bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Boundary work for sustainable development: Natural resource management at the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
Authors: Clark William C. , Tomich Thomas P. , van Noordwijk Meine , Guston David , Catacutan Delia , Dickson Nancy M. , McNie Elizabeth
Published: August 2011

Previous research on the determinants of effectiveness in knowledge systems seeking to support sustainable development has highlighted the importance of “boundary work” through which research communities organize their relations with new science, other sources of knowledge, and the worlds of action and policymaking. A growing body of scholarship postulates specific attributes of boundary work that promote used and useful research. These propositions, however, are largely based on the experience of a few industrialized countries. We report here on an effort to evaluate their relevance for efforts to harness science in support of sustainability in the developing world. We carried out a multicountry comparative analysis of natural resource management programs conducted under the auspices of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. We discovered six distinctive kinds of boundary work contributing to the successes of those programs—a greater variety than has been documented in previous studies. We argue that these different kinds of boundary work can be understood as a dual response to the different uses for which the results of specific research programs are intended, and the different sources of knowledge drawn on by those programs. We show that these distinctive kinds of boundary work require distinctive strategies to organize them effectively. Especially important are arrangements regarding participation of stakeholders, accountability in governance, and the use of “boundary objects.” We conclude that improving the ability of research programs to produce useful knowledge for sustainable development will require both greater and differentiated support for multiple forms of boundary work.
Conjugative DNA transfer into human cells by the VirB/VirD4 type IV secretion system of the bacterial pathogen
Bartonella henselae
Authors: Schröder Gunnar , Schuelein Ralf , Quebatte Maxime , Dehio Christoph
Published: August 2011

Bacterial type IV secretion systems (T4SS) mediate interbacterial conjugative DNA transfer and transkingdom protein transfer into eukaryotic host cells in bacterial pathogenesis. The sole bacterium known to naturally transfer DNA into eukaryotic host cells via a T4SS is the plant pathogen
Agrobacterium tumefaciens
. Here we demonstrate T4SS-mediated DNA transfer from a human bacterial pathogen into human cells. We show that the zoonotic pathogen
Bartonella henselae
can transfer a cryptic plasmid occurring in the bartonellae into the human endothelial cell line EA.hy926 via its T4SS VirB/VirD4. DNA transfer into EA.hy926 cells was demonstrated by using a reporter derivative of this
Bartonella
-specific mobilizable plasmid generated by insertion of a eukaryotic e
gfp
-expression cassette. Fusion of the C-terminal secretion signal of the endogenous VirB/VirD4 protein substrate BepD with the plasmid-encoded DNA-transport protein Mob resulted in a 100-fold increased DNA transfer rate. Expression of the delivered e
gfp
gene in EA.hy926 cells required cell division, suggesting that nuclear envelope breakdown may facilitate passive entry of the transferred ssDNA into the nucleus as prerequisite for complementary strand synthesis and transcription of the e
gfp
gene. Addition of an eukaryotic neomycin phosphotransferase expression cassette to the reporter plasmid facilitated selection of stable transgenic EA.hy926 cell lines that display chromosomal integration of the transferred plasmid DNA. Our data suggest that T4SS-dependent DNA transfer into host cells may occur naturally during human infection with
Bartonella
and that these chronically infecting pathogens have potential for the engineering of in vivo gene-delivery vectors with applications in DNA vaccination and therapeutic gene therapy.
Phage auxiliary metabolic genes and the redirection of cyanobacterial host carbon metabolism
Authors: Thompson Luke R. , Zeng Qinglu , Kelly Libusha , Huang Katherine H. , Singer Alexander U. , Stubbe JoAnne , Chisholm Sallie W.
Published: August 2011

Cyanophages infecting the marine cyanobacteria
Prochlorococcus
and
Synechococcus
encode and express genes for the photosynthetic light reactions. Sequenced cyanophage genomes lack Calvin cycle genes, however, suggesting that photosynthetic energy harvested via phage proteins is not used for carbon fixation. We report here that cyanophages carry and express a Calvin cycle inhibitor, CP12, whose host homologue directs carbon flux from the Calvin cycle to the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). Phage CP12 was coexpressed with phage genes involved in the light reactions, deoxynucleotide biosynthesis, and the PPP, including a transaldolase gene that is the most prevalent PPP gene in cyanophages. Phage transaldolase was purified to homogeneity from several strains and shown to be functional in vitro, suggesting that it might facilitate increased flux through this key reaction in the host PPP, augmenting production of NADPH and ribose 5-phosphate. Kinetic measurements of phage and host transaldolases revealed that the phage enzymes have
k
cat
/
K
m
values only approximately one third of the corresponding host enzymes. The lower efficiency of phage transaldolase may be a tradeoff for other selective advantages such as reduced gene size: we show that more than half of host-like cyanophage genes are significantly shorter than their host homologues. Consistent with decreased Calvin cycle activity and increased PPP and light reaction activity under infection, the host NADPH/NADP ratio increased two-fold in infected cells. We propose that phage-augmented NADPH production fuels deoxynucleotide biosynthesis for phage replication, and that the selection pressures molding phage genomes involve fitness advantages conferred through mobilization of host energy stores.
Sunflower domestication alleles support single domestication center in eastern North America
Authors: Blackman Benjamin K. , Scascitelli Moira , Kane Nolan C. , Luton Harry H. , Rasmussen David A. , Bye Robert A. , Lentz David L. , Rieseberg Loren H.
Published: August 2011

