bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Choline and betaine in health and disease
Authors: Ueland Per Magne
Published: May 2010

Choline is an essential nutrient, but is also formed by de novo synthesis. Choline and its derivatives serve as components of structural lipoproteins, blood and membrane lipids, and as a precursor of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Pre‐and postnatal choline availability is important for neurodevelopment in rodents. Choline is oxidized to betaine that serves as an osmoregulator and is a substrate in the betaine–homocysteine methyltransferase reaction, which links choline and betaine to the folate‐dependent one‐carbon metabolism. Choline and betaine are important sources of one‐carbon units, in particular, during folate deficiency. Choline or betaine supplementation in humans reduces concentration of total homocysteine (tHcy), and plasma betaine is a strong predictor of plasma tHcy in individuals with low plasma concentration of folate and other B vitamins (B2, B6, and B12) in combination TT genotype of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677 C‐>T polymorphism. The link to one‐carbon metabolism and the recent availability of food composition data have motivated studies on choline and betaine as risk factors of chronic diseases previously studied in relation to folate and homocysteine status. High intake and plasma level of choline in the mother seems to afford reduced risk of neural tube defects. Intake of choline and betaine shows no consistent relation to cancer or cardiovascular risk or risk factors, whereas an unfavorable cardiovascular risk factor profile was associated with high choline and low betaine concentrations in plasma. Thus, choline and betaine showed opposite relations with key components of metabolic syndrome, suggesting a disruption of mitochondrial choline oxidation to betaine as part of the mitochondrial dysfunction in metabolic syndrome.
Performance of a Cocoa Butter‐Like Fat Enzymatically Produced from Olive Pomace Oil as a Partial Cocoa Butter Replacer
Authors: Çiftçi Ozan Nazım , Göğüş Fahrettin , Fadıloğlu Sibel
Published: May 2010

Olive pomace oil is a by‐product of olive oil processing and it is considered a low‐quality oil. Considering its suitable triacylglycerol (TAG) composition, this work aimed to convert refined olive pomace oil (ROPO) to a cocoa butter (CB)‐like fat using sn‐1,3 specific lipase, and to investigate its performance as a partial CB replacer. CB‐like fat was produced from olive pomace oil by sn‐1,3‐specific lipase‐catalyzed acidolysis in a packed bed reactor. Binary blends of CB and CB‐like fat (CB:CB‐like fat) were prepared in different proportions, and their physicochemical characteristics [TAG content, melting profile, solid fat content (SFC) and microstructure] were investigated. The contents of 1,3‐dipalmitoyl‐2‐oleoyl‐glycerol (POP), 1(3)‐palmitoyl‐3(1)stearoyl‐2‐oleoyl‐glycerol (POS) and 1,3‐distearoyl‐2‐oleoyl‐glycerol (SOS) in the 100:0 blend were 18.9, 33.1 and 24.7%, respectively. These contents decreased to 11.0, 20.0 and 11.7%, respectively, in the 0:100 blend. Although the melting point (28.5 °C) did not change significantly above 30% CB‐like fat addition, the shape of the melting peak became wider and irregular. An isothermal solid diagram of SFC showed that better compatibility was observed at temperatures above 35 °C for all blends. Addition of over 30% CB‐like fat caused significant difference in the microstructure.
Biodiesel (FAME) Productivity, Catalytic Efficiency and Thermal Stability of Lipozyme TL IM for Crude Palm Oil Transesterification with Methanol
Authors: Sim Jia Huey , Kamaruddin Azlina Harun , Bhatia Subhash
Published: May 2010

Crude palm oil (CPO) transesterification with methanol at room temperature is an important factor for optimizing biodiesel processing costs with respect to energy input; in addition, good stability of expensive lipase activity was ensured and is reported in this study. The enzyme loading, agitation speed and reaction time at a constant operating temperature of 30 °C were studied to find favourable operational conditions using a factorial design. Statistical analysis was used to assist the enzymatic transesterification so that a reduced mass transfer effect was achieved to obtain high FAME yields. The combination of optimum enzyme loading of 6.67 wt% and 150 rpm agitation speed for the system at 30 °C gave 81.73% FAME yield at 4 h and a production rate of 85.86% FAME yield/h. The high viscosity of CPO observed at 30 °C compared to 40 °C hindered the achievement of 96.15% FAME yield at room temperature. It was found that an increase of 10 °C invariably deactivated the lipase, but was compensated by the enhanced FAME production rate with 96.15% FAME yield after only 4 h reaction time. Thus, 40 °C was considered the most suitable operating temperature for lipozyme TL IM to catalyze CPO transesterification.
Intrapartum and postpartum analgesia for women maintained on buprenorphine during pregnancy
Authors: Meyer Marjorie , Paranya Gretchen , Norris Ananda Keefer , Howard Diantha
Published: May 2010

Objective: To determine whether buprenorphine maintenance alters intrapartum or postpartum pain or medication requirements.

