Between Entrenchment, Reform and Transformation : Ethnicity and Lebanon’s Consociational Democracy

Peer reviewed

Motor complications in an incident Parkinson’s disease cohort

Funded by •Parkinson's UK •Scottish Chief Scientist Office •BMA Doris Hillier Award •RS Macdonald Trust •BUPA Foundation •NHS Grampian Endowments •SPRING •National Institute of Health Research, and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Between Entrenchment, Reform and Transformation : Ethnicity and Lebanon’s Consociational Democracy

Peer reviewed

Young students' use of the internet for mental health information and support

It is recognized that young people experience difficulties in accessing mainstream mental health services particularly because of the stigma that remains associated with mental health problems. One potential solution is to use the many websites available offering information and support for mental health problems, such support and information could be offered by Psychiatric Nurses. However, young peoples' usage and views on using the Internet for this purpose has yet to be examined. This quantitative descriptive study aimed to elicit the views of 922 University students, aged between 18 and 24 years, on using the Internet for mental health information and support. Data were collected using a 30-item self-designed questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics. The findings indicated that 72.4% of participants used the Internet several times a day. In addition, 30.8% had previously searched for mental health information online, predominantly on depression. While it was found that 68% of participants indicated that they would use the Internet for mental health support if they needed to, 79.4% would still prefer face to face support. It is concluded that young people are willing to use the Internet for mental health information and that it represents a viable source of support for this age group.

Table 1. Tree growth index and reconstructed precipitation series from 515 BC to AD 1993 based on the archaeological and living tree ring datasets from Dulan and Shenge, China

Annual precipitation for the last 2,500 years was reconstructed for northeastern Qinghai from living and archaeological juniper trees. A dominant feature of the precipitation of this area is a high degree of variability in mean rainfall at annual, decadal, and centennial scales, with many wet and dry periods that are corroborated by other paleoclimatic indicators. Reconstructed values of annual precipitation vary mostly from 100 to 300 mm and thus are no different from the modern instrumental record in Dulan. However, relatively dry years with below-average precipitation occurred more frequently in the past than in the present. Periods of relatively dry years occurred during 74-25 BC, AD 51-375, 426-500, 526-575, 626-700, 1100-1225, 1251-1325, 1451-1525, 1651-1750 and 1801-1825. Periods with a relatively wet climate occurred during AD 376-425, 576-625, 951-1050, 1351-1375, 1551-1600 and the present. This variability is probably related to latitudinal positions of winter frontal storms. Another key feature of precipitation in this area is an apparently direct relationship between interannual variability in rainfall with temperature, whereby increased warming in the future might lead to increased flooding and droughts. Such increased climatic variability might then impact human societies of the area, much as the climate has done for the past 2,500 years.

Seasonal variations in surface metabolite composition of Fucus vesiculosus and Fucus serratus sampled at outer Kiel Fjord (August 2012 - July 2013)

The chemical composition of surface associated metabolites of two Fucus species (Fucus vesiculosus and Fucus serratus) was analysed by means of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to describe temporal patterns in chemical surface composition. Method: The two perennial brown macroalgae F. vesiculosus and F. serratus were sampled monthly at Bülk, outer Kiel Fjord, Germany (54°27'21 N / 10°11'57 E) over an entire year (August 2012 - July 2013). Per month and species six non-fertile Fucus individuals were collected from mixed stands at a depth of 0.5 m under mid water level. For surface extraction approx. 50 g of the upper 5-10 cm apical thalli tips were cut off per species. The surface extraction of Fucus was performed according to the protocol of de Nys and co-workers (1998) with minor modifications (see Rickert et al. 2015). GC/EI-MS measurements were performed with a Waters GCT premier (Waters, Manchester, UK) coupled to an Agilent 6890N GC equipped with a DB-5 ms 30 m column (0.25 mm internal diameter, 0.25 mM film thickness, Agilent, USA). The inlet temperature was maintained at 250°C and samples were injected in split 10 mode. He carrier gas flow was adjusted to 1 ml min-1. Alkanes were used for referencing of retention times. For further details (GC-MS sample preparation and analysis) see the related publication (Rickert et al. submitted to PLOS ONE).

“Esto es lo que me gusta y lo que voy a estudiar”: Un estudio cualitativo sobre la toma de decisiones académicas en bachillerato

