bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
THE NEW MILITARY MEDICAL ETHICS: LEGACIES OF THE GULF WARS AND THE WAR ON TERROR
Authors: MILES STEVEN H. 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTUnited States military medical ethics evolved during its involvement in two recent wars, Gulf War I (1990–1991) and the War on Terror (2001–). Norms of conduct for military clinicians with regard to the treatment of prisoners of war and the administration of non‐therapeutic bioactive agents to soldiers were set aside because of the sense of being in a ‘new kind of war’. Concurrently, the use of radioactive metal in weaponry and the ability to measure the health consequences of trade embargos on vulnerable civilians occasioned new concerns about the health effects of war on soldiers, their offspring, and civilians living on battlefields. Civilian medical societies and medical ethicists fitfully engaged the evolving nature of the medical ethics issues and policy changes during these wars. Medical codes of professionalism have not been substantively updated and procedures for accountability for new kinds of abuses of medical ethics are not established. Looking to the future, medicine and medical ethics have not articulated a vision for an ongoing military‐civilian dialogue to ensure that standards of medical ethics do not evolve simply in accord with military exigency.
THE EFFECTS OF ABANDONMENT OPTIONS ON INVESTMENT TIMING AND INTENSITY
Authors: Wong Kit Pong 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTThis paper examines how the presence of an abandonment option affects the timing and intensity of a firm’s investment. We develop a continuous‐time model wherein a firm is endowed with a perpetual option to invest in a project at any time by incurring an investment cost at that instant. The amount of the investment cost is directly related to the intensity of investment that is endogenously chosen by the firm at the investment instant. The project generates a stream of stochastic revenue flows with a concomitant stream of constant cost flows, both of which increase with the investment intensity. We show that allowing the firm to make an irreversible decision to abandon the project does not affect the firm’s optimal investment intensity if the investment cost is totally reversible. Otherwise, the option to abandon the project induces the firm to choose a lower level of investment intensity. Furthermore, we show that the presence of the abandonment option pushes down the firm’s optimal investment trigger, thereby hastening the undertaking of the project.
Wittgenstein on Simile as the “Best Thing” in Philosophy1
Authors: Erden Yasemin J. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractIn a remark written sometime between 1933 and 1943, Wittgenstein suggests that philosophy ought really to be written as one “writes a poem.” Around this time he also talks of simile as the “best thing” in philosophy. In this paper I consider what it would mean to take such claims seriously. Through examining newly discovered material from the (unpublished) Skinner manuscripts (MSS), I offer an analysis of Wittgenstein's approach to literary techniques (broadly conceived) and see how this impacts on his conception of philosophy.
Applicant reactions and faking in real‐life personnel selection
Authors: HONKANIEMI LAURA , TOLVANEN ASKO , FELDT TARU 
Published: July 2011

Honkaniemi, L., Tolvanen, A. & Feldt, T. (2011). Applicant reactions and faking in real‐life personnel selection. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 52, 376–381.Faking may affect hiring decisions in personnel selection. All the antecedents of faking are still not known. The present study investigates the association between applicants’ reactions about the selection procedure and their tendency to fake. The subjects (N = 180) were real‐life applicants for a fire and rescue personnel school. After completing the selection process, the applicants filled out a questionnaire about their test reactions (Chan, Schmitt, Sacco & DeSohon, 1998b) and a faking scale, the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (Paulhus, 1991). The results based on Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) indicated that the more positive reactions applicant had about the selection procedure the more impression management they had. The applicant reactions were not associated with self‐deception.
