bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Activation of Hemostasis and Decline in Cognitive Function in Older People
Authors: Stott David J. , Robertson Michele , Rumley Ann , Welsh Paul , Sattar Naveed , Packard Christopher J. , Shepherd James , Trompet Stella , Westendorp Rudi G.J. , de Craen Anton J.M. , Jukema J. Wouter , Buckley Brendan , Ford Ian , Lowe Gordon D.O.
Published: December 2009

Objective—

To determine whether activation of hemostatic function (thrombosis and fibrinolysis) is associated with cognitive decline in older people.

Methods and Results—

We studied 5804 people (age, 70–82 years) in the Prospective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk (PROSPER). Mean follow-up was 3.2 years, including annual measurement of speed of information processing (letter, digit coding, and Stroop), verbal memory (picture–word naming), and basic and instrumental activities of daily living. Raised levels of markers of thrombin generation (
d
-dimer and prothrombin fragment 1+2) were associated independently with increased rate of cognitive decline (eg, Stroop increased by 4.44 s [SEM, 0.68] in bottom tertile of
d
-dimer compared to 5.46 [SEM, 0.71] in highest tertile;
P
<0.05) and deterioration in activities of daily living. This increased rate of decline was attenuated but not removed when subjects with incident nonfatal stroke were omitted from the analysis. It also persisted when adjustments were made for inflammation (C-reactive protein and IL-6).

Conclusion—

Older patients with increased markers of thrombin generation (
d
-dimer and prothrombin fragment 1+2) are at increased risk for cognitive decline and deterioration in ability to perform activities of daily living. This is likely attributable to increased risk of cerebral ischemic damage (including covert disease) associated with prothrombotic states.
Role of Remittances in Economic Growth in Pacific Island Countries: A Study of Samoa
Authors: Jayaraman  , Choong Chee-Keong , Kumar Ronald
Published: December 2009

Remittances have been a great support to Pacific island countries (PICs). Aside from providing additions to domestic savings and, hence, real resources, they have been one of the major sources of foreign exchange earnings. In the context of falling exports and limited options to diversify their exports, inward remittances have assumed greater importance. This paper examines the nexus between growth and remittances in Samoa.
Allogeneic transplantation for therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Litzow Mark R. , Tarima Sergey , Pérez Waleska S. , Bolwell Brian J. , Cairo Mitchell S. , Camitta Bruce M. , Cutler Corey S. , de Lima Marcos , DiPersio John F. , Gale Robert Peter , Keating Armand , Lazarus Hillard M. , Luger Selina , Marks David I. , Maziarz Richard T. , McCarthy Philip L. , Pasquini Marcelo C. , Phillips Gordon L. , Rizzo J. Douglas , Sierra Jorge , Tallman Martin S. , Weisdorf Daniel J.
Published: December 2009

Therapy-related myelodysplastic syndromes (t-MDSs) and acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML) have a poor prognosis with conventional therapy. Encouraging results are reported after allogeneic transplantation. We analyzed outcomes in 868 persons with t-AML (n = 545) or t-MDS (n = 323) receiving allogeneic transplants from 1990 to 2004. A myeloablative regimen was used for conditioning in 77%. Treatment-related mortality (TRM) and relapse were 41% (95% confidence interval [CI], 38-44) and 27% (24-30) at 1 year and 48% (44-51) and 31% (28-34) at 5 years, respectively. Disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were 32% (95% CI, 29-36) and 37% (34-41) at 1 year and 21% (18-24) and 22% (19-26) at 5 years, respectively. In multivariate analysis, 4 risk factors had adverse impacts on DFS and OS: (1) age older than 35 years; (2) poor-risk cytogenetics; (3) t-AML not in remission or advanced t-MDS; and (4) donor other than an HLA-identical sibling or a partially or well-matched unrelated donor. Five-year survival for subjects with none, 1, 2, 3, or 4 of these risk factors was 50% (95% CI, 38-61), 26% (20-31), 21% (16-26), 10% (5-15), and 4% (0-16), respectively (P < .001). These data permit a more precise prediction of outcome and identify subjects most likely to benefit from allogeneic transplantation.
Antidiabetic Properties of Zinc-α2-Glycoprotein in ob/ob Mice
Authors: Russell Steven T. , Tisdale Michael J.
Published: December 2009

Zinc-α2-glycoprotein (ZAG) is an adipokine associated with fat loss in cancer cachexia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of recombinant human ZAG to attenuate type 2 diabetes in the ob/ob mouse model. ZAG (50 μg daily, iv) induced a progressive loss of body weight (3.5g in 5 d), without an effect on food or water intake but with a 0.4 C rise in body temperature, suggesting an increased energy expenditure. Despite an increased plasma glycerol, indicative of increased lipolysis, levels of glucose, triglycerides, and nonesterified fatty acids were decreased by 17, 25, and 62%, respectively, due to an increased use of both glucose and lipids by muscle and brown adipose tissue. The weight of the latter increased 2-fold, and there was increased expression of uncoupling proteins-1 and -3. Plasma insulin levels were reduced by 36%, whereas pancreatic insulin was increased 4-fold, and there was a 53% decrease in the total area under the glucose curve in the glucose tolerance test and reduced insulin requirement. There was an increase in skeletal muscle mass due to an increase in protein synthesis and a decrease in protein degradation. These results suggest that ZAG may potentially be effective in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Regulation of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 Enhanceosome Formation by Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonuclease 1 in Hepatic Acute Phase Response
Authors: Ray Sutapa , Lee Chang , Hou Tieying , Bhakat Kishor K. , Brasier Allan R.
Published: December 2009

The signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) is a latent IL-6 inducible transcription factor that mediates hepatic and vascular inflammation. In this study, we make the novel observation that STAT3 forms an inducible complex with the apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1)/redox effector factor-1 (APE1/Ref-1), an essential multifunctional protein in DNA base excision repair, and studied the role of APE1/Ref-1 in STAT3 function. Using a transfection-coimmunoprecipitation assay, we observed that APE1 selectively binds the NH2-terminal acetylation domain of STAT3. Ectopic expression of APE1 potentiated inducible STAT3 reporter activity, whereas knockdown of APE1 resulted in reduced IL-6-inducible acute-phase reactant protein expression (C-reactive protein and serum amyloid P) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 expression. The mechanism for APE1 requirement in IL-6 signaling was indicated by reduced STAT3 DNA binding activity observed in response to small interfering RNA-mediated APE1 silencing. Consistent with these in vitro studies, we also observed that lipopolysaccharide-induced activation of acute-phase reactant protein expression is significantly abrogated in APE1 heterozygous mice compared with wild-type mice. IL-6 induces both STAT3 and APE1 to bind the suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 and γ-fibrionogen promoters in their native chromatin environment. Moreover, we observed that APE1 knockdown destabilized formation of the STAT3-inducible enhanceosome on the endogenous γ-fibrionogen promoter. Taken together, our study indicates that IL-6 induces a novel STAT3-APE1 complex, whose interaction is required for stable chromatin association in the IL-6-induced hepatic acute phase response.
General tax Structures and the Lévy Insurance Risk Model
Authors: Kyprianou Andreas E. , Zhou Xiaowen
Published: December 2009

In the spirit of Albrecher and Hipp (2007), and Albrecher, Renaud, and Zhou (2008) we consider a Lévy insurance risk model with tax payments of a more general structure than in the aforementioned papers, which was also considered in Albrecher, Borst, Boxma, and Resing (2009). In terms of scale functions, we establish three fundamental identities of interest which have stimulated a large volume of actuarial research in recent years. That is to say, the two-sided exit problem, the net present value of tax paid until ruin, as well as a generalized version of the Gerber–Shiu function. The method we appeal to differs from Albrecher and Hipp (2007), and Albrecher, Renaud, and Zhou (2008) in that we appeal predominantly to excursion theory.
Luteal blood flow and concentrations of circulating progesterone and other hormones associated with a simulated pulse of 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-prostaglandin F2α in heifers
Authors: Shrestha H K , Beg M A , Imam S , Ginther O J
Published: December 2009

Progesterone and luteal blood flow effects of an i.u. 2-h infusion of 0.25 mg/h of prostaglandin F2α (PGF) that simulated a natural pulse of 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGF (PGFM) were compared to the effects of a single bolus i.u. injection of PGF (4 mg) that induced complete luteolysis in heifers. Blood sampling and an estimate of the percentage of luteal area with colour-Doppler signals of blood flow were performed every 2 min for 20 min and less frequently thereafter for 6 h. After the beginning of PGF infusion or a bolus injection, progesterone increased to a peak at 14 and 10 min respectively, and was accompanied by an increase in blood flow in the bolus group but not in the infusion group. Progesterone then decreased for 1 or 2 h and was accompanied by a continued elevation in blood flow in the PGF bolus group and by a slight increase in the PGF infusion group. Progesterone then rebounded in both groups, but the rebound was greater in the infusion group. Blood flow decreased during the descending arm of the progesterone rebound. Cortisol and prolactin began to increase 6 min after the bolus PGF injection but did not increase during or after PGF infusion. The increases in cortisol, prolactin and blood flow after a PGF bolus treatment but not during a simulated PGFM pulse indicated that the bolus treatment was pharmacologic, and its use may lead to faulty conclusions on the nature of physiologic luteolysis. The comparisons between progesterone and blood flow are novel.
A novel spontaneous mutation of Irs1 in mice results in hyperinsulinemia, reduced growth, low bone mass and impaired adipogenesis
Authors: DeMambro Victoria E , Kawai Masanobu , Clemens Thomas L , Fulzele Keertik , Maynard Jane A , Marín de Evsikova Caralina , Johnson Kenneth R , Canalis Ernesto , Beamer Wesley G , Rosen Clifford J , Donahue Leah Rae
Published: December 2009