Phylogenetic analyses of genes with demonstrated involvement in evolutionary transitions can be an important means of resolving conflicting hypotheses about evolutionary history or process. In sunflower, two genes have previously been shown to have experienced selective sweeps during its early domestication. In the present study, we identified a third candidate early domestication gene and conducted haplotype analyses of all three genes to address a recent, controversial hypothesis about the origin of cultivated sunflower. Although the scientific consensus had long been that sunflower was domesticated once in eastern North America, the discovery of pre-Columbian sunflower remains at archaeological sites in Mexico led to the proposal of a second domestication center in southern Mexico. Previous molecular studies with neutral markers were consistent with the former hypothesis. However, only two indigenous Mexican cultivars were included in these studies, and their provenance and genetic purity have been questioned. Therefore, we sequenced regions of the three candidate domestication genes containing SNPs diagnostic for domestication from large, newly collected samples of Mexican sunflower landraces and Mexican wild populations from a broad geographic range. The new germplasm also was genotyped for 12 microsatellite loci. Our evidence from multiple evolutionarily important loci and from neutral markers supports a single domestication event for extant cultivated sunflower in eastern North America.
Protection from UV-induced skin carcinogenesis by genetic inhibition of the ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) kinase
Authors: Kawasumi Masaoki , Lemos Bianca , Bradner James E. , Thibodeau Renee , Kim Yong-son , Schmidt Miranda , Higgins Erin , Koo Sang-wahn , Angle-Zahn Aimee , Chen Adam , Levine Douglas , Nguyen Lynh , Heffernan Timothy P. , Longo Isabel , Mandinova Anna , Lu Yao-Ping , Conney Allan H. , Nghiem Paul
Published: August 2011

Multiple human epidemiologic studies link caffeinated (but not decaffeinated) beverage intake with significant decreases in several types of cancer, including highly prevalent UV-associated skin carcinomas. The mechanism by which caffeine protects against skin cancer is unknown. Ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) is a replication checkpoint kinase activated by DNA stresses and is one of several targets of caffeine. Suppression of ATR, or its downstream target checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1), selectively sensitizes DNA-damaged and malignant cells to apoptosis. Agents that target this pathway are currently in clinical trials. Conversely, inhibition of other DNA damage response pathways, such as ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and BRCA1, promotes cancer. To determine the effect of replication checkpoint inhibition on carcinogenesis, we generated transgenic mice with diminished ATR function in skin and crossed them into a UV-sensitive background,
Xpc
−/−
. Unlike caffeine, this genetic approach was selective and had no effect on ATM activation. These transgenic mice were viable and showed no histological abnormalities in skin. Primary keratinocytes from these mice had diminished UV-induced Chk1 phosphorylation and twofold augmentation of apoptosis after UV exposure (
P
= 0.006). With chronic UV treatment, transgenic mice remained tumor-free for significantly longer (
P
= 0.003) and had 69% fewer tumors at the end of observation of the full cohort (
P
= 0.019), compared with littermate controls with the same genetic background. This study suggests that inhibition of replication checkpoint function can suppress skin carcinogenesis and supports ATR inhibition as the relevant mechanism for the protective effect of caffeinated beverage intake in human epidemiologic studies.
Differential regulation of mast cell degranulation versus cytokine secretion by the actin regulatory proteins Coronin1a and Coronin1b
Authors: Föger Niko , Jenckel André , Orinska Zane , Lee Kyeong-Hee , Chan Andrew C. , Bulfone-Paus Silvia
Published: August 2011

Mast cell (MC) activation via aggregation of the high affinity IgE receptor (FcεRI) causes degranulation and release of proinflammatory mediators in a process that involves the reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. However, the regulatory pathways and the molecular links between cytoskeletal changes and MC function are incompletely understood. In this study, we provide genetic evidence for a critical role of the actin-regulatory proteins Coronin1a (Coro1a) and Coro1b on exocytic pathways in MCs: Coro1a−/− bone marrow–derived MCs exhibit increased FcεRI-mediated degranulation of secretory lysosomes but significantly reduced secretion of cytokines. Hyperdegranulation of Coro1a−/− MCs is further augmented by the additional loss of Coro1b. In vivo, Coro1a−/−Coro1b−/− mice displayed enhanced passive cutaneous anaphylaxis. Functional reconstitution assays revealed that the inhibitory effect of Coro1a on MC degranulation strictly correlates with cortical localization of Coro1a, requires its filamentous actin–binding activity, and is regulated by phosphorylation of Ser2 of Coro1a. Thus, coronin proteins, and in turn the actin cytoskeleton, exhibit a functional dichotomy as differential regulators of degranulation versus cytokine secretion in MC biology.
Genetic variation in radiation-induced cell death
Authors: Smirnov Denis A. , Brady Lauren , Halasa Krzysztof , Morley Michael , Solomon Sonia , Cheung Vivian G.
Published: August 2011

