bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Consuming the Forest in an Environment of Crisis: Nature Tourism, Forest Conservation and Neoliberal Agriculture in South India
Authors: Münster Daniel , Münster Ursula 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACT This article engages ethnographically with the neoliberalization of nature in the spheres of tourism, conservation and agriculture. Drawing on a case study of Wayanad district, Kerala, the article explores a number of themes. First, it shows how a boom in domestic nature tourism is currently transforming Wayanad into a landscape for tourist consumption. Second, it examines how tourism in Wayanad articulates with projects of neoliberalizing forest and wildlife conservation and with their contestations by subaltern groups. Third, it argues that the contemporary commodification of nature in tourism and conservation is intimately related to earlier processes of commodifying nature in agrarian capitalism. Since independence, forest land has been violently appropriated for intensive cash‐cropping. Capitalist agrarian change has transformed land into a (fictitious) commodity and produced a fragile and contested frontier of agriculture and wildlife. When agrarian capitalism reached its ecological limits and entered a crisis of accumulation, farming became increasingly speculative, exploring new modes of accumulation in out‐of‐state ginger cultivation. In this scenario nature and wildlife tourism emerges as a new prospect for accumulation in a post‐agrarian economy. The neoliberalization of nature in Wayanad, the authors argue, is a process driven less by new modes of regulation than by the agrarian crisis and new modes of speculative farming.
What's Nature Got To Do With It? A Situated Historical Perspective on Socio‐natural Commodities
Authors: Peluso Nancy Lee 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACT Nature(s) have been commodified since the early days of capitalism, but through processes and socio‐natural relationships mediated by their times, histories and localities. While the conditions under which nature's commodities are being trademarked today may be new, their potential for commodification is not. Commodifications of nature should not come as a surprise to environmental social scientists and activists. In this article, I argue that commodification of ‘nature's products, places and processes’ produces new sorts of socio‐natures. Situated histories of rubber are particularly relevant because, like carbon, ecosystem services and other recently commodified natures, rubber sits comfortably on the line between a fictitious commodity and a commodity produced explicitly for market: the latex alone has almost no use value, and to give it any exchange value, it requires processing. Yet analytically, it is still considered a ‘natural commodity’, different from ‘synthetic rubber’ and other tradable tree latexes in qualities and socio‐natural characteristics. However, it is the social relations constituting rubber's production and trade in various rainforest and agro‐forestry environments that have given it a positive or negative connotation, rather than its natural properties or the ecological contexts within which it has been produced. By situating rubber in three of its globally important temporal and spatial contexts, I show how it has been subjected to fairy‐tale‐like stories that masked and naturalized its commodity lives of the moment. Understanding how history is told or remains untold is thus an essential part of the politics of knowledge production, but also of human experience and mobilization for change. It should be part of any political ecology analysis.
Prevalence and immunological spectrum of temporal lobe epilepsy with glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies
Authors: Falip M. , Carreño M. , Miró J. , Saiz A. , Villanueva V. , Quílez A. , Molins A. , Barceló I. , Sierra A. , Graus F. 
Published: February 2012

