bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lipidomic Profiling of Chylomicron Triacylglycerols in Response to High Fat Meals
Authors: Bonham Maxine P. , Linderborg Kaisa M. , Dordevic Aimee , Larsen Amy E. , Nguo Kay , Weir Jacquelyn M. , Gran Petra , Luotonen Marika K. , Meikle Peter J. , Cameron‐Smith David , Kallio Heikki P. T. , Sinclair Andrew J.
Published: November 2012

Using lipidomic methodologies the impact that meal lipid composition and metabolic syndrome (MetS) exerts on the postprandial chylomicron triacylglycerol (TAG) response was examined. Males (9 control; 11 MetS) participated in a randomised crossover trial ingesting two high fat breakfast meals composed of either dairy‐based foods or vegetable oil‐based foods. The postprandial lipidomic molecular composition of the TAG in the chylomicron‐rich (CM) fraction was analysed with tandem mass spectrometry coupled with liquid chromatography to profile CM TAG species and targeted TAG regioisomers. Postprandial CM TAG concentrations were significantly lower after the dairy‐based foods compared with the vegetable oil‐based foods for both control and MetS subjects. The CM TAG response to the ingested meals involved both significant and differential depletion of TAG species containing shorter‐ and medium‐chain fatty acids (FA) and enrichment of TAG molecular species containing C16 and C18 saturated, monounsaturated and diunsaturated FA. Furthermore, there were significant changes in the TAG species between the food TAG and CM TAG and between the 3‐ and 5‐h postprandial samples for the CM TAG regioisomers. Unexpectedly, the postprandial CM TAG concentration and CM TAG lipidomic responses did not differ between the control and MetS subjects. Lipidomic analysing of CM TAG molecular species revealed dynamic changes in the molecular species of CM TAG during the postprandial phase suggesting either preferential CM TAG species formation and/or clearance.
NEA Presidential Address: Gender Inequality and Human Development in Sub- Saharan Africa
Authors: Elu Juliet U.
Published: November 2012

This Presidential Address considers the effects of gender inequality on human development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Parameter estimates from quantile and ordinal categorical latent variable specifications of the relationship between components of the Human Development Index and measures of gender inequality suggests that human development in Sub-Saharan Africa increases with respect to improvements in several measures of gender inequality. The results suggest that inegalitarian laws, norms, traditions and codes of conduct toward women constrain both human and economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Meprins process matrix metalloproteinase‐9 (MMP‐9)/gelatinase B and enhance the activation kinetics by MMP‐3
Authors: Geurts Nathalie , Becker-Pauly Christoph , Martens Erik , Proost Paul , Van den Steen Philippe E. , Stöcker Walter , Opdenakker Ghislain
Published: November 2012

Meprin alpha
cleaves
MMP‐9
by enzymatic study (View interaction)
A case of drug‐induced interstitial pneumonia caused by repeated exposure to bepridil
Authors: Yokoi Kensuke , Yada Hirotaka , Yoshimoto Daisuke , Hakuno Daihiko , Miyazaki Koji , Adachi Takeshi
Published: November 2012

The patient was a 78‐year‐old man. In August 2007, he underwent catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation after taking bepridil for 3 weeks. Soon after the ablation, he experienced frequent atrial extrasystoles and began taking bepridil again on the day he left the hospital. Six days after discharge, he was readmitted to our hospital with dyspnea and was diagnosed with acute heart failure. The patient had no recurrence of atrial fibrillation, so the administration of bepridil was stopped. His dyspnea was eased using standard therapy for heart failure and he was discharged from our hospital. In March 2011, he had a recurrence of atrial fibrillation and was readmitted to our hospital. The administration of bepridil was initiated to defibrillate the atrial fibrillation. Although bepridil stopped the atrial fibrillation by the third day, he presented with dyspnea and fever on the fourth day. A chest radiograph showed bilateral interstitial patterns that radiated from the pulmonary hilum. He was treated for acute heart failure and bacterial pneumonia, but this was ineffective. We suspected that the interstitial pneumonia was caused by bepridil. Corticosteroid therapy dramatically improved his symptoms. This was a rare case of acute drug‐induced interstitial pneumonia caused by repeated exposure to bepridil.
Are Facet Joint Bone Marrow Lesions and Other Facet Joint Features Associated With Low Back Pain? A Pilot Study
Authors: Suri Pradeep , Dharamsi Aisha S. , Gaviola Glenn , Isaac Zacharia
Published: November 2012

Objective

To determine the frequency of facet joint (FJ) bone marrow lesions, high FJ periarticular signal intensity, and FJ effusions in a convenience sample of patients with axial low back pain (LBP).

Design

A cross‐sectional pilot study with retrospective data collection.

Setting

Outpatient spine clinics.

Patients

Sixty‐four adults with axial LBP scheduled to receive an FJ intra‐articular corticosteroid injection.

