bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factor structure of paediatric timed motor examination and its relationship with IQ
Authors: MARTIN REBECCA , TIGERA CASSIE , DENCKLA MARTHA B , MARK MAHONE E
Published: July 2010

Aim  Brain systems supporting higher cognitive and motor control develop in a parallel manner, dependent on functional integrity and maturation of related regions, suggesting neighbouring neural circuitry. Concurrent examination of motor and cognitive control can provide a window into neurological development. However, identification of performance‐based measures that do not correlate with IQ has been a challenge.

Method  Timed motor performance from the Physical and Neurological Examination of Subtle Signs and IQ were analysed in 136 children aged 6 to 16 (mean age 10y 2.6mo, SD 2y 6.4mo; 98 female, 38 male) attending an outpatient neuropsychology clinic and 136 right‐handed comparison individuals aged 6 to 16 (mean age 10y 3.1mo, SD 2y 6.1mo; 98 female, 38 male). Timed activities – three repetitive movements (toe tapping, hand patting, finger tapping) and three sequenced movements (heel–toe tap, hand pronate/supinate, finger sequencing) each performed on the right and left – were included in exploratory factor analyses.

Results  Among comparison individuals, factor analysis yielded two factors – repetitive and sequenced movements – with the sequenced factor significantly predictive of Verbal IQ (VIQ) (ΔR2=0.018, p=0.019), but not the repetitive factor (ΔR2=0.004, p=0.39). Factor analysis within the clinical group yielded two similar factors (repetitive and sequenced), both significantly predictive of VIQ, (ΔR2=0.028, p=0.015; ΔR2=0.046, p=0.002 respectively).

Interpretation  Among typical children, repetitive timed tasks may be independent of IQ; however, sequenced tasks share more variance, implying shared neural substrates. Among neurologically vulnerable populations, however, both sequenced and repetitive movements covary with IQ, suggesting that repetitive speed is more indicative of underlying neurological integrity.
Hybrid Assembly of Metal Head and Femoral Stem From Different Manufacturers During Isolated Acetabular Revision
Authors: Chen Cheng‐Fong , Chen Wei‐Ming , Yang Chan‐Tsung , Huang Ching‐Kuei , Chen Tain‐Hsiung
Published: July 2010

During revision of a failed acetabular component with well‐fixed antiquated femoral stem, the same variant of metal head is usually not available in the inventory production. We gathered the stems retrieved from revision surgeries and tried to reassemble with the commercially available femoral heads. This study reports the results of suitable hybrid assembly of metal heads with the most common antiquated femoral stems from different manufacturers. Three hybrid combinations were determined and pull‐off strengths of these hybrid combinations were performed through in vitro studies to evaluate the quality of the taper locks.
Computational Characterization of Flow and Hemolytic Performance of the UltraMag Blood Pump for Circulatory Support
Authors: Taskin M. Ertan , Fraser Katharine H. , Zhang Tao , Gellman Barry , Fleischli Andi , Dasse Kurt A. , Griffith Bartley P. , Wu Zhongjun J.
Published: July 2010

The Levitronix UltraMag blood pump is a next generation, magnetically suspended centrifugal pump and is designed to provide circulatory support for pediatric and adult patients. The aim of this study is to investigate the hemodynamic and hemolytic characteristics of this pump using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach. The computational domain for CFD analysis was constructed from the three‐dimensional geometry (3D) of the UltraMag blood pump and meshed into 3D tetrahedral/hybrid elements. The governing equations of fluid flow were computationally solved to obtain a blood flow through the blood pump. Further, hemolytic blood damage was calculated by solving a scalar transport equation where the scalar variable and the source term were obtained utilizing an empirical power‐law correlation between the fluid dynamic variables and hemolysis. To obtain mesh independent flow solution, a comparative examination of vector fields, hydrodynamic performance, and hemolysis predictions were carried out. Different sizes of tetrahedral and tetrahedral/hexahedral mixed hybrid models were considered. The mesh independent solutions were obtained by a hybrid model. Laminar and SST κ–ω turbulence flow models were used for different operating conditions. In order to pinpoint the most significant hemolytic region, the flow field analysis was coupled to the hemolysis predictions. In summary, computational characterization of the device was satisfactorily carried out within the targeted operating conditions of the device, and it was observed that the UltraMag blood pump can be safely operated for its intended use to create a circulatory support for both pediatric and adult‐sized patients.
Urgent Continuous EEG (cEEG) Monitoring Leads to Changes in Treatment in Half of Cases
Authors: Hirsch Lawrence J.
Published: July 2010

How Seizure Detection by Continuous Electroencephalographic Monitoring Affects the Prescribing of Antiepileptic Medications. Kilbride RD, Costello DJ, Chiappa KH. Arch Neurol 2009;66(6):723–728.

Objectives

To assess the effect of continuous electroencephalographic monitoring on the decision to treat seizures in the inpatient setting, particularly in the intensive care unit.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Medical and neuroscience intensive care units and neurological wards.

Patients

Three hundred consecutive nonelective continuous electroencephalographic monitoring studies, performed on 287 individual inpatients over a 27-month period.

Main Outcome Measures

Epileptiform electroencephalographic abnormalities and changes in antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy based on the electroencephalographic findings.

