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Complex Interrelationship (complex + interrelationship)
Selected AbstractsCardiovascular metabolic syndrome , an interplay of, obesity, inflammation, diabetes and coronary heart diseaseDIABETES OBESITY & METABOLISM, Issue 3 2007J. S. Rana Cardiovascular disease is currently one of the biggest causes of morbidity and mortality facing humanity. Such a paradigm shift of disease pattern over the last century has only worsened due to the alarming global prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes. In recent years there is increasing focus on inflammation as one of the key players in the patho-physiology of these disorders. In addition to these overt risk factors new research is unraveling the significance of a constellation of early metabolic abnormalities that include weight gain, insulin resistance, prehypertension and a specific pattern of dyslipidaemia. There exists a complex interrelationship of these various metabolic disorders and their effect on cardiovascular system. Simplified explanation can be that inflammation increases insulin resistance, which in turn leads to obesity while perpetuating diabetes, high blood pressure, prothrombotic state and dyslipidaemia. While inflammation and insulin resistance have direct adverse effects on cardiac muscle, these metabolic abnormalities as a whole cause causes cardiovascular complications; warranting a multi pronged therapeutic and preventive approach for the ,Cardiovascular Metabolic Syndrome' as an entity. [source] Toxicity to Candida albicans mediated by human serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cellsFEMS IMMUNOLOGY & MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2006Joseph M. Bliss Abstract This study evaluates the conditions in which peripheral blood mononuclear cells mediate toxicity to Candida albicans opsonized with heat-inactivated human serum. Serum concentrations as low as 1% resulted in 50% inhibition of C. albicans metabolic activity after incubation with peripheral blood mononuclear cells at an effector to target ratio of 8. Measurable inhibition was also achieved at lower effector to target ratios and lower serum concentrations, and at least a portion of the metabolic inhibition reflected fungal cell death. Depletion of C. albicans -specific antibody decreased the toxic effect while opsonization with purified human IgG restored toxicity, and cell,cell contact between peripheral blood mononuclear cells and fungus was required. Depletion of or enrichment for monocytes from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells preparation diminished the toxic effect and the monocytic cell line, THP-1, was likewise incapable of toxicity. These studies provide evidence that antibody augments antifungal host defense and underscore the complex interrelationship between humoral and cellular immunity in these infections. [source] The Changing Fortunes of Early Medieval Bavaria to 907 adHISTORY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 4 2010Jonathan Couser This essay surveys the political historiography of the early medieval principality of Bavaria, particularly in three periods; that of the Bavarians' emergence in the sixth century, the time of a complex interrelationship between Bavarians and Franks and their Agilolfing and Carolingian ruling houses in the eighth century, and the transitions of power from Charlemagne's takeover of Bavaria in 788 and the transfer to a new Luitpolding duchy in 907. The Bavarian case serves as a useful counternarrative to those of larger peoples like the Franks or Lombards, and illustrates that the inheritance of Roman tradition, the relationship between rulers and ruled, and the creation and maintenance of ethnic identities could be flexible and complex in the early Middle Ages. [source] Hermit crabs, humans and Mozambique mangrovesAFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2001David K. A. Barnes Abstract There is a complex interrelationship between upper shore hermit crabs (such as Coenobita sp. and Clibanarius sp.), coastal human populations and mangrove forests in Mozambique. The abundance, activity, shell selection and behaviour of three species of hermit crab are related to the level of mangrove cover. With increased density of mangrove trees, the study species of hermit crab changed in abundance, tended to become diurnal, spent more time feeding and were clustered in larger groups when doing so, and selected longer spired shells. All five of the same variables are also linked to the proximity and activity of humans through both direct and indirect actions. Direct effects included a tendency to nocturnal activity with proximity to human activity; indirect effects included increased and more clumped food supplies, and shell middens from intertidal harvesting and deforestation. Mangroves are important to local human populations as well as to hermit crabs, for a wide variety of (similar) reasons. Mangroves provide storm shelter, fisheries and fishery nursery grounds for adjacent human settlements, but they also harbour mosquito populations and their removal provides valuable building materials and fuel. Hermit crabs may be useful (indirectly) to coastal human populations by being a source of food to certain commercial species, and by quickly consuming rotting/discarded food and faeces (thereby reducing disease and pests). They can also cause minor problems to coastal human populations because they use shells of (fisheries) target mollusc species and can be more abundant than the living molluscs, thereby slowing down effective hand collection through confusion over identification. The mixture of positive and negative attributes that the three groups impart to each other in the Quirimba Archipelago, northern Mozambique, is discussed. Résumé Il existe des interrelations complexes entre les Bernard-l'Ermite du haut littoral (tels que Coenobita sp. Et Clibanarius sp.), les populations humaines côtières et les forêts de mangroves au Mozambique. L'abondance, l'activité, le choix de la coquille et le comportement de trois espèces