bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Md‐simulation of α‐keratin intermediate filaments
Authors: Knopp Birgitta , Jung Bernd , Wortmann Franz‐Josef , Höcker Hartwig
Published: March 2011

In recent years powerful computer systems have become readily accessible to simulate complex chemical problems. Based on the primary structure of the intermediate filament monomer unit of wool, small sequences are selected. Their molecular dynamic behaviour is simulated, in order to investigate the secondary and tertiary structure as well as their stability.

The simulations are carried out for a helical segment and a linker segment, selecting the ideal α‐helix as start conformation. In vacuum all simulations show an unstable α‐helix due to shifts of the intrahelical hydrogen bonds. So a new helical structure with a larger helix diameter is formed. However in simulations with surrounding water the α‐helix remains stable throughout the simulation time. Up to now it has not been possible to dectect any fundamental difference in the molecular dynamic behaviour of the helical and the linker segment.
Synthesis, structure and properties of fluorinated graphite
Authors: Nakajima Tsuyoshi
Published: March 2011

Fluorine‐graphite intercalation compounds, C2F to C16F were synthesized by various methods. C‐F bonds range from ionic to semi‐covalent. These properties of C‐F bonding give to fluorinated graphite metallic conductivity, higher hydrophilicity than graphite and high reduction potential. The c‐axis and in‐plane structures are governed by C‐F bonding, fluorine intercalation rate and host graphites.
A comparison of the properties of methacrylate polymers derived from racemic and homochiral monomers containing a trifluoromethyl group at a tertiary stereogenic centre
Authors: O'Hagan David , Zaidi Naveed A.
Published: March 2011

Three homochiral CF3 containing methacrylate esters have been prepared, and polymerised with butyllithium at ‐78°C. Melting points, gel‐permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry and X‐ray powder diffraction analyses of the resulting polymers have been compared to those of their racemic counterparts. It is clear that the homochiral monomers give rise to largely crystalline methacrylates whereas the racemic monomers generate amorphous materials.
Synthesis of fluorinated monomers through sulfinatodehalogenation and related reactions
Authors: Huang Wei‐Yuan
Published: March 2011

Using sulfinatodehalogenation and related reagent systems several groups of perfluoroalkylated compounds including olefins, dienes, phenolic compounds and aromatic dicarboxylic acids were synthesized which may be useful as potential monomers.
Fluoroacrylic esters and related monomers: Preparation and use as synthons
Authors: Wakselman Claude
Published: March 2011

Preparations of acrylic compounds substituted by fluorine atoms or trifluoromethyl groups at the a or β positions are reviewed. Their use in Michael additions, annelation reactions and Diels‐Alder condensations leads to more complex molecules, such as fluorinated analogues of natural products.
Photoaddition reactions of fluoroolefins with diols and cyclic ethers
Authors: Paleta O. , Církva V. , Kví čala J.
Published: March 2011

Fluoroalkylation of aliphatic diols, tetrahydrofuran and 1,3‐dioxolanes with perfluoroolefins under photochemical initiation was studied. The aim of the study was the preparation of fluoroalkylated diols as intermediates for special fluorinated monomers. Fluoroalkylation was only partly successful in the case of 1,4‐butanediol and quite successful with tetrahydrofuran and 2,2‐dimethyl‐1,3‐dioxolane. The fluoroalkyl diols obtained were converted to monomethacrylates that are amphiphilic monomers.
The preparation and thermal dimerization study of a trifluorovinyl‐containing imide. Application to the synthesis of a trifluorovinyl‐containing polyimide precursor
Authors: Yamomoto Michiharu , Swenson Dale C. , Burton Donald J.
Published: March 2011

Elaboration of 2‐fluoro‐α,β,β‐trifluorostyrene 7, prepared by the palladium catalyzed coupling reaction of l‐fluoro‐2‐iodobenzene with a trifluorovinylzinc reagent, yielded the trifluorovinyl‐containing imide 1. Thermal dimerization of 1 at 140‐160°C leads predominately to the corresponding E‐cyclobutane 12, whose structure was established by x‐ray crystallography. Similar methodology was utilized to prepare 2,2‐bis{4‐[4‐amino‐2‐(l,2,2‐trifluoroethenyl)phenoxy]phenyl)hexafluoropropane 19, a precursor to the trifluorovinyl‐containing polyimide 18.
New strategies for synthesis of partially fluorinated heterocycles as precursors for trifluoromethyl‐substituted polymers
Authors: Burger Klaus , Helmreich Brigitte , Jendrewski Oliver , Hecht Reinhold , Maier Gerhard , Nuyken Oskar
Published: March 2011

The building‐block strategy is applied to the synthesis of new compounds with two five‐membered heteroaromatic units. The heteroaromatic rings contain a fluorine atom which is activated towards nucleophilic displacement reactions by an adjacent trifluoromethyl group. The difunctional compounds can be converted into poly(arylene ether)s by base‐catalyzed polycondensation with bisphenols or bisthiophenols. Trifluoromethylated poly(arylether oxazole)s and poly(arylthioether oxazole)s are obtained by this route. All representatives of these two new classes of polymers are soluble in common organic solvents. Reaction conditions for the polycondensation as well as thermal stability, glass transition temperatures, and molar masses of the polymers are described.
Macromolecular design of cationic polyelectrolytes on the chitosan basis for achievement of high antimutagenic efficiency at gamma‐irradiation
Authors: Alexandrova V.A. , Ryzhkov D.V. , Obukhova G.V. , Domnina N.S. , Topchiev D.A. , Kǒtlyarova E.B. , Shevchenko V.A.
Published: March 2011

