bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fluctuations in sedation levels may contribute to delirium in ICU patients
Authors: SVENNINGSEN H. , EGEROD I. , VIDEBECH P. , CHRISTENSEN D. , FRYDENBERG M. , TØNNESEN E. K.
Published: January 2013

Background

Delirium in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) is a serious complication potentially increasing morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of fluctuating sedation levels on the incidence of delirium in ICU.

Methods

A prospective cohort study of adult patients at three multidisciplinary ICUs. The Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale (RASS) and the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU were used at least twice a day.

Results

Delirium was detected at least once in 65% of the patients (n = 640). Delirious patients were significantly older, more critically ill, more often intubated, had longer ICU stays, and had higher ICU mortality than non‐delirious patients. The median duration of delirium was 3 days (interquartile range: 1;10), and RASS was less than or equal to 0 (alert and calm) 91% of the time. The odds ratio (OR) for development of delirium if RASS changed more than two levels was 5.19 when adjusted for gender, age, severity of illness, and ICU site and setting. Continuous infusion of midazolam was associated with a decrease in delirium incidence (OR: 0.38; P = 0.002).

Conclusions

Fluctuations in sedation levels may contribute to development of delirium in ICU patients. The risk of developing delirium might be reduced by maintaining a stable sedation level or by non‐sedation.
Gambling in Sweden: the cultural and socio‐political context
Authors: Binde Per
Published: January 2013

Aim

To provide an overview, with respect to Sweden, of the cultural history of gambling, the commercialization of gambling, problem gambling research, the prevalence of problem gambling and its prevention and treatment.

Method

A review of the literature and official documents relating to gambling in Sweden; involvement in gambling research and regulation.

Results

Gambling has long been part of Swedish culture. Since about 1980 the gambling market, although still largely monopolistic, has been commercialized. At the same time, problem gambling has emerged as a concept in the public health paradigm. Debate regarding whether or not Sweden's national restrictions on the gambling market are compliant with European Community legislation has helped to put problem gambling on the political agenda. Despite expanded gambling services, the extent of problem gambling on the population level has not changed significantly over the past decade.

Conclusions

The stability of problem gambling in Sweden at the population level suggests a homeostatic system involving the gambling market, regulation, prevention and treatment and adaption to risk and harm by gamblers. We have relatively good knowledge of the extent and characteristics of problem gambling in Sweden and of how to treat it, but little is known of how to prevent it effectively. Knowledge is needed of the effectiveness of regulatory actions and approaches, and of responsible gambling measures implemented by gambling companies.
Micromorphological changes in cardiac tissue of drug‐related deaths with emphasis on chronic illicit opioid abuse
Authors: Seltenhammer Monika H. , Marchart Katharina , Paula Pia , Kordina Nicole , Klupp Nikolaus , Schneider Barbara , Fitzl Christine , Risser Daniele U.
Published: January 2013

Aims

The main intention of this retrospective study was to investigate whether chronic illicit drug abuse, especially the intravenous use of opioids (heroin), could potentially trigger the development of myocardial fibrosis in drug addicts.

Design

A retrospective case–control study was performed using myocardial tissue samples from both drug‐related deaths (DRD) with verifiable opioid abuse and non‐drug‐related deaths in the same age group.

Setting

Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (1993–94).

Participants

Myocardial specimens were retrieved from 76 deceased intravenous opioid users and compared to those of 23 deceased non‐drug users.

Measurements

Drug quantification was carried out using the enzyme‐multiplied immunoassay technique (EMIT), followed by [gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), MAT 112®], and analysed using the Integrator 3390A by Hewlett Packard® and LABCOM.1 computer (MSS‐G.G.). The amount of fibrous connective tissue (FCT) in the myocardium was determined by using the morphometric software LUCIA Net version 1.16.2©, Laboratory Imaging, with NIS Elements 3.0®.

Findings

Drug analysis revealed that 67.11% were polydrug users and the same proportion was classified as heroin addicts (6‐monoacetylmorphine, 6‐MAM)—32.89% were users of pure heroin. In 76.32% of DRD cases, codeine was detected. Only 2.63% consumed cocaine. The mean morphine concentrations were 389.03 ng/g in the cerebellum and 275.52 ng/g in the medulla oblongata, respectively. Morphometric analysis exhibited a strong correlation between DRD and myocardial fibrosis. The mean proportion of FCT content in the drug group was 7.6 ± 2.9% (females: 6.30 ± 2.19%; males: 7.91 ± 3.01%) in contrast to 5.2 ± 1.7% (females: 4.45 ± 1.23%; males: 5.50 ± 1.78%) in the control group, indicating a significant difference (P = 0.0012), and a significant difference in the amount of FCT between females and males (P = 0.0383). There was no significant interaction of age and FCT (P = 0.8472).