Evaluation of mycophenolate mofetil as a steroid‐sparing agent in pemphigus: a randomized, prospective study
Authors: Ioannides D. , Apalla Z. , Lazaridou E. , Rigopoulos D. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractBackground  Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) has been lately proposed as one of the most promising steroid‐sparing agent in pemphigus.Objective  To compare effectiveness and adverse events of two different therapeutic protocols for pemphigus: methylprednisolone alone vs. the combination of methylprednisolone and Mycophenolate mofetil.Methods  A randomized prospective non‐blinded trial was performed in a tertiary care medical centre. Forty‐seven of 52 initially evaluated patients with newly diagnosed pemphigus vulgaris or pemphigus foliaceous that had not previously been treated with systemic corticosteroids or immunosuppressive drugs were randomly assigned to treatment with either methylprednisolone (prednisone equivalent, 1 mg/kg) or methylprednisolone plus mycophenolate mofetil (3 g/day, 1.5 g twice daily). Patients were followed up for clinical outcome based on time required until the achievement of control of disease activity, induction of partial and complete remissions on or off minimal therapy, total amount of corticosteroids administered, frequency of relapses and development of side‐effects and complications.Results  The two groups were similar in terms of demographics and baseline disease characteristics. There was no difference between groups in any of the variables used to measure response to treatment or total amount of corticosteroids administered. Side‐effects did not differ significantly.Conclusion  Combination treatment with corticosteroids and mycophenolate mofetil, 3 g/day, offers no advantage over monotherapy treatment with corticosteroids in patients with pemphigus.
Dimerization of the DYT6 dystonia protein, THAP1, requires residues within the coiled‐coil domain
Authors: Sengel Cem , Gavarini Sophie , Sharma Nutan , Ozelius Laurie J. , Bragg D. Cristopher 
Published: July 2011

J. Neurochem. (2011) 118, 1087–1100.AbstractThanatos‐associated [THAP] domain‐containing apoptosis‐associated protein 1 (THAP1) is a DNA‐binding protein that has been recently associated with DYT6 dystonia, a hereditary movement disorder involving sustained, involuntary muscle contractions. A large number of dystonia‐related mutations have been identified in THAP1 in diverse patient populations worldwide. Previous reports have suggested that THAP1 oligomerizes with itself via a C‐terminal coiled‐coil domain, raising the possibility that DYT6 mutations in this region might affect this interaction. In this study, we examined the ability of wild‐type THAP1 to bind itself and the effects on this interaction of the following disease mutations: C54Y, F81L, ΔF132, T142A, I149T, Q154fs180X, and A166T. The results confirmed that wild‐type THAP1 associated with itself and most of the DYT6 mutants tested, except for the Q154fs180X variant, which loses most of the coiled‐coil domain because of a frameshift at position 154. However, deletion of C‐terminal residues after position 166 produced a truncated variant of THAP1 that was able to bind the wild‐type protein. The interaction of THAP1 with itself therefore required residues within a 13‐amino acid region (aa 154–166) of the coiled‐coil domain. Further inspection of this sequence revealed elements highly consistent with previous descriptions of leucine zippers, which serve as dimerization domains in other transcription factor families. Based on this similarity, a structural model was generated to predict how hydrophobic residues in this region may mediate dimerization. These observations offer additional insight into the role of the coiled‐coil domain in THAP1, which may facilitate future analyses of DYT6 mutations in this region.
Temporal retinal sensitivity in mesopic adaptation
Authors: Matesanz Beatriz M , Issolio Luis , Arranz Isabel , de la Rosa Cristina , Menéndez José A , Mar Santiago , Aparicio Juan A 
Published: July 2011

Citation information: Matesanz BM, Issolio L, Arranz I, de la Rosa C, Menéndez JA, Mar S & Aparicio JA. Temporal retinal sensitivity in mesopic adaptation. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2011, 31, 615–624. doi: 10.1111/j.1475‐1313.2011.00859.xAbstractPurpose:  Night driving is a complex visual task with important ramifications for driver and pedestrian safety. It is usually performed under mesopic or scotopic conditions and frequently, in the presence of transient glare sources that can adapt parts of the central retina. The objective of this work was to analyze the time response of adaptation for the central 15° of the retina when part of it is exposed to transient or steady mesopic adapting fields.Methods:  Absolute visual thresholds and luminance thresholds when viewing steady and transient adaptation fields were measured for three observers, at temporal retinal eccentricities of 0°–14.5° in steps of 2.9° (subsequently described as 0°, 3°, 6°, 9°, 12° and 15°) using a two‐channel Maxwellian view optical system. The adaptation field and stimulus subtended 1.05° and 0.45° respectively. The transient adaptation field was presented with a stimulus onset asymmetry (SOA) of 300 ms. Time course adaptation curves were also measured at 0°, 6° and 9°.Results:  The absolute dark adaptation threshold (threshold measured at dark adaptation conditions or ) decreases in peripheral retina due to an increasing rod contribution. Luminance thresholds vs eccentricity curves for transient () and steady () mesopic adaptation fields intersect across the first 15° of the peripheral retina.Conclusions:  While the fovea shows higher sensitivity than the areas of peripheral retina investigated in this study, the speed of adaptation, measured from the visibility loss, is greater for retinal regions between 6° and 9° than for the fovea or retinal eccentricities beyond 9°.
