bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The “Diaspora Politics” of Colombian Migrants in the UK and Spain
Authors: Bermudez Anastasia 
Published: May 2011

AbstractWithin the broader theme of Latin American migration to Europe, this article looks at the less explored case of Colombian migrants in the United Kingdom and Spain. More specifically, it focuses on the transnational political activities of these migrants in connection with the armed conflict and search for peace in Colombia, a case of “diaspora politics” that has not received much attention. It is based on research into the wider transnational political linkages of Colombians in these two countries conducted during 2004–2007. This research involved nearly 100 semi‐structured interviews with Colombian men and women who had migrated for political, security, labour and other reasons, as well as interviews with experts, participant observation and analysis of online community forums and other materials. As such, this study went beyond the dominant focus on economic migration. This approach helped to shed light on an aspect of Colombian migrant transnational politics hardly taken into account before, that is, the individual and collective activities that deal with the violence, human rights situation, and search for peace in Colombia. The first part of the article offers a summary of the conceptual and methodological issues underpinning this research and a description of the most relevant characteristics of the two migrant communities studied. In the second part, the article analyses the evidence gathered on Colombian migrant transnational activism in relation to the armed conflict and search for peace in Colombia and the potential and limitations of this work. The aim of the article is two‐fold: to enrich the pool of knowledge on Latin American migration to Europe and to engage with recent literature on the role that diasporas and transnational communities play in relation to conflict in their home countries as part of diasporic or transnational civil society.
The Transnational Governance of Ecuadorian Migration through Co‐Development
Authors: Maisonave Almudena Cortés 
Published: May 2011

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to show the relationship between co‐development projects with transnational interests and the governance of migration by the Spanish and Ecuadorian governments. On one hand, the emergence of co‐development is linked with the political dimension of migration, and therefore, with the challenges that its management poses for both the sending and receiving states. Simultaneously, the state exists in a context of the reconfiguration of its traditional functions, and above all, the manner in which it goes about performing them. For these reasons, co‐development projects form part of state governance strategies, based on a special understanding of the nexus between migration and development in European social space, involving international organizations, state governments, and civil society, linked by migratory flows. This is demonstrated in the case of Ecuador and Spain. Since Spain stimulated co‐development, the implementation of projects with Ecuador has been emphasized, due to the dimensions achieved by Ecuadorian migration. Co‐development politics and projects are analyzed in this paper as areas of intervention integrated by values, guide lines and cultural understandings about migration, including appropriate forms of control and management.
Engagement Policies and Practices: Expanding the Citizenship of the Brazilian Diaspora
Authors: Padilla Beatriz 
Published: May 2011

AbstractImmigration has certainly changed many aspects of politics and policies, and citizenship is one of them. Due to migration, both countries of origin and destination have been forced to look at citizenship with different eyes and both have gained interest in looking at migrants (both emigrants and immigrants) for different reasons. While countries of origin are designing engagement policies with the goal of strengthening ties to the diaspora, countries of destinations are designing integration and citizenship policies to relate to newcomers. However, immigrants find themselves in a complex situation, as they engage in dual practices which aim at expanding and securing their citizenship in both contexts. This paper examines the case of the Brazilian diaspora in Portugal, and explores the concept of transnational citizenship (from the countries of origin and destination, top‐down and bottom‐up citizenship, and contesting citizenship) including its use in generating political belonging, and its application in the specific context of bilateral relations between Brazil and Portugal.
The Transnational Political Practices of “Latin American Italians”
Authors: Tintori Guido 
Published: May 2011

AbstractThe article analyses the political institutional patterns between Italy and Latin America through a study of South American dual nationals who retain full political rights in Italy. It adopts a socio‐historical approach to study the genesis, evolution and consequences of Italy’s external citizenship policies, assessing their impact on the transnational political activities of “Latin American Italians”. It identifies the outputs and outcomes from the transnational political practices of “Latin American Italians”, both in Italy and the countries of residence, if and how these have created overlapping polities, affected the conception of membership, and challenged the definition of “home” and “host” country. The findings are based on over one year of field research, including interviews with key actors in Argentina, Uruguay, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom; in‐depth interviews with seventy‐four Latin Americans who had recently obtained their Italian citizenship by descent; and a statistical analysis.The article concludes that the current rise of transnational institutions linking sending and receiving countries does not totally break with the past. The strategic use of European nationality laws influences political participation of Latin American Italians in a limited way, and when a transnational political engagement does occur, it produces a disjunction between politics and territory more in terms of a re‐territorialization than of a de‐territorialization of political practices. Thus, this article supports the hypothesis of strengths and weaknesses of the transnational approach to analyse migrant’s political activities.
Nitrogen release from air‐dried biosolids for fertilizer value
Authors: Rouch D. A. , Fleming V. A. , Pai S. , Deighton M. , Blackbeard J. , Smith S. R. 
Published: May 2011

