bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mental Health Clinicians’ Beliefs About the Biological, Psychological, and Environmental Bases of Mental Disorders
Authors: Ahn Woo‐kyoung , Proctor Caroline C. , Flanagan Elizabeth H.
Published: February 2010

The current experiments examine mental health clinicians’ beliefs about biological, psychological, and environmental bases of the DSM‐IV‐TR mental disorders and the consequences of those causal beliefs for judging treatment effectiveness. Study 1 found a large negative correlation between clinicians’ beliefs about biological bases and environmental/psychological bases, suggesting that clinicians conceptualize mental disorders along a single continuum spanning from highly biological disorders (e.g., autistic disorder) to highly nonbiological disorders (e.g., adjustment disorders). Study 2 replicated this finding by having clinicians list what they thought were the specific causes of nine familiar mental disorders and rate their bio–psycho–environmental bases. Study 3 further found that clinicians believe medication to be more effective for biologically based mental disorders and psychotherapy to be more effective for psychosocially based mental disorders. These results demonstrate that even expert mental health clinicians make strong distinctions between psychological and biological phenomena.
Probabilistically Valid Inference of Covariation From a Singlex,yObservation When Univariate Characteristics Are Known
Authors: Doherty Michael E. , Anderson Richard B. , Kelley Amanda M. , Albert James H.
Published: February 2010

Participants were asked to draw inferences about correlation from singlex,yobservations. In Experiment 1 statistically sophisticated participants were given the univariate characteristics of distributions ofxandyand asked to infer whether a singlex, yobservation came from a correlated or an uncorrelated population. In Experiment 2, students with a variety of statistical backgrounds assigned posterior probabilities to five possible populations based on singlex, yobservations, again given knowledge of the univariate statistics. In Experiment 3, statistically naïve participants were given a problem analogous to that given in Experiment 1, framed verbally. Experiment 4 replicated Experiment 3 but added an “impossible to determine” response option. Models that rely on computing sample correlations make no predictions about these investigations. From a Bayesian perspective, participants’ inferences in all four experiments tended to make probabilistically valid inferences as long as the single datum was directional. The results are discussed in light of the Brunswikian notion of vicarious functioning.
Computational Models for the Combination of Advice and Individual Learning
Authors: Biele Guido , Rieskamp Jörg , Gonzalez Richard
Published: February 2010

Decision making often takes place in social environments where other actors influence individuals' decisions. The present article examines how advice affects individual learning. Five social learning models combining advice and individual learning‐four based on reinforcement learning and one on Bayesian learning‐and one individual learning model are tested against each other. In two experiments, some participants received good or bad advice prior to a repeated multioption choice task. Receivers of advice adhered to the advice, so that good advice improved performance. The social learning models described the observed learning processes better than the individual learning model. Of the models tested, the best social learning model assumes that outcomes from recommended options are more positively evaluated than outcomes from nonrecommended options. This model correctly predicted that receivers first adhere to advice, then explore other options, and finally return to the recommended option. The model also predicted accurately that good advice has a stronger impact on learning than bad advice. One‐time advice can have a long‐lasting influence on learning by changing the subjective evaluation of outcomes of recommended options.
The Role of Moral Commitments in Moral Judgment
Authors: Lombrozo Tania
Published: February 2010

Traditional approaches to moral psychology assumed that moral judgments resulted from the application of explicit commitments, such as those embodied in consequentialist or deontological philosophies. In contrast, recent work suggests that moral judgments often result from unconscious or emotional processes, with explicit commitments generated post hoc. This paper explores the intermediate position that moral commitments mediate moral judgments, but not through their explicit and consistent application in the course of judgment. An experiment with 336 participants finds that individuals vary in the extent to which their moral commitments are consequentialist or deontological, and that this variation is systematically but imperfectly related to the moral judgments elicited by trolley car problems. Consequentialist participants find action in trolley car scenarios more permissible than do deontologists, and only consequentialists moderate their judgments when scenarios that typically elicit different intuitions are presented side by side. The findings emphasize the need for a theory of moral reasoning that can accommodate both the associations and dissociations between moral commitments and moral judgments.
Representation of Principled Connections: A Window Onto the Formal Aspect of Common Sense Conception
Authors: Prasada Sandeep , Dillingham Elaine M.
Published: February 2010