Radiation exposure through environmental, medical, and occupational settings is increasingly common. While radiation has harmful effects, it has utility in many applications such as radiotherapy for cancer. To increase the efficacy of radiation treatment and minimize its risks, a better understanding of the individual differences in radiosensitivity and the molecular basis of radiation response is needed. Here, we integrated human genetic and functional genomic approaches to study the response of human cells to radiation. We measured radiation-induced changes in gene expression and cell death in B cells from normal individuals. We found extensive individual variation in gene expression and cellular responses. To understand the genetic basis of this variation, we mapped the DNA sequence variants that influence expression response to radiation. We also identified radiation-responsive genes that regulate cell death; silencing of these genes by small interfering RNA led to an increase in radiation-induced cell death in human B cells, colorectal and prostate cancer cells. Together these results uncovered DNA variants that contribute to radiosensitivity and identified genes that can be targeted to increase the sensitivity of tumors to radiation.
Out of sight out of mind: current knowledge of Chinese cave fishes
Authors: Zhao Y.‐H. , Gozlan R. E. , Zhang C.‐G.
Published: August 2011

Caves and karsts are among the most threatened ecosystems in the world. They are very fragile, balanced habitats with high levels of endemic species that are extremely sensitive to environmental changes. In recent decades, however, threats from rapid economic growth have increased the need for conservation efforts for cave‐dwelling communities. In addition, difficulties in accessing and sampling these habitats mean that they remain as one of the least known ecosystems in the world with modern studies of cave fishes only starting in China during the 1980s. Here, the current status of cave fishes in China is reviewed. China is host to the highest number of cave fish species in the world, with 48 troglobite species out of a total of 101 cave fish species. All of these cave fish species (one order and three families) and half of the genera are endemic to China with Sinocyclocheilus being the most speciose cave fish genus. Species from this genus possess horns and humpbacks resulting from processes of parallel evolution, but the function of these features remains unknown. With the exception of Onychostoma macrolepis distributed in north China, all other species are found in the karst environment of the Yunnan‐Guizhou Plateau. Sympatric distribution is common, and sometimes several different cave fish species can be found in the same cave or subterranean river. For this reason, Chinese cave fishes represent an important evolutionary framework.
Irreversible pan‐ERBB inhibitor canertinib elicits anti‐leukaemic effects and induces the regression of FLT3‐ITD transformed cells in mice
Authors: Nordigården Amanda , Zetterblad Jenny , Trinks Cecilia , Gréen Henrik , Eliasson Pernilla , Druid Pia , Lotfi Kourosh , Rönnstrand Lars , Walz Thomas M. , Jönsson Jan‐Ingvar
Published: August 2011

Recent findings have indicated that tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting the ERBB receptor family display anti‐leukaemic effects, despite the lack of receptor expression on human leukaemic cells. The occurrence of activating mutations in the gene encoding FMS‐like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) has rendered inhibition of this receptor a promising therapeutic target. Due to possibility of cross‐reactivity, we investigated the effect of the irreversible pan‐ERBB inhibitor canertinib (CI‐1033) on leukaemic cells expressing FLT3. The drug had anti‐proliferative and apoptotic effects on primary AML cells and human leukaemic cell lines expressing mutated FLT3. In several AML patient samples, a blast cell population expressing FLT3‐internal tandem duplication (ITD) was eradicated by canertinib. Canertinib inhibited receptor autophosphorylation and kinase activity of both mutated and FLT3 ligand stimulated wildtype FLT3, leading to inhibition of the PI3‐kinase and MAP kinase pathways. Apoptotic induction was dependent on pro‐apoptotic BH3‐only protein BCL2L11/BIM because siRNA silencing attenuated apoptosis. Moreover, the drug induced regression of cells expressing FLT3‐ITD in a murine in vivo‐transplantation model at previously described tolerated doses. These results indicate that canertinib, as an irreversible TKI, could constitute a novel treatment regimen in patients with mutated or overexpressed FLT3.
VcR‐CVAD induction chemotherapy followed by maintenance rituximab in mantle cell lymphoma: a Wisconsin Oncology Network study
Authors: Chang Julie E. , Peterson Christopher , Choi Sangbum , Eickhoff Jens C. , Kim KyungMann , Yang David T. , Gilbert Leslie A. , Rogers Eric S. , Werndli Jae E. , Huie Michael S. , McFarland Thomas A. , Volk Michael , Blank Jules , Callander Natalie S. , Longo Walter L. , Kahl Brad S.
Published: August 2011