Methods

Clinical data were abstracted from the medical record by 1 physician, who was blinded to results of the magnetic resonance imaging evaluations. A musculoskeletal radiologist blinded to clinical information performed standardized assessments of the L1‐S1 spinal levels for FJ bone marrow lesions, effusions, and high periarticular signal intensity on lumbar magnetic resonance imaging, including short tau inversion recovery sequences. We calculated the frequency of these FJ features and used generalized estimating equations to examine side‐specific associations between the location of FJ features and the side on which LBP was experienced.

Results

The sample included 64 participants with a mean (standard deviation) age of 59.9 ± 14.5 years. FJ bone marrow lesions were present in 64.1%, effusions in 70.3%, and high periarticular signal intensity in 65.6% of participants. All the features were most common at the L4‐L5 level. These FJ features showed significant associations with the side on which LBP was experienced or statistical trends toward an association, with or without adjustment for age, gender, and body mass index. The strongest side‐specific associations were seen for the number of bone marrow lesions (odds ratio [OR] 1.60 [95% confidence interval {CI},1.05‐2.43]), any FJ effusion (OR 2.23 [95% CI, 1.02‐4.85]), and the number of joints with high periarticular signal intensity (OR 1.75 [95% CI, 1.16‐2.63]).

Conclusions

FJ bone marrow lesions, effusions, and high periarticular signal intensity were common in this sample of patients with axial LBP and substantially more frequent than in prior reports from unselected samples of patients with or without radicular pain. These FJ features demonstrate side‐specific associations with LBP. Further study of associations between these FJ features and LBP are warranted.
Thermally driven migration of ice-stream shear margins
Authors: Schoof Christian
Published: November 2012

Ice-stream shear margins are the lateral boundaries of narrow, fast-flowing bands of ice within an ice sheet. We develop a theory for the migration of shear margins over time driven by viscous dissipation of heat within the ice, focusing on widening of the ice stream. The location of the margin is modelled as a transition from a cold to a temperate ice-sheet bed, and simultaneously as the transition from no slip to free slip at the same location. The temperature field in the ice is affected by intense shear heating as well as by the migration velocity of the margin (i.e. by the widening rate of the ice stream); if migration is too fast, there is little time for the ice to warm up and the margin remains cold, causing the bed to freeze. This suppresses widening. Conversely, if the migration speed is too slow, the ice in the margin warms up, causing the bed on the far side of the cold–temperate transition to reach the melting point, and migration to speed up. Using a Wiener–Hopf method, we show that for a given far-field shear stress, geothermal heat flux, and ice geometry, there is a single migration velocity that balances the two effects and permits widening at a steady rate. This velocity increases with the far-field lateral shear stress imposed by the ice stream, which controls shear heating in the margin. Our results also indicate that (i) a region of temperate ice must form in the margin, and that (ii) lateral advection of ice may play a significant role in controlling migration speeds.
On the effects of finite-rate carbon/oxygen chemistry on supersonic jet instability
Authors: Massa Luca , Ravindran Prashaanth
Published: November 2012

The instability of high-temperature jets is studied because of its importance to the analysis of gas-turbine engine exhaust flow, shock–shock interaction and bypass transition. The focus is on fluid–chemistry coupling, where the chemical time scales are supported by both reactive and inelastic molecular processes. The former are associated with dissociation/exchange reactions, while the latter are associated with transfers of vibrational quanta. The interaction affects both the instability growth rate and acoustic feedback by sustaining thermo-acoustic damping. Resonance conditions are identified as those that yield the maximum damping against the Damköhler number. The main results of the present study are the explanation of the dichotomy between vortical and acoustic modes in relation to the thermo-acoustic damping, and the analysis of the resonance condition as it depends on the physico-chemical properties of carbon/oxygen mixtures. The ability of a mode to support thermo-acoustic damping is related to the local convective Mach number of its most amplified frequency, and thus to the phenomenon of acoustic trapping in the jet core. Regarding the second issue, carbon dioxide acts as the best damper at low jet temperatures${T}_{j} \approx 1000~\mathrm{K} $, where the vibrational relaxation is the main chemical scale, and up to${T}_{j} = 3500~\mathrm{K} $because its reactive chemistry resonates with the fluid fluctuation at a lower temperature than the dissociation of${\mathrm{O} }_{2} $. At higher temperatures, oxygen is the best damper because of the larger endothermicity of the reactions it supports.
Investigation of the Convection Term Discretization Schemes for a Force-Generated Ring-Vortex
Authors: Nouri N. M. , Motlagh S. Yekani , Navidbakhsh M. , Yasari E.
Published: November 2012

In this paper, a model has been presented for generating a special ring vortex by applying a nonconservative force with specific distribution through the Navier-Stokes equations. Moreover, the ring's vortical pattern has been compared with the analytical and experimental results. In continuation, the diffusion, dissipation, and dispersion errors of four basic convection term interpolation schemes for the velocity and vorticity field of the vortex ring have been investigated. The simulations are performed for both the small and large time steps. Next, an appropriate discretization scheme for the convection term, and a proper order of time steps for simulating flows that contain ring vortices have been proposed. Finally, the ring vortexes generated by non-conservative force are added to the turbulent channel flow as a bubble induced vortex on carrier flow in two-phase flows, and the drag reduction due to the interaction between ring vortexes and flow vorticity field is observed.
Transient Response of Magnetostrictive Functionally Graded Material Square Plates Under Rapid Heating
Authors: Hong C. C.
Published: November 2012

