bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evolution of a stratified rotating shear layer with horizontal shear. Part I. Linear stability
Authors: Arobone Eric , Sarkar Sutanu
Published: June 2012

Linear stability analysis is used to investigate instability mechanisms for a horizontally oriented hyperbolic tangent mixing layer with uniform stable stratification and coordinate system rotation about the vertical axis. The important parameters governing inviscid dynamics are maximum shear $S$, buoyancy frequency $N$, angular velocity of rotation $\Omega $ and characteristic shear thickness $L$. Growth rates associated with the most unstable modes are explored as a function of stratification strength $N/ S$ and rotation strength $2\Omega / S$. In the case of strong stratification, growth rates exhibit self-similarity of the form $\sigma ({k}_{1} L, S{k}_{3} L/ N, 2\Omega / S)$. In the case of rapid rotation we also observe self-similar scaling of growth rates with respect to the vertical wavenumber and rotation rate. The unstratified cases show $\sigma ({k}_{1} L, 2\vert \tilde {\Omega } \vert {k}_{3} L/ S)$ dependence while the strongly stratified cases show $\sigma ({k}_{1} L, 2\vert \tilde {\Omega } \vert {k}_{3} L/ N)$ dependence where $\tilde {\Omega } $ represents the difference between the angular velocity of rotation and least stable anticyclonic angular velocity, $\Omega = S/ 4$. Stratification was found to stabilize the inertial instability for weak anticyclonic rotation rates. Near the zero absolute vorticity state, stratification and rotation couple in a destabilizing manner increasing the range of unstable vertical wavenumbers associated with barotropic instability. In the case of rapid rotation, stratification prevents the stabilization of low ${k}_{1} $, high ${k}_{3} $ modes that occurs in a homogeneous fluid. The structure of certain unstable eigenmodes and the coupling between horizontal vorticity and density fluctuations are explored to explain how buoyancy stabilizes or destabilizes inertial and barotropic modes.
Unstable Richtmyer–Meshkov growth of solid and liquid metals in vacuum
Authors: Buttler W. T. , Oró D. M. , Preston D. L. , Mikaelian K. O. , Cherne F. J. , Hixson R. S. , Mariam F. G. , Morris C. , Stone J. B. , Terrones G. , Tupa D.
Published: June 2012

We present experimental results supporting physics-based ejecta model development, where our main assumption is that ejecta form as a special limiting case of a Richtmyer–Meshkov (RM) instability at a metal–vacuum interface. From this assumption, we test established theory of unstable spike and bubble growth rates, rates that link to the wavelength and amplitudes of surface perturbations. We evaluate the rate theory through novel application of modern laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) techniques, where we coincidentally measure bubble and spike velocities from explosively shocked solid and liquid metals with a single LDV probe. We also explore the relationship of ejecta formation from a solid material to the plastic flow stress it experiences at high-strain rates ($1{0}^{7} ~{\mathrm{s} }^{\ensuremath{-} 1} $) and high strains (700 %) as the fundamental link to the onset of ejecta formation. Our experimental observations allow us to approximate the strength of Cu at high strains and strain rates, revealing a unique diagnostic method for use at these extreme conditions.
Analytically approximate natural sloshing modes for a spherical tank shape
Authors: Faltinsen Odd M. , Timokha Alexander N.
Published: June 2012

The multimodal method requires analytical (exact or approximate) natural sloshing modes that exactly satisfy the Laplace equation and boundary condition on the wetted tank surface. When dealing with the nonlinear sloshing problem, the modes should also allow for an analytical continuation throughout the mean free surface. Appropriate analytically approximate modes were constructed by Faltinsen & Timokha (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 695, 2012, pp. 467–477) for the two-dimensional circular tank. The present paper extends this result to the three-dimensional, spherical tank shape and, based on that, establishes specific properties of the linear liquid sloshing.
Dietary surveys indicate vitamin intakes below recommendations are common in representative Western countries
Authors: Troesch Barbara , Hoeft Birgit , McBurney Michael , Eggersdorfer Manfred , Weber Peter
Published: June 2012

Vitamins play a crucial role in health, but modern lifestyles may lead to suboptimal intakes even in affluent countries. The aim of the present study is to review vitamin intakes in Germany, the UK, The Netherlands and the USA and to compare them with respective national recommendations. Data on adults from the most recently published national dietary intake surveys for the first three countries and data for adults from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2003 to 2008 for the USA were used as a basis for the analysis. The proportions of the populations with intakes below recommendations were categorised as < 5, 5–25, >25–50, >50–75 and >75 % for each vitamin. The data generated are presented in a ‘traffic light display’, using colours from green to red to indicate degrees of sufficiency. The trends found were compared with the results from the European Nutrition and Health Report 2009, even though in that report, only information on mean intakes in the different countries was available. We showed that, although inter-country differences exist, intakes of several vitamins are below recommendations in a significant part of the population in all these countries. The most critical vitamin appears to be vitamin D and the least critical niacin. The variation between the countries is most probably due to differences in recommendations, levels of fortification and local dietary habits. We show that a gap exists between vitamin intakes and requirements for a significant proportion of the population, even though diverse foods are available. Ways to correct this gap need to be investigated.
The oldest Zoophycos and implications for Early Cambrian deposit feeding
Authors: SAPPENFIELD AARON , DROSER MARY , KENNEDY MARTIN , MCKENZIE RYAN
Published: June 2012

