bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of depression in adults with haemophilia
Authors: Iannone M. , Pennick L. , Tom A. , Cui H. , Gilbert M. , Weihs K. , Stopeck A. T.
Published: May 2012

Multiple factors place adults with haemophilia at risk for depression. Health outcomes can be compromised in depressed patients secondary to increased risk taking behaviour and poor compliance with treatment recommendations. To assess the prevalence and risk factors associated with depression in adult patients with haemophilia treated at a haemophilia treatment centre. Adults with haemophilia were screened for depression during their annual clinic visit using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ‐9), a validated tool for depression screening in adults. Depression was defined as a PHQ‐9 score ≥ 5. Risk factors associated with depression were collected by chart review and correlated with depression scores. A total of 41 adult patients consented to the study and 37% met criteria for depression. Fifty‐three per cent of patients with depression reported moderate to severe symptoms of depression (PHQ‐9 score >10). Seventy‐six per cent of patients with depression reported suffering functional impairment due to their depressive symptoms. Lack of social support and unemployment were significantly associated with higher PHQ‐9 scores (P = 0.04 and P = 0.01 respectively). Adult patients with haemophilia have a high prevalence of depression. The addition of depression screening to the comprehensive care of adults with haemophilia may result in improved overall health outcomes and treatment adherence.
Nurse–physician communication concerning artificial nutrition or hydration (ANH) in patients with dementia: a qualitative study
Authors: Bryon Els , Gastmans Chris , de Casterlé Bernadette Dierckx
Published: May 2012

Aims and objectives.  To explore nurses’ experiences with nurse–physician communication during artificial nutrition or hydration (ANH) decision‐making in hospitalised patients with dementia.

Background.  Artificial nutrition or hydration decision‐making often occurs in patients with dementia. Effective communication between professionals is extremely challenging in this population, because these patients are unable to communicate their treatment wishes.

Design.  Qualitative interview design.

Methods.  Between April 2008 and June 2009, we conducted 21 interviews with nurses from nine different hospitals geographically spread throughout Flanders (Belgium). Interviews were audiotaped and later transcribed. Data processing involved (1) simultaneous and systematic data collection and analysis, (2) constant forwards–backwards wave, (3) continuous dialogue with the data and (4) interactive team processes.

Results.  The interviews showed that communication with physicians is the central instrument the nurses used in their attempts to realise their perception of ‘the best possible care’. From the nurses’ perspective, we distinguished three mutually connected factors that affected the effectiveness of nurse–physician communication during artificial nutrition or hydration decision‐making: the physicians’ attitude towards the nurses, the nurses’ attitude towards the physicians and the forms of communication used by the nurses. The complex interaction between these three factors resulted in a range of nurses’ perceptions, varying from positive to negative. The direction of their perceptions depended on the extent to which they succeeded or failed to use nurse–physician communication as an instrument to realise the ‘best care’.

Conclusion.  Nurse–physician communication was the most important instrument determining whether nurses succeeded or failed to actively act as a patient’s representative and whether nurses achieved the best possible care in co‐operation with physicians.

Relevance to clinical practice.  To reach optimal care and nurse job satisfaction, nurse–physician communication during artificial nutrition or hydration decision‐making should be an open dialogue characterised by mutual respect and understanding.
Psychometric evaluation of a new instrument to measure disease self‐management of the early stage chronic kidney disease patients
Authors: Lin Chiu‐Chu , Wu Chia‐Chen , Wu Li‐Min , Chen Hsing‐Mei , Chang Shu‐Chen
Published: May 2012

Aims and objectives.  This study aims to develop a valid and reliable chronic kidney disease self‐management instrument (CKD‐SM) for assessing early stage chronic kidney disease patients’ self‐management behaviours.

Background.  Enhancing early stage chronic kidney disease patients’ self‐management plays a key role in delaying the progression of chronic kidney disease. Healthcare provider understanding of early stage chronic kidney disease patients’ self‐management behaviours can help develop effective interventions. A valid and reliable instrument for measuring chronic kidney disease patients’ self‐management behaviours is needed.

Design.  A cross‐sectional descriptive study collected data for principal components analysis with oblique rotation.

Methods.  Mandarin‐ or Taiwanese‐speaking adults with chronic kidney disease (n = 252) from two medical centres and one regional hospital in Southern Taiwan completed the CKD‐SM. Construct validity was evaluated by exploratory factor analysis. Internal consistency and test–retest reliability were estimated by Cronbach’s alpha and Pearson correlation coefficients.

Results.  Four factors were extracted and labelled self‐integration, problem‐solving, seeking social support and adherence to recommended regimen. The four factors accounted for 60·51% of the total variance. Each factor showed acceptable internal reliability with Cronbach’s alpha from 0·77–0·92. The test–retest correlations for the CKD‐SM was 0·72.

Conclusion.  The psychometric quality of the CKD‐SM instrument was satisfactory. Research to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis to further validate this new instrument’s construct validity is recommended.

