bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tears from an onion: Layering, exhaustion and conversion in British Columbia land use planning policy
Authors: Thielmann Tim , Tollefson Chris
Published: June 2009

Most previous studies of policy change in the BC resource and environmental sectors have stressed the importance of exogenous factors, notably the changing profitability of key industries, such as forestry; the appearance of new actors and policy ideas; and the domestic and international linkages so ably exploited by ENGOs. Without denying the importance of these factors, this case study of BC’s integrated land use policy illustrates the weight that policy legacies bring to bear on the path of policy transformation. This study explores the interplay of the processes and outcomes of policy change by comparing the processes and outcomes of three consecutive regime transitions in BC land use policy. The transitions suggest a complex relationship between layering, exhaustion, and conversion, in which layered elements that are pushed to the background of the policy regime can either be allowed to die or be brought back to become the centrepiece of a policy transition that takes place without the appearance (and associated political costs) of novelty.
Kerogen: chemical structure and formation conditions
Authors: Bushnev D.A. , Burdel’naya N.S.
Published: June 2009

The available data on the composition of the pyrolysis products of kerogen from the Mesozoic carbonaceous strata of the Russian Plate evidence that changes in the contents of total organic carbon (TOC) lead to a regular change of the mechanisms of organic-matter (OM) conservation in sediments. Each mechanism prevails for particular TOC contents. The initial increase in the TOC content of rocks is accounted for by the fact that the higher is the biologic productivity of the basin, the higher is the portion of nonmineralized organic matter. This is due mainly to the mechanism of selective accumulation of the most stable biochemical components such as algaenan. The appearance of H2S first in the pore waters of sediment and then in the water column increases the degree of preservation of initial OM at the expense of its sulfurization. This process runs first in the lipid and then in the carbohydrate fractions of initial OM.
Neotectonic inversions in the Baikal Rift System
Authors: Ufimtsev G.F. , Shchetnikov A.A. , Filinov I.A.
Published: June 2009

Cenozoic continental rifting in southern East Siberia and northern Mongolia has been associated with subsidence and broadening of rift basins at the account of their mountain borders. This neotectonic trend is, however, superposed with continuous or periodic tectonic inversions in which the basin floor may uplift while marginal fault steps and saddles between basins may subside. Cenozoic geomorphic inversions are expressed in changes of river flow out of Lake Baikal.
Seismites in Late Pleistocene and Holocene deposits of the northwestern Kola region (northern Baltic Shield)
Authors: Nikolaeva S.B.
Published: June 2009

New data on soft-sediment deformation in Late Pleistocene and Holocene deposits of the northwestern Kola Peninsula (Pechenga River valley) are reported and analyzed in terms of paleoseismicity implications. Soft-sediment deformation is assigned to paleoseismic triggers on the basis of special criteria. One sedimentary section in the Pechenga valley bears signature of several seismic events at the Late Pleistocene–Holocene boundary, constrained by radiocarbon dates. According to the morphology, sizes, and types of seismites, the earthquakes had an MSK-64 intensity at least VI–VII. The observed earthquake-induced deformation may be associated with tectonic subsidence of the Pechenga valley block.
Association Between Serum Leptin and Adiponectin Levels with Risk of Insulin Resistance and Impaired Glucose Tolerance in Non‐diabetic Women
Authors: Lee Chun‐Ying , Lee Chien‐Hung , Tsai Sharon , Huang Chia‐Tsuan , Wu Ming‐Tsang , Tai Shu‐Yu , Lin Fang‐Fei , Chao Nien‐Chan , Chang Chai‐Jan
Published: June 2009

Obesity is a well known risk factor for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Recently discovered adipocyte‐derived proteins (leptin and adiponectin) might contribute to the pathologic mechanism linking obesity and insulin resistance. A total of 190 non‐diabetic women were recruited from the Obesity Clinic of Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao‐Kang Hospital, Taiwan, between February 2003 and February 2004. All participants completed a simple questionnaire. Blood pressure and body mass index were measured; blood samples for fasting glucose, total cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, leptin, adiponectin, and fasting insulin level were collected after an overnight fast. Two‐hour glucose level after a 75‐g glucose tolerance test was determined. Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR) was calculated as the index of insulin resistance. Multivariate linear regression analyses were used to analyze the relationship between adipocytokines and insulin resistance after adjusting for possible confounding factors. Leptin and adiponectin were found to be independently associated with HOMA‐IR and fasting insulin concentration, but in divergent directions, after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Adiponectin, but not leptin, was associated with impaired glucose tolerance after adjusting for potential confounding factors. The results suggest that leptin and adiponectin may be involved in the pathophysiologic link between obesity and insulin resistance independently. Low levels of adiponectin may increase the risks of developing impaired glucose metabolism and type 2 diabetes.
Epithelioid Angiomyolipoma of the Kidney Mimicking Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Clinicopathologic Analysis of Cases and Literature Review
Authors: Tsai Chia‐Chun , Wu Wen‐Jeng , Li Ching‐Chia , Wang Chii‐Jye , Huang Chun‐Hsiung , Wu Chun‐Chieh
Published: June 2009

