bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prefrontal space ratio in second‐ and third‐trimester screening for trisomy 21
Authors: Yazdi B. , Sonek J. , Oettling C. , Hoopmann M. , Abele H. , Schaelike M. , Kagan K. O.
Published: July 2012

Objective

To evaluate the prefrontal space ratio (PFSR) in second‐ and third‐trimester euploid fetuses and fetuses with trisomy 21.

Methods

This was a retrospective study utilizing stored mid‐sagittal two‐dimensional images of second‐ and third‐trimester fetal faces that were recorded during prenatal ultrasound examinations at the Department of Prenatal Medicine at the University of Tuebingen, Germany and at a private center for prenatal medicine in Nuremberg, Germany. For the normal range, 279 euploid pregnancies between 15 and 40 weeks' gestation were included. The results were compared with 91 cases with trisomy 21 between 15 and 40 weeks. For the ratio measurement, a line was drawn between the leading edge of the mandible and the maxilla (MM line) and extended in front of the forehead. The ratio of the distance between the leading edge of the skull and the leading edge of the skin (d1) to the distance between the skin and the point where the MM line was intercepted (d2) was calculated. The PFSR was determined by dividing d2 by d1.

Results

In the euploid and trisomy 21 groups, the median gestational age at the time of ultrasound examination was 21.1 (range, 15.0–40.0) and 21.4 (range, 15.0–40.3) weeks, respectively. Multiple regression analysis showed that PFSR was independent of maternal and gestational age. In the euploid group, the mean PFSR was 0.97 ± 0.29. In fetuses with trisomy 21, the mean PFSR was 0.2 ± 0.38 (P < 0.0001). The PFSR was below the 5th centile in 14 (5.0%) euploid fetuses and in 72 (79.1%) fetuses with trisomy 21.

Conclusion

The PFSR is a simple and effective marker in second‐ and third‐trimester screening for trisomy 21. Copyright © 2012 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Electron transport and optical properties of curved aromatics
Authors: Zoppi Laura , Siegel Jay S. , Baldridge Kim K.
Published: July 2012

The extended family of curved carbon π‐systems offers a unique possibility for building up structures with a tunable spectrum of structural and electronic properties. Such a structure–property profile motivates the creative use of these materials as active components in molecular devices. Key to these functional building blocks is the curvature, which confines the electronic states in one or more directions (nanoscale directions) imparting remarkable physical phenomena to a material. In this respect, the formation of electronic excitations in form of excitons has a fundamental role in determining the optical and transport properties of this class of materials. The role of the curvature on electronics properties of curved aromatics is discussed for systems of varying dimensionalities, ranging from 0D (fullerenes, molecular bowls) to 1D (carbon nanotubes) and 3D (bulk crystals). Recent progress in the area of optical and transport properties of the largest classes of curved aromatic systems is discussed, and focus is given to molecules in isolation, molecules on surfaces, crystalline systems, and molecular nanojunctions.

This article is categorized under:

Structure and Mechanism > Molecular Structures
Nuclear and renewables: compatible or contradicting?
Authors: Mez Lutz
Published: July 2012

Since the report of Club of Rome, ‘The Limits to Growth’, the exhaustion of fossil energy sources has been under discussion. Coal, oil, and gas—and energy technologies relying upon them—will be exhausted in the future. High expectations for nuclear energy have given way to the insight that nuclear fission is at best a bridging technology. The risks of this technology became apparent by nuclear catastrophes such as Chernobyl and Fukushima, and uranium resources are limited. Furthermore, fast breeder technology has failed and fourth generation reactors are still pure fiction. Before the industrial revolution, nearly all energy demands were supplied by renewable energy worldwide. From the beginning of the nineteenth century, fossil fuel was used in a steadily increasing amount for heating, lighting, transport, and other energy purposes. Electricity as scientific form of energy played an important role in the transformation of agricultural to industrial societies. Electricity systems are the basic infrastructure of modern societies, influencing the industrial organization, the degree of automation, the communication system, and the industrial future. Today the electrical power industry is at a crossroads, last but not least for environmental reasons. Beside the large cathedrals of electricity generation, other types of generation technologies, each of which brings totally different social relations between energy producers and consumers, have a historical chance to emerge. The solar age will replace the fossil and the nuclear age sooner or later. This transformation is not only a technical and economic, but also a social and political problem.

This article is categorized under:

Energy Systems Economics > Economics and Policy

Energy and Climate > Economics and Policy

Energy and Development > Economics and Policy
Cervical Cancer Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Interventions for Racial and Ethnic Minorities: A Systematic Review
Authors: Glick Susan B. , Clarke Amanda R. , Blanchard Anita , Whitaker Amy K.
Published: July 2012

OBJECTIVES

To systematically review the literature to determine which interventions improve the screening, diagnosis or treatment of cervical cancer for racial and/or ethnic minorities.

DATA SOURCES

Medline on OVID, Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Cochrane Systematic Reviews.

STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS

We searched the above databases for original articles published in English with at least one intervention designed to improve cervical cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis or treatment that linked participants to the healthcare system; that focused on US racial and/or ethnic minority populations; and that measured health outcomes. Articles were reviewed to determine the population, intervention(s), and outcomes. Articles published through August 2010 were included.

STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS

One author rated the methodological quality of each of the included articles. The strength of evidence was assessed using the criteria developed by the GRADE Working Group.45,46

RESULTS

Thirty-one studies were included. The strength of evidence is moderate that telephone support with navigation increases the rate of screening for cervical cancer in Spanish- and English-speaking populations; low that education delivered by lay health educators with navigation increases the rate of screening for cervical cancer for Latinas, Chinese Americans and Vietnamese Americans; low that a single visit for screening for cervical cancer and follow up of an abnormal result improves the diagnosis and treatment of premalignant disease of the cervix for Latinas; and low that telephone counseling increases the diagnosis and treatment of premalignant lesions of the cervix for African Americans.

LIMITATIONS

Studies that did not focus on racial and/or ethnic minority populations may have been excluded. In addition, this review excluded interventions that did not link racial and ethnic minorities to the health care system. While inclusion of these studies may have altered our findings, they were outside the scope of our review.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS OF KEY FINDINGS

Patient navigation with telephone support or education may be effective at improving screening, diagnosis, and treatment among racial and ethnic minorities. Research is needed to determine the applicability of the findings beyond the populations studied.
A Roadmap and Best Practices for Organizations to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care
Authors: Chin Marshall H. , Clarke Amanda R. , Nocon Robert S. , Casey Alicia A. , Goddu Anna P. , Keesecker Nicole M. , Cook Scott C.
Published: July 2012

Over the past decade, researchers have shifted their focus from documenting health care disparities to identifying solutions to close the gap in care. Finding Answers: Disparities Research for Change, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is charged with identifying promising interventions to reduce disparities. Based on our work conducting systematic reviews of the literature, evaluating promising practices, and providing technical assistance to health care organizations, we present a roadmap for reducing racial and ethnic disparities in care. The roadmap outlines a dynamic process in which individual interventions are just one part. It highlights that organizations and providers need to take responsibility for reducing disparities, establish a general infrastructure and culture to improve quality, and integrate targeted disparities interventions into quality improvement efforts. Additionally, we summarize the major lessons learned through the Finding Answers program. We share best practices for implementing disparities interventions and synthesize cross-cutting themes from 12 systematic reviews of the literature. Our research shows that promising interventions frequently are culturally tailored to meet patients’ needs, employ multidisciplinary teams of care providers, and target multiple leverage points along a patient’s pathway of care. Health education that uses interactive techniques to deliver skills training appears to be more effective than traditional didactic approaches. Furthermore, patient navigation and engaging family and community members in the health care process may improve outcomes for minority patients. We anticipate that the roadmap and best practices will be useful for organizations, policymakers, and researchers striving to provide high-quality equitable care.
Real Time Study of Detergent Concentration Influence on Solid Fatty Acid Film Removal Processes
Authors: Favrat Olivier , Gavoille Joseph , Aleya Lotfi , Monteil Guy
Published: July 2012

Cleaning in an aqueous solution is a complex mechanism which depends on several parameters. The quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique was used to investigate the detachment, using an anionic and a nonionic detergents, of stearic acid (C18H36O2) films deposited on gold‐coated quartz surfaces. The cleaning mechanism was observed in real time by measuring the frequency of a quartz crystal during the fatty acid film removal. These observations reveal two successive phenomena: firstly, adsorption and absorption of water and detergent on the stearic acid layer and, secondly, the detachment of the fatty acid layer. A relationship between removal time and detergent concentration was highlighted: fatty acid removal time decreases as detergent concentration increases until an asymptotic value is reached. Initial contamination greatly influences cleaning duration. Increased sample contamination actually leads to increased removal time. However, no real correlation between the two parameters can be established. As a result, optimal parameters can be determined for each detergent, thus the QCM technique appears to be of great interest in monitoring and optimising cleaning protocol.
Roger A. Layton and Marketing Systems Theory
Authors: Wilkinson Ian
Published: July 2012

Roger Layton's systems view of marketing may be traced back to the early years of the School of Marketing at the University of New South Wales. In this article I describe what it was like in the early years, some of the key developments that took place and the impact Roger Layton had on my own and others thinking about marketing. I then discuss later development of marketing systems thinking and research at UNSW and Roger's central role in this.
Metabolomic profiling reveals suppression of oxylipin biosynthesis during the early stages of legume–rhizobia symbiosis
Authors: Zhang Na , Venkateshwaran Muthusubramanian , Boersma Melissa , Harms Amy , Howes-Podoll Maegen , den Os Désirée , Ané Jean-Michel , Sussman Michael R.
Published: July 2012

