bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Formations, Connections and Divisions of Labour
Authors: Glucksmann Miriam A.
Published: October 2009

The division of labour, an enduring concept of the sociology of work, has yet to receive fundamental critical re-evaluation. The need for this is exposed especially by developments in global work and employment, and the ensuing complexity and variety of contemporary connections and divisions of labour. The aim of this article is to initiate a process of conceptual renewal. Having reviewed classical and 20th-century formulations of the concept, I propose a broader and multidimensional framework. Here, overall socio-economic formations of labour are viewed as constituted through the interplay between three forms of integration and differentiation: the technical division and allocation of labour, interdependencies between work across socio-economic modes, and across overall instituted processes of labour in production, distribution, exchange and consumption. The framework may be used to explore connections and divisions of labour at different scales and levels of generality.
Labour Power and Labour Process: Contesting the Marginality of the Sociology of Work
Authors: Thompson Paul , Smith Chris
Published: October 2009

This article opens by suggesting that the decline in the sociology of work in the UK has been overstated; research continues, but in locations such as business schools. The continued vitality of the field corresponds with material changes in an increasingly globalized capitalism, with more workers in the world, higher employment participation rates of women, transnational shifts in manufacturing, global expansion of services and temporal and spatial stretching of work with advanced information communication technologies. The article demonstrates that Labour Process Theory (LPT) has been a crucial resource in the sociology of work, especially in the UK; core propositions of LPT provide it with resources for resilience (to counter claims of rival perspectives) and innovation (to expand the scope and explanator y power of the sociology of work). The ar ticle argues that the concept of the labour power has been critical to underpinning the sustained influence of labour process analysis.
From a Hierarchy in Time to a Hierarchy in Space: The Meanings of Sino-Babylonianism in Early Twentieth-Century China
Authors: Hon Tze-ki
Published: October 2009

In 1892, Terrien de Lacouperie (1845—1894), professor of Chinese at University College in London, set out to prove that the Chinese migrated from Mesopotamia in prehistoric times. Despite mixed responses from his colleagues, Lacouperie’s “Sino-Babylonianism” found its way into China and captured the imagination of Chinese historians from the 1900s to 1930s. Whether they supported or opposed Lacouperie’s view, Chinese historians were intrigued by his boldness in linking early China to the global network of trade and cultural exchange. This article examines how Chinese historians adopted, transformed, and appropriated Sino-Babylonianism in their discourse on the nation. It argues that the rise and fall of Sino-Babylonianism coincided with the Chinese perceptions of the world system of nation-states. Sino-Babylonianism was warmly received when the Chinese perceived the world system of nation-states as a hierarchy in temporality, prescribing a process of evolution that all human communities must follow. Sino-Babylonianism was fiercely rejected when the Chinese saw the world system of nation-states as a hierarchy in space, characterized by incessant territorial expansion of imperialist powers. In both instances, Sino-Babylonianism was no longer what Lacouperie had proposed in the late nineteenth century. Rather, it was an important benchmark for the Chinese understanding of the modern global order.
Re-evaluating the Role of Text in Indian Art
Authors: Nardi Isabella
Published: October 2009

This article seeks to rediscover and contemporise the importance of using the shastras, Sanskrit technical treatises, as a standard of critique to analyse Indian art. The applicability and interpretative value of this approach for the study of Indian art history is exemplified by a case study of the miniature paintings representing the image of Shri Nathji in Nathdvara. Analysing the image of Shri Nathji as it appears in Nathdvara miniature paintings from different shastric points of views, including the theories of measurement and proportion, postures, mudras and rasa theory, the article proposes to include in the definition of shastra not only canonical textual sources but also practical/visual and oral/verbal transmitted knowledge. While textual concepts are used as a methodology for the reading of the image of Shri Nathji, the canonical shastric theories are considered side by side with such oral and practical knowledge in an attempt to redefine the concept of ‘text’ for Indian tradition, and especially to further our knowledge on the relationship between text and image in Indian art.
Democratisation of the Public Sphere
Authors: Gundimeda Sambaiah
Published: October 2009

Equality of treatment for all citizens and their cultures in public places is one of the prominent declarations of the secular Constitution of India. The hegemony of Hindu culture in the public sphere, however, reflects a dichotomy between stated declarations and social reality. Placing Dalits at the bottom of the caste hierarchy, if not outside it, ‘mainstream’ Hindu culture not only marginalised but importantly rejected the Dalits and their culture. This article examines the saga of the demand for a beef stall by the Dalit students in Hyderabad Central University and argues that the rejection of the culture of any community injures the human agency of that community. It is proposed that such injury can be healed only by a dialogical process, involving assertion of positivity and pride in the culture of the injured and positive recognition of such assertion by the injurer. Democratisation of the public sphere can be actualised by according representation to marginalised cultures, but in addition such representation needs to be accompanied with respect.
A Rasch-based validation of the Vocabulary Size Test
Authors: Beglar David
Published: October 2009

