bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Body mass index and thromboembolism in children with hematological malignancies
Authors: Tuckuviene Ruta , Christensen Anette L. , Chan Anthony K.C. , Athale Uma
Published: January 2012

We evaluated the effects of body mass index (BMI) on the risk of thromboembolism (TE) in children (<18 years) with hematological malignancies during the period 1990–2009 (n = 359). Obesity was prevalent in 12% of patients: 6% versus 17% prior to and after the year 2000 (P = 0.02). Sixty‐one (17%) patients developed TE; increasing BMI was associated with increased, but statistically insignificant risk of TE [adjusted odds ratios (OR): 0.75 (95%CI 0.32–1.77), 0.93 (95%CI 0.38–2.30), and 1.01(95%CI 0.42–2.41) for underweight, overweight, and obese group]. A large prospective study is needed to define the impact of BMI on the risk of TE in children. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2012;59:320–322. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Organic solar cell materials and active layer designs—improvements with carbon nanotubes: a review
Authors: Ratier Bernard , Nunzi Jean‐Michel , Aldissi Matt , Kraft Thomas M , Buncel Erwin
Published: January 2012

Organic solar cells offer an opportunity to diversify renewable energy sources owing to their low technological cost. They are amenable to large surfaces and can easily be integrated into buildings. It is necessary, however, to improve their energy efficiency and durability for the development of a sustainable technology. In these devices, photovoltaic conversion is based on the separation of photogenerated charges at an interface between electron donor and acceptor materials, which imposes some constraints on the photoactive layer of the cells. In this paper, which includes some of our studies, we address optimization of the active layer: absorption and exciton dissociation steps, the open‐circuit voltage and the active layer morphology. A promising direction proposed to improve the active layer morphology and cell efficiency is the incorporation of highly anisotropic nanoparticles such as carbon nanotubes, which may facilitate charge transport to the electrodes. Dispersion and orientation of the nanotubes in the organic matrix are discussed and we suggest an ideal model polymer solar cell which will maximize performance of the cells by using carbon nanotubes in the active layer. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry
Correlated Electrical and Optical Studies of Hybrid Argon Gas–Water Plasmas and their Application to Tooth Whitening
Authors: Kim Myoung Soo , Koo Il Gyo , Choi Myeong Yeol , Jung Jae‐Chul , Eldali Fathala , Lee Jae Koo , Collins George J.
Published: January 2012

Radio frequency (RF) driven hybrid gas–water plasma for tooth whitening was developed and the plasma chemical reactions with de‐ionized (DI) water were studied. Plasma operating conditions, such as RF input power and argon flow rate were correlated with plasma lengths. The operation of hybrid gas–water plasma changed both the electrical conductivity and pH concentration of the DI water. OH and H2O2 densities were measured to determine the dominant species generated by plasma. The major chemical reaction pathways and known rate constants are given in support of the analysis of major chemical reaction pathways. Finally, we demonstrated that the hybrid gas–water configuration achieved porcine tooth whitening.

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Spin‐flip transition and non‐one‐dimensional magnetic coupling in quasi‐one‐dimensional oxygen deficient Sr6Co5O15–δ
Authors: Li H. N. , Sun Z. Y. , Xia Z. C. , Huang J. W. , Xiao L. X. , Peng L. P. , Wu Y. Y. , Du G. H. , Ouyang Z. W. , Li L. , Huang Y. , Chen P. R.
Published: January 2012

High‐quality single‐crystal Sr6Co5O15–δ (δ = 1.33) was successfully synthesized with a flux method. Detailed crystalline structure was determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction at 298 K, which revealed a quasi‐one‐dimensional Co–O chain‐like structure of this oxygen‐deficient material. The magnetizations were measured in a pulsed high magnetic field up to 32 T and with a Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS). A large anisotropy and a distinct spin‐flip transition were observed in the magnetization behavior. Theoretical calculation based on Botana's results suggests that interchain interaction (non‐one‐dimensional magnetic coupling) plays an important role in the magnetic properties of Sr6Co5O15–δ.
Antidepressant‐like Effect of Magnolol on BDNF Up‐regulation and Serotonergic System Activity in Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress Treated Rats
Authors: Li Lu‐Fan , Lu Jie , Li Xiu‐Min , Xu Chang‐Liang , Deng Ji‐Min , Qu Rong , Ma Shi‐Ping
Published: January 2012

Magnolol is the main constituent identified in the barks of Magnolia officinalis, which has been used for the treatment of mental disorders including depression in China. In this study, we investigated the antidepressant‐like effect of magnolol, and its possible mechanisms in rats subjected to unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS). High performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC‐ECD) and immunohistochemical staining analysis were applied to explore the mechanisms underlying the antidepressant‐like effect of magnolol. Magnolol (20, 40 mg/kg) significantly reversed UCMS‐induced reduction in sucrose consumption and deficiency in locomotor activity. In addition, it was observed that administration of magnolol (20, 40 mg/kg) restored brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression, and normalized the serotonergic system changes in the UCMS‐treated rats. These results confirmed the antidepressant‐like effect of magnolol, which might be based primarily on its ability to increase the BDNF expression and enhance the activity of the serotonergic system in rat brains. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Autonomous Go‐and‐Touch Exploration (AGATE)
Authors: Seelinger Michael , Yoder John‐David , Baumgartner Eric T.
Published: January 2012