Zoophycos-group burrows are prevalent elements of the post-Cambrian trace fossil record. Here we report the oldest specimens of Zoophycos from Lower Cambrian strata of the Lower Member Wood Canyon Formation in southeastern California. In addition to these being the oldest examples of this well-known trace fossil, the discovery of these specimens also reveals the presence of deposit feeding considerably earlier than has been suggested for the advent of this feeding style. This type of activity may have had a significant impact on sediment mixing during the Precambrian–Cambrian transition, though the rarity and shallow tier position of these specimens suggests otherwise.
The Prevalence of the Disposition Effect in Mutual Funds’ Trades
Authors: Cici Gjergji
Published: June 2012

U.S. equity mutual funds, on average, prefer realization of capital losses to capital gains. Nevertheless, a substantial fraction exhibits the disposition effect of realizing gains more readily than losses. My analysis suggests that learning effects have reduced the manifestation of the disposition effect over time, implying that academic research has influenced industry practices. When funds experience outflows and are managed by teams of portfolio managers, they are more susceptible to selling disproportionately more winners than losers. Disposition-driven behavior affects investment style, causing lower market betas and characteristics of value-oriented and contrarian styles, but has no observable effect on fund performance.
Sell-Side Information Production in Financial Markets
Authors: Chen Zhaohui , Wilhelm William J.
Published: June 2012

We study decisions to sell nonexcludable private information in the presence of a trading opportunity. Sell-side agents heighten competition among agents who buy their signals to combine with their own for proprietary trading purposes and thereby promote financial market efficiency. This result holds even when the sell-side production technology is not unique. But sell-side information is subject to underinvestment if producers do not internalize the benefits. The model suggests that fee-based compensation for corporate advisory services diminishes this problem and that market efficiency is undermined by forces steering investment-banking resources toward proprietary trading.
Molecular characterization of livestock and human isolates of Echinococcus granulosus from south-west Iran
Authors: Khademvatan S. , Yousefi E. , Rafiei A. , Rahdar M. , Saki J.
Published: June 2012

Hydatidosis is an important public health problem in several parts of Iran. The aim of this molecular study is to investigate Echinococcus granulosus genotypes as the causative agents of hydatidosis in the south-west of Iran (Khuzestan province). In this study, isolates of 334 hydatid cysts were collected from the liver and lungs of 141 sheep, 104 cattle, 84 goats and 5 human cases. DNA was extracted and examined by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)-PCR. In addition, fragments of genes coding for ITS1 were sequenced. The results of RFLP-PCR analysis revealed the presence of the G1 genotype in all human, cattle, goat and sheep isolates. Furthermore, no camel strain (G6) was detected among all samples in the regions studied. The molecular findings indicate that the predominant genotype involved in E. granulosus transmission in south-west Iran is the common sheep strain (G1 genotype), which occurs in human, cattle, sheep and goat populations. In conclusion, these results may have important implications for hydatid disease control in the areas studied.
How music technology can make sound and music worlds accessible to student composers in Further Education colleges
Authors: Kardos Leah
Published: June 2012

I am a composer, producer, pianist and part-time music lecturer at a Further Education college where I teach composing on Music Technology courses at levels 3 (equivalent to A-level) and 4 (Undergraduate/Foundation Degree). A ‘Music Technology’ course, distinct from a ‘Music’ course, often attracts applicants from diverse musical backgrounds; it is not uncommon for a typical class to contain a majority that cannot read staff notation and have taught themselves to play their instrument. Sometimes the student's only experience of music-making prior to the course has been sequencing beat patterns using computer software. Potential students are drawn to music technology courses for many different reasons – perhaps their individual interests lie in sound engineering, acoustics, live sound reinforcement, computer programming or software application design. As a teacher of composing in this context, I am faced with a challenge: how to bridge the knowledge and confidence gaps that exist between students with more and less formal musical experience? I believe that music technology applications can help in this area, particularly with fostering confidence and motivation in less-experienced students. What follows is a student profile and a case study of one assessment task in composing, which will illustrate how such strategies can work.
Close encounters of the infectious kind: methods to measure social mixing behaviour
Authors: READ J. M. , EDMUNDS W. J. , RILEY S. , LESSLER J. , CUMMINGS D. A. T.
Published: June 2012

