bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Law of Nature as the Moral Law
Authors: Gert Bernard
Published: March 2012

Although Hobbes talks about the laws of nature as prescribing the virtues, it is easier to think of them as proscribing the vices. The nine vices that are proscribed by the laws of nature are injustice, ingratitude, greed or inhumanity, vindictiveness (Hobbes does not name the vice corresponding to mercy, this is my attempt to provide one.), cruelty, incivility or contumely, pride, arrogance, and unfairness (I take this to be the vice corresponding to equity). The corresponding virtues that are prescribed by the laws of nature are justice, gratitude, humanity or complaisance, mercy, (Hobbes does not give, and I do not know what would count as, the virtue corresponding to his account of cruelty), civility, humility, (Hobbes uses this as one of the names for the virtue corresponding to the vice of arrogance, but I am using it as the opposite of pride.), modesty, and equity. The difficulty of coming up with names for some of the virtues, and even for some of the vices, shows that they are not all among the most common moral virtues and vices. Nonetheless, as described by Hobbes, they are genuine moral virtues and vices, traits of character such that all impartial rational persons would favor everyone having the virtues and no one having the vices. All of these virtues are such that they benefit everyone impartially by promoting peace, and are not primarily of benefit to the person having them. This is what makes them moral virtues and distinguishes them from the personal virtues of courage, prudence, and temperance. (See H, XIII, 9) The laws of nature are the dictates "of right reason, conversant about those things which are either to be done or omitted for the constant preservation of life and members, as much as in us lies." (C, II, 1; see also L, XIV, 3) But the law of nature "dictating peace, for a means of the conservation of men in multitudes;" (L, XV, 34; see also C, III, 32) is also the moral law because "in the means to peace, [it] commands also good manners, or the practice of virtue; and therefore it is called moral." (C, III, 31; see also L, XV, 40) Hobbes correctly sees both that peace benefits all persons impartially and that impartiality is essential to morality. His account of the moral virtues correctly makes them traits of character that would be favored by all impartial persons. His argument for the rationality of these moral virtues is that one's self-interest, which for Hobbes is primarily one's long-term preservation, is enhanced by having these virtues. There is no incompatibility between morality and self-interest as long as what is in one's own self-interest is equally in the interest of everyone else. Hobbes sees this point quite clearly and it is at the heart of his justification of the moral virtues.
Hobbes on Liberty1
Authors: Goldsmith M.M.
Published: March 2012

It has become common to view Hobbes as a 'liberal', indeed as one of the founders of liberalism. Despite this characterization, there are few works which examine his views on liberty closely. The first part of this paper attempts to explicate what Hobbes says about liberty, mainly in Leviathan, especially in relation to recent philosophical analysis of the subject. In the second part, I examine the relation between Hobbes's views about liberty and other aspects of his political views.
Hobbes on Fidelity to Law
Authors: May Larry
Published: March 2012

I will attempt to explicate Hobbes's conception of legal obligation by trying to understand what factors would lead people, on his view, to agree to obey a legal authority as well as to accept a legal system as deserving of respect. I am mainly concerned to understand Hobbes's curious claims that those who have been legitimately condemned to death and those who have been legitimately commanded to serve in combat situations may nonetheless justifiably disobey the law. Such claims seem to undermine fidelity to law, at least as that concept was understood by Plato in The Crito. As a result it might appear that Hobbes provides too simplistic a view of legal obligation. On the contrary, I will argue that Hobbes supports quite a plausible and subtle view of legal obligation which has several advantages over various other views of legal obligation.
Benjamin Brodsky (1877-1960): The Trans-Pacific American Film Entrepreneur – Part One, Making A Trip Thru China
Authors: Curry Ramona
Published: March 2012

Authoritative statements have long credited the elusive American immigrant entrepreneur Benjamin Brodsky (1877-1960) with founding film production companies in Shanghai and Hong Kong as early as 1909 and initiating filmmaking collaborations with local Chinese. Yet those histories prove on close examination to consist mostly of sketchy assertions offered without clear evidence. This essay draws on original archival research and recent work of scholars in Hong Kong, Europe, and Japan to reframe the historical narrative, dating most developments a few years later while revealing fresh aspects of Brodsky's trans-Pacific operations and high-level Chinese involvement. The new findings have intriguing implications for our understanding of early twentieth-century trans-Pacific cultural associations as well as Chinese cinema. Part One of this article reconstructs Brodsky's early career and reveals new evidence of his interactions with Chinese returned students and government officials, with a focus on the production in China of Brodsky's feature-length travel documentary A Trip Thru China (1916).
Editor's Introduction to Part Two, "Crossing the Rivers of Time and Oceans of Culture: The Uses of Film in American-East Asian Relations"
Authors: Hayford Charles
Published: March 2012