Relevance to clinical practice.  The CKD‐SM instrument is useful for clinicians who wish to identify the problems with self‐management among chronic kidney disease patients early. Self‐management assessment will be helpful to develop intervention tailored to the needs of the chronic kidney disease population.
Young people with depression and their satisfaction with the quality of care they receive from a primary care youth mental health service: a qualitative study
Authors: McCann Terence V , Lubman Dan I
Published: May 2012

Aim.  To examine how satisfied young people with depression are with the quality of care they receive from clinicians of a primary care service for young people with mental health problems.

Background.  There is a high prevalence of youth depression, but few studies have been undertaken to examine whether young people are satisfied with the care they receive in primary care youth mental health services.

Design.  Qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Method.  Individual, semi‐structured, in‐depth, audio‐recorded interviews were carried out between March and September 2009. A purposive sample of 26 young people with depression, average age 18 years, were recruited through clinicians of a primary care service for young people with mental health problems, in Melbourne.

Results.  Three overlapping themes highlight youth participants’ satisfaction with care: First, clinicians being youth‐friendly, highlights how, overall, clinicians are perceived as approachable and supportive, understanding and non‐judgemental. Second, clinicians adopting a broad‐based style of care illustrates that their use primarily of psychosocial therapies, and the judicious use of antidepressant medication, is received favourably by youth. Third, care facilitating recovery highlights that clinicians’ youth‐friendly and broad‐based approach enables a therapeutic dialogue to be established with the young people, contributing to recovery from depression; recovery, in turn, enhances satisfaction with clinicians.

Conclusion.  Youth‐friendliness is an important expectation of mental health nurses and other clinicians within the youth service. This engagement style provides a useful framework for clinicians to adopt a broad‐based approach to care. Ultimately, care should facilitate recovery from depression, and this strengthens satisfaction with mental health nurses and other clinicians.

Relevance to clinical practice.  The findings make an important contribution to knowledge and research in mental health nursing. In particular, youth‐friendliness is an important prerequisite for continuing engagement with services, and a broad‐based approach to care should be adopted.
Diversification and phylogeographic structure in widespread Azteca plant‐ants from the northern Neotropics
Authors: PRINGLE ELIZABETH G. , RAMÍREZ SANTIAGO R. , BONEBRAKE TIMOTHY C. , GORDON DEBORAH M. , DIRZO RODOLFO
Published: May 2012

The Neotropical myrmecophytic tree Cordia alliodora hosts symbiotic Azteca ants in most of its widespread range. The taxonomy of the genus Azteca is notoriously difficult, which has frequently obscured species identity in ecological studies. We used sequence data from one mitochondrial and four nuclear loci to infer phylogenetic relationships, patterns of geographic distribution, and timing of diversification for 182 colonies of five C. alliodora‐dwelling Azteca species from Mexico to Colombia. All morphological species were recovered as monophyletic, but we identified at least five distinct genetic lineages within the most abundant and specialized species, Azteca pittieri. Mitochondrial and nuclear data were concordant at the species level, but not within species. Divergence time analyses estimated that C. alliodora‐dwelling Azteca shared a common ancestor approximately 10–22 million years ago, prior to the proposed arrival of the host tree in Middle America. Diversification in A. pittieri occurred in the Pleistocene and was not correlated with geographic distance, which suggests limited historical gene flow among geographically restricted populations. This contrasts with the previously reported lack of phylogeographic structure at this spatial scale in the host tree. Climatic niches, and particularly precipitation‐related variables, did not overlap between the sites occupied by northern and southern lineages of A. pittieri. Together, these results suggest that restricted gene flow among ant populations may facilitate local adaptation to environmental heterogeneity. Differences in population structure between the ants and their host trees may profoundly affect the evolutionary dynamics of this widespread ant–plant mutualism.
Reliability of genetic bottleneck tests for detecting recent population declines
Authors: PEERY M. ZACHARIAH , KIRBY REBECCA , REID BRENDAN N. , STOELTING RICKA , DOUCET‐BËER ELENA , ROBINSON STACIE , VÁSQUEZ‐CARRILLO CATALINA , PAULI JONATHAN N. , PALSBØLL PER J.
Published: May 2012

The identification of population bottlenecks is critical in conservation because populations that have experienced significant reductions in abundance are subject to a variety of genetic and demographic processes that can hasten extinction. Genetic bottleneck tests constitute an appealing and popular approach for determining if a population decline has occurred because they only require sampling at a single point in time, yet reflect demographic history over multiple generations. However, a review of the published literature indicates that, as typically applied, microsatellite‐based bottleneck tests often do not detect bottlenecks in vertebrate populations known to have experienced declines. This observation was supported by simulations that revealed that bottleneck tests can have limited statistical power to detect bottlenecks largely as a result of limited sample sizes typically used in published studies. Moreover, commonly assumed values for mutation model parameters do not appear to encompass variation in microsatellite evolution observed in vertebrates and, on average, the proportion of multi‐step mutations is underestimated by a factor of approximately two. As a result, bottleneck tests can have a higher probability of ‘detecting’ bottlenecks in stable populations than expected based on the nominal significance level. We provide recommendations that could add rigor to inferences drawn from future bottleneck tests and highlight new directions for the characterization of demographic history.
Effects of vicariant barriers, habitat stability, population isolation and environmental features on species divergence in the south‐western Australian coastal reptile community
Authors: EDWARDS D. L. , KEOGH J. S. , KNOWLES L. L.
Published: May 2012