Nominal concepts represent things as tokens of types. Recent research suggests that we represent principled connections between the type of thing something is (e.g., DOG) and some of its properties (k‐properties; e.g., having four legs for dogs) but not other properties (t‐properties; e.g., being brown for dogs). Principled connections differ from logical, statistical, and causal connections. Principled connections license (i) the expectation that tokens of the type will generally possess their k‐properties, (ii) formal explanations (i.e., explanation of the presence of k‐properties in tokens of a type by reference to the type of thing it is), and (iii) normative expectations concerning the presence of k‐properties in tokens of the type. The present paper investigates the hypothesis that representing principled connections requires representing properties as aspects of being the relevant kind of thing (Aspect Hypothesis). Experiment 1 provides a direct test of the Aspect Hypothesis. Experiments 2 and 3 provide indirect tests of the Aspect Hypothesis. All three experiments provide support for the Aspect Hypothesis. Experiment 4 investigates a prediction of the Aspect Hypothesis concerning the manner in which formal explanations are licensed by principled connections. Finally, Experiment 5 investigates a prediction of the Aspect Hypothesis concerning the nature of the normative expectations licensed by principled connections. Together these results provide strong evidence for the idea that representing principled connections involves representing a property as being an aspect of being a given kind of thing. The results also help clarify the manner in which formal explanation differs from other modes of explanation. Finally, the results of the experiments are used to motivate a proposal concerning the formal structure of the conceptual representations implicated by principled connections. This structure provides a domain‐general way of structuring our concepts and embodies the perspective we take when we think and talk of things as being instances of a kind.
Incrementality and Prediction in Human Sentence Processing
Authors: Altmann Gerry T. M. , Mirković Jelena
Published: February 2010

We identify a number of principles with respect to prediction that, we argue, underpin adult language comprehension: (a) comprehension consists in realizing a mapping between the unfolding sentence and the event representation corresponding to the real‐world event being described; (b) the realization of this mapping manifests as the ability to predict both how the language will unfold, and how the real‐world event would unfold if it were being experienced directly; (c) concurrent linguistic and nonlinguistic inputs, and the prior internal states of the system, each drive the predictive process; (d) the representation of prior internal states across a representational substrate common to the linguistic and nonlinguistic domains enables the predictive process to operate over variable time frames and variable levels of representational abstraction. We review empirical data exemplifying the operation of these principles and discuss the relationship between prediction, event structure, thematic role assignment, and incrementality.
On the Meaning of Words and Dinosaur Bones: Lexical Knowledge Without a Lexicon
Authors: Elman Jeffrey L.
Published: February 2010

Although for many years a sharp distinction has been made in language research between rules and words—with primary interest on rules—this distinction is now blurred in many theories. If anything, the focus of attention has shifted in recent years in favor of words. Results from many different areas of language research suggest that the lexicon is representationally rich, that it is the source of much productive behavior, and that lexically specific information plays a critical and early role in the interpretation of grammatical structure. But how much information can or should be placed in the lexicon? This is the question I address here. I review a set of studies whose results indicate that event knowledge plays a significant role in early stages of sentence processing and structural analysis. This poses a conundrum for traditional views of the lexicon. Either the lexicon must be expanded to include factors that do not plausibly seem to belong there; or else virtually all information about word meaning is removed, leaving the lexicon impoverished. I suggest a third alternative, which provides a way to account for lexical knowledge without a mental lexicon.
Lexical Organization and Competition in First and Second Languages: Computational and Neural Mechanisms
Authors: Li Ping
Published: February 2010

How does a child rapidly acquire and develop a structured mental organization for the vast number of words in the first years of life? How does a bilingual individual deal with the even more complicated task of learning and organizing two lexicons? It is only until recently have we started to examine the lexicon as a dynamical system with regard to its acquisition, representation, and organization. In this article, I outline a proposal based on our research that takes the dynamical approach to the lexicon, and I discuss how this proposal can be applied to account for lexical organization, structural representation, and competition within and between languages. In particular, I provide computational evidence based on the DevLex model, a self‐organizing neural network model, and neuroimaging evidence based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies, to illustrate how children and adults learn and represent the lexicon in their first and second languages. In the computational research, our goal has been to identify, through linguistically and developmentally realistic models, detailed cognitive mechanisms underlying the dynamic self‐organizing processes in monolingual and bilingual lexical development; in the neuroimaging research, our goal has been to identify the neural substrates that subserve lexical organization and competition in the monolingual and the bilingual brain. In both cases, our findings lead to a better understanding of the interactive dynamics involved in the acquisition and representation of one or multiple languages.
A Probabilistic Model of Semantic Plausibility in Sentence Processing
Authors: Padó Ulrike , Crocker Matthew W. , Keller Frank
Published: February 2010

Experimental research shows that human sentence processing uses information from different levels of linguistic analysis, for example, lexical and syntactic preferences as well as semantic plausibility. Existing computational models of human sentence processing, however, have focused primarily on lexico‐syntactic factors. Those models that do account for semantic plausibility effects lack a general model of human plausibility intuitions at the sentence level. Within a probabilistic framework, we propose a wide‐coverage model that both assigns thematic roles to verb–argument pairs and determines a preferred interpretation by evaluating the plausibility of the resulting (verb,role,argument) triples. The model is trained on a corpus of role‐annotated language data. We also present a transparent integration of the semantic model with an incremental probabilistic parser. We demonstrate that both the semantic plausibility model and the combined syntax/semantics model predict judgment and reading time data from the experimental literature.
Cognitive Models of Choice: Comparing Decision Field Theory to the Proportional Difference Model
Authors: Scheibehenne Benjamin , Rieskamp Jörg , González‐Vallejo Claudia
Published: February 2010

