bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What do population‐level welfare indices suggest about the well‐being of zoo elephants?
Authors: Mason Georgia J. , Veasey Jake S.
Published: February 2010

To assess zoo elephants' welfare using objective population‐level indices, we sought data from zoos and other protected populations (potential “benchmarks”) on variables affected by poor well‐being. Such data were available on fecundity, potential fertility, stillbirths, infant mortality, adult survivorship, and stereotypic behavior. Most of these can also be affected by factors unrelated to well‐being; therefore, for each, we analyzed the potential role of these other factors. Population‐level comparisons generally indicate poor reproduction, and poor infant and adult survivorship in zoos compared with benchmark populations (with some differences between zoo regions and over time). Stereotypic behavior also occurs in c. 60% of zoo elephants; as the population‐level welfare index least open to alternative interpretations, this represents the strongest evidence that well‐being is/has been widely compromised. Poor well‐being is a parsimonious explanation for the diverse range of population‐level effects seen, but to test this hypothesis properly, data are now needed on, for example, potential confounds that can affect these indices (to partition out effects of factors unrelated to well‐being), and causes of the observed temporal effects, and differences between species and zoo regions. Regardless of whether such additional data implicate poor well‐being, our findings suggest that elephant management has generally been sub‐optimal. We also discuss the selection and utilization of benchmark data, as a useful future approach for evaluating such issues. Zoo Biol 29:256–273, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Enzyme replacement therapy for mucopolysaccharidosis VI: evaluation of long‐term pulmonary function in patients treated with recombinant human N‐acetylgalactosamine 4‐sulfatase
Authors: Harmatz Paul , Yu Zi‐Fan , Giugliani Roberto , Schwartz Ida Vanessa D. , Guffon Nathalie , Teles Elisa Leão , Miranda M. Clara Sá , Wraith J. Edmond , Beck Michael , Arash Laila , Scarpa Maurizio , Ketteridge David , Hopwood John J. , Plecko Barbara , Steiner Robert , Whitley Chester B , Kaplan Paige , Swiedler Stuart J. , Hardy Karen , Berger Kenneth I. , Decker Celeste
Published: February 2010

Pulmonary function is impaired in untreated mucopolysaccharidosis type VI (MPS VI). Pulmonary function was studied in patients during long‐term enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with recombinant human arylsulfatase B (rhASB; rhN‐acetylgalactosamine 4‐sulfatase). Pulmonary function tests prior to and for up to 240 weeks of weekly infusions of rhASB at 1 mg/kg were completed in 56 patients during Phase 1/2, Phase 2, Phase 3 and Phase 3 Extension trials of rhASB and the Survey Study. Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and, in a subset of patients, maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV), were analyzed as absolute volume in liters. FEV1 and FVC showed little change from baseline during the first 24 weeks of ERT, but after 96 weeks, these parameters increased over baseline by 11% and 17%, respectively. This positive trend compared with baseline continued beyond 96 weeks of treatment. Improvements from baseline in pulmonary function occurred along with gains in height in the younger group (5.5% change) and in the older patient group (2.4% change) at 96 weeks. Changes in MVV occurred earlier within 24 weeks of treatment to approximately 15% over baseline. Model results based on data from all trials showed significant improvements in the rate of change in pulmonary function during 96 weeks on ERT, whereas little or no improvement was observed for the same time period prior to ERT. Thus, analysis of mean percent change data and longitudinal modeling both indicate that long‐term ERT resulted in improvement in pulmonary function in MPS VI patients.
Sensitivity of a Direct Computer-aided Detection System in Full-field Digital Mammography for Detection of Microcalcifications Not Associated with Mass or Architectural Distortion
Authors: Scaranelo Anabel M. , Crystal Pavel , Bukhanov Karina , Helbich Thomas H.
Published: February 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of a direct computer-aided detection (CAD) system (d-CAD) in full-field digital mammography (FFDM) for the detection of microcalcifications not associated with mass or architectural distortion.

Materials and Methods

A database search of 1063 consecutive stereotactic core biopsies performed between 2002 and 2005 identified 196 patients with Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) 4 and 5 microcalcifications not associated with mass or distortion detected exclusively by bilateral FFDM. A commercially available CAD system (Second Look, version 7.2) was retrospectively applied to the craniocaudal and mediolateral oblique views in these patients (mean age, 59 years; range, 35–84 years). Breast density, location and mammographic size of the lesion, distribution, and tumour histology were recorded and analysed by using χ2, Fisher exact, or McNemar tests, when applicable.

Results

When using d-CAD, 71 of 74 malignant microcalcification cases (96%) and 101 of 122 benign microcalcifications (83%) were identified. There was a significant difference ( P < .05) between CAD sensitivity on the craniocaudal view, 91% (68 of 75), vs CAD sensitivity on the mediolateral oblique view, 80% (60 of 75). The d-CAD sensitivity for dense breast tissue (American College of Radiology [ACR] density 3 and 4) was higher (97%) than d-CAD sensitivity (95%) for nondense tissue (ACR density 1 and 2), but the difference was not statically significant. All 28 malignant calcifications larger than 10 mm were detected by CAD, whereas the sensitivity for lesions small than or equal to 10 mm was 94%.

