bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acute effects of elevated NEFA on vascular function: a comparison of SFA and MUFA
Authors: Newens Katie J. , Thompson Abby K. , Jackson Kim G. , Wright John , Williams Christine M.
Published: January 2011

There is emerging evidence to show that high levels of NEFA contribute to endothelial dysfunction and impaired insulin sensitivity. However, the impact of NEFA composition remains unclear. A total of ten healthy men consumed test drinks containing 50 g of palm stearin (rich in SFA) or high-oleic sunflower oil (rich in MUFA) on separate occasions; a third day included no fat as a control. The fats were emulsified into chocolate drinks and given as a bolus (approximately 10 g fat) at baseline followed by smaller amounts (approximately 3 g fat) every 30 min throughout the 6 h study day. An intravenous heparin infusion was initiated 2 h after the bolus, which resulted in a three- to fourfold increase in circulating NEFA level from baseline. Mean arterial stiffness as measured by digital volume pulse was higher during the consumption of SFA (P < 0·001) but not MUFA (P = 0·089) compared with the control. Overall insulin and gastric inhibitory peptide response was greater during the consumption of both fats compared with the control (P < 0·001); there was a second insulin peak in response to MUFA unlike SFA. Consumption of SFA resulted in higher levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sI-CAM) at 330 min than that of MUFA or control (P ≤ 0·048). There was no effect of the test drinks on glucose, total nitrite, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 or endothelin-1 concentrations. The present study indicates a potential negative impact of elevated NEFA derived from the consumption of SFA on arterial stiffness and sI-CAM levels. More studies are needed to fully investigate the impact of NEFA composition on risk factors for CVD.
Dietary oxidised frying oil causes oxidative damage of pancreatic islets and impairment of insulin secretion, effects associated with vitamin E deficiency
Authors: Chiang Ya-Fan , Shaw Huey-Mei , Yang Mei-Fang , Huang Chih-Yang , Hsieh Cheng-Hsien , Chao Pei-Min
Published: January 2011

We previously reported that, in rodents, a diet with a high oxidised frying oil (OFO) content leads to glucose intolerance associated with a reduction in insulin secretion. The present study aimed at investigating the impairment of pancreatic islets caused by dietary OFO. C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups to receive a low-fat basal diet containing 5 g/100 g of fresh soyabean oil (LF group) or a high-fat diet containing 20 g/100 g of either fresh soyabean oil (HF group) or OFO (HO group). After 8 weeks, mice in the HO group showed glucose intolerance and hypoinsulinaemia, and their islets showed impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (P < 0·05; HO groupv.LF and HF groups). Significantly higher oxidative stress and a lower mitochondrial membrane potential were observed in the islets in the HO group compared with the LF and HF groups. Immunoblots showed that the reduction in insulin levels in HO islets was associated with activation of the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase and a reduction in levels of pancreatic and duodenal homeobox factor-1. In a second study, when dietary OFO-induced tissue vitamin E depletion was prevented by large-dose vitamin E supplementation (500 IU(1·06 mmol all-rac-α-tocopherol acetate)/kg diet; HO+E group), the OFO-mediated reduction in islet size and impairment of glucose tolerance and insulin secretion were significantly attenuated (P < 0·05; HO groupv.HO+E group). We conclude that a high level of dietary OFO ingestion impairs glucose metabolism by causing oxidative damage and compromising insulin secretion in pancreatic islets, and that these effects can be prevented by vitamin E supplementation.
Fluid flow within the damage zone of the Boccheggiano extensional fault (Larderello–Travale geothermal field, central Italy): structures, alteration and implications for hydrothermal mineralization in extensional settings
Authors: ROSSETTI FEDERICO , ALDEGA LUCA , TECCE FRANCESCA , BALSAMO FABRIZIO , BILLI ANDREA , BRILLI MAURO
Published: January 2011

The Neogene extensional province of southern Tuscany in central Italy provides an outstanding example of fossil and active structurally controlled fluid flow and epithermal ore mineralization associated with post-orogenic silicic magmatism. Characterization of the hydrodynamic regime leading to the genesis of the polysulphide deposit (known as Filone di Boccheggiano) hosted within the damage zone of the Boccheggiano Fault is a key target to assess modes of fossil hydrothermal fluid circulation in the region and, more generally, to provide inferences on fault-controlled hydrothermal fluid flow in extensional settings. We provide a detailed description of the fault zone architecture and alteration/mineralization associated with the Boccheggiano ore deposit and report the results of fluid inclusion and stable oxygen isotope studies. This investigation shows that the Boccheggiano ore consists of an adularia/illite-type epithermal deposit and that sulphide ore deposition was controlled by channelling of hydrothermal fluids of dominantly meteoric origin within the highly anisotropic permeability structure of the Boccheggiano Fault. The low permeability structure of the fault core compartmentalized the fluid outflow preventing substantial cross-fault flow, with focused fluid flow occurring at the hangingwall of the fault controlled by fracture permeability. Fluid inclusion characteristics indicate that ore minerals were deposited between 280° and 350°C in the upper levels of the brittle extending crust (lithostatic pressure in the order of 0.1 GPa). Abundant vapour-rich inclusions in ore-stage quartz are consistent with fluid immiscibility and boiling, and quartz ore vein textures suggest that mineralization in the Boccheggiano ore deposit occurred during cyclic fluid flow in a deformation regime regulated by transient and fluctuating fluid pressure conditions. Results from this study (i) predict a strongly anisotropic permeability structure of the fault damage zone during crustal extension, and (ii) indicate the rate of secondary (structural) permeability creation and maintenance by active deformation in the hangingwall of extensional faults as the major factor leading to effective hydraulic transmissivity in extensional terranes. These features intimately link ore-grade mineralization in extensional settings to telescoping of hydrothermal flow along the hangingwall block(s) of major extensional fault zones.
Novel crop science to improve yield and resource use efficiency in water-limited agriculture
Authors: DAVIES W. J. , ZHANG J. , YANG J. , DODD I. C.
Published: January 2011

