Can people guess what happened to others from their reactions?

Are we able to infer what happened to a person from a brief sample of his/her behaviour? It has been proposed that mentalising skills can be used to retrodict as well as predict behaviour, that is, to determine what mental states of a target have already occurred. The current study aimed to develop a paradigm to explore these processes, which takes into account the intricacies of real-life situations in which reasoning about mental states, as embodied in behaviour, may be utilised. A novel task was devised which involved observing subtle and naturalistic reactions of others in order to determine the event that had previously taken place. Thirty-five participants viewed videos of real individuals reacting to the researcher behaving in one of four possible ways, and were asked to judge which of the four ‘scenarios’ they thought the individual was responding to. Their eye movements were recorded to establish the visual strategies used. Participants were able to deduce successfully from a small sample of behaviour which scenario had previously occurred. Surprisingly, looking at the eye region was associated with poorer identification of the scenarios, and eye movement strategy varied depending on the event experienced by the person in the video. This suggests people flexibly deploy their attention using a retrodictive mindreading process to infer events

Nuclear receptor REVERBα is a state-dependent regulator of liver energy metabolism

The nuclear receptor REVERBα is a core component of the circadian clock and proposed to be a dominant regulator of hepatic lipid metabolism. Using antibody-independent ChIP-sequencing of REVERBα in mouse liver, we reveal a high-confidence cistrome and define direct target genes. REVERBα-binding sites are highly enriched for consensus RORE or RevDR2 motifs and overlap with corepressor complex binding. We find no evidence for transcription factor tethering and DNA-binding domain-independent action. Moreover, hepatocyte-specific deletion of Reverbα drives only modest physiological and transcriptional dysregulation, with derepressed target gene enrichment limited to circadian processes. Thus, contrary to previous reports, hepatic REVERBα does not repress lipogenesis under basal conditions. REVERBα control of a more extensive transcriptional program is only revealed under conditions of metabolic perturbation (including mistimed feeding, which is a feature of the global Reverbα -/- mouse). Repressive action of REVERBα in the liver therefore serves to buffer against metabolic challenge, rather than drive basal rhythmicity in metabolic activity

Ethological principles predict the neuropeptides co-opted to influence parenting

Ethologists predicted that parental care evolves by modifying behavioural precursors in the asocial ancestor. As a corollary, we predict that the evolved mechanistic changes reside in genetic pathways underlying these traits. Here we test our hypothesis in female burying beetles, Nicrophorus vespilloides, an insect where caring adults regurgitate food to begging, dependent offspring. We quantify neuropeptide abundance in brains collected from three behavioural states: solitary virgins, individuals actively parenting or post-parenting solitary adults and quantify 133 peptides belonging to 18 neuropeptides. Eight neuropeptides differ in abundance in one or more states, with increased abundance during parenting in seven. None of these eight neuropeptides have been associated with parental care previously, but all have roles in predicted behavioural precursors for parenting. Our study supports the hypothesis that predictable traits and pathways are targets of selection during the evolution of parenting and suggests additional candidate neuropeptides to study in the context of parenting

Hospital characteristics associated with highly automated and usable clinical information systems in Texas, United States

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A hospital's clinical information system may require a specific environment in which to flourish. This environment is not yet well defined. We examined whether specific hospital characteristics are associated with highly automated and usable clinical information systems.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This was a cross-sectional survey of 125 urban hospitals in Texas, United States using the Clinical Information Technology Assessment Tool (CITAT), which measures a hospital's level of automation based on physician interactions with the information system. Physician responses were used to calculate a series of CITAT scores: automation and usability scores, four automation sub-domain scores, and an overall clinical information technology (CIT) score. A multivariable regression analysis was used to examine the relation between hospital characteristics and CITAT scores.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We received a sufficient number of physician responses at 69 hospitals (55% response rate). Teaching hospitals, hospitals with higher IT operating expenses (>$1 million annually), IT capital expenses (>$75,000 annually) and hospitals with larger IT staff (≥ 10 full-time staff) had higher automation scores than hospitals that did not meet these criteria (p < 0.05 in all cases). These findings held after adjustment for bed size, total margin, and ownership (p < 0.05 in all cases). There were few significant associations between the hospital characteristics tested in this study and usability scores.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Academic affiliation and larger IT operating, capital, and staff budgets are associated with more highly automated clinical information systems.</p

