bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Can Healthy Lifestyle Modify Risk Factors for Dementia? Findings from a Pilot Community-Based Survey in Chennai (India) and Newcastle (UK)
Authors: Mukaetova-Ladinska Elizabeta B. , Purshouse Karin , Andrade Joana , Krishnan Mani , Jagger Carol , Kalaria Raj N.
Published: August 2012

Background: Currently there are no effective treatments available for dementia. Attention has turned to defining preventive strategies and identifying modifying effects of lifestyle, including physical activity, diet, alcohol intake and smoking, in reducing cognitive decline and overt memory problems in the elderly. Methods: In this study, we addressed the modifying aspects of various components of lifestyle in two ageing samples and explored the possible effects that exercise, diet and spiritual and religious beliefs have upon physical and mental health. A total of 251 subjects (128 in Chennai, India, and 123 in Newcastle, UK) filled in a questionnaire regarding their lifestyle habits. Data were analysed with χ2 analysis. Results: Our findings highlight that spiritual and religious beliefs promoted good physical and mental health and were negatively associated with risk factors for dementia, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol level and diabetes. Lifelong diet and physical activity also contributed to better overall well-being in both samples. Conclusions: Our study suggests substantial lifestyle variations between two urban populations in Chennai, India, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. Further detailed work is required to identify the lifestyle components that have the greatest impact on modifying the known risk factors for dementia.
Preterm Infant with a Catastrophic Hemorrhagic-Thromboembolic Incident
Authors: Abdelhamid Adel E.
Published: August 2012

Thrombotic disease of the newborn is uncommon but usually associated with serious morbidity and mortality. Although the operating mechanisms of coagulation and fibrinolysis are the same in all age groups, plasma concentrations of the two systems’ components are significantly different in neonates compared to children and adults. This places neonates at greater risk for thrombosis that may rise considerably if a predisposing factor is present or a genetic or medical condition predisposing to thrombosis coexists. While marginal, the possibility of abnormal bleeding secondary to congenital prothrombotic disorders has been described. A significant association between thromboembolic/hemorrhagic disease in newborns and each of factor VLeiden and prothrombin G20210A mutations has been reported. Although not a frequent occurrence in adults and children, congenital ‘multigenic’ thrombophilia is well known. However, the combined heterozygote state of both mutations is perhaps underreported in preterm infants. We present a severely intrauterine growth-restricted preterm baby born to consanguineous parents. He had stroke as part of a generalized bleeding-thromboembolic incident caused by combined heterozygote mutation of factor VLeiden and prothrombin G20210A, each of which was then found in a heterozygote form in each of the 2 parents.
Transduced Wild-Type but Not P301S Mutated Human Tau Shows Hyperphosphorylation in Transgenic Mice Overexpressing A30P Mutated Human Alpha-Synuclein
Authors: Oksman M. , Wisman L.A. , Jiang H. , Miettinen P. , Kirik D. , Tanila H.
Published: August 2012

Neuropathological and cell culture studies suggest that tau and α-synuclein pathologies may promote each other. To study the relevance and functional implications of these findings in vivo, we transduced hippocampal neurons of wild-type or human A30P α-synuclein transgenic mice with wild-type or P301S mutated human tau using an adeno-associated virus vector. Green fluorescent protein transduction was used as a control. We assessed spontaneous exploratory activity, anxiety and spatial learning and memory 11 weeks after the transduction and perfused the mice for histology. The transduced tau was mainly found in axon terminals and largely restricted within the hippocampi. In addition, neurons around the injection site showed cytoplasmic staining for human tau in both wild-type and A30P mice. Of these tau-positive neurons, 44% in A30P mice but only 3% in wild-type mice receiving human wild-type tau transduction formed paired helical filament-1 (PHF-1)-positive cytoplasmic densities. In contrast, only 1% of tau-positive neurons were also PHF-1 positive after transduction with P301S tau in mice of either genotype. Transduction of P301S tau reduced swimming speed but otherwise tau transduction had no significant behavioral consequences. Cytoplasmic PHF-1 densities were associated with poor spatial memory in wild-type mice but slightly improved memory in A30P mice, indicating that also tau hyperphosphorylation does not necessarily compromise neural functions. These data demonstrate that α-synuclein promotes tau hyperphosphorylation depending on the amino acids on the 301 site.
Recent Developments in Basophil Research: Do Basophils Initiate and Perpetuate Type 2 T-Helper Cell Responses?
Authors: van Beek A.A. , Knol E.F. , de Vos P. , Smelt M.J. , Savelkoul H.F.J. , van Neerven R.J.J.
Published: August 2012