Conclusions

D-CAD had a high sensitivity in the depiction of asymptomatic breast cancers, which were seen as microcalcifications on FFDM screening, with a sensitivity of d-CAD on the craniocaudal view being significantly better. All malignant microcalcifications larger than 10 mm were detected by d-CAD.
A novel role of microtubular cytoskeleton in the dynamics of caspase‐dependent Fas/CD95 death receptor complexes during apoptosis
Authors: Doma Eszter , Chakrabandhu Krittalak , Hueber Anne-Odile
Published: February 2010

The activation of cysteine‐aspartic proteases or caspases and the dynamic arrangement of cytoskeletal components are crucial during apoptosis. Here we describe the fate of Fas downstream of the FasL‐induced internalization step, including formation of caspase‐dependent SDS‐stable Fas complexes, which is mediated by cytoskeleton integrity. We show, in particular, that following FasL treatment, the Fas lower aggregate complex can be co‐immunoprecipitated with tubulin and an active form of caspase‐8 and that this interaction contributes to the propagation of FasL‐induced cell death. The importance of cytoskeletal components during FasL‐induced apoptosis is highlighted by our detection of a pool of microtubule‐associated Fas complexes.
Role of autophagy in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Kovacs Attila Lajos , Zhang Hong
Published: February 2010

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved intracellular catabolic system. During Caenorhabditis elegans development, autophagy plays an important role in many physiological processes, including survival under starvation conditions, modulation of life span, and regulation of necrotic cell death caused by toxic ion‐channel variants. Recently, it has been demonstrated that during embryogenesis, basal levels of autophagy selectively remove a group of proteins in somatic cells, including the aggregate‐prone components of germline P granules. Degradation of these protein aggregates provides a genetic model to identify essential autophagy components and also to elucidate how the autophagic machinery selectively recognizes and degrades specific targets during animal development.
Melatonin and the time window for the expression of the α8 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in the membrane of chick retinal cells in culture
Authors: de Fatima Sobral Sampaio Lucia , Markus Regina Pekelmann
Published: February 2010

We have previously shown that melatonin influences the development of α8 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) by measurement of the acetylcholine‐induced increase in the extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) in chick retinal cell cultures. Cellular differentiation that takes place between DIV (days in vitro) 4 and DIV 5 yields cells expressing α8 nAChR and results in a significant increase in the ECAR acetylcholine‐induced. Blocking melatonin receptors with luzindole for 48 h suppresses the development of functional α8 nAChR. Here we investigated the time window for the effect of melatonin on retinal cell development in culture, and whether this effect was dependent on an increase in the expression of α8 nAChR. First, we confirmed that luzindole was inhibiting the effects of endogenous melatonin, since it increases 2‐[125I] iodomelatonin (23 pM) binding sites density in a time‐dependent manner. Then we observed that acute (15, 60 min, or 12 h) luzindole treatment did not impair acetylcholine‐induced increase in the ECAR mediated by activation of α8 nAChR at DIV 5, while chronic treatment (from DIV 3 or DIV 4 till DIV 5, or DIV 3.5 till DIV 4.5) led to a time‐dependent reduction of the increase in the acetylcholine‐induced ECAR. The binding parameters for [125I]‐α‐bungarotoxin (10 nM) sites in membrane were unaffected by melatonin suppression that started at DIV 3. Thus, melatonin surges in the time window that occurs at the final stages of chick retinal cell differentiation in culture is essential for development of the cells expressing α8 nAChR subtype in full functional form.
Improved quality of life is partly explained by fewer symptoms after treatment of fibroids with mifepristone
Authors: Feng Changyong , Meldrum Sean , Fiscella Kevin
Published: February 2010

Objective

To examine mediators of mifepristone treatment on improvements in health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) among women with symptomatic fibroids.

Methods

The study sample included women with symptomatic uterine fibroids who were treated with 5 mg or 2.5 mg of mifepristone or placebo. Assessments of uterine size (ultrasound), pain (McGill pain questionnaire), bleeding (diary), anemia (gm/dL), and HRQOL measured using the uterine fibroid symptom quality of life scale were done at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. The improvements in HRQOL that could be explained by changes in these clinical factors were assessed.

Results

The final sample included 62 women. Treatment with mifepristone was associated with significant improvement in HRQOL, which was explained in part by reduction in pain (28%, P < 0.001) and bleeding (18%, P < 0.001). Reduction in uterine volume was of marginal significance (P = 0.05) and was associated with a decrease in HRQOL (7%). Much of the impact of treatment on HRQOL (61%) remained unexplained in this model.