Identifying explicit hypotheses regarding the factors determining genetic structuring within species can be difficult, especially in species distributed in historically dynamic regions. To contend with these challenges, we use a framework that combines species distribution models, environmental data and multi‐locus genetic data to generate and explore phylogeographic hypotheses for reptile species occupying the coastal sand‐dune and sand‐plain habitats of the south‐western Australian biodiversity hotspot, a community which has both a high diversity of endemics and has varied dramatically in spatial extent over time. We use hierarchical amova, summary statistic and distance‐based analyses to explicitly test specific phylogeographic hypotheses. Namely, we test if biogeographic vicariance across barriers, habitat stability, population isolation along a linear habitat or fragmentation across different environments can explain genetic divergence within five co‐distributed squamate reptile species. Our results show that patterns of genetic variation reflect complex and species‐specific interactions related to the spatial distribution of habitats present currently and during repeated glacial minima, as opposed to being associated with historical factors such as habitat stability between glacial and inter‐glacial periods or vicariant barriers. We suggest that the large impact of habitat characteristics over time (i.e. relative levels of habitat connectivity, climatic gradients and spatial heterogeneity of soil types) reflects the ecological restrictions of the sand‐dune and sand‐plain reptile communities and may explain the lack of concordance across taxa. The study demonstrates the general utility of the approach for assemblage‐level, as well as single species, phylogeographic study, including its usefulness for exploring biologically informed hypotheses about what factors have influenced patterns of genetic variation.
Multiple lessons from the multiple functions of a regulator of type III secretion system assembly in the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae
Authors: Wei Hai‐Lei , Collmer Alan
Published: May 2012

The assembly of type III secretion systems (T3SSs), which inject bacterial effector proteins into the cytosol of animal and plant hosts, is a highly regulated process. Animal pathogens use a length‐control protein to produce T3SS needles of fixed length and then a second regulator, such as YopN in Yersinia spp, to mediate host contact‐dependent effector delivery. For Pseudomonas syringae and other plant pathogens, regulation of the assembly process differs because the T3SS pilus must grow through variably thick plant cell walls before contacting the host plasma membrane. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Crabill et al. (2012) report evidence that the YopN homologue HrpJ is a multifunctional regulator of T3SS assembly in DC3000. A hrpJ mutant hyper‐secretes pilus protein and no longer secretes four translocator proteins in culture, and it fails to inject effectors in planta. As with other proteins in this class, HrpJ is itself a T3SS substrate, but secretion‐incompetent forms retain regulatory function. However, HrpJ is unusual in suppressing innate immune responses within host cells, as demonstrated with transgenic plants. The multiple capabilities of HrpJ appear to couple host contact sensing with pilus length control and translocator secretion while also contributing to immunity suppression early in the interaction.
Short‐term effects of CO2 and O2 on citrate metabolism in illuminated leaves
Authors: TCHERKEZ GUILLAUME , MAHÉ ALINE , GUÉRARD FLORENCE , BOEX‐FONTVIEILLE EDOUARD R. A. , GOUT ELISABETH , LAMOTHE MARLÈNE , BARBOUR MARGARET M. , BLIGNY RICHARD
Published: May 2012

Although there is now a considerable literature on the inhibition of leaf respiration (CO2 evolution) by light, little is known about the effect of other environmental conditions on day respiratory metabolism. In particular, CO2 and O2 mole fractions are assumed to cause changes in the tricarboxylic acid pathway (TCAP) but the amplitude and even the direction of such changes are still a matter of debate. Here, we took advantage of isotopic techniques, new simple equations and instant freeze sampling to follow respiratory metabolism in illuminated cocklebur leaves (Xanthium strumarium L.) under different CO2/O2 conditions. Gas exchange coupled to online isotopic analysis showed that CO2 evolved by leaves in the light came from ‘old’ carbon skeletons and there was a slight decrease in 13C natural abundance when [CO2] increased. This suggested the involvement of enzymatic steps fractionating more strongly against 13C and thus increasingly limiting for the metabolic respiratory flux as [CO2] increased. Isotopic labelling with 13C2‐2,4‐citrate lead to 13C‐enriched Glu and 2‐oxoglutarate (2OG), clearly demonstrating poor metabolism of citrate by the TCAP. There was a clear relationship between the ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate oxygenation‐to‐carboxylation ratio (vo/vc) and the 13C commitment to 2OG, demonstrating that 2OG and Glu synthesis via the TCAP is positively influenced by photorespiration.
A review of training opportunities for ultrasonography in low and middle income countries
Authors: LaGrone Lacey N. , Sadasivam Vijay , Kushner Adam L. , Groen Reinou S.
Published: May 2012

Objective  To review the current training opportunities for ultrasound use for health workers practising in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs).

