bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Job Strain as a Risk Factor for Type 2 Diabetes: A Pooled Analysis of 124,808 Men and Women
Authors: Nyberg Solja T. , Fransson Eleonor I. , Heikkilä Katriina , Ahola Kirsi , Alfredsson Lars , Bjorner Jakob B. , Borritz Marianne , Burr Hermann , Dragano Nico , Goldberg Marcel , Hamer Mark , Jokela Markus , Knutsson Anders , Koskenvuo Markku , Koskinen Aki , Kouvonen Anne , Leineweber Constanze , Madsen Ida E.H. , Magnusson Hanson Linda L. , Marmot Michael G. , Nielsen Martin L. , Nordin Maria , Oksanen Tuula , Pejtersen Jan H. , Pentti Jaana , Rugulies Reiner , Salo Paula , Siegrist Johannes , Steptoe Andrew , Suominen Sakari , Theorell Töres , Väänänen Ari , Vahtera Jussi , Virtanen Marianna , Westerholm Peter J.M. , Westerlund Hugo , Zins Marie , Batty G. David , Brunner Eric J. , Ferrie Jane E. , Singh-Manoux Archana , Kivimäki Mika
Published: July 2014

OBJECTIVE

The status of psychosocial stress at work as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes is unclear because existing evidence is based on small studies and is subject to confounding by lifestyle factors, such as obesity and physical inactivity. This collaborative study examined whether stress at work, defined as “job strain,” is associated with incident type 2 diabetes independent of lifestyle factors.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We extracted individual-level data for 124,808 diabetes-free adults from 13 European cohort studies participating in the IPD-Work Consortium. We measured job strain with baseline questionnaires. Incident type 2 diabetes at follow-up was ascertained using national health registers, clinical screening, and self-reports. We analyzed data for each study using Cox regression and pooled the study-specific estimates in fixed-effect meta-analyses.

RESULTS

There were 3,703 cases of incident diabetes during a mean follow-up of 10.3 years. After adjustment for age, sex, and socioeconomic status (SES), the hazard ratio (HR) for job strain compared with no job strain was 1.15 (95% CI 1.06–1.25) with no difference between men and women (1.19 [1.06–1.34] and 1.13 [1.00–1.28], respectively). In stratified analyses, job strain was associated with an increased risk of diabetes among those with healthy and unhealthy lifestyle habits. In a multivariable model adjusted for age, sex, SES, and lifestyle habits, the HR was 1.11 (1.00–1.23).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from a large pan-European dataset suggest that job strain is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes in men and women independent of lifestyle factors.
The Contribution of Conceptual Frameworks to Knowledge Translation Interventions in Physical Therapy
Authors: Hudon Anne , Gervais Mathieu-Joël , Hunt Matthew
Published: July 2014

There is growing recognition of the importance of knowledge translation activities in physical therapy to ensure that research findings are integrated into clinical practice, and increasing numbers of knowledge translation interventions are being conducted. Although various frameworks have been developed to guide and facilitate the process of translating knowledge into practice, these tools have been infrequently used in physical therapy knowledge translation studies to date. Knowledge translation in physical therapy implicates multiple stakeholders and environments and involves numerous steps. In light of this complexity, the use of explicit conceptual frameworks by clinicians and researchers conducting knowledge translation interventions is associated with a range of potential benefits. This perspective article argues that such frameworks are important resources to promote the uptake of new evidence in physical therapist practice settings. Four key benefits associated with the use of conceptual frameworks in designing and implementing knowledge translation interventions are identified, and limits related to their use are considered. A sample of 5 conceptual frameworks is evaluated, and how they address common barriers to knowledge translation in physical therapy is assessed. The goal of this analysis is to provide guidance to physical therapists seeking to identify a framework to support the design and implementation of a knowledge translation intervention. Finally, the use of a conceptual framework is illustrated through a case example. Increased use of conceptual frameworks can have a positive impact on the field of knowledge translation in physical therapy and support the development and implementation of robust and effective knowledge translation interventions that help span the research-practice gap.
A Photographic Journey through Digital Technology in Canadian Performances
Authors: Owen David
Published: July 2014

This photo essay showcases digitally mediated performances across Canada. Just as books on the subject of digital performance have featured an impressive and varied breadth of shows under that umbrella, like Steve Dixon’s book sporting the same title, this slideshow highlights a diverse range of performances—from zombie-infested augmented reality games to technology-enhanced cooking displays to interactive web games created for theatre festivals. This is not an exhaustive list but rather a sampling of recent productions that, like the other shows discussed in this issue of Canadian Theatre Review, demonstrate how theatre creation is shifting in response to today’s digital media and game-savvy audiences.