We used the generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method to compute the transient responses of thermal stresses and center deflection amplitude in the magnetostrictive functionally graded material (FGM) square plate under rapid heating acting at its lower surface. We obtained the GDQ solutions in the three-layer of magnetostrictive FGM plates subjected to four simply supported edges. We presented the transient responses of thermal stress and center deflection amplitude of magnetostrictive FGM plates with/without velocity feedback control, respectively, under the effects of the ratio of length to thickness, the power law index, the temperature of environment and the applied heat flux.
An Evaluation of a Novel Biomarker Feedback Intervention on Smoking Cessation: A Pilot Study
Authors: Hetherington Jamie , Coutts Rosanne , Davison Kade
Published: November 2012

Cessation is the single most important decision smokers can make to improve their health. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a novel biomarker feedback intervention on smoking cessation. Participants (n = 14) were block matched into two groups – biomarker feedback and standard care (control) – and encouraged to stop smoking without the support of any pharmacological aids. All participants received standard smoking cessation advice and also had physiological measures collected during both rest and sub-maximal exercise testing at baseline, week 6 and week 12. The standard care group only received the smoking cessation advice as their intervention, whereas the biomarker feedback group were also given individual feedback in relation to their physiological results. Cessation rates were not significantly different between groups (p = 0.56) at week 12 follow-up; however, a calculation of odds ratios (OR) suggests that the biomarker feedback group was more likely to be successful when compared to standard care (OR = 4.5). Results suggest that targeting health motivations may positively influence cessation rates. Future research is needed to verify this result with a larger group.
Growth hormone level at admission and its evolution during refeeding are predictive of short-term outcome in restrictive anorexia nervosa
Authors: Nogueira Juan P. , Valéro René , Maraninchi Marie , Lorec Anne M. , Samuelian-Massat Catherine , Bégu-Le Corroller Audrey , Nicolay Alain , Gaudart Jean , Portugal Henri , Vialettes Bernard
Published: November 2012

The growth hormone (GH)–insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) axis is dramatically altered in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether GH and IGF-1 could be predictors of outcome in patients with a restrictive form of AN. Blood levels of GH, IGF-1, adipocytokines, ghrelin, insulin, glucose, and sex and thyroid hormones were measured in eleven women inpatients with AN and in ten healthy women controls. Three stages were compared during refeeding: admission (T0), when BMI reached 16 kg/m2 (T1) and at discharge when BMI reached 17·5 kg/m2 (T2). Clinical status was assessed 6 months after discharge from hospital (T3), and remission was defined by the maintenance of a BMI ≥ 17·5 kg/m2. AN patients in remission (AN-R; n 6) had significantly higher GH levels at admission than those who relapsed (AN-NR; n 5) (P< 0·05). During refeeding (Δ = T2 − T0), the AN-R group differed from the AN-NR group only by both GH level decrease (P< 0·05) and BMI increase (P< 0·05). In multiple regression analysis, ΔGH was associated negatively and significantly and Δleptin and Δbody fat mass levels were associated positively and significantly with BMI at T3 and explained 88 % of its variability (r2 0·88, P< 0·05). The present study suggests that a low GH level at admission and the absence of its decrease after weight recovery could predict short-term relapse in women suffering from a restrictive form of AN.
Should the Critically Endangered Goliath grouperEpinephelus itajarabe culled in Florida?
Authors: Frias-Torres Sarah
Published: November 2012

The Goliath grouperEpinephelus itajarahas been protected in the USA since 1990. In Florida commercial and recreational fishers consider the species a top predator of fish and lobster and advocate culling the grouper population as a solution to recover declining stocks. I examined the scientific evidence for and against culling the Goliath grouper, using commercial landing data from the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (1950–2010), fisheries-independent diver-based surveys from the REEF Environmental Education Foundation (1993–2007), and published dietary and morphological studies. An analysis of the commercial extinction of the Goliath grouper in Florida indicates that its recovering population is not the cause of declining fish and lobster stocks. The recovering Goliath grouper population could provide ecological and socio-economic benefits: as top-down control on other lobster predators, in ecotourism, and as potential biocontrol of the invasive Indo-Pacific red lionfishPterois volitanson Atlantic reefs.
Prevalence of depression and utilization of health care in single and multiple morbidity: a population-based cohort study
Authors: Bhattarai N. , Charlton J. , Rudisill C. , Gulliford M. C.
Published: November 2012

Background

This study aimed to determine whether depression in patients with long-term conditions is associated with the number of morbidities or the type of co-morbidity.

Method

A cohort study of 299 912 participants aged 30–100 years. The prevalence of depression, rates of health-care utilization and costs were evaluated in relation to diagnoses of diabetes mellitus (DM), coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and colorectal cancer.