The establishment of symbiosis between leguminous plants and rhizobial bacteria requires rapid metabolic changes in both partners. We utilized untargeted quantitative mass spectrometry to perform metabolomic profiling of small molecules in extracts of the model legume Medicago truncatula treated with rhizobial Nod factors. One metabolite closely resembling the 9(R)‐HODE class of oxylipins reproducibly showed a decrease in concentration within the first hour of in planta nod factor treatment. Oxylipins are precursors of the jasmonic acid biosynthetic pathway and we showed that both this metabolite and jasmonic acid inhibit Nod factor signaling. Since, oxylipins have been implicated as antimicrobial compounds produced by plants, these observations suggest that the oxylipin pathway may play multiple roles in facilitating Nod factor signaling during the early stages of symbiosis.
The C‐terminal domains of ADA2 proteins determine selective incorporation into GCN5‐containing complexes that target histone H3 or H4 for acetylation
Authors: E. Vamos Edith , Boros Imre M.
Published: July 2012

ADA2 adaptor proteins are essential subunits of GCN5‐containing histone acetyltransferase (HAT) complexes. In metazoa ADA2a is present in the histone H4‐specific ATAC, and ADA2b in the histone H3‐specific SAGA complex. Using domain‐swapped ADA2 chimeras, we determined that the in vivo function of Drosophila melanogaster SAGA and ATAC HAT complexes depend on the C‐terminal region of the ADA2 subunit they contain. Our findings demonstrate that the ADA2 C‐terminal regions play an important role in the specific incorporation of ADA2 into SAGA‐ or ATAC‐type complexes, which in turn determines H3‐ or H4‐specific histone targeting.
Constitutive expression of clathrin hub hinders elicitor‐induced clathrin‐mediated endocytosis and defense gene expression in plant cells
Authors: Adam T. , Bouhidel K. , Der C. , Robert F. , Najid A. , Simon-Plas F. , Leborgne-Castel N.
Published: July 2012

Endocytosis has been recently implicated in the signaling network associated with the recognition of microbes by plants. In a previous study, we showed that the elicitor cryptogein was able to induce clathrin‐mediated endocytosis (CME) in tobacco suspension cells. Herein, we investigate further the induced CME by means of a GFP‐tagged clathrin light chain and a CME inhibitor, the hub domain of clathrin heavy chain. Hub constitutive expression does affect neither cell growth nor constitutive endocytosis but abolishes cryptogein‐induced CME. Such an inhibition has no impact on early events in the cryptogein signaling pathway but reduces the expression of defense‐associated genes.
Gas reservoirs in the Dead Sea area: evidence from chemistry of combustion metamorphic rocks in Nabi Musa fossil mud volcano
Authors: Sokol E.V. , Kozmenko O.A. , Kokh S.N. , Vapnik Ye.
Published: July 2012

Nabi Musa located at the northern tip of the Dead Sea at 31°48′ N, 35°25′ E is one of fifteen complexes of the Hatrurim Formation or the so-called “Mottled Zone” (MZ) which are fossil mud volcanoes. Self ignition of methane during their eruptions in the Middle–Late Pleistocene caused combustion metamorphism of sediments. Melting foci have been discovered in two craters of Nabi Musa volcano, with numerous veins of paralavas having particular calcic-silicic compositions (Ca2SiO4- and CaSiO3-normative). Their major- and trace-element spectra bear signature of a mixed sedimentary protolith consisting of Cretaceous marine carbonates, marl, and quartz sand. The paralavas inherit high Sr, P, and U enrichments, positive La/La* and Y anomalies, and a negative Ce/Ce* anomaly from calcareous marine sediments, including bituminous and apatite-rich chalks. The presence of quartz arenite in the protolith is responsible for relatively high Ti, Nb, Zr, and Hf while the marl pelitic component accounts for MREE and LREE depletion. The suggested mixing models predict that the Nabi Musa paralavas result from combustion metamorphism of a sediment mixture with 53–60 wt.% chalk, 5–14 wt.% marl, and 27–44 wt.% quartz arenite. The history of mud volcanism at Nabi Musa began with small eruptions that mobilized gas and water from shallow (within 300 m) Turonian carbonate aquifers, and later explosive activity triggered violent gas blowouts from the older terrigenous reservoir of Aptian–Albian Nubian-type sandstone lying as deep as 1300–1500 m.
New biostratigraphical constraints on the Lower and lower Middle Cambrian of the Kharaulakh Mountains (northeastern Siberian Platform, Chekurovka anticline)
Authors: Korovnikov I.V. , Novozhilova N.V.
Published: July 2012

The Cambrian section of the western limb of the Chekurovka anticline was studied, with layer-by-layer collection of animal fossils. This permitted us to refine the biostratigraphic division of this section. Four biostratigraphic units (beds) with small shelly fossils were identified: Lapworthella tortuosa, Lapworthella bella, Mobergella radiolata, and Rhombocorniculum cancellatum. They characterize most of the Tommotian and Atdabanian Stages of the Lower Cambrian. The Lower Tyuser Subformation and the Sekten Formation were constrained by small shelly fossils for the first time. Numerous trilobite finds helped to reveal intervals correlating with the Delgadella anabara–Nevadella and Judomia–Uktaspis (Prouktaspis) Regional Zones in the upper Atdabanian.

The upper Sekten Formation (black shales) forms the Kuonamka Formation. Within this interval, the following trilobites were found: Triplagnostus gibbus, Tomagnostus sibiricus, Pseudanomocarina sp., Eodiscus oelandicus, Paradoxides sacheri, and Ptychagnostus aff. atavus. They are widespread in the vast territory of the eastern Siberian Platform, within the Kuonamka Formation.