Conclusions

There is a long‐term risk of cardiac dysfunction following chronic illicit drug abuse with opioids as a principal component. Regular cardiological examination of patients receiving substitution treatment with morphine is strongly recommended.
Extracellular adenosine initiates rapid arteriolar vasodilation induced by a single skeletal muscle contraction in hamster cremaster muscle
Authors: Ross G. A. , Mihok M. L. , Murrant C. L.
Published: January 2013

Aim

Recent studies suggest that adenosine (ADO) can be produced extracellularly in response to skeletal muscle contraction. We tested the hypothesis that a single muscle contraction produces extracellular ADO rapidly enough and in physiologically relevant concentrations to be able to contribute to the rapid vasodilation that occurs at the onset of muscle contraction.

Methods

We stimulated four to five skeletal muscle fibres in the anaesthetized hamster cremaster preparation in situ and measured the change in diameter of arterioles at a site of overlap with the stimulated muscle fibres before and after a single contraction (stimulus frequencies: 4, 20 and 60 Hz; 250 ms train duration). Muscle fibres were stimulated in the absence and presence of non‐specific ADO membrane receptor antagonists 8‐phenyltheophylline (8‐PT, 10−6 m) or xanthine amine congener (XAC, 10−6 m) or an inhibitor of an extracellular source of ADO, ecto‐5′‐nucleotidase inhibitor α,β‐methylene adenosine 5′‐diphosphate (AMPCP, 10−5 m).

Results

We observed that the dilatory event at 4 s following a single contraction was significantly inhibited at all stimulus frequencies by an average of 63.9 ± 2.6% by 8‐PT. The 20‐s dilatory event that occurred at 20 and 60 Hz was significantly inhibited by 53.6 ± 2.6 and 73.8 ± 2.3% by 8‐PT and XAC respectively. Further, both the 4‐ and 20‐s dilatory events were significantly inhibited by AMPCP by 78.6 ± 6.6 and 67.1 ± 1.5%, respectively, at each stimulus frequency tested.

Conclusions

Our data show that ADO is produced extracellularly during a single muscle contraction and that it is produced rapidly enough and in physiologically relevant concentrations to contribute to the rapid vasodilation in response to muscle contraction.
Effect of hepatic impairment on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a single dose of rivaroxaban, an oral, direct Factor Xa inhibitor
Authors: Kubitza Dagmar , Roth Angelika , Becka Michael , Alatrach Abir , Halabi Atef , Hinrichsen Holger , Mueck Wolfgang
Published: January 2013

Aim

This study investigated the effects of hepatic impairment on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a single dose of rivaroxaban (10 mg), an oral, direct Factor Xa inhibitor.

Method

This single centre, non‐randomized, non‐blinded study included subjects with mild (n = 8) or moderate hepatic impairment (n = 8), according to the Child–Pugh classification, and gender‐matched healthy subjects (n = 16).

Results

Rivaroxaban was well tolerated irrespective of hepatic function. Mild hepatic impairment did not significantly affect the pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of rivaroxaban, compared with healthy subjects. However, in subjects with moderate hepatic impairment, total body clearance was decreased, leading to a significant increase in the area under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUC). The least‐squares (LS)‐mean values for AUC were 1.15‐fold [90% confidence interval (CI) 0.85, 1.57] and 2.27‐fold (90% CI 1.68, 3.07) higher in subjects with mild and moderate hepatic impairment, respectively, than in healthy subjects. Consequently, the pharmacodynamic responses were significantly enhanced in subjects with moderate hepatic impairment. For inhibition of Factor Xa, increases in the area under the effect–time curve and the maximum effect were observed, with LS‐mean ratios of 2.59 and 1.24, respectively, vs. healthy subjects. Prolongation of prothrombin time was similar in healthy subjects and those with mild hepatic impairment, but was significantly enhanced in those with moderate hepatic impairment.

Conclusion

Moderate (but not mild) hepatic impairment reduced total body clearance of rivaroxaban after a single 10 mg dose, leading to increased rivaroxaban exposure and pharmacodynamic effects.
Histomorphometrical Evaluation of Fresh Frozen Bone Allografts for Alveolar Bone Reconstruction: Preliminary Cases Comparing Femoral Head with Iliac Crest Grafts
Authors: Buffoli Barbara , Boninsegna Ramon , Rezzani Rita , Poli Pier P. , Santoro Franco , Rodella Luigi F.
Published: January 2013

Purpose

In the past few years, the use of fresh frozen bone (FFB) grafts has significantly increased. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reconstruction of alveolar bone using femoral head and iliac crest FFB grafts.

Materials and Methods

The study included 10 patients who need endosseous implant insertion in severe atrophic maxillae. The patients were treated with FFB grafts collected from the femoral head or iliac crest. Bone regeneration was evaluated 6 months after surgery by macroscopic and microscopic analyses.

