bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Brain atrophy over time in genetic and sporadic frontotemporal dementia: a study of 198 serial magnetic resonance images
Authors: Whitwell J. L. , Boeve B. F. , Weigand S. D. , Senjem M. L. , Gunter J. L. , Baker M. C. , DeJesus‐Hernandez M. , Knopman D. S. , Wszolek Z. K. , Petersen R. C. , Rademakers R. , Jack C. R. , Josephs K. A.
Published: February 2015

Background and purpose

The aim of our study was to determine the utility of longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements as potential biomarkers in the main genetic variants of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), including microtubule‐associated protein tau (MAPT) and progranulin (GRN) mutations and C9ORF72 repeat expansions, as well as sporadic FTD.

Methods

In this longitudinal study, 58 subjects were identified who had at least two MRI and MAPT mutations (n = 21), GRN mutations (n = 11), C9ORF72 repeat expansions (n = 11) or sporadic FTD (n = 15). A total of 198 serial MRI measurements were analyzed. Rates of whole brain atrophy were calculated using the boundary shift integral. Regional rates of atrophy were calculated using tensor‐based morphometry. Sample size estimates were calculated.

Results

Progressive brain atrophy was observed in all groups, with fastest rates of whole brain atrophy in GRN, followed by sporadic FTD, C9ORF72 and MAPT. All variants showed greatest rates in the frontal and temporal lobes, with parietal lobes also strikingly affected in GRN. Regional rates of atrophy across all lobes were greater in GRN compared to the other groups. C9ORF72 showed greater rates of atrophy in the left cerebellum and right occipital lobe than MAPT, and sporadic FTD showed greater rates in the anterior cingulate than C9ORF72 and MAPT. Sample size estimates were lowest using temporal lobe rates in GRN, ventricular rates in MAPT and C9ORF72, and whole brain rates in sporadic FTD.

Conclusion

These data support the utility of using rates of atrophy as outcome measures in future drug trials in FTD and show that different imaging biomarkers may offer advantages in the different variants of FTD.
TypeIVrectal prolapse secondary to a long‐standing urinary bladder lithiasis in a donkey
Authors: Robert M. P. , Main de Boissiere A. , Depecker M. C. , de Fourmestraux C. , Touzot‐Jourde G. , Tessier C.
Published: February 2015

Rectal prolapse has been attributed to conditions generating tenesmus or increasing abdominal pressure in both horses and donkeys. This report presents the case of a 7‐year‐old gelded donkey that sustained atypeIVrectal prolapse secondary to a long‐standing cystic calculus after several episodes of intermittent mucosal prolapse. Rectal prolapse was addressed first on an emergency basis by colorectostomy. After medical stabilisation, pain and straining management with repeated epidural drug administrations, a laparoscopic‐assisted cystotomy was performed one week later to remove the calculus. The donkey was discharged and resumed his normal life at pasture.
Reducing the Risk of Internalizing Symptoms among High‐risk Hispanic Youth through a Family Intervention: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Perrino Tatiana , Pantin Hilda , Huang Shi , Brincks Ahnalee , Brown C. Hendricks , Prado Guillermo
Published: February 2015

Familias Unidas is an intervention that has been found to be efficacious in preventing and reducing substance use, sexual risk, and problem behaviors among Hispanic youth. While it does not specifically target youth internalizing symptoms, the intervention works to strengthen parenting and family factors associated with reduced risk of internalizing symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety symptoms). This study examines the effects of Familias Unidas on internalizing symptoms among high‐risk youth, as well as the role of family level factors in the intervention's effects. A total of 242 12–17‐year‐old Hispanic youth with a history of delinquency and their primary caregivers were recruited from the school and juvenile justice systems, and randomly assigned to the Familias Unidas intervention or community practice control. A linear latent growth model was used to examine intervention effects on the trajectory of adolescent internalizing symptoms from baseline to 6 and 12 months post‐baseline. Results show that the Familias Unidas intervention was more efficacious than control in reducing youth internalizing symptoms. Baseline youth externalizing and internalizing symptoms did not moderate the intervention's effects on the trajectory of youth internalizing symptoms. While parent–adolescent communication did not significantly moderate the intervention's effects, changes in parent–adolescent communication mediated the intervention's effects on internalizing symptoms, showing stronger intervention effects for youth starting with poorer communication. Findings indicate that the Familias Unidas intervention can reduce internalizing symptoms among high‐risk Hispanic youth, and that improving parent–youth communication, a protective family factor, may be one of the mechanisms by which the intervention influences youth internalizing symptoms.
Fathers for Change for Substance Use and Intimate Partner Violence: Initial Community Pilot
Authors: Stover Carla Smith
Published: February 2015