Basophils account for only 0.1–1% of all peripheral blood leukocytes. They were considered to be a redundant cell type for a long time. However, several findings show a non-redundant role for basophils in type 2 T-helper cell (Th2) immune responses in helminth infections, allergy and autoimmunity. Both immunoglobulin-E-dependent and -independent pathways have been described to contribute to basophil activation. In addition, several recent studies reported that basophils can function as antigen-presenting cells and are important in the initiation of Th2 immune responses. However, there are also conflicting studies that do not corroborate the importance of basophils in Th2 immune responses. This review discusses the role of basophils in Th2 immune responses in view of these recent findings.
Cytogenetic Analysis of Lagria villosa (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae): Emphasis on the Mechanism of Association of the Xyp Sex Chromosomes
Authors: Goll L.G. , Artoni R.F. , Vicari M.R. , Nogaroto V. , Petitpierre E. , Almeida M.C.
Published: August 2012

The Xyp sex determination mechanism is the system most frequent and ancestral to Coleoptera. Moreover, the presence of argyrophilous material associated with the sex bivalent is described as being responsible for the maintenance and association of these chromosomes. There are no karyotype data available regarding the genus Lagria and no consensus in the literature regarding the argyrophilous material present in the lumen of sex bivalent. Therefore, the aim of this work was to investigate the mechanism of sex chromosome bivalent association in Lagria villosa by analyzing the argyrophilous nature of the material present in the Xyp lumen. It was also intended to characterize L. villosa cytogenetically. The analysis of meiotic cells showed 2n = 18 = 16+Xyp for males and 2n = 18 = 16+XX in females and the meiotic formula was 2n = 8II+Xyp. The C-banding showed blocks of pericentromeric heterochromatin in all chromosomes except in the yp chromosome. In these regions, the use of fluorochromes revealed the presence of heterochromatin containing GC rich DNA sequences. The study of synaptonemal complex showed a gradual increase in the electron-density of the axial elements of the sex chromosomes and their association with strongly electron-dense material. The pepsin pretreatment revealed that the material impregnated by silver is protein.
Birds Do It, Bees Do It, We Do It: Contributions of Theoretical Modelling to Understanding the Shape of Ageing across the Tree of Life
Authors: Baudisch Annette
Published: August 2012

Organisms of different species age differently. Current theory explains why life should get worse, i.e. why patterns of increasing risk of death should evolve. However, for some species the risk of death remains constant or even falls with advancing age. Evolutionary theory to explain the observed diversity of shapes of ageing is lacking. Theoretical models can provide insights into this diversity. Comparing assumptions of models that find increasing mortality patterns with models that find a variety of patterns, including constant and falling mortality over age, I identify conditions that licence constant or negative shapes of ageing. The results suggest that patterns of improvement and maintenance over age emerge when models potentially allow organisms to (1) escape the ‘damage ratchet’, (2) achieve maintenance and repair in parallel, (3) face increasing future reproductive potential and (4) incorporate flexible trade-offs. With these insights, theoretical models contribute to hypotheses about which species may follow life history strategies of negligible or negative ageing.
Relationship between Serum Magnesium Levels and Cardiovascular Events in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients
Authors: Kanbay Mehmet , Yilmaz Mahmut Ilker , Apetrii Mugurel , Saglam Mutlu , Yaman Halil , Unal Hilmi Umut , Gok Mahmut , Caglar Kayser , Oguz Yusuf , Yenicesu Mujdat , Cetinkaya Hakki , Eyileten Tayfun , Acikel Cengizhan , Vural Abdulgaffar , Covic Adrian
Published: August 2012

Background: Magnesium is an essential ion for all living cells because over 300 enzymes require the presence of magnesium for their catalytic action. To date, no group has evaluated magnesium as a cardiovascular risk factor in chronic kidney disease (CKD) subjects, in which closely interrelated factors and potential confounders such as endothelial dysfunction, insulin resistance (the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index) and inflammation (expressed as serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels) were also considered. Methods: Between March 2006 and December 2010, 283 CKD patients were followed up for time-to-event analysis until the occurrence of fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular events. Endothelium-dependent vasodilatation (flow-mediated dilatation; FMD) and endothelium-independent vasodilatation (nitroglycerin-mediated dilatation) of the brachial artery were assessed noninvasively using high-resolution ultrasound. Results: From the univariate analysis of FMD, it appears that a higher magnesium level is associated with less endothelial dysfunction. When a multivariate analysis was performed, magnesium and estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) maintained a strong positive correlation with FMD, supporting the hypothesis that higher levels of magnesium may protect against endothelial damage. In univariate Cox proportional hazards models, FMD, magnesium, high sensitivity CRP, the HOMA index, eGFR, comorbid diabetes, hypertension, smoking status, systolic blood pressure, serum phosphate and intact parathormone emerged as significant predictors for cardiovascular outcomes. Kaplan-Meier curves showed significantly higher cardiovascular mortality rates in CKD patients whose serum magnesium levels were below 2.05 mg/dl. Conclusions: This observational cohort study showed that magnesium may be an independent predictor of future cardiovascular outcomes and is the first study demonstrating such a role in etiologically diagnosed CKD patients, across different stages.
Association of Acute Myocardial Infarction with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A Population-Based Case-Control Study
Authors: Keller Joseph J. , Wu Chuan-Song , Kang Jiunn-Horng , Lin Herng-Ching
Published: August 2012

