bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Contribution of two approaches using electrospray ionization with multi‐stage mass spectrometry for the characterization of linseed oil
Authors: Loutelier‐Bourhis Corinne , Zovi Ornella , Lecamp Laurence , Bunel Claude , Lange Catherine M.
Published: November 2009

A detailed characterization of triacylglycerols (TAGs) present in linseed oil samples from a local producer was performed using electrospray ionization and two mass spectrometric approaches; direct infusion multi‐stage mass spectrometry (MSn) experiments and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) using non‐aqueous reversed‐phase chromatographic conditions. The combination of both approaches permitted the identification of 26 TAGs. Comparison of the two analytical approaches showed that discrimination of regioisomers was achieved from MS3 data while other isobaric species were separated and identified by LC/MS/MS analysis. The results we obtained were also compared with those previously reported. The TAG composition of the studied linseed oil is qualitatively identical to that of linseed oils from various sources in Europe, Canada, Argentina or India. However, a few differences were observed with regard to the proportions of some TAGs; these can be explained by variations in the culture conditions, climate, and variety of the seeds. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Combined chemical and topographic imaging at atmospheric pressure via microprobe laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry–atomic force microscopy
Authors: Bradshaw James A. , Ovchinnikova Olga S. , Meyer Kent A. , Goeringer Douglas E.
Published: November 2009

The operational characteristics and imaging performance are described for a new instrument comprising an atomic force microscope coupled with a pulsed laser and a linear ion trap mass spectrometer. The operating mode of the atomic force microscope is used to produce topographic surface images having sub‐micrometer spatial and height resolution. Spatially resolved mass spectra of ions, produced from the same surface via microprobe‐mode laser desorption/ionization at atmospheric pressure, are also used to create a 100 × 100 µm chemical image. The effective spatial resolution of the image (∼2 µm) was constrained by the limit of detection (estimated to be 109–1010 molecules) rather than by the diameter of the focused laser spot or the step size of the sample stage. The instrument has the potential to be particularly useful for surface analysis scenarios in which chemical analysis of targeted topographic features is desired; consequently, it should have extensive application in a number of scientific areas. Because the number density of desorbed neutral species in laser desorption/ionization is known to be orders‐of‐magnitude greater than that of ions, it is expected that improvements in imaging performance can be realized by implementation of post‐ionization methods. Published in 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Isotope dilution method for the assay of rotenone in olive oil and river waters by liquid chromatography/multiple reaction monitoring tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Mazzotti Fabio , Di Donna Leonardo , Attya Mohamed , Gabriele Bartolo , Fazio Alessia , Sindona Giovanni
Published: November 2009

A new approach for the assay of rotenone (1) by isotope dilution mass spectrometry is presented. The extreme toxicity of rotenone, a natural phytodrug with insecticidal and piscicidal activity, recently banned by national and international environmental protection agencies, calls for the development of sensitive and accurate methods of analyses. Accordingly, the proposed protocol is based on the availability of the labeled internal standard rotenone‐d3 (3) which can be conveniently prepared by consecutive and specific mono‐O‐demethylation, and remethylation with methyl iodide‐d3. The sensitivity of the method is confirmed by the very low limit of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) values achieved in the assay of 1 in two distinct fortified matrices, and is further supported by the observed accuracy values. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Advertising effectiveness and spillover: simulating strategic interaction using advertising
Authors: Brady Malcolm P.
Published: November 2009

This paper reports on a model of advertising‐driven competition based on the Cournot analytical duopoly model using a system dynamics approach. The paper discusses the feedback loops that are derived from the analytical equations and shows simulation results for a number of competitive scenarios. The paper identifies and discusses three different inter‐firm feedback loops. The scenarios demonstrate that small changes in model parameter values can lead to significant differences in firm and industry behaviour; a bifurcation in duopoly behaviour at low and high levels of advertising effectiveness is demonstrated. The simulation model demonstrates that positive spillover (cooperation) reduces the impact of advertising and supports the free‐rider hypothesis where advertising is cooperative. The model also demonstrates that negative spillover (predation) increases the impact of advertising when both firms advertise. The paper proposes simulation as an alternative to the differential game approach when studying dynamic economic systems. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Angular accuracy and the comparison of two methods for determining the surface normal in a Kratos Axis Ultra X‐ray photoelectron spectrometer
Authors: Seah M. P. , Spencer S. J.
Published: November 2009

