bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Eugenic Selection Benefits Embryos
Authors: Walker Mark 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACTThe primary question to be addressed here is whether pre‐implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), used for both negative and positive trait selection, benefits potential supernumerary embryos. The phrase ‘potential supernumerary embryos’ is used to indicate that PGD is typically performed on a set of embryos, only some of which will be implanted. Prior to any testing, each embryo in the set is potentially supernumerary in the sense that it may not be selected for implantation. Those embryos that are not selected, and hence destroyed or frozen, are ‘actually supernumerary’. The argument to be advanced is hypothetical: If embryos may be said to benefit or be harmed by our actions, then PGD used to select for an embryo or embryos with the highest expected Wellbeing benefits potential supernumerary embryos. The argument shows that the ‘non‐identity’ problem is not sufficient to show that eugenic selection does not benefit supernumerary embryos.
How Culture and Economy Meet inSouthKorea: The Politics of Cultural Economy in Culture‐led Urban Regeneration
Authors: Shin HaeRan , Stevens Quentin 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThis article investigates the ways in which cultural economy is formed through negotiation and interaction between local actors in the case of culture‐led regeneration inGwangju,SouthKorea. It looks at the dynamics between the bureaucrats' pursuit of economic growth in the city and the efforts of civil society to maintain a strong political spirit throughout the regeneration process. Through in‐depth interviews with various participants and archival analysis, the politics of cultural economy are examined in relation to theGwangjuBiennale and theCity ofCulture project. The findings show that in these two cases bureaucrats were the dominant force, a tendency that instrumentalized culture. They also illustrate that this dominance brought about resistance from civil society. However, in the process of both engaging in conflict and working with each other, the different discourses of economic growth and cultural meaning were integrated, and in the process mutual learning and adaptation took place among members of the two groups. Civil society also faced cleavages resulting from different approaches to how to collaborate with the bureaucrats and its ensuing self‐reflection on communicative value enhanced its rehabilitation. The article argues that the politics of cultural economy is dynamic, involving processes of renegotiation, adaptation and self‐realization. It also offers the possibility of a new arena for the public sphere. Civil society plays a critical role in the integration of culture and economy.
Cultural Economy Planning in Creative Cities: Discourse and Practice
Authors: Grodach Carl 
Published: July 2012

AbstractWhile a growing body of research analyses the functional mechanisms of the cultural or creative economy, there has been little attention devoted to understanding how local governments translate this work into policy. Moreover, research in this vein focuses predominately on Richard Florida's creative class thesis rather than considering the wider body of work that may influence policy. This article seeks to develop a deeper understanding of how municipalities conceptualize and plan for the cultural economy through the lens of two cities held up as model ‘creative cities’ — Austin, Texas and Toronto, Ontario. The work pays particular attention to how the cities adopt and adapt leading theories, strategies and discourses of the cultural economy. While policy documents indicate that the cities embrace the creative city model, in practice agencies tend to adapt conventional economic development strategies for cultural economy activity and appropriate the language of the creative city for multiple purposes.
The Experience of Labour Emigration in the Life of Married Women: The Case of Podlasie, Poland
Authors: Cieślińska Barbara 
Published: July 2012

AbstractIn this paper, I focus on the experiences of female labour migrants, looking particularly at the emigration of married women from a region with a long‐established culture of emigration, in the context of the accession of Poland to the European Union. The paper is empirical in its content and is based mainly on emigration stories and narratives recorded in the form of biography or autobiography. I discuss different stages of the migration process – the decision to migrate; the experience of migration (in particular, with reference to its impact on families, both abroad and at home), and also the consequences of migration for Polish society, particularly with reference to family cohesion and changing gender roles.
The Determinants of Human Trafficking: A US Case Study
Authors: Jac‐Kucharski Alicja 
Published: July 2012

AbstractHuman trafficking is a global problem. In this paper, I seek to find the determinants of international human trafficking by using the US as a case study. Previous studies have drawn primarily from the migration literature, proposing hypotheses that focus on economic factors, the level of democracy and other “push” factors in the countries of origin that create incentives for individuals to migrate. However, we know that international human trafficking is an involuntary form of migration and may be influenced by additional factors. I hypothesize that factors that influence the cost–benefit calculation of the trafficker determine the volume of human trafficking, in addition to the factors that affect the size of the pool of trafficking victims. I test my theory using the negative binomial regression model. My results indicate that while income inequality within a country and poor protection of women's rights are likely to produce a specific pool of victims, it is the reduction of operational costs for the trafficker that increases the number of individuals who are trafficked.
Homelessness Abroad: “Place Utility” in the Narratives of the Polish Homeless in Brussels
Authors: Mostowska Magdalena 
Published: July 2012