People often face preferential decisions under risk. To further our understanding of the cognitive processes underlying these preferential choices, two prominent cognitive models, decision field theory (DFT;Busemeyer & Townsend, 1993) and the proportional difference model (PD;González‐Vallejo, 2002), were rigorously tested against each other. In two consecutive experiments, the participants repeatedly had to choose between monetary gambles. The first experiment provided the reference to estimate the models’ free parameters. From these estimations, new gamble pairs were generated for the second experiment such that the two models made maximally divergent predictions. In the first experiment, both models explained the data equally well. However, in the second generalization experiment, the participants’ choices were much closer to the predictions of DFT. The results indicate that the stochastic process assumed by DFT, in which evidence in favor of or against each option accumulates over time, described people’s choice behavior better than the trade‐offs between proportional differences assumed by PD.
Multitimescale Dynamical Interactions Between Speech Rhythm and Gesture
Authors: Tilsen Sam
Published: February 2010

Temporal patterns in human movement, and in speech in particular, occur on multiple timescales. Regularities in such patterns have been observed between speech gestures, which are relatively quick movements of articulators (e.g., tongue fronting and lip protrusion), and also between rhythmic units (e.g., syllables and metrical feet), which occur more slowly. Previous work has shown that patterns in both domains can be usefully modeled with oscillatory dynamical systems. To investigate how rhythmic and gestural domains interact, an experiment was conducted in which speakers performed a phrase repetition task, and gestural kinematics were recorded using electromagnetic articulometry. Variance in relative timing of gestural movements was correlated with variance in rhythmic timing, indicating that gestural and rhythmic systems interact in the process of planning and producing speech. A model of rhythmic and gestural planning oscillators with multifrequency coupling is presented, which can simulate the observed covariability between rhythmic and gestural timing.
Do the Weak Stand a Chance? Distribution of Resources in a Competitive Environment
Authors: Avrahami Judith , Kareev Yaakov
Published: February 2010

When two agents of unequal strength compete, the stronger one is expected to always win the competition. This expectation is based on the assumption that evaluation of performance is complete, hence flawless. If, however, the agents are evaluated on the basis of only a small sample of their performance, the weaker agent still stands a chance of winning occasionally. A theoretical analysis indicates that, to increase the chance of this happening the weaker agent ought to give up on enough occasions so that he or she can match the stronger agent on the remaining ones. We model such a competition in a game, present its game‐theoretic solution, and report an experiment, involving 144 individuals, in which we tested whether players (both weak and strong) are actually sensitive to their relative strengths and know how to allocate their resources accordingly. Our results indicate that they do.
Changing Structures in Midstream: Learning Along the Statistical Garden Path
Authors: Gebhart Andrea L. , Aslin Richard N. , Newport Elissa L.
Published: February 2010

Previous studies of auditory statistical learning have typically presented learners with sequential structural information that is uniformly distributed across the entire exposure corpus. Here we present learners with nonuniform distributions of structural information by altering the organization of trisyllabic nonsense words at midstream. When this structural change was unmarked by low‐level acoustic cues, or even when cued by a pitch change, only the first of the two structures was learned. However, both structures were learned when there was an explicit cue to the midstream change or when exposure to the second structure was tripled in duration. These results demonstrate that successful extraction of the structure in an auditory statistical learning task reduces the ability to learn subsequent structures, unless the presence of two structures is marked explicitly or the exposure to the second is quite lengthy. The mechanisms by which learners detect and use changes in distributional information to maintain sensitivity to multiple structures are discussed from both behavioral and computational perspectives.
How Can Experts See the Invisible? Reply to Bilalić and Gobet
Authors: Linhares Alexandre , Brum Paulo
Published: February 2010

Experts in all fields are able to see what is invisible to others. Experts are also able to see what is visible to all—and this is explored by Bilalić and Gobet. We question the method of normalizing all subjects in an experimental condition, and asking experts to behave as if they were novices. We claim that method leads Bilalić and Gobet to a nonsequitur.
They Do What They Are Told to Do: The Influence of Instruction on (Chess) Expert Perception—Commentary on Linhares and Brum (2007)
Authors: Bilalić Merim , Gobet Fernand
Published: February 2010

