bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of aging and sex on progression of carotid intima‐media thickness: A retrospective 6‐year follow‐up study
Authors: Takato Tetsuya , Yamada Namie , Ashida Terunao
Published: September 2008

Aim:  We retrospectively examined the relationship of aging, sex and risk factors to increased carotid intima‐media thickness (IMT) over a follow‐up period of 6 years in patients with multiple risk factors.

Methods:  Subjects were comprised of 463 patients (287 men, 176 women) with a mean age of 64 ± 0.4 years who had undergone carotid ultrasonography twice or more at intervals of 5 years or older. The mean follow‐up period was 6.0 ± 0.1 years.

Results:  Mean baseline IMT for all subjects was 1.40 ± 0.02 mm, and no significant difference was seen between sexes. Mean IMT after 6 years for all subjects was 1.84 ± 0.03 mm, and was significantly greater in men than in women. Mean annual increase in IMT (ΔIMT) for all subjects was 0.073 ± 0.005 mm/year, with a significant positive correlation between baseline age and ΔIMT (r = 0.11, P < 0.05), and ΔIMT was significantly greater in men than in women (0.087 ± 0.007 mm vs 0.050 ± 0.007 mm, P < 0.001). IMT increased with age in both men and women, but ΔIMT increased with age only in men. Multivariate analysis showed baseline age and diabetes mellitus as significant risk factors with baseline IMT as the objective variable. Age and sex represented significant risk factors with ΔIMT as the objective variable.

Conclusion:  Sex differences exist in the relationship between increases in IMT and age. Age, sex and diabetes mellitus represented the main risk factors.
Body‐sway characteristics during a static upright posture in the elderly
Authors: Demura Shin‐ichi , Kitabayashi Tamotsu , Aoki Hiroki
Published: September 2008

Aim:  This study aimed to determine the reliability and sex and age‐level differences of body‐sway parameters, based on center of pressure (COP) measurements, during a static upright posture in the elderly and to clarify their body‐sway characteristics in comparison with those of young adults.

Methods:  The subjects were 50 healthy elderly and 50 healthy young adults. They had no evidence or known history of disorder. The data sampling frequency was 20 Hz. Thirty‐six highly reliable parameters were selected from the following seven domains: distance; position; distribution of amplitude; area; velocity; power spectrum; and vector. In addition, four body‐sway factors (unit time sway, front‐back sway and a left‐right sway and the high‐frequency band power) were also measured.

Results:  In the elderly, most body‐sway parameters had very high reliability and did not show significant sex or age‐level differences. The degree of body sway was greater in the elderly than in young adults, and marked differences were found, especially in sway velocity and periodicity. The four body‐sway factors showed almost the same tendency as the 32 sway parameters.

Conclusion:  We judged that the body sway in the elderly showed large individual differences. Approximately 10% of the elderly subjects may be outside the standard range as compared to young adults, mainly in parameters relating to velocity and spectrum. Because the body‐sway characteristics of the elderly are considerably different from those of young adults, we may need unique criteria to evaluate their body sway.
Empathic neural reactivity to noxious stimuli delivered to body parts and non‐corporeal objects
Authors: Costantini Marcello , Galati Gaspare , Romani Gian Luca , Aglioti Salvatore M.
Published: September 2008

Neuroimaging studies report that the experience of observing or imagining the pain of others is mapped on a set of neural structures that largely overlap those called into play during the personal experience of pain (the so‐called pain matrix). Empathy for pain is a multifaceted process that may be triggered by higher‐order variables (such as imagination of others’ suffering) or by the direct vision of painful situations. Most functional magnetic resonance imaging studies indicate that the empathic mapping of others’ pain may rely on the affective and not on the sensorimotor division of the pain matrix. However, as empathy for pain is a complex, multifarious process, it is possible that different brain regions, even beyond the classic pain matrix, may be called into action in different circumstances. By using functional magnetic resonance imaging we explored the neural activity induced by needles deeply penetrating a hand or a non‐corporeal object. We found that observation of pain in others brought about activation in the middle cingulate, left premotor and left and right supramarginal regions. This pattern of neural activity indicates that the direct vision of strong painful stimuli delivered to others activates neural regions in the onlooker’s brain specifically concerned with the resonant, interindividual sharing of basic sensorimotor reactivity to pain. We also found that bilateral posterior parietal and temporo‐occipital regions were activated during observation of painful stimuli delivered to the body of others as well as to non‐body stimuli. Therefore, our study expands current knowledge on the neural reactivity to potentially dangerous stimuli delivered in the peripersonal space.
Postinhibitory rebound spikes are modulated by the history of membrane hyperpolarization in the SCN
Authors: Tremere Liisa A. , Pinaud Raphael , Irwin Robert P. , Allen Charles N.
Published: September 2008