A spontaneous mouse mutant, designated ‘small’ (sml), was recognized by reduced body size suggesting a defect in the IGF1/GH axis. The mutation was mapped to the chromosome 1 region containing Irs1, a viable candidate gene whose sequence revealed a single nucleotide deletion resulting in a premature stop codon. Despite normal mRNA levels in mutant and control littermate livers, western blot analysis revealed no detectable protein in mutant liver lysates. When compared with the control littermates, Irs1sml/Irs1sml (Irs1sml/sml) mice were small, lean, hearing impaired; had 20% less serum IGF1; were hyperinsulinemic; and were mildly insulin resistant. Irs1sml/sml mice had low bone mineral density, reduced trabecular and cortical thicknesses, and low bone formation rates, while osteoblast and osteoclast numbers were increased in the females but not different in the males compared with the Irs1+/+ controls. In vitro, Irs1sml/sml bone marrow stromal cell cultures showed decreased alkaline phosphatase-positive colony forming units (pre-osteoblasts; CFU-AP+) and normal numbers of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive osteoclasts. Irs1sml/sml stromal cells treated with IGF1 exhibited a 50% decrease in AKT phosphorylation, indicative of defective downstream signaling. Similarities between engineered knockouts and the spontaneous mutation of Irs1sml were identified as well as significant differences with respect to heterozygosity and gender. In sum, we have identified a spontaneous mutation in the Irs1 gene associated with a major skeletal phenotype. Changes in the heterozygous Irs1+/sml mice raise the possibility that similar mutations in humans are associated with short stature or osteoporosis.
Asymptotics for Operational Risk Quantified with Expected Shortfall
Authors: Biagini Francesca , Ulmer Sascha
Published: December 2009

In this paper we estimate operational risk by using the convex risk measure Expected Shortfall (ES) and provide an approximation as the confidence level converges to 100% in the univariate case. Then we extend this approach to the multivariate case, where we represent the dependence structure by using a Lévy copula as in Böcker and Klüppelberg (2006) and Böcker and Klüppelberg, C. (2008). We compare our results to the ones obtained in Böcker and Klüppelberg (2006) and (2008) for Operational VaR and discuss their practical relevance.
Brief Screening Tool for Disordered Eating in Diabetes
Authors: Markowitz Jessica T. , Butler Deborah A. , Volkening Lisa K. , Antisdel Jeanne E. , Anderson Barbara J. , Laffel Lori M.B.
Published: December 2009

OBJECTIVE

To update and validate a diabetes-specific screening tool for disordered eating (the Diabetes Eating Problem Survey [DEPS]) in contemporary youth with type 1 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

A total of 112 youth with type 1 diabetes, ages 13–19 years, completed the DEPS. Higher scores on the DEPS indicate more disordered eating behaviors. Youth and their parents also completed additional surveys to examine diabetes-specific family conflict, negative affect related to blood glucose monitoring, youth quality of life, and diabetes burden. Clinicians provided data on height, weight, A1C, and insulin dosing. The DEPS was revised into a shorter, updated measure and validated.

RESULTS

The revised 16-item DEPS (DEPS-R) displayed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.86). Construct validity was demonstrated by positive correlations with zBMI (P = 0.01), A1C (P = 0.001), diabetes-specific family conflict (P < 0.005), youth negative affect around blood glucose monitoring (P = 0.001), parental diabetes-specific burden (P = 0.0005), and negative correlations with frequency of blood glucose monitoring (P = 0.03) and quality of life (P ≤ 0.002). External validity was confirmed against clinician report of insulin restriction.

CONCLUSIONS

The DEPS-R is a 16-item diabetes-specific self-report measure of disordered eating that can be completed in <10 min. It demonstrated excellent internal consistency, construct validity, and external validity in this contemporary sample of youth with type 1 diabetes. Future studies should focus on using the DEPS-R to identify high-risk populations for prevention of and early intervention for disordered eating behaviors.
Coordination and biological behaviour of 2-(p-toluidino)-N'-(3-oxo-1,3-diphenylpropylidene) acetohydrazide and its metal complexes
Authors: Al-Hakimi Ahmed N. , El-Tabl Abdou S. , Shakdofa Mohamad M. E.
Published: December 2009

A series of Ni(II), Co(II), Cu(II), Mn(II), Zn(II), Zr(IV), Fe(III), Ru(III), La(III), Hf(IV) and U(VI) complexes of 2-( p-toluidino)-N'-(3-oxo-1,3-diphenylpropylidene) acetohydrazide (H2L) have been synthesised and characterised by elemental and thermal analyses (DTA, TG), molar conductances, magnetic moments, IR, 1H NMR, UV-Vis spectra and ESR measurements. The ESR spectra of solid complexes [(L)(HL)Cu2(OAc)], [Cu(HL)(H2L)(NO3)] and [CuCl (HL)(H2L)].H2O at room temperature show axial symmetry with covalent bond character, and complex [FeCl2(HL)(H2O)] has gav = 4.38, indicating a high spin (5/2) iron(III) complex. However, complexes [(HL)Mn2Cl3(H2O)4] and [RuCl2(HL)(H2O)].H2O have isotropic spectra consistent with octahedral structure. The antifungal and antibacterial activities of the ligand and its complexes were investigated.
A New Strategy for the Identification of Novel Molecules with Targeted Proresolution of Inflammation Properties
Authors: Navarro-Xavier Roberta A. , Newson Justine , Silveira Vera Lucia Flor , Farrow Stuart N. , Gilroy Derek W. , Bystrom Jonas
Published: December 2009