Linhares and Brum (2007) argue that they provide evidence for analogy as the main principle behind experts’ acquisition of perceptual knowledge. However, the methodology they used—asking players to pair positions using abstract similarity—raises the possibility that the task reflects more the effect of directional instructions than the principles underlying the acquisition of knowledge. Here we replicate and extend Linhares and Brum’s experiment and show that the matching task they used is inadequate for drawing any conclusions about the nature of experts’ perception. When expert chess players were instructed to match problems based on similarities at the abstract level (analogy), they produced more abstract pairs than pairs based on concrete similarity. However, the same experts produced more concrete pairs than abstract ones when instructed to match the problems based on concrete similarity. Asking experts to match problems using explicit instructions is not an appropriate way to show the importance of either analogy or similarity in the acquisition of expert knowledge. Experts simply do what they are told to do.
Building to Discover: A Common Coding Model
Authors: Chandrasekharan Sanjay
Published: February 2010

I present a case study of scientific discovery, where building two functional and behavioral approximations of neurons, one physical and the other computational, led to conceptual and implementation breakthroughs in a neural engineering laboratory. Such building of external systems that mimic target phenomena, and the use of these external systems to generate novel concepts and control structures, is a standard strategy in the new engineering sciences. I develop a model of the cognitive mechanism that connects such built external systems with internal models, and I examine how new discoveries, and consensus on discoveries, could arise from this external‐internal coupling and the building process. The model is based on the emerging framework of common coding, which proposes a shared representation in the brain between the execution, perception, and imagination of movement.
Occlusion Is Hard: Comparing Predictive Reaching for Visible and Hidden Objects in Infants and Adults
Authors: Hespos Susan , Gredebäck Gustaf , Von Hofsten Claes , Spelke Elizabeth S.
Published: February 2010

Infants can anticipate the future location of a moving object and execute a predictive reach to intercept the object. When a moving object is temporarily hidden by darkness or occlusion, 6‐month‐old infants’ reaching is perturbed, but performance on darkness trials is significantly better than occlusion trials. How does this reaching behavior change over development? Experiment 1 tested predictive reaching of 6‐ and 9‐month‐old infants. While there was an increase in the overall number of reaches with increasing age, there were significantly fewer predictive reaches during the occlusion compared to visible trials and no age‐related changes in this pattern. The decrease in performance found in Experiment 1 is likely to apply not only to the object representations formed by infants but also those formed by adults. In Experiment 2 we tested adults with a similar reaching task. Like infants, the adults were most accurate when the target was continuously visible and performance in darkness trials was significantly better than occlusion trials, providing evidence that there is something specific about occlusion that makes it more difficult than merely lack of visibility. Together, these findings suggest that infants’ and adults’ capacities to represent objects have similar signatures throughout development.
Relationships Between Language Structure and Language Learning: The Suffixing Preference and Grammatical Categorization
Authors: St. Clair Michelle C. , Monaghan Padraic , Ramscar Michael
Published: February 2010

It is a reasonable assumption that universal properties of natural languages are not accidental. They occur either because they are underwritten by genetic code, because they assist in language processing or language learning, or due to some combination of the two. In this paper we investigate one such language universal: the suffixing preference across the world’s languages, whereby inflections tend to be added to the end of words. A corpus analysis of child‐directed speech in English found that suffixes were more accurate at cuing the grammatical category of the root word than were prefixes. An artificial language experiment found that there was a learning advantage for suffixes over prefixes in terms of grammatical categorization within an artificial language. The results are consistent with an account of language universals that originate in general purpose learning mechanisms.
Representation Recovers Information
Authors: Thornton Chris
Published: February 2010

Early agreement within cognitive science on the topic of representation has now given way to a combination of positions. Some question the significance of representation in cognition. Others continue to argue in favor, but the case has not been demonstrated in any formal way. The present paper sets out a framework in which the value of representation use can be mathematically measured, albeit in a broadly sensory context rather than a specifically cognitive one. Key to the approach is the use of Bayesian networks for modeling the distal dimension of sensory processes. More relevant to cognitive science is the theoretical result obtained, which is that a certain type of representational architecture isnecessaryfor achievement of sensory efficiency. While exhibiting few of the characteristics of traditional, symbolic encoding, this architecture corresponds quite closely to the forms of embedded representation now being explored in some embedded/embodied approaches. It becomes meaningful to view that type of representation use as a form of information recovery. A formal basis then exists for viewing representation not so much as the substrate of reasoning and thought, but rather as a general medium for efficient, interpretive processing.
Reviving Inert Knowledge: Analogical Abstraction Supports Relational Retrieval of Past Events
Authors: Gentner Dedre , Loewenstein Jeffrey , Thompson Leigh , Forbus Kenneth D.
Published: February 2010

We present five experiments and simulation studies to establishlate analogical abstractionas a new psychological phenomenon: Schema abstraction from analogical examples can revive otherwise inert knowledge. We find that comparing two analogous examples of negotiations at recall time promotes retrieving analogical matches stored in memory—a notoriously elusive effect. Another innovation in this research is that we show parallel effects for real‐life autobiographical memory (Experiments 1–3) and for a controlled memory set (Experiments 4 and 5). Simulation studies show that a unified model based on schema abstraction can capture backward (retrieval) effects as well as forward (transfer) effects.
Exploiting Multiple Sources of Information in Learning an Artificial Language: Human Data and Modeling
Authors: Perruchet Pierre , Tillmann Barbara
Published: February 2010

