bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Obesity induced by high-fat diet promotes insulin resistance in the ovary
Authors: Akamine Eliana H , Marçal Anderson C , Camporez João Paulo , Hoshida Mara S , Caperuto Luciana C , Bevilacqua Estela , Carvalho Carla R O
Published: May 2010

Besides the effects on peripheral energy homeostasis, insulin also has an important role in ovarian function. Obesity has a negative effect on fertility, and may play a role in the development of the polycystic ovary syndrome in susceptible women. Since insulin resistance in the ovary could contribute to the impairment of reproductive function in obese women, we evaluated insulin signaling in the ovary of high-fat diet-induced obese rats. Female Wistar rats were submitted to a high-fat diet for 120 or 180 days, and the insulin signaling pathway in the ovary was evaluated by immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting. At the end of the diet period, we observed insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, an increase in progesterone serum levels, an extended estrus cycle, and altered ovarian morphology in obese female rats. Moreover, in female obese rats treated for 120 days with the high-fat diet, the increase in progesterone levels occurred together with enhancement of LH levels. The ovary from high-fat-fed female rats showed a reduction in the insulin receptor substrate/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT intracellular pathway, associated with an increase in FOXO3a, IL1B, and TNFα protein expression. These changes in the insulin signaling pathway may have a role in the infertile state associated with obesity.
Neonatal nicotine exposure causes insulin and leptin resistance and inhibits hypothalamic leptin signaling in adult rat offspring
Authors: Oliveira Elaine de , Moura Egberto G , Santos-Silva Ana Paula , Pinheiro Cíntia R , Lima Natalia S , Nogueira-Neto José Firmino , Nunes-Freitas Andre L , Abreu-Villaça Yael , Passos Magna C F , Lisboa Patrícia C
Published: May 2010

Maternal nicotine (NIC) exposure during lactation leads to overweight, hyperleptinemia, and hypothyroidism in adult rat offspring. In this model, we analyzed adipocyte morphology, glucose homeostasis (serum insulin and adiponectin; liver and muscle glycogen), serum lipid, and the leptin signaling pathway. After birth, osmotic minipumps were implanted in lactating rats, which were divided into the groups NIC (6 mg/kg per day s.c. for 14 days) and control (C, saline). NIC and C offspring were killed at the age of 180 days. Adult NIC rats showed higher total body fat (+10%, P<0.05), visceral fat mass (+12%, P<0.05), and cross-sectional area of adipocytes (epididymal: +12% and inguinal: +43%, P<0.05). Serum lipid profile showed no alteration except for apolipoprotein AI, which was lower. We detected a lower adiponectin:fat mass ratio (−24%, P<0.05) and higher insulinemia (+56%, P<0.05), insulin resistance index (+43%, P<0.05), leptinemia (+113%, P<0.05), and leptin:adiponectin ratio (+98%, P<0.05) in the adult NIC group. These rats presented lower hypothalamic contents of the proteins of the leptin signaling pathway (leptin receptor (OB-R): −61%, janus tyrosine kinase 2: −41%, and p-signal transducer and activator of transcription 3: −56%, P<0.05), but higher suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (+81%, P<0.05). Therefore, NIC exposure only during lactation programs rats for adipocyte hypertrophy in adult life, as well as for leptin and insulin resistance. Through the effects of NIC, perinatal maternal cigarette smoking may be responsible for the future development of some components of the metabolic syndrome in the offspring.
Women’s Autonomy and Support for Wife Beating: Findings From a Population-Based Survey in Jordan
Authors: Linos Natalia , Khawaja Marwan , Al-Nsour Mohannad
Published: May 2010

The aim of this study is to examine attitudes among married women toward wife beating and to investigate the hypothesis that female individual empowerment is associated with such attitudes within a broader context of societal patriarchy in Jordan. The study uses data from a cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of married women (n = 5,390) conducted in 2002. Associations between acceptance of wife beating and several women’s empowerment variables, including decision-making power, as well as other risk factors were assessed, using odds ratios from binary logistic regression models. The key finding is that the vast majority (87.5%) of Jordanian women believe that wife beating is justified in at least one hypothetical scenario, and justification is negatively associated with empowerment variables and some demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic factors.
Sex Differences in Destructive Periodontal Disease: A Systematic Review
Authors: Shiau Harlan J. , Reynolds Mark A.
Published: May 2010

Background: Sexual dimorphisms exist in the prevalence and severity of many human conditions and diseases. Models of risk assessment for periodontitis, however, are inconsistent with respect to the inclusion of sex as a risk factor. A systematic review of the literature and meta‐analyses estimates sex‐related differences in the prevalence of periodontitis.

Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and SCOPUS databases were searched for population surveys (sample size >500, half‐mouth minimum, clinical attachment level) containing prevalence data on destructive periodontal disease in males and females.