An investigation of the calibration of the sample orientation with respect to the spectrometer input lens electron optical axis is reported using two proposed methods: the crystal axis method (CAM) and the overlayer thickness consistency method (OTCM). The study is conducted in a Kratos Axis Ultra X‐ray photoelectron spectrometer. First, the emission angle settings of the sample holder are calibrated with respect to the mechanical axis. It is found, using a laser beam system, that there is a significant error in the instrument's sample stage tilt angle calibration which increases with the emission angle with a maximum error of 5°. This is attributed to the use of a low‐torque magnetic rotary drive that is increasingly offset by the restoring torque from internal cooling coils. After calibration of the tilt scale, the zero angle of emission with respect to the electron optical axis, using the CAM, is found to be 0.26° ± 0.07°. Using the OTCM, it is found that it is more likely that the consistency should be homogenised around 0° emission rather than over the 10° –40° range proposed. The exact emission angle for homogenisation is unclear, and present calculations of electron transport are insufficiently accurate to define this. The precise way to use the OTCM is, therefore, unknown. It is recommended that only the CAM be used, that analysts check that the sample stage tilts at a rate of 1° per 1° set and that manufacturers consider these angles carefully in instrument design. © Crown copyright 2009. Reproduced with the permission of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Published by JohnWiley & Sons, Ltd.
18O/16O isotopic separation in anodic tantala films by glow discharge time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry
Authors: Tempez A. , Canulescu S. , Molchan I. S. , Döbeli M. , Whitby J. A. , Lobo L. , Michler J. , Thompson G. E. , Bordel N. , Chapon P. , Skeldon P. , Delfanti I. , Tuccitto N. , Licciardello A.
Published: November 2009

Glow discharge mass spectrometry has been widely used for trace and ultra‐trace element analysis of high‐purity alloys. A novel pulsed radio frequency glow discharge time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer (rf GD TOFMS) has been developed that retains the pulsed radio frequency analytical ion source to provide ion signal enhancement due to processes involving Penning ionisation. A time‐resolved detection mode has been implemented to sample the afterglow regime of the pulse profile, corresponding to the highest ion signal intensities. Here, the performance of rf GD TOFMS in isotope differentiation is discussed. Anodic tantala films, comprising 18O‐rich layers of controlled thicknesses and locations, were formed by appropriate combination of anodising of tantalum in electrolytes enriched with 18O isotopes and of natural O isotopic abundance. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and radio frequency glow discharge optical emission spectrometry (rf GD OES) analyses were performed to examine the morphology and elemental distributions of the specimens, while the content of 18O in the 18O‐rich layers was determined by elastic recoil detection analysis(ERDA). In pulsed rf GD TOFMS analysis, characteristic ionic species formed in the glow discharge allows differentiation of 18O‐rich layers. Particularly, the location of 18O‐rich layers was determined from the 16O18O and Ta18O ion signals at masses m/z 34 and 199, respectively. The locations of 18O‐rich layers in anodic films, controlled by the selected anodising conditions, were probed precisely. The 18O profiles in anodic tantala were directly compared with those obtained by dual beam time‐of‐flight SIMS. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Monitoring risk response actions for effective project risk management
Authors: Kujawski Edouard , Angelis Diana
Published: November 2009

Complex projects typically involve high‐consequence, project‐specific risks that require detailed analysis and for which risk response actions (RRAs) need to be developed and implemented. The risk picture is dynamic. The sources and consequences of risks evolve and change over the project lifecycle; thus, it is necessary to constantly monitor risk. RRAs that do not keep pace with the changing project situation are a major cause of risk management failures. This paper extends traditional cost risk analysis from a purely macroscopic perspective by evaluating and tracking project‐specific risks and RRAs at the microscopic level. The key elements of the method are (i) develop risk scenarios, (ii) model them using generalized decision trees, and (iii) quantify the risks using Monte Carlo simulation. For each risk the probability and cost values are conditional on the specific RRA and the preceding outcomes. The use of fractional factorial design provides a subset of all possible RRA combinations for efficiently determining the preferred total project RRA solution. Risk curves are generated to provide the necessary information to analyze, track, and manage the performance of the selected RRAs over time. Project managers and team leaders can use this information to dynamically manage the RRAs to keep pace with the changing project situation, thereby increasing the probability of project success in a cost‐effective manner. The approach is detailed using a realistic but simplified case of a project examined first with one and then expanded to three technical risks. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 13
Experience from introducing Unified Modeling Language/Systems Modeling Language at Saab Aerosystems
Authors: Andersson Henric , Herzog Erik , Johansson Gert , Johansson Olof
Published: November 2009

A Unified Modeling Language/Systems Modeling Language (UML/SysML) subset was the modeling notation selected for an aerospace systems engineering project at Saab Aerosystems. In this paper, the rationale for selecting UML/SysML is given, along with a description of the situation at the project planning stage regarding business conditions, method and tools support. The usage of use case, sequence, and activity diagrams are described as well as definition of functional chains with SysML. Furthermore, the connections to system implementation activities including code generation and simulation are discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of using UML/SysML from experience in an industrial context are reported. It is also described how UML/SysML is related to industrial research projects in the Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methods and tools area. Introducing UML/SysML with a methodology and a supporting toolset in an operative organization require a clear strategy, including planning, just‐in‐time training, and mentor support. Finally, industrial needs for further development of SysML are discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The human c‐fos and TNFα AU‐rich elements show different effects on mRNA abundance and protein expression depending on the reporter in the yeast Pichia pastoris
Authors: Lautz Thomas , Stahl Ulf , Lang Christine
Published: November 2009