The journey through these images starts with the use of social media to engage spectators even before they enter the theatre space, moves inside the theatre to productions that use visual and aural media enmeshed with live bodies, and then out again to site-specific performance in real-world and online spaces, which are augmented in evocative ways by digital technologies.
Decolonial Interventions in Performance and New Media Art: In Conversation with Cheryl L’Hirondelle and Kent Monkman
Authors: Nagam Julie , Swanson Kerry
Published: July 2014

Abstract:

This article features interviews with Cheryl L’Hirondelle and Kent Monkman, two contemporary artists who move between traditional practices and contemporary art forms. Their multidisciplinary work unpacks both popular culture and traditional world-views. L’Hirondelle and Monkman are integrating Indigenous ideologies and embodied knowledge through interdisciplinary meetings of performance, painting, music, and new and digital media art, and they are actively using these media as decolonizing tools.
Outing Ourselves in Outer Space: Canadian Identity Performances in BioWare’s Mass Effect Trilogy
Authors: Kuling Peter
Published: July 2014

Abstract:

Throughout BioWare’s Mass Effect 3, players confront a vast array of unexpected Canadian content in narrative dialogue, settings, and identity development choices. This article examines the overall effects of Canadian content in this immersive video game series. Beginning in Vancouver and ending in London, England, Mass Effect 3 immerses players in world-ending conflicts linked with historical Canadian wartime experiences, which are creatively disguised through inventive science fiction. This game evokes ideas of colonial duty and personal self-sacrifice; players also confront cultural eugenics similar to social Darwinism during World War II. Canadian and queer identities develop in tandem as players consider humanitarian and inclusive possibilities, performing with outer space races in conflict. Players can even personalize their own Commander Shepard by customizing his/her gender, race, and sexuality. During the game, players may pursue intimate relationships with other men, women, or alien non-player characters; these choices are developed as moments of “coming out” that parallel the Canadian content revelations in the game. All of these contemporary identity negotiations create a vastly complex system of video game user-generated performances as players help their Canadian Commander Shepard reshape the universe.
I, Patient: Performance Practices in Medical Simulation at Hôpital Montfort
Authors: Samur Sebastian
Published: July 2014

Abstract:

This article compares the performative experiences of medical simulation participants who train with both standardized patients (SPs)—actors trained in patient simulation—and android patient simulators. Training participants may be doctors, nurses, or other medical personnel. A brief history of medical simulation is provided, covering both human and artificial patient simulation. Additional simulation elements, such as the training environment and medical moulage (makeup), are also discussed in relation to the heightened realism they bring to scenarios. A case study then follows, outlining medical simulation practices currently employed at the Montfort Hospital simulation lab, as well as individual staff roles. Practical and theoretical advantages and disadvantages of human versus android patient simulators are examined, as are the performative elements that each presents. The article concludes with a brief look at future developments in the field of medical simulation at the Montfort Hospital and abroad.
How iRan: Three Plays for iPod
Authors: Cameron Ken
Published: July 2014

Abstract:

Ken Cameron’s How iRan is a shuffleable audio-performance, presented in a library, about imprisoned Iranian-Canadian blogger Hossein Derakhshan. Audience members choose one of three coloured iPods offered at the show, each offering a different journey through the space and through the experiences of Iranian-Canadian immigrants. The performance is divided into three parts: green, white, and red. The reader is invited to select the colour of the script to read first.
LANDLINE: Halifax to Vancouver
Authors: Harvey Dustin , Wong Adrienne
Published: July 2014

Abstract:

LANDLINE: Halifax to Vancouver, by Dustin Harvey and Adrienne Wong, is an intimate, roving performance for two participants situated in two different cities. Designed to relocate and connect different cities, the performance uses an audio track played over an iPod to guide participants on a walk through urban space. The participants are prompted to text message each other and share anecdotes, observations, and—possibly—secrets. At the end of the piece, the participants return to the start point, where they encounter their counterpoint via video link between the two cities. What happens next is up to the two strangers—who may be closer now than when they started. LANDLINE is a slow dance for two, with their arms wrapped around the nation.

The performance is one hour long and repeats every ten minutes for a maximum of four hours at a time. LANDLINE was first produced between Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Vancouver, British Columbia, in September 2013 by Secret Theatre and Neworld Theatre.
Placing the Supranational Politics of Jean Monnet in Time
Authors: Ugland Trygve
Published: July 2014

Abstract:

Jean Monnet was an agent of paradigmatic change by playing an imperative role in the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), which over time evolved into today’s European Union (EU). Monnet’s vision for European supranational unity was officially presented as the Schuman Declaration on 9 May 1950, a date that is celebrated annually as Europe Day. However significant this date was in the life of Monnet and in the post-war European political integration efforts, it is just a snapshot among numerous preceding and subsequent developments. Although much social science scholarship has been devoted to analyzing the long-term institutional developments following the establishment of the ECSC (see, for instance, Bulmer ), the long-term process leading to 9 May 1950 has been subject to less attention. This paper focuses on one particular aspect of this context, the formative influences on Jean Monnet.
Building a Conservative Nation: An Examination of Canada’s New Citizenship Guide,Discover Canada
Authors: Tonon Laura , Raney Tracey
Published: July 2014

