Testing an active intervention to deter researchers' use of questionable research practices.

INTRODUCTION: In this study, we tested a simple, active "ethical consistency" intervention aimed at reducing researchers' endorsement of questionable research practices (QRPs). METHODS: We developed a simple, active ethical consistency intervention and tested it against a control using an established QRP survey instrument. Before responding to a survey that asked about attitudes towards each of fifteen QRPs, participants were randomly assigned to either a consistency or control 3-5-min writing task. A total of 201 participants completed the survey: 121 participants were recruited from a database of currently funded NSF/NIH scientists, and 80 participants were recruited from a pool of active researchers at a large university medical center in the southeastern US. Narrative responses to the writing prompts were coded and analyzed to assist post hoc interpretation of the quantitative data. RESULTS: We hypothesized that participants in the consistency condition would find ethically ambiguous QRPs less defensible and would indicate less willingness to engage in them than participants in the control condition. The results showed that the consistency intervention had no significant effect on respondents' reactions regarding the defensibility of the QRPs or their willingness to engage in them. Exploratory analyses considering the narrative themes of participants' responses indicated that participants in the control condition expressed lower perceptions of QRP defensibility and willingness. CONCLUSION: The results did not support the main hypothesis, and the consistency intervention may have had the unwanted effect of inducing increased rationalization. These results may partially explain why RCR courses often seem to have little positive effect.

TWO NEW SINGLE-EXPOSURE, MULTI-DETECTOR NEUTRON SPECTROMETERS FOR RADIATION PROTECTION APPLICATIONS IN WORKPLACE MONITORING.

This communication describes two new instruments, based on multiple active thermal neutron detectors arranged within a single moderator, that permit to unfold the neutron spectrum (from thermal to hundreds of MeV) and to determine the corresponding integral quantities with only one exposure. This makes them especially advantageous for neutron field characterisation and workplace monitoring in neutron-producing facilities. One of the devices has spherical geometry and nearly isotropic response, the other one has cylindrical symmetry and it is only sensitive to neutrons incident along the cylinder axis. In both cases, active detectors have been specifically developed looking for the criteria of miniaturisation, high sensitivity, linear response and good photon rejection. The calculated response matrix has been validated by experimental irradiations in neutron reference fields with a global uncertainty of 3%. The measurements performed in realistic neutron fields permitted to determine the neutron spectra and the integral quantities, in particular H*(10).

Transmission of Grapevine virus A and Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 1 and 3 by Heliococcus bohemicus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) Nymphs From Plants With Mixed Infections.

Mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) represent a serious threat for viticulture as vectors of phloem-restricted viruses associated with the grapevine rugose wood and leafroll diseases. Heliococcus bohemicus (Sulc) is known to be involved in the spread of these two viral diseases, being a vector of the Grapevine virus A (GVA) and the Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 1 and 3 (GLRaV-1 and GLRaV-3). This study investigated the acquisition and transmission efficiency of H. bohemicus fed on mixed-infected plants. Nymphs were field-collected onto GVA, GLRaV-1, and GLRaV-3 multiple-infected grapevines in two vineyards in North-Western Italy, and were used in transmission experiments under controlled conditions. Even if most of the collected nymphs were positive to at least one virus, transmission occurred only to a low number of test grapevines. The transmission frequency of GLRaV-3 was the highest, whereas GVA was transmitted to few test plants. The transmission of multiple viruses occurred at low rates, and nymphs that acquired all the three viruses then failed to transmit them together. Statistical analyses showed that the three viruses were independently acquired and transmitted by H. bohemicus and neither synergistic nor antagonistic interactions occurred among them. GVA and GLRaVs transmission efficiencies by H. bohemicus were lower than those reported for other mealybug vectors. This finding is consistent with the slow spread of leafroll and rugose wood diseases observed in Northern Italy, where H. bohemicus is the predominant vector species.

ETHERNES: A new design of radionuclide source-based thermal neutron facility with large homogeneity area.

