Influence of a neck compression collar on cerebrovascular and autonomic function in men and women

Objective Neck compression collars have been proposed to reduce injury to the brain caused by head impacts. Our objective was to test if compression of the carotid artery affected the baroreflex and influenced blood pressure control. Methods Cerebrovascular and autonomic responses of healthy young men and women (n = 8 each) to paced deep breathing, Valsalva, and 70o head-up tilt with or without use of a Q-collar were determined. Continuous measurements of heart rate, beat-to-beat blood pressure, transcranial Doppler, and end-tidal gases were obtained. Heart rate variability was measured during supine rest and head-up tilt. Carotid artery and jugular vein cross-sectional area were measured at end-inhalation and end-exhalation using cross-sectional ultrasound images at diastole. Results Wearing the collar reduced carotid cross-sectional area (CSA; P = 0.022; η2 = 0.03) and increased jugular CSA (P = 0.001; η 2 = 0.30). In both men and women, wearing the collar increased systolic blood pressure during Valsalva (P0.05), and there were no effects of the collar on cerebrovascular function, hemodynamics, cardiovagal baroreceptor sensitivity, or heart rate variability (P>0.05) during upright tilt. Conclusion Use of the Q-collar compresses both the jugular vein and carotid artery influencing sympathetic nerve activity in both men and women while influencing brain blood flow in women.York University Librarie

Understanding and controlling the ingress of driven rain through exposed, solid wall masonry structures

Long term performance of historic buildings can be affected by many environmental factors, some of which become more apparent as the competence of the fabric deteriorates. Many tall historic buildings suffer from water ingress when exposed to driving rain conditions, particularly church towers in the south west of England. It is important to recognise that leakage can occur not only through flaws in the roof of a building but also through significant thicknesses of solid masonry. Identification of the most appropriate intervention requires an understanding of the way in which water might enter the structure and the assessment of potential repair options. While the full work schedule used an integrated assessment involving laboratory, field and archival work to assess the repairs which might be undertaken on these solid wall structures, this paper focuses on the laboratory work done to inform the writing of a Technical Advice Note on the effects of wind driven rain and moisture movement in historic structures (English Heritage, 2012). The laboratory work showed that grouting and rendering was effective at reducing water penetration without retarding drying rates, but that use of internal plastering also had a very beneficial effect

Marx and Aristotle on the Highest Good

Aristotle claims that the most perfect happiness is a life of contemplation, which is a life as close to the supremely happy lives of the Gods as is possible in human life. This life is more perfectly happy because contemplation, in taking itself as its own object, cannot so easily be deprived of what is necessary for it and thus remains less subject to misfortune. I shall argue that, while there are many affinities between Marx’s conception of the highest good and this conception from Aristotle, Marx differs crucially by taking the highest good to be human rather than godlike. For Marx, the counterpart of being removed from the vicissitudes of fortune is the reduction to a minimum of what he terms the sphere of necessity. The highest good is not a life of contemplation but rather the pursuit of ends that human beings individually and collectively choose for themselves independently of the demands of survival and reproduction

Extreme Minimum Winter Temperatures in Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Geography, Firelands College, Bowling Green State UniversityThe Extreme Minimum Winter Temperature (EMWT) is the coldest temperature recorded each winter at a given weather station. This variable is a measure of winter temperature severity. EMWT influences the geographic distribution of plants, and is a prime control for the production of some fruit crops grown in Ohio. EMWT values are often used to map plant hardiness zones, but climatic variables rarely remain constant over time, and plant hardiness zones could shift significantly if the climate of Ohio changes and there is a change in EMWTs. EMWTs from 89 weather stations in Ohio were analyzed to determine spatial patterns and time trends. Summary statistics of EMWTs were tabulated and mean EMWT was mapped at a large scale. Linear and polynomial regression were utilized to examine the time series. EMWTs have not warmed during the climatic record of this variable. There does not appear to be a link between EMWTs in Ohio and the increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. The present study demonstrates the need for more research in applied climatology based on observed climate records, not obscured by the assumptions of the global warming paradigm

Rawls’s defence of the ideal of democracy against criticisms from Plato and Aristotle

Arguments from Aristotle and Plato for rule by the best are examined. Rawls’s replies to their objections to democracy that it can be a tyranny of the majority or rule by the ignorant are argued to be effective. In the course of this reply, Rawls argues for a political ideal that would involve ideally equal political representation of every citizen, which both Plato and Aristotle would consider ruinous for society, though for different reasons. It is shown that this ideal is far from met in contemporary democratic societies.This paper was originally presented at the Ninth Biennial International Conference of Greek Studies, Flinders University, June 2011

Aristotle's Theory of Justice as the Basis of Rawls' Justice as Fairness.

