Sugar, Steam and Steel: The Industrial Project in Colonial Java, 1830-1850

Sugar, Steam and Steel is about cane sugar and the transformation of an Indonesian island into the â Oriental Cubaâ during the middle decades of the nineteenth century. Between the 1830s and the 1880s, sweetener manufacture in Dutch-controlled Java â the crown jewel of the erstwhile Netherlands Indies â drew decisively away in matters of technology and sugar science from other Asian centres of production which had once equaled or, more often, surpassed it in terms of both output and know-how. Along with its larger and altogether more famous Caribbean counterpart, Javaâ s industry came to occupy a position at the apex of the trade in what had become by this date a key global commodity

Sugar, Steam and Steel: The Industrial Project in Colonial Java, 1830-1850

Sugar, Steam and Steel is about cane sugar and the transformation of an Indonesian island into the â Oriental Cubaâ during the middle decades of the nineteenth century. Between the 1830s and the 1880s, sweetener manufacture in Dutch-controlled Java â the crown jewel of the erstwhile Netherlands Indies â drew decisively away in matters of technology and sugar science from other Asian centres of production which had once equaled or, more often, surpassed it in terms of both output and know-how. Along with its larger and altogether more famous Caribbean counterpart, Javaâ s industry came to occupy a position at the apex of the trade in what had become by this date a key global commodity

An ‘Indies’ Couple: Colonial Communities and Issues Surrounding Identity in the Dutch East Indies, ca. 1890-1930s

The life-stories of two individuals – the married couple Johanna Bezoet de Bie and Alexander MacNeill – provide the context for discussion of segments of the upper strata of the Dutch creole communities in the Dutch East Indies/Colonial Indonesia around the turn of the twentieth century. In particular, it focuses on the characteristic pervasiveness of regular family formation and sociability among people established there, in some cases, over several generations. In addition to its exploitation of recently digitalised materials relating to family history, the reconstruction attempted here also makes extensive use of the visual record, in a context in which the agency of the photograph is much to the fore. The argument turns, however, on the extent to which the couple in question sought to differentiate – even distance – themselves from the extensively referenced Indisch environment in which they were located, and in so doing underscores the complexity and fluidity of diasporic identities.L’histoire des vies de deux individus ‒ le couple marié Johanna Bezoet de Bie et Alexander MacNeill ‒ fournissent le contexte d’une réflexion sur des segments des couches supérieures des communautés créoles néerlandaises aux Indes orientales néerlandaises (l’Indonésie coloniale) au tournant du XXe siècle. L’article souligne en particulier l’omniprésence caractéristique de la formation régulière de la famille et de la sociabilité des personnes établies aux Indes, dans certains cas sur plusieurs générations. Outre l’exploitation de matériaux récemment numérisés relatifs à l’histoire de la famille, la reconstruction tentée ici fait également largement appel aux archives visuelles, dans un contexte où l’agence de la photographie est très présente. L’argument porte cependant sur la mesure dans laquelle le couple en question a cherché à se différencier ‒ voire à se distancier ‒ de l’environnement « indien » largement référencé dans lequel il se trouvait, et souligne ainsi la complexité et la fluidité des identités diasporiques

Detection of Crab Giant Pulses Using the Mileura Widefield Array Low Frequency Demonstrator Field Prototype System

We report on the detection of giant pulses from the Crab Nebula pulsar at a frequency of 200 MHz using the field deployment system designed for the Mileura Widefield Array's Low Frequency Demonstrator (MWA-LFD). Our observations are among the first high-quality detections at such low frequencies. The measured pulse shapes are deconvolved for interstellar pulse broadening, yielding a pulse-broadening time of 670$\pm$100 $\mu$s, and the implied strength of scattering (scattering measure) is the lowest that is estimated towards the Crab nebula from observations made so far. The sensitivity of the system is largely dictated by the sky background, and our simple equipment is capable of detecting pulses that are brighter than $\sim$9 kJy in amplitude. The brightest giant pulse detected in our data has a peak amplitude of $\sim$50 kJy, and the implied brightness temperature is $10^{31.6}$ K. We discuss the giant pulse detection prospects with the full MWA-LFD system. With a sensitivity over two orders of magnitude larger than the prototype equipment, the full system will be capable of detecting such bright giant pulses out to a wide range of Galactic distances; from $\sim$8 to $\sim$30 kpc depending on the frequency. The MWA-LFD will thus be a highly promising instrument for the studies of giant pulses and other fast radio transients at low frequencies.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

What Makes People Anxious About Life after the Age of 65?- Evidence from International Survey Research in Japan, the United States, and China