AbstractAmong different groups of Poles in Brussels there are an estimated twenty thousand Polish migrants performing undocumented work. The presence of homeless Poles in Brussels indicates the vulnerability of some of the European labour migrants. The article is based on fieldwork conducted amongst Polish people sleeping rough in Brussels in 2008 and 2009. Most of the homeless informants were construction workers, who lost their living quarters due to seasonal unemployment, alcohol problems, illness or other incidents. In the article I analyse their narratives using Julian Wolpert's concept of “place utility” to confront the way they talk about their adaptation to the environment with the risks and opportunities they attach to staying in Brussels and their possible return migration to Poland. I present four types of homeless migrants and their different situations and survival strategies. The analysis includes their perception of life in Brussels and Poland. The narratives of most of them seem to share the perception of Poland's lower “anticipated place utility” in comparison with Brussels. The decision not to return to Poland minimizes the perceived risks and uncertainty. It avoids psychological strains, such as feelings of shame, frustration and confronting their families and friends. Living on the streets of Brussels seems “optimal” to them, under the circumstances. This example shows that economically unsuccessful migrations cannot be easily terminated; that the risks and profits are not equally distributed across family members; and that the different rationalities of all the actors and their self‐limitations should also be taken into account. Further studies of homelessness among working immigrants may contribute to a better understanding of some of the migration phenomena.
Patterns of cranial size variation in two sibling species Plecotus auritus and P. austriacus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) in a contact zone
Authors: Postawa T. , Zagorodniuk I. , Bachanek J. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThe coexistence in one area of two species with similar ecological requirements can lead to their morphological convergence or divergence. Convergence may be the result of adaptation to new conditions (species share a niche), whereas divergence may be the effect of competition for a resource (species compete for a niche). Compatibility with Bergmann's rule is possible in species with a significant latitudinal range. We tested whether potential differences between two long‐eared bat species are consistent with character displacement or Bergmann's rule by investigating variability in cranial morphology of Plecotus auritus and P. austriacus, which commonly occur in Central and Eastern Europe. We used 111 complete specimens from the allopatric range of P. auritus (nine localities) and sympatric P. auritus and P. austriacus (44 localities) from Poland and Ukraine. A traditional morphometric method was used to evaluate variation in cranial size between the species in their ranges. Discriminant function analysis of cranial dimensions showed larger differences between sympatric populations of P. austriacus and P. auritus than between allopatric P. auritus and a sympatric population of P. austriacus. A subsequent analysis showed that most cranial variables (excluding elements of the skull responsible for prey capture and elements partly associated with echolocation) from the sympatric population of P. auritus are smaller than those homologues from allopatric populations. Larger individuals from the allopatric population originate from the northern part of the study area; however, we did not detect an association of cranial variability with latitude pattern. The variation in size of the cranium between individuals from allopatric and sympatric ranges of P. auritus can be explained by different preferences in each range for prey that vary in hardness. P. auritus consumed significantly more hard‐bodied insects in allopatry than in sympatry. This example is one of few confirmed morphological cases of competitive character displacement.
‘The transit of the food trolley’– malnutrition in older people and nurses’ perception of the problem
Authors: Bonetti Loris , Bagnasco Annamaria , Aleo Giuseppe , Sasso Loredana 
Published: July 2012