Globally, agriculture accounts for 0·80–0·90 of all freshwater used by humans and, in many crop production systems, this water use is unsustainable. The current paper focuses on the potential exploitation of novel drought stress biology in both crop improvement programmes and via changed crop management practices. The aim is to deliver ‘more crop per drop’. In order to respond to the challenge of feeding a world population of seven billion and growing, it is concluded that an interdisciplinary approach is needed involving new genetic opportunities and plant breeding. It is also shown how crop management can exploit the drought stress physiology of plants to deliver improved water productivity without sacrificing crop yield.
Application of genetics and genomics to aquaculture development: current and future directions
Authors: McANDREW B. , NAPIER J.
Published: January 2011

Global aquaculture production continues to grow rapidly yet a small proportion of the animals and plants being used come from managed breeding and improvement programmes. The biology of aquatic organisms offer many opportunities for rapid genetic gains as new genetic and genomic techniques make the management of improvement programmes feasible in a wider range of species. The current paper describes the application of a wide range of techniques, many unique to aquatic organisms, and their potential to secure aquaculture production in the future.
Statistical control charts as a support tool for the management of livestock production
Authors: MERTENS K. , DECUYPERE E. , DE BAERDEMAEKER J. , DE KETELAERE B.
Published: January 2011

The concepts of control charts, an important tool in statistical process control, are commonly used for monitoring industrial production processes. In the context of precision livestock farming, their use has been demonstrated by many, although the statistical properties of livestock process data often do not comply with the basic assumptions of such control charts. The focus of the current review is on the most important aspects, recommendations, pitfalls and opportunities for the development and performance of control charts on livestock process data. An important hurdle to tackle is the statistical characteristics of the raw livestock process data which are mostly violating the control charts’ assumptions. An integrated approach, like synergistic control, appears to be promising in handling this issue. The availability of real-time on-farm validation of proposed systems will be crucial for lifting them from the potential level to direct practical relevance.
Three novel mutations inASIPassociated with black fibre in alpacas (Vicugna pacos)
Authors: FEELEY N. L. , BOTTOMLEY S. , MUNYARD K. A.
Published: January 2011

The coding region of the alpaca Agouti signalling protein (ASIP) gene was sequenced. It was determined to be 402 nucleotides long and code for a protein that is 133 amino acids long. Eight mutations were identified in a sample of 15 alpaca, five in the coding region and three in the introns flanking the exons.In silicoanalysis showed that three of the five mutations in the coding sequence, c.325_381del57, c.292C>T and c.353G>A are probable loss-of-function mutations. The three mutations were strongly associated with black fibre colour, with 0·90 of black alpacas in the current study having two copies of one or another of the mutations. However, not all black animals displayed the putative ‘aa’ genotype, and almost half of the non-black animals did display that genotype. Contributing factors such as regulatory region mutations, interactions of ASIP with melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) andα-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH), the effect of dilution genes and subjective phenotype assignment are discussed. These mutations will allow alpaca breeders to select for or against black, but they do not explain all black phenotypes in this species.
Distorted turbulence and secondary flow near right-angled plates
Authors: NAGATA K. , HUNT J. C. R. , SAKAI Y. , WONG H.
Published: January 2011

