Interrelationships

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Medical Sciences

Kinds of Interrelationships

  • complex interrelationship


  • Selected Abstracts


    INTERRELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LEPTIN RESISTANCE, BODY COMPOSITION, AND AGING IN ELDERLY WOMEN

    JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 9 2008
    Elena Zoico MD
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    Interrelationship of childhood trauma, neuroticism, and depressive phenotype

    DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 3 2007
    Valentina Moskvina Ph.D.
    Abstract Both childhood trauma (CT) and genetic factors contribute to the pathophysiology of depression. We studied the relationship of CT to age of onset (AO) of depression, personality traits, and expression of symptom dimensions in 324 adults with recurrent unipolar depression. Subjects received structured psychiatric interviews and completed CT, depressive symptom, and personality rating questionnaires. Experience of at least one type of trauma was reported by 79.9% of subjects, and the most common forms of trauma were physical neglect, emotional abuse, and emotional neglect. There was an earlier AO of depression in the groups that reported CT compared to those that reported none, with earliest AO occurring in those who had experienced the highest levels of CT. There were no significant correlations between overall CT scores and neuroticism or extraversion. Total CT was a significant (P=.008) predictor of the Mood symptom dimension, mostly accounted for by emotional abuse (P=.019), and physical neglect predicted the Anxiety symptom dimension (P=.002). All types of CT are commonly reported in individuals with depression, and emotional abuse and physical neglect, though previously less well identified, appear to have an important role in the pathogenesis of depressive disorders. The effect of CT on individuals with an underlying genetic vulnerability to depression may result in differences in depressive phenotype characterized by earlier AO of depression and the expression of specific depressive symptom dimensions. Depression and Anxiety 24:163,168, 2007. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    On the Interrelationship of Transreactions with Thermal Properties and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis of PTT/PEN Blends

    MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, Issue 16 2009
    Seyed-Hassan Jafari
    Abstract An attempt was made to explore the effects of interchange reactions on the crystallization, melting, and dynamic mechanical behavior of binary blends based on poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT)/poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) (PEN). 1H NMR spectroscopy is used to verify the occurrence of interchange reactions at the interface, which are increased upon an increase in the melt processing time and temperature. The crystallinity of PTT was reduced while that of PEN was increased on blending. In addition, the crystallization temperatures of both phases showed depression. A single composition-dependent glass transition temperature (Tg) was detected in the second and subsequent heating thermograms of the blends, which is indicative of miscibility. The cold crystallization of the PTT phase was observed to increase while that of PEN was suppressed on blending. Each phase crystallized individually and a melting point depression was evident, which suggests a certain level of miscibility. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis corroborated differential scanning calorimetry results. A constructive synergism was observed in the glassy state storage moduli of the blends, which is suggestive of a reduced specific volume of the system because of enhanced interactions and crystallinity. [source]


    Interrelationships among Native Peoples, Genetic Research, and the Landscape: Need for Further Research into Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues

    THE JOURNAL OF LAW, MEDICINE & ETHICS, Issue 2 2006
    Mervyn L. Tano J.D.
    To understand the impacts of development on native peoples requires an understanding of how their genetic make-up is implicated in their relationship with their landscapes. This is an area ripe for more research. The ASLME project on DNA Fingerprinting and Civil Liberties proposed improvements to the ethical and legal safeguards for the collection and storage of DNA-derived genetic information. Native peoples have proposed a similar examination of the ethical and legal issues related to the collection and storage of their genetic information obtained via family histories and genealogies. [source]


    The Debate on Australian Federalism: Local Government Financial Interrelationships with State and Commonwealth Governments

    AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 4 2000
    Andrew Worthington
    The nascent debate on Australian federalism has hitherto focused almost entirely on Commonwealth-state interrelationships to the virtual exclusion of local government. Since Australian local government employs around 156,000 people and spends in excess of $10 billion this neglect is unfortunate. In an effort to at least partly remedy this oversight, the present paper seeks to assess various unsettled questions in local government financial relationships with both Commonwealth and state governments, especially the issue of financial assistance grants and their efficiency consequences. [source]


    The interrelationship of complement-activation fragments and angiogenesis-related factors in early pregnancy and their association with pre-eclampsia

    BJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 4 2010
    AM Lynch
    Please cite this paper as: Lynch A, Murphy J, Gibbs R, Levine R, Giclas P, Salmon J, Holers V. The interrelationship of complement-activation fragments and angiogenesis-related factors in early pregnancy and their association with pre-eclampsia. BJOG 2010; 117:456,462. Objective, To determine the interrelationships during early pregnancy of complement-activation fragments Bb, C3a and sC5b-9, and angiogenesis-related factors placental growth factor (PiGF), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and soluble endoglin (sEng), and their associations with pre-eclampsia. Design, Prospective cohort study. Setting, Denver complement study (June 2005,June 2008). Population, A total of 668 pregnant women with singleton gestations, recruited between 10 and 15 weeks of gestation. Methods, Using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis, concentrations of complement-activation fragments and angiogenesis-related factors were compared between 10 and 15 weeks of gestation in women who subsequently did or did not develop pre-eclampsia. Interrelationships between these variables were tested using the non-parametric Spearman rank correlation coefficient. Main outcome measure, Pre-eclampsia. The association of complement-activation fragments and angiogenesis-related factors with obesity was also examined. Results, The mean (±SD) levels of complement Bb in early pregnancy among women who did and did not develop pre-eclampsia were 0.84 (±0.26) ,g/ml and 0.69 (±0.2) ,g/ml, respectively (P = 0.001). Concentrations of PiGF were significantly (P = 0.01) lower (31 ± 12 pg/ml) in early pregnancy in the pre-eclamptic group of women, as compared with the normotensive group (39 ± 32 pg/ml). The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of Bb and PiGF were 2.1 (CI = 1.4,3.1, P < 0.0003) and 0.2 (CI = 0.07,0.7, P = 0.01), respectively. There was no significant difference in the levels of C3a, sC5b-9, sFlt-1 and sEng in early pregnancy among women who developed pre-eclampsia, compared with women who remained normotensive during pregnancy. Higher levels of Bb (P = 0.0001) and C3a (P = 0.03), and lower levels of sFlt-1 (P = 0.0002) and sEng (P = 0.0001) were found among women with obesity, compared with non-obese controls. No meaningful relationships were found between the complement-activation fragments and the angiogenesis-related factors. Conclusions, In this cohort during early pregnancy, increased concentrations of complement-activation factor Bb and lower concentrations of PiGF were associated with the development of pre-eclampsia later in pregnancy. [source]


    Interrelationships between Cellular Nucleotide Excision Repair, Cisplatin Cytotoxicity, HER-2/neu Gene Expression, and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Level in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Cells

    CANCER SCIENCE, Issue 2 2000
    Chun-Ming Tsai
    Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is a major repair mechanism for DNA lesions induced by cisplatin. Overexpressions of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and HER-2/neu have been reported to affect the sensitivity of certain human cancer cells to cisplatin, presumably by modification of DNA repair activity through interference with NER. Using an in vitro repair assay, we investigated NER activity of cisplatin-induced DNA lesions in a panel of 16 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines. The interrelationships between NER activity, cisplatin sensitivity, HER-2/neu expression and EGFR level, were also analyzed. The results showed that high NER activity was closely correlated with cisplatin resistance and high levels of HER-2/neu expression (P < 0.05). Analysis of the relationships between EGFR level and each of the other three parameters revealed no statistically significant correlations (all P values were > 0.05 by Spearman rank correlation), but a trend of association (all the values of proportion of accordance were ,62.5% by using a 2x2 contingency table). These results suggest that NER activity may play an important role in the cisplatin resistance of NSCLC cells and there may be an association between enhanced NER activity and high levels of p185neu and probably EGFR in NSCLC cells. The finding that high levels of EGFR showed very little influence on the relationship between p185neu and cisplatin resistance suggests that EGFR may be a less crucial factor in modulating the chemoresistance of NSCLC cells when compared with HER-2/neu. [source]


    Cardiovascular metabolic syndrome , an interplay of, obesity, inflammation, diabetes and coronary heart disease

    DIABETES OBESITY & METABOLISM, Issue 3 2007
    J. 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]


    Plasma IL-6 concentration is inversely related to insulin sensitivity, and acute-phase proteins associate with glucose and lipid metabolism in healthy subjects