Aristotle distinguishes between general justice and particular justice. I argue that this distinction identifies a fundamental issue of justice that remains even in what Rawls terms a 'well-ordered society'. This is the issue of the fair distribution of the burdens and benefits of social cooperation. Rawls develops Aristotle's conception of particular justice through arguing that the proper subject of justice as fairness is the 'basic structure' of society. Further, his distinction between 'ideal' and 'non-ideal' theory clarifies Aristotle’s otherwise confusing distinction within 'particular' justice between distributive and corrective, or regulative, justice

Regulation of protein kinase B and glycogen synthase kinase-3 by insulin and beta-adrenergic agonists in rat epididymal fat cells - Activation of protein kinase B by wortmannin-sensitive and -insensittve mechanisms

Previous studies using L6 myotubes have suggested that glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is phosphoryl ated and inactivated in response to insulin by protein kinase B (PKB, also known as Akt or RAG) (Cross, D, A, E., Alessi, D, R., Cohen, P., Andjelkovic, M., and Hemmings, B, A. (1995) Nature 378, 785-789), In the present study, marked increases in the activity of PKB have been shown to occur in insulin-treated rat epididymal fat cells with a time course compatible with the observed decrease in GSK-3 activity, Isoproterenol, acting primarily through beta(3)-adrenoreceptors, was found to decrease GSK-3 activity to a similar extent (approximately 50%) to insulin, However, unlike the effect of insulin, the inhibition of GSK by isoproterenol was not found to be sensitive to inhibition by the phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase inhibitors, wortmannin or LY 294002, The change in GSK-3 activity brought about by isoproterenol could not be mimicked by the addition of permeant cyclic AMP analogues or forskolin to the cells, although at the concentrations used, these agents were able to stimulate lipolysis. Isoproterenol, but again not the cyclic AMP analogues, was found to increase the activity of PKB, although to a lesser extent than insulin. While wortmannin abolished the stimulation of PKB activity by insulin, it was without effect on the activation seen in response to isoproterenol, The activation of PKB by isoproterenol was not accompanied by any detectable change in the electrophoretic mobility of the protein on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. It would therefore appear that distinct mechanisms exist for the stimulation of PKB by insulin and isoproterenol in rat fat cells

When and Where do Elections Matter? A Global Test of the Democratization by Elections Hypothesis, 1900-2012

To date studies assessing the democratizing effects of elections have produced mixed results. While findings suggest that successive uninterrupted election cycles in a global sample (Teorell and Hadenius 2009) and within sub-Saharan Africa (Lindberg 2006, 2009) have a robust positive impact on democratization, tests in other regions have been less encouraging. In particular, negative empirical findings in Latin America (McCoy and Hartlyn 2009) and Postcommunist Europe (Kaya and Bernhard 2013) call into question whether the democratizing effect of elections is isolated to the sub-Saharan region. In addition, the hypothesis has been subject to conceptual criticism (Lust-Okar 2009). This paper poses a comprehensive and global set of tests on the democratizing effect of elections, assessing the scope of the argument both geographically and temporally. We test whether elections have a democratizing effect in specific regions, in specific time periods, and globally. In particular we assess whether the effects are largely confined to Africa, during the third wave, or if this is a more general phenomenon. We find consistent support that the reiteration of contested multiparty elections leads to the improvement of rule of law and the quality of civil rights protections.This research project was supported by Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, Grant M13-0559:1, PI: Staffan I. Lindberg, V- Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Sweden; by Swedish Research Council, PI: Staffan I. Lindberg, V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Sweden and Jan Teorell, Department of Political Science, Lund University, Sweden; by Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation to Wallenberg Academy Fellow Staffan I. Lindberg, V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Sweden; by University of Gothenburg, Grant E 2013/43; by Millennium Nucleus for the Study of Stateness and Democracy in Latin America (RS130002), and the University of Florida Foundation in support of the Miriam and Raymond Ehrlich Eminent Scholar Chair in Political Science