The primary purpose of this study was to provide preliminary validity evidence for a 140-item form of the Vocabulary Size Test, which is designed to measure written receptive knowledge of the first 14,000 words of English. Nineteen native speakers of English and 178 native speakers of Japanese participated in the study. Analyses based on the Rasch model were focused on several aspects of Messick’s validation framework. The findings indicated that (1) the items and examinees generally performed as predicted by a priori hypotheses, (2) the overwhelming majority of the items displayed good fit to the Rasch model, (3) the items displayed a high degree of unidimensionality with the Rasch model accounting for 85.6% of the variance, (4) the items showed a strong degree of measurement invariance with disattenuated Pearson correlations for person measures estimated with different sets of items of 0.91 and 0.96, and (5) various combinations of items provided precise measurement for this sample of examinees as indicated by Rasch reliability indices >0.96. The Vocabulary Size Test provides teachers and researchers with a new instrument that greatly extends the range of measurement provided by other measures of written receptive vocabulary size.
Three-dimensional Motion Planning Algorithms for Steerable Needles Using Inverse Kinematics
Authors: Duindam Vincent , Jijie Xu  , Alterovitz Ron , Sastry Shankar , Goldberg Ken
Published: October 2009

Steerable needles can be used in medical applications to reach targets behind sensitive or impenetrable areas. The kinematics of a steerable needle are non-holonomic and, in two dimensions, equivalent to a Dubins car with constant radius of curvature. In three dimensions, the needle can be interpreted as an airplane with constant speed and pitch rate, zero yaw, and controllable roll angle. We present a constant-time motion planning algorithm for steerable needles based on explicit geometric inverse kinematics similar to the classic Paden— Kahan subproblems. Reachability and path competitivity are analyzed using analytic comparisons with shortest path solutions for the Dubins car (for two dimensions) and numerical simulations (for three dimensions). We also present an algorithm for local path adaptation using null-space results from redundant manipulator theory. Finally, we discuss several ways to use and extend the inverse kinematics solution to generate needle paths that avoid obstacles.
Influence of Fiber Orientation on the In-plane Mechanical Properties of Laminated Hybrid Polymer Composites
Authors: Kaleemulla K. Mohamed , Siddeswarappa B.
Published: October 2009

The objective of this research effort was to gain a better understanding of in-plane tensile and compressive properties of epoxy resin composites reinforced with glass and satin fabric. The effect of fiber content and orientation on the in-plane properties of these laminates has been investigated and the experimentation was performed to determinate property data for material specifications, quality assurance, and structural analysis. The laminates were obtained by hand lay-up process following an appropriate curing cycle and then the laminates were cut to attain the ASTM standards. Specimen configuration varies with variation in percentage of fiber content and orientation, the test ready specimens were subjected to tensile/compressive loads on universal testing machine with a constant cross head velocity. The analysis of the tensile strengths of the laminates was derived as a function of the fiber orientation, while compressive strength is mainly dependent on the percentage of glass content. ANOVA technique was also used to identify the parameter contribution and to generate regression model, the model adequacy is done against the experimental results and found that the results of the regression model are accurate with reasonable degree of approximation.
Impact of food waste fraction in municipal solid waste on sorption of heavy metals
Authors: Onay Turgut T. , Copty Nadim K. , Demirel Burak , Bacioglu Asiye
Published: October 2009

The presence of organic materials plays an important role in the fate of heavy metals that are co-disposed together with municipal solid wastes. As a part of an on-going research project, which aims to find out the most effective attenuation mechanism of heavy metal removal in landfills, sorption batch experiments were performed to assess the sorption behaviour of iron, copper, nickel and zinc on synthetic solid wastes containing 76% (W1) and 45% (W2) food waste percentages and waste-to-solution ratios ranging from 1:4 to 1:16. The analysis of sorption data suggested that the data fit a Freundlich equilibrium isotherm. The time required for reaching equilibrium conditions varied for each metal investigated, but all generally reached equilibrium conditions within 7 h. For both solid waste compositions, metal sorption increased with increase in waste-to-solution ratio, with the order of metal removal percentages consistently found to be Zn > Ni > Cu > Fe. The results also show that a large fraction of the heavy metals could be attenuated by sorption on the solid waste. The removal percentages for Zn and Ni were slightly higher for W2, whereas the removal percentages for Fe and Cu were approximately equal for both waste types. Overall, this study demonstrates that sorption is a viable process that can mitigate the potential adverse impacts of landfill leachate.
Molds, mycotoxins, and nutrition
Authors: Overberg Ron
Published: October 2009

Many of the patients with mold and chemical exposure that come to Environmental Health Center — Dallas (EHC-D) show signs of impaired digestion. Improving their digestion improves their nutritional status and also improves their detoxification abilities. Mold and chemical exposure also affect the patient’s short-term memory and executive function. This presents a challenge when it comes to teaching the patient how to improve their nutritional status and detoxification. At the EHC-D, we use several instructions methods that have resulted in the patient’s grasping the concepts and then being able to implement the required changes.
Mold remediation in a hospital
Authors: Lee Tang G
Published: October 2009