Methods: Sixty three patients treated with buprenorphine for opioid dependence during pregnancy (vaginal n = 44; cesarean n = 19) were matched retrospectively to control women. Analgesic medication and pain scores (0–10) were extracted from the medical record. Primary endpoint: opioid utilization postpartum (oxycodone equivalents). Secondary endpoints: pain scores and intrapartum analgesia.

Results: There were no differences in intrapartum pain or analgesia. Following vaginal birth, buprenorphine maintained women had increased pain (buprenorphine 2.7 (1.7, 4.0); control 2.1 (1.2, 3.0), p = 0.006) but no increase in opioid utilization (buprenorphine: 11.8 ± 24.8; control 5.4 ± 10.4 mg/24 h, p = 0.10); following cesarean delivery both pain (buprenorphine: 5.1 (4.1, 6.1); control: 3.3 (2.5, 4.1), p = 0.009) and opioid utilization (buprenorphine: 89.3 ± 38.0, control: 60.9 ± 13.1 mg/24 h, p = 0.004) were increased.

Conclusion: Buprenorphine maintained women have similar intrapartum pain and analgesic needs during labor, but experience more postpartum pain and require 47% more opioid analgesic following cesarean delivery.
Predicting the course and outcome of bipolar disorder: A review
Authors: Treuer T. , Tohen M.
Published: May 2010

Despite of advances in pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, bipolar disorder often entails multiple relapses and impaired psychological functioning. The extent to which modern treatments have influenced the natural course of a mental disorder is uncertain. Prediction of the course and outcome of bipolar disorders continues to be challenging, despite the multiple research efforts worldwide. Due to a lack of laboratory diagnostic tests and biomarkers, psychiatric interview and examination provide the basis for outcome prediction. While considered to have more favorable prognosis than schizophrenia, it is not uncommon for bipolar disorder to include persisting alterations of psychosocial functioning. Although long-term symptomatic remission does not guarantee functional recovery, it may have a favorable impact on long-term overall prognosis. The high degree of treatment resistance in patients with bipolar disorder highlights the need to develop better identification of outcome predictors, prognosis and treatment intervention, designed to reverse or prevent this illness burden. This review summarizes the main factors involved in predicting the course and outcome of bipolar disorder.
Genetic influences on suicide and nonfatal suicidal behavior: Twin study findings
Authors: Pedersen N.L. , Fiske A.
Published: May 2010

It has been well established that suicidal behavior is familial. Twin studies provide a unique opportunity to distinguish genetic effects from other familial influences. Consistent with findings from previous twin studies, including case series and selected samples, data from the population-based Swedish Twin Registry clearly demonstrate the importance of genetic influences on suicide. Twin studies of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts also implicate genetic influences, even when accounting for the effects of psychopathology. Future work is needed to evaluate the possibility of age and gender differences in heritability of suicide and nonfatal suicidal behavior.
Genetics of HPA-axis, depression and suicidality
Authors: Wasserman D. , Wasserman J. , Sokolowski M.
Published: May 2010

The ultimate consequence of mental ill-health, suicidal behavior (SB), is a significant problem in most societies of the world. Suicide causes about one million deaths worldwide each year, and 10–20 times more people attempt suicide. The causes of why certain people engage in SB are complex, involving for e.g., both environmental and genetic factors, and interactions in-between. Well-established environmental risk factors are events causing significant psychological stress, which are particularly difficult to cope with, e.g. exposure to physical and sexual abuse. Excessive stress have the potential to induce unfavorable effects in a variety of higher brain-functions, incurred as side-effects to maladaptive responses in the genetically controlled stress-responsive neurosystems, e.g. the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis; a major and systemic stress-modulator, which is mainly controlled by the regulatory corticotrophin releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1) gene. Variation in-between individuals in such stress-regulatory genes such asCRHR1, may underlie the causes of the increased susceptibility of certain individuals towards SB. Here we review some of the current knowledge on what is known about the roles of the HPA axis in SB, with a focus onCRHR1.
Genetic and environmental pathways to suicidal behavior: Reflections of a genetic epidemiologist
Authors: Kendler K.S.
Published: May 2010

This paper presents a tentative typology of genetic and environmental pathways to suicidal behavior. Ten pathways are proposed and briefly illustrated: (i) direct effects from psychiatric disorders; (ii) direct effects from personality; (iii) direct effects of early adversity; (iv) direct effects of current adversity; (v) indirect effects of genes on selection into adversity (gene–environment correlation); (vi) interactions between genetic risk and current adversity: gene–environment interaction; (vii) interactions between early and current adversity: environment–environment interaction; (viii) interactions between culture and genes; (ix) dynamic developmental pathways involving causal loops from genes to environment and back again; and (x) gene × environment × development interaction.
Clinical aspects of suicidal behavior relevant to genetics
Authors: Apter A.
Published: May 2010