AbstractMineral‐N production by air‐dried biosolids was measured in an Australian tenosol type soil with two moisture conditions over 70 days, using a controlled laboratory incubation procedure. The biosolids were from both air‐drying pans and stockpiles. Inorganic‐N components (NH4‐N, NO3‐N and NO2‐N) were present in all biosolids, with higher concentrations in samples from air‐drying pans compared with stockpiles of 1 yr age. Nevertheless, significant production of NO3‐N occurred in moist soil amended with all air‐dried biosolids. In contrast, saturated soil amended with air‐dried biosolids generally showed a net loss of inorganic‐N compounds during incubation, presumably owing to denitrification. In the saturated soil, only biosolids from air‐drying pans provided NO3‐N production from existing NH4‐N. The results indicated that biosolids from air‐drying pans provided the most robust production of NO3‐N, compared with aged material from the stockpiles, owing to the reduced N content and increased stability of the organic fraction in stored biosolids. However, the rates of N‐mineralization in the tenosol soil were substantially lower than reported for more fertile soil types and most of the organic‐N content of the biosolids remained undegraded by day 70. The biosolids thus may substantially remain to provide improved properties of soil, such as structure and water‐holding capacity. The results suggest that anaerobically digested biosolids from air‐drying pans are potentially highly consistent products that could be effective replacements for inorganic‐N fertilizer in agricultural production.
An appraisal of soil organic C content in Mediterranean agricultural soils
Authors: Romanyà J. , Rovira P. 
Published: May 2011

AbstractLow soil organic carbon (SOC) levels in dry areas can affect soil functions and may thus indicate soil degradation. This study assesses the significance of SOC content in Mediterranean arable soils based on the analysis of a broad data set of 2613 soils sampled from Mediterranean grasslands and agricultural land. The distribution in values of SOC, pH, clay and carbonates was analysed according to different climatic areas (semi‐arid, Mediterranean temperate, Mediterranean continental and Atlantic) and with respect to six different land uses (grassland, cereal crops, olives and nuts, vineyards, fruit trees and vegetable gardens). The general trend was for low SOC in arable land and decreased with aridity. In wet areas (Atlantic and Mediterranean continental), acidic soils had a higher SOC content than did calcareous soils, whereas in the Mediterranean temperate area SOC had little relationship to soil pH. In low SOC arable soils, the SOC content was related to clay content. In calcareous arable soils of the Mediterranean temperate zone, SOC content was more closely related to carbonates than to clay. In contrast to the Atlantic area, Mediterranean grassland soils had much lower amounts of SOC than forest soils. Mediterranean calcareous and temperate acidic soils under grassland had SOC‐to‐clay ratios similar to or only slightly greater than that under a crop regime. In contrast, Mediterranean continental acidic soils under grassland had a much higher SOC‐to‐clay ratio than arable soils. This suggests a low resilience of the Mediterranean temperate and calcareous arable soils in terms of SOC recovery after the secession of ploughing, which may be a result of intensive use of these soils over many centuries. Consequently, we hypothesize that the Mediterranean calcareous soils have undergone significant changes that are not readily reversed after ploughing ceases. Such changes may be related to alterations in soil aggregation and porosity which, in turn, are associated with soil carbonate dynamics. Decarbonation processes (the depletion of active carbonates) may therefore be relevant to the reclamation of highly calcareous arable soils through fostering soil re‐aggregation. The article concludes by discussing the suitability of zero tillage, manuring or the introduction of woody species to increase SOC in calcareous arable soils that are highly depleted of organic matter.
In vitro and in vivo characterization of PF‐04418948, a novel, potent and selective prostaglandin EP2 receptor antagonist
Authors: af Forselles KJ , Root J , Clarke T , Davey D , Aughton K , Dack K , Pullen N 
Published: May 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Studies of the role of the prostaglandin EP2 receptor) have been limited by the availability of potent and selective antagonist tools. Here we describe the in vitro/in vivo pharmacological characterization of a novel EP2 receptor antagonist, PF‐04418948 (1‐(4‐fluorobenzoyl)‐3‐{[(6‐methoxy‐2‐naphthyl)oxy]methyl} azetidine‐3‐carboxylic acid).EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Functional antagonist potency was assessed in cell‐based systems expressing human EP2 receptors and native tissue preparations from human, dog and mouse. The selectivity of PF‐04418948 was assessed against related receptors and a panel of GPCRs, ion channels and enzymes. The ability of PF‐04418948 to pharmacologically block EP2 receptor function in vivo was tested in rats.KEY RESULTS PF‐04418948 inhibited prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)‐induced increase in cAMP in cells expressing EP2 receptors with a functional KB value of 1.8 nM. In human myometrium, PF‐04418948 produced a parallel, rightward shift of the butaprost‐induced inhibition of the contractions induced by electrical field stimulation with an apparent KB of 5.4 nM. In dog bronchiole and mouse trachea, PF‐04418948 produced parallel rightward shifts of the PGE2‐induced relaxation curve with a KB of 2.5 nM and an apparent KB of 1.3 nM respectively. Reversal of the PGE2‐induced relaxation in the mouse trachea by PF‐04418948 produced an IC50 value of 2.7 nM. Given orally, PF‐04418948 attenuated the butaprost‐induced cutaneous blood flow response in rats. PF‐04418948 was selective for EP2 receptors over homologous and unrelated receptors, enzymes and channels.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS PF‐04418948 is an orally active, potent and selective surmountable EP2 receptor antagonist that should aid further elaboration of EP2 receptor function.LINKED ARTICLE This article is commented on by Birrell and Nials, pp. 1845–1846 of this issue. To view this commentary visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1476‐5381.2011.01494.x
The physical mechanism of cuticular color in Phelotrupes auratus (Coleoptera, Geotrupidae)
Authors: AKAMINE Mayumi , ISHIKAWA Ken , MAEKAWA Kiyoto , KON Masahiro 
Published: May 2011

