Long-term Imbalance Research Articles

Long-Term Weight Loss and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

All-cause mortality was lowest at BMI of 22.5 to 25 kg/m 2 but was 30% higher for every 5-kg/m 2 -higher BMI (40% for vascular mortality; 60% to 120% for diabetic, renal, and hepatic mortality; 10% for neoplastic mortality; and 20% for respiratory and all other causes of death). The excess risks of death associated with obesity were due largely to cardiovascular disease (chiefly ischemic heart disease in the mainly European or American populations studied in PSC). Every 5-kg/m 2 -higher BMI (eg, 30 versus 25 kg/m 2 ) was associated with an average 5-mm Hg-higher mean systolic blood pressure and 0.5-mmol/L-higher non–high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and a 2- to 3-fold higher risk of diabetes mellitus. 3 Thus, the effects of overweight and obesity on cardiovascular diseases are mediated through the effects on hypertension, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and diabetes mellitus. Median survival at age 60 years was reduced by 1 to 2 years among people with a BMI of 27.5 to 30 kg/m 2 ,b y 2t o 4 years in those with a BMI of 30 to 35 kg/m 2 , and by 8 to 10 years in those with BMI of 40 kg/m 2 . 3 Plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 rise with increasing levels of BMI4 and fall with weight loss. 5 Elevated levels of these biomarkers reflect an enhanced inflammatory state, possibly caused by insulin resistance and dyslipidemia associated with overweight and obesity. Consequently, measurement of CRP and related biomarkers is likely to be informative for comparisons of dietary strategies for weight loss. Overweight and obesity result from a long-term imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. Although diet and exercise are the most important modifiable determinants of body weight, regulation of appetite and satiety involves more complex factors, including genetic, hormonal, behavioral, psychological, social, and environmental factors. Many individuals who are overweight or obese have great difficulty in reducing their body weight by 5% to 10% through modification of diet and exercise habits. Low-calorie diets are successfully associated with an initial weight loss, but weight regain after weight loss is a major limitation of most diets regardless of differences in their macronutrient content. 6 Despite substantial differences in the energy density of fat, carbohydrate, and protein, there is little evidence that differences in daily intake of these macronutrients influence weight loss.6 The energy density of fat is more than twice that of carbohydrate or protein, but there is little evidence that low-fat diets have any more favorable effects on weight loss than low-carbohydrate diets. Indeed, as low-fat diets have been widely promoted to lower blood cholesterol levels for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, some experts have expressed concern that individuals on low-fat diets may

Regulatory systemic risk in US securities regulation

The concept of regulatory systemic risk – a long-term imbalance, resulting from the misalignment between regulatory initiatives and market realities, that impacts multiple areas of the regulatory framework – is developed in the context of US securities regulation. The discussion offers two theses, one descriptive and the other normative. Descriptively, drawing on institutional approaches to the study of regulation, I show how regulatory systemic risk emerges in the US securities regulatory framework. The issue is examined by looking at section 971, Proxy Access, of the Dodd–Frank Act. Normatively, the discussion highlights the failure of the Dodd-Frank Act to mitigate regulatory systemic risk.

Urban-Rural Integration Planning: Theory and Practice in Suzhou, China

Urban and Rural Integration development is a stage of urbanization process. China’s long-term imbalance in urban-rural development breaks down the obstacles posed by urban beneficiaries of inequality. China has already adopted a raft of policy measures to promote urban-rural integration which are currently having a positive impact to eliminate dual structure. The reform of Suzhou in urban and rural integrated development is not only inherent demand, but also the obligation to the national and regional development. This study summarizes the current theory and model on urban and rural development, builds research framework, and explores practical experience on urban and rural integrated planning in Suzhou City.