Conclusions

Improvements in HRQOL after treatment with mifepristone are partly explained by improvements in pain and bleeding, but not uterine size. However, most of the improvement in HRQOL is not explained by improvements in these clinical parameters.
Electoral rules and minority representation in Romania
Authors: Protsyk Oleh , Matichescu Lupsa Marius
Published: February 2010

This paper explores the effects that different institutional mechanisms for legislative representation have on ethnic diversity in the lower chamber of the Romanian parliament. It uses an original data set to examine representational outcomes generated by a combination of proportional representation and reserved seats provisions. The findings highlight the benefits that Romania’s choice of electoral rules generated for smaller minority communities and limitations that these rules impose on the nature and extent of legislative representation of large minority groups. The paper provides evidence for qualifying the scholarly support in favour of proportional representation. It also draws attention to potential trade-offs between communal representation and ethnic inclusiveness of main political parties that the use of special mechanisms for minority representation might encourage.
A Higher-Dimensional Sieve Method
Authors: Diamond Harold G. , Halberstam H. , Galway William F.
Published: February 2010

Nearly a hundred years have passed since Viggo Brun invented his famous sieve, and the use of sieve methods is constantly evolving. As probability and combinatorics have penetrated the fabric of mathematical activity, sieve methods have become more versatile and sophisticated and in recent years have played a part in some of the most spectacular mathematical discoveries. Many arithmetical investigations encounter a combinatorial problem that requires a sieving argument, and this tract offers a modern and reliable guide in such situations. The theory of higher dimensional sieves is thoroughly explored, and examples are provided throughout. A Mathematica® software package for sieve-theoretical calculations is provided on the authors' website. To further benefit readers, the Appendix describes methods for computing sieve functions. These methods are generally applicable to the computation of other functions used in analytic number theory. The appendix also illustrates features of Mathematica® which aid in the computation of such functions.
1867 Disraeli, Gladstone and Revolution
Authors: Cowling Maurice
Published: February 2010

The passage of the Reform Bill of 1867 is one of the major problems in nineteenth-century British history. Mr Cowling provides a full-scale explanation, based on a wide range of archive material, including four major manuscript collections not previously used. Mr Cowling pays equal attention to the view taken by Parliament of the class structure and to the ambitions and strategies of politicians in Parliament and outside. He sets this detailed historical narrative in an analytical framework, the assumptions of which he discusses at length.
Practical Astronomy with your Calculator
Authors: Duffett-Smith Peter
Published: February 2010

Practical Astronomy with your Calculator, first published in 1979, has enjoyed immense success. The author's clear and easy to follow routines enable you to solve a variety of practical and recreational problems in astronomy using a scientific calculator. Mathematical complexity is kept firmly in the background, leaving just the elements necessary for swiftly making calculations. The major topics are: time, coordinate systems, the Sun, the planetary system, binary stars, the Moon, and eclipses. In the third edition there are entirely new sections on generalised coordinate transformations, nutrition, aberration, and selenographic coordinates. The calculations for sunrise and moonrise are improved. A larger page size has increased the clarity of the presentation. This handbook is essential for anyone who needs to make astronomical calculations. It will be enjoyed by amateur astronomers and appreciated by students studying introductory astronomy.
• Clear presentation
• Reliable approximations
• Covers orbits, transformations, and general celestial phenomena
• Can be used anywhere, worldwide
• Routines extensively tested by thousands of readers round the world
The Foundations of Topological Analysis: A Straightforward Introduction
Authors: Binmore K. G.
Published: February 2010

This book is an introduction to the ideas from general topology that are used in elementary analysis. It is written at a level that is intended to make the bulk of the material accessible to students in the latter part of their first year of study at a university or college although students will normally meet most of the work in their second or later years. The aim has been to bridge the gap between introductory books like the author's Mathematical Analysis: A Straightforward Approach, in which carefully selected theorems are discussed at length with numerous examples, and the more advanced book on analysis, in which the author is more concerned with providing a comprehensive and elegant theory than in smoothing the ways for beginners. An attempt has been made throughout not only to prepare the ground for more advanced work, but also to revise and to illuminate the material which students will have met previously but may have not fully understood.
Introduction to the Electron Theory of Metals
Authors: Mizutani Uichiro
Published: February 2010

The electron theory of metals describes how electrons are responsible for the bonding of metals and subsequent physical, chemical and transport properties. This textbook gives a complete account of electron theory in both periodic and non-periodic metallic systems. The author presents an accessible approach to the theory of electrons, comparing it with experimental results as much as possible. The book starts with the basics of one-electron band theory and progresses to cover topics such as high Tc superconductors and quasicrystals. The relationship between theory and potential applications is also emphasized. The material presented assumes some knowledge of elementary quantum mechanics as well as the principles of classical mechanics and electromagnetism. This textbook will be of interest to advanced undergraduates and graduate students in physics, chemistry, materials science and electrical engineering. The book contains numerous exercises and an extensive list of references and numerical data.
Introduction to Conventional Transmission Electron Microscopy
Authors: De Graef Marc
Published: February 2010