Results

The age-standardized prevalence of depression was 7% in men and 14% in women with no morbidity. The frequency of depression increased in single morbidities including DM (men 13%, women 22%), CHD (men 15%, women 24%), stroke (men 14%, women 26%) or colorectal cancer (men 10%, women 21%). Participants with concurrent diabetes, CHD and stroke had a very high prevalence of depression (men 23%, women 49%). The relative rate of depression for one morbidity was 1.63 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.59–1.66], two morbidities 1.96 (95% CI 1.89–2.03) and three morbidities 2.35 (95% CI 2.03–2.59). Compared to those with no morbidity, depression was associated with higher rates of health-care utilization and increased costs at any level of morbidity. In women aged 55 to 64 years without morbidity, the mean annual health-care cost was £513 without depression and £1074 with depression; when three morbidities were present, the cost was £1495 without depression and £2878 with depression.

Conclusions

Depression prevalence and health-care costs are more strongly associated with the number of morbidities than the nature of the co-morbid diagnosis.
Trans-imperial History in the Making of the Slave Trade to Venezuela, 1526-1811
Authors: Borucki Alex
Published: November 2012

The last two decades have witnessed an unprecedented expansion of knowledge about the transatlantic slave trade, both through research on specific sections of this traffic and through the consolidation of datasets into a single online resource: Voyages: The Transatlantic Slave Trade Database (hereafter Voyages Database). This collective project has elucidated in great detail the slave trading routes across the Atlantic and the broad African origins of captives, at least from their ports of embarkation. However, this multi-source database tells us little about the slave trading routes within the Americas, as slaves were shipped through various ports of disembarkation, sometimes by crossing imperial borders in the New World. This gap complicates our understanding of the slave trade to Spanish America, which depended on foreign slavers to acquire captives through a rigid system of contracts (asientos and licencias) overseen by the Crown up to 1789. These foreign merchants often shipped captives from their own American territories such as Jamaica, Curaçao, and Brazil. Thus, the slave trade connected the Spanish colonies with interlopers from England, France, the Netherlands, Portugal (within the Spanish domain from 1580 to 1640), and eventually the United States. The importance of the intra-American slave trade is particularly evident in Venezuela: while the Voyages Database shows only 11,500 enslaved Africans arriving in Venezuela directly from Africa, I estimate that 101,000 captives were disembarked there, mostly from other colonies. This article illuminates the volume of this traffic, the slave trading routes, and the origins of slaves arriving in Venezuela by exploring the connections of this Spanish colony with the Portuguese, Dutch, British, and French Atlantics. Imperial conflicts and commercial networks shaped the number and sources of slaves arriving in Venezuela. As supplies of captives passed from Portuguese to Dutch, and then to English hands, the colony absorbed captives from different African regions of embarkation.
Environmental suitability of a highly fragmented and heterogeneous landscape for forest bird species in south-eastern Brazil
Authors: FERRAZ KATIA MARIA PASCHOALETTO MICCHI DE BARROS , DE SIQUEIRA MARINEZ FERREIRA , ALEXANDRINO EDUARDO ROBERTO , DA LUZ DANIELA TOMASIO APOLINARIO , DO COUTO HILTON THADEU ZARATE
Published: November 2012

Assessment of the suitability of anthropogenic landscapes for wildlife species is crucial for setting priorities for biodiversity conservation. This study aimed to analyse the environmental suitability of a highly fragmented region of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, one of the world's 25 recognized biodiversity hotspots, for forest bird species. Eight forest bird species were selected for the analyses, based on point counts (n= 122) conducted in April–September 2006 and January–March 2009. Six additional variables (landscape diversity, distance from forest and streams, aspect, elevation and slope) were modelled in Maxent for (1) actual and (2) simulated land cover, based on the forest expansion required by existing Brazilian forest legislation. Models were evaluated by bootstrap or jackknife methods and their performance was assessed by AUC, omission error, binomial probability orpvalue. All predictive models were statistically significant, with high AUC values and low omission errors. A small proportion of the actual landscape (24.41 ± 6.31%) was suitable for forest bird species. The simulated landscapes lead to an increase ofc.30% in total suitable areas. In average, models predicted a small increase (23.69 ± 6.95%) in the area of suitable native forest for bird species. Being close to forest increased the environmental suitability of landscapes for all bird species; landscape diversity was also a significant factor for some species. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that species distribution modelling (SDM) successfully predicted bird distribution across a heterogeneous landscape at fine spatial resolution, as all models were biologically relevant and statistically significant. The use of landscape variables as predictors contributed significantly to the results, particularly for species distributions over small extents and at fine scales. This is the first study to evaluate the environmental suitability of the remaining Brazilian Atlantic Forest for bird species in an agricultural landscape, and provides important additional data for regional environmental planning.
Bayesian project diagnosis for the construction design process
Authors: Matthews P.C. , Philip A.D.M.
Published: November 2012

