bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A pilot qualitative analysis of the psychosocial factors which drive young people to decline chlamydia testing in the UK: implications for health promotion and screening
Authors: Richardson D , Maple K , Perry N , Ambler E , Jurd C , Fisher M
Published: March 2010

The main objectives of this study are to investigate the psychosocial issues for young people who decline chlamydia testing as part of the national chlamydia screening programme in the UK and to consider the implications for future opportunistic screening. Transcripts of qualitative semi-structured interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis to identify themes. The study involved 14 young people aged 16–24 years who declined chlamydia tests in non-health-care settings as part of the chlamydia screening programme. The study was conducted in educational settings where chlamydia screening is available. Four interlinked themes were identified: stigmatization of young people with chlamydia and who take a test, the feeling of embarrassment, their perception of risk and their beliefs of what the test involves. These beliefs and feelings were pervasive and negatively affected their personal decisions of having a test. In conclusion, understanding psychosocial cultural phenomena in the context of screening programmes for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in young people are important for their success. Chlamydia and STIs remain stigmatized; testing is poorly understood and embarrassing for young people, which impacts the poor uptake for opportunistic screening. Strategies are needed to normalize and de-stigmatize chlamydia and the chlamydia test.
Viral and bacterial aetiologies of male urethritis: findings of a high prevalence of Epstein–Barr virus
Authors: Berntsson M , Löwhagen G-B , Bergström T , Dubicanac L , Welinder-Olsson C , Alvengren G , Tunbäck P
Published: March 2010

Male urethritis is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs). However, the aetiology is still unclear in many cases. In this study the prevalences of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), HSV-2, cytomegalovirus (CMV), adenovirus, Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium and Ureaplasma urealyticum (including subtyping) were investigated. Samples from 112 male STI attendants with microscopically verified urethritis and from a control group of 103 men without clinical or microscopic signs of urethritis were analysed. Prevalences in the urethritis group compared with the controls were as follows: EBV 21%, 6% ( P < 0.01); C. trachomatis 15%, 3% ( P < 0.01); M. genitalium 6%, 1% ( P = 0.067) and U. urealyticum 10%, 10% (ns). The results for HSV-1, HSV-2, CMV and adenovirus were negative in patients, and therefore not analysed in the controls. EBV was shown to be an independent predictor of urethritis and may play a role in its pathogenesis.
Barriers to the implementation of the UK HIV testing guidelines in secondary care: how many are medical?
Authors: Warwick Z
Published: March 2010

A survey of consultants in Plymouth Teaching Hospital was performed to identify barriers to HIV testing in secondary care. Testing practices were compared with those recommended by the UK HIV testing guidelines and barriers to testing described.
Seminal plasma HIV levels in men with asymptomatic sexually transmitted infections
Authors: Rieg G , Butler D M , Smith D M , Daar E S
Published: March 2010

The effect of asymptomatic sexually transmitted urethral infections on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA viral load in semen is poorly defined. We studied five such patients. Those on antiretrovirals ( n = 2) had lower seminal plasma viral loads (SPVL) (2.11 and 1.98 log10 copies/mL) than those not on antiretrovirals ( n = 3) (2.27–3.78 log10 copies/mL). One patient who was not taking antiretrovirals had a 94% decline in SPVL after treatment of asymptomatic Chlamydia trachomatis urethritis, suggesting that asymptomatic infection may be a co-factor for HIV transmission.
Do sexual health staff know what patients want from services?
Authors: Hitchings S , Allotey J , Pittrof R
Published: March 2010

Although the ‘patient provider partnership’ is now supposed to be an integral part of modern clinical care, an assumption is often made by clinicians that they know what patients want from health services. Sexual health care is no different. In order to investigate the accuracy of this supposition, a survey was undertaken in February 2009 of all staff members working in the Department of Reproductive and Sexual Health (doctors, nurses and administrative staff) in Enfield. They were asked to predict what their patients' priorities were when accessing sexual health services. The results showed that nurses were the most accurate at anticipating what patients most valued, by correctly predicting their top three priorities (confidentiality, speed of service and rapid test results). Doctors were the least accurate and only predicted one of the top three patient priorities. These results are now being used locally to ensure that all members of the multidisciplinary team have input into the development of clinic guidelines and service design.
Relationship between Low Strain Shear Modulus and Standard Penetration Test N Values
Authors: Anbazhagan P. , Sitharam T. G.
Published: March 2010

A low strain shear modulus plays a fundamental role in the estimation of site response parameters. In this study an attempt has been made to develop the relationships between standard penetration test (SPT) N values with the low strain shear modulus (Gmax). For this purpose, field experiments SPT and multichannel analysis of surface wave data from 38 locations in Bangalore, India, have been used, which were also used for seismic microzonation project. The in situ density of soil layer was evaluated using undisturbed soil samples from the boreholes. Shear wave velocity (Vs) profiles with depth were obtained for the same locations or close to the boreholes. The values for low strain shear modulus have been calculated using measured Vs and soil density. About 215 pairs of SPT N and Gmax values are used for regression analysis. The differences between fitted regression relations using measured and corrected values were analyzed. It is found that an uncorrected value of N and modulus gives the best fit with a high regression coefficient when compared to corrected N and corrected modulus values. This study shows better correlation between measured values of N and Gmax when compared to overburden stress corrected values of N and Gmax.
Quality Function Deployment Application on the Development of 100Cr6 Bearing Tubes
Authors: Fonseca Antonio Sergio Medeiros , Neto Osvaldo Alves Ferreira
Published: March 2010