Tithonia oxfordiana, a new irregular echinoid associated with Jurassic seep deposits in south‐east France
Authors: GAILLARD CHRISTIAN , NÉRAUDEAU DIDIER , THIERRY JACQUES 
Published: July 2011

Abstract:  The infaunal irregular echinoid, Tithonia oxfordiana, is described and compared to congeneric species previously described from Upper Jurassic and lowermost Cretaceous strata. This new species characterizes a monospecific echinoid assemblage, which occurs only in some places where deep‐marine middle Oxfordian deposits are exposed in south‐east France. Specimens are closely packed and clearly concentrated at the top of small carbonate chemoherms; a close connection of the echinoids with the emission of reduced chemicals, which were oxidized by chemoautotrophic bacteria, is highly probable. Based on general test shape and plate architecture, T. oxfordiana probably was a deposit feeder on chemosynthetic organic matter produced by such bacteria. In view of the fact that T. oxfordiana is the sole species of the Jurassic genus Tithonia known from Oxfordian strata, it is postulated that chemoherms possibly acted as refugia for these peculiar echinoids, which have an episodic record between the Callovian and Valanginian.
Pronemouridae fam. nov. (Insecta: Plecoptera), the stem group of nemouridae and notonemouridae, from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia, China
Authors: YUSHUANG LIU , SINITSHENKOVA NINA D. , DONG REN , CHUNGKUN SHIH 
Published: July 2011

Abstract:  A new family, Pronemouridae fam. nov., with a new genus, Pronemoura gen. nov., and five new species of fossil stoneflies are described from Daohugou village (Middle Jurassic), Inner Mongolia, China: P. shii sp. nov., P. angustithorax sp. nov., P. longialata sp. nov., P. minuta sp. nov. and P. peculiaris sp. nov. Wing venation of pronemourinids presents some or considerable variety in the fore and hind wings of the same or different individuals. Pronemourinidae, retaining plesiomorphic characters (short, multisegmented cerci and CuA with forks), should be treated as the stem group of Nemouridae and Notonemouridae. Based on fossil data, we propose a model in which the extant plecopterid distribution began in the Early Cretaceous. Nemouridae and Notonemouridae must have occurred in Asia and begun to migrate from here by at least the Early Cretaceous.
Pentoxifylline aggravates fatty liver in obese and diabetic ob/ob mice by increasing intestinal glucose absorption and activating hepatic lipogenesis
Authors: Massart J , Robin MA , Noury F , Fautrel A , Lettéron P , Bado A , Eliat PA , Fromenty B 
Published: July 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Pentoxifylline is in clinical trials for non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease and diabetic nephropathy. Metabolic and hepatic effects of pentoxifylline were assessed in a murine model of obesity and type 2 diabetes.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Pentoxifylline (100 mg·kg−1·day−1) was administered for 4 days or 3 weeks in lean and obese/diabetic ob/ob mice. Plasma lipids, glucose, other metabolites and relevant enzymes were measured by standard assays. Hepatic lipids in vivo were assessed with magnetic resonance spectroscopy and by histology. Hepatic extracts were also analysed with RT‐PCR and Western blotting.KEY RESULTS Four days of pentoxifylline treatment slightly increased liver lipids in ob/ob mice. After 3 weeks, pentoxifylline exacerbated fatty liver and plasma transaminases in ob/ob mice but did not induce liver steatosis in lean mice. Plasma glucose was highest in fed, but not fasted, ob/ob mice treated with pentoxifylline. During the first 10 min of an oral glucose tolerance test, blood glucose increased more rapidly in pentoxifylline‐treated mice. Jejunal expression of glucose transporter 2 isoform was increased in pentoxifylline‐treated obese mice. Hepatic activity of carbohydrate response element binding protein (ChREBP) increased after pentoxifylline in ob/ob, but not lean, mice. Hepatic expression of lipogenic enzymes was highest in pentoxifylline‐treated ob/ob mice. However, pentoxifylline reduced markers of oxidative stress and inflammation in ob/ob liver.CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Pentoxifylline exacerbated fatty liver in ob/ob mice through enhanced intestinal glucose absorption, increased postprandial glycaemia and activation of hepatic lipogenesis. Long‐term treatment with pentoxifylline could worsen fatty liver in some patients with pre‐existing hyperglycaemia.
