bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Variations in normal color vision. V. Simulations of adaptation to natural color environments
Authors: JURICEVIC IGOR , WEBSTER MICHAEL A. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractModern accounts of color appearance differ in whether they assume that the perceptual primaries (e.g., white and the unique hues of red, green, blue, and yellow) correspond to unique states determined by the spectral sensitivities of the observer or by the spectral statistics of the environment. We examined the interaction between observers and their environments by asking how color perception should vary if appearance depends on fixed responses in a set of color channels, when the sensitivities of these channels are adapted in plausible ways to different environments. Adaptation was modeled as gain changes in the cones and in multiple postreceptoral channels tuned to different directions in color–luminance space. Gains were adjusted so that the average channel responses were equated across two environments or for the same environment during different seasons, based on sets of natural outdoor scenes (Webster et al., 2007). Because of adaptation, even observers with a shared underlying physiology should perceive color in significantly and systematically different ways when they are exposed to and thus adapted by different contexts. These include differences in achromatic settings (owing to variations in the average chromaticity of locations) and differences in perceived hue (because of differences in scene contrasts). Modeling these changes provides a way of simulating how colors might be experienced by individuals in different color environments and provides a measure of how much color appearance might be modulated for a given observer by variations in the environment.
Representation of the Weddell Sea deep water masses in the ocean component of the NCAR-CCSM model
Authors: Kerr Rodrigo , Wainer Ilana , Mata Mauricio M. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractWe examine Weddell Sea deep water mass distributions with respect to the results from three different model runs using the oceanic component of the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate System Model (NCAR-CCSM). One run is inter-annually forced by corrected NCAR/NCEP fluxes, while the other two are forced with the annual cycle obtained from the same climatology. One of the latter runs includes an interactive sea-ice model. Optimum Multiparameter analysis is applied to separate the deep water masses in the Greenwich Meridian section (into the Weddell Sea only) to measure the degree of realism obtained in the simulations. First, we describe the distribution of the simulated deep water masses using observed water type indices. Since the observed indices do not provide an acceptable representation of the Weddell Sea deep water masses as expected, they are specifically adjusted for each simulation. Differences among the water masses’ representations in the three simulations are quantified through their root-mean-square differences. Results point out the need for better representation (and inclusion) of ice-related processes in order to improve the oceanic characteristics and variability of dense Southern Ocean water masses in the outputs of the NCAR-CCSM model, and probably in other ocean and climate models.
Evidence for deficits in facial affect recognition and theory of mind in multiple sclerosis
Authors: HENRY JULIE D. , PHILLIPS LOUISE H. , BEATTY WILLIAM W. , MCDONALD SKYE , LONGLEY WENDY A. , JOSCELYNE AMY , RENDELL PETER G. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a white matter disease associated with neurocognitive difficulties. More recently the potential for white matter pathology to also disrupt important aspects of emotion understanding has been recognized. However, no study to date has assessed whether capacity for facial affect recognition and theory of mind (ToM) is disrupted in MS, or whether any observed deficits are related to more general cognitive impairment. In the present study MS participants (n = 27) and nonclinical controls (n = 30) were administered measures of facial affect recognition, ToM, and cognitive functioning. MS participants were significantly impaired on the ToM task, and also presented with specific deficits decoding facial emotions of anger and fear. Performance on the measures of facial affect recognition and ToM were related to general cognitive functioning, and in particular, measures sensitive to executive dysfunction and information processing speed. These data highlight the need for future research to more fully delineate the extent and implications of emotion understanding difficulties in this population. (JINS, 2009, 15, 277–285.)