Scand J Caring Sci; 2013; 27; 440–448

‘The transit of the food trolley’– malnutrition in older people and nurses’ perception of the problem
Aims:  To investigate how the issue of malnutrition in institutionalised older people is perceived by nurses in a Teaching Hospital in Italy and how some aspects that can prevent malnutrition are dealt with.Background:  Malnutrition in institutionalised older people is still a significant and unresolved problem. Many studies have been published on the inadequacy of nutritional care. Nurses play a strategic and key role in the prevention of malnutrition. Knowing how nurses perceive the problem of malnutrition and how they deal with aspects that can prevent malnutrition can be an important starting point for implementing strategies that will improve overall nutritional care.Methods:  A Focus Group (FGs) study was conducted in a Teaching Hospital in the north‐west of Italy with 33 nurses, who were still working or had worked with older people. The FGs were audio‐taped and transcribed verbatim. Data collection was stopped when we achieved saturation.Two researchers independently analysed the transcription for content analysis and negotiated the emerging categories.Results:  Although nurses perceived malnutrition as a significant issue, it was often considered of secondary importance compared with other aspects of care. Food choice, although available, is often limited to very few options, diets are standardised and monotonous and patients must choose ‘sight unseen’. Time constraints and understaffing were the obstacles for the identification of the need for nutritional care. Organisational and managerial decision‐making did not ensure the provision of high‐quality nutritional care. Patients’ nutritional status was often not assessed, and tools such as the Mini Nutritional Assessment were not mentioned by the participants.Conclusion:  Our study substantially confirmed what is reported in the literature. However, it is necessary to raise nurses’ awareness around poor nutritional care to prevent malnutrition in institutionalised older people.
Permian polar forests: deciduousness and environmental variation
Authors: Gulbranson E. L. , Isbell J. L. , Taylor E. L. , Ryberg P. E. , Taylor T. N. , Flaig P. P. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractForests are expected to expand into northern polar latitudes in the next century. However, the impact of forests at high latitudes on climate and terrestrial biogeochemical cycling is poorly understood because such forests cannot be studied in the modern. This study presents forestry and geochemical analyses of threein situfossil forests from Late Permian strata of Antarctica, which grew at polar latitudes. Stem size measurements and stump spacing measurements indicate significant differences in forest density and canopy structure that are related to the local depositional setting. For forests closest to fluvial systems, tree density appears to decrease as the forests mature, which is the opposite trend of self‐thinning observed in modern forests. We speculate that a combination of tree mortality and high disturbance created low‐density mature forests without understory vegetation near Late Permian river systems. Stable carbon isotopes measured from permineralized wood in these forests demonstrate two important points: (i) recently developed techniques of high‐resolution carbon isotope studies of wood and mummified wood can be applied to permineralized wood, for which much of the original organic matter has been lost and (ii) that the fossil trees maintained a deciduous habit at polar latitudes during the Late Permian. The combination of paleobotanical, sedimentologic, and paleoforestry techniques provides an unrivaled examination of the function of polar forests in deep time; and the carbon isotope geochemistry supplements this work with subannual records of carbon fixation that allows for the quantitative analysis of deciduous versus evergreen habits and environmental parameters, for example, relative humidity.
The acute hemodynamic effects of blood flow restriction in the absence of exercise
Authors: Loenneke Jeremy P. , Fahs Christopher A. , Thiebaud Robert S. , Rossow Lindy M. , Abe Takashi , Ye Xin , Kim Daeyeol , Bemben Michael G. 
Published: July 2012

SummaryThe purpose was to investigate the acute effects of blood flow restriction (BFR) on arterial and venous hemodynamic parameters. Nine participants completed a 10‐min time control (resting condition) and then a lower body BFR protocol. The protocol was five, 5‐min bouts of restrictive cuff inflation with 3‐min of deflation between each bout. The pressure was set relative to each individual's thigh circumference. There were no significant differences between resting and BFR conditions for blood pressure or wave reflection. There was, however, a significant decrease in venous compliance and maximal venous outflow following BFR. Acute BFR with pressures relative to thigh circumference does not result in acute changes in blood pressure or wave reflection. There is, however, an acute decrease in venous compliance and maximal venous outflow, the significance of which is currently unknown. These results suggest that an acute BFR protocol affects venous but not arterial hemodynamics.
Reduced biliary sterol output with no change in total faecal excretion in mice expressing a human apolipoprotein A‐I variant
Authors: Parolini Cinzia , Caligari Silvia , Gilio Donatella , Manzini Stefano , Busnelli Marco , Montagnani Marco , Locatelli Marcello , Diani Erika , Giavarini Flavio , Caruso Donatella , Roda Enrico , Roda Aldo , Sirtori Cesare R. , Chiesa Giulia 
Published: July 2012

AbstractBackground/AimsApolipoprotein (apo)A‐IMilano, is a molecular variant of apoA‐Iwild‐type, associated with dramatically low HDL‐cholesterol levels, but no increased risk for cardiovascular disease. In view of the present uncertainties on the role of apoA‐I in liver cholesterol removal by way of bile acids and neutral sterols, and of the greater capacity of apoA‐IMilano to remove arterial cholesterol, biliary sterol metabolism was evaluated in transgenic mice expressing apoA‐IMilano.MethodsApoA‐IMilano mice were fed a high‐cholesterol/high‐fat diet, and compared with human apoA‐Iwild‐type mice. Plasma lipid levels, hepatic bile flow and composition, hepatic and intestinal cholesterol and bile acid content, and faecal sterol content were measured. Moreover, the expression of hepatic ABCA1, SR‐B1 and that of hepatic and intestinal genes involved in bile acid metabolism were evaluated.ResultsThe dietary treatment led to a strong elevation in HDL‐cholesterol levels in A‐IMilano mice, associated with an increased expression of hepatic ABCA1. ApoA‐IMilano mice showed lower cholesterol output from the liver compared with apoA‐Iwild‐type mice, in the absence of liver sterol accumulation. Faecal excretion of neutral sterols and bile acids was similar in the two mouse lines.ConclusionsIn spite of a different response to the dietary challenge, with an increased ABCA1 expression and a lower hepatic cholesterol output in apoA‐IMilano mice, the net sterol excretion is comparable in the two transgenic lines.
Improvement of Intradialytic Hypotension in Diabetic Hemodialysis Patients Using Vitamin E‐Bonded Polysulfone Membrane Dialyzers
Authors: Koremoto Masahide , Takahara Noriko , Takahashi Masahiro , Okada Yasuhiro , Satoh Kouhei , Kimura Tomoyoshi , Hirai Tomoyuki , Ebihara Itaru , Nagasaku Daisuke , Miyata Shigeo , Maniwa Shunji , Kouzuma Takuji , Arimura Tetsurou , Kamei Junzou 
Published: July 2012