Results

The findings from the continuous electroencephalographic monitoring led to a change in AED prescribing in 52% of all studies with initiation of an AED therapy in 14%, modification of AED therapy in 33%, and discontinuation of AED therapy in 5% of all studies. Specifically, the detection of electrographic seizures led to a change in AED therapy in 28% of all studies.

Conclusions

The findings of continuous electroencephalographic monitoring resulted in a change in AED prescribing during or after half of the studies performed. Most AED changes were made as a result of the detection of electrographic seizures.
Responsiveness of Ictaform Discharges to Pharmacotherapy: The Bigger They Are, the Harder They Fall
Authors: Merlin Lisa R.
Published: July 2010

Antiepileptic Drugs Abolish Ictal But Not Interictal Epileptiform Discharges In Vitro. D'Antuono M, Köhling R, Ricalzone S, Gotman J, Biagini G, Avoli M. Epilepsia 2010;51(3):423–431. PURPOSE: We established the effects of the antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) carbamazepine (CBZ), topiramate (TPM), and valproic acid (VPA) on the epileptiform activity induced by 4-aminopyridine (4AP) in the rat entorhinal cortex (EC) in an in vitro brain slice preparation. METHODS: Brain slices were obtained from Sprague-Dawley rats (200–250 g). Field and intracellular recordings were made from the EC during bath application of 4AP (50 μm). AEDs, and in some experiments, picrotoxin were bath applied concomitantly. RESULTS: Prolonged (>3 s), ictal-like epileptiform events were abolished by CBZ (50 μm), TPM (50 μm), and VPA (1 mm), whereas shorter (<3 s) interictal-like discharges continued to occur, even at concentrations up to 4-fold as high. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA)A-receptor antagonism changed the 4AP-induced activity into recurrent interictal-like events that were not affected by CBZ or TPM, even at the highest concentrations. To establish whether these findings reflected the temporal features of the epileptiform discharges, we tested CBZ and TPM on 4AP-induced epileptiform activity driven by stimuli delivered at 100-, 10-, and 5-s intervals; these AEDs reduced ictal-like responses to stimuli at 100-s intervals at nearly therapeutic concentrations, but did not influence shorter interictal-like events elicited by stimuli delivered every 10 or 5 s. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the AED ability to control epileptiform synchronization in vitro depends mainly on activity-dependent characteristics such as discharge duration. Our data are in keeping with clinical evidence indicating that interictal activity is unaffected by AED levels that are effective to stop seizures.
Assessment of Interventricular Dyssynchrony by Real Time Three‐Dimensional Echocardiography: An In Vitro Study in a Porcine Model
Authors: Zheng Minjuan , Li Xiaokui , Zhang Pengyuan , Shentu Weihui , Ashraf Muhammad , Imanbayev Galym , Streiff Cole , Ge Shuping , Sahn David J.
Published: July 2010

Background: Loss of synchronous contraction between or within the right and left ventricle (RV, LV) leads to adverse ventricular function. We used real time three‐dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) for evaluation of severity of interventricular dyssynchrony and function in a porcine heart model. Methods: Six fresh in vitro porcine hearts were used to create a controlled model of LV and RV dyssynchrony using two sets of pulsatile pumps. Synchronized and dyssynchronized pump settings were used with two different dyssynchronized settings: LV filled first and RV filled first. Results: There was good correlation between actual measurement and RT3DE for interventricular time difference (r = 0.95, P < 0.0001) and stroke volume (SV) for LV and RV (0.89, 0.85; P < 0.0001, respectively). RT3DE data showed a small but significant underestimation for actual volume (P < 0.05). The intra‐ and interobserver variabilities are 2.9 ± 1.5% and 3.1 ± 5.4% for LV and RV SVs, and 1.7 ± 2.4% and 2.2 ± 3.2% for time differences by RT3DE. There was significant difference in RV SV between synchrony and dyssynchrony when the RV filled first (P < 0.05), but not in other groups. The same pattern was found in RT3DE derived SVs (synchrony versus dyssynchrony with RV filled first, P < 0.05). Conclusions: There is no compromise in LV SV during interventricular dyssynchrony; but RV SV was significantly diminished when the RV filled first. RT3DE is a feasible, robust and reproducible method to identify interventricular dyssynchrony and to evaluate ventricular SVs. (Echocardiography 2010;27:709‐715)
Continuing Medical Education Program in Echocardiography
Authors: Fan Pohoey , López‐Candales Angel , Edelman Kathy , Candales Maria Dolores
Published: July 2010

Article Title: Right Ventricular Apical Contractility in Acute Pulmonary Embolism: The McConnell Sign Revised (Echocardiography 2010;27:613)
Lessons Learned from Balloon Aortic Valvuloplasty Experience from the Pre‐transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Era
Authors: KAPADIA SAMIR R. , GOEL SACHIN S. , YUKSEL UYGAR , AGARWAL SHIKHAR , PETTERSSON GOSTA , SVENSSON LARS G. , SMEDIRA NICHOLAS G. , WHITLOW PATRICK L. , LYTLE BRUCE W. , TUZCU E. MURAT
Published: July 2010

Background:
 Balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) has been used as a bridge to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in high‐risk patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS). Such patients are now being referred for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). We sought to study the indications and outcomes of BAV in patients with severe AS in the pre‐TAVI era.