This paper presents work done to enable a mobile manipulator to autonomously place, its tool with high accuracy and reliability, relative to a visually distinctive target. The work is novel in that the cameras are not calibrated a priori, rather, the system calibrates the cameras by moving the manipulator through the field of view, and the algorithm combines motion of the mobile base and the manipulator in order to achieve the task. Although not creating a globally improved camera calibration, the method provides very high precision in positioning a mobile manipulator relative to a visually selected target. The work was motivated by a desire to increase the precision and efficiency of the Mars exploration rovers (MER), allowing more science to be carried out in the same span of time. In addition to the algorithm, the paper describes a large number of experiments used to show the effectiveness of the method. For the experiments described in this paper, the starting distance of the rover relative to the point of interest ranged from about 2 to 8 m. Depending on the distance of traverse required, the rover had to use one to three sets of stereo cameras. Over a large range of distances, and many experiments, the system was shown to be robust and accurate. The paper further breaks down the sources of error and examines their importance based on a large number of experiments. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
STATIS and DISTATIS: optimum multitable principal component analysis and three way metric multidimensional scaling
Authors: Abdi Hervé , Williams Lynne J. , Valentin Domininique , Bennani‐Dosse Mohammed
Published: January 2012

STATIS is an extension of principal component analysis (PCA) tailored to handle multiple data tables that measure sets of variables collected on the same observations, or, alternatively, as in a variant called dual‐STATIS, multiple data tables where the same variables are measured on different sets of observations. STATIS proceeds in two steps: First it analyzes the between data table similarity structure and derives from this analysis an optimal set of weights that are used to compute a linear combination of the data tables called the compromise that best represents the information common to the different data tables; Second, the PCA of this compromise gives an optimal map of the observations. Each of the data tables also provides a map of the observations that is in the same space as the optimum compromise map. In this article, we present STATIS, explain the criteria that it optimizes, review the recent inferential extensions to STATIS and illustrate it with a detailed example.

We also review, and present in a common framework, the main developments of STATIS such as (1) X‐STATIS or partial triadic analysis (PTA) which is used when all data tables collect the same variables measured on the same observations (e.g., at different times or locations), (2) COVSTATIS, which handles multiple covariance matrices collected on the same observations, (3) DISTATIS, which handles multiple distance matrices collected on the same observations and generalizes metric multidimensional scaling to three way distance matrices, (4) Canonical‐STATIS (CANOSTATIS), which generalizes discriminant analysis and combines it with DISTATIS to analyze multitable discriminant analysis problems, (5) power‐STATIS, which uses alternative criteria to find STATIS optimal weights, (6) ANISOSTATIS, which extends STATIS to give specific weights to each variable rather than to each whole table, (7) (K + 1)‐STATIS (or external‐STATIS), which extends STATIS (and PLS‐methods and Tucker inter battery analysis) to the analysis of the relationships of several data sets and one external data set, and (8) double‐STATIS (or DO‐ACT), which generalizes (K + 1)‐STATIS and analyzes two sets of data tables, and STATIS‐4, which generalizes double‐STATIS to more than two sets of data.

These recent developments are illustrated by small examples. WIREs Comput Stat 2012, 4:124–167. doi: 10.1002/wics.198

This article is categorized under:

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Dimension Reduction

Statistical Learning and Exploratory Methods of the Data Sciences > Exploratory Data Analysis

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Analysis of High Dimensional Data
Diorganotin(IV) Complexes of Methyl 2‐{[(E)‐8‐Oxo‐5, 8‐dihydroquinolin‐5‐ylidene]hydrazino}benzoate
Authors: Basu Baul Tushar S. , Mizar Archana , Ruisi Giuseppe , Tiekink Edward R. T.
Published: January 2012

Three cis‐bis{5‐[(E)‐2‐(2‐carbomethoxyphenyl)‐1‐diazenyl]quinolinolato}‐diorganotin(IV), R2Sn(L)2, complexes [R = Me (1), Ph (2) and Bz (3)] were synthesized and characterizedby 1H‐, 13C‐, 119Sn‐ NMR, IR, and 119Sn Mössbauer spectroscopic techniques in combination with elemental analysis. The structure of diphenyltin(IV) complex Ph2Sn(L)2 (2) was determined by single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography as its tri‐benzene solvate. Each complex was found to adopt a distorted cis‐R2 octahedral arrangement around the tin atom with the quinolinolato ligands being N,O‐chelating; the oxygen atoms are trans to each other. The complexes retain their solid‐state structure in non‐coordinating solvents as evidenced by119Sn‐NMR spectroscopy.
Case‐Based Learning in Surgery: Lessons Learned
Authors: Nordquist Jonas , Sundberg Kristina , Johansson Linda , Sandelin Kerstin , Nordenström Jörgen
Published: January 2012

Background

The aim of the study was to obtain a deepened understanding of the implementation process of case‐based learning (CBL) during a surgical semester at the Undergraduate Medical Program at Karolinska Institutet. The objectives are to identify the level of success of the implementation and to identify practical and theoretical implications of importance in connection to the process.