In 2001, a Brazilian bearing seamless tubes producer started a 5-year-long research and development (R&D) program to upgrade the global quality of its 100Cr6 bearing tubes, nowadays becoming in line with the requirements of first class producers. This work describes the quality function deployment methodology applied to understand the customer’s needs and how the acquired knowledge was used to promote changes and developments in the production process, to improve quality control procedures on the key processes, and to prioritize investments along the whole manufacturing line (steel plant, tube rolling mill, and cold drawn plant). Present customer audits and quality reports demonstrate the great success of this R&D program, increasing customer satisfaction and enabling the company to sustain and enter new markets.
Low Birth Weight and Lung Function in Adulthood: Retrospective Cohort Study in China, 1948–1996
Authors: Pei Lijun , Chen Gong , Mi Jie , Zhang Ting , Song Xinming , Chen Jiapeng , Ji Ying , Li Chengfu , Zheng Xiaoying
Published: March 2010

OBJECTIVE:

The goal was to determine whether the components of low lung function in adulthood were associated with low birth weight in a Chinese population.

METHODS:

A retrospective cohort study was conducted from December 1995 to August 1996. A total of 627 men and women who were born between 1948 and 1954 were recruited; lung function indices were tested and respiratory diseases were examined in the Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Information on variables was recorded, and multivariate analysis of variance was performed to evaluate associations.

RESULTS:

Significant associations were observed between birth weight and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and peak expiratory flow (PEF) in adulthood, after adjustment for maternal age, gestational week, offspring's gender, birth height, history of dyspnea and asthma, lung diseases before 16 years of age, lung diseases after measles and pneumonia before 16 years of age, cough with sputum within 2 years, current asthma, taking medicine for asthma, adult BMI, male alcohol consumption, and male smoking (P < .001). Linear trends between birth weight and FEV1, FVC, and PEF were noted (P < .001, 1-way analysis of variance); FEV1, FVC, and PEF values increased with increasing birth weight. Low birth weight was associated with the FEV1/FVC predictive value (P < .05), but there was no linear trend (P > .05).

CONCLUSIONS:

Low birth weight may increase the prevalence of and risk for low lung function in adulthood in the Chinese population. The development of lung function may be affected by hypogenesis in utero.
The Response of the APPD, CoPS and AAP to the Institute of Medicine Report on Resident Duty Hours
Authors: Guralnick Susan , Rushton Jerry , Bale James F. , Norwood Victoria , Trimm Franklin , Schumacher Daniel
Published: March 2010

In December 2008, the Institute of Medicine published new recommendations regarding duty hours and supervision of residents' training in the United States. These recommendations evoked immediate concerns from program directors and leadership in all surgical and medical disciplines, including pediatrics. To address these concerns, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education convened a Duty Hours Congress in Chicago, Illinois, on June 11 and 12, 2009. This report summarizes the opinions and testimony of the organizations (American Academy of Pediatrics, Association of Pediatric Program Directors, and Council of Pediatric Specialties) that were invited to represent pediatrics at the Duty Hours Congress. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Association of Pediatric Program Directors, and the Council of Pediatric Specialties supported the basic principles of the Institute of Medicine report regarding patient safety, resident supervision, resident safety, and the importance of effective “hand-offs”; however, the organizations opposed additional reductions in resident duty hours given the potential unintended adverse effects on the competency of trainees, the costs of graduate medical education, and the future pediatric workforce. These organizations agreed that additional changes in graduate medical education must be data driven and consider residents within the broader system of health care. The costs and benefits must be carefully analyzed before implementing the Institute of Medicine recommendations.
Fetal pain and intrauterine analgesia/anesthesia: neuroanatomy, ontogenesis and physiology of pain perception
Authors: Deli Tamás , Szeverényi Péter
Published: March 2010

A magzat intrauterin élete során és perinatalisan számos, potenciálisan fájdalmas beavatkozáson eshet át. Az elmúlt években a magzati fájdalom létével és csillapításának szükségességével foglalkozó tudományos állásfoglalások kereteit túllépve széles körű társadalmi, politikai, vallási, erkölcsi, filozófiai vita bontakozott ki – leginkább a művi abortusz során a magzat által megélt szenvedést helyezve a középpontba. Munkánkban összefoglaljuk a magzati fájdalommal kapcsolatos orvosi szakirodalomban fellelhető ismereteket. Definiáljuk a fájdalmat, majd a szubjektív fájdalomérzet kialakulásában szerepet játszó neuroanatómiai struktúrák rövid ismertetése után utóbbiak ontogenezis során bekövetkező fejlődését ismertetjük. Ezt követően a noxa kiváltotta stresszválasz objektív (neuroendokrin-vegetatív, cardiovascularis, reflexes és viselkedési) komponensének intrauterin megfigyelhető bizonyítékait vesszük sorra.
Selective chromopertubation via hysteroscopic tubal cannulation
Authors: Szabó István , Langmár Zoltán , Fontányi Zoltán , Sobel Gábor , Hazay Máté , Galamb Ádám , Zergényi-Molnár Dóra , Sziller Péter , Pajor Attila
Published: March 2010

