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Complex Picture (complex + picture)
Selected AbstractsNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the metabolic syndrome and the risk of cardiovascular disease: the plot thickensDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 1 2007G. Targher Abstract Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects a substantial proportion of the general population and is frequently associated with many features of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). Currently, the importance of NAFLD and its relationship with the MetS is being increasingly recognized, and this has stimulated an interest in the possible role of NAFLD in the development of atherosclerosis. Recent studies have reported the association of NAFLD with multiple classical and non-classical risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Moreover, there is a strong association between the severity of liver histopathology in NAFLD patients and greater carotid artery intima-media thickness and plaque, and lower endothelial flow-mediated vasodilation (as markers of subclinical atherosclerosis) independent of obesity and other MetS components. Finally, it has recently been demonstrated that NAFLD is associated with an increased risk of all-cause death and predicts future CVD events independently of other prognostic factors, including MetS components. Overall, therefore, the evidence from these recent studies strongly emphasizes the importance of assessing the global CVD risk in patients with NAFLD. Moreover, these novel findings suggest a more complex picture and raise the possibility that NAFLD, as a component of the MetS, might not only be a marker but also an early mediator of CVD. [source] The Christian Religion in Modern European and World History: A Review of The Cambridge History of Christianity, 1815,2000HISTORY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 6 2008David Lindenfeld Volumes 8 and 9 of the Cambridge History, representing the work of 72 scholars, reflect two major recent historiographical trends: 1) the increased attention paid to religion in modern European history, and 2) the increasing importance of Christianity in as a topic in world history. While these volumes serve to summarize the work already done in the first field, with articles on a wide variety of European countries, they should significantly move the second field forward by bringing together the work of specialists on many different parts of the world in a single place. Volume 8 summarizes scholarship on the Western religious revivals of the nineteenth century, both Catholic and Protestant. By integrating religion and politics, it also presents a more complex picture of the formation of European national identities than Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities suggests. One third of the volume is devoted to the spread of Christianity to the non-Western world. In Volume 9, the European and world history perspectives are more evenly interspersed. Major themes include the papacy, ecumenism, colonialism, Pentecostalism, and the independent churches of Africa and Asia. The 1960s emerge as a turning point, if for different reasons in different parts of the world. This was the decisive period of secularization in Europe, and the final section documents the social and cultural impact of that shift, particularly on the arts. Although there are inevitable gaps in coverage, these volumes will serve as an invaluable research tool for years to come. [source] Morphological variability of the Asiatic cyprinid, topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva, in its introduced European rangeJOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2009E. Záhorská To assess the spatial variability in external morphology of non-native populations of topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva within an ontogenetic context, triple regression analysis (distance-based measurements) was applied to data from eight European populations (two Slovak, four Romanian, one English and one French). The data from Slovakia were also subjected to geometrical analysis (co-ordinates-based measurements) to obtain a more complex picture of the species' overall morphology. Great phenotypic variability was observed, being expressed not only in the formation of different definite phenotypes but also in the manner by which the phenotypes are achieved. Thus, both the definite phenotype and the patterns of development in invasive P. parva may be highly influenced by environmental conditions. Such great morphological (phenotypic) variability is likely to be one of the attributes that make this species such a successful invader. [source] Patients' experience of involuntary psychiatric care: good opportunities and great lossesJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 6 2002I. M. JOHANSSON RN Patients who are involuntary admitted to psychiatric care are extremely vulnerable as a consequence of the control from others, and of the personal limitations due to a psychiatric disease that can influence their own control of their lives. This group of patients are seldom asked about their experiences of being cared for. In this study five involuntary hospitalized psychiatric patients narrated their experience of being subjected to involuntary psychiatric care. The aim of the study was to obtain a deeper understanding of this experience. The interview text was analysed by means of a phenomenological hermeneutic method. The result of the analysis gave a complex picture of both support and violation. On the one hand experiences of not being seen or heard, of loss of