Forearm blood flow in individuals with CHF and age-matched healthy volunteers : a study and historical review

This study examined forearm blood flow (FBF) in individuals with chronic heart failure (CHF) at rest, moderate exercise, and following limb occlusion. FBF was measured by venous occlusion plethysmography in CHF patients (n = 43) and healthy age-matched volunteers (n = 8) at rest and during exercise consisting of intermittent isometric hand squeezing at 15, 30, and 45% of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). Peak vasodilatory capacity was also determined following the release of an occluding arm cuff. FBF was lower in CHF patients during exercise and during peak reactive hyperemia (PRH) compared to healthy volunteers, but there was no significant difference between groups at rest. Peak vasodilatory capacity was significantly higher in healthy volunteers than the CHF group ((30.6 ± 8.6 ml±100 mL^-1±min^-1 and 18.3 ± 6.9 ml±100 mL^-1±min^-1, respectively). Local blood flow stimulation in response to exercise or limb occlusion is reduced in individuals with CHF, however, there was no difference in resting flows between the two groups, suggesting vasodilatory medication may restore resting blood flow to healthy values.

Democracy building in post-Saddam Iraq : 'historical memory' and 'primitive democracy'

Iraq’s long and complex past has played a particularly poignant role in establishing and legitimating the various political movements that have ascended to power since the nation state was first created by the British in the early 1920s (Davis, 2005b). For example, the installed Hashemite monarchy that ruled Iraq until the 1958 revolution utilised their ancestral connection to the Prophet Muhammad to legitimate their claim of being the rightful legatees of the Arab lands, while later Saddam Hussein invoked the power of Iraq’s Mesopotamian past to build nationalism and unite the people against ancient enemies such as during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s.What is problematic about these examples of ‘historical memory’ in Iraq is that they have also been used to justify a series of autocratic and despotic regimes that have attempted to quash Iraq’s civil society and curtail any semblance of democratic reform. However, this paper argues that such ‘historical memories’ may well be useful in reinvigorating the Iraqi public sphere and enabling the transition from despotism to democracy. To do this, this paper focuses on the ancient Mesopotamian practise of ‘Primitive Democracy’ and argues that reinvigorating such histories may serve to legitimate and promote democratic governance within Iraq.

Historical data of Backwell IXL: a Geelong appliance, car component and foundry products manufacturer

The collection documents the history of the Geelong company, Backwell IXL, which commenced in 1858 (first trading under the name E. Backwell & Son) as a blacksmith's shop and stove maker and covers the growth of the business to an appliance, car component and foundry products manufacturer. This collection comprises records, accounts, photographs and product data sheets. It also includes the manuscript of the 'Memoirs of Albert Leslie Backwell', which contained a brief history of the company from the late 1850s to 1980s, including recollections of the management of the company from the early 1920s to the mid 1975s.

Social justice in Australian higher education policy : an historical and conceptual account of student participation

This article provides a synoptic account of historically changing conceptions and practices of social justice in Australian higher education policy. It maps the changes in this policy arena, beginning with the period following the Second World War and concluding with an analysis of the most recent policy proposals of the Bradley Review. Concurrently, it explores the different meanings ascribed to social justice, equity and social inclusion over this time span and what these have meant and will mean for students, particularly those from low socio-economic backgrounds. It concludes that a relational understanding of social justice – ‘recognitive justice’ – is yet to inform student equity policy in higher education, although this is now what is required in the context of the planned shift from mass to universal participation.

The role of the ord arid intrusion in the historical and contemporary genetic division of long-tailed finch subspecies in northern Australia

The effect of separation by biogeographic features followed by secondary contact can blur taxonomic boundaries and produce complex genetic signatures. We analyzed population structure and gene flow across the range of the long-tailed finch (Poephila acuticauda) in northern Australia (1) to test the hypothesis that Ord Arid Intrusion acted as the causative barrier that led to divergence of P. acuticauda subspecies, (2) to determine whether genetic data support the presence of a gradual cline across the range or a sudden shift, both of which have been suggested based on morphological data, and (3) to estimate levels of contemporary gene flow within this species complex. We collected samples from 302 individuals from 10 localities. Analyses of 12 microsatellite loci and sequence data from 333 base pairs of the mitochondrial control region were used to estimate population structure and gene flow, using analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), haplotype network analysis, frequency statistics, and clustering methods. Mitochondrial sequence data indicated the presence of three genetic groups (regions) across the range of P. acuticauda. Genetic diversity was highest in the east and lowest in the west. The Ord Arid Intrusion appears to have functioned as a biogeographic barrier in the past, according to mtDNA evidence presented here and evidence from previous studies. The absence of isolation by distance between adjacent regions and the lack of population genetic structure of mtDNA within regions indicates that genetic changes across the range of P. acuticauda subspecies are characterized by discrete breaks between regions. While microsatellite data indicate a complete absence of genetic structure across this species’ range, it appears unlikely that this results from high levels of gene flow. Mitochondrial data do not support the presence of contemporary gene flow across the range of this species.