Methods:
 We analyzed consecutive patients with severe AS undergoing BAV from 1990 to 2005. In these patients with no immediate surgical option, BAV was attempted to temporarily improve hemodynamics, with a goal to improve general health of the patient, and ultimately AVR.

Results
: A total of 99 BAVs (eight repeats, one second repeat) were performed in 90 consecutive patients. Baseline ejection fraction was ≤25% in 36 (36%) patients. The 30‐day mortality rate was 17% (n = 17). Of the 99 patients, 27 (30%) underwent AVR. Average follow‐up of patients with and without AVR was 55 ± 57 months and 16 ± 23 months, respectively. The 6‐month and 1‐year survival rates in patients who underwent AVR were 81% and 78%, respectively, versus 57% and 44% in patients who did not undergo AVR (P = 0.024).

Conclusion:
 BAV can be used successfully to clinically improve the health of some nonsurgical patients with severe symptomatic AS, and a proportion of these patients improve to a point where AVR can be performed. Bridging to TAVI will provide further options to high‐risk patients who cannot be bridged to conventional AVR. The role of BAV in bridging to TAVI merits further study. (J Interven Cardiol 2010;23:499–508)
Protected Carotid Stenting in High‐Risk Patients: Results of the SpideRX Arm of the Carotid Revascularization with ev3 Arterial Technology Evolution Trial
Authors: SAFIAN ROBERT D. , JAFF MICHAEL R. , BRESNAHAN JOHN F. , FOSTER MALCOLM , BACHARACH J. MICHAEL , YADAV JAY , JOYE JAMES , MYLA SUBBARAO , KASSAB ELIAS , MANN J. TIFT , ANSEL GARY M. ,   on behalf of the CREATE SpideRX Trial Investigators
Published: July 2010

Purpose:
 A prospective nonrandomized multicenter registry of 160 patients with severe carotid stenosis and high‐risk features for carotid endarterectomy was conducted during the 3‐month period from March to May 2005.

Methods:
 Carotid artery stenting (CAS) was performed with the SpideRX™ Embolic Protection System (ev3, Inc., Plymouth, MN, USA) as part of an investigational device exemption from the Food and Drug Administration.

Results:
 The primary end‐point of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events at 30 days after CAS was observed in nine patients (5.6%), including death in four patients (2.5%), nonfatal stroke in five patients (3.1%), and nonfatal myocardial infarction in one patient (0.6%). A secondary end‐point of technical success (defined as successful deployment of all devices, filter retrieval, and final diameter stenosis <50%) was achieved in 156 of 160 patients (97.5%). The only independent predictor of death or stroke at 30 days was baseline stenosis severity (P < 0.05).

Conclusion:
 CAS with distal embolic protection using the SpideRX™ Embolic Protection System is a reasonable alternative for revascularization of some high‐risk patients with severe carotid stenosis. (J Interven Cardiol 2010;23:491–498)
The Effect of Increasing Ego Involvement on the Potency of the Potential for Self‐Evaluation
Authors: Utman Christopher H. , Harkins Stephen G.
Published: July 2010

Harkins, White, & Utman (2000) found that when there is the potential for evaluation by an external source (i.e., the experimenter) and the self, concern over the potential for external evaluation superseded interest in the potential for self‐evaluation. In the present research, we found that when ego involvement was increased, the potential for self‐evaluation produced the same level of performance as did the potential for experimenter evaluation (Experiment 1). However, in Experiment 2, we found that even when ego involvement was high, concern over the potential for external evaluation superseded interest in self‐evaluation. This research extends the range of conditions under which the potential for external evaluation has been shown to be more potent than the potential for self‐evaluation.
The Allocation of a Scarce Correctional Resource: Deciding Who Is Eligible for an Electronic Monitoring Program
Authors: Furnham Adrian , McClelland Alastair , Drummond‐Baxter Edward
Published: July 2010

Participants rated hypothetical prisoners with respect to their suitability for a place on a British Home Office electronic monitoring (tagging) program. Five dichotomous variables (gender, race, previous criminal record, dependents, skill level) were combined in a factorial fashion to generate 32 descriptions. Females were favored over males; first‐time offenders over those with a criminal record; individuals with dependents over those with no dependents; and the skilled over the unskilled. White participants favored White prisoners over Black, while the reverse was true for Black participants. Those with a negative attribute (criminal record) attracted lower priority ratings than did White prisoners with a record, but those with a positive attribute attracted higher ratings than did White first‐time offenders.
Empathic Experience and Attitudes Toward Stigmatized Groups: Evidence for Attitude Generalization
Authors: Tarrant Mark , Hadert Aimee
Published: July 2010

Two studies investigated the extent to which empathizing with a single member of a stigmatized group can yield positive attitudes toward other stigmatized groups. Participants read a scenario in which a member of a socially stigmatized group described the experiences of group membership. Participants then reported their attitudes toward the target group and a second group. Both studies revealed a generalization effect such that experiencing empathy for the target was associated with more positive attitudes, both toward the target group and the second group. Study 2 demonstrated that this generalization effect is confined to those groups located within the same superordinate category. Implications of these findings for attempts to structure people's orientation to stigmatized groups are discussed.
Making Attributions to and Plans to Confront Gender Discrimination: The Role of Optimism
Authors: Sechrist Gretchen B.
Published: July 2010

