bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Civil–military relations and political order in Guinea-Bissau
Authors: Embaló Birgit 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACTSince independence in 1974 the military of Guinea-Bissau have succeeded in controlling the political system, even attempting to impose their rule directly in the aftermath of the 1998/9 war. What makes the analysis of civil–military relations and political order in contemporary Guinea-Bissau particularly challenging is the overlapping of political, ethnic and personal considerations of the politico-military elite and their fluctuating and ambiguous short-term alliances. Guinea-Bissau's armed forces include an amalgam of veterans, claiming historical legitimacy from the liberation war, and officers who use their positions for personal gain rather than furthering democracy and national interests. This article examines the logic of civil–military relations against the heterarchical political figuration and the specific character of the politico-military elite of Guinea-Bissau.
Modelling the effect of individual strategic behaviour on community-level outcomes of conservation interventions
Authors: KEANE AIDAN , JONES JULIA P. G. , MILNER-GULLAND E. J. 
Published: May 2012

SUMMARYMany conservation interventions seek to change resource users' behaviour through the creation and enforcement of rules. Their success depends on changing the incentives of potential rule-breakers and those who monitor and enforce compliance. Project implementers may use payments to encourage monitoring and sanctions to deter rule breaking but there has been little research to examine the effectiveness of such approaches in promoting compliance with conservation rules. The effects of payments and sanctions on poaching in a hypothetical community-based conservation project were investigated using an individual-based model incorporating individual heterogeneity and a realistic range of behaviours. Individuals could choose to poach, monitor others' behaviour, or ‘cheat’ (claim a fee without actually monitoring behaviour). They could also invest in avoidance to reduce their probability of being detected breaking rules. Community-level outcomes emerged from individuals’ choices and strategic interactions. The model demonstrates that payments and sanctions can interact strongly with one another and that their effects depend on the economic context in which they are applied. Sanctions were more reliable than payments in reducing poaching and, in some circumstances, payments produced perverse effects. It is thus important to consider individual-level heterogeneity and strategic decision-making when designing interventions aimed at changing human behaviour.
Outbreak of mastitis in sheep caused by multi-drug resistantEnterococcus faecalisin Sardinia, Italy
Authors: SANCIU G. , MAROGNA G. , PAGLIETTI B. , CAPPUCCINELLI P. , LEORI G. , RAPPELLI P. 
Published: May 2012

SUMMARYAn outbreak of infective mastitis due toEnterococcus faecalisoccurred in an intensive sheep farm in north Sardinia (Italy).E. faecalis, which is only rarely isolated from sheep milk, was unexpectedly found in 22·3% of positive samples at microbiological examination. Forty-five out of the 48E. faecalisisolates showed the same multi-drug resistance pattern (cloxacillin, streptomycin, kanamycin, clindamycin, oxytetracycline).E. faecalisisolates were analysed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and all 45 multi-drug resistant strains showed an indistinguishable macrorestiction profile, indicating their clonal origin. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an outbreak of mastitis in sheep caused byE. faecalis.
Bait consumption by Sooty Terns: implications for island eradication programmes
Authors: SZTUKOWSKI LISA A. , KESLER DYLAN C. 
Published: May 2012

SummaryRat Rattus spp. predation is widely recognised as a major threat to insular seabird populations. Rodent eradication programmes have advanced over the last two decades with purported benefits to ecosystems and seabird conservation. However, the danger of non-target poisoning to seabirds has rarely been examined, despite hundreds of insular eradication efforts. We initiated research to assess the risk of rodenticide bait to nesting Sooty Terns Sterna fuscata on Wake Atoll Complex. Placebo bait with a fluorescing dye was used in a control treatment design to track exposure and ingestion. Camera-based observations and faecal samples, post-mortem inspections and live chick observations suggested that bait exposure and consumption occurred, but that it was infrequent. Results indicated that poison bait eradication should occur outside the chick rearing phase to minimise risks to nesting seabirds. Our study also documents previously unreported environmental fluorescence, which may increase false positive results in pre-eradication assessments of bait palatability, bait uptake rates, and bait application methods that use inactive fluorescing test baits. We recommend that future conservation efforts begin with an evaluation of environmentally-based fluorescence before formal biomarker studies.
Population responses of the Endangered White-breasted ThrasherRamphocinclus brachyurusto a tourist development in Saint Lucia – conservation implications from a spatial modelling approach
Authors: WHITE RACHEL L. , BAPTISTE TIMOTHEUS JN. , DORNELLY ALWIN , MORTON MATTHEW N. , O’CONNELL MARK J. , YOUNG RICHARD P. 
Published: May 2012