A new approach to the problem of construction of efficient antimutagenic (at γ‐irradiation) systems has been developed on the basis of the models‐ synthetic cationic polyelectrolytes‐ polyquaternary salts of diallyldimethyl‐ammonium type.
Molecular design of biologically active biodegradable polymers for biomedical applications
Authors: Lee Keun‐Ho , Chu Chih‐Chang , Quimby Fred , Klaessig Suzanne
Published: March 2011

The objective of this research is to synthesize synthetic biodegradable polymers that would have biological functions similar to nitric oxide. Polyglycolide (PGA) was the synthetic biodegradable polymer and 4‐amino‐2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐1‐oxy (Tempamine) was chosen as the source of nitroxyl radicals. Tempamine nitroxyl radicals were chemically incorporated into the carboxylic acid chain ends of PGA macromolecules via amide linkage. The kinetics of in vitro hydrolytic release of Tempamine nitroxyl radicals from the host PGA in buffered media at 37 °C was studied. Tempamine nitroxyl radicals were released into the media via cleavage of either ester linkages in the PGA segments or/and the amide linkage between Tempamine and the PGA segments. The duration of hydrolysis would determine the type of degradation products that were different in the segmental length of the PGA component. A preliminary in vitro cell culture study of this new generation of biologically active biodegradable polymers indicated that it was able to retard the proliferation of smooth muscle cells as pure nitric oxide does.
Synthesis and characterization of aliphatic poly(esteramide)s containing symmetrical bisamide blocks
Authors: Stapert Henk R. , Dijkstra Pieter J. , Feijen Jan
Published: March 2011

A series of symmetrical diols were synthesised through ring‐opening of lactones with different ring sizes by alkane diamines in moderate to good yields. Ring‐opening of the dilactones glycolide and lactide with a diamine in equimolar amounts afforded symmetrical diols in quantitative yield.

Aliphatic poly(ester‐amide)s were prepared by polycondensation of N,N′‐bis(caproyl)butane diamide, dimethyl adipate and 1,4‐butanediol. The structure of the diamide was retained in the polymer. The polymers synthesized are semi‐crystalline materials that possess ordered structures in the solid phase over almost the entire copolymer range. Depending on thermal history and copolymer composition thermal analyses is in agreement with the presence of pseudo‐hexagonal crystal structures below 75°C, a fast melting recrystallization at this temperature and a triclinic structure at higher temperatures.
Synthesis path versus distribution of functional groups in cellulose ethers
Authors: Liebert TIM , Heinze THOMAS
Published: March 2011

Different ways for carboxymethylation of cellulose are discussed exemplary for cellulose ether synthesis in terms of the resulting structural features. The industrially applied slurry process yields polymers with statistic amounts of the four differently substituted repeating units glucose, mono‐, di‐, and tri‐O‐carboxymethylglucose. Surprisingly, the newly developed totally homogeneous carboxymethylation in the efficient cellulose solvent Ni[tris(2‐aminoethyl)amine](OH)2 gives exactly the same result. Thus, the polymer is evenly accessible during both reaction paths. In contrast the carboxymethylation starting from homogeneous solutions of cellulose in N,N‐dimethyl acetamide /LiCl or solutions of reactive derivatives of cellulose in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) yields polyelectrolytes with a nonstatistic content of the building units. This is achieved via an induced phase separation forming highly reactive microstructures.
Novel ring‐opening polymerization of lactide by lipase
Authors: Matsumura Shuichi , Mabuchi Kimihiro , Toshima Kazunobu
Published: March 2011

Six‐membered D,L‐, L,L‐ and D,D‐lactides were polymerized by lipase over a temperature range of 80 to 130 °C to yield the polylactide with a molecular weight (Mw) of greater than 270000. Among the lipases tested, lipase PS gave the greatest molecular weight of polylactide. The polymerization of D,L‐lactide by lipase was better than that of L,L‐ and D,D‐lactides. The polymerization of lactide by lipase showed the characteristic features, such as induction period for the initiation of polymerization, formation of oligomer and subsequent formation of high molecular weight polylactide, which may imply the characteristic polymerization by lipase. Immobilization of lipase on celite significantly enhanced the polymerization of lactide particularly with respect to the low concentration of the enzyme and the Mw of the resultant polymer. It was found that there is no clear relationship between enzymatic polymerizability and enzymatic degradability with respect to the enzyme origin and the stereochemistry of lactide.
Ring‐opening polymerization of degradable polyesters
Authors: Stridsberg Kajsa , Gruvegård Mats , Albertsson Ann‐Christine
Published: March 2011