Classical renal angiomyolipoma (AML) is a common tumor that, in most cases, follows a benign course and has clearly defined radiologic and histological characteristics. However, rare cases of clinically aggressive or malignant AML, the epithelioid variant of AML (EAML), have been reported. Here, we review the five cases of EAML diagnosed since 2000 at our institution to highlight the spectrum of clinical, radiological and histological characteristics. In all cases, renal lesions seen on computed tomography (CT) were considered as suspicious for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) without tumor extension or metastasis. One of the two patients with definitive tuberous sclerosis complex had a small conventional AML with fat content in the other kidney. Histologically, these tumors can resemble sarcomatoid RCC or high grade RCC. The final diagnosis is established by the presence of perivascular epithelioid cells and immunohistochemistry markers. There was no evidence of local recurrence or metastatic disease found by sonography, CT and magnetic resonance imaging during the follow‐up period. EAMLs are capable of aggressive or malignant clinical behavior. Approximately one third of the reported EAMLs show advanced disease; therefore, we recommend that it is important to treat and closely follow‐up such cases, similar to that for RCC, because of its malignant potential.
Primary Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Nasal Cavity After Successful Curative Therapy of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Case Report
Authors: Lin Chien‐Heng , Chiang Tzu‐Peng , Shum Weng‐Yoon , Hsu Chi‐Hsiang , Tsai Ya‐Chin , Tsao Tang‐Yi , Su Chih‐Chung
Published: June 2009

Patients with head and neck cancer have a greater risk of developing second primary malignant neoplasms than patients with any other type of malignancy. Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SNEC) mainly occurs in the lung, and is rarely found in the head and neck region. Only a few cases of sinonasal SNEC have been reported in the English literature. A woman aged 53 years, who had undergone successful curative radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma 10 years earlier, presented with a history of bleeding from the left nostril for several weeks. A computed tomography scan of the head and neck showed a mass in the left nasal cavity with extension into the maxillary sinus. A biopsy specimen was taken and pathology revealed SNEC. The patient underwent a full course of concurrent chemoradiotherapy. No local recurrence or distant metastasis was noted during the 12 months of follow‐up.
Vitamin A status among children in China
Authors: Jingxiong Jiang , Toschke André Michael , von Kries Rüdiger , Koletzko Berthold , Liangming Lin
Published: June 2009

Objective

The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in children under 6 years old in China and to identify risk groups for VAD.

Design

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 14 provinces from coastal, inland and western geographic areas in China.

Setting

One city (urban) and two counties (rural) were randomly selected from each province as survey areas.

Subjects

About 200 children aged 0–6 years were randomly selected in each survey area. A blood sample was collected from each child. Data on sociodemographics and nutrition were obtained by interview of the mother or principal caregiver. Fluorescence microanalysis was used to analyse serum retinol concentration.

Results

VAD (serum retinol < 0.7 μmol l− 1) was observed in 957 out of 7826 children aged 0–6 years (12.2% of the entire study population), whereas severe VAD (serum retinol < 0.35 μmol l− 1) was found in 39 children (0.5%). The highest prevalences of VAD at >1 year of age were observed among children of mothers with minority ethnicity (22.7%) or poor education (19.8%) and in the poor western area (17.4%).

Conclusions

VAD is a nutritional problem in children in China. Children living in the poor western area, having a mother with minority ethnicity or a mother with poor education have a high risk of VAD.
Consumption of ‘extra’ foods (energy-dense, nutrient-poor) among children aged 16–24 months from western Sydney, Australia
Authors: Webb Karen L , Lahti-Koski Marjaana , Rutishauser Ingrid , Hector Debra J , Knezevic Natalia , Gill Tim , Peat Jennifer K , Leeder Stephen R ,   for the CAPS Team
Published: June 2009

Objective

This study evaluates the contribution of energy-dense, nutrient-poor ‘extra’ foods to the diets of 16–24-month-old children from western Sydney, Australia.

Design

An analysis of cross-sectional data collected on participants in the Childhood Asthma Prevention Study (CAPS), a randomised trial investigating the primary prevention of asthma from birth to 5 years. We collected 3-day weighed food records, calculated nutrient intakes, classified recorded foods into major food groups, and further classified foods as either ‘core’ or ‘extras’ according to theAustralian Guide to Healthy Eating.

Setting

Pregnant women, whose unborn child was at risk of developing asthma because of a family history, were recruited from all six hospitals in western Sydney, Australia. Data for this study were collected in clinic visits and at participants’ homes at the 18-month assessment.

Participants

Four hundred and twenty-nine children participating in the CAPS study; 80% of the total cohort.

Results

The mean consumption of ‘extra’ foods was ∼150 g day− 1and contributed 25–30% of the total energy, fat, carbohydrate and sodium to the diets of the study children. ‘Extra’ foods also contributed around 20% of fibre, 10% of protein and zinc, and about 5% of calcium. Children in the highest quintile of ‘extra’ foods intake had a slightly higher but not significantly different intake of energy from those in the lowest quintile. However, significant differences were evident for the percentage of energy provided by carbohydrate and sugars (higher) and protein and saturated fat (lower). The intake of most micronutrients was also significantly lower among children in the highest quintile of consumption. The intake of ‘extra’ foods was inversely associated with the intake of core foods.