Methods  A PubMed search using terms ultrasound, sonography, echocardiography, developing country/countries, developing world, low resource settings, low income country/countries, training and education was conducted. Articles from 2000 to 2011 that included data on ultrasonography training were eligible for inclusion.

Results  This review shows that most ultrasound scans are performed by generalist and obstetric physicians and even non‐medical personnel with little to no formal training in ultrasonography. The spectrum of ultrasonography training described spanned from no formal training to formal certification and residency programmes. All courses included some component of didactics and hands‐on training. Follow‐up of trainee skills ranged from none, to telemedicine case review, to formal re‐evaluations and intensive refresher courses. Ultrasonographic training in LMICs often does not meet the WHO criteria such as the number of scans under supervision and length of training programme recommended by WHO. Nevertheless, some programmes manage to have excellent outcomes with regard to diagnostic accuracy and retention of knowledge by trained personnel.

Conclusion  Regulation and quality control of training in ultrasound skills for those working in LMICs can be improved. Research on effective training and follow‐up should be encouraged.
Plasmodium vivax Duffy binding protein: baseline antibody responses and parasite polymorphisms in a well‐consolidated settlement of the Amazon Region
Authors: Kano Flora S. , Sanchez Bruno A. M. , Sousa Tais N. , Tang Michaelis L. , Saliba Jéssica , Oliveira Fernando M. , Nogueira Paulo A. , Gonçalves Alessandra Q. , Fontes Cor J. F. , Soares Irene S. , Brito Cristiana F. A. , Rocha Roberto S. , Carvalho Luzia H.
Published: May 2012

Objective  To investigate risk factors associated with the acquisition of antibodies against Plasmodium vivax Duffy binding protein (PvDBP) – a leading malaria vaccine candidate – in a well‐consolidated agricultural settlement of the Brazilian Amazon Region and to determine the sequence diversity of the PvDBP ligand domain (DBPII) within the local malaria parasite population.

Methods  Demographic, epidemiological and clinical data were collected from 541 volunteers using a structured questionnaire. Malaria parasites were detected by conventional microscopy and PCR, and blood collection was used for antibody assays and molecular characterisation of DBPII.

Results  The frequency of malaria infection was 7% (6% for P. vivax and 1% for P. falciparum), with malaria cases clustered near mosquito breeding sites. Nearly 50% of settlers had anti‐PvDBP IgG antibodies, as detected by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with subject’s age being the only strong predictor of seropositivity to PvDBP. Unexpectedly, low levels of DBPII diversity were found within the local malaria parasites, suggesting the existence of low gene flow between P. vivax populations, probably due to the relative isolation of the studied settlement.

Conclusion  The recognition of PvDBP by a significant proportion of the community, associated with low levels of DBPII diversity among local P. vivax, reinforces the variety of malaria transmission patterns in communities from frontier settlements. Such studies should provide baseline information for antimalarial vaccines now in development.
Historical habitat connectivity affects current genetic structure in a grassland species
Authors: Münzbergová Z. , Cousins S. A. O. , Herben T. , Plačková I. , Mildén M. , Ehrlén J.
Published: May 2012

Many recent studies have explored the effects of present and past landscape structure on species distribution and diversity. However, we know little about the effects of past landscape structure on distribution of genetic diversity within and between populations of a single species. Here we describe the relationship between present and past landscape structure (landscape connectivity and habitat size estimated from historical maps) and current genetic structure in a perennial herb, Succisa pratensis. We used allozymes as co‐dominant markers to estimate genetic diversity and deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium in 31 populations distributed within a 5 km2 agricultural landscape. The results showed that current genetic diversity of populations was related to habitat suitability, habitat age, habitat size and habitat connectivity in the past. The effects of habitat age and past connectivity on genetic diversity were in most cases also significant after taking the current landscape structure into account. Moreover, current genetic similarity between populations was affected by past connectivity after accounting for current landscape structure. In both cases, the oldest time layer (1850) was the most informative. Most populations showed heterozygote excess, indicating disequilibrium due to recent gene flow or selection against homozygotes. These results suggest that habitat age and past connectivity are important determinants of distribution of genetic diversity between populations at a scale of a few kilometres. Landscape history may significantly contribute to our understanding of distribution of current genetic structure within species and the genetic structure may be used to better understand landscape history, even at a small scale.
Meta‐analysis of amiodarone versus beta‐blocker as a prophylactic therapy against atrial fibrillation following cardiac surgery
Authors: Zhu J. , Wang C. , Gao D. , Zhang C. , Zhang Y. , Lu Y. , Gao Y.
Published: May 2012

Background

Current guidelines recommend beta‐blocker as the first‐line preventive treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) after cardiac surgery; if beta‐blocker therapy is contraindicated, then amiodarone is recommended. There is still lack of strong evidence of directly comparing the efficacy of amiodarone and beta‐blocker in preventing postoperative AF (POAF).