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus regulates biological circadian time thereby directly impacting numerous physiological processes. The SCN is composed almost exclusively of γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons, many of which synapse with other GABAergic cells in the SCN to exert an inhibitory influence on their postsynaptic targets for most, if not all, phases of the circadian cycle. The overwhelmingly GABAergic nature of the SCN, along with its internal connectivity properties, provide a strong model to examine how inhibitory neurotransmission generates output signals. In the present work we show that hyperpolarizations that range from 5 to 1000 ms elicit rebound spikes in 63% of all SCN neurons tested in voltage‐clamp in the SCN of adult rats and hamsters. In current‐clamp recordings, hyperpolarizations led to rebound spike formation in all cells; however, low‐amplitude or short‐duration current injections failed to consistently activate rebound spikes. Increasing the duration of hyperpolarization from 5 to 1000 ms is strongly and positively correlated with enhanced spike probability. Additionally, the magnitude of hyperpolarization exerts a strong influence on both the amplitude of the spike, as revealed by voltage‐clamp recordings, and the latency to peak current obtained in either voltage‐ or current‐clamp mode. Our results suggest that SCN neurons may use rebound spikes as one means of producing output signals from a largely interconnected network of GABAergic neurons.
Electrical properties of interneurons found within the trigeminal motor nucleus
Authors: McDavid Sarah , Verdier Dorly , Lund James P. , Kolta Arlette
Published: September 2008

The trigeminal motor nucleus contains the somata of motoneurons innervating the jaw muscles, but also those of interneurons that we have characterized morphologically and immunohistochemically previously. Here we compare their basic physiological characteristics and synaptic inputs from the peri‐trigeminal area (PeriV) to those of motoneurons using whole‐cell recordings made with pipettes containing biocytin in brainstem slices of rats that had a tracer injected into their masseters. Values for input resistance, spike duration and overall duration of afterhyperpolarization (AHP) were greater for interneurons than for motoneurons. Some interneurons (44%) and motoneurons (33%) had an outward rectification during depolarization. Hyperpolarization‐induced inward rectification was seen predominantly in interneurons (85% vs. 31% for motoneurons). Few interneurons (15%) showed depolarization and time‐dependent firing frequency accommodation, while half (52%) of the motoneurons did. Rebound excitation at the offset of hyperpolarization was more common in interneurons than in motoneurons (62% vs. 34%). Both populations received synaptic inputs from PeriV. These inputs were predominantly excitatory and were mediated by non‐N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate glutamatergic receptors. Response latencies and rise times of the evoked potentials were longer in interneurons than in motoneurons, suggesting that some of the inputs to interneurons could be polysynaptic and/or occurring at distal dendritic locations. Miniature synaptic events could be seen in about half of the neurons in both populations. These results suggest that interneurons can be clearly distinguished from motoneurons on the basis of some electrophysiological properties like the input resistance and spike and AHP durations, and the kinetics of their synaptic inputs from adjacent areas.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the primary motor cortex disrupts early boost but not delayed gains in performance in motor sequence learning
Authors: Hotermans Christophe , Peigneux Philippe , De Noordhout Alain Maertens , Moonen Gustave , Maquet Pierre
Published: September 2008

In humans the consolidation of recently learned motor skills is a multi‐step process. We previously showed that performance on the finger‐tapping task (FTT; i.e. a sequential motor skill) temporarily improves early on, 5–30 min after practice has ended, but not 4 h later. In the absence of any further practice to the task, this early boost in performance was predictive of the performance levels eventually achieved 48 h later, suggesting its functional relevance for long‐term memory consolidation [Hotermans, Peigneux, Maertens de Noordhout, Moonen, and Maquet (2006) Early boost and slow consolidation in motor skill learning. Learn. Mem., 13, 580–583]. Here, we focused on the role of the primary motor cortex (M1) in consolidation using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied immediately before testing at 30 min, 4 or 24 h after practice of the FTT. Immediately after learning, rTMS over M1 depressed the early boost in performance, but did not affect the delayed improvement observed 48 h later. Four and 24 h after practice, rTMS did not disrupt performance anymore. These results suggest that M1 supports performance during the early post‐training phase of motor skill consolidation, but is no longer mandatory in the subsequent, delayed stages of consolidation.
Effects of hypocretin (orexin) neuronal loss on sleep and extracellular adenosine levels in the rat basal forebrain
Authors: Murillo‐Rodriguez Eric , Liu Meng , Blanco‐Centurion Carlos , Shiromani Priyattam J.
Published: September 2008