Results

Our results showed good regenerative capacity, both with the FFB from the femoral head and iliac crest. In particular, similar percentages of new‐bone formation and graft residual were observed, whereas differences between the percentage of total bone (higher for the iliac crest) and the percentage of non‐mineralized tissue (higher for the femoral head) were present. A significantly higher percentage of CD34‐positive vessels in the FFB allograft from the femoral head than in the iliac crest were observed.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that FFB allografts could represent a reliable option in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Nevertheless, differences between the use of femoral head or iliac crest bone allografts linked with their different structures should be considered for a more effective surgery.
Interview: Ben Lillie on Science and the Storytelling Revival
Authors: Linett Peter
Published: January 2013

Ben Lillie is the co‐founder and host of the Story Collider, a live storytelling series, podcast, and online magazine devoted to presenting true, personal stories about the effect of science on people's lives. Since 2010, scientists and non‐scientists alike have told stories at events held at bars and other casual venues in Brooklyn and Manhattan, as well as other cities. They can be heard on the Story Collider podcast, available on iTunes and at the organization's website: storycollider.org. Lillie is also a writer and contributing editor at TED. He earned his Ph.D. in high‐energy physics at Stanford University. Peter Linett recently spoke with Lillie about the broader storytelling revival and the changing culture of science communication.
Science Centers in a New World of Learning
Authors: Ucko David A.
Published: January 2013

By creating new media channels that enable anyone to reach the public directly, the Internet has reduced the need for a middleman, resulting in the “disintermediation” of science communication. New providers of informal science learning are emerging in community settings, as well as in sources online. These changes raise the critical question of how science centers can adapt to an expanding ecosystem of mediated and unmediated sources. This article points out strengths of science centers that offer some grounds for optimism. Promising efforts are identified and possible directions are proposed at the community and institutional level.
From Parachutes to Partnerships: An “Integrated” Natural History Museum Expedition in the Philippines
Authors: Gosliner Terrence M. , Burke Meg
Published: January 2013

The 2011 Hearst Philippine Biodiversity Expedition was the largest ever launched by the California Academy of Sciences, and was also the largest and most diverse expedition to ever take place in the Philippines. Filipino collaboration and participation were vitally important from the outset. Scientists of both nations documented biodiversity in a variety of habitats and across multiple biological disciplines, identifying more than 500 species new to science. The expedition also modeled a new way of embedding substantial educational outreach and media coverage, and promoting conservation actions. More than 900 people attended educational events in the Philippines. Extensive television, radio, online, and print media coverage occurred both in the Philippines and in the U.S. during the expedition and after. A conference at the end shared preliminary results among scientists, educators, policy makers, and media, before the Academy team even left the country.
Portal to the Public: Museum Educators Collaborating with Scientists to Engage Museum Visitors with Current Science
Authors: Selvakumar Meena , Storksdieck Martin
Published: January 2013

Science museums play a role in creating visitor experiences that relate to contemporary issues in science, and in linking audiences to the scientific enterprise and the community of scientists. In the Portal to the Public approach, science researchers are trained by museum educators with experience in inquiry‐based learning, and are then given opportunities to translate their current research for museum audiences. Portal to the Public offers one solution to museums seeking to sustain a commitment to delivering experiences that reflect the dynamic pace of research, and the need to connect local communities to scientific research occurring in their midst.
New Ways of Looking and Learning in Natural History Museums: The Use of Gigapixel Imaging to Bring Science and Publics Together
Authors: Louw Marti , Crowley Kevin
Published: January 2013

This article describes a series of demonstration projects that use multiscalar gigapixel image technology to iteratively design, test, and study how visitors learn to observe more scientifically in museums, online, and through museum‐based programming. We consider how the particular affordances of systems like these can move science communication and learning from didactic approaches centered on one‐way communication toward technology platforms that encourage shared observation, dialogue, and engagement.
Crowdsourcing—an Introduction: From Public Goods to Public Good
Authors: Proctor Nancy
Published: January 2013

“Crowdsourcing” is a practice that combines the concepts of “the crowd” and “outsourcing.” Introducing two articles on crowdsourcing in this issue, Nancy Proctor argues that—although we associate crowdsourcing with Web 2.0 and the social media revolution—its origins stretch back to the nineteenth century. Crowdsourcing is examined for its usefulness in creating radical new relationships between museum constituents, users, and institutions—putting the “wisdom of the crowd” in dialogue rather than in competition with formal institutional knowledge.
Two‐ and Three‐Dimensional Speckle Tracking Echocardiography: Clinical Applications and Future Directions
Authors: Biswas Monodeep , Sudhakar Selvin , Nanda Navin C. , Buckberg Gerald , Pradhan Manish , Roomi Asad Ullah , Gorissen Willem , Houle Helene
Published: January 2013

Two‐dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D STE) is a novel technique of cardiac imaging for quantifying complex cardiac motion based on frame‐to‐frame tracking of ultrasonic speckles in gray scale 2D images. Two‐dimensional STE is a relatively angle independent technology that can measure global and regional strain, strain rate, displacement, and velocity in longitudinal, radial, and circumferential directions. It can also quantify rotational movements such as rotation, twist, and torsion of the myocardium. Two‐dimensional STE has been validated against hemodynamics, tissue Doppler, tagged magnetic resonance imaging, and sonomicrometry studies. Two‐dimensional STE has been found clinically useful in the assessment of cardiac systolic and diastolic function as well as providing new insights in deciphering cardiac physiology and mechanics in cardiomyopathies, and identifying early subclinical changes in various pathologies. A large number of studies have evaluated the role of 2D STE in predicting response to cardiac resynchronization therapy in patients with severe heart failure. However, the clinical utility of 2D STE in the above mentioned conditions remains controversial because of conflicting reports from different studies. Emerging areas of application include prediction of rejection in heart transplant patients, early detection of cardiotoxicity in patients receiving chemotherapy for cancer, and effect of intracoronary injection of bone marrow stem cells on left ventricular function in patients with acute myocardial infarction. The emerging technique of three‐dimensional STE may further extend its clinical usefulness.
The flight of Carthach (Mochuda) from Rahan to Lismore: lineage and identity in early medieval Ireland
Authors: Mews Constant J.
Published: January 2013

