bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In vitro fermentation characteristics and effective utilisable crude protein in leaves and green pods of Moringa stenopetala and Moringa oleifera cultivated at low and mid‐altitudes
Authors: Melesse A. , Steingass H. , Boguhn J. , Rodehutscord M.
Published: April 2012

This study was conducted to assess the in vitro nutrient digestibility and utilisation of leaves and green pods of two Moringa species in supplementing the feed of ruminant animals during the dry season. Samples were analysed for proximate nutrients using official methods. The metabolisable energy (ME), organic matter digestibility (OMD) and effective utilisable crude protein (uCP) were estimated using the Hohenheim in vitro gas test method. Gas volume in Moringa stenopetala leaves and green pods was generally higher than those of Moringa oleifera. Gas volume for leaves was similar between low and mid‐altitudes but was higher for green pods at mid‐altitude. M. stenopetala leaves contained significantly higher ME (9.8 MJ/kg DM) and OMD (75%) than those of M. oleifera. Similarly, M. stenopetala green pods had higher ME and OMD values than those of M. oleifera. For green pods, the ME and OMD values were significantly higher at mid‐altitude than those at low altitude although these values for leaves were similar between both altitudes. Moringa oleifera leaves had higher effective uCP than those of M. stenopetala. Nevertheless, the effective uCP was higher for green pods of M. stenopetala than those of M. oleifera. The effective uCP for leaves cultivated at mid‐altitude was slightly higher than those at low altitude. This study suggested that leaves and green pods could be used as alternative energy and protein supplements for tropical ruminants, particularly during dry periods. It was further concluded that leaves were generally better in nutrient compositions and in vitro nutrient digestibility characteristics than green pods.
Impact of two types of complete pelleted, wild ungulate feeds and two pelleted feed to hay ratios on the development of urolithogenic compounds in meat goats as a model for giraffes
Authors: Sullivan K. , Freeman S. , van Heugten E. , Ange‐van Heugten K. , Wolfe B. , Poore M. H.
Published: April 2012

Urolith formation has been documented in giraffes and goats. As research in giraffes poses logistical challenges, 16 buck goats were used as a model. The impact of two commercially available, pelleted feeds used for giraffes, ADF‐16 and Wild Herbivore (WH), as well as the impact of alfalfa hay and pellet proportions (20% hay:80% pellets, 80P or 80% hay:20% pellet, 20P) on the formation of urolithogenic precursors in goat urine was accomplished in a 2 × 2 factorial balance study. Complete diets contained 0.60, 0.32, 0.35 and 0.26% phosphorus (P) with calcium:P ratios of 1.60, 4.16, 3.06 and 5.23, for 80P‐ADF‐16, 20P‐ADF‐16, 80P‐WH and 20P‐WH respectively. Total faeces and urine were collected over two 5‐day periods to assess N and mineral balance. Fresh urine samples were collected and evaluated microscopically for urolithic crystal content. Urinary nitrogen (N) was lower and N retention was higher in goats fed 80P diets (p < 0.05). Intake of P was greatest for goats fed 80P‐ADF‐16; however, urinary P excretion and P retention were not affected by treatment. Crystal scores were higher in animals receiving 80P diets (p = 0.08), with crystals being composed predominantly of calcium phosphate. Urine pH was alkaline (>8) for all treatments. Urinary P concentration, a risk factor for urolithiasis, was highest (p ≤ 0.06) in the 80P‐ADF‐16 treatment (0.38 vs. 0.01, 0.02 and 0.04 mg/dl for 20P‐ADF‐16, 80P‐WH and 20P‐WH respectively), reflecting its highest dietary P level. Further investigation is recommended to determine the long‐term effects of these diets on urolithogenic compound formation.
Genetic analysis of resistance to mungbean yellow mosaic virus in mungbean (Vigna radiata)
Authors: Dhole Vinod J. , Reddy Kandali Sreenivasulu
Published: April 2012

With 1 figure and 3 tables

Mungbean yellow mosaic virus (MYMV) causes one of the most destructive diseases in mungbean. The objectives of this study were to determine the inheritance of MYMV resistance and to identify the role of each resistance gene. Six crosses between resistant and susceptible genotypes were attempted. An infector row technique was used for evaluating parents, F1 and F2 plants for MYMV resistance. Segregating populations were classified into four reactions viz. susceptible (S), moderately susceptible (MS), moderately resistant (MR) and highly resistant (R) based on the distribution and severity of symptoms. The F1 plants from all six crosses and the susceptible parents showed S reactions, while resistant parents showed R reactions. The segregation of resistance responses in F2 populations in ratios of 9 S : 3 MS : 3 MR : 1 R suggested that the resistance was governed by two recessive genes. When one gene was present in the homozygous recessive condition in different plants, it conferred MR and MS reactions. When both genes were present together in the homozygous recessive condition, plants produced resistant reactions (R).
Leptin as a link between the immune system and kidney‐related diseases: leading actor or just a coadjuvant?
Authors: Moraes‐Vieira P. M. M. , Bassi Ê. J. , Araujo R. C. , Câmara N. O. S.
Published: April 2012

