paradigm in which subjects are singly housed only for the duration of the test. Additionally, stimulus females are singly housed throughout testing and are presented within corrals for rapid comparison of investigation by subject males. Wild‐type (WT) males from all three lines discriminated between familiar and novel females of three different strains (C57BL/6, BALB/c and Swiss‐Webster). No KO males discriminated between familiar and novel BALB/c or C57BL/6 females. Male Oxt−/− and Oxtr−/− mice, but not OxtrFB/FB mice, discriminated between familiar and novel Swiss‐Webster females. As this might indicate a global deficit in individual recognition for OxtrFB/FB males, we examined their ability to discriminate between females from different strains and compared performance with Oxtr−/− males. WT and KO males from both lines were able to distinguish between familiar and novel females from different strains, indicating the social recognition deficit is not universal. Instead, we hypothesize that the Oxtr is involved in ‘fine’ intrastrain recognition, but is less important in ‘broad’ interstrain recognition. We also present the novel finding of decreased investigation across tests, which is likely an artifact of repeated testing and not because of stimulus female's strain or age of subject males.
Effect of different levels of Quebracho tannin on nitrogen utilization and growth performance of Najdi sheep fed alfalfa (Medicago sativa) hay as a sole diet
Authors: AL‐DOBAIB Soliman N.
Published: May 2009

A commercial tannin source (Quebracho tannin, QT), containing 75% condensed tannins (CT) in dry matter (DM) was used to evaluate the effects of addition of different levels of QT to alfalfa hay on the in vitro degradation kinetics of organic matter (OM) and nitrogen (N) in experiment 1 (Exp. 1), N utilization and microbial N synthesis (MNS) in experiment 2 (Exp. 2) and growth performance of growing Najdi lambs in experiment 3 (Exp. 3). Alfalfa hay was treated with QT at the levels of 0, 1, 2 and 3% of DM to form four treatments of QT0, QT1, QT2 and QT3 to have actual levels of CT being 0, 0.75, 1.5 and 2.25% of DM, respectively. Degradation rate and the effective degradability of N were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) for QT2 and QT3 as compared with the QT0. In Exp. 2, digestibility coefficients for OM, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) at QT3, whereas QT1 and QT2 showed no difference toQT0. In the metabolism trial (Exp. 2), digested N (DN) and urinary N (UN) excretion for QT2 and QT3 were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) compared to QT0 and QT1. The DN and UN as percentage of N intake were 79.2, 76.9, 75.5 and 69.8%; and 24.4, 22.6, 19.9 and 19.6% for QT0, QT1, QT2 and QT3, respectively. QT2 had the highest MNS and the lowest value was in QT3, the MNS of the treatments were 18.1, 18.7, 19.2 and 15.8 g/day for QT0, QT1, QT2 and QT3, respectively. In the growth trial of 56 days duration (Exp. 3, n = 24 lambs), the addition of QT at the level of QT2 enhanced (P < 0.05) the average daily gain and feed conversion rate compared with the QT0, while, QT1 and QT3 had intermediate values. It is concluded that alfalfa hay treated with QT at the level of 2% of DM could be used to protect alfalfa N from ruminal degradation that would lead to improve growth performance of lambs.
Association of the amino acid motifs of BoLA‐DRB3 alleles with mastitis pathogens in Japanese Holstein cows
Authors: YOSHIDA Tatsuyuki , MUKOYAMA Harutaka , FURUTA Hiroki , KONDO Yasuko , TAKESHIMA Shin‐nosuke , AIDA Yoko , KOSUGIYAMA Motoaki , TOMOGANE Hiroshi
Published: May 2009

The association of the polymorphism of bovine leukocyte antigen (BoLA‐DRB3) genes, identified by the polymerase chain reaction sequence‐based typing (PCR‐SBT) method, with resistance and susceptibility to mastitis caused by Streptococci, coagulase‐negative Staphylococci, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was investigated. Blood samples for DNA extraction were collected from 170 Holstein cows (129 mastitis and 41 healthy cows) from 5 districts in Chiba prefecture, Japan. Susceptibility or resistance to the mastitis‐causing pathogens was thought to vary by the presence of amino acid substitutions at the 9, 11, 13, and 30 positions. DRB3*0101 and DRB3*1501 had amino acid motifs of Glu9, Ser11, Ser13, and Tyr30, and they were considered to have susceptibility to all 4 mastitis pathogens. In contrast, DRB3*1101 and DRB3*1401 had amino acid motifs of Gln9, His11, Gly13, and His30 in these positions, and they also had Val86, so these alleles were considered to have resistance to Streptococcal and coagulase‐negative Staphylococcal mastitis. However, in the case of Escherichia coli mastitis, amino acid substitutions at the 9, 11, 13, and 30 positions had little effect, but rather substitutions at the 47, 67 positions of pocket 7, and at the 71, 74 positions of pocket 4, Tyr47, Ile67, Ala71, and Ala74, were associated with resistance. This motif was present in DRB3*1201.
Ethical Thinking and Philosophy
Authors: Sia Santiago
Published: May 2009