Background and purpose:  High levels of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD)‐ab were initially described in patients with stiff person syndrome, and have since also been observed in patients with other neurological diseases. Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) seems to be specially associated. Our purpose is to describe the prevalence of GAD‐ab in patients with TLE, and to characterize the clinical‐immunological profile of TLE patients with high levels of GAD‐ab.Methods:  An immunological profile including GAD‐ab and antinuclear, anti‐DNA, anti‐cardiolipin, anti‐transglutaminase and antithyroid antibodies was determined in a consecutive series of patients with TLE. As adulthood onset is the least common onset in TLE + hipocampal sclerosis and febrile seizures, we selected patients whose onset was after 30 years of age, to expand the spectrum of aetiologies. Patients were divided into two groups: known aetiology, 19 patients (45%) and unknown aetiology, 23 (55%). The clinical–immunological study included TLE patients with high GAD‐ab levels (>1000 IU).Results:  Amongst 42 patients, serum GAD‐ab levels were positive in 5 (152–11 963 IU/ml), all from the unknown aetiology group. Thus, GAD‐ab levels were positive in 21.7% and high in 8.7% of the unknown aetiology group. The immunological profile study included nine patients (seven pharmacoresistant), of whom six were women (66%) with mean age 41 years. Three patients reported acute debut, four (44%) insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus, five (55%) other concomitant autoimmune diseases, four (44%) memory impairment and four moderate‐to‐severe mood disturbance. Intrathecal synthesis of GAD‐ab was observed in seven patients (77%).Conclusions:  Temporal lobe epilepsy with GAD‐ab is not a rare condition. In the subgroup of patients with high titres, this epilepsy is often pharmacoresistant and associated with memory impairment, depression and other autoimmune diseases.
Cognitive and affective impairments of a novel SCA/MND crossroad mutation Asidan
Authors: Abe K. , Ikeda Y. , Kurata T. , Ohta Y. , Manabe Y. , Okamoto M. , Takamatsu K. , Ohta T. , Takao Y. , Shiro Y. , Shoji M. , Kamiya T. , Kobayashi H. , Koizumi A. 
Published: February 2012

Background:  A variety of hereditary spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) develops a broad spectrum of both ataxia and non‐ataxia symptoms. Cognitive and affective changes are one such non‐ataxia symptoms, but have been described only in hereditary SCAs with exonic CAG gene expansion.Methods:  We newly found intronic hexanucleotide GGCCTG gene expansion in NOP56 gene as the causative mutation (=SCA36) in nine unrelated Japanese familial SCA originating from Asida river area in the western part of Japan, thus nicknamed Asidan for this mutation. These patients show unique clinical balance of cerebellar ataxia and motor neuron disease (MND), locating on the crossroad of these two diseases. In the nine families, 14 patients were clinically examined and genetically confirmed to Asidan. In the present study, we examined cognitive and affective analyses on 12 patients (seven men and five women) who agreed to join the examination with average age at onset of 53.1 ± 3.2 years, average duration of 12.1 ± 5.2 years, and current average age at 65.1 ± 6.2 years.Results:  The 12 Asidan patients demonstrated a significant decrease in their frontal executive functions measured by frontal assessment battery (FAB) and Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) compared with age‐ and gender‐matched controls, whilst mini‐mental state examination (MMSE) and Hasegawa dementia score‐revised (HDS‐R) were within normal range. The decline of frontal executive function was related to their disease duration and scale for the assessment and rating of ataxias (SARA). They also demonstrated mild depression and apathy. Single‐photon emission tomography (SPECT) analysis showed that these Asidan patients showed decline of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in a particular areas of cerebral cortices such as Brodmann areas 24 and 44–46.Conclusion:  These data suggest that the patients with Asidan mutation show unique cognitive and affective characteristics different from other hereditary SCAs with exonal CAG expansion or MND.
Prey preferences of the tiger Panthera tigris
Authors: Hayward M. W. , Jędrzejewski W. , Jêdrzejewska B. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractTigers Panthera tigris continue to decline despite the best efforts of the worldwide scientific and conservation communities. Prey depletion has been linked to this decline, but a clear definition of what constitutes preferred prey and preferred prey weight range does not exist. This is critical information if we are to assess tiger reintroduction potential, monitor unforeseen poaching of predators and prey, and successfully conserve the species. Here we reviewed the available literature on tiger diet and prey availability and calculated Jacobs's electivity index scores from 3187 kills or scats of 32 prey species. We found that wild boar and sambar deer are significantly preferred by tigers, with red deer and barasingha likely to be significantly preferred also with a larger sample size. Prey body mass was the only variable that related to tiger prey preference with species weighing between 60 and 250 kg preferred by tigers yielding a ratio of predator to preferred prey of 1:1, which is similar to other solitary felids. This information can be used to predict tiger diet, carrying capacity and movement patterns, as it has been for Africa's large predator guild, and has important implications for tiger conservation throughout its distribution.
Discrimination and silence: minority foundations in Turkey during the Cyprus conflict of 1974
Authors: kenanoğlu Pinar Dinç 
Published: February 2012