This paper explores the different ways in which the career of Carthach – Carthagus in Latin, also known as Mochuda or Mo‐Chutu – was remembered in both Latin and Irish accounts, in particular his expulsion from Rahan, where he was abbot for forty years, and his re‐establishing that community at Lismore, where he died c.637. It argues that the Life of Carthach legitimizes his foundation at Lismore, by celebrating its initial establishment at Rahan, and by connecting him through a chain of prophecies to Íte, Brendan, Comgall, and above all Colum Cille. In this Life, Patrick is never mentioned, quite unlike the Life of Declán, which claimed Ardmore as the original bishopric of the Déise region. Carthach's expulsion from Rahan, provoked by loss of political support from local princes, took place just as other abbots of the region were hesitating to adopt the Roman date of Easter, in the manner of much of southern Ireland. Carthach, part of a group sympathetic to Gregory the Great and Roman practice, was perceived by his admirers as being connected to a line of saints that helped define the particular identity of the church at Lismore.
Waltharius and Carolingian morality: satire and lay values
Authors: Stone Rachel
Published: January 2013

Some recent interpretations of the early medieval Latin poem Waltharius have seen it as offering a clerical critique of warrior culture. While the poem is difficult to date accurately, it seems more likely to belong to the ninth than the tenth century. When the poem is analysed in the context of contemporary Frankish works providing moral instruction to lay noblemen, its attitudes towards pride, wealth and warfare can be shown to lie within the mainstream of Carolingian reformers' thought. The notoriously bloody ending to the poem is also best seen as emphasizing Walter's successful heroism rather than undermining it.
Purification, kinetics, inhibitors and CD for recombinant β‐amyrin synthase from Euphorbia tirucalli L and functional analysis of the DCTA motif, which is highly conserved among oxidosqualene cyclases
Authors: Ito Ryousuke , Masukawa Yukari , Hoshino Tsutomu
Published: January 2013

β‐Amyrin, a natural triterpene, is widely distributed in the plant kingdom, and its pentacyclic skeleton is produced by oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC). OSC enzymes are classified as membrane proteins, and they catalyze the polycyclization reaction of (3S)‐2,3‐oxidosqualene to yield nearly 150 different cyclic triterpene skeletons. To date, no report has described the successful purification and characterization of plant β‐amyrin synthase. The β‐amyrin synthase from Euphorbia tirucalli (EtAS) was expressed as a polyhistidine‐tagged protein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae GIL77, which lacks the lanosterol synthase gene. The expression yield, determined by western blotting analysis, was 5–7 mg. By Ni2+–nitrilotriacetic acid affinity column chromatography and careful selection of the proper imidazole concentration during the purification processes of washing and elution, a single band was successfully obtained on SDS/PAGE. We then tested the effects of four detergents on the enzyme activity. Supplementation with Triton X‐100 at a concentration of 0.05% yielded the highest activity. The optimal pH and temperature were 7.0 and 30 °C, respectively. The kinetic parameters, Km and kcat, were determined to be 33.8 ± 0.53 μm and 46.4 ± 0.68 min−1, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, there are no reports describing both Km and kcat for OSCs except for two examples of rat and bovine lanosterol synthases. The β‐amyrin synthase purified in this study showed a significantly higher catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) (~ 103‐fold) than those of the two reported lanosterol synthases. Gel‐filtration HPLC indicated that the OSC exists as a monomer, and the eluted OSC retained its activity. Furthermore, the inhibition constants Ki and IC50 and types of inhibition by iminosqualene, Ro48‐8071 and U18666A were determined, and indicated that iminosqualene and Ro48‐8071 are potent inhibitors. Additionally, this is the first report of the kinetic data of the mutated enzymes targeted for the DCTAE(485–489) motif, which is a putative initiation site for the polycyclization reaction. No activity of the D485N variant and significantly decreased activity of the C564A variant were found, definitively demonstrating that the acidic carboxyl residue Asp485 serves as a proton donor to initiate the polycyclization reaction, and that Cys564 is involved in hydrogen bond formation with the carboxyl residue Asp458 to enhance the acidity. The CD spectrum is the first to be reported for OSCs, and the CD spectra of the wild‐type and the mutated EtASs were almost the same, indicating that the protein architecture was not altered by these mutations.
Unusual Headache Syndromes
Authors: Queiroz Luiz P.
Published: January 2013

Objective/Background.

Some headache syndromes have few cases reported in the literature. Their clinical characteristics, pathogenesis, and treatment may have not been completely defined. They may not actually be uncommon but rather under‐recognized and/or underreported.

Methods.