The lack of focus on the role of men as fathers within intervention programs for men with histories of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) or substance abuse is of significant concern given the large numbers of these men who are actively parenting and coparenting children. Fathers for Change is a new intervention designed to fill this gap. Eighteen fathers with co‐occurring IPV and substance abuse were randomly assigned to Fathers for Change or Individual Drug Counseling (IDC). They were assessed at baseline, post‐intervention and 3 months following the 16‐week intervention period. Men in the Fathers for Change group: (1) were more likely to complete treatment; (2) reported significantly greater satisfaction with the program; (3) reported a trend toward less IPV; and (4) exhibited significantly less intrusiveness in coded play interactions with their children following treatment than fathers in the IDC group. Results indicate further evaluation of this intervention in a larger sample is warranted. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
Pilot Study of a Program to Increase Mothers’ Understanding of Dads
Authors: Fagan Jay , Cherson Mollie , Brown Christopher , Vecere Eric
Published: February 2015

The present study evaluated the effects of mothers' participation in an 8‐week coparenting intervention program, Understanding Dad™, on mothers' awareness and attitudes regarding how their relationships with fathers influence paternal involvement with children, knowledge of healthy pro‐relationship skills, and relationship self‐efficacy. Thirty‐four mothers were recruited from four sites to participate in a study that used a pretest/posttest one‐group design. Over the course of this 8‐week program, mothers demonstrated moderate to large gains in each of the outcome measures, after controlling for mothers' educational level. Moreover, there was one significant within‐subjects interaction effect for time × location. That is, mothers made significantly greater gains in pro‐relationship knowledge in one of the intervention sites. Implications for future research are discussed.
Comparing Child and Family Outcomes Between Two Home Visitation Programs
Authors: Haynes George W. , Neuman Deborah , Hook Carrie , Haynes Deborah C. , Steeley Jill‐Marie , Kelley Matt , Gatterdam Amie , Nielson Cindy , Paine Marisa
Published: February 2015

Home visiting programs are designed to support pregnant women and families of children ages five and under to ensure that children are developing optimally in physical, social, and emotional domains. This study extends the literature on home visitation research outcomes by comparing two types of home visiting models: a collaborative home visiting program and a noncollaborative home visiting program. The collaborative program, called the Partnership Program, uses the resources of both the public health department and a local nonprofit organization eligible to do home visitations to deliver home visiting services. The noncollaborative program, called the Public Health Home Visiting (PHHV) Program, utilizes only the services of the local public health department. This study used panel data to assess whether children in the Partnership Program were more likely to make progress than children in thePHHVProgram. Even though children in the two programs made very similar amounts of progress, children in the Partnership Program were significantly more likely to show progress in communication, gross motor, fine motor, and personal/social development than children in thePHHVProgram.
Understanding Student Loan Decisions: A Literature Review
Authors: Cho Soo Hyun , Xu Yilan , Kiss D. Elizabeth
Published: February 2015

Because of the continuing increase in college costs and the need for a college education, the use of student loans has affected many individuals and households in the United States. Researchers and policy‐makers need a comprehensive review of literature to understand the determinants and consequences of student loans. This article provides information on the current trends in student loans, reviews the effect of education loans on college enrollment and career decisions, as well as the effects on personal life decisions. Implications for future research related to methodology, information, and the decision‐making process for an at‐risk population are offered.
A Delphi Study to Identify Personal Finance Core Concepts and Competencies of First‐Generation College Students
Authors: Kabaci M. J. , Cude Brenda J.
Published: February 2015

The purpose of this study was to gain consensus among researchers and college educators using the Delphi method about the personal finance knowledge, skills, and actions/behaviors that are important for all first‐generation college students. A group of five experts who had knowledge of college students’ financial literacy needs participated as panelists. Three rounds of questionnaires elicited responses from the panelists to identify personal finance core concepts and competencies that are most crucial for first‐generation college students. All 14 personal finance concepts and 234 competencies gained consensus. The mean rankings by importance of each personal finance concept and competency were identified.
Coaching and Financial Counseling Communication Skills: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Delgadillo Lucy M.
Published: February 2015

The goal of this conceptual paper was to identify the principles and communication skills used in coaching psychology and to compare them to the communication strategies used in financial counseling. The paper provides an overview of the theoretical basis for coaching psychology and financial counseling. Then, it presents the most important principles and communication skills and the facilitators’ roles in coaching and financial counseling. Unless financial professionals understand these principles and skills in coaching, they could be confused on how to integrate both approaches.
Parenting and Ninth Graders’ Self‐Efficacy and Relational Self‐Esteem in Latino Immigrant Families
Authors: Yomtov Dani , Plunkett Scott W. , Sands Tovah , Reid Alex
Published: February 2015