Methods

Based on a qualitative study design, the study explores students’ and teachers’ perceptions of the educational intervention CBL in context. Five faculty members involved in the entire reform and five students from the second cohort were interviewed 1 year into the implementation phase. Narrative data from the semistructured interviews were coded using a blend of an inductive and deductive approach to derive the coding categories.

Results

The results of the study reflect two overarching themes: the importance of a well‐functioning implementation process and the misalignment between the student/faculty Teaching Learning Regime and the attributes of CBL. The findings have resulted in a checklist for implementation of CBL in a surgical curriculum.

Conclusions

The implementation of CBL was not satisfactory. Still, exposure of the weaknesses of the implementation process, the misalignment between CBL and the reigning teaching and learning regime, and promotion of the future use of the checklist are key to future successful implementation of CBL in any surgical undergraduate curriculum.
Physicochemical Properties, Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen Seed Oil
Authors: Lianhe Zheng , Xing Huang , Li Wang , Zhengxing Chen
Published: January 2012

The heartwood or root of Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen is an important traditional medicine in Asia. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the physicochemical properties, chemical composition and antioxidant activity of Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen seed oil. Oil, protein, carbohydrate, moisture, ash and total phenolic contents were found to be 12.96, 26.86, 42.58, 13.70, 3.90 and 5.55%, respectively. Free fatty acids, iodine number, peroxide value, saponification number and unsaponifiable matter were 1.66%, 106.53 g/100 g, 5.07 meq O2/Kg, 196.78 mg KOH/g and 1.70%, respectively. The oil showed high absorbance in the UV‐B and UV‐C ranges with potential for use as a broad spectrum UV protectant. The major fatty acids were linoleic acid (60.03%), oleic acid (17.48%) and palmitic acid (16.72%). The total tocopherol, total phenolics and β‐carotene were 511.9, 351.1 and 62.2 mg/kg oil, respectively. In addition, the methanol extract of seed oil showed significant in vitro antioxidant activity in four assays including DPPH radical scavenging activity, reducing power, linoleic acid peroxidation inhibition and chelating activity. This study suggests that Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen seed oil has the potential to be used in new products in the functional food, cosmetic or pharmaceutical industries.
Functional outcome following intramedullary nailing or plate and screw fixation of paediatric diaphyseal forearm fractures: A systematic review
Authors: Westacott Daniel J. , Jordan Robert W. , Cooke Stephen J.
Published: January 2012

Purpose

Unstable paediatric diaphyseal both-bone forearm fractures requiring fixation have traditionally been treated with rigid internal fixation with plate and screws. Intramedullary stabilisation has grown in popularity over the last 25 years but may be associated with rotational deformity and subsequent loss of pronosupination. This systematic review aims to establish which treatment method provides better functional outcome.

Methods

A systematic review of the published literature was performed, searching Medline, Embase, Pubmed and the Cochrane Library for English-language studies comparing intramedullary nailing with plate and screws in patients less than 18 years old with both-bone diaphyseal forearm fractures.

Results

Seven studies met the inclusion criteria. They were all retrospective comparative studies (level III or IV). One was age- and sex-matched. Three looked specifically at older children. No study reported a significant difference in functional outcome with either treatment.

Conclusions

The currently available literature shows no difference in functional outcome between intramedullary nailing and plate and screw fixation, even in older children with less remodelling potential. Intramedullary nailing may therefore be the treatment of choice for simple fracture patterns due to shorter operative time, better cosmesis and ease of removal. Plating may still have a role in more complex injuries.
Moral Leadership in Medicine
Authors: Shale Suzanne
Published: January 2012

What are the moral challenges that confront doctors as they manage healthcare institutions? How do we build trust in medical organisations? How do we conceptualize moral action? Based on accounts given by senior doctors from organisations throughout the UK, this book discusses the issues medical leaders find most troubling and identifies the moral tensions they face. Moral Leadership in Medicine examines in detail how doctors protect patients' interests, implement morally controversial change, manage colleagues in difficulty and rebuild trust after serious medical harm. The book discusses how leaders develop moral narratives to make sense of these situations, how they behave while balancing conflicting moral goals and how they influence those around them to do the right thing in difficult circumstances. Based on empirical ethical analysis, this volume is essential reading for clinicians in leadership roles and students and academics in the fields of healthcare management, medical law and healthcare ethics.
The International Ambitions of Mao and Nehru
Authors: Kennedy Andrew
Published: January 2012