In many turbulent flows near obstacles or in ducts, the turbulence is inhomogeneous in two directions perpendicular to the main flow direction. In convective flows, there may initially be no mean motion. In both types of flow the gradients of Reynolds stresses drive mean motions in directions of inhomogeneity. Using the method of rapid distortion theory developed by Hunt & Graham (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 84, 1978, p. 209), we analyse these gradients where homogeneous isotropic turbulence is impinging onto two semi-infinite flat rigid surfaces intersecting at right angles. The mean velocity is assumed to be uniform (i.e. the surfaces move at free-stream velocity, or the boundary layers are very thin). The inhomogeneous spectra, variances and Reynolds-stress gradients are evaluated. For isotropic free-stream turbulence with mean square velocity u2∞1, the mean square velocity fluctuation at a high Reynolds number in the corner is u21(X, 0, 0) = 2.121u2∞1, independent of the form of the spectrum. This is explained by estimating how the free-stream eddies are blocked by the two walls. The gradients of Reynolds stresses force a mean secondary flow to develop; its direction is into the corner, and its magnitude at time t is of order tu2∞1/L∞, where L∞ is the integral scale. These results are tested in a wind tunnel experiment. A turbulence-generating grid installed at the entrance to the test section generates nearly isotropic, grid-generated turbulence. A corner plate with faces parallel to the mean flow and sharp edges is placed downstream of the grid so that shear-free turbulence impinges onto the corner plate. The turbulent Reynolds number based on $\(L_\infty\), \(Re_L\,{=}\,\sqrt{\overline{u^2_{\infty 1}}}L_\infty/\nu\)$, is 1400 at the leading edge of the plate. A hot-wire anemometry is used to measure instantaneous velocities. The experimental results are consistent with the rapid distortion theory estimates for the variances and the secondary mean motion, which is in the same direction and has the same order of magnitude as Prandtl's analysis of shear-driven secondary flow (of the second kind). We conclude that the blocking mechanism adds to the shear effects and has a significant and sometimes dominant contribution to the crossflows wherever it acts in two non-parallel directions, such as convection in a corner. Consequently, mean transport into corners occurs for most kinds of distorted flow with weak viscous stresses, which has many engineering and environmental implications. There are also implications for the chaotic nature of many confined flows near corners.
On weakly turbulent scaling of wind sea in simulations of fetch-limited growth
Authors: GAGNAIRE-RENOU ELODIE , BENOIT MICHEL , BADULIN SERGEI I.
Published: January 2011

Extensive numerical simulations of fetch-limited growth of wind-driven waves are analysed within two approaches: a ‘traditional’ wind-speed scaling first proposed by Kitaigorodskii (Bull. Acad. Sci. USSR, Geophys. Ser., Engl. Transl., vol. N1, 1962, p. 105) in the early 1960s and an alternative weakly turbulent scaling developed recently by Badulin et al. (J. Fluid Mech.591, 2007, 339–378). The latter one uses spectral fluxes of wave energy, momentum and action as physical scales of the problem and allows for advanced qualitative and quantitative analysis of wind-wave growth and features of air–sea interaction. In contrast, the traditional approach is shown to be descriptive rather than proactive. Numerical simulations are conducted on the basis of the Hasselmann kinetic equation for deep-water waves in a wide range of wind speeds from 5 to 30 m s −1 and for the ideal case of fetch-limited growth: permanent wind blowing perpendicularly to a straight coastline. Two different wave input functions, Sin, and two methods for calculating the nonlinear transfer term Snl (Gaussian quadrature method, or GQM, a quasi-exact method based on the use of Gaussian quadratures, and the discrete interaction approximation, or DIA) are used in the simulations. Comparison of the corresponding results firstly shows the relevance of the analysis of wind-wave growth in terms of the proposed weakly turbulent scaling, and secondly, allows us to highlight some critical points in the modelling of wind-generated waves. Three stages of wind-wave development corresponding to qualitatively different balance of the source terms, Sin, Sdiss and Snl, are identified: initial growth, growing sea and fully developed sea. Validity of the asymptotic weakly turbulent approach for the stage of growing wind sea is determined by the dominance of nonlinear transfers, which results in a rigid link between spectral fluxes and wave energy. This stage of self-similar growth is investigated in detail and presented as a consequence of three sub-stages of qualitatively different coupling of air flow and growing wind waves. The key self-similarity parameter of the asymptotic theory is estimated to be αss = 0.68 ± 0.1.

Further prospects of wind-wave modelling in the context of the presented weakly turbulent scaling are discussed.
Pattern formation in drying drops of blood
Authors: BRUTIN D. , SOBAC B. , LOQUET B. , SAMPOL J.
Published: January 2011

The drying of a drop of human blood exhibits coupled physical mechanisms, such as Marangoni flow, evaporation and wettability. The final stage of a whole blood drop evaporation reveals regular patterns with a good reproducibility for a healthy person. Other experiments on anaemic and hyperlipidaemic people were performed, and different patterns were revealed. The flow motion inside the blood drop is observed and analysed with the use of a digital camera: the influence of the red blood cells motion is revealed at the drop periphery as well as its consequences on the final stage of drying. The mechanisms which lead to the final pattern of the dried blood drops are presented and explained on the basis of fluid mechanics in conjunction with the principles of haematology. The blood drop evaporation process is evidenced to be driven only by Marangoni flow. The same axisymmetric pattern formation is observed, and can be forecast for different blood drop diameters. The evaporation mass flux can be predicted with a good agreement, assuming only the knowledge of the colloids mass concentration.
Gamma-aminobutyric acid concentrations in benign parotid tumours and unstimulated parotid saliva
Authors: Jezewska E , Scinska A , Kukwa W , Sobolewska A , Turzynska D , Samochowiec J , Bienkowski P
Published: January 2011

Objective:

Apart from its role as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, γ-aminobutyric acid is also thought to regulate various stages of cell proliferation and differentiation in the brain and periphery. The present study aimed to assess the levels of γ-aminobutyric acid and its biochemical precursor glutamic acid (glutamate) in benign parotid tumours and in unstimulated parotid saliva.

