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Proximate
Terms modified by Proximate Selected AbstractsProximate, "Parallel-In-Plane" Preoriented Bis(diazenes) , In-Plane Delocalized Bis(homoconjugated) 4N/5(6)e AnionsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 21 2003Eberhard Beckmann Abstract Synthetic details are presented for a series of more or less rigid, "parallel-in-plane" preoriented bis(diazenes), with N=N/N=N distances (d) of 3.3,2.9 Å and interorbital angles (,) of 142,164° (X-ray crystal structures). DFT calculations (B3LYP/6,31G*) and one-/two-electron reduction experiments with the two least preoriented, most "distant" bis(diazenes) (dN=N/N=N ca. 3.3 Å; , 142,146°) provide more insight into the structural prerequisites for bis(homoconjugative) in-plane electron delocalization in 4N/5e radical anions and 4N/6e dianions. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2003) [source] Presenting Rhythm in Sudden Deaths Temporally Proximate to Discharge of TASER Conducted Electrical WeaponsACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 8 2009Charles D. Swerdlow MD Abstract Objectives:, Sudden deaths proximate to use of conducted electrical weapons (CEWs) have been attributed to cardiac electrical stimulation. The rhythm in death caused by rapid, cardiac electrical stimulation usually is ventricular fibrillation (VF); electrical stimulation has not been reported to cause asystole or pulseless electrical activity (PEA). The authors studied the presenting rhythms in sudden deaths temporally proximate to use of TASER CEWs to estimate the likelihood that these deaths could be caused by cardiac electrical stimulation. Methods:, This was a retrospective review of CEW-associated, nontraumatic sudden deaths from 2001 to 2008. Emergency medical services (EMS), autopsy, and law enforcement reports were requested and analyzed. Subjects were included if they collapsed within 15 minutes of CEW discharge and the first cardiac arrest rhythm was reported. Results:, Records for 200 cases were received. The presenting rhythm was reported for 56 of 118 subjects who collapsed within 15 minutes (47%). The rhythm was VF in four subjects (7%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3% to 17%) and bradycardia-asystole or PEA in 52 subjects (93%; 95% CI = 83% to 97%). None of the eight subjects who collapsed during electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring had VF. Only one subject (2%) collapsed immediately after CEW discharge. This was the only death typical of electrically induced VF (2%, 95% CI = 0% to 9%). An additional 4 subjects (7%) collapsed within 1 minute, and the remaining 51 subjects (91%) collapsed more than 1 minute later. The time from collapse to first recorded rhythm was 3 minutes or less in 35 subjects (62%) and 5 minutes or less in 43 subjects (77%). Conclusions:, In sudden deaths proximate to CEW discharge, immediate collapse is unusual, and VF is an uncommon VF presenting rhythm. Within study limitations, including selection bias and the possibility that VF terminated before the presenting rhythm was recorded, these data do not support electrically induced VF as a common mechanism of these sudden deaths. [source] Offspring size and survival in the frog Rana latastei: from among-population to within-clutch variationBIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 4 2009GENTILE FRANCESCO FICETOLA Egg size is considered to be a major maternal effect for offspring in oviparous organisms. It has profound consequences on fitness, and differences in egg size are viewed as plastic responses to environmental variability. However, it is difficult to identify the effect of egg size per se because egg size can covary with genetic features of the mother and with other nongenetic factors. We analysed the relationship between offspring starting size (i.e. a proxy of egg size) and larval survival in the frog Rana latastei. We analysed this relationship: (1) among five populations at different altitudes; (2) among clutches laid from different females; and (3) among siblings within clutches, to evaluate the effect of starting size. We observed differences among populations for offspring size, but starting size was not related to altitude or genetic diversity. Mortality was higher in populations and families with small average starting size; however, among siblings, the relationship between starting size and mortality was not verified. The relationship observed among clutches may therefore be caused by covariation between egg size and other effects. This suggests that the covariation between egg size and other effects can result in apparent relationships between egg size and fitness-related traits. Proximate and ultimate factors can cause the phenotypic variation of hatchlings in the wild, and key traits can be related to this variation, but the underlying causes require further investigation. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 97, 845,853. [source] Assessing corporate environmental reporting motivations: differences between ,close-to-market' and ,business-to-business' companiesCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2008Janet Haddock-Fraser Abstract In this paper we examine whether proximity to market affects the extent and form of corporate environmental reporting of companies listed in the FTSE 250. The reason for examining this issue is that it is frequently asserted, but not demonstrated, that closeness to market will correlate positively with proactive communication of environmental activities. Our results show that this assertion is, in particular reporting contexts, true. In particular, we find that companies who are close to market, or are brand-name companies, are highly likely to adopt one of the several forms of environmental reporting considered (particularly reporting on product life-cycle or supply chain and reporting through the BitC benchmark system). We also show that companies proximate to market are more likely to be the target of media attention, but are unable within the bounds of the research to assess whether this is a cause of increased environmental reporting or an effect of it. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] NO COMMUNITY IS AN ISLAND: THE EFFECTS OF RESOURCE DEPRIVATION ON URBAN VIOLENCE IN SPATIALLY AND SOCIALLY PROXIMATE COMMUNITIES,CRIMINOLOGY, Issue 3 2006DANIEL P. MEARS The link between resource deprivation and urban violence has long been explored in criminological research. Studies, however, have largely ignored the potential for resource deprivation in particular communities to affect rates of violence in others. The relative inattention is notable because of the strong theoretical grounds to anticipate influences that extend both to geographically contiguous areas and to those that, though not contiguous, share similar social characteristics. We argue that such influences,what we term spatial and social proximity effects, respectively,constitute a central feature of community dynamics. To support this argument, we develop and test theoretically derived hypotheses about spatial and social proximity effects of resource deprivation on aggregated and disaggregated homicide counts. Our analyses indicate that local area resource deprivation contributes to violence in socially proximate communities, an effect that, in the case of instrumental homicides, is stronger when such communities are spatially proximate. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for theories focused on community-level social processes and violence, and for policies aimed at reducing crime in disadvantaged areas. [source] Asymmetric dispersal and survival indicate population sources for grassland butterflies in agricultural landscapesECOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2007Erik Öckinger We tested the hypothesis that populations in small habitat fragments remaining in agricultural landscapes are maintained by repeated immigration, using three grassland butterflies (Aphantopus hyperantus, Coenonympha pamphilus and Maniola jurtina). Transect counts in 12 matched sets of semi-natural pastures, and linear habitat elements proximate and isolated from the pastures showed that population densities of M.,jurtina and C.,pamphilus were significantly higher in pastures and in linear habitats adjacent to these than in isolated linear elements. A mark-recapture study in a 2×2 km landscape indicated that individuals of all three species are able to reach even the isolated linear elements situated at least 1 km from the grasslands. For two of the species, A.,hyperantus and C.,pamphilus, analysis of the mark-recapture data revealed higher daily local survival rates in the semi-natural pastures and more individuals dispersing from pastures to linear habitat elements. The proportion of old compared to young individuals of C.,pamphilus and M.,jurtina were significantly higher in linear elements than in semi-natural pastures, which suggests that butterflies emerging in pastures subsequently dispersed to the linear elements. In combination, these results suggest that semi-natural pastures act as population sources, from which adult butterflies disperse to surrounding linear elements. Hence, preservation of the remaining fragments of semi-natural grassland is necessary to keep the present butterfly abundance in the surrounding agricultural landscape. [source] Going Dutch in London City Comedy: Economies of Sexual and Sacred Exchange in John Marston's The Dutch Courtesan (1605)ENGLISH LITERARY RENAISSANCE, Issue 1 2010Marjorie Rubright Conventional approaches to London city comedy have explored the genre's dependence upon character types. Through a consideration of the ways in which English and Dutch ethnicity is represented in city comedy, this essay reveals that a critical and methodological revision is necessary. In John Marston's The Dutch Courtesan and Thomas Middleton's The Family of Love, puns and double entendres vivify characterizations of Dutchness and Englishness as unstable and problematically proximate. What emerges is a study of the chiastic interplay of differences and similarities that constitute Englishness and Dutchness in London city comedy. I argue that across the Anglo-Dutch relation identity was more of an analogous phenomenon than a digital one. In tracing how English-identified characters "go Dutch," this essay argues that city comedy was actively exploring and keeping in play the fluidity of signifiers of ethnic difference, especially language, diet, and religious belief. (M.R.) [source] PERSPECTIVE ARTICLE: Why do adaptive immune responses cross-react?EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2009Karen J. Fairlie-Clarke Abstract Antigen specificity of adaptive immune responses is often in the host's best interests, but with important and as yet unpredictable exceptions. For example, antibodies that bind to multiple flaviviral or malarial species can provide hosts with simultaneous protection against many parasite genotypes. Vaccinology often aims to harness such imprecision, because cross-reactive antibodies might provide broad-spectrum protection in the face of antigenic variation by parasites. However, the causes of cross-reactivity among immune responses are not always known, and here, we explore potential proximate and evolutionary explanations for cross-reactivity. We particularly consider whether cross-reactivity is the result of constraints on the ability of the immune system to process information about the world of antigens, or whether an intermediate level of cross-reactivity may instead represent an evolutionary optimum. We conclude with a series of open questions for future interdisciplinary research, including the suggestion that the evolutionary ecology of information processing might benefit from close examination of immunological data. [source] Spaces of Utopia and Dystopia: Landscaping the Contemporary CityGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3-4 2002Gordon MacLeod Some of the most recent literature within urban studies gives the distinct impression that the contemporary city now constitutes an intensely uneven patchwork of utopian and dystopian spaces that are, to all intents and purposes, physically proximate but institutionally estranged. For instance, so,called edge cities (Garreau, 1991) have been heralded as a new Eden for the information age. Meanwhile tenderly manicured urban villages, gated estates and fashionably gentrified inner,city enclaves are all being furiously marketed as idyllic landscapes to ensure a variety of lifestyle fantasies. Such lifestyles are offered additional expression beyond the home, as renaissance sites in many downtowns afford city stakeholders the pleasurable freedoms one might ordinarily associate with urban civic life. None,the,less, strict assurances are given about how these privatized domiciliary