Three studies demonstrated that optimism increased women's plans to confront gender discrimination. Furthermore, these studies showed that this relation was not a result of attributions to discrimination or perceptions of discriminatory events. Rather, as demonstrated in Study 3, the reason optimists were more likely to indicate that they would confront sexism was that they take an active approach to dealing with discriminatory feedback and expect to have successful outcomes in confronting their perpetrator.
What Matters More—Breaking Tradition or Stereotype Content? Envious and Paternalistic Gender Stereotypes and Advertising Effectiveness
Authors: Zawisza Magdalena , Cinnirella Marco
Published: July 2010

The outcomes of 2 experiments investigating the effectiveness of advertisements that use (non)traditional stereotypes of women (Experiment 1) or men (Experiment 2) are reported. Effectiveness of the ads was tested in relation to perceivers' attitudes toward female or male gender roles, respectively. The main finding was that for both male and female versions of the advertisements, the paternalistic ad strategies were more effective than were the envious ones, supporting the predictions of the stereotype content model over the classic prediction of negative effects of nontraditional gender portrayals for advertising effectiveness. Moreover, attitudes toward gender roles played only a limited role in determining ad effectiveness. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Prediction of Burnout in Volunteers
Authors: Moreno‐Jiménez M. Pilar , Villodres M. Carmen Hidalgo
Published: July 2010

This work studies the personal experience of volunteering and several antecedent and consequent variables. We studied the effect of the amount of time dedicated to the organization, motivation, social support, integration in the organization, self‐efficacy, and characteristics of the work on a consequent variable of the volunteering experience; that is, burnout, with its 3 components of efficacy, cynicism, and exhaustion. The statistical analysis shows that the time dedicated to volunteering and the extrinsic motivations (i.e., social and career) predicts higher levels of burnout, whereas intrinsic motivations (i.e., values and understanding), life satisfaction, and integration in the organization are negatively related to burnout.
Trends in prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia in a Japanese community: the Hisayama Study
Authors: Sekita A. , Ninomiya T. , Tanizaki Y. , Doi Y. , Hata J. , Yonemoto K. , Arima H. , Sasaki K. , Iida M. , Iwaki T. , Kanba S. , Kiyohara Y.
Published: July 2010

Sekita A, Ninomiya T, Tanizaki Y, Doi Y, Hata J, Yonemoto K, Arima H, Sasaki K, Iida M, Iwaki T, Kanba S, Kiyohara Y. Trends in prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia in a Japanese community: the Hisayama Study.

Objective:  To examine secular trends in the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD) in a general Japanese population.

Method:  Four cross‐sectional examinations were conducted among residents of a Japanese community aged ≥65  in 1985, 1992, 1998 and 2005.

Results:  The age‐ and sex‐adjusted prevalence of all‐cause dementia significantly increased with time (6.0% in 1985, 4.4% in 1992, 5.3% in 1998 and 8.3% in 2005; P for trend = 0.002). A similar trend was observed for AD (1.1%, 1.3%, 2.3% and 3.8% respectively; P for trend < 0.001), while the age‐ and sex‐adjusted prevalence of VD and other/unclassified dementia showed J‐shaped patterns (for VD: 2.3%, 1.5%, 1.5% and 2.5%, respectively, P for trend = 0.82; for other/unclassified dementia: 2.6%, 1.7%, 1.5% and 2.0%, P for trend = 0.26). The prevalence of AD was likely to increase with time from 1985 to 2005 among subjects aged 75  or older. The ratio of the prevalence of VD to that of AD decreased with time (2.1 in 1985, 1.2 in 1992, 0.7 in 1998 and 0.7 in 2005).

Conclusion:  Our findings suggest that the prevalence of all‐cause dementia and AD significantly increased over the past two decades in the general Japanese population.
Population structure in the South American tern Sterna hirundinacea in the South Atlantic: two populations with distinct breeding phenologies
Authors: Faria Patrícia J. , Campos Fausto P. , Branco Joaquim O. , Musso Cézar M. , Morgante João S. , Bruford Michael W.
Published: July 2010

The South American tern Sterna hirundinacea is a migratory species for which dispersal, site fidelity and migratory routes are largely unknown. Here, we used five microsatellite loci and 799 bp partial mitochondrial DNA sequences (Cytochrome b and ND2) to investigate the genetic structure of South American terns from the South Atlantic Ocean (Brazilian and Patagonian colonies). Brazilian and Patagonian colonies have two distinct breeding phenologies (austral winter and austral summer, respectively) and are under the influence of different oceanographic features (e.g. Brazil and Falklands/Malvinas ocean currents, respectively), that may promote genetic isolation between populations. Results show that the Atlantic populations are not completely panmictic, nevertheless, contrary to our expectations, low levels of genetic structure were detected between Brazilian and Patagonian colonies. Such low differentiation (despite temporal isolation of the colonies) could be explained by demographic history of these populations coupled with ongoing levels of gene flow. Interestingly, estimations of gene flow through Maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches has indicated asymmetrical long term and contemporary gene flow from Brazilian to Patagonian colonies, approaching a source–sink metapopulation dynamic. Genetic analysis of other South American tern populations (especially those from the Pacific coast and Falklands–Malvinas Islands) and other seabird species showing similar geographical distribution (e.g. royal tern Thalasseus maximus), are fundamental in gaining a better understanding of the main processes involved in the diversification of seabirds in the southern hemisphere.
Do bird captures reflect migration intensity? – Trapping numbers on an Alpine pass compared with radar counts
Authors: Komenda‐Zehnder Susanna , Jenni Lukas , Liechti Felix
Published: July 2010