A petevezető-eredetű meddőség, amelynek oka 15–25%-ban a kürt proximalis szakaszának elzáródása, egyre nagyobb figyelmet kap a reprodukciós szakemberek részéről. A kétoldali tubaocclusio szervezeten kívüli megtermékenyítés javallatát képezi, mivel a terhességi arány a makrosebészeti eljárás eredményességével csaknem azonos. Azzal együtt, hogy az asszisztált reprodukciós eljárások alkalmazásával egyre jelentősebb eredményeket érnek el, a nem kellően megalapozott javallattal indított in vitro fertilizációs kezelések felesleges terhet jelentenek mind a páciensek, mind a társadalombiztosító számára. Egyértelmű tehát, hogy a petevezető átjárhatóságának vizsgálatára irányuló eljárások folyamatos tökéletesítése rendkívül fontos mind a páciensek kisebb megterhelése, mind a finanszírozói oldal szempontjából. Közleményünkben ajánlunk egy lehetséges kivizsgálási protokollt, amely egy ülésben végezhető el, valamint felhívjuk a figyelmet egy általunk kifejlesztett, egyszerűen kivitelezhető, ám véleményünk szerint igen fontos vizsgálati technikára, amely diagnosztikus hiszteroszkópia útján alkalmazható, lehetővé téve a kürtök szelektív vizsgálatát.
“Any Chance to Be Unrefined”: Film Narrative Modes in Anita Loos's Fiction
Authors: Hefner Brooks E.
Published: March 2010

This essay examines the underappreciated work of the Hollywood scenarist and humor writer Anita Loos. In general, Loos is known separately to film scholars, as a prominent writer of silent films, and to historians of American culture, as an important twentieth‐century humorist. However, her film‐writing career and her work in the theory of film writing influenced the narrative structure and assumptions of her fiction. Through readings of Loos's three early novels, the essay demonstrates how the humor and complex cinematic structure of these texts depend on a stark text‐image divide that stems directly from her ideas about writing for silent film. Looking at Loos's fiction in the light of her intimate familiarity with the film industry provides new insight into dialogues about high and popular culture and into the engagement of modernism with cinema. (BEH)
Owning Art after Napoléon: Destiny or Destination at the Birth of the Museum
Authors: Siegel Jonah
Published: March 2010

A set of major old-master paintings looted from Spanish Royal Collections, including important canvases by Velázquez (fig. 1), Correggio, and others, was discovered in Joseph Bonaparte's baggage, abandoned along with the rest of his property as he fled from the Battle of Vitoria, which ended his tumultuous five-year reign as king of Spain in 1813. Years later the duke of Wellington offered to return the collection to the restored monarch. But Ferdinand VII—who owed his throne to the duke's victories—refused to take it. What in its day would have been called the return to legitimacy, the restoration of the Bourbon line after the defeat of Napoléon, did not result in the restitution of Napoleonic loot. The works remain at Apsley House, the duke's home in London, where they have been on display in the Waterloo Gallery since 1819, a usurper's booty transformed by its history into an emblem of royal generosity, gratitude, and military prowess (fig. 2). The collection is now part of the museum officially established at the duke's residence in 1947, following another European military cataclysm in which Britain prevailed.
In the Opium Den
Authors: Lee Anthony W.
Published: March 2010

Among other things, photographs are deposits of social relations. To put it another way, they are social relations temporarily hardened into images—figured, captured, frozen. The most obvious of those relations, that between the photographer and the sitter, has been a regular subject of inquiry for art history. Acknowledging but leaving that kind of interest aside for the moment, we may explore other sorts of relations in and around a photograph and pursue a line of inquiry more in keeping with visual culture. Here's a quick example.
The Politics of a Good Picture: Race, Class, and Form in Jeff Wall'sMimic
Authors: Michaels Walter Benn
Published: March 2010

Mimic(1982) is an early and much discussed picture by the Canadian photographer Jeff Wall, with the discussion centering largely on two topics: its subject matter and its setting (fig. 1). The subject is racism, and in this regardMimicis “characteristic,” as Wall's best critic, Michael Fried, has observed, “of Wall's engagement in his art of the 1980s with social issues”(Why235). Subsequently, as Fried also notes, “Wall has tended to distance himself from the overtly political concerns that are front and center in works likeMimic”(64). Indeed, in recent interviews Wall has insisted on this distance, remarking, for example, that “[t]wenty-five years ago I thought subject matter had some significance in itself” and going on to say that“Mimicwas about racism in some way, about hostile gestures between races, but I'm glad the picture itself is good and it doesn't need that to be successful. Now I try to eliminate any additional subject matter—those things are for other people, they're not my problem” (Denes). His point here is not exactly thatMimicisn't antiracist—actually, its antiracism is so obvious and uncontroversial that a recent critic, Régis Michel, has complained that it “verges on political correctness” (63). The idea is rather that the success of the picture—the fact that it's a “good” picture—has nothing to do with those politics. Which leaves open the question of whether the picture's success has nothing to do with any politics or nothing to do with the particular politics of antiracism. In other words, is the picture's success independent of politics as such? Or is there a politics of the good picture?
Vestigial Signs: Inscription, Performance, andThe Dream of the Rood
Authors: Chaganti Seeta
Published: March 2010