AbstractThe physical mechanism of cuticular color in Phelotrupes auratus was investigated by polarized inspection, spectrophotometry and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). No color change was observed when viewed through either a right‐ or left‐handed circular polarizer. Further, under the incidence of linearly polarized light, the reflected intensity was markedly reduced when observed through a linear polarizer set with its optical axis perpendicular to that of the incident light. These results indicate that P. auratus does not possess any circularly polarizing reflectors. TEM observations revealed a total of ten or twelve thin layers (about 60–120 nm in thickness) of two types of material (electron‐dense and electron‐lucent) alternately stacked in the epicuticle. The thickness of the layers in the different color forms of the beetle corresponded to the peak wavelengths in the reflectance spectra, λmax(α), with thicker layers found in beetles exhibiting reflectance peaks at longer wavelengths and vice versa. Based on these findings, we concluded that all the cuticular color forms of P. auratus were not produced by a circularly polarizing reflector but by a simple multilayer reflector.
Field observation of predation on a turtle by a giant water bug
Authors: OHBA Shin‐ya 
Published: May 2011

AbstractThe giant water bug, subfamily Lethocerinae, which has the largest body size among Belostomatidae, is known to be a vertebrate specialist that preys upon fish, amphibians and snakes. However, there have been no reports concerning predation on a turtle by Lethocerinae. Here, I report that a male giant water bug Kirkaldyia (Lethocerus) deyrolli (Heteroptera: Belostomatidae) (58.09 mm in total length) was catching hold of a turtle Chinemys reevesii (34.14 mm in carapace length) in a ditch adjoining a paddy rice field. This is a first report of K. deyrolli eating a turtle.
What are the consequences of infection by the introduced parasite Philometroides sanguineus for threatened crucian carp Carassius carassius populations in England?
Authors: Pegg Josephine , Williams Chris F. , Cucherousset Julien , Britton J. Robert 
Published: May 2011

Abstract –  Nonnative parasites have the potential to detrimentally affect naïve hosts, resulting in negative consequences for their growth, condition and energetics. Here, the effect of the introduced parasitic nematode Philometroides sanguineus on crucian carp Carassius carassius populations in England was investigated. Populations of C. carassius populations are increasingly spatially restricted in England and under increasing threat from habitat loss and hybridisation. Parasite prevalence across 6 infected populations was <27% and, generally, there was no significant relationship between levels of infection and fish length and age. Parasite abundance ranged between 1 and 8 nematodes and was not significantly related to fish length and age. Comparison of the growth, body weight and condition, and energy reserves between infected and noninfected C. carassius revealed infection did not incur significant detrimental impacts on these parameters. Whilst this suggests that infection had only minimal impacts on the examined host fish, this may have been a consequence of a low proportion of fish <100 mm in samples (i.e., size‐selective effects) and some tests did suffer from low statistical power because of, for example, unbalanced sample sizes. It does, however, suggest that P. sanguineus may not be a major threat to the status of these C. carassius populations and infection by introduced parasites may not always incur significant impacts in naïve fishes.
Construct validity and factor structure of Tamil version of Beck Cognitive Insight Scale to assess cognitive insight of patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Merlin Thanka Jemi , Rajkumar Anto P. , Reema S. , Tsheringla Sherab , Velvizhi S. , Jacob K. S. 
Published: May 2011