A major hindrance to determining the underlying biology of suicide is the heterogeneity of the phenotype. Not only are there various forms of self-harm and suicidal behaviors but even the finite act of dying by suicide can occur in multiple psychosocial contexts. Of all the different forms of fatal and non-fatal suicidal behaviors, the one that received the most attention is the aggressive impulsive type, which seems to occur in younger people and to cut across nosological entities, although its most classical expression occurs in borderline personality disorder. This focus should not obscure the fact that other forms of suicidal behavior such as those related to demoralization or wounded honor (narcissism) may well have different underlying genetic diatheses.
Solution structure and conformational heterogeneity of acylphosphatase from Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Hu Jicheng , Li Dan , Su Xiao-Dong , Jin Changwen , Xia Bin
Published: May 2010

Acylphosphatase is a small enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of acyl phosphates. Here, we present the solution structure of acylphosphatase from Bacillus subtilis (BsAcP), the first from a Gram‐positive bacterium. We found that its active site is disordered, whereas it converted to an ordered state upon ligand binding. The structure of BsAcP is sensitive to pH and it has multiple conformations in equilibrium at acidic pH (pH < 5.8). Only one main conformation could bind ligand, and the relative population of these states is modulated by ligand concentration. This study provides direct evidence for the role of ligand in conformational selection.
Human Capital
Authors: Bartlett Roger P.
Published: May 2010

This book examines in detail the Russian government's policy of settling foreigners in European Russia during the last third of the eighteenth century. The recruitment of foreign settlers was practised by many European states during this period, primarily as part of general population policies which sought the highest possible levels of population. In Russia it was also part of the process of settling and developing frontier regions. Dr Bartlett shows the European and Russian background, describes the genesis of the Empress Catherine II's Manifestos of 1762 and 1763 (which set the policy in motion) and follows the development and implementation of policy. The two most notable ethnic groups among Imperial Russia's foreign settlers were Bulgarians and Germans, but many other nationalities were also involved. A separate chapter deals with urban settlement - foreign entrepreneurs and artisans - including the Armenian community of Astrakhan; and connections are explored with other areas of policy, notably with Catherine's interest in the Baltic provinces, her concern with the Jewish question, and with serfdom; and the question of technical improvement in agriculture during the early years of her reign.
Studies in Numismatic Method
Authors: Brooke C. N. L. , Stewart B. H. I. , Pollard J. G. , Volk T. R.
Published: May 2010

Coins are one of the most abundant sources for our study of the past, yet their value as historical evidence is relatively neglected because of a general lack of knowledge of numismatic techniques. This volume of essays, offered by a circle of friends, colleagues and pupils working in Britain, Europe and North America, is intended to pay tribute to Philip Grierson's unique contribution to the study of numismatic method. A medievalist by training, through his wide-ranging interests in coins and coinage Grierson has commanded the respect of historians and numismatists of all periods for the originality and good sense of his prolific scholarship. More than any other living scholar, he has been responsible for making available an understanding of numismatic expertise to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Proximity Spaces
Authors: Naimpally S. A.
Published: May 2010

This tract provides a compact introduction to the theory of proximity spaces and their generalisations, making the subject accessible to readers having a basic knowledge of topological and uniform spaces, such as can be found in standard textbooks. Two chapters are devoted to fundamentals, the main result being the proof of the existence of the Smirnov compactification using clusters. Chapter 3 discusses the interrelationships between proximity spaces and uniform spaces and contains some of the most interesting results in the theory of proximity spaces. The final chapter introduces the reader to several generalised forms of proximity structures and studies one of them in detail. The bibliography contains over 130 references to the scattered research literature on proximity spaces, in addition to general references.
Systems of Frequency Curves
Authors: Elderton William Palin , Johnson Norman Lloyd
Published: May 2010

Sir William Elderton's Frequency Curves and Correlation was first published in 1906 and subsequently three new editions were published. It has long enjoyed popularity as a source of clear descriptions of the practical use of Pearson and also Gram-Charlie systems of frequency curves. Professor Johnson has substantially revised this book. The material on correlations has been omitted; descriptions of further kinds of frequency curves have been added; the treatment of frequency surfaces has been recast and broadened; and the opportunity has been taken to amend the original text in the light of later research. The aim of this book remains essentially practical. There is no attempt at encyclopaedic coverage of all known systems of frequency curves and surfaces. It should be of especial value as a quick reference book (for statisticians and non-statisticians alike) for formulae and methods used in fitting frequency curves.
Worse than the Disease
Authors: Dutton Diana Barbara , Preston Thomas A. , Pfund Nancy E.
Published: May 2010