This study demonstrates how subtle signals taken from the early stages within a construction process can be used to diagnose potential problems within that process. For this study, the construction process is modeled as a quasi-Markov chain. A set of six different scenarios representing various common problems (e.g., small budget, complex project) is created and simulated by suitably defining the transition probabilities between nodes in the Markov chain. A Monte Carlo approach is used to parameterize a Bayesian estimator. By observing the time taken to pass the review gateway (as measured by number of hops between activity nodes), the system is able to determine with good accuracy the problem scenario that the construction process is suffering from.
The Extraterritoriality of the European Convention on Human Rights: Why Human Rights Depend on Jurisdiction and What Jurisdiction Amounts to
Authors: BESSON SAMANTHA
Published: November 2012

The extraterritoriality or extraterritorial application of international and European human rights treaties refers to the recognition by those treaties' states parties of the international and European human rights of individuals or groups of individuals situated outside their territory and, in a second stage, to the identification of their corresponding duties to those individuals. Examples of extraterritoriality abound in international human rights practice, and in particular in the European Court of Human Rights’ case law. Except for vague and often misleading gestures to the universality of human rights, which allegedly requires their extraterritorial application, however, many of the normative considerations underlying the extraterritorial applicability of human rights have not been broached in the human rights law literature. Nor, conversely, have human rights theorists, even among those who take the supply side of human rights seriously, devoted much attention to the threshold criteria for the abstract recognition of human rights and the trigger of the corresponding duties. To remedy some of those shortcomings, this article endeavours to bring some normative human rights theorizing to bear on the European Court of Human Rights’ recent practice on extraterritoriality. More specifically, the article delves deeper into the notion of ‘jurisdiction’ qua threshold criterion for the applicability of the European Convention on Human Rights both within and outside its states parties’ territories; distinguishes it from related notions such as authority, coercion, power, or control; and explains its normative consequences.
‘Ethnicity’ in the International Law of Minority Protection: The Post-Cold War Context in Perspective
Authors: SHAHABUDDIN MOHAMMAD
Published: November 2012

As a concept, ‘ethnicity’ has been informing the notions of the ‘self’ as well as the ‘other’ since antiquity. While in ancient Greek it referred to the ‘other’ in a derogatory sense, in the Romantic literature of the nineteenth century, ethnicity came to depict the self-image of the nation. Although, in contrast, the liberal self-image refers to ethnicity only in the instrumental sense (as a tool for regulation without attributing any real value to the notion), ethnicity remains salient in both the liberal and conservative versions of nationalism to identify the backward ‘other’ – the minority – within the nation. Against the backdrop of the nineteenth-century discourse on ethnicity, this paper explores how the notion of ethnicity having the image of ‘otherness’ as well as ‘backwardness’ shapes the liberal perception of ‘minority’ and ‘minority protection’ in the post-Cold War context in three different ways. First, I argue that ethnicity informs the perception of the minority as the ethnic ‘other’. Second, the individualist response to minority protection paradoxically endeavours to remove ‘ethnicity’ from the concept of ‘minority’. And finally, in the post-Cold War European scenario, it is again the ethnic ‘otherness’ that rationalizes a differentiated minority protection mechanism for the West and the East within Europe.
Jus CogensafterGermanyv.Italy: Substantive and Procedural Rules Distinguished
Authors: TALMON STEFAN
Published: November 2012

In the case concerningJurisdictional Immunities of the State, the ICJ held that rules ofjus cogensdid not automatically displace hierarchically lower rules of state immunity. The Court's decision was based on the rationale that there was no conflict between these rules as the former were substantive rules while the latter were procedural in character. The ‘substantive–procedural’ distinction has been heavily criticized in the literature. Much of the criticism seems to be motivated by the unwanted result of the distinction, namely de facto impunity for the most serious human rights violations. This paper takes a step back from the alleged antinomy of human rights and state immunity and broadens the picture by looking at the relationship between substantive and procedural rules more generally. It is shown that substantive rules of ajus cogenscharacter generally leave procedural rules unaffected and, in particular, do not automatically override such rules. Substantive rules may, however, have a limited effect upon the interpretation and application of procedural rules. It is argued that the ‘substantive–procedural’ distinction is well established in international law and makes eminent sense even when substantive rules ofjus cogensand procedural rules of immunity are involved.
APPENDICITIS IN PREGNANCY
Authors: WINDRIM CATHERINE M , CZIKK MARIE J
Published: November 2012

Acute appendicitis is the most common non-obstetric indication for surgical intervention in pregnancy, complicating 1/500 to 1/2000 deliveries. Due to the anatomical and physiological changes associated with pregnancy, appendicitis may present a diagnostic dilemma, leading to management delays and thus increasing the risk of appendiceal perforation. Many of the common presenting symptoms of appendicitis are common features of normal pregnancy including lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and leukocytosis. Furthermore, the enlarging gravid uterus may displace the appendix to varying degrees thus altering the classic symptom pattern of appendicitis. The often nonspecific presentation in pregnancy may necessitate the utilization of diagnostic imaging to aid in accurate diagnosis. However, the perforated appendix is the most common surgical cause of fetal loss and the time required for any diagnostic aid must be weighed against the increasing risk of perforation caused by delay in surgical intervention.
Anesthesia and Alzheimer's disease: time to wake up!
Authors: Scott David A. , Silbert Brendan S. , Evered Lisbeth A.
Published: November 2012