A new thermal neutron irradiation facility based on an (241)Am-Be source embedded in a polyethylene moderator has been designed, and is called ETHERNES (Extended THERmal NEutron Source). The facility shows a large irradiation cavity (45 cm × 45 cm square section, 63 cm in height), which is separated from the source by means of a polyethylene sphere acting as shadowing object. Taking advantage of multiple scattering of neutrons with the walls of this cavity, the moderation process is especially effective and allows obtaining useful thermal fluence rates from 550 to 800 cm(-2) s(-1) with a source having nominal emission rate 5.7×10(6) s(-1). Irradiation planes parallel to the cavity bottom have been identified. The fluence rate across a given plane is as uniform as 3% (or better) in a disk with 30 cm (or higher) diameter. In practice, the value of thermal fluence rate simply depends on the height from the cavity bottom. The thermal neutron spectral fraction ranges from 77% up to 89%, depending on the irradiation plane. The angular distribution of thermal neutrons is roughly isotropic, with a slight prevalence of directions from bottom to top of the cavity. The mentioned characteristics are expected to be attractive for the scientific community involved in neutron metrology, neutron dosimetry and neutron detector testing.

Covalent fixation of hemoglobin to dextran phosphates decreases its oxygen affinity.

The interactions between various dextran phosphates and Hb (hemoglobin) were studied by measuring the oxygen-binding parameters of the mixtures. The effector properties of polymers were found to depend on the concentration of monoalkylmonophosphate groups on the polymers and also on their molecular weights. The covalent fixation of dextran phosphates bearing aldehydic groups to oxyHb and deoxyHb was carried out. The oxygen-binding properties of the conjugates thus obtained depended upon the initial form of the protein. Thus, only the conjugates synthesized from deoxyHb exhibited a low oxygen affinity, which means that, in this case, the linkages between the dextran phosphate and the protein allow a permanent interaction of the phosphate groups with amines of the 2,3-diphosphoglycerate binding site. The Hill coefficient values of these conjugates were smaller than that of free Hb, corresponding to a loss of the cooperativity of the protein upon fixation of polymers. However, as these new conjugates are capable of unloading more O2 than blood when subjected to oxygen pressures corresponding to physiological conditions, they can be regarded as potential erythrocyte substitutes.

Geographical origin and breed discrimination of Apulian lamb meat samples by means of analytical and spectroscopic determinations.

With the aim of finding parameters capable of characterizing meat according to geographical origin, twenty-five lamb meat samples from three areas located in Apulia (Southern Italy) were analysed for moisture, ash, fat and protein content, stable isotope ratios ((15)N/(14)N and (13)C/(12)C), major elements (Ca, Mg, Na, K) and trace metals (Zn, Cu, Fe, Cr). (1)H high resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR spectra were also obtained for all the samples. The advantages of the (1)H HR-MAS NMR technique are that sample preparation is easy, since the spectrum is obtained directly on the minced solid sample, and that information is acquired for a large number of metabolites (amino acids, fatty acids, sugars, etc.). The application of multivariate statistical analysis to two data sets containing tissue composition results together with the metals contents and (1)H HR-MAS NMR spectral data together with isotope ratios, respectively, provided in both cases a satisfactory origin differentiation of lamb meat samples.

Electronic nose and isotope ratio mass spectrometry in combination with chemometrics for the characterization of the geographical origin of Italian sweet cherries.

Sweet cherries from two Italian regions, Apulia and Emilia Romagna, were analysed using electronic nose (EN) and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), with the aim of distinguishing them according to their geographic origin. The data were elaborated by statistical techniques, examining the EN and IRMS datasets both separately and in combination. Preliminary exploratory overviews were performed and then linear discriminant analyses (LDA) were used for classification. Regarding EN, different approaches for variable selection were tested, and the most suitable strategies were highlighted. The LDA classification results were expressed in terms of recognition and prediction abilities and it was found that both EN and IRMS performed well, with IRMS showing better cross-validated prediction ability (91.0%); the EN-IRMS combination gave slightly better results (92.3%). In order to validate the final results, the models were tested using an external set of samples with excellent results.