Why do leaders sometimes challenge, rather than accept, the international structures that surround their states? In The International Ambitions of Mao and Nehru, Andrew Kennedy answers this question through in-depth studies of Chinese foreign policy under Mao Zedong and Indian foreign policy under Jawaharlal Nehru. Drawing on international relations theory and psychological research, Kennedy offers a new theoretical explanation for bold leadership in foreign policy, one that stresses the beliefs that leaders develop about the 'national efficacy' of their states. He shows how this approach illuminates several of Mao and Nehru's most important military and diplomatic decisions, drawing on archival evidence and primary source materials from China, India, the United States and the United Kingdom. A rare blend of theoretical innovation and historical scholarship, The International Ambitions of Mao and Nehru is a fascinating portrait of how foreign policy decisions are made.
Roman Catholics in England
Authors: Hornsby-Smith Michael P.
Published: January 2012

This book is about change in the Roman Catholic community in England and Wales. It argues that in the post-war years of economic growth and expanded educational opportunities, Catholics born in Great Britain achieved rates of upward social mobility comparable to those of the general population. In so doing there arose a 'new Catholic middle class', likely to be crucial for the future of Roman Catholicism in England and Wales. However, since one quarter of English Catholics were first-generation immigrants who had experienced some downward mobility, it could not be said that English Catholics generally had experienced a 'mobility momentum' relative to the rest of the population. Apart from the effects of social change, post-war Catholicism was also transformed as a result of the religious reforms legitimated by the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s. The net effect of these social and religious forces on English Catholicism was the dissolution of the boundaries which had formerly defended a 'fortress' church in a hostile world. The book identifies this, inter alia, in the widespread heterodoxy of belief and practice, and in the decline of marital endogamy and communal involvement.
Representative Words
Authors: Gustafson Thomas
Published: January 2012

Ralph Waldo Emerson's dictum - 'The corruption of man is followed by the corruption of language' - belongs to a long tradition of writing connecting political disorders and the corruption of language that stretches back in Western culture. Representative Words, which gives an account of the tradition from its classical and Christian origins through the Enlightenment, is primarily a study of how and why Americans renewed and developed it between the ages of the Revolutionary and the Civil Wars. It is the first comprehensive treatment of the background to and the appearance of the wealth of theories about language in the early era of American political and cultural discourse. Professor Gustafson's argument demonstrates the interconnectedness of the state of language and the state of society and turns on the question of representation and misrepresentation - whether and how words represent or misrepresent nature, social reality, truth, and value in the new American experiment in representative republican government.
Atoms in Intense Laser Fields
Authors: Joachain C. J. , Kylstra N. J. , Potvliege R. M.
Published: January 2012

The development of lasers capable of producing high-intensity pulses has opened a new area in the study of light-matter interactions. The corresponding laser fields are strong enough to compete with the Coulomb forces in controlling the dynamics of atomic systems and give rise to multiphoton processes. This book presents a unified account of this rapidly developing field of physics. The first part describes the fundamental phenomena occurring in intense laser-atom interactions and gives the basic theoretical framework to analyze them. The second part contains a detailed discussion of Floquet theory, the numerical integration of the wave equations and approximation methods for the low- and high-frequency regimes. In the third part, the main multiphoton processes are discussed: multiphoton ionization, high harmonic and attosecond pulse generation, and laser-assisted electron-atom collisions. Aimed at graduate students in atomic, molecular and optical physics, the book will also interest researchers working on laser interactions with matter.
The Mathematical Language of Quantum Theory
Authors: Heinosaari Teiko , Ziman Mário
Published: January 2012

For almost every student of physics, the first course on quantum theory raises a lot of puzzling questions and creates a very uncertain picture of the quantum world. This book presents a clear and detailed exposition of the fundamental concepts of quantum theory: states, effects, observables, channels and instruments. It introduces several up-to-date topics, such as state discrimination, quantum tomography, measurement disturbance and entanglement distillation. A separate chapter is devoted to quantum entanglement. The theory is illustrated with numerous examples, reflecting recent developments in the field. The treatment emphasises quantum information, though its general approach makes it a useful resource for graduate students and researchers in all subfields of quantum theory. Focusing on mathematically precise formulations, the book summarises the relevant mathematics.
The Urban Mosaic
Authors: Timms Duncan
Published: January 2012

The concept of the city as a mosaic of social worlds has achieved wide currency: the residential differentiation of the urban population provides the matrix for much human activity. In this detailed study, the author demonstrates that much of the manifold variation in the social characteristics of populations living in different parts of the city may be summarized in terms of a small number of factors relating to social rank, style of life preferences and ethnicity. Residential and social differentiation are seen as intimately connected. At the individual level, it is suggested that questions relating to social rank, style of life, and ethnicity provide the main framework for the choice of residential location. At the societal level, it is suggested that the variations in the inter-relationship of the basic differentiating factors are a function of modernization. Empirical material is drawn from an number of Australian cities.
Stressed horizontal convection
Authors: Hazewinkel J. , Paparella F. , Young W. R.
Published: January 2012

We consider the problem of a Boussinesq fluid forced by applying both non-uniform temperature and stress at the top surface. On the other boundaries the conditions are thermally insulating and either no-slip or stress-free. The interesting case is when the direction of the steady applied surface stress opposes the sense of the buoyancy driven flow. We obtain two-dimensional numerical solutions showing a regime in which there is an upper cell with thermally indirect circulation (buoyant fluid is pushed downwards by the applied stress and heavy fluid is elevated), and a second deep cell with thermally direct circulation. In this two-cell regime the driving mechanisms are competitive in the sense that neither dominates the flow. A scaling argument shows that this balance requires that surface stress vary as the horizontal Rayleigh number to the three-fifths power.
Lagrangian acceleration measurements in convective thermal turbulence
Authors: Ni Rui , Huang Shi-Di , Xia Ke-Qing
Published: January 2012

