This article examines the health and height of men born in England andWales in the1890s who enlisted in the army at the time of the FirstWorldWar, using a sample of recruits from the army service records. These are linked to their childhood circumstances as observed in the 1901 census. Econometric results indicate that height on Onlistment was positively related to socio-economic class, and neg…
In this article, the novel inventive steps for the extraction and quantification of sulfated glycosaminoglycan (GAG) from Acanthaster planci starfish, generally known as crown-of-thorns (COT), are reported. Starfish have been implicated with collagenous distributions within their body anatomy, thus making it a prima facie fact searching for the possibility that GAGs can be isolated from COT. In…
Abstract BACKGROUND:Animal blood is a large-volume by-product of the meat industry. Besides blood meal fertiliser, blood is marketed for humanconsumption as a supplement.Minimal comparativework on slaughterhouse animal blood fractions has been carried out. In this study, slaughterhouse deer, sheep, pig and cattle blood parameters were compared. Some blood constituents were determined. Fraction…
The quality of minced kilka (Clupeonella cultriventris caspia) with gum arabic encapsulated (0.3% and 0.5% w/w) and unencapsulated fennel extract (FE) (0.3% and 0.5% w/w) stored at 4°C was examined over a storage period of 15 days. The control and the treated fish samples were analyzed periodically for microbiological (total viable count [TVC] and total psychrotrophic count [TPC]) and chemical…
Accurate and specific analysis of target molecules in complex biological matrices remains a significant challenge, especially when ultra-trace detection limits are required. Liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry is often the method of choice for bioanalysis. Conventional sample preparation and clean-up methods prior to the analysis of biological fluids such as liquid–liquid extracti…
Abstract: Ferulago angulata subsp. carduchorum (Apiaceae) is a shrub indigenous to western Iran, Turkey and Iraq. In traditionalmedicine, F. angulata is recommended for treating digestive pains, haemorrhoids, snake bites, ulcers and as a sedative. The present study analysed the possible anxiolytic, antidepressant and antioxidant properties of F. angulata essential oil in a scopolamine-induced r…
Abstract: A main rationale of performance information is to empower citizens to make informed decisions by presentingthem with unambiguous information about the performance of institutions. However, even objective, clear,and unambiguous performance information is subject to biased interpretation depending on whether the information is consistent with the prior beliefs held by those who receive …
BACKGROUND: Seedling roots of anthocyanin-rich corn (Zea mays) cultivars contain high levels of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity. The development of a natural dietary supplement containing corn roots could provide the means to improve the restrictive diet of phenylketonuria (PKU) patients by increasing their tolerance to dietary phenylalanine (Phe). Therefore this research was undert…
1. Aquatic oligochaetes appear to be pre-adapted to live in the subterranean environment. However, in the absence of genuine troglomorphic characters, the stygobiotic status of groundwater oligochaetes can currently be inferred only from their exclusive presence in the subterranean environment. 2. Aquatic oligochaetes constitute a diverse and mostly endemic fauna. Of the more than 100 spec…
Dementia is common in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients and is associated with a higher mortality. Factors associated with dementia in HD patients are not clear.We investigated factors associated with early dementia in HD patients. Chronic HD patients of 27 hemodialysis centers were enrolled in 2013. Early dementia was identified using the AD8 assessment. Factors sociated with early dementia …
Recently the World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the need to strengthen mental health systems following emergencies, including natural and manmade disasters. Mental health services need to be informed by culturally attuned evidence that is developed through research. Therefore, there is an urgent need to establish rigorous ethical research practice to underpin the evidence-base for…
An analytical comparison for active chemical compounds and their antioxidant activities between three representative pigmented Thai rice cultivars was performed. It was revealed that the darkest purple-red cultivar (Kum Doi Musur, KDM) contained the highest total phenolic content of 1164.6 mg gallic acid equivalent per100 g (dry basis, db) and the highest total monomeric anthocyanin content of …
Aim: The molecular pathogenesis of non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) is unclear.Our aimwas to identify the genetic susceptibility forNOAin Japanese men by using a combination of transcriptome network analysis and SNPgenotyping. Material and Methods: We searched for candidate genes using RNA transcriptome network analysis of 2611 NOA-related genes that we had previously reported.We analyzed …
