Elevated Status Research Articles

The socio‐economic contribution of older people in the UK

Purpose – The paper aims to highlight the contributions and opportunities offered by an ageing society to their local communities and wider society.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is set out in six sections: an overview of WRVS; challenges of an ageing society; the “grey pound”; provision of social care; volunteering and non‐financial and other contributions of older people. This paper draws on research published by WRVS in March 2011 while providing more detail on the contribution of, and opportunities for, older volunteers with supporting case studies.Findings – The paper shows the benefits of an ageing population, the contributions currently made by the UK's pensioners, and the inevitable increase in their provision to society.Social implications – In the UK, over 65s are often seen as a burden on society's resources. In many other cultures older people have an elevated status and respect. Older people make a huge contribution to the UK's society but their potential is not always realised. This...

A chamada "nova classe média": cultura material, inclusão e distinção social

O presente artigo tem como objetivo apresentar uma discussão sobre a importância do consumo e cultura material para um determinado estrato social. A partir de uma pesquisa realizada sobre ligações clandestinas de energia elétrica, fenômeno sociotécnico de dimensões culturais conhecido por "gatos", residi por oito meses em um bairro popular na região metropolitana do Rio de Janeiro. Como moradora, pude penetrar na vida do bairro e analisar o estilo de vida de um grupo de moradores considerado a elite local, que, àquela época, fazia parte de um contingente mais amplo da população brasileira que estava adquirindo visibilidade pública, sendo denominado pela mídia como "nova classe média". Devido ao aumento da renda, à política de juros baixos e aos financiamentos facilitados a partir do Plano Real, esses "novos consumidores" obtiveram mais acesso a bens duráveis, especialmente eletroeletrônicos, elevando assim seu status perante seus iguais e muitas vezes adequando através de táticas seu novo padrão de consumo. Por meio do consumo, principalmente de carros e eletroeletrônicos, eles almejam inclusão em outro estrato social, as camadas médias urbanas.

Potential role for elevated maternal enzymatic antioxidant status in Andean protection against altitude-associated SGA

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the uteroplacental ischemia characteristic of preeclampsia and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth, both of which are more common at high (>2500 m) vs low altitude. Since Andeans are protected relative to Europeans from the altitude-associated rise in SGA, we asked whether alterations in maternal antioxidant status or oxidative stress contributed to their protection. Enzymatic antioxidant (erythrocyte catalase and superoxide dismutase [SOD]) activity and a plasma marker of lipid peroxidation (8-iso-PGF2α) were measured during pregnancy and in the non-pregnant state in Andean or European residents of low (400 m) or high altitude (3600–4100 m). Pregnancy and altitude increased catalase and/or SOD activity to a greater extent in Andeans than Europeans. 8-iso-PGF2α levels were independent of altitude and pregnancy. SOD was lower in mothers of SGA infants at weeks 20 and 36. Our findings are consistent with the possibility that elevated enzymatic antioxidant activity contributes to Andean protection against altitude-associated SGA.

Portraying Politeness: The Early Georgian Conversation Piece and Its Patrons

Conversation pieces—small-scale, informal group portraits of family or friends—were produced in large numbers in England from 1730 onward. This article examines the Georgian conversation piece in terms of a social and economic analysis of the patrons' backgrounds and investigates why twentieth-century scholars misconstrued the social significance of those pictures. While certain aspects of the genre, particularly its small scale, seem to embody the values of the middle class, a systematic study of the early English conversation piece reveals that this type of portrait was principally commissioned by the elite of Georgian society to document their elevated status. The interpretation of the conversation piece as an art of the middle class was largely due to the research trend in history of a rising middle class popular in the early twentieth century.

Neutrophil Phenotypic Characteristics in Children with Congenital Asplenia and Splenectomized for Hereditary Spherocytosis

The spleen plays an important role in the granulocyte homeostasis due to such mechanisms as pooling, elimination of senescent cells and regulatory effects on granulocyte renewal in the bone marrow. The expression profile of granulocyte receptors was tested in children with congenital asplenia, and splenectomized for spherocytosis. Receptors tested included those appearing with maturation (CD16, CD11b, CD11c, TREM-1), disappearing (CD54, CD49d, CD64) and maintained during maturation (CD11a, CD45). In general, we found that the circulating granulocyte pool in the asplenic patients had phenotypical features of highly matured but not apoptotic neutrophils with a significantly elevated expression of CD16 (CD16high), tendency to a lower expression of CD45 (CD45low) and an unchanged expression of CD64 (and other markers indicating systemic inflammatory reactions). The high fluorescence intensity of CD11b,c, and TREM-1 in the congenital asplenia may indicate a potentially elevated pro-inflammatory status of granulocytes, possibly due to the low activity of vagus nerve and spleen-dependent cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway.