This study investigates the joint influences of three factors on the discovery of new word‐like units in a continuous artificial speech stream: the statistical structure of the ongoing input, the initial word‐likeness of parts of the speech flow, and the contextual information provided by the earlier emergence of other word‐like units. Results of an experiment conducted with adult participants show that these sources of information have strong and interactive influences on word discovery. The authors then examine the ability of different models of word segmentation to account for these results. PARSER (Perruchet & Vinter, 1998) is compared to the view that word segmentation relies on the exploitation of transitional probabilities between successive syllables, and with the models based on the Minimum Description Length principle, such as INCDROP. The authors submit arguments suggesting that PARSER has the advantage of accounting for the whole pattern of data without ad‐hoc modifications, while relying exclusively on general‐purpose learning principles. This study strengthens the growing notion that nonspecific cognitive processes, mainly based on associative learning and memory principles, are able to account for a larger part of early language acquisition than previously assumed.
Learnability of Embedded Syntactic Structures Depends on Prosodic Cues
Authors: Mueller Jutta L. , Bahlmann Jörg , Friederici Angela D.
Published: February 2010

The ability to process center‐embedded structures has been claimed to represent a core function of the language faculty. Recently, several studies have investigated the learning of center‐embedded dependencies in artificial grammar settings. Yet some of the results seem to question the learnability of these structures in artificial grammar tasks. Here, we tested under which exposure conditions learning of center‐embedded structures in an artificial grammar is possible. We used naturally spoken syllable sequences and varied the presence of prosodic cues. The results suggest that mere distributional information does not suffice for successful learning. Prosodic cues marking the boundaries of the major relevant units, however, can lead to learning success. Thus, our data are consistent with the hypothesis that center‐embedded syntactic structures can be learned in artificial grammar tasks if language‐like acoustic cues are provided.
Sign on the Dotted Line: The Informed Consent Process (ICP) as Induced Compliance1
Authors: Swan D. Joye , Collins Mary A.
Published: February 2010

We investigated the social implications of signing an informed consent form (ICF) on participant behavior. ICF research fails to consider that the decision to participate in research is a process that occurs in a social and cultural context. Understanding the meaning of giving consent in this social context is critical. In separate experiments, we found significantly greater agreement to return to complete a study and persistence at a task in participants who signed the ICF versus those who did not. Signing the ICF may be putting participants at risk of induced compliance with study protocols, rather than empowering them to withhold consent or withdraw. Future research should investigate the psychosocial factors affecting participants' decision making in the informed consent process.
Context Effects in Environmental Judgments: Assimilation and Contrast Effects in Separate and Joint Evaluation Modes1
Authors: Tanner Carmen
Published: February 2010

This research investigates whether consumers judge the environmental quality of food products differently according to whether the products are presented separately or jointly and whether assimilation or contrast effects are more likely to occur. Study 1 revealed contrast effects when products were judged in separate evaluation. Study 2 revealed assimilation effects when products were judged in joint evaluation. Increasing the range of the product alternatives, however, produced a displacement of the judgments in the opposite direction, indicating contrast effects again. Comparing the environmental judgments across both studies, reversal effects in judgments and ordering of products could be demonstrated. Overall, the findings underline that environmental judgments are highly unstable and context‐dependent.
Perception of Social Change and Psychological Well‐Being: A Study Focusing on Social Change in Korea Between 1997 and 20001
Authors: Kim Jungsik
Published: February 2010

Focusing on the subjective perception of scope, pace, and evaluation of social change, this study investigated how social change is related to psychological well‐being. A theoretical model based on the transactional model of stress was built and tested with the data drawn from Korea using structural equation modeling. The results illustrate that the perceived scope and pace of social change were negatively related to psychological well‐being through the mediation of the evaluation of social change, which also mediated the relationship between coping resources and psychological well‐being. Coping resources also buffered the influence of perceived social change on psychological well‐being. The findings suggest that the subjective perception of social change is a crucial stress factor in understanding psychological well‐being.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH—BASIC SCIENCE: Acute and Repeated Flibanserin Administration in Female Rats Modulates Monoamines Differentially Across Brain Areas: A Microdialysis Study
Authors: Allers Kelly A. , Dremencov Eliyahu , Ceci Angelo , Flik Gunnar , Ferger Boris , Cremers Thomas I.F.H. , Ittrich Carina , Sommer Bernd
Published: February 2010

Introduction

Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is defined as persistent lack of sexual fantasies or desire marked by distress. With a prevalence of 10% it is the most common form of female sexual dysfunction. Recently, the serotonin-1A (5-HT1A) receptor agonist and the serotonin-2A (5-HT2A) receptor antagonist flibanserin were shown to be safe and efficacious in premenopausal women suffering from HSDD in phase III clinical trials.