A limitation of standardized mist netting for monitoring migration is caused by the lack of knowledge about the relationship between trapped birds and birds flying aloft. Earlier studies related nocturnal radar counts with trapping data of the following day. In this study, we compared for the first time data gathered simultaneously by radar and mist netting, separately for diurnal and nocturnal migration. Trapping numbers were strongly correlated with migratory intensities measured by radar (r>0.6). A multiple regression analysis, including wind speed and wind direction explained 61% of variation in the number of captures. During the night, and particularly with favourable winds, birds flew at higher altitudes and hence escaped the nets to a higher proportion. The number of nocturnal migrants trapped during daytime was well correlated with migratory intensities observed by radar in the preceding night. The diurnal time patterns, however, revealed fundamental differences between trapping counts and radar observations. This was mainly due to increasing and decreasing flight altitudes in the course of the night, and by the limitations of the radar technique that underestimates migratory intensities during the day when birds aggregate in flocks. In relation to the migratory intensity recorded by radar, diurnal migrants are trapped in a much higher proportion than nocturnal migrants. Finally, our results confirm that trapping data from a site hardly used for stopover are well suited to represent the ongoing migration during the day and night.
Does testosterone determine dominance in the house sparrow Passer domesticus? An experimental test
Authors: Buchanan K. L. , Evans M. R. , Roberts M. L. , Rowe L. , Goldsmith A. R.
Published: July 2010

Badges of status function in many birds within a social context to establish dominance hierarchies and reduce antagonistic encounters. In order to maintain the honesty of the signalling system, such badges must be costly to produce or to maintain. The chest bib of the house sparrow functions as a badge of status and changes in size are known to be controlled by testosterone levels. We sought to test the relative importance of testosterone as opposed to bib size in determining dominance within a group of male house sparrows. We did this by manipulating testosterone levels independently during both breeding and post‐breeding seasons in experimental birds and examining the effect of testosterone titre, as well as corticosterone titre relative to bib size on dominance levels. Dominance hierarchies within the groups were tested during both the breeding and post‐breeding phases. We compared the results of these tests with dominance among intact (unmanipulated) birds. Results suggested that the breeding season dominance levels were largely determined by testosterone levels as well as bib size, whereas the post‐breeding dominance levels were determined by post‐breeding testosterone titre and previous breeding season dominance level. Within unmanipulated birds, basal corticosterone levels were significantly, negatively correlated with dominance level, but only during the breeding season. The influence of breeding season dominance on post‐breeding dominance suggests social history is important in determining dominance interactions as well as current testosterone levels and bib size.
Egg‐yolk androgen and carotenoid deposition as a function of maternal social environment in barn swallowsHirundo rustica
Authors: Safran Rebecca J. , McGraw Kevin J. , Pilz Kevin M. , Correa Stephanie M.
Published: July 2010

Evidence is mounting that female animals use egg‐yolk compounds (e.g. steroids, antioxidants) to adaptively engineer the quality of their offspring as a function of several maternal and environmental factors. Though adjustments to yolk allocation have been well‐characterized as a function of parental phenotypes, we know very little about how an individual's social environment influences yolk composition. Here, we consider how two types of yolk compounds, androgens and carotenoids, relate to the maternal social environment during the egg‐laying period, controlling statistically for known correlations between various aspects of parental quality and egg yolk compounds. Barn swallowsHirundo rustica erythrogasterbreed in groups of highly variable size and spacing, allowing us to test whether or not the social environment is correlated with these maternal effects. We found no relationship between carotenoid levels in eggs as a function of colony size, colony density, or nearest‐neighbor distance. However, eggs from females in larger groups had lower concentrations and total amounts of yolk androgens than those from females in smaller, less dense social settings. Our results counter previous predictions and literature, showing that females breeding in large groups deposit more androgen in eggs, mechanistically, because they compete more with conspecifics and have higher circulating androgen levels themselves and, functionally, because it could be advantageous for their offspring to show high androgen‐mediated competitive abilities early in life. Instead, because group size in this species is governed largely by site fidelity and the availability of old nests for re‐use, and because reproductive output does not differ as a function of group size, it may be that competition is greater for limited nests in small groups, thus elevating androgen levels. Further, yolk androgens were previously shown to be affected by male quality, and the greater concentrations and amounts of yolk androgens in smaller sites may reflect differential allocation to darker males found at these sites.
Aerial hunting behaviour and predation success by peregrine falconsFalco peregrinuson starling flocksSturnus vulgaris
Authors: Zoratto Francesca , Carere Claudio , Chiarotti Flavia , Santucci Daniela , Alleva Enrico
Published: July 2010