‘Now If You Have Only Sons You Are Dead’: Migration, Gender, and Family Economy in Twentieth Century Northwestern Ghana

This article explores the interconnectedness between labor migration, gender, and the family economy in northwestern Ghana in the 20th century. It focuses specifically on the Dagaaba of the Nadowli and Jirapa administrative districts of what is now the Upper West Region (UWR). It examines how the relationships between men and women in terms of roles, status, access to productive resources and inheritance, changed in tandem with broader changes in society in the 20th century; changes that over time produced enhanced value and elevated status for women in the family. These changes in gender relations are reflected increasingly in the belief among elderly men that ‘now if you have only sons, you are dead’. By focusing on the lived experiences of ordinary women and men in the migration process, it argues that even though indigenous social structures privileged men over women in almost all spheres of life, Dagaaba women were nonetheless significantly active in shaping the history of their communities and that gender relations in Dagaaba communities were not static — they changed over time and generation. This article contributes to the ongoing discussion of the internal migration phenomenon in West Africa, which has so far attracted scant historical analysis.

Samuel Beckett, the wordless song and the pitfalls of memorialisation

Many songs unsung, unheard or misheard appear in Beckett's oeuvre, from Mr Knott's monotonous and irksome singing in Watt to the ballads with which Miss McGlome greets dusk in Krapp's Last Tape. Contrary to such depictions of melody, which function as mere narrative digressions, the fragmentary songs which drift in and out of Beckett's post-war novellas crystallise particular anxieties about post-Romantic essentialisations of memory and culture, and gain new currency when considered against the history of European musical nationalisms. This article brings to light Beckett's long-standing reflection upon the elevated literary status of the folk song, folklore and translation, and, in so doing, reconfigures Beckett's post-war novellas in relation to post-Enlightenment debates about folklore in the contexts of German Romanticism and the Irish Literary Revival.

Abstract 5298: Affibody – NIR conjugate for optical imaging of HER2-expressing tumors

Abstract Amplification of the HER2/neu gene and/or overexpression of the protein have been identified in approximately 20% of invasive breast carcinoma, Particularly in breast cancer, elevated HER2 status is associated with increased proliferation and survival of cancer cells and thus contributes to poor therapy outcomes and unfavorable prognosis. Affibody molecules are unique class of artificial ligands. They are relatively small, (∼7-kDa), affinity proteins, structurally based on a 58-amino-acid scaffold derived from the Z domain of the Staphylococcus aureus- protein, and were obtained by combinatorial protein engineering. Optical imaging is a powerful tool allowing non-invasive in vivo analysis of macroscopic distribution of fluorescent labels. Introduction of Near-Infrared fluorescent beacons significantly improved the light penetration making the Over the past several years, there has been an explosion of reports describing successful in vivo NIR fluorescence imaging using antibodies or antibodies fragment or small molecules as contrast agents. Here we report the construction, in vitro and in vivo evaluation of a new Affibody based probe for Near Infrared imaging of HER2-positive tumors. Unique, C-terminal cysteine residue of HER2-Affibody molecules were modified with maleimide derivatives of optical beacons. The conjugates maintained high affinity to HER2 receptors with estimated KD value 3.66 ±0.26 nM using HER2 positive BT474 cells. Competition assay showed slight affinity reduction due to labeling (IC50=24.1 nM at 50nM labeled Affibody). No dye accumulation was observed for “non-specific” Affibody molecules (raised against Taq polymerase). HER2-Affibody binding was well correlated with receptor expression in five different cell lines as determined by FACS and HER2 Elisa respectively. Receptor specificity was also confirmed by immunofluorescence imaging: Cells with high HER2 level (SKBR3) showed almost exclusive membrane retention of the probe even after long period of incubation. Neither membrane retention nor intracellular uptake of the probe was observed for HER2-negative MDA MB-468 cells. In vivo characteristic of the probe was performed in mice subcutaneous tumor models using NIR fluorescence small-animal imager. The probe showed relatively fast clearance rate from the circulation after intravenous administration (T1/2=31.8±10.42 min). The highest accumulation was recorded for BT474 tumors 90 min post probe administration. No signal was detected in tumors injected with HER2-nonspecyfic probe or for HER2 negative tumors receiving HER2-Affibody. Interestingly, accumulation rate better correlated with HER2 expression level in the tumor than maximum uptake. HER2-dependend probe accumulation was confirmed also by IHC analysis. Our results suggest that optical imaging using Affibody-based probes, may become a noninvasive alternative tool for assessment of HER2 expression in breast tumors. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5298. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-5298