Neurons containing the neuropeptide hypocretin (HCRT, orexin) are localized only in the lateral hypothalamus, from where they innervate multiple regions implicated in arousal, including the basal forebrain. HCRT activation of downstream arousal neurons is likely to stimulate release of endogenous factors. One such factor is adenosine, which in the basal forebrain increases in level with wakefulness and decreases with sleep, and is hypothesized to regulate the waxing and waning of sleep drive. Does loss of HCRT neurons affect adenosine levels in the basal forebrain? Is the increased sleep that accompanies HCRT loss a consequence of higher adenosine levels in the basal forebrain? In the present study, we investigated these questions by lesioning the HCRT neurons with HCRT‐2–saporin (HCRT‐2–SAP) and measuring sleep and extracellular levels of adenosine in the basal forebrain. In separate groups of rats, the neurotoxin HCRT‐2–SAP or saline was administered locally to the lateral hypothalamus, and 80 days later adenosine and sleep were assessed. Rats given the neurotoxin had a 94% loss of HCRT neurons. These rats woke less at night, and had more rapid eye movement sleep, which is consistent with HCRT hypofunction. These rats also had more sleep after brief periods of sleep deprivation. However, in the lesioned rats, adenosine levels did not increase with 6 h of sleep deprivation, whereas an increase in adenosine levels occurred in rats without lesion of the HCRT neurons. These findings indicate that adenosine levels do not increase with wakefulness in rats with a HCRT lesion, and that the increased sleep in these rats occurs independently of adenosine levels in the basal forebrain.
The WldS gene delays axonal but not somatic degeneration in a rat glaucoma model
Authors: Beirowski Bogdan , Babetto Elisabetta , Coleman Michael P. , Martin Keith R.
Published: September 2008

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness caused by progressive degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons. The pathogenesis of glaucoma remains incompletely understood, but optic nerve (ON) axonal injury appears to be an important trigger of RGC axonal and cell body degeneration. Rat models are widely used in glaucoma research to explore pathogenic mechanisms and to test novel neuroprotective approaches. Here we investigated the mechanism of axon loss in glaucoma, studying axon degeneration in slow Wallerian degeneration (WldS) rats after increasing intraocular pressure. WldS delays degeneration of experimentally transected axons for several weeks, so it can provide genetic evidence for Wallerian‐like degeneration in disease. As apoptosis is unaffected, WldS also provides information on whether cell death results from axon degeneration or arises independently, an important question yet to be resolved in glaucoma. Having confirmed expression of WldS protein, we found that WldS delayed ON axonal degeneration in experimental rat glaucoma for at least 2 weeks, especially in proximal ON where wild‐type axons are most severely affected. The duration of axonal protection is similar to that after ON transection and crush, suggesting that axonal degeneration in glaucoma follows a Wallerian‐like mechanism. Axonal degeneration must be prevented for RGCs to remain functional, so pharmacologically mimicking and enhancing the protective mechanism of WldS could offer an important route towards therapy. However, WldS did not protect RGC bodies in glaucoma or after ON lesion, suggesting that combination treatments protecting both axons and cell bodies offer the best therapeutic prospects.
Specific properties of sodium currents in multipotent striatal progenitor cells
Authors: Wasner Ulrike , Geist Beate , Battefeld Arne , Bauer Peter , Müller Jana , Rolfs Arndt , Strauss Ulf
Published: September 2008

This study investigates the impact of intrinsic currents on early neural development. A rat striatal ST14A cell line immortalized by SV40 large T antigen was employed as a model system because these cells act as multipotent neural progenitors when maintained at a permissive temperature of 33°C. The whole‐cell patch‐clamp, molecular and immunocytochemical experiments point to a unique role of sodium currents in the multipotential stage of neural development. In initial experiments, action potential‐like responses were only present when multipotential ST14A cells were substantially hyperpolarized. This led us to presume that sodium channels were only recruited during deep hyperpolarization. Subsequent voltage‐clamp studies confirmed a remarkably hyperpolarized steady‐state inactivation of the sodium currents and also showed that the underlying channels were tetrodotoxin resistant. Direct comparison with cells whose neuronal fate was already determined, i.e. short‐term cultured striatal cells isolated at embryonic day 14 and after birth (post‐natal day 0), showed that both traits are unique to ST14A cells. However, sodium currents in all three groups had a fast time‐ and voltage‐dependent activation, as well as full inactivation with roughly similar kinetics. The peculiarity in ST14A might be explained by a relative excess of heart‐type NaV1.5 and particularly its splice variant NaV1.5a, as suggested by reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction results. We conclude that multipotent neural progenitor cells express Na+ channels in their membrane irrespective of their fate but these channels have little effect due to their subunit composition, which is regulated by alternative splicing.
The Commodity Terms of Trade, Unit Roots, and Nonlinear Alternatives: A Smooth Transition Approach
Authors: Balagtas Joseph V. , Holt Matthew T.
Published: September 2008

This article extends the recent literature on the Prebisch‐Singer hypothesis of a long‐run decline in the relative prices of primary commodities. Our main innovation is testing for and estimating nonlinear alternatives to a secular deterioration. Specifically, we use bootstrap procedures to test the linear unit root model against models belonging to the family of smooth transition autoregressions (STARs) for twenty‐four commodities, 1900–2003. In nineteen cases we reject the linear null at usual significance levels. In sixteen cases we are able to successfully fit STAR‐type models. Simulation results show there is little support for the Prebisch‐Singer hypothesis.
Crop Yield Skewness Under Law of the Minimum Technology
Authors: Hennessy David A.
Published: September 2008