Abstract:

In 2009, the Conservative government announced that its new citizenship guide, Discover Canada, would replace the previous guide that had been in place since 1995. Using a discourse analysis, this article assesses the nation-building strategies employed by the Conservative government in this new guide. The central argument is that Discover Canada advances a version of the Canadian nation tied to socially and economically conservative values as well as law and order issues. This neo-conservative national identity has important implications for national belonging and membership not only for prospective citizens to Canada, but also for Canada’s historical national minorities, including Quebec and Aboriginal peoples.
The Exclusive Nature of Quebec’s Contemporary Nationalism: The Pitfalls of Civic Nationalism
Authors: Caron Jean-François
Published: July 2014

Abstract:

With reason, Quebec contemporary nationalism can be defined as a form of civic nationalism. This type of collective identification can be defined as being inclusive for every citizen notwithstanding their ethno-cultural origins. However, the Quebec case tends to illustrate that the discourse surrounding civic nationalism can be as exclusive as ethnic nationalism. This is largely due to the fact that Quebecers’ collective identity is defined around specific political values that are not and cannot by nature be shared by every Quebec citizen. This is what this text will show and it will focus on the reasons that explain such a situation.
Entre famille et vieillissement :Impact des transformations familiales aux âges avancés
Authors: Le Bourdais Céline , Girard Magali , Swiss Liam , Lapierre-Adamcyk Évelyne
Published: July 2014

Abstract:

Based on an impressive amount of quantative data, the authors discuss the consequences of Canada’s population dynamics in great detail. They address the plunging fertility rates, changing family composition, the growing instability of marriage and their impact on family life for present and future old persons. This article is based on research presented at the International Conference, “Ageing Societies: The Dynamics of Demographic Change in Canada” organized by ICCS in 2010.
Femmes, mondanité et culture dans les années 1940 : l’exemple de la chronique « Ce dont on parle » de Lucette Robert dans La Revue populaire
Authors: Savoie Chantal
Published: July 2014

Résumé

Au tournant du XXe siècle, les pages féminines des grands quotidiens deviennent un des lieux qui ont le plus contribué à façonner l’émergence d’un regard lettré féminin sur le monde et sur la culture. Dans le prolongement de nos travaux sur les pages féminines des quotidiens et sur les périodiques féminins des premières décennies du XXe siècle, nous souhaitons mesurer l’évolution du regard féminin porté sur le monde et sur la culture par les magazines en nous attardant à la chronique « Ce dont on parle » de Lucette Robert dans La revue populaire (1944-1947). Alors que le monde de l’imprimé subit une mutation décisive au cours de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale, comment la modernisation de la société et le redéploiement de l’espace médiatique en général et de l’espace spécifique des magazines en particulier, sont-ils transformés par cette évolution ? Comment la culture mondaine féminine se présente-t-elle au sortir de la guerre ? La chronique de Lucette Robert, abordant les échos des milieux mondains, littéraires et artistiques, alors que la chroniqueuse incarne elle-même un nouveau modèle de femme lettrée et de citoyenne du monde dans une revue populaire, s’avère un exemple privilégié qui permet de sonder l’arrimage des différentes sphères culturelles (médiatique et culturelle, au confluent de la culture populaire et de la culture moyenne) à une époque charnière.
“A Sweet Canadian Girl”: English-Canadian Actresses’ Transatlantic and Transnational Careers through the Lenses of Canadian Magazines, 1890s–1940s
Authors: Morgan Cecilia
Published: July 2014

From the late nineteenth century until at least the end of the 1920s, English-Canadian periodicals such as Saturday Night, Mayfair, and The Canadian Magazine were keen to cover “the stage” and those Canadians who appeared on it, both in Canada and abroad. Figures such as Margaret Anglin, Julia Arthur, Viola Allen, May Irwin, Bea Lillie, and Margaret Bannerman were featured in these publications, their work heralded as evidence of the country’s talent in the performing arts. These women also were depicted as evidence of Canadians’ ability to move across and around national borders, proof that the country was linked to transnational and transatlantic circuits of performance and, in particular, cultural knowledge. Yet, cosmopolitan subjects though they might be, these actresses were, nevertheless, always “Toronto girls” (or Hamilton or Ottawa), women whose considerable charms and appeal were grounded in their country of origin. This article explores the ways in which these upper-middle-class periodicals helped shape the actresses’ images, as they reported their movements on- and offstage, in Canada, the US, Britain, and (in some cases) Australia. It also considers the ways in which these actresses, in turn, might have lent more glamor, sophistication, and cosmopolitanism to the periodicals themselves.
“Une femme bien en vue”: Adrienne Clarkson and the Media
Authors: Kröller Eva-Marie
Published: July 2014