Hippocampus volume and episodic memory in schizophrenia
Authors: THOMA ROBERT J. , MONNIG MOLLIE , HANLON FAITH M. , MILLER GREGORY A. , PETROPOULOS HELEN , MAYER ANDREW R. , YEO RON , EULER MATT , LYSNE PER , MOSES SANDRA N. , CAÑIVE JOSE M. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractPrevious studies of schizophrenia have suggested a linkage between neuropsychological (NP) deficits and hippocampus abnormality. The relationship between hippocampus volume and NP functioning was investigated in 24 patients with chronic schizophrenia and 24 matched healthy controls. Overall intracranial, white and gray matter, and anterior (AH) and posterior (PH) hippocampus volumes were assessed from magnetic resonance images (MRI). NP domains of IQ, attention, and executive function were also evaluated with respect to volumetric measures. It was hypothesized that AH and PH volumes and episodic memory scores would be positively associated in controls and that the schizophrenia group would depart from this normative pattern. NP functioning was impaired overall and AH volume was smaller in the schizophrenia group. In the controls, the hippocampus–memory relationships involved AH and PH, and correlations were significant for verbal memory measures. In the schizophrenia group, positive correlations were constrained to PH. Negative correlations emerged between AH and verbal and visual memory measures. For both groups, cortical volume negatively correlated with age, but a negative correlation between age and hippocampus volume was found only in the schizophrenia group. In this sample of adults with schizophrenia, atypical relationships between regional hippocampus volumes and episodic memory ability were found, as was an atypical negative association between hippocampus volume and age. (JINS, 2009, 15, 182–195.)
The effect of age and sex on clustering and switching during speeded verbal fluency tasks
Authors: LANTING SHAWNDA , HAUGRUD NICOLE , CROSSLEY MARGARET 
Published: February 2009

AbstractPast research has been inconsistent with regard to the effects of normal aging and sex on strategy use during verbal fluency performance. In the present study, both Troyer et al.’s (1997) and Abwender et al.’s (2001) scoring methods were used to measure switching and clustering strategies in 60 young and 72 older adults, equated on verbal ability. Young adults produced more words overall and switched more often during both phonemic and semantic fluency tasks, but performed similarly to older adults on measures of clustering. Although there were no sex differences in total words produced on either fluency task, males produced larger clusters on both tasks, and females switched more frequently than males on the semantic but not on the phonemic fluency task. Although clustering strategies appear to be relatively age-insensitive, age-related changes in switching strategies resulted in fewer overall words produced by older adults. This study provides evidence of age and sex differences in strategy use during verbal fluency tests, and illustrates the utility of combining Troyer’s and Abwender’s scoring procedures with in-depth categorization of clustering to understand interactions between age and sex during semantic fluency tasks. (JINS, 2009, 15, 196–204.)
Diagnostic utility of sound naming in early Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: JEON HYEON-AE , LEE KYOUNG-MIN 
Published: February 2009

AbstractWhile it is well known that picture naming (PN) is impaired in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), sound naming (SN) has not been thoroughly investigated. We postulated that SN might be impaired more severely and earlier than PN, given the early involvement of the temporal cortex by AD-related pathology. SN and PN were assessed in 21 normal participants, 40 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 27 patients in early stages of AD. Our results showed that SN accuracy and latency were more sensitive to advancing pathology in AD than PN accuracy and latency. SN was more useful and specific in distinguishing MCI patients from normal participants and therefore in potentially identifying the subset of MCI patients who already have impairment in more than one cognitive domain and may actually have incipient AD. These findings indicate a potential diagnostic utility of SN for early detection of the disease. Furthermore, even though most AD patients demonstrated more or less comparable impairment in both tasks, some were disproportionately impaired on SN and others were differentially impaired on PN. Future studies may be able to show that these discrepant groups correspond to patients with right and left hemisphere predominant AD, respectively. (JINS, 2009, 15, 231–238.)