The purpose of this study was to examine whetherLatino adolescents’ perceptions of maternal and paternal behaviors (support, psychological control) were related to their general self‐efficacy and relational self‐esteem. Self‐report surveys were collected from 662Latino ninth graders from three public high schools inLosAngeles. The results were consistent with the looking glass self and self‐efficacy theory. The results showed that perceived supportive behaviors from mothers and fathers were significantly and positively related to boys’ and girls’ general self‐efficacy and relational self‐esteem, while perceived psychologically controlling behaviors from mothers and fathers were significantly and negatively related to general self‐efficacy. Extension educators and human service professionals servingLatino families should encourage supportive parenting behaviors, caution against the use of psychological control, helpLatino youth recognize supportive behaviors by parents, and teachLatino youth strategies to buffer themselves from the impact of parents’ psychological control.
Factors Associated with Households’ Planning Horizons for Making Saving and Spending Decisions
Authors: de Rubio Alicia Rodriguez
Published: February 2015

This study used the 2010 Survey of Consumer Finances to investigate which demographic factors are associated with households’ planning horizon for making saving and spending decisions. The planning horizon plays an important role in explaining household asset accumulation and financial security. Because of its critical influence, it is important that financial counselors and educators understand how to communicate with their clients to lengthen their planning horizon. The results of the ordinal logistic regression showed that age, race, education, marital status, and gender were related to the length of the planning horizon. Households who have an older White male head, have more years of education, and are married have higher odds of having a longer planning horizon.
Genetic associations with brain cortical thickness in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Matsushita T. , Madireddy L. , Sprenger T. , Khankhanian P. , Magon S. , Naegelin Y. , Caverzasi E. , Lindberg R. L. P. , Kappos L. , Hauser S. L. , Oksenberg J. R. , Henry R. , Pelletier D. , Baranzini S. E.
Published: February 2015

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by temporal and spatial dissemination of demyelinating lesions in the central nervous system. Associated neurodegenerative changes contributing to disability have been recognized even at early disease stages. Recent studies show the importance of gray matter damage for the accrual of clinical disability rather than white matter where demyelination is easily visualized by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The susceptibility to MS is influenced by genetic risk, but genetic factors associated with the disability are not known. We used MRI data to determine cortical thickness in 557 MS cases and 75 controls and in another cohort of 219 cases. We identified nine areas showing different thickness between cases and controls (regions of interest, ROI) (eight of them were negatively correlated with Kurtzke's expanded disability status scale, EDSS) and conducted genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) in 464 and 211 cases available from the two data sets. No marker exceeded genome‐wide significance in the discovery cohort. We next combined nominal statistical evidence of association with physical evidence of interaction from a curated human protein interaction network, and searched for subnetworks enriched with nominally associated genes and for commonalities between the two data sets. This network‐based pathway analysis of GWAS detected gene sets involved in glutamate signaling, neural development and an adjustment of intracellular calcium concentration. We report here for the first time gene sets associated with cortical thinning of MS. These genes are potentially correlated with disability of MS.
Rates of Return and Early Retirement Disincentives: Evidence from a German Pension Reform
Authors: Lüthen Holger
Published: February 2015

To counteract the financial pressure emerging in aging societies, statutory pension schemes are undergoing fundamental reforms in many Western countries. Starting with cohort 1937, Germany introduced permanent pension deductions for early retirement. This study examines the profitability of pension contributions against the background of this reform for cohorts 1935-1945. Internal rates of return (IRR) are used to measure the profitability. For men, the IRR declines from 2.4% to 1.2% and for women from 5.2% to 3.7%. The results suggest that the majority of the trend, about 75-80%, is caused by increased pension contributions and not by the reform.
Far from the Madding Crowd: Slow Innovators, Information Value, and the Geography of Innovation
Authors: Shearmur Richard
Published: February 2015

The open innovation paradigm has become central for understanding firm‐level innovation, and is being refined and questioned as researchers explore its limits. However, it has been rather uncritically adopted by many economic geographers since it provides backing for a variety of theories and observations that point towards innovation occurring in geographically concentrated clusters and cities and towards the role that proximity plays. Evidence that innovation can and does occur outside of clusters and cities, whilst widespread, has not displaced the prevailing idea that innovation and geographic concentration are intimately linked. In this paper, I first go over these arguments, focussing on the reasons why innovation is thought to be associated with cities and clusters. I then propose a framework that accounts for the clustering of innovative firms, for the role of cities, and for the fact that empirical work consistently shows that firms introduce first‐to‐market innovations in a wide variety of geographic contexts, including isolated and peripheral ones. The framework (re)introduces time and place as key factors, which determine not the diffusion, but the value to innovators, of different types of information.
Feminine Writing: Text as Dolls, Drag and Ventriloquism
Authors: Rippin Ann
Published: February 2015

This article provides a case study of feminine writing, including the production of text in the form of a series of three dolls. It seeks to broaden ideas about what is acceptable as research including notions of ‘data’ and representation. To do this it employs the written word, but includes fiction, asking if this is ‘fictional truth’. The article considers the position of women in organizations through the creation of three rag dolls which represent the author's experience of women in organization. This is followed by three fictional ‘interviews’ with the dolls in which they describe their experiences of organizing and being organized in a gendered world. The paper ends with a reflection on the usefulness and validity of this arts methodology and outlines the feminist critique of organizations and organizing that the method reveals. I describe this as feminine writing because it troubles or queers conventional academic writing by producing a text (the dolls and the fiction) which is rich in embodiment and affect, and which has a feminist project: that of exposing the myriad ways in which women and organizations may be seen (and are seen in this article) as incompatible.
Impact of severe haemophilia A on patients' health status: results from the guardian™ 1 clinical trial of turoctocog alfa (NovoEight®)
Authors: Ozelo M. , Chowdary P. , Regnault A. , Busk A. K.
Published: February 2015