This book examines four medical innovations that epitomize the pitfalls of progress: DES, a synthetic estrogen prescribed to millions of women to prevent miscarriages, which produced devastating side effects; the artificial heart; the 1976 swine flu immunization program; and genetic engineering. Dutton and the contributors trace the human choices that govern medical and scientific innovation and explore the political, economic, and social factors that influence those choices. In the process, they reveal a deep gulf between the priorities of medical innovation and the concerns of the general public. They then propose concrete policy changes to help bridge that gulf.
Relativity
Authors: Stephani Hans
Published: May 2010

Thoroughly revised and updated, this textbook provides a pedagogical introduction to relativity. It is self-contained, but the reader is expected to have a basic knowledge of theoretical mechanics and electrodynamics. It covers the most important features of both special and general relativity, as well as touching on more difficult topics, such as the field of charged pole-dipole particles, the Petrov classification, groups of motions, gravitational lenses, exact solutions and the structure of infinity. The necessary mathematical tools (tensor calculus, Riemannian geometry) are provided, most of the derivations are given in full, and exercises are included where appropriate. Written as a textbook for undergraduate and introductory graduate courses, it will also be of use to researchers working in the field. The bibliography gives the original papers and directs the reader to useful monographs and review papers.
Vibration of Axially-Loaded Structures
Authors: Virgin Lawrence N.
Published: May 2010

This 2007 book concerns the vibration and the stability of slender structural components. The loss of stability of structures is an important aspect of structural mechanics and is presented here in terms of dynamic behavior. A variety of structural components are analyzed with a view to predicting their response to various (primarily axial) loading conditions. A number of different techniques are presented, with experimental verification from the laboratory. Practical applications are widespread, ranging from cables to space structures. The book presents methods by which the combined effects of vibration and buckling on various structures can be assessed. Vibrations and buckling are usually treated separately, but in this book their influence on each other is examined together, with examples when a combined approach is necessary. The avoidance of instability is the primary goal of this material.
The Vibrational Spectroscopy of Polymers
Authors: Bower D. I. , Maddams W. F.
Published: May 2010

This book describes the theory and practice of infrared and Raman spectroscopy as applied to the study of the physical and chemical characteristics of polymers. Its purpose is to give the beginning researcher in the field a firm foundation and a starting point for the study of more-advanced literature. To this end the book concentrates on the fundamentals of the theory and nomenclature, and on the discussion of well-documented illustrations of these fundamental principles, including many now-classic studies in the subject. No previous knowledge of either polymers or vibrational spectroscopy is assumed. The book will be of value to anyone beginning research on the vibrational spectroscopy of polymers, either from a physics or a chemistry background. It is intended to be especially suitable for use in undergraduate courses in physics, chemistry or materials science at both universities and polytechnics.
Monteverdi
Authors: Fabbri Paolo
Published: May 2010

This book, originally published in Italian, is a leading biographical study of the greatest composer of late Renaissance and early Baroque Italy. Monteverdi's contribution to secular, sacred and theatrical music in the period was unparalleled: his madrigals, church music and operas remain very much alive today. A large number of contemporary documents, including some 130 of his own letters, offer rich insights into the composer and his times, also illuminating the many and varied contexts for music making in the most important musical centres in Italy. Fabbri uses these documents and other sources to present a rich narrative focusing on a composer who has perhaps rightly been called the 'father of modern music'. This translation brings an indispensable text to a much broader readership, providing a vivid picture of a fascinating period in music history.
The State, War, and the State of War
Authors: Holsti Kalevi J.
Published: May 2010

War has traditionally been studied as a problem deriving from the relations between states. Strategic doctrines, arms control agreements, and the foundation of international organizations such as the United Nations are designed to prevent wars between states. Since 1945, however, the incidence of interstate war has actually been declining rapidly, while the incidence of internal wars has been increasing. The author argues that in order to understand this significant change in historical patterns, we should jettison many of the analytical devices derived from international relations studies and shift attention to the problems of 'weak' states, those states unable to sustain domestic legitimacy and peace. This book surveys some of the foundations of state legitimacy and demonstrates why many weak states will be the locales of war in the future. Finally, the author asks what the United Nations can do about the problems of weak and failed states.
Representations of General Linear Groups
Authors: James G. D.
Published: May 2010

The most important examples of finite groups are the group of permutations of a set of n objects, known as the symmetric group, and the group of non-singular n-by-n matrices over a finite field, which is called the general linear group. This book examines the representation theory of the general linear groups, and reveals that there is a close analogy with that of the symmetric groups. It consists of an essay which was joint winner of the Cambridge University Adams Prize 1981-2, and is intended to be accessible to mathematicians with no previous specialist knowledge of the topics involved.
Many people have studied the representations of general linear groups over fields of the natural characteristic, but this volume explores new territory by considering the case where the characteristic of the ground field is not the natural one. Not only are the results in the book elegant and interesting in their own right, but they suggest many lines for further investigation.
Polygamous Families in Contemporary Society
Authors: Altman Irwin , Ginat Joseph , McMurrin Sterling M.
Published: May 2010