Ethics has captured the attention of many today—for a variety of reasons. However, different conceptions and expectations of what is involved in addressing the ethical challenge have also arisen. Clarifying the nature of the ethical task, this essay argues for the need to think through the judgments we make and the decisions we take on ethical situations and to investigate more critically the basis of such judgments and decisions. Furthermore, it claims that in ethics, as well as in other areas of life, it is important to have an overall vision that should ground, inform and support any judgment or decision we make. Maintaining that ethics is a rational activity undertaken by rational agents, it shows how ethical thinking, particularly when it draws on philosophy, can help one to develop a moral sense and enable one to take a moral stance.
“Our Most Serious Deficiency-Disease”– Reason, Faith and the Rediscovery of Sensibility
Authors: Tóth Beáta
Published: May 2009

The essay addresses the complex cultural historical claim that with modernity the earlier unity of reason and sensibility underwent a dissociation that has important consequences for our current predicament and for our present understanding of the relationship between reason, faith and sensibility. Three case studies (Géza Ottlik, T. S. Eliot and Blaise Pascal) are examined in order to establish the nature of the divide and provide an archaeology (with the help of Pascal) of one of its first conceptualisations as well as of an early attempt to heal the growing fissure between what is termed by Pascal as reason and the heart. The second part examines current thought concerning the need to enlarge the narrow Enlightenment conception of reason and the recent call to re-envision its theological contours. The argument is then made that the same procedure should be applied to the theologically long-neglected domain of human sensibility. Theology is registered as also being accountable for internalising and perpetuating the cultural dissociation due to its failure to preserve the traditional theological contours of affectivity and its naivety in leaving the exploration of this domain entirely to the competence of secular philosophy.
The structural and biological significance of the EAAEAE insert in the α‐domain of human neuronal growth inhibitory factor
Authors: Cai Bin , Ding Zhi‐Chun , Zhang Qi , Ni Feng‐Yun , Wang Hui , Zheng Qi , Wang Yang , Zhou Guo‐Ming , Wang Ke‐Qiang , Sun Hong‐Zhe , Wu Hou‐Ming , Huang Zhong‐Xian
Published: May 2009

Human neuronal growth inhibitory factor (hGIF) is able to inhibit the outgrowth of neurons. As compared with the amino acid sequences of metallothionein 1/2, hGIF contains two insertions: a Thr at position 5 and an acidic hexapeptide EAAEAE(55–60) close to the C‐terminus. Moreover, all mammalian growth inhibitory factor sequences contain a conserved CPCP(6–9) motif. Previous studies have demonstrated that the TCPCP(5–9) motif is pivotal to its bioactivity, but no specific role has been assigned to the unique EAAEAE(55–60) insert. To investigate the potential structural and biological significance of the EAAEAE(55–60) insert, several mutants were constructed and investigated in detail. Notably, deletion of the acidic insert (the Δ55–60 mutant) reduced the inhibitory activity, whereas the bioactivities of other mutants did not change much. Then, spectroscopic characterization and molecular dynamics simulation were performed to investigate the potential causes of the reduced bioactivity of the Δ55–60 mutant. It was found that the domain–domain interaction mechanism of hGIF was different from that of metallothionein 2. It was also shown that the acidic insert could regulate the interdomain interactions in hGIF, leading to the structural change in the β‐domain, which resulted in the alteration of the solvent accessibility and metal release ability, thus playing an important role in the biological activity of hGIF. Our studies provided useful information on the domain–domain interaction at the molecular level for the first time, and shed new light on the mechanism of the bioactivity of hGIF.
Repeated Range Expansion and Glacial Endurance of Potentilla glabra (Rosaceae) in the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Wang Liu‐Yang , Ikeda Hiroshi , Liu Teng‐Liang , Wang Yu‐Jin , Liu Jian‐Quan
Published: May 2009