The Editor's Introduction to Part One of this two-part theme issue described the articles and offered thoughts on ways of looking at film in American-East Asian relations. This essay, the Introduction to Part Two, weighs the rewards and problems of using fiction film to represent history and other cultures. The dilemma inherent in fiction is that if we portray the past and foreign cultures as being "just like us," we gain immediacy and connection, but at the cost of ignoring cultural difference and historical change. On the other hand, if we respect the "strangeness of the past," we gain authenticity, analytic truth, and responsibility but invite sterility, academic solipsism, and isolation from the public. The essay concludes with a list of questions on how to learn about art, politics, and business when we compare film cultures and national projects across the Pacific.
Dual-Regression Retrieval Algorithm for Real-Time Processing of Satellite Ultraspectral Radiances
Authors: Smith William L. , Weisz Elisabeth , Kireev Stanislav V. , Zhou Daniel K. , Li Zhenglong , Borbas Eva E.
Published: March 2012

A fast physically based dual-regression (DR) method is developed to produce, in real time, accurate profile and surface- and cloud-property retrievals from satellite ultraspectral radiances observed for both clear- and cloudy-sky conditions. The DR relies on using empirical orthogonal function (EOF) regression “clear trained” and “cloud trained” retrievals of surface skin temperature, surface-emissivity EOF coefficients, carbon dioxide concentration, cloud-top altitude, effective cloud optical depth, and atmospheric temperature, moisture, and ozone profiles above the cloud and below thin or broken cloud. The cloud-trained retrieval is obtained using cloud-height-classified statistical datasets. The result is a retrieval with an accuracy that is much higher than that associated with the retrieval produced by the unclassified regression method currently used in the International Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer/Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (MODIS/AIRS) Processing Package (IMAPP) retrieval system. The improvement results from the fact that the nonlinear dependence of spectral radiance on the atmospheric variables, which is due to cloud altitude and associated atmospheric moisture concentration variations, is minimized as a result of the cloud-height-classification process. The detailed method and results from example applications of the DR retrieval algorithm are presented. The new DR method will be used to retrieve atmospheric profiles from Aqua AIRS, MetOp Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer, and the forthcoming Joint Polar Satellite System ultraspectral radiance data.
Statistical Analysis of Global Surface Temperature and Sea Level Using Cointegration Methods
Authors: Schmith Torben , Johansen Søren , Thejll Peter
Published: March 2012

Global sea level rise is widely understood as a consequence of thermal expansion and the melting of glaciers and land-based ice caps. Because of the lack of representation of ice-sheet dynamics in present-day physically based climate models, semiempirical models have been applied as an alternative for projecting future sea levels. There are, however, potential pitfalls in this because of the trending nature of the time series. A statistical method called cointegration analysis that is capable of handling such peculiarities is applied to observed global sea level and land–ocean surface temperature. The authors find a relationship between sea level and temperature and find that temperature causally depends on the sea level, which can be understood as a consequence of the large heat capacity of the ocean. They further find that the warming episode in the 1940s is exceptional in the sense that sea level and warming deviate from the expected relationship. This suggests that this warming episode is mainly due to internal dynamics of the ocean rather than external radiative forcing. On the other hand, the present warming follows the expected relationship, suggesting that it is mainly due to radiative forcing. In a second step, the total radiative forcing is used as an explanatory variable, but it is unexpectedly found that the sea level does not depend on the forcing. The authors hypothesize that this is due to a long adjustment time scale of the ocean and show that the number of years of data needed to build statistical models that have the relationship expected from physics exceeds what is currently available by a factor of almost 10.
Current Thinking in Pastoral Theology
Authors: Stoddart Eric
Published: March 2012

The recipients and providers of pastoral care live in complex contexts in which they are shaped by not only Christian faith but multiple social, economic, political and cultural factors. This article traces current thinking in pastoral theology by eschewing the limiting of pastoral to ecclesial contexts and, instead, considers the more encompassing interests of pastoral-practical theology. Using the analogy of networks, three nodes of interest are identified in current literature: the parameters, coherence and dynamics of pastoral-practical theology. The scope of the discipline is discussed. Pressing challenges of normalcy and loyalty to traditions and experiences are explored. Questions of how people connect with God and with one another are considered. It is concluded that pastoral-practical theology is discomfiting because it complexifies experience, practice and doctrinal traditions. It is presented here as a discipline that looks not for one correct interpretation but inquires into how and why interpreters arrive at different understandings of similar practices.
Analysis of the stress components in a textile composite reinforcement
Authors: Hivet Gilles , Vidal-Sallé Emmanuelle , Boisse Philippe
Published: March 2012

When a continuum approach is considered for textile reinforcements, the internal loads are described by a stress tensor. The mechanical behaviour of the textile material is very much dependent on the fiber directions, and the frames defined from warp and weft directions are preferred to write the stress components. The exterior loads in these frames permit to define tensile and pure shear states. Nevertheless, these frames are generally not orthogonal. The relationships between the exterior loads and the different stress components are analyzed in the present paper, and, in particular, the relationship between direct stress components and longitudinal loads on one hand, and shear stress components and transversal loads on the other hand. When dealing with textile materials, the exterior loads in the direction of the fibres and transverse to the fibres define the pure tensile and pure shear state. It is shown that the covariant stress component matrix is diagonal in a pure tensile loading and that the first mixed direct stress components are equal to zero in a pure shear loading. In these cases, the direct relationship between the stresses and the loadings are given. This is applied to the cases of the picture frame test, the biaxial tensile test or of a combined tension-shear test.
The Intimate Couple, Family and the Relational Organization of Close Relationships
Authors: Ketokivi Kaisa
Published: March 2012