SummaryTourism development is one of the main contemporary drivers of habitat loss and fragmentation within the Caribbean Islands biodiversity hotspot. In Saint Lucia, construction of a hotel and golf course within coastal dry forest is directly threatening the largest known subpopulation of the Endangered White-breasted ThrasherRamphocinclus brachyurus. Understanding how the species is responding to ongoing landscape change and identifying priority sites for conservation are imperative for planning its long-term conservation. In this study, a four year White-breasted Thrasher monitoring dataset (2006–2009) and landscape-scale environmental variables were used to: a) identify, characterise and map spatio-temporal patterns of White-breasted Thrasher encounter rate (an abundance proxy) within and outside the tourist development site; b) determine landscape-scale environmental variables that influence such patterns, and c) produce an island-wide predictive map of potentially suitable habitat. Observed patterns in encounter rates within and outside the development site were consistent with thrashers being displaced from cleared areas of forest and crowding into intact forest patches to the north and west of the golf course. A year after the period of the most extensive habitat clearance, White-breasted Thrasher numbers declined markedly leading to a 55% reduction in encounter rate within the development site over the four years of the study. The habitat suitability model predicted that a range of sites outside of the known geographic range of the thrasher are potentially suitable, some of which merit further surveys for potentially undetected populations. Given these findings, it is vital that patches of suitable dry forest adjacent to the tourist development are protected and contiguous natural habitat inside the tourist development is preserved.
Biogeography and conservation of Andean and Trans-Andean populations ofPyrrhuraparakeets in Colombia: Modelling geographic distributions to identify independent conservation units
Authors: BOTERO-DELGADILLO ESTEBAN , ANDRÉS PÁEZ CARLOS , BAYLY NICHOLAS 
Published: May 2012

SummaryThe criteria and categories of the IUCN red list can be applied to any taxonomic unit, including taxa below species level or non-formally described forms, but this is seldom practiced. Because conservation priorities largely focus on well-established taxa that deserve urgent action, cryptic species may be facing a critical situation. This could be the case for some Andean and trans-Andean populations ofPyrrhuraparakeets in Colombia that have restricted and isolated geographic ranges, and whose conservation status has been overlooked because nominal species covering them are considered of “Least Concern”. As part of research into the biogeographic history and biogeographic patterns of the genusPyrrhura, we used MaxEnt modelling to make a first approach to the geographic distribution and conservation status of these populations, and to determine if they could be considered independent conservation units. As with other members ofPyrrhura, we found that their climatic niche was restricted to humid regions of the Andes and the Andean foothills, resulting in isolated and discontinuous distributions associated with the Tropical humid forest Zonobiome. Comparing our estimates of area of occupancy with the established thresholds for IUCN criterion B2, the four subspecies studied could be considered threatened. The small geographic ranges, apparent vulnerability to forest fragmentation compared with other parrots, and extensive habitat loss experienced by the Andean and trans-Andean subspecies ofP. melanuraandP. pictaallow us to conclude that they are valid conservation units. Although further research on these taxa is necessary, our results imply that they must be included as target populations in local and national policies for management plans and decision making, and urgent actions are needed for the subspecies ofP. pictasuch asP. p. subandinaandP. p. caeruleiceps.
Analysis of Collaboration in Crisis Management: Swedish Study Report
Authors: Kulling Per 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThis report is a summary of a study1 conducted at the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences to evaluate collaboration during crisis management. The study includes relevant legal and regulatory dynamics, as well as conclusions and recommendations. Rules and regulations of international interest are presented in the Appendix. References are limited to those of international interest.Kulling P. Analysis of collaboration in crisis management: Swedish study report. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(2):1-4.
Remember to Buy Milk on the Way Home! A Meta-analytic Review of Prospective Memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia
Authors: van den Berg Esther , Kant Neeltje , Postma Albert 
Published: May 2012