This 2003 book covers the fundamentals of conventional transmission electron microscopy (CTEM) as applied to crystalline solids. Emphasis is on the experimental and computational methods used to quantify and analyze CTEM observations. A supplementary website containing interactive modules and free Fortran source code accompanies the text. The book starts with the basics of crystallography and quantum mechanics providing a sound mathematical footing for the rest of the text. The next section deals with the microscope itself, describing the various components in terms of the underlying theory. The second half of the book focuses on the dynamical theory of electron scattering in solids including its applications to perfect and defective crystals, electron diffraction and phase contrast techniques. Based on a lecture course given by the author in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, the book is ideal for graduate students as well as researchers new to the field.
Iterative Krylov Methods for Large Linear Systems
Authors: van der Vorst Henk A.
Published: February 2010

Computational simulation of scientific phenomena and engineering problems often depends on solving linear systems with a large number of unknowns. This book gives insight into the construction of iterative methods for the solution of such systems and helps the reader to select the best solver for a given class of problems. The emphasis is on the main ideas and how they have led to efficient solvers such as CG, GMRES, and BI-CGSTAB. The author also explains the main concepts behind the construction of preconditioners. The reader is encouraged to gain experience by analysing numerous examples that illustrate how best to exploit the methods. The book also hints at many open problems and as such it will appeal to established researchers. There are many exercises that motivate the material and help students to understand the essential steps in the analysis and construction of algorithms.
Race and Regionalism in the Politics of Taxation in Brazil and South Africa
Authors: Lieberman Evan S.
Published: February 2010

Nationally-specific definitions of citizenship proved decisive for the development of the Tax State in Brazil and South Africa in the twentieth century. Although both countries had been divided along racial and regional lines in the late nineteenth century, watershed constitutions addressed these political problems in very different ways. South Africa's institutionalized white supremacy created a level of political solidarity that contributed to the development of a highly progressive and efficient tax system. In Brazil, federalism and official non-racialism proved more divisive, making the enactment and collection of progressive taxes much more difficult. The legacy of these divergent state-building processes remains evident at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Lieberman extends this analysis to a wider group of country cases and finds similar patterns and causal relationships between the politics of race, region, and taxation. The findings are based on field research, large-scale national surveys, macroeconomic data, and various archival sources.
Luce Irigaray and the Philosophy of Sexual Difference
Authors: Stone Alison
Published: February 2010

Alison Stone offers a feminist defence of the idea that sexual difference is natural, providing a novel interpretation of the later philosophy of Luce Irigaray. She defends Irigaray's unique form of essentialism and her rethinking of the relationship between nature and culture, showing how Irigaray's ideas can be reconciled with Judith Butler's performative conception of gender, through rethinking sexual difference in relation to German Romantic philosophies of nature. This is a sustained attempt to connect feminist conceptions of embodiment to German idealist and Romantic accounts of nature. Not merely an interpretation of Irigaray, this book also presents an original feminist perspective on nature and the body. It will encourage debate on the relations between sexual difference, essentialism, and embodiment.
Fluid Dynamics with a Computational Perspective
Authors: Durbin Paul A. , Medic Gorazd
Published: February 2010

Modern fluid dynamics is a combination of traditional methods of theory and analysis and newer methods of computation and numerical simulation. Fluid Dynamics with a Computational Perspective synthesizes traditional theory and modern computation. It is neither a book on methods of computation, nor a book on analysis; it is about fluid dynamics. The book is ideal for a course on fluid dynamics. Early chapters review the laws of fluid mechanics and survey computational methodology, following chapters study flows in which the Reynolds number increases from creeping flow to turbulence, followed by a thorough discussion of compressible flow and interfaces. Whereas all significant equations and their solutions are presented, their derivations are informal. References for detailed derivations are provided. A chapter on intermediate Reynolds number flows provides illustrative case studies by pure computation. Elsewhere, computations and theory are interwoven.
Science, Technology and Society
Authors: Bridgstock Martin , Burch David , Forge John , Laurent John , Lowe Ian
Published: February 2010

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the human, social and economic aspects of science and technology. It examines a broad range of issues from a variety of perspectives, using examples and experiences from Australia and around the world. The authors present complex issues in an accessible and engaging form. Topics include the responsibilities of scientists, ethical dilemmas and controversies, the Industrial Revolution, economic issues, public policy, and science and technology in developing countries. The book ends with a thoughtful and provocative look towards the future. It includes extensive guides to further reading, as well as a useful section on information searching skills. This book will provoke, engage, inform and stimulate thoughtful discussion about culture, society and science. Broad and interdisciplinary, it will be of considerable value to students and teachers.
The Post-Darwinian Controversies
Authors: Moore James R.
Published: February 2010