Aim

This meta‐analysis was to determine whether amiodarione and beta‐blocker are equally effective and safe, or one is superior in preventing POAF.

Methods

We searched the Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane Library databases and clinical trial databases for related articles published from January 1990 to October 2011. The primary outcome was development of AF after cardiac surgery. We used random‐effects model when there was significant heterogeneity between trials and fixed‐effects method when heterogeneity was negligible. Moreover, subgroup and sensitivity analyses were also performed.

Results

We identified totally six trials, which involved 1033 patients. The amiodarone group did not significantly differ from the beta‐blocker group in AF occurrence (risk ratio 0.77, 95% confidence interval 0.55 to 1.06, P = 0.11) or the length of hospital stay (weighted mean difference −0.05 day, 95% confidence interval −0.64 to 0.54, P = 0.86). Subgroup analysis stratified by different beta‐blockers revealed that amiodarone significantly improved POAF as compared with propranolol. In addition, there was no difference in adverse events after operation.

Conclusion

These data indicate that the occurrence of AF and length of hospital stay after surgery are similar in the amiodarone and beta‐blocker groups.
Motor endplate disease affects neuromuscular junction maturation
Authors: Caillol Ghislaine , Vacher Hélène , Musarella Magali , Bellouze Sarah , Dargent Bénédicte , Autillo‐Touati Amapola
Published: May 2012

Postnatal formation of the neuromuscular synapse requires complex interactions among nerve terminal, muscle fibres and terminal Schwann cells. In motor endplate disease (med) mice, neuromuscular transmission is severely impaired without alteration of axonal conduction and a lethal paralytic phenotype occurs during the postnatal period. The med phenotype appears at a crucial stage of the neuromuscular junction development, corresponding to the increase in terminal Schwann cell number, the elimination of the multiple innervations and the pre‐ and postsynaptic maturation. Here we investigated the early cellular and molecular consequences of the med mutation on neuromuscular junction development. We observed that cellular defects preceded overt clinical phenotype. The first detectable cellular effect of the mutation at the onset of the clinical phenotype was a drastic reduction in the number of terminal Schwann cells, in part due to an increase in glial apoptosis, and a delayed maturation of motor endplates. We also showed that, in terminally ill animals, mono‐innervation was not achieved, synaptic vesicles had accumulated in the presynaptic compartment and, finally, the size of motor endplates was reduced. All together, our findings suggested that the clinical weakness in these mutant mice was likely to be related to postnatal structural abnormalities of the neuromuscular junction maturation.
When News Matters: Media Effects on Public Support for European Union Enlargement in 21 Countries
Authors: AZROUT RACHID , VAN SPANJE JOOST , DE VREESE CLAES
Published: May 2012

First, this study tests for media effects on support for EU enlargement in a natural setting, while including actual media content in the analysis. Second, the moderation by anti‐immigrant attitudes of media effects is tested, as it is argued that perceptions of ‘others’ influences how new information on enlargement is received. The study draws on a two‐wave panel survey and a media content analysis in 21 countries. The results suggest there is a media effect, although not from individual exposure but from the information environment. In addition, individuals with stronger anti‐immigrant attitudes are more strongly affected by a negative information environment.
Whose Rule, Whose Law? Contested Statehood, External Leverage and the European Union's Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo*
Authors: PAPADIMITRIOU DIMITRIS , PETROV PETAR
Published: May 2012

The article discusses the projection of European Union (EU) power under conditions of contested statehood in its ‘near abroad’. Using the EU's mission in Kosovo (EULEX) as a case study, the article unpacks the various levers of external EU influence and explores the conditions under which European policy‐makers become entangled in the ‘existential discourse’ of highly polarized societies with competing statehood claims. The contestation of these claims (both domestically and internationally) produces significant challenges for EU actorness, affecting both self‐ascribed (internal to the EU) and external (amongst the EU's interlocutors) aspects of EU presence, which, in turn, shapes the EU's ability to deploy and co‐ordinate its capabilities on the ground. It is by reference to this ‘presence–capabilities’ nexus that this article seeks to conceptualize the limitations of the planning and early deployment of EULEX in Kosovo.
Phenotypic selection to increase floral scent emission, but not flower size or colour in bee‐pollinated Penstemon digitalis
Authors: Parachnowitsch Amy L. , Raguso Robert A. , Kessler André
Published: May 2012

See also the Commentary by Adler and Irwin
Habituation of rapid sympathetic response to aversive timbre eliminated by change in basal sympathovagal balance
Authors: Ooishi Yuuki , Kashino Makio
Published: May 2012