Critical care transfers: the lack of information and systemic shortcomings continue…

Critical care transfers: the lack of information and systemic shortcomings continue…

Babushka Writes Back: Grandmothers and Grandchildren in Liudmila Petrushevskaia's Time: Night

Despite the prominence of elderly women in the creative output of Liudmila Petrushevskaia, little scholarship exists on old age in her work. This article examines the dark comic novella Vremia noch' [Time: Night] (1992) and its oppressive, unstable grandmother heroine. It shows how Petrushevskaia challenges conventional Soviet narratives about ageing, particularly the mythical figure of the caring, providing babushka, who had regained an elevated status in late Soviet culture, especially village prose. Petrushevskaia indicates how harsh socio-economic realities place multiple burdens upon the babushka, but more profoundly, her transformation of the caring babushka into a grotesque, self-pitying narrator offers a critique of the dominant modes of writing about women in Russia, particularly the reinscription of women as martyrs.

Fossils, histology, and phylogeny: Why conodonts are not vertebrates

The term vertebrate is generally viewed by systematists in two contexts, either as Craniata (myxinoids or hagfishes + vertebrates s.s ., i.e. basically, animals possessing a stiff backbone) or as Vertebrata (lampreys + other vertebrae-bearing animals, which we propose to call here Euvertebrata). Craniates are characterized by a skull; vertebrates by vertebrae (arcualia); euvertebrates are vertebrates with hard phosphatised tissues in the skeleton. The earliest known possible craniate is Myllokunmingia (syn. Haikouichthys ) from the Lower Cambrian of Chengjiang, south China. Euvertebrates appear in the Ordovician. C. H. Pander is sometimes thought to have been the first to propose that conodonts are vertebrates, but he did have doubts about the fish affinities of conodonts. This proposal was revived in the 30s and especially in the 80s of the 20 th century and given elevated status in 2000 through a cladistic analysis based upon interpretation of conodont mineralized tissues as homologous to those of vertebrates. This analysis resolved conodonts within the clade Vertebrata s.s., and incorporated a 'Total Group Concept' (TGC), including conodonts in the TG Gnathostomes (= jawed vertebrates). This resulted in the unusual scenario in which teeth appear before jaws. We reject the TGC nomenclature as applied to early vertebrates. In addition, based on all existing evidence, we consider that conodont hard tissues and several other anatomical structures in conodonts are not homologous with those of vertebrates. Making a revised cladistic analysis, eliminating characters unknown in fossils, conodonts appear stemward (i.e. more basal) to craniates and are thus interpreted as basal chordates at best. To help resolve the phylogenetic relationships of conodonts and chordates, the analysis should be extended to include non-chordate taxa.

Parading in public: patrician women and sumptuary law in Renaissance Siena

ABSTRACT:In Renaissance Italy clothing, particularly of women, was strictly regulated; individuals were regularly denounced when walking through the city. Modesty was a virtue in a republican state and dress played a major part in urban identity, reflecting social values and those of the political regime. Sumptuary laws were a major mode of control, particularly of patrician women, whose dress reflected both their own and their family's wealth and status. Despite increased availability of luxurious fabrics encouraged by urban policies, legislation was used to prohibit new forms of dress and raise money for state coffers. At the end of the fifteenth century Pandolfo Petrucci (1452–1512) took control of Siena. The inner elite of his regime, particularly its female members, were given exemptions from the strict legislation and were able to flaunt their elevated status and the new social order.

Un inedito lastrone a scala da Tarquinia presso l'Antiquarium di Monte Romano

This is the publication of an as yet unpublished recently acquired large stepped slab dating from the orientalising period. It was delivered to the Antiquarium of Monte Romano (Vt) by the local resident who found it. The find comes from the “Ancarano” area of Tarquinia which is near the border of the Monte Romano district. The piece is of the stepped slab class, typical of seventh century BC production from Tarquinia. The slab completes a similar one which was also from Tarquinia but is conserved in the Archaeological Museum of Florence and was purchased from Mr Milani in Tarquinia at the end of the nineteenth century. Through photocomposition and integrated graphic restoration we propose a reading which links the two finds. Hence the decoration of an important funerary monument has emerged, most likely belonging to an Etruscan prince who recounts his hunting exploits, which are symbolic of elevated social status.