    DIABETES OBESITY & METABOLISM, Issue 6 2005
    M. K. Heliövaara
    Aim:, It has been shown that atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease. Recent data suggest that inflammation precedes type 2 diabetes. Hence, we wanted to study the interrelationship between IL-6, insulin sensitivity, lipids and numerous acute-phase proteins. Methods:, Twenty-one healthy individuals [16 males/5 females, age 27.9 ± 1.8 years, body mass index (BMI) 24.1 ± 0.8 kg/m2] participated in the study. Each patient went through a 4-h hyperinsulinaemic (40 mU/m2/min) euglycaemic clamp and 4-h saline infusion. Blood samples were taken before and at the end of the infusions. Results:, Plasma interleukin (IL)-6 concentration correlated inversely with insulin sensitivity (M -value) (r = ,0.49, p < 0.05). Moreover, the plasma levels of IL-6 associated with c-peptide (r = 0.49, p < 0.05), fat% (r = 0.43, p < 0.05) and diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.46, p < 0.05). ,-1-acid glycoprotein was related to HbA1c (r = 0.47, p < 0.05), insulin (r = 0.55, p < 0.01), diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.58, p < 0.01), systolic blood pressure (r = 0.58, p < 0.01) and triglycerides (r = 0.58, p < 0.01). Haptoglobin was correlated with insulin (r = 0.46, p < 0.05), total cholesterol (r = 0.61, p < 0.01), BMI (r = 0.58, p < 0.01), fat% (r = 0.63, p < 0.01) and lipid oxidation during clamp (r = 0.43, p < 0.05). Diastolic blood pressure decreased during the clamp (from 78.3 ± 1.9 to 72.1 ± 2.0 mmHg, p = 0.001). Insulin infusion did not affect the serum levels of most acute-phase proteins. Conclusions:, Our study suggests that low grade inflammation, as reflected by IL-6, A1GP and haptoglobin contributes to the regulation of insulin sensitivity, lipid metabolism and blood pressure in normal human physiology. [source]


    Measures, perceptions and scaling patterns of aggregated species distributions

    ECOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2010
    Cang Hui
    Non-random (aggregated) species distributions arise from habitat heterogeneity and nonlinear biotic processes. A comprehensive understanding of the concept of aggregation, as well as its measurement, is pivotal to our understanding of species distributions and macroecological patterns. Here, using an individual-based model, we analyzed opinions on the concept of aggregation from the public and experts (trained ecologists), in addition to those calculated from a variety of aggregation indices. Three forms of scaling patterns (logarithmic, power-law and lognormal) and four groups of scaling trajectories emerged. The experts showed no significant difference from the public, although with a much lower deviation. The public opinion was partially influenced by the abundance of individuals in the spatial map, which was not found in the experts. With the increase of resolution (decrease of grain), aggregation indices showed a general trend from significantly different to significantly similar to the expert opinion. The over-dispersion index (i.e. the clumping parameter k in the negative binomial distribution) performed, at certain scales, as the closest index to the expert opinion. Examining performance of aggregation measures from different groups of scaling patterns was proposed as a practical way of analyzing spatial structures. The categorization of the scaling patterns of aggregation measures, as well as their over- and in-sensitivity towards spatial structures, thus not only provides a potential solution to the modifiable areal unit problem, but also unveils the interrelationship among the concept, measures and perceptions of aggregated species distributions. [source]


    Vigabatrin extracellular pharmacokinetics and concurrent ,-aminobutyric acid neurotransmitter effects in rat frontal cortex and hippocampus using microdialysis