Aim: Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a key transcriptional regulator against oxidative stress through the induction of antioxidant and cytoprotective genes, such as heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), glutamyl cysteine ligase catalytic (GCLC), and glutamyl cysteine ligase modulatory (GCLM). Nrf2 signaling is disrupted in pre-eclamptic placentas, although increased oxidative stress is…
Aim: To study the effect and relevant molecular mechanisms of insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) on the proliferative activity of first trimester human trophoblasts in vitro. Materials and Methods: Extravillous cytotrophoblasts (EVCTs) were isolated and cultured. Cells were cultured with IGF2 at different concentrations and the proliferative activity was measured using methyl thiazolyl tret…
Aims: The present study aimed to evaluate the brain correlates of response inhibition among subjects with Internet gaming disorder (IGD). Methods: For this purpose, 15 men with IGD for at least 1 year, and 15 controls with no history of IGD were recruited to perform the Go/Nogo task under functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation. Prior to scanning, the subjects were assessed using…
For the purpose of SO2 reduction and stabilizing ice wine, a new antibacterial technique was developed and verified in order to reduce the content of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and simultaneously maintain protein stability during ice wine aging process. Hazardous bacterial strain (lactic acid bacteria, LAB) and protein stability of Italian Riesling ice wine were evaluated in terms of different amount…
Aim: To review and evaluate the efficacy of kidney-tonifying traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions (KT-TCMP) in hypoplastic uterus (HU) treatment. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure),WANFANG and VIP databases until 14 December 2013 independently with two investigators. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) involving KT-TCMP as …
Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the surgical and obstetric results of laparoscopy versus laparotomy in the management of ovarian cyst during pregnancy. Material and Methods: Sixty-nine eligible patients who met our criteria were randomly divided into the laparoscopy group (n = 33) and the laparotomy group (n = 36). The two groups were compared for their surgical and obstetric…
Food security is a global concern and substantial yield increases in crops are required to feed the growing world population. Mutagenesis is an important tool in crop improvement and is free of the regulatory restrictions imposed on genetically modified organisms. Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes (TILLING), which combines traditional chemical mutagenesis with high‐throughput genome�…
Concern about climate change has led to policy to reduce CO2 emissions although it islikely that policy will have differential regional impacts. While regional impacts will be politically important, very little analysis of them has been carried out. This paper contributes to the analysis of this issue by building a small model involving two regions, incorporating the right to emit CO2 as a fact…
We used high-resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) to examine possible changes in the morphology of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and to investigate their influence on vascular calcification in uremic patients on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). 36 uremic patients had cardiovascular diseases after MHD (MHD group1) and 30 uremic patients did not (MHD group 2), and 20 healthy volu…
(MPI) in small-for-gestational age (SGA) fetuses during 28–40 weeks of gestation. Material and Methods: Singleton pregnant women during 28–40 weeks of gestation were enrolled. Estimated metal weight was used to classify the subjects into appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA) and SGA groups. The Doppler indices of umbilical and middle cerebral arteries, including amniotic fluid index, were …
The cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) indicates the left ventricular size; however, the significance of the CTR in patients on maintenance peritoneal dialysis (PD) remainds unclear. In this study, 335 PD patients were enrolled and demographic, biochemical, co-morbidity, and dialysisrelated data were obtained. The factors determining CTR were further analyzed.All patients were followed up for two year…
Vascular calcification is frequent in patients with chronic kidney disease. Osteoprotegerin (OPG, a soluble factor which blocks osteoclast differentiation) has recently been implicated in the genesis of vascular calcification. Given that OPG can bind the pro-apoptotic tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), we hypothesized that the TRAIL protein is involved in the forma…