Intensive chemotherapy regimens are not feasible in many adults with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). We sought to build upon our previous experience with a non‐intensive regimen, modified R‐hyperCVAD chemotherapy (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, dexamethasone) with maintenance rituximab (MR), by the incorporation of bortezomib (VcR‐CVAD) and the extension of MR beyond 2 years. Patients with previously untreated MCL received VcR‐CVAD chemotherapy every 21 d for six cycles. Patients achieving at least a partial response to induction chemotherapy received rituximab consolidation (375 mg/m2 × 4 weekly doses) and MR (375 mg/m2 every 12 weeks × 20 doses). The primary end points were overall and complete response (CR), and secondary endpoints were progression‐free (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Thirty patients were enrolled, with a median age of 61 years. All patients had advanced stage disease, and 60% had medium/high MCL International Prognostic Index risk factors. A CR or unconfirmed CR was achieved in 77% of patients. After a median follow‐up of 42 months, the 3‐year PFS and OS were 63% and 86%, respectively. The observed 3‐year PFS and OS with VcR‐CVAD in MCL were comparable to reported outcomes with more intensive regimens. A cooperative group trial (E1405) is attempting to replicate these promising results.
A comparison of immune reconstitution and graft‐versus‐host disease following myeloablative conditioning versus reduced toxicity conditioning and umbilical cord blood transplantation in paediatric recipients
Authors: Geyer Mark B. , Jacobson Judith S. , Freedman Jason , George Diane , Moore Virginia , van de Ven Carmella , Satwani Prakash , Bhatia Monica , Garvin James H. , Bradley Mary Brigid , Harrison Lauren , Morris Erin , Della‐Latta Phyllis , Schwartz Joseph , Baxter‐Lowe Lee A. , Cairo Mitchell S.
Published: August 2011

Immune reconstitution appears to be delayed following myeloablative conditioning (MAC) and umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) in paediatric recipients. Although reduced toxicity conditioning (RTC) versus MAC prior to allogeneic stem cell transplantation is associated with decreased transplant‐related mortality, the effects of RTC versus MAC prior to UCBT on immune reconstitution and risk of graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) are unknown. In 88 consecutive paediatric recipients of UCBT, we assessed immune cell recovery and immunoglobulin reconstitution at days +100, 180 and 365 and analysed risk factors associated with acute and chronic GVHD. Immune cell subset recovery, immunoglobulin reconstitution, and the incidence of opportunistic infections did not differ significantly between MAC versus RTC groups. In a Cox model, MAC versus RTC recipients had significantly higher risk of grade II–IV acute GVHD [Hazard Ratio (HR) 6·1, P = 0·002] as did recipients of 4/6 vs. 5–6/6 HLA‐matched UCBT (HR 3·1, P = 0·03), who also had significantly increased risk of chronic GVHD (HR 18·5, P = 0·04). In multivariate analyses, MAC versus RTC was furthermore associated with significantly increased transplant‐related (Odds Ratio 26·8, P = 0·008) and overall mortality (HR = 4·1, P = 0·0001). The use of adoptive cellular immunotherapy to accelerate immune reconstitution and prevent and treat opportunistic infections and malignant relapse following UCBT warrants further investigation.
How avian nest site selection responds to predation risk: testing an ‘adaptive peak hypothesis’
Authors: Latif Quresh S. , Heath Sacha K. , Rotenberry John T.
Published: August 2011

1. Nest predation limits avian fitness, so birds should favour nest sites that minimize predation risk. Nevertheless, preferred nest microhabitat features are often uncorrelated with apparent variation in predation rates.

2. This lack of congruence between theory‐based expectation and empirical data may arise when birds already occupy ‘adaptive peaks’. If birds nest exclusively in low‐predation microhabitats, microhabitat and nest predation may no longer be correlated even though predation ultimately shaped microhabitat selection.

3. This ‘adaptive peak hypothesis’ was tested for a population of Yellow Warblers (Dendroica petechia) focusing on two nest microhabitat features: concealment and height. Experimental nests measured relative predation risk both within and outside the microhabitat range typically occupied by natural nests to examine whether nest site choices made by birds restricted our ability to detect microhabitat effects on predation.

4. Within the natural range (30–80% concealment, >75 cm height), microhabitat–predation relationships were weak and inconsistent, and similar for experimental and natural nests. Over an extended range, however, experimental predation rates were elevated in exposed sites (<30% concealed), indicating a concealment‐related ‘adaptive plateau’.

5. Clay egg bite data revealed a concealment effect on avian predators, and the abundance of one avian predator group correlated with nest concealment among years, suggesting these predators may cue birds to modulate nest concealment choices.

6. This study demonstrates how avian responses to predation pressure can obscure the adaptive significance of nest site selection, so predation influences may be more important than apparent from published data.
Quality in e‐learning: a framework for promoting and assuring quality in virtual institutions
Authors: Masoumi D. , Lindström B.
Published: August 2011

With the growing demand for e‐learning along with striving for excellence associated with globalization, there are worldwide calls for enhancing and assuring quality in e‐learning, specifically in the context of the developing countries. Such calls for quality enhancement, accountability, added value, value for money, self‐evaluation, and role players' satisfaction in higher education settings cannot go unheeded. Addressing the concerns regarding enhancing and assuring quality in e‐learning, a comprehensive e‐quality framework is developed by taking into account the pros and cons of the previous models, frameworks, and studies of e‐quality. This e‐quality framework offers a structured set of factors and benchmarks as a tool for practical quality work with e‐learning in virtual institutions.
Detecting deterioration in patients with chronic disease using telemonitoring: navigating the ‘trough of disillusionment’
Authors: Elwyn Glyn , Hardisty Alex R. , Peirce Susan C. , May Carl , Evans Robert , Robinson Douglas K. R. , Bolton Charlotte E. , Yousef Zaheer , Conley Edward C. , Rana Omer F. , Gray W. Alex , Preece Alun D.
Published: August 2011

Objectives  To examine the evidence base for telemonitoring designed for patients who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure, and to assess whether telemonitoring fulfils the principles of monitoring and is ready for implementation into routine settings.