    EPILEPSIA, Issue 2 2009
    Xin Tong
    Summary Purpose:, To investigate the pharmacokinetic interrelationship of vigabatrin in blood and the brain (frontal cortex vs. hippocampus) and to ascertain the relationship between brain extracellular vigabatrin concentrations and concurrent ,-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentrations. Methods:, Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with a jugular vein catheter for blood sampling, and microdialysis probes in the frontal cortex and hippocampus for extracellular fluid (ECF) sampling. Vigabatrin was administered intraperitoneally at two different doses (500 and 1,000 mg/kg), and blood and ECF were collected at timed intervals up to 8 h. Rats were freely moving and behaving. Vigabatrin (sera and ECF) and GABA (ECF) concentrations were measured with use of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results:, Vigabatrin concentrations in blood rose linearly and dose-dependently, and vigabatrin rapidly appeared in the brain as evidenced by the detection of vigabatrin in the ECF of both the frontal cortex and hippocampus at time of first sampling (15 min). However, frontal cortex concentrations were twofold greater than those of the hippocampus. Furthermore, GABA concentrations increased five-fold in the frontal cortex but were unaffected in the hippocampus. In addition, GABA concentrations began to increase approximately 3 h after vigabatrin administration at a time when vigabatrin concentrations were in exponential decline. Conclusions:, Vigabatrin distribution in the brain is region specific, with frontal cortex concentrations substantially greater than those seen in the hippocampus. Elevation of GABA concentrations did not reflect the concentration profile of vigabatrin but reflected its regional distribution. [source]


    Toxicity to Candida albicans mediated by human serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells

    FEMS IMMUNOLOGY & MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2006
    Joseph 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]


    Corporate Domesticity and Idealised Masculinity: Royal Naval Officers and their Shipboard Homes, 1918,39

    GENDER & HISTORY, Issue 3 2009
    Quintin Colville
    This article explores the interrelationship of masculine identity and corporate domesticity through the example of Royal Naval officers and the quarters they occupied on board ship during the 1920s and 1930s. Through a case study of a surviving warship, it establishes the linkages of this environment to a wider upper-middle-class world of public school common rooms, gentlemen's clubs and family homes. It analyses the role of this shipboard domesticity in defining the idealised and class-specific persona of the naval officer: constructed through foregrounding approved qualities (such as dutifulness, restraint and self-discipline), and suppressing characteristics considered problematic (for instance, introspection, individualism and intellectualism). The article also evaluates the tensions generated by these impersonal and unreachable standards, and the simultaneous ability of the naval home to support corporate and individual behaviours at odds with the officer ideal. The final section explores the gendered nature of these spaces. It argues that while the shipboard home was essentially a male one, the dynamic it engineered between rival ,male' and ,female' domesticities was invariably relational. Officers' communal quarters were routinely used to support and intensify oppositional understandings of masculinity and femininity. Nonetheless, attempts to dispute these boundaries and to internalise feminised qualities of sentiment, attachment and dependency can be detected in the privatised domesticity of the cabin. [source]


    THE LAST GLACIATION OF SHETLAND, NORTH ATLANTIC

    GEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES A: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2008
    N.R. GOLLEDGE
    ABSTRACT. Evidence relating to the extent, dynamics, and relative chronology of the last glaciation of the Shetland Islands, North Atlantic, is presented here, in an attempt to better illuminate some of the controversies that still surround the glacial history of the archipelago. We appraise previous interpretations and compare these earlier results with new evidence gleaned from the interpretation of a high resolution digital terrain model and from field reconnaissance. By employing a landsystems approach, we identify and describe three quite different assemblages of landscape features across the main islands of Mainland, Yell and Unst. Using the spatial interrelationship of these landsystems, an assessment of their constituent elements, and comparisons with similar features in other glaciated environments, we propose a simple model for the last glaciation of Shetland. During an early glacial phase, a coalescent British and Scandinavian ice sheet flowed approximately east to west across Shetland. The terrestrial land-forms created by this ice sheet in the north of Shetland suggest that it had corridors of relatively fast-flowing ice that were partially directed by bed topography, and that subsequent deglaciation was interrupted by at least one major stillstand. Evidence in the south of Shetland indicates the growth of a local ice cap of restricted extent that fed numerous radial outlet glaciers during, or after, ice-sheet deglaciation. Whilst the absolute age of these three landsystems remains uncertain, these new geo-morphological and palaeoglaciological insights reconcile many of the ideas of earlier workers, and allow wider speculation regarding the dynamics of the former British ice sheet. [source]


    Firm Size, Industry Mix and the Regional Transmission of Monetary Policy in Germany