Geochemical controls on sediment reactivity and buffering processes in a heterogeneous aquifer

Abstract The injection and recovery of oxic water into deep anoxic aquifers may help to alleviate short- and long-term imbalance between freshwater supply and demand. The extent and structure of physical and geochemical heterogeneity of the aquifer will impact the water quality evolution during injection, storage and recovery. Water–sediment interactions within the most permeable parts of the aquifer, where the bulk of the injectant will penetrate, may dominate, however, water quality may also be impacted by interactions within the finer-grained, less permeable but potentially highly reactive media. In this study, the heterogeneity of the reductive capacity of an aquifer selected for water reuse projects was characterised, the amount, type and reactivity of the sedimentary reductants present determined, and the relationship between reductive capacity and sedimentary lithologies quantified. The average potential reductive capacities (PRCTOT), based on total organic C and pyrite concentrations of the sediment, were quantified for sands (382 μmol O2 g−1), clays (1522 μmol O2 g−1), and silts (1957 μmol O2 g−1). Twenty-seven samples, spanning the three different lithologies, were then incubated for 50 days and the measured reductive capacities (MRC) determined for the sands (29.2 μmol O2 g−1), silts (136 μmol O2 g−1), and clays (143 μmol O2 g−1). On average, the MRC were 10% of the PRCTOT. The main consumers of O2 were pyrite (20–100%), sedimentary organic matter (SOM; 3–56%), siderite (3–28%) and Fe(II)-aluminosilicates (8–55%). The incubation data plus hydrogeochemical modelling, indicated that pH-buffering was controlled firstly by dissolution of trace level carbonates, followed by dissolution of feldspars. Zinc, Co, Ni, Cd and Pb were readily mobilized during incubation.

Analisi dell'effetto del commitment e del conflitto lavoro-famiglia sul processo di turnover

- Many studies focused on the relationship between extra-work factors and turnover intention. The aim of the present research is to verify the mediation effect of commitment and the direct effect of work-family conflict on the turnover process of workers. The results confirm the mediating effect of affective commitment on job satisfaction-turnover intention relation. Furthermore, we show the effect of work-family conflict on this nucleus of variables: a worker who is experiencing a long-term imbalance between work and family life will perceive him/herself as having less job satisfaction and will show greater turnover intention.Keywords: turnover, work-family conflict, work satisfaction, affective commitment.Parole chiave: turnover, conflitto lavoro-famiglia, soddisfazione lavorativa, commitment affettivo.

Gene‐Nutrition and Gene‐Physical Activity Interactions in the Etiology of Obesity

Gene‐Nutrition and Gene‐Physical Activity Interactions in the Etiology of Obesity

Small Vestibular Schwannomas With No Hearing: Comparison of Functional Outcomes in Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Microsurgery

To date, numerous studies have compared functional outcomes between stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and microsurgery (MS) in the treatment of vestibular schwannomas (VS). However, most of them involve tumors of difference sizes, radiation dosages, and surgical approaches. Few have systematically compared issues of dysequilibrium. By studying only patients with small tumors and no hearing, we sought to minimize confounding variables. A retrospective chart review and telephone questionnaire. From 1998-2006, 31 patients with small (<1.5 cm) VS and nonserviceable hearing (American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery [AAO-HNS] Class C or D) were treated at our institution. Twenty-two were available for follow-up and telephone questionnaire, including the University of California Los Angeles Dizziness Questionnaire (UCLA-DQ). Twelve underwent SRS and 10 underwent MS. All MS patients underwent the translabyrinthine approach to their tumors. Outcomes measurements included tumor control, facial nerve function, tinnitus, trigeminal function, and imbalance. Patients undergoing SRS had comparable rates of tumor control, facial nerve function, tinnitus, and trigeminal function to MS patients. However, SRS did result in statistically significantly worse long-term imbalance when compared with MS patients. Detailed comparisons of the two modalities are made. In our study population, patients with small tumors and no serviceable hearing, these data suggest that MS results in comparable minimal morbidity with SRS, though posttreatment dysequilibrium is significantly decreased. While the authors recommend translabyrinthine resection of small VS with no hearing in patients able to tolerate surgery, the need for further prospective investigation is clear.

Perinatal PCP treatment alters the developmental expression of prefrontal and hippocampal muscarinic receptors