The Post-Darwinian Controversies offers an original interpretation of Protestant responses to Darwin after 1870, viewing them in a transatlantic perspective and as a constitutive part of the history of post-Darwinian evolutionary thought. The impact of evolutionary theory on the religious consciousness of the nineteenth century has commonly been seen in terms of a 'conflict' or 'warfare' between science and theology. Dr. Moore's account begins by discussing the polemical origins and baneful effects of the 'military metaphor', and this leads to a revised view of the controversies based on an analysis of the underlying intellectual struggle to come to terms with Darwin. The middle section of the book distinguishes the 'Darwinism' of Darwin himself amid the main currents of post-Darwinian evolutionary thought, and is followed by chapters which examine the responses to Darwin of twenty-eight Christian controversialists, tracing the philosophical and theological lineage of their views. The paradox that emerges - that Darwin's theory was accepted in substance only by those whose theology was distinctly orthodox theology and of other evolutionary theories with liberal and romantic theological speculation.
Introduction to Circulating Atmospheres
Authors: James I. N.
Published: February 2010

This book gives an account of the modern view of the global circulation of the atmosphere. It brings the observed nature of the circulation together with theories and simple models of the mechanisms which drive it. Early chapters concentrate on the classical view of the global circulation, on the processes which generate atmospheric motions and on the dynamical constraints which modify them. Later chapters develop more recent themes including low frequency variability and the circulations of other planetary atmospheres. The book will be of interest to advanced students and researchers who wish for an introduction to the subject before engaging with the original scientific literature. The book is copiously illustrated, and includes many results of diagnostic and modelling studies. Each chapter includes a set of problems and bibliographical notes.
Solitons, Nonlinear Evolution Equations and Inverse Scattering
Authors: Ablowitz M. A. , Clarkson P. A.
Published: February 2010

Solitons have been of considerable interest to mathematicians since their discovery by Kruskal and Zabusky. This book brings together several aspects of soliton theory currently only available in research papers. Emphasis is given to the multi-dimensional problems arising and includes inverse scattering in multi-dimensions, integrable nonlinear evolution equations in multi-dimensions and the ∂ method. Thus, this book will be a valuable addition to the growing literature in the area and essential reading for all researchers in the field of soliton theory.
The Theology of the Book of Genesis
Authors: Moberly R. W. L.
Published: February 2010

The book of Genesis contains foundational material for Jewish and Christian theology, both historic and contemporary, and is almost certainly the most appealed-to book in the Old Testament in contemporary culture. R. W. L. Moberly's The Theology of the Book of Genesis examines the actual use made of Genesis in current debates, not only in academic but also in popular contexts. Traditional issues such as creation and fall stand alongside more recent issues such as religious violence and Christian Zionism. Moberly's concern - elucidated through a combination of close readings and discussions of hermeneutical principle - is to uncover what constitutes good understanding and use of Genesis, through a consideration of its intrinsic meaning as an ancient text (in both Hebrew and Greek versions) in dialogue with its reception and appropriation both past and present. Moberly seeks to enable responsible theological awareness and use of the ancient text today, highlighting Genesis' enduring significance.
Jews and Revolution in Nineteenth-Century Russia
Authors: Haberer Erich
Published: February 2010

Jews and Revolution in Nineteenth-Century Russia is a carefully researched study of 100 years of Russian-Jewish revolutionary history, exploring the origins and characteristics of Jewish participation in Russian revolutionary politics between 1790 and 1890. Focusing sharply on Jewish motivations and the qualities of Russian Jewish activists, it drastically reverses the traditional historiographical trend of de-Judaising and minimising the role of Jews who joined Russian revolutionary circles, especially during the movement's Populist phase of the 1870s and 1880s. By the same token, it challenges many clichés and assumptions which have governed conventional wisdom on the radical behaviour of so-called assimilationist 'non-Jewish Jews'. This revisionist approach restores a neglected yet important group of Jews to their rightful place in the historical experience of the Jewish people in Russia.
An Introduction to Chaos in Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics
Authors: Dorfman J. R.
Published: February 2010

This book is an introduction to the applications in nonequilibrium statistical mechanics of chaotic dynamics, and also to the use of techniques in statistical mechanics important for an understanding of the chaotic behaviour of fluid systems. The fundamental concepts of dynamical systems theory are reviewed and simple examples are given. Advanced topics including SRB and Gibbs measures, unstable periodic orbit expansions, and applications to billiard-ball systems, are then explained. The text emphasises the connections between transport coefficients, needed to describe macroscopic properties of fluid flows, and quantities, such as Lyapunov exponents and Kolmogorov-Sinai entropies, which describe the microscopic, chaotic behaviour of the fluid. Later chapters consider the roles of the expanding and contracting manifolds of hyperbolic dynamical systems and the large number of particles in macroscopic systems. Exercises, detailed references and suggestions for further reading are included.
The Electrical Properties of Disordered Metals
Authors: Dugdale J. S.
Published: February 2010