A literature review of unusual headache syndromes, searching PubMed and ISI Web of Knowledge, was performed. After deciding which disorders to study, relevant publications in scientific journals, including original articles, reviews, meeting abstracts, and letters or correspondences to the editors were searched.

Findings.

This paper reviewed the clinical characteristics, the pathogenesis, the diagnosis, and the treatment of five interesting and unusual headache syndromes: exploding head syndrome, red ear syndrome, neck‐tongue syndrome, nummular headache, and cardiac cephalgia.

Conclusions.

Recognizing some unusual headaches, either primary or secondary, may be a challenge for many non‐headache specialist physicians. It is important to study them because the correct diagnosis may result in specific treatments that may improve the quality of life of these patients, and this can even be life saving.
Unique Case of “Post‐Lumbar Puncture Headache”
Authors: Patel Bimal A. , Williams Nolan R. , Pritchard Paul B.
Published: January 2013

Lumbar puncture (LP) is associated with complications that include post‐LP orthostatic headache, local bleeding, and subdural hematoma. We report a unique case of a spontaneous frontal epidural hematoma following a therapeutic lumbar puncture in a patient with a history of idiopathic intracranial hypertension. This case highlights the importance of symptomatology in patients following LPs by revealing a rare intracranial presentation that would be devastating if not discovered promptly and appropriately managed.
Ketorolac in the Treatment of Acute Migraine: A Systematic Review
Authors: Taggart Erin , Doran Shandra , Kokotillo Andrea , Campbell Sandy , Villa‐Roel Cristina , Rowe Brian H.
Published: January 2013

This systematic review examined the effectiveness of parenteral ketorolac (KET) in acute migraine. Acute migraine headaches are common emergency department presentations, and despite evidence for various treatments, there is conflicting evidence regarding the use of KET. Searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, CINAHL, and gray literature sources were conducted. Included studies were randomized controlled trials in which KET alone or in combination with abortive therapy was compared with placebo or other standard therapy in adult patients with acute migraine. Two reviewers assessed relevance, inclusion, and study quality independently, and agreement was measured using kappa (k). Weighted mean differences (WMD) and relative risks are reported with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Overall, the computerized search identified 418 citations and 1414 gray literature citations. From a list of 34 potentially relevant studies (k = 0.915), 8 trials were included, involving over 321 (141 KET) patients. The median quality scores were 3 (interquartile range: 2‐4), and two used concealed allocation. There were no baseline differences in 10‐point pain scores (WMD = 0.07; 95% CI: −0.39, 0.54). KET and meperidine resulted in similar pain scores at 60 minutes (WMD = 0.31; −0.68, 1.29); however, KET was more effective than intranasal sumatriptan (WMD = −4.07; 95% CI: −6.02 to −2.12). While there was no difference in pain relief at 60 minutes between KET and phenothiazine agents (WMD = 0.82; 95% CI: −1.33 to 2.98), heterogeneity was high (I2 = 70%). Side effect profiles were similar between KET and comparison groups. Overall, KET is an effective alternative agent for the relief of acute migraine headache in the emergency department. KET results in similar pain relief, and is less potentially addictive than meperidine and more effective than sumatriptan; however, it may not be as effective as metoclopramide/phenothiazine agents.
Transient depletion of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells results in multiple autoimmune diseases in wild‐type and B‐cell‐deficient NOD mice
Authors: Ellis Jason S. , Wan Xiaoxiao , Braley‐Mullen Helen
Published: January 2013

Approximately 80% of female wild‐type non‐obese diabetic (WT NOD) mice spontaneously develop diabetes, whereas B‐cell‐deficient (B−/−) NOD mice are resistant to diabetes. B−/− mice are also resistant to other spontaneous and experimentally induced autoimmune diseases, including arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren syndrome and thyroiditis. Under normal conditions, activation of self‐reactive T cells in the periphery is limited by CD4+ CD25+ natural regulatory T (Treg) cells. B−/− NOD.H‐2h4 mice, normally resistant to spontaneous autoimmune thyroiditis (SAT), develop SAT when Treg cells are depleted, suggesting that Treg cells are preferentially activated when autoantigen is initially presented by non‐B‐cell antigen‐presenting cells. To test the hypothesis that increased Treg cell activity in B−/− mice contributes to their resistance to other autoimmune diseases, WT and B−/− NOD mice were given anti‐CD25 to transiently deplete CD4+ CD25+ Treg cells. The WT and B−/− NOD mice given anti‐CD25 developed diabetes much earlier than WT mice given rat IgG, whereas rat IgG‐treated B−/− mice did not develop diabetes. Treg‐cell‐depleted mice had increased lymphocyte infiltration of the pancreas, salivary glands and thyroid compared with controls given rat IgG. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that resistance of B‐cell‐deficient NOD mice to several autoimmune diseases is due to the activity of Treg cells.
Exploring Stakeholders' Perceptions with Analytic Hierarchy Process—A Case Study of Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus L.) Restoration in India
Authors: Kukrety Sidhanand , Jose Shibu , Alavalapati Janaki R. R.
Published: January 2013

