Studying the Existence and Attributes of Consensus on Psychological Concepts by a Cognitive Psychometric Model.

Psychological research can take a variety of directions while building on theoretical concepts that are commonly shared among the population of researchers. We investigate the question of how agreement or consensus on basic scientific concepts can be measured. Our approach to the problem is based on a state-of-the-art cognitive psychometric technique, implemented in the theoretical framework of cultural consensus theory. With this approach, consensus-based answers for questions exploring shared knowledge can be derived while basic factors of the human decision-making process are accounted for. An example of the approach is provided by examining the definition of behavior, based on responses from researchers and students. We conclude that the consensus definition of behavior is "a response by the whole individual to external or internal stimulus, influenced by the internal processes of the individual, and is typically not a developmental change." The general goal of the article is to demonstrate the utility of a cultural consensus theory-based approach as a method for investigating what current, working definitions of scientific concepts are.

Empty toe phenomenon: a big problem for a little toe.

The authors present a case report and review of the sparse literature of a rare closed degloving injury to the toe, referred to by Flaherty as an "empty toe phenomenon." A 25-year-old man sustained a twisting injury to his left foot when he was involved in a motorcycle accident. The skin was not lacerated around the toe but on physical exam it appeared that part of the toe was empty of its bony contents.

Social and Spatial Networks: Kinship Distance and Dwelling Unit Proximity in Rural Thailand.

We address a long hypothesized relationship between the proximity of individuals' dwelling units and their kinship association. Better understanding this relationship is important because of its implications for contact and association among members of a society. In this paper, we use a unique dataset from Nang Rong, Thailand which contains dwelling unit locations (GPS) and saturated kinship networks of all individuals living in 51 agricultural villages. After presenting arguments for a relationship between individuals' dwelling unit locations and their kinship relations as well as the particulars of our case study, we introduce the data and describe our analytic approach. We analyze how kinship - considered as both a system linking collections of individuals in an extended kinship network and as dyadic links between pairs of individuals -patterns the proximity of dwelling units in rural villages. The results show that in general, extended kin live closer to one another than do unrelated individuals. Further, the degree of relatedness between kin correlates with the distance between their dwelling units. Close kin are more likely to co-reside, a fact which drives much of the relationship between kinship relatedness and dwelling unit proximity within villages. There is nevertheless suggestive evidence of a relationship between kinship association and dwelling unit proximity among kin who do not live together.

Migrant remittances and the web of family obligations: ongoing support among spatially extended kin in North-east Thailand, 1984-94.

Exchanges of money, goods, and assistance among family/kin members are influenced by the intertwined lives of individuals and their family/kin. As people pass through the young adulthood years, acquiring obligations as spouses and parents, and migrating in search of economic opportunities, tensions can arise over existing obligations. Using rich longitudinal data from Northeast Thailand, we examined the role of family networks (origin and destination) on migrants' exchanges with family/kin. Our approach overcame many shortcomings of earlier studies, allowing us to 'see' the family social network arrayed in a broader network. We show that intra-family exchanges are influenced by marital status, the presence of children, having parents in the origin household, and having siblings depart from it. The results are stable across sensitivity tests that systematically include or exclude various familial links. In addition, reports provided by origin households on migrant remittances are consistent with reports from migrants themselves.

Trapeziometacarpal Fusion With and Without Distal Scaphoid Excision: A Cadaveric Model Comparing Thumb Range of Motion.

Purpose: To describe the biomechanical changes seen after thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) fusion with distal scaphoid excision (DSE), a surgical technique used for pantrapezial disease in high-demand individuals. Methods: A cadaveric study with 13 fresh-frozen cadaveric specimens was conducted. Fluoroscopic measurements in posteroanterior (PA) and lateral planes were performed. Thumb CMC fusion was then simulated. The same images were taken after fusion. The distal scaphoid was excised, and the measurements were obtained again. The angle between the index finger and thumb metacarpals was recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results: The mean arcs of motion in the PA plane pre-fusion, post-fusion, and post-fusion with DSE were 48.5°, 25.1°, and 34.6°, respectively. An increase in arc of 9.5° was obtained after DSE compared with thumb CMC fusion alone. The mean arcs of motion in the lateral plane pre-fusion, post-fusion, and post-fusion with DSE were 53.4°, 22.4°, and 33.6°, respectively. A statistically significant increase in arc of motion of 11.2° in the lateral plane was obtained after DSE compared with thumb CMC fusion alone. This was a 20% and 21% increase in pre-fusion range of motion in the PA and lateral planes, respectively, from fusion alone compared with fusion and DSE. Conclusions: Thumb CMC fusion combined with DSE maintains motion lost in simple CMC arthrodesis.

Relative influences of historical and contemporary forces shaping the distribution of genetic variation in the Atlantic killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus.

A major goal of population genetics research is to identify the relative influences of historical and contemporary processes that serve to structure genetic variation. Most population genetic models assume that populations exist in a state of migration-drift equilibrium. However, in the past this assumption has rarely been verified, and is likely rarely achieved in natural populations. We assessed the equilibrium status at both local and regional scales of the Atlantic killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus. This species is a model organism for the study of adaptive clinal variation, but has also experienced a complicated history of range expansion and secondary contact following allopatric divergence, potentially obscuring the influence of contemporary evolutionary processes. Presumptively neutral genetic markers (microsatellites) demonstrated zones of secondary intergradation among coastal populations centred around northern New Jersey and the Chesapeake Bay region. Analysis of genetic variation indicated isolation by distance among some populations and provided supporting evidence that the Delaware Bay, but not the Chesapeake Bay, has acted as a barrier to dispersal among coastal populations. Bayesian estimates indicated large effective population sizes and low migration rates, and were in good agreement with empirically derived estimates of population and neighbourhood size from mark-recapture studies. These data indicate that populations are not in migration-drift equilibrium at a regional scale, and suggest that contributing factors include large population size combined with relatively low migration rates. These conditions should be considered when interpreting the evolutionary significance of the distribution of genetic variation among F. heteroclitus populations.

Polydactyly of the hand.

Polydactyly is considered either the most or second most (after syndactyly) common congenital hand abnormality. Polydactyly is not simply a duplication; the anatomy is abnormal with hypoplastic structures, abnormally contoured joints, and anomalous tendon and ligament insertions. There are many ways to classify polydactyly, and surgical options range from simple excision to complicated bone, ligament, and tendon realignments. The prevalence of polydactyly makes it important for orthopedic surgeons to understand the basic tenets of the abnormality.

Antiviral inhibition targeting the HCMV kinase pUL97 requires pUL27-dependent degradation of Tip60 acetyltransferase and cell-cycle arrest.

Infection with the ß-herpesvirus human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is lifelong, causing limited disease in healthy adults, but life threatening in immunocompromised individuals. The viral kinase pUL97, a functional ortholog of cellular cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), is critical for HCMV replication and a target for antiviral drug development. Upon kinase inhibition, drug-resistant strains emerge with mutations in UL27, an HCMV gene of unknown function. Using a proteomics approach, we discovered that pUL27 is necessary and sufficient to degrade Tip60, a host acetyltransferase and interacting partner of HIV Tat. Consistent with this, the expression of Tat restored antiviral inhibition of an otherwise resistant HCMV strain. The functional consequence of Tip60 degradation was the induction of the CDK inhibitor p21(Waf1/Cip1) and cell-cycle arrest, representing changes necessary for the antiviral effects of pUL97 inhibition. Consequently, either increasing p21(Waf1/Cip1) expression or decreasing Tip60 levels improved the antiviral activity of the HCMV kinase inhibitor maribavir.