As the first Chinese-Canadian woman to occupy the position of Governor-General of Canada, Adrienne Clarkson attracted special attention from the start of her appointment. However, both the praise for her performance and the criticism of her alleged shortcomings drew extensively on reports in the media that accompanied her previous work, over several decades, as a journalist, editor, and diplomat. Clarkson’s travels in the company of representatives from the arts, sciences, and commerce were a special target, yet Clarkson has cited these, along with the lessons learned during past travels including a trip to China in pursuit of her heritage, as proof of a successfully fulfilled mandate. Thus, Canada’s House: Rideau Hall and the Invention of a Canadian Home (2004), a book produced by the historian Margaret MacMillan and others “in conversation with Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul,” describes Rideau Hall as the focal point of international mobility. This article looks at women and the office of Governor-General in Canada, including the “chatelaines” (Governor-Generals’ spouses), concentrating on middlebrow sources and paying special attention to the motif of travel. The purpose is to study the media coverage of the various roles Adrienne Clarkson has played in her professional life as a flashpoint of Canadian attitudes toward ambitious professional women generally and high-aiming ethnic women specifically.
Hemispheric Travel from Europe tolas Américas: The Imaginary and the Novel in Québec and Canada
Authors: Vautier Marie
Published: July 2014

Abstract:

This article explores cross-cultural interactions in Canadian fiction in French and English, and delineates a hemispheric shift in the imaginaries of the literatures of Canada and Québec. Beginning with what are sometimes considered to be the “first” Canadian and Québécois novels, The History of Emily Montague by Frances Brooke and L’Influence d’un livre by Philippe Aubert de Gaspé, fils , this article will argue that both were open to the “Other,” as represented by references to the opposing linguistic body (French or English). The article then provides a diachronic overview of texts published in English and French in Canada, and underlines both cross-cultural interactions (English-French) within the literatures of Canada and their fascination with Europe. This is followed by references to some late twentieth-century authors, whose work reveals the beginning of a shift in attitudes away from Europe and toward Latin America. The article ends with an in-depth analysis of a twenty-first-century novel, Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner , and the main thrust of the argument here is to unpack the diminishing importance of Europe and the increasing importance of Latin America for the contemporary literary imaginary.
Scaling Up Collaboration Online: Toward a Collaboratory for Research on Canadian Writing
Authors: Brown Susan
Published: July 2014

This article asks researchers of Canadian writing to reflect on collaboration as increasingly crucial to how we do our work in the context of digital environments that increasingly shape our work through their tools and resources. Scholars are in a position to help address major gaps in both online cultural content and digital infrastructure in Canada, both of which are vital to the continuing study of literature. Given the lack of a national digitization initiative and increasing government cuts, the need for high-quality Canadian web content and the interests of scholars in Canadian writing converge. The article describes the Canadian Writing Research Collaboratory as one attempt to addressing these gaps, while also outlining the substantial challenges—which are finally cultural rather than technical—associated with developing incentives to collaboration, fostering adherence to best practices, and demonstrating value in virtual research environments and the work that supports them. However, if emerging digital research infrastructures can foster collaboration, open access, and sustainability, they will make a historical difference to the cultural infrastructure and cultural memory of Canada.
Subversive Middlebrow: The Campaigns to Ban Kathleen Winsor’sForever Amberin the US and Canada
Authors: Jaillant Lise
Published: July 2014

In 1944, Macmillan launched Kathleen Winsor’s racy first novel Forever Amber with an advertising budget of nearly $27,000. Forever Amber can be seen as an example of “the feminine middlebrow novel” (Humble), a kind of commercial fiction largely written and consumed by middle-class women. The immense success of both the novel and the $6,375,000 movie adaptation met with active resistance from conservative groups in the US and in Canada. In 1946, Winsor’s novel went on trial in Boston for obscenity. Moreover, the appeals to boycott movie theatres that played Forever Amber triggered similar campaigns in Canada. The Catholic press in Quebec endorsed the boycotts, and the Toronto politician David A. Balfour demanded a ban on “salacious literature.” Drawing on extensive archival research in the Macmillan collection at the New York Public Library and the Annie Laurie Williams papers at Columbia University Library, this article shows that a “middlebrow” bestseller such as Forever Amber played an important role in the fight against censorship in the US and in Canada. Yet the cultural impact of Forever Amber has been largely neglected, in part because scholars have focused on controversial “highbrow” fiction such as Ulysses and Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
The Book of Negroes’ Illustrated Edition: Circulating African-Canadian History through the Middlebrow
Authors: Roberts Gillian
Published: July 2014

Abstract:

This article examines the 2009 deluxe illustrated edition of Lawrence Hill’s Commonwealth Writers’ Prize– and Canada Reads–winning novel The Book of Negroes , originally published in 2007. It relates the story of Aminata, a West African girl kidnapped and sold into slavery, and her experiences on an indigo plantation in the American south, followed by further displacements to Charleston, Nova Scotia, Sierra Leone, and London. In New York, as the Revolutionary War comes to a close, Aminata becomes the scribe for the Book of Negroes, documenting the Black Loyalists, as well as the slaves and indentured servants of white Loyalists, granted passage by the British to Canada. Hill has commented that the Book of Negroes is an important document about which Canadians are largely ignorant. This desire to circulate knowledge about African-Canadian history through the novel is particularly manifest in the illustrated edition of 2009, where a photograph of the Book of Negroes features prominently, along with countless other images and captions which supplement and interrupt Hill’s narrative. This article considers the significance and implications of this “keepsake” or “souvenir” edition, particularly its circulation of knowledge about African-Canadian history through visual pleasure.
Settling In: A Comparison of Local Immigrant Organizations in the United States and Canada
Authors: Sidney Mara
Published: July 2014

This article examines the effects of national policies and institutional contexts on local immigrant organizations in US and Canadian cities. Drawing on Goldberg and Mercer’s comparative framework, the analysis traces the impacts of three factors on immigrant settlement organizations: divergent national immigration and integration policies, subnational roles, and traditions and understandings of racial and ethnic diversity. Drawing on case studies of Ottawa, Ontario, and Newark, New Jersey, the article illustrates two quite different settlement sectors. A professionalized and federally funded set of non-governmental organizations in Ottawa provides an array of settlement services to newcomers, whereas the Newark sector includes a wide range of organizations from volunteer to professionally run, which carry out activities ranging from legal and political activism to service provision. Formal and informal partnerships mark Ottawa’s settlement sector, whereas collaboration is infrequent and ad hoc in Newark. In Ottawa, a politics of bureaucratic consultation with diverse groups contrasts with a competitive electoral race-based politics in Newark. This study suggests that divergence marks Canadian and American cities at least in the policy arena of immigrant settlement.
Myths and Legends: Exploring Differences in Regional Governance and Collective Action in the North American City
Authors: Nelles Jen
Published: July 2014

In their 1986 book Goldberg and Mercer find institutional and structural differences between Canadian and American cities attributable to the different ways that political culture has affected the evolution of urban regions. The American preference for individualism and competition, for limited government intervention and for local autonomy have all contributed to a political climate that encourages local government fragmentation and renders formal metropolitan restructuring difficult. This phenomenon is institutionalized in the principle of home rule. These features of the American system are widely cited to explain the relative rarity of metropolitan forms of government. But what of metropolitan governance? New regionalism emerged in response to the challenges of formal government reorganization and is based on the principle that metropolitan coalitions are easier to establish and more flexible than metropolitan reform. This form of regional coordination is more compatible with local autonomy. However, in theory metropolitan collective action may also be more difficult to establish in the American context that privileges individualism and competition. This article is structured around a series of questions: First, is metropolitan governance more difficult to establish in the American context? Second, are certain forms of metropolitan governance more common in each country, reflective of their political cultural and institutional differences? Finally, what do these findings suggest for theory building? Is one theory about the sources and determinants of metropolitan collective action sufficient? This article hypothesizes that despite important differences it is possible to explain the emergence and form of metropolitan governance with a single theoretical framework.
Selling the Scenery or Preserving the Wilderness: Canadian Members of Parliament and their Views on the Purpose of National Parks, 1945–64
Authors: Saari Paula
Published: July 2014

This article examines Canadian parliamentary discussion on national parks from 1945 to 1964 and traces how the members of Parliament viewed the purpose of national parks and the value of nature. The article shows how comments in the House of Commons reflected local concerns and the ambiguity Canadians felt about national parks, with opinions shifting between the development of tourism and recreational use and the need to preserve natural areas. Discussion in the House indicated a clear focus on development in the comments of politicians who spoke for constituency interests and the developmental opportunities parks offered politicians’ local areas. While the members were aware of the purpose of parks in preserving areas in their natural condition, they opted to seek economic development through tourism and argued that areas with little tourism potential were not suitable for park purposes. The article concludes that even though the parks were viewed in terms of their development possibilities, during the early 1960s the preservationist sentiment gained more ground. The idea of preservation was still, however, mostly concerned with the preservation of park environments for their recreational use.
The Myth of the North American City Revisited: A Comparative Conceptual and Empirical Evaluation
Authors: Cole Richard L. , Kincaid John , Whelan Robert K.
Published: July 2014