No satisfactory motivation has been forwarded in favor of any crop yield distribution, including the normal. This article explores the foundations of yield distributions for the Law of the Minimum resource constraint technology at the plot level of analysis. With independent, identical, uniform resource availability distributions the yield skew is positive, whereas it is negative whenever the distributions are normal. Simulations show how asymmetries in resource availabilities determine skewness. It is suggested that a negative yield skew occurs whenever production is tightly controlled so that the left tails of some resources availabilities distributions are thin. Irrigation may increase yield skewness.
Valuing Water Quality as a Function of Water Quality Measures
Authors: Egan Kevin J. , Herriges Joseph A. , Kling Catherine L. , Downing John A.
Published: September 2008

Employing a unique and rich data set of water quality attributes in conjunction with detailed household characteristics and trip information, we develop a mixed logit model of recreational lake usage and undertake thorough model specification and fitting procedures to identify the best set of explanatory variables, and their functional form for the estimated model. Our empirical analysis shows that individuals are responsive to the full set of water quality measures used by biologists to identify the impaired status of lakes. Thus, changes in these quality measures are not simply a scientific exercise, but they also translate into changes in the recreational usage patterns and well‐being of individual households. Willingness‐to‐pay (WTP) estimates are reported based on improvements in these physical measures.
Conservation Payments, Liquidity Constraints, and Off‐Farm Labor: Impact of the Grain‐for‐Green Program on Rural Households in China
Authors: Uchida Emi , Rozelle Scott , Xu Jintao
Published: September 2008

This study evaluates the labor response of rural households participating in the Grain‐for‐Green program in China, the largest payments for ecosystem services program in the developing world. Using a panel data set that we designed and implemented, we find that the participating households are increasingly shifting their labor endowment from on‐farm work to the off‐farm labor market. However, the effects vary depending on the initial level of human and physical capital. The results support the view that one reason why the participants are more likely to find off‐farm employment is because the program is relaxing households' liquidity constraints.
On the Consumer Value of Complementarity: A Benefit Function Approach
Authors: Baggio Michele , Chavas Jean‐Paul
Published: September 2008

The article develops a conceptual model of the consumer value of complementarity and illustrates its usefulness in an application to fisheries. Complementarity arises when some goods have a positive effect on the marginal value of other goods. We propose a measurement of the value of complementarity based on the benefit function. Our econometric analysis of fish consumption in Italy examines these issues, with special attention given to dynamics. Our results show that, while short‐run fish demand is characterized by substitution relationships, complementarity does develop in the intermediate run and in the long run.
Highgrading in Quota‐Regulated Fisheries: Evidence from the Icelandic Cod Fishery
Authors: Kristofersson Dadi , Rickertsen Kyrre
Published: September 2008

A model with nonlinear discarding costs is developed for a fishery with an individual transferable quota (ITQ) program. The model shows that limited hold capacity and ITQs provide incentives to discard fish. The model is applied to the Icelandic ITQ‐regulated cod fishery to test for highgrading and to predict the discarded quantities of different grades of fish. The results indicate that vessels are involved in highgrading, but there is no evidence of quota price‐induced highgrading. The predicted total discarded quantities are 4.7% and 2.7% of total landings for gillnet and longline vessels, respectively. These correspond well with official biometric estimates.
The Welfare Economics of a Biofuel Tax Credit and the Interaction Effects with Price Contingent Farm Subsidies
Authors: de Gorter Harry , Just David R.
Published: September 2008

A framework is developed to analyze the effects of a biofuel consumer tax exemption and the interaction effects with a price contingent farm subsidy. Ethanol prices rise above the gasoline price by the amount of the tax credit. Corn farmers gain directly while gasoline consumers only gain from any reduction in world oil prices due to the extra ethanol production. Domestic oil producers lose. Historically, the intercept of the ethanol supply curve is above the gasoline price. Hence, part of the tax credit is redundant and represents “rectangular” deadweight costs that dwarf triangular deadweight cost measures of traditional farm subsidies.
Valuation of New Products in Attribute Space
Authors: Pofahl Geoffrey M. , Richards Timothy J.
Published: September 2008

We contribute to the literature on new product valuation by presenting a model of new product introduction based on the distance metric (DM) approach of Pinkse, Slade, and Brett (2002). Models based on the DM approach are capable of dealing with highly differentiated food categories that are often responsible for the lion's share of new product activity. Furthermore, since new products are typically characterized by differences in observable attributes, the DM approach is appropriate in that it directly accounts for such differences. Our findings reveal that consumers benefit from new products even when the number of alternatives is already high.
Classical vs. Modern Managerial CSR Perspectives: Insights from Lebanese Context and Cross‐Cultural Implications
Authors: JAMALI DIMA , SIDANI YUSUF
Published: September 2008