Anglo‐Saxonists often explore connections betweenThe Dream of the Roodand two ritual objects, the silver Brussels cross and the sandstone Ruthwell monument, inscribed with verses related to the poem. This essay offers a new perspective on these artifacts, elucidating not a historical narrative linking them but rather an Anglo‐Saxon poetics made visible in their juxtaposition. It argues that these three manifestations reveal a dialectic of inscription and performance in Anglo‐Saxon poetics. Reading the familiar Old English text through J. H. Prynne's “A Note on Metal” (1968), which imagines dialectics both of metal and stone and of inscription and performance, the essay also interrogates certain divisions between premodern and modern aesthetic traditions. Theories of media, performance, and inscriptionality help to stage an interdisciplinary analysis of The Dream of the Rood and to show that its poetics originate in the formal frameworks of Anglo‐Saxon material culture. (SC)
Written in the Birch Bark: The Linguistic-Material Worldmaking of Simon Pokagon
Authors: Berliner Jonathan
Published: March 2010

Simon Pokagon's writings exemplify a complex process of linguistic‐material worldmaking. His birch‐bark booklets bring together multiple cultural traditions, including nineteenth‐century tourist art, traditional Algonquian writing, and a long history of writing on bark that dates to the early history of writing itself. Neither purely things nor purely texts, these documents interweave nature and culture in such a way that Pokagon can be said to be engaging in a process of naturalization whereby the cultural is presented as a feature of nature. To promote his reformist agenda, Pokagon capitalizes on a rich cache of naturalist symbolism that was of particularly high cultural value in Victorian America. What is perhaps most notable about Pokagon's use of naturalization is that he makes this linguistic trope into a materialist discourse. (JB)
Progesterone receptor enhances breast cancer cell motility and invasion via extranuclear activation of focal adhesion kinase
Authors: Fu Xiao-Dong , Goglia Lorenzo , Sanchez Angel Matias , Flamini Marina , Giretti Maria S , Tosi Veronica , Genazzani Andrea R , Simoncini Tommaso
Published: March 2010

While progesterone plays multiple roles in the process of breast development and differentiation, its role in breast cancer is less understood. We have shown previously that progestins stimulate breast cancer cell migration and invasion because of the activation of rapid signaling cascades leading to modifications in the actin cytoskeleton and cell membrane that are required for cell movement. In this study, we have investigated the effects of progesterone on the formation of focal adhesion (FA) complexes, which provide anchoring sites for cell attachment to the extracellular matrix during cell movement and invasion. In T47-D breast cancer cells, progesterone rapidly enhances FA kinase (FAK) phosphorylation at Tyr397 in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. As a result, exposure to progesterone leads to increased formation of FA complexes within specialized cell membrane protrusions. The cascade of events required for this phenomenon involves progesterone receptor interaction with the tyrosine kinase c-Src, which activates the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/Akt pathway and the small GTPase RhoA/Rho-associated kinase complex. In the presence of progesterone, T47-D breast cancer cells display enhanced horizontal migration and invasion of three-dimensional matrices, which is reversed by small interfering RNAs abrogating FAK. In conclusion, progesterone promotes breast cancer cell movement and invasion by facilitating the formation of FA complexes via the rapid regulation of FAK. These results provide novel mechanistic views on the effects of progesterone on breast cancer progression, and may in the future be helpful to develop new strategies for the treatment of endocrine-sensitive breast cancers.
Retinoic acid modulation of thyroid dual oxidase activity in rats and its impact on thyroid iodine organification
Authors: Mühlbauer Mônica , da Silva Alba Cenélia Matos , Marassi Michelle Porto , Lourenço Alexandre Lopes , Ferreira Andrea Claudia Freitas , de Carvalho Denise Pires
Published: March 2010

