bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Genetic Variation in ABC G5/G8 and NPC1L1 Impact Cholesterol Response to Plant Sterols in Hypercholesterolemic Men
Authors: Zhao Hai L. , Houweling Adrielle H. , Vanstone Catherine A. , Jew Stephanie , Trautwein Elke A. , Duchateau Guus S. M. J. E. , Jones Peter J. H. 
Published: October 2008

AbstractATP‐binding cassette hetero‐dimeric transporters G5 and G8 (ABCG5/G8) have been postulated to mediate intestinal cholesterol efflux, whereas Niemann‐Pick C1 Like 1 (NPC1L1) protein is believed to be essential for intestinal cholesterol influx. The individual or combined genetic markers, such as single nuclear polymorphisms (SNPs), of these two transporter genes may explain inter‐individual variations in plasma cholesterol response following plant sterol (PS) intervention. The present study was aimed at investigating the association between ABCG5/G8 and NPC1L1 genotype SNPs with sterol absorption and corresponding plasma concentrations. The study used a 4‐week crossover design with 82 hypercholesterolemic men characterized by high vs. low basal plasma PS concentrations consuming spreads with or without 2 g/day of PS. For the ABCG8 1289 C > A (T400 K) polymorphism, the A allele carriers with high basal plasma PS concentrations demonstrated a 3.9‐fold greater reduction (p < 0.05) in serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) than their low basal plasma PS counterparts. For the NPC1L1 haplotype of 872 C > G (L272L) and 3929 G > A (Y1291Y), individuals carrying mutant alleles showed a 2.4‐fold greater (p < 0.05) reduction in LDL‐C levels, compared to wild type counterparts. Results suggest that genetic and metabolic biomarkers together may predict inter‐individual lipid level responsiveness to PS‐intervention, and thus could be useful in devising individualized cholesterol lowering strategies.
The organizational antecedents of a firm’s supply chain agility for risk mitigation and response
Authors: Braunscheidel Michael J. , Suresh Nallan C. 
Published: October 2008

AbstractToday’s marketplace is characterized by intense competitive pressures as well as high levels of turbulence and uncertainty. Organizations require agility in their supply chains to provide superior value as well as to manage disruption risks and ensure uninterrupted service to customers. Thus the cultivation of agility is approached as a risk management initiative that enables a firm to respond rapidly to marketplace changes, as well as anticipated and actual disruptions in the supply chain. Agility is of value for both risk mitigation and response.This research investigates the impact of two cultural antecedents, market orientation and learning orientation, and three organizational practices, all aimed at augmenting the supply chain agility of a firm. A firm’s supply chain agility (FSCA) is defined as the capability of the firm, both internally and in conjunction with its key suppliers and customers, to adapt or respond in a speedy manner to marketplace changes as well as to potential and actual disruptions, contributing to the agility of the extended supply chain.The two cultural antecedents of market and learning orientations are posited to affect the organizational practices of internal integration, external integration with key suppliers and customers, and external flexibility, and eventually impact the firm’s supply chain agility. The external flexibility elements considered are volume and mix flexibility. In addition, the specific organizational characteristics and practices exhibited by firms with high levels of supply chain agility are also investigated.Through the use of the structural equation modeling technique, partial least squares (PLS), it is shown that strong linkages exist among the cultural antecedents, the three organizational practices considered, and the firm’s supply chain agility. All three organizational practices, internal integration, external integration with key suppliers and customers, and external flexibility are shown to have significant positive impact on the firm’s supply chain agility.Market orientation is shown to significantly impact both internal and external supply chain integration, along with the two elements of external flexibility. Learning orientation, on the other hand, is shown to have a strong and direct influence only on the level of internal integration. Firms with high levels of external integration are also shown to have high levels of internal integration, consistent with past research. Internal and external integration efforts are also seen to be unrelated to the levels of external flexibility present. The results serve to establish a set of key drivers for augmenting supply chain agility as a risk management initiative.
Potential of an alternative prey to disrupt predation of the generalist predator,Orius insidiosus, on the pest aphid,Aphis glycines, via short-term indirect interactions
Authors: Desneux N. , O'Neil R.J. 
Published: October 2008