Also, Korobovia khorbosuonica, Charaulaspis postprimus, and Hebediscus convexus trilobites were observed, which had been found earlier in the Khorbosuonka River section (Olenek uplift). This permits a detailed correlation between these localities.

Similarity was observed between Triangulaspis annio trilobites and young Charaulaspis. This casts doubt upon the fact that the first Triangulaspis annio finds in the northeastern Siberian Platform belonged to the upper Atdabanian.
Strain and displacement rates during a large earthquake in the South Baikal region
Authors: Timofeev V.Yu. , Ardyukov D.G. , Boyko E.V. , Gribanova E.I. , Semibalamut V.M. , Timofeev A.V. , Yaroshevich A.V.
Published: July 2012

Crustal kinematic characteristics such as strain and displacement rates are important in the monitoring of present-day processes in zones of seismic and industrial hazard. Strain measurements on different temporal and spatial baselines reveal potentially hazardous zones. Data on coseismic displacements and strain can be used to refine earthquake models, and long-term characteristics are important in searching for earthquake precursors and studying the rheology of the crust and fault zones. Tilt measurements in the adit of the Talaya seismic station (51.68° N, 103.64° E, South Baikal region) began in 1985; strain measurements, in 1990; and GPS measurements, in 2000.

The data reflect time variation in the local strain parameters and permit a comparison with the GPS data on the region and western Central Asia. The data on strain variations obtained in the Ala-Archa underground observatory (42.63° N, 74.50° E, North Tien Shan) are analyzed together with those obtained in the region by GPS methods.

Strain rates on very long baselines were determined using data from permanent IGS stations for Central Asia—the territory expanding from Dzungaria in the south to the Siberian Platform in the north and from the Tien Shan in the west to Lake Baikal in the east. We consider the example of using strain gaging and GPS data to construct a dislocation model and refine the parameters of the Kultuk earthquake (South Baikal region, 27 August 2008, M = 6.3).
High-frequency induction data affected by biopolymer-based drilling fluids
Authors: Surodina I.V. , Epov M.I.
Published: July 2012

Biopolymer-based drilling fluids affect data of high-frequency isoparametric induction logging. Highly conductive fluid invaded into drilling-induced flaws produces zones of high resistivity contrasts. Thus the logs acquire new features that never appear in drilling with argillic mud. These effects have been simulated with regard to high resistivity contrasts for the case of flawed borehole walls, and the modeling results were checked against experimental data.
Effects of a mudcake on Stoneley waves in a fluid-filled porous formation around a borehole
Authors: Sinev A.V. , Romensky E.I. , Dorovsky V.N.
Published: July 2012

A mudcake formed on the borehole wall between a fluid-filled porous formation and the borehole fluid can affect Stoneley wave propagation used to estimate the formation permeability. The mudcake effect on the permeability dependence of radial oscillations of borehole fluid is investigated in a system with a source generating radial acoustic waves in the borehole and hydrophones (pressure sensors) that record the respective attenuating oscillations of the borehole fluid. The permeability of the porous formation is estimated from theoretical permeability dependence of the attenuation exponent, knowing the time dependence of the exponential attenuation of borehole fluid oscillations.
Inversion of heterogeneous anisotropic magnetotelluric responses
Authors: Plotkin V.V.
Published: July 2012

Inversion of laterally heterogeneous MT responses collected by a dense synchronous 2D array allows a new approach to estimating electrical anisotropy. The procedure includes solving an overdetermined equation system, assuming distant-dependent anisotropy in a smooth approximation. Inversion is performed using an effective conductivity tensor which approximates some limited domain of the survey polygon. The algorithm for simulating 2D array MT responses with the effective conductivity tensor approach implies correlation of surface components of the EM field measured simultaneously at all stations within the chosen domain of the survey polygon. The suggested technique of data acquisition and processing ensures reconstruction of the full conductivity tensor from laterally variable components of the EM field.
Determining the stability of steady two-dimensional flows through imperfect velocity-impulse diagrams
Authors: Luzzatto-Fegiz P. , Williamson C. H. K.
Published: July 2012

In 1875, Lord Kelvin stated an energy-based argument for equilibrium and stability in conservative flows. The possibility of building an implementation of Kelvin’s argument, based on the construction of a simple bifurcation diagram, has been the subject of debate in the past. In this paper, we build on work from dynamical systems theory, and show that an essential requirement for constructing a meaningful bifurcation diagram is that families of solutions must be accessed through isovortical (i.e. vorticity-preserving), incompressible rearrangements. We show that, when this is the case, turning points in fluid impulse are linked to changes in the number of the positive-energy modes associated with the equilibria (and therefore in the number of modes likely to be linearly unstable). In addition, the shape of a velocity-impulse diagram, for a family of solutions, determines whether a positive-energy mode is lost or gained at the turning point. Further to this, we detect bifurcations to new solution families by calculating steady flows that have been made ‘imperfect’ through the introduction of asymmetries in the vorticity field. The resulting stability approach, which employs ‘imperfect velocity-impulse’ (IVI) diagrams, can be used to determine the number of positive-energy (likely unstable) modes for each equilibrium flow belonging to a family of steady states. As an illustration of our approach, we construct IVI diagrams for several two-dimensional flows, including elliptical vortices, opposite-signed vortex pairs (of both rotating and translating type), single and double vortex rows, as well as gravity waves. By also considering an example involving the Chaplygin–Lamb dipole, we illustrate how the stability of a specific flow may be determined, by embedding it within a properly constructed solution family. The stability data from our IVI diagrams agree precisely with results in the literature. To the best of our knowledge, for a few of the flows considered here, our work yields the first available stability boundaries. Further to this, for several of the flows that we examine, the IVI diagram methodology leads us to the discovery of new families of steady flows, which exhibit lower symmetry.
Rigid bounds on heat transport by a fluid between slippery boundaries
Authors: Whitehead Jared P. , Doering Charles R.
Published: July 2012