The sodium–iodide symporter (NIS) mediates iodide uptake into the thyrocytes, which is important for the diagnosis and therapy of thyroid disorders. Decreased ability to uptake iodide in thyroid carcinomas reduces the efficacy of radioiodine therapy, and retinoic acid (RA) treatment reinduces iodide uptake. The effectiveness of treatment depends not only on iodide uptake but also on the ability of thyrocytes to organify iodine, which is catalyzed by thyroperoxidase (TPO) in the presence of H2O2. Our goal was to determine the influence of RA on thyroid iodide uptake, iodine organification, and TPO and dual oxidase (DuOx) activities. Normal rats were treated with all-trans-RA or 13-cis-RA (100 or 1500 μg/100 g body weight (b.w.), s.c.) for 14 and 28 days. The 2 h thyroid radioiodine content significantly decreased in rats treated with all-trans-RA (100 μg/100 g b.w.) for 14 days. In this group, NIS function and TPO activity were unchanged, whereas DuOx activity was significantly decreased, which might have contributed to the decrease in iodine organification. Both doses of 13-cis-RA for 28 days increased the 15 min thyroid radioiodine uptake, while the 2 h radioiodide uptake increased only in rats treated with the highest dose of 13-cis-RA. While TPO activity did not change, H2O2 generation was increased in this group, and serum thyroxine levels were normal. Since radioiodine half-life in the thyroid gland is important for treatment efficacy, our results highlight the importance of correctly choosing the RA isomer, the time and the dose of treatment, in order to improve the efficacy of radioiodine therapy.
The Influence of Local Anatomy on the Outcome of Treatment of Gingival Recession Associated With Non‐Carious Cervical Lesions
Authors: Santamaria Mauro Pedrine , Ambrosano Gláucia Maria Bovi , Casati Marcio Zaffalon , Nociti Francisco Humberto , Sallum Antônio Wilson , Sallum Enilson Antônio
Published: March 2010

Background: The present study evaluates the influence of local anatomy on the reduction in relative gingival recession (ΔRGR) and gain of clinical attachment level (ΔCAL) achieved by coronally advanced flap alone (CAF), CAF plus restoration (CAF + R), subepithelial connective tissue graft alone (CTG), and CTG plus restoration (CTG + R), to treat Miller Class I gingival recessions associated with non‐carious cervical lesions.

Methods: A total of 78 defects in maxillary canines or premolars were included, and received one of the following treatments: CAF, CAF + R, CTG, or CTG + R. ΔRGR and ΔCAL after 6 months were associated with cervical lesion height (CLH), cervical lesion width, cervical lesion depth (CLD), keratinized tissue width, keratinized tissue thickness, papillae width, papillae height, bone level (BL), and post‐surgical position of the gingival margin using stepwise multivariate linear regression.

Results: CLH was statistically associated with ΔRGR when CAF (P = 0.02) and CTG + R (P = 0.0002) were analyzed and statistically associated with ΔRGR when overall data (P = 0.005) from both CTG groups were analyzed. CLD was significantly associated with ΔRGR in the CAF group (P = 0.0045). BL was statistically associated with ΔRGR when evaluating the CTG group (P = 0.02). It was also significantly associated with ΔCAL when considering the CTG (P = 0.01) and the overall data (P = 0.04) from CAF (CAF and CAF + R).

Conclusions: It can be concluded that CLD may influence ΔRGR when CAF is performed to treat combined defects. Additionally, BL may not negatively influence ΔRGR when the CTG technique is used.
Climate Risk Management for Adaptation to Climate Variability and Change
Authors: Baethgen Walter E.
Published: March 2010

The warming of the climate system is evident from observations of air and ocean temperatures as well as in melting of snow and ice and rising sea level. Measures are needed to reverse the trends of increased accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere. The two main paths to reverse this trend are: (i) reducing GHG emissions through cleaner energy generation and (ii) removing CO2 through carbon sequestration. The agricultural and forestry sectors can play a key role in both paths. Carbon markets will likely encourage increased carbon sequestration. However, the implementation of carbon‐market projects for small farmers in least developed countries is still a major challenge. Even under the most optimistic scenarios of future GHG emissions adaptive measures are needed to address impacts of the warming due to past and current emissions. Integrating climate change into decision making is complicated by the uncertainty levels of climate scenarios. It is also challenged by a “double conflict of scales”: (i) climate scenarios are available for periods much farther in the future than the ones typically needed for decision making and (ii) spatial scales of the climate scenarios (global to regional) are coarser than the ones often needed for actual decision making (i.e., local level). Introducing the issue of climate change into policy and development agendas can be facilitated by considering the longer‐term variations as part of the continuum of total climate variability (seasons to decades to centuries) and generating information at the temporal scales that are relevant and applicable for particular decisions.
The Future of Food: Scenarios for 2050
Authors: Hubert Bernard , Rosegrant Mark , van Boekel Martinus A. J. S. , Ortiz Rodomiro
Published: March 2010

This background article addresses key challenges of adequately feeding a population of 9 billion by 2050, while preserving the agro‐ecosystems from which other services are also expected. One of the scenario‐buildings uses the Agrimonde platform, which considers the following steps: choosing the scenarios and their underlying building principles, developing quantitative scenarios, and building complete scenarios by combining quantitative scenarios with qualitative hypotheses. These scenarios consider how food issues link to production, for example, the percentage of animal vs. vegetal calorie intake in the full diet. The first section of this article discusses Agrimonde GO and Agrimonde 1 scenarios, which indicate that global economic growth and ecological intensification remain as main challenges for feeding the earth's growing population toward the mid‐21st century. The second section provides the outcomes of the analysis of alternative futures for agricultural supply and demand and food security to 2050, based on research done for the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development. The last section of this article provides a summary analysis of food systems and functions, as well as the role of food technology that address some of the global challenges affecting the supply of more nutritious and healthy diets. It also highlights the food production by novel means (e.g., alternatives for animal products based on plant materials) and increasing the presence of potentially health‐promoting compounds in food to improve human and animal health. Finally, this article proposes priority areas that should be included in further agri‐food research.
Breeding and Cereal Yield Progress
Authors: Fischer R. A. (Tony) , Edmeades Gregory O.
Published: March 2010