It has long been observed that some patients suffer a significant cognitive impact following anesthesia and surgery. This should not be surprising when considering that not only is the target organ for general anesthetic agents the brain itself but also that the process of anesthesia is a form of deep, pharmacologically induced coma rather than “sleep.” The expectation that such a process should be fully reversible with transient neurophysiological effects contradicts our experience with repeated abuse of other central nervous system depressants such as glue, petrol, and alcohol. Of great concern is that, while approximately 10% of populations in developed countries undergo anesthesia and surgery of some form each year, the proportion of the elderly making up this group is much greater. In addition, it is the elderly who are potentially at a greater risk of cognitive impairment following such procedures because many have decreased cognitive reserve, either due to pre-existing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or frank dementia, which may be diagnosed or unknown. The impact of anesthesia on these individuals is poorly understood, as are the implications of the emerging laboratory data that suggest an effect of anesthetic agents on the pathological processes of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) itself.
Modelling fortification of corn masa flour with folic acid and the potential impact on Mexican-American women with lower acculturation
Authors: Hamner Heather C , Tinker Sarah C , Flores Alina L , Mulinare Joe , Weakland Aliki P , Dowling Nicole F
Published: November 2012

Objective

Hispanics with lower acculturation may be at higher risk for neural tube defects compared with those with higher acculturation due to lower total folic acid intake or other undetermined factors. Modelling has indicated that fortification of corn masa flour with folic acid could selectively target Mexican Americans more than other race/ethnicities. We assessed whether fortification of corn masa flour with folic acid could selectively increase folic acid intake among Mexican-American women with lower acculturation, as indicated by specific factors (language preference, country of origin, time living in the USA).

Design

We used dietary intake and dietary supplement data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001–2008, to estimate the amount of additional total folic acid that could be consumed if products considered to contain corn masa flour were fortified at 140 μg of folic acid per 100 g of corn masa flour.

Setting

USA.

Subjects

Non-pregnant women aged 15–44 years (n 5369).

Results

Mexican-American women who reported speaking Spanish had a relative percentage change in usual daily total folic acid intake of 30·5 (95 % CI 27·8, 33·4) %, compared with 8·3 (95 % CI 7·3, 9·4) % for Mexican-American women who reported speaking English. We observed similar results for other acculturation factors. An increase of 6·0 percentage points in the number of Mexican-American women who would achieve the recommended intake of ≥400 μg folic acid/d occurred with fortification of corn masa flour; compared with increases of 1·1 percentage points for non-Hispanic whites and 1·3 percentage points for non-Hispanic blacks. An even greater percentage point increase was observed among Mexican-American women who reported speaking Spanish (8·2).

Conclusions

Fortification of corn masa flour could selectively increase total folic acid intake among Mexican-American women, especially targeting Mexican-American women with lower acculturation, and result in a decrease in the number of pregnancies affected by neural tube defects.
Introduction to the Special Issue: Soft Power of Civil Society in International Relations
Authors: INOGUCHI TAKASHI
Published: November 2012

This special issue focuses on the role of civil society in international relations. It highlights the dynamics and impacts of public opinion on international relations (Zaller, 1992). Until recently, it was usual to consider public opinion in terms of its influence on policy makers and in terms of moulding public opinion in the broad frame of the policy makers in one's country. Given that public opinion in the United States was assessed and judged so frequently and diffused so globally, it was natural to frame questions guided by those concepts which pertained to the global and domestic context of the United States.
Engaged or Not? Perceptions of Australian Influence among Asian Publics
Authors: GOLDSMITH BENJAMIN E. , LINLEY MATTHEW
Published: November 2012

Despite Australia's increasing economic ties with Asia, little is known about how it is perceived by the typical citizen in the region. This paper seeks to contribute to the Australian discussion on ‘Asian engagement’, as well as to a general understanding of the structure of foreign policy beliefs, by examining perceptions of Australia's influence among the mass publics of 14 Asian polities. Despite some anxiety in Australia on national op-ed pages and among political leaders over how the country is perceived, we find that the average person in Asia probably does not have a strong or meaningful opinion about Australia's foreign policy. Using survey data covering the years 2006 through 2008 from the AsiaBarometer project, we find that, on average, far more people view Australia's influence on their country favorably (40.5%) than view it unfavorably (6.1%). A similar percentage (41.5%), however, have neutral views of Australia's influence, and 12% of people in Asian nations express no opinion on the topic. We suggest these high frequencies of neutral perceptions and non-response are evidence of considerable indifference towards Australia. Furthermore, we investigate the correlates of perceptions of Australia's influence and find that in almost all cases citizens’ views about US and Chinese influence on their country are much better predictors of their views of Australia's influence than core values, identity, information, and demographic characteristics. We posit that opinions about Australia, even those that are favorable, may have less to do with perceptions of Australia specifically, and more to do with respondents’ general internationalist sentiment or perceptions of major powers.
WHERE IS AMERICA IN THE REPUBLIC OF LETTERS?
Authors: WINTERER CAROLINE
Published: November 2012