Predators use diverse hunting strategies to maximize hunting success, while preys adopt anti‐predator strategies to maximize escape chances, among which flocking, communal roosting, and the related collective responses are a common pattern in gregarious species. Prey‐predator interactions involving a single predator and flocks, a common situation in birds, have received little attention. We studied predation behaviour and success of peregrine falconsFalco peregrinuson starlingsSturnus vulgaris, a highly gregarious species, in proximity of two winter roosts. A total of 328 hunting sequences, with an overall success of 23.1% were recorded. They usually consisted of several attacks, predation success being higher when hunting sequences lasted less than 1.5 min, included less than 3 attacks and no other falcons were hunting simultaneously. Predation success was higher when hunts were directed on singletons than on flocks. However, most hunting sequences were directed towards flocks. Nine hunting strategies on flocks were identified. The most frequent was the ‘surprise attack’, which was also the most successful. We suggest that this strategy minimizes the amount of anti‐predator display elicited by flocks and economizes energy spent in hunting. The constant predation pressure did not seem to affect the use of roosts by starlings, consistent with the ‘dilution’ hypothesis, while falcons captured at least one prey item every evening. Communal roosting may benefit predator and prey, as both sides could have reached a mutual local equilibrium.
Clutch predation in great tinamousTinamus majorand implications for the evolution of egg color
Authors: Brennan Patricia L. R.
Published: July 2010

Egg camouflage has been found to reduce predation in several ground‐nesting species. Therefore, the evolution of eggs that lack camouflage in ground nesting birds is puzzling. Even though clutch predation in the tropics is high, tinamous are the only tropical ground‐nesting birds that do not build a nest and do not lay cryptic eggs. I studied predation of great tinamou clutches in a lowland tropical forest and found that risk of predation was higher during incubation when the eggs are covered by the parent, than during laying when they are exposed, suggesting that predators primarily use cues from the incubating males to locate the clutch and not cues from the eggs. Clutch size had no effect on predation rate, even though larger clutches are more conspicuous to a human observer. Predation by visual cues is likely reduced during incubation by the camouflaged plumage and high nest attendance of males. If most predators use cues from the incubating male and not the eggs to locate clutches, then conspicuous egg color may have evolved in great tinamous as an intra‐specific signal. I evaluate hypotheses that may explain the maintenance of conspicuous egg color in tinamous.
Brood‐guarding duration in black‐browed albatrossesThalassarche melanophris: temporal, geographical and individual variation
Authors: Catry Paulo , Phillips Richard A. , Forster Isaac P. , Matias Rafael , Lecoq Miguel , Granadeiro José P. , Strange Ian J.
Published: July 2010

In birds, the period spent brooding or guarding young chicks is highly variable, but such variation has seldom been studied. Previous single‐year studies of Antarctic petrelsThalassoica antarcticaand grey‐headed albatrossesThalassarche chrysostomarevealed a pronounced seasonal decline in brood‐guarding duration and gave rise to the ‘synchronisation hypothesis’, which suggests that some of the variation in the length of the brood‐guarding stage is related to predictable seasonal changes in the risk of chick predation. We tested the predictions of this and three other hypotheses in a two‐site, four‐year study of the black‐browed albatrossT. melanophris. The existence of a pronounced seasonal decline in brood‐guarding duration was apparent at both sites, and in years of contrasting food availability, providing further support for the ‘synchronisation hypothesis’. Alternative explanations for this pattern are that short brood‐guarding periods for late‐hatched chicks result from a seasonal decline in food availability or from the fact that early nesting birds are of higher individual quality. However, these explanations are at odds with the absence of a seasonal decline in early chick growth or in probability of chick survival. Furthermore, adult quality (measured as past reproductive performance) had a weak and inconsistent effect on the duration of brood‐guarding. Weather changes explained some of the variation in brood‐guarding, but there were no differences between regions of contrasting climates. Individual pairs displayed a degree of inter‐annual consistency in brood‐guarding duration and, at least in some years, longer brood‐guarding resulted in higher fledging probability. We speculate that a higher investment in brood‐guarding increases the cost of reproduction, which counteracts other selective pressures that would otherwise lead to longer brood‐guarding durations.
Categorical Transgression in Marlovian Death and Damnation
Authors: Pettitt Tom
Published: July 2010

Appropriately for the products of a notoriously ambivalent cultural institution, the stage plays of Christopher Marlowe exploit the anxiety endemic in Elizabethan culture concerning the vulnerability of categorical boundaries. Often studied from the perspectives of gender, this categorical anxiety is more insistently provoked in relation to species, with human suffering and death regularly encompassing degradation to animal or vegetable status, and even beyond, to cooking, consumption and digestion. Edward II is broached on a spit; Barrabas boiled in a cauldron; Faustus consumed by a gaping hell mouth. Such respecification is symptomatic of ambivalence on other axes, and in the plays with more simplex protagonists, The Massacre at Paris and Tamburlaine, is reserved for their victims. An earlier study found predominantly carnivalesque connotations in the categorically transgressive sufferings of Edward II. Here, with the scope extended to the other plays but narrowed to species boundaries, infernalesque connotations loom larger. The Elizabethans inherited a late medieval vision of hell as a site of categorical transgression: a smithy, abattoir or kitchen in which devils wielded tools and utensils rather than weapons. And in Marlowe’s secular doomsday plays the world is separated from hell by only a thin, transparent crust, or itself effectively becomes a hell on earth.
Fear in a Handful of Dust: Aviation and the Icelandic Volcano
Authors: Brooker Peter
Published: July 2010

The eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in April 2010 closed airports throughout Europe, stranded thousands of passengers, and enraged airlines and cost them millions. Was the grounding justified? Peter Brooker finds that planes stopped flying because of gaps in the statistical and test data needed to establish safe levels of ash concentration.
Fundamental Health Care Reform for The United States
Authors: Gruber Jonathan , Sekhon Jasjeet Singh
Published: July 2010