As our understanding of inflammatory resolution increases, drugs that trigger proresolution pathways may become significant in treating chronic inflammatory diseases. However, anti-inflammatory drugs are traditionally tested during the first hours of onset (i.e., to dampen leukocyte and edema formation), and their ability to trigger proresolution processes has never been investigated. Moreover, there is no model available to screen for putative proresolving agents. In this study, we present a new strategy to identify therapeutics for their ability to switch inflammation off and restore homeostasis. Injecting 1.0 mg of zymosan i.p. causes transient inflammation characterized by polymorphonuclear neutrophil clearance and dominated by recently described resolution-phase macrophages along with an innate-type lymphocyte repopulation, the latter being a marker of tissue homeostasis. In contrast, 10 mg of zymosan elicits an aggressive response characterized by classically activated macrophages leading to systemic inflammation and impaired lymphocyte repopulation. Although this latter model eventually resolves, it nonetheless represents inflammation in the clinically relevant setting of polymorphonuclear neutrophil/classically activated macrophage dominance driving a cytokine storm. Treating such a reaction therapeutically with proresolution drugs provides quantifiable indices of resolution—polymorphonuclear neutrophil/macrophage clearance, macrophage phenotype switching (classically activated to resolution phase), and repopulation with resolution-phase lymphocytes—cardinal signs of inflammatory resolution and homeostasis in the peritoneum. As an illustration, mice bearing peritonitis induced by 10 mg of zymosan- were given ibuprofen, resolvin E1, a prostaglandin D2 receptor 1 agonist, dexamethasone, rolipram, or azithromycin, and their ability to trigger resolution and homeostasis in this new inflammatory setting was investigated. We present the first model for testing drugs with targeted proresolution properties using quantifiable parameters of inflammatory resolution and homeostasis.
Peer and cyber aggression in secondary school students: the role of moral disengagement, hostile attribution bias, and outcome expectancies
Authors: Pornari Chrisa D. , Wood Jane
Published: December 2009

This study investigated the relationship between cognitive mechanisms, applied by people to rationalize and justify harmful acts, and engagement in traditional peer and cyber aggression among school children. We examined the contribution of moral disengagement (MD), hostile attribution bias, and outcome expectancies, and we further explored the individual contribution of each MD mechanism. Our aim was to identify shared and unique cognitive factors of the two forms of aggression. Three hundred and thirty‐nine secondary school children completed self‐report measures that assessed MD, hostile attribution bias, outcome expectancies, and their roles and involvement in traditional and cyber aggression. We found that the MD total score positively related to both forms of peer‐directed aggression. Furthermore, traditional peer aggression positively related to children's moral justification, euphemistic language, displacement of responsibility and outcome expectancies, and negatively associated with hostile attribution bias. Moral justification also related positively to cyber aggression. Cyber aggression and cyber victimization were associated with high levels of traditional peer aggression and victimization, respectively. The results suggest that MD is a common feature of both traditional and cyber peer aggression, but it seems that traditional forms of aggression demand a higher level of rationalization or justification. Moreover, the data suggest that the expectation of positive outcomes from harmful behavior facilitates engagement in traditional peer aggression. The differential contribution of specific cognitive mechanisms indicates the need for future research to elaborate on the current findings, in order to advance theory and inform existing and future school interventions tackling aggression and bullying. Aggr. Behav. 36:81–94, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Randomized clinical trial of laparoscopic gastric bypass versus laparoscopic duodenal switch for superobesity
Authors: Søvik T T , Taha O , Aasheim E T , Engström M , Kristinsson J , Björkman S , Schou C F , Lönroth H , Mala T , Olbers T
Published: December 2009

Background

Laparoscopic Roux-en- gastric bypass (LRYGB) and laparoscopic biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch (LDS) are surgical options for superobesity. A randomized trial was conducted to evaluate perioperative (30-day) safety and 1-year results.

Methods

Sixty patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 50–60 kg/m2 were randomized to LRYGB or LDS. BMI, percentage of excess BMI lost, complications and readmissions were compared between groups.

Results

Patient characteristics were similar in the two groups. Mean operating time was 91 min for LRYGB and 206 min for LDS (P < 0·001). One LDS was converted to open surgery. Early complications occurred in four patients undergoing LRYGB and seven having LDS (P = 0·327), with no deaths. Median stay was 2 days after LRYGB and 4 days after LDS (P < 0·001). Four and nine patients respectively had late complications (P = 0·121). Mean BMI at 1 year decreased from 54·8 to 38·5 kg/m2 after LRYGB and from 55·2 to 32·5 kg/m2 after LDS; percentage of excess BMI lost was greater after LDS (74·8 versus 54·4 per cent; P < 0·001).