liberty and of violation of integrity were found. On the other hand, there were experiences of respect and caring and opportunities to take responsibility for oneself were offered. Being treated involuntarily in psychiatric care was interpreted as a balancing act between good opportunities and great losses. [source] Multiple Views of the Family and Adolescent Social CompetenciesJOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 4 2001Nancy J. Bell This research examined the linkages between congruence in perceptions of family functioning and adolescent competencies with a sample of 223 first-year college students, their mothers, and their fathers. The primary goal was to explore further the nature and importance of perceptual congruence as related to adolescent social competencies with a more informative analytic strategy than has been used in most past research (one that controls for individual perceptions of family members and takes into account direction of differences among family members), and with more comprehensive, multimethod assessments of adolescent competencies. Our congruence analyses portrayed a more complex picture of congruence and divergence than has emerged from previous studies, and highlight the importance of examining interaction patterns in future research. It is noteworthy, however, that individual perceptions of family members were more important than was congruence in relation to adolescent social competencies. The possibility that congruence effects may be more apparent when the focus is on more specific rather than global measures and on developmental as well as family interaction processes is suggested. [source] Is Neoclassical Economics still Entrepreneurless?KYKLOS INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, Issue 3 2005Milo Bianchi Summary The paper reviews and evaluates some recent contributions on modeling entrepreneurship within a neoclassical framework, analyzing how, and to what extent, the fundamental ingredients suggested in the social science literature were captured. It is shown how these approaches are important in stressing the main elements of a complex picture, without being able to fully describe it. Each modeling attempt focuses only on one specific feature of entrepreneurship, and the entrepreneurial function, broadly perceived, eludes analytical tractability. As a consequence, the models can be useful in analyzing the effect of entrepreneurial behavior at an aggregate level, but not at explaining individual choices. From these observations, it is highlighted how a simplistic interpretation of the existing mainstream approaches incorporating entrepreneurship runs the risk of leading to distortionary policy interventions. [source] Impact of irrigation on malaria in Africa: paddies paradoxMEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 1 2001J. N. Ijumba Summary The high population growth rate of the African continent has led to an increased demand for food and is in danger of outstripping agricultural production. In order to meet this need, many governments have sought ways of improving food production by initiating large-scale irrigation projects, involving reclamation of arid and semi-arid areas for the cultivation of crops. Although crop irrigation promises one solution to alleviating hunger and encourages economic growth, irrigation has often been blamed for aggravating disease in local communities. Malaria is one of the major tropical diseases associated with irrigation schemes, and changes in the transmission pattern of this disease following irrigation development have been a perennial subject of debate. It has often been assumed that high numbers of malaria vector Anopheles mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) resulting from irrigation schemes lead inevitably to increased malaria in local communities. However, recent studies in Africa have revealed a more complex picture. Increased numbers of vectors following irrigation can lead to increased malaria in areas of unstable transmission, where people have little or no immunity to malaria parasites, such as the African highlands and desert fringes. But for most of sub-Saharan Africa, where malaria is stable, the introduction of crop irrigation has little impact on malaria transmission. Indeed, there is growing evidence that for many sites there is less malaria in irrigated communities than surrounding areas. The explanation for this finding is still unresolved but, in some cases at least, can be attributed to displacement of the most endophilic and anthropophilic malaria vector Anopheles funestus Giles by An. arabiensis Patton with lower vectorial capacity, as the latter thrives more than the former in ricefields. Similarly, among members of the An. gambiae complex, some cytotypes of An. gambiae sensu stricto are more vectorial than others. For example, the Mopti form has high vectorial capacity and breeds perennially in irrigated sites, whereas the savanna form is often sympatric but more seasonal. Also we suggest that many communities near irrigation schemes benefit from the greater wealth created by these schemes. Consequently irrigation communities often have greater use of bednets, better access to improved healthcare and receive fewer infective bites compared with those outside such development schemes. Thus, in most cases, irrigation schemes in Africa do not appear to increase malaria risk, except in areas of unstable transmission. However, developers should take the opportunity to improve health-care facilities for local communities when planning irrigation schemes wherever they occur. [source] Genetic profiling of the Azores Islands (Portugal): Data