Medium to high molecular weight random copolymers of 1,5‐dioxepan‐2‐one (DXO) and L‐lactide (L‐LA) or ε‐caprolactone (ε‐CL) of different compositions have been investigated. Polymerization was conducted in bulk at 110°C using stannous 2‐ethylhexanoate as catalyst. Poly(DXO‐co‐L‐LA) is a hydrolysable material with a glass transition temperature (Tg) ranging from −36 up to 58°C depending on the molar composition. The material exhibited crystallinity as long as the amount of DXO did not exceed 50 weight%. Reactivity ratios were determined to rL‐LA=10 and rDXO=0.1, giving a more blocky structure than expected in a random copolymer. The copolymer between ε‐CL and DXO was shown to be a truly random copolymer by 13C NMR, as expected from the reactivity ratios, rDXO=1.6 and rε‐CL=0.6. Tg of the material was ranging from −64 up to −39°C. The ability of the poly(DXO‐co‐ε‐CL) to crystallize was retained up to a DXO content of 40 weight%. The melting temperature and crystallinity of both copolymers decrease with increasing amount of DXO. Incorporation of semicrystalline comonomers, L‐LA or ε‐CL, into the amorphous poly(DXO) creates materials with adjustable properties depending on the molar composition.
Amphiphilic graft copolymers ‐ preparation and interfacial properties
Authors: Wesslén Bengt
Published: March 2011

Amphiphilic graft copolymers containing poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) grafts have been prepared by various methods, for example, by coupling of reactive hydrophobic backbone polymers with end‐functionalised PEO, by macromonomer copolymerisation, and by anionic graft polymerisation of EO onto polymer backbones carrying functional groups as initiator precursors. The graft copolymers are amphiphilic and were shown to accumulate at surfaces and interfaces in solution and in the solid state. Amphiphilic starch derivatives were prepared by reaction of amylose and starch with aliphatic α‐epoxides.
Pre‐ and postpubertal irradiation induces mammary cancers with distinct expression of hormone receptors, ErbB ligands, and developmental genes in rats
Authors: Imaoka Tatsuhiko , Nishimura Mayumi , Iizuka Daisuke , Nishimura Yukiko , Ohmachi Yasushi , Shimada Yoshiya
Published: March 2011

Childhood exposure to carcinogens renders a higher risk of breast cancer. The molecular mechanisms underlying cancer development after such exposure are not, however, well understood. Here we examined how the mechanism of cancer development relates to the age at exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) or the carcinogen 1‐methyl‐1‐nitrosourea (MNU). Pre‐ and postpubertal (3‐ and 7‐wk‐old, respectively) female Sprague–Dawley rats were whole‐body γ‐irradiated (2 Gy), injected intraperitoneally with MNU (20 mg/kg) or left untreated and were autopsied at 50 wk of age. Mammary carcinomas were examined for estrogen receptor (ER) α, progesterone receptor (PR) and ErbB ligand expression and for expression microarrays. Early histological changes of the ovaries were also evaluated. The incidence of mammary cancer was higher after postpubertal, rather than prepubertal, IR exposure; the inverse was true for MNU. Most cancers were positive for both ERα and PR except for the prepubertal IR group. Cancers of the prepubertal IR group expressed a different set of ErbB ligands from those of the other groups and did not overexpress Areg, which encodes an estrogen‐regulated ErbB ligand, or other developmentally related genes including those for hormonally regulated mammary gland development. Prepubertal IR exposure resulted in ovarian dysfunction as revealed by a reduced follicular pool. Evidence thus suggests that mammary carcinogenesis induced by prepubertal IR exposure is independent of ovarian hormones but requires certain ErbB ligands; induction by postpubertal exposure depends on ovarian hormones and different ErbB ligands. In contrast, the mechanism of MNU‐induced carcinogenesis was less influenced by the age at exposure. Mol. Carcinog. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Optimisation of Analytical Parameters for Routine Profiling of Antioxidants in Complex Mixtures by HPLC Coupled Post‐column Derivatisation
Authors: Kusznierewicz Barbara , Piasek Anita , Bartoszek Agnieszka , Namiesnik Jacek
Published: March 2011

Introduction

The wide application of natural and artificial antioxidants in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries as well as the recognition of the importance of food antioxidants for supporting human health have created a demand for reliable and industrially applicable methods of determining antioxidative activity. This requirement can be fulfilled with the recently proposed HPLC‐post‐column derivatisation approach, enabling rapid measurements of antioxidative potential along with profiling antioxidants in complex mixtures.

Objective

To employ the commercially available post‐column derivatisation device for the on‐line detection of antioxidants and to optimise analytical parameters enabling its application for routine profiling of antioxidants in complex mixtures such as those of plant or food origin.

Methodology

The mixtures of standards and fruit extracts were resolved using an optimised HPLC method followed by the on‐line derivatisation of analytes in a PCX post‐column derivatisation instrument. Such parameters as the type of indicator reagent (ABTS, DPPH, Folin‐Ciocalteu), its concentration and the temperature of the derivatisation reaction were investigated. The determinations of the Trolox equivalents (TE) values were compared with those obtained by corresponding bulk spectrophotometric tests.