Objective: Although the etiology of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) remains unknown, there is increasing evidence suggesting an underlying cardiovascular pathomechanism. This study set out to explore a possible association between acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and having previously been diagnosed with SSNHL by using a population-based dataset with a case-control design. Methods: In this study, we utilized administrative claims data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance program to identify 48,674 cases with AMI and to randomly select 243,370 controls. Conditional logistic regression was used to explore the association between AMI and having previously been diagnosed with SSNHL. Results: Of the sampled patients, 1,313 (0.4%) had been diagnosed with SSNHL within 5 years before the index date; 340 (0.75% of the cases) were from the cases and 974 (0.4% of controls) were from the controls. After adjusting for patient geographic region, monthly income, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and coronary heart disease, conditional logistic regression analysis (conditioned on sex, age group, urbanization level, and index date) revealed that the odds ratio for prior SSNHL in patients with AMI was 1.50 (95% CI 1.30–1.70; p < 0.001) that of controls. We found that the adjusted odds ratio of prior hospitalization for the treatment of SSNHL for cases was 2.11 (95% CI 1.65–2.69; p < 0.001) times that of controls. Conclusions: This study identified a novel association between AMI and prior SSNHL. The results of this study highlight a need for clinicians dealing with SSNHL patients to be alert to their risk of subsequent AMI.
Potential of Treating Age-Related Depression and Cognitive Decline with Nutraceutical Approaches: A Mini-Review
Authors: Ogle William O. , Speisman Rachel B. , Ormerod Brandi K.
Published: August 2012

A variety of consumable plant-derived phytochemicals exhibit nutraceutical properties because they produce physiological benefits and combat disease processes. Emerging evidence suggests that widely accessible and safe organic polyphenolic phytochemicals, in particular, treat depression at much lower concentrations than clinical doses of classical drugs. Structurally similar polyphenolics such as curcumin, resveratrol, and proanthocyanidins exhibit antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties and recent research suggests that they also modulate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, serotonergic transmission and hippocampal neurogenesis (perhaps via their effects on serotonin and HPA activity). These data tempt speculation that polyphenolic compounds could also combat age-related cognitive decline, which is often accompanied by depression and potentially by reduced levels of hippocampal neurogenesis. Here we review the relationships between dysregulation of these systems and age-related cognitive decline. We then suggest that this group of structurally similar polyphenolic compounds may be particularly promising therapeutic leads for age-related cognitive decline and depression because they modulate these processes.
AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Regulation and Biological Actions in the Heart
Authors: Zaha Vlad G. , Young Lawrence H.
Published: August 2012

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a stress-activated kinase that functions as a cellular fuel gauge and master metabolic regulator. Recent investigation has elucidated novel molecular mechanisms of AMPK regulation and important biological actions of the AMPK pathway that are highly relevant to cardiovascular disease. Activation of the intrinsic AMPK pathway plays an important role in the myocardial response to ischemia, pressure overload, and heart failure. Pharmacological activation of AMPK shows promise as a therapeutic strategy in the treatment of heart disease. The purpose of this review is to assess how recent discoveries have extended and in some cases challenged existing paradigms, providing new insights into the regulation of AMPK, its diverse biological actions, and therapeutic potential in the heart.
Putting the Benchmarks Into Practice
Authors: Foo Kune Natacha M. R. , Rodolfa Emil R.
Published: August 2012

This article explores how the TCP Major Contribution, “Multicultural Clinical Supervision and Benchmarks: Empirical Support Informing Practice and Supervisor Training,” can be applied to the refining of competencies for the profession of psychology. It examines the major contributions’ thoughtful conclusions regarding effective supervisor behaviors, including the focus on the supervisory working alliance, provision of feedback to supervisees, supervisor use of self, empowering supervisees, supervisor as a competent clinician, and multicultural competencies. Implications for research and practice to enhance the profession and protect the public are discussed.
Periostin is Down-regulated during Periodontal Inflammation
Authors: Padial-Molina M. , Volk S.L. , Taut A.D. , Giannobile W.V. , Rios H.F.
Published: August 2012

Periostin, a matricellular adapter protein highly expressed by periodontal ligament fibroblasts, is implicated in the maintenance of periodontal integrity, which is compromised during periodontal diseases. The aim of this study was to explore the influence of chronic periodontal inflammation on tissue periostin levels. Periodontal breakdown was induced in a pre-clinical ligature periodontal inflammatory disease model. Periodontal tissue specimens were harvested at baseline, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks and prepared for histologic, immunofluorescence, and micro-CT examination. Statistical analyses were conducted by Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney, and Spearman’s tests. Periostin detection levels were reduced over time in response to the inflammatory process (1 ± 0.05; 0.67 ± 0.03; 0.31 ± 0.02; p < 0.001; baseline, 2, and 4 weeks, respectively). Simultaneously, alveolar bone loss increased from baseline to the 2- and 4-week time-points (0.40 ± 0.02 mm; 1.39 ± 0.08 mm; 1.33 ± 0.15 mm; p < 0.001), which was inversely correlated with the levels of periostin (ρ = -0.545; p < 0.001). In conclusion, periostin PDL tissue levels significantly decrease under chronic inflammatory response and correlate with the detrimental changes to the periodontium over time.
Incorporating Teacher Effectiveness Into Teacher Preparation Program Evaluation
Authors: Henry Gary T. , Kershaw David C. , Zulli Rebecca A. , Smith Adrienne A.
Published: August 2012