AbstractProspective memory (PM) is the ability to remember to execute delayed intentions. Previous studies indicate that PM is impaired in persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, but the extent, nature, and cognitive correlates are unclear. A meta-analytic review was, therefore, performed (literature search 1990 to July 2011) on case-control studies on PM in dementia (10 studies, 336 patients, 505 controls) and MCI (7 studies, 225 patients, 253 controls). Differences between event-based and time-based PM and between measures of prospective and retrospective memory were examined, as well as correlations with other cognitive functions. Results showed that patients with dementia or MCI exhibit large deficits in PM (Hedges’d−1.62 [95% confidence interval −1.98 to −1.27;p< .0001] for dementia; −1.24 [−1.51 to −0.995;p< .0001] for MCI; difference dementiavs.MCI:QM= 1.94,p= .16). Impairments were comparable in size for event-based and time-based PM (p> .05), as well as for prospective and retrospective memory (p> .05). PM showed modest correlations with measures of retrospective memory (medianr= 0.27) and executive functioning (medianr= 0.30). PM appears a valid construct in neuropsychological assessment in patients with dementia or MCI, but more insight is needed in the optimal characteristics of PM tasks to be used in clinical practice. (JINS, 2012,18, 1–11)
Improving Memory in Outpatients with Neurological Disorders Using a Group-Based Training Program
Authors: Radford Kylie , Lah Suncica , Thayer Zoë , Say Miranda J. , Miller Laurie A. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractMemory problems are common in patients with a range of neurological conditions, but there have been few attempts to provide and evaluate the usefulness of memory training for groups of neurological outpatients. We used a waitlist-controlled trial design to assess the effectiveness of a newly created, 6-session intervention, which involved training in the use of compensatory strategies as well as education regarding memory function, neurological damage, sleep and lifestyle factors that have an impact on memory. Fifty-six patients with neurological conditions (e.g., stroke, epilepsy) and memory complaints completed the training and assessments. Outcomes were evaluated in terms of reported strategy use as well as objective and subjective measures of anterograde and prospective memory. Training resulted in significant improvements on number of strategies used, scores on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (total learning and delayed recall) and self-report on the Comprehensive Assessment of Prospective Memory. Improvements were stable at 3-month follow-up. Better individual outcomes were related to lower baseline memory scores, fewer symptoms of depression and greater self-awareness of memory function. Overall the study provides encouraging results to indicate that patients with neurological conditions such as stroke and epilepsy can show improvements in memory after a relatively short group-based intervention. (JINS, 2012, 18, 1–11)
Robust Cognitive Change
Authors: Salthouse Timothy A. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractTwo major challenges facing researchers interested in cognitive change are that measures of change are often not very reliable, and they may reflect effects of prior test experience in addition to the factors of primary interest. One approach to dealing with these problems is to obtain multiple measures of change on parallel versions of the same tests in a measurement burst design. A total of 783 adults performed three parallel versions of cognitive tests on two occasions separated by an average of 2.6 years. Performance increased substantially across the three sessions within each occasion, and for all but vocabulary ability these within-occasion improvements were considerably larger than the between-occasion changes. Reliabilities of the changes in composite scores were low, but averages of the three changes had larger, albeit still quite modest, reliabilities. In some cognitive abilities individual differences were evident in the relation of prior test experience and the magnitude of longitudinal change. Although multiple assessments are more time consuming than traditional measurement procedures, the resulting estimates of change are more robust than those from conventional methods, and also allow the influence of practice on change to be systematically investigated. (JINS, 2012, 18, 1–8)
Impaired Response Inhibition in Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Swick Diane , Honzel Nikki , Larsen Jary , Ashley Victoria , Justus Timothy 
Published: May 2012