Results

The study confirms that the commercial HPLC‐coupled post‐column derivatisation instruments are suitable for routine on‐line detection of antioxidants in complex mixtures and the determination of their TE values. The analytical parameters optimised here appear to represent a ready‐to‐use toolbox for the food and pharmaceutical industries, enabling the monitoring of bioactive substances along the production line and during storage, and the characterisation of plant material by creating chromatographic profiles supplemented with antioxidant fingerprints. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
High fat diet reduces the expression of glutathione peroxidase 3 in mouse prostate
Authors: Sekine Yoshitaka , Osei‐Hwedieh David , Matsuda Kant , Raghavachari Nalini , Liu Delong , Furuya Yosuke , Koike Hidekazu , Suzuki Kazuhiro , Remaley Alan T.
Published: March 2011

BACKGROUND

High fat diets are known to be a risk factor for prostate cancer. In this study, we investigated the effect of high fat diet on mouse prostate gene expression.

METHODS

C57BL/6J mice were fed either a control or high fat diet for 12 weeks. Microarray analyses were performed on mouse ventral prostate (VP) and dorsolateral prostate (DLP), followed by canonical pathway analysis and regulatory network identification. mRNA changes were confirmed by real time PCR.

RESULTS

Approximately 2,125, and 1,194 genes responded significantly to the high fat diet in VP, DLP, respectively. Pathways and networks related to oxidative stress, glutathione metabolism, NRF‐mediated oxidative stress response and NF‐kappaB were all differentially regulated by high fat diet. Glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPx3) mRNA levels were decreased by approximately twofold by high fat diet in all three prostate lobes. In human non‐transformed prostate cells (PrSC, PrEC, and BPH‐1), cholesterol loading decreased GPx3 expression, and increased H2O2 levels of culture medium. Troglitazone increased GPx3 expression in three normal prostate cells, and decreased H2O2 levels. In addition, troglitazone attenuated cholesterol‐induced H2O2 increase. Tissue from prostate cancer biopsies had decreased GPx3 mRNA and its level was inversely related to the Gleason score.

CONCLUSIONS

High fat diet alters pathways related to many genes concerned with oxidative stress. GPx3, a gene identified by this analysis, was found to be down‐regulated by high fat diet and appears be decreased in human prostate cancers, suggesting that GPx3 may have a possible role in modulating carcinogenesis. Prostate 71:1499–1509, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Polymeric Materials: Patterned Polymer Carpets (Small 5/2011)
Authors: Amin Ihsan , Steenackers Marin , Zhang Ning , Schubel René , Beyer André , Gölzhäuser Armin , Jordan Rainer
Published: March 2011

For the development of polymer carpets as active devices for micro‐ and nanotechnology, a control of the polymer carpet morphology and especially control of the stimulus responsive polymer brush is needed. Here, we report on the first example for the fabrication of patterned polymer carpets. On a two‐dimensional framework of fully crosslinked and chemically patterned nanosheets, polymer brushes of styrene and 4‐vinyl pyridine were grafted by self‐initiated surface photopolymerization and photografting (SIPGP). It was found that polymer grafting by SIPGP occurred over the entire nanosheets but with a preferred grafting on the amino functionalized nanosheet areas. This results in continuous polymer carpets with an intact nanosheet framework but with amplification of the chemical patterning into a three dimensional topography of the grafted polymer brush. In the case of negative patterned nanosheets, the patterned carpet could be prepared as freestanding ultrathin membranes. Furthermore, swelling experiments with poly(4‐vinyl pyridine) carpets showed that the patterns induces a directional buckling of the flexible polymer carpet. This may open the possibility of the development of micro‐ or nanoactuator devices with anisotropic responds upon environmental changes.
Toxic effects of chromium (VI) by maternal ingestion on liver function of female rats and their suckling pups
Authors: Soudani Nejla , Bouaziz Hanen , Sefi Mediha , Chtourou Yassine , Boudawara Tahia , Zeghal Najiba
Published: March 2011

Potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7) is an environmental contaminant widely recognized as a carcinogen, mutagen, and teratogen toward humans and animals. This study investigated the effects of K2Cr2O7 on the hepatic function of pregnant and lactating rats and their suckling pups. Experiments were carried out on female Wistar rats given 700 ppm of K2Cr2O7 in their drinking water from the 14th day of pregnancy until day 14 after delivery. Hepatotoxicity was objectified by the significant increase in liver malondialdehyde content and a significant accumulation of chromium in this soft tissue. Moreover, exposure to K2Cr2O7 induced a decrease of glutathione, nonprotein thiols, and vitamin C in the liver of mothers and their suckling pups. Alteration of the antioxidant system in the treated group was confirmed by the significant decline of antioxidant enzyme activities such as catalase, glutathione peroxidase, while liver superoxide dismutase activity increased in mothers and decreased in their offspring. It was found that K2Cr2O7 induced liver damages as evidenced by the elevation of plasma aminotransferases, lactate dehydrogenase activities, and bilirubin levels. Impairment of the hepatic function corresponded histologically. Our investigation revealed hemorrhage, leukocytes infiltration cells, and necrosis, which were more pronounced in the hepatocytes of mothers than in those of their suckling pups. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2013.
New approaches in school mental health consultation
Authors: Berlin Irving N.
Published: March 2011

Significant changes in school function in recent years require new approaches and strategies in mental health consultation.
Consultation in mental retardation and developmental disabilities
Authors: Robinowitz Carolyn B.
Published: March 2011