We studied the difference in the habituation of the rapid sympathetic response to slightly and highly aversive timbres in 68 males. We measured the decrease in the blood volume pulse amplitude (BVP response) as the rapid sympathetic response and the low‐ (0.04–0.15 Hz) to high‐ (0.15–0.40 Hz) frequency (LF/HF) ratio of heart rate variability as the sympathovagal balance. The BVP response was suppressed for slightly aversive timbres that had been presented once before, but not for a highly aversive timbre. In contrast, the prior presentation of a highly aversive timbre enhanced the BVP response to a slightly aversive timbre. Only a highly aversive timbre reduced the LF/HF ratio. We suggest that the lack of habituation of the rapid sympathetic response to an aversive timbre is the result of the balance between the effects of the increase caused by the change in sympathovagal balance to vagal dominance and the decrease caused by classical habituation.
Right frontal cortical asymmetry predicts empathic reactions: Support for a link between withdrawal motivation and empathy
Authors: Tullett Alexa M. , Harmon‐Jones Eddie , Inzlicht Michael
Published: May 2012

Depression, diminished positive affect, and exaggerated negative affect have all been linked to right frontal cortical asymmetry as measured by electroencephalography (EEG). Emerging evidence, however, suggests that right frontal EEG asymmetry might be linked to empathic responding. EEG was used to assess baseline asymmetries in frontal brain activity. Participants viewed images associated with a charity and then rated their sadness, personal distress, perspective‐taking, and empathic concern towards the images. We found that baseline measures of right frontal asymmetry were a significant predictor of empathic concern, a relationship that was mediated by feelings of sadness. These results provide a more complex view of right frontal asymmetry and suggest that this pattern of brain activity might facilitate sensitivity towards the suffering of others.
In The Literature: Home Birth: Safe Enough, But Not for the First Baby
Authors: Buekens, Pierre , Keirse, Marc J.N.C.
Published: May 2012

The “Birthplace in England” study compared low‐risk pregnancies by planned place of birth at the onset of labor: home, midwifery unit, or obstetric unit. The study showed that childbirth interventions were less frequent in all nonobstetric settings than in obstetric units, confirming what has been noted elsewhere. For parous women, there was no difference in perinatal outcomes by place of birth. For nulliparous women, perinatal outcomes were similar in midwifery and obstetric units, but the frequency of poor outcomes with planned home births was higher. The major strengths of the study are its prospective design and large sample size. The results support providing choices to women, but suggest that women should not be encouraged to give birth at home for their first baby. (BIRTH 39:2 June 2012)
National Institute on Aging at Middle Age—Its Past, Present, and Future
Authors: Nagy Catherine L. , Bernard Marie A. , Hodes Richard J.
Published: May 2012

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) leads the federal effort conducting and supporting research on aging. It is also designated as the lead within NIH for research on Alzheimer's disease. Since NIA's establishment in 1974, it has grown to a billion dollar enterprise featuring a balanced program of basic, clinical, and behavioral and social science. Investigator‐initiated research and strategic investments have been critical to the NIA's success in bringing new insights and understandings to aging processes and diseases and conditions associated with advancing age. In recent years, constraints in the growth of resources have posed new challenges as the NIA and NIH leadership seek to maintain a robust and productive program. This article will review the history of the NIA, discuss current programs and priorities, and point to new directions in research, looking ahead.
Equity‐Based Incentives and Supply Chain Buy‐Back Contracts*
Authors: Dai Tinglong , Li Zhaolin , Sun Daewon
Published: May 2012

We analyze the effect of equity‐based incentives in a supply chain with a downstream firm and an upstream supplier. By using the operational decision as a signal to influence external investors’ beliefs, the downstream firm's manager intends to maximize a convex combination of the interim share price and the terminal cash flows. We show that equity‐based incentives create a side effect. Specifically, with a universal buy‐back contract, the deadweight loss of signaling induced by equity‐based incentives could spread throughout the supply chain and cause chain‐wide damages. To mitigate such undesirable consequences, we propose a new mechanism to eliminate the inefficiency. We derive the optimal mechanism that maximizes the downstream firm's profits subject to the constraint that the supply chain efficiency is not undermined. In contrast to the full‐information benchmark, this mechanism gives positive surplus to the supplier. [Submitted: January 5, 2011. Revisions received: June 20, 2011; December 11, 2011. Accepted: December 22, 2011.]
Participatory and community‐based research, Indigenous geographies, and the spaces of friendship: A critical engagement
Authors: Leeuw Sarah de , Cameron Emilie S. , Greenwood Margo L.
Published: May 2012