Conclusions

The high percentage of energy contributed by ‘extra’ foods and their negative association with nutrient density emphasise the need for dietary guidance for parents of children aged 1–2 years. These preliminary data on commonly consumed ‘extra’ foods and portion sizes may inform age-specific dietary assessment methods.
Age-related variations in flavonoid intake and sources in the Australian population
Authors: Johannot Lidwine , Somerset Shawn M
Published: June 2009

Objective

To estimate flavonoid intake in the Australian population.

Design

Flavonoid consumption was estimated from 24-hour recall data and apparent consumption data using US Department of Agriculture flavonoid composition data.

Subjects

The National Nutrition Survey 1995 assessed dietary intake (24-hour recall) in a representative sample (n = 13 858) of the Australian population aged 2 years and over.

Results

Analysis of the 24-hour recall data indicated an average adult intake (>18 years) of 454 mg day− 1 (92% being flavan-3-ols). Apple was the highest quercetin source until age 16–18 years, after which onion became an increasingly important prominent source. Variations in hesperetin consumption reflected orange intake. Apple, apricot and grapes were the major sources of epicatechin and catechin for children, but subsided as wine consumption increased in adulthood. Wine was the main source of malvidin. Naringenin intake remained static as a percentage of total flavonoid intake until age 19–24 years, corresponding to orange intake, and then increased with age from 19–24 years, corresponding to grapefruit intake. Apparent dietary flavonoid consumption was 351 mg person− 1 day− 1, of which 75% were flavan-3-ols. Black tea was the major flavonoid source (predominantly flavan-3-ols) representing 70% of total intake. Hesperetin and naringenin were the next most highly consumed flavonoids, reflecting orange intake. Both 24-hour recall and apparent consumption data indicated that apigenin intake was markedly higher in Australia than reported in either the USA or Denmark, presumably due to differences in consumption data for leaf and stalk vegetables and parsley.

Conclusions

Tea was the major dietary flavonoid source in Australia. Flavonoid consumption profiles and flavonoid sources varied according to age. More consistent methodologies, survey tools validated for specific flavonoid intakes and enhanced local flavonoid content data for foods would facilitate better international comparisons of flavonoid intake.
Determinants of nutrition improvement in a large-scale urban project: a follow-up study of children participating in the Senegal Community Nutrition Project
Authors: Gartner A , Maire B , Traissac P , Kameli Y , Delpeuch F
Published: June 2009

Objective

To study individual determinants of differential benefit from the Senegal Community Nutrition Project (CNP) by monitoring improvement in children's weight-for-age index (WA) or underweight status (WA  < –2 Z-scores) during participation.

Design

A follow-up study using the CNP child monitoring data. Linear general models compared variations in WA according to 14 factors describing the beneficiaries and CNP services.

Setting

Poor neighbourhoods of Diourbel, a large city in Senegal, West Africa. Over a 6-month period, the CNP provided underweight or nutritionally at-risk 6–35-month-old children with monthly growth monitoring and promotion and weekly food supplementation, provided that mothers attended weekly nutrition education sessions.

Subjects

All the children who participated in the first two years of the project (n = 4084).

Results

Mean WA varied from − 2.13 (standard deviation (SD) 0.82) to − 1.58 (SD 0.81) Z-scores between recruitment and the end of the follow-up. The lower the child's initial WA, the greater was their increase in WA but the lower was the probability of recovery from underweight. Only 61% of underweight children recovered. Six months of CNP services may not be sufficient for catch-up growth of severely underweight children. The number of food supplement rations received was not a direct indicator of the probability of recovery. After adjustment for services received and initial WA, probability of recovery was lower in girls, in younger children, in twins and when mothers belonged to a specific ethnic group.

Conclusions

Determinants of benefit from CNP differed from the risk factors for underweight. Identification of participants with a lower probability of recovery can help improve outcome. Moreover, an explanation for the lack of recovery could be that many underweight children are stunted but not necessarily wasted.
Evaluation of the Food and Agriculture Organization's global school-based nutrition education initiative, Feeding Minds, Fighting Hunger (FMFH), in schools of Hyderabad, India
Authors: Subba Rao GM , Raghunatha Rao D , Venkaiah K , Dube Anil K , Rameshwar Sarma KV
Published: June 2009

Objective

To assess the efficacy of the Food and Agriculture Organization's global school-based nutrition education initiative, Feeding Minds, Fighting Hunger (FMFH), in improving nutrition-related knowledge levels of schoolchildren.

Design

Adopting the cluster randomisation technique, five schools each in experimental and control groups were randomly chosen from the member schools of a voluntary organisation. Repeated measures of knowledge levels were carried out at three points in time to assess pre-, post-intervention and retention of knowledge gained during the intervention. Children from experimental schools were given nutrition education by teachers in the classroom setting using FMFH material.

Subjects/settings

Schoolchildren (n = 358 in the control group and n = 312 in the experimental group) of grades VIII and IX from schools in Hyderabad, India.