Design  Qualitative data collection using interviews and participation in a multi‐path mapping process.

Participants  Twenty‐six purposively selected informants completed semi‐structured interviews and 24 individuals with expertise in the relevant clinical and informatics domains from academia, industry, policy and provider organizations and participated in a multi‐path mapping workshop.

Results  The evidence base for the effectiveness of telemonitoring is weak and inconsistent, with insufficient cost‐effectiveness studies. When considered against an accepted definition of monitoring, telemonitoring is found wanting. Telemonitoring has not been able so far to ensure that the technologies fit into the life world of the patient and into the clinical and organizational milieu of health service delivery systems.

Conclusions  To develop effective telemonitoring for patients with chronic disease, more attention needs to be given to agreeing the central aim of early detection and, to ensure potential implementation, engaging a wide range of stakeholders in the design process, especially patients and clinicians.
Three‐dimensional xylem networks and phyllode properties of co‐occurring Acacia
Authors: PAGE GERALD F. M. , LIU JIE , GRIERSON PAULINE F.
Published: August 2011

Reduced leaf size is often correlated to increased aridity, where smaller leaves demand less water via xylem conduits. However, it is unknown if differences in three‐dimensional (3D) xylem connectivity reflect leaf‐level adaptations. We used X‐ray microtomography (micro‐CT) to quantify 3D xylem connectivity in ∼5 mm diameter branch sections of co‐occurring semi‐arid Acacia species of varied phyllode size. We compared 3D connectivity to minimum branch water potential and two‐dimensional (2D) vessel attributes derived from sections produced by micro‐CT. 2D attributes included vessel area, density, vessel size to number ratio (S) and vessel lumen fraction (F). Trees with terete phyllodes had less negative water potentials than broad phyllode variants. 3D xylem connectivity was conserved across all trees regardless of phyllode type or minimum water potential. We also found that xylem connectivity was sensitive to vessel lumen fraction (F) and not the size to number ratio (S) even though F was consistent among species and phyllode variants. Our results demonstrate that differences in phyllode anatomy, and not xylem connectivity, likely explain diversity of drought tolerance among closely related Acacia species. Further analysis using our approach across a broader range of species will improve understanding of adaptations in the xylem networks of arid zone species.
The scent of senescence: sexual signalling and female preference in house mice
Authors: GARRATT M. , STOCKLEY P. , ARMSTRONG S. D. , BEYNON R. J. , HURST J. L.
Published: August 2011

Sexual signals are expected to be costly to produce and maintain, thus ensuring that only males in good condition can sustain their expression at high levels. When males reach senescence they lose physiological function and condition, which could constrain their ability to invest in costly sexual signals, decreasing their attractiveness to mates. Furthermore, females may have evolved mating preferences that cause avoidance of senesced males to enhance fertilization success and viability of offspring. Among mammals, the size of antlers and other weapons can decrease with senescence, but changes in olfactory sexual signals have been largely unexplored. We examined changes in olfactory signals with senescence in house mice (Mus musculus domesticus), where males excrete volatile and involatile molecules in scent marks that elicit behavioural and priming responses in females. Compared to middle‐aged males, the urine of senesced males contained a lower concentration of involatile signalling proteins (major urinary proteins or MUPs), and associated volatiles that bind to these proteins. The reduced intensity of male scent will affect the longevity of scent signals deposited in the environment and, accordingly, females were less attracted to urine from senesced males deposited 12 h previously. Females also discriminated against senesced males encountered behind a mesh barrier. These results reveal that investment in olfactory signalling is reduced during senescence and suggest that senesced males and their scent may be less attractive to females.
Factors associated with the use of institutional long‐term care in Japan
Authors: Imai Hidenori , Fushimi Kiyohide
Published: August 2011

Aim:  Institutionalization is a potential cost burden for long‐term care (LTC) systems in many developed countries. Japan implemented an LTC insurance system in April 2000 and control of institutionalization has been one of its major issues. This study used over 2.1 million national representative administrative records to determine the factors that contribute to care use and the availability of local LTC facilities associated with the use of institutional LTC in Japan.

Methods:  Factors associated with the 1‐year institutional use of individuals were examined by a multivariate logistic regression analysis. In addition, we determined the impact of the regional capacities of LTC and medical institutions and the regional deviations of institutional LTC use using standardized use rates estimated from the demography and disability levels of regional LTC users.