Food intake and nutritional status modify the physiological responses of the immune system to illness and infection and regulate the development of chronic inflammatory processes, such as kidney disease. Adipose tissue secretes immune‐related proteins called adipokines that have pleiotropic effects on both the immune and neuroendocrine systems, linking metabolism and immune physiology. Leptin, an adipose tissue‐derived adipokine, displays a variety of immune and physiological functions, and participates in several immune responses. Here, we review the current literature on the role of leptin in kidney diseases, linking adipose tissue and the immune system with kidney‐related disorders. The modulation of this adipose hormone may have a major impact on the treatment of several immune‐ and metabolic‐related kidney diseases.
ATTITUDES TOWARDS EUTHANASIA AND ASSISTED SUICIDE: A COMPARISON BETWEEN PSYCHIATRISTS AND OTHER PHYSICIANS
Authors: LEVY TAL BERGMAN , AZAR SHLOMI , HUBERFELD RONEN , SIEGEL ANDREW M. , STROUS RAEL D.
Published: April 2012

Euthanasia and physician assisted‐suicide are terms used to describe the process in which a doctor of a sick or disabled individual engages in an activity which directly or indirectly leads to their death. This behavior is engaged by the healthcare provider based on their humanistic desire to end suffering and pain. The psychiatrist's involvement may be requested in several distinct situations including evaluation of patient capacity when an appeal for euthanasia is requested on grounds of terminal somatic illness or when the patient is requesting euthanasia due to mental suffering. We compare attitudes of 49 psychiatrists towards euthanasia and assisted suicide with a group of 54 other physicians by means of a questionnaire describing different patients, who either requested physician‐assisted suicide or in whom euthanasia as a treatment option was considered, followed by a set of questions relating to euthanasia implementation. When controlled for religious practice, psychiatrists expressed more conservative views regarding euthanasia than did physicians from other medical specialties. Similarly female physicians and orthodox physicians indicated more conservative views. Differences may be due to factors inherent in subspecialty education. We suggest that in light of the unique complexity and context of patient euthanasia requests, based on their training and professional expertise psychiatrists are well suited to take a prominent role in evaluating such requests to die and making a decision as to the relative importance of competing variables.
HEROIN ADDICTION AND VOLUNTARY CHOICE: THE CASE OF INFORMED CONSENT
Authors: HENDEN EDMUND
Published: April 2012

Does addiction to heroin undermine the voluntariness of heroin addicts' consent to take part in research which involves giving them free and legal heroin? This question has been raised in connection with research into the effectiveness of heroin prescription as a way of treating dependent heroin users. Participants in such research are required to give their informed consent to take part. Louis C. Charland has argued that we should not presume that heroin addicts are competent to do this since heroin addiction by nature involves a loss of ability to resist the desire for heroin. In this article, I argue that Charland is right that we should not presume that heroin addicts are competent to consent, but not for the reason he thinks. In fact, as Charland's critics correctly point out, there is plenty of evidence showing that heroin addicts can resist their desire for heroin. These critics are wrong, however, to conclude from this that we should presume that heroin addicts are competent to give their voluntary consent. There are, I shall argue, other conditions associated with heroin addiction that might constrain heroin addicts' choice in ways likely to undermine the voluntariness of their consent. In order to see this, we need to move beyond the focus on the addicts' desires for heroin and instead consider the wider social and psychological circumstances of heroin addiction, as well as the effects these circumstances may have on the addicts' beliefs about the nature of their options.
THE ‘WARRIOR GENE’ AND THE MÃORI PEOPLE: THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE GENETICISTS
Authors: PERBAL LAURENCE
Published: April 2012

The ‘gene of’ is a teleosemantic expression that conveys a simplistic and linear relationship between a gene and a phenotype. Throughout the 20th century, geneticists studied these genes of traits. The studies were often polemical when they concerned human traits: the ‘crime gene’, ‘poverty gene’, ‘IQ gene’, ‘gay gene’ or ‘gene of alcoholism’. Quite recently, a controversy occurred in 2006 in New Zealand that started with the claim that a ‘warrior gene’ exists in the Mãori community. This claim came from a geneticist working on the MAOA gene. This article is interested in the responsibility of that researcher regarding the origin of the controversy. Several errors were made: overestimation of results, abusive use of the ‘gene of’ kind of expression, poor communication with the media and a lack of scientific culture. The issues of the debate were not taken into account sufficiently, either from the political, social, ethical or even the genetic points of view. After more than 100 years of debates around ‘genes of’ all kinds (here, the ‘warrior gene’), geneticists may not hide themselves behind the media when a controversy occurs. Responsibilities have to be assumed.
MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT COERCION AND UNDUE INFLUENCE: REFLECTIONS ON THE VIEWS OF IRB MEMBERS
Authors: LARGENT EMILY , GRADY CHRISTINE , MILLER FRANKLIN G. , WERTHEIMER ALAN
Published: April 2012