Diverse stakeholders and multiple management options pose challenges to restoration planning and management. Analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a multicriteria decision‐making tool, can be effectively used for incorporating stakeholders' perceptions in planning. By using Red sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus L.) restoration as a case study, we demonstrate its suitability in eliciting stakeholders' perceptions about the most suitable management option, and their expectations from it. Four key stakeholder groups, Administrators, Field Officers, Community, and Knowledgeable Sources, were used to identify the most suitable management option from Government Management (GM), Quasi‐Government Management, Community Forest Management (CFM), and Private Management. Results indicate that stakeholders' preferences for management options were not homogeneous. Consolidated priorities across all the stakeholder groups indicated the CFM (34%) as the most preferred option followed by the GM (31%). With an average weight of 56%, the ecological criterion was considered as the most important. The ability of the managements in reducing disturbances (23%), improving Red sanders density (18%), improving ecosystem services (15%), and in improving rural livelihoods (15%) were considered important. The preferences of the Administrators and the Field Officers for the GM indicated their support for the top‐down management approach, and skepticism toward the CFM, a bottom‐up approach. Compared to the Administrators, the Field Officers' lack of support for the CFM was surprisingly more pronounced. Results indicate the usefulness of the AHP technique in identifying common grounds between the diverse stakeholders, and the management, in identifying a suitable management alternative and in prioritizing preferences.
Environmental conditions during early life determine the consequences of inbreeding in Agrostemma githago (Caryophyllaceae)
Authors: Goodrich S. H. , Beans C. M. , Roach D. A.
Published: January 2013

In an inbred population, selection may reduce the frequency of deleterious recessive alleles through a process known as purging. Empirical studies suggest, however, that the efficacy of purging in natural populations is highly variable. This variation may be due, in part, to variation in the expression of inbreeding depression available for selection to act on. This experiment investigates the roles of life stage and early‐life environment in determining the expression of inbreeding depression in Agrostemma githago. Four population‐level crosses (‘self’, ‘within’, ‘near’ and ‘far’) were conducted on 20 maternal plants from a focal population. Siblings were planted into one of three early environmental treatments with varying stress levels. Within the focal population, evidence for purging of deleterious recessive alleles, as well as for variation in the expression of inbreeding depression across the life cycle was examined. In addition, the effect of early environment on the expression of inbreeding depression and the interaction with cross‐type was measured. We find that deleterious recessive alleles have not been effectively purged from our focal population, the expression of inbreeding depression decreases over the course of the life cycle, and a stressful early environment reduces the variance in inbreeding depression expressed later in life, but does not consistently influence the relative fitness of inbred versus outcrossed individuals.
Predation drives stable coexistence ratios between red and green pea aphid morphs
Authors: Balog A. , Schmitz O. J.
Published: January 2013

We conducted field surveys and experiments to evaluate the hypothesis that predation is an important driving factor determining the degree of coexistence between red and green morphs of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum. Theory suggests that the different colour morphs are differentially susceptible to natural enemies and selection by predation which in turn leads to variable relative abundances of red and green morphs among host plants across landscapes. Our field surveys on pea and alfalfa revealed, however, that the colour morphs tended to coexist closely in a ratio of one red to three green aphids across fields with different host plant monocultures. Experimentation involving manipulation of the relative abundances of the two colour morphs on host plants pea and alfalfa with and without predator presence revealed that red morphs had higher or same fitness (per capita reproduction) than green morphs on both pea and alfalfa only when in the proportion of one red/three green proportion. Moreover, experimentation evaluating predator efficiency revealed that red morphs are safest from predation when in a 1 : 3 ratio with green morphs. These results suggest that in addition to predation selection effects, red morphs may behaviourally choose to associate with green morphs in a narrow 1 : 3 ratio to maximize their fitness. This evidence, along with existing published data on red and green morph anti‐predator behaviour indicates that a 1 : 3 red and green morph coexistence ratio is driven by a balance between predation pressure and behavioural assorting by red morphs across landscapes. In this way predators may have ecological‐evolutionary consequences for traits that affect the colour morphs' proportion and tolerances to selective pressure.
Comprehensive gene expression analyses of the rat prefrontal cortex after oxysterol treatment
Authors: Loke Sau‐Yeen , Tanaka Kazuhiro , Ong Wei‐Yi
Published: January 2013

Oxysterols such as 7β‐hydroxycholesterol (7β‐HC) and 7‐ketocholesterol (7‐KC) have been linked to the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases. This study was carried out to examine the effect of oxysterols on global gene expression in the rat prefrontal cortex (PFC). 7β‐HC, 7‐KC, or cholesterol was injected into the rat PFC and RNA was extracted from this brain region at 24‐h post‐injection and analyzed. Microarray analyses identified 1365 genes, whose expressions were affected by both 7β‐HC and 7‐KC. Among these, down‐regulated genes outnumbered up‐regulated genes. Pathway analysis showed that down‐regulated genes had roles in carbohydrate metabolism, cell signaling and nucleic acid metabolism; and the majority of these encode G‐protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Expression of selected genes were validated by quantitative real‐time PCR. Western blots confirmed down‐regulation of oxytocin receptor (Oxtr) at 1 day post‐7β‐HC treatment. Immunohistochemical analysis showed localization of Oxtr in neurons of the PFC. Electron microscopy identified the presence of Oxtr‐immunoreactivity in axon terminals. Together, these findings provide insights into molecular mechanisms through which oxysterols could exert their pathophysiological effects, and suggest that increased oxysterols may affect synaptic function by transcriptional repression of GPCRs.
The work‐related acceptance and action questionnaire: Initial psychometric findings and their implications for measuring psychological flexibility in specific contexts
Authors: Bond Frank W. , Lloyd Joda , Guenole Nigel
Published: January 2013