Results: Data were stratified by disease thresholds (3, 4, 5, and 7 mm) representing 50,604 subjects from 12 population surveys meeting selection criteria. Using a ≥5‐mm clinical attachment loss threshold, seven studies provided data, permitting computation of mean‐weighted sex differences in prevalence. Four studies provided data enabling a meta‐analysis of prevalence rates. Sex exhibited a significant association with prevalence, reflecting a 9% difference between males and females (37.4% versus 28.1%, respectively), although the overall effect of sex in the meta‐analysis was comparatively small (d = 0.19; 95% confidence interval, 0.16 and 0.22). This mean difference in prevalence between males and females was similar regardless of severity of disease threshold and after adjustment for other risk factors.

Conclusions: Men appear at greater risk for destructive periodontal disease than women; however, men do not appear at higher risk for more rapid periodontal destruction than women.
Evaluation of Single‐Tooth Implants in the Second Molar Region: A 5‐Year Life‐Table Analysis of a Retrospective Study
Authors: Koo Ki‐Tae , Wikesjö Ulf M.E. , Park Jang‐Yeol , Kim Tae‐Il , Seol Yang‐Jo , Ku Young , Rhyu In‐Chul , Chung Chong‐Pyoung , Lee Yong‐Moo
Published: May 2010

Background: To our knowledge, no study has evaluated the success or survival rate of single‐tooth implants that replaced missing maxillary and mandibular second molars. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the 1‐ to 5‐year cumulative survival rate (CSR) for single‐tooth implants placed in the second molar region and the effects of associated factors.

Methods: Four hundred eighty‐nine patients (298 males and 191 females; age range: 23 to 91 years; mean age: 47 years) who were admitted to the Seoul National University Dental Hospital between March 2003 and July 2008 and treated with single‐tooth implants in the second molar region (227 maxillary implants and 294 mandibular implants; total: 521 implants) were included in the study. Thirty‐two subjects received two implants each. A 1‐ to 5‐year CSR was calculated using a life‐table analysis. A comparison of CSRs between maxillary versus mandibular implants, one‐stage versus two‐stage implants, short (≤8.5 mm) versus long (>10 mm) implants, and standard‐diameter (≤4.0 mm) versus wide‐diameter (≥5.0 mm) implants was performed using Wilcoxon (Gehan) statistics. P <0.05 was considered significant.

Results: Fifteen of the 521 implants were lost between insertion and the follow‐up examinations. The 1‐ to 5‐year CSR was 95.1%. There were no statistically significant differences in CSRs between implants placed in maxillas and mandibles (96.3% versus 94.9%, respectively; P = 0.084), one‐ and two‐stage implants (95.6% versus 94.7%, respectively; P = 0.267), short and long implants (100% versus 95.1%, respectively; P = 0.582), and standard‐ and wide‐diameter implants (93.8% versus 96.8%, respectively; P = 0.065).

Conclusions: Within the limitations of the study, the placement of single‐tooth implants in the second molar region was an effective and reliable treatment modality. Also, associated factors such as implant diameter, length, and location (the maxilla versus the mandible) may not have an impact on the long‐term success of implants.
Reverse osmosis followed by activated carbon filtration for efficient removal of organic micropollutants from river bank filtrate
Authors: Schoonenberg Kegel F. , Rietman B. M. , Verliefde A. R. D.
Published: May 2010

Drinking water utilities in Europe are faced with a growing presence of organic micropollutants in their water sources. The aim of this research was to assess the robustness of a drinking water treatment plant equipped with reverse osmosis and subsequent activated carbon filtration for the removal of these pollutants. The total removal efficiency of 47 organic micropollutants was investigated. Results indicated that removal of most organic micropollutants was high for all membranes tested. Some selected micropollutants were less efficiently removed (e.g. the small and polar NDMA and glyphosate, and the more hydrophobic ethylbenzene and napthalene). Very high removal efficiencies for almost all organic micropollutants by the subsequent activated carbon, fed with the permeate stream of the RO element were observed except for the very small and polar NDMA and 1,4-dioxane. RO and subsequent activated carbon filtration are complementary and their combined application results in the removal of a large part of these emerging organic micropollutants. Based on these experiments it can be concluded that the robustness of a proposed treatment scheme for the drinking water treatment plant Engelse Werk is sufficiently guaranteed.
Treatment of wastewater from a low-temperature carbonization process industry through biological and chemical oxidation processes for recycle/reuse: a case study
Authors: Biswas R. , Bagchi S. , Urewar C. , Gupta D. , Nandy T.
Published: May 2010