AbstractGeneralist insect predators can significantly impact the dynamics of pest populations; and, using alternative prey, they can rapidly establish in disturbed agroecosystems. However, indirect interactions between prey can occur, leading to either increased or decreased predation on focal prey. The present paper demonstrates how alternative prey can disrupt predation by the hemipteranOrius insidiosuson the soybean aphidAphis glycinesvia short-term indirect interactions. We used laboratory microcosms to measure the impact of the predator on the population growth of the aphid in the presence of alternative prey, soybean thripsNeohydatothrips variabilis, and we characterized the foraging behaviour of the predator to assess prey preference. We showed thatO. insidiosuspredation on aphids was reduced in the presence of thrips and that this positive impact on aphids increased as thrips density increased. Results from the behavioural experiment support the hypothesis of a prey preference toward thrips. When prey-pest ratio is aphid-biased, short-term apparent commensalism between prey occurs in favour of the most abundant prey (aphids) with no switching behaviour appearing inO. insidiosus. These results demonstrate that potential indirect interactions should be taken into account when consideringO. insidiosusas a biocontrol agent against the soybean aphid.
L'espace, le temps et l'émancipation. Essai sur la parole
Authors: Giroux Dalie 
Published: October 2008

Résumé. La réflexion offerte dans cet essai s'inscrit dans une entreprise d'approfondissement de la compréhension générale que nous avons de l'activité politique (parler, écrire, revendiquer, mettre en scène), et particulièrement de la relation que cette activité entretient avec l'idée de l'émancipation. Plus précisément, il s'agit de prendre pour objet d'exploration théorique le fait de parole, défini en termes d'articulation performative des espaces-temps humains, et d'en faire le paradigme de toute action politique. L'analyse de ce paradigme, au terme, permettra de pointer vers une matière utopique qui se qualifie à la fois comme événement et comme permanence du commun.Abstract. In this article, the author seeks a better understanding of the modalities of political action (speaking, writing, claming, staging), and more specifically of the relation between political action and the idea of emancipation. To do so, the author proposes that the speech act, comprehended as the performed articulation of lived space/time, is to be taken as the paradigm of political action. Further analysis of this paradigm, as developed in the article, compels the manifestation of a philosophical object which qualifies both as event and as the manifestation of the perennially of the common.
A Genealogy of Rational Choice: Rationalism, Elitism, and Democracy
Authors: Maloy J. S. 
Published: October 2008

Abstract.Unlike previous methodological debates in political science, the recent rational choice controversy has excluded consideration of normative questions altogether. These can be recovered, in part, through a genealogy of counter-utopian democratic theory which connects modern rational choice theory to the fin-de-siècle sociology of elites via the mediating figure of Schumpeter. The family resemblances include the aspiration toward a pure science of society, the search for a “realistic” theory of democratic politics, and the shading of an empirical proposition about elite domination into a normative celebration. Though democratic theorists have learned much from the counter-utopian tradition generally, both sides of the rational choice controversy have failed to take seriously the elitists' recognition of the ineluctable normative and ideological dimensions of social research.Résumé.Les débats récents sur le choix rationnel, à contre-pied d'autres disputes méthodologiques en science politique, ont exclu les questions normatives. Ces questions peuvent se rétablir, en partie, par l'intermédiaire d'une généalogie contre-utopiste de la théorie démocratique, qui lie la théorie moderne du choix rationnel au retour de la sociologie élitiste de fin de siècle, avec le personnage de Schumpeter comme médiateur. Les ressemblances familiales portent l'aspiration à une science pure de la société, la recherche d'une théorie «réaliste» de la démocratie et la transition d'une proposition empirique sur la domination des élites vers une célébration normative. Bien que les théoriciens démocratiques aient beaucoup appris de la tradition contre-utopiste, aucune des deux parties du débat sur le choix rationnel n'a pris en compte la reconnaissance élitiste des aspects idéologiques inévitables de la recherche sociale.
Is Race Political?
Authors: Thompson Debra 
Published: October 2008

Abstract.This article demonstrates that though the political nature of race is evident and constitutes an important area of research, there is a dearth of literature on race in English Canadian political science particularly as compared to other social sciences. The article provides explanations for this disciplinary silence, including methodological fuzziness, dominant elite-focused and colour-blind approaches to the study of politics, and the prevalence of ideas and foci about the nature of Canadian politics. In order to avoid the danger of disciplinary lag, it concludes with several ways of addressing this disparity between the political science and the society it purports to analyze.Résumé.Malgré l'essence politique évidente du concept de «race» et son importance indéniable comme sujet de recherche, la littérature de science politique canadienne-anglaise s'y attarde très peu, surtout en comparaison des autres sciences sociales. L'article explique les causes de ce silence disciplinaire. Celles-ci incluent un flou méthodologique, une approche surtout centrée sur l'élite, une perspective «daltonienne» concernant l'étude de la politique, ainsi que la prédominance de certaines idées quant à la nature de la politique canadienne. Afin d'éviter un danger de lacune disciplinaire, l'article propose des solutions permettant de réduire l'écart entre la science politique et son objet d'étude, soit la société réelle.
SEX RATIO AT BIRTH AND FAMILY COMPOSITION IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: INTER-COUPLE VARIATIONS
Authors: GARENNE MICHEL 
Published: October 2008