AU‐rich elements (AREs) are located in the 3′ untranslated region (3′ UTR) of their host genes and tightly regulate mRNA degradation and expression. Examples for this kind of regulation are the human proto‐oncogene c‐fos and the cytokine TNFα. Despite large effort in this field, the exact mechanism of ARE‐mediated mRNA turnover remains unclear. In this work we analysed the effects of c‐fos‐ and TNFα AREs on mRNA abundance and protein expression of selected human cDNAs in the yeast Pichia pastoris. This yeast is exceedingly well known for its excellent protein production capacity; however, ARE‐like mechanisms have not been studied in this yeast to date. Interestingly, we observed both stabilizing and destabilizing effects of the c‐fos ARE, whereas the TNFα ARE has a destabilizing or expression‐reducing function in all tested cDNAs. Based on this observation, we introduced a number of single‐point mutations upstream of the introduced c‐fos ARE into the 3′ UTR of a single cDNA in order to demonstrate the importance of ARE‐flanking sequences for their own regulation. In conclusion, we illustrate that the analysis of ARE‐mediated effects on mRNA abundance and protein expression of a reporter depends on the sequence of the reporter itself as well as the ARE‐surrounding sequences within the 3′ UTR. For this reason, we question whether already established reporter constructs in other cellular systems display the true type of regulation of the tested AREs for its original host gene. Finally, we propose that AREs should be analysed in their native sequence context. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Paracoccin from Paracoccidioides brasiliensis; purification through affinity with chitin and identification of N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminidase activity
Authors: dos Reis Almeida Fausto Bruno , de Oliveira Leandro Licursi , de Sousa Marcelo Valle , Barreira Maria Cristina Roque , Hanna Ebert Seixas
Published: November 2009

The dimorphic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is the causative agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, the most frequent systemic mycosis in Latin America. Our group has been working with paracoccin, a P. brasiliensis lectin with MM 70 kDa, which is purified by affinity with immobilized N‐acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). Paracoccin has been described to play a role in fungal adhesion to extracellular matrix components and to induce high and persistent levels of TNFα and nitric oxide production by macrophages. In the cell wall, paracoccin colocalizes with the β‐1,4‐homopolymer of GlcNAc into the budding sites of the P. brasiliensis yeast cell. In this paper we present a protocol for the chitin‐affinity purification of paracoccin. This procedure provided higher yields than those achieved by means of the technique based on the affinity of this lectin with GlcNAc and had an impact on downstream assays. SDS–PAGE and Western blot analysis revealed similarities between the N‐acetylglucosamine‐ and chitin‐bound fractions, confirmed by MALDI–TOF–MS of trypsinic peptides. Western blot of two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis of the yeast extract showed a major spot with Mr 70 000 and pI approximately 5.63. Morevover, an N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminidase activity was reported for paracoccin, thereby providing new insights into the mechanisms that lead to cell wall remodelling and opening new perspectives for its structural characterization. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dosage‐dependent roles of the Cwt1 transcription factor for cell wall architecture, morphogenesis, drug sensitivity and virulence in Candida albicans
Authors: Moreno Inmaculada , Martinez‐Esparza María , Laforet Leslie Carolina , Sentandreu Rafael , Ernst Joachim F. , Valentin Eulogio
Published: November 2009

The Cwt1 transcription factor is involved in cell wall architecture of the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. We demonstrate here that deficiency of Cwt1 leads to decreased β1,6‐glucan in the cell wall, while mannoproteins are increased in the cell wall of exponentially growing cells and are released into the medium of stationary phase cells. Hyphal morphogenesis of cwt1 mutants is reduced on the surfaces of some inducing media. Unexpectedly, the CWT1/cwt1 heterozygous strains shows some stronger in vitro phenotypes compared to the homozygous mutant. The heterozygous but not the homozygous strain is also strongly impaired for its virulence in a mouse model of systemic infection. We suggest that an intermediate dosage of Cwt1 affects phenotypes profoundly, while its complete absence may elicit compensatory responses of C. albicans. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The role of two putative nitroreductases, Frm2p and Hbn1p, in the oxidative stress response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: de Oliveira Iuri Marques , Zanotto‐Filho Alfeu , Moreira José Cláudio Fonseca , Bonatto Diego , Henriques João Antonio Pêgas
Published: November 2009

The nitroreductase family is comprised of a group of FMN‐ or FAD‐dependent enzymes that are able to metabolize nitrosubstituted compounds using the reducing power of NAD(P)H. These nitroreductases can be found in bacterial species and, to a lesser extent, in eukaryotes. There is little information on the biochemical functions of nitroreductases. Some studies suggest their possible involvement in the oxidative stress response. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, two nitroreductase proteins, Frm2p and Hbn1p, have been described. While Frm2p appears to act in the lipid signalling pathway, the function of Hbn1p is completely unknown. In order to elucidate the functions of Frm2p and Hbn1p, we evaluated the sensitivity of yeast strains, proficient and deficient in both oxidative stress proteins, for respiratory competence, antioxidant‐enzyme activities, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and lipid peroxidation. We found reduced basal activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), ROS production, lipid peroxidation and petite induction and higher sensitivity to 4‐nitroquinoline‐oxide (4‐NQO) and N‐nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), as well as higher basal activity of catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and reduced glutathione (GSH) content in the single and double mutant strains frm2Δ and frm2Δ hbn1Δ. These strains exhibited less ROS accumulation and lipid peroxidation when exposed to peroxides, H2O2 and t‐BOOH. In summary, the Frm1p and Hbn1p nitroreductases influence the response to oxidative stress in S. cerevisae yeast by modulating the GSH contents and antioxidant enzymatic activities, such as SOD, CAT and GPx. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evolutionary ecology of inducible morphological plasticity in predator–prey interaction: toward the practical links with population ecology
Authors: Kishida Osamu , Trussell Geoffrey C. , Mougi Akihiko , Nishimura Kinya
Published: November 2009