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a concept that has acquired a new resonance in the global economy. With the advent of globalization, managers in different contexts have been exposed to the notion of CSR and are being pressured to adopt CSR initiatives. Yet in view of vastly differing national cultures and institutional realities, mixed orientations to CSR continue to be salient in different contexts, oscillating between the classical perspective which considers CSR as a burden on competitiveness and the modern perspective that views CSR as instrumental for business success. Capitalizing on the two‐dimensional CSR model developed by Quazi and O’Brien, Journal of Business Ethics, 25, 33–51 (2000), this article attempts to gauge managerial perspectives toward CSR in Lebanon. An empirical study of 119 Lebanese managers reveals that the majority of respondents (83 percent) are favorably inclined toward CSR with about 20 percent adhering to the modern paradigm, more than 50 percent adhering to a philanthropic view and 18 percent fitting into the classical camp. The findings are discussed and cross‐cultural implications drawn accordingly.
Banks, Insurance Companies, and Discrimination1
Authors: BLOCK WALTER , SNOW NICHOLAS , STRINGHAM EDWARD
Published: September 2008

This article examines some of the reasons why banks and insurance companies have been accused of discrimination, and shows that this is by and large a false accusation. Economic analysis demonstrates that racial discrimination is not a profit‐maximizing strategy. Actually, unwise public policies are actually precluding many consumers from the market.
Expressive Speech Animation Synthesis with Phoneme‐Level Controls
Authors: Deng Z. , Neumann U.
Published: September 2008

This paper presents a novel data‐driven expressive speech animation synthesis system with phoneme‐level controls. This system is based on a pre‐recorded facial motion capture database, where an actress was directed to recite a pre‐designed corpus with four facial expressions (neutral, happiness, anger and sadness). Given new phoneme‐aligned expressive speech and its emotion modifiers as inputs, a constrained dynamic programming algorithm is used to search for best‐matched captured motion clips from the processed facial motion database by minimizing a cost function. Users optionally specify ‘hard constraints’ (motion‐node constraints for expressing phoneme utterances) and ‘soft constraints’ (emotion modifiers) to guide this search process. We also introduce a phoneme–Isomap interface for visualizing and interacting phoneme clusters that are typically composed of thousands of facial motion capture frames. On top of this novel visualization interface, users can conveniently remove contaminated motion subsequences from a large facial motion dataset. Facial animation synthesis experiments and objective comparisons between synthesized facial motion and captured motion showed that this system is effective for producing realistic expressive speech animations.
Political Trust and the Local Business Climate: Evidence from Sweden
Authors: Lidström Anders
Published: September 2008

A re‐analysis of three Swedish studies of political trust at local level shows that the extent to which citizens trust the system of democracy in municipalities correlates strongly with how the employers in that area assess the state of the local business climate. This article deals with the question of how this can be understood. Three sets of underlying explanations are tested: social capital theory, a theory of local well‐being and political‐institutional conditions. The empirical analysis shows that only the theory of local well‐being can explain consistently why political trust and a flourishing local business climate occur in concert. The study emphasises the need to expand research on political trust to also take into account the role played by the business climate. This has been completely ignored in previous research on political trust. Such knowledge would be highly relevant to local policy making. In order to capture the specific mechanisms at work, qualitative case studies of municipalities are suggested as the next step of research.
Learning in Denmark? The Case of Danish Parliamentary Control over European Union Policy
Authors: Sousa Maja Møller
Published: September 2008

The Danish parliament is renowned for its influence over Danish European Union (EU) policy. Contrary to popular belief, this strength is now in question. The most central feature of the Danish EU decision‐making model is parliamentary control over the executive expressed in political mandates before Council meetings. In 1973, this was a perfectly reasonable way for the Danish parliament to influence EU policy. Today, the status of the Council has changed, severely challenging the ability of the Danish parliament to secure influence over EU policy. This article demonstrates that the Danish European Affairs Committee is aware of the changes in European decision‐making, and that the lack of adaptation, despite this knowledge, is due to structural and cultural barriers to learning in the Danish Folketing. This study reveals that our understanding of particular responses to the pressure of Europeanization is enhanced when the conditions for learning and ‘non‐learning’ are spelled out.
New Institutionalism and Minority Protection in the National Legislatures of Finland and Denmark
Authors: Forestiere Carolyn
Published: September 2008