Objective: The ability to reflect rationally on one's own anomalous experiences and to recognise that their conclusions are incorrect is called as cognitive insight. It influences the delusion proneness of patients with schizophrenia. Structured instruments to assess cognitive insight have not been validated in any Indian languages so far. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the validity and factor structure of Tamil version of Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS-T).Methods: One hundred and fifty consecutive patients with schizophrenia completed BCIS-T. We assessed their clinical insight with the reference standard, Schedule for Assessment of Insight-Expanded version (SAI-E). An independent psychiatrist evaluated their psychopathology using Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS).Results: BCIS-T was internally consistent with Cronbach's α 0.67 and Guttman's split-half coefficient as 0.63. BCIS-T composite index documented convergent validity with SAI-E total score (ρ = 0.38; p < 0.001) and discriminant validity with BPRS (ρ = −0.02; p = 0.85). Factor analysis showed a four-factor structure, namely self-certainty, self-reflectiveness, openness to external feedback and infallibility of self-reflection. BCIS-T composite index had significant linear relationship with clinical insight and treatment compliance on multivariate analyses (p < 0.01).Conclusion: Our findings support the validity of BCIS-T to assess cognitive insight of the patients with schizophrenia. We suggest addressing the intricacies of cognitive insight beyond the traditional two-dimensional models in cross-cultural settings.
Cross-Sex Hormone Therapy Alters the Serum Lipid Profile: A Retrospective Cohort Study in 169 Transsexuals
Authors: Ott Johannes , Aust Stefanie , Promberger Regina , Huber Johannes C. , Kaufmann Ulrike 
Published: May 2011

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Cross-sex hormone therapy (CSHT) is known to lead to alterations in the serum lipid profile. However, the available reports in the literature are problematic, because of methodological limitations. AIMS: To assess changes in the fasting serum lipid profile during CSHT, including long-term follow-up.

Methods
Retrospective chart analysis of all 89 male-to-female (MtF) and 80 female-to-male (FtM) transsexuals who underwent standard CSHT at the Department of Gynecologic Endocrinology of the Medical University of Vienna (university hospital, tertiary care center), from 1995 to 2009.

Main Outcome Measures
The results of the lipid profile were analyzed, including triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and the TC-to-HDL ratio, at the time of treatment initiation (time point “0”) and at 3, 12, 24, and 60 months after the start of CSHT.

Results
The mean age of patients about to commence CSHT was 35.7 ± 11.4 years (MtF) and 26.0 ± 6.3 years (FtM). For MtF transsexuals, consistent follow-up for 24 and 60 months was available in 83 (93.3%) and 58 (65.2%) patients, respectively; for FtM transsexuals, follow-up was available in 57 (71.3%) and 39 (48.8%) patients, respectively. When testing for an association between the lipid parameters and the time after treatment initiation, significant increases for TG (P &lt; 0.001), TC (P = 0.021), and HDL (P = 0.001) were found for MtF transsexuals, whereas TG, TC, and LDL (P &lt; 0.001) increased and HDL (P &lt; 0.001) decreased in FtM patients.

Conclusion
Both MtF and FtM transsexuals experience alterations in the serum lipid profile because of CSHT, with the changes in FtM patients possibly more relevant in terms of atherogenesis.
A Surprising Finding Related to Executive Control in a Patient Sample of Hypersexual Men
Authors: Reid Rory C. , Garos Sheila , Carpenter Bruce N. , Coleman Eli 
Published: May 2011

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Patients seeking help for hypersexual behavior often exhibit features of impulsivity, cognitive rigidity, and poor judgment as well as deficits in emotion regulation and excessive preoccupation with sex. Some of these characteristics are also common among patients presenting with neurological pathology associated with executive dysfunction. Exploring relationships between dysregulated sexual behavior and executive deficits will enhance our understanding of hypersexuality.

Aim
This study sought to assess whether patients seeking help for hypersexual behavior exhibit executive deficits as measured by standardized neuropsychological tests of executive functioning when compared with healthy controls.

Methods
Executive deficits were assessed in a sample of male patients (N = 30) seeking help for hypersexual behavior compared with a nonhypersexual community sample of men (N = 30) using neuropsychological tests of executive functioning. Using multivariate statistics, differences between the groups were examined.

Main Outcome Measures
Sexual activity measured by the Hypersexual Behavior Inventory and the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory. Executive functions measured through neuropsychological testing using several subtests of Delis–Kaplan Executive Function System: Color–Word Interference Test, the Tower Test, the Trail Making Test, the Verbal Fluency Test, as well as the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Psychopathology was assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and cognitive ability was assessed using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale.

Results
Significant differences on measures of hypersexuality were observed. However, the groups failed to exhibit significant differences across neuropsychological tests of executive functioning even after controlling for cognitive ability.

Conclusions
These results contradict a previous finding of executive deficits among hypersexual men measured by self-report. The lack of executive deficits suggests that this population may exhibit domain-specific aspects of impulsivity, poor judgment, and risky behavior that are not generalizable to other domains of life. Furthermore, our findings fail to support a conceptualization of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, proposed hypersexual disorder based on models of executive dysfunction.