    GERMAN ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 1 2004
    Ivo J. M. Arnold
    Monetary transmission; regional effects; industry effects; firm size Abstract. This paper estimates the impact of interest rate shocks on regional output in Germany over the period from 1970 to 2000. We use a vector autoregression (VAR) model to obtain impulse responses, which reveal differences in the output responses to monetary policy shocks across ten German provinces. Next, we investigate whether these differences can be related to structural features of the regional economies, such as industry mix, firm size, bank size and openness. An additional analysis of the volatility of real GDP growth for the period 1992,2000 includes the Eastern provinces. We also present evidence on the interrelationship between firm size and industry, and compare our measure of firm size with those used in previous studies. We conclude that the differential regional effects of monetary policy are related to industrial composition, but not to firm size or bank size. [source]


    Helicobacter pylori Infection in the Cat: Evaluation of Gastric Colonization, Inflammation and Function

    HELICOBACTER, Issue 1 2001
    Kenneth W. Simpson
    Background. Further elucidation of the consequences of Helicobacter pylori infection on gastric mucosal inflammation and gastric secretory function would be facilitated by an animal model that is susceptible to infection with H. pylori, is broadly similar in gastric physiology and pathology to people, and is amenable to repeated non-invasive evaluation. The goal of this study was to examine the interrelationship of bacterial colonization, mucosal inflammation and gastric secretory function in cats with naturally acquired H. pylori infection. Materials and Methods. Twenty clinically healthy cats with naturally acquired H. pylori infection (cagA,, picB) and 19 Helicobacter -free cats were evaluated. Gastric colonization was determined by tissue urease activity, light microscopy, culture and PCR. The mucosal inflammatory response was evaluated by light microscopy, and by RT-PCR of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1,, IL-1,, IL-8 and TNF-, in gastric mucosa. Gastric secretory function was assessed by measuring pentagastrin-stimulated acid secretion, fasting plasma gastrin, and antral mucosal gastrin and somatostatin immunoreactivity. Results. H. pylori colonized the pylorus, fundus and cardia in similar density. Bacteria were observed free in the lumen of gastric glands and were also tightly adherent to epithelial cells where they were associated with microvillus effacement. Mononuclear inflammation, lymphoid follicle hyperplasia, atrophy and fibrosis were observed primarily in H. pylori -infected cats, with the pylorus most severely affected. Neutrophilic and eosinophilic infiltrates, epithelial dysplasia, and up-regulation of mucosal IL-1, and IL-8 were observed solely in infected cats. Fasting plasma gastrin concentrations and pentagastrin-stimulated acid output were similar in both infected and uninfected cats. There was no relationship of bacterial colonization density or gastric inflammation to plasma gastrin concentrations or gastric acid output. Conclusions. The pattern of colonization and the mucosal inflammatory response in cats with naturally acquired H. pylori are broadly similar to those in infected people, particularly children, and non-human primates. The upregulation of IL-8 in infected cats was independent of cagA and picB. Our findings argue against a direct acid-suppressing effect of H. pylori on the gastric secretory-axis in chronically infected cats. Abbreviations: RT-PCR, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, HLO; Helicobacter -like organisms. [source]


    The Changing Fortunes of Early Medieval Bavaria to 907 ad

    HISTORY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 4 2010
    Jonathan 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]


    Informal learning and the transfer of learning: How managers develop proficiency

    HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2003
    Michael D. Enos
    This study examined how the extent to which managers engaged in informal learning, perceptions of support in the transfer environment, and level of managerial proficiency related to transfer of learning in twenty core managerial skills. The results suggested that informal learning is predominantly a social process and that managers with high levels of proficiency who experience low levels of coworker, supervisor, and organizational support learn managerial skills mostly from informal learning and transfer learning more frequently. New perspectives are offered on the interrelationship between informal learning and transfer of learning, the role of metacognition and self-regulation in informal learning, and the influence of informal learning in the development of managerial proficiency. [source]


