Reviewer acknowledgment 2013

CONTRIBUTING REVIEWERS: The editors of Journal of Physiological Anthropology would like to thank all our reviewers who have contributed to the journal in Volume 32 (2013)

Optimal Lighting Conditions for Office Workers from the Perspective of Non-visual Effects

University is one of the institutions that may have to face disaster events. For two decades, there have been a number of disasters that have negatively impacted the university. Resilience is an important concept that has been developed in the field of disaster management. This concept emphasizes on building adaptive capacitythrough social development, community competences, and strong communication and information systems. Students as a community often stay in campus for their activities such as study, research, and organization activities and are therefore prone to risks and dangers. It is important for students to be prepared in facing possible disasters so as to increase the resilience in the event of a disaster in the university. This research will show the perception of students in facing disaster, and furthermore will develop comprehensive disaster mitigation at the university, not only structural resilience, but also human resource to prepare in facing disasters. The purpose of this study is to describe the preparedness and awareness of the students of the Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Nursing, and Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Indonesia in facing disasters in an effort to increase disaster resilience in the university. This is a quantitative cross-sectional study performed on 388 respondents. Results show that generally the respondents are resilient enough in facing disasters. It showed from their answers with a percentage > 50%, there are: awareness of potentials for disaster on campus, respondents need to prepare in facing disasters, they got information from valid sources, they have been trained in disaster, appropriate answers regarding to emergency response during disaster, and knowledge regarding nearest health services. However, improvements are still needed for several variables, including disaster preparedness on campus, knowledge of early warning system in campus, ownership of catastrophe insurance, level of preparedness (which is still low at 30.9%), valid information sources, and participation in disaster response training should be increased. Keywords: disaster, disaster management, awareness, preparedness, resilience, universit

Variation of Driving Skill Among Elderly Drivers Compared to Young Drivers in Japan

This study analyzed driving skill among Japanese elderly drivers compared to young drivers and see which less skilled that might impact road accident risk in highway. Subjects included young and elderly drivers, consisting of 10 college students (20 – 24 years old) and 25 elderly drivers (14 men and 11 women) coming from The Silver Manpower Centre, an organization for elderly > 60 years. Elderly drivers were divided into two age groups, namely elderly 1 aged 60 – 65 years (10 persons) and elderly 2 aged > 65 years (15 persons). Driving performance was evaluated by using driving game simulator in laboratory. Analysis was conducted on consistency in the lane, lane-changing skill, traffic sign compliance, right-turning skill, braking and driving speed. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA test. Generally, performance of elderly 2 was lower than the young almost in all parameters including consistency in the lane (p value 65 years old were likely to be wrong on seeing traffic signs due to visual limitation and long response of compliance

Effects of saliva collection using cotton swabs on melatonin enzyme immunoassay

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although various acceptable and easy-to-use devices have been used for saliva collection, cotton swabs are among the most common ones. Previous studies reported that cotton swabs yield a lower level of melatonin detection. However, this statistical method is not adequate for detecting an agreement between cotton saliva collection and passive saliva collection, and a test for bias is needed. Furthermore, the effects of cotton swabs have not been examined at lower melatonin level, a level at which melatonin is used for assessment of circadian rhythms, namely dim light melatonin onset (DLMO). In the present study, we estimated the effect of cotton swabs on the results of salivary melatonin assay using the Bland-Altman plot at lower level.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Nine healthy males were recruited and each provided four saliva samples on a single day to yield a total of 36 samples. Saliva samples were directly collected in plastic tubes using plastic straws, and subsequently pipetted onto cotton swabs (cotton saliva collection) and into clear sterile tubes (passive saliva collection). The melatonin levels were analyzed in duplicate using commercially available ELISA kits.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean melatonin concentration in cotton saliva collection samples was significantly lower than that in passive saliva collection samples at higher melatonin level (>6 pg/mL). The Bland-Altman plot indicated that cotton swabs causes relative and proportional biases in the assay results. For lower melatonin level (<6 pg/mL), although the BA plots didn't show proportional and relative biases, there was no significant correlation between passive and cotton saliva collection samples.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our findings indicate an interference effect of cotton swabs on the assay result of salivary melatonin at lower melatonin level. Cotton-based collection devices might, thus, not be suitable for assessment of DLMO.</p

An ancestral haplotype of the human PERIOD2 gene associates with reduced sensitivity to light-induced melatonin suppression.