Method:

Unstimulated parotid saliva was collected bilaterally, using the swab method, in 20 patients with unilateral pleomorphic adenoma or Warthin's tumour. Samples of tumour and adjacent salivary tissue were collected during tumour resection.

Results:

Concentrations of γ-aminobutyric acid and glutamate, but not aspartate, were significantly higher in the tumour tissue than in the non-tumour tissue. There was no significant difference in salivary concentrations of γ-aminobutyric acid, glutamate or aspartate, comparing the involved and non-involved side.

Conclusion:

The present results provide preliminary evidence that γ-aminobutyric acid may be involved in the growth of benign parotid tumours.
A case of middle-ear cavernous lymphangioma with facial palsy
Authors: Hirai R , Ikeda M , Kishi H , Nomura Y , Shigihara S
Published: January 2011

Objective:

Only a few benign tumours of the middle ear have been reported to lead to the development of facial palsy. Here, we describe a patient with middle-ear cavernous lymphangioma and facial palsy.

Study design:

Single case study.

Patient:

A 61-year-old man presented with left-sided hearing impairment and incomplete left facial palsy. A tumour was confirmed to be occupying the epi- to mesotympanum and to be joined to the facial nerve. The tumour was removed along with facial nerve tissue, which was resected at its horizontal portion, and the remaining facial nerve was fixed by end-to-end anastomosis. Complete facial paralysis occurred after the operation, but the patient's House–Brackmann grade gradually improved to grade III. Post-operative histopathological examination revealed infiltration of the lymphangioma into the facial nerve tissue, together with mild neural atrophy of the facial nerve.

Conclusion:

These findings suggested that tumour invasion was the cause of facial palsy in this patient.
Association of age-related macular degeneration with age-related hearing loss
Authors: Bozkurt M K , Ozturk B T , Kerimoglu H , Ersan I , Arbag H , Bozkurt B
Published: January 2011

Objective:

To assess the association between age-related macular degeneration and age-related hearing loss in Turkish subjects aged 50 years or older.

Study design and setting:

Prospective, case–control study within a tertiary university hospital.

Subjects and methods:

Fifty subjects with age-related macular degeneration and 43 healthy subjects underwent ophthalmological and otolaryngological examination. Statistical analyses were conducted for the poorer eye and ear, comparing age-related hearing loss and pure tone average in the macular degeneration group versus controls.

Results:

Median pure tone average was significantly poorer in the macular degeneration group (35 dBHL) compared with controls (23 dBHL). In the macular degeneration group, hearing loss was significantly greater in dry type (43 dBHL) than wet type (32 dBHL) cases. There was a significant difference between the prevalence of varying degrees of hearing loss in the macular degeneration versus control groups, being respectively: mild, 50 and 35 per cent; moderate, 20 and 5 per cent; and severe, 6 and 0 per cent. There was a weak, but significant correlation between each patient's visual acuity and pure tone average results (rs = −0.37, p < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Age-related hearing loss is more common in patients with age-related macular degeneration. Such patients should be questioned regarding hearing difficulty, and referred to an otolaryngologist if appropriate.
A new species and new records ofLecanora(Lecanoraceae, Ascomycota) from south–east Asia
Authors: PAPONG Khwanruan , BOONPRAGOB Kansri , LUMBSCH H. Thorsten
Published: January 2011

The new speciesLecanora ulrikiifrom Bhutan and Thailand is described. It belongs toLecanoras. str. and is characterized by relatively large, orange-brown to brown apothecia that are constricted at the base, a clear to inspersed hymenium, an epihymenium of theglabrata-type, and by the presence of atranorin, usnic acid and the isoarthothelin chemosyndrome. Further, three species,L. arthothelinella, L. austrotropicaandL. subimmergens, are reported for the first time from Thailand.
New species and records ofLepraria(Stereocaulaceae, lichenized Ascomycota) from South America
Authors: FLAKUS Adam , ELIX John A. , RODRIGUEZ Pamela , KUKWA Martin
Published: January 2011

Two new corticolous lichen species are described,Lepraria nothofagiElix & Kukwa (atranorin, strepsilin, porphyrilic acid) from Argentina andL. stephanianaElix, Flakus & Kukwa (4-O-methylleprolomin, zeorin, salazinic acid, unknown terpenoid) from pre-Andean Amazon forest of Bolivia. In addition, the paper presents new records of 16 species ofLeprariafrom South America.Lepraria adhaerens, andL. diffusaare new to the Southern Hemisphere;L. borealisis new to South America;L. alpinais new to Chile, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela;L. caesioalba(chemotype I) is new to Venezuela,L. lobificansnew to Argentina,L. pallidanew to Peru, andL. sipmaniananew to Bolivia and Chile. The Chilean records ofL. membranaceaappeared to belong toL. sipmaniana. Therefore, the number ofLeprariaspp. known at present from South America is enlarged to 27 species. 4-O-methylleprolomin is reported for the second time from lichens.
Lecanora microloba, a new saxicolous species from Poland
Authors: ŚLIWA Lucyna , FLAKUS Adam
Published: January 2011