Haemophilia and its treatment interfere with patients' life and may affect adherence to treatment. This study explored the impact of severe haemophilia A on patients' health status, especially in young adults (YA), using data from guardian™ 1, a multinational, open‐label, non‐controlled phase 3 trial investigating safety and efficacy of turoctocog alfa (NovoEight®) in previously treated patients aged 12 years and older with severe haemophilia A (FVIII ≤ 1%). Health status was assessed using the EuroQoL‐5 dimensions (EQ‐5D‐3L), covering 5 dimensions of health (mobility, self‐care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression), and a visual analogue scale (VAS) measuring self‐rated overall health status. EQ‐5D was administered pretreatment (screening/baseline) and posttreatment (end‐of‐trial). Baseline responses to the EQ‐5D dimensions and VAS were described overall and by age and compared to reference values from UK general population. Guardian™ 1 included 150 patients (16 adolescents, 83 YA aged 16–29 and 51 adults aged 30+). All five dimensions of patients' health status were impacted at baseline. The percentage of haemophilia patients reporting problems was consistently significantly greater than age‐matched general population reference values. Likewise, for all age groups mean baseline EQ‐5D VAS score was significantly lower for haemophilia patients (YA: 78.0) than for the general population (YA aged 18–29: 87.3). The health status of patients with severe haemophilia A entering guardian™ 1 was markedly poorer than that of the general population, particularly regarding mobility and pain. YA patients reported better health status than older patients, but considerably lower than that of the general YA population.
Accuracy of Family History Reports of Migraine in a Community‐Based Family Study of Migraine
Authors: Lateef Tarannum M. , Cui Lihong , Nakamura Erin , Dozier Jaclyn , Merikangas Kathleen
Published: February 2015

Background

Family history of migraine is the most potent and consistent risk factor for migraine. However, there has been limited systematic research on the reliability of family history information in detecting migraine based on valid diagnostic interviews. This study systematically evaluated the accuracy of migraine defined by the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD‐II) based on a direct structured interview compared to structured family history reports. The aim of the present study was to assess the validity of migraine diagnosis provided by family history compared with direct interview using a validated diagnostic interview of headache syndromes in the context of a family study of migraine comorbidity.

Methods

The sample included 921 study participants identified in a cross‐sectional community‐based controlled family study of comorbidity of migraine and affective disorders recruited from the greater Washington, DC community. Lifetime migraine and tension‐type headache were ascertained by direct clinical interview using a validated interview that collects ICHD‐II criteria for headache syndromes. A structured history of headache was also collected from all interviewed probands and relatives regarding their relatives. All family history reports were reviewed by the study neurologist according to ICHD‐II criteria. Family history ratings and diagnoses were made by the neurologist, who was blinded to the headache diagnosis obtained by direct interview.

Results

The sensitivity and specificity of family history reports of migraine compared with direct interview were 38.6% and 96.8%, respectively, indicating that the false positive rate was very low, whereas the false negative rate was substantial. The positive and negative predictive values of migraine diagnosis provided by family member report are 90.0% and 67.6%, respectively.

Conclusions

Our results confirm that migraine assessed by family member report largely underestimates migraine in relatives. This demonstrates the value of direct interviews with relatives rather than reliance on family history report in both clinical practice and family and genetic studies. Potential steps to improve the reliability of family history report in clinical settings are described.
Negotiating the ‘grey area between normal social drinking and being a smelly tramp’: a qualitative study of people searching for help online to reduce their drinking
Authors: Khadjesari Zarnie , Stevenson Fiona , Godfrey Christine , Murray Elizabeth
Published: February 2015

Introduction and aims

Delivering brief interventions for hazardous and harmful drinking on the Internet may broaden the availability of services and overcome some barriers to accessing help in person. The Down Your Drink (DYD) website, an extended brief intervention, attracted a large number of people looking to reduce their drinking. The aim was to explore the experiences of this e‐help seeking population.

Method

Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with participants in the DYD trial – an online trial of the effectiveness of DYD compared with an information‐only website. Interviewees were asked how they came across the DYD website. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed by a multidisciplinary team using detailed thematic analysis.

Results

Eighteen participants were interviewed. Most interviewees perceived their drinking to be a problem, which led them to search the Internet and register for the DYD trial in order to gain access to an intervention to help them reduce their drinking. The type of help required varied from information on the harms of drinking to help with a recognized problem. The privacy of the Internet was perceived as important when searching for help with drinking, as this avoids the stigma and embarrassment associated with help seeking in person. Almost all interviewees perceived a lack of services both online and offline for people wanting to moderate their drinking.