SummaryIn this study, sex ratios at birth (male/female births) were found to vary according to family composition. Using Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) maternity histories from sub-Saharan Africa, the study shows that the sex ratio at birth increases with the number of previous male births and decreases with the number of previous female births. For families with only males, the sex ratio increases from 1·046 for the first birth to 1·083 for the 8th birth. For families with only females, the sex ratio decreases from 1·046 for the first birth to 0·942 for the 8th birth. The differences were highly significant when tested with a linear logistic model (p=0·018 for males; p=1·85✕10−11 for females). The effect was not symmetrical, and was found to be significantly stronger for females. These effects could be reproduced assuming a strong heterogeneity between couples. The distribution of sex ratios was fitted with an asymmetrical log-gamma function, which revealed a wide range of variation in the sex ratio between 0·50 and 1·30, and a peak around 1·14. The results and their implications are discussed in the light of former findings in France and in the United States of America.
Impact of total versus subtotal thyroidectomy on calcium metabolism and bone mineral density in premenopausal women
Authors: Tunca F , Senyurek Y G , Terzioglu T , Tanakol R , Tezelman S 
Published: October 2008

AbstractObjective:This study aimed to compare the impact of total versus subtotal thyroidectomy on calcium metabolism and bone mineral density in euthyroid, premenopausal women.Subjects:The study included 24 premenopausal women who had undergone total (n = 10) or subtotal (n = 14) thyroidectomy and who were receiving nonsuppressive doses of thyroxine. The median post-operative period was four years. We determined, in all patients, the following parameters associated with calcium metabolism: total serum calcium, inorganic phosphate, intact parathormone, calcitonin and alkaline phosphatase. The bone mineral density of the spine and hip were measured using a Hologic QDR 4500C bone densitometer and were compared with controls matched for age and peak bone mineral density (using the t-test).Results:The measured calcium metabolism parameters were normal in all patients, and none had osteoporosis. There was no significant difference in the bone mineral density measurements for the spine and hip, comparing patients who had undergone total versus subtotal thyroidectomy (using the t-test).Conclusion:The impact of total thyroidectomy on bone mineral metabolism is not significantly different from that of subtotal thyroidectomy, in premenopausal women with normal thyroid-stimulating hormone values.
Role of KTP-532 laser in management of oral submucous fibrosis
Authors: Nayak D R , Mahesh S G , Aggarwal D , Pavithran P , Pujary K , Pillai S 
Published: October 2008

AbstractIntroduction:Oral submucous fibrosis is a chronic disease characterised by progressive inability to open the mouth. Various treatment modalities are available for its management, but these have largely been ineffective.Materials and methods:Nine cases of oral submucous fibrosis underwent a release procedure using a KTP-532 laser, from March 2005 to January 2006, within the ENT – head and neck surgery department of a tertiary centre.Results:Pre- and post-operative mouth-opening was compared using the Wilcoxon signed rank test, and a significant difference observed (Z = −2.690, p = 0.007). Follow up over an average period of 12 months showed encouraging results.Conclusion:This preliminary study indicated that adequate release of oral submucous fibrosis can be achieved by using a KTP-532 laser release procedure, with minimal morbidity and satisfactory results. These promising results should encourage more widespread use of this technique in the management of this condition.
18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in different histological subtypes of nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Authors: Chang M-C , Tsai S-C , Lin W-Y 
Published: October 2008

AbstractObjective:The study aimed to delineate the relationship between18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake and histological findings in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Methods:We conducted a retrospective review of 88 patients referred to our positron emission tomography department with newly diagnosed, biopsy-proved nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Hospital records were reviewed for demographic and clinical data, including age, gender, body weight, histological analysis and clinical tumour stage.Results:Nineteen out of the 88 patients (22 per cent) had nasopharyngeal carcinoma of World Health Organization type I, 39 (44 per cent) had type II and 30 (34 per cent) had type III. The mean standardised uptake value for the primary tumour was 9.4 ± 5.0, ranging from 2.2 to 27.1. The mean standardised uptake values were 8.0 ± 3.9 for type I tumours, 9.7 ± 4.4 for type II tumours and 10.1 ± 6.3 for type III tumours (p = 0.451).Conclusions:Our study found that type III nasopharyngeal carcinoma exhibited a higher18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake than either type II or type I nasopharyngeal carcinoma. However, this difference was not statistically significant.
Post-operative problems and complications in 313 consecutive cochlear implantations
Authors: Ovesen T , Johansen L V 
Published: October 2008