As occupants in a hospital, patients are susceptible to air contaminants that can include biological agents dispersed throughout the premise. An exposed patient can become ill and require medical intervention. A consideration for patients is that they may have become environmentally sensitive and require placement in an environment that does not compromise their health. Unfortunately, the hospital environment often contains more biological substances than can be expected in an office or home environment. When a hospital also experiences water intrusion such as flooding or water leaks, resulting mold growth can seriously compromise the health of patients and others such as nursing staff and physicians (Burge, Indoor Air and Infectious Disease. Occupational Medicine: State of the Art Reviews, 1980; Lutz et al., Clinical Infectious Diseases 37: 786—793, 2003). Micro-organism growth can propagate if the water is not addressed quickly and effectively. Immunocompromised patients are particularly at risk when subjected to fungal infection such that the US Center for Disease Control issued guideline for building mold in health care facilities (Centers for Disease and Control [CDC], Centers for Disease and Control: Questions and Answers on Stachybotrys chartarum and Other Molds, 2000). This paper is based on mold remediation of one portion of a hospital unit due to water from construction activity and inadequate maintenance, resulting in mold growth. A large proportion of the hospital staff, primarily nurses in the dialysis unit, exhibited health symptoms consistent with mold exposure. Unfortunately, the hospital administrators did not consider the mold risk to be serious and refused an independent consultant retained by the nurse’s union to examine the premise (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation [CBC], Nurses file complaints over mold at Foothills. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2003). The nurse’s union managed to have the premise examined by submitting a court order of detention and inspection and for an interlocutory injunction to allow their consultants to undertake air quality testing. Mold remediation procedures are readily available and are not to be discussed here (Silicato, http://www.nibs.org/BETEC/M6/ 13-Silicato_Mold-Remediation.pdf, 2004). However, the difficulty of determining the qualifications of consultants, contactors and project managers are discussed. It also describes the need and importance of a buffer zone between the occupied areas and the mold abatement containment area.
Recovery From Spatial Neglect and Hemiplegia in a Child Despite a Large Anterior Circulation Stroke and Wallerian Degeneration
Authors: Kleinman Jonathan T. , Gailloud Philippe , Jordan Lori C.
Published: October 2009

Prognosis after stroke in children is difficult given the paucity of literature regarding motor and cognitive recovery. Spatial neglect has been described in children after stroke, yet little evidence exists to guide clinicians and parents regarding its resolution. Wallerian degeneration on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suggests poor recovery in neonates and adults. We report near complete resolution of spatial neglect in 4 weeks and significant improvement in hemiplegia in a 9-year-old boy with a right anterior cerebral artery and middle cerebral artery infarction, despite Wallerian degeneration apparent on diffusion-weighted imaging. Serial assessment of neglect documenting the rapid course of recovery is the unique feature of this case and may help serve as a guide to pediatricians and neurologists in assessment of young patients and counseling of parents. The lack of published outcome data suggests a need for larger studies about the recovery of spatial neglect and other cognitive symptoms following pediatric stroke.
Electroconductive Blends of Poly(HEMA-co-PEGMA-co-HMMAco-SPMA) and Poly(Py- co-PyBA): In Vitro Biocompatibility
Authors: Justin Gusphyl , Guiseppi-Elie Anthony
Published: October 2009

Electroconductive hydrogels (ECHs) were prepared as blends of ultraviolet cross-linked poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) [poly(HEMA)]-based hydrogels and in situ electrochemically synthesized polypyrrole (PPy). ECH blends, with potential for neuronal prosthetic devices, implantable biosensors, and electro-stimulated release devices, were produced on surface functionalized microfabricated and planar gold electrodes. Hydrogels were synthesized from hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), poly(ethylene glycol) monomethacrylate (PEGMA), N-[tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl]-acrylamide (HMMA), and 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate potassium salt (SPMA) to produce p(HEMA- co-PEGMA- co-HMMA- co-SPMA). The electroconductive polymer component was electropolymerized from pyrrole and 4-(3'-pyrrolyl)butyric acid to form P(Py- co-PyBA) within the electrode-supported hydrogel. The dynamic electrochemical properties of Au*|Gel-P(Py- co-PyBA) were investigated using multiple scan rate cyclic voltammetry and electrical/electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) over the range 0.1—100 kHz and compared to Au*, Au*|Gel, and Au*|PPy. At 0.1 Hz, there was a three-fold decrease in the magnitude of the absolute impedance, subsequent to electropolymerization. The in vitro biocompatibility and cytotoxicity of the polymer-modified gold surfaces were investigated using murine pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells and human muscle fibroblasts (RMS13). For Au*|Gel-P(Py- co-PyBA) polymer films prepared with different electropolymerization times of 5, 25, and 50 s, there was an increase in cell proliferation of 49%, 61%, and 6% compared to initial cell seeding. These ECH blends have the desired characteristics of low interfacial impedance and noncytotoxicity that makes them good candidates for in vivo intramuscular and neural studies.
Analytic Review: Hyponatremia in Heart Failure
Authors: Chatterjee Kanu
Published: October 2009