A new lichenized fungus,Lecanora microlobaŚliwa & Flakus, is described from the subnival belt of the Polish Tatra Mountains. It is characterized by small, saxicolous thalli with minutely lobulate marginal areoles and mostly broadly sessile and constantly pale coloured apothecia that are grouped predominantly in the centre of the thallus. Anatomically the species is distinguished by coarse granules in the epithecium which are distinctly bright in polarized light. The species contains gyrophoric and usnic acids, zeorin and an unknown terpene as secondary metabolites.
Silobia, a new genus for theAcarospora smaragdulacomplex (Ascomycota,Acarosporales) and a revision of the group in Sweden
Authors: WESTBERG Martin , CREWE Anna T. , PURVIS O. William , WEDIN Mats
Published: January 2011

The new genusSilobiaM. Westb. & Wedin is proposed for theAcarospora smaragdulagroup, which is taxonomically and nomenclaturally revised in Sweden. The proposed taxonomy results from our former molecular phylogeny, together with morphological and anatomical investigations and analysis of secondary metabolites. Seven species are recognized in Sweden in this paper:Silobia dilatatasp. nov.,S.myochroasp. nov.,S.rhagadizacomb. nov.,S. rufescenscomb. nov.,S.scabridacomb. nov.,S. smaragdulacomb. nov. andS.tangerinasp. nov.Acarospora alberti,A.amphibola,A.isortoquensis,A.murinaandA. undataare recognized as synonyms ofS. smaragdula,Acarospora verruciformisas a synonym ofS. scabridaandA. scyphuliferaas a synonym ofS. rhagadiza. The following names are lectotypified:Acarospora amphibola,A. amphibolaf.testacea,A.lesdainii,A.lesdainiivar.subochracea,A. murina,A. scyphuliferaf.subdiscreta, Endocarpon smaragdulum,Lecanora rhagadizaandSagedia rufescens. Acarospora scyphuliferais neotypified.Acarospora fuscais excluded from the Swedish checklist as the specimen was found to belong toS. rufescens. A key to the species is presented.
Vahliellaceae, a new family of cyanobacterial lichens (Peltigerales, Ascomycetes)
Authors: WEDIN Mats , JØRGENSEN Per Magnus , EKMAN Stefan
Published: January 2011

The recently described genusVahliella(Peltigerales, Ascomycetes) has repeatedly appeared outside thePannariaceaein molecular phylogenies. Here we include data from additional species of the genus and utilize mtSSU rDNA and RPB1 sequences to confirm its placement as the sister to a group consisting ofLobariaceae,Massalongiaceae,NephromataceaeandPeltigeraceae, in thePeltigerales. The new familyVahliellaceaeWedin, P. M. Jørg. & S. Ekman is described for the genus, and its morphological characteristics are briefly discussed.
Why Was Indian Steel Not Exported in the Colonial Period?—The influence of the British Standard Specification in limiting the potential export of Indian steel in the 1930s
Authors: NOMURA CHIKAYOSHI
Published: January 2011

While various scholars of Indian economic history have focused on the progress of import substitution in India after the 1920s, few have studied why this led to hardly any export of industrial products during the colonial period. One of the most probable reasons for the lesser popularity of this issue could be attributed to a commonly shared view that there was less hope for the export of industrial products in colonial India since import substitution had progressed only so far. Although it is accepted that the industrial development of colonial India was generally stagnant, this does not necessarily apply to specific products in specific industries. For instance, the iron and steel industry achieved almost a full self-sufficiency rate for some of its steel products during the 1920s, although the industry hardly exported the products afterward. This paper aims to clarify why hardly any steel of the Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO), the only steel producing company with modern technology until the mid-1930s, was exported. A detailed study of the company's archives will show that the steel export of the company was fundamentally hindered by a fact which had its origin in British imperial policy: the strict quality specifications in the production of steel.
Trajectories of marijuana use and psychological adjustment among urban African American and Puerto Rican women
Authors: Pahl K. , Brook J. S. , Koppel J.
Published: January 2011

Background

The current longitudinal study examined the developmental patterns of marijuana use and their relationship with subsequent psychological adjustment in a community-based sample of urban African American and Puerto Rican women.

Method

Participants were interviewed five times over a period ranging from adolescence (mean age 14.0 years) to adulthood (mean age 32.5 years). Outcome measures included depressive symptoms, anger/hostility and the presence of a substance use disorder (abuse/dependence).

Results

Three distinct trajectories of marijuana use were identified: non-users, increasers and quitters. Increasers reported higher levels of depressive symptoms and anger/hostility than did non-users and were more likely to meet criteria for a substance use disorder at age 32.5 years.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that early-starting long-term use of marijuana is associated with psychological maladjustment among women. Prevention efforts should emphasize the long-term cost associated with marijuana use, and that the best psychological health is reported by those who abstain from the drug.
Changes in neuronal correlates of body image processing by means of cognitive-behavioural body image therapy for eating disorders: a randomized controlled fMRI study
Authors: Vocks S. , Schulte D. , Busch M. , Grönemeyer D. , Herpertz S. , Suchan B.
Published: January 2011

Background

Previous neuroimaging studies have demonstrated abnormalities in visual body image processing in anorexia and bulimia nervosa, possibly underlying body image disturbance in these disorders. Although cognitive behavioural interventions have been shown to be successful in improving body image disturbance in eating disorders, no randomized controlled study has yet analysed treatment-induced changes in neuronal correlates of visual body image processing.