New federal and state policies require that teacher preparation programs (TPP) be held accountable for the effectiveness of their graduates as measured by test score gains of the students they teach. In this article, the authors review the approaches taken in several states that have already estimated TPP effects and analyze the proposals for incorporating students’ test score gains into the evaluations of TPP by states that have received federal Race to the Top funds. The authors organize their review to focus on three types of decisions that are required to implement these new accountability requirements: (a) selection of teachers, students, subjects, and years of data; (b) methods for estimating teachers’ effects on student test score gains; and (c) reporting and interpretation of effects. The purpose of the review is to inform the teacher preparation community on the state of current and near term practice for adding measures of teacher effectiveness to TPP accountability practices.
Local Inequality and Crime: Exploring how Variation in the Scale of Inequality Measures Affects Relationships between Inequality and Crime
Authors: Whitworth Adam
Published: August 2012

There is considerable interest in the role of inequality in affecting social outcomes yet there is also uncertainty and disagreement about the appropriate scale at which to measure inequality within such analyses. Whilst some have argued for larger-area inequality measures to be used there are good theoretical, empirical and intuitive grounds to think that local inequality may have relevance as a driver of social ills. This paper explores whether differing understandings of ‘local’ inequality does—or can—matter and, if so, within which contexts this is the case. Contrasting findings across the two areas support the notion that local inequality does have relevance to social outcomes but that the socio-spatial context matters.
Housing-related Well-being in Older People: The Impact of Environmental and Financial Influences
Authors: Costa-Font Joan
Published: August 2012

With the ageing of populations in Europe, one can expect new pressures on the existing housing stock to accommodate those older individuals with mobility problems; at the same time, housing assets are expected to be called upon to guarantee financial security for older homeowners. The accessibility and suitability of housing, and the financial security that housing provides, may exert an independent influence on well-being; to what extent either factor prevails in influencing well-being has important policy implications. This paper empirically examines the impact of investment and environmental housing influences on satisfaction with housing in a population of older people. Data are used from the European country which had the greatest number of homeowners at the time of the survey (Spain), and where at the same time older people rely heavily on informal caregiving. Robust evidence is presented to suggest that satisfaction with housing in old age is indeed independently associated with environmental influences. Although homeownership does improve well-being related to housing, home equity does not exhibit a significant and independent effect.
Trajectories of Multidimensional Neighbourhood Quality of Life Change
Authors: Delmelle Elizabeth , Thill Jean-Claude , Furuseth Owen , Ludden Thomas
Published: August 2012

This paper provides an empirical analysis of the multidimensional, spatio-temporal quality of life (QoL) trends followed by neighbourhoods in Charlotte, NC, between 2000 and 2010. Employing a combined geocomputational and visual technique based on the self-organising map, the study addresses which types of neighbourhood experienced the most change or stability, where (in attribute and geographical spaces) did neighbourhoods that began the decade with a particular set of characteristics evolve to, and where did neighbourhoods that concluded the decade transition from? Results indicate that the highest QoL neighbourhoods were most stable, while those with lower homeownership, closer to the city centre, exhibited the sharpest longitudinal trajectories. Lower-income neighbourhoods are found to be heterogeneous in terms of their social problems, dividing between high crime concentrations and youth-related social problems. An exchange of these social issues over time is observed as well as a geographical spread of crime to middle-ring suburbs.
Much Ado About Deception
Authors: Barrera Davide , Simpson Brent
Published: August 2012

Social scientists have intensely debated the use of deception in experimental research, and conflicting norms governing the use of deception are now firmly entrenched along disciplinary lines. Deception is typically allowed in sociology and social psychology but proscribed in economics. Notably, disagreements about the use of deception are generally not based on ethical considerations but on pragmatic grounds: the anti-deception camp argues that deceiving participants leads to invalid results, while the other side argues that deception has little negative impact and, under certain conditions, can even enhance validity. These divergent norms governing the use of deception are important because they stifle interdisciplinary research and discovery, create hostilities between disciplines and researchers, and can negatively impact the careers of scientists who may be sanctioned for following the norms of their home discipline. We present two experimental studies aimed at addressing the issue empirically. Study 1 addresses the effects of direct exposure to deception, while Study 2 addresses the effects of indirect exposure to deception. Results from both studies suggest that deception does not significantly affect the validity of experimental results.
Predicting push-button warfare: US print media and conflict from a distance, 1945–2010
Authors: Plotnick Rachel
Published: August 2012