A central tenet of close-contact or respiratory infection epidemiology is that infection patterns within human populations are related to underlying patterns of social interaction. Until recently, few researchers had attempted to quantify potentially infectious encounters made between people. Now, however, several studies have quantified social mixing behaviour, using a variety of methods. Here, we review the methodologies employed, suggest other appropriate methods and technologies, and outline future research challenges for this rapidly advancing field of research.
Age-specific vaccine effectiveness of seasonal 2010/2011 and pandemic influenza A(H1N1) 2009 vaccines in preventing influenza in the United Kingdom
Authors: PEBODY R. G. , ANDREWS N. , FLEMING D. M. , McMENAMIN J. , COTTRELL S. , SMYTH B. , DURNALL H. , ROBERTSON C. , CARMAN W. , ELLIS J. , SEBASTIAN-PILLAI P. , ZAMBON M. , KEARNS C. , MOORE C. , THOMAS D. RH. , WATSON J. M.
Published: June 2012

An analysis was undertaken to measure age-specific vaccine effectiveness (VE) of 2010/11 trivalent seasonal influenza vaccine (TIV) and monovalent 2009 pandemic influenza vaccine (PIV) administered in 2009/2010. The test-negative case-control study design was employed based on patients consulting primary care. Overall TIV effectiveness, adjusted for age and month, against confirmed influenza A(H1N1)pdm 2009 infection was 56% (95% CI 42–66); age-specific adjusted VE was 87% (95% CI 45–97) in <5-year-olds and 84% (95% CI 27–97) in 5- to 14-year-olds. Adjusted VE for PIV was only 28% (95% CI −6 to 51) overall and 72% (95% CI 15–91) in <5-year-olds. For confirmed influenza B infection, TIV effectiveness was 57% (95% CI 42–68) and in 5- to 14-year-olds 75% (95% CI 32–91). TIV provided moderate protection against the main circulating strains in 2010/2011, with higher protection in children. PIV administered during the previous season provided residual protection after 1 year, particularly in the <5 years age group.
Seroprevalence of hepatitis A virus antibody in a population aged 0–30 years in Shanghai, China: implications for hepatitis A immunization
Authors: ZHU Y. , YUAN Z. , ZHAO Q. , CHEN G. , XU B.
Published: June 2012

This study aimed to determine current seroprevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) antibody in subjects aged 0–30 years in Shanghai. A total of 5515 subjects were recruited through random clustering sampling in 2009. Basic clinical and demographic information and records of HAV vaccination were acquired by questionnaire interviews and review of immunization records. Serum samples were collected and tested for anti-HAV IgM and total anti-HAV. The overall seroprevalence of total anti-HAV was 52·9%. Subjects aged 20–24 years had the lowest (34·4%) anti-HAV seropositivity and subjects aged 5–9 years had the highest (74·6%) positivity. Seroprevalence was significantly greater in subjects from suburban areas than in subjects from urban areas. Subjects who had HAV immunizations had significantly greater seropositivity for total anti-HAV. Previous hepatitis A immunization policies had a significant impact on the presence of anti-HAV seroprevalence in a population aged 0–30 years from Shanghai.
Parkinson's disease: treatment and non-motor features
Authors: Macphee Graeme JA , Stewart David A
Published: June 2012

This review on Parkinson's disease (PD) considers pharmacological and surgical management and important non-motor symptoms (NMS) such as depression, dementia and sleep disorder. In the absence of a proven neuroprotective drug, therapy remains symptomatic and may be initiated with levodopa or a dopamine agonist or a monoamine oxidase inhibitor. Treatment should be tailored to the individual patient, with patient preference, extent of functional impairment and co-morbidity more important than ageper se. As disease progresses, therapy usually becomes more complex and apomorphine, duodopa and surgical intervention may be useful.

NMS may be present at any stage of illness but become more common in severity and frequency with advanced disease, when neuropsychiatric features such as dementia and psychosis dominate the clinical picture. NMS are often unrecognized and undeclared by patients and carers in clinic. Novel agents for treating non-motor features, which are often poorly responsive to dopaminergic therapy, are urgently required.
Pushing Back: What Happens When Member States Resist the European Court of Justice? A Multi-Modal Approach to the History of European Law
Authors: DAVIES BILL
Published: June 2012

Established explanations of the development of the European legal system focus on the decisive power of the Court of Justice in determining the system's practice and parameters. Even accounts highlighting the various interlocutors involved with the Court are ultimately drawn to Luxembourg as the fulcrum of decision. However, these approaches neglect the equally constitutive role played by national courts, particularly when resisting the European Court of Justice (ECJ). By analysing the important consequences of the German Constitutional Court's Solange decision of 1974, this paper argues that we must complicate our retelling of the European Union's (EU) legal history by rethinking the importance of national-level agency.
The Critical Promise of the New History of European Law
Authors: LINDSETH PETER L.
Published: June 2012

The articles in this special issue test a range of historiographical assumptions – for example, about periodisation (most importantly when legal integration ‘began’) as well as about the definition of the purported object of study (the seemingly ‘constitutional’ character of the process of European legal integration) – which have been central to the interpretative baseline established by legal scholars and political scientists over the last several decades. Building on a similar critique of that baseline, this article argues that integration can profitably be understood, in legal-historical terms, as a denationalised expression of diffuse and fragmented (that is, ‘administrative’) governance. The basic elements of that governance emerged in Western Europe over the course of the inter-war and post-war decades, and these elements have continued to shape EU legal history up to the present.
The Spinning House girls: Cambridge University's distinctive policing of prostitution, 1823–1894
Authors: OSWALD JANET
Published: June 2012