In order to respond to the social security needs of an increasingly aged population, many governments with limited budgets are required to focus available resources on the direct causes of people's anxieties about aging. This study investigated the causes of people's anxieties about life after the age of 65 using household data from countries with different social contexts: Japan, the United States, and China. This research uncovered three major findings. First, the speed of population aging does not always make people anxious about life at an older age. Second, high financial status effectively lessens people's levels of anxiety about their older years in Japan and the United States. Third, living with a child does not necessarily lessen people's concern about life after 65

Pleurotomariacea, Portlockiellidae, Phymatopleuridae, and Eotomariidae

p. 157-246, [11] p. of plates : ill. ; 27 cm.Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia Univeristy.Includes bibliographical references (p. 245-246)."The development of a mass etching program for the recovery of silicified fossils from Permian limestone of west Texas has resulted in the accumulation of a large number of fossil gastropods and has made possible the present systematic study of the pleurotomarian gastropods. Most of the collections used herein were made by, or under the direction of, G. Arthur Cooper, Norman D. Newell, and J. Brookes Knight. These collections were obtained from the Wolfcamp, Leonard, and Word formations of the Glass Mountains of Texas and from the Hueco, Bone Spring, and Cherry Canyon formations of the Sierra Diablo and Guadalupe Mountain region. Comments on stratigraphy are made for the orientation of the reader. Little original stratigraphic work has been done, except to verify or corroborate correlations based on other fossil groups. A few of the paleoecological relationships are discussed, with particular emphasis on molluscan assemblages in the Glass Mountains. An instance is cited of a relationship between a Heliospongia and Glyptotomaria (Glyptotomaria) marginata. Statistical methods used include those based on univariate analysis and on allometric growth line comparisons. This latter type of analysis is based on the relative growth line, as estimated by the reduced major axis. Discrimination was based, in part, on a comparison of slope and position differences of the relative growth line between samples. Studies of the logarithmic spiral show that it can be useful in the study of pleurotomarians and may be treated statistically. The value of the logarithmic spiral formula as a discriminatory character must be weighed against the time and labor required in its derivation. Gross measurements of the spiral, such as the use of suture ratios, tend to reduce expenditure of time, but they also reduce accuracy. Some of the directional and non-directional variations within species and genera are noted. This study attempts to show some aspects of pleurotomarian speciation during the Permian. These are particularly well illustrated in the genus Tapinotomaria. Studies of population structure made it possible to understand some of the changes thought to be responsible for most speciation in the families studied. Emphasis is placed on ontogenetic growth characters. The bulk of this paper is devoted to an analysis and description of the rich and heretofore unknown Permian pleurotomarian faunules. The general increase in knowledge about Permian representatives of the superfamily Pleurotomariacea is briefly discussed. Two families, Portlockiellidae and Phymatopleuridae, are diagnosed and discussed. The family Eotomariidae Wenz, 1938, is redefined and expanded. Thirteen genera are discussed herein: Lamellospira and Lacunospira are new; Eirlysia, Tapinotomaria, Discotomaria, Callitomaria, and Shwedagonia are discussed for the first time (see Batten, 1956). Tapinotomaria and Shwedagonia have been discussed at some length because of their interesting evolutionary developments. Five previously described genera are also included, Euconospira, Spiroscala, and Glyptotomaria are redefined; Phymatopleura and Paragoniozona are discussed. A total of 32 species are included, 28 of which are new and named"--P. 159

Detection of Crab Giant Pulses Using the Mileura Widefield Array Low Frequency Demonstrator Field Prototype System

We report on the detection of giant pulses from the Crab Nebula pulsar at a frequency of 200 MHz using the field deployment system designed for the Mileura Widefield Array's Low Frequency Demonstrator (MWA-LFD). Our observations are among the first high-quality detections at such low frequencies. The measured pulse shapes are deconvolved for interstellar pulse broadening, yielding a pulse-broadening time of 670 ± 100 μs, and the implied strength of scattering (scattering measure) is the lowest that is estimated toward the Crab Nebula from observations made so far. The sensitivity of the system is largely dictated by the sky background, and our simple equipment is capable of detecting pulses that are brighter than ∼9 kJy in amplitude. The brightest giant pulse detected in our data has a peak amplitude of ∼50 kJy, and the implied brightness temperature is 10 31.6 K. We discuss the giant pulse detection prospects with the full MWA-LFD system. With a sensitivity over 2 orders of magnitude larger than the prototype equipment, the full system will be capable of detecting such bright giant pulses out to a wide range of Galactic distances; from ∼ 15 to ∼30 kpc depending on the frequency. The MWA-LFD will thus be a highly promising instrument for the studies of giant pulses and other fast radio transients at low frequencies