We report the first experimental study of Lagrangian acceleration in turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection, using particle tracking velocimetry. A method has been developed to quantitatively evaluate and eliminate the uncertainties induced by temperature and refraction index fluctuations caused by the thermal plumes. It is found that the acceleration p.d.f. exhibits a stretched exponential form and that the probability for large magnitude of acceleration in the lateral direction is higher than those in the vertical directions, which can be attributed to the vortical motion of the thermal plumes. The local acceleration variance $\langle {a}^{2} \rangle $ was obtained for various values of the three control parameters: the Rayleigh number $\mathit{Ra}$ ($6\ensuremath{\times} 1{0}^{8} \leq \mathit{Ra}\leq 1\ensuremath{\times} 1{0}^{11} $), the Prandtl number $\mathit{Pr}$ ($\mathit{Pr}= 4. 4, 5. 5$ and 6.1) and the system size $L~(L= 19. 2\text{~and~} 48. 6~\mathrm{cm} )$. These were then compared with the theoretically predicted dependence on these parameters for buoyancy-dominated turbulent flows and for homogeneous and isotropic turbulence, respectively. It is found that $\langle {a}^{2} \rangle $ in the central region is dominated by contributions from the turbulent background rather than from the buoyancy force, and the Heisenberg–Yaglom relation holds in this region. From this, we obtain the first experimental results of the constant ${a}_{0} $ of the acceleration variance in the micro-scale Reynolds number range $20\leq {R}_{\lambda } \leq 120$, which fills a gap in this constant in the lower ${R}_{\lambda } $ end from the experimental side, and provides possible constraints for its high ${R}_{\lambda } $ behaviour if a certain fitting function is attempted. In addition, acceleration correlation functions were obtained for different $\mathit{Ra}$. It is found that the zero crossing time of acceleration correlation functions is at $\tau \approx 2. 2{\tau }_{\eta } $ (${\tau }_{\eta } $ is the Kolmogorov time scale) over the range of $\mathit{Ra}({R}_{\lambda } )$ spanned in our experiments, which is the same as the simulation results in isotropic turbulence, and the exponential decay time ${\tau }_{1/ e} = (1. 12\pm 0. 05){\tau }_{\eta } $, which is larger than $(0. 73\ensuremath{\sim} 0. 80){\tau }_{\eta } $ found experimentally for other types of turbulent flows with larger ${R}_{\lambda } $.
Penitential discipline and Public Wars in the Middle Ages: A Mediaeval Contribution to the development of humanitarian law
Authors: Draper G.I.A.D.
Published: January 2012

An exposé of the nature of the penitentials would take us far into the long history of penance in the Eastern and Western Churches of Christendom and, in particular, to the supersession of public by private penance. In spite of the efforts of many scholars the steps in this process are still far from clear. All that can be said here is that the system of private penance depicted in the penitentials appears in the North West corner of Christendom at a time when public penance was virtually obsolete throughout the rest of Christendom.
NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF ADOLESCENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE MOROCCAN NUTRITIONAL TRANSITION: THE ROLE OF PARENTAL EDUCATION
Authors: LÓPEZ PILAR MONTERO , ANZID KARIM , CHERKAOUI MOHAMED , BAALI ABDELLATIF , LOPEZ SANTIAGO RODRIGUEZ
Published: January 2012

In Morocco, the beginning of the nutritional transition is closely linked to social and economic transformations and changes in behaviour and traditional lifestyles. The objective of this study is to describe the current pattern of food consumption and the nutritional status of adolescents in the province of Ouarzazate and its association with parents' educational level. The sample comprises 327 high school students from Ouarzazate: 135 (41.3%) boys and 192 (58.7%) girls (age range 15–20 years). For both boys and girls, the results show lower height and BMI z-scores than the WHO reference values. Adolescents whose parents have a low educational level have lower height/age and BMI/age z-scores than those whose fathers have a high educational level. No differences are observed in total daily energy intake depending on fathers' educational level, but the energy provided by lipids is higher in adolescents whose fathers have a high educational background. The quality of fats consumed (MUFA+PUFA/SFA) is better among those boys whose fathers have low education, but no differences are observed for girls. The process of nutritional transition is not uniform in the sample, but depends on the socioeconomic characteristics of population groups, which include, among others, accessibility of certain food, differences in habits and lifestyles related to energy expenditure, and higher prevalence of overweight and obesity in more favoured groups.
One-dimensional turbulence: vector formulation and application to free shear flows
Authors: KERSTEIN ALAN R. , ASHURST W. T. , WUNSCH SCOTT , NILSEN VEBJORN
Published: January 2012