Neurocognitive predictors of financial capacity across the dementia spectrum: Normal aging, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: SHEROD MEGAN G. , GRIFFITH H. RANDALL , COPELAND JACQUELYNN , BELUE KATHERINE , KRZYWANSKI SARA , ZAMRINI EDWARD Y. , HARRELL LINDY E. , CLARK DAVID G. , BROCKINGTON JOHN C. , POWERS RICHARD E. , MARSON DANIEL C. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractFinancial capacity is a complex instrumental activity of daily living critical to independent functioning of older adults and sensitive to impairment in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, little is known about the neurocognitive basis of financial impairment in dementia. We developed cognitive models of financial capacity in cognitively healthy older adults (n = 85) and patients with MCI (n = 113) and mild AD (n = 43). All participants were administered the Financial Capacity Instrument (FCI) and a neuropsychological test battery. Univariate correlation and multiple regression procedures were used to develop cognitive models of overall FCI performance across groups. The control model (R2 = .38) comprised (in order of entry) written arithmetic skills, delayed story recall, and simple visuomotor sequencing. The MCI model (R2 = .69) comprised written arithmetic skills, visuomotor sequencing and set alternation, and race. The AD model (R2 = .65) comprised written arithmetic skills, simple visuomotor sequencing, and immediate story recall. Written arithmetic skills (WRAT-3 Arithmetic) was the primary predictor across models, accounting for 27% (control model), 46% (AD model), and 55% (MCI model) of variance. Executive function and verbal memory were secondary model predictors. The results offer insight into the cognitive basis of financial capacity across the dementia spectrum of cognitive aging, MCI, and AD. (JINS, 2009, 15, 258–267.)
Executive functioning among female pathological gambling and bulimia nervosa patients: Preliminary findings
Authors: ÁLVAREZ-MOYA E.M. , JIMÉNEZ-MURCIA S. , MORAGAS L. , GÓMEZ-PEÑA M. , AYMAMÍ M.N. , OCHOA C. , SÁNCHEZ-DÍAZ I. , MENCHÓN J.M. , FERNÁNDEZ-ARANDA F. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractShared vulnerabilities have been described across disorders of impulse control, including pathological gambling (PG) and bulimia nervosa (BN). Our aim was to compare the executive functioning of PG and BN females in order to confirm their similarity at a neurocognitive level. A total of 15 BN females, 15 PG females, and 15 healthy control (HC) females were administered the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Stroop Color and Word Test. Analysis of covariance adjusted for age and education was conducted to compare groups. PG showed the greatest impairment, that is, the highest percentage of WCST perseverative errors (p = .023), the lowest percentage of conceptual-level responses (p = .034), and the highest number of total trials administered (p = .021), while BN showed the highest percentage of WCST nonperseverative errors (p = .003). Both BN and PG females demonstrated executive dysfunction relative to HCs but different specific correlates (i.e., greater vulnerability to distraction in BN, but more cognitive inflexibility in PG). (JINS, 2009, 15, 302–306.)
Isolator and other neonatal piglet models in developmental immunology and identification of virulence factors
Authors: Butler J. E. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractThe postnatal period is a ‘critical window’, a time when innate and passive immunity protect the newborn mammal while its own adaptive immune system is developing. Neonatal piglets, especially those reared in isolators, provide valuable tools for studying immunological development during this period, since environmental factors that cause ambiguity in studies with conventional animals are controlled by the experimenter. However, these models have limited value unless the swine immune system is first characterized and the necessary immunological reagents developed. Characterization has revealed numerous features of the swine immune system that did not fit mouse paradigms but may be more generally true for most mammals. These include fetal class switch recombination that is uncoupled from somatic hypermutation, the relative importance of the molecular mechanisms used to develop the antibody repertoire, the role of gut lymphoid tissue in that process, and the limited heavy chain repertoire but diverse IgG subclass repertoire. Knowledge gained from studies of adaptive immunity in isolator-reared neonatal pigs suggests that isolator piglets can be valuable in identification of virulence factors that are often masked in studies using conventional animals.
Programming of growth, insulin resistance and vascular dysfunction in offspring of late gestation diabetic rats
Authors: Segar Emily M. , Norris Andrew W. , Yao Jian-Rong , Hu Shanming , Koppenhafer Stacia L. , Roghair Robert D. , Segar Jeffrey L. , Scholz Thomas D. 