Perinatal phencyclidine (PCP) treatment has been used to model brain pathological processes that may be present in schizophrenia such as increased apoptosis during early brain development, and long-term alterations in expression of parvalbumin-containing interneurons and glutamatergic N-methyl- d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. We report that this treatment also affects receptor expression of another excitatory neurotransmitter receptor, the muscarinic receptor. Female rat pups received injections of the NMDA receptor antagonist PCP (10 mg/kg, s.c.) or saline on postnatal days (PN)7, 9 and 11. [ 3H]Pirenzepine binding to M1/4 receptors was examined at four time-points (PN12, 18, 32 and 96) following treatment cessation. Significant effects of treatment on [ 3H]pirenzepine binding were evident immediately after treatment cessation with a decrease in PCP-treated rats at PN12 in the prefrontal cortex (− 24%, p < 0.05) and hippocampus (− 19%, p < 0.05). After this initial decrease, binding subsequently increased to 47% above control levels in the prefrontal cortex of adolescent animals, which remained elevated in adulthood (+ 10%, p < 0.05), while in the hippocampus there was a trend towards increased binding in adolescent animals and no change thereafter. This work adds to findings demonstrating that perinatal PCP exposure leads to long-term imbalance of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitter systems, supporting its relevance as a developmental model of schizophrenia pathology. Alterations in muscarinic receptor expression may contribute specifically to the cognitive impairments reported to occur after perinatal NMDA receptor antagonist treatment.

Home Rule For England, English Nationalism, and Edwardian Debates About Constitutional Reform

The body of recent historical explorations of Englishness and Britishness can seem practically interminable. To some, this work is more a cause than a product of the dynamic underlying recent constitutional changes in the United Kingdom. Linda Colley, in particular, is singled out for vituperation by right-wing commentators for an alleged attempt to depict the United Kingdom as “an artificial creation, built from opposition to Frenchmen and Catholics and lacking any form of coherent cultural core,” thus preparing the ground for its wilful destruction by the Blair government. Yet others have suggested that Colley overstated the hegemony of the idea of Britishness among the nations of the United Kingdom. It is contended that British identity penetrated in England to a unique degree, a process which has produced long-term imbalance and instability in the United Kingdom. Tom Nairn thus blamed English arrogance for this instability. For other commentators the historical absence of a tangible demand for English self-government is to be problematized and regarded as an indication of “backwardness.” As Bernard Crick wrote: “England is the problem. Because English nationalism is suppressed and not explicit, it is soured, not wholly in control of its own reactions and is difficult to deal with by the other nations.”

Home Rule For England, English Nationalism, and Edwardian Debates About Constitutional Reform

The body of recent historical explorations of Englishness and Britishness can seem practically interminable. To some, this work is more a cause than a product of the dynamic underlying recent constitutional changes in the United Kingdom. Linda Colley, in particular, is singled out for vituperation by right-wing commentators for an alleged attempt to depict the United Kingdom as “an artificial creation, built from opposition to Frenchmen and Catholics and lacking any form of coherent cultural core,” thus preparing the ground for its wilful destruction by the Blair government. Yet others have suggested that Colley overstated the hegemony of the idea of Britishness among the nations of the United Kingdom. It is contended that British identity penetrated in England to a unique degree, a process which has produced long-term imbalance and instability in the United Kingdom. Tom Nairn thus blamed English arrogance for this instability. For other commentators the historical absence of a tangible demand for English self-government is to be problematized and regarded as an indication of “backwardness.” As Bernard Crick wrote: “England is the problem. Because English nationalism is suppressed and not explicit, it is soured, not wholly in control of its own reactions and is difficult to deal with by the other nations.”

Elevation change measurement of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, 1978 to 1988, from satellite radar altimetry

Seasat and Geosat satellite radar altimeter measurements over the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) are analyzed to determine surface elevation change over the period from 1978 to 1988. The results show that the average elevation change over 1.7 /spl times/10/sup 6/ km/sup 2/ of the EAIS is -0.4/spl plusmn/1.8 cm/yr and is therefore not significantly different than zero. This result is in very good agreement with ERS-1/2 radar altimeter estimates of EAIS elevation change from 1992 to 1996. The combined results suggest that the EAIS has been close to a state of balance for two decades. This further reduces the likelihood that recent changes in snow accumulation have masked a long-term mass imbalance in the EAIS.