This paper reviews recent progress in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), rice (Oryza sativa L.), and maize (Zea mays L.) yields resulting from substantial breeding efforts in mostly favorable environments and examines its physiological basis. Breeding and improved agronomy lift potential yield (PY), namely yield with the best variety and management in the absence of manageable abiotic and biotic stresses, and PY increase is a key component of progress in farm yield (FY), the other component being closure of the PY to FY gap. Changes in PY and FY are reviewed for several key production regions, namely the United Kingdom and the Yaqui Valley of Mexico for wheat, Japan and Central Luzon in the Philippines for rice, and Iowa and briefly sub‐Saharan Africa for maize. The PY growth rates have fallen and are currently generally no more than 1% per annum and usually much less. The trajectory of FY with time often closely parallels PY, but, especially in developing countries, there remain large yield gaps. In at least one instance (maize in Iowa) the gap between PY and FY appears to be closing rapidly. Current genetic progress is linked to increased biomass accumulation, and this will remain the way forward in the future given the limits to increased harvest index (HI). There is evidence that recent progress is related to increased photosynthesis (e.g., greater radiation use efficiency (RUE) at the canopy level and/or maximum photosynthetic rate Pmax at saturating irradiance at the leaf level) before and around anthesis. There is no theoretical reason why this trend cannot continue, especially given the vast genetic resources already found within each crop species. However, it will not be easily or cheaply accomplished, so prospects for higher rates of potential yield growth appear to be limited, notwithstanding new molecular tools and claims to the contrary. Closing the yield gap, therefore, becomes more important. Many factors are involved, but breeding can also help farmers achieve this through, for example, improved host plant resistance.
Should Enhanced Resilience Be an Objective of Natural Resource Management Research for Developing Countries?
Authors: Walker Brian , Sayer Jeff , Andrew Neil L. , Campbell Bruce
Published: March 2010

Productivity enhancement has traditionally been the main focus of agricultural research to alleviate poverty and enhance food security of poor farmers in the developing world. Recently, the harmful impact of climate change, economic volatility, and other external shocks on poor farmers has led to concern that resilience should feature alongside productivity as a major objective of research. The applicability of recent work on resilient social–ecological systems to the problems of poor farmers is reviewed, and proposals are made for issues that need to be addressed in determining when and how enhanced resilience might become an objective of research.
Inhibitory Effect of Seabuckthorn (Hippophea rhamnoides) on Platelet Aggregation and Oxidative Stress
Authors: Vij Anjana G , Kishore Krishna , Dey Joginder , Pal Karan , Basu Minakshi , Sawhney Ramesh Chander
Published: March 2010

Extracts from seabuckthorn (Hippophea rhamnoides) leaves, fruit and seed oil were screened for anti-platelet properties in-vitro using human platelets stimulated with 0.2 mM ADP. Half maximal inhibitory concentration was found to be 55 microg/ml platelet rich plasma(PRP) for leaf extract, 47.7 microg/ml PRP for fruit extract and 0.62 microl/ml PRP for seed oil. In-vitro incubation of platelets with increasing concentrations of seed oil was found to inhibit oxidative stress in resting as well as agonist stimulated platelets as evident by decreased formation of peroxide and superoxide radicals. Leaf extract and seed oil were further evaluated for antiplatelet and antioxidant action in-vivo in cholesterol-induced experimental atherosclerosis in rabbits. Rabbits fed on diet supplemented with cholesterol (0.5% or 1%) for 60 days showed statistically significant increase in platelet aggregation stimulated by ADP and collagen as compared to platelet aggregation in control rabbits. Malondialdehyde levels in platelets of cholesterol fed rabbits were significantly higher than those of control rabbits. Both leaf extract and seed oil supplementation prevented cholesterol induced alterations in platelet aggregation and platelet malondialdehyde levels. The study shows that SBT leaf extract and seed oil inhibit oxidative stress and hyperactivity of platelets both in-vitro as well as in-vivo and plausibly attenuate atherogenesis.
Surface-charged polyacrylonitrile/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PAN/PVA) colloids used to prepare proton conducting materials
Authors: Gao Jiandong , Zhigang M.A. , Guo Jing , Huai Yongjian , Deng Zhenghua , Suo Jishuan
Published: March 2010