Over the past decade, experimental and longitudinal research has shown that psychological flexibility is an important determinant of mental health and behavioural effectiveness in the workplace. These findings have been established using a general measure of this psychological process, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–Revised (AAQ‐II). Consistent with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) theory, psychological flexibility may demonstrate even stronger associations with variables related to a work context (e.g., job satisfaction) if it were assessed using a measure of the construct that is tailored to the workplace. To test this hypothesis, we first developed such a measure, the work‐related acceptance and action questionnaire (WAAQ). Findings from 745 participants across three studies reveal that the structure, validity and reliability of the WAAQ are satisfactory. As predicted, the WAAQ, in comparison with the AAQ‐II, correlates significantly more strongly with work‐specific variables. In contrast, the AAQ‐II tends to correlate more strongly with outcomes that are likely to be more stable across different contexts (e.g., mental health and personality variables). These findings are discussed in relation to ACT theory.

Practitioner points

Experimental and longitudinal research has shown that psychological flexibility is an individual characteristic that is an important determinant of mental health and behavioural effectiveness in the workplace.

The Work‐Related Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (WAAQ) assesses psychological flexibility as it relates to the workplace.

Psychological flexibility is a useful individual characteristic for practitioners to assess, as it is stable over time, but interventions can also enhance it, and, as a result, improve mental health and behavioural effectiveness in the workplace.
On the Causes of the African Slave Trade
Authors: Angeles Luis
Published: January 2013

This paper offers an integrated analysis of the forces shaping the emergence of the African slave trade over the early modern period. We focus our attention on two questions. First, why most of the increase in the demand for slaves during this period came exclusively from western Europeans. Second, and of most relevance for present‐day development outcomes, why was the overwhelming majority of slaves of African origin. Technological differences in manufacturing technology, the specificities of sugar (and other crops') production, and the cultural fragmentation of the African continent all play a role in the analysis. Supporting evidence for each of our claims is provided from a broad corpus of relevant literature.
Benefit Morale and Cross‐Country Diversity in Sick Pay Entitlements
Authors: Arnold Daniel
Published: January 2013

This paper analyzes the impact of a country's level of benefit morale on generosity of sick pay entitlements by means of a political economy model and an empirical investigation. Higher benefit morale reduces the incidence of absence. On the one hand, this makes insurance cheaper with the usual demand side reaction. On the other hand, being absent less often, the voter prefers less insurance. The former effect dominates at lower, the latter at higher levels of benefit morale. We present empirical evidence for both effects in a sample of 31 countries between 1981 and 2010.
Using Money to Motivate Both ‘Saints’ and ‘Sinners’: a Field Experiment on Motivational Crowding‐Out
Authors: Beretti Antoine , Figuières Charles , Grolleau Gilles
Published: January 2013

Economists recognize that monetary incentives can backfire through the crowding‐out of moral and social motivations leading to an overall decrease of the desired behaviour. Under the premise that agents are heterogeneous and have various intrinsic motivations we suggest precise strategies to reduce counterproductive motivational crowding‐out. In order to test our suggestions, we implement a field experiment where participants are asked to fill a questionnaire on pro‐environmental behaviours under different incentive schemes, either with no monetary incentive (control) or with low or high monetary incentive directed either to the respondents (design A) or to an environmental cause (design B), or with a choice offered between A and B (design C). We investigate (i) whether there is a significant crowding‐out effect, (ii) which design performs better to promote participation. Except for a high monetary incentive where the respondent chooses himself the end‐recipient, we show that monetary rewards directed either at the individual or at the cause actually harms intrinsic motivations, but not to the same extent.
Well‐Being of Elderly People Living in Nursing Homes: The Benefits of Making Friends
Authors: Wolff François‐Charles
Published: January 2013

Using French data collected in 2007 from a sample of about 2,000 elderly people living in nursing homes, this paper investigates the role that individual characteristics play in satisfaction with life and depression. Following psychological studies that have highlighted the benefits of social interactions on individual well‐being, I focus in particular on the role played by making friends in the nursing home. Results from random effect ordered Probit models show that both satisfaction with living conditions and feeling of depression are much more influenced by making friends in the institution than by visits from family and relatives or other individual background characteristics. These findings may be interpreted as evidence of a relational return to friendship within nursing homes.
Carrion fly‐derived DNA as a tool for comprehensive and cost‐effective assessment of mammalian biodiversity
Authors: Calvignac‐Spencer Sébastien , Merkel Kevin , Kutzner Nadine , Kühl Hjalmar , Boesch Christophe , Kappeler Peter M. , Metzger Sonja , Schubert Grit , Leendertz Fabian H.
Published: January 2013