In this intriguing book, social psychologist Irwin Altman and anthropologist Joseph Ginat examine husband-wife and wife-wife relationships in contemporary Mormon polygamous families. They describe how husbands and wives in plural families cope with their complex lifestyle in various facets of everyday life, including courtship, weddings, honeymoons, adjustments to a new life, living arrangements, and the husband's rotation among his wives. Other important topics include budget and resource management, psychological attachments to homes, and the social-emotional relationships between family members. This pioneering, comprehensive analysis of life in modern day Mormon polygamous families uses first-hand interviews and observations to describe this unusual family lifestyle. It adds to our understanding of close relationships and complements knowledge on other modern relationship forms, such as single-parent families, blended families, and cohabiting partners.
New Approaches to Macroeconomic Modeling
Authors: Aoki Masanao
Published: May 2010

This book contributes substantively to state-of-the-art macroeconomic modeling by providing a method for modeling large collections of heterogeneous agents subject to non-pairwise externality called field effects, i.e. feedback of aggregate effects on individual agents or agents using state-dependent strategies. Adopting a level of microeconomic description which keeps track of compositions of fractions of agents by 'types' or 'strategies', time evolution of the microeconomic states is described by (backward) Chapman-Kolmogorov equations. Macroeconomic dynamics naturally arise by expansion of the solution in some power series of the number of participants. Specification of the microeconomic transition rates thus leads to macroeconomic dynamic models. This approach provides a consistent way for dealing with multiple equilibria of macroeconomic dynamics by ergodic decomposition and associated calculations of mean first passage times, and stationary probabilities of equilibria further provide useful information on macroeconomic behavior.
Sugar Plantations in the Formation of Brazilian Society
Authors: Schwartz Stuart B.
Published: May 2010

This study examines the history of the sugar economy and the peculiar development of plantation society over a three hundred year period in Bahia, a major sugar plantation zone and an important terminus of the Atlantic slave trade. Drawing on little-used archival sources, plantations accounts, and notarial records, Professor Schwartz has examined through both quantitative and qualitative methods the various groups that made up plantation society. While he devotes much attention to masters and slaves, he views slavery ultimately as part of a larger structure of social and economic relations. The peculiarities of sugar-making and the nature of plantation labour are used throughout the book as keys to an understanding of roles and relationships in plantation society. A comparative perspective is also employed, so that studies of slavery elsewhere in the Americas inform the analysis, while at many points direct comparisons of the Bahian case with other plantation societies are also made.
The Theory of Finite Linear Spaces
Authors: Batten Lynn Margaret , Beutelspacher Albrecht
Published: May 2010

This 1994 text covers finite linear spaces. It contains all the important results that had been published up to the time of publication, and is designed to be used not only as a resource for researchers in this and related areas, but also as a graduate-level text. In eight chapters the authors introduce and review fundamental results, and go on to cover the major areas of interest in linear spaces. A combinatorial approach is used for the greater part of the book, but in the final chapter recent advances in group theory relating to finite linear spaces are presented. At the end of each chapter there is a set of exercises which are designed to test comprehension of the material, and there is also a section of problems for researchers. It will be an invaluable book for researchers in geometry and combinatorics as well as forming an excellent text for graduate students.
Statistical Analyses for Language Assessment
Authors: Bachman Lyle F.
Published: May 2010

This book enables practitioners to apply statistics effectively to the development and use of language assessments.

The Workbook and CD contain datasets from actual language assessments and data analysis exercises.
Partisan Bonds
Authors: Grynaviski Jeffrey D.
Published: May 2010

Political scientists have long painted American voters' dependence on partisan cues at the ballot box as a discouraging consequence of their overall ignorance about politics. Taking on this conventional wisdom, Jeffrey D. Grynaviski advances the provocative theory that voters instead rely on these cues because party brand names provide credible information about how politicians are likely to act in office, despite the weakness of formal party organization in the United States. Among the important empirical implications of his theory, which he carefully supports with rigorous data analysis, are that voter uncertainty about a party's issue positions varies with the level of party unity it exhibits in government, that party preferences in the electorate are strongest among the most certain voters, and that party brand names have meaningful consequences for the electoral strategies of party leaders and individual candidates for office.
Reason and Religion in the English Revolution
Authors: Mortimer Sarah
Published: May 2010

This book provides a significant rereading of political and ecclesiastical developments during the English Revolution, by integrating them into broader European discussions about Christianity and civil society. Sarah Mortimer reveals the extent to which these discussions were shaped by the writing of the Socinians, an extremely influential group of heterodox writers. She provides the first treatment of Socinianism in England for over fifty years, demonstrating the interplay between theological ideas and political events in this period as well as the strong intellectual connections between England and Europe. Royalists used Socinian ideas to defend royal authority and the episcopal Church of England from both Parliamentarians and Thomas Hobbes. But Socinianism was also vigorously denounced and, after the Civil Wars, this attack on Socinianism was central to efforts to build a church under Cromwell and to provide toleration. The final chapters provide a new account of the religious settlement of the 1650s.
Totally Positive Matrices
Authors: Pinkus Allan
Published: May 2010