Low-temperature carbonization (LTC) of coal generates highly complex wastewater warranting stringent treatment. Developing a techno-economically viable treatment facility for such wastewaters is a challenging task. The paper discusses a case study pertaining to an existing non-performing effluent treatment plant (ETP). The existing ETP comprising an ammonia stripper followed by a single stage biological oxidation was unable to treat 1,050 m3/d of effluent as per the stipulated discharge norms. The treated effluent from the existing ETP was characterized with high concentrations of ammonia (75–345 mg N/l), COD (313–1,422 mg/l) and cyanide (0.5–4 mg/l). Studies were undertaken to facilitate recycling/reuse of the treated effluent within the plant. A second stage biooxidation process was investigated at pilot scale for the treatment of the effluent from the ETP. This was further subjected to tertiary treatment with 0.5% dose of 4% hypochlorite which resulted in effluent with pH: 6.6–6.8, COD: 73–121 mg/l, and BOD5:<10 mg/l. Phenol, cyanide and ammonia were below detectable limits and the colourless effluent was suitable for recycle and reuse. Thus, a modified treatment scheme comprising ammonia pre-stripping followed by two-stage biooxidation process and a chemical oxidation step with hypochlorite at tertiary stage was proposed for recycle/reuse of LTC wastewater.
The development of a novel approach for assessment of the first flush in urban stormwater discharges
Authors: Bach P. M. , McCarthy D. T. , Deletic A.
Published: May 2010

The management of stormwater pollution has placed particular emphasis on the first flush phenomenon. However, definition and current methods of analyses of the phenomena contain serious limitations, the most important being their inability to capture a possible impact of the event size (total event volume) on the first flush. This paper presents the development of a novel approach in defining and assessing the first flush that should overcome these problems. The phenomenon is present in a catchment if the decrease in pollution concentration with the absolute cumulative volume of runoff from the catchment is statistically significant. Using data from seven diverse catchments around Melbourne, Australia, changes in pollutant concentrations for Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and Total Nitrogen (TN) were calculated over the absolute cumulative runoff and aggregated from a collection of different storm events. Due to the discrete nature of the water quality data, each concentration was calculated as a flow-weighted average at 2 mm runoff volume increments. The aggregated concentrations recorded in each increment (termed as a ‘slice’ of runoff) were statistically compared to each other across the absolute cumulative runoff volume. A first flush is then defined as the volume at which concentrations reach the ‘background concentration’ (i.e. the statistically significant minimum). Initial results clearly highlight first flush and background concentrations in all but one catchment supporting the validity of this new approach. Future work will need to address factors, which will help assess the first flush's magnitude and volume. Sensitivity testing and correlation with catchment characteristics should also be undertaken.
Application of high rate nitrifying trickling filters to remove low concentrations of ammonia from reclaimed municipal wastewater
Authors: van den Akker B. , Holmes M. , Short M. D. , Cromar N. J. , Fallowfield H. J.
Published: May 2010

The interference of ammonia with the chlorination process is a problem for many reclaimed water treatment plant operators. This paper presents the findings from a series of pilot experiments that investigated the efficacy of high flow rate nitrifying trickling filters (NTFs) for the removal of low concentrations of ammonia (0.5–3.0 mg N L−1) from reclaimed wastewater. Results showed that nitrification was impeded by a combination of high organic carbon loads and aquatic snails, which consumed much of the active biomass. With adequate snail control, nitrification rates (0.3–1.1 g NH4-N m−2 d−1) equivalent to that of traditional wastewater NTFs were achieved, despite operating under comparably low ammonia feed concentrations and high hydraulic flow rates.
Road Rage: Relationships with Borderline Personality and Driving Citations
Authors: Sansone Randy A. , Lam Charlene , Wiederman Michael W.
Published: May 2010

Objective:

The objectives of this study were to determine: (1) the prevalence of self-reported road rage in a primary care sample; (2) the relationship, if any, between road rage and borderline personality disorder (BPD); and (3) whether those with road rage have a greater prevalence of different types of driving citations compared to those without road rage.

Method:

Using a consecutive, cross-sectional sample of primary care outpatients, we surveyed 419 individuals.

Results:

The prevalence of self-reported road rage in this sample was 35.3%. BPD was significantly more prevalent among participants with road rage (24.8% vs. 9.8%). Compared to those without road rage, those with road rage reported statistically significantly higher numbers of different types of driving citations, including moving and non-moving violations, as well as having had a driver's license suspended. There were no differences between the groups with regard to vehicular crashes or driving while intoxicated.

Conclusions:

About one-third of individuals reported road rage. The prevalence of BPD was significantly higher among those with road rage compared to those without road rage, and is likely to be one of the contributory variables to reckless driving. Individuals who reported road rage appear to be less disciplined drivers and are subject to more types of driving citations, although they do not report greater rates of vehicular crashes or driving while intoxicated.
Anxiety Disorders in Chinese Patients with Parkinson'S Disease
Authors: Chen Yang-Kun , Lu Jin-Yan , Chan D. M. L. , Mok Vincent C. T. , Wong Ka Sing , Ungvari Gabor S. , Tang Wai Kwong , Yeung M. Au
Published: May 2010

Objective:

Anxiety disorders (ANDI) commonly occur in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) but their socio-demographic and clinical correlates have not yet been unequivocally determined. This study aimed to assess the frequency of ANDI and their correlates in Chinese PD patients.