President Obama's health care reforms are the most controversial that the United States has ever seen. Proponents and opponents portray them in radically different terms. Here, Jonathan Gruber explains why statistics from previous experience are of only partial use; and on page 124, Jasjeet Singh Sekhon looks at the uncertainties and false inferences that have been ignored by commentators on both sides.
Keeping Things in Proportion: How can Voting Systems be Fairer?
Authors: Thompson Gavin
Published: July 2010

In the 2010 UK General election the Conservative party won 36% of the votes – but 47% of the seats. The Liberal Democrats won 23% of the votes and just 9% of the seats. Does the first-past-the-post system really give results that reflect voters' wishes? Gavin Thompson looks at alternatives.
Meta‐analysis of the Effectiveness of Resident Fathering Programs: Are Family Life Educators Interested in Fathers?
Authors: Holmes Erin K. , Galovan Adam M. , Yoshida Keitaro , Hawkins Alan J.
Published: July 2010

Using meta‐analysis, we reviewed the effectiveness of resident fathering education programs. Our review identified 16 studies with over 200 reported effect sizes. Results revealed a significant overall effect size of d = .26, with specific significant outcomes ranging from d = .14 to d = .61. Studies with father‐only reports produced significantly larger effects than multiple‐reporter studies; studies with no‐treatment control groups produced larger effects than studies with minimal‐treatment comparison groups. A lack of long‐term follow‐up evaluation limited our ability to examine the strength of these effects over time. Although there is some reason for optimism, more fathering education program research is needed. Indeed, the dearth of work in this area may be the most important finding of this meta‐analysis.
Ambiguous Loss in a Non‐Western Context: Families of the Disappeared in Postconflict Nepal
Authors: Robins Simon
Published: July 2010

Ambiguous loss has become a standard theory for understanding the impact of situations where the presence of a family member is subject to ambiguity. A number of studies of ambiguous loss have been made in a range of situations of ambiguity, but almost all have been firmly located within a Western cultural context. Here, ambiguous loss is explored in a different cultural context through a study of the families of persons disappeared during Nepal's decade‐long Maoist insurgency. Through the use of qualitative research methods, a sample of families (n = 160) of those disappeared during the conflict has been studied to understand the impact of disappearance. The results of this study are compared with the expectations of ambiguous loss theory to test its relevance in the Nepali context.
Happiness in Midlife Parental Roles: A Contextual Mixed Methods Analysis
Authors: Mitchell Barbara A.
Published: July 2010

This article focuses on midlife parental role satisfaction using date from a culturally diverse sample of 490 Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, parents. Results show that most parents are happy in their roles. Income satisfaction, intergenerational relationship quality, parents' main activity, health, age, ethnic background, and perceptions of how children “turn out,” however, influence their subjective levels of happiness. These findings are discussed in terms of practical implications for professionals interested in midlife parental health and well‐being.
Protective Effects of Chunghyuldan against ROS‐mediated Neuronal Cell Death in Models of Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Kim Hyo Geun , Ju Mi Sun , Kim Dong‐Hyun , Hong Jongki , Cho Seung‐Hun , Cho Ki‐Ho , Park Wansu , Lee Eunjoo H. , Kim Sun Yeou , Oh Myung Sook
Published: July 2010

Abstract:  Previous reports have suggested that the herbal medicine Chunghyuldan (CHD, Qingxue‐dan in Chinese and Daio‐Orengedokuto in Japanese) has wide‐ranging biological effects, including anti‐hyperlipidaemic, anti‐ischaemic, anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐mediated mitochondrial dysfunction is thought to be one of the major pathological mechanisms responsible for Parkinson’s disease (PD) and may underlie the selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) that is a hallmark of this disease. In this study, we examined the neuroprotective effects of CHD in PD models produced by treatment with neurotoxins that act via ROS‐mediated mitochondrial dysfunction. In an in vitro PD model using 6‐hydroxydopamine, CHD applied at concentrations of 10 and 100 μg/ml exhibited significant protective effects in PC12 cells by inhibiting intracellular ROS generation. CHD applied at 10 and 100 μg/ml also prevented 6‐hydroxydopamine‐induced mitochondrial depolarization and elevation of caspase‐3 activity. At the same doses, CHD showed regulatory effects on the haem oxygenase‐1 and gp91 phagocytic oxidase which have critical roles in generating ROS. In addition, CHD protected dopaminergic neurons in a primary mesencephalic culture against MPP+ neurotoxicity. In an in vivo PD model produced by 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine treatment (20 mg/kg, 4 times, i.p.), co‐administration of CHD (50 mg/kg, 5 days, p.o.) ameliorated PD‐like behavioural symptoms (bradykinesia) and reduced dopaminergic neuronal damage in the SNpc and striatum as measured by immunocytochemistry. These results demonstrate the neuroprotective effects of CHD in PD models that are mediated through inhibition of ROS generation and associated mitochondrial dysfunction.
The Relationship between Blood and Serum Lead Levels in Peripartum Women and their Respective Umbilical Cords
Authors: Amaral Jefferson H. , Rezende Vania B. , Quintana Silvana M. , Gerlach Raquel F. , Barbosa Fernando , Tanus‐Santos Jose E.
Published: July 2010