Recombinant viral protein promotes apoptosis and suppresses invasion of ovarian adenocarcinoma cells by targeting α5β1 integrin to down‐regulate Akt and MMP‐2
Authors: Peng Jei‐Ming , Chen Yee‐Hsiung , Hung Shao‐Wen , Chiu Ching‐Feng , Ho Ming‐Yi , Lee Yi‐Jen , Lai Tsung‐Ching , Hsiao Michael , Liang Chi‐Ming , Liang Shu‐Mei 
Published: July 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE As prognosis for patients with metastatic ovarian cancer is generally poor, advances in treatment are needed. Here, we studied the mechanism of action of a recombinant viral capsid protein (rVP1) and explored its effect against ovarian tumour growth and metastasis in vivo.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH The human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 and BALB/cAnN‐Foxn1 female nude mice were used. Effects of rVP1 on the viability, invasive ability, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐2 activity and cancer cell proliferation and metastasis were determined by cell proliferation assay, Matrigel invasion assay, gelatin zymographic analysis, as well as bioluminescence imaging and immunohistological analysis in xenograft mouse models respectively. Levels of total and phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase (FAK), PKB/Akt, phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) and glycogen synthase kinase‐3β (GSK‐3β) were detected by Western blotting.KEY RESULTS rVP1 promoted apoptosis and decreased invasion of human ovarian cancer cells. This effect of rVP1 was accompanied by activation of PTEN and GSK‐3β as well as down‐regulation of FAK, Akt and MMP‐2. Anti‐integrin antibodies or overexpression of constitutively active Akt reversed the cellular effects of rVP1. Orthotopic and intraperitoneal xenograft mouse models demonstrated that rVP1 attenuated survival and metastasis of human ovarian cancer SKOV3 cell line in vivo through selective regulation of Akt and GSK‐3β activity as shown by bioluminescence imaging of mice and immunohistochemical analysis.CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS These results indicate that negative regulation of Akt signalling and MMP‐2 by rVP1 may have the potential to suppress ovarian tumour growth and metastasis in vivo.
The 5‐HT3B subunit affects high‐potency inhibition of 5‐HT3 receptors by morphine
Authors: Baptista‐Hon Daniel T , Deeb Tarek Z , Othman Nidaa A , Sharp Douglas , Hales Tim G 
Published: July 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Morphine is an antagonist at 5‐HT3A receptors. 5‐HT3 and opioid receptors are expressed in many of the same neuronal pathways where they modulate gut motility, pain and reinforcement. There is increasing interest in the 5‐HT3B subunit, which confers altered pharmacology to 5‐HT3 receptors. We investigated the mechanisms of inhibition by morphine of 5‐HT3 receptors and the influence of the 5‐HT3B subunit.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH 5‐HT‐evoked currents were recorded from voltage‐clamped HEK293 cells expressing human 5‐HT3A subunits alone or in combination with 5‐HT3B subunits. The affinity of morphine for the orthosteric site of 5‐HT3A or 5‐HT3AB receptors was assessed using radioligand binding with the antagonist [3H]GR65630.KEY RESULTS When pre‐applied, morphine potently inhibited 5‐HT‐evoked currents mediated by 5‐HT3A receptors. The 5‐HT3B subunit reduced the potency of morphine fourfold and increased the rates of inhibition and recovery. Inhibition by pre‐applied morphine was insurmountable by 5‐HT, was voltage‐independent and occurred through a site outside the second membrane‐spanning domain. When applied simultaneously with 5‐HT, morphine caused a lower potency, surmountable inhibition of 5‐HT3A and 5‐HT3AB receptors. Morphine also fully displaced [3H]GR65630 from 5‐HT3A and 5‐HT3AB receptors with similar potency.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS These findings suggest that morphine has two sites of action, a low‐affinity, competitive site and a high‐affinity, non‐competitive site that is not available when the channel is activated. The affinity of morphine for the latter is reduced by the 5‐HT3B subunit. Our results reveal that morphine causes a high‐affinity, insurmountable and subunit‐dependent inhibition of human 5‐HT3 receptors.