and commercialized ,public' spaces are suitably excluded from the real and imagined threats of another fiercely hostile, dystopian environment ,out there'. This is captured in a number of (largely US) perspectives which warn of a ,fortified' or ,revanchist' urban landscape, characterized by mounting social and political unrest and pockmarked with marginal interstices: derelict industrial sites, concentrated hyperghettos, and peripheral shanty towns where the poor and the homeless are increasingly shunted. Our paper offers a review of some key debates in urban geography, planning and urban politics in order to examine this patchwork,quilt urbanism, In doing so, it seeks to uncover some of the key processes through which contemporary urban landscapes of utopia and dystopia come to exist in the way they do. [source] The role of food supply in the dispersal behaviour of juvenile Tawny Owls Strix alucoIBIS, Issue 2 2003C. F. Coles We investigated the effects of food supply on decisions made by dispersing juvenile Tawny Owls Strix aluco in Kielder Forest, Northumberland, in 1996 and 1997. Field Voles Microtus agrestis were the main food of the owls and clear-cuts the main habitat for voles. A vole sign index was used to estimate vole abundance. In areas near to roosting owls, mean vole densities were 83 and 115 ha,1 in 1996 and 1997, respectively. The prediction that birds would perform area-restricted searches when prey was more abundant was not confirmed. Moreover, we found no evidence that juveniles avoided conspecifics. Owls appeared to have an imperfect knowledge of the environment as they responded to variability in Field Vole densities by altering the time spent in different areas rather than by moving to areas with successively greater vole densities. Vole abundance explained 25.7% of the variation in the time spent in different areas. Movements did not decrease with time after dispersal, although the detection of such movements was prone to error. This study supports recent work suggesting that although dispersal may be initiated by a variety of proximate and ultimate factors, individual decisions made during dispersal may depend partly on environmental conditions encountered during the process itself. [source] An Examination of the Danish Immigrant-Trade LinkINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 5 2007Roger White ABSTRACT This paper investigates the influence of immigrants on Danish imports and exports. As public and political debates concerning immigration policy are expected to continue, the findings presented here provide valuable information. Prior to 2002, Denmark's immigration policy was among the most liberal in Europe. However, concerns regarding terrorism, social services depletion, and detrimental labour market effects, all purported to stem from immigration, led the Danish government to severely tighten its policy. In examining Denmark, we explore the immigrant-trade relationship in a small host country that is globally well-integrated, open to trade, and proximate to both major trading partners and primary immigrant source nations. Further, as the share of the Danish population constituted by immigrants increased from 2.6 to 5.6 per cent between 1980 and 2000, Denmark presents an opportunity to consider immigrant-trade links for an increasingly diverse population that was initially relatively homogenous. We consider a number of variations regarding home countries and trade values to estimate immigrant-trade links using a Tobit specification. The findings presented here, when considered in relation to prior research, suggest that the presence and magnitude of immigrant-trade links vary according to host country population homogeneity. Cet article étudie l'influence des immigrants sur les importations et les exportations danoises. Comme il est prévu que les débats publics et politiques sur la politique d'immigration se poursuivent, les conclusions présentées ici fournissent des informations très utiles. Avant 2002, la politique danoise d'immigration était l'une des plus libérales d'Europe. Cependant, les craintes liées au terrorisme, à l'épuisement de l'action sociale et aux effets néfastes sur le marché du travail - que l'on tend à attribuer à l'immigration, ont poussé le Gouvernement danois à durcir sérieusement sa politique. Cet examen du cas du Danemark nous permet d'étudier les liens entre immigration et commerce dans un petit pays d'accueil globalement bien intégré, ouvert au commerce et proche à la fois des grands partenaires commerciaux et des principales nations d'origine des immigrants. Par ailleurs, étant donné que la proportion d'immigrants au sein de la population danoise est passée de 2,6 à 5,6 % entre 1980 et 2000, le Danemark offre la possibilité d'étudier les liens entre immigration et commerce dans une population sans cesse plus hétérogène, par contraste avec son homogénéité d'autrefois. L'auteur considère plusieurs variations en fonction des pays d'origine et des valeurs commerciales afin d'évaluer les liens entre immigration et commerce grâce au modèle Tobit. Les résultats présentés, ajoutés aux travaux de recherche précédents, suggèrent que l'existence et l'importance des liens entre immigration et commerce varient en fonction de l'homogénéité de la population du pays d'accueil. En este documento se investiga la influencia de los inmigrantes sobre las importaciones y exportaciones danesas. Dado que se espera una continuación de los debates públicos y políticos sobre la política de inmigración, las conclusiones que aquí se presentan son de gran utilidad. Con anterioridad a 2002, la política de inmigración de Dinamarca era una de las más liberales de Europa. Sin embargo, inquietudes relacionadas con el terrorismo, el agotamiento de los servicios sociales y los efectos perjudiciales para el mercado laboral, todo lo cual supuestamente se debe a la inmigración, condujeron al Gobierno danés a adoptar una política mucho más estricta. Al examinar la situación en Dinamarca, exploramos la relación entre la inmigración y el comercio en un pequeño país de acogida que, en términos globales, puede decirse que goza de un buen nivel de integración y apertura al comercio y proximidad a los asociados comerciales más importantes y a los principales países de origen de la primera inmigración. Por otro lado, teniendo en cuenta que el porcentaje de la población danesa constituido por inmigrantes aumentó del 2,6 al 5,6 por ciento entre 