An inverse association between ovarian cysts and breast cancer in the Breast Cancer Family Registry

Ovarian cysts of several types are common in women of reproductive age. Their etiology is not well understood but is likely related to perturbations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. The relationship of ovarian cysts to breast cancer risk is not known, although a negative association with polycystic ovarian syndrome has been reported. Incident, invasive female breast cancer cases, population-based controls and unaffected sisters of cases were studied from 3 countries participating in the Breast Cancer Family Registry: Melbourne and Sydney, Australia; the San Francisco Bay Area, USA; and Ontario, Canada. Using the same questionnaire, information was collected on self-reported history of ovarian cysts and other risk factors. Analyses were based on 3,049 cases, 2,344 population controls and 1,934 sister controls from all sites combined. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using both unconditional and conditional logistic regression using an offset term to account for sampling fractions at 2 of the sites. A significantly reduced risk of breast cancer was observed for women reporting a history of ovarian cysts (OR 5 0.70, 95% CI 0.59-0.82, among all cases and all controls). This risk estimate was similar regardless of control group used, within all 3 sites and in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women (ORs ranging from 0.68-0.75, all 95% CI excluded 1.00). A self-reported history of ovarian cysts was strongly and consistently associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer. Further study of ovarian cysts may increase our understanding of hormonal and other mechanisms of breast cancer etiology. ' 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc

Accuracy of Risk Estimates from the iPrevent Breast Cancer Risk Assessment and Management Tool.

BACKGROUND: iPrevent is an online breast cancer (BC) risk management decision support tool. It uses an internal switching algorithm, based on a woman's risk factor data, to estimate her absolute BC risk using either the International Breast Cancer Intervention Study (IBIS) version 7.02, or Breast and Ovarian Analysis of Disease Incidence and Carrier Estimation Algorithm version 3 models, and then provides tailored risk management information. This study assessed the accuracy of the 10-year risk estimates using prospective data. METHODS: iPrevent-assigned 10-year invasive BC risk was calculated for 15 732 women aged 20-70 years and without BC at recruitment to the Prospective Family Study Cohort. Calibration, the ratio of the expected (E) number of BCs to the observed (O) number and discriminatory accuracy were assessed. RESULTS: During the 10 years of follow-up, 619 women (3.9%) developed BC compared with 702 expected (E/O = 1.13; 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.05 to 1.23). For women younger than 50 years, 50 years and older, and BRCA1/2-mutation carriers and noncarriers, E/O was 1.04 (95% CI = 0.93 to 1.16), 1.24 (95% CI = 1.11 to 1.39), 1.13 (95% CI = 0.96 to 1.34), and 1.13 (95% CI = 1.04 to 1.24), respectively. The C-statistic was 0.70 (95% CI = 0.68 to 0.73) overall and 0.74 (95% CI = 0.71 to 0.77), 0.63 (95% CI = 0.59 to 0.66), 0.59 (95% CI = 0.53 to 0.64), and 0.65 (95% CI = 0.63 to 0.68), respectively, for the subgroups above. Applying the newer IBIS version 8.0b in the iPrevent switching algorithm improved calibration overall (E/O = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.98 to 1.15) and in all subgroups, without changing discriminatory accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: For 10-year BC risk, iPrevent had good discriminatory accuracy overall and was well calibrated for women aged younger than 50 years. Calibration may be improved in the future by incorporating IBIS version 8.0b

Parent-of-origin-specific allelic associations among 106 genomic loci for age at menarche.

Age at menarche is a marker of timing of puberty in females. It varies widely between individuals, is a heritable trait and is associated with risks for obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and all-cause mortality. Studies of rare human disorders of puberty and animal models point to a complex hypothalamic-pituitary-hormonal regulation, but the mechanisms that determine pubertal timing and underlie its links to disease risk remain unclear. Here, using genome-wide and custom-genotyping arrays in up to 182,416 women of European descent from 57 studies, we found robust evidence (P < 5 × 10(-8)) for 123 signals at 106 genomic loci associated with age at menarche. Many loci were associated with other pubertal traits in both sexes, and there was substantial overlap with genes implicated in body mass index and various diseases, including rare disorders of puberty. Menarche signals were enriched in imprinted regions, with three loci (DLK1-WDR25, MKRN3-MAGEL2 and KCNK9) demonstrating parent-of-origin-specific associations concordant with known parental expression patterns. Pathway analyses implicated nuclear hormone receptors, particularly retinoic acid and γ-aminobutyric acid-B2 receptor signalling, among novel mechanisms that regulate pubertal timing in humans. Our findings suggest a genetic architecture involving at least hundreds of common variants in the coordinated timing of the pubertal transition