Hyponatremia is one of the newer and emerging risk factors for an adverse prognosis in chronic heart failure. Why decreased serum sodium is associated with worse prognosis remains unclear. It may reflect worsening heart failure and the deleterious effects of activation of neurohormones. The mechanism of hyponatremia in heart failure also remains unclear. A relatively greater degree of free-water retention compared to sodium retention is probably the major mechanism. The treatment of significant hyponatremia in heart failure is difficult. The conventional treatments such as fluid restriction, infusion of hypertonic saline, and aggressive diuretic therapies are not usually effective. Vasopressin receptor antagonists have been shown to enhance aquaresis and correct hyponatremia. However, long-term beneficial effects of such treatments in chronic heart failure have not been documented.
Holocene palaeofire records in a high-level, proximal valley-fill (Wilson Bog), Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia
Authors: Buckman Solomon , Brownlie Katherine C. , Bourman Robert P. , Murray-Wallace Colin V. , Morris Rowena H. , Lachlan Terry J. , Roberts Richard G. , Arnold Lee J. , Cann John H.
Published: October 2009

An elevated valley-fill peat bog (Wilson Bog) near Mount Lofty, South Australia, failed in November 2005 following a flooding event, and exposed representative sections of the sediment infill. Two distinct units were revealed: 2 m of coarse-grained, siliciclastic sand/gravel, overlain by 2 m of peat. A simple charcoal extraction technique based on floatation and skimming was developed to extract coarse charcoal from coarse-grained gravels to determine the palaeofire record at a proximal site of sedimentation. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of basal sediments revealed a minimum age of deposition of 7.02 +0.50—0.56 ka, while the oldest charcoal peak yielded a radiocarbon age of 6000—5740 cal. yr BP. The lower half of the siliciclastic unit contains three distinct charcoal peaks suggesting there were infrequent but intense fires associated with wetter conditions during the Holocene climatic optimum 8000—5000 years ago. The period from 4000 to 2000 cal. yr BP is characterised by more frequent charcoal peaks and higher background levels of charcoal, which is consistent with more regular but less intense fires during drier, cooler conditions. The sharp transition from siliciclastic sedimentation to peat formation began ~1200 cal. yr BP, which may relate to a return to wetter conditions. However, fire frequency appears to have increased in this time suggesting augmentation by anthropogenic or ENSO-related factors. Charcoal-rich layers in the siliciclastic unit are associated with poorly sorted, bimodal sediments with high proportions of clay, silt and gravel, which supports the hypothesis that there is an association between past fire events and rapid, coarse-grained, post-fire aggradation. By analogy with active colluvial aggradation following recent fires at nearby Mount Bold, it is evident that fire plays a significant role in hillslope destabilization and subsequent sediment movement, leading to rapid valley-fill aggradation — a chain of events to which we apply the term ‘pyrocolluviation’.
Lateglacial and Holocene paleoenvironmental changes recorded in lake sediments, Brock Plateau (Melville Hills), Northwest Territories, Canada
Authors: Rühland Kathleen , Jacques Jeannine-Marie St. , Beierle Brandon D. , Lamoureux Scott F. , Dyke Arthur S. , Smol John P.
Published: October 2009

Sediments from South Lake, Brock Plateau (Melville Hills), Northwest Territories, provide one of the longest postglacial records from the mainland western Canadian Arctic, outside of eastern Beringia. Sedimentation commenced at least 13 900 cal. yr BP, and possibly as early as 16 000 cal. yr BP, in response to early deglaciation of the site. Pollen is present throughout the record, with an initial Artemisia-Salix assemblage indicative of very cold conditions, consistent with a locally severe Younger Dryas Stade or simply continued proximity of the Laurentide Ice Sheet margin ( c. 12 700 to 11 500 cal. yr BP). At c. 11 000 cal. yr BP, abiotic proxies signal a transition to warmer conditions, corroborated by a pollen assemblage dominated by Betula and Cyperaceae. Although South Lake was biologically productive during the early Holocene ( c. 11 000 to 7000 cal. yr BP), diatoms and other siliceous organisms are notably absent from the record, suggesting severe silica limitation. Rises in Alnus crispa and Picea mariana pollen at c. 7000 cal. yr BP suggest cooling and/or an increase in effective moisture. Wetter conditions and increased hydrological inputs and silica supply likely led to the establishment of a pioneering diatom community at c. 6500 cal. yr BP. Decreased organic sedimentation after c. 2000 cal. yr BP suggests cooler conditions. Additionally, changing niveo-eolian deposition of sand on lake ice varied with a c. 3000-year periodicity through the entire record. The South Lake multiproxy record supports the hypothesis that the Brock Plateau was one of the earliest deglaciated regions during the late Wisconsinan.
A 700 year record of temperature and nutrient changes in a small eutrophied lake in southern Finland
Authors: Luoto Tomi P. , Sarmaja-Korjonen Kaarina , Nevalainen Liisa , Kauppila Tommi
Published: October 2009