Totally positive matrices constitute a particular class of matrices, the study of which was initiated by analysts because of its many applications in diverse areas. This account of the subject is comprehensive and thorough, with careful treatment of the central properties of totally positive matrices, full proofs and a complete bibliography. The history of the subject is also described: in particular, the book ends with a tribute to the four people who have made the most notable contributions to the history of total positivity: I. J. Schoenberg, M. G. Krein, F. R. Gantmacher and S. Karlin. This monograph will appeal to those with an interest in matrix theory, to those who use or have used total positivity, and to anyone who wishes to learn about this rich and interesting subject.
Scotland and the Fictions of Geography
Authors: Fielding Penny
Published: May 2010

Focusing on the relationship between England and Scotland and the interaction between history and geography, Penny Fielding explores how Scottish literature in the Romantic period was shaped by the understanding of place and space. This book examines geography as a form of regional, national and global definition, addressing national surveys, local stories, place-names and travel writing, and argues that the case of Scotland complicates the identification of Romanticism with the local. Fielding considers Scotland as 'North Britain' in a period when the North of Europe was becoming a strong cultural and political identity, and explores ways in which Scotland was both formative and disruptive of British national consciousness. Containing studies of Robert Burns, Walter Scott and James Hogg, as well as the lesser-known figures of Anne Grant and Margaret Chalmers, this study discusses an exceptionally broad range of historical, geographical, scientific, linguistic, antiquarian and political writing from throughout North Britain.
Socio-Historical Linguistics
Authors: Romaine Suzanne
Published: May 2010

Synchronic sociolinguistics has been particularly convincing in its use of quantitative models to demonstrates how 'the present might explain the past'. However, the relevance of sociolinguistics to historical linguistics 'using the past to explain the present', has been largely ignored. In this volume Dr Romaine lays the foundation for a field of research encompassing both historical linguistics and sociolinguistics, which aims to investigate and account for language variation within a particular speech community over time. The socio-historical approach is illustrated here by a detailed analysis of the development of relative clause formation strategies in Middle Scots. This case study raises fundamental questions about the epistemological status of sociolinguistic theory and in particular its claims to an empirical foundation. Her own preliminary suggestions for a truly integrative sociolinguistic theory will be of interest to sociolinguists, historical linguists and general linguists.
Prophecy and Discernment
Authors: Moberly R. W. L.
Published: May 2010

If people claim to speak for God, what enables us to know when to credit or discredit the claim? This book analyses the criteria for discernment of prophetic authenticity in the Old Testament, and for discernment of apostolic authenticity in the New Testament; and also considers their validity and viability in a contemporary context. After explaining the biblical concept of prophetic and apostolic speech on God's behalf, Moberly offers close readings of the biblical text so as to bring to life the distinctive voices, especially those of Jeremiah and St Paul, which speak of critical discernment. He addresses contemporary difficulties with the whole idea that humans might speak for God and analyses the nature of authentic spirituality. Throughout the discussion the premise is that the biblical treatment of discernment illuminates the fundamental human issue of the need to know who may be trusted and why.
Reasoning and Choice
Authors: Sniderman Paul M. , Brody Richard A. , Tetlock Phillip E.
Published: May 2010

Drawing on a multitude of data sets and building on analyses carried out over more than a decade, this book offers a major new theoretical explanation of how ordinary citizens figure out what they favour and oppose politically. Reacting against the conventional wisdom, which stresses how little attention the general public pays to political issues and the lack of consistency in their opinions, the studies presented in this book redirect attention to the processes of reasoning that can be discerned when people are confronted with choices about political issues. These studies demonstrate that ordinary people are in fact capable of reasoning dependably about political issues by the use of judgmental heuristics, even if they have only a limited knowledge of politics and of specific issues.
Trade Unionism in Australia
Authors: Bramble Tom
Published: May 2010

In the late 1960s Australian unionism was on the flood tide: growing in strength, industrially confident and capable of shaping the overall political climate of the nation. Forty years on, union membership and power is ebbing away despite community support for trade unionism and the continuing need for strong unions. Even the unprecedented mobilisation against WorkChoices, which defeated a government and lost the prime minister his own seat, has done little to turn the tide. With compelling rigour, Tom Bramble explores the changing fortunes of what was once an entrenched institution. Trade Unionism in Australia charts the impact on unions of waves of economic restructuring, a succession of hostile governments and a wholesale shift in employer attitudes, as well as the failure of the unions' own efforts to boost membership and consolidate power. Indeed, Bramble demonstrates how the tactics employed by unions since the early 1980s may have paradoxically contributed to their decline.
Sir Matthew Hale, 1609–1676
Authors: Cromartie Alan
Published: May 2010