Durante la educación secundaria los estudiantes comienzan a explorar las ocupaciones y expectativas profesionales, forman sus creencias de autoeficacia y consolidan sus intereses académicos. En este contexto, el artículo presenta los resultados de una investigación realizada en el Principado de Asturias para conocer las percepciones y opiniones que tienen los estudiantes de bachillerato y sus progenitores sobre las elecciones académicas realizadas en la educación secundaria, haciendo especial hincapié en los factores contextuales que pueden ayudar u obstaculizar el desarrollo de la carrera. Se ha usado una metodología cualitativa fundamentada en el uso de la técnica del grupo de discusión. Se han organizado cinco grupos de discusión con estudiantes y dos grupos con progenitores. El total de personas que participó en las entrevistas focales fue de 51 estudiantes y de 14 padres/madres. Los resultados obtenidos nos permiten concluir que el bachillerato sigue siendo considerado la puerta de acceso a la universidad y no a la formación profesional de grado superior. También se concluye que los estudiantes fundamentan sus decisiones académicas sobre la base de la preferencia y gusto personal por determinada opciones y esta razón prevalece sobre otras como las salidas profesionales o el rendimiento académico previo. Respecto a la influencia de distintos agentes sociales en el proceso de decisión académica, los resultados son concluyentes al afirmar que el principal apoyo de los estudiantes son sus progenitores, por encima del que perciben encontrar de docentes y grupo de iguales. El artículo finaliza con algunas sugerencias para mejorar la práctica de la orientación educativa en las instituciones de educación secundaria.

Alleles that increase risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus are not associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease

Although epidemiological studies suggest that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) increases the risk of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD), the biological basis of this relationship is not well understood. The aim of this study was to examine the genetic comorbidity between the 2 disorders and to investigate whether genetic liability to T2DM, estimated by a genotype risk scores based on T2DM associated loci, is associated with increased risk of LOAD. This study was performed in 2 stages. In stage 1, we combined genotypes for the top 15 T2DM-associated polymorphisms drawn from approximately 3000 individuals (1349 cases and 1351 control subjects) with extracted and/or imputed data from 6 genome-wide studies (>10,000 individuals; 4507 cases, 2183 controls, 4989 population controls) to form a genotype risk score and examined if this was associated with increased LOAD risk in a combined meta-analysis. In stage 2, we investigated the association of LOAD with an expanded T2DM score made of 45 well-established variants drawn from the 6 genome-wide studies. Results were combined in a meta-analysis. Both stage 1 and stage 2 T2DM risk scores were not associated with LOAD risk (odds ratio = 0.988; 95% confidence interval, 0.972-1.004; p = 0.144 and odds ratio = 0.993; 95% confidence interval, 0.983-1.003; p = 0.149 per allele, respectively). Contrary to expectation, genotype risk scores based on established T2DM candidates were not associated with increased risk of LOAD. The observed epidemiological associations between T2DM and LOAD could therefore be a consequence of secondary disease processes, pleiotropic mechanisms, and/or common environmental risk factors. Future work should focus on well-characterized longitudinal cohorts with extensive phenotypic and genetic data relevant to both LOAD and T2DM.

Comparison of prophylactic and therapeutic use of short-chain fatty acid enemas in diversion colitis: a study in Wistar rats

OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of short-chain fatty-acids on atrophy and inflammation of excluded colonic segments before and after the development of diversion colitis. INTRODUCTION: Diversion colitis is a chronic inflammatory process affecting the dysfunctional colon, possibly evolving with mucous and blood discharge. The most favored hypotheses to explain its development is short-chain fatty-acid deficiency in the colon lumen. METHODS: Wistar rats were submitted to colostomy with distal colon exclusion. Two control groups (A1 and B1) received rectally administered physiological saline, whereas two experimental groups (A2 and B2) received rectally administered short-chain fatty-acids. The A groups were prophylactically treated (5th to 40th days postoperatively), whereas the B groups were therapeutically treated (after post-operative day 40). The mucosal thickness of the excluded colon was measured histologically. The inflammatory reaction of the mucosal lamina propria and the lymphoid tissue response were quantified through established scores. RESULTS: There was a significant thickness recovery of the colonic mucosa in group B2 animals (p = 0.0001), which also exhibited a significant reduction in the number of eosinophilic polymorphonuclear cells in the lamina propria (p = 0.0126) and in the intestinal lumen (p = 0.0256). Group A2 showed no mucosal thickness recovery and significant increases in the numbers of lymphocytes (p = 0.0006) and eosinophilic polymorphonuclear cells in the lamina propria of the mucosa (p = 0.0022). CONCLUSION: Therapeutic use of short-chain fatty-acids significantly reduced eosinophilic polymorphonuclear cell numbers in the intestinal wall and in the colonic lumen; it also reversed the atrophy of the colonic mucosa. Prophylactic use did not impede the development of mucosal atrophy

Ordering induced by chemical, thermal and mechanical constraints at solid interfaces