The outcome of species interactions is often strongly influenced by variation in the functional traits of the individuals participating. A rather large body of work demonstrates that inducible morphological plasticity in predators and prey can both influence and be influenced by species interaction strength, with important consequences for individual fitness. Much of the past research in this area has focused on the ecological and evolutionary significance of trait plasticity by studying single predator–prey pairs and testing the performance of individuals having induced and noninduced phenotypes. This research has thus been critical in improving our understanding of the adaptive value of trait plasticity and its widespread occurrence across species and community types. More recently, researchers have expanded this foundation by examining how the complexity of organismal design and community‐level properties can shape plasticity in functional traits. In addition, researchers have begun to merge evolutionary and ecological perspectives by linking trait plasticity to community dynamics, with particular attention on trait‐mediated indirect interactions. Here, we review recent studies on inducible morphological plasticity in predators and their prey with an emphasis on internal and external constraints and how the nature of predator–prey interactions influences the expression of inducible phenotypes. In particular, we focus on multiple‐trait plasticity, flexibility and modification of inducible plasticity, and reciprocal plasticity between predator and prey. Based on our arguments on these issues, we propose future research directions that should better integrate evolutionary and population studies and thus improve our understanding of the role of phenotypic plasticity in predator–prey population and community dynamics.
Estimation of epiphytic biomass and nutrient pools in the subtropical montane cloud forest in the Ailao Mountains, south‐western China
Authors: Chen Lin , Liu Wen‐yao , Wang Gao‐sheng
Published: November 2009

Canopy organic matter (COM) composed of epiphyte community exists as a complex subsystem in the montane cloud forest (MCF). We estimated the biomass and nutrient pools of COM in a subtropical MCF in the Ailao Mountain National Nature Reserve (NNR). The diameter at breast height (DBH) of host trees was the best parameter in the estimation of epiphytic biomass, compared to the height (H) of host trees and the combination of both parameters. The effect of host tree species was negligible in the estimation. Therefore, it was concluded that the DBH data of all trees of a forest regardless of species was a suitable index for the non‐destructive estimation of epiphytic biomass in field surveys, especially for investigations of larger study areas. According to species‐specific equations, the total COM biomass was estimated to be 2,261 ± 537 (SD) kg ha−1, which was dominated by bryophytes (73.6%) and canopy humus (13.9%). The greatest proportion of COM was located on the inner branches (52.2%), followed by outer branches, trunks, the understory, and branch junctions. The nutrient pools (mean ± SD, kg ha−1) of the COM were: N = 37.9 ± 9.0, P = 1.97 ± 0.47, K = 9.6 ± 2.3, Ca = 9.6 ± 2.3, Mg = 2.64 ± 0.63 and Na = 0.25 ± 0.06. Assessments of epiphytic biomass and nutrient capital supported the idea that the canopy subsystem holds a substantial pool of nutrients, especially when compared to the labile components of the forest ecosystem.
Use of the SAW Sensor Electronic Nose for Detecting the Adulteration of Virgin Coconut Oil with RBD Palm Kernel Olein
Authors: Marina A. M. , Che Man Y. B. , Amin I.
Published: November 2009

An electronic nose (zNose™) was applied to the detection of adulteration of virgin coconut oil. The system, which is based on a surface acoustic wave sensor was used to generate a pattern of volatile compounds present in the samples. Virgin coconut oil was mixed with refined, bleached and deodorized palm kernel olein at a level of adulteration from 1 to 20% (wt/wt). Adulterant peaks were identified from the chromatogram profile and fitted to a curve using linear regression. The best relationship (R2 = 0.91) was obtained between the peak tentatively identified as methyl dodecanoate and the percentage of palm kernel olein added. Pearson's correlation coefficients (r) of 0.92 and 0.89 were obtained between adulterant peak methyl dodecanoate and of the iodine and peroxide values, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to differentiate between pure and adulterated samples. The PCA provided good differentiation of samples with 74% of the variation accounted for by PC 1 and 17% accounted for by PC 2. Pure samples formed a separate cluster from all of the adulterated samples.
Computational Study of Macroscopic Properties of Macromolecules with Industrial Interest
Authors: Burusco Kepa K. , Jaime Carlos , Franch‐Lage Felicidad , Beltran Lluís , Granero Francesc
Published: November 2009