Methods:

A cohort of 133 patients of PD were recruited from three neurology outpatient clinics. Participants' neurological, cognitive, and psychiatric status was assessed using standardized rating instruments. ANDI were diagnosed by qualified psychiatrists using the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–4th Edition (SCID-DSM IV).

Results:

Thirty-six patients (27.1%) were diagnosed with some types of ANDI; Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Agoraphobia, and Social Phobia were the commonest subtypes of ANDI in PD ( n = 11, 8.3%, in each of the three subtypes). Nine patients had more than one subtype of ANDI. In multivariate logistic regression, younger age of onset of PD [odds ratio (OR) =2.654, 95% confident intervals (CI) = 1.120–6.289, p = 0.027), Geriatric Depression Scale score (OR = 1.179, 95% CI = 1.056–1.316, p = 0.003) and muscle cramps (≥ 1/week) (OR = 2.605, 95% CI = 1.098–6.184, p = 0.030) were independent correlates of ANDI.

Conclusions:

ANDI are common in Chinese PD patients. Younger age of onset of PD, severity of depressive symptoms, and muscle cramps may be independent correlates of ANDI suggesting that anxiety in PD has multifactorial origin.
Education and Risk for Late Life Depression: A Meta-Analysis of Published Literature
Authors: Chang-Quan Huang , Zheng-Rong Wang , Yong-Hong Li , Yi-Zhou Xie , Qing-Xiu Liu
Published: May 2010

Objective:

Less education is commonly viewed as an important risk factor for late life depression. However, this has still not been confirmed. The goal of this study was to determine the relationship between education and risk for depression among the old.

Method:

MEDLINE, EMBASE, and The Cochrane Library database were used to identify potential studies. The studies were divided into cross-sectional and longitudinal subsets. The qualitative meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies and that of longitudinal studies were preformed, respectively. For prevalence and incidence rates of depression, odds risk (OR) and relative risk (RR) were calculated, respectively.

Results:

Twenty-four cross-sectional and 12 prospective longitudinal studies were included in this review. In this meta-analysis, in the more and less education groups, there were 22,964 and 28,024 subjects and 3032 and 6462 cases of depression, respectively. The qualitative meta-analysis showed that, compared with old people with more education, those with less education had higher risk for depression (odds risk (OR): 1.58, 95% confidence intervals (95% CI): 1.38–1.82; Relative risk (RR): 1.49, 95% CI: 1.16–1.91).

Conclusions:

Despite the methodological limitations of this meta-analysis, less education is associated with increase risk of late life depression.
High-Powered Careers and Marriage: Can Women Have It All?
Authors: Dessy Sylvain , Djebbari Habiba
Published: May 2010

Why do women often choose family over career? Can't they, like men, have both? At work, women are still under-represented in high-powered professions in most societies. At home, women tend to devote more time to their families than their spouses do. What explains these imbalances? Our model builds upon the fact that women's fertility, unlike men's, declines sharply past age 35. As a result, women may prefer marrying early in order to secure a match rather than investing in their careers while delaying and potentially missing out on marriage. Women's failure to coordinate towards delaying marriage may explain the imbalances within the family and in the labor market.
The Role of Television in Household Debt: Evidence from the 1950's
Authors: Baker Matthew J. , George Lisa M
Published: May 2010

We examine whether advertising increases household debt by studying the initial expansion of television in the 1950's. Exploiting the idiosyncratic spread of television across markets, we use micro data from the Survey of Consumer Finances to test whether households with early access to television saw steeper debt increases than households with delayed access. Results indicate that exposure to television advertising increases the tendency to borrow for household goods and the tendency to carry debt. Television access is associated with higher debt levels for durable goods, but not with the total amount of non-mortgage debt. We provide suggestive evidence that increased labor supply may drive our results. The role of media in household debt may be greater than suggested by existing research.
Transit and Trade Barriers in South Asia: Multilateral Obligations and Development Perspective
Authors: De Prabir
Published: May 2010

With the South Asian Free Trade Agreement, South Asian countries are now looking towards deeper integration of the region. In reality, South Asia is far from realizing its full trade potential. One of the critical factors preventing South Asia from achieving its full potential is the absence of regional transit. Unlike the European Union, South Asian countries do not have a regional transit arrangement, although partial transit exists for landlocked countries such as Afghanistan, Bhutan and Nepal. This paper highlights, among others, the importance of transit as a major source of advantage for regional as well as international trade in South Asia.
Development Bank, Law and Innovation Financing in a New Brazilian Economy
Authors: Schapiro Mario
Published: May 2010