Results

The classroom-based intervention resulted in a significant improvement (P < 0.01) in nutrition knowledge levels of schoolchildren in the experimental group. Significant improvement in knowledge was also observed in the control group. The effect size indicated that the improvement in knowledge levels of schoolchildren in experimental schools over control schools was medium (d = 0.40), indicating the efficacy of the FMFH programme in improving nutrition-related knowledge. No significant decrease (P>0.05) in knowledge levels was observed after 2 months, indicating retention of the knowledge acquired through the intervention.

Conclusion

The FMFH programme provides an opportunity for schoolchildren to learn more about nutrition through their teachers in a classroom setting if the lesson plans are adapted to the local circumstances. Furthermore, it has the potential to make nutrition education interactive, effective and sustainable.
Knowledge of dietary and behaviour-related determinants of non-communicable disease in urban Senegalese women
Authors: Holdsworth Michelle , Delpeuch Francis , Landais Edwige , Gartner Agnès , Eymard-Duvernay Sabrina , Maire Bernard
Published: June 2009

Objective

To assess knowledge of dietary and behaviour-related determinants of non-communicable disease (NCD) of urban Senegalese women.

Design

A cross-sectional, population study using an interviewer-administered knowledge questionnaire, developed and validated for this study. The questionnaire consisted of 24 items with six scores measuring knowledge of: (1) diet- and behaviour-related causes of NCD; (2) diet quality–NCD relationship; (3) fruit and vegetable link with NCD; (4) health consequences of obesity; (5) causes of cardiovascular disease (CVD); and (6) causes of certain cancers.

Subjects

A random sample of 301 women aged 20–50 years.

Results

The knowledge scores developed suggest that the health consequences of obesity (mean score of 65.4%) were best understood followed by causes of CVD (mean score of 60.6%), because obesity, smoking, high blood cholesterol and dietary fat were well recognised as risk factors for CVD. Subjects scored least for their knowledge of the protective effect of fruit and vegetables (mean score of 19.9%). Knowledge of causes of certain cancers (mean score of 36.1%) was also low. Women who worked outside the home had better knowledge for two scores but otherwise no relationship was found between knowledge and literacy, formal education or body mass index.

Conclusions

Findings suggest reasonable overall knowledge concerning diet and behaviour with NCD, especially given the relatively new context of the obesity epidemic in Senegal. However, there was poor knowledge of the benefit of eating fruit and vegetables and other preventable causes of certain cancers. Education targeting the benefits of vegetables and fruit may have the greatest impact on NCD prevention.
Evaluation of a brief pilot nutrition and exercise intervention for the prevention of weight gain in general practice patients
Authors: Booth Alison O , Nowson Caryl A , Huang Nancy , Lombard Catherine , Singleton Kate L
Published: June 2009

Objective

To pilot-test a brief written prescription recommending lifestyle changes delivered by general practitioners (GPs) to their patients.

Design

The Active Nutrition Script (ANS) included five nutrition messages and personalised exercise advice for a healthy lifestyle and/or the prevention of weight gain. GPs were asked to administer 10 scripts over 4 weeks to 10 adult patients with a body mass index (BMI) of between 23 and 30 kg m− 2. Information recorded on the script consisted of patients' weight, height, waist circumference, gender and date of birth, type and frequency of physical activity prescribed, and the selected nutrition messages. GPs also recorded reasons for administering the script. Interviews recorded GPs views on using the script.

Setting

General practices located across greater Melbourne.

Subjects and results

Nineteen GPs (63% female) provided a median of nine scripts over 4 weeks. Scripts were administered to 145 patients (mean age: 54 ± 13.2 years, mean BMI: 31.7 ± 6.3 kg m− 2; 57% female), 52% of whom were classified as obese (BMI >30 kg m− 2). GPs cited ‘weight reduction’ as a reason for writing the script for 78% of patients. All interviewed GPs (90%,n = 17) indicated that the messages were clear and simple to deliver.

Conclusions

GPs found the ANS provided clear nutrition messages that were simple to deliver. However, GPs administered the script to obese patients for weight loss rather than to prevent weight gain among the target group. This has important implications for future health promotion interventions designed for general practice.
Prevalence of obesity, food choices and socio-economic status: a cross-sectional study in the north-west of Iran
Authors: Dastgiri Saeed , Mahdavi Reza , TuTunchi Helda , Faramarzi Elnaz
Published: June 2009

Aim

To document the epidemiological features and influencing factors of obesity in the north-west of Iran, to provide baseline information for setting up a regional population-based centre to control and prevent obesity-related disorders in the area.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, a total of 300 subjects were selected/studied in Tabriz, one of the major cities in Iran. Data on basic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, dietary assessment and physical activity were collected. Obesity was defined as body mass index ≥ 30 kg m− 2for both women and men.