Where is America in the republic of letters? This question has formed in my mind over the last four years as I have collaborated on a new project based at Stanford University called Mapping the Republic of Letters. The project aims to enrich our understanding of the intellectual networks of major and minor figures in the republic of letters, the international world of learning that spanned the centuries roughly from 1400 to 1800. By creating visual images based on large digitized data sets, we hope to reveal the hidden structures and conditions that nourished the growth of the republic of letters in the early modern era and the causes of its transformation in the nineteenth century. This task has only recently become feasible with the digitization of the correspondences of major intellectuals such as Benjamin Franklin, John Locke, Athanasius Kircher, and Voltaire, and of libraries, cabinets of artifacts, and Grand Tour itineraries.
NO INNER REMIGRATION: MARTIN HEIDEGGER, ERNST JÜNGER, AND THE EARLY FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY
Authors: MORAT DANIEL
Published: November 2012

Martin Heidegger and Ernst Jünger rightly count among the signal examples of intellectual complicity with National Socialism. But after supporting the National Socialist movement in its early years, they both withdrew from political activism during the 1930s and considered themselves to be in “inner emigration” thereafter. How did they react to the end of National Socialism, to the Allied occupation and finally to the foundation of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949? Did they abandon their stance of seclusion and engage once more with political issues? Or did they persist in their withdrawal from the political sphere? In analyzing the intellectual relationship of Heidegger and Jünger after 1945, the article reevaluates the assumption of a “deradicalization” (Jerry Muller) of German conservatism after the Second World War by showing that Heidegger's and Jünger's postwar positions were no less radical than their earlier thought, although their attitude towards the political sphere changed fundamentally.
Pioneers in Optics: Antonie van Leeuwenhoek and James Clerk Maxwell
Authors: Davidson Michael W.
Published: November 2012

Leeuwenhoek was born in Delft, Holland on October 24, 1632. His father was a basket maker, and although Leeuwenhoek did not receive a university education and was not considered a scholar, his curiosity and skill allowed him to make some of the most important discoveries in the history of biology.

James Clerk Maxwell was one of the greatest scientists of the nineteenth century. He is best known for the formulation of the theory of electromagnetism and in making the connection between light and electromagnetic waves. He also made significant contributions in the areas of physics, mathematics, astronomy, and engineering. He is considered by many as the father of modern physics.
Prenatal stress enhances severity of atherosclerosis in the adult apolipoprotein E-deficient mouse offspring via inflammatory pathways
Authors: Ho H. , Lhotak S. , Solano M. E. , Karimi K. , Pincus M. K. , Austin R. C. , Arck P.
Published: November 2012

Atherosclerosis is the underlying cause of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Endothelial cell dysfunctions are early events in atherosclerosis, resulting in the recruitment of circulating monocytes. The immune system can elicit an inflammatory response toward the atherosclerotic lesion, thereby accelerating lesion growth. Risk factors for atherosclerosis include hypertension, smoking, stress perception or low birth weight. As prenatal stress challenge decreases the birth weight and affects the offspring's postnatal immune response, we aimed to investigate whether prenatal stress contributes to the development of atherosclerosis in mice. Syngenic pregnant apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE−/−) dams were exposed to sound stress on gestation days 12.5 and 14.5. The presence and size of atherosclerotic plaques in the offspring at the age of 15 weeks was evaluated by histomorphology, accompanied by flow cytometric analysis of the frequency and phenotype of monocytes/macrophages and regulatory T (Treg) cells in the blood. Further, cytokine secretion of peripheral blood lymphocytes was analyzed. In response to prenatal stress challenge, an increased frequency of large atherosclerotic plaques was detectable in apoE−/− offspring, which was particularly profound in females. Prenatal stress also resulted in alterations of the offspring's immune response, such as a decreased frequency of Treg cells in blood, alterations of macrophage populations in blood and an increased secretion of inflammatory cytokines. We provide novel evidence that prenatally stressed adult offspring show an increased severity of atherosclerosis. As Treg cells are key players in dampening inflammation, the observed increase in atherosclerosis may be due to the lack of Treg cell frequency. Future interdisciplinary research is urgently required to understand the developmental origin of prenatal stress-induced atherosclerosis. The availability of our model may facilitate and foster such research endeavors.
Changing While Remaining the Same
Authors: Verdon Benoît
Published: November 2012

Aging is a clearly evolutionary process that first discreetly and then more starkly modifies social references, cognitive potentialities, and above all bodily integrity and appearance. External reality cannot avoid encountering the internal reality of each one of us. Women and men, with their variable and singular narcissistic and identificatory weaknesses and resources, are invited or even compelled to deal, in a way that is both new and constantly being modified, with loss and incompleteness, with the inevitable nature of our finite destiny, the disenchantment of things left unfinished. This research, based on a qualitative analysis of 110 Rorschach protocols gathered from a random group of men and women – ordinary people between 50 and 90 years of age – allows us to appreciate the quality and perhaps the particularity of the expressions of these mental problem configurations in which the question of nonintegrity proves to be crucial. The results demonstrate how the Rorschach Test can be useful in understanding the diversity of self-representation, by avoiding turning a demographic group into a clinical entity. They show that, contrary to what the first research works in psychoanalysis and projective psychology suggested, aging in itself does not lead to a decrease of the mental processes.
Direct measurements of atmospheric iron, cobalt, and aluminum‐derived dust deposition at Kerguelen Islands
Authors: Heimburger A. , Losno R. , Triquet S. , Dulac F. , Mahowald N.
Published: November 2012