Rigorous bounds on heat transport are derived for thermal convection between stress-free horizontal plates. For three-dimensional Rayleigh–Bénard convection at infinite Prandtl number ($\mathit{Pr}$), the Nusselt number ($\mathit{Nu}$) is bounded according to $\mathit{Nu}\leq 0. 28764{\mathit{Ra}}^{5/ 12} $ where $\mathit{Ra}$ is the standard Rayleigh number. For convection driven by a uniform steady internal heat source between isothermal boundaries, the spatially and temporally averaged (non-dimensional) temperature is bounded from below by $\langle T\rangle \geq 0. 6910{\mathit{R}}^{\ensuremath{-} 5/ 17} $ in three dimensions at infinite $\mathit{Pr}$ and by $\langle T\rangle \geq 0. 8473{\mathit{R}}^{\ensuremath{-} 5/ 17} $ in two dimensions at arbitrary $\mathit{Pr}$, where $\mathit{R}$ is the heat Rayleigh number proportional to the injected flux.
Pilot Study of the Use of Personal Carbon Monoxide Monitoring to Achieve Radical Smoking Reduction
Authors: Beard Emma , West Robert
Published: July 2012

Background and aims: This study examined whether providing smokers with a personal monitor for measuring expired-air carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations would be a feasible method of achieving a reduction in smoke intake. Methods: Ten smokers were given a CO monitor and asked to use it regularly throughout the day for 6 weeks with the aim of maintaining their CO reading below 10 ppm. They were advised to use nicotine replacement therapy, but this was not provided. At baseline and follow-up, smokers were asked to comment on their use of the monitors and motivation to stop smoking. Demographic characteristics, cigarette consumption, and nicotine dependence, was also assessed. Additionally, during the first 2 weeks participants were instructed to record how often they used their CO monitor, their average readings and cigarette consumption. Results: Eight smokers had an average daily CO concentration below their baseline on at least 93% of the days in the 2 weeks of daily monitoring, while three had CO levels below 10 ppm on 36% of the days. At the 6-week follow-up, all participants’ CO concentrations were below their baseline value; two were below 10 ppm. Average daily cigarette consumption reduced from 14.1 (SD 6.03) at baseline to 9.8 (SD 4.95) during the 2 weeks of daily CO monitoring (t = 2.46, df 9, p = 0.036) and 9.5 (SD 5.50) at 6 weeks follow-up (t = 1.73, df 7, p = 0.127). Use of the CO monitors was generally found to be acceptable and to increase motivation to stop smoking completely. Five smokers attempted to quit smoking. Conclusions: Regular personal CO monitoring may be a useful method for reducing smokers’ cigarette intake and increasing their motivation to stop completely. A controlled trial with long-term follow up is warranted.
Views of Low Socio-Economic Smokers: What Will Help Them to Quit?
Authors: Glover Marewa , Fraser Trish , Nosa Vili
Published: July 2012

To determine what support low socio-economic smokers perceive would help them stop smoking, 63 Māori, Pacific Island and New Zealand European/other smokers were interviewed in focus groups. Prompted discussion was used to determine what participants knew and thought about existing cessation services and products, and what their interest was in innovative cessation approaches. Most participants knew about Quitline, nicotine patches and gum, but had scant knowledge of other cessation services and products. They had a reasonable knowledge of smoking-related harm, but not the range of harm caused by smoking. They reported being influenced to quit by graphic health advertisements on television and health warnings on tobacco packages. They wanted extended access to a wider range of cessation services and more subsidised cessation products, and they were interested in innovative approaches. Low socio-economic and minority group smokers need clearer information to support use of effective cessation methods. They need to know about the efficacy and safety of cessation products, where and how to access products and support, and the cost involved. Cessation support needs to be more convenient and culturally salient.
Stop Smoking Service Clients’ Views Following the Introduction of Smoke-Free Legislation in England
Authors: Hackshaw Lucy , Bauld Linda , McEwen Andy
Published: July 2012

