The Shift of Western Power in the Anglo-American Relationship as Examined through the Military Events of World War II

How did the authority within the Anglo-American Alliance begin to shift toward the American domination that ruled the second half of the twentieth century? By examining the events of World War II, this thesis restructures the typical timeline with which historians have approached the dynamic of authority in the Anglo-American Relationship. Many historians claim that America was the perceived senior partner by 1941; however, this thesis demonstrates that by examining things from a military lens, that date must change. The British continued to operate under the intention of maintaining their global authority through 1945 and even into 1946. The thesis utilizes the events of the Dieppe Raid, Operation Overlord, and Operation Market Garden, while also briefly discussing other military movements, such as Operation Torch and Operation Anvil, to illustrate the shift in three key vectors of authority: broader strategy, operational command, and force structure

Poverty, Partner Discord, and Divergent Accounts; A Mixed Methods Account of Births before Arrival to Health Facilities in Morogoro Region, Tanzania.

Births before arrival (BBA) to health care facilities are associated with higher rates of perinatal morbidity and mortality compared to facility deliveries or planned home births. Research on such births has been conducted in several high-income countries, but there are almost no studies from low-income settings where a majority of maternal and newborn deaths occur. Drawing on a household survey of women and in-depth interviews with women and their partners, we examined the experience of BBA in rural districts of Morogoro Region, Tanzania. Among survey respondents, 59 births (4 %) were classified as BBAs. Most of these births occurred in the presence of a family member (47 %) or traditional birth attendant (24 %). Low socioeconomic status was the strongest predictor of BBA. After controlling for wealth via matching, high parity and a low number of antenatal care (ANC) visits retained statistical significance. While these variables are useful indicators of which women are at greater risk of BBA, their predictive power is limited in a context where many women are poor, multiparous, and make multiple ANC visits. In qualitative interviews, stories of BBAs included themes of partner disagreement regarding when to depart for facilities and financial or logistical constraints that underpinned departure delays. Women described wanting to depart earlier to facilities than partners. As efforts continue to promote facility birth, we highlight the financial demands associated with facility delivery and the potential for these demands to place women at a heightened risk for BBAs

The Effects of Cocaine on Different Redox Forms of Cysteine and Homocysteine, and on Labile, Reduced Sulfur in the Rat Plasma Following Active versus Passive Drug Injections

Received: 28 November 2012 / Revised: 19 April 2013 / Accepted: 6 May 2013 / Published online: 16 May 2013 The Author(s) 2013. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.comThe aim of the present studies was to evaluate cocaine-induced changes in the concentrations of different redox forms of cysteine (Cys) and homocysteine (Hcy), and products of anaerobic Cys metabolism, i.e., labile, reduced sulfur (LS) in the rat plasma. The above-mentioned parameters were determined after i.p. acute and subchronic cocaine treatment as well as following i.v. cocaine self-administration using the yoked procedure. Additionally, Cys, Hcy, and LS levels were measured during the 10-day extinction training in rats that underwent i.v. cocaine administration. Acute i.p. cocaine treatment increased the total and protein-bound Hcy contents, decreased LS, and did not change the concentrations of Cys fractions in the rat plasma. In turn, subchronic i.p. cocaine administration significantly increased free Hcy and lowered the total and protein-bound Cys concentrations while LS level was unchanged. Cocaine self-administration enhanced the total and protein-bound Hcy levels, decreased LS content, and did not affect the Cys fractions. On the other hand, yoked cocaine infusions did not alter the concentration of Hcy fractions while decreased the total and protein-bound Cys and LS content. This extinction training resulted in the lack of changes in the examined parameters in rats with a history of cocaine self-administration while in the yoked cocaine group an increase in the plasma free Cys fraction and LS was seen. Our results demonstrate for the first time that cocaine does evoke significant changes in homeostasis of thiol amino acids Cys and Hcy, and in some products of anaerobic Cys metabolism, which are dependent on the way of cocaine administration

Self-DNA Early Exposure in Cultivated and Weedy Setaria Triggers ROS Degradation Signaling Pathways and Root Growth Inhibition

The accumulation of fragmented extracellular DNA reduces conspecific seed germination and plantlet growth in a concentration-dependent manner. This self-DNA inhibition was repeatedly reported, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully clarified. We investigated the species-specificity of self-DNA inhibition in cultivated vs. weed congeneric species (respectively, Setaria italica and S. pumila) and carried out a targeted real-time qPCR analysis under the hypothesis that self-DNA elicits molecular pathways that are responsive to abiotic stressors. The results of a cross-factorial experiment on root elongation of seedlings exposed to self-DNA, congeneric DNA, and heterospecific DNA from Brassica napus and Salmon salar confirmed a significantly higher inhibition by self-DNA as compared to non-self-treatments, with the latter showing a magnitude of the effect consistent with the phylogenetic distance between the DNA source and the target species. Targeted gene expression analysis highlighted an early activation of genes involved in ROS degradation and management (FSD2, ALDH22A1, CSD3, MPK17), as well as deactivation of scaffolding molecules acting as negative regulators of stress signaling pathways (WD40-155). While being the first exploration of early response to self-DNA inhibition at molecular level on C4 model plants, our study highlights the need for further investigation of the relationships between DNA exposure and stress signaling pathways by discussing potential applications for species-specific weed control in agriculture

evaluation of botulinum toxin therapy of spastic equinus in paediatric patients with cerebral palsy