de Bernard-l'Ermite sont liés au degré de couverture de la mangrove. Lorsque la densité des arbres de la mangrove augmente, l'abondance des espèces étudiées de Bernard-l'Ermite change, ils ont tendance à devenir diurnes, passent plus de temps à se nourrir et se rassemblent à ces moments-là en plus grands groupes, et ils choisissent aussi de plus longues coquilles. Les cinq mêmes variables sont aussi liées à la proximité et à l'activité des hommes, directement et indirectement. Parmi les effets directs, on compte une tendance à une activité nocturne lorsque les activités humaines sont proches ; les effets indirects incluent des apports de nourriture et de débris de coquilles accrus et plus regroupés résultant des marées et de la déforestation. Les mangroves sont aussi importantes pour les populations locales que pour les Bernard-l'Ermite, pour toute une série de raisons (semblables). Les mangroves constituent un abri en cas de tempête, un terrain de pêche et de frai dont bénéficient les populations humaines voisines, mais elles renferment aussi beaucoup de moustiques, et leur bois fournit un bon matériau de construction et du combustible. Les Bernard-l'Ermite peuvent être (indirectement) utiles aux populations côtières car certaines espèces commerciales sont comestibles et que tous consomment rapidement les restes de nourriture en décomposition et les excréments (réduisant ainsi les risques de maladie et d'animaux nuisibles). Ils peuvent aussi causer des problèmes mineurs aux populations côtières parce qu'ils utilisent la coquille d'espèces de mollusques qui font l'objet de la pêche et qu'ils peuvent être plus abondants que les mollusques eux-mêmes, ce qui ralentit la pêche manuelle à cause du besoin d'identification. On discute le mélange de qualités négatives et positives que les trois groupes représentent les uns pour les autres dans l'Archipel de Quirimba, au nord du Mozambique. [source] Mechanical and Chemical Analysis of Gelatin-Based Hydrogel DegradationMACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, Issue 15 2003Gabriel J. Martínez-Díaz Abstract The interrelated effect of environmental pH and temperature, gelatin backbone modification and content on the tensile and degradative property of interpenetrating networks (IPNs) containing gelatin and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGdA) was examined. Either increasing the PEGdA content or modifying the gelatin backbone with PEG-monoacetate ester and/or polyanions decreased the IPN elasticity at ambient room temperature (rt). Under an aqueous environment of varying pH levels and elevated temperature, the degradation of IPN tensile properties was further accelerated. IPNs showed an enhanced elasticity and strength when compared to glutaraldehyde-fixed gelatin hydrogels. Under an aqueous condition, IPNs showed a wider range of degradation products than hydrogels cross-linked with glutaraldehyde, as characterized with gel permeation chromatography. The nature of IPN degradation products was independent of the type of gelatin backbone modification. The presence of loaded drug, chlorohexidine digluconate, which was found to interact with PEG-monoacetate esters of the modified gelatin backbone, resulted in unique degradation products. The tensile and chemical degradation of IPNs is a complex interrelationship of the environmental condition, time, and material modification. Stress-strain curves of some IPNs studied here. [source] Vitamin A, Mastitis, and Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV-1 through Breast-feeding: Current Information and Gaps in KnowledgeNUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 10 2005Stephanie M. Dorosko DVM Mastitis has been implicated as a risk factor for mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV-1 through breast-feeding. Maternal vitamin A deficiency is also associated with increased MTCT, as well as with episodes of mastitis in lactating animals. This review describes the complex interrelationship between vitamin A, mastitis, and MTCT of HIV-1 via mothers' milk. Current gaps in knowledge, as well as recommendations for future research efforts, are also discussed. [source] Monitoring ALA-induced PpIX Photodynamic Therapy in the Rat Esophagus Using Fluorescence and Reflectance SpectroscopyPHOTOCHEMISTRY & PHOTOBIOLOGY, Issue 6 2008Bastiaan Kruijt The presence of phased protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) bleach kinetics has been shown to correlate with esophageal response to 5-aminolevulinic acid-based photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) in animal models. Here we confirm the existence of phased PpIX photobleaching by increasing the temporal resolution of the fluorescence measurements using the therapeutic illumination and long wavelength fluorescence detection. Furthermore fluorescence differential pathlength spectroscopy (FDPS) was incorporated to provide information on the effects of PpIX and tissue oxygenation distribution on the PpIX bleach kinetics during illumination. ALA at a dose of 200 mg kg,1 was orally administered to 15 rats, five rats served as control animals. PDT was performed at an in situ measured fluence rate of 75 mW cm,2 using a total fluence of 54 J cm,2. Forty-eight hours after PDT the esophagus was excised and histologically examined for PDT-induced damage. Fluence rate and PpIX photobleaching at 705 nm were monitored during therapeutic illumination with the same isotropic probe. A new method, FDPS, was used for superficial measurement on saturation, blood volume, scattering characteristics and PpIX fluorescence. Results showed two-phased PpIX photobleaching that was not related to a (systematic) change in esophageal oxygenation but was associated with an increase in average blood volume. PpIX fluorescence photobleaching measured using FDPS, in which fluorescence signals are only acquired from the superficial layers of the esophagus, showed lower rates of photobleaching and no distinct phases. No clear correlation between two-phased photobleaching and histologic tissue response was found. This study demonstrates the