This study aimed to explore smoker's perspectives of continued smoking and smoking cessation following the introduction of smoke-free legislation in England. Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted with smokers who were making a quit attempt with the support of stop smoking services delivered by the National Health Service. Interviews explored opinions of smoke-free legislation before it was implemented in July 2007, as well as attitudes towards the legislation, beliefs about the influence of legislation on smoking behaviours, as well as changes to public attitudes about smoking. Framework analysis highlighted five key themes: attitudes towards smoke-free legislation prior to its introduction, support for smoke-free legislation following implementation, smoke-free legislation and smoking behaviour, stigma, and returning to smoking. Overall, smokers were positive about smoke-free legislation and reported reductions in smoking and an increase in quit attempts after introduction of the legislation. Change in attitudes towards smoking and smokers were noted, which at times could transpire to stigmatisation felt by the participants. Few quitters expressed a wish to return to smoking if the legislation was reversed.
Cigarette Smoking and Facial Wrinkles: A Review of the Literature
Authors: Seitz Christopher M. , Strack Robert W. , Wyrick David L.
Published: July 2012

Research studies indicate that smoking cigarettes is related to a premature development of facial wrinkles. Given that facial wrinkles may act as motivation for people to quit smoking, it is crucial that smoking cessation professionals be able to accurately inform clients about research concerning smoking and wrinkles. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide an updated overview of the literature which can be used by cessation clinicians as a practical reference on smoking and facial wrinkles. Databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles that study the association with smoking and wrinkles. In all, 17 articles were located and reviewed for research methods and results. Although facial wrinkles and smoking were measured inconsistently between studies, the overall literature indicates that those who smoke have a higher risk of developing premature facial wrinkles as compared to those who do not smoke. The implications of this review for smoking cessation professionals are described.
Local Catholicism as Transnational War Experience: Everyday Religious Practice in Occupied Northern France, 1914–1918
Authors: Houlihan Patrick J.
Published: July 2012

The Great War is not a historical episode that easily lends itself to studying the subtleties of religious belief systems. Believers on opposite sides claimed that they were engaged in a just war of defense against aggression. They argued that God was on their side, and they prayed for victory of their nation—even if that meant the destruction of their fellow believers who were now considered the enemy. Despite Catholic claims to internationalism and universalism, the overwhelming majority of Catholic bishops and prominent clerics in the public sphere devoted themselves to national causes. Clerical nationalism seemed to overwhelm Christian fellowship, and the clerical nationalist paradigm often served as scholarly shorthand for the experience of religion during the war, especially for long-term studies of Christianity and war. The implacable hostility between French and German Catholic bishops became a convenient symbol of European national enmity in an age of total war.
Bolshevizing Communist Women: The Red Women and Girls' League in Weimar Germany
Authors: Sewell Sara Ann
Published: July 2012

The year 1924 marked a fundamental turning point in the history of the Weimar Republic. After months of deep crises in 1923, which included foreign occupation, hyperinflation, and attempted coups d'état by both communists and Nazis, the German economy and polity entered a phase of relative stability, and social peace loomed on the horizon. Recognizing the dramatic shift in the sociopolitical landscape, the German Communist Party (Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, KPD) also underwent a significant transformation. On the political front, the most notable event was the ousting of Ruth Fischer and Arkadij Maslow, under the heavy hand of Moscow, in favor of Ernst Thälmann.
Enclaves of Improvement: Sovereignty and Developmentalism in the Special Zones of the China-Lao Borderlands
Authors: Nyíri Pál
Published: July 2012

The highlands of mainland Southeast Asia have famously been the locus of “Zomia,” polities resistant to control by lowland nation-states, but this relative resilience has been due to their marginality. However, as even remote borderlands connect to the market economies of what has been labeled the “Greater Mekong Subregion,” these semi-independent polities are trying to transform themselves from isolated drug enclaves into regional paragons of economic modernity labeled “Special Economic Zones.” The main actors in this transformation are ethnic Chinese migrant capitalists who embrace the economic rhetoric of mainland China's “growth model” to create respectability and to evoke images of a cosmopolitan future as they build casinos in the rainforest. The zones’ claim to be the vanguard of modernity rests on two mutually contradictory sets of symbols: a mimicry of Chinese state paraphernalia designed to conjure up the efficacy of a strong developmental state, and the discourse of freedom from state control. This article examines the transformation of zones of political and criminal resistance into zones of economic development from a historical perspective of changing practices of sovereignty and shifting understandings of development.
Embeddedness and Regional Integration: Waiting for Polanyi in a Hayekian Setting
Authors: Höpner Martin , Schäfer Armin
Published: July 2012

This article analyzes the social potential of regional integration processes by using the example of European integration. Recent case law from the European Court of Justice has led some observers to argue that judicial decisions increasingly provide European politics with a “Polanyian” drive. We test this claim by distinguishing three dimensions to European economic and social integration: market-restricting integration, market-enforcing integration, and the creation of a European area of nondiscrimination. We also identify two forms of integration that have different speeds, scopes, and potentials: political integration and judicial integration. The evidence shows that the EU has come closer to Hayek's vision of “interstate federalism” than is usually warranted because market-enforcing integration and European nondiscrimination policies have asymmetrically profited from “integration through law.” The opportunities for international courts to push ahead market-enforcing integration increase as the participants of regional integration processes become more diverse. In such “Hayekian” constellations, individual rights are increasingly relocated to the central level, at the cost of subordinating the decentralized capacity for solidarity and interpersonal redistribution.
The Effects of the International Security Environment on National Military Expenditures: A Multicountry Study
Authors: Nordhaus William , Oneal John R. , Russett Bruce
Published: July 2012