This paper examines new ways of direct state intervention in Brazil's financial environment, which has a prevailing development bank (state-owned financial institution)  BNDES (National Economic and Social Development Bank). The main purpose of the article is to describe the new role and legal tools developed by BNDES to finance innovation and start up companies. The analysis shows that not only the financing of innovation has become paramount within the BNDES agenda, but also that this activity has been associated with a new rationale for intervention. Instead of taking the place of the financial market, BNDES tries to leverage the financial sector, mainly its venture capital sector. Particularly, it will examine four kinds of legal tools, which have been developed by BNDES since the beginning of the nineties to spur innovative companies. The legal tools are: (i) equity participations; (ii) credit contracts; (iii) indirect participation in private venture capital funds; and (iv) contract based on non-reimbursable resources. These legal tools not only represent a new contractual paradigm within BNDES financial operations, but also indicate a new way of public intervention. The paper claims that in financing a Brazilian knowledge based economy, BNDES has abandoned its top-down intervention strategy, adopting an iterative and dynamic kind of governance.
The Persistence of Formalism: Towards a Situated Critique beyond the Classic Separation of Powers
Authors: Rodriguez Jose R.
Published: May 2010

Formalism persists everywhere despite 100 years of critical legal theory. The reasons for that are sociological and political and include the persistence of the separation of powers idea as a central concept for the theory of law. In Brazil, this phenomenon manifests itself acutely for two supplementary reasons: (1) the lack of a real differentiation between academic research and professional lawyering and (2) the influence of neo-liberal economic thought.The persistence of formalism is a serious problem for Brazilian development since it naturalizes the existing institutions and their related power positions, creating an obstacle to any project of development that proposes something new. It blocks the development of a critical and reflexive knowledge on institutions, shortening institutional imagination to projects that could transform Brazilian reality.The main objective of this article is to develop a critique of formalism useful both as a general method to criticize formalism and as a tool to criticize its Brazilian manifestation. It will be argued here that the critique of formalism fails when it is only theoretical. An efficient critique must also grasp the ideas and the social relations responsible to reproduce formalism as a conceptual idea that informs social practices.To do that, this article will first propose a characterization of Brazilian formalism that does not fit in the Formalism X Instrumentalism dichotomy and is more adequate to grasp how law rationality works in countries from the Continental Law tradition. Afterwards, it will identify the power positions and the respective ideologies responsible to reproduce formalism in Brazil, giving criticism a sociological basis. Finally, it will show that only a positive view of what law should be will able to overcome formalism, both as a philosophical idea and as a social practice. In its final part, a sketch of such a view will be presented.
Linking Promises to Policies: Law and Development in an Unequal Brazil
Authors: Coutinho Diogo R.
Published: May 2010

The 1988 Brazilian Constitution contains a wide variety of social and economic rights and expressly embraces development as a fundamental goal. For the results to be effective, however, constitutional provisions of this type require permanent implementation and articulation of public policies that, in turn, are intensely mediated by the law. Assuming that the legal dimension of social policies ultimately matters for development, the article seeks to identify and discuss the distributive effects caused by some Brazilian welfare institutions and their legal arrangements. After describing the regressive outcomes produced by the tax and pensions systems and arguing that such effects reinforce Brazilian's historically rooted deep inequality, the article discusses Programa Bolsa Família, a conditional cash transfer in Brazil, and presents the preliminary findings of an ongoing research project on law and development (the LANDS project).
Exceptions and Limitations in Indian Copyright Law for Education: An Assessment
Authors: Liang Lawrence
Published: May 2010

This paper examines the nature of exceptions and limitations in copyright law for the purposes of the use of copyrighted materials for education. It looks at the existing national and international regime, and argues for why there is a need for greater exceptions and limitations to address the needs of developing countries. The paper contextualizes the debate by looking at the high costs of learning materials and the impediment caused to e-learning and distance education by strong copyright regimes.
The Indian Competition Act: A Historical and Developmental Perspective
Authors: Mazhuvanchery Shiju Varghese
Published: May 2010

The relationship between competition law and development continues to be a subject that excites many. The appropriate design of a competition law with developmental dimensions is a contentious issue. With the enactment of the Competition Act 2002, India joined the hundred odd developing countries that have adopted new competition laws over the last two decades. After a hiatus of seven years, substantive provisions of the Act have been notified recently. The Indian Act presents a perfect case study for the developmental dimensions of competition law. This paper explores the events that led to the enactment of the new law in India and analyses its provisions from a developmental perspective. The paper concludes that many of the provisions in the law may come in the way of the realization of developmental goals.
Discrimination and classification of tobacco wastes by identification and quantification of polyphenols with LC-MS/MS
Authors: Wang Jun , Lu Dingqiang , Zhao Hui , Jiang Ben , Wang Jiali , Ling Xiuquan , Chai Hong , Ouyang Pingkai
Published: May 2010