Improving sanitation in developing countries is a key issue. New toilets must be clean and well maintained and must present a pleasant olfactory experience. Knowledge about toilet malodour is crucial to create pleasant perfumes for toilets. To identify the key constituents of toilet malodour, we created synthetic reconstitutions based on our previous analytical work,and we performed sensory sur…
Aim: Most previous studies on the relationship between occupational burnout and the quality of care among nurses have used self-reported data on the quality of care from nurses, thus rendering evaluating the relationship between burnout and the quality of care difficult. Hospitals increasingly hire contract nurses and high turnover rates remain a concern. Little is known about whether nurses’…
BACKGROUND: The objectives of this study were to determine the invitro anti-inflammatory and invivo antihypertensive effectsof fermented pepino (Solanum muricatum) milk byLactobacillus brevis with the goal of developing functional healthy products. The inflammatory factors effermented pepino milk withL. brevis were assessed in RAW 264.7 macrophages, including nitric oxide (NO) production. Infl…
Aim: The aim of this study was to compare alterations of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number, single nucleotide polymorphisms, and oxidative damage of mtDNA in clinically stable patients with bipolar I disorder (BD). Methods: Patients meeting DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for BD were Recruited from the psychiatric outpatient clinic at Changhua Christian Hospital, Taiwan.They were clinicall…
Purpose: When restoring facial defects, maxillofacial prosthodontists and anaplastologists are often limited by material deficiencies. Silicone elastomers bonded to a polyurethane liner best satisfy the functional and esthetic requirements necessary for facial prostheses; however, patients using silicone prostheses with polyurethane liners often experience varying degrees of debonding at the p…
A two-temperature agar diffusion bioassay is commonly used to quantify theconcentration of nisin using Micrococcus luteus as the indicator microorganism. A finite element computational model based on Fick’s second law of diffusionwas used to predict the radius of the inhibition zone in this diffusion bioassay.The model developed was used to calculate nisin concentration profiles as a function…
Human exposure to Hg through fish consumption from local waterways is an ongoing concern to regulatory decision makers. Previously described population exposure and bioaccumulation models were combined to analyze the impact of potential policies on susceptible populations. The combined model simulated the problem of Hg exposure by examining the system from the point of Hg in the water column to…
In order to develop a healthy low-fat frankfurter-type sausage, different formulations were developed with tilapia viscera surimi (T1) and two with mechanically separated tilapia meat (MSTM) surimi (T2 and T3), all without pig lard addition. Due to technological problems observed for T1 sausage during cooking, it was not further investigated. The functionality of the other two formulations was …
Cell-suspension cultures (Zea mays L.,Black Mexican sweet corn) habituated to 6-dichlorobenzonitrile (DCB) survive with reduced cellulose owing to hemicellulose network modification. We aimed to define the hemicellulose metabolism modifications in DCB-habituated maize cells showing a mild reduction in cellulose at different stages in the culture cycle. Using pulse-chase radiolabeling, we fed ha…
In this narrative review, we explore the history of tobacco smoking, its associations and portrayal of its use with luxury and glamour in the past, and intriguingly, its subsequent transformation into a mass consumption industrialized product encouraged by advertising and film. Then, we describe the next phase where tobacco in parts of the world has become an unwanted product. However, the numb…
1. Many plants disperse their seeds in waterbodies via hydrochoric transport. Despite a growing body of research into hydrochory, little is known about the fundamental seed traits that determine floatation ability or hydrochoric transport behaviour more generally. Seeds are transported in fluvial systems in one of three phases: surface transport, within the flow or incorporated in bedload. See…
The Tennessee Valley Authority conducted a Baseline Ecological Risk Assessment (BERA) for the Kingston Fossil Plant ash release site to evaluate potential effects of residual coal ash on biota in Watts Bar Reservoir, Tennessee. The BERA was in response to a release of 4.1 millionm3 of coal ash on December 22, 2008. It used multiple lines of evidence to assess risks for 17 different ecological r…