AbstractIn 1974, the dispute between Turkey and Greece over Cyprus resulted in Turkish military intervention in the island. The same year, the Turkish Court of Cassation issued a legal decision that rendered possible the confiscation of properties belonging to minority foundations in the years to come. I argue that the case of minority foundations in 1974 was not a coincidence but a conscious reciprocal discrimination applied in both official and unofficial spheres. I support my argument with the following indicators: (1) the wider historical Greek–Turkish conflict and its ‘reciprocal’ nature of discrimination against non‐Muslim minorities; (2) the laden interpretation of the non‐Muslim minorities as the internal enemies in the Turkish mind‐set and its direct reflections on the 1974 case of foundations; and (3) the nature of the press coverage, which I assess using detailed reading and content analysis of three Turkish newspapers (H
ürriyet, T
ercüman, C
umhuriyet) and one Rum minority newspaper (A
poyevmatini).
Dietary vs. transport: an analysis of environmental burdens pertaining to a typical workday
Authors: Sanfilippo Sara , Raimondi Andrea , Ruggeri Bernardo , Fino Debora 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThis article deals with an evaluation of some environmental impacts of a normal workday. The aim is to compare the environmental load associated to different standard meals provided by a canteen, and a series of transport options from home to the workplace, adopting the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. LCA is a holistic methodology that evaluates the environmental burdens associated to industrial productions or anthropic activities, over the whole life cycle of a product. The environmental load associated to a service is characterized by a number of impact indicators internationally accepted, such as gross energy requirement, global warming potential (GWP), ozone layer depletion and others. The present paper shows the environmental impacts, calculated with the environmental product declaration and the cumulative energy demand methods, associated to some typical food courses and means of transportation.The present analysis considers as subject a generic worker who lives and works in a European urban area. The results highlight how often environmental impacts coming from the lunch, in particular when the menus contain meat, are higher than the ones attributable to the transport. Taking into account the GWP as example, this study assesses how the contribution for producing a single beef steak (120 g) is equivalent to drive a car for ca. 30 km.
Consumer preferences for sustainable production methods in apple purchasing behaviour: a non‐hypothetical choice experiment
Authors: Moser Riccarda , Raffaelli Roberta 
Published: February 2012

AbstractIncreasing concern for potential risks on human health related to the overuse of chemicals in farming has promoted the research of alternative production methods. This paper contributes to the current literature by presenting a non‐hypothetical choice experiment study that investigates apple consumers' preferences for alternative production systems moving from a conventional to organic production, passing through an integrated pest management and an innovative technique that uses biocontrol agents. Other investigated attributes are appearance, origin and low greenhouse gas emission practices. The non‐hypothetical choice experiment was carried out in supermarkets by asking respondents to pay out of their own pocket for the chosen product. Most of interviewed people stated to have cut‐off values in mind when purchasing apples and their choices have been modelled according to the Swait soft cut‐off approach. Non‐compensatory model estimations confirm previous evidence that ignoring thresholds in data sets that contain them leads to significant errors in terms of willingness to pay. Results suggest that respondents, besides preferring organic production, seem to not perceive the potential benefits of other sustainable production methods.
Importance of traceability for sustainable production: a cross‐country comparison
Authors: Myae Aye Chan , Goddard Ellen 
Published: February 2012