To date, little is still known about how alpine species occurring in the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau (QTP) responded to past climatic oscillations. Here, by using variations of the chloroplast trnT‐L, we examined the genetic distribution pattern of 101 individuals of Potentilla glabra, comprising both the interior QTP and the plateau edge. Phylogenetic and network analyses of 31 recovered haplotypes identified three tentative clades (A, B and C). Analysis of molecular variance (amova) revealed that most of the genetic variability was found within populations (0.693), while differentiations between populations were obviously distinct (Fst= 0.307). Two independent range expansions within clades A and B occurring at approximately 316 and 201 thousand years ago (kya) were recovered from the hierarchical mismatch analysis, and these two expansions were also confirmed by Fu's FS values and ‘g’ tests. However, distant distributions of clade C and private haplotypes from clades A and B suggest that they had survived the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and previous glaciers in situ since their origins. Our findings based on available limited samples support that multiple refugia of a few cold‐enduring species had been maintained in the QTP platform during LGM and/or previous glacial stages.
The Response Difference of Mitochondria in Recalcitrant Antiaris toxicaria Axes and Orthodox Zea mays Embryos to Dehydration Injury
Authors: Song Song‐Quan , Tian Mei‐Hua , Kan Jing , Cheng Hong‐Yan
Published: May 2009

Long‐term preservation of recalcitrant seeds is very difficult because the physiological basis on their desiccation sensitivity is poorly understood. Survival of Antiaris toxicaria axes rapidly decreased and that of immature maize embryos very slowly decreased with dehydration. To understand their different responses to dehydration, we examined the changes in mitochondria activity during dehydration. Although activities of cytochrome (Cyt) c oxidase and malate dehydrogenase of the A. toxicaria axis and maize embryo mitochondria decreased with dehydration, the parameters of maize embryo mitochondria were much higher than those of A. toxicaria, showing that the damage was more severe for the A. toxicaria axis mitochondria than for those of maize embryo. The state I and III respiration of the A. toxicaria axis mitochondria were higher than those of maize embryo, the former rapidly decreased, and the latter slowly decreased with dehydration. The proportion of Cyt c pathway to state III respiration for the A. toxicaria axis mitochondria was low and rapidly decreased with dehydration, and the proportion of alternative oxidase pathway was high and slightly increased with dehydration. In contrast, the proportion of Cyt c pathway for maize embryo mitochondria was high, and that of alternative oxidase pathway was low. Both pathways decreased slowly with dehydration.
Evaluation of resistance to different insecticides in field strains of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Punjab, Pakistan
Authors: AHEER Ghulam Mustafa , AZIZ Muhammad Asif , HAMEED Asifa , ALI Amjad
Published: May 2009

Susceptibility of field populations of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from Punjab, Pakistan to selected insecticides was evaluated using the leaf dip method. The resistance factors varied between populations. The general trends were low to moderate resistance to endosulfan; very low to low resistance to chlorpyrifos and profenofos; very low resistance to spinosad, indoxacarb and thiodicarb; moderate to high resistance to bifenthrin; high to very high resistance to cypermethrin; and very high resistance to lambda‐cyhalothrin. Integrated pest management strategies aimed at reducing pesticide application, such as rotating the conventional insecticides having low resistance with newly developed synthetic insecticides and conserving natural enemies, are recommended.
Cloning and expression pattern of 14‐3‐3ε fromCulex pipiens
Authors: KIM Dong Hyun , JO Yong Hun , HAN Yeon Soo , KANG Sang Sun , CHUN Jaesun
Published: May 2009

14‐3‐3 proteins play various roles in eukaryotes, such as signal transduction, cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, stress response and cytoskeleton organization. We are interested in apoptosis induced by mosquito–virus interactions usingCulex pipiensas an experimental model. To this end, we cloned a partial fragment (702 bp) of 14‐3‐3ε, one of the key proteins known to be involved in apoptosis, fromCx. pipiens. The deduced amino acid sequence (234 residues) had high homology to 14‐3‐3ε homologs from various organisms, such asCulex quinquefasciatus(99%),Anopheles gambiae(98%),Aedes aegypti(96%),Drosophila melanogaster(93%),Apis mellifera(91%) andBombyx mori(89%). Developmental reverse transcription (RT)‐polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis showed thatCp14‐3‐3εmRNA is expressed at very high levels in the egg, early pupa, and adult male and female, although it was expressed in other developmental stages, such as first and fourth instar larvae. Analysis of RT‐PCR for tissue specificity showed thatCp14‐3‐3εis abundant in the abdomen and ovary, and it was also detectable in all other tissues, such as thorax, midgut and Malpighian tubule. Actinomycin‐D, an apoptosis‐inducing chemical, inducesCp14‐3‐3εmRNA expression. Furthermore, poly I : C (RNA virus analog) inducesCp14‐3‐3εmRNA 3 h after injection. Thus, although further investigation is necessary for elucidating the biological significance of the induced 14‐3‐3ε, our data suggest that Cp14‐3‐3ε is involved in cell survival and signal transduction inCx. pipiens.
Auditory Word Recognition: Evidence from Aphasia and Functional Neuroimaging
Authors: Blumstein Sheila E.
Published: May 2009