Aim

The current study aims to assess the effect of flibanserin on neurotransmitters serotonin (5-HT), norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), glutamate, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in brain areas associated with sexual behavior.

Methods

Flibanserin was administered to female Wistar rats (280–350 g). Microdialysis probes were stereotactically inserted into the mPFC, NAC, or MPOA, under isoflurane anesthesia. The extracellular levels of neurotransmitters were assessed in freely moving animals, 24 hours after the surgery.

Main Outcome Measures

Dialysate levels of DA, NE, and serotonin from medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), nucleus accumbens (NAC), and hypothalamic medial preoptic area (MPOA) from female rats.

Results

Acute flibanserin administration decreased 5-HT and increased NE levels in all tested areas. DA was increased in mPFC and MPOA, but not in the NAC. Basal levels of NE in mPFC and NAC and of DA in mPFC were increased upon repeated flibanserin administration, when compared to vehicle-treated animals. The basal levels of 5-HT were not altered by repeated flibanserin administration, but basal DA and NE levels were increased in the mPFC. Glutamate and GABA levels remained unchanged following either repeated or acute flibanserin treatment.

Conclusions

Systemic administration of flibanserin to female rats differentially affects the monoamine systems of the brain. This may be the mechanistic underpinning of flibanserin’s therapeutic efficacy in HSDD, as sexual behavior is controlled by an intricate interplay between stimulatory (catecholaminergic) and inhibitory (serotonergic) systems.
Effectiveness of Weekly Percutaneous Maxacalcitol Injection Therapy in Patients With Secondary Hyperparathyroidism
Authors: Saito Atsushi , Matsumoto Yuji , Oyama Yuhta , Asaka Mitsuhiro , Yokoyama Hitoshi
Published: February 2010

Percutaneous injection therapy with vitamin D has been applied in the treatment of hyperparathyroidism (HPT); however, the application of percutaneous injection therapy with vitamin D lacks established guidelines regarding the volume of injected solution and the frequency of injection. We have developed an outpatient treatment regimen using percutaneous maxacalcitol injection therapy (PMIT) on a weekly basis for 4–6 weeks following dialysis without major complications. Intact parathyroid hormone decreased from 797 ± 178 pg/mL to 253 ± 25 pg/mL, and the parathyroid gland volume initially increased during the first week, but thereafter, it gradually decreased with weekly PMIT (wPMIT). Finally, the parathyroid gland volume decreased from 1.27 ± 1.06 cm3 to 0.24 ± 0.15 cm3 after wPMIT. The benefits of our method were confirmed on weekly ultrasonographic examinations, which detailed the gradual reduction in gland size following an initial increase after the first injection. Therefore, we conclude that our carefully implemented PMIT method would be an effective treatment against refractory secondary HPT.
Successful Permanent Catheter Implantation After Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty to the Right Subclavian and Inominate Vein Stenosis in a Hemodialysis Patient
Authors: Nishioka Hiroaki , Morimoto Satoshi , Yurugi Takatomi , Nishikawa Mitsushige , Iwasaka Toshiji , Maki Kei
Published: February 2010

Difficulties in gaining vascular access have become one of the major problems in long‐term hemodialysis patients. We report a case with an extreme vascular access problem, which was solved by the placement of a permanent central vein catheter after successful angioplasty to the right subclavian and inominate vein stenosis. A 78‐year‐old woman with end‐stage renal disease due to diabetic nephropathy had been on hemodialysis since 1982. She had a history of four procedures that created an arteriovenous fistula during the first four years. In 1986 she was switched to peritoneal dialysis. However, hemodialysis was restarted with a regular arteriovenous fistula in 1991 because of repeated peritonitis, and from 1993 a superficialized brachial artery was used until the artery was exhausted. Since 1997, a permanent central vein catheter was utilized and reinsertion was required four times due to catheter infection during a 6‐year period. In 2004, difficulty was experienced in reinserting a new central venous catheter because of multiple stenotic and occlusive lesions of the central veins. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty was carried out in the stenotic right subclavian and inominate veins, and after successful angioplasty, a permanent central vein catheter could be placed into the right subclavian vein as a vascular access for hemodialysis. Pretreatment with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of the stenotic central veins before inserting a permanent catheter may be a useful strategy in patients that experience difficulty in the insertion of a catheter.
Successful Long‐term Outcome of ABO‐incompatible Liver Transplantation Using Antigen‐specific Immunoadsorption Columns
Authors: Saliba Faouzi , Ichaï Philippe , Azoulay Daniel , Habbouchi Houssam , Antonini Teresa , Sebagh Mylène , Adam René , Castaing Denis , Samuel Didier
Published: February 2010