There is an increasing demand on the market for environmentally compatible lubricants. Refined vegetable oils have been used as biolubricants, but synthetic esters from renewable resources could also be considered as biolubricants, and can be prepared by combining different alcohols with linear or branched fatty acids. A tool has been developed to predict the properties of esters based on the chemical structure. A multilinear approach was used to correlate the experimental viscosity with theoretical parameters (diffusion coefficient, dipole moment and solvation energy) calculated from the expected chemical structure with a high degree of correlation.
Genetik des atopischen Ekzems
Authors: Marenholz I. , Lee Y.A.
Published: November 2009

Das atopische Ekzem (AE) – auch atopische Dermatitis – ist eine chronisch-entzündliche Erkrankung der Haut, zu deren Charakteristika starker Juckreiz, eine gestörten Hautbarriere und die Bildung von IgE-Antikörpern (Immunglobulin E) gegen Umweltallergene zählen. Das AE ist eine multifaktoriell-polygene Erkrankung, die genetische Prädisposition und der Einfluss von Umweltfaktoren gelten seit langem als entscheidende Auslöser. Dennoch stellt die Aufdeckung der Krankheitsursachen aufgrund der Vielzahl der beteiligten Gene und Umwelteinflüsse sowie deren möglicher Interaktionen eine enorme Herausforderung für die Wissenschaft dar. Der vorliegende Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über den aktuellen Stand der Genetik des AE, über jüngste Erfolge und mögliche Probleme. Vor allem die Identifizierung einer genetischen Ursache des Hautbarrieredefekts hat unser Verständnis des AE in den letzten Jahren entscheidend vorangebracht und könnte zu neuen Ansätzen in dessen Prävention und Therapie führen.
Stretching the umbrella: NATO's eastern expansion
Authors: Barany Zoltan
Published: November 2009

This article discusses how obtaining membership in NATO has played a role in advancing Western values in former Warsaw Pact countries over the last 20 years. The author elaborates on why it was desirable for these post-Communist governments to attain NATO membership, and how the membership of these former Cold War enemies has since fundamentally expanded the strategy of the organisation. Analysis points to the conclusion that the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 on the US compelled NATO to evolve again in its strategy and priorities, and once again triggered NATO expansion.
Down‐regulation of murine testicular 17β‐HSD3 and hepatic CYP1A2 enzymes by a bovine testes extract
Authors: Chatuphonprasert Waranya , Thadsri Tawiphark , Jarukamjorn Kanokwan
Published: November 2009

Purpose

We investigated the effects of a bovine testes extract (BTE), which was developed as an alternative product for andropausal men, on expression of testicular enzymes responsible for sex hormone synthesis genes and a carcinogen activation related gene.

Methods

Expression of testicular CYP1A2, CYP11A1, CYP17, 3β‐HSD, and 17β‐HSD3 mRNAs as well as hepatic CYP1A2 mRNA were semi‐quantitatively determined by RT‐PCR. In addition, expression of hepatic CYP1A2 protein and methoxyresorufinO‐demethylase activity were carried out.

Results

Bovine testes extract did not alter the testicular expression of CYP11A1, CYP17, and 3β‐HSD mRNAs, while that of CYP11A1 was significantly down‐regulated by testosterone. Interestingly, administration of BTE for 3 weeks significantly suppressed testicular 17β‐HSD3 and hepatic CYP1A2 mRNA. Correspondingly, methoxyresorufinO‐demethylase (MROD) activity and expression of hepatic CYP1A2 protein were significantly decreased.

Conclusions

These findings strongly suggested considering risks versus benefits and raised concerns regarding the use of BTE as an alternative medication or health supplement in andropausal men due to its potential for suppressing expression of both 17β‐HSD3 and CYP1A2 mRNAs, testicular enzymes responsible for sex hormone gene synthesis.
Giving wings to logic: Mary Everest Boole's propagation and fulfilment of a legacy
Authors: VALENTE K. G.
Published: November 2009

In his influential Laws of Thought (1854), the mathematician George Boole presented a formulation of logic using algebraic expressions and manipulations. His widow, Mary Everest Boole, undertook an ambitious project of disseminating his ideas by introducing lay audiences to the law of pulsation, a prescription for correct reasoning that incorporates two of his fundamental insights. Contemporary scholarship presents a fragmented picture of Mary Boole, regarding her largely as a source of information on the religio-psychological impetus for her husband's contributions to logic, among other matters. Some studies rightly acknowledge that her better-known commentary on educational reform relates to a promotion of the Laws of Thought, yet these typically fail to expand on how she articulated such relationships for readers. This paper provides a more complete understanding of her efforts by examining texts on various subjects motivated by a dedication to propagating as much as fulfilling the intellectual legacy she associated with her husband. In doing so it considers her interventions – like those undertaken by other Victorian women who sought to cultivate scientific enterprises – within a contextual framework broad enough to include strategic responses to cultural realities and possibilities.
Introduction: Labour Institutions in a Global Perspective, from the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Century
Authors: Stanziani Alessandro
Published: November 2009