Payment to recruit research subjects is a common practice but raises ethical concerns relating to the potential for coercion or undue influence. We conducted the first national study of IRB members and human subjects protection professionals to explore attitudes as to whether and why payment of research participants constitutes coercion or undue influence. Upon critical evaluation of the cogency of ethical concerns regarding payment, as reflected in our survey results, we found expansive or inconsistent views about coercion and undue influence that may interfere with valuable research. In particular, respondents appear to believe that coercion and undue influence lie on a continuum; by contrast, we argue that they are wholly distinct: whereas undue influence is a cognitive distortion relating to assessment of risks and benefits, coercion is a threat of harm. Because payment is an offer, rather than a threat, payment is never coercive.
From Genes to Environment: Using Integrative Genomics to Build a “Systems‐Level” Understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Hu Valerie W.
Published: April 2012

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are pervasive neurodevelopmental disorders that affect an estimated 1 in 110 individuals. Although there is a strong genetic component associated with these disorders, this review focuses on the multifactorial nature of ASD and how different genome‐wide (genomic) approaches contribute to our understanding of autism. Emphasis is placed on the need to study defined ASD phenotypes as well as to integrate large‐scale “omics” data in order to develop a “systems‐level” perspective of ASD, which in turn is necessary to allow predictions regarding responses to specific perturbations and interventions.
Objective Bayes Factors for Gaussian Directed Acyclic Graphical Models
Authors: CONSONNI GUIDO , ROCCA LUCA LA
Published: April 2012

Abstract. We propose an objective Bayesian method for the comparison of all Gaussian directed acyclic graphical models defined on a given set of variables. The method, which is based on the notion of fractional Bayes factor (BF), requires a single default (typically improper) prior on the space of unconstrained covariance matrices, together with a prior sample size hyper‐parameter, which can be set to its minimal value. We show that our approach produces genuine BFs. The implied prior on the concentration matrix of any complete graph is a data‐dependent Wishart distribution, and this in turn guarantees that Markov equivalent graphs are scored with the same marginal likelihood. We specialize our results to the smaller class of Gaussian decomposable undirected graphical models and show that in this case they coincide with those recently obtained using limiting versions of hyper‐inverse Wishart distributions as priors on the graph‐constrained covariance matrices.
Estimation of Correlation for Continuous Semimartingales
Authors: VETTER MATHIAS
Published: April 2012

Abstract. In this study we are concerned with inference on the correlation parameter ρ of two Brownian motions, when only high‐frequency observations from two one‐dimensional continuous Itô semimartingales, driven by these particular Brownian motions, are available. Estimators for ρ are constructed in two situations: either when both components are observed (at the same time), or when only one component is observed and the other one represents its volatility process and thus has to be estimated from the data as well. In the first case it is shown that our estimator has the same asymptotic behaviour as the standard one for i.i.d. normal observations, whereas a feasible estimator can still be defined in the second framework, but with a slower rate of convergence.
The intersection of life expectancy and gender in a transitional state: the case of Russia
Authors: Cockerham William C.
Published: April 2012

This paper examines the gender‐related features of the health crisis in Russia which has produced the largest gender gap in life expectancy in the world. Stress and negative health lifestyles are the two most likely causes of the long‐term adverse longevity pattern in Russia. However, this development cannot be clarified by a simple cause and effect explanation. This is because gender roles and gender‐based normative behaviour, along with class influences, intervened to help shape outcomes. Men and women responded to the crisis along gender lines, with stress the best single explanation for a stunted longevity for females and negative health lifestyles accounting for much of the premature mortality among males.
Conceptualising Multilevel Regulation in the EU: A Legal Translation of Multilevel Governance?
Authors: Chowdhury Nupur , Wessel Ramses A.
Published: April 2012

How should we conceive of regulation in the European context? This paper attempts to answer this by developing multilevel regulation as a theoretical concept. The basic aim of the paper is to explore the difference and convergence between regulation and governance and develop multilevel governance and multilevel regulation as two individual heuristic concepts. We suggest that it is useful to frame multilevel governance in the context of regulatory spaces. As an example, we undertake an exploratory investigation of multilevelness of the regulatory space of marketing authorisation of medical devices. This allows us to help focus on certain aspects of the regulatory process by acknowledging that it is no longer located in the hand of a single (governmental) actor and highlighting the necessity of considering interventions beyond the state in addressing regulatory effectiveness problems that may crop up in this context. Ultimately, we assess whether multilevel regulation is a legal translation of the concept of multilevel governance.
Compulsive Working, ‘Hyperprofessionality’ and the Unseen Pleasures of Academic Work
Authors: Gornall Lynne , Salisbury Jane
Published: April 2012

The paper applies Hoyle's notion of ‘extended’ professionality to modern higher education working. It begins with some of the policy contexts and theoretical perspectives around the structural and professional change experienced by academic staff: changes that have been documented in systematic studies of university life from the 1970s onwards. However, the realisation for academic staff that, at 45 per cent of the workforce, they were no longer the majority group in the sector, has added impetus to debates about work, the workplace and the role of change in scholarly life (Gornall, 2009). The Working Lives team has been gathering qualitative data on academic experiences of everyday work between 2007 and 2010, using life history and ethnographic methods. This paper draws on in‐depth interviews with 24 academics and participants in four focus groups, to consider the propensity in an ‘always‐on’ environment for staff to rarely ‘switch off’. This is explored alongside a set of ‘emic’ notions of working practices and places that characterise the ‘hyperprofessional’ academic.
Academic Work and Careers: Relocation, Relocation, Relocation
Authors: McAlpine Lynn
Published: April 2012