1980 y 2000, la situación en Dinamarca es una oportunidad para examinar los vínculos entre la inmigración y el comercio con respecto a una población cada vez más diversa, que inicialmente era relativamente homogénea. Se han considerado una serie de variaciones en relación con los países de origen y los valores del comercio para estimar los vínculos entre la inmigración y el comercio, utilizando una especificación Tobit. Las conclusiones que se presentan, al examinarse en relación con anteriores trabajos de investigación, sugieren que la presencia y la magnitud de los vínculos entre la inmigración y el comercio varían según la homogeneidad demográfica del país de acogida. [source] Using GIS to relate small mammal abundance and landscape structure at multiple spatial extents: the northern flying squirrel in Alberta, CanadaJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2005MATTHEW WHEATLEY Summary 1It is common practice to evaluate the potential effects of management scenarios on animal populations using geographical information systems (GIS) that relate proximate landscape structure or general habitat types to indices of animal abundance. Implicit in this approach is that the animal population responds to landscape features at the spatial grain and extent represented in available digital map inventories. 2The northern flying squirrel Glaucomys sabrinus is of particular interest in North American forest management because it is known from the Pacific North-West as a habitat specialist, a keystone species of old-growth coniferous forest and an important disperser of hypogeous, mycorrhizal fungal spores. Using a GIS approach we tested whether the relative abundance of flying squirrel in northern Alberta, Canada, is related to old forest, conifer forest and relevant landscape features as quantified from management-based digital forest inventories. 3We related squirrel abundance, estimated through live trapping, to habitat type (forest composition: conifer, mixed-wood and deciduous) and landscape structure (stand height, stand age, stand heterogeneity and anthropogenic disturbance) at three spatial extents (50 m, 150 m and 300 m) around each site. 4Relative abundances of northern flying squirrel populations in northern and western Alberta were similar to those previously reported from other regions of North America. Capture rates were variable among sites, but showed no trends with respect to year or provincial natural region (foothills vs. boreal). 5Average flying squirrel abundance was similar in all habitats, with increased values within mixed-wood stands at large spatial extents (300 m) and within deciduous-dominated stands at smaller spatial extents (50 m). No relationship was found between squirrel abundance and conifer composition or stand age at any spatial extent. 6None of the landscape variables calculated from GIS forest inventories predicted squirrel abundance at the 50-m or 150-m spatial extents. However, at the 300-m spatial extent we found a negative, significant relationship between average stand height and squirrel abundance. 7Synthesis and applications. Boreal and foothill populations of northern flying squirrel in Canada appear unrelated to landscape composition at the relatively large spatial resolutions characteristic of resource inventory data commonly used for management and planning in these regions. Flying squirrel populations do not appear clearly associated with old-aged or conifer forests; rather, they appear as habitat generalists. This study suggests that northern, interior populations of northern flying squirrel are probably more related to stand-level components of forest structure, such as food, microclimate (e.g. moisture) and understorey complexity, variables not commonly available in large-scale digital map inventories. We conclude that the available digital habitat data potentially exclude relevant, spatially dependent information and could be used inappropriately for predicting the abundance of some species in management decision making. [source] Incipient speciation of Catostylus mosaicus (Scyphozoa, Rhizostomeae, Catostylidae), comparative phylogeography and biogeography in south-east AustraliaJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2005Michael N Dawson Abstract Aim, Phylogeography provides a framework to explain and integrate patterns of marine biodiversity at infra- and supra-specific levels. As originally expounded, the phylogeographic hypotheses are generalities that have limited discriminatory power; the goal of this study is to generate and test specific instances of the hypotheses, thereby better elucidating both local patterns of evolution and the conditions under which the generalities do or do not apply. Location, Coastal south-east Australia (New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria), and south-west North America (California and Baja California). Methods, Phylogeographic hypotheses specific to coastal south-east Australia were generated a priori, principally from existing detailed distributional analyses of echinoderms and decapods. The hypotheses are tested using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and nuclear internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) DNA sequence data describing population variation in the jellyfish Catostylus mosaicus, integrated with comparable data from the literature. Results, Mitochondrial COI distinguished two reciprocally monophyletic clades of C. mosaicus (mean ± SD: 3.61 ± 0.40% pairwise sequence divergence) that were also differentiated by ITS1 haplotype frequency differences; the boundary between the clades was geographically proximate to a provincial zoogeographic boundary in the vicinity of Bass Strait. There was also limited evidence of another genetic inhomogeneity, of considerably smaller magnitude, in close proximity to a second hypothesized zoogeographic discontinuity near Sydney. Other coastal marine species also show genetic divergences in the vicinity of Bass Strait, although they are not closely concordant with each other or with reported biogeographic discontinuities in the region, being up to several hundreds of kilometres apart. None of the species studied to date show a strong phylogeographic discontinuity across the biogeographic transition zone near Sydney. Main conclusions, Patterns of evolution in the Bass Strait and coastal New South Wales regions differ fundamentally because of long-term differences