The individual camps within the new institutionalist paradigm generally argue that every political actor operates within a specific framework of opportunities and that the physical environment in which bargaining takes place is very important to understanding political outcomes. This article uses three of the new institutionalisms to answer two important questions concerning minority‐protecting institutions in the national constitutions of Denmark (Article 42) and Finland (Section 66). First, why were such institutions developed? Second, why were these institutions ultimately removed in Finland, but not in Denmark? For both countries, it is argued in this article that historical and discursive institutionalism are useful for understanding why such protections were originally considered necessary by particular political groups in society: the rise of socialism during the late twentieth and early twenty‐first centuries compelled non‐reformist parties to push strongly for constitutional change that would legalize powerful procedural tools that could delay and potentially reverse policy decisions passed in parliament. However, the article invokes rational choice institutionalism to explain why the outcomes in terms of the use of such institutions differed over time in the two countries: differences concerning the scope and timing of the relevant procedures compelled opposition parties to utilize them differently. As a result, the legislative process was often stalemated in Finland (and the procedures were subsequently removed in 1992), while in Denmark, the procedures contributed to a parliamentary culture based on consensus and pre‐legislative bargaining and hence, still remain.
A claim in search of evidence: reply to Manger’s thermogenesis hypothesis of cetacean brain structure
Authors: Marino Lori , Butti Camilla , Connor Richard C. , Fordyce R. Ewan , Herman Louis M. , Hof Patrick R. , Lefebvre Louis , Lusseau David , McCowan Brenda , Nimchinsky Esther A. , Pack Adam A. , Reidenberg Joy S. , Reiss Diana , Rendell Luke , Uhen Mark D. , Van der Gucht Estelle , Whitehead Hal
Published: September 2008

In a recent publication inBiological Reviews,Manger (2006)made the controversial claim that the large brains of cetaceans evolved to generate heat during oceanic cooling in the Oligocene epoch and not, as is the currently accepted view, as a basis for an increase in cognitive or information‐processing capabilities in response to ecological or social pressures. Manger further argued that dolphins and other cetaceans are considerably less intelligent than generally thought. In this review we challenge Manger’s arguments and provide abundant evidence that modern cetacean brains are large in order to support complex cognitive abilities driven by social and ecological forces.
Local Participation in Natural Resource Monitoring: a Characterization of Approaches
Authors: DANIELSEN FINN , BURGESS NEIL D. , BALMFORD ANDREW , DONALD PAUL F. , FUNDER MIKKEL , JONES JULIA P. G. , ALVIOLA PHILIP , BALETE DANILO S. , BLOMLEY TOM , BRASHARES JUSTIN , CHILD BRIAN , ENGHOFF MARTIN , FJELDSÅ JON , HOLT SUNE , HÜBERTZ HANNE , JENSEN ARNE E. , JENSEN PER M. , MASSAO JOHN , MENDOZA MARLYNN M. , NGAGA YONIKA , POULSEN MICHAEL K. , RUEDA RICARDO , SAM MOSES , SKIELBOE THOMAS , STUART‐HILL GREG , TOPP‐JØRGENSEN ELMER , YONTEN DEKI
Published: September 2008

Abstract:  The monitoring of trends in the status of species or habitats is routine in developed countries, where it is funded by the state or large nongovernmental organizations and often involves large numbers of skilled amateur volunteers. Far less monitoring of natural resources takes place in developing countries, where state agencies have small budgets, there are fewer skilled professionals or amateurs, and socioeconomic conditions prevent development of a culture of volunteerism. The resulting lack of knowledge about trends in species and habitats presents a serious challenge for detecting, understanding, and reversing declines in natural resource values. International environmental agreements require signatories undertake systematic monitoring of their natural resources, but no system exists to guide the development and expansion of monitoring schemes. To help develop such a protocol, we suggest a typology of monitoring categories, defined by their degree of local participation, ranging from no local involvement with monitoring undertaken by professional researchers to an entirely local effort with monitoring undertaken by local people. We assessed the strengths and weaknesses of each monitoring category and the potential of each to be sustainable in developed or developing countries. Locally based monitoring is particularly relevant in developing countries, where it can lead to rapid decisions to solve the key threats affecting natural resources, can empower local communities to better manage their resources, and can refine sustainable‐use strategies to improve local livelihoods. Nevertheless, we recognize that the accuracy and precision of the monitoring undertaken by local communities in different situations needs further study and field protocols need to be further developed to get the best from the unrealized potential of this approach. A challenge to conservation biologists is to identify and establish the monitoring system most relevant to a particular situation and to develop methods to integrate outputs from across the spectrum of monitoring schemes to produce wider indices of natural resources that capture the strengths of each.
Supraspinal Modulation of Trigeminal Nociception and Pain
Authors: Williams Amy E. , Rhudy Jamie L.
Published: September 2008

Objective.— This study examined modulation of trigeminal pain/nociception by 2 supraspinal mechanisms: emotional controls of nociception and diffuse noxious inhibitory controls.

Background.— Prior research suggests emotional picture viewing (emotional controls) and tonic noxious stimuli (diffuse noxious inhibitory controls) engage supraspinal mechanisms to modulate pain and nociceptive processes. It is currently unknown, however, whether emotional controls modulate trigeminal pain and nociception. Additionally, the influences of emotional controls and diffuse noxious inhibitory controls have not been compared in the same group of participants.