In The Myth of the North American City: Continentalism Challenged, Michael A. Goldberg and John Mercer articulate a largely “cultural deterministic” theory of urban development. Cities are shaped, they say, by their society’s cultural framework and “national character.” Given that American and Canadian cultures differ, their cities’ physical forms and governance differ too. Hence, there is no North American city. Using data from opinion surveys conducted in 2010 in Canada and the United States, among other data, we critique the North American City concept and test attitudinal hypotheses consistent with Goldberg and Mercer’s expectations. We concur that the concept of the North American city has little utility but also find little empirical support for most of the authors’ theses. All empirical attitudinal relationships, moreover, are mitigated significantly by factors of language in Canada and race in the United States.
The Empowerment of Canadian Cities: Classic Canadian Compromise
Authors: Garcea Joseph
Published: July 2014

This article provides an overview and assessment of statutory reforms designed to empower Canadian cities during the past two decades. It reveals that toward that end, the reforms focused primarily on expanding each of the following: the authority and autonomy of cities in making bylaws, the authority and autonomy of cities in accessing and managing financial resources, and the requirements for some provincial government to consult and even enter into agreements with cities when enacting laws and regulations or undertaking initiatives that affect them. The article also reveals that although the reforms were substantial and significant for the empowerment of cities in many provinces, they were not highly transformative either in the level of authority and autonomy granted to cities or in their working relationships with provincial governments. Another finding is that despite the positive effects of many reforms, and because of some adverse effects of others, city and provincial officials suggest that some additional reforms are required to address problems that attenuate the capacity and flexibility of cities to provide good governance and management in the 21st century.
Profitability of garlic (Allium sativum L.) cultivation in some selected areas of Bangladesh
Authors: Haque MA , Miah MA Monayem , Hossain MS , Luna AN , Rahman KS
Published: July 2014

The current production of garlic cant meet up the increasing demand of Bangladesh. Due to unknown reasons, the area and production of garlic have not been increased at desired level. Therefore, the study was conducted in Magura and Faridpur districts during 2008-2009 to analyze the relative profitability, input-output relationship, and constraints to garlic production. Primary data were collected from 100 randomly selected garlic farmers for the study. Per hectare costs of garlic cultivation were Tk. 65493 and Tk. 51747 on full cost and variable cost basis. The major share of total cost was human labour (30%) and seed (25%). The yield of garlic was 6.15 metric tons per hectare. The gross margin and net return were Tk. 70660 and Tk 56914 per hectare, respectively. The benefit cost ratio was 1.87. The net returns from garlic cultivation were 68%, 59%, and 0.64% higher than mustard, groundnut and cabbage cultivation. Cobb-Douglas production function revealed that human labour, land preparation cost, manure, TSP, irrigation and insecticide had positive effect on the yield of garlic. Non-availability of HYV garlic seed, lack of technical knowledge about improved cultivation practices of garlic, infestation of insects and diseases and low market price were the major problems for garlic cultivation. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v38i4.18944 Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 38(4): 589-598, December 2013
Variability, correlation and path analysis in lablab bean (Lablab purpureus L.)
Authors: Salim M , Hossain S , Alam S , Rashid JA , Islam S
Published: July 2014

The results of the study carried out during 2009-2010 with lablab bean (Lablab purpureus) are presented in this paper. Data were recorded from all experimental plants on the following characters as number of pods/plant, pod yield/plant (g), number of seeds/pod, number of seeds/plant; seed yield/plant (g), Range, mean, genetic parameter, correlation co-efficient and path coefficient were studied. High heritability coupled with high expected genetic advance in percentage of mean were observed for most of the characters. The coefficients of correlation showed that seed yield/plant was positively and significantly correlated with days to first flowering, days to 50% flowering, days to first pod setting, number of pods/plant, pod yield/plant and seeds/pod, number of seeds/plant, and seed yield. Path coefficient analysis showed that days to first flowering, days to 50% flowering, number of pods/plant, 20 pod weight (g), pod yield/plant, pod length, number of seeds/pod, number of seeds/plant, 100-seed weight influenced seed yield/plant directly in positive direction. Among the characters, number of seeds/plant had high positive correlation with seed yield/plant. Days to first pod setting exhibited negative direct effects on seed yield. From this result, it can be concluded that days to first flowering, days to 50% flowering, number of pods/plant, pod yield/plant, number of seeds/pod, number of seeds/plant, 100-seed weight are the most important yield contributing characters as they influenced pod yield and seed yield directly in positive direction. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v38i4.19662 Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 38(4): 705-717, December 2013
Growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum) under deficit irrigation
Authors: Sarkar PK , Talukder MSU , Biswas SK , Khatun A
Published: July 2014