Evidence for a 17-year cycle in the IMF directions at 1 AU, in solar coronal hole variations, and in planetary magnetospheric modulations

A dominant 16–17 yr cycle was observed in the net exposure times of the Earth to Toward and Away field directions of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). A cycle of the same frequency and phase was observed in the polarity of the long-term hemispheric differences in coronal hole distributions. This was determined from north/south differences in average Fe xiv green line ‘quiet’ regions at high- and mid-latitudes. It is argued that the 17-yr cycle is a fundamental oscillation of coronal hole topology, which is transferred to Earth via variations in the neutral sheet. A comparison of the 17-yr cycle to the 22-yr Hale cycle indicated that they are not identical, but rather, can mix to form a 75-yr cycle plus a 9-yr cycle. Evidence for the 75-yr cycle existed in the Earth's net exposure times to fields from the solar North and South, and in the long-term imbalance of solar quiet regions between the northern and southern hemispheres. The 9-yr cycle was manifested in the mid- to low- latitude Fe xiv modulations and in solar wind velocity variations in the ecliptic. At Earth, evidence for a similar 17-yr cycle was observed in the horizontal magnetic field observations in a multitude of surface magnetic recording stations. In addition, the detection of a 17-yr cycle in the Huancayo neutron monitor cosmic ray series suggests that the effects of this cycle extend to the heliospheric boundaries. It is concluded that sufficient preliminary evidence exists to consider the hypothesis that the Sun contains a magnetic moment with an oscillatory cycle of 17 years.

Dynamics of Photosystem Stoichiometry Adjustment by Light Quality in Chloroplasts.

Long-term imbalance in light absorption and electron transport by photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII) in chloroplasts brings about changes in the composition, structure, and function of thylakoid membranes. The response entails adjustment in the photosystem ratio, which is optimized to help the plant retain a high quantum efficiency of photosynthesis (W.S. Chow, A. Melis, J.M. Anderson [1990] Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 87: 7502-7506). The dynamics of photosystem ratio adjustment were investigated upon the transfer of pea {Pisum sativum} plants from a predominantly PSI-light to a predominantly PSII-light environment and vice versa. The concentration of functional components (primary electron accepting plastoquinone of PSII [QA], P700) and that of constituent proteins were monitored during acclimation by A difference spectrophotometry and immunoblot analysis, respectively. Fully reversible changes in photosystem ratio occurred with a half-time of about 20 h. They involved closely coordinated changes in the concentration of the QA, reaction center protein D1, D2, and the 9-kD apoprotein of the cytochrome b559 for PSII. Similarly, closely coordinated changes in the relative concentration of P700 and reaction center proteins of PSI were observed. The level of chlorophyll b and that of the light-harvesting complex II changed in accordance with the concentration of PSII in the acclimating thylakoids. Overall, adjustments in the photosystem ratio in response to PSI- or PSII-light conditions appeared to be a well-coordinated reaction in the chloroplast. The response was absent in the chlorophyll b-less chlorina f2 mutant of barley (Hordeum vulgare) and in a phycobilisomeless mutant of Agmenellum quadruplicatum, suggesting that photosystem accessory pigments act as the light-quality perception molecules and that PSI and PSII themselves play a role in the signal transduction pathway.

Nutritional Aspects of Obesity in Infancy and Childhood

Obesity is characterized by an excess of adipose tissue relative to lean body mass. With rare exceptions, it simply reflects a long-term imbalance in energy intake vs expenditure. The excess energy is stored as fat. The known metabolic correlates of this state are, for the most part, secondary events.1 The day-to-day "error" in intake or expenditure necessary to derange long-term energy balance is smaller than the accuracy with which either factor currently can be measured over long periods; therefore, the question of etiologies remains unanswered. The systems regulating mammalian fuel homeostasis and food intake are complex, and many potential "lesions" could alter long-term energy balance. There are a number of experimental and genetic animal models in which regulatory or apparent metabolic disturbances result in obesity, but no similar abnormalities have been consistently demonstrated in individuals with simple obesity.2 However, the traditionally accepted causes of obesity, relative overeating and/or physical underactivity, may not be operating in all instances of simple obesity.3,4 ANTHROPOMETRY Criteria for the diagnosis of obesity are difficult to establish because "optimal fatness is a conditional state. A man preparing for an emergency trek, a population entering a period of famine, a child entering a febrile illness or a growth spurt or a woman becoming pregnant will have physiological advantages from abundant stored fat."5 Medical considerations suggest that excessive adiposity (or leanness) is unhealthful; but cosmetic and other social considerations are generally preeminent in determining the acceptable range of body composition within a culture. A variety of definitions of obesity have been devised for adults (weight-height indices that produce relative independence of weight from height).