Increasingly PhD graduates who wish to take up traditional academic positions (full‐time teaching and research leading to permanence) are unable to find such jobs. They end up in fixed‐term appointments as post‐doctoral fellows or researchers on others' grants. Few studies document their experiences and most that do draw on data from the late 1990s and early 2000s. This longitudinal study reports on the experiences of five social science researchers in two universities in the UK over the years 2008–2010. The analysis results in a rich portrayal of the role of relocations as integral, yet often disruptive, to academic work. Moreover, the multiple often concurrent work‐related relocations in the two‐year period had personal impact; this aspect of researcher life is rarely reported. A subsequent review of similar data from doctoral students and new lecturers revealed the broader applicability of relocation in their lives. The results raise questions about the long‐term impact of such relocations on newer researchers.
Gender Mainstreaming and Employment in the European Union: A Review and Analysis of Theoretical and Policy Literatures*
Authors: Rittenhofer Iris , Gatrell Caroline
Published: April 2012

Gender mainstreaming was introduced within the European Union (EU) in the 1990s as a means of addressing the unequal treatment of employed women. Yet its impact on organizational practices in Europe has been limited. This review synthesizes and analyses theoretical and policy literatures on gender mainstreaming within the EU between 1998 and 2011. It highlights ambiguities within gender mainstreaming literatures regarding whether gender mainstreaming is, first and foremost, a policy or a strategy. It further identifies ambiguities regarding how inequality should be articulated: in terms of the sameness or difference between women's and men's concerns, and in the context of whether gender mainstreaming research should be defined as focusing primarily on ‘women’ or on ‘gender’. The paper suggests that such ambiguity of definition within gender mainstreaming literatures compromises the implementation of gender mainstreaming within organizational practices. It further observes the need, within some gender mainstreaming theoretical and policy literatures, to move away from stable definitions of ‘male’ and ‘female’ (which identify women's and men's concerns as often in contrast) towards a more situated approach. The paper contributes to future gender mainstreaming research by proposing a more fluid, post‐structural and sociocultural interpretation of ‘gender’. Drawing upon Judith Butler's research, it argues for the reconceptualizing of gender mainstreaming through a ‘Gender as performativity’ framework, in which gender is characterized as situational and performed in line with organizational expectations about women's and men's social roles.
The Relationship between Borrower Risk and Loan Maturity in Small Business Lending
Authors: Kirschenmann Karolin , Norden Lars
Published: April 2012

Abstract:  We investigate the relationship between borrower risk and loan maturity in small business lending. Using a rich dataset on new loans extended to German firms, we find a robust, significantly positive, monotonic risk‐maturity relation. We show that this relation becomes stronger when asymmetric information is high and weaker when borrower bargaining power is high, and that borrower bargaining power affects the risk‐maturity relation differently depending on whether asymmetric information is high or low. Our results show that both the signalling hypothesis and view that relationship lenders provide assistance to borrowers explain the positive risk‐maturity relation, and that borrower bargaining power influences this relation.
A brighter future for frogs? The influence of carotenoids on the health, development and reproductive success of the red‐eye tree frog
Authors: Ogilvy V. , Preziosi R. F. , Fidgett A. L.
Published: April 2012

Ex situ conservation is an important tool for the prevention of species extinction in amphibians. Currently, there is limited information on the nutritional requirements of amphibians in captivity, and there have been anecdotal reports of skin colour degradation in captive amphibians. Amphibians use carotenoids for skin pigmentation, and because carotenoids are only obtainable through the diet, colour degradation could result from limited carotenoid availability. Studies of other vertebrate taxa have shown that carotenoids contribute to health and reproductive success; however, their importance to amphibians is currently unknown. We assessed the influence of carotenoids on the health and development of red‐eye tree frogs (Agalychnis callidryas) during larval and post‐metamorphic stages, and looked at effects on skin colour and reproductive success. Carry‐over effects of larval exposure to carotenoids were also investigated, and the effects of carotenoids on skin colour development and degradation in adulthood were examined. Carotenoids did not significantly influence larval growth or survival; however, post‐metamorphic carotenoid availability significantly increased growth rate in female but not in male frogs. Frogs fed a carotenoid diet post‐metamorphosis had significantly redder skin than controls, and larval carotenoid exposure significantly influenced post‐metamorphic skin colour. Fecundity was significantly higher in female frogs raised on a carotenoid diet post‐metamorphosis compared with controls. Finally, skin colour did not change in adulthood despite changes in dietary carotenoid availability, which suggests that there is a critical period during post‐metamorphic growth for deposition of carotenoids in the skin. We have shown that carotenoids influence the development, phenotype and reproductive success of A. callidryas, and these important nutrients should therefore be considered when nutritional recommendations for amphibians are made.
Application of a Novel Hybrid Study Design to Explore Gene‐Environment Interactions in Orofacial Clefts
Authors: Skare Øivind , Jugessur Astanand , Lie Rolv Terje , Wilcox Allen James , Murray Jeffrey Clark , Lunde Astrid , Nguyen Truc Trung , Gjessing Håkon Kristian
Published: April 2012