in extrinsic factors. Since the late Pliocene, periods of cold climate and low sea-level segregated warm temperate organisms east or west of an emergent Bassian Isthmus resulting in population divergence and speciation; during subsequent periods of warmer and higher seas, sister taxa expanded into the Bass Strait region leading to weakly correlated phylogeographic and biogeographic patterns. The Sydney region, by contrast, has been more consistently favourable to shifts in species' ranges and long-distance movement, resulting in a lack of intra-specific and species-level diversification. Comparisons between the Sydney and Bass Strait regions and prior studies in North America suggest that vicariance plays a key role in generating coastal biodiversity and that dispersal explains many of the deviations from the phylogeographic hypotheses. [source] Drivers of ecosystem change and their impacts on human well-being in Lake Victoria basinAFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 2009Eric O. Odada Abstract To offer an increased understanding of the spatial patterns, temporal, social and physical predictors of the conversion and transformations of land use in Lake Victoria basin, an assessment of proximate and underlying forces is presented. This study discusses key theoretical underpinnings for the manifold linkages existing between selected drivers of land-use changes around the basin and their consequences on human well-being. Using a meta-analytical research design, the paper analyses ecosystems level cases of the causes of land use and cover changes in the basin, to determine any spatio-temporal or institutional patterns and dynamics. A suite of recurrent core variables has been identified to influence land use and cover changes in the basin. The most prominent of these at the underlying category are climatic factors, economic factors, institutions, national and regional policies, population growth and other remote influences. At the proximate level, these factors drive cropland expansion, overgrazing, infrastructure extension and rates of land degradation. These are supported by empirical evidence from the basin. This assessment is crucial for appropriate local and transboundary policy interventions, which have to be fine-tuned to the locale-specific dynamic patterns associated with the inherent ecosystems changes. [source] Sperm competition and maternal effects differentially influence testis and sperm size in Callosobruchus maculatusJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2009L. GAY Abstract The evolutionary factors affecting testis size are well documented, with sperm competition being of major importance. However, the factors affecting sperm length are not well understood; there are no clear theoretical predictions and the empirical evidence is inconsistent. Recently, maternal effects have been implicated in sperm length variation, a finding that may offer insights into its evolution. We investigated potential proximate and microevolutionary factors influencing testis and sperm size in the bruchid beetle Callosobruchus maculatus using a combined approach of an artificial evolution experiment over 90 generations and an environmental effects study. We found that while polyandry seems to select for larger testes, it had no detectable effect on sperm length. Furthermore, population density, a proximate indicator of sperm competition risk, was not significantly associated with sperm length or testis size variation. However, there were strong maternal effects influencing sperm length. [source] Social semantics: altruism, cooperation, mutualism, strong reciprocity and group selectionJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2007S. A. WEST Abstract From an evolutionary perspective, social behaviours are those which have fitness consequences for both the individual that performs the behaviour, and another individual. Over the last 43 years, a huge theoretical and empirical literature has developed on this topic. However, progress is often hindered by poor communication between scientists, with different people using the same term to mean different things, or different terms to mean the same thing. This can obscure what is biologically important, and what is not. The potential for such semantic confusion is greatest with interdisciplinary research. Our aim here is to address issues of semantic confusion that have arisen with research on the problem of cooperation. In particular, we: (i) discuss confusion over the terms kin selection, mutualism, mutual benefit, cooperation, altruism, reciprocal altruism, weak altruism, altruistic punishment, strong reciprocity, group selection and direct fitness; (ii) emphasize the need to distinguish between proximate (mechanism) and ultimate (survival value) explanations of behaviours. We draw examples from all areas, but especially recent work on humans and microbes. [source] DIFFERENTIATION OF CURED COOKED HAMS BY PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND CHEMOMETRICSJOURNAL OF FOOD QUALITY, Issue 1 2009VITTORIO M. MORETTI ABSTRACT Comparison of physico-chemical and compositional traits was carried out on cooked hams. Deboned fresh pig thighs of three different origins were divided into three batches: 200 pig thighs from the Italian market, H1; 200 from The Netherlands, H2; and 200 from Denmark, H3. Boneless pig thighs were processed under commercial guidelines for production of cooked hams, using brine at 25% level of injection. After processing, 12 cooked hams from each batch were sampled randomly and analyzed for proximate and fatty acid composition. Color measurement was performed on the muscles: biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus. H1 hams showed a higher weight loss and a lower technological yield compared to H2 and H3 hams. Analysis of variance on compositional data showed that H1 hams had a lower moisture/protein ratio, a higher fat content, a lower percentage of, -linolenic, eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid, and a higher percentage of myristic and palmitic acids when compared to H2 and H3 hams (P < 0.05). Analysis of color of the three muscles demonstrated that hams from the H1 group had the highest a* values. The application of linear discriminant analysis demonstrated that the use of only four variables allowed to correctly discriminate among groups of cooked hams. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The following are the practical applications of this research. The comparison of physico-chemical and compositional traits were carried out on cooked hams. Pig thighs of different origin were processed under commercial guidelines. The physicochemical parameters of cooked hams were defined and showed some differences characterizing the products. [source] Material Flows in a Social Context: A Vietnamese Case Study Combining the Materials Flow Analysis and Action-in-Context FrameworksJOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2007Marieke HOBBES Summary Materials flow analysis (MFA) is one of the central achievements of industrial ecology. One direction in which one can move MFA beyond mere accounting is by putting the material flows in their social context. This "socially extended MFA" may be carried out at various levels of aggregation. In this article, specific material flows will be linked to concrete actors and mechanisms that cause these flows,using the action-in-context (AiC) framework, which contains, inter alia, both proximate and indirect actors and factors. The case study site is of Tat hamlet in Vietnam, set in a landscape of paddy fields on valley floors surrounded by steep, previously forested slopes. Out of the aggregate MFA of Tat, the study focuses on material flows associated with basic needs and sustainability. The most important actors causing these material flows are farming households, politicians, traders, and agribusiness firms,of which local politicians turned out to be pivotal. The study shows the value of combining MFA with actor-based social analysis. MFA achieves the balanced quantification of the physical system, thus helping to pinpoint key processes. Actor-based analysis adds the causal understanding of what drives these key processes, leading to improved scenarios of the future and the effective identification of target groups and instruments for policy making. [source] Chemical composition and physical properties of extruded snacks containing crab-processing by-productJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 11 2003Michael G Murphy Abstract The crab-processing industries generate millions of pounds of by-product annually, which results in a loss of edible product and presents a considerable waste disposal problem. The purpose of this research was to investigate the use of crab-processing by-product (CB) in the development of a calcium-rich expanded snack. The specific objectives were to examine the effects of type of CB (wet or dry), feed composition and screw speed (150 or 250 rpm) on selected properties of extruded snacks. Product formulations consisting of 0,400 g kg,1 CB combined with corn meal and potato flakes were processed in a twin-screw extruder. The resulting extrudates were analysed for proximate and mineral (calcium, sodium) composition, pH, water activity (aw), total plate count, bulk density, expansion ratio and colour. Both CB type and level of incorporation had significant effects (P < 0.05) on the calcium content, expansion ratio, bulk density and pH of the extrudates. Increasing the CB level resulted in increased calcium content (from 5.1 to 52.4 mg g,1) and pH (from 6.1 to 8.8). Screw speed had no significant effects (P > 0.05) on expansion ratio and bulk density. A high processing temperature (157 °C) and low aw resulted in undetectable microbial growth on the extrudates. This research demonstrates that ground crab-processing by-product can be successfully incorporated into an expanded snack product. Further research will evaluate consumer response to this novel value-added product. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Seed compositional studies of some species of Papilionoideae (Leguminosae) native to ArgentinaJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 3 2002Damián M Maestri Abstract Seeds of 17 wild leguminous species belonging to the Papilionoideae subfamily were analysed for their proximate, fatty acid and sterol compositions. Centrosema virginianum, Tipuana tipu, Adesmia volckmanni and some species of Desmodium contained high amounts (>300,g,kg,1) of protein. Geoffroea decorticans and Clitoria cordobensis were noteworthy for their high oil content (>350,g,kg,1). The seed lipids had a high proportion of unsaturated (oleic and linoleic mainly) fatty acids. Linolenic acid had the highest value in Adesmia volckmanni (25.4% of total fatty acids). ,-Sitosterol was the major component of the sterol fraction. Chemical analyses indicated that all species studied are suitable sources of animal feed. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Performance of Juvenile Coho Salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch Fed Diets Containing Meals from Fish Wastes, Deboned Fish Wastes, or Skin-and-Bone By-Product as the Protein IngredientJOURNAL OF THE WORLD AQUACULTURE SOCIETY, Issue 1 2001Cindra K. Rathbone The suitability of meals derived from fish processing wastes as the protein fraction in practical diets for hatchery-reared coho salmon was investigated. The study compared the performance of coho salmon fed diets containing three products: a skin-and-bone meal (SB), a deboned meal (DM), and a whole-fish meal (WM) made directly from the fish wastes. A commercial trout diet (CO) was fed to a fourth treatment group. Diets were fed at 3% of body weight per day to juvenile coho salmon for 12 wk. Survival (> 94%) was not significantly different among treatment groups. Average fish weight, feed conversion ratio, whole body proximate and mineral composition, and protein and phosphorus retention were compared. There were no significant differences after 12 wk of feeding in fish weight between WM, DM, and CO, but SB had significantly lower weight and whole body lipid, and significantly higher ash. Compared to WM, DM had a significantly lower feed conversion ratio and higher retention of protein and phosphorus, but these indices were not significantly different from CO. It is concluded that DM is a potentially superior protein ingredient compared to WM, while specific characteristics of SB will limit its use as a protein source in feeds for salmonids. However, SB may prove to be a suitable mineral supplement when added at a low level. Utilization of fish processing wastes in salmonid diets could be a commercially viable alternative to direct disposal of processing wastes. [source] Psychiatric injury in breach of a relationshipLEGAL STUDIES, Issue 1 2007Peter