EuroQol (EQ-5D) measure of quality of life predicts mortality, emergency department utilization, and hospital discharge rates in HIV-infected adults under care

BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) is a relevant and quantifiable outcome of care. We implemented HR-QOL assessment at all primary care visits at UCSD Owen Clinic using EQ-5D. The study aim was to estimate the prognostic value of EQ-5D for survival, hospitalization, and emergency department (ED) utilization after controlling for CD4 and HIV plasma viral load (pVL). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of HIV clinic based cohort (1996–2000). The EQ-5D includes single item measures of: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. Each item is coded using 3-levels (1 = no problems; 2 = some problems; 3 = severe problems). The instrument includes a global rating of current health using a visual analog scale (VAS) ranging from 0 (worst imaginable) to 100 (best imaginable). An additional single item measure of health change (better, much the same, worse) was included. A predicted VAS (pVAS) was estimated by regressing the 5 EQ-5D health states on VAS using reference cell coding of health states and random effects linear models. Survival models were fit using Cox modelling. Hospitalization and ED rate models were estimated using population-averaged Poisson models. RESULTS: 965 patients met eligibility criteria. 12% were female; 42% were non-white. Median time-at-risk was 1.2 years. Median CD4 was 233. Median log(10)(pVL) was 4.6. 47 deaths occurred. In two Cox models controlling for CD4 and pVL, the adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) for VAS and pVAS as time-varying covariates were 0.73 (95% CI: 0.63–0.83) and 0.66 (95% CI: 0.56–0.77) respectively, for every 10 point increase in (p)VAS rating. In Poisson regression models predicting ED visit rates and hospital discharge rates controlling for current CD4 and pVL, each of the EQ-5D health dimensions, VAS, and health change items were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with the outcomes. For ED visit rates, the adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRR) were 0.86 (0.83–0.89) and 0.79 (0.75–0.82) for VAS and pVAS, respectively. For hospital discharge rates, the aIRR's were 0.85 (0.82–0.88) and 0.79 (0.75–0.82) for VAS and pVAS, respectively. CONCLUSION: EQ-5D is a brief and prognostically useful predictor of mortality, hospitalization, and ED utilization among adults under care for HIV infection, even after adjusting for CD4 and HIV plasma viral load

Biomechanical effects of polyaxial pedicle screw fixation on the lumbosacral segments with an anterior interbody cage support

BACKGROUND: Lumbosacral fusion is a relatively common procedure that is used in the management of an unstable spine. The anterior interbody cage has been involved to enhance the stability of a pedicle screw construct used at the lumbosacral junction. Biomechanical differences between polyaxial and monoaxial pedicle screws linked with various rod contours were investigated to analyze the respective effects on overall construct stiffness, cage strain, rod strain, and contact ratios at the vertebra-cage junction. METHODS: A synthetic model composed of two ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene blocks was used with four titanium pedicle screws (two in each block) and two rods fixation to build the spinal construct along with an anterior interbody cage support. For each pair of the construct fixed with polyaxial or monoaxial screws, the linked rods were set at four configurations to simulate 0°, 7°, 14°, and 21° lordosis on the sagittal plane, and a compressive load of 300 N was applied. Strain gauges were attached to the posterior surface of the cage and to the central area of the left connecting rod. Also, the contact area between the block and the cage was measured using prescale Fuji super low pressure film for compression, flexion, lateral bending and torsion tests. RESULTS: Our main findings in the experiments with an anterior interbody cage support are as follows: 1) large segmental lordosis can decrease the stiffness of monoaxial pedicle screws constructs; 2) polyaxial screws rather than monoaxial screws combined with the cage fixation provide higher compression and flexion stiffness in 21° segmental lordosis; 3) polyaxial screws enhance the contact surface of the cage in 21° segmental lordosis. CONCLUSION: Polyaxial screws system used in conjunction with anterior cage support yields higher contact ratio, compression and flexion stiffness of spinal constructs than monoaxial screws system does in the same model when the spinal segment is set at large lordotic angles. Polyaxial pedicle screw fixation performs nearly equal percentages of vertebra-cage contact among all constructs with different sagittal alignments, therefore enhances the stabilization effect of interbody cages in the lumbosacral area