Bio‐psycho‐socially informed mental health consultants will be increasingly needed in school and community‐based services which are being developed as a result of recent legislation that mandates the deinstitutionalization and the “mainstreaming” of the developmentally handicapped.
Mental health consultation programs: Priority setting and funding
Authors: Maclennan Beryce W.
Published: March 2011

Community mental health resources, funds, staff, and expertise are limited and must compete with other community needs. Within the mental health services themselves, consultation competes with direct services for funding. How can and do community mental health agencies decide how to allocate their resources—and how are those decisions handicapped or helped by the way funds are allocated?
Evaluation of consultation: Problems and prospects
Authors: Mannino Fortune V. , Shore Milton F.
Published: March 2011

A review of fifty‐four outcome studies in the field of mental health consultation reveals an increasing research sophistication and an expanded range—from measuring personal change in the consultee to measuring change in the system and clientele.
Changes in the mental health law: Progress for patients—problems for psychiatrists
Authors: Sadoff Robert L.
Published: March 2011

In the controversy over right to treatment, right to refuse treatment, and patients' rights, what are hailed as treaters' or professionals' rights are not so much the rights of the treaters, but rather their obligations.
Psychiatric patients and the refusal of psychotropics
Authors: Malmquist Carl P.
Published: March 2011

The proposals here are an explicit attempt to eliminate an approach based on paternalistic reassurance. They seek a framework for permitting the administration of psychotropics, yet with safeguards to prevent their indiscriminate use.
Glutathione pathway gene variation and risk of autism spectrum disorders
Authors: Bowers Katherine , Li Qing , Bressler Joseph , Avramopoulos Dimitrios , Newschaffer Craig , Fallin M. Daniele
Published: March 2011

Despite evidence that autism is highly heritable with estimates of 15 or more genes involved, few studies have directly examined associations of multiple gene interactions. Since inability to effectively combat oxidative stress has been suggested as a mechanism of autism, we examined genetic variation 42 genes (308 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)) related to glutathione, the most important antioxidant in the brain, for both marginal association and multi-gene interaction among 318 case–parent trios from The Autism Genetic Resource Exchange. Models of multi-SNP interactions were estimated using the trio Logic Regression method. A three-SNP joint effect was observed for genotype combinations of SNPs in glutaredoxin, glutaredoxin 3 (GLRX3), and cystathione gamma lyase (CTH); OR = 3.78, 95% CI: 2.36, 6.04. Marginal associations were observed for four genes including two involved in the three-way interaction: CTH, alcohol dehydrogenase 5, gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase, catalytic subunit and GLRX3. These results suggest that variation in genes involved in counterbalancing oxidative stress may contribute to autism, though replication is necessary.
New Schiff Base Cationic Surfactants: Surface and Thermodynamic Properties and Applicability in Bacterial Growth and Metal Corrosion Prevention
Authors: Negm Nabel A. , El Farargy Ahmed F. , Al Sabagh Ahmad M. , Abdelrahman Naser R.
Published: March 2011

A new series of cationic Schiff bases was synthesized and their chemical structures were confirmed using elemental analysis, infrared spectra and nuclear magnetic resonance. The surface properties of the surfactant solutions including surface tension, effectiveness, efficiency, critical micelle concentration, maximum surface excess and minimum surface area were calculated using surface tension‐log concentration profiles. The surface parameters were strongly dependent on the hydrophobic chain length. The thermodynamic properties of the surfactants in their solutions showed the spontaneous behavior of both adsorption and micellization processes. The thermodynamic data revealed that the adsorption of the surfactant molecules at the air/water interface was more favorable than the micellization in the bulk of their solutions. The synthesized surfactants were evaluated with regard to their preventing the corrosion reaction of carbon steel in acidic media and also their acting as antibacterial biocides to inhibit bacterial growth. The data of corrosion and antibacterial evaluations showed the high efficiency and applicability of these compounds in these uses.
Consumption of plant sterols in Belgium: estimated intakes and sources of naturally occurring plant sterols and β-carotene
Authors: Sioen Isabelle , Matthys Christophe , Huybrechts Inge , Van Camp John , De Henauw Stefaan
Published: March 2011

The objective of the present study was to assess the intake of naturally occurring plant sterols and β-carotene via the overall diet of Belgian pre-school children and adults. Two different Belgian food consumption databases were used: (1) one with consumption data of pre-school children (2·5–6·5 years old) and (2) one with consumption data of adults ( ≥ 15 years old). These consumption data were combined with a newly developed database containing the plant sterol and β-carotene content in all relevant food items based on international food composition databases and scientific literature. The results show that Flemish pre-school children have a median plant sterol intake of 172 (interquartile range (IQR) = 47) and 184 (IQR = 52) mg/d for girls and boys, respectively. Their median β-carotene intake was 1857 (IQR = 1250) μg/d, without significant difference between girls and boys. Belgian women and men have a median plant sterol intake of 218 (IQR = 113) and 280 (IQR = 158) mg/d, respectively, and a median β-carotene intake of 2086 (IQR = 1254) μg/d (not significantly different between the sexes). The main food source of naturally occurring plant sterols was bread and other cereal products. For β-carotene, the main food source was vegetables.
Gender and Utopian Visions in a Post-Utopian Era: Americanism, Human Rights, Market Fundamentalism
Authors: Nolan Mary
Published: March 2011