This study aimed to distinguish natural and anthropogenic environmental changes, mainly in climate and nutrient conditions, during the past c. 700 years in Lake Hampträsk, southern Finland. We used sedimentary assemblages of aquatic organisms and physical properties of the sediment as proxies for the past environmental conditions. The results of diatom-inferred phosphorus reconstruction indicated that the lake was already meso-eutrophic at c. AD 1400, possibly because the preceding cultivation of the area had increased the lake’s nutrient condition. Chironomid-inferred temperatures indicated favourable climatic conditions at the end of the ‘Medieval Warm Period’, but the temperatures steadily decreased until a significant drop in the values occurred at c. AD 1700, representing the coldest period of the ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA) in southern Finland. This cold period was illustrated by major changes in the lake’s ecosystem and physical environment. After the LIA, the chironomid-inferred temperatures increased, as expected in the light of modern observations. However, the diatom-inferred phosphorus showed a decreasing trend, which is in contrast to the measured phosphorus values that imply a currently eutrophic condition. The reason for the underestimation may be the predominance of periphytic taxa that are assigned low TP optima in the inference model.
Lago di Bargone, Liguria, N Italy: a reconstruction of Holocene environmental and land-use history
Authors: Cruise G.M. , Macphail R.I. , Linderholm J. , Maggi R. , Marshall P.D.
Published: October 2009

Sediment micromorphology, chemistry and magnetic susceptibility of basin edge deposits at the small, mid-altitude peat site of Lago di Bargone, eastern Liguria, Italy, is compared with a full Holocene palynological sequence and radiocarbon dates from the central part of the peat bog. Micromorphology and MS550 results show that Neolithic to Copper Age forest disturbances and clearings as inferred from the pollen diagrams, occurred during a period of lower water-tables and intermittent drying out of the basin edge deposits. Extensive deforestation and expansion of heath and grassland during the Iron Age and Roman periods is associated with increases in soil erosion and in micromorphological indications of burning. It is argued that the very fine size range of the charred fragments seen in thin sections and the seeming absence of charcoal of coarser size range suggest a system of light, controlled burning, possibly akin to the local tradition of using fire to control weeds and to encourage new grass and herbaceous growth, and not local forest clearance by fire. Micromorphology of the late-Holocene peat contains herbivore dung possibly indicating the use of the site as a watering hole by domesticated stock. The overlying colluvium displays evidence of deep-seated erosion of the local soils and geology which is most likely to have been associated with local mining activities.
The disappearance of Sphagnum imbricatum from Butterburn Flow, UK: a reply to comments by Bjorn Robroek et al
Authors: McClymont Erin L. , Mauquoy Dmitri , Yeloff Dan , Broekens Peter , van Geel Bas , Charman Dan J. , Pancost Richard D. , Chambers Frank M. , Evershed Richard P.
Published: October 2009

We welcome the comments by Bjorn Robroek et al. ( The Holocene 19 (2009) 1093—1094, this issue) on our paper (McClymont et al., The Holocene 18 (2008) 991-1002) and the opportunity to discuss further the complexities that surround the disappearance of Sphagnum imbricatum from Butterburn Flow (our study), and the implications for understanding the disappearance of this species in northwest Europe. We also wish to clarify our site of study; we presented data only from Butterburn Flow, northern England. Although we note that the disappearance of S. imbricatum here is part of a wider European decline in the late Holocene, we did not present data from Wales or Ireland as suggested in the opening paragraph of Robroek’s comment. We also noted that the replacement of S. imbricatum by S. magellanicum occurred over c. 44 years, but proposed that it may have been longer owing to evidence for reduced peat accumulation across the transition.
An atropine and glycopyrrolate combination reduces mortality in organophosphate poisoning
Authors: Arendse Regan , Irusen Elvis
Published: October 2009

Anticholinergics are the mainstay of the pharmacological management of organophosphate poisoning (OPP). Atropine has the potential to cause central toxicity which may complicate the management of this life-threatening condition. A combination of atropine and glycopyrrolate in equivalent dosages titrated to the peripheral muscarinic signs, theoretically reduces the central effect of the anticholinergics by 50% and thereby the risk of central toxicity, while it provides effective control of the peripheral manifestations of OPP. This study reports the clinical morbidity and mortality associated with the management of OP with this anticholinergic combination over a 4-year period, 2003 to 2006, at Tygerberg Academic Hospital (TAH). Two of the 53 patients treated for OPP died, with this mortality lower than that previously reported at TAH. Atropine toxicity was evident in 12 (22.5%) patients and responded to a temporary cessation of the combination infusion. The demographic profile, presenting symptoms, duration of stay and complications encountered were similar to previous reports from TAH. Patients treated with the infusion of a combination of atropine and glycopyrrolate had a lower mortality rate compared with earlier reports from the same unit, but the occurrence of atropine toxicity was unchanged despite the hypothesized theoretical advantage.
Diallyl sulfide inhibits murine WEHI-3 leukemia cells in BALB/c mice in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Yu Fu-Shun , Wu Chih-Chung , Chen Chi-Tsai , Huang Shang-Pang , Yang Jai-Sing , Hsu Yuan-Man , Wu Ping-Ping , Ip Siu-Wan , Lin Jing-Pin , Lin Jaung-Geng , Chung Jing-Gung
Published: October 2009