feasibility of measuring fluence rate, PpIX fluorescence and FDPS during PDT in the esophagus. We conclude that the spatial distribution of PpIX significantly influences the kinetics of photobleaching and that there is a complex interrelationship between the distribution of PpIX and the supply of oxygen to the illuminated tissue volume. [source] Selecting the Past: The Politics of Memory in Moscow's History MuseumsCITY & SOCIETY, Issue 2 2000Anatoly M. Khazanov Moscow's historical museums reflect a complex interrelationship of power, knowledge, and memory in contemporary Russia. Social and political changes in the country have produced enormous rifts between new and old values and memories, and the museums as mediums for the interpretations of die past are prone to manipulation by different political forces. History is contested. However die Moscow historical museums, especially those that belong to die state, still do not demonstrate a fundamental break from Soviet interpretation of the past. At best they are only beginning to develop a multi-focused approach to the Russian and Soviet past. (Moscow, museums, politics, contested history, collective memory] [source] The Limits to Globalization Theory: A Geographic Perspective on Global Economic Change,ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2002Henry Wai-chung Yeung Abstract: The nature of globalization and global economic change has been a subject of immense academic research during the past two decades. The Janus face of globalization, however, continues to obfuscate our understanding of its complex processes and alleged geographic outcomes. In this article, I theorize on the indispensable role of geography in conceptualizing economic globalization. I argue that economic globalization is an inherently geographic phenomenon in relation to the transcendence and switchability of geographic scales and discursive practices as sociospatial constructions. Given its complex spatiality, economic globalization is more a phenomenon in need of explanations than a universal cause of empirically observable outcomes in the so-called globalization theory. To illustrate my theoretical claims, I analyze the complex interrelationships between globalization processes and the recent Asian economic crisis. Some implications for future globalization research in geography are offered. [source] The Contours of Political Transformation and Conservation Areas in Southern AfricaGEOGRAPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2008Maano Ramutsindela Ecology and other conservation sciences have largely been preoccupied with the establishment, number, size and the functions of nature conservation areas around the globe. Beyond these concerns, nature conservation areas mirror complex interrelationships between society and the environment, and how those relationships are, or should be managed in various contexts. These interrelationships cannot appropriately be understood within the confines of disciplinary boundaries; they require multi- and interdisciplinary perspectives. The aim of this article is to illustrate that various categories of nature conservation areas, including protected areas, embody ideas about nature and how it should be governed in changing socio-economic conditions. The article draws on examples from southern Africa to argue that significant turns in strategies for protecting nature were made during periods of political transformation. It concludes that the gradation of protected areas, as a group of conservation areas, reflects different ways in which human activities are incorporated or marginalised in these areas. These processes are contingent on sociopolitical conditions. [source] The data-driven seismic value chain, providing a business context for the velocity issueGEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING, Issue 6 2004A.J. Berkhout ABSTRACT Effective communication between seismic specialists should be facilitated by a shared process model that can be used at different levels of abstraction. In this shared model the seismic work-flow is presented as a value chain, showing the complex interrelationships between the broad range of specialized activities that are needed in today's practice. One of these activities is velocity estimation, providing the relationship between seismic time and geological depth. Excellence in the seismic value chain will depend on the quality of the specialized tools and skills (abilities) involved, as well as on the capability of the organization to combine these abilities in an integrated work-flow to realize maximum value at the end of the chain. [source] Impaired Detection of Ventricular Tachyarrhythmias by a Rate-Smoothing Algorithm in Dual-Chamber Implantable Defibrillators: Intradevice InteractionsJOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 4 2002MICHAEL GLIKSON M.D. Rate-Smoothing Algorithm in ICD.Introduction: Rate smoothing is an algorithm initially designed to prevent rapid changes in pacemaker rates. In this study, we sought to determine the potential of the rate-smoothing mechanism in preventing detection of ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Methods and Results: Clinical testing of rate smoothing was performed at the time of defibrillator arrhythmia induction in 16 patients with implantable defibrillators during 65 episodes of ventricular tachyarrhythmias. We also performed simulator-based testing to assess detection of ventricular tachycardia between 170 and 220 beats/min with systematic sequential change of rate-smoothing percent, AV delay, and maximal rate. During clinical testing of 54 ventricular fibrillation/polymorphic ventricular tachyarrhythmia episodes, there were no cases of nondetection and 3 episodes (5%) of minimally delayed detection. Of 10 monomorphic ventricular tachyarrhythmias, 6 had either delayed (2 cases) or absent (4 cases) detection. During simulator testing, complex interrelationships were demonstrated in AV delay, upper rate, and rate-smoothing percent in determining the severity of the effect on detection. Generally, long AV delay, higher upper