Proton exchange membranes exhibiting a well-organized structure were successfully prepared by a novel self-assembling technique using surface-charged latex nanoparticles as building blocks. The nanoparticles were synthesized in water by free-radical copolymerization. Free-standing membranes were obtained by casting the polymer emulsions followed by a cross-linking reaction. The acquired membrane exhibited a high proton conductivity of 0.04 S cm-1 with an ion exchange capacity (IEC) as low as 0.48 mmol g-1. The enhanced proton conductivity is thought to be derived from the formation of a cocontinuous ionic network for ion channels by the closely packed surface-charged latex nanoparticles, facilitating proton transportation in the membranes.
An SEM and EDS study of the microstructure of nitrate ester plasticized polyether propellants
Authors: Liu Yong , Wang Luoxin , Tuo Xinlin , Songnian Li
Published: March 2010

To probe the microstructures of nitrate ester plasticized polyether (NEPE) composite propellants and observe the morphology of each constitute in the propellant, the microstructure and elemental constitutes of NEPE propellants were investigated using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The ammonium perchlorate (AP) grains had a scraggy surface and were difficult to disperse uniformly. The compatibility between the AP grains and the polymer binder was poor, especially for large grains. The size distribution range of the AP and octogen (HMX) grains in propellants varied from several to several hundreds ?m for the former while for the latter from several to several tens ?m. Contrasting images before and after dissolution the propellant in trichloromethane showed that the degree of crosslinking of the polymer binder was low since non-crosslinked binder on the surface areas was easily removed by the solvent, and that the plasticizer was near the HMX grains and contributed more O to the element analysis of HMX.
Hexavalent chromium removal by waste mycelium of Aspergillus awamori
Authors: Gochev Velizar , Velkova Zdravka , Stoytcheva Margarita
Published: March 2010

In this study, the Cr(VI) removal potential of waste mycelium from the industrial xylanase-producing strain Aspergillus awamori was evaluated. It was determined by FTIR analysis that amino groups from the major fungal wall constituents, chitin and chitosan, played a key role in the metal binding process. The effect of pH, initial ion concentration, temperature and amount of biomass on the removal was also studied. The removal efficiency increased with decreasing pH and increasing temperature and amount of biomass. The mechanism of Cr(VI) removal by A. awamori can be explained by a two-stage process involving an initial adsorption stage followed by a reducing stage. The removal process was described by a second-order polynomial and the optimal process parameters for attaining Rmax 94.4 % in 48 h were predicted, i.e., pH 1.5 and T 40?C. From both economic and ecological points of view, a promising possibility for the utilization of waste industrial mycelium of A. awamori as a low-cost Cr(VI) removal agent was proposed.
Purification of waters and elimination of organochloric insecticides by means of active coal
Authors: Marinovic Dragan , Stojanovic Marina , Popovic Danilo
Published: March 2010

Pollution of water and the determination of the degree of its pollution with numerous physical, chemical and biological polluters have become general, ever increasing social and health related problems. Within this study, the concentrations of some most frequently used organochloric insecticides (OCI): ?-hexachlorocyclohexane (?-HCH), ?- hexachlorocyclohexane (lindane), heptachlor, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, dichlorodiphenyl trichlorethane (DDT) were investigated. OCI are highly toxic substances for the human population and their effective elimination from the environment is of paramount interest. To determine the OCI concentration in water samples, the EPA-608 method and the liquidliquid extraction principle were applied. A procedure for OCI elimination was realized by passing the water over four columns filled with various active coals: KRF, K-81/B, NORIT ROW-0.8 and AQUA SORB CS. These active coals are carbonized coconut shells activated by different procedures. The obtained results indicated that best purification of potable and waste water achieved using a column with NORIT ROW-0.8 filling. Research proved that small quantities of OCI can also be effectively removed using a NORIT ROW-0.8 active coal filled column, without altering the organoleptic properties of the water, which meets the requirements of water purification processes.
Introduction of the interdependence between the glutathione half-cell reduction potential and thermodynamic parameters during accelerated aging of maize seeds
Authors: Dragicevic Vesna , Sredojevic Slobodanka , Spasic Mihajlo
Published: March 2010

Two maize hybrids with a different ability to maintain seed germination were examined during the course of accelerated aging (AA). Initially, the similar seed reduction potential of the GSSG/2GSH half-cell increased in H1 (dent hybrid) without influencing the seed germination ability up to the 6th day of AA, while in H2 (sweet corn hybrid), it was not changed up to the 6th day of AA but with a significant later loss of seed germination ability. During the AA course, the amount of free thiol decreased in H1 and increased in H2. Irrespective of the continual increase of the differential Gibbs energy during AA, the characteristics of the examined hybrids are possibly connected to the different metabolic pathways of the seeds: H1 is characterized by higher entropy and positive enthalpy values, while H2 had negative entropy values and a decreasing trend of enthalpy, indicating a shift of the system from a relatively ordered to a disordered state. The different types of nanomolecular switches, resulting in a faster decrease of GSH in the H2 than in the H1 hybrids, indicate that a combination of the GSSG/2GSH half-cell potential and thermodynamics could be a useful tool to quantify plant stress.
The importance of the accuracy of the experimental data for the prediction of solubility
Authors: Eric Slavica , Kalinic Marko , Popovic Aleksandar , Makic Halid , Civic Elvisa , Bektasevic Merja
Published: March 2010