Interaction of a macromolecular polyanion, dextran sulfate, with human hemoglobin.

Interactions of dextran sulfate with amino groups of oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin were followed by both potentiometric measurements between pH 6 and 7.3 and oxygen-binding studies. The uptake of protons observed upon addition of dextran sulfate to hemoglobin shows that the interaction with the deoxy form is strong and that the main site is probably located in the phosphate-binding beta-cavity, whereas the interaction with the oxy form is more diffuse, probably with a great number of relatively weak binding sites. The influence of dextran sulfate on the oxygen dissociation curve of hemoglobin confirms these findings, as the effect of the polymer is to lower hemoglobin affinity for oxygen to a great extent, which proves that it stabilizes the deoxy form more strongly than the oxy one.

Effectiveness of treatments for major depression in primary medical care practice: a post hoc analysis of outcomes for African American and white patients.

OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively determine whether race differentially influences treatment adherence and clinical outcomes among 68 African Americans and 92 whites treated for major depression in four urban, primary care settings. METHOD: Study participants were randomly assigned to standardized interpersonal psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy with nortriptyline, and were assessed at baseline, and successive time points up to 8 months for severity of depression, and mental and physical health-related functioning. RESULTS: Intent-to-treat analyses revealed no treatment or race-specific differences in symptomatic recovery when both groups were provided standardized psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy. However, African Americans had poorer functional outcomes than whites. CONCLUSIONS: African American and white primary medical care patients are effectively treated with standardized psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. Future research should assess the impact of cultural context on symptom presentation, psychosocial functioning, and treatment adherence and response.

[Intestinal occlusion caused by internal hernia of the retrocaecal recess. Description of a case]. / Occlusione intestinale da ernia interna del recesso retrocecale. Descrizione di un caso.

The authors describe an acute intestinal occlusion due to a rare case of strangulated intra-abdominal hernia of the retrocaecal peritoneal recess. They underline the rarity of this pathology which is often treated in emergency without any possibility of preoperative diagnosis. Therefore, in order to carry out surgical therapy with good results, a correct knowledge of the anatomical features of these hernias is necessary.

[Splenectomy versus splenic salvage. Our experience]. / Splenectomia versus conservazione di milza. Nostra esperienza.

The authors describe their experience in the surgical treatment of splenic lesions, mostly traumatic. In recent years a resolutely conservative attitude has been turned to splenic salvage, thanks to late findings on its immunological and haematological functions. Against 59 splenectomies for III-V degree lesions, the authors report a case of splenic trauma (II degree) without surgical treatment, monitored with clinical, haematological and instrumental (echography) test.

[Laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Personal experience]. / Colecistectomia laparoscopica. La nostra esperienza.

The authors present their experience (136 cases) in the treatment of cholelithiasis with coelioscopic cholecystecomy. After a comparison of this modern technique with the traditional laparotomic approach, they underline the several advantages of coelioscopy (short hospitalization and early return to patient's work, reduced post-operative abdominal pain, avoidance of laparocele, better aesthetic results). Then the authors describe the present treatment of combined cholecysto-choledochic lithiasis with the help fo ERCP (their hope is for further improvement in surgical instruments to allow a single laparoscopic solutions.

[Acute abdomen caused by eosinophilic gastritis]. / Addome acuto da gastrite eosinofila.

The authors describe a case of acute abdomen operated in emergency for obstruction in a patient with eosinophilic gastritis. This is very unusual pathology characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of the gastric antral wall combined with peripheric eosinophilia. This particular case was operated for a small bowel obstruction but in those rare cases, when we can reach a diagnosis with endoscopic biopsy, a prudential attitude becomes inevitable as this pathology is very responsive to medical treatment with corticosteroids.

[Tension-free hernioplasty. Our experience]. / L'ernioplastica "tension-free". Nostra esperienza.