One-dimensional turbulence is a stochastic simulation method representing the time
evolution of the velocity profile along a notional line of sight through a turbulent
flow. In this paper, the velocity is treated as a three-component vector, in contrast
to previous formulations involving a single velocity component. This generalization
allows the incorporation of pressure-scrambling effects and provides a framework for
further extensions of the model. Computed results based on two alternative physical
pictures of pressure scrambling are compared to direct numerical simulations of two
time-developing planar free shear flows: a mixing layer and a wake. Scrambling
based on equipartition of turbulent kinetic energy on an eddy-by-eddy basis yields
less accurate results than a scheme that maximizes the intercomponent energy transfer
during each eddy, subject to invariance constraints. The latter formulation captures
many features of free shear flow structure, energetics, and fluctuation properties,
including the spatial variation of the probability density function of a passive advected
scalar. These results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed representation of vector
velocity evolution on a one-dimensional domain.
Considering RNAi experimental design in parasitic helminths
Authors: DALZELL JOHNATHAN J. , WARNOCK NEIL D. , MCVEIGH PAUL , MARKS NIKKI J. , MOUSLEY ANGELA , ATKINSON LOUISE , MAULE AARON G.
Published: January 2012

Almost a decade has passed since the first report of RNA interference (RNAi) in a parasitic helminth. Whilst much progress has been made with RNAi informing gene function studies in disparate nematode and flatworm parasites, substantial and seemingly prohibitive difficulties have been encountered in some species, hindering progress. An appraisal of current practices, trends and ideals of RNAi experimental design in parasitic helminths is both timely and necessary for a number of reasons: firstly, the increasing availability of parasitic helminth genome/transcriptome resources means there is a growing need for gene function tools such as RNAi; secondly, fundamental differences and unique challenges exist for parasite species which do not apply to model organisms; thirdly, the inherent variation in experimental design, and reported difficulties with reproducibility undermine confidence. Ideally, RNAi studies of gene function should adopt standardised experimental design to aid reproducibility, interpretation and comparative analyses. Although the huge variations in parasite biology and experimental endpoints make RNAi experimental design standardization difficult or impractical, we must strive to validate RNAi experimentation in helminth parasites. To aid this process we identify multiple approaches to RNAi experimental validation and highlight those which we deem to be critical for gene function studies in helminth parasites.
Gastrointestinal helminths of pipistrelle bats (Pipistrellus pipistrellus/Pipistrellus pygmaeus) (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) of England
Authors: LORD JENNIFER S. , PARKER STEVE , PARKER FIONA , BROOKS DARREN R.
Published: January 2012

Although bats are one of the most successful and diverse of mammalian orders, studies that focus upon bat endoparasites are limited. To further knowledge of bat parasitology, pipistrelle bats (Pipistrellus pipistrellus and P. pygmaeus) were acquired from across the Greater Manchester and Lancashire region of England and examined for gastrointestinal helminths using morphological and molecular analyses†. Sixty-eight of 90 adult/juvenile bats (76% prevalence) were infected with at least 1 species of helminth and mean helminth abundance was 48·2 (+/−7·0). All helminths were digenean trematodes and the following species were identified in 51 P. pipistrellus specimens (prevalence in parentheses): Lecithodendrium linstowi (80·4%), L. spathulatum (19·6%), Prosthodendrium sp. (35·3%), Plagiorchis koreanus (29·4%) and Pycnoporus heteroporus (9·8%). Statistical analyses, incorporating multifactorial models, showed that male bats exhibited a significantly more aggregated helminth distribution and lower abundance than females. Positive associations were observed between L. linstowi and L. spathulatum, Prosthodendrium sp. and P. heteroporus and between L. spathulatum and P. koreanus. A revised phylogeny of bat-associated Lecithodendriidae, incorporating novel L. spathulatum and Prosthodendrium sp. 28S rRNA sequences, separated the controversial clade formed by L. linstowi and P. hurkovaae. Further studies are likely to assist the understanding of bat-parasite/pathogen relationships, helminth infracommunity structures and phylogenetics.
Host switch and infestation byLigula intestinalisL. in a silver bream (Blicca bjoerknaL.) population
Authors: VANACKER M. , MASSON G. , BEISEL J-N.
Published: January 2012

Sampling of the fish community was carried out for 20 years in the Mirgenbach reservoir, in North-Eastern France. The prevalence and the mean intensity ofLigula intestinalis(Cestoda) were analysed in roach (Rutilus rutilus) and silver bream (Blicca bjoerkna) populations, the main two infected species. The aim of this study was to investigate the host switch from roach to silver bream and the consequences ofL. intestinalisinfestation in silver bream, which is an unusual host for this parasite asLigulaparasitism in silver bream appears to be rare. We analysed in detail the relationships between parasitism index (PI), gonadosomatic index (GSI), perivisceral fat abundance (PFA) and condition index (CI) in the silver bream population. In 1998, prevalence ofL. intestinalishighlighted a clear host switch from roach to silver bream. In the silver bream population, young fish were the most severely infected and the impact of plerocercoids appeared to be different depending on the host sex. In male silver bream, plerocercoids drew energy from fat reserves even if GSI was also slightly impacted. On the contrary, in females energy was diverted from gonad maturation rather than from perivisceral fat reserves. No significant difference was observed in terms of CI in either sex.
Intestinal growth and pathology ofGiardia duodenalisassemblage subtype AI, AII, B and E in the gerbil model
Authors: BÉNÉRÉ E. , VAN ASSCHE T. , VAN GINNEKEN C. , PEULEN O. , COS P. , MAES L.
Published: January 2012