Conclusion

LRYGB and LDS can be performed with comparable perioperative safety in superobese patients. LDS provides greater weight loss in the first year. Registration number: NCT00327912 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).
Impact of atmospheric moisture in a rainfall downscaling framework for catchment‐scale climate change impact assessment
Authors: Mehrotra R. , Sharma A.
Published: December 2009

Three formulations of a non‐parametric stochastic downscaling framework for simulation of daily rainfall at multiple point locations for catchment‐scale climate change impact assessment under enhanced greenhouse conditions are evaluated. In the first case, rainfall is downscaled using a system of variables that combine atmospheric circulation indicators (geo‐potential height, pressure and derived variables) with time‐lagged wetness indicators reflecting a continuous rainfall state. In the second and third cases, the above system of variables is augmented using indicators of atmospheric moisture found relevant in defining the downscaling relationship. The downscaling framework is specified using 43 years of daily rainfall observations at 30 locations near Sydney, Australia, with reanalysis data being used to represent observed atmospheric variables. A single ensemble member of the CSIRO Mark 3 general circulation model (GCM) (corresponding to the SRES A2 emission scenario) is used for comparison of downscaled rainfall for current and future (year 2070) conditions. While all the downscaling formulations show an overall similarity in the downscaled rainfall for the current climate, variations for some rainfall attributes are observed for year 2070 conditions. A variable convergence score (VCS) is employed to assess the relative skill of atmospheric predictors used in the different formulations. The VCS indicates use of temperature depression (difference of dew point and atmospheric temperatures) as an indicator of atmospheric moisture to obtain more realistic estimates of rainfall for year 2070. In general, a decrease in winter and spring and an increase in summer in the frequency of wet days with a decrease in the winter rainfall amount in the year 2070 is projected. Also, inland stations are found to be more sensitive to the expected future climate changes in comparison to the coastal ones. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society
Low‐orderH∞controller design on the frequency domain by partial optimization
Authors: Saeki Masami , Ogawa Masashi , Wada Nobutaka
Published: December 2009

In this paper, an optimization method of low‐order multivariable controllers forH∞control is proposed. Starting from a low‐order stabilizing controller, our method gives a sequence of controllers for which theH∞norm performance index is monotonically non‐increasing by tuning the numerator coefficient matrices of the low‐order controller. This controller class includes multivariable PID controllers. The proposed method is a descent method where the feasible direction is calculated by solving a linear matrix inequality that represents a sufficient condition for theH∞criterion for each frequency. Usefulness is shown by two numerical examples. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nonlinear responses of wolverine populations to declining winter snowpack
Authors: Brodie Jedediah F. , Post Eric
Published: December 2009

Understanding the population‐level impacts of climate change is critical for effectively managing ecosystems. Predators are important components of many systems because they provide top−down control of community structure. Ecological theory suggests that these species could be particularly susceptible to climate change because they generally occur at low densities and have resource‐limited populations. Yet, our understanding of climate‐change impacts on predators is hindered by the difficulty in assessing complex, nonlinear dynamics over the large spatial scales necessary to depict a species’ general response to abiotic forcing. Here we use fur‐return data to characterize population dynamics of a snow‐adapted carnivore, the wolverine, across most of its North American range. Using novel modeling techniques, we simultaneously measured the impact of winter snowpack on wolverine dynamics across critical thresholds in snowpack depth and two domains of population growth. Winter snowpack declined from 1970 to 2004 in nearly the entire region studied, concordant with increases in Northern Hemisphere temperature anomalies. Fur returns have declined in many areas; our models show that snowpack has strong, nonlinear effects on wolverine population dynamics. Importantly, wolverine harvests dropped the fastest in areas where snowpack declined most rapidly and also where snowpack had the greatest effect on population dynamics. Moreover, declining snow cover appears to drive trends in wolverine population synchrony, with important implications for overall persistence. These results illustrate the vulnerability and complex responses of predator populations to climate change. We also suggest that declining snowpack may be an important and hitherto little‐analyzed mechanism through which climate change alters high‐latitude ecosystems.
High Dietary Fat Exacerbates Weight Gain and Obesity in Female Liver Fatty Acid Binding Protein Gene‐Ablated Mice
Authors: Atshaves Barbara P. , McIntosh Avery L. , Storey Stephen M. , Landrock Kerstin K. , Kier Ann B. , Schroeder Friedhelm
Published: December 2009

Since liver fatty acid binding protein (L‐FABP) facilitates uptake/oxidation of long‐chain fatty acids in cultured transfected cells and primary hepatocytes, loss of L‐FABP was expected to exacerbate weight gain and/or obesity in response to high dietary fat. Male and female wild‐type (WT) and L‐FABP gene‐ablated mice, pair‐fed a defined isocaloric control or high fat diet for 12 weeks, consumed equal amounts of food by weight and kcal. Male WT mice gained weight faster than their female WT counterparts regardless of diet. L‐FABP gene ablation enhanced weight gain more in female than male mice—an effect exacerbated by high fat diet. Dual emission X‐ray absorptiometry revealed high‐fat fed male and female WT mice gained mostly fat tissue mass (FTM). L‐FABP gene ablation increased FTM in female, but not male, mice—an effect also exacerbated by high fat diet. Concomitantly, L‐FABP gene ablation decreased serum β‐hydroxybutyrate in male and female mice fed the control diet and, even more so, on the high‐fat diet. Thus, L‐FABP gene ablation decreased fat oxidation and sensitized all mice to weight gain as whole body FTM and LTM—with the most gain observed in FTM of control vs high‐fat fed female L‐FABP null mice. Taken together, these results indicate loss of L‐FABP exacerbates weight gain and/or obesity in response to high dietary fat.
COBOL Programmers Swing with Java
Authors: Doke E. Reed , Hardgrave Bill C. , Johnson Richard A.
Published: December 2009