This article explores the regulation of prostitution in nineteenth-century Cambridge by an appraisal of the committal books of the university prison. Each evening in term-time the university proctors arrested and imprisoned local ‘streetwalkers’ in an attempt to protect the students’ morals. This research offers insight into the ways in which Cambridge's geography and its dual system of governance influenced the policing of prostitution in the town centre. The former compelled students and townspeople to share the same crowded space and the latter enabled the university to enforce traditional patterns of class and gender to control sexuality in the town.
Speed and blood on the bypass: the new automobilities of inter-war London
Authors: LAW MICHAEL JOHN
Published: June 2012

The article considers the impact of new arterial roads on the mobilities of the wealthier inter-war Londoner, and argues that they occasioned an emergent form of automobility that was modern, sensational and exciting for the metropolitan driver, but was also highly dangerous, particularly for pedestrians and cyclists living in suburban homes near these roads.
Requirements for Independent Community-Based Quality Assessment and Accountability Practices in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Activities
Authors: Kirsch Thomas D. , Perrin Paul , Burkle Frederick M. , Canny William , Purdin Susan , Lin William , Sauer Lauren
Published: June 2012

During responses to disasters, the credibility of humanitarian agencies can be threatened by perceptions of poor quality of the responses. Many initiatives have been introduced over the last two decades to help address these issues and enhance the overall quality of humanitarian response, often with limited success. There remain important gaps and deficiencies in quality assurance efforts, including potential conflicts of interest. While many definitions for quality exist, a common component is that meeting the needs of the “beneficiary” or “client” is the ultimate determinant of quality. This paper examines the current status of assessment and accountability practices in the humanitarian response community, identifies gaps, and recommends timely, concise, and population-based assessments to elicit the perspective of quality performance and accountability to the affected populations. Direct and independent surveys of the disaster-affected population will help to redirect ongoing aid efforts, and generate more effective and comparable methods for assessing the quality of humanitarian practices and assistance activities.

Kirsch TD, Perrin P, Burkle FM Jr, Canny W, Purdin S, Lin W, Sauer L. Requirements for independent community-based quality assessment and accountability practices in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief activities.Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(3):1-6.
What do Parents Worry About? Examination of the Construct of Parent Worry and the Relation to Parent and Child Anxiety
Authors: Fisak Brian , Holderfield Kristen Grace , Douglas-Osborn Erica , Cartwright-Hatton Sam
Published: June 2012

Background:Previous research has indicated that parent cognition, including anxious beliefs and expectations, are associated with both parent and child anxiety symptoms and may be transferred from parent to child. However, the content and frequency of parent worry in relation to their children has yet to be examined as a potential form of anxious parent cognition, and little is known about normative parent worry.Aims:The purpose of the current study is to extend the research on parent cognition and child anxiety by focusing on parent worry (i.e. parent worry in relation to their children) as a potential predictor of child anxiety.Method:A comprehensive self-report measure of parent worry was developed and administered to a community-based sample of parents.Results:An exploratory factor analysis yielded a single factor solution. Parent worry was found to be a more robust predictor of child anxiety than parent anxiety symptoms, and parent worry mediated the association between parent anxiety symptoms and child anxiety. Most common worries reported by parents fell within the domains of life success and physical well-being.Conclusion:Overall, this study adds to the literature on parent cognitive biases and has the potential to inform parent-based interventions for the treatment of child anxiety. Further, this study provides initial data on normative parent worry.
Neuropsychological Weaknesses in Adult ADHD; Cognitive Functions as Core Deficit and Roles of Them in Persistence to Adulthood
Authors: Pazvantoğlu Ozan , Aker Arzu Alptekin , Karabekiroğlu Koray , Akbaş Seher , Sarısoy Gökhan , Baykal Saliha , Korkmaz Işıl Zabun , Pazvantoğlu Emel Alkan , Böke Ömer , Şahin Ahmet Rifat
Published: June 2012

Prior investigations have shown that individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have impaired neuropsychological functions. This study had two aims, first to investigate weakened cognitive functions in adult ADHD (aADHD), and second, to investigate difference between persisters (those having persistently ongoing ADHD diagnosis in adulthood), and remitters (those having ADHD diagnosis only in childhood and not in adulthood), in terms of cognitive deficits. We evaluated performance on a comprehensive neuropsychological battery in three groups including 34 persisters, 35 remitters, and 35 healthy control group (absence of childhood and adulthood ADHD diagnosis). Our findings showed that adults with ADHD have inefficient attention, interference control and set-shifting functions, which may be revealed on neuropsychological tests that require greater cognitive demand. Given the finding that interference control deficit exists across the lifespan in people with ADHD, we suggest that interference control-associated functional weakness may be a core deficit for ADHD. (JINS, 2012, 18, 1–8)
Neuropsychological Outcomes of U.S. Veterans with Report of Remote Blast-Related Concussion and Current Psychopathology
Authors: Nelson Nathaniel W. , Hoelzle James B. , Doane Bridget M. , McGuire Kathryn A. , Ferrier-Auerbach Amanda G. , Charlesworth Molly J. , Lamberty Gregory J. , Polusny Melissa A. , Arbisi Paul A. , Sponheim Scott R.
Published: June 2012