Comparative analyses of labour often assume a dividing line between free and forced labour which is universally applicable. The contributions to this special theme argue that the tensions between “freedom” and “unfreedom” may be identified more precisely as those between multiple notions and practices of contract, status, and social conditions. Free and unfree labour on the one hand, status and contract on the other, are historically determined categories. This introduction argues that those histories do not run in parallel but are strictly intersected. From that point of view, social and economic inequalities are mutually linked to legal entitlements; a modification in legal entitlements strongly influences the economic and social equilibrium, and vice versa. Underlying this conclusion is a perspective that is resolutely non-Eurocentric and global. We do not endeavour to find the “missing” freedom of contract in the “periphery”, nor do we consider the “cultural” and economic domination of “the West” as a starting point. We stress instead the mutual connection between “peripheries” and “core” categories and practices. Such a bilateral circulation of ideas and practices contrasts with the argument according to which “the West” invented “freedom” and coercion as well.
The Legal Status of Labour from the Seventeenth to the Nineteenth Century: Russia in a Comparative European Perspective
Authors: Stanziani Alessandro
Published: November 2009

Since at least the eighteenth century, free labour in “the West” has been contrasted with serf labour in Russia and “eastern Europe”. This paper intends to call that view into question and to show that serfdom was never officially institutionalized in Russia, and that the regulations usually invoked to justify that opinion were actually intended not to “bind” the peasantry but to identify noble estate owners, as distinct from nobles in state service or the “bourgeoisie”. However, it is a matter not only of legal definitions. This paper studies how the tsarist administration, nobles, and peasants themselves made use of courts of law in order to contest ownership titles and, on that basis, the obligations and legal status of peasants and workers. Great changes had occurred in their legal status before the official abolition of serfdom in 1861, in outcomes that were rather similar to those which had been recently achieved in the “second serfdom” in Prussia, Lithuania, and Poland. In turn, that means that such labour contracts and institutions were not the opposites of “free labour” contracts and institutions, which placed many more constraints on workers than is usually acknowledged. To prove the point, we compare tsarist regulations with the Master and Servants Acts and indenture in Britain and its Empire and with French regulations on labour, domesticity, and day labourers.
Finding Captain Swing: Protest, Parish Relations, and the State of the Public Mind in 1830
Authors: Jones Peter
Published: November 2009

From the 1950s to the 1970s, the study of English popular protest was dominated by the work of Eric Hobsbawm, George Rudé, and Edward Thompson, and it is no exaggeration to suggest that their combined approach became the standard against which all subsequent work was judged. It was seminal, innovative and crucial to the emergence of a new “history from below”. But it was, to a degree, also formulaic: it relied on a trusted framework that historians have since struggled to deviate from. Through a detailed investigation of a set of disturbances in Berkshire, England during the so-called “Swing riots”, this essay seeks to demonstrate that a continued reliance on this model can be seen to have stifled a more nuanced understanding of particular “moments” of protest in the locality, and in doing so it places a much greater emphasis on local social – and in particular, parochial – relations than has previously been the case. In sum, within the context of late-Hanoverian popular protest, this essay is a plea for a new “history from within” to supplement the (now venerable) tradition of “history from below”.
Swing, Swing Redivivus, or Something After Swing? On the Death Throes of a Protest Movement, December 1830–December 1833
Authors: Griffin Carl J.
Published: November 2009

Published in 1969, Hobsbawm and Rudé’s Captain Swing remains the sole national account of the so-called “Swing riots” that diffused throughout most of rural southern, central, and eastern England in the autumn and winter of 1830. Whilst much revisionist work has been published since, Hobsbawm and Rudé’s contention that Swing’s brutal judicial repression effectively ended the protests has remained essentially unchallenged. Through an archival re-examination of the resort to protest between the 1830 trials and December 1833, this paper contends that the received understanding that Swing was crushed is too simplistic. In some locales, Swing maintained its momentum, in others it revived. Swing also morphed into different forms, both real and phantasmagorical. But the intensity of protests did decline. By the autumn of 1833, protests were less frequent, now representing a fractured, isolated spatiality instead of a coherent protest campaign.
Freedom, Precariousness, and the Law: Freed Persons Contracting out their Labour in Nineteenth-Century Brazil
Authors: Lima Henrique Espada
Published: November 2009

This essay discusses the relationship between Brazilian labour laws and the labour arrangements entered into by former slaves (libertos – freed persons) in Brazil during the nineteenth century. It discusses firstly how the definition of “contract” was important in guiding the labour laws on Brazilian national and immigrant workers, as well as on former slaves. By analysing a sample of labour contracts entered into by freed persons and recorded in the archives of notaries in the southern Brazilian city of Desterro (now Florianópolis) between the 1840s and 1887, this essay discusses too the conflicted meanings of “freedom of labour” to freed persons and their employers. It attempts further to show how efforts to deal with precariousness were central to the strategies of freed persons and the negotiations underlying those contracts. Finally, this essay aims to understand the possible reasons for the disappearance of the contracts from notarial records after the end of slavery.
Captain Swing: A Retrospect
Authors: Randall Adrian
Published: November 2009