Orofacial clefts are common birth defects with strong evidence for both genetic and environmental causal factors. Candidate gene studies combined with exposures known to influence the outcome provide a highly targeted approach to detecting GxE interactions. We developed a new statistical approach that combines the case‐control and offspring‐parent triad designs into a “hybrid design” to search for GxE interactions among 334 autosomal cleft candidate genes and maternal first‐trimester exposure to smoking, alcohol, coffee, folic acid supplements, dietary folate and vitamin A. The study population comprised 425 case‐parent triads of isolated clefts and 562 control‐parent triads derived from a nationwide study of orofacial clefts in Norway (1996–2001). A full maximum‐likelihood model was used in combination with a Wald test statistic to screen for statistically significant GxE interaction between strata of exposed and unexposed mothers. In addition, we performed pathway‐based analyses on 28 detoxification genes and 21 genes involved in folic acid metabolism. With the possible exception of the T‐box 4 gene (TBX4) and dietary folate interaction in isolated CPO, there was little evidence overall of GxE interaction in our data. This study is the largest to date aimed at detecting interactions between orofacial clefts candidate genes and well‐established risk exposures.
Effect of Population Stratification on False Positive Rates of Population‐Based Association Analyses of Quantitative Traits
Authors: Haldar Tanushree , Ghosh Saurabh
Published: April 2012

It is now well established that population stratification can result in spurious association findings in genetic case‐control studies. However, very few studies have addressed similar issues for mapping quantitative traits. Because quantitative phenotypes are often precursors of clinical endpoint traits and carry more information on within‐genotype trait variability, it has been argued that studying these quantitative traits may be a more powerful strategy to map genes than the binary clinical endpoints. Thus, it is of interest to evaluate the adverse effects of population stratification on the analyses of quantitative traits. The popular statistical tests of association for quantitative traits using population level data are ANOVA, linear regression with an additive allelic effect and Kruskal–Wallis. We have theoretically studied the marginal effects of genetic heterogeneity and phenotypic heterogeneity as well as their joint effects on the false positive rates of these three tests. We have carried out extensive simulations under different genetic models and probability distributions of quantitative traits to assess the rate of false positives in the presence of population stratification. We find that the rate of false positives increases very quickly with simultaneous increase in differences in the standardized phenotypic means and marker allele frequencies in the subpopulations.
A new tool for analysis of root growth in the spatio‐temporal continuum
Authors: Basu Paramita , Pal Anupam
Published: April 2012

Quantification of overall growth and local growth zones in root system development is key to understanding the biology of plant growth, and thus to exploring the effects of environmental, genotypic and mutational variations on plant development and productivity.

We introduce a methodology for analyzing growth patterns of plant roots from two‐dimensional time series images, treating them as a spatio‐temporal three‐dimensional (3D) image volume. The roots are segmented from the images and then two types of analysis are performed: 3D spatio‐temporal reconstruction analysis for simultaneous assessment of initiation and growth of multiple roots; and spatio‐temporal pixel intensity analysis along root midlines for quantification of the growth zones.

The test measurements show simultaneous emergence of basal roots but sequential emergence of lateral roots in Phaseolus vulgaris, while lateral roots of Cicer arietinum emerge in a rhythmic pattern. Local growth analysis reveals multimodal transient growth zone in basal roots. At the initial stages after emergence, the roots oscillate rapidly, which slows down with time.

The methodology presented here allows detailed characterization of the phenomenology of roots, providing valuable information of spatio‐temporal development, with applications in a wide range of growing plant organs.
Intravenous immunoglobulin protects neurons against amyloid beta‐peptide toxicity and ischemic stroke by attenuating multiple cell death pathways
Authors: Widiapradja Alexander , Vegh Viktor , Lok Ker Zhing , Manzanero Silvia , Thundyil John , Gelderblom Mathias , Cheng Yi‐Lin , Pavlovski Dale , Tang Sung‐Chun , Jo Dong‐Gyu , Magnus Tim , Chan Sic L. , Sobey Christopher G. , Reutens David , Basta Milan , Mattson Mark P. , Arumugam Thiruma V.
Published: April 2012