    Modelling of contaminant transport through landfill liners using EFGM

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 7 2010
    R. Praveen Kumar
    Abstract Modelling of contaminant transport through landfill liners and natural soil deposits is an important area of research activity in geoenvironmental engineering. Conventional mesh-based numerical methods depend on mesh/grid size and element connectivity and possess some difficulties when dealing with advection-dominant transport problems. In the present investigation, an attempt has been made to provide a simple but sufficiently accurate methodology for numerical simulation of the two-dimensional contaminant transport through the saturated homogeneous porous media and landfill liners using element-free Galerkin method (EFGM). In the EFGM, an approximate solution is constructed entirely in terms of a set of nodes and no characterization of the interrelationship of the nodes is needed. The EFGM employs moving least-square approximants to approximate the function and uses the Lagrange multiplier method for imposing essential boundary conditions. The results of the EFGM are validated using experimental results. Analytical and finite element solutions are also used to compare the results of the EFGM. In order to test the practical applicability and performance of the EFGM, three case studies of contaminant transport through the landfill liners are presented. A good agreement is obtained between the results of the EFGM and the field investigation data. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Rebirth at 40: photographs as transitional objects

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOANALYTIC STUDIES, Issue 2 2004
    Barbara Young MD
    Abstract This article discusses how a restricted man who had lived a False Self all his life was able to educate the analyst in providing a holding environment so that he could learn to speak in his own voice, take over the control of his automatic bladder and bowel function, and gradually "own" himself for the first time. The analyst , who is also a photographer , explores the manner in which her photographs served as transitional objects to this patient and played a part in supplying the transitional space necessary for him to complete his emotional growth. The analyst expands on the interrelationship of her two careers and the important role her creativity has played in her own life. Copyright © 2004 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source]


    A Conceptualisation of Emotion within Art and Design Education: A Creative, Learning and Product-Orientated Triadic Schema

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ART & DESIGN EDUCATION, Issue 2 2007
    David Spendlove
    There is a resurgence of interest in the powerful concept of emotion in current educational policy and practice. This article calls for the recognition and conceptualisation of a triadic schema for theorising the location of emotion within a creative educational experience. The schema represents emotion within three domains within current practice: Person, Process and Product. The principal focus of the article is pupils aged 5-16 and consideration is given to the application of the conceptualised schema within art and design education as represented by the national curriculum statement of importance. The central hypothesis of the work is that greater recognition of an emotional dimension within a triadic schema - developing emotional capacity in students to engage in a creative process (person); stimulating emotional engagement through appropriate learning contexts (process) and facilitating the emotional interfacing with outcomes (product) - will help conceptualise the powerful interrelationship between emotion, creativity and learning. Based upon an extensive synthesised literature review a schema, developed through abductive reasoning and grounded theory, ultimately conceptualises the overarching theme of emotion within a creative, learning and product-orientated experience within the primary and secondary stages of England's education system. [source]


    Toenail selenium and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma mortality in Haimen City, China,

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 4 2005
    Lori C. Sakoda
    Abstract Selenium (Se) is an essential trace mineral with known anticarcinogenic properties in humans. However, few studies have examined the association between Se nutrient status and risk of liver cancer. We conducted a nested case-control study comparing the Se content in toenail clippings of 166 individuals (154 men, 12 women) with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to 394 healthy controls (360 men, 34 women) in Haimen City, China, where HCC is a leading cause of mortality. Toenail Se concentration was measured by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy. Median toenail Se was lower for HCC cases than controls (p = 0.03). Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for HCC mortality by increasing quartile of toenail Se were 1.00 (reference), 0.58 (0.32,1.03), 0.83 (0.48,1.42) and 0.50 (0.28,0.90), with a marginally significant trend in risk observed (p for trend = 0.06). This inverse association appeared stronger among those who did not consume alcohol and among women. Future studies are needed to examine the interrelationship between Se, viral hepatitis infection and HCC in order to better understand the etiologic mechanisms involved and evaluate the true chemopreventive potential of Se compounds for liver diseases. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    Study of selected quality and agronomic characteristics and their interrelationship in Kabuli-type chickpea genotypes (Cicer arietinum L.)