In the more than 50 years following World War II, the concept of ‘push-button warfare’ has continually metamorphosed in media discourses as a symbol of technological warfare from a distance. This rhetorical transformation has occurred within the context of complex social, cultural and historical shifts, and along the way news sources have played a key role in framing debates for readers. Acting as a translator of uncertainty and future scenarios, journalists and others have deliberated on values of and risks posed by automated forms of war and their potential impact on the United States and the world. This article examines nearly 500 print media stories in order to make sense of the shifting dialogue around push-button warfare both in times of tumult and relative calm. The longitudinal study investigates how reporters frame predictions, prophecies, forecasts and expectations when trying to assess future technologies for war and peace.
Border communication: media sociology and STS
Authors: Wajcman Judy , Jones Paul K.
Published: August 2012

This article examines the curious interplay between media sociology and Science and Technology Studies (STS). Recent media research is increasingly drawn to STS, while STS analysts are increasingly drawn to research media technologies. While it is routine practice in STS to stress the ‘materiality’ of the objects under investigation, media technologies pose a challenge to this. Their ‘materiality’ is difficult to distinguish from their communicative/symbolic dimensions, the latter often being misframed as ideal/immaterial. By contrast, media research traditions have thought through these issues in terms of the concept of articulation and the related conceptual legacy of aesthetic modernism. While far more attentive to the specificity of ‘the symbolic’, these frameworks have been only partly informed by macro-social theoretical reflection. Here we advocate Calhoun’s placement of communications within his ‘infrastructure of modernity’ as the most suitable overarching framework for discussion of this border communication. However, Calhoun’s framework itself can benefit from re-invigoration by the socio-technical insights of both traditions.
Journalistic field wars: defending and attacking the national narrative in a diversifying journalistic field
Authors: Handley Robert L , Rutigliano Lou
Published: August 2012

Whereas others have noticed a strengthening of journalistic–state relations due to pressures caused by new media, this analysis reveals an ideological strengthening of the state–journalistic partnership. This article uses a deep reading of journalistic coverage of the WikiLeaks-released cables to examine the influence of field position upon newswork and narratives from diverse sources. Despite the hope that new technologies will enable new journalistic forms, establishment journalism continues its allegiance to traditional practices that are a consequence and cause of the national narrative. Because of competition within the journalistic field made possible by changing political economies, one reaction of dominant news organizations is to become more committed to the national narrative to maintain their position of strength within the field.
Voice Symptoms in Patients with Autoimmune Disease
Authors: Liu Zi Wei , Masterson Liam M. , Srouji Ibrahim A. , Musonda Patrick , Scott David G. I.
Published: August 2012

Objective

To assess the prevalence and severity of voice symptoms in individuals with a diagnosis of autoimmune disease.

Study Design

Cross‐sectional survey.

Setting

Study participants were recruited from a rheumatology tertiary referral clinic at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

Subjects and Methods

A cross‐sectional questionnaire analyzing 109 patients with autoimmune disease (rheumatoid arthritis, seronegative spondyloarthritis, connective tissue disease) and a control group of 41 patients with non‐autoimmune disease (osteoarthritis/osteoporosis). Main outcome measures were the Voice Handicap Index–10 (VHI‐10), xerostomia scale, acid reflux inquiry, and anxiety/depression scale.

Results

Patients with autoimmune disease were more likely to experience voice symptoms as assessed by the VHI‐10 questionnaire (P =. 0035). Subgroup analysis showed autoimmune patients were more likely to report voice symptoms regardless of whether they were on a disease‐modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD; P =. 0010) or non‐DMARD (P =. 017), suggesting autoimmune disease may be an independent risk factor from pharmacotherapy. Xerostomia was more common in an autoimmune population compared with the control group (P =. 02). A positive correlation between xerostomia and VHI‐10 scores was found for the DMARD group (Spearman rank coefficient = 0.49, P <. 001). No significant difference in acid reflux inquiry (P =. 44) or the anxiety/depression scale (P =. 36) was found when comparing the autoimmune and control groups.

Conclusion

Patients with autoimmune disease have increased likelihood of voice symptoms when compared with a control population with non‐autoimmune disease. Further prospective studies to elucidate the cause of voice disorder would be valuable.
Making, contesting and governing the local: Women’s labour and the local state
Authors: Newman Janet
Published: August 2012

This article explores how women’s activism contributed to the generation of local capacities and resources (‘making’ the local); how women attempted to subvert or co-opt emerging patterns of local governance (‘contesting’ the local); and engaged with strategies of governing and managing local communities (‘governing’ the local). In elaborating these themes the article draws on empirical research that suggests how these practices succeeded each other within different political-governmental regimes, but also how they were entangled in individual working lives. The article then draws on the analysis to show how it might speak to the present regime of cuts, retrenchment and the closure of many of the spaces of power that previous generations of women had forged.
Spatial and Temporal Capitalization Effects of Light Rail in Phoenix
Authors: Golub Aaron , Guhathakurta Subhrajit , Sollapuram Bharath
Published: August 2012