BACKGROUND: In recent years the "tension-free" techniques have been progressively replacing conventional hernioplasty by Bassini and Shouldice. Personal experience in the application of various techniques using a prosthesis to make the back wall of the inguinal canal stronger is described. METHODS: From January 1995 to February 1996, 119 non-selected patients were examined; they were operated by Trabucco's (100 cases), Lichtenstein's (16 cases), Gilbert's (13 cases) and Rives's (1 case) techniques, using polypropylene prostheses. Patients were followed for ten months (range 4-18) after surgery with Day-hospital checks at 1 month, 4 months, 1 year and 18 months. RESULTS: Mortality was not observed. Morbility presented in 12 cases: 2 suppurating wounds, 3 seromas, 2 hematomas, 2 temporary neuralgias of the genito-femoral nerve and 2 scrotal edemas. There was a recurrence (0.8%). CONCLUSIONS: The cases presented confirm the validity of the "tension-free" techniques, both for reduced incidence of complications and recurrences, and for a better compliance of the patient, compared with conventional techniques.

[Gastric leiomyosarcoma. Three clinical cases in emergency]. / Leiomiosarcoma gastrico. Osservazione di tre casi clinici in urgenza.

The authors describe three cases of gastric leiomyosarcoma that required surgical treatment in emergency. Myogenic gastric tumors are extremely rare (1-3% of primitive gastric neoplasias) and little is known about their biological evolution, even if they seem to have scarce power of spreading and of local invasion. Echoendoscopy appears to be the best screening method for the evaluation of staging and DT (doubling time). In the authors' opinion, when neoplasms have a diameter less than 5 cm, subtotal or total gastrectomies don't offer better results in the follow-up than simple minimal excision of the gastric tumor.

Instrumental and multivariate statistical analyses for the characterisation of the geographical origin of Apulian virgin olive oils.

In this paper, virgin olive oils (VOOs) coming from three different geographic origins of Apulia, were analysed for free acidity, peroxide value, spectrophotometric indexes, chlorophyll content, sterol, fatty acid, and triacylglycerol compositions. In order to predict the geographical origin of VOOs, different multivariate approaches were applied. By performing principal component analysis (PCA) a modest natural grouping of the VOOs was observed on the basis of their origin, and consequently three supervised techniques, i.e., general discriminant analysis (GDA), partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and soft independent modelling of class analogy (SIMCA) were used and the results were compared. In particular, the best prediction ability was produced by applying GDA (average prediction ability of 82.5%), even if interesting results were obtained also by applying the other two classification techniques, i.e., 77.2% and 75.5% for PLS-DA and SIMCA, respectively.

Scar sarcoidosis after hyaluronic acid injection.

A 54-year-old woman presented with a 5-month history of tender nodules in both nasolabial folds that had developed 4 months after the injection of hyaluronic acid (HA) (Restylane) for wrinkles. The patient was treated with 1.5 mg/day betamethasone for 6 days and her lesions disappeared within 1 week. About 8 days after stopping therapy, however, new nodules developed at the same site, on previously healthy buttocks, and on old scars. On examination, nodules of about 0.5-1 cm in size were palpable at the nasolabial folds, and red nodules were present on the buttocks (Fig. 1) and on two old scars. Laboratory tests disclosed an increased protein C reaction (7.9 mg/L; normal value, < 5 mg/L) and acetyl-converting enzyme test (14.5 U/L; normal value, < 9 U/L). A chest X-ray was normal. Lung function tests showed a decreased lung CO diffusion, and chest axial tomography disclosed fibrosis, increased parenchyma density, and calcifications, findings suggestive of a diagnosis of lung sarcoidosis. An X-ray of the hands showed some bone cysts. Interestingly, two granulomatous lesions were observed at the sites of venipuncture. Histology of a gluteal lesion biopsy showed a deep granuloma with epithelioid and Langhans cells in the absence of necrobiosis. Sarcoidosis was diagnosed and the patient was given 50 mg/day prednisone with clear clinical improvement of cutaneous lesions in about 6 months. Decreased parenchyma density was also observed by chest axial tomography.