Conclusion

There is a perceived gap in services for hazardous and harmful drinkers wanting to reduce their drinking which could be addressed using online interventions.
HIV/AIDS‐related stigma and information behaviour: an ethnographic study in the UK
Authors: Namuleme Robinah Kalemeera
Published: February 2015

This feature explores the information behaviour of people infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS. It investigates specifically the difficult issue of stigma and how this shapes the ways in which people interact with vital information. The study adopted an ethnographic whereby the researcher worked as a part‐time volunteer at an HIV support centre in the North of England for over a year. This is the first time that such an approach has been reported in this feature and is interesting from this perspective alone. The very rich data which was gathered as a result of the approach is also instructive. The study formed part of a PhD thesis, which Robinah Kalemeera Namuleme completed at the University of Sheffield in March 2013.
Looking beyond satisfaction: evaluating the value and impact of information skills training
Authors: Raynor Michael , Craven Jenny
Published: February 2015

In this feature guest writers Michael Raynor and Jenny Craven from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) present an overview of their evaluative research study on the value and impact of the information skills training courses they provide at NICE. In particular, this small study used a combination of qualitative and quantitative data to look beyond satisfaction and confidence levels and identify whether learning had actually taken place as a result of attending the sessions, and how new skills were used by the attendees in their day‐to‐day work.

H.S.
Medical scientists' information practices in the research work context
Authors: Roos Annikki
Published: February 2015

Objective

The aim of the study was to investigate the information practices of medical scientists in the research work context.

Methods

This is a qualitative study based on semi‐structured interviews. The interviews were transcribed and analysed in a web tool for qualitative analysis. Activity theory was used as the theoretical framework.

Results

The generating motives for the information related activity come from the core activity, research work. The motives result in actions such as searching and using information. Usability, accessibility and ease of use are the most important conditions that determine information related operations. Medical scientists search and use information most of all in the beginning and at the end of the research work.

Conclusions

Information practices appear as an instrument producing activity to the central activity. Information services should be embedded in this core activity and in practice libraries should follow researchers' workflow and embed their tools and services in it.
The prognostic role of the epithelial–mesenchymal transition markers E‐cadherin and Slug in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Cappellesso Rocco , Marioni Gino , Crescenzi Marika , Giacomelli Luciano , Guzzardo Vincenza , Mussato Alessio , Staffieri Alberto , Martini Alessandro , Blandamura Stella , Fassina Ambrogio
Published: February 2015

Aims

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) prognosis is definitely related to lymph node metastasis. Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) allows neoplastic cells to gain the plasticity and motility required for tumour progression and metastasis. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of EMT in the prognosis of LSCC.

Methods and results

Immunohistochemical analysis of E‐cadherin, N‐cadherin, Snail, Slug, ZEB1, and ZEB2 was performed in 37 consecutive LSCC cases. Low E‐cadherin levels and high Slug levels correlated with both disease recurrence (P = 0.02 and P =0.01, respectively) and shorter disease‐free survival (DFS) (P = 0.04 and P = 0.02, respectively). Relative expression levels of CDH1, SNAI2, miR‐1 and the miR‐200 family were also evaluated. CDH1, miR‐200a and miR‐200c down‐regulation and SNAI2 overexpression were significantly associated with disease recurrence (P = 0.03, P = 0.02, P = 0.04, and P = 0.04, respectively).

Conclusions

EMT increases tumour recurrence risk and shortens DFS in LSCC. E‐cadherin and Slug immunohistochemical analysis could be useful for identifying patients requiring more aggressive treatment after surgery.
Online Fraud Victims in England and Wales: Victims' Views on Sentencing and the Opportunity for Restorative Justice?
Authors: Button Mark , McNaughton Nicholls Carol , Kerr Jane , Owen Rachael
Published: February 2015

The advent of the Internet has expanded opportunities to commit fraud and millions regularly fall victim. Fraud victims in general have been largely neglected by researchers in comparison with other crimes. There has also been very little research on issues related to the sentencing of fraudsters. This article offers some of the first insights on what individual online fraud victims actually want regarding the sentencing of the scammers who target them. It explores their views on aggravating and mitigating factors as well as the different types of sanction which can be used. The article particularly highlights the opportunities and attraction of restorative justice‐based approaches to victims. It uses data from in‐depth interviews with 15 online fraud victims, six focus groups with a further 48 online fraud victims and interviews with nine professional stakeholders involved in combating this problem.
Artificial light at night inhibits mating in a Geometrid moth
Authors: van Geffen Koert G. , van Eck Emiel , de Boer Rens A. , van Grunsven Roy H.A. , Salis Lucia , Berendse Frank , Veenendaal Elmar M.
Published: February 2015

Levels of artificial night lighting are increasing rapidly worldwide, subjecting nocturnal organisms to a major change in their environment. Many moth species are strongly attracted to sources of artificial night lighting, with potentially severe, yet poorly studied, consequences for development, reproduction and inter/intra‐specific interactions.