Sir Matthew Hale (1609–76) was the greatest common lawyer of his age, and the most universally admired. Although he held office under Oliver Cromwell, this barely affected his standing in Restoration times. A study of Hale's life and thought necessarily illuminates the central role of the common law in Stuart politics. This book explains Hale's political ideas, and his subtle understanding of the peculiar character of an 'unwritten' law. It also covers his extensive writings on scientific and religious questions, writings which document a shift from puritan to liberal Protestantism. His acute but equivocal response to the science of Descartes and Boyle reveals a fascinating interplay between his 'latitudinarianism' and the new natural philosophy. The result is a unique case study, and a comprehensive portrait of a seventeenth-century mind.
Spline Functions on Triangulations
Authors: Lai Ming-Jun , Schumaker Larry L.
Published: May 2010

Spline functions are universally recognized as highly effective tools in approximation theory, computer-aided geometric design, image analysis, and numerical analysis. The theory of univariate splines is well known but this text is the first comprehensive treatment of the analogous bivariate theory. A detailed mathematical treatment of polynomial splines on triangulations is outlined, providing a basis for developing practical methods for using splines in numerous application areas. The detailed treatment of the Bernstein-Bézier representation of polynomials will provide a valuable source for researchers and students in CAGD. Chapters on smooth macro-element spaces will allow engineers and scientists using the FEM method to solve partial differential equations numerically with new tools. Workers in the geosciences will find new tools for approximation and data fitting on the sphere. Ideal as a graduate text in approximation theory, and as a source book for courses in computer-aided geometric design or in finite-element methods.
Security and the Environment
Authors: Floyd Rita
Published: May 2010

In 1993 the first Clinton administration declared environmental security a national security issue, but by the end of the Bush administrations environmental security had vanished from the government's agenda. This book uses changing US environmental security policy to propose a revised securitisation theory, one that both allows insights into the intentions of key actors and enables moral evaluations in the environmental sector of security. Security and the Environment brings together the subject of environmental security and the Copenhagen School's securitisation theory. Drawing on original interviews with former key players in United States environmental security, Rita Floyd makes a significant and original contribution to environmental security studies and security studies more generally. This book will be of interest to international relations scholars and political practitioners concerned with security, as well as students of international environmental politics and US policy-making.
Informal Institutions and Citizenship in Rural Africa
Authors: MacLean Lauren M.
Published: May 2010

This book challenges previous assumptions about institutions, social capital, and the nature of the African state by investigating the history of political and economic change in villages on either side of the Ghana-Cote d'Ivoire border. Prior to European colonial rule, these Akan villages had very similar political and cultural institutions. By the late 1990s, however, Lauren M. MacLean found puzzling differences in the informal institutions of reciprocity and indigenous notions of citizenship. MacLean argues that divergent histories of state formation not only shape how villagers help each other but also influence how local groups and communities define citizenship and then choose to engage with the state on an everyday basis. She examines the historical construction of the state role in mediating risk at the local level across three policy areas: political administration, social service delivery, and agriculture.
The Soviet Counterinsurgency in the Western Borderlands
Authors: Statiev Alexander
Published: May 2010

The Soviet Counterinsurgency in the Western Borderlands investigates the Soviet response to nationalist insurgencies that occurred between 1944 and 1953 in the regions the Soviet Union annexed after the Nazi-Soviet pact: Eastern Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Based on new archival data, Alexander Statiev presents the first comprehensive study of Soviet counterinsurgency that ties together the security tools and populist policies intended to attract the local populations. The book traces the origins of the Soviet pacification doctrine and then presents a comparative analysis of the rural societies in Eastern Poland and the Baltic States on the eve of the Soviet invasion. This analysis is followed by a description of the anti-communist resistance movements. Subsequently, the author shows how ideology affected the Soviet pacification doctrine and examines the major means to enforce the doctrine: agrarian reforms, deportations, amnesties, informant networks, covert operations, and local militias.
Testing for Language Teachers
Authors: Hughes Arthur
Published: May 2010

This second edition remains the most practical guide for teachers who want to have a better understanding of the role of testing in language teaching. It has a new chapter on testing young learners and expanded chapters on common test techniques and testing overall ability.
Teaching Languages to Young Learners
Authors: Cameron Lynne
Published: May 2010

Recent years have seen rapid growth in the numbers of children being taught foreign languages at younger ages. While course books aimed at young learners are appearing on the market, there is scant theoretical reference in the teacher education literature. Teaching Languages to Young Learners is one of the few to develop readers' understanding of what happens in classrooms where children are being taught a foreign language. It will offer teachers and trainers a coherent theoretical framework to structure thinking about children's language learning. It gives practical advice on how to analyse and evaluate classroom activities, language use and language development. Examples from classrooms in Europe and Asia will help bring alive the realities of working with young learners of English.
Two-track categories
Authors: Blanc David , Paoli Simona
Published: May 2010