AbstractCurrently, there are no detailed reports on the effects of vitamin E‐bonded polysulfone (PS) membrane dialyzers on intradialytic hypotension (IDH) in diabetic hemodialysis (HD) patients. This study was designed to evaluate changes in intradialytic systolic blood pressure (SBP) using “VPS‐HA” vitamin E‐bonded super high‐flux PS membrane dialyzers. The subjects were 62 diabetic HD patients whose intradialytic SBP fell by more than 20%. Group A comprised patients who required vasopressors to be able to continue treatment or who had to discontinue therapy due to their lowest intradialytic SBP being observed at 210 min (28 patients). Group B comprised patients who showed no symptoms and required no vasopressors but showed a gradual reduction in blood pressure, with the lowest intradialytic SBP seen at the end of dialysis (34 patients). The primary outcome was defined as the lowest intradialytic SBP after 3 months using VPS‐HA. Secondary outcomes included changes in the following: lowest intradialytic diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, pulse rate, plasma nitric oxide and peroxynitrite, serum albumin, and hemoglobin A1c. Group A's lowest intradialytic SBP had significantly improved at 3 months (128.0 ±  25.1 mm Hg vs. 117.1 ± 29.2 mm Hg; P = 0.017). Group B's lowest intradialytic SBP had significantly improved at 1 month (134.4 ± 13.2 mm Hg vs. 121.5 ± 25.8 mm Hg; P =  0.047) and 3 months (139.1 ± 20.9 mm Hg vs. 121.5 ±  25.8 mm Hg; P = 0.011). We conclude that VPS‐HA may improve IDH in diabetic HD patients.
Blood Color Is Influenced by Inflammation and Independently Predicts Survival in Hemodialysis Patients: Quantitative Evaluation of Blood Color
Authors: Shibata Masanori , Nagai Kojiro , Doi Toshio , Tawada Hideo , Taniguchi Shinkichi 
Published: July 2012

AbstractBlood color of dialysis patients can be seen routinely. Darkened blood color is often observed in critically ill patients generally because of decreased oxygen saturation, but little is known about the other factors responsible for the color intensity. In addition, quantitative blood color examination has not been performed yet. Therefore, no one has evaluated the predictive power of blood color. The aim of this study was to evaluate if blood color darkness reflects some medical problems and is associated with survival disadvantage. Study design is a prospective cohort study. One hundred sixty‐seven patients were enrolled in this study. Quantification of blood color was done using a reflected light colorimeter. Demographic and clinical data were collected to find out the factors that can be related to blood color. Follow‐ups were performed for 2 years to analyze the risk factors for their survival. Regression analysis showed that C‐reactive protein and white blood cell count were negatively correlated with blood color. In addition, blood color was positively correlated with mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration and serum sodium concentration as well as blood oxygen saturation. During a follow‐up, 34 (20.4%) patients died. Cox regression analysis revealed that darkened blood color was an independent significant risk factor of mortality in hemodialysis patients as well as low albumin and low Kt/V. These results suggest that inflammation independently affects blood color and quantification of blood color is useful to estimate prognosis in patients undergoing hemodialysis. It is possible that early detection of blood color worsening can improve patients' survival.
Does South‐to‐North Water Transfer Reduce the Environmental Impact of Water Consumption in China?
Authors: Lin Chen , Suh Sangwon , Pfister Stephan 
Published: July 2012

SummaryThe South‐to‐North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP) is planned in China to alleviate the problem of the heterogeneous distribution of water resources. The project is expected to reduce water stress and decrease associated environmental impacts in northern China. This article utilizes life cycle impact assessment modeling, including regionalized water consumption impact assessment and an interregional input‐output model, to examine the potential of the SNWTP to reduce the impact of water consumption embodied in final demand. The environmental impacts of water consumption embodied in final demands within northern and southern China are calculated based on current conditions and on the scenario that the water transfer project is completed. The results show that the SNWTP increases the environmental impact of water consumption in southern China and reduces it in northern China. In total, the SNWTP will lead to a 5.74% net reduction in the environmental impact of water consumption embodied in the final demand from both southern and northern China. When monetized, the environmental benefit of the SNWTP could translate into 436 million euro (570 million U.S. dollars) per year, paying the total project cost back over 30 years without considering non‐environmental benefits and costs.