Geographic engagement with Indigenous peoples remains inextricably linked to colonialism. Consequently, studying Indigenous geographies is fraught with ethical and political dilemmas. Participatory and community‐based research methods have recently been offered as one solution to address concerns about the politics of gathering, framing, producing, disseminating, and controlling knowledge about Indigenous peoples. In this article, we critically engage with the emergence of participatory and community‐based research methods as “best practice” for undertaking research into Indigenous geographies. We articulate four concerns with this form of research: a) dissent may be stifled by non‐Indigenous researchers’ investments in being “good”; b) claims to overcome difference and distance may actually retrench colonial research relations; c) the framing of particular methods as “best practices” risks closing down necessary and ongoing critique; and d) institutional pressures work against the development and maintenance of meaningful, accountable, and non‐extractive relations with Indigenous communities. We then contemplate the spatiality of the critique itself. We consider the ways in which our longstanding friendship, as researchers invested at multiple scales with Indigenous geographies and identities, provides its own distinct space of practice within which to confront the political and ethical challenges posed by research with/about/upon Indigenous geographies and peoples. While not arriving at any concrete template for undertaking research about Indigenous geographies, we suggest that certain friendships, established and situated outside research relationships, may be productive spaces within and through which research methods may be decolonized.
The Influence of General and Exercise Specific Social Support on Self‐Efficacy for Overcoming Barriers to Cardiac Rehabilitation1
Authors: FRASER SHAWN N. , RODGERS WENDY M.
Published: May 2012

Self‐efficacy (SE) for overcoming barriers to exercise is key to continued exercise behavior in cardiac rehabilitation (CR). This study examined factors influencing patients' SE for overcoming barriers to exercise in CR. It was hypothesized that stress after a cardiac event would have a negative impact on SE, but that social support would be related to less stress and more SE. Measures of SE for overcoming barriers to exercise in CR, perceived stress, general forms of social support, and sources of support for exercise were completed by 459 men and 138 women upon entry into CR. Structural equation modeling revealed that general support was related to less stress and more support for exercise, which were both related to increased SE.
The Mentoring Relationship as a Context for Psychological Contract Development
Authors: HAGGARD DANA L. , TURBAN DANIEL B.
Published: May 2012

This study examined the mentoring relationship as a context for the development of psychological contracts and investigated the obligations that mentors and protégés feel that they owe and are owed in the mentoring relationship. By using psychological contract theory, we develop new insights into the dynamics of the mentoring relationship and extend psychological contract research by applying the theory to a relation outside the employer–employee context. Results indicate that both parties perceive that they owe and are owed obligations, and these perceptions are influenced by the formality of the relationship and the supervisory status of the mentor. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Hegemonic Stability, World Cultural Diffusion, and Trade Globalization1
Authors: Kwon Roy
Published: May 2012

Although few disagree that advancements in technology and the establishment of trade‐conducive transnational institutions play an important role in augmenting the potential for trade globalization, there is more disagreement surrounding alternative causal explanations of trade during the postwar period. While world‐system scholars argue that international trade increases when a hegemonic nation‐state is powerful enough to provide geopolitical stability and trade‐conducive policies, world‐polity theorists maintain that trade results from the emanation of “cultural scripts” that create compatible national institutions and trust among nation‐states. This article tests these theories by analyzing a global‐level data set with information from 1945 to 2005 via autoregressive integrated moving‐average models. The results provide strong support for the world‐system contention that increases in the power of the hegemonic nation‐state amplify levels of trade globalization. Furthermore, although there is some support for the world‐polity contention that the spread of democracy is positively associated with international trade, there is little evidence to validate the claim that the proliferation of intergovernmental organizations enhances trade globalization.
Spill‐Up and Spill‐Over of Trust: An Extended Test of Cultural and Institutional Theories of Trust in South Korea1
Authors: Suh Chan S. , Chang Paul Y. , Lim Yisook
Published: May 2012

In comparison to the heated debate over the origins of trust in political institutions, few studies have empirically examined the linkage between trust in political and nonpolitical institutions at the individual level. In this study, we utilize a two‐step methodology to investigate attitudes toward the government in the broader context of attitudes toward related nonpolitical institutions in South Korea. Results from latent class analysis reveal that political trust is an integrated part of a more general set of attitudes toward social and economic institutions. In addition, results from multinomial logistic regression analysis corroborate past studies that found a positive relationship between perceptions of institutional performance and trust in institutions while partially supporting theories advocating the importance of interpersonal trust for institutional trust. This study points to the possibility of interpersonal trust “spilling up” to trust in institutions and the likelihood that trust in one institution “spills over” to trust in other related institutions.
Risk of placenta‐mediated pregnancy complications or pregnancy‐related VTE in VTE‐asymptomatic families of probands with VTE and heterozygosity for factor V Leiden or G20210 prothrombin mutation
Authors: Cordoba Iris , Pegenaute Carlota , González‐López Tomás José , Chillon Carmen , Sarasquete Maria Eugenia , Martin‐Herrero Francisco , Guerrero Carmen , Cabrero Mónica , Garcia Sanchez Maria Helena , Pabon Pedro , Lozano Francisco Santiago , Gonzalez Marcos , Alberca Ignacio , González‐Porras José Ramón
Published: May 2012

Background

Few studies have evaluated the risk of pregnancy‐related adverse events in asymptomatic relatives of probands for VTE and factor V Leiden or the G20210A variant. The antepartum management of this population ranges from antepartum anticoagulation therapy to clinical surveillance.