Studies have shown that proximity to light rail transit (LRT) stations positively affects property values and that these effects can appear before a system opens for operation. Here, we expand on these questions. We explore capitalization effects at several stages during the planning process for four real estate markets: single-family homes, homes in multifamily structures, commercial properties, and vacant land, using the case study of the LRT system in Phoenix, Arizona. We confirm earlier results concerning the value of proximity, and also find that markets exhibit value increases at different stages during the planning and construction process.
Genotoxicity and oxidative stress in chromium-exposed tannery workers in North India
Authors: Ambreen Khushboo , Khan Faizan Haider , Bhadauria Smrati , Kumar Sudhir
Published: August 2012

Trivalent chromium (Cr) is an environmental contaminant, which is extensively used in tanning industries throughout the world and causes various forms of health hazards in tannery workers. Therefore, a cross-sectional study design was used to evaluate the DNA damage and oxidative stress condition in tannery workers exposed to Cr in North India. The study population comprised 100 male tanners in the exposed group and 100 healthy males (no history of Cr exposure) in the comparable control group. Baseline characteristics including age, smoking, alcohol consumption habits and duration of exposure were recorded via interviewing the subjects. Blood Cr level (measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry), DNA damage (measured by comet assay) and oxidative stress parameters (malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)) were estimated in both the groups. As a result of statistical analysis, exposed group showed significantly higher level of Cr ( p < 0.0001), DNA damage ( p < 0.0001), MDA ( p < 0.0001), SOD ( p < 0.05) and lower level of GSH ( p < 0.001) when compared with controls. Smoking, alcohol consumption habits and age had no significant effect ( p > 0.05) on DNA damage and oxidative stress parameters in both the groups. In simple and multiple correlation analysis, DNA damage and oxidative stress parameters showed significant correlation with Cr level and duration of exposure in exposed group. The findings of the present study revealed that chronic occupational exposure to trivalent Cr may cause DNA damage and oxidative stress in tannery workers.
Sodium 3,5,6-trichloropyridin-2-ol poisoning
Authors: Niu Ying-Mei , Hao Feng-Tong , Xia Yu-Jing
Published: August 2012

Sodium 3,5,6-trichloropyridin-2-ol (STCP) is an important intermediate for synthesizing organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos. At present, chlorpyrifos is one of the world’s largest species of pesticide products. Many studies have focused on the toxicity of chlorpyrifos, but few reports have looked at the toxicity mechanism of STCP. Even fewer studies have looked at STCP poisoning. With increasing production and usage of STCP, the chances of such poisoning will increase. In this study, we present a report on four workers who helped in the industrial manufacture of STCP and who were affected by exposure to it. We hope that these case studies will provide a foundation for further research into STCP.
Parameter study of common rail pressure for low octane gasoline multiple premixed compression ignition (MPCI) in light-duty diesel engine
Authors: Yang H-Q , Shuai S-J , Wang Z , Wang J-X
Published: August 2012

A novel combustion concept called ‘multiple premixed compression ignition’ in the gasoline direct injection compression ignition regime is proposed. Its predominant feature is the first premixed and subsequent quasi-premixed combustion processes in a sequence of ‘spray–combustion–spray-combustion’ around the compression top dead center. The multiple-stage premixed combustion decouples the pressure rise from the pollutants formation process, which means the pressure rise rate and emissions can be reduced simultaneously, while achieving a high thermal efficiency. The experimental study of the multiple premixed compression ignition mode has been carried out in a single cylinder research engine retrofitted from a light-duty diesel engine with a compression ratio of 18.5. Low octane gasoline with the research octane number of 66 was tested under 1400 r/min, 0.8 MPa indicated mean effective pressure conditions, without exhaust gas recirculation or intake conditioning. A parameter study of common rail pressure was implemented to investigate its effect on the performance of the multiple premixed compression ignition mode. When the common rail pressure is 60 MPa under the foregoing operating conditions, the shortest ignition delay of the test fuel is observed. In addition, compared to the single-stage diffusion combustion in traditional diesel engines, the multiple premixed compression ignition mode with the test fuel achieves lower emissions of soot, NO and CO, as well as slightly higher indicated efficiency, with a penalty of higher total hydrocarbon emissions.
Development of a multiple opposing jets’ burner for premixed flames
Authors: Kamal Mahmoud M
Published: August 2012

A burner was developed to accommodate multiple opposing premixed flames, where the turbulence stimulated by impingement was found to extend the stability limits of methane/air mixtures. The opposing jets established closed loop flow currents in a number of sectors, which is twice that of the jets thus providing more eddies within a stronger turbulent flame structure. The stagnation zone for four opposing jets was testified to be larger than that for two jets such that it was able to sustain higher reactive jet velocities up to 14.2 m/s at larger flow shearing rates. Increasing the number of opposing jets and decreasing their separation distance provided higher rates of heat/mass transfer into the ports. As the flow deceleration zone was enlarged, the correspondingly higher burning capacities were correlated to the port diameter, the separation distance, the number of jets, Reynolds number, and the strain rate. Strain rates of growing magnitudes up to 13,080 s−1 were sustained at jet velocities as high as 21.8 m/s. At such velocities and upon increasing the ratio of the jet diameter to the separation distance, the turbulent kinetic energy was found to exhibit one local peak, as the strain rate due to impingement became enriched by the jet radial shearing effects. A lean blowout equivalence ratio of 0.59 was pronounced as a basis for acquiring low NO x emissions. The burner serves as a potential prototype for increasing the power-to-weight ratio of the combustion chambers like those utilized in furnaces, boilers, gas turbines, as well as jet-propelled vehicles with effectively minimized emissions of pollutants.
Reconstructing late-Holocene environmental change in Iceland using high-resolution tephrochronology
Authors: Streeter Richard T , Dugmore Andrew J
Published: August 2012