This study investigated the significance of the genetic differences between assemblages A, B and E on intestinal growth and virulence. Intestinal growth and virulence were studied in 2 laboratory (AI: WB and B: GS/M-83-H7) and 6 field isolates of assemblage subtype AI, AII, B and EIII. Intestinal trophozoite burdens, body weight and faecal consistency were monitored until day 29 post-infection (p.i.), morphological (mucosal architecture and inflammation) and functional (disaccharidase and alkaline phosphatase enzyme activity) damage to the small intestine were evaluated on days 7 and 18 p.i. The assemblage subtypes AIand B were more infectious and produced higher trophozoite loads for a longer period compared to the subtypes AIIand EIII. The body weight of infected gerbils was significantly reduced compared to uninfected controls, but did not differ between the assemblage subtypes. Consistent softening of the faeces was only observed with assemblage B. Assemblage B next to assemblage subtype AIelicited relatively higher pathogenicity, characterized by more extensive damage to mucosal architecture, decreased brush-border enzyme function and infiltration of inflammatory cells. Assemblage EIIIand AIIisolates showed relatively low virulence. TheGiardiaassemblage subtypes exhibit different levels of growth and virulence in the gerbil model.
Effects of ultraviolet radiation on the transmission process of an intertidal trematode parasite
Authors: STUDER A. , LAMARE M. D. , POULIN R.
Published: January 2012

The transmission of parasites takes place under exposure to a range of fluctuating environmental factors, one being the changing levels of solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Here, we investigated the effects of ecologically relevant levels of UVR on the transmission of the intertidal trematode Maritrema novaezealandensis from its first intermediate snail host (Zeacumantus subcarinatus) to its second intermediate amphipod host (Paracalliope novizealandiae). We assessed the output of parasite transmission stages (cercariae) from infected snail hosts, the survival and infectivity of cercariae, the susceptibility of amphipod hosts to infection (laboratory experiments) and the survival of infected and uninfected amphipod hosts (outdoor experiment) when exposed to photo-synthetically active radiation only (PAR, 400–700 nm; no UV), PAR+UVA (320–700 nm) or PAR+UVA+UVB (280–700 nm). Survival of cercariae and susceptibility of amphipods to infection were the only two steps significantly affected by UVR. Survival of cercariae decreased strongly in a dose-dependent manner, while susceptibility of amphipods increased after exposure to UVR for a prolonged period. Exposure to UVR thus negatively affects both the parasite and its amphipod host, and should therefore be considered an influential component in parasite transmission and host-parasite interactions in intertidal ecosystems.
Defining the concept of ‘tick repellency’ in veterinary medicine
Authors: HALOS L. , BANETH G. , BEUGNET F. , BOWMAN A. S. , CHOMEL B. , FARKAS R. , FRANC M. , GUILLOT J. , INOKUMA H. , KAUFMAN R. , JONGEJAN F. , JOACHIM A. , OTRANTO D. , PFISTER K. , POLLMEIER M. , SAINZ A. , WALL R.
Published: January 2012

Although widely used, the term repellency needs to be employed with care when applied to ticks and other periodic or permanent ectoparasites. Repellency has classically been used to describe the effects of a substance that causes a flying arthropod to make oriented movements away from its source. However, for crawling arthropods such as ticks, the term commonly subsumes a range of effects that include arthropod irritation and consequent avoiding or leaving the host, failing to attach, to bite, or to feed. The objective of the present article is to highlight the need for clarity, to propose consensus descriptions and methods for the evaluation of various effects on ticks caused by chemical substances.
Free Will and Necker's Cube: Reason, Language and Top-Down Control in cognitive neuroscience
Authors: Gillett Grant , Liu Sam C.
Published: January 2012

The debates about human free will are traditionally the concern of metaphysics but neuroscientists have recently entered the field arguing that acts of the will are determined by brain events themselves causal products of other events. We examine that claim through the example of free or voluntary switch of perception in relation to the Necker cube. When I am asked to see the cube in one way, I decide whether I will follow the command (or do as I am asked) using skills that reason and language give to me and change my brain states accordingly. The voluntary shift of perspective in seeing the Necker cube this way or that exemplifies the top-down control exercised by a human being on the basis of the role of language and meaning in their activity. It also indicates the lived story that is at the centre of each human consciousness. In the third part of this essay, three arguments are used to undermine metaphysical objections to the very idea of top-down self control.
Publish or perish: The myth and reality of academic publishing
Authors: Lee Icy
Published: January 2012