Humans show various responses to the environmental stimulus in individual levels as "physiological variations." However, it has been unclear if these are caused by genetic variations. In this study, we examined the association between the physiological variation of response to light-stimulus and genetic polymorphisms. We collected physiological data from 43 subjects, including light-induced melatonin suppression, and performed haplotype analyses on the clock genes, PER2 and PER3, exhibiting geographical differentiation of allele frequencies. Among the haplotypes of PER3, no significant difference in light sensitivity was found. However, three common haplotypes of PER2 accounted for more than 96% of the chromosomes in subjects, and 1 of those 3 had a significantly low-sensitive response to light-stimulus (P < 0.05). The homozygote of the low-sensitive PER2 haplotype showed significantly lower percentages of melatonin suppression (P < 0.05), and the heterozygotes of the haplotypes varied their ratios, indicating that the physiological variation for light-sensitivity is evidently related to the PER2 polymorphism. Compared with global haplotype frequencies, the haplotype with a low-sensitive response was more frequent in Africans than in non-Africans, and came to the root in the phylogenetic tree, suggesting that the low light-sensitive haplotype is the ancestral type, whereas the other haplotypes with high sensitivity to light are the derived types. Hence, we speculate that the high light-sensitive haplotypes have spread throughout the world after the Out-of-Africa migration of modern humans

Cognitive characteristics of older Japanese drivers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Some causes of accidents among older drivers are: not paying attention to traffic signals; missing stop lines; and having to deal with and misjudging emergency situations. These causes of accidents reveal problems with attention and cognition. Such incidents are also related to driver perception and stress-coping mechanisms. It is important to examine the relation of stress reactions to attention and cognition as a factor influencing the causes of accidents commonly involving older drivers.</p> <p>Finding</p> <p>Subjects were 10 young drivers (23.3 ± 3.33 years) and 25 older drivers divided into two groups (older1 [60 to 65 years] and older2 [> 65 years]). This study revealed the correlation within driver stress inventory and driver coping questionnaires parameters was observed only in older drivers. They also needed a longer response time for Trail Making Test A and B. The factors affected the attention and cognition of older drivers by age but not driving experience itself, and coping parameters such as emotion focus, reappraisal, and avoidance were not included as stress inventory parameters. Being prone to fatigue was less for younger drivers than older drivers. Because they have shorter distances, shorter drive times, and no need for expressways, older drivers also had a significantly lower risk of thrill-seeking behaviour and more patience.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The intervention addressing their attention skills, aggressive feelings, and emotion focus should be considered. The technological improvements in cars will make older drivers feel safer and make driving easier which might lower the attention paid to the road, and regular driving training might be needed to assess and enhance their safety.</p

An ancestral haplotype of the human <i>PERIOD2</i> gene associates with reduced sensitivity to light-induced melatonin suppression

Humans show various responses to the environmental stimulus in individual levels as “physiological variations.” However, it has been unclear if these are caused by genetic variations. In this study, we examined the association between the physiological variation of response to light-stimulus and genetic polymorphisms. We collected physiological data from 43 subjects, including light-induced melatonin suppression, and performed haplotype analyses on the clock genes, PER2 and PER3, exhibiting geographical differentiation of allele frequencies. Among the haplotypes of PER3, no significant difference in light sensitivity was found. However, three common haplotypes of PER2 accounted for more than 96% of the chromosomes in subjects, and 1 of those 3 had a significantly low-sensitive response to light-stimulus (P < 0.05). The homozygote of the low-sensitive PER2 haplotype showed significantly lower percentages of melatonin suppression (P < 0.05), and the heterozygotes of the haplotypes varied their ratios, indicating that the physiological variation for light-sensitivity is evidently related to the PER2 polymorphism. Compared with global haplotype frequencies, the haplotype with a low-sensitive response was more frequent in Africans than in non-Africans, and came to the root in the phylogenetic tree, suggesting that the low light-sensitive haplotype is the ancestral type, whereas the other haplotypes with high sensitivity to light are the derived types. Hence, we speculate that the high light-sensitive haplotypes have spread throughout the world after the Out-of-Africa migration of modern humans

Methanol electrosynthesis from CO2 at Cu2O/ZnO prompted by pyridine-based aqueous solutions

In this study, we examine the electrochemical-driven reduction of CO2 to methanol at Cu2O/ZnO gas diffusion electrodes in soluble pyridine-based electrolytes at different concentrations. The process is evaluated first by cyclic voltammetric analyses and then, for the continuous reduction of CO2 in a filter-press electrochemical cell. The results showed that the use of pyridine-based soluble co-catalysts lowered the overpotential for the electrochemical reduction of CO2, enhancing also reaction performance (i.e. reaction rate and Faradaic efficiency). Reaction outcome is discussed on the basis of the role that N-ligands play on the mechanism and the inductive effect caused by the electron-releasing or electron-withdrawing substituents of the aromatic ring. In particular, the maximum methanol formation rate and Faradaic efficiency reached at the 2-methylpyridine (with electron-releasing substituents)-based system with a pH of 7.6 and an applied current density of j = 1 mA cm−2 were r = 2.91 μmol m−2 s−1 and FE = 16.86%, respectively. These values significantly enhance those obtained in the absence of any molecular catalyst (r = 0.21 μmol m−2 s−1 and FE = 1.2%). The performance was further enhanced when lowering the electrolyte pH by adding HCl (r = 4.42 μmol m−2 s−1 and FE = 25.6% at pH = 5), although the system showed deactivation in the long run (5 h) which appears largely to be due to a change in product selectivity of the reaction (i.e. formation of ethylene).The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), under the projects CTQ2013-48280-C3-1-R, CTQ2014-55716-REDT and Juan de la Cierva program (JCI-2012-12073)