Objective

To evaluate the risk of placenta‐mediated pregnancy complications and pregnancy‐related VTE in VTE‐asymptomatic families of probands with VTE and who are heterozygous carriers of either factor V Leiden or PT‐G20210A mutation.

Methods

One hundred and fifty‐eight relatives, who had 415 pregnancies, were retrospectively evaluated. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to compare pregnancy outcomes between women with and without thrombophilia.

Results

In the factor V Leiden group, 22 placenta‐mediated pregnancy events of 152 pregnancies (14.4%) were reported, compared with 25 adverse events of 172 pregnancies in the G20210A prothrombin group (14.5%) and 13 adverse events of 91 pregnancies in the non‐carrier group (14.2%). Carriers of factor V Leiden or G20210A prothrombin were not associated with a higher risk of pregnancy‐adverse outcomes compared with non‐carriers: OR 1.02 (95% CI, 0.40–2.25) and 1.25 (95% CI, 0.48–3.24), respectively. Four episodes of pregnancy‐associated VTE of 415 pregnancies (0.96%) were recorded. Two episodes of VTE in the G20210A group, one in the factor V Leiden group, and one episode in the non‐carrier group were noted.

Conclusions

In VTE‐asymptomatic relatives of probands with VTE, the presence of factor V Leiden or the G20210A prothrombin mutation in heterozygosis should not lead to a decision to instigate antepartum prophylaxis.
Tacrolimus without or with the addition of conventional immunosuppressive treatment in juvenile autoimmune hepatitis
Authors: Marlaka Joanna Ramirez , Papadogiannakis Nikos , Fischler Björn , Casswall Thomas H. , Beijer Eva , Németh Antal
Published: May 2012

Aim:  To investigate tacrolimus (Tac)‐based treatment in juvenile autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). Twenty patients (13 girls; age, 8–17 years; median, 13.25 years) with AIH were treated with two daily oral doses of Tac. Six of them had advanced liver disease and/or cirrhosis.

Methods:  Drug concentrations in blood were measured regularly, and the target trough levels were 2.5–5 ng/mL. The patients were followed up for 1 year. Their clinical, biochemical, immunological and histological status was obtained at baseline and after 1 year.

Results:  In three cases, Tac alone led to complete remission. In 14 cases, additional low doses of prednisolone or azathioprine were used for a short time to achieve remission. In two cases, the treatment was discontinued: in one because of therapeutic failure, in another because of a suspected but unverified adverse event. Ten patients reported headache and/or recurrent abdominal pain. Two patients developed inflammatory bowel disease. Renal function remained intact.

Conclusion:  Tac is a promising alternative first line of treatment for AIH. Although monotherapy with Tac is usually not sufficient to achieve complete remission, the prednisolone and azathioprine doses can be drastically reduced, and most of their side effects avoided.
Disturbance drives phylogenetic community structure in coastal dune vegetation
Authors: Brunbjerg Ane Kirstine , Borchsenius Finn , Eiserhardt Wolf L. , Ejrnæs Rasmus , Svenning Jens‐Christian
Published: May 2012

Question

Coastal dunes are a globally distributed ecosystem characterized by roughly linear geography, strong habitat connectivity, and strong small‐scale internal gradients in disturbance and stress. Disturbance, stress and competition are often considered the main ecological forces driving plant community assembly, but their relative importance in coastal dunes is not well elucidated. Phylogenetic community structure reflects the processes controlling community assembly across ecological and evolutionary time scales. We investigate for the first time how disturbance, competition and stress gradients shape phylogenetic community structure in coastal dune plant assemblages.

Location

Europe's largest coastal dune area (1450 km2), west coast of Jutland, Denmark.

Methods

As a measure of phylogenetic community structure we calculated net relatedness index (NRI) for 2702 dune plots containing a total of 483 vascular plant species. To assess the assumption that closely related species resemble each other more than at random, we tested for phylogenetic signal in plant adaptations to stress, competition and disturbance, as represented by Grime's C‐S‐R values. We then used regression analyses of NRI against mean Grime C‐S‐R plot values to assess the influence of disturbance, competition and stress gradients on phylogenetic community structure. Finally, we assessed if these relationships reflected anthropogenic factors by computing species' anthropogenic affinity and then regressing mean anthropogenic affinity for each plot on NRI and Grime's C‐S‐R plot values.

Results

Grime's C‐S‐R values all showed a phylogenetic signal. Phylogenetic community structure was predominantly clustered at both local and regional scales. This clustering was related to disturbance, as high clustering was consistently associated with high dominance of disturbance‐adapted species (high Grime's R scores). Importantly, a strong correlation between these and mean anthropogenic affinity suggests that the disturbance effect on phylogenetic community structure was at least partially anthropogenic.

Conclusion

Dune plant phylogenetic community structure is shaped by the phylogenetic signal in plant adaptations to the main ecological gradients in coastal dunes, with filtering by human‐associated disturbance playing the strongest role. Our study supports previous findings of a linkage between anthropogenic disturbance and phylogenetic clustering of species, and suggests that this may be a more general pattern.