Results:  We found that subjects aged 85 years or older had more than twice as high a risk as those aged less than 74 years and that the risk of use increased more than eight times at the highest disability level. In addition, the regional capacity of LTC institutions promoted the use of those institutions, whereas that of general beds had a suppressive effect on such use, possibly due to social hospitalization.

Conclusion:  Our results suggest that the use of LTC institutions is accelerated by the age and disability level of users as well as the regional availability of such institutions and that an appropriate supply of LTC institutions could increase their use and potentially improve the efficiency of medical care. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2012; 12: 72–79.
Current status of the treatment of acute colonic diverticulitis: a systematic review
Authors: Biondo S. , Lopez Borao J. , Millan M. , Kreisler E. , Jaurrieta E.
Published: August 2011

Aim This paper addresses the current status of the treatment of acute colonic diverticulitis by an evidence‐based review.

Method A systematic search in PUBMED, MEDLINE, EMBASE and Google scholar on colonic diverticulitis was performed. Diagnostic tools, randomized controlled trials, non‐randomized comparative studies, observational epidemiological studies, national and international guidelines, reviews of observational studies on elective and emergency surgical treatment of diverticulitis, and studies of prognostic significance were reviewed. Criteria for eligibility of the studies were diagnosis and classification, medical treatment, inpatients and outpatients, diverticulitis in young patients, immunosuppression, recurrence, elective resection, emergency surgery, and predictive factors.

Results Some 92 publications were selected for comprehensive review. The review highlighted that computed tomography is the most effective test in the diagnosis and staging of acute diverticulitis; outpatient treatment can be performed for uncomplicated diverticulitis in patients without associated comorbidities; conservative treatment is aimed at those patients with uncomplicated acute diverticulitis; elective surgery must be done on an individual basis; laparoscopic approach for elective treatment of diverticulitis is appropriate but may be technically complex; in perforated diverticulitis, resection with primary anastomosis is a safe procedure that requires experience and should take into account strict exclusion criteria.

Conclusion The heterogeneity of patients with colonic diverticular disease means that both elective and urgent treatment should be tailored on an individual basis.
Effect of geographical range size on plant functional traits and the relationships between plant, soil and climate in Chinese grasslands
Authors: Geng Yan , Wang Zhiheng , Liang Cunzhu , Fang Jingyun , Baumann Frank , Kühn Peter , Scholten Thomas , He Jin‐Sheng
Published: August 2011

Aim  Our aim was to address the potential effect of the geographical range size of species on the relationships between plant traits, soil and climate in Chinese grasslands. Previous analyses tended to examine plant–environment relationships across many species while ignoring that species with different range sizes may respond differently to the environment. Here we hypothesized that leaf traits of narrow‐ranging species would be more strongly correlated with soil and climatic variables than those of wide‐ranging species.

Location  Chinese grasslands.

Methods  Data on leaf traits, including nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations, carbon/nitrogen ratio, nitrogen/phosphorus ratio and specific leaf area, as well as species range sizes for 208 species distributed across 178 sites in Chinese grasslands were collected. Soil and climate information for each study site was also gathered. The effects of range size on leaf traits were tested using one‐way ANOVA. Correlations between leaf traits, soil and climate were calculated for all species pooled together and for species partitioned into range size quartiles, from the first (narrowest‐ ranging 25%) to the fourth (widest‐ranging 25%).

Results  Narrow‐ranging species tended to occur at high altitude with lower temperature but higher soil nutrient concentrations compared with wide‐ranging species. No direct link between leaf traits and species range sizes was detected. However, patterns of leaf–soil nutrient relationships changed significantly across levels of range size. Narrow‐ranging species tended to be more sensitive to variation in soil nutrient availability than wide‐ranging species, resulting in a shift from a positive leaf–soil nutrient relationship for narrow‐ranging plants to no relationship for wide‐ranging plants. Species responses to climatic variables were unrelated to their range sizes.

Main conclusions  The close relationship between leaf and soil nutrients indicates a specialization of narrow‐ranging species to particular habitats whereas wide‐ranging species may be able to better withstand changes in environment such as soil fertility over a large area.
Social behaviour in sharks and rays: analysis, patterns and implications for conservation
Authors: Jacoby David M P , Croft Darren P , Sims David W
Published: August 2011

There are widespread records of grouping behaviour in both adult and juvenile sharks and rays (Class Chondrichthyes, Subclass Elasmobranchii). Yet despite burgeoning descriptions of these events, many of the proximate and ultimate causes of group living in these top predators remain elusive. Given the documented negative anthropogenic effects on many shark populations globally, there is an increasing need to understand how behaviourally mediated grouping influences population distributions and abundance, and the role this plays in exacerbating vulnerability to fishing mortality. Here, we analyse group living in elasmobranchs: we describe our current understanding of the patterns, mechanisms and functions of both aggregation (where grouping is not driven by social mechanisms) and social grouping (where grouping is influenced by social interaction) and discuss some of the current methods used to study social behaviour in this taxa. In particular, social preferences in elasmobranchs have received relatively little attention. We propose that the study of shark aggregations may benefit from a more fine‐scale analytical approach offered by detailed exploration of social interactions using social network analysis. Better understanding of the frequency and longevity of social relations, in conjunction with current long‐term data on habitat use and site philopatry, will likely serve for a more informed approach to coastal and pelagic elasmobranch conservation initiatives.
The Development of a Web‐based Demographic Data Extraction Tool for Population Monitoring
Authors: Chow T. Edwin , Lin Yan , Chan W. Derek
Published: August 2011