AbstractTraceability systems are becoming an important tool for tracking, monitoring and managing product flows through food supply chains. Traceability can be used as a method of certifying production, processing and nutritional credence attributes of food products. Environmentally sustainable production is a credence attribute that is gaining in importance in the eyes of consumers. In this research, the importance of traceability in verifying environmentally sustainable production practices is examined. The data were collected in online surveys related to consumer's perceptions and concerns about food safety, trust and reported behaviour related to meat consumption in three countries – Canada, the US and Japan. Determinants of traceability in verifying environmentally sustainable production practices include respondents' locus of control about food safety, food purchasing characteristics such as whether they normally buy organic products or shop at supermarkets and general traits such as worry and trust. In comparing across countries, there are significant differences in the interests in traceability to verify environmentally sustainable production practices and in the determinants of level of importance ascribed.
Morality or economic interest? The impact of moral motives and economic factors on the purchase of fair trade groceries
Authors: Sunderer Georg , Rössel Jörg 
Published: February 2012

AbstractIn this article, we compare the impact of moral motives and economic factors on the purchase of fair trade groceries. Moral motives are measured by three different constructs, which are derived from different theoretical perspectives: one from the classical theory of attitude, one from the subjectively expected utility theory and one from the norm‐activation model. The empirical results of the analysis show that moral motives as well as economic factors are important determinants for explaining the purchase of fair trade groceries. Furthermore, the study indicates that the impact of moral motives is greater than that of economic factors, and among the moral factors, the personal norm is especially explanatorily powerful.
Nucleotides released from Aβ1–42‐treated microglial cells increase cell migration and Aβ1–42 uptake through P2Y2 receptor activation
Authors: Kim Hye Jung , Ajit Deepa , Peterson Troy S. , Wang Yanfang , Camden Jean M. , Gibson Wood W. , Sun Grace Y. , Erb Laurie , Petris Michael , Weisman Gary A. 
Published: February 2012

J. Neurochem. (2012) 121, 228–238.AbstractAmyloid β‐protein (Aβ) deposits in brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients generate proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines that recruit microglial cells to phagocytose Aβ. Nucleotides released from apoptotic cells activate P2Y2 receptors (P2Y2Rs) in macrophages to promote clearance of dead cells. In this study, we investigated the role of P2Y2Rs in the phagocytosis and clearance of Aβ. Treatment of mouse primary microglial cells with fibrillar (fAβ1–42) and oligomeric (oAβ1–42) Aβ1–42 aggregation solutions caused a rapid release of ATP (maximum after 10 min). Furthermore, fAβ1–42 and oAβ1–42 treatment for 24 h caused an increase in P2Y2R gene expression. Treatment with fAβ1–42 and oAβ1–42 aggregation solutions increased the motility of neighboring microglial cells, a response inhibited by pre‐treatment with apyrase, an enzyme that hydrolyzes nucleotides. The P2Y2R agonists ATP and UTP caused significant uptake of Aβ1–42 by microglial cells within 30 min, which reached a maximum within 1 h, but did not increase Aβ1–42 uptake by primary microglial cells isolated from P2Y2R−/− mice. Inhibitors of αv integrins, Src and Rac decreased UTP‐induced Aβ1–42 uptake, suggesting that these previously identified components of the P2Y2R signaling pathway play a role in Aβ phagocytosis by microglial cells. Finally, we found that UTP treatment enhances Aβ1–42 degradation by microglial cells, but not in cells isolated from P2Y2R−/− mice. Taken together, our findings suggest that P2Y2Rs can activate microglial cells to enhance Aβ clearance and highlight the P2Y2R as a therapeutic target in Alzheimer’s disease.
Characterization of the Drosophila adenosine receptor: the effect of adenosine analogs on cAMP signaling in Drosophila cells and their utility for in vivo experiments
Authors: Kucerova Lucie , Broz Vaclav , Fleischmannova Jana , Santruckova Eva , Sidorov Roman , Dolezal Vladimir , Zurovec Michal 
Published: February 2012