The theory of how metals conduct electronically had for a long time been confined to metals that are crystalline with the constituent atoms in regular arrays. The discovery of how to make solid amorphous alloys led to an explosion of measurements of the electronic properties of these new materials, and the emergence of a range of interesting low temperature phenomena. This 1995 book describes in physical terms the theory of the electrical conductivity, Hall coefficient, magnetoresistance and thermopower of disordered metals and alloys. The author begins by showing how conventional Boltzmann theory can be extended and modified when the mean free path of the conduction electrons becomes comparable with their wavelength and interionic separation. The consequence of this is explored and the theory tested by application to experimental data on metallic glasses. Designed as a self-contained review, the book will appeal to non-specialist physicists, metallurgists and chemists with an interest in disordered metals.
Comparing Assembly Maps in Algebraic K-Theory
Authors: Sperber Ron
Published: February 2010

Given a group G and a ring R, Loday [Lod, 1976] described an assembly map αG : hn(BG;L(R)) → Kn(RG) where L(R) is a spectrum with nth space K0(SnR) × BGL(SnR)+ for n ≥ 0 and Kn(RG) = πn(BGL(RG)+ × K0(RG)). Hambleton and Pederson, [HP, 2004], indicate a proof that this map is isomorphic to the map on homotopy groups from the assembly map . We will complete the proof of this.
Vitamin A equivalency and apparent absorption of β-carotene in ileostomy subjects using a dual-isotope dilution technique
Authors: Van Loo-Bouwman Carolien A. , Naber Ton H. J. , van Breemen Richard B. , Zhu Dongwei , Dicke Heleen , Siebelink Els , Hulshof Paul J. M. , Russel Frans G. M. , Schaafsma Gertjan , West Clive E.
Published: February 2010

The objective was to quantify the vitamin A equivalency of β-carotene in two diets using a dual-isotope dilution technique and the apparent β-carotene absorption as measured by the oral–faecal balance technique. Seventeen healthy adults with an ileostomy completed the 4-week diet-controlled, cross-over intervention study. Each subject followed both diets for 2 weeks: a diet containing vegetables low in β-carotene content with supplemental β-carotene in salad dressing oil (‘oil diet’; mean β-carotene intake 3·1 mg/d) and a diet containing vegetables and fruits high in β-carotene content (‘mixed diet’; mean β-carotene intake 7·6 mg/d). Daily each subject consumed a mean of 190 μg [13C10]β-carotene and 195 μg [13C10]retinyl palmitate in oil capsules. The vitamin A equivalency of β-carotene was calculated as the dose-corrected ratio of [13C5]retinol to [13C10]retinol in serum. Apparent absorption of β-carotene was determined with oral–faecal balance. Isotopic data quantified a vitamin A equivalency of [13C10]β-carotene in oil of 3·6:1 (95 % CI 2·8, 4·6) regardless of dietary matrices differences. The apparent absorption of (labelled and dietary) β-carotene from the ‘oil diet’ (30 %) was 1·9-fold higher than from the ‘mixed diet’ (16 %). This extrinsic labelling technique can measure precisely the vitamin A equivalency of β-carotene in oil capsules, but it does not represent the effect of different dietary matrices.
Effect of different physiological traits on grain yield in barley grown under irrigated and terminal water deficit conditions
Authors: GONZÁLEZ A. , BERMEJO V. , GIMENO B. S.
Published: February 2010

Drought is the main factor limiting the productivity of crops in Mediterranean areas. The introduction of physiological traits into crops that improve their tolerance to drought is necessary if yields under these conditions are to be efficiently improved. The effect of drought on different gas exchange variables, i.e. net photosynthesis (A), stomatal conductance (gs) and leaf chlorophyll concentration (Chl), and the relationship of these variables with yield were studied in 12 barley genotypes grown under irrigated and terminal drought conditions. The variable most sensitive to water deficit was gs(mean reduction 43% with respect to control conditions), followed by A (mean reduction 34%). The mean reduction of yield by terminal drought was 27%. A significant correlation was seen between these physiological traits and yield. The effect of water deficit on A, gsand Chl was smaller in the breeding lines than in the traditional varieties assayed, in agreement with the results found for yield. These results suggest a potential indirect selection of physiological characteristics in these breeding lines that allow greater tolerance to drought. The response of the different genotypes examined was not homogeneous across all the variables analysed. This variability is important in programmes aiming to obtain drought-tolerant genotypes via the optimization of traits such as those above.
Comparison of three methods to enumerate gut microbiota of weanling piglets fed insoluble dietary fibre differing in lignin content
Authors: PETERSSON A. , DOMIG K. J. , SCHEDLE K. , WINDISCH W. , KNEIFEL W.
Published: February 2010