Recognition and path planning strategy for autonomous navigation in the elevator environment

This paper presents a robust and reliable method for a mobile robot to get on/off an elevator in a multistory building. Getting on/off the elevator requires the robot to perform two different tasks: a recognition task and a navigation task. First, we propose a recognition algorithm for the elevator buttons and status so that the robot reacts flexibly to the current elevator status. We first apply an adaptive threshold to the current image in order to get a binary image. Then we extract the candidates of the buttons and the floor number after preliminary filtering. Ambiguous candidates are rejected using an artificial neural network, and a matching method is applied to finally recognize the call buttons, destination floor buttons, moving direction and current location of the elevator. Second, we suggest a path planning algorithm to navigate into and out of the elevator without any collision. By constructing an occupancy grid map and computing a target function, we find the best position for the robot to get on the elevator. Then we plan an optimal path to the best position using a potential field method. Experiments were carried out in several simulated and real environments including empty, crowd and blocked scenarios. The approach presented here has been found to allow the robot to navigate in the elevator without collisions.

Abstract 901: Prediagnostic body mass index (BMI), plasma C-peptide levels, and cigarette smoking predict prostate cancer-specific and overall mortality: A 27-year survival analysis in men with PCa

Abstract Background: Widespread PSA screening significantly increased prostate cancer (PCa) detection but has limited ability to predict PCa and overall mortality. A major challenge is thus to identify risk factors that can predict the cases that will progress to fatal outcomes. Elevated BMI, hyperinsulinemia, and smoking status have been linked to fatal (but not incident) PCa but their roles in predicting overall and PCa-specific mortality in men with PCa has not yet been fully and simultaneously evaluated. Methods: BMI (kg/m2) and smoking status were available at baseline (1982) in the Physicians’ Health Study participants without prior diagnosis of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or cancer. Between 1982 and 2009, 2,715 men were diagnosed with PCa; baseline C-peptide levels in plasma were available for 827 of them. We used proportional hazard ratios (HR) to estimate risk of overall and cause-specific mortality (PCa, CVD, and other causes). Results: During the 27-year follow-up, 882 (33%) men with PCa died: 11% of PCa, 6% of CVD and 16% of other causes. In the multivariate model including both BMI and smoking status controlling for age at diagnosis, time between baseline and PC diagnosis, and competing risk, the HRs (95% confidence interval, CI) associated with a 5 kg/m2 increment in baseline BMI were 1.52 (1.23-1.89; Ptrend=0.0001) for PCa mortality, 1.35 (0.98-1.86; Ptrend=0.07) for CVD mortality, and 1.24 (1.08-1.41; Ptrend=0.002) for overall mortality. Compared to never smokers, current smokers at baseline had significantly higher risk of PCa mortality (HR=1.67; 1.15-2.44), CVD mortality (HR= 2.39; 1.46-3.91), and overall mortality (HR=2.08; 1.68-2.59). Further controlling for clinical stage and Gleason grade slightly attenuated the associations, but most, except smoking and PCa mortality, remained statistically significant. Elevated C-peptide levels were significantly associated with higher risk of fatal outcomes; the HRs for each increment in C-peptide were 1.18 (1.02-1.37; Ptrend=0.03) for PCa mortality and 1.12 (1.03-1.22; Ptrend=0.006) for total mortality, independent of BMI, smoking, clinical stage, and Gleason grade. After excluding current smokers, the associations of BMI and C-peptide became stronger for PCa mortality. Conclusions: This study in US physicians diagnosed with PCa showed that only a third of the deaths were due to PCa. Prediagnostic BMI, hyperinsulinemia, and smoking are significant and independent predictors for progression to fatal PCa and overall mortality among men with PCa. These findings underscore the importance of identifying and preventing these risk factors in men with PCa to reduce fatal outcomes. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 901.