J. Neurochem. (2012) 121, 383–395.AbstractAdenosine receptors (AR) belonging to the G protein‐coupled receptor family influence a wide range of physiological processes. Recent elucidation of the structure of human A2AR revealed the conserved amino acids necessary for contact with the Ado moiety. However, the selectivity of Ado analogs for AR subtypes is still not well understood. We have shown previously that the Drosophila adenosine receptor (DmAdoR) evokes an increase in cAMP and calcium concentration in heterologous cells. In this study, we have characterized the second‐messenger stimulation by endogenous DmAdoR in a Drosophila neuroblast cell line and examined a number of Ado analogs for their ability to interact with DmAdoR. We show that Ado can stimulate cAMP but not calcium levels in Drosophila cells. We found one full and four partial DmAdoR agonists, as well as four antagonists. The employment of the full agonist, 2‐chloroadenosine, in flies mimicked in vivo the phenotype of DmAdoR over‐expression, whereas the antagonist, SCH58261, rescued the flies from the lethality caused by DmAdoR over‐expression. Differences in pharmacological effect of the tested analogs between DmAdoR and human A2AR can be partially explained by the dissimilarity of specific key amino acid residues disclosed by the alignment of these receptors.
The Relationship between Formal and Informal Care among Adult Medicaid Personal Care Services Recipients
Authors: McMaughan Moudouni Darcy K. , Ohsfeldt Robert L. , Miller Thomas R. , Phillips Charles D. 
Published: February 2012

ObjectivesTo test hypotheses concerning the relationship between formal and informal care and to estimate the impact of hours of formal care authorized for Medicaid Personal Care Services (PCS) on the utilization of informal care.Data Sources/Study SettingData included home care use and adult Medicaid beneficiary characteristics from assessments of PCS need in four Medicaid administrative areas in Texas.Study DesignCross‐sectional design using ordinary least‐squares (OLS) and instrumental variable (IV) methods.Data Collection/Extraction MethodsThe study database consisted of assessment data on 471 adults receiving Medicaid PCS from 2004 to 2006.Principal FindingsBoth OLS and IV estimates of the impact of formal care on informal care indicated no statistically significant relationship. The impact of formal care authorized on informal care utilization was less important than the influence of beneficiary need and caregiver availability. Living with a potential informal caregiver dramatically increased the hours of informal care utilized by Medicaid PCS beneficiaries.ConclusionsMore formal home care hours were not associated with fewer informal home care hours. These results imply that policies that decrease the availability of formal home care for Medicaid PCS beneficiaries will not be offset by an increase in the provision of informal care and may result in unmet care needs.
What Is the Best Way to Estimate Hospital Quality Outcomes? A Simulation Approach
Authors: Ryan Andrew , Burgess James , Strawderman Robert , Dimick Justin 
Published: February 2012

ObjectiveTo test the accuracy of alternative estimators of hospital mortality quality using a Monte Carlo simulation experiment.Data SourcesData are simulated to create an admission‐level analytic dataset. The simulated data are validated by comparing distributional parameters (e.g., mean and standard deviation of 30‐day mortality rate, hospital sample size) with the same parameters observed in Medicare data for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) inpatient admissions.Study DesignWe perform a Monte Carlo simulation experiment in which true quality is known to test the accuracy of the Observed‐over‐Expected estimator, the Risk Standardized Mortality Rate (RSMR), the Dimick and Staiger (DS) estimator, the Hierarchical Poisson estimator, and the Moving Average estimator using hospital 30‐day mortality for AMI as the outcome. Estimator accuracy is evaluated for all hospitals and for small, medium, and large hospitals.Data Extraction MethodsData are simulated.Principal FindingsSignificant and substantial variation is observed in the accuracy of the tested outcome estimators. The DS estimator is the most accurate for all hospitals and for small hospitals using both accuracy criteria (root mean squared error and proportion of hospitals correctly classified into quintiles).ConclusionsThe mortality estimator currently in use by Medicare for public quality reporting, the RSMR, has been shown to be less accurate than the DS estimator, although the magnitude of the difference is not large. Pending testing and validation of our findings using current hospital data, CMS should reconsider the decision to publicly report mortality rates using the RSMR.