Here, we present results of a field‐based experiment where we tested effects of various types of artificial lighting on mating in the winter moth (Operophtera brumata, Lepidoptera: Geometridae). We illuminated trunks of oak trees with green, white, red or no artificial LED light at night, and caught female O. brumata on these trunks using funnel traps. The females were dissected to check for the presence of a spermatophore, a sperm package that is delivered by males to females during mating.

We found a strong reduction in the number of females on the illuminated trunks, indicating artificial light inhibition of activity. Furthermore, artificial light inhibited mating: 53% of females caught on non‐illuminated trunks had mated, whereas only 13%, 16% and 28% of the females that were caught on green, white and red light illuminated trunks had mated respectively.

A second experiment showed that artificial night lighting reduced the number of males that were attracted to a synthetic O. brumata pheromone lure. This effect was strongest under red light and mildest under green light.

This study provides, for the first time, field‐based evidence that artificial night lighting disrupts reproductive behaviour of moths, and that reducing short wavelength radiation only partly mitigates these negative effects.
Sharing enemies: evidence of forest contribution to natural enemy communities in crops, at different spatial scales
Authors: González Ezequiel , Salvo Adriana , Valladares Graciela
Published: February 2015

The increase in cultivated lands has led to ecosystem and biodiversity loss. Arthropod natural enemies, involved in the ecosystem service of biological control, benefit from non‐crop habitat and may be affected by its proximity and amount in the landscape.

We have evaluated natural enemy richness and composition in relation to forest cover in the landscape and distance from the forest, for a Chaco Serrano forest‐soybean crop system. Forest contribution to natural enemies on soybean was also investigated, by assessing similarities between forest and crop assemblages, and examining body size of shared enemies in relation to distance from the forest. In nine landscape circles, yellow pan traps were placed in forest and soybean crops (5, 25, 50 and 100 m from forest edge), which collected 8041 specimens representing 290 species.

Species richness of natural enemies was positively related to forest cover and declined from the forest to the furthermost soybean locations, with both forest cover and its proximity affecting community composition. Also, similarity of forest and crop assemblages increased with forest cover and proximity. Finally, forest‐crop shared assemblages showed larger average body size at greater distances from the forest, indicating dispersal limitations on forest contribution to the crop.

Our results suggest that forest species are important components of natural enemy communities on soybean, and that both the amount of natural habitat and its proximity may influence agroecosystems. We emphasise the importance of non‐crop habitat to help maintain natural enemy communities and ensure the ecosystem service of pest control.
Does assumed knowledgeableness cause differences in stories told by children from different cultural groups?
Authors: Jaspaert Koen , Gysen Sara
Published: February 2015

Narratives play an important role in education, both as a genre which is used to test language proficiency and as a way of transmitting educational context. Therefore, it is important to have a clear idea of how children approach narrative tasks. In this study, we focused on children between 8 and 10 years of age. We investigated whether children with a Flemish background told stories in a different way from children with a non‐Western background. Second, we looked into the way both groups of children adapted their stories to the assumed knowledgeableness, i.e. the communal common ground (Clark 1996) they attributed to their audience. Our study shows that children with a non‐Western background did not differ greatly from children with a Flemish background in the way they told stories to an adult, but that significant differences could be found in the way they adapted their stories to a peer listener. Whereas children with a Flemish background elaborated more when telling to a peer, children with a non‐Western background showed no significant adaptations. We briefly discuss some of the implications of this finding for education.
Tradeoffs between sensory attributes and organic labels: the case of orange juice
Authors: Bi Xiang , Gao Zhifeng , House Lisa A. , Hausmann Danielle S.
Published: February 2015

Researchers have investigated the role of sensory attributes and organic labels on consumers’ preferences and perceptions of food, but few has examined whether sensory attributes are relevant for consumers who prefer organic food and the extent to which sensory attributes influence consumer's marginal willingness to pay for organic food. The objective of this study is to determine how sensory attributes and organic label work together to influence consumer's stated preference and marginal willingness to pay for orange juice. To achieve this, we conducted a blind sensory evaluation of two orange juices followed by a discrete choice experiment to determine the extent to which consumer's stated preference for orange juice labelled as organic is affected by sensory experience preceding the choice experiment. Random parameter logit models and latent class conditional logit models are used to explain stated preference. Results indicate that the effect of sensory attributes on consumer's marginal willingness to pay differed by organic juice and conventional juice.
Shopping online for goods vs. services: where do experiential features help more?
Authors: Shobeiri Saeed , Mazaheri Ebrahim , Laroche Michel
Published: February 2015