In the fast moving world of information technology, Java is now the number 1 programming language. Programmers and developers everywhere need to know Java to keep pace with traditional and web-based application development. COBOL Programmers Swing with Java provides COBOL programmers a clear, easy transition to Java programming by drawing on the numerous similarities between COBOL and Java. The authors introduce the COBOL programmer to the history of Java and object-oriented programming and then dive into the details of the Java syntax, always contrasting them with their parallels in COBOL. A running case study gives the reader an overall view of application development with Java, with increased functionality as new material is presented. This new edition features the development of graphical user interfaces (GUI's) using the latest in Java Swing components. The clear writing style and excellent examples make the book suitable for anyone wanting to learn Java and OO programming, whether they have a background in COBOL or not.
Psychotic Depression
Authors: Swartz Conrad M. , Shorter Edward
Published: December 2009

Psychotic depression is a distinct and acute clinical condition along the spectrum of depressive disorders. It can manifest itself in many ways and often induces very violent and suicidal behavior. This book aims to help clinical practitioners and trainees describe their observations of psychotic depression, formulate treatment, and express expectations of recovery from illness. It focuses on all facets of the disorder, from clinical history to coverage of diagnostic and treatment protocols. Medical readers of this book will come away able to diagnose and readily treat psychotic depression and thus will be able to serve their patients better. Non-physician readers will come away with the message that this is a terrible illness, but there is hope.
The Music and Thought of Michael Tippett
Authors: Clarke David
Published: December 2009

Tippett is often cast as a composer with a strong visionary streak, but what does that mean for a twentieth-century artist? In this multi-faceted study, David Clarke explores Tippett's complex creative imagination - its dialogue between a romantic's aspirations to the ideal and absolute, and a modernist's sceptical realism. He shows how the musical formations of works such as The Midsummer Marriage, King Priam, and The Vision of Saint Augustine resonate with the aesthetic and theoretical ideas of key figures in modern Western culture - some known to have been influential to the composer (such as Jung, Wagner and Yeats), others not usually associated with him (such as Kant, Nietzsche and Adorno). Analyses of late works such as the Triple Concerto and Byzantium also speculate on Tippett's sexuality as a (literally) critical element in his creative and political consciousness.
Democracy and Development
Authors: Hadenius Axel
Published: December 2009

This book is a thorough investigation into the requisites of democracy. Based on data from 132 sovereign states of the Third World, it first establishes a scale to measure the level of democracy existing in these countries. The author discusses various interpretations of the meaning of political democracy, and emerges with a specification of its essential elements which includes such elements as the holding of elections to central decision-making organs, and the maintenance of certain fundamental political liberties. Theories concerning the requisites of democracy are then examined in order to explain the manifest differences in the level of democracy among the states of the Third World. The author employs statistical techniques including regression analysis to test theories related to socio-economic conditions, demographic and cultural factors, and institutional arrangements. This book thus provides a wide-ranging examination both of the elements which constitute democracy, and of the factors which explain its varying prevalence.
The Rhetoric of Historical Representation
Authors: Rigney Ann
Published: December 2009

The role which narrative discourse plays in the writing of history is an area of increasing interest to historians and literary theorists, resulting in some of the most stimulating and controversial historiographical work in recent years. The rhetoric of historical representation represents one of the first attempts to carry out a sustained textual analysis of historiographical practice. Ann Rigney focusses on three celebrated nineteenth-century histories of the French Revolution, written by Alphonse de Lamartine, Jules Michelet and Louis Blanc. What distinguishes her account is the sensitivity and sophistication with which she handles the semiotic issues each text raises. She shows how a greater understanding of the specific features of historical narration can be achieved through a comparative analysis of the different representations of a common event. This fresh new perspective on a long-standing historiographical debate brings into relief the ways in which the narrative medium can be used to invest events with one significance rather than another.
Asia-Pacific Constitutional Systems
Authors: Hassall Graham , Saunders Cheryl
Published: December 2009

This 2002 book describes and critically analyses the formal constitutional changes that have taken place in the Asia-Pacific region, embracing the countries of East and South East Asia and Pacific Island states. In examining the variety amongst constitutional systems operating in the region, it asks several key questions: What constitutional arrangements operate in the region and how can their fundamental differences in structure and operation be explained? How do social, political and economic factors limit the effects of the constitution in place? What lessons exist for the practice of constitutionalism elsewhere? The aim of the book is to ground the idea of constitutionalism in local and global practices, and, through examining these practices, to identify significant challenges to the workings of contemporary constitutional orders.
Overcoming Intolerance in South Africa
Authors: Gibson James L. , Gouws Amanda
Published: December 2009