The article examines the relational organization of close relationships. It identifies ‘the intimate couple’ as central in organising close relationships. The analysis draws from 35 configurations of intimates and personal narratives of heterosexual Finns, examining who they cite as intimate and how their intimacies are organized and narrated. The analysis shows how living with a partner in ‘the family setting’ generates ‘exclusive family intimacies’ pushing other intimates, such as friends and wider families, further. Alternative, more inclusive intimacies are examined both within and outside the family setting. Those living without a partner often cite friends, parents and/or siblings as intimates. Outside the family setting there is no other structure for close relationships than ‘the individual’ and her or his capability to construct relationships. This leaves some in isolation. The article analyses the interplay between structure and agency in the contexts of intimacy, family and the contemporary organization of close relationships.
Speech and the Sacred
Authors: March Andrew F.
Published: March 2012

Some scholars have argued that religiously injurious speech poses a serious problem for secular liberal thought. It has been suggested that secular liberal thought and political practice often misrecognize the nature of the injury involved in speech that violates the sacred and that much secular thought about religious injury (and free exercise more generally) is premised on unacknowledged Protestant conceptions of what real religion is. In this essay, I argue against the ideas that secular liberalism tends to treat religion only as a matter of freely chosen belief and that the unchosen, habituated nature of much religious experience raises a problem for the defense of speech that violates the sacred. I argue that secular thought and practice should remain very concerned about the social and political harms of speech directed unambiguously at social groups but need not eliminate the gap between religious attachments and religious persons.
Fatigued for safety? Supply chain occupational health and safety initiatives in shipping
Authors: Bhattacharya Syamantak , Tang Lijun
Published: March 2012

This article investigates impacts of supply chain occupational health and safety initiatives, utilizing the case of Oil Majors’ involvement in inspecting/regulating shipboard health and safety. It reveals that while supply chain pressure has made a contribution in improving ship safety, seafarers are denied participation in the management of occupational health and safety. Instead, Oil Majors effectively pass their pressure through ship managers down to seafarers and force them to silently comply. Among the consequences are work intensification and fatigue leading to a skewed impact on seafarers’ health and safety. This article suggests that supply chain pressure cannot be an adequate substitute for what an organized workforce can achieve through effective participation in the management of workplace health and safety.
Effects of ω‐3 Fish Oil Lipid Emulsion Combined With Parenteral Nutrition on Patients Undergoing Liver Transplantation
Authors: Zhu Xinhua , Wu Yafu , Qiu Yudong , Jiang Chunping , Ding Yitao
Published: March 2012

Background: The effect of parenteral nutrition (PN) support supplemented with ω‐3 fatty acids was investigated in a randomized, controlled clinical trial at the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University. Materials and Methods: Ninety‐eight patients with the diagnosis of end‐stage liver disease or hepatic cellular carcinoma were admitted for orthotopic liver transplantation at the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital. The patients were randomly divided into 3 groups: diet group (n = 32), PN group (n = 33), and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) group (n = 33). Patients in the PN and PUFA groups received isocaloric and isonitrogenous PN for 7 days after surgery. Venous heparin blood samples were obtained for assay on days 2 and 9 after surgery. A pathological test was performed after reperfusion of the donor liver and on day 9. Results: Alanine aminotransferase levels were improved significantly by PUFA treatment compared with traditional PN support (P < .05). Compared with the results on day 9 in the PN group, a significant difference was seen in the extent of increase of the prognostic nutrition index and prealbumin in the PUFA group. The pathological results also showed that ω‐3 fatty acid supplementation reduced hepatic cell injury. PUFA therapy also decreased the incidence of infectious morbidities and shortened the posttransplant hospital stay significantly. Conclusion: Posttransplant PN support can greatly improve metabolism of protein and nutrition states of patients. ω‐3 fatty acid–supplemented PN significantly reduces injury of the transplanted liver, decreases the incidence of infectious morbidities, and shortens posttransplant hospital stay.
Violence Against Chinese Female Sex Workers in Hong Kong
Authors: Li Jessica C. M.
Published: March 2012

Violence against sex workers is considered a global phenomenon. Despite this, very little is known about the patterns and nature of this form of violence. This article is concerned with violence against Chinese female sex workers in Hong Kong. Based on a systematic analysis of 75 police case files, it was found that violent attacks on sex workers display clear temporal and spatial patterns, and that perpetrators share certain characteristics. The article concludes that violence against female sex workers in the Chinese context is largely opportunity driven and goes on to argue that situational measures offer the greatest potential for preventive gains. Barriers to effective implementation such as the inappropriate or unfavourable responses of the government, the police, community leaders, and local residents toward commercial sexual activity are also discussed.
Career Development Strategies as Moderators Between Career Compromise and Career Outcomes in Emerging Adults
Authors: Creed Peter A. , Hughes Trinette
Published: March 2012