Handford The distinction between primary and secondary victims confirmed by Page v Smith has caused major problems in English psychiatric damage law. The House of Lords has suggested that the search for principle has been called off, and that the only sensible strategy is to say ,thus far and no farther'. This paper suggests that one way forward is to recognise that it is not only persons who are physically proximate to an ,accident' who should be put in a special category: any case in which there is some sort of pre-existing relationship between claimant and defendant should be regarded as different from the standard secondary victim scenario. The relationship concept, first recognised in the USA and now adopted by the Court of Appeal, can be found in embryo form in the early cases. [source] Nutritional evaluation of some Nigerian wild seedsMOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH (FORMERLY NAHRUNG/FOOD), Issue 2 2004Ganiyu Oboh Abstract Some wild seeds, namely Parkia biglobosa, Tetracarpidum conophorum, Pentaclethra macrophylla, Irvingia gabonensis, Afzelia africana, Prosporis africana and Monodora myristica, were randomly collected from various parts of Nigeria and analyzed with regard to their proximate, mineral, antinutrient composition and zinc bioavailability. The results revealed that the seeds had high protein (6.5,24.2%), fat (19.0,58.5%), mineral (Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Ca, Na, K, P) and phytate (1043.6,2905.2 mg/100 g) contents, while the cyanide content was low (3.7,6.4 mg/kg). However, Co, Pb and Ni were not detected in all the samples. The calculated [Ca] [phytate]/[Zn] molar ratios (which is the best index for predicting Zn bioavailability) for all the seeds revealed that Parkia biglobosa, Irvingia gabonensis and Prosporis africana had a calculated molar ratio above 0.50 mol/kg (critical level), thus indicating reduced bioavailability of Zn to a critical level. In view of the high fat, protein, mineral and low cyanide contents, the high phytate content would not be expected to reduce bioavailability of Zn in some of the wild seeds (Afzelia africana, Pentaclethra macrophylla and Monodora myristica). These wild seeds could be good nutrient sources if integrated fully into human and animal nutrition. However, further studies will be carried out on the protein quality and toxicological potentials of these wild seeds. [source] A new typification of Hieracium umbellatum (Asteraceae)NORDIC JOURNAL OF BOTANY, Issue 1-2 2007Alexander N. Sennikov The Linnaean name Hieracium umbellatum has generally been understood in a very strict and clear sense. The original material comprises three specimens and a few illustrations, with a lectotype designated here in Burser's Hortus siccus (UPS). The earlier choice published by W. Lack was made from non-original material and was therefore not effective. The application of this name is confined to a variety generally known as H. umbellatum var. commune Fr. nom. illeg. (restricted here to the forms with almost entire, sublinear leaves), most proximate to H. umbellatum var. coronopifolium (Bernh. ex Hornem.) Wimm. et Grab. [source] The error of excessive proximity preference , a modest proposal for understanding holismNURSING PHILOSOPHY, Issue 1 2000Peter Cave The exposure is a prelude to noting the importance of proximity in causal explanations of illnesses and wounds. The paper then draws attention to how the proximate should not hold exclusive sway regarding what constitutes best nursing treatment and care. The error of excessive preference for proximity is shown to be an error, using as an example the treatment of leg ulcers. One component of holism that can be clearly expressed amounts therefore simply to the claim: resist the error of excessive proximity preference, resist the error of concentrating solely on nearness. It is left open whether there is any further sense to be gleaned from the holistic babble. [source] Hidden patterns of colony size variation in seabirds: a logarithmic point of viewOIKOS, Issue 12 2008Roger Jovani Explaining the huge variability present in bird colony sizes within and between species is intimately related to the understanding of the proximate and ultimate reasons for bird coloniality. However, natural patterns of colony size frequency distributions (CSFDs) remain poorly known. It is widely believed that colonial birds have similar long-tailed (highly right-skewed) CSFDs and that species mainly differ in their maximum colony sizes (in the length of the ,tail' of their CSFDs). We used data from the Seabird 2000 project (20 species; 19 978 colonies; 3 779 919 nests), the largest and most detailed dataset currently available, to analyse the CSFDs of seabird breeding in Britain and Ireland. Log-transformations of colony sizes revealed that the often reported long-tailed CSFDs in common histograms were hiding contrasting patterns, mainly log-normal but also power law CSFDs. The different statistical characteristics of CSFDs did not co-occur at random within species and were in fact highly correlated (e.g. a large geometric mean correlated with a large coefficient of variation). A PCA with these characteristics revealed a smoothed transition between species' CSFD. Therefore, (a) a logarithmic analysis will allow different aspects of what is currently only referred to as ,colony size variation' to be quantified; (b) we challenge the current idea that all species show similar long-tailed CSFDs; (c) we offer a new (unified) view of colony size variation and discuss how these new patterns confirm, challenge and may advance theoretical and applied research into bird coloniality. [source] Integration of proximate and evolutionary explanation of reproductive strategy: The case of callitrichid primates and implications for human biologyAMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2009Suzette D. Tardif We offer examples of how proximate and evolutionary forms of argument may inform each other in better understanding reproductive strategy in callitrichid primates, the smallest of the anthropoid primates. In addition, we illustrate how comparative approaches, when applied judiciously, can aid in the formulation of hypotheses regarding even seemingly unique traits within a taxonomic group. In the first example, examination of the nature of genetics in cytokine systems that leads to altered ovulation number in sheep suggests some relatively simple changes could explain both the adaptation of increased ovulation number in marmosets and the subsequent decrease in ovulation number in the closely related species, callimico. In the second example, the role of body size and phylogeny in explaining the role of maternal energy constraints upon gestation and lactation is explored, leading to additional hypotheses regarding these relations in a species that is both small but also in a phylogenetic line selected for slow reproduction. Finally, the role of comparative data in the study of proximate and evolutionary explanations of "unique" human reproductive strategies is discussed. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Malaria during pregnancy in endemic areas: A lens for examining maternal,fetal conflict,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2009Elizabeth T. Abrams Most of our knowledge about maternal,fetal conflict derives from the battle over scarce nutritional resources. How do other stressors like infectious diseases alter the maternal,fetal relationship? In this article, we use the example of malaria infection during pregnancy to explore the altered maternal,fetal relationship in the presence of an infectious disease. While adults living in regions endemic to Plasmodium falciparum malaria are generally immune, pregnant women experience significantly more frequent and severe infections. These infections generally resolve within a few days of birth and rarely cross the placenta, but the infants often experience poor birth outcomes, particularly low birth weight. This article summarizes what is known about the proximate, or physiological, mechanisms by which malaria causes more severe or frequent infections for pregnant versus nonpregnant women in endemic regions and then utilizes an evolutionary approach to focus on the altered maternal,fetal relationship during malaria-infected pregnancy. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] A novel method reveals that solvent water favors polyproline II over ,-strand conformation in peptides and unfolded proteins: conditional hydrophobic accessible surface area (CHASA)PROTEIN SCIENCE, Issue 1 2005Patrick J. Fleming Abstract In aqueous solution, the ensemble of conformations sampled by peptides and unfolded proteins is largely determined by their interaction with water. It has been a long-standing goal to capture these solute-water energetics accurately and efficiently in calculations. Historically, accessible surface area (ASA) has been used to estimate these energies, but this method breaks down when applied to amphipathic peptides and proteins. Here we introduce a novel method in which hydrophobic ASA is determined after first positioning water oxygens in hydrogen-bonded orientations proximate to all accessible peptide/protein backbone N and O atoms. This conditional hydrophobic accessible surface area is termed CHASA. The CHASA method was validated by predicting the polyproline-II (PII) and ,-strand conformational preferences of non-proline residues in the coil library (i.e., non-,-helix, non-,-strand, non-,-turn library derived from X-ray elucidated structures). Further, the method successfully rationalizes the previously unexplained solvation energies in polyalanyl peptides and compares favorably with published experimentally determined PII residue propensities. We dedicate this paper to Frederic M. Richards. [source] The ecology and evolutionary endocrinology of reproduction in the human femaleAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue S49 2009Virginia J. Vitzthum Abstract Human reproductive ecology (HRE) is the study of the mechanisms that link variation in reproductive traits with variation in local habitats. Empirical and theoretical contributions from biological anthropology, physiology, and demography have established the foundation necessary for developing a comprehensive understanding, grounded in life history theory (LHT), of temporal, individual, and populational variation in women's reproductive functioning. LHT posits that natural selection leads to the evolution of mechanisms that tend to allocate resources to the competing demands of growth, reproduction, and survival such that fitness is locally maximized. (That is, among alternative allocation patterns exhibited in a population, those having the highest inclusive fitness will become more common over generational time.) Hence, strategic modulation of reproductive effort is potentially adaptive because investment in a new conception may risk one's own survival, future reproductive opportunities, and/or current offspring survival. The hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis is the principal neuroendocrine pathway by which the human female modulates reproductive functioning according to the changing conditions in her habitat. Adjustments of reproductive investment in a potential conception are manifested in temporal and individual variation in ovarian cycle length, ovulation, hormone levels, and the probability of conception. Understanding the extent and causes of adaptive and non-adaptive variation in ovarian functioning is fundamental to ascertaining the proximate and remote determinants of human reproductive patterns. In this review I consider what is known and what still needs to be learned of the ecology of women's reproductive biology, beginning with a discussion of the principal explanatory frameworks in HRE and the biometry of ovarian functioning. Turning next to empirical studies, it is evident that marked variation between cycles, women, and populations is the norm rather than an aberration. Other than woman's age, the determinants of these differences are not well characterized, although developmental conditions, dietary practices, genetic variation, and epigenetic mechanisms have all been hypothesized to play some role. It is also evident that the reproductive functioning of women born and living in arduous conditions is not analogous to that of athletes, dieters, or even the lower end of the "normal range" of HPO functioning in wealthier populations. Contrary to the presumption that humans have low fecundity and an inefficient reproductive system, both theory and present evidence suggest that we may actually have very high fecundity and a reproductive system that has evolved to be flexible, ruthlessly efficient and, most importantly, strategic. Yrbk Phys Anthropol 52:95,136, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||