Published: February 2009

ODM (offspring of diabetic mothers) have an increased risk of developing metabolic and cardiovascular dysfunction; however, few studies have focused on the susceptibility to disease in offspring of mothers developing diabetes during pregnancy. We developed an animal model of late gestation diabetic pregnancy and characterized metabolic and vascular function in the offspring. Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin (50 mg/kg of body weight, intraperitoneally) in pregnant rats on gestational day 13 and was partially controlled by twice-daily injections of insulin. At 2 months of age, ODM had slightly better glucose tolerance than controls (P&lt;0.05); however, by 6 months of age this trend had reversed. A euglycaemic–hyperinsulinamic clamp revealed insulin resistance in male ODM (P&lt;0.05). In 6–8-month-old female ODM, aortas had significantly enhanced contractility in response to KCl, ET-1 (endothelin-1) and NA (noradrenaline). No differences in responses to ET-1 and NA were apparent with co-administration of L-NNA (NG-nitro-L-arginine). Relaxation in response to ACh (acetylcholine), but not SNP (sodium nitroprusside), was significantly impaired in female ODM. In contrast, males had no between-group differences in response to vasoconstrictors, whereas relaxation to SNP and ACh was greater in ODM compared with control animals. Thus the development of diabetes during pregnancy programmes gender-specific insulin resistance and vascular dysfunction in adult offspring.
A question of balance: prioritizing public health responses to harm from gambling
Authors: Adams Peter J. , Raeburn John , De Silva Kawshi 
Published: February 2009

ABSTRACTAim  To provide an overview on the nature and importance of public health approaches to the global expansion of commercial gambling.Method  Three key areas of public health activity are examined: harm minimization, health promotion and the political determinants for change.Findings  The rapid proliferation of gambling experienced in many countries is driven by the commercial development of new products orientated around continuous and rapid mass consumption. This is particularly the case with ongoing refinements to electronic gambling machines and the development of new gambling technologies using the internet and mobile telephones. So far responses to negative impacts have, on the whole, focused upon individualized treatment interventions. A public health approach to gambling offers a broad range of strategies to tackle the wider implications of gambling expansion: harm reduction provides evidence‐based strategies for managing identifiable harm; health promotion focuses upon communities building their capacity, knowledge and resilience with regard to the attractions of gambling, and action on the political determinants sets out to increase the accountability and reduce the conflicts of interest that influence government resolve in managing their gambling environments.Conclusion  In this new environment of mass consumption, efforts in developing treatment responses to problem gambling need to be balanced with, at least, equal efforts in developing public health responses. With the expansion of commercial gambling occurring globally, international agencies could play a critical role in supporting public health initiatives.
Doing harm reduction better: syringe exchange in the United States
Authors: Des Jarlais Don C. , McKnight Courtney , Goldblatt Cullen , Purchase David 
Published: February 2009

ABSTRACTObjective  To trace the growth of syringe exchange programs (SEPs) in the United States since 1994–95 and assess the current state of SEPs.Methods  Annual surveys of US SEPs known to North American Syringe Exchange Network (NASEN). Surveys mailed to executive directors with follow‐up interviews by telephone and/or e‐mail. Response rates have varied between 70% and 88% since surveys were initiated in 1996.Results  The numbers of programs known to NASEN have increased from 68 in 1994–95 to 186 in 2007. Among programs participating in the survey, numbers of syringes exchanged have increased from 8.0 million per year to 29.5 million per year, total annual budgets have increased from $6.3 to $19.6 million and public funding (from state and local governments) has increased from $3.9 to $14.4 million. In 2007, 89% of programs permitted secondary exchange and 76% encouraged it. Condoms, referrals to substance abuse treatment, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) counseling and testing and naloxone for overdose were among the most commonly provided services in addition to basic syringe exchange. Each of these services was provided by 40% or more of SEPs in 2007.Conclusions  While syringe exchange has remained controversial in the United States, there has been very substantial growth in numbers of programs, syringes exchange and program budgets. Utilizing secondary exchange to reach large numbers of injecting drug users and utilizing SEPs as a new platform for providing health and social services beyond basic syringe exchange have been the two major organizational strategies in the growth of SEPs in the United States.