Overcoming Intolerance in South Africa investigates the degree to which the political culture of South Africa - the beliefs, values, and attitudes toward politics held by ordinary people - impedes or promotes the consolidation of democratic reform. One set of values is of particular concern in this study - political tolerance. The authors contend that political tolerance is a crucial element of democratic political cultures in general, but that in the South African case, tolerance is perhaps more important than any other democratic value. Since South Africa is one of the most polyglot countries in the world, the only viable strategy for survival is tolerance toward the political views of others. The overwhelming emphasis throughout this book is on finding ways to enhance the willingness of South Africans to 'put up with' their political enemies, to allow open and widespread political competition, and to coexist in their diversity.
The Structural Evolution of Morality
Authors: McKenzie Alexander J.
Published: December 2009

It is certainly the case that morality governs the interactions that take place between individuals. But what if morality exists because of these interactions? This book, first published in 2007, argues for the claim that much of the behaviour we view as 'moral' exists because acting in that way benefits each of us to the greatest extent possible, given the socially structured nature of society. Drawing upon aspects of evolutionary game theory, the theory of bounded rationality, and computational models of social networks, it shows both how moral behaviour can emerge in socially structured environments, and how it can persist even when it is not typically viewed as 'rational' from a traditional economic perspective. This book also provides a theory of how moral principles and the moral sentiments play an indispensable role in effective choice, acting as 'fast and frugal heuristics' in social decision contexts.
Wounds of Memory
Authors: Zehfuss Maja
Published: December 2009

German memories of the Second World War are controversial, and they are used to justify different positions on the use of military force. In this book, Maja Zehfuss studies the articulation of memories in novels in order to discuss and challenge arguments deployed in political and public debate. She explores memories that have generated considerable controversy, such as the flight and expulsion of Germans from the East, the bombing of German cities and the 'liberation' of Germany in 1945. She shows how memory retrospectively produces a past while claiming merely to invoke it, drawing attention to the complexities and contradictions within how truth, ethics, emotion, subjectivity and time are conceptualised. Zehfuss argues that the tensions and uncertainties revealed raise political questions that must be confronted, beyond the safety net of knowledge. This is a compelling book which pursues an original approach in exploring the politics of invocations of memory.
Model Theory
Authors: Hodges Wilfrid
Published: December 2009

This is an up-to-date and integrated introduction to model theory, designed to be used for graduate courses (for students who are familiar with first-order logic), and as a reference for more experienced logicians and mathematicians. Model theory is concerned with the notions of definition, interpretation and structure in a very general setting, and is applied to a wide variety of other areas such as set theory, geometry, algebra (in particular group theory), and computer science (e.g. logic programming and specification). Professor Hodges emphasises definability and methods of construction, and introduces the reader to advanced topics such as stability. He also provides the reader with much historical information and a full bibliography, enhancing the book's use as a reference.
Science and Necessity
Authors: Bigelow John , Pargetter Robert
Published: December 2009

This book espouses a theory of scientific realism in which due weight is given to mathematics and logic. The authors argue that mathematics can be understood realistically if it is seen to be the study of universals, of properties and relations, of patterns and structures, the kinds of things which can be in several places at once. Taking this kind of scientific platonism as their point of departure, they show how the theory of universals can account for probability, laws of nature, causation and explanation, and explore the consequences in all these fields. This will be an important book for all philosophers of science, logicians and metaphysicians, and their graduate students. The readership will also include those outside philosophy interested in the interrelationship of philosophy and science.
Rules of Origin in International Trade
Authors: Inama Stefano
Published: December 2009

This book discusses the different aspects of the rules of origin with a multidisciplinary perspective. It offered the first overview on the status of the negotiations of non-preferential rules of origin under the WTO agreement on rules of origin after more than ten years of negotiations and the possible implications for other WTO agreements. This book deals extensively with preferential rules of origin, analyzing the experience of the United States and the EU in developing the NAFTA and Pan-European rules of origin. It also compares and discusses the parallel experiences of the major southern regional trade agreements and the ASEAN–China free trade area, as well as Comesa and SADC in their negotiations of the European partnership agreements (EPAs) with the EU. It discusses the evolution of the different sets of rules of origin, the technical options for drafting them, a methodology for drafting product-specific examples, and the implications.
Language, Sexuality, Narrative
Authors: Goldhill Simon
Published: December 2009

This book is concerned with the complexity and difficulty of reading the Oresteia. It is not a traditional commentary, although it is often concerned with problems of interpretation and language, nor is it simply what is generally understood by a literary study, although it often discusses the wider themes of the narrative. It is a close reading of the text concentrating on the developing meanings of words within the structuring of the play. In particular, Simon Goldhill focuses on the text's interests in language and its control, in sexuality and sexual difference, and in the progression and description of events. Dr Goldhill links a sound philological knowledge with material drawn widely from modern literary theory and anthropological studies. The result is a challenging and provocative book, which offers for the serious student of Greek drama an exciting range of insights into one of the most important texts of the ancient world.
Narrative, Authority and Power
Authors: Scanlon Larry
Published: December 2009