This study explored whether remote blast-related MTBI and/or current Axis I psychopathology contribute to neuropsychological outcomes among OEF/OIF veterans with varied combat histories. OEF/OIF veterans underwent structured interviews to evaluate history of blast-related MTBI and psychopathology and were assigned to MTBI (n = 18), Axis I (n = 24), Co-morbid MTBI/Axis I (n = 34), or post-deployment control (n = 28) groups. A main effect for Axis I diagnosis on overall neuropsychological performance was identified (F(3,100) = 4.81; p = .004), with large effect sizes noted for the Axis I only (d = .98) and Co-morbid MTBI/Axis I (d = .95) groups relative to the control group. The latter groups demonstrated primary limitations on measures of learning/memory and processing speed. The MTBI only group demonstrated performances that were not significantly different from the remaining three groups. These findings suggest that a remote history of blast-related MTBI does not contribute to objective cognitive impairment in the late stage of injury. Impairments, when present, are subtle and most likely attributable to PTSD and other psychological conditions. Implications for clinical neuropsychologists and future research are discussed. (JINS, 2012, 18, 1–11)
Perception of Biological Motion and Emotion in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia
Authors: Henry Julie D. , Thompson Claire , Rendell Peter G. , Phillips Louise H. , Carbert Jessica , Sachdev Perminder , Brodaty Henry
Published: June 2012

Participants diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), dementia and controls completed measures that required decoding emotions from point-light displays of bodily motion, and static images of facial affect. Both of these measures tap social cognitive processes that are considered critical for social competency. Consistent with prior literature, both clinical groups were impaired on the static measure of facial affect recognition. The dementia (but not the MCI) group additionally showed difficulties interpreting biological motion cues. However, this did not reflect a specific deficit in decoding emotions, but instead a more generalized difficulty in processing visual motion (both to action and to emotion). These results align with earlier studies showing that visual motion processing is disrupted in dementia, but additionally show for the first time that this extends to the recognition of socially relevant biological motion. The absence of any MCI related impairment on the point-light biological emotion measure (coupled with deficits on the measure of facial affect recognition) also point to a potential disconnect between the processes implicated in the perception of emotion cues from static versus dynamic stimuli. For clinical (but not control) participants, performance on all recognition measures was inversely correlated with level of semantic memory impairment. (JINS, 2012, 18, 1–8)
DeepversusPeriventricular White Matter Lesions and Cognitive Function in a Community Sample of Middle-Aged Participants
Authors: Soriano-Raya Juan José , Miralbell Júlia , López-Cancio Elena , Bargalló Núria , Arenillas Juan Francisco , Barrios Maite , Cáceres Cynthia , Toran Pere , Alzamora Maite , Dávalos Antoni , Mataró Maria
Published: June 2012

The association of cerebral white matter lesions (WMLs) with cognitive status is not well understood in middle-aged individuals. Our aim was to determine the specific contribution of periventricular hyperintensities (PVHs) and deep white matter hyperintensities (DWMHs) to cognitive function in a community sample of asymptomatic participants aged 50 to 65 years. One hundred stroke- and dementia-free adults completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and brain MRI protocol. Participants were classified according to PVH and DWMH scores (Fazekas scale). We dichotomized our sample into low grade WMLs (participants without or with mild lesions) and high grade WMLs (participants with moderate or severe lesions). Analyses were performed separately in PVH and DWMH groups. High grade DWMHs were associated with significantly lower scores in executive functioning (−0.45 standard deviations [SD]), attention (−0.42SD), verbal fluency (−0.68SD), visual memory (−0.52SD), visuospatial skills (−0.79SD), and psychomotor speed (−0.46SD). Further analyses revealed that high grade DWMHs were also associated with a three- to fourfold increased risk of impaired scores (i.e.,<1.5SD) in executive functioning, verbal fluency, visuospatial skills, and psychomotor speed. Our findings suggest that only DWMHs, not PVHs, are related to diminished cognitive function in middle-aged individuals. (JINS, 2012,18, 1–12)
Nutritional determinants of worldwide diabetes: an econometric study of food markets and diabetes prevalence in 173 countries
Authors: Basu Sanjay , Stuckler David , McKee Martin , Galea Gauden
Published: June 2012

Objective

Ageing and urbanization leading to sedentary lifestyles have been the major explanations proposed for a dramatic rise in diabetes worldwide and have been the variables used to predict future diabetes rates. However, a transition to Western diets has been suggested as an alternative driver. We sought to determine what socio-economic and dietary factors are the most significant population-level contributors to diabetes prevalence rates internationally.