The chemical composition of polyphenols in tobacco waste was identified by HPLC-PAD-ESI/MS/MS and the contents of chlorogenic acids and rutin in 10 varieties of tobacco wastes were determined by HPLC-UV. The relationships between the contents of active polyphenols and the varieties of tobacco wastes were interpreted by hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA). The results showed that 15 polyphenols were identified in a methanolic extract of dried tobacco waste. The tobacco wastes were characterized by high levels of chlorogenic acids (3-CQA, 5-CQA, and 4-CQA) and rutin; their ranges in the 10 tobacco varieties were 0.116-0.196, 0.686-1.781, 0.094- 0.192, and 0.413-0.998 %, respectively. According to multivariate statistics models, two active compound variables can be considered important for the discrimination of the varieties of tobacco wastes: chlorogenic acids and rutin. Consequently, samples of 10 tobacco varieties were characterized into three groups by HCA based on the PCA pattern. In conclusion, tobacco waste could be used as a new pharmaceutical material for the production of natural chlorogenic acids and rutin in the ethnopharmacological industry.
Australia: Evaluation and Quality in Higher Education
Authors: Woodhouse David , Stokes Terry
Published: May 2010

Modern Australia evolved from separate colonies, which came together as a federation a century ago. The balance of state/federal responsibilities is relevant to most aspects of Australian life. This includes higher education, where universities are largely state owned but federally funded (with government funding declining), while the other higher education institutions are largely under state oversight. The article begins by describing the evolution of the higher education sector and the various approaches taken to addressing its quality over the years. Ten years ago, the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) was established as the national quality agency with responsibility for auditing universities (emphasising good processes and achievement of objectives within the universities, and diversity between them) and the state accreditation agencies (with emphasis on national consistency of treatment of the non-university institutions). The article describes AUQA's approach and actions that have led to effectiveness nationally and internationally, and an international reputation. The article also refers to other issues, including funding, rankings and standards. It concludes with an outline of the Federal Government's current plans to bring AUQA and the state agencies into a single national agency.
The Quality Assurance of Degree Education in Canada
Authors: Baker Donald N. , Miosi Terry
Published: May 2010

Under the Canadian constitution, responsibility for education is assigned to the provinces. In some provinces, universities are based in institution-specific statutes, in others, in system-wide legislation. Except for the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, the provinces leave the quality assurance of academic activities to the universities. In the last 15 years, the post-secondary landscape has become more complex. Four provinces have enabled non-degree-granting colleges to offer specific degree programs on the basis of government approval; three have transformed colleges into universities; four permit external universities, public and private, and new private universities based in Canada to offer programs. Though the innovative provinces established quality assurance agencies to screen programs and organizations, the new degrees met resistance from many public universities, which, in the absence of a national accrediting body, took the position that they would only recognize degrees from institutions belonging to their own promotional national body, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC). Though the new agencies have published both academic standards and rigorous external review procedures, this response from the public universities in effect marginalized the new degree programs and providers. Thus, the state of quality assurance in higher education in Canada is in a state of flux. This article reviews the state of quality assurance activity across the country in both public universities and in the new quality assurance agencies. It concludes with reflections on the challenge of inserting new degrees and new kinds of degree-granting institutions into a framework of academic legitimacy that all players will accept.
Accreditation in the Netherlands: Does Accountability Improve Educational Quality?
Authors: van Berkel Henk , Wijnen Wynand
Published: May 2010

This article traces the changes in quality assurance within the Dutch higher education system. It starts with a brief history of the development of the Dutch accreditation system, which is the latest step in a process that started with an external quality assurance system. This is followed by an extensive description of the present accreditation system, its structure, its processes and its key players. Finally, it concludes with an attempt to summarise the pros and cons of the system and makes some suggestions as to how the system might develop in the future.
Supplemental Education Services Under No Child Left Behind
Authors: Heinrich Carolyn J. , Meyer Robert H. , Whitten Greg
Published: May 2010

Schools that have not made adequate yearly progress in increasing student academic achievement are required, under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), to offer children in low-income families the opportunity to receive supplemental educational services (SES). In research conducted in Milwaukee Public Schools, the authors explore whether parents and students are aware of their eligibility and options for extra tutoring under NCLB, and who among eligible students registers for SES. Using the best information available to school districts, the authors estimate the effects of SES in increasing students’ reading and math achievement. Their nonexperimental estimates suggest no average effects of SES attendance on student achievement gains. They use qualitative research to explore possible explanations for the lack of observed effects.
Academic Engagement of International Policing-Reform Assistance: Putting Foucauldian Genealogy to Practical Use
Authors: Kempa Michael
Published: May 2010

In this paper, I develop an approach for normative engagement by academic criminologists through the test case of international policing-reform assistance. By examining some of the known controversies and difficulties associated with international policing-reform assistance, I illustrate the practical policy utility of Foucauldian genealogical analytic inquiry. I argue that the insights and capacities for lateral thinking opened up through this approach are usefully “brought to bear” by taking a page from Jürgen Habermas to institutionalize discursive space and thereby democratic experimentalism.
Masculinity and Resistance in Adolescent Carceral Settings
Authors: Cesaroni Carla , Alvi Shahid
Published: May 2010

