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…
Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is one of the major precursors for aerosols and cloud condensation nuclei in the marine boundary layer overmuch of the remote ocean. Here we report on coupled climate simulations with a state‐of‐the‐art global ocean biogeochemical model for DMS distribution and fluxes using present‐day and future atmospheric CO2 concentrations. We find changes in zonal averaged DM…
The present study aims to learn how collateral affects firm performance in the case of newly established wine producers. The issue is to identify the effects of collateral in situations of asymmetric information when the bank is the main financial partner of the entrepreneurs involved. On the one hand, the use of collateral may reduce the risk of overinvestment by entrepreneurs and thereby redu…
Purpose – In the Swedish biology curriculum for upper secondary school, it is stated that teaching in ecology should include field studies. The purpose of this study was to answer whether students increased their understanding in ecology after they had participated in a field trip, compared to traditional classroom teaching. Design/methodology/approach – The students’ (n¼64) prior knowl…
To limit the risk associated with invasion of habitats by exogenous species, the International Convention for the Control and Management of the Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments was adopted in February 2004 and may soon enter into force. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has produced guidelines to assess the efficacy and reliability of Ballast Water Treatment Systems (BWTS), but no…
During childhood and youth we build the foundations for financial well-being later in life, acquiring the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and personality traits that enable us to manage our finances as adults. This article reviews literature from consumer science, developmental psychology, and allied fields to gain insight into moments during youthful development when interventions are likely to …
1. There are multiple tools for scientific inference that seem rarely used in research examining the effects of stressors on rivers caused by human impacts. Very few of these scientific tools are ‘new’. While foundational to scientific methods, they seem to have been overlooked or forgotten. The thesis of this paper is that, by looking back to what used to be considered basic knowledge abou…
The fatty acids (FA) profile was determined in n-3 enriched (ColumbusTM) Belgian eggs and pork in order to evaluate to what extent the n-3 fatty acids, which are very sensitive to oxidation, are resistant to storage or cooking. In standard eggs or pork, no change of the fatty acid profile was observed after storage or cooking without culinary fat, as well as in ColumbusTM eggs and pork after st…
Strategies to reduce phosphorus and sediment yields are identified for two Australian catchments using a nonlinear optimisation model. This provides novel insight into the Cost-effectivemanagement of dual pollutants of water courses in Australia. A strong degree of complementarity between the two pollutants is highlighted, given the adsorption of phosphorus to sediment that augments the value o…
BACKGROUND: Over the past 10 years, food safety incidents have occurred frequently in China. Food safety issues in the dairy sector have increasingly gained the attention of the Chinese government and the public. The objective of this research is to explore consumption changes of dairy products of different income groups after these dairy safety incidents. RESULTS: The research indicates what …
Raspberry leaf blotch virus (RLBV) is a recently described (−)ssRNA virus (genus Emaravirus) associated with the long-known, severe raspberry leaf blotch disorder (RLBD). The virus is presumably transmitted by the raspberry leaf and budmite (Phyllocoptes gracilis; Eriophyidae). Cultivated and wild raspberries (Rubus idaeus) displaying RLBD or yellowing symptoms were sampled in 14 districts in…
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe how a learning study model, guided by variation theory, can be used to improve lesson design and a pupil’s understanding of key words and vocabulary in the context of three different subjects, namely art, dance and science. Design/methodology/approach – Three lesson designs were used with three groups of pupils from the same year group. …
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test peer-learning in small groups as a didactic method with respect to its effectiveness in homogenising initially heterogeneous learning collectives. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on two sets of data collection (before and after the application of the tested method). The data collection tools were student self-assessment and st…
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show, from a theoretical point of view, the promising relationship between the processes generated by Lesson Studies (LS) and the development of practical thinking in in-service teacher training, derived from two pieces of research. Design/methodology/approach – The authors propose broadening the focus of LS in order to not only improve the “less…
The aim of the first and second editions remains unchanged: to provide a modern, easy-to-read textbook for students and instructors. The book is also suitable for upper-level undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate instruction. Scientists who have left the university and are engaged in research and development in the industry, government, or academics will find this book a useful reference. I…
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the methodology used by the authors to describe the enacted object of learning, a methodology where data production and analysis is rooted in a theorisation of pedagogy. The authors share how the authors used this methodological approach to provide a comprehensive description of the enacted object of learning and in so doing the authors hop…
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine an Iranian mathematics lesson through the eyes of Japanese educators, and the critiques of Iranian teachers for raising the quality of teaching. In this paper, the Japanese lesson study process is considered as an approach to raising the quality of teaching. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative methods including pre-lesson planning, pe…
Abstract: Although certain measurements regarding super-tall buildings constructed using the top-down method have been published, new advances in top-down construction have been developed with the construction of super-tall buildings in China. This paper presents the theory of soil-structure interactions in pile foundations and extends it to the top-down construction method. Based on this theo…
Abstract: The static and dynamic displacements of high-speed railway bridges, which are determined by the load conditions, travel speed, and span, may cause passenger discomfort when they are excessive. In the Korea Railway Bridge Design Specifications, the allowable deflection is based on the train travel speed. It is, however, not sufficient for considering the vibration serviceability. The …
Abstract: Masonry is the most important construction material in Turkey. It has been used for public and residential buildings in the past several thousand years. A great number of well-preserved old masonry structures still exist proving that this form of construction can successfully resist loads and environmental impact. Traditionally, most major buildings were solid walled structures with …
Abstract: Soil-bentonite slurry-trench wall, usually consisting of sandy soil and Na-bentonite, is used extensively as in-situ engineered barriers for contaminant containment. Clayey soil/Ca-bentonite may be considered as an alternative backfill when Na-bentonite is scarce at some sites. Adding trace amount of phosphate dispersant to clayey soil/Ca-bentonite backfills may be advantageous to ma…