Method

Altogether, 32 females with eating disorders were randomly assigned either to a manualized cognitive behavioural body image therapy consisting of 10 group sessions, or to a waiting list control condition. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, brain responses to viewing photographs of one's own and another female's body taken from 16 standardized perspectives while participants were wearing a uniform bikini were acquired before and after the intervention and the waiting time, respectively.

Results

Data indicate a general blood oxygen level dependent signal enhancement in response to looking at photographs of one's own body from pre- to post-treatment, whereas exclusively in the control group activation decreases from pre- to post-waiting time were observed. Focused activation increases from pre- to post-treatment were found in the left middle temporal gyrus covering the coordinates of the extrastriate body area and in bilateral frontal structures including the middle frontal gyrus.

Conclusions

Results point to a more intense neuronal processing of one's own body after the cognitive behavioural body image therapy in cortical regions that are responsible for the visual processing of the human body and for self-awareness.
Depression trajectories and obesity among the elderly in Taiwan
Authors: Kuo S.-Y. , Lin K.-M. , Chen C.-Y. , Chuang Y.-L. , Chen W. J.
Published: January 2011

Background

The present study aimed to (a) characterize 10-year trajectory patterns of depressive symptoms and (b) investigate the association between depressive trajectory and subsequent obesity, metabolic function and cortisol level.

Method

In a prospective study of Taiwanese adults aged ⩾60 years (n=3922) between 1989 and 1999, depression was assessed using a 10-item short-form of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and information on body mass index (BMI) was collected by self-report. A subsample (n=445) of the original cohort in 1989 was drawn to assess metabolic variables and cortisol levels in a 2000 follow-up. After trajectory analyses were performed, multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the association estimates.

Results

We identified four distinctive trajectories of depressive symptoms: class 1 (persistent low, 41.8%); class 2 (persistent mild, 46.8%); class 3 (late peak, 4.2%); and class 4 (high-chronic, 7.2%). The results from both complete cases and multiple imputation analyses indicated that the odds of obesity were lower in the class 2, 3 or 4 elderly, as compared with those in class 1, while the odds of underweight were higher. The classes of older adults with more and persistent depressive symptoms showed a trend toward having both a lower BMI (p=0.01) and a higher cortisol level (p=0.04) compared with those with low depressive symptoms.

Conclusions

Incremental increases in depressive symptoms over time were associated with reduced risk of obesity and higher cortisol levels.
Human kinship, from conceptual structure to grammar
Authors: Jones Doug
Published: January 2011

Research in anthropology has shown that kin terminologies have a complex combinatorial structure and vary systematically across cultures. This article argues that universals and variation in kin terminology result from the interaction of (1) an innate conceptual structure of kinship, homologous with conceptual structure in other domains, and (2) principles of optimal, “grammatical” communication active in language in general. Kin terms from two languages, English and Seneca, show how terminologies that look very different on the surface may result from variation in the rankings of a universal set of constraints. Constraints on kin terms form a system: some are concerned with absolute features of kin (sex), others with the position (distance and direction) of kin in “kinship space,” others with groups and group boundaries (matrilines, patrilines, generations, etc.). Also, kin terms sometimes extend indefinitely via recursion, and recursion in kin terminology has parallels with recursion in other areas of language. Thus the study of kinship sheds light on two areas of cognition, and their phylogeny. The conceptual structure of kinship seems to borrow its organization from the conceptual structure of space, while being specialized for representing genealogy. And the grammar of kinship looks like the product of an evolved grammar faculty, opportunistically active across traditional domains of semantics, syntax, and phonology. Grammar is best understood as an offshoot of a uniquely human capacity for playing coordination games.
How do second language learners build syntactic structure?
Authors: Fernández Eva M.
Published: January 2011

Understanding the mechanisms learners use to process target language input is crucial to developing a complete model of both first language (L1) and second language (L2) acquisition. If adult L2 learners are found to process the target language with mechanisms that differ from those used by child L1 learners and adult native speakers, what implications might this have for the developing grammar? Clahsen and Felser review evidence that appears to point to such differences, generalizing their findings under a shallow structure hypothesis about how adult learners process input in L2.
How do children become adult sentence producers?
Authors: McKee Cecile , Rispoli Matt , McDaniel Dana , Garrett Merrill
Published: January 2011

We join other responders in thanking Clahsen and Felser (CF) for pulling together these observations about the development of language processing. We are especially impressed by the generality and inclusiveness of CF's treatment of development in L1 and L2. Because most of their specifics concerned comprehension processes, our contribution will emphasize the added value of an appeal to production processes. In particular, we will articulate the value of applying existing production models to developmental phenomena. Language development can be interpreted in revealing ways through the lens of adult sentence production models. These models specify how lexical, syntactic, morphological, and phonological knowledge are integrated in real time as we produce sentences. They are performance models, but they go well beyond general measures of working memory and general notions of limited capacity and resources.
Possible manifestations of shallow processing in advanced second language speakers
Authors: Sorace Antonella
Published: January 2011