rate, and smaller (more aggressive) rate smoothing were associated with increased risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmia underdetection. Importantly, use of parameters that impaired detection was always accompanied by a programmer warning message. Conclusion: Rate smoothing may result in delay or failure of ventricular tachycardia detection. It is important to consider warning messages when programming rate smoothing and to test for appropriate detection when rate smoothing is used despite warning messages. [source] Learning the Dynamic Processes of Color and Light in Interior DesignJOURNAL OF INTERIOR DESIGN, Issue 2 2009Tiiu Poldma Ph.D. ABSTRACT Interior environments and their design are profoundly influenced by how designers integrate color and light with form and space. In our increasingly global world, new lighting technologies are changing our perception of color and light and subsequently our interrelationships with one another and with interior space. This alters the choices that we have as designers when we make both color and light decisions. Traditional light and color theories are being challenged with new lighting approaches that are complex, dynamic, and that are changing people's immediate experiences within spaces. Currently, new light technologies alter our perceptual relationships with people and forms, as light, its spectral color, and the forms its affects are more interactive and modulated in real time. Usually, in interior design coursework, students learn about color and light as static theories that they are then asked to apply within the interior design of spaces in subsequent design studios. Through a presentation and examination of the course "Color and Light in Interior Design," this paper proposes considering integrating color and light theories with new contexts of dynamic, integrated human experiences of color and light in interior space. Students acquire learning experiences that integrate theory and practice by understanding the complex interrelationships of light, color, and objects in interior spaces as interactive, and by exploring design concepts in actual environments as a laboratory where they can test theories and their own ideas. The course structure is described and the theories underlying the course goals are explored. Color and light theories are considered in the context of emerging technologies and how phenomenological approaches affect our perceptions and experiences in spaces. Student examples of two of the four course projects are presented as these put theories into practice. The discussion shows that light and color theory, when explored in this way, stimulates both comprehensive and creative responses that integrate new technology with aesthetic theory and functional aspects of well-designed light/color solutions. The integrating of practice into theory stimulates reflective thinking and an understanding of situated contexts in interior design problem solving. The course develops emerging necessities of understanding dynamic color/light concepts that contribute to broadening interior design applied knowledge. [source] Philosophical Challenges for Researchers at the Interface between Neuroscience and EducationJOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION, Issue 3-4 2008PAUL HOWARD-JONES This article examines how discussions around the new interdisciplinary research area combining neuroscience and education have brought into sharp relief differences in the philosophies of learning in these two areas. It considers the difficulties faced by those working at the interface between these two areas and, in particular, it focuses on the challenge of avoiding ,non-sense' when attempting to include the brain in educational argument. The paper relates common transgressions in sense-making with dualist and monist notions of the mind-brain relationship. It then extends a brain-mind-behaviour model from cognitive neuroscience to include a greater emphasis on social interaction and construction. This creates a tool for examining the potentially complex interrelationships between the different learning philosophies in this emerging new field. [source] Alcohol And Endothelial Function: A Brief ReviewCLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PHARMACOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 12 2001IB Puddey SUMMARY 1. In spite of the dose-related effects of alcohol consumption to increase blood pressure, regular light to moderate alcohol intake appears to confer protection against both coronary artery disease and ischaemic stroke. In contrast, heavy alcohol consumption increases the risk of coronary artery disease and the risk of both haemorrhagic and ischaemic stroke. 2. Effects of alcohol consumption on endothelial cell function may be relevant to these disparate effects on cardiovascular outcomes. In in vitro animal studies, low doses of alcohol have been demonstrated to increase release of nitric oxide and augment endothelium-mediated vasodilatation, whereas higher doses impair endothelium-dependent relaxation responses. In contrast, chronic administration of alcohol to rats has generally been associated with tolerance to the acute inhibitory effects of alcohol on endothelium-mediated vasodilatation and may even result in augmentation of such responses. 3. The few human studies to date that have examined the effects of alcohol on endothelial function have focused on postischaemic flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery (FMD). Although blunted FMD responses have been reported in alcoholic subjects, acute administration of alcohol or short-term interventions to reduce alcohol intake have had no effect to either improve or impair FMD. 4. Further studies in humans assessing acute and longer term dose-related effects of alcohol on endothelial function in both conduit and resistance vessels will be necessary if the relevance of the findings from in vitro and in vivo animal studies are to be understood in the context of the complex interrelationships of alcohol with cardiovascular disease. [source] | ||||||||||||||||