Captain Swing, authored by Eric Hobsbawm and George Rudé and published in 1969, was one of the key texts in the development of the new British social history of the 1960s and 1970s. On its fortieth anniversary, this introduction to the special theme looks back at the significance and impact that Captain Swing had, and continues to have, on the study of popular protest. The author locates the approach taken by its writers within the political and historiographical context of its time and examines how successive historians – including the two authors following this retrospect – have built upon and challenged the arguments which the book advanced.
Literature as History: The Lives and Deaths of Richard Milhous Slurrie and Walter Bodmor Nixon
Authors: SWIRSKI PETER
Published: November 2009

The enduring success of any roman-à-clef owes to the ghost of the real world lurking, like a palimpsest, behind the storyworld. Barring a few counterfactual twists, Richard Condon's Death of a Politician follows the chequered career of a dead-ringer for Richard Milhous Nixon through the war-scam 1940s, the red scare 1950s, and the freewheeling-dealing 1960s. Square the revisionist drive of Condon's political fiction with the premise of historical veracity, and you may wonder where sober fact ends and fiction begins. How much of Nixon lies in Walter Bodmor Slurrie? How much of Nixon's banker and confidant “Bebe” Rebozo lies in Slurrie's banker and confidant “Kiddo” Cardozo? How much of the Miami mobster Mayer Lansky lies in Cardozo's boss, Miami mobster Abner Danzig? How much of their crass venality and control is the figment of Condon's imagination? Better still, how much is true? In my article I set out to answer all these questions, using Condon's roman-à-clef as a springboard for analysis of salient aspects of the Nixon presidency and of American electoral politics in general.
Schistosomiasis and neglected tropical diseases: towards integrated and sustainable control and a word of caution
Authors: UTZINGER J. , RASO G. , BROOKER S. , DE SAVIGNY D. , TANNER M. , ØRNBJERG N. , SINGER B. H. , N'GORAN E. K.
Published: November 2009

In May 2001, the World Health Assembly (WHA) passed a resolution which urged member states to attain, by 2010, a minimum target of regularly administering anthelminthic drugs to at least 75% and up to 100% of all school-aged children at risk of morbidity. The refined global strategy for the prevention and control of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis was issued in the following year and large-scale administration of anthelminthic drugs endorsed as the central feature. This strategy has subsequently been termed ‘preventive chemotherapy’. Clearly, the 2001 WHA resolution led the way for concurrently controlling multiple neglected tropical diseases. In this paper, we recall the schistosomiasis situation in Africa in mid-2003. Adhering to strategic guidelines issued by the World Health Organization, we estimate the projected annual treatment needs with praziquantel among the school-aged population and critically discuss these estimates. The important role of geospatial tools for disease risk mapping, surveillance and predictions for resource allocation is emphasised. We clarify that schistosomiasis is only one of many neglected tropical diseases and that considerable uncertainties remain regarding global burden estimates. We examine new control initiatives targeting schistosomiasis and other tropical diseases that are often neglected. The prospect and challenges of integrated control are discussed and the need for combining biomedical, educational and engineering strategies and geospatial tools for sustainable disease control are highlighted. We conclude that, for achieving integrated and sustainable control of neglected tropical diseases, a set of interventions must be tailored to a given endemic setting and fine-tuned over time in response to the changing nature and impact of control. Consequently, besides the environment, the prevailing demographic, health and social systems contexts need to be considered.
Neuroticism as a common dimension in the internalizing disorders
Authors: Griffith J. W. , Zinbarg R. E. , Craske M. G. , Mineka S. , Rose R. D. , Waters A. M. , Sutton J. M.
Published: November 2009

Background

Several theories have posited a common internalizing factor to help account for the relationship between mood and anxiety disorders. These disorders are often co-morbid and strongly covary. Other theories and data suggest that personality traits may account, at least in part, for co-morbidity between depression and anxiety. The present study examined the relationship between neuroticism and an internalizing dimension common to mood and anxiety disorders.

Method

A sample of ethnically diverse adolescents (n=621) completed self-report and peer-report measures of neuroticism. Participants also completed the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID).

Results

Structural equation modeling showed that a single internalizing factor was common to lifetime diagnosis of mood and anxiety disorders, and this internalizing factor was strongly correlated with neuroticism. Neuroticism had a stronger correlation with an internalizing factor (r=0.98) than with a substance use factor (r=0.29). Therefore, neuroticism showed both convergent and discriminant validity.

Conclusions

These results provide further evidence that neuroticism is a necessary factor in structural theories of mood and anxiety disorders. In this study, the correlation between internalizing psychopathology and neuroticism approached 1.0, suggesting that neuroticism may be the core of internalizing psychopathology. Future studies are needed to examine this possibility in other populations, and to replicate our findings.
Affective symptoms as predictors of Alzheimer's disease in subjects with mild cognitive impairment: a 10-year follow-up study
Authors: Ramakers I. H. G. B. , Visser P. J. , Aalten P. , Kester A. , Jolles J. , Verhey F. R. J.
Published: November 2009

Background

Affective symptoms are common in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), but there is disagreement whether these symptoms are predictive for Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated the predictive accuracy of affective symptoms for AD during a follow-up study in subjects with MCI, and whether the predictive accuracy was modified by age, the presence of amnestic MCI or the length of follow-up.