Design

Multivariate regression models were used to study how market sizes of major food products (sugars, cereals, vegetable oils, meats, total joules) corresponded to diabetes prevalence, incorporating lagged and cumulative effects. The underlying social determinants of food market sizes and diabetes prevalence rates were also studied, including ageing, income, urbanization, overweight prevalence and imports of foodstuffs.

Setting

Data were obtained from 173 countries.

Subjects

Population-based survey recipients were the basis for diabetes prevalence and food market data.

Results

We found that increased income tends to increase overall food market size among low- and middle-income countries, but the level of food importation significantly shifts the content of markets such that a greater proportion of available joules is composed of sugar and related sweeteners. Sugar exposure statistically explained why urbanization and income have been correlated with diabetes rates.

Conclusions

Current diabetes projection methods may estimate future diabetes rates poorly if they fail to incorporate the impact of nutritional factors. Imported sugars deserve further investigation as a potential population-level driver of global diabetes.
Development and test–retest reliability of a nutrition knowledge questionnaire for primary-school children
Authors: Vereecken Carine , De Pauw Anneleen , Van Cauwenbergh Stefanie , Maes Lea
Published: June 2012

Objective

To evaluate a web-based nutritional knowledge questionnaire for primary-school children.

Design

Children's nutritional knowledge was assessed in five domains: healthy choices (twenty-seven items), estimated recommended portions/servings (eight items), nutrient content (five items), main food function (five items) and categorization of food items (eight items).

Setting

The questionnaires were completed in school.

Subjects

A convenience sample of 576 Belgian children (aged 7–12 years) from fourteen primary schools completed the questionnaire once, 386 completed the questionnaire twice.

Results

Healthy choices could be answered correctly by 73 % of the children, nutrients by 59 %, food categorization by 49 %, main function by 38 % and portion estimation by 36 %. Children's test–retest intra-class correlations were 0·75 for healthy choices, 0·33 for nutrients, 0·61 for food categorization, 0·44 for main function, 0·47 for portion estimation and 0·76 for the total scale. The intra-class correlation was lower in the youngest age group (grade 2: 0·51, grade 4: 0·65, grade 6: 0·66). The total score was significantly lower in the retest. The instrument was in general positively evaluated by the children.

Conclusions

The instrument is a promising, practical, inexpensive tool with acceptable test–retest reliability in fourth and sixth graders.
Gender and Select Committee Elections in the British House of
Commons
Authors: O'Brien Diana Z.
Published: June 2012

While significant attention has been dedicated to explaining women's
election to office, fewer studies have assessed female politicians' access
to positions of power within legislatures. This latter topic became
particularly salient in the British House of Commons following the 2010
general election, when recently adopted reforms introduced intracameral
elections for select committee members and chairs. This article outlines
three hypotheses concerning the influence of candidate sex on election
outcomes: a gender bias against female candidates, a gender advantage
favoring female candidates, and gender-neutral outcomes. Drawing on two
original data sets, the results not only fail to support the gender-bias
hypothesis but also demonstrate that women were advantaged in the interparty
elections for committee chairs. These findings offer new insights into both
the position of female legislators in the UK Parliament and gender and the
allocation of power within national assemblies more generally.
Relations of Freedom and Law's Relations
Authors: Nedelsky Jennifer
Published: June 2012

One of the most important contributions of feminist theory is the
rethinking of core concepts, such as freedom and autonomy. While the
inspiration for this rethinking is often the way traditional concepts fail
women, the constructive project of reconstruction routinely goes beyond a
focus on the particular significance for women—or gender or sexuality. For
example, the canon failed to recognize not only the centrality of care work
in women's lives but also the underlying issue of dependence as
characteristic of human life (MacIntyre 1999). Integrating this dependence
into conceptual reformulation has then led to the argument that theories of
justice must include the distribution of care work (Kittay 1999) and to the
rejection of independence as a key element of autonomy (Nedelsky 2011a). Of
course, these reconceptualizations have important consequences for women's
lives and for our collective understandings of gender and sexuality. But
those important consequences are not the focus of every theoretical
contribution.
Contradictions that Endure: Family Norms, Social Reproduction, and Rafael
Correa's Citizen Revolution in Ecuador
Authors: Lind Amy
Published: June 2012

Upon entering office in 2007, socialist Rafael Correa launched his
Citizen Revolution in Ecuador, with the aim of establishing a postneoliberal
order. His antineoliberal political discourse called for a “living well”
(i.e., buen vivir in spanish; sumaq
kawsay in Quichua) development model that favored
solidarity over competition and sustainability over economic growth. It also
called for increased political inclusivity and a form of redistribution that
reaches a broader range of citizens. In line with other Latin American
populist-socialist leaders, such as Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and Evo Morales
of Bolivia, Correa claimed that his revolution “has a woman's face.” Yet
personally, Correa is a devout Catholic and trained economist who opposes
abortion and homosexuality and favors a traditional familial model—one that
reinforces a notion of “modern economic man” that is both Eurocentric and
heteronormative.
Heritability of Strabismus: Genetic Influence Is Specific to Eso-Deviation and Independent of Refractive Error
Authors: Sanfilippo Paul G. , Hammond Christopher J. , Staffieri Sandra E. , Kearns Lisa S. , Melissa Liew S. H. , Barbour Julie M. , Hewitt Alex W. , Ge Dongliang , Snieder Harold , MacKinnon Jane R. , Brown Shayne A. , Lorenz Birgit , Spector Tim D. , Martin Nicholas G. , Wilmer Jeremy B. , Mackey David A.
Published: June 2012