Intra‐Aortic Balloon Counterpulsation 50 Years Later: Initial Conception and Consequent Ideas
Authors: Moulopoulos Spyridon D. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractFor nearly 50 years, intra‐aortic balloon counterpulsation (IABC) has been the most widely applied temporary assistance method, operating in series with the heart. It helps wean patients from the heart–lung machine after cardiac operations. It is also used in patients with advanced coronary heart disease before and during cardiac and noncardiac operations as well as during percutaneous interventions. Cases of post‐acute myocardial infarction severe cardiogenic shock can also benefit from IABC until or during revascularization or if the latter is impractical. A brief review of mostly experimental attempts is reported as “derivatives” of IABC, as they yielded interesting and sometimes intriguing results that need further investigation.
Acquiring psychomotor skills in operative dentistry: do innate ability and motivation matter?
Authors: Suksudaj N. , Townsend G. C. , Kaidonis J. , Lekkas D. , Winning T. A. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractObjective:  The acquisition of psychomotor skills is a key competence in the practice of dentistry, and innate abilities and motivation have been shown to influence motor performance. However, the explicit integration of these factors into the design of research projects about skill acquisition in dentistry has been limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive analysis of how dental students’ abilities and motivation affected their performance in an operative task.Methods:  A longitudinal study with two cohorts of dental students was conducted in laboratory classes forming part of an operative technique course. A range of standardised psychometric tests was used to assess different abilities before completing a cavity preparation on Frasaco teeth. This was followed immediately by completion of an Intrinsic Motivation Inventory.Results:  Low but statistically significant correlations (P < 0.05) were found between dental performance and psychomotor ability (r = 0.22), and also dental performance and motivation (r = 0.19). A significant difference (P < 0.05) was found in the grades obtained for the cavity preparation exercise in one cohort between students with higher levels of psychomotor ability compared with those with lower levels (Tracing scores) (P < 0.05). No significant differences in grades obtained for the cavity preparation exercise were found between students with higher and lower levels of motivation.Conclusion:  Both innate psychomotor ability and motivation showed only weak positive associations with dental performance on cavity preparation exercises. Our study suggests that student‐related factors only provide limited information to explain differences in performance or to be useful as specific predictors of future performance by individuals.
Introduction of a robot patient into dental education
Authors: Tanzawa T. , Futaki K. , Tani C. , Hasegawa T. , Yamamoto M. , Miyazaki T. , Maki K. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractIn recent years, with the increasing social awareness of safety in medical practice, improving clinical skills has become very important, especially for recently graduated dentists. Traditionally, mannequins have been used for clinical skill training, but a mannequin is quite different from a real patient because they have no autonomous movement or conversational ability. This indicates that pre‐clinical simulation education is inadequate. We have, therefore, developed a robot patient that can reproduce an authentic clinical situation for dental clinical training. The robot patient, designed as a full‐body model with a height of 157 cm, has eight degrees of freedom in the head and the ability to perform various autonomous movements. Moreover, saliva secretion and conversation with the trainee can be reproduced. We have introduced the robot patient into an objective structured clinical examination targeted at fifth‐grade students in our dental school to evaluate their skills in cavity preparation, whilst considering the safety of the treatment. As a result, many of the students were able to deal appropriately with a patient’s unexpected movement. Moreover, results of a questionnaire survey showed that almost all the students recognised the educational value of the robot patient especially for ‘risk management’, and they preferred the robot patient to traditional mannequins. Practical application of the robot patient in dental clinical education was evaluated through the experiences of the fifth‐grade students, which showed the effectiveness of the robot patient in the dental field.