This review examines the neural systems underlying auditory word recognition processes using both lesion and functional neuroimaging studies. Focus is on the influence of the sound properties of language (its phonetic and its phonological properties) in the service of identifying a particular word or the conceptual/meaning associated with that word. Results indicate that auditory word recognition recruits a neural system in which information is passed through the network in what appears to be functionally distinct stages: acoustic‐phonetic analysis in temporal areas, mapping of sound structure to the lexicon, accessing a lexical candidate and its associated lexical‐semantic network in temporo‐parietal areas, and lexical selection in frontal areas. Information cascades throughout the network as shown by the influence of ‘goodness’ of fit and phonological/lexical competition on modulation of activation in both posterior areas including the superior temporal gyrus and supramarginal gyrus and in frontal areas including the inferior frontal gyrus.
Attitudes About Health and Health‐Related Behaviors in Patients With Cardiovascular Disease or at Elevated Risk for Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Robinson Jennifer G. , Fox Kathleen M. , Grandy Susan ,   for the SHIELD Study Group
Published: May 2009

This study evaluated whether positive health attitudes were associated with healthy behaviors in individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD) or moderate coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. Self‐reported health attitudes and behaviors were assessed in the US Study to Help Improve Early Evaluation and Management of Risk Factors Leading to Diabetes (SHIELD) for respondents with CVD and type 2 diabetes mellitus (very high risk), CVD and no diabetes (high risk), or moderate CHD risk. CVD was defined as a diagnosis of heart disease/heart attack, stroke, obstructed coronary arteries, or revascularization. Moderate CHD risk was defined as ≥2 Framingham risk factors. Comparisons across very high‐risk (n=1177), high‐risk (n=2202), and moderate‐risk (n=6802) respondents were made using analysis of variance. The proportion of respondents reporting excellent or very good current health decreased with increasing risk (37% of moderate‐risk, 21% of high‐risk, and 13% of very high‐risk respondents). The proportion concerned that their health problems might worsen increased with increasing risk (55%, 63%, and 74%). With increasing risk, 28%, 26%, and 31% exercised regularly and 58%, 52%, and 54% maintained their desired weight for >6 months. Respondents with positive health attitudes were more likely to exercise regularly and maintain desired weight compared with respondents with negative health attitudes (P<.01). Respondents had an average of 3 or 4 family doctor office visits in the past year. Most respondents with CVD or moderate CHD risk had negative health attitudes and were not employing healthy behaviors with regard to exercise and weight management. Frequent family doctor visits are an opportunity to improve the delivery of personalized health education and intervention programs.
Ecosystem services and conservation strategy: beware the silver bullet
Authors: Vira Bhaskar , Adams William M.
Published: May 2009

There is an important analytical distinction for conservationists between the flow of ecosystem services and the stock of natural capital that underpins or constitutes them. The relationship between these two is often complex and indeterminate. Ecosystem services result from the interplay of different biological and physical processes across a variety of scales. Flows of ecosystem services may be imperfectly related to stocks of natural capital. Conservation is concerned with the protection of certain stocks of natural capital, but also with maintaining the complex web of relationships that characterize biodiversity. Despite the obvious links between ecosystem services, natural capital, and biodiversity, these are not identical. Practitioners and policy makers should be cautious in their use of the proxy indicator of ecosystem services when developing mechanisms for biodiversity conservation. Conceptual clarity is essential in order to harness the potentially important role that ecosystem service based interventions can play in mainstreaming conservation issues.
Protecting ecosystem services and biodiversity in the world's watersheds
Authors: Luck Gary W. , Chan Kai M.A. , Fay John P.
Published: May 2009