Strabismus represents a complex oculomotor disorder characterized by the deviation of one or both eyes and poor vision. A more sophisticated understanding of the genetic liability of strabismus is required to guide searches for associated molecular variants. In this classical twin study of 1,462 twin pairs, we examined the relative influence of genes and environment in comitant strabismus, and the degree to which these influences can be explained by factors in common with refractive error. Participants were examined for the presence of latent (‘phoria’) and manifest (‘tropia’) strabismus using cover–uncover and alternate cover tests. Two phenotypes were distinguished: eso-deviation (esophoria and esotropia) and exo-deviation (exophoria and exotropia). Structural equation modeling was subsequently employed to partition the observed phenotypic variation in the twin data into specific variance components. The prevalence of eso-deviation and exo-deviation was 8.6% and 20.7%, respectively. For eso-deviation, the polychoric correlation was significantly greater in monozygotic (MZ) (r = 0.65) compared to dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs (r = 0.33), suggesting a genetic role (p = .003). There was no significant difference in polychoric correlation between MZ (r = 0.55) and DZ twin pairs (r = 0.53) for exo-deviation (p = .86), implying that genetic factors do not play a significant role in the etiology of exo-deviation. The heritability of an eso-deviation was 0.64 (95% CI 0.50–0.75). The additive genetic correlation for eso-deviation and refractive error was 0.13 and the bivariate heritability (i.e., shared variance) was less than 1%, suggesting negligible shared genetic effect. This study documents a substantial heritability of 64% for eso-deviation, yet no corresponding heritability for exo-deviation, suggesting that the genetic contribution to strabismus may be specific to eso-deviation. Future studies are now needed to identify the genes associated with eso-deviation and unravel their mechanisms of action.
A Behavioral Genetic Study of Humor Styles in an Australian Sample
Authors: Baughman H. M. , Giammarco E. A. , Veselka Livia , Schermer Julie A. , Martin Nicholas G. , Lynskey Michael , Vernon Phillip A.
Published: June 2012

The present study investigated the extent to which individual differences in humor styles are attributable to genetic and/or environmental factors in an Australian sample. Participants were 934 same-sex pairs of adult twins from the Australian Twin Registry (546 monozygotic pairs, 388 dizygotic pairs) who completed the Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ). The HSQ measures four distinct styles of humor — affiliative, self-enhancing, aggressive, and self-defeating. Results revealed that additive genetic and non-shared environmental factors accounted for the variance in all four humor styles, thus replicating results previously obtained in a sample of twins from the United Kingdom. However, a study conducted with a U.S. sample produced different results and we interpret these findings in terms of cross-cultural differences in humor.
Thresholds of flow‐induced bed disturbances and their effects on stream metabolism in an agricultural river
Authors: O'Connor Ben L. , Harvey Judson W. , McPhillips Lauren E.
Published: June 2012

Storm‐driven flow pulses in rivers destroy and restructure sediment habitats that affect stream metabolism. This study examined thresholds of bed disturbances that affected patch‐ and reach‐scale sediment conditions and metabolism rates. A 4 year record of discharge and diel changes in dissolved oxygen concentrations (ΔDO) was analyzed for disturbances and recovery periods of the ΔDO signal. Disturbances to the ΔDO signal were associated with flow pulses, and the recovery times for the ΔDO signal were found to be in two categories: less than 5 days (30% of the disturbances) or greater than 15 days (70% of the disturbances). A field study was performed during the fall of 2007, which included a storm event that increased discharge from 3.1 to 6.9 m3/s over a 7 h period. During stable flow conditions before the storm, variability in patch‐scale stream metabolism values were associated with sediment texture classes with values ranging from −16.4 to 2.3 g O2/m2/d (negative sign indicates net respiration) that bounded the reach‐averaged rate of −5.6 g O2/m2/d. Hydraulic modeling of bed shear stresses demonstrated a storm‐induced flow pulse mobilized approximately 25% of the bed and reach‐scale metabolism rates shifted from −5 to −40 g O2/m2/d. These results suggest that storm‐induced bed disturbances led to threshold behavior with respect to stream metabolism. Small flow pulses resulted in partial‐bed mobilization that disrupted stream metabolism by increased turbidity with short recovery times. Large flow pulses resulted in full‐bed mobilization that disrupted stream metabolism by destroying periphyton habitats with long recovery times.
Human cells enter mitosis with damaged DNA after treatment with pharmacological concentrations of genotoxic agents
Authors: Kubara Philip M. , Kernéis-Golsteyn Sophie , Studény Aurélie , Lanser Brittany B. , Meijer Laurent , Golsteyn Roy M.
Published: June 2012