from 10 X-chromosome STRsAMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Francisca Silva The populations from the Azores islands have been the target of several genetic studies, using data derived from monoparental and recombining genetic systems. These studies have provided a complex picture of the genetic landscape of the three groups of Azorean islands, and further data are required to assess its genetic profile. We present a study of the polymorphism in 10 X-chromosome STR loci (DSXS8378, DXS9898, DXS7133, GATA31E08, GATA172D05, DXS7423, DXS6809, DXS7132, DXS9902, DXS6789) conducted on a total of 304 chromosomes (97 females and 110 males) of unrelated individuals with Azorean ancestry. Average gene diversity was 74.47%, ranging from 66.21% (DXS7133) to 81.19% (GATA172D05). No shared haplotypes were found. Genotype frequencies among females displayed conformity with Hardy-Weinberg expectations for all loci. Pairwise linkage disequilibrium tests did not reveal evidences of association between the studied markers. Significant differences in allelic frequencies between the Western and the Eastern group of islands are in agreement with previous results from mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome studies, providing further evidence that the Azores cannot be considered an homogeneous population. Moreover, differences between the Western group and the North of Portugal are also reported, supporting the pertinence of a specific database for the Azores populations, on what concerns the genetic markers analyzed. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] New Phylogenetic Analysis of the Family Elephantidae Based on Cranial-Dental Morphology,THE ANATOMICAL RECORD : ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Nancy E. Todd Abstract In 1973, Vincent Maglio published a seminal monograph on the evolution of the Elephantidae, in which he revised and condensed the 100+ species named by Henry Fairfield Osborn in 1931. Michel Beden further revised the African Elephantidae in 1979, but little systematic work has been done on the family since this publication. With addition of new specimens and species and revisions of chronology, a new analysis of the phylogeny and systematics of this family is warranted. A new, descriptive character dataset was generated from studies of modern elephants for use with fossil species. Parallel evolution in cranial and dental characters in all three lineages of elephants creates homoplastic noise in cladistic analysis, but new inferences about evolutionary relationships are possible. In this analysis, early Loxodonta and early African Mammuthus are virtually indistinguishable in dental morphology. The Elephas lineage is not monophyletic, and results from this analysis suggest multiple migration events out of Africa into Eurasia, and possibly back into Africa. New insight into the origin of the three lineages is also proposed, with Stegotetrabelodon leading to the Mammuthus lineage, and Primelephas as the ancestor of Loxodonta and Elephas. These new results suggest a much more complex picture of elephantid origins, evolution, and paleogeography. Anat Rec, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Firing properties and functional connectivity of substantia nigra pars compacta neurones recorded with a multi-electrode array in vitroTHE JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 10 2010Nicola Berretta Dopamine (DA) neurones of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) are involved in a wide variety of functions, including motor control and reward-based learning. In order to gain new insights into the firing properties of neuronal ensembles in the SNc, we recorded extracellular single units from spontaneously active neurones, using a multi-electrode array (MEA) device in midbrain slices. The majority of neurones (50.21%) had a low firing frequency (1,3 Hz) and a stable pacemaker-like pattern, while others (44.84%) were irregular, but still firing at a low rate. The remaining population (4.95%) comprised neurones with a regular higher firing rate (5,10 Hz). High rate neurones, on the whole, were insensitive to DA (30 ,m), while low rate neurones were mostly inhibited by DA, although responding either with a prominent or a weak inhibition. However, we recorded low rate regular neurones that were insensitive to DA, or irregular low rate neurones excited by DA. Interestingly, we found pairs of active neurones (12.10 ± 3.14%) with a significant proportion of spikes occurring synchronously. Moreover, the crosscorrelation probability in each pair tended to increase in response to DA. In conclusion, MEA recordings in midbrain slices reveal a much more complex picture than previously reported with regard to the firing pattern and DA sensitivity of spontaneously active SNc neurones. Moreover, the study opens new prospectives for the in vitro investigation of functional connectivity in the midbrain dopaminergic system, thus proposing new targets for the pharmacological treatment of DA-dependent neurological disorders. [source] Rapid and sensitive magnetometer surveys of large areas using SQUIDs , the measurement system and its application to the Niederzimmern Neolithic double-ring ditch explorationARCHAEOLOGICAL PROSPECTION, Issue 2 2008Volkmar Schultze Abstract A geomagnetic field measurement system for the detection of archaeological signatures in the subsoil is presented based on the superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). The system provides fast mapping of large areas with high magnetic field gradient resolution as well as lateral precision. The acquired data are geographically referenced and also the altitude profile is given. The properties of the system were tested intensively at the large Neolithic double-ring ditch enclosure of Niederzimmern near Weimar, Germany. Differences of the signal acquisition compared with caesium magnetometers are discussed. In the Niederzimmern double-ring ditch enclosure, with an area of 27,ha, archaeological patterns were found only near the gates. These SQUID measurements, together with accompanying excavations, provide a complex picture of the double-ring ditch enclosure, dated about 5600 years old. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Women as Consumers of Maternity Care: Measuring "Satisfaction" or "Dissatisfaction"?BIRTH, Issue 1 2008Maggie Redshaw BA ABSTRACT: The measurement of "satisfaction" has been intrinsic to the models of evaluation of health care. However, a thoughtful approach to its use has not always been evident in which this concept is understood to represent a complex group of theoretical constructs involving attitudes, expectations, and perceptions that may be both positive and critical. These constructs require investigation and evaluation using recognized and developed methodologies. At the same time the importance of listening to patients and to women and their partners in evaluating and carrying out research on maternity care cannot be underestimated if the instruments used are to have construct and face validity. Qualitative data of this kind have a dual function of contributing to a more complex picture of women's experience and of suggesting that researchers need to explore the issues related to "dissatisfaction" at least as much as those arising from a positive overall view of care. (BIRTH 35:1 March 2008) [source] Disabled children, parent,child interaction and attachmentCHILD & FAMILY SOCIAL WORK, Issue 2 2006David Howe ABSTRACT Although caregiver factors are generally considered the more potent in determining children's attachment organization, a number of child factors have also been considered. Among these have been temperament and disabilities. The present paper examines the effect of various types of children's disability on parent,child interactions, including how disabilities affect parental sensitivity and communications. A brief outline of attachment theory and patterns of organization is followed by a review of the research evidence that has looked at children with disabilities and insecure attachments. A complex picture emerges in which it is not a child's disability per se that is associated with insecure attachments but rather an interaction between children with disabilities and the caregiver's state of mind with respect to attachment. Transactions between both child and caregiver vulnerability factors affect sensitivity, communications and security of attachment. Practice implications for prevention, advice and support are considered. [source] Mesophase Separation of Diblock Copolymer Confined in a Cylindrical Tube Studied by Dissipative Particle DynamicsMACROMOLECULAR THEORY AND SIMULATIONS, Issue 9 2006Jian Feng Abstract Summary: The morphologies of diblock copolymers confined in a cylindrical tube have been investigated by the dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) method. Results indicate that the morphology depends on the volume ratio of the immiscible blocks, the diameter of the cylindrical tube and the interactions between the blocks and between the confinement wall and blocks. For symmetric diblock copolymers, when the tube wall is uniform toward the two blocks, perpendicular lamellae or a stacked disk morphology are generally formed except when the diameter of the cylindrical tube is very small; in that case, a special bi-helix morphology forms because of the entropy effect. When the tube wall is non-uniform, as the diameter of the tube increases, perpendicular lamellae are first formed, then changing to parallel lamellae and, finally, back to perpendicular lamellae again. An intermediate morphology characterizing the transition between perpendicular and parallel lamellae is observed. If the non-uniformity of the wall is further enhanced, only parallel lamellae can be found. In the case of asymmetric diblock copolymers, more complex morphologies can be obtained. Multi-cylindrical micro-domains and a multilayer helical phase as well as other complex pictures are observed. Generally, the morphologies obtained could find their counterparts from experiments or Monte Carlo simulations; however, differences do exist, especially in some cases of asymmetric diblock copolymers. Bi-helix and stacked disks morphologies of A5B5 diblock copolymer confined in two different neutral nanocylinders. [source] Fleeting images: A new look at early emotion discriminationPSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 2 2001Markus Junghöfer The visual brain quickly sorted stimuli for emotional impact despite high-speed presentation (3 or 5 per s) in a sustained, serial torrent of 700 complex pictures. Event-related potentials, recorded with a dense electrode array, showed selective discrimination of emotionally arousing stimuli from less affective content. Primary sources of this activation were over the occipital cortices, extending to right parietal cortex, suggesting a processing focus in the posterior visual system. Emotion discrimination was independent of formal pictorial properties (color, brightness, spatial frequency, and complexity). The data support the hypothesis of a very short-term conceptual memory store (M. C. Potter, 1999),shown here to include a fleeting but reliable assessment of affective meaning. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||