Large‐scale monitoring schemes are essential in assessing global mammalian biodiversity, and in this framework, leeches have recently been promoted as an indirect source of DNA from terrestrial mammal species. Carrion feeding flies are ubiquitous and can be expected to feed on many vertebrate carcasses. Hence, we tested whether fly‐derived DNA analysis may also serve as a novel tool for mammalian diversity surveys. We screened DNA extracted from 201 carrion flies collected in tropical habitats of Côte d'Ivoire and Madagascar for mammal DNA using multiple PCR systems and retrieved DNA sequences from a diverse set of species (22 in Côte d'Ivoire, four in Madagascar) exploiting distinct forest strata and displaying a broad range of body sizes. Deep sequencing of amplicons generated from pools of flies performed equally well as individual sequencing approaches. We conclude that the analysis of fly‐derived DNA can be implemented in a very rapid and cost‐effective manner and will give a relatively unbiased picture of local mammal diversity. Carrion flies therefore represent an extraordinary and thus far unexploited resource of mammal DNA, which will probably prove useful for future inventories of wild mammal communities.
Stretched to the limit; can a short pelagic larval duration connect adult populations of an Indo‐Pacific diadromous fish (Kuhlia rupestris)?
Authors: Feutry P. , Vergnes A. , Broderick D. , Lambourdière J. , Keith P. , Ovenden J. R.
Published: January 2013

Freshwater species on tropical islands face localized extinction and the loss of genetic diversity. Their habitats can be ephemeral due to variability in freshwater run‐off and erosion. Even worse, anthropogenic effects on these ecosystems are intense. Most of these species are amphidromous or catadromous (i.e. their life cycle includes a marine larval phase), which buffers them against many of these effects. A long pelagic larval duration (PLD) was thought to be critical to ensure the colonization and persistence in tropical islands, but recent findings indicated that several species with short PLDs are successful in those ecosystems. To test the potential of a short PLD in maintaining genetic connectivity and forestalling extirpation, we studied Kuhlia rupestris, a catadromous fish species with an extensive distribution in the western Pacific and Indian Oceans. Using a combination of molecular genetic markers (13 microsatellite loci and two gene regions from mtDNA) and modelling of larval dispersal, we show that a short PLD constrains genetic connectivity over a wide geographical range. Molecular markers showed that the short PLD did not prevent genetic divergence through evolutionary time and speciation has occurred or is occurring. Modelling of larvae dispersal suggested limited recent connectivity between genetically homogeneous populations across the Coral Sea. However, a short PLD can maintain connectivity on a subocean basin scale. Conservation and management of tropical diadromous species needs to take into account that population connectivity may be more limited than previously suspected in those species.
Philosophy of Science in the Twenty‐First Century
Authors: Magnus P.D.
Published: January 2013

Philosophy of science in the past half century can be seen as a reaction against logical empiricism's focus on modern logic as the format in which debates should be expressed and on physics as the canonical science. These reactions have resulted in a fragmentation of the field. Although this provides ways forward for disparate philosophies of various sciences, it threatens the very possibility of general philosophy of science. The debate that most obviously continues to be conducted at the general level—the debate about scientific realism—only does so because of a dangerous naïveté. Nevertheless, this article suggests that there is a place for general work not by starting at the highest level of abstraction but instead by abstracting general lessons from actual science.
On Philosophy
Authors: Girenok Fedor
Published: January 2013

In this article the author holds that progress in philosophy is a vague concept. Its criteria are not universally acknowledged. All that is clear is that philosophy does not develop in a linear way. Philosophy is polydiscoursive. As for the past fifty years, the author believes three important things happened in philosophy. (1) It has been shown that consciousness exists not within one individual but spreads within a community of people; (2) philosophy has discovered autism, a result that helps us to understand a human being as neither a biological nor a social individual but a third thing—a dreaming being who is not only asocial but also tongueless, where speech and consciousness are separated; and (3) contemporary philosophy has learned to distinguish between sign and symbol. And it has been realized that the human mind is neither an instinct nor a computer but an objectified suffering, a transformed emotion.
Introduction
Authors: Howell Robert , Kostikova Anna , Vasilyev Vadim V.
Published: January 2013

This article introduces the papers from two video conferences recently held between philosophers at Moscow State University and the University at Albany, State University of New York. The overarching theme is philosophical progress in the past fifty years, but the conferences were designed also to illustrate the range of work now being done by American analytic philosophers and by Russian thinkers. The Albany essays focus on philosophy of science, philosophical logic, Kantian studies, applied ethics, and ethical and political theory. The Russian essays concern philosophy of culture, philosophy of mind, phenomenology, social philosophy, feminism, and postmodernism. This introductory essay notes similarities and differences that exist among American and Russian approaches to philosophy and the prospects for the convergence (or not) of these approaches. It also indicates ways in which contemporary Russian thinkers are striking out in new directions while seeking to recover those parts of their past that were silenced during much of the twentieth century.