High resolution records of sediment accumulation are necessary to evaluate subtle temporal and spatial variations in sediment flux, especially in the context of decadal-scale human–environment interactions. Digital photography using consumer-grade cameras may be used to gather thousands of stratigraphic measurements to ± 1 mm (potentially equivalent to ± 2 years of accumulation) and provide data amenable to statistical manipulation. This new approach is illustrated with an evaluation of 15th century landscape change in Iceland. High resolution measurements show that apparent ‘spikes’ in accumulation after episodes of plague are an artefact of lower resolution measurements (± 2.5 mm) over decadal periods. Regional records show little change in sediment accumulation rates after the plagues but key local records made possible using this new methodology reveal that the period ad 1389–1416 (encompassing the plague outbreak of ad 1402) had some of the lowest sediment accumulation rates since settlement of the island. This new approach to landscape assessment indicates that in this pastoralist community the aftermath of human mortality rates of 50–60% saw no development of feral sheep populations or a switch to less labour-intensive wool production. The implication is that cattle production was maintained and the relative easing of landscape impacts could explain the lag between 14th century climatic deterioration and 18th century increases in landscape change.
Late-Holocene evolution of a floodplain impounded by the Smrdutá landslide, Carpathian Mountains (Czech Republic)
Authors: Pánek Tomáš , Smolková Veronika , Hradecký Jan , Sedláček Jan , Zernitskaya Valentina , Kadlec Jaroslav , Pazdur Anna , Řehánek Tomáš
Published: August 2012

Landslides affecting narrow mountainous valleys might significantly determine sedimentation dynamics of floodplains. We present here a detailed study of the sedimentary archive within a landslide-controlled impounded floodplain (Smrdutá site, Czech Flysch Carpathians) using geochronological (14C and 137Cs), sedimentological and pollen evidence. A sedimentary sequence deposited above the landslide dam points to three highly discontinuous and instantaneous depositional events dated to 4.6 and 2.0 cal. ka BP, whereas the last cycle started approximately in the 17–18th centuries and has continued to recent times. Such sedimentary pulses characterized by the duration of several decades to a few centuries originated as a consequence of the blockage and/or reduction of the valley floor width by successive long-runout landslides from a slope formed by tectonically and lithologically anisotropic flysch bedrock. Stages of mass movement activity revealed by the Smrdutá landslide correlate well with major humid late-Holocene oscillations suggesting its high sensitivity to century-scale climatic deteriorations. The character of lithological units forming individual sedimentary pulses, erosional hiatuses and sedimentary traces caused by the July 1997 extreme flood indicate a decisive role of large flood events during accretion and erosion of the floodplain-impounded section.
Palaeoenvironment and agriculture of ancient Loulan and Milan on the Silk Road
Authors: Zhang Jianping , Lu Houyuan , Wu Naiqin , Qin Xiaoguang , Wang Luo
Published: August 2012

Ancient Loulan, an important city on the Silk Road, disappeared about 1500 years ago. The environmental conditions associated with the vicissitude of ancient Loulan have been debated since the city was rediscovered in ad 1900. However, little paleobotanical evidence concerning vegetation and environment in this area has so far been available. In this study, phytoliths and diatoms extracted from 16 samples including two fossil camel coprolites from sites of Loulan and Milan indicate that the landscape of ancient Loulan was a typical oasis, where reeds, grasses of Paniceae and Pooideae probably grew along with some shrubs. Also, some typical brackish diatoms might live in some water bodies in the catchment of an ancient lake, Lop Nor. Our results also suggest that common millet as staple crop, and foxtail millet and possibly naked barley as non-staple crops were the main food source for ancient Loulan and Milan residents between ad 50 and 770.
Examining the Acceptability, Attractiveness, and Effects of a School-Based Validating Interview for Adolescents Who Self-Injure
Authors: Bjärehed Jonas , Pettersson Kajsa , Wångby-Lundh Margit , Lundh Lars-Gunnar
Published: August 2012