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 2006
    Amal Badshah Khattak
    Summary Impact of genotype on quality, agronomic characteristics and their interrelationship in Kabuli-type chickpea was investigated to provide significant feedback to breeder for selection/evolution of the most suitable varieties. Seven genotypes were studied for seventeen physical, chemical and agronomic characteristics. The effect of Kabuli-type chickpea genotype on the physicochemical parameters, cooking time and agronomic characteristics were significant. Maximum seed size and volume were recorded for CC98/99 (0.32 g and 0.26 mL seed,1, respectively), density and swelling index for the genotype FLIP97-179C (having minimum seed size and volume), while the rest of the genotypes were statistically the same. Weight, volume after hydration, hydration capacity and swelling capacity followed the same pattern. Maximum moisture, protein and mineral concentration were noted in CC98/99. Seed protein concentration for the remaining genotypes was statistically non-significant from one another. Longer period was taken by CM 2000 for flowering and maturity (130 and 181 days, respectively). Minimum time to flowering and maturity was taken by CC98/99. Genotype CC 98/99 outyielded all other genotypes (2107 kg ha,1). Seed size and seed volume were strongly and positively correlated with protein content, weight after hydration, volume after hydration, hydration and swelling capacities (r = 0.83,1.0). Strong correlation was also noted among different agronomic characters. [source]


    Relationship between cribra orbitalia and enamel hypoplasia in the early medieval Slavic population at Borovce, Slovakia

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 3 2008
    Z. Obertová
    Abstract Cribra orbitalia and enamel hypoplasia were examined in an early medieval (8th to beginning of 12th century AD) skeletal sample of 451 individuals from Borovce, Slovakia. More than 40% of these individuals died before reaching 20 years of age. The relationship between the occurrence of orbital and enamel lesions was analysed by focusing on the age-specific distribution, and on its influence on demographic parameters. Both features were found in 11.2% of the observed skulls. The presence of orbital and dental lesions showed a considerable impact on mortality as well as the life expectancy. Generally, the highest mortality was observed among 0,4 year old individuals. The greatest discrepancy in the demographic parameters, however, appeared between the affected and unaffected individuals aged 10,14 and 15,19 years. In these two age groups the co-occurrence of both lesions was most frequently recorded. These individuals obviously had a history of sickness, and thus could not cope with further bouts of disease and with the increased physiological demands of pubertal growth. The missing correlation in younger age categories can be largely explained by the difficulty of macroscopically examining the permanent dentition, since an interrelationship between the age at hypoplasia development and the occurrence of cribra orbitalia was detected. Several differences between the individuals with enamel defects and both conditions were observed in the distribution of age at hypoplasia formation. According to these results, several factors, such as impaired health status, growth demands and diet, influence the development of enamel hypoplasia and cribra orbitalia in a particular population. It is possible that after reaching a certain threshold, the underlying factors act synergistically in a kind of vicious cycle as the balance between the immune system, metabolism, and exogenous factors such as pathogens and nutrition, is disturbed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Cooperativity and allostery in haemoglobin function

    IUBMB LIFE, Issue 2 2008
    Chiara Ciaccio
    Abstract Tetrameric haemoglobins display a cooperative ligand binding behaviour, which has been attributed to the functional interrelationship between multiple ligand binding sites. The quantitative description of this feature was initially carried out with a phenomenological approach, which was limited to the functional effect of the occupancy by a ligand molecule of a binding site on further binding steps. However, subsequent development of structural,functional models for the description of the cooperativity in haemoglobin brought about a much deeper information on the interrelationships between ligand binding at the heme and structural variations occurring in the surrounding free subunits. This approach opened the way to the evolution of the concept of allostery, which is intended as the structural,functional effect exerted by the presence of a ligand in a binding site on other binding sites present in the same molecule. This concept can be applied to either sites for the same ligand (homotropic allostery) and for sites of different ligands (heterotropic allostery). Several models trying to take into account the continuous building up of structural and functional information on the physicochemical properties of haemoglobin have been developed along this line. © 2008 IUBMB IUBMB Life, 60(2): 112,123, 2008 [source]


    The cells of the rabbit meniscus: their arrangement, interrelationship, morphological variations and cytoarchitecture

    JOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 5 2000
    MARIE-PIERRE HELLIO LE GRAVERAND
    Four major morphologically distinct classes of cells were identified within the adult rabbit meniscus using antibodies to cytoskeletal proteins. Two classes of cell were present in the fibrocartilage region of the meniscus. These meniscal cells exhibited long cellular processes that extended from the cell body. A third cell type found in the inner hyaline-like region of the meniscus had a rounded form and lacked projections. A fourth cell type with a fusiform shape and no cytoplasmic projections was found along the superficial regions of the meniscus. Using a monoclonal antibody to connexin 43, numerous gap junctions were observed in the fibrocartilage region, whereas none were seen in cells either from the hyaline-like or the superficial zones of the meniscus. The majority of the cells within the meniscus exhibited other specific features such as primary cilia and 2 centrosomes. The placement of the meniscal cell subtypes as well as their morphology and architecture support the supposition that their specific characteristics underlie the ability of the meniscus to respond to different types of environmental mechanical loads. [source]