Left Ventricular Function and C-Reactive Protein Levels in Acute Myocardial Infarction

To examine left ventricular (LV) function in patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and assess its relation to C-reactive protein (CRP) as a measure of the early inflammatory response. We measured the CRP levels early after AMI and correlated them with the early structural and functional cardiac alterations. From November 2002 to December 2007, we prospectively enrolled community subjects who had experienced an AMI, as defined by standardized criteria, measured the CRP level, and obtained an echocardiogram. The study consisted of 514 patients (mean age 67 +/- 15 years, 59% men). CRP was measured early after symptom onset (median 6.1 hours; twenty-fifth to seventy-fifth percentile 2.2 to 11.1). The median CRP level was 4.8 mg/L (twenty-fifth to seventy-fifth percentile 1.8 to 24). The echocardiograms were obtained at a median of 1 day after AMI. The wall motion score index, LV ejection fraction, and LV diameter were similar across the CRP tertiles (all p >0.05). Greater CRP levels were associated with the presence of moderate or severe diastolic dysfunction (p = 0.002) and moderate or severe mitral regurgitation (p <0.001). The association with moderate or severe mitral regurgitation was independent of the clinical characteristics and ST-segment elevation status. In conclusion, at the initial phase of AMI, CRP elevation was associated with the presence and severity of mitral regurgitation and diastolic dysfunction. This suggests that inflammation is related to the ventricular remodeling processes, independently of LV systolic function.

Fathers of conscience: mixed-race inheritance in the antebellum South

This book offers a new look at the legal and cultural implications of bequests that crossed the color line. Fathers of Conscience examines high-court decisions in the antebellum South that involved wills in which white male planters bequeathed property, freedom, or both to women of color and their mixed-race children. These men, whose wills were contested by their white relatives, had used trusts and estates law to give their slave partners and children official recognition and thus circumvent the law of slavery. The will contests that followed determined whether that elevated status would be approved or denied by courts of law.Bernie D. Jones argues that these will contests indicated a struggle within the elite over race, gender, and class issues - over questions of social mores and who was truly family. Judges thus acted as umpires after a man's death, deciding whether to permit his attempts to provide for his slave partner and family. Her analysis of these differing judicial opinions on inheritance rights for slave partners makes an important contribution to the literature on the law of slavery in the United States.

Excavations at Caherconnell Cashel, the Burren, Co. Clare: implications for cashel chronology and Gaelic settlement

Caherconnell Cashel is one of several hundred stone ring-forts distributed across the Burren, Co. Clare. Unlike the majority of these smaller sites, Caherconnell measures over 40m in diameter, and is enclosed by 3m-high walls in a good state of preservation. The cashel's location along a natural routeway, evidence for continued use of the immediate area for settlement over a long period, and excavated remains all point to the elevated status of this site. A series of radiocarbon dates place activity at Caherconnell between the tenth and early seventeenth centuries AD, thereby providing new evidence for the dating of such cashels, continuity of occupation and some indication of how wealthy Gaelic families lived in the medieval period.

Excavations at Caherconnell Cashel, the Burren, Co. Clare: implications for cashel chronology and Gaelic settlement

Caherconnell Cashel is one of several hundred stone ring-forts distributed across the Burren, Co. Clare. Unlike the majority of these smaller sites, Caherconnell measures over 40m in diameter, and is enclosed by 3m-high walls in a good state of preservation. The cashel's location along a natural routeway, evidence for continued use of the immediate area for settlement over a long period, and excavated remains all point to the elevated status of this site. A series of radiocarbon dates place activity at Caherconnell between the tenth and early seventeenth centuries AD, thereby providing new evidence for the dating of such cashels, continuity of occupation and some indication of how wealthy Gaelic families lived in the medieval period.

Harmonic publication and citation counting: sharing authorship credit equitably – not equally, geometrically or arithmetically

Bibliometric counting methods need to be validated against perceived notions of authorship credit allocation, and standardized by rejecting methods with poor fit or questionable ethical implications. Harmonic counting meets these concerns by exhibiting a robust fit to previously published empirical data from medicine, psychology and chemistry, and by complying with three basic ethical criteria for the equitable sharing of authorship credit. Harmonic counting can also incorporate additional byline information about equal contribution, or the elevated status of a corresponding last author. By contrast, several previously proposed counting schemes from the bibliometric literature including arithmetic, geometric and fractional counting, do not fit the empirical data as well and do not consistently meet the ethical criteria. In conclusion, harmonic counting would seem to provide unrivalled accuracy, fairness and flexibility to the long overdue task of standardizing bibliometric allocation of publication and citation credit.