We consider the influence of countries' external security environments on their military spending. We first estimate the ex ante probability that a country will become involved in a fatal militarized interstate dispute using a model of dyadic conflict that incorporates key elements of liberal and realist theories of international relations. We then estimate military spending as a function of the threat of armed interstate conflict and other influences: arms races, the defense expenditures of friendly countries, actual military conflict, democracy, civil war, and national economic output. In a panel of 165 countries, 1950 to 2000, we find our prospectively generated estimate of the external threat to be a powerful variable in explaining military spending. A 1 percentage point increase in the aggregate probability of a fatal militarized dispute, as predicted by our liberal-realist model, leads to a 3 percent increase in a country's military expenditures.
Finding the “Democratic Advantage” in Sovereign Bond Ratings: The Importance of Strong Courts, Property Rights Protection, and the Rule of Law
Authors: Biglaiser Glen , Staats Joseph L.
Published: July 2012

Much scholarship in the political economy literature has investigated the influence of the democratic advantage on sovereign bond ratings by credit rating agencies (CRAs). Missing from earlier work, however, is inquiry into the effects on bond ratings of factors that lower political risk, such as adherence to the rule of law, the presence of a strong and independent judicial system, and protection of property rights. Using panel data for up to thirty-six developing countries from 1996 to 2006, we find that rule of law, strong and independent courts, and protection of property rights have significant positive effects on bond ratings. Policymakers wanting to obtain higher bond ratings and increased revenue from bond sales would do well to heed the message contained in these findings.
Preliminary evidence for the microbial loop in Antarctic sea ice using microcosm simulations
Authors: Martin Andrew , McMinn Andrew , Davy Simon K. , Anderson Marti J. , Miller Hilary C. , Hall Julie A. , Ryan Ken G.
Published: July 2012

Sea ice microalgae actively contribute to the pool of dissolved organic matter (DOM) available for bacterial metabolism, but this link has historically relied on bulk correlations between chlorophylla(a surrogate for algal biomass) and bacterial abundance. We incubated microbes from both the bottom (congelation layer) and surface brine region of Antarctic fast ice for nine days. Algal-derived DOM was manipulated by varying the duration of irradiance, restricting photosynthesis with 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU) or incubating in the dark. The bacterial response to changes in DOM availability was examined by performing cell counts, quantifying bacterial metabolic activity and examining community composition with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. The percentage of metabolically active bacteria was relatively low in the surface brine microcosm (10–20% of the bacterial community), the treatment with DCMU indirectly restricted bacterial growth and there was some evidence for changes in community structure. Metabolic activity was higher (35–69%) in the bottom ice microcosm, and while there was no variation in community structure, bacterial growth was restricted in the treatment with DCMU compared to the light/dark treatment. These results are considered preliminary, but provide a useful illustration of sea ice microbial dynamics beyond the use of ‘snapshot’ biomass correlations.
Role of peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) in pig parthenogenetic preimplantation embryonic development
Authors: Brahmajosyula Manjula , Miyake Masashi
Published: July 2012

Arginine modification to citrulline (citrullination) is catalyzed by peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs) and one of the isomers PAD4 is shown to be involved in the gene regulation. In our previous paper we studied the localization and expression of PAD4 and the target of PAD4 in mammalian gametes and preimplantation embryos. In this study the role of PAD4 was examined in the pig diploid parthenogenetic preimplantation embryonic development. Knockdown of PAD4 by RNAi resulted in delayed development. Inhibition of PAD4 by a potent PAD4 inhibitor Cl-amidine from the time of activation for 24 h resulted in developmental arrest at the first cleavage. Inhibition at the later stages of development resulted in delayed or arrested development. A shorter exposure to Cl-amidine for 6 h at any stage of growth resulted in slow development. Thus, this study suggests that PAD4 activity is essential for the normal development of the embryos.
Associations between residential food environment and dietary patterns in urban-dwelling older adults: results from the VoisiNuAge study
Authors: Mercille Geneviève , Richard Lucie , Gauvin Lise , Kestens Yan , Shatenstein Bryna , Daniel Mark , Payette Hélène
Published: July 2012

Objective

To examine associations between the availability of residential-area food sources and dietary patterns among seniors.

Design

Cross-sectional analyses. Individual-level data from the NuAge study on nutrition and healthy ageing were merged with geographic information system data on food store availability and area-level social composition. Two dietary patterns reflecting lower- and higher-quality diets (respectively designated ‘western’ and ‘prudent’) were identified from FFQ data. Two food source relative availability measures were calculated for a 500 m road-network buffer around participants’ homes: (i) proportion of fast-food outlets (%FFO) relative to all restaurants and (ii) proportion of stores potentially selling healthful foods (%HFS, healthful food stores) relative to all food stores. Associations between dietary patterns and food source exposure were tested in linear regression models accounting for individual (health and sociodemographic) and area-level (socio-economic and ethnicity) covariates.

Setting

Montréal metropolitan area, Canada.