The concept of hegemonic masculinity is a useful tool for critiquing and understanding narrow cultural constructions of masculinity, the diversity of men's real experiences, and the trajectory of power relations among men. One important tenet of the concept is that masculinities are often constructed, maintained, and restructured according to particular social networks in a given environment. Research that has been conducted on the impact of masculine prison environments has tended to focus on traditional adult male prisons. This paper offers a qualitative account of the lived experiences of 350 incarcerated Canadian male youth. It explores how everyday minor acts of subversion, assertions of youthful identity, and masculinity are used to contest and recast the meanings, directions, and restrictions imposed by the institution. We draw attention to the various ways in which these youth resist the experience of power, discipline, and formal social control. We highlight the ways in which masculinities and subcultural norms intersect to provide the psychological resources and frameworks within which these young people actively resist the experience of captivity, their captors, and the correctional environment.
What Can Political Science Contribute to the Study of Criminal Justice in Canada?
Authors: Riddell Troy Q.
Published: May 2010

The article argues that Canadian political scientists have paid more attention to criminal justice than is commonly believed but that there is potential for a much greater contribution. The existing political science literature on criminal justice suggests that three strengths could be built upon by future research. First, political scientists are well positioned to study how the policy process influences the formation of criminal justice policy. Second, political scientists can bring their disciplinary training to bear on questions involving the limits of public authority and the rights of citizens vis-à-vis the state in the context of criminal justice. Finally, the political science literature contains relatively unique methodological, theoretical, and normative perspectives on criminal justice when compared to the literature produced by scholars in other disciplines. The article concludes by outlining some potential impediments to political scientists' paying more heed to criminal justice and also some reasons for optimism that the discipline might build upon its existing contributions.
On the Chemistry, Toxicology and Genetics of the Cyanobacterial Toxins, Microcystin, Nodularin, Saxitoxin and Cylindrospermopsin
Authors: Pearson Leanne , Mihali Troco , Moffitt Michelle , Kellmann Ralf , Neilan Brett
Published: May 2010

The cyanobacteria or “blue-green algae”, as they are commonly termed, comprise a diverse group of oxygenic photosynthetic bacteria that inhabit a wide range of aquatic and terrestrial environments, and display incredible morphological diversity. Many aquatic, bloom-forming species of cyanobacteria are capable of producing biologically active secondary metabolites, which are highly toxic to humans and other animals. From a toxicological viewpoint, the cyanotoxins span four major classes: the neurotoxins, hepatotoxins, cytotoxins, and dermatoxins (irritant toxins). However, structurally they are quite diverse. Over the past decade, the biosynthesis pathways of the four major cyanotoxins: microcystin, nodularin, saxitoxin and cylindrospermopsin, have been genetically and biochemically elucidated. This review provides an overview of these biosynthesis pathways and additionally summarizes the chemistry and toxicology of these remarkable secondary metabolites.
Biosensing for the Environment and Defence: Aqueous Uranyl Detection Using Bacterial Surface Layer Proteins
Authors: Conroy David J.R. , Millner Paul A. , Stewart Douglas I. , Pollmann Katrin
Published: May 2010

The fabrication of novel uranyl (UO22+) binding protein based sensors is reported. The new biosensor responds to picomolar levels of aqueous uranyl ions within minutes using Lysinibacillus sphaericus JG-A12 S-layer protein tethered to gold electrodes. In comparison to traditional self assembled monolayer based biosensors the porous bioconjugated layer gave greater stability, longer electrode life span and a denser protein layer. Biosensors responded specifically to UO22+ ions and showed minor interference from Ni2+, Cs+, Cd2+ and Co2+. Chemical modification of JG-A12 protein phosphate and carboxyl groups prevented UO22+ binding, showing that both moieties are involved in the recognition to UO22+.
Magnetization Dynamics Symmetry in Spin Torque Induced Magnetization Switching
Authors: Wang Xiaobin
Published: May 2010

Magnetization dynamics symmetry plays important roles in magnetization switching. Here we study magnetic field and spin torque induced magnetization switching. Spin moment transferring from polarized itinerant electrons to local magnetization provides a magnetization switching mechanism without using external magnetic field. Besides its importance in fundamental magnetization switching dynamics, spin torque magnetization switching has great application potential for future nanoscale magnetoelectronic devices. The paper explores magnetization dynamics symmetry effects on spin torque induced magnetization switching, and its interactions with random fluctuations. We will illustrate the consequences of magnetization dynamics symmetry on the critical switching current magnitude and the thermal stability energy of spin torque induced magnetization switching, which are the two most important design criteria for nanoscale spin torque magnetic devices. The concept of Logarithmic magnetization susceptibility is used to extract symmetry and damping information on spin torque induced nonlinear magnetization dynamic processes, and provides paths to control spin torque induced switching in a fluctuating environment.
Development of microsatellite loci for Pinus koraiensis (Pinaceae)
Authors: Li Yong , Liang Lu , Ge Xue‐Jun
Published: May 2010

• Premise of the study: Microsatellite markers were developed for Pinus koraiensis to characterize its genetic diversity and understand its population structure.