Little attention has been paid to the political and ideological significance of the exemplum, a brief narrative form used to illustrate a moral. Through a study of four major works in the Chaucerian tradition (The Canterbury Tales, John Gower's Confessio Amantis, Thomas Hoccleve's Regement of Princes, and Lydgate's Fall of Princes), Scanlon redefines the exemplum as a 'narrative enactment of cultural authority'. He traces its development through the two strands of the medieval Latin tradition which the Chaucerians appropriate: the sermon exemplum, and the public exemplum of the Mirrors of Princes. In so doing, he reveals how Chaucer and his successors used these two forms of exemplum to explore the differences between clerical authority and lay power, and to establish the moral and cultural authority of their emergent vernacular tradition.
Shakespeare and the Traditions of Comedy
Authors: Salingar Leo
Published: December 2009

This book relates Shakespeare's comedies to a broad European background. At the beginning and again at the end of his career, Shakespeare was attracted by a tradition of stage romances which can be traced back to Chaucer's time. But the main shaping behind his comedies came from the classical tradition. Mr Salingar therefore examines the underlying theme of 'errors' in Greek and Roman comedies and, taking three Italian comedies famous in the sixteenth century as examples, he then reveals how the Italian Renaissance revived the classical tradition, and what effect this revival had on Shakespeare the Elizabethan playwright and discusses such topics as the device of the play within a play and Shakespeare's choice of Italian short stories as plot material. This book shows how Shakespeare changed the motifs he took over from previous traditions of comedy and highlights the innovations he introduced, as an actor-dramatist writing in the first period of commercial theatre in Europe.
Keats and Hellenism
Authors: Aske Martin
Published: December 2009

This book proposes a fresh and original interpretation of Keats' use of classical mythology in his verse. Dr Aske argues that classical antiquity appears to Keats as a supreme fiction, authoritative yet disconcerting, and his poems represent hard endeavours to come to terms with the influence of that fiction. The major poems (most notably Endymion, Hyperion, the Ode on a Grecian Urn and Lamia) form a stage, as it were, upon which is played out a psychic drama between the modern poet and his classical muse. The study is especially bold in its assimilation of historical scholarship and literary theory to a close reading of the texts. Individual poems are discussed in the context of late Enlightenment and Romantic attitudes towards antiquity and in the light of recent critical theory, in particular the theory of literary history and influence formulated by Harold Bloom and Geoffrey Hartman. Keats emerges as a significant example of the way in which a poet tries to establish a distinct identity under the burden of history and of literary tradition.
Romantic Vagrancy
Authors: Langan Celeste
Published: December 2009

A provocative account of Wordsworth's representation of walking as the exercise of imagination, Romantic Vagrancy traces a recurrent analogy between the poet in search of material and the literally dispossessed vagrants and beggars he encounters. Reading Wordsworth - and Rousseau before him - from the perspective of recent debates about the political and social rights of the homeless, Celeste Langan argues that both literature and vagrancy are surprisingly rich and disturbing images of the 'negative freedom' at the heart of liberalism. Langan shows how the formal structure of the Romantic poem - the improvisational excursion - mirrors its apparent themes, often narratives of impoverishment or abandonment. According to Langan, the encounter between the beggar and the passer-by in Wordsworth's poetry does not simply reveal a social conscience or its lack; it represents the advent of the liberal subject, whose identity is stretched out between origin and destination, caught between economic and political forces and the workings of desire.
Elizabethan Stage Conventions and Modern Interpreters
Authors: Dessen Alan C.
Published: December 2009

Alan Dessen samples about four hundred manuscripts and printed plays to record the original staging conventions of the age of Shakespeare. After studying the stage properties, movements and configurations implicit in recurrent phrases and stage directions, he concludes that Elizabethan spectators, less concerned with realism than later generations, were used to receiving a kind of theatrical shorthand transmitted by the actors from the playwright. Professor Dessen both describes this shorthand (e.g. the use of nightgowns, boots and dishevelled hair) and draws attention to the implications of his findings for modern interpreters, addressing not only critics and teachers but also editors, actors and directors.
August Strindberg: Selected Essays
Authors: Strindberg August
Published: December 2009

This is a fully edited translation of a series of essays by the great Swedish dramatist August Strindberg. The essays, edited and translated by Michael Robinson, have been selected for the light they shed, both directly and indirectly, on Strindberg's contribution to the European theatre, firstly in such masterpieces of psychological realism as The Father and Miss Julie, and subsequently in those works, including A Dream Play and The Ghost Sonata, with which he largely established a basis for theatrical modernism. Together with the accompanying notes and commentary, these essays on psychology, history, painting, natural history and alchemy as well as the theatre, help to clarify the multifaceted nature of Strindberg's project. Idiosyncratic and lively, they offer crucial insights into the intellectual history of the late nineteenth century, while their personal nature draws the reader into an intimate relationship with the writer and his wide range of interests.