The aim of the current study was to compare three methods for determining the influence of different feeding strategies on the gut microbiota of piglets. Forty-eight weanling piglets were fed four different diets enriched with insoluble dietary fibre (wheat bran and pollen fromPinus massoniana). Starting from ileal and colonic samples, the total microbial DNA was isolated and bacterial parameters (lactobacilli, bifidobacteria,Bacteroides vulgatusand total bacterial counts) were quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results for lactobacilli, bifidobacteria and total bacterial counts were compared with those obtained by fluorescencein situhybridization (FISH) and cultivation method. No significant differences could be observed between dietary treatments with real-time PCR and FISH for all investigated parameters. Comparing the applied three methods no consistent results were achieved, whereas FISH usually showed lower values. It was shown that real-time PCR can be regarded as an alternative to conventional techniques and also as a complement to results obtained from conventional culture method.
The Birth of a Nation and the Making of the NAACP
Authors: WEINBERGER STEPHEN
Published: February 2010

With the appearance of D. W. Griffith's 1915 racist epic, The Birth of a Nation, the six-year-old NAACP reluctantly organized a campaign to ban the film entirely or at least to censor its most offensive elements. Although this struggle was a failure, it helped transform the association in ways no one could have imagined at the outset. Up to this point, the issues the NAACP had taken up, such as housing segregation and lynching, focussed primarily on southern or border states. The Birth of a Nation, however, was a national event. As the film moved from major population centers to smaller ones throughout the country, so too did the protests and countless meetings between local NAACP leaders and mayors, city councils, censors, and governors. In the end, this failed campaign had the effect of providing local association members with invaluable political experience and of elevating the NAACP to a position of national stature and indeed prominence in the struggle for civil rights in America.
Experimental infection of selected arthropods with spirurid nematodesSpirocerca lupiRailliet & Henry, 1911 andGongylonema ingluvicolaMolin, 1857
Authors: Mukaratirwa S. , Pillay E. , Munsammy K.
Published: February 2010

Gongylonema ingluvicolaandSpirocerca lupiare spirurid nematodes that require arthropod intermediate hosts in order to complete their life cycle. Beetles of the family Scarabaeidae are reported to serve as intermediate hosts for both these parasites. In this study selected species of beetles of the family Scarabaeidae as well as other groups of arthropods were screened for susceptibility to infection withS. lupiandG. ingluvicola. Arthropods were exposed to infective eggs of both parasites for a determined period of time and dissected/digested to determine the presence or absence of pre-infective and infective larvae. All the five species of dung beetles exposed to infection withS. lupi, namely,Pachylomerus femoralis,Scarabaeus rugosus,Gymnopleurus humanus,Kheper nigroaeneusandAnachalcos convexuswere susceptible and, of the two species exposed toG. ingluvicola, onlyGy. humanuswas susceptible.Spirocerca lupieggs developed in millipede species,Daratoagonus cristulatus, and remained as encysted larvae, while inOrthoporoides kyrhocephalusno development was observed.Spirocerca lupilarvae were not detected in the cricket speciesGryllus assimilis, or the cockroach speciesPeriplaneta americana, and, similarly,G. ingluvicolalarvae were not detected in the millipede speciesO. kyrhocephalus. The difference in the susceptibility of the arthropods to the two parasite species may depend on their feeding biology.
The Majesty of Reason
Authors: Blackburn Simon
Published: February 2010

In this paper I contemplate two phenomena that have impressed theorists concerned with the domain of reasons and of what is now called ‘normativity’. One is the much-discussed ‘externality’ of reasons. According to this, reasons are just there, anyway. They exist whether or not agents take any notice of them. They do not only exist in the light of contingent desires or mere inclinations. They are ‘external’ not ‘internal’. They bear on us, even when through ignorance or wickedness we take no notice of them. They thus very conspicuously shine the lights of objectivity, and independence, and even necessity. By basking in this light, ethics is rescued from the slough of sentiment and preference, and regains the dignity denied to it by theorists such as Hobbes or Hume, Williams, Gibbard or myself. Hence, many contemporary philosophers compete to stress and to extol the external nature of reasons, their shining objectivity. The other phenomenon is that of the inescapable ‘normativity’ of means-ends reasoning. Here the irrationality of intending an end but failing to intend the means is a different shining beacon. It is that of pure practical reason in operation: an indisputable norm, again showing a sublime indifference to whatever weaknesses people actually have, and ideally fitted to provide a Trojan horse for inserting rationality into practical life. If the means-end principle is both unmistakably practical and yet the darling child of rationality itself, then other principles of consistency or of humanity, or of universalizing the maxims of our action, can perhaps follow through the breach in the Humean citadel that it has spearheaded. And so we get the dazzling prospect that if people who choose badly are choosing against reason, then this can be seen to be a special and grave defect. It would locate the kind of fault they are indulging. It would give us, the people of reason, a special lever with which to dislodge their vices. Being able to herd knaves and villains in a compound reserved for those who trespass against reason and rationality therefore represents definite progress.
Adverse life event reporting and worst illness episodes in unipolar and bipolar affective disorders: measuring environmental risk for genetic research
Authors: Hosang G. M. , Korszun A. , Jones L. , Jones I. , Gray J. M. , Gunasinghe C. M. , McGuffin P. , Farmer A. E.
Published: February 2010

Background

Studies exploring gene–environment interplay in affective disorders now include very large numbers of participants. Methods for evaluating the role of adversity in such studies need to be developed that do not rely on lengthy and labour-intensive interviews. In the present study, a brief questionnaire method for measuring 11 adverse events reported before interview and before their worst illness episodes by bipolar, unipolar and healthy control participants, participating in genetic association studies, was evaluated.