Abstract:  Foetal exposure to lead (Pb) during pregnancy is a major problem. However, no previous study has examined whether Pb concentrations in blood (Pb‐B) and in serum (Pb‐S) from pregnant women correlate with Pb‐B and Pb‐S in the foetuses. This hypothesis was tested in the present study. We measured Pb‐B and Pb‐S in 120 healthy pregnant women (more than 38 weeks of gestation) and their respective umbilical cord samples. The analyses were carried out with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. We found higher Pb‐B levels in the women compared with their respective umbilical cord samples (1.736 ± 0.090 μg/dL and 1.194 ± 0.062 μg/dL, respectively; p < 0.05). In parallel, we found higher Pb‐S levels in the women compared with their respective umbilical cord samples (0.042 ± 0.003 μg/dL and 0.032 ± 0.003 μg/dL, respectively; p < 0.05). However, similar %Pb‐S/Pb‐B ratios were found in the women compared with their respective umbilical cord samples (2.414 ± 0.210% and 2.740 ± 0.219%, respectively; p > 0.05). Interestingly, we found positive correlations between Pb‐B in the umbilical cords and Pb‐B in the respective pregnant women (rs = 0.5714; p < 0.0001), and between Pb‐S in the umbilical cords and Pb‐S in the respective pregnant women (rs = 0.3902; p < 0.0001) as well as between %Pb‐B/Pb‐S in the umbilical cords and %Pb‐B/Pb‐S in the respective pregnant women (rs = 0.3767; p < 0.0001). These results indicate that the assessment of Pb‐B and Pb‐S in pregnant women provides relevant indexes of foetal exposure to Pb. Moreover, the similar %Pb‐S/Pb‐B in pregnant women and in the umbilical cords shows that the foetuses are directly exposed to the rapidly exchangeable Pb fraction found in their mothers.
A Protein Relational Database and Protein Family Knowledge Bases to Facilitate Structure‐Based Design Analyses
Authors: Mobilio Dominick , Walker Gary , Brooijmans Natasja , Nilakantan Ramaswamy , Denny R. Aldrin , DeJoannis Jason , Feyfant Eric , Kowticwar Rupesh K. , Mankala Jyoti , Palli Satish , Punyamantula Sairam , Tatipally Maneesh , John Reji K. , Humblet Christine
Published: July 2010

The Protein Data Bank is the most comprehensive source of experimental macromolecular structures. It can, however, be difficult at times to locate relevant structures with the Protein Data Bank search interface. This is particularly true when searching for complexes containing specific interactions between protein and ligand atoms. Moreover, searching within a family of proteins can be tedious. For example, one cannot search for some conserved residue as residue numbers vary across structures. We describe herein three databases, Protein Relational Database, Kinase Knowledge Base, and Matrix Metalloproteinase Knowledge Base, containing protein structures from the Protein Data Bank. In Protein Relational Database, atom–atom distances between protein and ligand have been precalculated allowing for millisecond retrieval based on atom identity and distance constraints. Ring centroids, centroid–centroid and centroid–atom distances and angles have also been included permitting queries for π‐stacking interactions and other structural motifs involving rings. Other geometric features can be searched through the inclusion of residue pair and triplet distances. In Kinase Knowledge Base and Matrix Metalloproteinase Knowledge Base, the catalytic domains have been aligned into common residue numbering schemes. Thus, by searching across Protein Relational Database and Kinase Knowledge Base, one can easily retrieve structures wherein, for example, a ligand of interest is making contact with the gatekeeper residue.
Bioenergy by‐products as soil amendments? Implications for carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions
Authors: CAYUELA M. L. , OENEMA O. , KUIKMAN P. J. , BAKKER R. R. , Van GROENIGEN J. W.
Published: July 2010

An important but little understood aspect of bioenergy production is its overall impact on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling. Increased energy production from biomass will inevitably lead to higher input of its by‐products to the soil as amendments or fertilizers. However, it is still unclear how these by‐products will influence microbial transformation processes in soil, and thereby its greenhouse gas (GHG) balance and organic C stocks. In this study, we assess C and N dynamics and GHG emissions following application of different bioenergy by‐products to soil. Ten by‐products were selected from different bioenergy chains: anaerobic digestion (manure digestates), first generation biofuel by‐products (rapeseed meal, distilled dried grains with solubles), second‐generation biofuel by‐products (nonfermentables from hydrolysis of different lignocellulosic materials) and pyrolysis (biochars). These by‐products were added at a constant N rate (150 kg N ha−1) to a sandy soil and incubated at 20 °C. After 60 days, >80% of applied C had been emitted as CO2 in the first‐generation biofuel residue treatments. For second‐generation biofuel residues this was approximately 60%, and for digestates 40%. Biochars were the most stable residues with the lowest CO2 loss (between 0.5% and 5.8% of total added C). Regarding N2O emissions, addition of first‐generation biofuel residues led to the highest total N2O emissions (between 2.5% and 6.0% of applied N). Second‐generation biofuel residues emitted between 1.0% and 2.0% of applied N, with the original feedstock material resulting in similar N2O emissions and higher C mineralization rates. Anaerobic digestates resulted in emissions <1% of applied N. The two biochars used in this study decreased N2O emissions below background values. We conclude that GHG dynamics of by‐products after soil amendment cannot be ignored and should be part of the lifecycle analysis of the various bioenergy production chains.