The authors surveyed 130 first-year university students (80% female; mean age 20.5) and assessed (a) the level of career compromise they reported between their ideal and enrolled university programs, (b) their career-related strategies, (c) their perceptions of employability, and (d) their career-related distress. The authors tested a model that proposed that career compromise would predict perceptions of employability and career distress and that the effects of compromise would be moderated by the career-related strategies. Two strategies, seeking career guidance and self-presentation, moderated the relationship between compromise and career distress. There was no moderated effect for perceptions of employability, although compromise was directly associated with these perceptions. Thus, while compromise may be a normal aspect of career development, it was associated with more career distress when career development strategies were low and associated directly with more negative employment perceptions. Practitioners might assist with career compromise by enhancing career development strategies.
Interaction of shrouded stator flow and main flow and its influence on performances of a three-stage high pressure compressor
Authors: Marty J , Aupoix B
Published: March 2012

The prediction of the complex flows within a turbomachinery remains a challenging issue for computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The real features of a turbomachinery must be taken into account in the simulation but they increase its complexity. One of these features is the leakage flow due to the axial gap between the fixed and rotating parts of the hub. This article focuses on this flow within the scope of a high-pressure compressor. The results are compared with experimental data obtained in the main flow path. The leakage flow is characterized by several vortices, especially near the hub and between the seal-teeth. It interacts with the main flow: the hub separation is quite wider while the casing one is reduced in comparison with the smooth case. In this article, the smooth case is related to the simulation without any shrouded stator cavity. The leakage flow influences strongly on compressor performances. Taking into account the leakage flow in the CFD improves the agreement between CFD and experimental values. Due to the vortex prediction, the influence of the turbulence modelling is also assessed. The explicit algebraic Reynolds stress model improves the flow prediction while the presently investigated differential Reynolds stress model predicts too wide hub corner separation which leads to high underestimation of compressor performances.
Holocene vegetation and fire history of the Serra do Caparaó, SE Brazil
Authors: P Nuno Veríssimo , Safford Hugh DeForest , Behling Hermann
Published: March 2012

This study presents a recontruction of the Holocene vegetation and fire history of the Serra do Caparaó (Espírito Santo/Minas Gerais, SE Brazil) based on pollen and charcoal analysis from the 130 cm long core Primeiro Rancho I. Radiocarbon dates indicate a complete record of the Holocene (11,400 cal. yr BP to present). At the core site, high elevation grassland (campos de altitude) has been the dominant vegetation throughout the recorded period. In the early Holocene (11,400 to 9000 cal. yr BP), a humid phase was followed by a drier one. Fires occurred continuously during the studied period but were more frequent in the early Holocene. Between 9000 and 2700 cal. yr BP, a gradual increase in the diversity and abundance of Atlantic montane forest taxa indicates an increase in humidity and/or rainfall; campos de altitude taxa still dominated but the montane forest taxon Symplocos was strongly present. Between 2700 and 1200 cal. yr BP, the arboreal Atlantic montane forest taxon Luehea became prominent but forest expansion halted and apparently reversed after 1200 cal. yr BP, possibly because of human activities. Simultaneously, campos de altitude expanded; abrupt variations in the pollen assemblages suggest environmental instability. Campos de altitude are a natural vegetation in Serra do Caparaó, but their present extent is likely influenced by anthropogenic activities, as several data suggest an increase of humidity after 1200 cal. yr BP, which should have caused a forest expansion. Reduction in human disturbance at higher elevations would thus probably result in succession to forest in some of the lower campos.
Levosimendan Does Not Improve Cardiac Output or Blood Pressure in a Rodent Model of Propranolol Toxicity When Administered Using Various Dosing Regimens
Authors: Kalam Yasmean , Graudins Andis
Published: March 2012