The proposal by Clahsen and Felser (CF) has the potential of marking a turning point in second language (L2) acquisition research. Contrary to much L2 research to date, it suggests that some of the differences between native and (advanced) nonnative speakers may be at the level of grammatical processing, rather than grammatical representations. Accounting for L2 speakers' divergent behavior does therefore not necessarily involve positing “representational deficits”: L2 speakers can, and indeed do, attain target representations of the L2, but may compute incomplete (“shallow”) syntactic parses in comprehension. Such shallow processing is often accompanied by reliance (or overreliance) on lexical, semantic, and pragmatic information, which can lead to seemingly trouble-free comprehension in ordinary communication. It is only when speakers are faced with sentence ambiguities, which impose a greater than normal processing load, that the differences between adult L2 language acquirers and child first language (L1) acquirers become apparent: both child and adult language learners have difficulty in integrating structural and nonstructural information in on-line comprehension, but although children prioritize structural information, adult learners privilege nonstructural lexical–semantic information. CF's proposal opens up new perspectives on the nature of ultimate attainment in adult L2 acquisition; at the same time it raises some questions that, in my view, are of crucial importance for future research.
Relationships between parents and their adult children: a West European typology of late-life families
Authors: DYKSTRA PEARL A. , FOKKEMA TINEKE
Published: January 2011

Following Reher's (1998) seminal paper on family ties in western Europe, the perspective that family solidarity patterns are divided between an individualistic north and a famialistic south has dominated the literature. We challenge this view and address the variability in intergenerational family solidarity within and across countries. Using multiple dimensions of intergenerational solidarity drawn from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, we develop a typology of late-life families which is robust across northern, central and southern regions. The four types are: (a) descending familialism: living nearby, frequent contact, endorsement of family obligation norms, and primarily help in kind from parents to children, (b) ascending familialism: living nearby, frequent contact, endorsement of family obligation norms, and primarily help in kind from children to parents, (c) supportive-at-distance: not living nearby, frequent contact, refutation of family obligation norms, and primarily financial transfers from parents to adult children, (d) autonomous: not living nearby, little contact, refutation of family obligation norms, and few support exchanges. The four types are common in each European country, though the distributions differ. The findings suggest that scholars should abandon the idea that a particular country can be characterised by a single dominant type of late-life family. Socio-demographic differentials in family type follow predictable patterns, underscoring the validity of the developed typology.
One-year predictors of turnover among personal-care workers for older adults living at home in Italy
Authors: BILOTTA CLAUDIO , NICOLINI PAOLA , VERGANI CARLO
Published: January 2011

This paper reports a study that aimed to identify the predictors of the turnover of privately-employed personal-care staff that provide community-dwelling older adults in Italy with assistance in the activities of daily living. The prospective cohort study enrolled 121 older adults (mean age 85.6 years) living at home, along with their personal-care workers and 107 informal carers. The older participants underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment. At a one-year follow-up between May 2006 and June 2008, 12 of the older participants had been placed in a nursing home and 26 had died. Of the 83 still living at home, 22 had changed their personal-care staff (26.5% turnover). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified one characteristic of the personal-care staff, living far away from their families (odds ratio (OR) 16.30, p=0.01), and two characteristics of the elders, namely being widowed (OR 0.09, p=0.01) and having cognitive impairment (OR 0.10, p=0.01), as one-year predictors of turnover and of the retention of personal-care workers, respectively. Further studies are needed both to evaluate whether immigration politics that enable family reconjunction would reduce the turnover of personal-care workers, and to investigate the lower turnover among personal-care staff caring for widowed elders and older adults with cognitive impairment.
Financial support and practical help between older parents and their middle-aged children in Europe
Authors: DEINDL CHRISTIAN , BRANDT MARTINA
Published: January 2011

Financial support and practical help between older parents and their middle-aged children vary greatly among the regions of Europe. Northern and Western Europe is characterised by a high likelihood of practical help to and financial transfers from parents, while in Southern and Eastern Europe these kinds of support are much less likely. Financial transfers to parents show an almost opposite distribution, with more children supporting a parent in Southern and Eastern welfare regimes. Using the second wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe encompassing 14 European countries conducted in 2006–07, these country differences can be linked to different social policies. Controlling for different aspects of country composition in terms of individual characteristics and family structures impacting on intergenerational support, it was found that the more services and transfers provided publicly, the more people aged 50 or more years helped their older parents sporadically, and the less monetary support they provided. On the other hand, generous public transfers enabled parents aged 64 or more years to support their offspring financially. Thus, neither ‘crowding in’ nor ‘crowding out’, but a modification of private transfers depending on public transfers and vice versa is found, suggesting a specialisation of private and public support.
“That's the Modern Girl”: Missionary Women and Modernity in Kolkata, c. 1907 - c. 1940
Authors: Allen Margaret
Published: January 2011