Methods.— Noxious electrodermal stimuli were delivered to the trigeminal nerve using a concentric electrode designed to selectively activate nociceptive fibers. Trigeminal nociception and pain were assessed (34 participants) from the nociceptive blink reflex and pain ratings, respectively. Emotional controls were engaged by presentation of standardized picture stimuli (pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant) shown to reliably evoke pleasure‐induced inhibition and displeasure‐induced facilitation of pain and nociception. Diffuse noxious inhibitory controls were engaged with a forearm ischemia task.

Results.— Trigeminal pain (self‐report ratings) and nociception (blinks) were facilitated by unpleasant pictures and inhibited by pleasant pictures. Emotion induction (as assessed from trend analysis) explained 51% of the variance in trigeminal pain and 25% of the variance in trigeminal nociception. Additionally, forearm ischemia inhibited trigeminal pain but not nociception. The baseline vs ischemia comparison explained 17% of the variance in pain report and 0.1% of the variance in blinks. Supraspinal modulation by emotional controls and diffuse noxious inhibitory controls were uncorrelated.

Conclusions.— Emotional controls and diffuse noxious inhibitory controls modulated trigeminal pain and emotional controls modulated trigeminal nociception. These procedures can be used to study supraspinal modulation of nociceptive processing in disorders of the trigeminal pain system, including headache.
Unilateral or “Side‐Locked” Migrainous Headache With Autonomic Symptoms Linked to Night Guard Use
Authors: Strahlendorf Jean , Schiffer Randolph , Strahlendorf Howard
Published: September 2008

Night guards are commonly prescribed as a palliative measure for bruxism, temporomandibular joint symptoms, and associated disorders. We describe a patient with a 10‐ to 12‐year history of night guard use with concurrent unilateral side‐locked migrainous headaches with autonomic symptoms characteristic of trigeminal autonomic cephalgia. These headaches were refractory to numerous pharmacological interventions. Upon self‐initiated cessation of night guard use, there was complete remission of headaches. We believe the headaches were initiated by night guard‐initiated irritation of the trigeminal nerve and a trigeminal autonomic reflex resulting in unilateral migrainous headache with autonomic signs.
Expression of Renin‐Angiotensin System and Peroxisome Proliferator‐Activated Receptors in Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Jing Ling , Li Wei‐Min , Zhou Li‐Jun , Li Shuang , Kou Jun‐Jie , Song Jian
Published: September 2008

Background:  Alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) develops in response to chronic alcohol intake and it is hypothesized that activation of the renin‐angiotensin system (RAS) and disorders in energy metabolism may play important roles in its onset. Given that the expression of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptors (PPARα and PPARγ) changes with alterations in cardiac metabolism and myocardial remodeling, this study was designed to test the hypothesis that protein expression of PPARα and PPARγ is correlated with RAS activation in ACM.

Methods:  For the first experiment, rats were divided into 3 groups: 30 received alcohol (intragastric administration with ad libitum drinking), 30 received alcohol and irbesartan (5 mg/kg/d, p.o.), and 30 served as controls. RAS activity and protein expression of PPARα and PPARγ were evaluated in rats following 6 months of alcohol feeding using radioimmunoassay, reverse transcriptase PCR, and Western blot methods. For the second experiment, rats were divided into 4 groups: 10 rats received alcohol/irbesartan (5 mg/kg/d, p.o.)/PD98059 (methyl ethyl ketone [MEK]‐1 inhibitor) (0.3 mg/kg/d, p.o.), 10 rats received alcohol/PD98059, 10 rats received alcohol/irbesartan, and 10 rats received alcohol alone. Myocardial PPARα and PPARγ protein expression was detected following 6 months of alcohol feeding using Western blot method.

Results:  Compared with controls, myocardial angiotensin (Ang) I, Ang II, and renin levels were progressively increased at 2, 4, and 6 months of alcohol intake. mRNA expression of renin, angiotensinogen, angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE), and AT1 was increased at 6 months. Moreover, activated RAS downregulated PPARα and upregulated PPARγ protein expression as ACM progressed. Finally, extracellular signal regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) was shown to play a key role in the regulation of protein expression of PPARα and PPARγ.

Conclusion:  These results suggest that RAS is activated during the development of ACM. Moreover, ERK1/2 plays a key role in the regulation of protein expression of PPARα and PPARγ by RAS in ACM.
Reducing Ongoing Product Design Decision‐Making Bias*
Authors: Antioco Michael , Moenaert Rudy K. , Lindgreen Adam
Published: September 2008