It is well documented that enhanced garlic (Allium sativum) consumption leads to decrease in the cancer incidences. Diallyl sulfide (DAS), one of the components of garlic, induces cytotoxicity and apoptosis in many cancer cell lines. The present studies are focused on the in vivo effects of DAS on leukemia WEHI-3 cells in the BALB/c mice. We examined the effects of DAS on the cytotoxicity of WEHI-3 cells and results indicated that DAS decreased the percentage of viable WEHI-3 cells and these effects are dose-dependent. We examined the effects of DAS on WEHI-3 in vivo and the results indicated that DAS decreased the percentage of Mac-3 and CD11b, indicating that the differentiation of the precursor of macrophage cells was inhibited. DAS stimulated the percentage of CD3 and CD19, indicating that the differentiation of the precursor of T and B cells promoted. The weights of liver and spleen indicated that DAS decreased the weight of these organs after being compared to the control groups. One of the major characteristic of WEHI-3 leukemia is the enlarged spleen in murine after intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of WEHI-3 cells. In conclusion, DAS affects WEHI-3 cells both in vitro and in vivo.
Peripheral vascular damage in systemic lupus erythematosus: data from LUMINA, a large multi-ethnic U.S. cohort (LXIX)
Authors: Burgos PI , Vilá LM , Reveille JD , Alarcón GS
Published: October 2009

To determine the factors associated with peripheral vascular damage in systemic lupus erythematosus patients and its impact on survival from Lupus in Minorities, Nature versus Nurture, a longitudinal US multi-ethnic cohort. Peripheral vascular damage was defined by the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics Damage Index (SDI). Factors associated with peripheral vascular damage were examined by univariable and multi-variable logistic regression models and its impact on survival by a Cox multi-variable regression. Thirty-four (5.3%) of 637 patients (90% women, mean [SD] age 36.5 [12.6] [16—87] years) developed peripheral vascular damage. Age and the SDI (without peripheral vascular damage) were statistically significant (odds ratio [OR] = 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01—1.08; P = 0.0107 and OR = 1.30, 95% CI 0.09—1.56; P = 0.0043, respectively) in multi-variable analyses. Azathioprine, warfarin and statins were also statistically significant, and glucocorticoid use was borderline statistically significant (OR = 1.03, 95% CI 0.10—1.06; P = 0.0975). In the survival analysis, peripheral vascular damage was independently associated with a diminished survival (hazard ratio = 2.36; 95% CI 1.07—5.19; P = 0.0334). In short, age was independently associated with peripheral vascular damage, but so was the presence of damage in other organs (ocular, neuropsychiatric, renal, cardiovascular, pulmonary, musculoskeletal and integument) and some medications (probably reflecting more severe disease). Peripheral vascular damage also negatively affected survival. Lupus (2009) 18, 1303—1308.
Finite Deformations of Tubular Dielectric Elastomer Sensors
Authors: Son Seyul , Goulbourne N.C.
Published: October 2009

This article describes a numerical model validated with experimental results for a large stretch tubular sensor. The sensor is a dielectric elastomer (DE) membrane with electrical properties that can be accurately correlated with mechanical strain, for strains well over 50%. The DE sensor is a passive capacitive sensor. To illustrate the concept, the sensor is attached to the inner surface of a fiber-reinforced elastomer actuator, which serves as the host substrate. Fiber-reinforced elastomers configured for pneumatic operation are employed as actuators in robotic, prosthetic, and morphing applications. An electromechanical model for the two-layer composite consisting of the fiber-reinforced elastomer and the sensor is derived. For several illustrative loading profiles, the model yields a strain output for an input capacitance value. Using identical loading cases, an experimental setup was designed to measure sensor output for two different sensor materials: silicone and polyacrylate. The sensitivity of the DE sensor was also evaluated for varying geometrical parameters and is mainly dependent on the initial thickness. Comparison of experimental data and numerical results is very good with an overall error of 3—6%. This work shows that the model is robust in the large strain range and furthermore predicts non-linear strain behavior.
Equivalent Circuit Modeling of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters
Authors: Yang Yaowen , Tang Lihua
Published: October 2009