Aqueous solubility is an important factor influencing several aspects of the pharmacokinetic profile of a drug. Numerous publications present different methodologies for the development of reliable computational models for the prediction of solubility from structure. The quality of such models can be significantly affected by the accuracy of the employed experimental solubility data. In this work, the importance of the accuracy of the experimental solubility data used for model training was investigated. Three data sets were used as training sets - Data Set 1 containing solubility data collected from various literature sources using a few criteria (n = 319), Data Set 2 created by substituting 28 values from Data set 1 with uniformly determined experimental data from one laboratory (n = 319) and Data Set 3 created by including 56 additional components, for which the solubility was also determined under uniform conditions in the same laboratory, in the Data Set 2 (n = 375). The selection of the most significant descriptors was performed by the heuristic method, using one-parameter and multi-parameter analysis. The correlations between the most significant descriptors and solubility were established using multi-linear regression analysis (MLR) for all three investigated data sets. Notable differences were observed between the equations corresponding to different data sets, suggesting that models updated with new experimental data need to be additionally optimized. It was successfully shown that the inclusion of uniform experimental data consistently leads to an improvement in the correlation coefficients. These findings contribute to an emerging consensus that improving the reliability of solubility prediction requires the inclusion of many diverse compounds for which solubility was measured under standardized conditions in the data set.
Changes in the essential oil composition of Majorana hortensis Moench. cultivated in India during plant ontogeny
Authors: Verma Ram , Verma Rajesh , Chauhan Amit , Yadav Ajai
Published: March 2010

The essential oil content and composition of 'sweet marjoram? (Majorana hortensis Moench) cultivated in the Kumaon region of the western Himalaya was studied at different ages of the crop. The samples were taken after 60, 90, 120 and 150 days of transplanting. The essential oil contents varied from 0.20 % to 0.70 %. The essential oil was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Twenty eight components, representing 96.53% - 98.44% of the oil, were identified. The major essential oil constituents, viz., (Z)-sabinene hydrate (37.05% - 47.49%), terpinen-4-ol (14.45% - 16.22%) and (E)-sabinene hydrate (5.81% - 6.97 %) showed considerable variation in their concentrations in relation to crop age.
Polystyrene-supported aluminum chloride as an efficient and reusable catalyst for condensation of indole with various carbonyl compounds
Authors: Tamami Bahman , Shirazi Nasrolahi , Borujeni Parvanak
Published: March 2010

Crosslinked polystyrene-supported aluminum chloride (Ps-AlCl3) is a stable, recyclable and environmental friendly heterogeneous catalyst for the condensation of indole with aldehydes and ketones to afford bis-indolylmethanes. In addition, (Ps-AlCl3) shows satisfactory selectivity in the reaction of mixtures of an aldehyde and a ketone with indole. Although AlCl3 is a water sensitive, corrosive and environmentally harmful compound, Ps-AlCl3 is a stable and water-tolerant species. The mild reaction conditions, short reaction times, easy work-up, high to excellent yields, chemoselectivity, reuse of the catalyst for at least ten times without significant change in its catalytic activity, low cost, and easy preparation and handling of the polymeric catalyst are obvious advantages of the present method.
Seed characteristics and morphological features of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings
Authors: Buraczyk Włodzimierz
Published: March 2010

Właściwości nasion a cechy morfologiczne siewek sosny zwyczajnej (Pinus sylvestrisL.)
Threat caused to forests by the root rot Heterobasidion annosum (Fr.) Bref. in relation to soil temperature and precipitation
Authors: Mykhayliv Oksana , Sierota Zbigniew
Published: March 2010

Zagrożenie drzewostanów ze strony huby korzeni w zależności od temperatury gleby i opadów
Changes in the size of curvature in larch trees from different provenances at the experimental site in Rogów
Authors: Szeligowski Henryk , Andrzejczyk Tadeusz , Szkup Jarosław
Published: March 2010

Zmiana wielkości krzywizn u modrzewi różnych pochodzeń na powierzchni doświadczalnej w Rogowie
Variability of three natural populations of Pinus sylvestris L. from different sites of Białowieża Primeval Forest estimated using needle traits
Authors: Pawlaczyk Ewa , Bobowicz Maria , Korczyk Adolf
Published: March 2010

Zmienność trzech naturalnych populacjiPinus sylvestrisL. z różnych siedlisk Puszczy Białowieskiej oszacowana cechami igieł
Equipment and photo exposure in hemispherical photography in forest research
Authors: Bolibok Leszek
Published: March 2010

Sprzęt i ekspozycja zdjęć w fotografii hemisferycznej w badaniach leśnych
Learning to Love the Bomb: Robert Lowell's Pathological Poetics
Authors: Beardsworth Adam
Published: March 2010

Abstract:

This paper repositions Robert Lowell's confessional poetry as a form of resistance in Cold War America. It argues that in several of Lowell's key poems the figurative absence at the hypo-centre of atomic culture finds its symbolic equivalent in the depressive trying to recover a lost core of selfhood.