• Methods and Results: Using the Fast Isolation by AFLP of Sequences COntaining (FIASCO) Repeats protocol, 20 primer sets were developed in Chinese populations of P. koraiensis. Three of the markers showed polymorphism with two alleles per locus when assessed in a sample of two populations of P. koraiensis from the Changbai Mountain in the Jilin Province of China. Five and three loci were successfully amplified in P. taiwanensis and P. massoniana, respectively. The amplification size of these loci matches those in P. koraiensis.

• Conclusions: These markers may be useful for further investigation of population genetics of P. koraiensis.
Insécurité foncière et croissance économique au Brésil
Authors: Araujo Claudio , Araujo Bonjean Catherine , Combes Jean-Louis , Combes-Motel Pascale
Published: May 2010

Résumé Dans cet article, nous examinons les conséquences de l’insécurité foncière sur la croissance économique au Brésil à partir d’un modèle dynamique d’une économie comportant un secteur agricole et un secteur manufacturier. La terre est à la fois un facteur de production fixe et spécifique au secteur agricole et un support d’épargne alternatif au capital employé dans le secteur manufacturier. L’arbitrage entre la détention de capital ou de terre dépend de coûts de transaction spécifiques à l’actif foncier, qui résultent de l’insécurité foncière. L’insécurité foncière entraîne une baisse du prix de la terre et une modification de la composition de l’épargne favorable au capital. Le modèle permet donc d’établir deux restrictions : un effet négatif de l’insécurité foncière sur le prix de la terre et un effet positif sur la croissance. Ces deux restrictions sont testées sur des données de panel pour les 27 états de la fédération brésilienne. L’insécurité foncière est approchée par le nombre de squatters. Les résultats économétriques n’invalident pas le modèle. Classification JEL : O41, Q15, O54
Au-delà de la controverse prêts ou dons : comment utiliser la dette pour le développement ?
Authors: Cohen Daniel , Jacquet Pierre , Reisen Helmut
Published: May 2010

Résumé Cet article se penche sur la controverse prêts ou dons. Il remet en question l’affirmation parfois énoncée que les institutions du développement devraient s’abstenir d’octroyer des prêts et distribuer plutôt l’APD sous forme de dons directs seulement. Il discute des diverses raisons pour lesquelles les pays en développement n’ont pas un plein accès aux marchés internationaux de capitaux au-delà des problèmes traditionnellement invoqués de mauvaises institutions et au-delà des facteurs relevant de leur propre responsabilité. Il existe des défaillances de marchés qui justifient l’APD, et il n’y a pas a priori de supériorité globale des dons comparés aux prêts. Au contraire, nous pensons que les prêts constituent une meilleure solution, à condition qu’ils soient centrés sur le problème clé du maintien de la soutenabilité de la dette. Finalement, et au-delà de la controverse prêts ou dons, l’article se propose de revisiter le paradigme traditionnel de l’APD.
La vulnérabilité : une perspective microéconomique
Authors: Dercon Stefan
Published: May 2010

Résumé Dans les pays en développement, le risque élevé de chute du revenu et des moyens de subsistance fait partie de la vie. Les risques climatiques, les fluctuations économiques, ainsi qu’un nombre important de chocs spécifiques aux individus rendent les ménages sujets à de dures épreuves. L’article étudie les relations entre risque, vulnérabilité et pauvreté, d’un point de vue microéconomique. Le risque n’a pas pour seule conséquence la variabilité des niveaux de vie. De plus en plus de signes indiquent que le manque de moyens pour faire face au risque et à la vulnérabilité est en lui-même une cause de la persistance de la pauvreté et des trappes à pauvreté. Le risque engendre des stratégies qui empêchent de profiter d’opportunités rentables mais risquées. Les chocs détruisent du capital humain, physique et social, réduisant encore davantage les opportunités. Le résultat est que le risque est une entrave importante à une large croissance des niveaux de vie dans beaucoup de pays en voie de développement. C’est une facette relativement ignorée lors de l’élaboration des politiques de lutte contre la pauvreté et des efforts à faire pour atteindre les Objectifs du Millénaire pour le Développement (OMD). L’article examine les questions conceptuelles, les faits, et les implications politiques.
Cibler les politiques de lutte contre la pauvreté dans les pays en développement ? Un bilan des expériences
Authors: Pasquier-Doumer Laure , Lavallée Emmanuelle , Olivier Anne , Robilliard Anne-Sophie
Published: May 2010

Résumé Dans un contexte de ressources budgétaires limitées et suite au constat que la croissance et l’aide publique au développement ne bénéficiaient pas forcément aux pauvres, la communauté internationale a eu recours à des outils spécifiques permettant d’atteindre en priorité les pauvres. Le ciblage des politiques de lutte contre la pauvreté est l’un de ces outils. Cet article vise à dresser un bilan des expériences de ciblage menées dans les pays en développement. Il cherche pour cela à dégager les facteurs de réussite ou d’échec de ces expériences et fait le point sur les questions qui font toujours débat. Classification JEL : I38, O12, H23