J. Neurochem. (2012) 122, 321–332.

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) preparations obtained by fractionating blood plasma, are increasingly being used increasingly as an effective therapeutic agent in treatment of several inflammatory diseases. Its use as a potential therapeutic agent for treatment of stroke and Alzheimer’s disease has been proposed, but little is known about the neuroprotective mechanisms of IVIg. In this study, we investigated the effect of IVIg on downstream signaling pathways that are involved in neuronal cell death in experimental models of stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. Treatment of cultured neurons with IVIg reduced simulated ischemia‐ and amyloid βpeptide (Aβ)‐induced caspase 3 cleavage, and phosphorylation of the cell death‐associated kinases p38MAPK, c‐Jun NH2‐terminal kinase and p65, in vitro. Additionally, Aβ‐induced accumulation of the lipid peroxidation product 4‐hydroxynonenal was attenuated in neurons treated with IVIg. IVIg treatment also up‐regulated the anti‐apoptotic protein, Bcl2 in cortical neurons under ischemia‐like conditions and exposure to Aβ. Treatment of mice with IVIg reduced neuronal cell loss, apoptosis and infarct size, and improved functional outcome in a model of focal ischemic stroke. Together, these results indicate that IVIg acts directly on neurons to protect them against ischemic stroke and Aβ‐induced neuronal apoptosis by inhibiting cell death pathways and by elevating levels of the anti‐apoptotic protein Bcl2.
An MIP model to optimize a Colombian cash supply chain
Authors: Osorio A. F. , Toro H. H.
Published: April 2012

Financial institutions operate a supply chain where only one product is moved across the network. Although the cash is kept in several nodes to service the demand of final customers, availability causes opportunity cost related with its investment options. When planning the inventory of cash that should be maintained across the network, transportation decisions are also expected to be made. Cash transportation has a high cost, associated with the high risk of theft. Increasing the inventory can reduce the need for transportation, but the opportunity cost can be very high. Moreover, the inventory is also related with the service level perceived for final customers; therefore because of low inventory some people are not able to make some transactions. The aim of this work is to find optimal decisions related with cash inventory and transportation across the network, trying to balance the cost of the service and the quality perceived for final users.
Psychosocial Predictors of Nicotine Dependence among Women during Their Mid‐Sixties
Authors: Brook Judith S. , Zhang Chenshu , Brook David W. , Koppel Jonathan , Whiteman Martin
Published: April 2012

Although there is considerable research demonstrating the prospective association between earlier maladaptive personal attributes and later nicotine dependence, there is less work on the psychosocial mediators of this relationship. Maladaptive personal attributes appear in the form of depression, anxiety, and interpersonal sensitivity. This study was designed to assess the prospective relationship between earlier maladaptive personal attributes (mean age = 40) and later nicotine dependence ( age = 65.2) within an understudied female community sample. The participants were given self‐administered questionnaires. The results supported a model by which earlier maladaptive personal attributes predicted later nicotine dependence through several indirect pathways. In addition to cigarette smoking, several domains mediated the relation of earlier maladaptive personal attributes and later nicotine dependence. These domains included internal factors (ie, later maladaptive personal attributes), interpersonal factors (ie, marital/partner conflict), later contextual factors (ie, family financial difficulty). Our multidimensional longitudinal findings have important implications for the prevention and treatment of nicotine dependence. The results identify earlier and later significant psychosocial risk factors to be targeted, and suggest the timing of interventions to reduce or eliminate nicotine dependence. (Am J Addict 2012;00:1–11)
The Role of Emotional Nonacceptance in the Relation between Depression and Recent Cigarette Smoking
Authors: Adams Claire E. , Tull Matthew T. , Gratz Kim L.
Published: April 2012

Evidence that smokers have heightened depressive symptoms and report smoking in response to negative affect has led to an interest in mindfulness‐ and acceptance‐based strategies to help smokers respond more adaptively to depressive symptoms. More research is needed to examine the role of emotional nonacceptance (ie, the tendency to judge or negatively evaluate one's emotions) in the relation between depression and smoking, particularly among populations with elevated smoking rates (eg, individuals with substance use disorders). This study examined the mediating role of emotional nonacceptance in the relation between depression and smoking among 125 smokers in residential substance abuse treatment. Participants (mean age = 35 ± 10; 60% male; 63% White) reported how many cigarettes they smoked in the past hour and completed self‐report measures of emotion dysregulation (including nonacceptance) and depression. Major depressive disorder was assessed through clinical interview. Results supported the hypothesized relevance of emotional nonacceptance to recent smoking. Specifically, emotional nonacceptance was the only dimension of emotion dysregulation uniquely associated with recent smoking and mediated the relationship between depression and recent smoking. Results suggest that depression may interfere with emotional acceptance, increasing urges to smoke to escape negative affect. Targeting emotional nonacceptance may improve smoking cessation treatments for depressed individuals. (Am J Addict 2012;00:1–9)
Economic Costs of Achieving Current Conservation Goals in the Future as Climate Changes
Authors: SHAW M. REBECCA , KLAUSMEYER KIRK , CAMERON D. RICHARD , MACKENZIE JASON , ROEHRDANZ PATRICK
Published: April 2012