AbstractCombat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can show impairments in executive control and increases in impulsivity. The current study examined the effects of PTSD on motor response inhibition, a key cognitive control function. A Go/NoGo task was administered to veterans with a diagnosis of PTSD based on semi-structured clinical interview using DSM-IV criteria (n= 40) and age-matched control veterans (n= 33). Participants also completed questionnaires to assess self-reported levels of PTSD and depressive symptoms. Performance measures from the patients (error rates and reaction times) were compared to those from controls. PTSD patients showed a significant deficit in response inhibition, committing more errors on NoGo trials than controls. Higher levels of PTSD and depressive symptoms were associated with higher error rates. Of the three symptom clusters, re-experiencing was the strongest predictor of performance. Because the co-morbidity of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and PTSD was high in this population, secondary analyses compared veterans with PTSD+mTBI (n= 30) to veterans with PTSD only (n= 10). Although preliminary, results indicated the two patient groups did not differ on any measure (p> .88). Since cognitive impairments could hinder the effectiveness of standard PTSD therapies, incorporating treatments that strengthen executive functions might be considered in the future. (JINS, 2012,18, 1–10)
Insurance accounting: a new era?
Authors: Foroughi K. , Barnard C. R. , Bennett R.W. , Clay D. K. , Conway E. L. , Corfield S. R. , Coughlan A. J. , Harrison J. S. , Hibbett G. J. , Kendix I. V. , Lanari-Boisclair M. , O’ Brien C. D. , Straker J. S. K. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractInsurance accounting has for many years proved a challenging topic for standard setters, preparers and users, often described as a “black box”. Will recent developments, in particular the July 2010 Insurance Contracts Exposure Draft, herald a new era?This paper reviews these developments, setting out key issues and implications. It concentrates on issues relevant to life insurers, although much of the content is also relevant to non-life insurers.The paper compares certain IFRS and Solvency II developments, recognising that UK insurers face challenges in implementing new financial and regulatory reporting requirements in similar timeframes. The paper considers resulting external disclosure requirements and a possible future role for supplementary information.
Computational intelligence with applications to general insurance: a review
Authors: Parodi Pietro 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThis paper argues that most of the problems that actuaries have to deal with in the context of non-life insurance can be usefully cast in the framework of computational intelligence (a.k.a. artificial intelligence), the discipline that studies the design of agents which exhibit intelligent behaviour. Finding an adequate framework for actuarial problems has more than a simply theoretical interest: it also allows a knowledge transfer from the computational intelligence discipline to general insurance, wherever techniques have been developed for problems which are common to both contexts. This has already happened in the past (neural networks, clustering, data mining have all found applications to general insurance) but not systematically, with the result that many useful computational intelligence techniques such as sparsity-based regularisation schemes (a technique for feature selection) are virtually unknown to actuaries.In this first of two papers, we will explore the role of statistical learning in actuarial modelling. We will show that risk costing, which is at the core of pricing, reserving and capital modelling, can be described as a supervised learning problem. Many activities involved in exploratory analysis, such as data mining or feature construction, can be described as unsupervised learning. A comparison of different computational intelligence methods will be carried out, and practical insurance applications (rating factor selection, IBNER analysis) will also be presented.
Observations of turbulence within reconnection jet in the presence of guide field
Authors: Huang S. Y. , Zhou M. , Sahraoui F. , Vaivads A. , Deng X. H. , André M. , He J. S. , Fu H. S. , Li H. M. , Yuan Z. G. , Wang D. D. 
Published: May 2012