Atmospheric deposition is one of the major sources of nutrients bringing trace metals to remote marine biota. In this study, total atmospheric deposition and crustal aerosol concentrations were monitored at Kerguelen Islands (49°18′S; 70°07′E) in the Southern Ocean during a short campaign in early 2005 and then continuously for about 2 years (2009–2010). Results show very low levels of atmospheric dust and trace metals concentrations but higher deposition fluxes than expected. The averaged total dust deposition flux as derived from Al deposition measurements is 659 μg m−2 d−1. Simultaneously measured Fe and Co deposition fluxes are respectively 29 μg m−2 d−1 (520 nmol m−2 d−1) and 0.014 μg m−2 d−1 (0.24 nmol m−2 d−1), giving typically crustal elemental ratios to Al of 0.54 and 2.6 10−4. Measured dust deposition is in relatively good agreement with those simulated by current atmospheric models, but suggest that previous indirect calculations from field experiments are too low by a factor of 20. Observations and model results show that dust is transported above the marine atmospheric boundary layer to Kerguelen Islands, and thus that surface concentrations are not representative of the total dust column. Indeed, using surface concentrations leads to very large computed wet scavenging ratios, and to the conclusion that it is not appropriate to derive deposition fluxes from surface concentrations at remote ocean sites.
Stress triggering of the great Indian Ocean strike‐slip earthquakes in a diffuse plate boundary zone
Authors: Wiseman Kelly , Bürgmann Roland
Published: November 2012

On April 11, 2012, two great magnitude 8+ earthquakes occurred within a two‐hour period off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia, in the broadly distributed India‐Australia plate boundary zone. The magnitude 8.6 mainshock holds the distinction of being both the largest instrumentally recorded strike‐slip earthquake and the largest earthquake away from a recognized plate boundary fault. The mainshock involved sequential ruptures of multiple fault planes oriented nearly perpendicular to each other. The adjacent 2004 megathrust earthquake statically loaded the northern Wharton Basin oceanic lithosphere on both of the 2012 mainshock fault plane orientations, and greatly enhanced the rate of earthquake activity in the region for a year. Viscoelastic relaxation of the asthenosphere following the 2004 and 2005 megathrust earthquakes continued to positively stress the offshore region, correlating with the locations of later strike‐slip earthquakes, including two magnitude 7+ and the 2012 magnitude 8+ earthquakes.
Investigation of Mars' ionospheric response to solar energetic particle events
Authors: Ulusen Demet , Brain David A. , Luhmann Janet G. , Mitchell David L.
Published: November 2012

We investigate the effects of solar energetic particle (SEP) events on the Martian ionosphere using observations from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Electron Reflectometer (ER) and Radio Science (RS) experiments. Although MGS/ER is not designed to measure solar storm particles, it detects SEPs as increased instrument background. Using this proxy for SEP fluxes near Mars, we compare electron density profiles obtained from the RS experiment during periods of high and low SEP activity. Six case studies show no clear evidence for an increase in the ionospheric electron density between 200 and 100 km altitudes. However, 4 of the 6 events show a small increase in electron density below 100 km altitude during SEP events, suggesting that high‐energy (10–20 keV) electrons may cause ionization in the lower ionosphere. We also observe an ∼25% decrease in the ionospheric electron density between ∼100 and ∼120 km altitude for the two strongest events, suggesting that SEPs trigger a process that increases electron loss in this altitude range of the lower ionosphere. However, we cannot be confident from only two events that this effect is caused directly or indirectly by increased SEP fluxes. A statistical study confirms the case study results, but not over all solar zenith angles. Additionally, we observe depletions in the topside ionospheric electron density at some solar zenith angles, which can be explained by compression of the ionosphere by the passing CME.
Dawn‐dusk asymmetries in the Earth's magnetosheath
Authors: Walsh B. M. , Sibeck D. G. , Wang Y. , Fairfield D. H.
Published: November 2012

Statistical observations by the THEMIS spacecraft show a dawn‐dusk asymmetry in plasma parameters within the Earth's magnetosheath. Proton density and temperature are greater on the dawnside while the magnetic field strength and bulk flow are greater on the duskside. The asymmetry has been measured just outside the magnetopause in the dayside magnetosheath through 1114 boundary crossings from 2008 through 2010. These results are compared with modeling from the BATS‐R‐US global MHD code and are consistent with the expected asymmetries that would result from the interactions of the Parker spiral interplanetary magnetic field with the Earth's bow shock. Solar cycle variations are analyzed for the current and past studies to predict the influence of upstream conditions during different time periods.