Abstract: Conservation of biologically diverse regions has thus far been accomplished largely through the establishment and maintenance of protected areas. Climate change is expected to shift climate space of many species outside existing reserve boundaries. We used climate‐envelope models to examine shifts in climate space of 11 species that are representative of the Mount Hamilton Project area (MHPA) (California, U.S.A.), which includes areas within Alameda, Santa Clara, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, and San Benito counties and is in the state's Central Coast ecoregion. We used Marxan site‐selection software to determine the minimum area required as climate changes to achieve a baseline conservation goal equal to 80% of existing climate space for all species in the MHPA through 2050 and 2100. Additionally, we assessed the costs associated with use of existing conservation strategies (land acquisition and management actions such as species translocation, monitoring, and captive breeding) necessary to meet current species‐conservation goals as climate changes. Meeting conservation goals as climate changes through 2050 required an additional 256,000 ha (332%) of protected area, primarily to the south and west of the MHPA. Through 2050 the total cost of land acquisition and management was estimated at US$1.67–1.79 billion, or 139–149% of the cost of achieving the same conservation goals with no climate change. To maintain 80% of climate space through 2100 required nearly 380,000 additional hectares that would cost $2.46–2.62 billion, or 209–219% of the cost of achieving the same conservation goals with no climate change. Furthermore, maintaining 80% of existing climate space within California for 27% of the focal species was not possible by 2100 because climate space for these species did not exist in the state. The high costs of conserving species as the climate changes—that we found in an assessment of one conservation project—highlights the need for tools that will aid in iterative goal setting given the uncertainty of the effects of climate change and adaptive management that includes new conservation strategies and consideration of the long‐term economic costs of conservation.
Costs of Expanding the Network of Protected Areas as a Response to Climate Change in the Cape Floristic Region
Authors: WISE RUSSELL M. , REYERS BELINDA , GUO CHRIS , MIDGLEY GUY F. , DE LANGE WILLEM
Published: April 2012

Abstract:  The expansion of protected areas is a critical component of strategies to promote the continued existence of biodiversity (i.e., life at all levels of biological organization) as climate changes, but scientific, social, and economic uncertainties associated with climate change are some of the major obstacles preventing such expansion. New models of climate change and species distribution and new methods of conservation planning now make it possible to explore the uncertainties associated with climate changes and species responses. Yet few reliable estimates of the costs of expanding protected areas and methods for determining these costs exist, largely because of the many (and uncertain) determinants of these costs. We developed a cost‐accounting model to estimate the range in costs of various options for expanding protected areas and to explore the variables that drive these costs. Model development was informed by an existing plan to expand protected areas in the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa to address species conservation under a scenario of climate change. The 50‐year present value of total costs varied from US$260 million ($1077/ha) for an off‐reserve option that involves agreements with landowners and no compensation of forgone production and associated revenue to $1020 million ($4228/ha) for an on‐reserve option that involves land acquisition and protection. The costs of acquiring land or compensating landowners for forgone production and development opportunities were the major drivers of the total costs across all options because most of the area identified in the protected‐area expansion plan consisted of urban and high‐quality agricultural lands. Total costs were also affected by changes in protected area extent and discount rate. Model‐generated outputs such as these may be useful for informing implementation strategies and the allocation of future efforts in monitoring, data collection, and model development.
A Review of the Environmental Impacts of Biobased Materials
Authors: Weiss Martin , Haufe Juliane , Carus Michael , Brandão Miguel , Bringezu Stefan , Hermann Barbara , Patel Martin K.
Published: April 2012

Concerns over climate change and the security of industrial feedstock supplies have been opening a growing market for biobased materials. This development, however, also presents a challenge to scientists, policy makers, and industry because the production of biobased materials requires land and is typically associated with adverse environmental effects. This article addresses the environmental impacts of biobased materials in a meta‐analysis of 44 life cycle assessment (LCA) studies. The reviewed literature suggests that one metric ton (t) of biobased materials saves, relative to conventional materials, 55 ± 34 gigajoules of primary energy and 3 ± 1 t carbon dioxide equivalents of greenhouse gases. However, biobased materials may increase eutrophication by 5 ± 7 kilograms (kg) phosphate equivalents/t and stratospheric ozone depletion by 1.9 ± 1.8 kg nitrous oxide equivalents/t. Our findings are inconclusive with regard to acidification (savings of 2 ± 20 kg sulfur dioxide equivalents/t) and photochemical ozone formation (savings of 0.3 ± 2.4 kg ethene equivalents/t). The variability in the results of life cycle assessment studies highlights the difficulties in drawing general conclusions. Still, common to most biobased materials are impacts caused by the application of fertilizers and pesticides during industrial biomass cultivation. Additional land use impacts, such as the potential loss of biodiversity, soil carbon depletion, soil erosion, deforestation, as well as greenhouse gas emissions from indirect land use change are not quantified in this review. Clearly these impacts should be considered when evaluating the environmental performance of biobased materials.
Generation of transgenic mice with antithetical KEL1 and KEL2 human blood group antigens on red blood cells
Authors: Smith Nicole H. , Henry Kate L. , Cadwell Chantel M. , Bennett Ashley , Hendrickson Jeanne E. , Frame Tom , Zimring James C.
Published: April 2012

BACKGROUND: KEL1, also known as “K,” is one of the most immunogenic red blood cell (RBC) antigens. KEL2, also known as “k,” differs from KEL1 by a single amino acid. Anti‐Kell system antibodies can lead to significant adverse clinical outcomes in humans, including hemolytic complications in alloimmunized transfusion recipients or in infants of alloimmunized mothers. To provide a platform for in‐depth immunologic studies of alloimmunization and subsequent sequelae, we generated transgenic mice expressing the human KEL1 or KEL2 antigens.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Vectors were created in which cDNAs encoding either KEL1 or KEL2 were regulated by an erythroid specific β‐globin promoter and enhancer. Pronuclear microinjections were carried out into a C57BL6 background, and founder pups were identified by polymerase chain reaction and screened for expression by flow cytometry. RBC life span and antigen stability were assessed by dye labeling RBCs, transfusing into agammaglobulinemic (µMT) recipients, and tracking by flow cytometry.