This study investigates how the type of offer sold online (goods vs. services) moderates the relationships between perceived experiential values and customers' attitudes towards the website. A sample of 107 e‐shoppers of services and 110 e‐shoppers of physical goods responded to a survey on their most recent e‐shopping experiences. Results support the majority of hypotheses. It was found that although offering experiential values on the site improves customers' attitudes for both physical goods and services websites, the impact is much stronger in the case of services. Theoretical and managerial contributions are discussed.
On the (de)stabilizing effect of public debt in a Ramsey model with heterogeneous agents
Authors: Nishimura Kazuo , Nourry Carine , Seegmuller Thomas , Venditti Alain
Published: February 2015

We introduce public debt in a Ramsey model with heterogeneous agents and a public spending externality affecting utility which is financed by income tax and public debt. We show that public debt considered as a fixed portion of GDP can have a stabilizing or destabilizing effect, depending on some fundamental elasticities. When the public spending externality is weak and the elasticity of capital–labor substitution is low enough, public debt can only be destabilizing, generating damped or persistent macroeconomic fluctuations. However, when the public spending externality and the elasticity of capital–labor substitution are strong enough, public debt can be stabilizing, driving to monotone convergence an economy experiencing damped or persistent fluctuations without debt.
Regime type and international commercial agreements
Authors: Rosendorff B. Peter , Shin Kong Joo
Published: February 2015

Preferential trade agreements and bilateral investment treaties limit member‐states’ policy discretion; consequently policy uncertainty is mitigated. Reductions in policy uncertainty stemming from accession to an international agreement improve the resource allocation decisions of voters and reduce deadweight losses from the need to self‐insure against policy uncertainty. If electoral accountability makes expropriation of assets or discriminatory treatment of firms more costly to leaders (whereas electoral accountability has little effect on rent creation via tariff revenues) then among developing countries, democratic states sign preferential trade agreements relatively more frequently than autocratic states; however, autocratic states are more likely to sign bilateral investment treaties than are democratic states. We offer a simple model, and present some empirical regularities consistent with the theory.
Stable sets for asymmetric information economies
Authors: Graziano Maria Gabriella , Meo Claudia , Yannelis Nicholas C.
Published: February 2015

An exchange economy with asymmetrically informed agents is considered with an exogenous rule that regulates the information sharing among agents. In this context, the notion of stable sets à la von Neumann and Morgenstern is analyzed. Two different frameworks are taken into account as regards preferences: a model without expectations and a model with expected utilities. For the former, it is shown that the set V of all individually rational, Pareto optimal, symmetric allocations is the unique stable set of symmetric allocations. For the latter, an example is presented which shows that the same set V is not externally stable and a weaker result is proved.
On the value of small‐scale GE models
Authors: Jones Ronald W.
Published: February 2015

The field of international economics has made frequent use of general equilibrium models in order to investigate the nature of those possible comparative static equilibrium solutions that seem somewhat paradoxical. Frequently the analysis is done for settings in which the number of commodities, countries, and/or factors of production is assumed to be rather small. For example, the classic Ricardian model making use of the concept of comparative advantage based on comparisons of efficient ratios of country productivities has solutions that hold for any number of countries or commodities. A number of different issues, such as stability conditions and the transfer problem, are discussed in which surprising equilibrium outcomes possible in a general situation can be understood more easily in a small‐scale setting.
Association of TNFAIP3 and TNFRSF1A variation with multiple sclerosis in a German case–control cohort
Authors: Hoffjan S. , Okur A. , Epplen J. T. , Wieczorek S. , Chan A. , Akkad D. A.
Published: February 2015

Variations in two genes of the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) alpha pathway have been implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases: polymorphisms in the TNFRSF1A gene, encoding TNF receptor 1, showed significant association with MS in genomewide association scans, and variation in or near the TNFAIP3 gene, coding for a negative regulator of NFkB, was associated with MS, systemic lupus erythematosus, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. This study aimed at investigating association of MS with variation in the TNFRSF1A gene as well as in the TNFAIP3 gene region in an independent German case–control cohort. Four hundred and ninety‐seven unrelated patients with MS and 878 healthy controls were genotyped with restriction enzyme digestion or TaqMan assays for three polymorphisms in the TNFRSF1A gene and seven in the region of the TNFAIP3 gene. Allele, genotype and haplotype frequencies were compared between cases and controls by chi‐square testing. We found significant association of rs10499194, located in the intergenic region upstream of TNFAIP3, with MS (pc = 3.4 × 10−4). Further, the intronic SNP rs1800693 in TNFRSF1A showed moderate association (pc = 0.033) with MS. In conclusion, evidence is accumulating that polymorphisms in both TNFAIP3 and TNFRSF1A genes play a role in MS pathogenesis. Additional studies are warranted to further elucidate the role of TNF pathway variation for MS development.
Interleukin‐15‐activated natural killer cells kill autologous osteoclasts via LFA‐1, DNAM‐1 and TRAIL, and inhibit osteoclast‐mediated bone erosion in vitro
Authors: Feng Shan , Madsen Suzi H. , Viller Natasja N. , Neutzsky‐Wulff Anita V. , Geisler Carsten , Karlsson Lars , Söderström Kalle
Published: February 2015