Subjects

Urban-dwelling older adults (n 751), aged 68 to 84 years.

Results

%FFO was inversely associated with prudent diet (β = −0·105; P < 0·05) and this association remained statistically significant in models accounting for %HFS. %HFS was inversely associated with lower western diet scores (β = −0·124; P < 0·01). This latter association no longer reached significance once models were adjusted for area-level covariates.

Conclusions

In Montréal, the food environment is related to the diet of older adults but these links are more complex than straightforward. The absence of significant relationships between healthful food stores and prudent diets, and between fast-food outlets and western diets, deserves further investigation.
Genome-Wide Association Study for Ovarian Cancer Susceptibility Using Pooled DNA
Authors: Lu Yi , Chen Xiaoqing , Beesley Jonathan , Johnatty Sharon E. , deFazio Anna ,   Australian Ovarian Cancer Study (AOCS) Study Group, Lambrechts Sandrina , Lambrechts Diether , Despierre Evelyn , Vergotes Ignace , Chang-Claude Jenny , Hein Rebecca , Nickels Stefan , Wang-Gohrke Shan , Dörk Thilo , Dürst Matthias , Antonenkova Natalia , Bogdanova Natalia , Goodman Marc T. , Lurie Galina , Wilkens Lynne R. , Carney Michael E. , Butzow Ralf , Nevanlinna Heli , Heikkinen Tuomas , Leminen Arto , Kiemeney Lambertus A. , Massuger Leon F.A.G. , van Altena Anne M. , Aben Katja K. , Kjaer Susanne Krüger , Høgdall Estrid , Jensen Allan , Brooks-Wilson Angela , Le Nhu , Cook Linda , Earp Madalene , Kelemen Linda , Easton Douglas , Pharoah Paul , Song Honglin , Tyrer Jonathan , Ramus Susan , Menon Usha , Gentry-Maharaj Alexandra , Gayther Simon A. , Bandera Elisa V. , Olson Sara H. , Orlow Irene , Rodriguez-Rodriguez Lorna , Macgregor Stuart , Chenevix-Trench Georgia
Published: July 2012

Recent Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) have identified four low-penetrance ovarian cancer susceptibility loci. We hypothesized that further moderate- or low-penetrance variants exist among the subset of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) not well tagged by the genotyping arrays used in the previous studies, which would account for some of the remaining risk. We therefore conducted a time- and cost-effective stage 1 GWAS on 342 invasive serous cases and 643 controls genotyped on pooled DNA using the high-density Illumina 1M-Duo array. We followed up 20 of the most significantly associated SNPs, which are not well tagged by the lower density arrays used by the published GWAS, and genotyping them on individual DNA. Most of the top 20 SNPs were clearly validated by individually genotyping the samples used in the pools. However, none of the 20 SNPs replicated when tested for association in a much larger stage 2 set of 4,651 cases and 6,966 controls from the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium. Given that most of the top 20 SNPs from pooling were validated in the same samples by individual genotyping, the lack of replication is likely to be due to the relatively small sample size in our stage 1 GWAS rather than due to problems with the pooling approach. We conclude that there are unlikely to be any moderate or large effects on ovarian cancer risk untagged by less dense arrays. However, our study lacked power to make clear statements on the existence of hitherto untagged small-effect variants.
Relativistic radiation belt electron responses to GEM magnetic storms: Comparison of CRRES observations with 3‐D VERB simulations
Authors: Kim Kyung‐Chan , Shprits Yuri , Subbotin Dmitriy , Ni Binbin
Published: July 2012

Understanding the dynamics of relativistic electron acceleration, loss, and transport in the Earth's radiation belt during magnetic storms is a challenging task. The U.S. National Science Foundation's Geospace Environment Modeling (GEM) has identified five magnetic storms for in‐depth study that occurred during the second half of the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES) mission in the year 1991. In this study, we show the responses of relativistic radiation belt electrons to the magnetic storms by comparing the time‐dependent 3‐D Versatile Electron Radiation Belt (VERB) simulations with the CRRES MEA 1 MeV electron observations in order to investigate the relative roles of the competing effects of previously proposed scattering mechanisms at different storm phases, as well as to examine the extent to which the simulations can reproduce observations. The major scattering processes in our model are radial transport due to Ultra Low Frequency (ULF) electromagnetic fluctuations, pitch angle and energy diffusion including mixed diffusion by whistler mode chorus waves outside the plasmasphere, and pitch angle scattering by plasmaspheric hiss inside the plasmasphere. The 3‐D VERB simulations show that during the storm main phase and early recovery phase the estimated plasmapause is located deep in the inner region, indicating that pitch angle scattering by chorus waves can be a dominant loss process in the outer belt. We have also confirmed the important role played by mixed energy‐pitch angle diffusion by chorus waves, which tends to reduce the fluxes enhanced by local acceleration, resulting in comparable levels of computed and measured fluxes. However, we cannot reproduce the more pronounced flux dropout near the boundary of our simulations during the main phase, which indicates that non‐adiabatic losses may extend toL‐shells lower than our simulation boundary. We also provide a detailed description of simulations for each of the GEM storm events.