RESULTS: The expression of either KEL1 or KEL2 is RBC specific and first occurs on early RBC precursors. Both KEL1 and KEL2 RBCs have a normal circulatory life span and stable antigen expression. Expression of KEL1 or KEL2 does not result in altered levels of murine Kell, and resulting RBCs have normal hematologic variables.

CONCLUSION: The KEL1 and KEL2 mice represent the first murine system of RBC immunity with antithetical antigens, allowing a more precise modeling of human RBC immunology in general and also a platform for development of novel therapeutics to prevent or minimize the dangers of RBC alloimmunization to the KEL1 and KEL2 antigens in particular.
Insurance Contract Design When the Insurer Has Private Information on Loss Size
Authors: Lian Qin , Schlesinger Harris
Published: April 2012

Abstract

This article examines the optimal indemnity contract in an insurance market, when the insurer has private information about the size of an insurable loss. Both parties know whether or not a loss occurred, but only the insurer knows the true value of the loss and/or to what extent the losses are covered under the policy. The insured may verify the insurer's loss estimate for a fixed auditing cost. The optimal contract reimburses the auditing costs in addition to full insurance for losses less than some endogenous limit. For losses exceeding this limit, the contract pays a fixed indemnity and requires no monitoring. The optimal contract is compared with the contracts obtained in cases where it is only the insured who can observe the loss size.
Situated Justice: A Contextual Analysis of Fairness and Inequality in Employment Discrimination Litigation
Authors: Berrey Ellen , Hoffman Steve G. , Nielsen Laura Beth
Published: April 2012

A substantial body of sociolegal scholarship suggests that the legitimacy of the law crucially depends on the public's perception that legal processes are fair. The bulk of this research relies on an underdeveloped account of the material and institutional contexts of litigants' perceptions of fairness. We introduce an analysis of situated justice to capture a contextualized conception of how litigants narrate fairness in their actual legal encounters. Our analysis draws on 100 in-depth interviews with defendant's representatives, plaintiffs, and lawyers involved in employment discrimination lawsuits, selected as part of a multimethod study of 1,788 discrimination cases filed in U.S. district courts between 1988 and 2003. This article offers two key empirical findings, the first at the level of individual perceptions and the second at the level of legal institutions. First, we find that neither defendants' representatives nor plaintiffs believe discrimination law is fair. Rather than sharing a complaint, however, each side sees unfairness only in those aspects of the process that work to their disadvantage. Second, we demonstrate that the very notion of fairness can belie structural asymmetries that, overall, profoundly benefit employers in employment discrimination lawsuits. We conclude by discussing how a situated justice analysis calls for a rethinking of empirical research on fairness. Audio recordings of respondents quoted in this article are available online.*
Children of the American Prison Generation: Student and School Spillover Effects of Incarcerating Mothers
Authors: Hagan John , Foster Holly
Published: April 2012

Formal equality and judicial neutrality can lead to substantive inequality for women and children, with social costs that extend beyond individuals and families and spill over into the larger social settings in which they are located. We consider the uniquely damaging effects of an “equality with a vengeance” (Chesney-Lind & Pollack 1995) that resulted from “tough on crime” policies and the 1980s federal and state sentencing guidelines that led to the incarceration of more women and mothers. We argue that legal equality norms of the kind embedded in the enforcement of sentencing guidelines can mask and punish differences in gendered role expectations. Paradoxically, although fathers are incarcerated in much greater numbers than are mothers, the effect threshold is lower and the scale of effect on educational outcomes tends to be greater for maternal incarceration. We demonstrate both student- and school-level effects of maternal incarceration: the damaging effects not only affect the children of imprisoned mothers but also spill over to children of nonincarcerated mothers in schools with elevated levels of maternal incarceration. We find a 15 percent reduction in college graduation rates in schools where as few as 10 percent of other students' mothers are incarcerated. The effects for imprisoned fathers are also notable, especially at the school level. Schools with higher father incarceration rates (25 percent) have college graduation rates as much as 50 percent lower than those of other schools. The effects of imprisoned mothers are particularly notable at the student level (i.e., with few children of imprisoned mothers graduating from college), while maternal imprisonment effects are found at both student and school levels across the three measured outcomes. We demonstrate these effects in a large, nationally representative longitudinal study of American children from the 1990s prison generation who were tracked into early adulthood.