Reproductive preferences and fertility trends in post-transition Thailand

Two large national surveys in 1988 and 1933 provide new evidence on trends in family-size preferences in Thailand at a time when the Thai fertility transition is reaching its conclusion. Although the average preferred number of children has continued to decline, a resistant lower bound of two children is found for the vast majority of respondents, stemming, apparently, from a pervasive, although not inflexible, desire to have one child of each sex. Moreover, new evidence from birth-registration data indicates that the decline in the total fertility rate appears to have leveled off at about replacement level. These findings challenge the view that fertility in Thailand will continue to fall well below replacement level, and contradict recently expressed alarmist predictions of population decline in the foreseeable future.     

The behaviour of consolidated Neapolitan yellow Tuff against salt weathering

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - Salt crystallization is a strong weathering agent in porous building materials. The crystallization pressure exerted by salt crystals, growing...     

Multifunctional TiO2 coatings for Cultural Heritage

Environmental pollution arising from industrial implants and urban factors is constantly increasing, causing aesthetical and durability concerns to urban structures exposed to the atmosphere.     

A comparison of administration procedures for the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure: Flowcharts versus pen switching.

The Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF) is commonly used to assess visuospatial skills, visuoconstruction, visual memory, and executive functioning. Two different methods are traditionally used to record the order in which the figure is drawn: the flowchart method and the pen-switching method. Although it has been suggested that pen switching may interfere with performance, to date no research has been conducted to assess whether ROCF performance significantly differs due to administration method. As part of routine neuropsychological evaluation, 100 inpatients and outpatients were randomly assigned to either method. Using the Boston Qualitative Scoring System and the traditional 36-point scoring method, the authors unexpectedly found that the pen-switching group generally performed better than the flowchart group, and productions drawn with pen switching were also significantly faster to score. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Caspases cleave focal adhesion kinase during apoptosis to generate a FRNK-like polypeptide

Focal adhesion kinase (Fak) is a non-receptor protein-tyrosine kinase that stimulates cell spreading and motility by promoting the formation of contact sites between the cell and the extracellular matrix (focal adhesions). It suppresses apoptosis by transducing survival signals that emanate from focal adhesions via the clustering of transmembrane integrins by components of the extracellular matrix. We demonstrate that Fak is cleaved by caspases at two distinct sites during apoptosis. The sites were mapped to DQTD772, which was preferentially cleaved by caspase-3, and VSWD704, which was preferentially cleaved by caspase-6 and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-derived granzyme B. The cleavage of Fak during apoptosis separates the tyrosine kinase domain from the focal adhesion targeting (FAT) domain. The carboxyl-terminal fragments that are generated suppress phosphorylation of endogenous Fak and thus resemble a natural variant of Fak, FRNK, that inhibits Fak activity by preventing the localization of Fak to focal adhesions. The cleavage of Fak by caspases may thus play an important role in the execution of the suicide program by disabling the anti-apoptotic function of Fak. Interestingly, rodent Fak lacks an optimal caspase-3 consensus cleavage site although it is cleaved in murine cells undergoing apoptosis at an upstream site. This appears to be the first example of a caspase substrate where the cleavage sites are not conserved between species.     

Carvedilol, a new beta adrenoreceptor blocker and free radical scavenger, attenuates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in hypercholesterolemic rabbits

Oxygen-derived free radicals play a critical role in atherogenesis and reperfusion injury. The present experiment evaluated the effects of carvedilol, a new beta adrenoreceptor blocker with potent free radical-scavenging activity, on myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury in a hypercholesterolemic rabbit model. New Zealand rabbits were fed a normal diet, a high-cholesterol diet, or a high-cholesterol diet supplemented with 1200 ppm carvedilol or propranolol. Eight weeks later, the rabbits were subjected to 60 min of myocardial ischemia followed by 60 min of reperfusion. The nontreated cholesterol-fed animals experienced greater cardiac damage after ischemia and reperfusion than rabbits fed a normal diet (necrosis 51% +/- 4% vs. 28% +/- 3% in the normal-diet group, P < .01). In addition, nontreated cholesterol-fed rabbits showed a significantly decreased vasorelaxant response to ACh in U-46619-precontracted aortic rings (56% +/- 5% vs 90% +/- 3% in the control group, P < .001). Treatment with propranolol neither preserved endothelial function after cholesterol feeding nor reduced neutrophil accumulation in ischemic-reperfused myocardial tissue. Propranolol treatment did significantly decrease HR, pressure-rate index and infarct size (necrosis 33% +/- 4%). Despite their having essentially identical effects on HR and pressure-rate index, carvedilol exerted more profound cardiac protective effects than propranolol (necrosis 19% +/- 3%). Moreover, carvedilol treatment significantly preserved aortic endothelial function and markedly reduced neutrophil accumulation in ischemic-reperfused myocardial tissue. These results indicate that in addition to its beta blocking activity, the antioxidant and endothelial protective activities of carvedilol contributed significantly to its cardiac protective effects after ischemia and reperfusion.     

Ambulatory phlebectomy. Literature review and personal experience

Outpatient varicose veins surgery, "Phlébectomie Ambulatoire" (FA) introduced by R. Muller in 1966, is now a widespread technique; modified by many authors with personal tips, FA enables most lower limb varicosities to be treated on an outpatient basis and under local anaesthesia. To achieve good functional results, an accurate preoperative diagnostic examination is mandatory; the authors present a review of the indications of FA and their personal experience. Precision in performing micro-incisions, accurate dissection of the varicosities in the subcutaneous tissue and an adequate postoperative elastic bandage guarantee good aesthetic results. At present the treatment of Saphena magna with FA is debated, but some authors have already reported encouraging results.     

Effective Guanidine‐Catalyzed Synthesis of Carbonate and Carbamate Derivatives from Propargyl Alcohols in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

The reactions of propargyl alcohols with carbon dioxide in supercritical carbon dioxide or in acetonitrile with gaseous carbon dioxide in the presence of organic bases as catalysts have been examined. Bicyclic guanidines are effective catalysts for the formation of α‐methylene cyclic carbonates under mild reaction conditions. Oxoalkyl carbonates, oxoalkyl carbamates or α‐methyleneoxazolidinones are obtained in high yields and good selectivities in one‐step starting from propargyl alcohols and an external nucleophile (alcohols or amines) using bicyclic guanidines as catalysts in supercritical carbon dioxide. Propargylic diols under the same reaction conditions underwent a rearrangement process instead of carbon dioxide insertion whereas in the presence of an external nucleophile the formation of oxocarbonates, oxocarbamates or cyclic carbamates was achieved in satisfactory yields.     

New insights on the consolidation of salt weathered limestone: the case study of Modica stone

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - The deterioration of a stone material is related to its pore structure, which affects the interaction between surface and environmental agents....     

国家空间生命:联邦和非联邦国家流域管理的地域结构战略行为及政治

流域管理(RBM)是一个迎接水资源短缺挑战、满足水资源日益增长需求的重要战略。然而,河流往往跨国和跨地区,包括国家、省、州,使得RBM需要广泛合作。地区间关于共享河流的合作将会受到不同政治制度的影响。因此,本研究探讨了地区间关于共享流域水资源的合作和协商模式下的RBM战略的成败与否,受到某特定国家(无论是联邦制还是单一制)权力的领土划分的影响。该项目涉及到环境科学、政治学、经济学等多个学科,同时对比了RBM在美国和印度两个联邦制国家以及中国和法国两个非联邦制国家的案例。该项目旨在提高对地缘政治和自然资源管理的理论认识,同时为提高中国等国家实行流域管理和水资源综合管理的能力提供科学依据与政策建议。