We present the first comprehensive observations of turbulence properties within high speed reconnection jet in the plasma sheet with moderate guide field. The power spectral density index is about −1.73 in the inertial range, and follows the value of −2.86 in the ion dissipation range. The turbulence is strongly anisotropic in the wave‐vector space with the major power having its wave‐vector highly oblique to the ambient magnetic field, suggesting that the turbulence is quasi‐2D. The measured “dispersion relations” obtained using the k‐filtering technique are compared with theory and are found to be consistent with the Alfvén‐Whistler mode. In addition, both Probability Distribution Functions and flatness results show that the turbulence in the reconnection jet is intermittent (multifractal) at scales less than the proton gyroradius/inertial lengths. The estimated electric field provided by anomalous resistivity caused by turbulence is about 3 mV/m, which is close to the typical reconnection electric field in the magnetotail.
Effects of the novel mitochondrial protein mimitin in insulin-secreting cells
Authors: Hanzelka Katarzyna , Skalniak Lukasz , Jura Jolanta , Lenzen Sigurd , Gurgul-Convey Ewa 
Published: May 2012

Mimitin, a novel mitochondrial protein, has been shown to act as a molecular chaperone for the mitochondrial complex I and to regulate ATP synthesis. During Type 1 diabetes development, pro-inflammatory cytokines induce mitochondrial damage in pancreatic β-cells, inhibit ATP synthesis and reduce glucose-induced insulin secretion. Mimitin was expressed in rat pancreatic islets including β-cells and decreased by cytokines. In the ob/ob mouse, a model of insulin resistance and obesity, mimitin expression was down-regulated in liver and brain, up-regulated in heart and kidney, but not affected in islets. To further analyse the impact of mimitin on β-cell function, two β-cell lines, one with a low (INS1E) and another with a higher (MIN6) mimitin expression were studied. Mimitin overexpression protected INS1E cells against cytokine-induced caspase 3 activation, mitochondrial membrane potential reduction and ATP production inhibition, independently from the NF-κB (nuclear factor κB)–iNOS (inducible NO synthase) pathway. Mimitin overexpression increased basal and glucose-induced insulin secretion and prevented cytokine-mediated suppression of insulin secretion. Mimitin knockdown in MIN6 cells had opposite effects to those observed after overexpression. Thus mimitin has the capacity to modulate pancreatic islet function and to reduce cytokine toxicity.
Thioredoxin reductase 1 deficiency enhances selenite toxicity in cancer cells via a thioredoxin-independent mechanism
Authors: Tobe Ryuta , Yoo Min-Hyuk , Fradejas Noelia , Carlson Bradley A. , Calvo Soledad , Gladyshev Vadim N. , Hatfield Dolph L. 
Published: May 2012

Selenium is an essential trace element in mammals, but is toxic at high levels. It is best known for its cancer prevention activity, but cancer cells are more sensitive to selenite toxicity than normal cells. Since selenite treatment leads to oxidative stress, and the Trx (thioredoxin) system is a major antioxidative system, we examined the interplay between TR1 (Trx reductase 1) and Trx1 deficiencies and selenite toxicity in DT cells, a malignant mouse cell line, and the corresponding parental NIH 3T3 cells. TR1-deficient cells were far more sensitive to selenite toxicity than Trx1-deficient or control cells. In contrast, this effect was not seen in cells treated with hydrogen peroxide, suggesting that the increased sensitivity of TR1 deficiency to selenite was not due to oxidative stress caused by this compound. Further analyses revealed that only TR1-deficient cells manifested strongly enhanced production and secretion of glutathione, which was associated with increased sensitivity of the cells to selenite. The results suggest a new role for TR1 in cancer that is independent of Trx reduction and compensated for by the glutathione system. The results also suggest that the enhanced selenite toxicity of cancer cells and simultaneous inhibition of TR1 can provide a new avenue for cancer therapy.