In 1923, three young single western women—Margaret Read, Iris Wingate, and Eleanor Rivett—made an adventurous summer trip riding and trekking from Kalimpong in West Bengal, right up to Sikkim. Read and Wingate, both wearing riding breeches and with hair bobbed, were somewhat more adventurous, continuing their trip to Tibet. This was a holiday from their work in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), the great cosmopolitan city of the British Raj in India. Surely these independent and mobile women were reminiscent of “the Modern Girl” that has been “singled out as a marker of ‘modernity’”. However, these women were not in the sites where “the Modern Girl” has hitherto been located, for they were working in the Christian missionary movement in India. Eleanor Rivett, an Australian and the oldest in the trio, was principal of United Missionary Girls High School (UMGHS) while Iris Wingate and Margaret Read, both British, were working with the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) in Kolkata.
The impotence of power: Morgenthau's critique of American intervention in Vietnam
Authors: ZAMBERNARDI LORENZO
Published: January 2011

While a superb scholarship on Morgenthau as a political theorist has literally exploded over the past ten years, his analysis of foreign policy has been generally neglected, overlooking the intimate relationship between theory and policy in his practical philosophy. This article presents Morgenthau's public opposition to the Vietnam War by placing it in the broader framework of his theoretical work. In doing so, I illustrate and clarify the meaning of three theses that are at the very centre of his political reflection: the critique to any type of universalistic understanding of world politics; his claim about the intangible roots and social bases of political order; and, finally, the dangers of the ‘military displacement of politics’. Writing about Morgenthau's critique of American intervention in Vietnam today is neither a purely academic exercise, nor a mere historical reconstruction of a great scholar's position on one of the most important military conflicts of the twentieth century. In fact, this article aims to shed light on some intellectual categories which seem to be useful in order to understand current political phenomena, and to criticise philosophies and faulty modes of thought that still enjoy a predominant but unjustified political status.
Bat population genetics andLyssaviruspresence in Great Britain
Authors: SMITH G. C. , AEGERTER J. N. , ALLNUTT T. R. , MacNICOLL A. D. , LEARMOUNT J. , HUTSON A. M. , ATTERBY H.
Published: January 2011

Most lyssaviruses appear to have bat species as reservoir hosts. In Europe, of around 800 reported cases in bats, most were of European bat lyssavirus type 1 (EBLV-1) inEptesicus serotinus(where the bat species was identified). About 20 cases of EBLV-2 were recorded, and these were inMyotis daubentoniiandM. dasycneme. Through a passive surveillance scheme, Britain reports about one case a year of EBLV-2, but no cases of the more prevalent EBLV-1. An analysis ofE. serotinusandM. daubentoniibat genetics in Britain reveals more structure in the former population than in the latter. Here we briefly review these differences, ask if this correlates with dispersal and movement patterns and use the results to suggest an hypothesis that EBLV-2 is more common than EBLV-1 in the UK, as genetic data suggest greater movement and regular immigration from Europe ofM. daubentonii. We further suggest that this genetic approach is useful to anticipate the spread of exotic diseases in bats in any region of the world.
Larger foraging range but similar habitat selection in non-breeding versus breeding sub-Antarctic penguins
Authors: Thiebot Jean-Baptiste , Lescroël Amélie , Pinaud David , Trathan Philip N. , Bost Charles-André
Published: January 2011

For land-breeding marine organisms such as seabirds, knowledge about their habitat use has mainly been gained through studies of breeding individuals that are constrained to return frequently to their breeding grounds. In this study we set out to measure whether: a) habitat selection in the non-breeding period predicts habitat selection in the breeding period, and b) whether breeding individuals concentrated their activity on the closest suitable habitats. MacaroniEudyptes chrysolophusand gentooPygoscelis papuapenguins, two marine predators with contrasting foraging strategies, were tracked from the Iles Kerguelen and their habitat selection investigated through Mahalanobis distances factorial analysis. This study presents the first data about gentoo penguins’ juvenile dispersal. For both species, results showed 6.9 times larger maximum ranges and up to 12.2 times greater distances travelled during the non-breeding period. Habitat suitability maps suggested both species made similar environmental selections whatever the period. Macaroni penguins targeted pelagic areas beyond the shelf break while gentoo penguins always remained over the shelf. We consider the ecological significance of larger scale movements made outside the breeding period and suggest that this non-breeding period is of particular interest when attempting to understand an animal's habitat selection.
A perturbative approach to the backflow dynamics of nematic defects
Authors: BISCARI PAOLO , SLUCKIN TIMOTHY J.
Published: January 2011

We present an asymptotic theory that includes in a perturbative expansion the coupling effects between the director dynamics and the velocity field in a nematic liquid crystal. Backflow effects are most significant in the presence of defect motion, since in this case the presence of a velocity field may strongly reduce the total energy dissipation and thus increase the defect velocity. As an example, we illustrate how backflow influences the speeds of opposite-charged defects.
A Mellin transform solution to a second-order pantograph equation with linear dispersion arising in a cell growth model
Authors: van BRUNT B. , WAKE G. C.
Published: January 2011

In this paper we study the probability density function solutions to a second-order pantograph equation with a linear dispersion term. The functional equation comes from a cell growth model based on the Fokker–Planck equation. We show that the equation has a unique solution for constant positive growth and splitting rates and construct the solution using the Mellin transform.