AbstractObjective:To describe problems and complications associated with cochlear implantation, and their management, in a Danish patient population comprising both paediatric and adult patients.Design:Retrospective chart review.Setting:Tertiary referral centre.Subjects:Three hundred and thirteen consecutive cochlear implantations were studied. The median age of the study population was 10 years. Sixty per cent of patients were children and 40 per cent were adult; 52 per cent were female and 48 per cent were male.Intervention:Two hundred and ninety-four patients received a Cochlear Nucleus®implant. The remaining 19 received an Advanced Bionics implant.Main outcome measure:Presence of problems and complications after cochlear implantation.Results:Post-operative complications were found in 15.7 per cent of patients. The majority of these complications (11.2 per cent) were minor; 4.5 per cent were major. The major complications included one patient with meningitis, one patient with multiple antibiotic resistantStaphylococcus aureusinfection of a radical cavity, and one diabetic patient who developed a severe skin infection and whose implant became exposed.Conclusion:Cochlear implantation is a safe procedure within the studied setting. However, it is essential that careful attention be paid to surgical planning and technique, and it is important that healthcare staff and patients be aware of the possible problems and complications.
Cervical lymphadenopathy: scrofula revisited
Authors: Khan R , Harris S H , Verma A K , Syed A 
Published: October 2008

AbstractBackground:The commonest form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis is tubercular cervical lymphadenitis, or scrofula.Methods and results:A total of 1827 patients with cervical lymphadenopathy who presented to various out-patients clinics of our institution were studied over a three-year period. Eight hundred and ninety-three (48.87 per cent) of these patients had lesions of tubercular origin. The most common observation was unilateral, matted adenopathy in female patients aged between 11 and 20 years and without constitutional symptoms of tuberculosis. Posterior triangle nodes were affected in 43.8 per cent of cases, followed by upper deep cervical nodes in 33.9 per cent. Fine needle aspiration cytology constituted the main diagnostic tool, with a positive yield in 90 per cent of patients. Polymerase chain reaction analysis was performed in 126 patients, with a sensitivity of 63 per cent. Only 18 per cent of patients had associated pulmonary tuberculosis, the rest having isolated involvement of cervical nodes. Medical treatment with anti-tubercular drugs for a period of six months formed the mainstay of treatment and cure. Surgical management was reserved for selected refractory patients.Conclusion:Tubercular cervical lymphadenitis can readily be diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology, a simple and cost-effective test. The disease can be cured completely by a short course of anti-tubercular chemotherapy, without surgical intervention.
‘A Mighty Adventure’: Institutionalising the Idea of Planning in Post-colonial India, 1947–60
Authors: KUDAISYA MEDHA 
Published: October 2008

AbstractThis essay examines the Indias' political leadership's romantic engagement with the idea of developmental planning in post-colonial India between 1947 and 1960. It looks at the experience of planning in India between 1947 and 1960. It explores some of the early ideas about developmental planning and the setting up of the Planning Commission in March 1950. Although there was widespread acceptance of the need for planning there was little consensus on the kind of planning that was required, or how it should be carried out. This essay examines attempts, which were made to institutionalise the planning idea. It looks at the heady ascent of the Planning Commission as the pre-eminent economic decision-making body in Independent India and the debates and contentions that took place in the early years of its formation. It argues that the 1956 foreign exchange crisis marked a climactic moment for planning. Thereafter, as far as economic decision-making was concerned, the locus of power shifted from the Planning Commission to other governmental agencies and the developmental planning process itself came to be over-shadowed by pragmatic economic management pursued by official agencies. Thus, in overall terms, developmental planning failed to establish strong institutional foundations in independent India and, in all this, the experience of the 1950s was formative.
The Local Experiences of Reformist Islam in a ‘Muslim’ Town in Colonial India: The Case of Amroha
Authors: JONES JUSTIN 
Published: October 2008

AbstractThis paper discusses shifts within Islamic life, ritual and practice in the town of Amroha in the United Provinces of India, during the eventful period of approximately 1860–1930. Based primarily upon Urdu writings produced about or by Muslim residents of the town during this period, it examines the ways in which wider religious reformist movements such as those associated with Aligarh, Deoband and Bareilly were received and experienced within nearby smaller, supposedly marginal urban settlements. The paper argues that broader currents of religious reform were not unquestioningly accepted in Amroha, but were often engaged in a constant process of dialogue and accommodation with local particularities. The first section introduces Amroha and itssharifMuslim population, focusing upon how the town's Islamic identity was defined and described. The second section examines a plethora of public religious rites and institutions emerging during this period, includingmadrasas andimambaras, discussing how these were used by eminent local families to reinforce distinctly local hierarchies and cultural particularities. A third section considers public debates in Amroha concerning the Aligarh movement, arguing that these debates enhanced local rivalries, especially those between Shia and Sunni Muslims. A final section interrogates the growing culture of religious disputation in the town, suggesting that such debate facilitated the negotiation of religious change in a transitory social environment.