Ultra-brief intervention for problem drinkers: research protocol

Background: Helping the large number of problem drinkers who will never seek treatment is a challenging issue. Public health initiatives employing educational materials or mass media campaigns have met with mixed success. However, clinical research has developed effective brief interventions to help problem drinkers. This project will employ an intervention that has been validated in clinical settings and then modified into an ultra-brief format suitable for use as a public health intervention. The major objective of this study is to conduct a randomized controlled trial to establish the effectiveness of an ultra-brief, personalized feedback intervention for problem drinkers. Methods/design: Problem drinkers recruited on a baseline population telephone survey conducted in a major metropolitan city in Canada will be randomized to one of three conditions - a personalized feedback pamphlet condition, a control pamphlet condition, or a no intervention control condition. In the week after the baseline survey, households in the two pamphlet conditions will be sent their respective pamphlets. Changes in drinking will be assessed post intervention at three-month and six-month follow-ups. Drinking outcomes will be compared between experimental conditions using Structural Equation Modeling. The primary hypothesis is that problem drinkers from households who receive the personalized feedback pamphlet intervention will display significantly improved drinking outcomes at three and six-month follow-ups as compared to problem drinkers from households in the no intervention control condition. Secondary hypotheses will test the impact of the intervention on help seeking, and explore the mediating or moderating role of perceived drinking norms, perceived alcohol risks and the problem drinker's social reasons for drinking. Discussion: This trial will provide information on the effectiveness of a pamphlet-based personalized feedback intervention for problem drinkers in a community setting. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov registration #NCT00688584.This study is funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Grant #R01 AA015680-01A2

Emerging Infectious Disease leads to Rapid Population Decline of Common British Birds

Emerging infectious diseases are increasingly cited as threats to wildlife, livestock and humans alike. They can threaten geographically isolated or critically endangered wildlife populations; however, relatively few studies have clearly demonstrated the extent to which emerging diseases can impact populations of common wildlife species. Here, we report the impact of an emerging protozoal disease on British populations of greenfinch Carduelis chloris and chaffinch Fringilla coelebs, two of the most common birds in Britain. Morphological and molecular analyses showed this to be due to Trichomonas gallinae. Trichomonosis emerged as a novel fatal disease of finches in Britain in 2005 and rapidly became epidemic within greenfinch, and to a lesser extent chaffinch, populations in 2006. By 2007, breeding populations of greenfinches and chaffinches in the geographic region of highest disease incidence had decreased by 35% and 21% respectively, representing mortality in excess of half a million birds. In contrast, declines were less pronounced or absent in these species in regions where the disease was found in intermediate or low incidence. Also, populations of dunnock Prunella modularis, which similarly feeds in gardens, but in which T. gallinae was rarely recorded, did not decline. This is the first trichomonosis epidemic reported in the scientific literature to negatively impact populations of free-ranging non-columbiform species, and such levels of mortality and decline due to an emerging infectious disease are unprecedented in British wild bird populations. This disease emergence event demonstrates the potential for a protozoan parasite to jump avian host taxonomic groups with dramatic effect over a short time period

Arthroscopic observation was useful to detect loosening of the femoral component of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty in a recurrent hemoarthrosis

A case of recurrent hemarthrosis of the knee after a mobile-bearing unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA; Oxford UKA) is described. A 58-year-old man met with a road traffic accident 10 months after UKA. He developed anteromedial pain and hemarthrosis of the knee joint 1 month after the accident, which required multiple aspirations. Physical examination showed no instability. Plain radiograph revealed no signs of loosening. All laboratory data, including bleeding and coagulation times, were within normal limits. Diagnostic arthroscopy demonstrated loosening of the femoral component. Any intraarticular pathology other than nonspecific synovitis was ruled out. The loose femoral component and polyethylene meniscal bearing were revised. Since then, hemarthrosis has not recurred

Simple Metals at High Pressure

In this lecture we review high-pressure phase transition sequences exhibited by simple elements, looking at the examples of the main group I, II, IV, V, and VI elements. General trends are established by analyzing the changes in coordination number on compression. Experimentally found phase transitions and crystal structures are discussed with a brief description of the present theoretical picture.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures, lecture notes for the lecture given at the Erice course on High-Pressure Crystallography in June 2009, Sicily, Ital