Method

Five hundred and twelve bipolar disorder (BD) participants, 1447 participants with recurrent unipolar depression (UPD) and 1346 psychiatrically healthy control participants underwent the researcher-administered version of the List of Threatening Experiences Questionnaire (LTE-Q) for the 6 months before their worst affective episodes for UPD and BD participants, and for the 6 months before interview for the UPD participants and controls.

Results

UPD and BD cases were significantly more likely to report at least one event, as well as more events in the 6 months before interview and before their worst illness episodes, than healthy controls. Both manic and depressive episodes were significantly associated with adverse events in the BD cases. Depressed mood at the time of interview influenced event reporting in UPD and control participants but not the BD cases. Age was negatively correlated with the number of events reported by controls.

Conclusions

The researcher-administered LTE-Q provides a measure of case-control differences for adversity that is applicable in large genetic association studies. Confounding factors for event reporting include present mood and age.
Neurocognitive functioning before and after the first psychotic episode: does psychosis result in cognitive deterioration?
Authors: Becker H. E. , Nieman D. H. , Wiltink S. , Dingemans P. M. , van de Fliert J. R. , Velthorst E. , de Haan L. , van Amelsvoort T. A. , Linszen D. H.
Published: February 2010

Background

Cognitive impairment is considered to be a core characteristic of schizophrenia. The relationship between psychosis and cognitive deterioration, however, remains unclear. This longitudinal study investigated the neuropsychological functioning of patients before and after their first psychotic episode. Cognitive functioning of participants who later developed a psychosis was compared to that of people at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis who did not develop psychosis at follow-up and healthy controls.

Method

Participants were 41 persons at UHR for psychosis (the UHR group), of whom 17 developed psychosis between the first and second assessment. Seventeen healthy controls were included in the study. Cognitive performance was assessed at intake (T0) and again after 18 months (T1). The areas of cognitive functioning assessed include verbal memory and learning, visuospatial working memory, executive function, sustained attention and motor speed.

Results

The transition group did not perform significantly worse at the second assessment than at the first on any of the outcome measures. The UHR group performed better on a verbal learning and memory test at T1 compared to T0. At T0, the control group scored significantly better than the UHR group and the transition group on the verbal learning and memory test and the verbal fluency test.

Conclusions

The results indicate that no cognitive deterioration occurs during the first psychotic episode. Problems in verbal memory may be present before the first episode of psychosis.
Binge eating disorder: a symptom-level investigation of genetic and environmental influences on liability
Authors: Mitchell K. S. , Neale M. C. , Bulik C. M. , Aggen S. H. , Kendler K. S. , Mazzeo S. E.
Published: February 2010

Background

Recent behavioral genetic studies have emphasized the importance of investigating eating disorders at the level of individual symptoms, rather than as overall diagnoses. We examined the heritability of binge eating disorder (BED) using an item-factor analytic approach, which estimates contributions of additive genetic (A), common environmental (C), and unique environmental (E) influences on liability to BED as well as individual symptoms.

Method

Participants were 614 monozygotic and 410 dizygotic same-sex female twins from the Mid-Atlantic Twin Registry who completed a self-report measure of BED symptoms based upon DSM-IV criteria. Genetic and environmental contributions to BED liability were assessed at the diagnostic and symptom levels, using an item-factor approach.

Results

Liability to BED was moderately heritable; 45% of the variance was due to A, with smaller proportions due to C (13%), and E (42%). Additive genetic effects accounted for 29–43% of the variance in individual items, while only 8–14% was due to C.

Conclusions

Results highlight the relevance of examining eating disorders at the symptom level, rather than focusing on aggregate diagnoses.
God and other minds
Authors: ELLIS FIONA
Published: February 2010

I reconsider the idea that there is an analogy between belief in other minds and belief in God, and examine two approaches to the relevant beliefs. The ‘explanatory inductive’ approach raises difficulties in both contexts, and involves questionable assumptions. The ‘expressivist’ approach is more promising, and presupposes a more satisfactory metaphysical framework in the first context. Its application to God is similarly insightful, and offers an intellectually respectable, albeit resistible, version of the doctrine that nature is a book of lessons.
The ontological argument and the motivational centres of lives
Authors: PRUSS ALEXANDER R.
Published: February 2010

Assuming S5, the main controversial premise in modal ontological arguments is the possibility premise, such as that possibly a maximally great being exists. I shall offer a new way of arguing that the possibility premise is probably true.