Timing and the extent of water deficit were studied in a field experiment on wheat (cv. Shatabdi) for three consecutive years from 2003-04 through 2005-06 at Jamalpur area. The effects of number and timing of irrigation application on yields were investigated under variable soil moisture condition in the root zone of different treatments. Eight deficit irrigations, including one no stress and one rainfed treatments were selected to subject the crop to various degrees of soil water deficit at different stages of crop growth. Measured amount of irrigation water was applied as per schedule prescribed for a particular treatment. Grain yield (GY), biomass, harvest index (HI), and water productivity (WP) were reasonably affected by deficit irrigation. Other yield contributing parameters like 1000-grain weight, grains/spike and spike, length were also affected by different levels of deficit irrigation. During grain formation stage, water deficit did not affect the grain yield but saved water significantly. Such water deficit treatments also shortened the grain maturation period. Differences in grain and straw yield among the stressed and no stress treatments are comparatively small, and statistically insignificant in some cases. The highest water productivity (2.02 kg/m3) was observed in treatment which was irrigated only once at crown root initiation stage (T2) although the yield was comparatively low. The CRI (crown root initiation) stage was found the most sensitive to water stress. Water stress at vegetative stage also reduced the yield considerably. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v38i4.19663 Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 38(4): 719-732, December 2013
Comparative economic profitability of MV T. Aus rice (Oriza sativa L.) Cultivation under different crop management practices in some selected areas of Chuadanga district
Authors: Quayum MA , Salam MA
Published: July 2014

A study was conducted to estimate the productivity gap in MV T.Aus rice between potential farm and actual farm as well as examine the factors responsible for MV T.Aus rice yield gaps in Chuadanga. In the Aus season, 80 demonstration plots managed by Department of Agriculture Extension and 80 farmers managed plots were selected from four villages of Chuadanga sadar upazila. Data were collected in two phases using structured questionnaire. Both tabular and statistical techniques were employed for analyzing the data. The analysis has further been extended to estimate the contribution of individual technical factors to the yield and the input-output relations. The average yield of MV Aus rice were 2.84 t/ha and 3.31 t/ha in the farmers plots and demonstration plots, respectively, indicating 17% yield gain in the demonstration plots. The production cost per hectare on full cost and cash cost basis were 16 and 1% higher, respectively, in the demonstration plots than that in the farmers plots. But the unit cost of production on full cost and cash cost basis were lower 0.60 and 15%, respectively, in the demonstration plots than that in the farmers plots. The benefit cost ratio (BCR) was also higher on full cost and cash cost basis in the demonstration plots compared to farmers plot. Analysis further indicated that there is ample scope of increasing modern Aus yield by 0.29 t/ha through adopting appropriate variety, timely sowing and proper irrigation as well as weeding at the farm level. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v38i4.19664 Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 38(4): 733-747, December 2013
Nutritional Status of Settler and Indigenous Women of Reproductive Age Group in Khagrachari District, Bangladesh
Authors: Haque Md Monoarul , Akter Jesmin , Ahmed Kazi Rumana , Chowdhury Hasina Akhter , Hossain Sharmin , Tripura Nantu Bikash
Published: July 2014

Background: Reproductive health is closely related with nutritional status of a country. Women are regarded as the nerve centers of the families and society, maternal nutrition and health is considered as the most important regulator of human fetal growth. Objective: This study was conducted with a view to assess the nutritional status of settler and indigenous women of reproductive age group (15--49 years) in Khagrachari district. Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study was done in the purposively selected Panchari thana of Khagrachari district in Bangladesh from 01 May to 31 August 2013. A total of 200 reproductive aged women were interviewed. Among them 100 were indigenous and 100 were settlers. Their anthropometric measurements were taken and nutritional status was determined by body mass index (BMI) recommended by World Health Organization (WHO) for Asian people. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 29.8 ± 11.1 years and maximum were in the age group of 15--24 years. Among the indigenous subjects Chakma, Marma, Tripura and Boisnu were 20.5%, 20.5%, 6.5% and 2.5% respectively. Among 100 indigenous reproductive aged women 17 were underweight; but among settlers 19 were underweight. Forty nine settler women were normal and in case of indigenous women 46 were normal. But regarding overweight indigenous women went ahead than settler women and obesity was found equal in both groups. Mean difference of mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) was significantly different (p<0.005) between the groups. Conclusion: This study provided a vivid picture of the nutritional status of the settler and indigenous reproductive aged women. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jemc.v4i2.19677 J Enam Med Col 2014; 4(2): 98-101
Relationship of Blood Groups (ABO & Rhesus) and Breast Cancer in Bangladesh
Authors: Khan Ghulam Mostafa , Rahmatullah Md , Mostafa Ishita
Published: July 2014