Last decade has seen growing research interest in vibration energy harvesting using piezoelectric materials. When developing piezoelectric energy harvesting systems, it is advantageous to establish certain analytical or numerical model to predict the system performance. In the last few years, researchers from mechanical engineering established distributed models for energy harvester but simplified the energy harvesting circuit in the analytical derivation. While, researchers from electrical engineering concerned the modeling of practical energy harvesting circuit but tended to simplify the structural and mechanical conditions. The challenges for accurate modeling of such electromechanical coupling systems remain when complicated mechanical conditions and practical energy harvesting circuit are considered in system design. In this article, the aforementioned problem is addressed by employing an equivalent circuit model, which bridges structural modeling and electrical simulation. First, the parameters in the equivalent circuit model are identified from theoretical analysis and finite element analysis for simple and complex structures, respectively. Subsequently, the equivalent circuit model considering multiple modes of the system is established and simulated in the SPICE software. Two validation examples are given to verify the accuracy of the proposed method, and one further example illustrates its capability of dealing with complicated structures and non-linear circuits.
Management of Primary Dysmenorrhea by School Adolescents in ILE-IFE, Nigeria
Authors: Ogunfowokan Adesola A. , Babatunde Oluwayemisi A.
Published: October 2009

Dysmenorrhea is a problem that girls and women face and often manage themselves with or without support from health professionals. A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted among adolescents with dysmenorrhea ( N = 150) in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The aims of the study were to determine their knowledge of menstruation and primary dysmenorrhea, assess the severity of pain they experienced during an episode of primary dysmenorrhea, and determine the management strategies they adopted. A pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Findings revealed the adolescents had a knowledge deficit regarding menstruation and dysmenorrhea, 58% of respondents reported pain between face 4 and face 10 on the Faces Pain Scale and the majority used inappropriate methods to manage primary dysmenorrhea. School nurses are able to assist adolescents and their mothers in proper management of primary dysmenorrhea.
Rethinking Democracy
Authors: Waltman Max
Published: October 2009

Why are democracies unresponsive to well-documented injuries in the production and by the consumption of pornography? Legal challenges to pornography in Canada and the United States in which sexual subordination, not moral notions of “obscenity,” were the driving rationale, show democracies inadequately recognizing gender-specific harms. Changes in Canadian obscenity doctrines to account for harm and inequality, in contrast with the U.S. reign of “free speech,” did not deliver a corresponding change on the ground. Developments in democratic theory, international law, and the particular U.S.—Canadian legal trajectory, and consideration of the void of institutions articulating the interests of those victimized in and by pornography, suggest the need to adopt empowering civil remedies.
Discrete-time H∞ Full-information Control of Structural Systems with Control Delay
Authors: Tan Shu-Jun , Wu Zhi-Gang , Zhong Wan-Xie
Published: October 2009

H∞ full information control method for structural vibration suppression with control delay is proposed within a discrete-time framework. Firstly, the continuous-time system equation with control delay is discretized by precise computation of matrix exponentials. By introducing an appropriate extended state vector, the time-delay system is transformed into standard discrete forms without time delays. Then a controller is designed based on the discrete time H∞ full information control theory. The controller consists of a regular feedback closed-loop and a feed-forward compensator which utilizes external excitation signals measured in real time. The feed-forward plus feedback controller has better performance than feedback only controllers. The feedback loop of the deduced controller contains linear combinations of former control inputs besides the current state feedback terms. Thus the proposed method is applicable to large time-delay cases. Considering the complexity of the transformed system, a 2 N algorithm is introduced to search the optimal attenuation level and evaluate the control law. The present algorithm can be executed parallel, which makes the design of H∞ controllers very convenient. Finally, numerical simulations of a three-story structure control are implemented. Time-delay effects on the optimal attenuation level are given to show that it is an important factor for system stability. Simulation results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed control method.
Party Behaviour in the Parliamentary Arena
Authors: Hix Simon , Jun Hae-Won
Published: October 2009

This article investigates the nature of party behaviour in the legislative arena in a developing democracy by undertaking a spatial analysis of voting in the Korean National Assembly. We discover the main dimensions of politics in the Korean parliament and look at how KNA members’ ideological preferences, regional interests and the shift from divided to unified government shapes relations between parties in this chamber. We find that party behaviour in the KNA is primarily ideologically based around a ‘progressive—conservative’ dimension of South Korean politics. However, we find that the geopolitical element of the progressive—conservative divide in Korean politics is more salient in the KNA than the socio-economic (left—right) element. We also find more division between the parties in the 17th KNA than in the 16th KNA, but this had less to do with ideological splits than the fact that the main progressive party (Uri) held the presidency and a majority in the parliament for the first time.
Gender and Political Party Leadership in Canada
Authors: O'Neill Brenda , Stewart David K.
Published: October 2009

In this article, we compare the experiences of male and female party leaders at the provincial and federal levels in Canada between 1980 and 2005 and test several hypotheses regarding gender and party leadership. The Canadian case provides an excellent case study given the relatively large number of women (21 in total) who held the position of party leader during the time period in question. The case study reveals that major parties are less likely to elect women as their leaders, while parties on the ideological left are more likely than other parties to select women. The leadership races won by women are as competitive, if not more so, than those won by men, although the mandate secured by women leaders is less overwhelming. Not surprisingly, then, men are found to enjoy longer tenures as leaders than women, and, moreover, to enjoy greater electoral success.
Modelling Government Formation in Denmark and Beyond
Authors: Skjæveland Asbjørn
Published: October 2009