The objective of this exploratory study is to add to our understanding of ongoing product design decision‐making to reduce eventual decision‐making bias. Six research questions are formulated with the aim to establish if and how functional membership and informal patterns of communication within an organization influence whether and why employees are willing to engage in product design modifications. We selected as a field site for our study an industrial company that had an internal research and product development operations and where the employees were located on the same site. A three‐step approach within the manufacturing case company was designed: (1) In‐depth interviews were carried out with managers and employees; (2) a survey questionnaire was sent out to all employees involved with a specific product that is subject to potential design modifications; and (3) a post hoc group feedback session was organized to further discuss our findings with the management. First, analysis of the nine in‐depth interviews establishes a taxonomy of product design decisions involving four types of criteria; product‐related, service‐related, market‐related, and feasibility‐related criteria explain why employees would engage or not in product design modifications. Second, it is demonstrated that functional membership has a significant influence on the concern for these decision‐making criteria as well as on the decision to proceed or not with product design modifications. In other words, functional membership influences whether and why employees are more or less willing to make product design modifications. In this manufacturing company, a global industrial player, the differences in concern appear especially for service‐ and market‐related criteria and pertain particularly to the research and development (R&D) and service function. Overall, even though the perceived performance of the specific product under study did not differ significantly among the different departments, it is observed that R&D employees were significantly less in favor of proceeding with product design modifications than other employees were. Third, using UCINET VI software, we provide some explanations for this finding. It is shown that informal patterns of communication (i.e., employee degree centrality) operate a situational opportunity to make modifications to an existing product and a cognitive opportunity influencing the decision to modify product design following an inverted U‐shaped function. Ultimately, we derive practical guidelines for an ideal product–team composition to reduce product design decision‐making bias.
Complementing Mass Customization Toolkits with User Communities: How Peer Input Improves Customer Self‐Design*
Authors: Franke Nikolaus , Keinz Peter , Schreier Martin
Published: September 2008

In this paper, the authors propose that the canonical customer–toolkit dyad in mass customization (MC) should be complemented with user communities. Many companies in various industries have begun to offer their customers the opportunity to design their own products online. The companies provide Web‐based MC toolkits that allow customers who prefer individualized products to tailor items such as sneakers, personal computers (PCs), cars, kitchens, cereals, or skis to their specific preferences. Most existing MC toolkits are based on the underlying concept of an isolated, dyadic interaction process between the individual customer and the MC toolkit. Information from external sources is not provided. As a result, most academic research on MC toolkits has focused on this dyadic perspective. The main premise of this paper is that novice MC toolkit users in particular might largely benefit from information given by other customers. Pioneering research shows that customers in the computer gaming and digital music instruments industries are willing to support each other for the sake of efficient toolkit use (e.g., how certain toolkit functions work). Expanding on their work, the present paper provides evidence that peer assistance appears also extremely useful in the two other major phases of the customer's individual self‐design process, namely, the development of an initial idea and the evaluation of a preliminary design solution. Two controlled experiments were conducted in which 191 subjects used an MC toolkit to design their own individual skis. The authors found that during the phase of developing an initial idea, having access to other users' designs as potential starting points stimulates the integration of existing solution chunks into the problem‐solving process, which indicates more systematic problem‐solving behavior. Peer customer input also turned out to have positive effects on the evaluation of preliminary design solutions. Providing other customers' opinions on interim design solutions stimulated favorable problem‐solving behavior, namely, the integration of external feedback. The use of these two problem‐solving heuristics in turn leads to an improved process outcome—that is, self‐designed products that meet the preferences of the customers more effectively (measured in terms of perceived preference fit, purchase intention, and willingness to pay). These findings have important theoretical and managerial implications.
Innovation Field Orientation and Its Effect on Innovativeness and Firm Performance
Authors: Salomo Sören , Talke Katrin , Strecker Nanja
Published: September 2008

New product development (NPD) has become a prime source for gaining a competitive edge in the market. Although a large body of research has addressed the question of how to successfully manage individual innovation projects, the management of a firm's new product portfolio has received comparably less research attention. A phenomenon that has recently emerged on the research agenda is innovation field orientation. Such orientation is understood as the deliberate setup and management of multiple thematically related NPD projects. However, the facets and effects of innovation field orientation are still unexplored. In particular, this study is interested in (1) developing a concept of innovation field orientation, (2) investigating the extent to which innovation field orientation is an established part of the corporate strategic planning practice, and (3) assessing the direct and indirect performance effects of innovation field orientation. For the empirical analysis, data were collected through a mail survey and document analyses from 122 publicly listed firms. Tobin's q was used as an objective performance metric directly related to shareholder value. The results confirm that innovation field orientation is a phenomenon that prevails in practice. In addition, all defining aspects of this orientation have either direct or indirect effects on firm performance. Hence, those firms that deliberately specify and manage innovation fields have a more innovative product portfolio and are more successful than others. Specifically, the findings underline the performance relevance of formally framing innovation fields and assigning a critical mass of resources to them. In addition, empirical support is lent to the suggestion that innovation field orientation has strong indirect performance effects mediated by the innovativeness of the firm's new product portfolio. This implies that firms that deliberately specify focus areas, assign resources to, provide organizational framing for, and stimulate synergies between related NPD projects stand a better chance to achieve a more innovative new product portfolio. This again is highly appreciated by investors and results in a superior stock market evaluation of these firms.