Background: Levosimendan (CAS: 141505-33-1) is a myocardial calcium sensitizer that improves myocardial contractility in various forms of heart failure. It produces a moderate improvement in cardiac output (CO) without an improvement in blood pressure (BP) in verapamil and metoprolol poisoned rodents. Aim: To assess the effect of various levosimendan dosing regimens on hemodynamics in a rodent model of propranolol poisoning. Method: Male Wistar rats (350-450 g) were anesthetized, ventilated, and instrumented to record BP, heart rate (HR), and CO. Propranolol was infused continually. When BP dropped to 50% of baseline rats received 1 of 7 treatments: (1) 0.9% saline (control), (2) levosimendan 36 μg/kg loading dose then 0.6 μg/kg per min, (3) levosimendan 0.6 μg/kg per min, (4) epinephrine 0.5 μg/kg per min, (5) levosimendan 70 μg/kg loading dose then 1.2 μg/kg per min, (6) levosimendan 1.2 μg/kg per min, and (7) levosimendan 70 μg/kg loading dose alone. Hemodynamics were recorded every 10 minutes for 70 minutes. Cardiac output, mean arterial pressure, and HR for each group were compared with control. Results: All groups had comparable baseline and maximal toxicity hemodynamics prior to initiation of treatment. Levosimendan did not improve CO or BP with any dosing regimen. Blood pressure tended to be lower than control for all doses of levosimendan. Epinephrine significantly improved BP but not CO compared to all other treatment groups. Survival did not differ between groups. Conclusions: Unlike in verapamil and metoprolol poisoning models, levosimendan did not improve CO or survival in propranolol poisoning. Epinephrine improved BP, but not CO, suggesting that its actions were due to peripheral vasoconstriction.
Quality of sexual life in men with obstructive sleep apnoea
Authors: Ak Mehmet , Balikci Adem , Haciomeroglu Bikem , Zincir Serkan , Cinar Alper , Congologlu Emel , Bozkurt Ali , Ozgen Fuat , Ozsahin Aytekin
Published: March 2012

The study investigated the quality of sexual life of male obstructive sleep apnoea patients. Apnoea and non-apnoea participants were assessed with Golombok Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS) and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) before the sleep test. Folicule Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Luteinising Hormone (LH), prolactin, testosterone and oestrogen levels were also evaluated. The apnoea group had a higher BMI and lower LH and testosterone levels than the non-apnoea group. There were no differences between the apnoea, non-apnoea groups and within the apnoea groups (mild, moderate and high apnoea) in terms of sexual satisfaction. Although there was a change in the hormonal levels of obstructive sleep apnoea patients, the sexual life of apnoea patients was not affected at the clinical level.
Clarifying the links between social support and health: Culture, stress, and neuroticism matter
Authors: Park Jiyoung , Kitayama Shinobu , Karasawa Mayumi , Curhan Katherine , Markus Hazel R , Kawakami Norito , Miyamoto Yuri , Love Gayle D , Coe Christopher L , Ryff Carol D
Published: March 2012

Although it is commonly assumed that social support positively predicts health, the empirical evidence has been inconsistent. We argue that three moderating factors must be considered: (1) support-approving norms (cultural context); (2) support-requiring situations (stressful events); and (3) support-accepting personal style (low neuroticism). Our large-scale cross-cultural survey of Japanese and US adults found significant associations between perceived support and health. The association was more strongly evident among Japanese (from a support-approving cultural context) who reported high life stress (in a support-requiring situation). Moreover, the link between support and health was especially pronounced if these Japanese were low in neuroticism.
On non-smooth multibody dynamics
Authors: Pfeiffer Friedrich
Published: March 2012

Contacts include the properties contact/detachment and stick/slip. In multibody systems, these features generate a combinatorial problem of large order. It can be solved by the introduction of the complementarity idea, which relates relative kinematics and constraint forces in a contact by inequality constraints in a non-smooth way. Mathematically, these complementarity inequalities can be replaced by an augmented Lagrange approach applying methods from set theory. This article gives a survey of this evolution. It presents the theoretical fundaments for such systems and considers some practical examples of industrial relevancy.
Using Information and Communication Technologies in School Administration: Researching Greek Kindergarten Schools
Authors: Prokopiadou Georgia
Published: March 2012

New technologies are widely used in several domains of human activity and business, including education, because of their positive impact on information management and service delivery. Considering technology’s ability to provide for advanced and updated technological tools and applications, information and communication technologies (ICT) have been increasingly incorporated into school administration, in order to improve the organization of official data and to facilitate administrative transactions. This research aims to determine the level of technological infrastructure present in Greek kindergarten schools and also to examine the extent to which this equipment meets their administrative needs, as well as the conditions that influence the implementation of ICT in school management.
Norepinephrine reuptake inhibition promotes mobilization in mice: potential impact to rescue low stem cell yields
Authors: Lucas Daniel , Bruns Ingmar , Battista Michela , Mendez-Ferrer Simon , Magnon Claire , Kunisaki Yuya , Frenette Paul S.
Published: March 2012

The mechanisms mediating hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) mobilization by G-CSF are complex. We have found previously that G-CSF–enforced mobilization is controlled by peripheral sympathetic nerves via norepinephrine (NE) signaling. In the present study, we show that G-CSF likely alters sympathetic tone directly and that methods to increase adrenergic activity in the BM microenvironment enhance progenitor mobilization. Peripheral sympathetic nerve neurons express the G-CSF receptor and ex vivo stimulation of peripheral sympathetic nerve neurons with G-CSF reduced NE reuptake significantly, suggesting that G-CSF potentiates the sympathetic tone by increasing NE availability. Based on these data, we investigated the NE reuptake inhibitor desipramine in HSPC mobilization. Whereas desipramine did not by itself elicit circulating HSPCs, it increased G-CSF–triggered mobilization efficiency significantly and rescued mobilization in a model mimicking “poor mobilizers.” Therefore, these data suggest that blockade of NE reuptake may be a novel therapeutic target to increase stem cell yield in patients.
Fine mapping of a QTL for ear size on porcine chromosome 5 and identification of high mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) as a positional candidate gene
Authors: Li Pinghua , Xiao Shijun , Wei Na , Zhang Zhiyan , Huang Ruihua , Gu Yueqing , Guo Yuanmei , Ren Jun , Huang Lusheng , Chen Congying
Published: March 2012