ABO‐incompatible (ABO‐I) liver transplantation has been performed essentially in patients with acute liver failure awaiting an urgent liver transplantation. Early results with ABO‐I liver transplantation were disappointing with a very low graft survival rate (20–50%). The main risk is the occurrence of severe humoral and cellular rejection, vascular thrombosis, and biliary complications. In order to avoid humoral rejection and improve graft survival, total plasma exchange in combination with an intense immunosuppressive regimen has been proposed to decrease hemagglutinin titers in ABO‐I liver grafts. In some centers, this regimen was associated with splenectomy, phototherapy, and portal or arterial intrahepatic infusion therapy; however, as these patients are at high risk of sepsis, a selective approach using antigen‐specific immunoadsorption with immunoadsorbent columns has been successfully proposed for ABO‐I living donor kidney transplantation. Few cases have been reported following liver transplantation. We report our recent experience with three adult patients (two patients with acute liver failure, and one with severe cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy) transplanted in an emergency situation with an ABO‐I liver graft and managed with the use of GlycoSorb ABO immunoadsorbent columns and a quadruple immunosuppressive regimen with preservation of the spleen. Eight sessions were performed in the three patients. Antigen‐specific immunoadsorption greatly lowered the anti‐A hemagglutinin titers. None of the three patients developed acute humoral or cellular rejection. Two patients are alive at 1.5 and 3 years follow‐up with a normally functioning graft. The third patient died with a functioning graft, one month after the transplantation, from septic complications.
A NOVEL MULTIPLEX POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION FOR SIMULTANEOUS DETECTION OF YERSINIA ENTEROCOLITICA, STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS, AEROMONAS AND SALMONELLA FROM CHICKEN MEAT AND MILK SAMPLES
Authors: BALAKRISHNA K. , MURALI H.S. , BATRA H.V.
Published: February 2010

Yersinia enterocolitica, Staphylococcus aureus, Aeromonas and Salmonella are among the most important foodborne bacterial pathogens. The majority of human infections caused by all of these organisms are associated with ingestion of undercooked and contaminated meat, dairy products and water where in the secreted bacterial toxins lead to foodborne intoxications. We, here, report a new multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) assay for the simultaneous detection of these important foodborne bacterial pathogens. The mPCR targeted Ail and virF genes of Y. enterocolitica, nuc and entB genes of S. aureus, aerA and 16S rRNA genes of Aeromonas and invA, an invasion protein A gene of Salmonella. An internal amplification control designed to check the false negative reactions in mPCR was also included. This procedure could detect initial populations of 1–100 cfu/g or /mL within 24 h in experimentally spiked food and water samples. When evaluated on a total of 104 naturally occurring food samples, the mPCR detected two samples to contain S. aureus, one was identified to contain Y. enterocolitica and four samples were identified to contain Salmonella species individually. This was compared with the standard microbiological and biochemical identification procedures.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

All the microorganisms selected in this study are food and waterborne and contaminate a variety of food items. Pathogenic Y. enterocolitica and Aeromonas species are able to grow and multiply and secrete toxins even at low temperatures. The high throughput and cost‐effective multiplex polymerase chain reaction method reported here could be a viable alternative for detection of pathogenic Y. enterocolitica, S. aureus, Aeromonas and Salmonella from food and environmental samples.
The influence of husbandry and pack management on Dhole Cuon alpinus reproduction
Authors: MAISCH H.
Published: February 2010

Dhole Cuon alpinus numbers are declining rapidly in the wild. Therefore, it is very important to have vital captive populations. European zoos have the largest collection of captive Dholes in the world but breeding success varies greatly between zoos. One of the biggest problems is high pup mortality owing to inexperience of adults and inadequate housing. Within the context of a dissertation about Dholes in captivity, the effects of different husbandry parameters on reproduction in the species have been studied over 4 years. As a result of information reported in the dissertation a European Endangered Species Programme for Dholes was launched in 2006 by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. Since then, all new packs that have been formed and housed according to the latest scientific results have started to reproduce without any problems.
Cooperative conservation: zoos and in situ captive breeding for endangered Island fox Urocyon littoralis ssp
Authors: COONAN T. J. , VARSIK A. , LYNCH C. , SCHWEMM C. A.
Published: February 2010

Successful captive breeding of endangered Island foxes, which essentially saved San Miguel Island foxes Urocyon littoralis littoralis and Santa Rosa Island foxes Urocyon littoralis santarosae from extinction, was facilitated by collaboration between land‐management agencies and the zoo community. Although the captive breeding was conducted in situ (on‐island) by the agencies, participating zoos offered skill sets and experience that the agencies lacked. Zoos contributed significantly to the development of Island fox husbandry guidelines, genetic management of captive foxes through a studbook, provision of adequate veterinary care and conservation education. Such proactive collaboration may become increasingly necessary for species conservation, given likely impacts to species from global climate change and human population growth.
An analysis of breeding results for hand‐reared Gorillas Gorilla gorilla born over a 25 year period in the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) population
Authors: ABELLÓ Ma T. , HOLTKÖTTER M. , VERMEER J. , COLELL M.
Published: February 2010