Method

Newly referred subjects (n=263) with MCI older than 55 years were selected from a memory clinic and followed up after 2, 5 and 10 years. Predictors investigated were: symptoms of depression, anxiety, apathy and sleeping problems.

Results

Affective symptoms were present in 50–70% of the subjects. The average follow-up period was 5.4 years and 79 subjects (29%) developed AD. Sleeping problems were associated with a decreased risk for AD [odds ratio (OR) 0.35,p<0.001]. Symptoms of depression (OR 0.61,p=0.059) and anxiety (OR 0.58,p=0.051) showed a trend in the same direction. The OR of apathy for AD was 0.67 (p=0.14). Depression was associated with a decreased risk for AD only in subjects without amnestic MCI, but not in subjects with amnestic MCI. Moreover, anxiety was related to the risk for AD differently between subjects diagnosed with AD at the 5-year follow-up (OR 0.23) and subjects diagnosed with AD at the 10-year follow-up (OR 1.7).

Conclusions

Affective symptoms are associated with a decreased risk for AD. The risk may be dependent on MCI subtype or length of follow-up, but it does not depend on age.
Job insecurity, socio-economic circumstances and depression
Authors: Meltzer H. , Bebbington P. , Brugha T. , Jenkins R. , McManus S. , Stansfeld S.
Published: November 2009

Background

Economic recessions are characterized by job insecurity and rising unemployment. The relationship between job insecurity and poor mental health is known. However, we do not know how this relationship is affected by individual socio-economic circumstances.

Method

A random probability sample comprising 3581 respondents (1746 men and 1835 women) were selected from the third national survey of psychiatric morbidity in Great Britain. Fieldwork was carried out throughout 2007. Depression was assessed using the revised Clinical Interview Schedule and ICD-10 research diagnostic criteria administered by well-trained lay interviewers.

Results

One-fifth of all working men and women aged 16–64 years felt that their job security was poor. From a multivariate analysis of several job stressors, there was an increased likelihood of depression among those agreeing that their job security was poor [odds ratio (OR) 1.58, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.22–2.06,p<0.001]. After controlling for age and sex, job insecurity (OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.47–2.35,p<0.001) and being in debt (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.58–2.98,p<0.001) were independently associated with depression.

Conclusions

Job insecurity has a strong association with feelings of depression even after controlling for biographic characteristics (age and sex), economic factors (personal debt) and work characteristics (type of work and level of responsibility). Despite the organizational changes needed to cope with a recession, employers should also take note of the additional distress experienced by workers at a time of great uncertainty, particularly those in less skilled jobs and in financial straits.
What Is Comparative Political Theory?
Authors: March Andrew F.
Published: November 2009

This paper examines what is involved in using comparative methods within political theory and whether there should be a comparative political theory subfield. It argues that political theory consists of multiple kinds of activities that are either primarily “scholarly” or “engaged.” It is easy to imagine how scholarly forms of political theory can be, and have been, comparative. The paper critiques (not rejects) existing calls for the creation of a comparative political theory subfield focused on the study of non-Western texts. Comparative political theory needs to explain why it is not merely expanding the canon to include non-Western texts and why a certain non-Western text is “alien,” thus justifying the monikercomparative. Ten discrete theses are presented that argue that the strongest warrant for anengagedcomparative political theory is the first-order evaluation of the implication of the contestations of norms, values, and principles between distinct and coherent doctrines of thought.
Liberal Democracy and the Right to Religious Freedom
Authors: Perry Michael J.
Published: November 2009

The Roman Catholic Church was famously late to embrace the right to religious freedom. Some have plausibly maintained that when, in 1965, the cardinals and bishops at the Second Vatican Council overwhelmingly adopted the Declaration on Religious Freedom—known by the first two words of its official Latin version:Dignitatis Humanae—the church betrayed one of its most traditional and established theological teachings. The right to religious freedom, according to international law, rests in part on respect for human dignity. Thus there is a prima facie link between the liberal democratic justification and the church's 1965 justification. But, as I will argue, the appeal to human dignity is not a preserve of modern liberal democracy. Indeed, we can imagine a government that limits religious freedom because it wishes to save souls, and this precisely out of a respect for human dignity. A similar view was held by the pre-Vatican II church. Thus the appeal to human dignity is not evidence of a fundamental shift by the church. What then does account for the church's undeniable change of direction? Human dignityby itselfcannot provide the fundamental justification for the right to religious freedom. Another ingredient is needed: distrust, born of long historical experience, of government authority to adjudicate questions of religious truth. The church inDignitatis Humanaeaccepted this lesson of history, a lesson available to believers of a variety of stripes as well as nonbelievers.