The Internet contains a great wealth of information available online. People search engines, such as WhitePages (http://www.whitepages.com), gather personal‐level demographic data, including full name, address, age and household members. Requiring only a surname and locational reference (e.g. city or postal code) as the minimum search criteria, such people search engines can be perceived as a gigantic database of demographic records. The objective of this article is to outline the development of a web‐based demographic data extraction tool for population monitoring. In this study, a web prototype was developed to extract web demographics of the Vietnamese‐American (VA) population in Texas, an ethnic minority with unique migration history, from WhitePages. After post‐processing, the personal‐level demographic data represent 40.3% of 202,003 VA in Texas reported by the American Community Survey (ACS) 2009. While all enumeration strategies, the web approach included, have their own strengths and weaknesses, this study suggests an alternative approach that is complementary to existing enumeration strategies. More research and development are needed to validate the accuracy of web demographics and further enhance data navigation and extraction rules. The utilization and release of web demographics must be cautious with regards to privacy and integrity of personal identity.
Complexity economics, wicked problems and consumer education
Authors: McGregor Sue L.T.
Published: August 2011

Complexity economics is a promising theory for consumer education that aspires to be focused on global justice and sustainability in a profoundly complex consumer marketplace. This paper first discusses the basic tenets of complexity theory, the foundations of complexity economics, followed by an overview of normal vs. post‐normal science, including tame and wicked problems. The third part of the paper positions consumer education within normal science, explicating the assumptions of conventional neoliberal economic theory. The final part discusses the assumptions of complexity economics and how it challenges traditional economic theory. A case is made for augmenting 21st century consumer education with complexity economics, anticipating a companion paper with pedagogical details.
The algebra of health concerns: implications of consumer perception of health loss, illness and the breakdown of the health system on anxiety
Authors: Gabay Gillie , Moskowitz Howard R.
Published: August 2011

The current and expected future state of the American health care system creates much concern and anxiety at the national and individual level among Americans. This study is in response to the call of the Institute of Medicine to further study the lack of confidence among Americans about their future ability to receive high‐quality health care. This study compares perceived anxiety and its amelioration as a result of three possible health situations: illness with infectious disease, losing one's health and a breakdown of the health care system.

This empirical study was conducted within the framework of conjoint analysis. We conducted an experimental design of ideas, identified attributes that increased or reduced anxiety in each of the three health‐related situations and then segmented consumers on the basis of their patterns of reactions to the attributes.

We found that the highest anxiety was attributed to the breakdown of the health care system. The segmentation further suggested that the anxiety emerging from the breakdown of society's health care system generated a different extent of anxiety than that which emerged from one's illness or one's loss of own health. The attributes that drove anxiety across the health situations were, surprisingly, charities, one's company, the local hospital and supplemental insurance. Attributes that reduced anxiety differed among segments. The attributes were found to be: close friends, family, distribution of information by authorities and the belief in God.

At a practical level, these data and patterns of response allow health care policy makers to enhance the coping ability of patients by understanding the nature of what reduces the anxiety of individual types of patients. The approach in this study provides a person‐centred system for communication and anxiety reduction that can be implemented as part of a public health policy.
Animal maiming, intimacy and the politics of shared life: the bestial and the beastly in eighteenth‐ and early nineteenth‐century England
Authors: Griffin Carl J
Published: August 2011

The everyday lives of many farm workers in eighteenth‐ and early nineteenth‐century England were intricately and often intimately bound with the lives of animals, the ebb and flow of human life being inseparable from that of animal life. Farmyards, fields, folds as well as barns and stables were all spaces where animals transcended being the mere instruments of capital to instead being obvious co‐constituents of the rhythms of existence. Living and working in such close proximity meant that the ‘species barrier’ was crossed and intimacies developed in everyday agricultural practices. Still, the relationship was based upon, if not reducible to, the workings of capital: the animal enrolled as a form of embodied capital, the labourer engaged by the farmer to act upon the animal. And in such relationships intimacies are mirrored by violences: the keeping captive, slaughter, and – occasionally – abuse. In this formative period in which the discourses and policies that continue to inform animal welfare were first formulated, the declining economic and material fortunes of farm workers when juxtaposed to farm animals’ fortune as increasingly ‘cosseted capital’ gave a particular charge to these abuses. Farm animals, and especially horses and cattle, so it is shown, were subjected to a series of violences. Many cases of animal maiming parodied tenderness in their brutality, whilst other attacks on the sexual organs of animals represented complex statements about the ways in which agrarian capitalism regulated all culture. Analysing the changing relationship between humans and animals therefore also helps us to better understand how capitalism mediates – and is mediated by – the non‐human as well as the human, and how it defines cultural relations.
Prophylactic Etoricoxib Is Effective in Preventing “First of Ramadan” Headache: A Placebo‐Controlled Double‐Blind and Randomized Trial of Prophylactic Etoricoxib for Ritual Fasting Headache
Authors: Drescher Michael J. , Wimpfheimer Zev , Abu Khalef Samer , Gammaitoni Arnold , Shehadeh Naim , Torgovicky Rafael
Published: August 2011