The Mexican migration to the United States and substance use in northern Mexico
Authors: Borges Guilherme , Medina‐Mora Maria‐Elena , Orozco Ricardo , Fleiz Clara , Cherpitel Cheryl , Breslau Joshua 
Published: February 2009

ABSTRACTAims  To examine the impact of migration to the United States on substance use and substance use disorders in three urban areas of northern Mexico.Design  Cross‐sectional survey of immigration‐related experiences and life‐time and past‐year alcohol and drug use, in a representative sample of respondents aged 12–65 years.Setting  Interviews were conducted in the cities of Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez and Monterrey during 2005. Respondents were classified into three groups: (i) ‘return migrants’, (ii) ‘relatives of migrants’ and (iii) ‘others in the general population’.Findings  A total of 1630 completed interviews were obtained for a response rate of 70.5%. ‘Return migrants’ were more likely to have used alcohol, marijuana or cocaine at least once in their life‐time and in the last 12 months, more likely to develop a substance use disorder and more likely to have a 12‐month substance use disorder compared with ‘others in the general population’. Among ‘return migrants’, longer length of time in the United States and type of work performed as an immigrant were related to higher prevalence of substance use. Among ‘relatives of migrants’, migration experiences were not associated with increased prevalence of substance use compared with ‘others in the general population’.Conclusion  This study found a link between migration to the United States and the transformation of substance use norms and pathology in Mexico. Future research on pre‐migration involvement in substance use and data on the timing of events among return migrants is needed. Public health measures are likely to require cross‐border coordination of research and service development.
Classification of abused inhalants
Authors: Balster Robert L. , Cruz Silvia L. , Howard Matthew O. , Dell Colleen A. , Cottler Linda B. 
Published: February 2009

ABSTRACTMany hundreds of household and industrial products can be volatilized readily and are subject to abuse. Inhalant abuse research has been hampered by a lack of consensus on whether or not there are subclassifications of abused inhalants based on chemical structure, form or intended use of the product or pharmacological properties. This paper discusses strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to classification of inhalants and suggests areas for future research in this area. It is concluded that classification of inhalants by form or product types is not useful for scientific purposes; rather, subclassification of inhalants should be based on a yet‐to‐be‐determined combination of chemical and pharmacological similarity and shared patterns of abuse. One of the ways in which we can improve our understanding of inhalant abuse is to obtain more detailed information on individual products and chemicals, their patterns of use and the geographical distribution of their use.
Alcohol in Mayan Guatemala: consumption, distribution, production and composition of cuxa
Authors: Kanteres Fotis , Lachenmeier Dirk W. , Rehm Jürgen 
Published: February 2009

ABSTRACTAims  To describe the consumption, distribution, production and chemical composition of alcohol, including cuxa (pronounced ‘coo sha’), in Nahualá, a highland Mayan municipality in Guatemala. Cuxa is a sugarcane‐derived spirit, in part produced clandestinely, that has been distributed in the community for several decades.Methods  Key informant interviews with alcohol distributors and consumers, cuxa producers and health professionals, as well as analyses of questionnaires from a sample of 47 spouses who came to the local health centre for problems related to their husband's drinking. Sampling and chemical analysis of cuxa from 12 of 13 identified sales points in the head‐town of Nahualá and its nearby settlements (10 km radius). Fieldwork was conducted between November 2007 and March 2008.Results  Alcohol consumption was found to be integrated culturally in this community. The overall drinking culture was marked by irregular heavy drinking occasions, especially around market days, with substantial inebriation and health problems, especially among street inhabiting drinkers. Cuxa contributed to these problems, and cuxa drinking was socially stigmatized. Cuxa was produced both clandestinely and industrially, and sold legally by taverns and illegally by clandestine distributors. The alcoholic strength of the samples was typically between 17 and 19% vol.; clandestinely produced cuxa samples showed acetaldehyde contamination.Conclusions  Measures should be taken to reduce the harm associated with alcohol in this community, including efforts to reduce acetaldehyde levels in cuxa.