Osteoclasts reside on bone and are the main bone resorbing cells playing an important role in bone homeostasis, while natural killer (NK) cells are bone‐marrow‐derived cells known to play a crucial role in immune defence against viral infections. Although mature NK cells traffic through bone marrow as well as to inflammatory sites associated with enhanced bone erosion, including the joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, little is known about the impact NK cells may have on mature osteoclasts and bone erosion. We studied the interaction between human NK cells and autologous monocyte‐derived osteoclasts from healthy donors in vitro. We show that osteoclasts express numerous ligands for receptors present on activated NK cells. Co‐culture experiments revealed that interleukin‐15‐activated, but not resting, NK cells trigger osteoclast apoptosis in a dose‐dependent manner, resulting in drastically decreased bone erosion. Suppression of bone erosion requires contact between NK cells and osteoclasts, but soluble factors also play a minor role. Antibodies masking leucocyte function‐associated antigen‐1, DNAX accessory molecule‐1 or tumour necrosis factor‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand enhance osteoclast survival when co‐cultured with activated NK cells and restore the capacity of osteoclasts to erode bone. These results suggest that interleukin‐15‐activated NK cells may directly affect bone erosion under physiological and pathological conditions.
Tissue‐resident macrophages: then and now
Authors: Davies Luke C. , Taylor Philip R.
Published: February 2015

Macrophages have been at the heart of immune research for over a century and are an integral component of innate immunity. Macrophages are often viewed as terminally differentiated monocytic phagocytes. They infiltrate tissues during inflammation, and form polarized populations that perform pro‐inflammatory or anti‐inflammatory functions. Tissue‐resident macrophages were regarded as differentiated monocytes, which seed the tissues to perform immune sentinel and homeostatic functions. However, tissue‐resident macrophages are not a homogeneous population, but are in fact a grouping of cells with similar functions and phenotypes. In the last decade, it has been revealed that many of these cells are not terminally differentiated and, in most cases, are not derived from haematopoiesis in the adult. Recent research has highlighted that tissue‐resident macrophages cannot be grouped into simple polarized categories, especially in vivo, when they are exposed to complex signalling events. It has now been demonstrated that the tissue environment itself is a major controller of macrophage phenotype, and can influence the expression of many genes regardless of origin. This is consistent with the concept that cells within different tissues have diverse responses in inflammation. There is still a mountain to climb in the field, as it evolves to encompass not only tissue‐resident macrophage diversity, but also categorization of specific tissue environments and the plasticity of macrophages themselves. This knowledge provides a new perspective on therapeutic strategies, as macrophage subsets can potentially be manipulated to control the inflammatory environment in a tissue‐specific manner.
Proteinase activated receptor‐2‐mediated dual oxidase‐2 up‐regulation is involved in enhanced airway reactivity and inflammation in a mouse model of allergic asthma
Authors: Nadeem Ahmed , Alharbi Naif O. , Vliagoftis Harissios , Tyagi Manoj , Ahmad Sheikh F. , Sayed‐Ahmed Mohamed M.
Published: February 2015

Airway epithelial cells (AECs) express a variety of receptors, which sense danger signals from various aeroallergens/pathogens being inhaled constantly. Proteinase‐activated receptor 2 (PAR‐2) is one such receptor and is activated by cockroach allergens, which have intrinsic serine proteinase activity. Recently, dual oxidases (DUOX), especially DUOX‐2, have been shown to be involved in airway inflammation in response to Toll‐like receptor activation. However, the association between PAR‐2 and DUOX‐2 has not been explored in airways of allergic mice. Therefore, this study investigated the contribution of DUOX‐2/reactive oxygen species (ROS) signalling in airway reactivity and inflammation after PAR‐2 activation. Mice were sensitized intraperitoneally with intact cockroach allergen extract (CE) in the presence of aluminium hydroxide followed by intranasal challenge with CE. Mice were then assessed for airway reactivity, inflammation, oxidative stress (DUOX‐2, ROS, inducible nitric oxide synthase, nitrite, nitrotyrosine and protein carbonyls) and apoptosis (Bax, Bcl‐2, caspase‐3). Challenge with CE led to up‐regulation of DUOX‐2 and ROS in AECs with concomitant increases in airway reactivity/inflammation and parameters of oxidative stress, and apoptosis. All of these changes were significantly inhibited by intranasal administration of ENMD‐1068, a small molecule antagonist of PAR‐2 in allergic mice. Administration of diphenyliodonium to allergic mice also led to improvement of allergic airway responses via inhibition of the DUOX‐2/ROS pathway; however, these effects were less pronounced than PAR‐2 antagonism. The current study suggests that PAR‐2 activation leads to up‐regulation of the DUOX‐2/ROS pathway in AECs, which is involved in regulation of airway reactivity and inflammation via oxidative stress and apoptosis.