Results

Total prevalence of obesity in the area was 22.4% (95% confidence interval (CI): 18.0–27.6). The prevalence of obesity was 24% (95% CI: 18.5–31.4) for women and 18% (95% CI: 12.5–25.6) for men. For both women and men obesity prevalence showed a positive association with age (P < 0.001), while there was a negative correlation of obesity with education and income (P < 0.001). Fruit consumption decreased the risk of obesity in both women and men (odds ratio (OR) = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.49–0.71 vs. OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.51–0.74, respectively). The same significant pattern was observed for the consumption of green vegetables (OR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.57–0.63 vs. OR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.77–0.98 for women and men, respectively), legumes (OR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.59–0.84 vs. OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.66–0.91 for women and men, respectively) and dairy products (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.61–0.91 vs. OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.63–0.93 for women and men, respectively).

Conclusions

Our study showed that educational attainment, higher income and consumption of certain food groups (i.e. vegetables, fruits, legumes and dairy products) may decrease the risk of obesity. Our findings also indicate the crucial necessity of establishing a population-based centre for obesity in the area. The essential information is now achieved to propose to local health authorities to act accordingly. However, more population-based investigations on dietary choices are needed to develop effective preventive strategies to control overweight and obesity disorders in different regions.
Interaction of two public health problems in Turkish schoolchildren: nutritional deficiencies and goitre
Authors: Ersoy Betul , Sunalcan Günes Hafize , Gunay Turkan , Yilmaz Ozge , Kasirga Erhun , Egemen Ayten
Published: June 2009

Objective

The aim of the present study was to determine the interaction of and association between frequency of goitre detected by palpation, nutritional status evaluated by anthropometric indices and socio-economic status in school-aged children.

Subjects

One thousand and eighteen prepubertal and pubertal children (aged 6–14 years) attending primary schools in an urban area were included in this study.

Design and setting

All subjects were evaluated for the presence of goitre and nutritional status. Thyroid size was assessed using the World Health Organization's (WHO) palpation system (1960). Severity of protein–energy malnutrition (PEM) was based on WHO criteria. Children were grouped into four categories of socio-economic status.

Results

Eight per cent of children were detected to have goitre by palpation. Body mass index and weight-for-height were significantly lower in children who had palpable goitre than in children who did not have goitre (P < 0.05). Frequencies of having palpable goitre and being stunted and underweight were especially higher in children with very low socio-economic status (P = 0.016, 0.01 and 0.01, respectively). Frequency of being stunted, underweight and wasted in children with palpable goitre did not change significantly according to socio-economic status (P>0.05). In logistic regression analyses, the most important factor in detection of palpable goitre was socio-economic status (B = 0.517, P = 0.004). Fathers' education and occupation were found to be most significant (P = 0.031 and 0.020, respectively).

Conclusion

Children detected to have palpable goitre were thinner. However, nutritional disorders were not more frequent among children with palpable goitre compared with children without goitre. Goitre and nutritional deficiencies were more common in children with lower socio-economic status but the frequency of nutritional disorders in children with palpable goitre did not change according to socio-economic status.
Mini Nutritional Assessment of rural elderly people in Bangladesh: the impact of demographic, socio-economic and health factors
Authors: Kabir Zarina Nahar , Ferdous Tamanna , Cederholm Tommy , Khanam Masuma Akter , Streatfied Kim , Wahlin Åke
Published: June 2009

Objective

In stating the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations aims to halve malnutrition around the world by 2015. Nutritional status of the elderly population in low-income countries is seldom focused upon. The present study aimed to evaluate the magnitude of malnutrition among an elderly population in rural Bangladesh.

Design and setting

Data collection for a multidimensional cross-sectional study of community-based elderly people aged 60 years and over was conducted in a rural area in Bangladesh.

Subjects

Of 850 randomly selected elderly individuals, 625 participated in home interviews. Complete nutritional information was available for 457 individuals (mean age 69 ± 8 years, 55% female). Nutritional status was assessed using an adapted form of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) including body mass index (BMI). Age, sex, education, household expenditure on food and self-reported health problems were investigated as potential predictors of nutritional status.

Results

BMI < 18.5 kg m− 2, indicating chronic energy deficiency, was found in 50% of the population. MNA revealed a prevalence of 26% for protein–energy malnutrition and 62% for risk of malnutrition. Health problems rather than age had a negative impact on nutritional status. Level of education and food expenditure were directly associated with nutritional status.

Conclusion

In order to reduce world hunger by half in the coming decade, it is important to recognise that a substantial proportion of the elderly population, particularly in low-income countries, is undernourished.
Studies on the nutritional status of children aged 0–5 years in a drought-affected desert area of western Rajasthan, India
Authors: Singh Madhu B , Fotedar Ranjana , Lakshminarayana J , Anand PK
Published: June 2009

Objective

The present study was undertaken to assess the impact of drought on the nutritional status of pre-school children aged 0–5 years from a rural population in a desert area facing drought conditions very frequently.

Design

The sampling design for assessment was the three-stage sampling technique.

Setting

The study was carried out in 24 villages belonging to six tehsils (sub-units of district) of Jodhpur District, a drought-affected desert district of western Rajasthan, during a drought in 2003.

Subjects

A total of 914 children were examined at household level, with nutritional status assessed by anthropometry, dietary intake and clinical signs of nutritional deficiency.