In December 2004, a questionnaire was sent to 44 institutions that maintained Gorillas Gorilla gorilla. Twenty‐six institutions replied (59% response rate) providing information about 91 hand‐reared Gorillas in the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) population. Using other sources, such as the international studbook and EEP reports, data on 63.54 (♂.♀) Gorillas that had been hand reared between 1980 and 2004 were analysed. Over this period, 23 (43%) ♀♀ and 15 (24%) ♂♂ bred successfully. However, when the numbers used to make the analyses were corrected by removing Gorillas (1) that had not yet reached full sexual maturity (>12 years for ♂♂ and >10 years for ♀♀) and (2) were not maintained in breeding groups, and including three ♀♀ that bred before they were 10 years of age, the percentages for breeding success are 65% for ♂♂ and 61% for ♀♀. These results demonstrate that hand‐reared individuals contribute to the increase in the EEP Gorilla population observed over the past 25 years.
The importance of reproductive management and monitoring in canid husbandry and endangered‐species recovery
Authors: ASA C. S.
Published: February 2010

The importance of captive breeding has evolved as zoos themselves have evolved. Beyond allowing captive populations to be self‐sustaining, zoos can contribute to species recovery and reintroduction by improving reproductive rates and developing monitoring techniques that provide data critical to understanding reproductive processes. Several threatened canid species have recently been saved through captive‐breeding efforts in partnership with reintroduction programmes. Two of those, the Mexican grey wolf Canis lupus baileyi and the Island fox Urocyon littoralis, provide case studies. For both species, data generated during monitoring revealed important basic features of their biology and also provided critical information to managers that could be used to enhance reproductive rates. Both species are also part of reintroduction programmes that exemplify successful partnerships between the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and North American zoos.
Reproductive management in captive and wild canids: contraception challenges
Authors: BOUTELLE S. M. , BERTSCHINGER H. J.
Published: February 2010

Managing reproduction for Canidae species is a challenge for zoological institutions and wildlife sanctuaries. There are four basic options for contraception: separation of sexes, surgical procedures, immunological and hormonal methods. Animal managers face potential challenges for each option, and advantages and disadvantages should be taken into consideration when making a decision. This paper evaluates four common Canidae species with results from hormonal monitoring: Gray wolves Canis lupus/Mexican gray wolves Canis lupus baileyi, Maned wolves Chrysocyon brachyurus, Fennec fox Vulpes zerda and African wild dogs Lycaon pictus. Special focus is given to individuals treated with the gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist, Suprelorin®. To date there are considerably more data for African wild dogs than other canids, as extensive field observations are available for this species. Therefore, African wild dogs are more extensively covered in this paper. GnRH agonists have been designated the safest reversible method of contraception for carnivores and so continued studies are important. Results outlined below demonstrate individual dosing differences that occur not only across species but also between similar individuals. Although dosing and duration of efficacy still need further investigating, GnRH agonists are still considered to be the safest and most appropriate method available. As evident in this paper, contraception is a much‐needed tool for reproductive management.
Efficacy of High‐frequency Magnetic Stimulation of the Sacral Root in Patients with Urinary Incontinence Following a Radical Prostatectomy
Authors: KAI Nobuyuki , KAWAJIRI Masakazu , SEKI Narihito , TAKANO Naruaki , KIRA Jun‐ichi , TOBIMATSU Shozo , NAITO Seiji
Published: February 2010

Objectives: We report on our initial data from a prospective study to determine the efficacy of high‐frequency magnetic stimulation on the sacral root (MSSR) for the intractable post‐radical prostatectomy, stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

Methods: A total of 14 men with persistent SUI after a radical prostatectomy underwent treatment once every 2 weeks over a 40‐week period for a total of 20 sessions. The outcome was assessed by these variables at baseline, at immediately after the first session, and at immediately after the final (20th) session.

Results: Mean leak episodes (per day) consistently decreased after the first to the final session (from 6.1 ± 2.9 to 3.5 ± 2.6, and to 3.0 ± 2.3, P < 0.01), and it remained to be decreased following 2 months after the final session. The mean pad weight (per h) also decreased after the treatment (but no statistically significant change compared to the pretreatment level). The cystometric bladder capacity at the first desire to void and the capacity at the strong desire to void increased significantly following the high‐frequency MSSR (first desire to void: from 146 ± 43 to 182 ± 52 mL; strong desire to void: from 224 ± 69 to 258 ± 60 mL, P < 0.01). No obvious complication was observed in any patients during or after the treatment.

Conclusion: This study provides the preliminary evidence that high‐frequency MSSR may potentially afford a useful option with minimal invasiveness for the patients with obstinate SUI after a radical prostatectomy.