While writing for scholarly publications is considered a crucial dimension of academic work, the ‘publish-or-perish’ system in our field has increasingly caused anxiety and induced stress among not only young academics but also more established scholars. Using my own publishing experience as a point of departure, I challenge the assumption that knowledge contribution should be solely or mainly gauged on the basis of the venue of publications. By comparing the perspectives of twelve Asia-based scholars based on data collected from email interviews, I propose that ‘scholarliness’ should be defined by knowledge dissemination and advancement in our field, rather than indexes or journal impact factors. Using the game metaphor, I conclude by offering some tips to survive ‘publish or perish’.
Large field-of-view X-ray imaging by using a Fresnel zone plate
Authors: Wang Xiao-Fang , Wang Jin-Yu , Chen Xiao-Hu , Chen Xin-Gong , Wei Lai
Published: January 2012

To diagnose the implosion of a laser-driven-fusion target such as the symmetry, the hydrodynamic instability at the interface, a high-resolution, large field-of-view kilo-electron-volt X-ray imaging is required. A Kirkpatrick-Baez (K-B) microscope is commonly used, but its field of view is limited to a few hundred microns as the resolution decreases rapidly with the increase of the field of view. A higher resolution could be realized by using a Fresnel zone plate (FZP) for imaging. Presented in this work is a numerical study on the imaging properties of an FZP at Ti-Kα wavelength of 0.275 nm, and a comparison to a K-B imager. It is found that the FZP can realize not only a resolution better than 1 µm, but also a field-of-view larger than 20 mm when the FZP is illuminated by X-rays of spectral bandwidth less than 1.75%. These results indicate the feasibility of applying the FZP in high-resolution, large field-of-view X-ray imaging.
Gender and age effects interact in preschoolers' help-seeking: evidence for differential responses to changes in task difficulty
Authors: THOMPSON R. BRUCE , COTHRAN THOMAS , MCCALL DANIEL
Published: January 2012

This study explored preschool age and gender differences in help-seeking within the theoretical framework of scaffolded problem-solving and self-regulation (Bruner, 1986; Rogoff, 1990; Vygotsky, 1978; 1986). Within-subject analyses tracked changes in help-seeking among 62 preschoolers (34 boys, 28 girls, mean age 4.22 years) solving a challenging puzzle with an adult. The goal was to document whether age and gender interact with fluctuating difficulty to affect children's spontaneous help-seeking. ANOVAs indicated that girls used more help-seeking during difficult segments of the task, despite performance equal to the boys. This pattern was strongest among older girls, who outperformed all other children and used the most help-seeking. Partial correlations, controlling for solving time, indicated that age predicted children's help-seeking during the most difficult segments of the task, but only among girls. Gender differences in social–linguistic maturation and cognitive development are discussed within the framework of Vygotskian theory and related educational practice.
Greasing the Reels: Advertising as a Means of Campaigning on Chinese Television
Authors: Stockmann Daniela
Published: January 2012

This article examines a major change in campaigning through the means of mass media during the reform era. As the media commercialized and partially privatized, the state has tried increasingly to involve societal actors in the production of public service advertisements (PSAs) on television. Today, PSA campaigns are initiated by state and Party units, but their funding, production and broadcasting is made possible by a collaborative effort between broadcasters, advertising companies and commercial enterprises who voluntarily support their further development. I conducted 27 in-depth interviews with officials, broadcasters and producers in Beijing to tap into the policy rationale behind the use of public service advertisements in campaigning and the incentive structure facilitating collaboration between companies and state units. Interviews with judges of PSA competitions and content analysis of price-winning advertisements reveal the standards of the central government to employ public service advertising as a means of campaigning.
The Autumn Harvest: Peasants and Markets in Post-Collective Rural China
Authors: Zhou Xueguang
Published: January 2012

For the peasants in rural China, the harvest season is the occasion when several different worlds – the business world of large companies, the entrepreneurial world of middlemen, local elites and peasant households – are compressed into the same social space, thereby inducing intensive economic and social interactions and crystallizing social relations among villagers, local elites and markets. Based on ethnographic research on the autumn harvest in a township in northern China, this study sheds light on distinctive modes of market transactions across produces, and diverse interactions between markets and local institutions involving different co-ordination mechanisms, rhythms and social relationships. A more nuanced image of market transactions emerges from these observations, calling for a more refined conceptualization of markets and further research on their implications for institutional changes.
The Anglican Covenant Proposed by the Lambeth Commission
Authors: Doe Norman
Published: January 2012

The Lambeth Commission (2004) proposed a number of short-term and long-term solutions to issues raised by recent and highly controversial developments in the Episcopal Church (USA) and the diocese of New Westminster (Canada). From these events have emerged important questions about the nature of communion between, and the autonomy of, each of the forty-four member churches of the Anglican Communion, and the way in which decisions of common concern are made. In order to consolidate this communion, as a long-term project, the Commission proposes the adoption of an Anglican Covenant by all forty-four churches of the Communion. This article describes the terms of the proposed Covenant and identifies their provenance, in order to establish that the proposal is for the most part a restatement of classical Anglicanism. Only in serious cases of disagreement which substantially risk the unity of the Communion is the proposal innovative. The article also describes briefly reactions to and possible implementation of the proposed Covenant.