Results

The results revealed growth retardation. Stunting (malnutrition of long duration) was observed in 53% of children and underweight in 60%. Wasting, an indicator of short-duration malnutrition, was present in 28% of children. The extent of malnutrition was significantly higher in girls than boys (P < 0.05). Vitamin A and B complex deficiencies were found in 0.7 and 3.0% of children, respectively. Prevalence of marasmus (protein–energy malnutrition, PEM) was 1.7% (2.3% in boys and 1.1% in girls). Overall deficits in mean energy and protein intakes were very high (76 and 54%, respectively). Comparison of the present drought results with earlier studies in desert normal and desert drought conditions showed higher prevalence of PEM and higher dietary energy and protein deficiencies.

Conclusions

The prevalence of wasting was high, greater than the cut-off point of 15% stated by the World Health Organization to indicate that the severity of malnutrition is critical. PEM, vitamin A and B complex deficiencies and anaemia, along with dietary deficits of energy and protein, were observed to be higher than in non-desert areas. This may be due to the harsh environmental conditions in desert areas where drought occurs quite frequently and adversely affects the economy, largely by eroding the coping capacity and economic potential of the people as a result of heavy livestock losses and reduced harvests, leading to increased poverty and poor food intake of the inhabitants. Due to inadequate consumption of daily food the children were suffering from wasting and PEM. Efforts should be made to incorporate measures, such as ensuring the supply of adequate energy and protein to all age groups and especially pre-school children, into ongoing nutrition programmes in order to improve the food security of local inhabitants in this area.
Dynamic Style Preferences of Individual Investors and Stock Returns
Authors: Kumar Alok
Published: June 2009

This study shows that individual investors systematically shift their preferences across extreme style portfolios (small vs. large, value vs. growth). These preference shifts are influenced by past style returns and earnings differentials, and advice from investment newsletters, but are unaffected by innovations in macroeconomic variables or shifts in expectations about future cash flows. Furthermore, investors’ dynamic style preferences influence returns along multiple dimensions: i) the contemporaneous relation between style returns and style-level preference shifts is strong, ii) there is weak evidence of style return predictability, and iii) the correlations among stocks within a style increase when investors move into or out of the style with greater intensity. Overall, the results indicate that stock categorization influences investors’ portfolio decisions and stock returns.
Evidence that bipolar disorder is the poor outcome fraction of a common developmental phenotype: an 8-year cohort study in young people
Authors: Tijssen M. J. A. , van Os J. , Wittchen H.-U. , Lieb R. , Beesdo K. , Mengelers R. , Krabbendam L. , Wichers M.
Published: June 2009

Background

Reported rates of bipolar syndromes are highly variable between studies because of age differences, differences in diagnostic criteria, or restriction of sampling to clinical contacts.

Method

In 1395 adolescents aged 14–17 years, DSM-IV (hypo)manic episodes (manic and hypomanic episodes combined), use of mental health care, and five ordinal subcategories representing the underlying continuous score of (hypo)manic symptoms (‘mania symptom scale’) were measured at baseline and approximately 1.5, 4 and 10 years later using the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview (DIA-X/M-CIDI).

Results

Incidence rates (IRs) of both (hypo)manic episodes and (hypo)manic symptoms (at least one DSM-IV core symptom) were far higher (714/105 person-years and 1720/105 person-years respectively) than traditional estimates. In addition, the risk of developing (hypo)manic episodes was very low after the age of 21 years [hazard ratio (HR) 0.031, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.0050–0.19], independent of childhood disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Most individuals with hypomanic and manic episodes were never in care (87% and 62% respectively) and not presenting co-morbid depressive episodes (69% and 60% respectively). The probability of mental health care increased linearly with the number of symptoms on the mania symptom scale. The incidence of the bipolar categories, in particular at the level of clinical morbidity, was strongly associated with previous childhood disorders and male sex.

Conclusions

This study showed, for the first time, that experiencing (hypo)manic symptoms is a common adolescent phenomenon that infrequently predicts mental health care use. The findings suggest that the onset of bipolar disorder can be elucidated by studying the pathway from non-pathological behavioural expression to dysfunction and need for care.
Modeling psychopathology structure: a symptom-level analysis of Axis I and II disorders
Authors: Markon K. E.
Published: June 2009

Background

Analyses of co-morbidity patterns among common mental disorders have repeatedly indicated that relationships among disorders can be understood in terms of broad superordinate dimensions. However, these analyses have been based on syndromal-level indicators, which are often heterogeneous, rather than on symptoms, which are presumably more homogeneous.

Method

Symptom-level exploratory and confirmatory analyses were used to explore the joint hierarchical organization of Axis I and II psychopathology, using data on 8405 individuals from the 2000 British Psychiatric Morbidity Survey.

Results

Analyses indicated that 20 identified subordinate dimensions of psychopathology could be organized into four broad superordinate dimensions: Internalizing, Externalizing, Thought Disorder, and Pathological Introversion.