In the present paper, we report that mitosis is a key step in the cellular response to genotoxic agents in human cells. Cells with damaged DNA recruit γH2AX (phosphorylated histone H2AX), phosphorylate Chk1 (checkpoint kinase 1) and arrest in the G2-phase of the cell cycle. Strikingly, nearly all cells escape the DNA damage checkpoint and become rounded, by a mechanism that correlates with Chk1 dephosphorylation. The rounded cells are alive and in mitosis as measured by low phospho-Tyr15 Cdk1 (cyclin-dependent kinase 1), high Cdk activity, active Plk1 (Polo-like kinase 1) and high phospho-histone H3 signals. This phenomenon is independent of the type of DNA damage, but is dependent on pharmacologically relevant doses of genotoxicity. Entry into mitosis is likely to be caused by checkpoint adaptation, and the HT-29 cell-based model provides a powerful experimental system in which to explore its molecular basis. We propose that mitosis with damaged DNA is a biologically significant event because it may cause genomic rearrangement in cells that survive genotoxic damage.
Role of α5β1 and αvβ3 integrins in relation to adhesion and spreading dynamics of prostate cancer cells interacting with fibronectin under in vitro conditions
Authors: Stachurska Anna , Elbanowski Jerzy , Kowalczyńska Hanna M.
Published: June 2012

Interaction of cell integrins with the ECM (extracellular matrix) proteins is commonly assumed to be associated with cell dissemination and tumour metastases. Since these processes depend on the mechanism of cell—protein interaction, we have attempted to show the contribution of α5β1 and αvβ3 integrins of the prostate cancer PC‐3 cells in in vitro interaction with FN (fibronectin) adsorbed on defined polystyrene surfaces. Cell adhesion, spreading and cytoskeleton organization were studied using antibodies against integrins or a GRGDSP (Gly‐Arg‐Gly‐Asp‐Ser‐Pro) peptide. The results show that blocking the α5β1 integrin causes: (i) a decrease in the number of the adherent cells in the early phase of adhesion and (ii) a decrease in the dynamics of cell spreading and cell shape changes, and weaker reorganization of cytoskeletal proteins than in the control cells. Conversely, the blocking of the αvβ3 integrin: (i) causes no observable effect on the number of the adhered cells; however, (ii) causes an increase in the dynamics of cell spreading and cell shape changes, and stronger reorganization of cytoskeletal proteins than in the control cells. Interestingly, the blocking of integrins with a GRGDSP peptide strongly decreases the number of the adhered cells, and a complete inhibition of cell spreading. Our results strongly suggest that the α5β1 integrin plays the main role in the adhesion and spreading of PC‐3 cells interacting with FN, whereas the αvβ3 integrin seems to regulate other receptors in the spreading process. Moreover, integrin—FN interaction through the RGD sequence evidently curbed the cell adhesion and spreading.
Photon emission statistics and photon tracking in single-molecule spectroscopy of molecular aggregates: Dimers and trimers
Authors: Bloemsma E. A. , Knoester J.
Published: June 2012

Based on the generating function formalism, we investigate broadband photon statistics of emission for single dimers and trimers driven by a continuous monochromatic laser field. In particular, we study the first and second moments of the emission statistics, which are the fluorescence excitation line shape and Mandel's Q parameter. Numerical results for this line shape and the Q parameter versus laser frequency in the limit of long measurement times are obtained. We show that in the limit of small Rabi frequencies and laser frequencies close to resonance with one of the one-exciton states, the results for the line shape and Q parameter reduce to those of a two-level monomer. For laser frequencies halfway the transition frequency of a two-exciton state, the photon bunching effect associated with two-photon absorption processes is observed. This super-Poissonian peak is characterized in terms of the ratio between the two-photon absorption line shape and the underlying two-level monomer line shapes. Upon increasing the Rabi frequency, the Q parameter shows a transition from super- to sub- to super-Poissonian statistics. Results of broadband photon statistics are also discussed in the context of a transition (frequency) resolved photon detection scheme, photon tracking, which provides a greater insight in the different physical processes that occur in the multi-level systems.
Global existence, asymptotic stability, and uniform attractors for non-autonomous thermoelastic systems with constant time delay
Authors: Qin Yuming , Ren Jia , Wei Tianhui
Published: June 2012

In this paper, we first consider a non-autonomous thermoelastic system with a boundary delay and obtain the asymptotic behavior, then using the contractive function method and multiplier techniques, we establish the asymptotic behavior and the existence of a uniform attractor of the system with a boundary time delay. The main advantage of this method is that we only need to verify compactness condition with the type of energy estimates same as those for establishing the absorbing set. Moreover, we investigate an alternative result of solutions to semilinear thermoelastic systems by virtue of the semigroup method.