Utopian visions that produced distinctly dystopic projects are rightly associated with the catastrophically violent and repressive first half of twentieth-century European history— “the age of extremes” in Eric Hobsbawm's apt phrase. National Socialism, fascism, communism, and European colonialism represented totalizing, highly ideological visions of how politics and economics, society and culture should be dramatically reorganized. Each of these projects deployed gendered rhetorics and representations; each was explicitly preoccupied with redefining masculinity and femininity, marriage and family, domesticity and sexuality. Each sought to subordinate individuals to an overarching social project, integrating some, excluding others, always elaborating complex hierarchies of gender, race, and culture.
“The Psychological Marshall Plan”: Displacement, Gender, and Human Rights after World War II
Authors: Zahra Tara
Published: March 2011

In 1940, Howard Kershner, director of European relief for the American Friends Service Committee, was stationed in Vichy France, where Quakers were organizing relief for refugees. He had witnessed any number of wartime atrocities in his years of service during the Spanish Civil War, including violence directed at civilians, bombings, starvation, and disease. Now he added a new item to the litany of wartime suffering: “One of the greatest tragedies of all times is the separation of families in Europe today: wives in one country, husbands in another, with no possibility of reunion and often no means of communication; babies who have never seen their fathers; scattered fragments of families not knowing if their loved ones are living or dead, and often without hope of ever seeing them again. There are multitudes of wretched souls for whom it seems the sun of hope has set.”
Utopian Visions of Family Life in the Stalin-Era Soviet Union
Authors: Kaminsky Lauren
Published: March 2011

Soviet socialism shared with its utopian socialist predecessors a critique of the conventional family and its household economy. Marx and Engels asserted that women's emancipation would follow the abolition of private property, allowing the family to be a union of individuals within which relations between the sexes would be “a purely private affair.” Building on this legacy, Lenin imagined a future when unpaid housework and child care would be replaced by communal dining rooms, nurseries, kindergartens, and other industries. The issue was so central to the revolutionary program that the Bolsheviks published decrees establishing civil marriage and divorce soon after the October Revolution, in December 1917. These first steps were intended to replace Russia's family laws with a new legal framework that would encourage more egalitarian sexual and social relations. A complete Code on Marriage, the Family, and Guardianship was ratified by the Central Executive Committee a year later, in October 1918. The code established a radical new doctrine based on individual rights and gender equality, but it also preserved marriage registration, alimony, child support, and other transitional provisions thought to be unnecessary after the triumph of socialism. Soviet debates about the relative merits of unfettered sexuality and the protection of women and children thus resonated with long-standing tensions in the history of socialism.
La pensée sans sujet pensant
Authors: Bernier Paul
Published: March 2011

Il existe une tradition, remontant à David Hume, qui nie que la pensée consciente requiert l’existence d’un sujet. Cette thèse, que nous appelons la thèse de la pensée sans sujet, est bien illustrée par la remarque de Lichtenberg selon laquelle Descartes ne pouvait prétendre avoir établi la certitude de «Je pense» mais uniquement celle de «Il y a de la pensée» (Es denkt). Le philosophe américain Bernard Williams a proposé un argument qui montrerait l’incohérence de la thèse de la pensée sans sujet. Mon but principal est de défendre la thèse de la pensée sans sujet en proposant une interprétation qui surmonte le problème posé par Williams.
The Appearance of Faultless Disagreement
Authors: Beillard Julien
Published: March 2011

A common argument for relativism invokes the appearance of faultless disagreement. I contend that the appearance is possible only under conditions that disqualify it as evidence: gross ignorance or irrationality, or else a prior commitment to an especially crude and implausible form of relativism.
“He's Got the Whole World in His
Hands”: US History and Its Discontents in the Obama Era
Authors: KELLEY ROBIN D. G.
Published: March 2011

As Samuel Eliot Morrison had done when he delivered the first Harmsworth lecture
eighty-seven years ago, I, too, must begin with a Prologue. “Through
the Prologue,” Professor Morrison told his audience, “the
author endeavoured to establish a personal relation between himself and his
audience, and to arouse their curiosity and interest in the play that
followed.”1 I pray he is correct.
Upholding Protestantism: The Fear of Tractarianism in the Anglican Church in Early Colonial Queensland
Authors: LE COUTEUR HOWARD
Published: March 2011

Gender ideologies have been shown to be an important element in creating national identity. The settler population of early colonial Queensland was largely drawn from Protestant England and Scotland, and Catholic Ireland. In the process of social formation, Anglican men contributed to building a Protestant hegemony that strove to marginalise the Irish Catholic part of the population. In doing so they bracketed Tractarianism with Catholicism in an attempt to assert the essentially Protestant nature of Anglicanism. This paper explores three debates that took place in the public domain in the period 1855–65, and their impact on the local Anglican community and on social formation in the fledgling colonial society.
Dominican-Jesuit Rivalry and the Politics of Catholic Renewal in Poland 1564–1648
Authors: STOLARSKI P. T.
Published: March 2011