We describe a 2-dimensional analogue of track categories, called two-track categories, and show that it can be used to model categories enriched in 2-type mapping spaces. We also define a Baues-Wirsching type cohomology theory for track categories, and explain how it can be used to classify two-track extensions of a track categoryby a module over.
Direct Democracy and Local Public Goods: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Indonesia
Authors: OLKEN BENJAMIN A.
Published: May 2010

This article presents an experiment in which 49 Indonesian villages were randomly assigned to choose development projects through either representative-based meetings or direct election-based plebiscites. Plebiscites resulted in dramatically higher satisfaction among villagers, increased knowledge about the project, greater perceived benefits, and higher reported willingness to contribute. Changing the political mechanism had much smaller effects on the actual projects selected, with some evidence that plebiscites resulted in projects chosen by women being located in poorer areas. The results suggest that direct participation in political decision making can substantially increase satisfaction and legitimacy.
The hypocholesterolaemic effects ofLactobacillus acidophilusAmerican Type Culture Collection 4356 in rats are mediated by the down-regulation of Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1
Authors: Huang Ying , Wang Jinfeng , Cheng Yi , Zheng Yongchen
Published: May 2010

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect ofLactobacillus acidophilus4356 on cholesterol metabolismin vivo.Rats were fed a cholesterol-enriched experimental diet with or withoutL. acidophilus4356 supplementation at a dose of 109 colony-forming units per d.L. acidophilus4356 feeding significantly lowered total serum cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and TAG concentrations, but there was no change in the serum HDL-cholesterol concentrations. In addition, total liver cholesterol and TAG were decreased in theL. acidophilus4356-fed group. The expression of Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1) in the duodenum and jejunum was significantly decreased followingL. acidophilus4356 feeding.Lactobacillus acidophilus4356 increased the population of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in the small intestine and faeces compared with the control. These results indicate that the probiotic potential of theL. acidophilus4356 strain in the control of cholesterol is at least partially mediated by the down-regulation ofNPC1L1. Furthermore, these results also potentially suggest a new mechanism that is responsible for the cholesterol-reducing effects of probiotics.
Comparison of the effect of individual dietary counselling and of standard nutritional care on weight loss in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiotherapy
Authors: van den Berg Manon G. A. , Rasmussen-Conrad Ellen L. , Wei Koko H. , Lintz-Luidens Heleen , Kaanders Johannes H. A. M. , Merkx Matthias A. W.
Published: May 2010

Clinical research shows that nutritional intervention is necessary to prevent malnutrition in head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. The objective of the present study was to assess the value of individually adjusted counselling by a dietitian compared to standard nutritional care (SC). A prospective study, conducted between 2005 and 2007, compared individual dietary counselling (IDC, optimal energy and protein requirement) to SC by an oncology nurse (standard nutritional counselling). Endpoints were weight loss, BMI and malnutrition (5 % weight loss/month) before, during and after the treatment. Thirty-eight patients were included evenly distributed over two groups. A significant decrease in weight loss was found 2 months after the treatment (P = 0·03) for IDC compared with SC. Malnutrition in patients with IDC decreased over time, while malnutrition increased in patients with SC (P = 0·02). Therefore, early and intensive individualised dietary counselling by a dietitian produces clinically relevant effects in terms of decreasing weight loss and malnutrition compared with SC in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiotherapy.
High latitude and marine diet: vitamin D status in elderly Faroese
Authors: Dalgård Christine , Petersen Maria Skaalum , Schmedes Anne V. , Brandslund Ivan , Weihe Pal , Grandjean Philippe
Published: May 2010

Human subjects obtain their vitamin D from the diet, especially from marine food, and from endogenous synthesis following cutaneous sun exposure. The risk of an insufficient vitamin D synthesis is increased in northern populations, but it may be counteracted by a high intake of marine food in fishing populations, e.g. at the Faroe Islands. We examined the vitamin D status and its statistical determinants in a cross-sectional study of 713 elderly Faroese aged 70–74 years, about two-thirds of all the eligible residents in this age group. Clinical examination included measurement of body weight and height, and marine food intake was estimated using a questionnaire. We measured serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (S-25(OH)D3) by LC-MS/MS in 669 of the 713 subjects in whom sufficient serum was available. Of the population, 19 % had S-25(OH)D3 concentrations < 25 nmol/l, and only 10·3 % of the population had S-25(OH)D3 concentrations >80 nmol/l. In a logistic regression analysis, BMI < 30 kg/m2, blood sampling in summer season, eating pilot whale blubber more than once per month and female sex were positively associated with vitamin D levels >80 nmol/l. The high prevalence of low vitamin D levels among the elderly Faroese population reflects the low skin synthesis during most months of the year, which is caused by the limited sun exposure and insufficient benefits from marine diet. Thus, even in a population with a high intake of marine food, the northern latitude causes a low vitamin D status. Efforts to improve vitamin D status in this population are warranted.