This article proposes a new model of government formation: the Dual Power Base Model. The starting point is the median voter theorem, but an institutional limitation suggested by Laver and Shepsle (2000) is added. The claim is that it takes a certain number of MPs to cope with the practical tasks of running a government — that is, to have ‘Office Capacity’. If the median party has Office Capacity, the model predicts that the median party will form the government. If the median party does not have Office Capacity the median party will choose the closest party or parties that do have Office Capacity. This model is applied most thoroughly to government formation in Denmark, but also to the Norwegian and Swedish cases. When party positions are measured by previous voting behaviour on bills in parliament, the model explains 23 out of 25 government formations in Denmark in the period 1953 to 2007.
New Strategies for the Reduction of Shopping Centers Generated Car Trips — Theory and Experiences
Authors: Hüsler Willi , Urbani Luca
Published: October 2009

The relation between urban life and commerce has always been ambivalent. Technical norms and guidelines of the 1970s and 1980s provided an indication of the minimum number of parking places that need to be provided in connection with the construction of a new commercial center. Later on it became clear that it was not sufficient just to provide cars with a place to park, it was also necessary to provide them with adequate facilities to arrive and to leave. In recent years interesting programs to try and resolve the problems have been started in the city of Zurich. The innovative ‘‘trip model’’ moves the focus to the factors that are directly responsible for the disturbing emissions and binds building licenses to a certain number of emission generating car trips per year rather than to a determined number of parking lots.
The Energy and Cost Implications of the Renewable Energy Scheme at the Integrated Home for Older People, Plas y Môr, Llanelli, Wales
Authors: Roberts Phil
Published: October 2009

Plas y Môr is a ground-breaking project in the social housing sector in Wales. Completed in 2003, it provides 38 flats as well as care and a wide range of other facilities for the elderly. The building combines a number of renewable energy technologies within a highly insulated timber-frame, including passive and active solar technologies and biomass wood pellet fuelled boilers servicing a communal heating scheme. This paper briefly describes how the building works, and examines its performance to date. It compares predicted energy use against actual data from available utility bills over the period of operation of the scheme. Comparison with similarly sized, residential scheme show that Plas y Môr is performing well, despite a few initial setbacks.
Exergy Analysis in Low Carbon Technologies — The Case of Renewable Energy in the Building Sector
Authors: Xydis George
Published: October 2009

In this paper, the availability of different Low Carbon Technologies (LCT) is examined using the method of Exergy Analysis. LCT utilization plays a significant role in the Urban Environment. In many areas, as in construction industry, in fuels and ‘‘conventional’’ energy production, in renewable energy sources (RES), and in transportation there is a focus on technologies that offer the greatest carbon-saving potential. RES offer different LCT as biomass-local electricity and heat generation, geothermal, hydro energy, solar photovoltaic, solar thermal electric (high-temperature generation), solar water-heating collectors, tidal energy, wave energy, and wind power. Continuously increased energy consumption over the last decades in all sectors indicates that a wider LCT utilization is needed. An initial analysis is presented and an availability analysis is been implemented in order to identify whether there is room for more improvement based on the plan for a cost-effective contribution to carbon saving in short and longer term. The ultimate aim of the present study is to analyze the exergy utilization of LCT in order to gain insights of their efficiency
Combining Stationary and Mobile Energy Requirements: The Importance of the Meso-level in Sustainable Urban Development
Authors: Høyer Karl Georg
Published: October 2009

This paper addresses the superior issue of systems for the achievement of very low carbon and very low energy urban buildings. In many larger European cities contemporary major urban renewal is carried out through development of large building and housing complexes, either as separate renewal projects or as parts of more extensive urban renewal programs. This is taking place in what we may term a meso-level in urban development. Besides the importance in current large city development, the focus on large urban building and housing complexes may play crucial functions in the broader context of urban sustainability. These building complexes are major nodes for the generation of many forms of stationary as well as mobile (transport) energy use, giving a context for the development of innovative systems both for increased energy efficiency and utilization of alternative energy sources. As large energy use nodes in the urban structures, the building and housing complexes give particularly favorable conditions for development of common renewable energy systems for stationary purposes; however, also conditions favorable to the implementation of systems to substantially reduce energy use and increase alternative energies in various forms of transportation.
Green room politics and the WTO's crisis of representation
Authors: Jones Kent
Published: October 2009

World Trade Organization (WTO) Green Room meetings are small gatherings of representatives from up to 30 member countries, invited by the Director-General. They are designed to provide the basis for a consensus on critical negotiating issues that can be brought to the WTO membership as a whole. Green rooms appear to be a necessary feature of consensus building in such a large organization, but they have been criticized because they tend to favor representation from large and high-income member countries. This paper discusses the impact of the green room on the WTO decision-making process and the possibilities of reform.