Correction: On the website, on 16/08/2014, the first author was changed from Chulam Mostafa Khan TO Ghulam Mostafa Khan. The PDF was correct.Background: The association of blood groups with breast cancer in our country is not fully established elaborately and large scale studies have not been carried out till now. Therefore this study was designed to find out the possible relationship of different blood groups with breast cancer. Objective: To determine the relationship of various types of breast cancer with ABO and Rh blood groups among the female patients of our people.Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in the cancer unit of Delta Medical College and Hospital, Dhaka from January 2011 to February 2013. After proper and ethical consideration total 112 female patients with breast cancer were included in this study. Various factors like age, family history, metastasis, type of cancer were considered in this study. The blood groups of the patients were done by standard ABO and Rh typing methods (Forward & Reverse grouping by test tube method).Results: Among 112 breast cancer patients of our country, ductal breast cancer was found in 108 (96.42%) subjects, distant metastasis was found in 93 (86.9%) cases and positive family history in 70 (62.50%) subjects.Conclusion: Ductal type of breast cancer with positive family history and distant metastasis is common in different blood groups in our country.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jemc.v4i2.19679J Enam Med Col 2014; 4(2): 106-109
Cystatin C: A Marker of Renal Function
Authors: Khan Md Aminul Haque , Chowdhury Nasreen , Hoque Md Mozammel
Published: July 2014

Correction: On the website, on 16/08/2014, the first author was changed from Md Aminul Khan TO Md Aminul Haque Khan. The PDF was correct.The most widely used investigation of renal function and GFR is the measurement of serum creatinine and creatinine clearance rate. This has been extremely popular in clinical medicine despite formidable difficulties associated with its quantification and interpretation. The main pathophysiological difficulties include variations in the rates of creatinine generation and its secretion by the renal tubules. Concentration of serum creatinine is now recognized as an unreliable measure of kidney function as it is affected by age, body weight, muscle mass, race and various medications. Several equations have been developed to improve the accuracy of serum creatinine level as a measure of GFR. The most widely used in adult populations are the Cockroft-Gault equation and the abbreviated Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation. Even with these equations, measurement of GFR is difficult because the equations are less accurate with higher levels of kidney function and are affected by interlaboratory variation in measuring creatinine level. In the above perspective, cystatin C concentration has become a promising marker for kidney function in both native and transplanted kidneys. Because of the possible potentiality of cystatin C to be an emerging endogenous marker for quick and accurate assessment of renal function, we have decided to review elaborately on cystatin C as a marker of renal function and to review the sensitivity and specificity of cystatin C as an endogenous marker compared to serum creatinine. Results of our review study suggest that cystatin C is a better marker of renal function compared to serum creatinine and other endogenous markers irrespective of age, sex and clinical condition. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jemc.v4i2.19680 J Enam Med Col 2014; 4(2): 110-122
A Comparative Study of B-, Γ- and Log-Normal Distributions in a Three-Moment Parameterization for Drop Sedimentation
Authors: Ziemer Corinna , Wacker Ulrike
Published: July 2014

This paper examines different distribution functions used in a three-moment parameterization scheme with regard to their influence on the implementation and the results of the parameterization scheme. In parameterizations with moment methods, the prognostic variables are interpreted as statistical moments of a drop size distribution, for which a functional form has to be assumed. In cloud microphysics, parameterizations are frequently based on gamma- and log-normal distributions, while for particle-laden flows in engineering, the beta-distribution is sometimes used. In this study, the three-moment schemes with beta-, gamma- and log-normal distributions are tested in a 1D framework for drop sedimentation, and their results are compared with those of a spectral reference model. The gamma-distribution performs best. The results of the parameterization with the beta- and the log-normal distribution have less similarity to the reference solution, particularly with regard to number density and rain rate. Theoretical considerations reveal that (depending on the type of the distribution function) only selected combinations of moments can be predicted together. Among these is the important combination of “number density, liquid water content, radar reflectivity” for all three distributions. Advection or source/sink terms can only be calculated under certain conditions on the moment values (positivity of the Hankel–Hadamard determinant). These are derived from mathematical theory (“moment problem”) and are more restrictive for three-moment than for two-moment schemes.
Local Order in the Unfolded State: Conformational Biases and Nearest Neighbor Interactions
Authors: Toal Siobhan , Schweitzer-Stenner Reinhard
Published: July 2014

The discovery of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins, which contain significant levels of disorder yet perform complex biologically functions, as well as unwanted aggregation, has motivated numerous experimental and theoretical studies aimed at describing residue-level conformational ensembles. Multiple lines of evidence gathered over the last 15 years strongly suggest that amino acids residues display unique and restricted conformational preferences in the unfolded state of peptides and proteins, contrary to one of the basic assumptions of the canonical random coil model. To fully understand residue level order/disorder, however, one has to gain a quantitative, experimentally based picture of conformational distributions and to determine the physical basis underlying residue-level conformational biases. Here, we review the experimental, computational and bioinformatic evidence for conformational preferences of amino acid residues in (mostly short) peptides that can be utilized as suitable model systems for unfolded states of peptides and proteins. In this context particular attention is paid to the alleged high polyproline II preference of alanine. We discuss how these conformational propensities may be modulated by peptide solvent interactions and so called nearest-neighbor interactions. The relevance of conformational propensities for the protein folding problem and the understanding of IDPs is briefly discussed.