Conclusions

These results extend existing model frameworks ‘downward’ as well as ‘outward’, by analyzing symptoms rather than diagnoses, and by integrating symptoms from Axis I and II disorders in a common framework. This model demonstrates the importance of hierarchy in psychopathology structure, comprises replicable features of psychopathology structure, and has important implications for understanding the nature and organization of mental disorders.
Breaking in and spinning out: Repetition and decalibration in Thai children’s play genres
Authors: HOWARD KATHRYN M.
Published: June 2009

Children’s humorous play is a cultural activity with its own particular aesthetic – an aesthetic in which highly creative, incongruent, and unexpected speech and action are valorized, appreciated, and rewarded. Drawing on Bauman’s concept of calibration, the adjustments by which speakers align their intertextual utterances to new contexts and purposes, this paper argues that an aesthetic of decalibration is at work in children’s metalinguistic and metapragmatic language play. Children capitalize upon linguistic and pragmatic ambiguity to breach expectations, drawing on complex linguistic, contextual and pragmatic knowledge to create maximally humorous language play performances. Through close analysis of videotaped interactions from a larger ethnographic, discourse analytic study of northern Thai children’s everyday lives, this article examines how younger children are socialized into these practices of language play through peripheral participation in multi-age play groups, showing that the repetitive poetic structure and predictability of the play genres constitute jumping-off and breaking-in points for language play. (Calibration, repetition, children’s language, play, language socialization, Thai, humor)1
Factors influencing the physical activity levels of older people from culturally-diverse communities: an Australian experience
Authors: BIRD STEPHEN , RADERMACHER HARRIET , FELDMAN SUSAN , SIMS JANE , KUROWSKI WILLIAM , BROWNING COLETTE , THOMAS SHANE
Published: June 2009

Inactivity has been identified as a major contributor to the burden of disease among older Australians, particularly those in culturally-diverse communities. This study assessed the facilitators and barriers to physical activity in older people from culturally-diverse communities, and investigated the predictors of physical activity participation by recruiting 333 older people from seven different communities in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. A survey questionnaire that recorded physical activity and the barriers to and facilitators of activity was interviewer-administered in the participants' preferred language. The data were analysed using bivariate and multivariate inferential statistical methods. Personal barriers to physical activity, such as poor health, lacking the energy to exercise, being too tired and low motivation, were highly prevalent in all groups. Specific factors, such as ‘being self-conscious about my looks’, were more prevalent among the Vietnamese, as were concerns about the weather among Macedonians and Croatians. Across all groups, perceptions of health and safety strongly influenced physical activity behaviour, more so than the external environment. Some of the barriers can be addressed with a common approach, but others in some communities will require particular strategies.
Relationships between age and gender differentials in health among older people in China
Authors: WANG DEWEN , ZHENG JIANMIN , KUROSAWA MICHIKO , INABA YUTAKA
Published: June 2009

The objective of this paper is to specify the relationships between age and gender differentials in health among older people in China. The data were drawn from the 2002 Chinese Longitudinal Health Longevity Study (CLHLS), which included 15,789 respondents aged 65 or more years. The health indicators included the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental ADL scores, cognitive ability (using the Mini Mental State Examination), visual function, hearing or auditory function, number of natural teeth, self-reported health, and self-reported quality of life. The statistical significance of the age relationships was examined using Mann-Whitney U tests and Spearman's rank correlation coefficients. The principal results were that above 65 years of age, gender differentials were observed in most of the health indicators at most ages, although self-rated quality of life was an exception. For most of the objective (observer-rated) health indicators, the gender differentials increased with greater age, but that for the number of natural teeth decreased with age. Gender differentials in the two subjective health measures had no significant relationship with age. It is concluded that older Chinese women have poorer health than men and are in many ways disadvantaged, and that the relative disadvantage increases with age. Chinese women tend to live longer and suffer ill-health more than men.
Monocular deprivation provokes alteration of the neuronal cytoskeleton in developing cat lateral geniculate nucleus
Authors: DUFFY KEVIN R. , SLUSAR JOANNA E.
Published: June 2009

Monocular deprivation early in development produces considerable change in the organization of connections within the central mammalian visual system. In the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus, the soma, dendrites, and axon terminal fields of deprived cells become considerably smaller than nondeprived counterparts. We have examined the possibility that subcellular events enabling structural modification of deprived neurons include modification of proteins comprising the cytoskeleton. We examined the integrity of the cytoskeleton by measuring the response of a subset of its proteins to varying durations of monocular deprivation. Loss of all three neurofilament subunits (light, medium, and heavy) within deprived layers was observed to parallel changes in neuron gross structure. Monocular deprivation initiated beyond early life produced neither a change in structure nor a loss of neurofilament labeling.
The effect of bosentan in patients with a failing Fontan circulation
Authors: Ovaert Caroline , Thijs Daisy , Dewolf Daniel , Ottenkamp Jaap , Dessy Hugues , Moons Philip , Gewillig Marc , Mertens Luc
Published: June 2009

Objectives

To investigate the effect of bosentan in patients with a failing Fontan circulation.

Design

A multicentric open label, non-controlled study.

Setting

5 tertiary care centres for congenital cardiology.