    Vesicle traffic through intercellular bridges in DU 145 human prostate cancer cells

    JOURNAL OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE, Issue 3 2004
    Cristina Vidulescu
    Abstract We detected cell-to-cell communication via intercellular bridges in DU 145 human prostate cancer cells by fluorescence microscopy. Since DU 145 cells have deficient gap junctions, intercellular bridges may have a prominent role in the transfer of chemical signals between these cells. In culture, DU 145 cells are contiguous over several cell diameters through filopodial extensions, and directly communicate with adjacent cells across intercellular bridges. These structures range from 100 nm to 5 ,m in diameter, and from a few microns to at least 50,100 ,m in length. Time-lapse imagery revealed that (1) filopodia rapidly move at a rate of microns per minute to contact neighboring cells and (2) intercellular bridges are conduits for transport of membrane vesicles (1,3 ,m in diameter) between adjacent cells. Immunofluorescence detected alpha-tubulin in intercellular bridges and filopodia, indicative of microtubule bundles, greater than a micron in diameter. The functional meaning, interrelationship of these membrane extensions are discussed, along with the significance of these findings for other culture systems such as stem cells. Potential applications of this work include the development of anticancer therapies that target intercellular communication and controlling formation of cancer spheroids for drug testing. [source]


    A concept analysis of health-related quality of life in young people with chronic illness

    JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 14 2008
    DipRes, Rachel M Taylor MSc
    Aims., To critique existing concept analyses of quality of life and develop a definition applicable for young people with chronic illness. Background., Quality of life is a commonly used phrase but there is no universal definition. Five perspectives of quality of life have been proposed: sociological, economic, psychological, philosophical and ethical. However, health has emerged as an important but distinct perspective. The nursing profession has made a substantial contribution to the understanding of the interrelationship of health and quality of life. Design., Literature review. Methods., A search on electronic databases to April 2007 was made using the terms ,quality of life' and ,concept analysis'. Papers were included in the review if they used a recognised method of concept analysis and were conducted by nurses. A new concept analysis was then performed specifically focusing on young people's experiences of living with chronic illness. Results., Eight concept analyses were identified, all of which had limitations. All the concept analyses were based on adult literature so did not take into consideration developmental changes, language level, or young people's construction of health and illness. The new concept analysis found that young people living with chronic illness generally view themselves and their lives in the same way as their healthy peers. While their aspirations are often constrained by illness and treatment the relationship between illness and life cannot be seen in isolation of development. Conclusion., Previous definitions of quality of life derived from concept analyses with adult populations do not adequately represent the experience of young people with chronic illnesses, but can be made more specific by incorporating important attributes such as developmental stage and the importance of peer group and family. Relevance to clinical practice., The current analysis provides a clear definition of quality of life from the health perspective which is specific for use with young people with chronic illness to guide practice and research. [source]


    "Moved by the spirit": does spirituality moderate the interrelationships between subjective well-being subscales?

    JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2010
    James Schuurmans-Stekhoven
    Abstract Despite the recent escalation of research into the spirituality and well-being link, past efforts have been plagued by methodological problems. However, the potential for measurement error within psychometric instruments remains largely unexplored. After reviewing theory and evidence suggesting spirituality might represent an affective misattribution, moderation modeling,with each subjective well-being (SWB) subscale as a dependent variable as predicted by the remaining SWB subscales,is utilized to test the assumption of scale invariance. These interrelationships were shown to vary in conjunction with spirituality; that is the analysis revealed significant spirituality,×,subscale interactions. Importantly, in all models the spirituality main effect was either nonsignificant or accounted for by other predictors. In combination, the findings suggest the interrelationship between the subscales rather than the level of SWB varies systematically with spirituality and casts considerable doubt on the previously reported "belief-as-benefit" effect. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: 66:1,17, 2010. [source]


    Hermit crabs, humans and Mozambique mangroves

    AFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2001
    David 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]