We know that classical thermodynamics even out of equilibrium always leads to stable situation which means degradation and consequently d sorder. Many experimental evidences in different fields show that gradation and order (symmetry breaking) during time and space evolution may appear when maintaining the system far from equilibrium. Order through fluctuations, stochastic processes which occur around critical points and dissipative structures are the fundamental background of the Prigogine-Glansdorff and Nicolis theory. The thermodynamics of macroscopic fluctuations to stochastic approach as well as the kinetic deterministic laws allow a better understanding of the peculiar fascinating behavior of organized matter. The reason for the occurence of this situation is directly related to intrinsic non linearities of the different mechanisms responsible for the evolution of the system. Moreover, when dealing with interfaces separating two immiscible phases (liquid - gas, liquid -liquid, liquid - solid, solid - solid), the situation is rather more complicated. Indeed coupling terms playing the major role in the conditions of instability arise from the peculiar singular static and dynamic properties of the surface and of its vicinity. In other words, the non linearities are not only intrinsic to classical steps involving feedbacks, but they may be imbedded with the non-autonomous character of the surface properties. In order to illustrate our goal we discuss three examples of ordering in far from equilibrium conditions: i) formation of chemical structures during the oxidation of metals and alloys; ii) formation of mechanical structures during the oxidation of metals iii) formation of patterns at a solid-liquid moving interface due to supercooling condition in a melt of alloy. © 1984, Walter de Gruyter. All rights reserved.

Comparison of prophylactic and therapeutic use of short-chain fatty acid enemas in diversion colitis: a study in Wistar rats

OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of short-chain fatty-acids on atrophy and inflammation of excluded colonic segments before and after the development of diversion colitis. INTRODUCTION: Diversion colitis is a chronic inflammatory process affecting the dysfunctional colon, possibly evolving with mucous and blood discharge. The most favored hypotheses to explain its development is short-chain fatty-acid deficiency in the colon lumen. METHODS: Wistar rats were submitted to colostomy with distal colon exclusion. Two control groups (A1 and B1) received rectally administered physiological saline, whereas two experimental groups (A2 and B2) received rectally administered short-chain fatty-acids. The A groups were prophylactically treated (5th to 40th days postoperatively), whereas the B groups were therapeutically treated (after post-operative day 40). The mucosal thickness of the excluded colon was measured histologically. The inflammatory reaction of the mucosal lamina propria and the lymphoid tissue response were quantified through established scores. RESULTS: There was a significant thickness recovery of the colonic mucosa in group B2 animals (p = 0.0001), which also exhibited a significant reduction in the number of eosinophilic polymorphonuclear cells in the lamina propria (p = 0.0126) and in the intestinal lumen (p = 0.0256). Group A2 showed no mucosal thickness recovery and significant increases in the numbers of lymphocytes (p = 0.0006) and eosinophilic polymorphonuclear cells in the lamina propria of the mucosa (p = 0.0022). CONCLUSION: Therapeutic use of short-chain fatty-acids significantly reduced eosinophilic polymorphonuclear cell numbers in the intestinal wall and in the colonic lumen; it also reversed the atrophy of the colonic mucosa. Prophylactic use did not impede the development of mucosal atrophy

European Cosmopolitanism and Civil Society

The discussion of European cosmopolitanism and civil society has failed to take questions of culture seriously enough. While remaining sympathetic to liberal forms of cosmopolitanism, this article considers the view that such proposals fail to make space for the 'Other'. In the context of histories of nationalist violence, masculinism and consumerism this article discusses the charge that ideas of European civilization need to be reconsidered. In the final part of the article, I discuss the view that cultural feminism and certain versions of multiculturalism have much to contribute towards the European project. However, at this point, I seek to distance myself from essentialist arguments in respect of identity. A generative European cosmopolitanism would do well to take questions of cultural domination seriously without reducing the complexity of modern identities.

Modeling the impact of social discrimination on the physical and mental health of portuguese gay, lesbian and bisexual people

Background: Despite growing acceptance of same-sex sexuality in Portugal, identity development of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals is still restricted by negative societal attitudes, which maintain the experience of stigmatization and discrimination. The purpose of this study is to document the frequency of discriminatory events experienced by sexual minorities and their association with indicators of physical and mental health in Portugal. Methods: A total of 610 LGB participants completed an online survey (mean age = 34.48, SD = 11.54). Most participants were single and self-identified as gay (73.8%). The survey included five categories of survey items: demographic information, social support, physical health, mental health, and discrimination experiences. Results: Physical and mental health results revealed that bisexual people were more likely to report higher levels of psychological distress than gay men. Overall, between one-fifth and one-fourth of the participants in this sample frequently felt the need to hide their sexual orientation to prevent discrimination experiences across the different settings. Regarding actual discrimination experiences, close to 20% reported having suffered from verbal abuse, followed by close to 10% who suffered from written threats, harassment, and physical threats. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to assess the effects of anticipated and actual discrimination on mental health. Possible confounding variables were added in the first block – age, sexual orientation, being in a relationship, body mass index, and HIV status. Anticipated and actual discrimination experiences were added in the second block. The first block of the analysis explained 6% of the overall variance, while the second block – discrimination experiences – explained an additional 17%. Conclusion: Portuguese culture and stigma/discrimination create discriminatory experiences which impact LGB people’s health. Unless policies are changed to allow for the acceptance of LGB people, they will continue to experience violence and discrimination as a result of homophobia.