Patients

We included 10 patients with a failing Fontan circulation. Their median age at inclusion was 12.12 years, with a range from 4.41 to 33,41 years. The median interval between the Fontan operation and inclusion was 7.84 years, with a range from 1.96 to 12,18 years. Participants received half the usual dose of bosentan for 4 weeks, and then the full dose for a further 12 weeks.

Main measures of outcomes

We assessed saturations of oxygen at rest and during exercise, using a 6 minutes walk test, at baseline, and during and after 16 weeks of treatment. At each visit, we assessed blood chemistry and hepatic function, and asked the patients to complete a questionnaire concerning quality of life. All medical events and possible side effects were recorded.

Results

Of the cohort, 1 patient withdrew. The changes in saturations of oxygen, exercise performance, and scores for the questionnaire did not reach statistical significance for the whole group. We noted, nonetheless, that saturations of oxygen and/or exercise capacity improved in 5 of the patients. This was further confirmed when those patients deteriorated again when the drug was discontinued.

Conclusions

Our study failed to show significant improvement after 3 months of treatment with bosentan in a small group of patients with failing Fontan circulations. Some individuals, nonetheless, did improve. When planning larger trials, it would be better to identify those patients who might potentially benefit from the treatment prior to commencing the trial.
Retrospective study of neonatal ligation during 2002 in the United Kingdom of persistently patent arterial ducts
Authors: Venkatesh Vidheya , Lee Lleona , White Deborah , Kelsall Wilf
Published: June 2009

Our aim was to ascertain the number of neonatal ligations of the patent arterial duct performed in the United Kingdom in 2002, and to determine the survival of the neonates after 30 days. A postal questionnaire was sent to the lead paediatician in every hospital in the United Kingdom possessing a special care or neonatal intensive care unit, requesting information on the number of babies referred for ligation of a persistently patent arterial duct. A separate questionnaire was sent to the paediatric cardiothoracic centres for information on babies who underwent the procedure. Cross-referencing the responses identified neonates who were not reported in the separate questionnaires. Additional information was requested from the central cardiac audit database. The overall response rate was 74%, with 172 forms returned of 234 distributed. From the combined responses, we ascertained that ligation has been performed in 244, with survival at 30 days of 94%. There were problems in identifying some babies because of the incomplete nature of the information received from both referring hospitals and specialist cardiothoracic centres. We would recommend a joint prospective study is conducted by paediatricians and paediatric cardiologists to determine the short and long term outcomes in this population known to be at high risk.
American Institutionalism and the History of Economics
Authors: Rutherford Malcolm
Published: June 2009

Being the President of a society such as this is a position that brings with it relatively few benefits. One very definite benefit it does confer, however, is the opportunity to address one's peers on a subject of one's choice, for an indefinite period of time, and with no fear of contradiction; no referees, no discussants, and not even any questions from the audience. I intend to make use of this unconstrained state by being somewhat more speculative in my remarks than I could otherwise be.
Hicks on Economic Theory in Time
Authors: Allgoewer Elisabeth
Published: June 2009

John Richard Hicks is famous for the contributions to general equilibrium theory and welfare economics that earned him the Nobel Prize in 1972 and for his interpretation of John Maynard Keynes's General Theory (1936). Hicks made these pathbreaking contributions to economic modeling in the 1930s, '40s and '50s. Following Axel Leijonhufvud's classification (1984, p. 28), these are the works of “Hicks the Younger.” “Hicks the Elder” formulated “Some Questions of Time in Economics” (Hicks 1976). There he refers to theories that adequately incorporate aspects of time as “economic theory in time” in contrast to “economic theory out of time.” Hicks argues that for the theory of capital and the theory of markets this distinction is of greatest importance (ibid., p. 139).
Austrian Capital Theory: Help or Hindrance?
Authors: Ahiakpor James C. W.
Published: June 2009

Modern Austrian economists employ the Austrian Theory of Capital as an analytical construct with which to interpret policy-induced business cycles and suggest an appropriate remedy. The argument is that the structure of production, particularly the degree of capital intensity or “length of the production period” among different sectors of a non-collectivized economy, depends on the level of interest rates. Low interest rates encourage greater capital intensity in production while high interest rates reduce the degree of capital intensity or roundaboutness. Thus a greater capital intensity encouraged by an artificially low rate of interest created by a central bank's credit inflation must be followed by increased unemployment of labor when interest rates rise again to reflect the ensuing price inflation and the credit inflation stops. Restraint on central bank credit creation is thus prescribed as the remedy for fluctuations in output and employment in the business cycle.
Anonymous Pamphlets by John Cazenove
Authors: Pullen John
Published: June 2009

Between 1873 and 1875 two anonymous pamphlets were published in London with intriguingly similar titles. They were: (A) A Few Remarks upon Certain Practical Questions of Political Economy, 1873; 2d ed., 1873; 3d ed., 1874; and (B) A Few Remarks on Professor Cairnes' Recent Contribution to Political Economy, 1875. Both were published by Simpkin, Marshall, and Co., Stationers' Hall Court, and both carried on their title pages the statement “By a Former Member of the Political Economy Club.” The identity of the author or authors has not hitherto been established, but it now appears that John Cazenove (1788-1879) was certainly the author of (A), and most probably the author of (B).