Background.— Religious fasting is associated with headache. This has been documented as “Yom Kippur headache” and “first of Ramadan headache.” Etoricoxib, a Cox‐2 inhibitor with a 22‐hour half‐life, has been shown effective in preventing fasting headache when taken just prior to the 25‐hour Yom Kippur fast. We hypothesized that etoricoxib would also be effective in preventing headache during Ramadan, despite the different characteristics of the fast.

Methods.— We performed a double‐blind randomized prospective crossover trial of etoricoxib 90 mg vs placebo, taken just prior to the onset of fasting, during the first 2 weeks of Ramadan 2010. Healthy adults aged 18‐65 years were enrolled. Demographics, headache history and a daily post‐fast survey were collected. We compared incidence, time of onset, and intensity of headache on each day and side effects in control and treatment groups.

Results.— We enrolled 222 patients and 189 completed the post‐fast questionnaire (87%). Etoricoxib reduced the incidence of “first of Ramadan” headache by 54% (46% in placebo group [n = 92] vs 21% [n = 96] in etoricoxib group) (P < .0001, OR 3.19 [95% CI 1.68‐6.06]). For days 1‐6, the mean number of headache days for the placebo group was 1.60 (n = 92) and for the treatment group the mean was 0.86 (n = 99) headache days (P = .003). Median severity of headache in the treatment group was significantly lower. In the second week, there was no significant difference in incidence of headache between groups, and the incidence of headache in the placebo group dropped markedly over time.

Conclusion.— Etoricoxib 90 mg taken prior to a 15‐hour ritual fast decreases incidence of and attenuates headache during the first 5 days of the month of Ramadan.
Exploring the pattern of blood donor beliefs in first‐time, novice, and experienced donors: differentiating reluctant altruism, pure altruism, impure altruism, and warm glow
Authors: Ferguson Eamonn , Atsma Femke , de Kort Wim , Veldhuizen Ingrid
Published: August 2011

BACKGROUND: Using constructs from the Theory of Planned Behavior and theories of altruism, this article explores how multiple motivations and beliefs for blood donation are clustered and change across the donor career. In so doing important distinctions, for blood donation, between impure altruism, pure altruism, and warm glow are explored.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Measures of intentions, cognitive and affective attitudes, role merger, pure altruism, trust, self‐efficacy, subjective and moral norms, and habit formation were assessed in a sample of 12,580 whole blood donors. Analyses showed that a distinction between first‐time, novice (one to four donations), and experienced donors (five or more donations) is justified. Principal components analysis and confirmatory factor analytic Multiple‐Indicator Multiple‐Causal models were used to compare models across these groups.

RESULTS: A cognition‐behavior (CB) factor, including intentions, was common to all groups. First‐time and novice donors were marked by a newly identified motivational factor: “reluctant altruism” (i.e., the motivation to donate because of a lack of trust in others). First‐time donors exhibited an impure altruism factor whereas for experienced donors warm glow and pure altruism factors were observed. For first‐time donors impure altruism and reluctant altruism were both associated with the CB factor in females and impure altruism only in males. For both sexes reluctant altruism was associated of the CB factor in novice donors and warm glow and pure altruism for experienced donors.

CONCLUSIONS: New avenues for intervention are suggested by the emergence of reluctant altruism for novice donors and warm glow for experienced donors. The importance of distinguishing aspects of altruism is highlighted.
Effect of dietary γ‐aminobutyric acid on laying performance, egg quality, immune activity and endocrine hormone in heat‐stressed Roman hens
Authors: ZHANG Min , ZOU Xiao‐ting , LI Hui , DONG Xin‐yang , ZHAO Wenjing
Published: August 2011

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) on laying performance, egg quality, digestive enzyme activity, hormone level and immune activities in Roman hens under heat stress. Roman hens (320 days old) were fed with 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg/kg GABA, respectively during a 60‐day experiment. Compared with control, supplementation of 50 mg/kg GABA improved the laying performance and egg quality by significantly increasing egg production, average egg weight and shell strength (P < 0.05), while decreasing the feed–egg ratio and cholesterol level. Anti‐oxidation activity was improved by significantly increasing the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px), but decreasing malondialdehyde level in serum (P < 0.05), while significantly increasing the glucose and total protein (TP) level, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2), insulin, triiodothyronine (T3) and free triiodothyronine (FT3) levels, and IgG, IgA and complement (C3)activity in serum (P < 0.05). The results indicated that oral GABA improved laying performance and physical condition mainly by modulating hormone secretion, enhancing anti‐oxidation and immune activity, and maintaining electrolyte balance. Fifty mg/kg was the optimum level for laying hens under heat stress in the present study.