Highlighting some of the tensions within Catholicism in Poland-Lithuania after the Council of Trent, this article offers a corrective to the traditional Jesuit-centred paradigm of Catholic renewal. While long held to be central to the successes of the Counter-Reformation, the Jesuits were opposed by large sections of the Catholic nobility, a paradox that has never been adequately explained. By exploring the conflicts between the Jesuits and the more established Dominican order, the phenomenon of Catholic anticlericalism can be understood as part of a wider dissonance in Catholic culture, and integral to the accommodation of noble and Catholic culture after Trent.
An Early Manuscript of the Admonitions of St Francis of Assisi
Authors: ROBSON MICHAEL , ZUTSHI PATRICK
Published: March 2011

This article discusses a privately owned manuscript of St Francis's collection of addresses known as the Admonitions in the context of the nature of the work, the textual transmission of Francis's writings, his method of composition and other manuscripts of the Admonitions, especially those dating from the thirteenth century. It is argued that the manuscript antedates Francis's canonisation in 1228, is the earliest known manuscript containing the Admonitions and indeed the earliest manuscript of any of Francis's more substantial works. The article publishes the text and provides facsimiles of the manuscript.
Public Finance and Economic Growth: The Case of Holland in the Seventeenth Century
Authors: Gelderblom Oscar , Jonker Joost
Published: March 2011

The debate over the institutions that link economic growth to public finance tends to disregard the need for savings to finance growing public debt. In seventeenth-century Holland the structure, size, and issuing rates of the debt were determined by investors' preferences, wealth accumulation, and changing private investment opportunities. The growth of savings enabled the creation of a huge debt largely with short-term bills. Issuing rates dropped because savings outstripped private investment alternatives. In Holland, and probably elsewhere as well, credible commitment and efficient fiscal institutions were necessary, but not sufficient to create liquid secondary markets and low costs of capital.
War, Moral Hazard, and Ministerial Responsibility: England After the Glorious Revolution
Authors: Cox Gary W
Published: March 2011

I reexamine Douglass North and Barry Weingast's argument regarding credible commitment and sovereign debt in post-revolution England. The central problem that the architects of the revolution settlement had to solve, I argue, was not the king's frequent reneging on financial commitments (a symptom), but the moral hazard that generated the kings' malfeasance (the underlying cause). The central element of the revolution settlement was thus not better holding kings to their commitments, but better holding royal advisors to account for all consequences of the Crown's policies—through what we now call ministerial responsibility.
Sikhs and the City: Sikh history and diasporic practice in Singapore
Authors: McCANN GERARD
Published: March 2011

The historiography of South Asian diaspora in colonial Southeast Asia has overwhelmingly focused on numerically dominant South Indian labourers at the expense of the small, but important, North Indian communities, of which the Sikhs were the most visually conspicuous and politically important. This paper will analyse the creation of various Sikh communities in one critical territory in British Asia—Singapore, and chart the development of the island's increasingly unified Sikh community into the post-colonial period. The paper will scrutinize colonial economic roles and socio-cultural formation, whilst links of Singaporean Sikhs to Punjab and their place within the post-colonial Singaporean state will preoccupy the latter portion of the paper. It will argue that more complicated notions of division relative to the social norms of Punjab must be acknowledged in this region of Sikh diaspora and indeed others. The final sections will assess the remarkable success of local Sikhs in utilizing statist policies of ‘domesticating difference’ towards altered ‘community’ ends. Such attachment to the state and the discursive parity of Singapore's Sikhs with official values, moreover, stymied the appeal of transnational Sikh militant movements that gained momentum in the West in the 1980s. The result has been the assertion of ‘model minority’ status for Singapore's Sikhs and notably successful socialization into Singaporean society.
The Female Body as Social Space in 1 Timothy
Authors: Collins Adela Yarbro
Published: March 2011

By means of his reception of Paul and Genesis, the author of 1 Timothy created a social space in which the autonomy of women, including control of their own bodies, is severely limited. The purpose of such discourse was to oppose Marcion's rejection of marriage and procreation. The letter thus advocates marriage as a virtual requirement for all Christians, especially ‘the younger widows’, who were probably virgins. Instead of propagating teaching and practices opposed by the author, these women ought to marry, bear children, and keep silent. The author shares certain values with elite Greeks, such as Plutarch, and with the Christian teacher Valentinus. Besides Marcion, the author also criticizes early gnostic teaching of the type found in theSecret Book according to John.
Matthew's Use of Mark: Did Matthew Intend to Supplement or to Replace His Primary Source?
Authors: Sim David C.
Published: March 2011

Most scholars acknowledge Matthew's debt to Mark in the composition of his own Gospel, and they are fully aware of his extensive redaction and expansion of this major source. Yet few scholars pose what is an obvious question that arises from these points: What was Matthew's intention for Mark once he had composed and circulated his own revised and enlarged account of Jesus' mission? Did he intend to supplement Mark, in which case he wished his readers to continue to consult Mark as well as his own narrative, or was it his intention to replace the earlier Gospel? It is argued in this study that the evidence suggests that Matthew viewed Mark as seriously flawed, and that he wrote his own Gospel to replace the inadequate Marcan account.
The development of culturally-sensitive measures for research on ageing
Authors: INGERSOLL-DAYTON BERIT
Published: March 2011