The ecological footprint of food transport can be communicated using carbon dioxide emissions (CO2 label) or by providing information about both the length of time and the mileage travelled (food miles label). We use stated choice data to estimate Conventional unobserved taste heterogeneity models and extend them to a specification that also addresses attribute nonattendance. The implied poster…
This article develops a gendered state-theoretical materialist framework to show how capitalism as an economic system and the nation-state reproduce gendered hierarchies on multiple levels. With a focus on the symbolic masculine cultural order and its hegemonic political rationality of governing, the current economic crisis and its effects on gender regimes is discussed more specifically. In a …
This paper develops a theoretical critique of the varieties of capitalism (VoC)approach from the perspective of ideas sourced from Marxian political economy.In particular, the concept of economic surplus as formulated by Paul Baran is used to question the social ontology implicit in VoC, which, it is argued, is severely constrained by its imprecise definitions of both capitalism itself and capi…
Our article focuses on a question that is at the core of comparative capitalisms (CC) scholarship and historical materialist state theory: What is an appropriate theory of institutions in capitalism? How can we conceptualise institutions in relation to the fundamental contradictions and power relations of capitalism? Starting from the social foundations of institutions, the aim of this article …
This article critiques the institutionalist literature on varieties of capitalism and the more regulationist comparative capitalisms approach. It elaborates the alternative concept of variegated capitalism and suggests that this can be studied fruitfully through a synthesis of materialist form analysis and historical institutionalism within a world-market perspective. It highlights the role of …
A number of scholars have criticised the methodological nationalism of the mainstream study of capitalist diversity for ignoring a global convergence trend triggered by global competition. This contribution agrees with this criticism but insists on the need to take the diversities into account in order to understand the dependence of capital on the geographical concreteness of living labour and…
This paper develops a notion of ‘local capitalisms’. Starting from a particular, Marxist theorisation of capitalism and of the state, local capitalism is analysed as a nexus of production, reproduction of people, and the state within a locality. The latter construct, and are constructed by, specific relations of class, gender, ethnicity and age, themselves internally related. On this basis …
This article engages critically with an emerging Brazilian research programme,varieties of Kapitalism and development in Latin America’, a perspective which seeks to ascertain the institutional chances of, and limits to, the implementation of state-led ‘national development strategies’. Adopting a critical political economy viewpoint, the text discusses the deficiencies inherent in this …
This introduction to the special issue focuses on the rise to dominance in debates on capitalist diversity of approaches which take institutions as their starting point, rather than the wider social relations in which institutions sit and are constituted by. However, although this is part of broader trends across the social sciences over the last three decades, the self-marginalisation of criti…
Purpose – The purpose of this poster is to present the new Lausanne Laboratory Lesson Study. Design/methodology/approach – It stresses the links between six dimensions of this research center. Findings – The poster provides a list of current researches and a list of publications. Originality/value – This research center is the first about Lesson Study in French-speaking countries. K…
Over time, the comparative analysis of capitalism has moved beyond the strict confines of the narrow varieties of capitalism (VoC) framework. In this sense, it is possible to observe an emergent post-VoC discussion that goes beyond the static design and methodological nationalism that can be found in a strictly comparative and institutionalist account of capitalism. So far, however, the post-Vo…
This paper agrees with much of the current criticism, especially from Marxist perspectives, which argues that the varieties of capitalism (VoC) approach overemphasises the degree of harmony and mutual benefit, as well as the absence of class tension and exploitation, within contemporary capitalist relations. It also, however, criticises many of these Marxist critiques on the grounds that they t…
Aim: We investigated whether plasma levels of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) could serve as a diagnostic indicatorfor assessing disease progression in ovarian cancer (OC) patients. Material and Methods: In this study, we enrolled 98 patients with OC, 70 patients with benign ovarian tumors and 75 healthy controls. Plasma levels of LPA and cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) were measured in all study su…