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents is a significant problem that needs to be addressed, and in some cases managed, in school settings. The current feasibility study uses screening questionnaires and follow up-interviews on NSSI in a community sample of adolescents ( N = 1,052) in Sweden. Both adolescents reporting self-injury ( n = 66) and a comparison group ( n = 31) were interviewed, and information disclosed about self-injury, as well as the results from the interviewers assessments of the seriousness of these behaviors, were examined. Generally, adolescents reported positive feelings about being interviewed, and 52% of those who had reported self-injury in the questionnaire disclosed NSSI in the interviews. Further, a majority of these cases, 76%, were not assessed as very serious. When NSSI was reported in a questionnaire 1 year after the interview, there were no indications of iatrogenic effects from participating in the interview. The results support the feasibility of using NSSI screening questionnaires in combination with follow-up interviews in schools.
Message Strategies and Forgiveness during Crises
Authors: Moon Bitt Beach , Rhee Yunna
Published: August 2012

In this study, the concept of forgiveness was proposed as an outcome variable to crisis management, and relationships among message appeals, causal attributions, and forgiveness were investigated. A 2 (causal attributions: internal vs. external) × 2 (message appeals: information-centered vs. emotion-centered) between-subjects design experimental study was conducted. The two types of causal attributions had significant main effects, and the different types of causal attributions and message appeals had interaction effects on forgiveness. This suggests the importance of selectively determining message appeals based on the public’s perception of causal attributions during a crisis.
Self-reported sleep problems, but not fatigue, lead to decline in sustained attention in MS patients
Authors: Lehmann Pia , Eling Paul , Kastrup Andreas , Grothues Oliver , Hildebrandt Helmut
Published: August 2012

Objective:

According to the compensation theory, fatigue in MS results from efforts to compensate for a reduction in capacity due to demyelination or neurodegeneration. Recently, it has been argued that fatigue may result from poor sleep. Both explanations predict a worsening of fatigue and a cognitive decline during sustained attention tasks (higher fatigability).

Method:

We compared MS patients with and without self-reported cognitive fatigue, in three sessions with a two-back working memory task, registering hits and response latencies as well as changes in fatigue. In the two breaks between the sessions, either a video instruction to relax or a stimulating video was presented. Subsequently, patients were divided into those with and those without self-reported sleep problems and the analyses were repeated.

Results:

Patients with fatigue performed worse than healthy controls, irrespective of task duration and type of video during the break. The task-related increase of fatigue also did not differ between the groups and no differential effect of the videos was observed in the MS patients with fatigue. In contrast, patients with sleep problems did show a performance decline as predicted by the compensation theory.

Conclusion:

MS patients with fatigue were impaired in working memory, but did not show greater fatigability, whereas MS participants with self-reported sleep problems showed fatigability, which could be improved with a restorative rest period. Our data therefore do not support the compensation theory of fatigue, and we argue that sleep problems and fatigue in MS patients differ with respect to their functional consequences.
Medicine: Experimentation, Politics, Emergent Bodies
Authors: Michael Mike , Rosengarten Marsha
Published: August 2012

In this introduction, we address some of the complexities associated with the emergence of medicine’s bodies, not least as a means to ‘working with the body’ rather than simply producing a critique of medicine. We provide a brief review of some of the recent discussions on how to conceive of medicine and its bodies, noting the increasing attention now given to medicine as a technology or series of technologies active in constituting a multiplicity of entities – bodies, diseases, experimental objects, the individualization of responsibility for health and even the precarity of life. We contrast what feminist theorists in the tradition of Judith Butler have referred to as the question of matter, and Science and Technology Studies with its focus on practice and the nature of emergence. As such we address tensions that exist in analyses of the ontological status of ‘the body’ – human and non-human – as it is enacted in the work of the laboratory, the randomized controlled trial, public health policy and, indeed, the market that is so frequently entangled with these spaces. In keeping with the recent turns toward ontology and affect, we suggest that we can regard medicine as concerned with the contraction and reconfiguration of the body’s capacities to affect and be affected, in order to allow for the subsequent proliferation of affects that, according to Bruno Latour, marks corporeal life. Treating both contraction and proliferation circumspectly, we focus on the patterns of affects wrought in particular by the abstractions of medicine that are described in the contributions to this special issue. Drawing on the work of A.N. Whitehead, we note how abstractions such as ‘medical evidence’, the ‘healthy human body’ or the ‘animal model’ are at once realized and undercut, mediated and resisted through the situated practices that eventuate medicine’s bodies. Along the way, we touch on the implications of this sort of perspective for addressing the distribution of agency and formulations of the ethical and the political in the medical eventuations of bodies.
Social and cognitive predictors of fruit and vegetable intake among adolescents: The context of changes in body weight
Authors: Szczepanska Wanda Komorowska , Scholz Urte , Liszewska Natalia , Luszczynska Aleksandra
Published: August 2012

Two studies investigated differences in the relationships between adolescents’ fruit and vegetable intake (FVI) and the predictors specified in the Health Action Process Approach and Social-Cognitive Theory. Retrospective (Study 1; N = 502) and prospective (Study 2; N = 668) designs were applied. Among adolescents with overweight/obesity, intention was cross-sectionally associated with FVI (Study 1); no social or cognitive predictors explained FVI at 14-month follow-up (Study 2). The planning – FVI and self-efficacy – FVI relationships were stronger among adolescents who reduced their body weight to normal, compared to effects observed among those who maintained their body weight (Studies 1 and 2).