Despite unprecedented worldwide biodiversity loss, conservation is not at the forefront of national or international development programs. The concept of ecosystem services was intended to help conservationists demonstrate the benefits of ecosystems for human well‐being, but services are not yet seen to truly address human need with current approaches focusing mostly on financial gain. To promote development strategies that integrate conservation and service protection, we developed the first prioritization scheme for protecting ecosystem services in the world's watersheds and compared our results with global conservation schemes. We found that by explicitly incorporating human need into prioritization strategies, service‐protection priorities were squarely focused on the world's poorest, most densely populated regions. We identified watersheds in Southeast Asia and East Africa as the most crucial priorities for service protection and biodiversity conservation, including Irrawaddy—recently devastated by cyclone Nargis. Emphasizing human need is a substantial improvement over dollar‐based, ecosystem‐service valuations that undervalue the requirements of the world's poor, and our approach offers great hope for reconciling conservation and human development goals.
Pollination of the Lady's slipper orchid (Cypripedium calceolus) in Scandinavia – taxonomic and conservational aspects
Authors: Antonelli Alexandre , Johan Dahlberg C. , Carlgren Kaisa H. I. , Appelqvist Thomas
Published: May 2009

The Lady's slipper orchid Cypripedium calceolus L. is considered one of the most beautiful orchids of Europe. Consequently, the species has suffered from over‐collecting and is now critically endangered in many countries. Although pollination success is suspected to influence the long‐term survival of Cypripedium calceolus, relatively little is known about the identity of its pollinators in mainland Sweden – a region that comprises the largest European populations. In order to identify which species pollinate eight representative populations in mainland Sweden, we observed and sampled visitors to flowers using a standardized protocol. Specimens were identified and any pollen smear found on their body was examined for the presence of Cypripedium pollen. Nine species were recognized as effective pollen vectors (Andrena cineraria, A. carantonica, A. haemorrohoa, A. helvola, A. nigroaenea, A. praecox, Colletes cunicularius, Lasioglossum fratellum and L. fulvicorne), four of them for the first time in Scandinavia. This is the first time that a species of Colletes is reported to carry pollen of Cypripedium in this region. All but one specimens were females. Our results suggest a taxonomically heterogeneous pollinator fauna for Cypripedium calceolus and are discussed in light of the management of this species.
Intervention Effects on Cognitive Antecedents of Physical Exercise: A 1‐Year Follow‐Up Study
Authors: Göhner Wiebke , Seelig Harald , Fuchs Reinhard
Published: May 2009

We developed and evaluated a theory‐based intervention programme (MoVo‐LISA) that encompasses motivational and volitional strategies aiming to prepare orthopaedic rehabilitation patients to perform physical exercise on a regular basis after discharge. The intervention consists of six units: two group sessions, one one‐to‐one interview, and three after‐care contacts. Two hundred and twenty inactive patients were subsequently assigned to an intervention group (standard care plus MoVo‐LISA) and a control group (standard care). Participants filled out questionnaires assessing cognitive antecedents of physical exercise. Measurement took place before and after rehabilitation, 6 weeks and 6 months after discharge, and 1 year after discharge. A 2 × 5 repeated measurement design was applied. Results revealed significant main and interaction effects with regard to cognitive variables; the intervention group reported enhanced self‐efficacy and more positive balance of outcome expectations at 6 months as well as stronger goal intentions, more elaborated implementation intentions, and optimised strategies of intention shielding at 12 months after discharge compared to patients of the control group. Our findings demonstrate that a short and inexpensive cognitive‐behavioural training programme is an effective tool to enable rehabilitation patients to follow treatment recommendations after discharge. The standardised intervention can be conducted by personnel other than psychologists.
Development and performance of a quantitative PCR for the enumeration of Bdellovibrionaceae
Authors: Van Essche M. , Sliepen I. , Loozen G. , Van Eldere J. , Quirynen M. , Davidov Y. , Jurkevitch E. , Boon N. , Teughels W.
Published: May 2009

Quantification of Bdellovibrio‐and‐like organisms (BALOs) by microbial culturing has a number of substantial drawbacks. Therefore a quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay was designed for the culture‐independent enumeration of the Bdellovibrionaceae. After optimization, the dynamic range of the qPCR assay was assessed, the specificity was evaluated and a comparison with quantitative microbial culturing was made. To evaluate the suitability of the qPCR assay for analysing environmental samples, fresh water samples were investigated by microbial culturing and by the qPCR assay. The results revealed a substantial difference between the two techniques and indicate that most Bdellovibrionaceae cells are left undetected in environmental samples when only current microbial culturing techniques are used. The application of this new technique is therefore likely to confirm the hitherto underestimated sizes and roles of predatory bacterial populations in nature.