Background

Ear size and shape are distinct conformation characteristics of pig breeds. Previously, we identified a significant quantitative trait locus (QTL) influencing ear surface on pig chromosome 5 in a White Duroc × Erhualian F2resource population. This QTL explained more than 17% of the phenotypic variance.

Methods

Four new markers on pig chromosome 5 were genotyped across this F2population. RT-PCR was performed to obtain expression profiles of different candidate genes in ear tissue. Standard association test, marker-assisted association test and F-drop test were applied to determine the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) on ear size. Three synthetic commercial lines were also used for the association test.

Results

We refined the QTL to an 8.7-cM interval and identified three positional candidate genes i.e.HMGA2,SOX5andPTHLHthat are expressed in ear tissue. Seven SNP within these three candidate genes were selected and genotyped in the F2population. Of the seven SNP,HMGA2SNP (JF748727: g.2836 A > G) showed the strongest association with ear size in the standard association test and marker-assisted association test. With the F-drop test, F value decreased by more than 97% only when the genotypes ofHMGA2g.2836 A > G were included as a fixed effect. Furthermore, the significant association between g.2836 A > G and ear size was also demonstrated in the synthetic commercial Sutai pig line. The haplotype-based association test showed that the phenotypic variance explained byHMGA2was similar to that explained by the QTL and at a much higher level than bySOX5. More interestingly,HMGA2is also located within the dog orthologous chromosome region, which has been shown to be associated with ear type and size.

Conclusions

HMGA2was the closest gene with a potential functional effect to the QTL or marker for ear size on chromosome 5. This study will contribute to identify the causative gene and mutation underlying this QTL.
Interspecies interactions and potential Influenza A virus risk in small swine farms in Peru
Authors: McCune Sarah , Arriola Carmen S , Gilman Robert H , Romero Martín A , Ayvar Viterbo , Cama Vitaliano A , Montgomery Joel M , Gonzales Armando E , Bayer Angela M
Published: March 2012

Background

The recent avian influenza epidemic in Asia and the H1N1 pandemic demonstrated that influenza A viruses pose a threat to global public health. The animal origins of the viruses confirmed the potential for interspecies transmission. Swine are hypothesized to be prime "mixing vessels" due to the dual receptivity of their trachea to human and avian strains. Additionally, avian and human influenza viruses have previously been isolated in swine. Therefore, understanding interspecies contact on smallholder swine farms and its potential role in the transmission of pathogens such as influenza virus is very important.

Methods

This qualitative study aimed to determine swine-associated interspecies contacts in two coastal areas of Peru. Direct observations were conducted at both small-scale confined and low-investment swine farms (n = 36) and in open areas where swine freely range during the day (n = 4). Interviews were also conducted with key stakeholders in swine farming.

Results

In both locations, the intermingling of swine and domestic birds was common. An unexpected contact with avian species was that swine were fed poultry mortality in 6/20 of the farms in Chancay. Human-swine contacts were common, with a higher frequency on the confined farms. Mixed farming of swine with chickens or ducks was observed in 36% of all farms. Human-avian interactions were less frequent overall. Use of adequate biosecurity and hygiene practices by farmers was suboptimal at both locations.

Conclusions

Close human-animal interaction, frequent interspecies contacts and suboptimal biosecurity and hygiene practices pose significant risks of interspecies influenza virus transmission. Farmers in small-scale swine production systems constitute a high-risk population and need to be recognized as key in preventing interspecies pathogen transfer. A two-pronged prevention approach, which offers educational activities for swine farmers about sound hygiene and biosecurity practices and guidelines and education for poultry farmers about alternative approaches for processing poultry mortality, is recommended. Virological and serological surveillance for influenza viruses will also be critical for these human and animal populations.
Ideal and actual involvement of community pharmacists in health promotion and prevention: a cross-sectional study in Quebec, Canada
Authors: Laliberté Marie-Claude , Perreault Sylvie , Damestoy Nicole , Lalonde Lyne
Published: March 2012

Background

An increased interest is observed in broadening community pharmacists' role in public health. To date, little information has been gathered in Canada on community pharmacists' perceptions of their role in health promotion and prevention; however, such data are essential to the development of public-health programs in community pharmacy. A cross-sectional study was therefore conducted to explore the perceptions of community pharmacists in urban and semi-urban areas regarding their ideal and actual levels of involvement in providing health-promotion and prevention services and the barriers to such involvement.