Attempts to import existing measures developed in other countries when constructing research instruments for use with older people can result in several problems including inappropriate wording, unsuitable response sets, and insufficient attention to cultural nuances. This paper addresses such problems by discussing a mixed-methods approach (i.e. both qualitative and quantitative) to measurement development that incorporates input from the older adults for whom the measure is intended. To test this approach, a step-by-step process to the development of a culturally-grounded measure for older Thai people is described. Using focus groups and in-depth interviews, the process begins with an identification of the culturally-meaningful domains of the construct under study. Next, input is gathered from other studies; a preliminary quantitative measure is developed; and the measure is reviewed by a panel of experts. Based on further pre-testing and cognitive interviews with older people, the measure is again modified. Subsequently, the measure is incorporated into a large-scale survey and tested for its psychometric qualities. In addition to providing a template for culturally-sensitive measurement development in gerontology, this paper also highlights issues (e.g. time constraints and trade-offs between cultural specificity as against cultural comparability) that researchers should consider when attempting to develop measures. Suggestions for how to address such issues are provided.
The challenges of conducting focus-group research among Asian older adults
Authors: MEHTA KALYANI K.
Published: March 2011

The paper demonstrates the particular value of focus groups as a data collection method in studies of older people with particular reference to those living in large cities in Asia. The strengths and limitations of focus groups as a modality of qualitative research are discussed and a case study is presented. Some of the method's strengths derive from the synergy of the interactions among elders with a shared history and lived experiences. Focus-group exchanges have the potential for inter-personal learning and reminiscence benefits. One difficulty with the method, however, is that many Asian people are inhibited about sharing personal problems in a group context. Drawing from a number of empirical studies based in Singapore, the challenges of conducting focus groups with older participants are detailed and appropriate ways of addressing them considered. The article elaborates on the author's use of software such as NVivo to expedite the analysis of large volumes of transcribed data, and on the retrieval of relevant quotes. Software is useful in extracting themes from codes, as well as allowing the researcher to appreciate the links between codes. Ethical issues such as confidentiality, cultural sensitivities such as language and respect for religion and tradition, and lessons learnt from conducting research using the group setting are discussed. Culturally relevant responses to these challenges are offered which could be useful for future researchers conducting focus groups in Asia.
Suicide Risk and Its Relationship to Change in Marital Status
Authors: Roškar Saška , Podlesek Anja , Kuzmanić Marja , Demšar Lucija Omejc , Zaletel Metka , Marušič Andrej
Published: March 2011

Background: Different types of marital status are associated with different levels of suicidal risk. Aims: To study marital status change and the effect of its recency in relation to suicidal behavior. Methods: Suicide victims (1614) in Slovenia and matched controls (4617) were compared for incidence and recency of marital status change during the last 5 years of their lives. Results: A higher percentage of suicide victims (10.7%) had a marital status change in the last 5 years compared with the controls (5.6%). All types of marital status changes (becoming widowed, getting divorced, getting married) proved to be risk factors for suicidal behavior. Almost half of all marital status changes in suicide victims occurred in the year prior to suicide, whereas marital status changes in the control group were equally distributed over the last 5 years. For recently married and divorced people, the increase in suicide risk depended on age: The risk was higher in older people. Conclusions: Marital status change represents a risk factor for suicidal behavior. The first year after the change is critical for elevated suicidal risk, in particular for older people.
Epidemiologic Characteristics of Suicidal Behavior in Contemporary Ghana
Authors: Adinkrah Mensah
Published: March 2011

Background: Suicidal behavior receives considerable coverage in African media. Yet, there has been limited empirical research that focuses explicitly on suicidal behavior in African societies, while comprehensive and reliable official data on the phenomenon are limited. Aims: This article contributes to the empirical research on suicidal behavior in African societies by examining police-recorded data on suicidal behavior in Ghana, West Africa. Methods: Official law enforcement data on suicidal behavior spanning 2006–2008 were analyzed to identify current patterns of suicidal behavior in the country. Results: The results indicate that the persons most prone to suicidal behavior were male, young, and poor. The most frequent methods used were hanging, the ingestion of poisons, and shooting. Conclusions: The relatively low rate of recorded suicidal behavior in the society stems partly from the tabooed and criminal aspects of the phenomenon.
Adolescent Suicidality as Seen in Rural Northeastern Uganda
Authors: Kinyanda Eugene , Kizza Ruth , Levin Jonathan , Ndyanabangi Sheila , Abbo Catherine
Published: March 2011

Background: Suicidal behavior in adolescence is a public health concern and has serious consequences for adolescents and their families. There is, however, a paucity of data on this subject from sub-Saharan Africa, hence the need for this study. Aims: A cross-sectional multistage survey to investigate adolescent suicidality among other things was undertaken in rural northeastern Uganda. Methods: A structured protocol administered by trained psychiatric nurses collected information on sociodemographics, mental disorders (DSM-IV criteria), and psychological and psychosocial risk factors for children aged 3–19 years (N = 1492). For the purposes of this paper, an analysis of a subsample of adolescents (aged 10–19 years; n = 897) was undertaken. Results: Lifetime suicidality in this study was 6.1% (95% CI, 4.6%–7.9%). Conclusions: Factors significantly associated with suicidality included mental disorder, the ecological factor district of residence, factors suggestive of low socioeconomic status, and disadvantaged childhood experiences.