Methods

Using a five-step modified Dillman's tailored design method, a questionnaire with 28 multiple-choice or open-ended questions (11 pages plus a cover letter) was mailed to a random sample of 1,250 pharmacists out of 1,887 community pharmacists practicing in Montreal (Quebec, Canada) and surrounding areas. It included questions on pharmacists' ideal level of involvement in providing health-promotion and preventive services; which services were actually offered in their pharmacy, the employees involved, the frequency, and duration of the services; the barriers to the provision of these services in community pharmacy; their opinion regarding the most appropriate health professionals to provide them; and the characteristics of pharmacists, pharmacies and their clientele.

Results

In all, 571 out of 1,234 (46.3%) eligible community pharmacists completed and returned the questionnaire. Most believed they should be very involved in health promotion and prevention, particularly in smoking cessation (84.3%); screening for hypertension (81.8%), diabetes (76.0%) and dyslipidemia (56.9%); and sexual health (61.7% to 89.1%); however, fewer respondents reported actually being very involved in providing such services (5.7% [lifestyle, including smoking cessation], 44.5%, 34.8%, 6.5% and 19.3%, respectively). The main barriers to the provision of these services in current practice were lack of: time (86.1%), coordination with other health care professionals (61.1%), staff or resources (57.2%), financial compensation (50.8%), and clinical tools (45.5%).

Conclusions

Although community pharmacists think they should play a significant role in health promotion and prevention, they recognize a wide gap between their ideal and actual levels of involvement. The efficient integration of primary-care pharmacists and pharmacies into public health cannot be envisioned without addressing important organizational barriers.
Promoting menstrual health among persian adolescent girls from low socioeconomic backgrounds: a quasi-experimental study
Authors: Fakhri Moloud , Hamzehgardeshi Zeinab , Hajikhani Golchin Nayereh Azam , Komili Abdulhay
Published: March 2012

Background

Research in the past decade has revealed average to poor menstrual health among many Iranian girls. The present study investigated the effectiveness of a health promotion project on improving menstrual health in adolescent girls in Iran.

Methods

A quasi-experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the health intervention program. A total of 698 students (study participants and controls) in several schools in Mazandaran province, Iran were included. The project comprised 10 two-hour educational sessions. Educational topics included the significance of adolescence, physical and emotional changes during adolescence, pubertal and menstruation health and premenstrual syndrome. A self-administered questionnaire measuring demographic characteristics, behaviors during menstruation, menstrual patterns, sources of information about menstruation and personal health data was administered. The questionnaire was administered to all participating students after the experimental group received the training.

Results

Among the most significant results was the impact of educational sessions on bathing and genital hygiene. A total of 61.6% in the experimental group compared with 49.3% in the control group engaged in usual bathing during menstruation (p = 0.002). Individual health status was significantly statistically correlated with menstrual health. Attitude towards menstruation was also significantly related to menstrual health.

Conclusions

The present study confirms that educational interventions, such as the health promotion project in this study, can be quite effective in promoting menstrual health.
Impact of self-rated osteoarthritis severity in an employed population: Cross-sectional analysis of data from the national health and wellness survey
Authors: DiBonaventura Marco daCosta , Gupta Shaloo , McDonald Margaret , Sadosky Alesia , Pettitt Dan , Silverman Stuart
Published: March 2012

Background

Although osteoarthritis (OA) often affects older persons, it has a profound effect on individuals actively employed. Despite reports of reduced productivity among workers with OA, data are limited regarding the impact of OA among workers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of self-rated OA severity on quality of life, healthcare resource utilization, productivity and costs in an employed population relative to employed individuals without OA.

Methods

This cross-sectional analysis used data derived from the 2009 National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS). Multivariable analyses characterized outcomes and costs (direct medical costs and indirect) among workers (full-time, part-time, or self-employed) ≥ 20 years of age who were diagnosed with OA and who self-rated their OA severity as mild, moderate, or severe relative to workers without OA. Evaluated outcomes included productivity, assessed using the Work Productivity and Impairment (WPAI) scale; health-related quality of life, using the SF-12v2 Health Survey; and healthcare resource utilization.

Results

4,876 workers reported being diagnosed with OA (45.0% mild, 45.9% moderate, and 9.1% severe); 34,896 workers comprised the non-OA comparator cohort. There was a greater proportion of females in the OA cohort (55.5% vs 45.6%; P < 0.0001) and more individuals in the 40-64 year and ≥ 65 year age ranges (P < 0.0001). As OA severity increased, workers reported more frequent pain, poorer quality of life, greater use of specific healthcare resources (hospitalizations) and reduced productivity. All outcomes indicated a significantly greater burden among workers with OA relative to those without OA (P < 0.0001). Estimated total annual costs per worker were $9,801 for mild OA, $14,761 for moderate OA, $22,111 for severe OA compared with $7,901 for workers without OA (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions

Workers with OA were characterized by significant disease and economic burdens relative to workers without OA that substantially increased with greater self-rated OA severity. Greater levels of OA severity were associated with reductions in quality of life and productivity, and increases in healthcare resource utilization and costs.
Viruses exacerbating chronic pulmonary disease: the role of immune modulation
Authors: Singanayagam Aran , Joshi Priya V , Mallia Patrick , Johnston Sebastian L
Published: March 2012

Chronic pulmonary diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality and their impact is expected to increase in the future. Respiratory viruses are the most common cause of acute respiratory infections and it is increasingly recognized that respiratory viruses are a major cause of acute exacerbations of chronic pulmonary diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis. There is now increasing evidence that the host response to virus infection is dysregulated in these diseases and a better understanding of the mechanisms of abnormal immune responses has the potential to lead to the development of new therapies for virus-induced exacerbations. The aim of this article is to review the current knowledge regarding the role of viruses and immune modulation in chronic pulmonary diseases and discuss avenues for future research and therapeutic implications.
Independent evolution of macrophage-tropism and increased charge between HIV-1 R5 envelopes present in brain and immune tissue
Authors: Gonzalez-Perez Maria Paz , O'Connell Olivia , Lin Rongheng , Sullivan W Matthew , Bell Jeanne , Simmonds Peter , Clapham Paul R
Published: March 2012

Background

Transmitted HIV-1 clade B or C R5 viruses have been reported to infect macrophages inefficiently, while other studies have described R5 viruses in late disease with either an enhanced macrophage-tropism or carrying envelopes with an increased positive charge and fitness. In contrast, our previous data suggested that viruses carrying non-macrophage-tropic R5 envelopes were still predominant in immune tissue of AIDS patients. To further investigate the tropism and charge of HIV-1 viruses in late disease, we evaluated the properties of HIV-1 envelopes amplified from immune and brain tissues of AIDS patients with neurological complications.

Results

Almost all envelopes amplified were R5. There was clear compartmentalization of envelope sequences for four of the five subjects. However, strong compartmentalization of macrophage-tropism in brain was observed even when brain and immune tissue envelope sequences were not segregated. R5 envelopes from immune tissue of four subjects carried a higher positive charge compared to brain envelopes. We also confirm a significant correlation between macrophage tropism and sensitivity to soluble CD4, a weak association with sensitivity to the CD4 binding site antibody, b12, but no clear relationship with maraviroc sensitivity.

Conclusions

Our study shows that non-macrophage-tropic R5 envelopes carrying gp120s with an increased positive charge were predominant in immune tissue in late disease. However, highly macrophage-tropic variants with lower charged gp120s were nearly universal in the brain. These results are consistent with HIV-1 R5 envelopes evolving gp120s with an increased positive charge in immune tissue or sites outside the brain that likely reflect an adaptation for increased replication or fitness for CD4+ T-cells. Our data are consistent with the presence of powerful pressures in brain and in immune tissues selecting for R5 envelopes with very different properties; high macrophage-tropism, sCD4 sensitivity and low positive charge in brain and non-macrophage-tropism, sCD4 resistance and high positive charge in immune tissue.
Patterns and influencing factor of synonymous codon usage in porcine circovirus
Authors: LIU Xin-sheng , Zhang Yong-guang , Fang Yu-zhen , Wang Yong-lu
Published: March 2012

Background

Analysis of codon usage can reveal much about the molecular evolution of the viruses. Nevertheless, little information about synonymous codon usage pattern of porcine circovirus (PCV) genome in the process of its evolution is available. In this study, to give a new understanding on the evolutionary characteristics of PCV and the effects of natural selection from its host on the codon usage pattern of the virus, Patterns and the key determinants of codon usage in PCV were examined.

Methods

We carried out comprehensive analysis on codon usage pattern in the PCV genome, by calculating relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU), effective number of codons (ENC), dinucleotides and nucleic acid content of the PCV genome.

Results

PCV genomes have relatively much lower content of GC and codon preference, this result shows that nucleotide constraints have a major impact on its synonymous codon usage. The results of the correspondence analysis indicate codon usage patterns of PCV of various genotypes, various subgenotypes changed greatly, and significant differences in codon usage patterns of Each virus of Circoviridae.There is much comparability between PCV and its host in their synonymous codon usage, suggesting that the natural selection pressure from the host factor also affect the codon usage patterns of PCV. In particular, PCV genotype II is in synonymous codon usage more similar to pig than to PCV genotype I, which may be one of the most important molecular mechanisms of PCV genotype II to cause disease. The calculations results of the relative abundance of dinucleotides indicate that the composition of dinucleotides also plays a key role in the variation found in synonymous codon usage in PCV. Furthermore, geographic factors, the general average hydrophobicity and the aromaticity may be related to the formation of codon usage patterns of PCV.

Conclusion

The results of these studies suggest that synonymous codon usage pattern of PCV genome are the result of interaction between mutation pressure and natural selection from its host. The information from this study may not only have theoretical value in understanding the characteristics of synonymous codon usage in PCV genomes, but also have significant value for the molecular evolution of PCV.