Objective: To develop a clinical and instrumental protocol to assess the postural and dynamic effects following treatment with botulinum neurotoxin A in children with cerebral palsy affected by spastic equinus. Design: Open study, in which every patient served as his or her own control. Patients: Ten sequential children with cerebral palsy and spastic dynamic equinus foot. Methods: Botulinum neurotoxin A was injected in the gastrocnemius, soleus and tibialis posterior muscles. The main measures were: pedobarometry, dynamic surface electromyography, video gait analysis scale, and the modified As hworth Scale. Results: After treatment with botulinum neurotoxin A, pedobarometric evaluation revealed a significant change in all parameters, including a decrease in the modified Ashworth Scale and an increase in the range of motion. All children showed significant improvement in initial foot contact, as documented by the video gait analysis scale. The calf muscle electromyography pattern showed a decrease in co-contraction during gait in all children. These modifications were sta tistically significant for all parameters considered ( p < 0.05). Conclusion: This pilot study suggests that dynamic electr

Impact of the free-pelvis innovation in very rigid braces for adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis: short-term results of a matched case-control study

We introduced pelvis semi-rigid material (ethylene vinyl acetate) (Free-Pelvis) to improve the comfort and adaptability of very rigid braces (VRBs) for adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), but this can also negatively impact the corrective forces on the trunk. Study Design: This was a matched retrospective cohort study. The inclusion criteria were AIS, age 10–16, VRB 23 h/day, x-rays available, primary curve 36°–65°, and angle of trunk rotation 7–23°. The cases were Sforzesco VRB with Free-Pelvis (FPB). The controls included classical Sforzesco VRB matched for Risser (range 0/4), menarche age (10/15), weight (33.5/83 kg), height (140/180 cm), BMI (13.5/29 kg/sqm), aesthetics (TRACE 4/12), plumbline distances (S1: −60/35; C7+L3: −10/115 mm), and referred brace use (22/24 h/day). Statistics: predictors of the results have been tested with linear and logistic regression according to the outcome variable type. We performed logistic regression for improved vs. worsened. The explanatory variable was brace type. We included 777 VRB and 25 FPB, age 13 ± 1, 47° ± 8° Cobb, and 11% men. The few baseline statistical differences were not clinically relevant. We achieved in-brace corrections of 15.2° ± 7.7° and 17.4° ± 6.5° for VRB and FPB, respectively (p = 0.21); out-of-brace corrections at 5 ± 2 months were 7.8° ± 0.2° for VRB and 8.1° ± 1.3° for FPB (p = 0.83). The type of brace did not influence the Cobb angle at either time interval or affect the odds of im-provement. Free-Pelvis innovation, introduced to improve comfort and adaptability, does not change the in-brace or short-term results of classical VRB and consequently can be safely applied

Impact of the free-pelvis innovation in very rigid braces for adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis: short-term results of a matched case-control study

We introduced pelvis semi-rigid material (ethylene vinyl acetate) (Free-Pelvis) to improve the comfort and adaptability of very rigid braces (VRBs) for adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), but this can also negatively impact the corrective forces on the trunk. Study Design: This was a matched retrospective cohort study. The inclusion criteria were AIS, age 10–16, VRB 23 h/day, x-rays available, primary curve 36°–65°, and angle of trunk rotation 7–23°. The cases were Sforzesco VRB with Free-Pelvis (FPB). The controls included classical Sforzesco VRB matched for Risser (range 0/4), menarche age (10/15), weight (33.5/83 kg), height (140/180 cm), BMI (13.5/29 kg/sqm), aesthetics (TRACE 4/12), plumbline distances (S1: −60/35; C7+L3: −10/115 mm), and referred brace use (22/24 h/day). Statistics: predictors of the results have been tested with linear and logistic regression according to the outcome variable type. We performed logistic regression for improved vs. worsened. The explanatory variable was brace type. We included 777 VRB and 25 FPB, age 13 ± 1, 47° ± 8° Cobb, and 11% men. The few baseline statistical differences were not clinically relevant. We achieved in-brace corrections of 15.2° ± 7.7° and 17.4° ± 6.5° for VRB and FPB, respectively (p = 0.21); out-of-brace corrections at 5 ± 2 months were 7.8° ± 0.2° for VRB and 8.1° ± 1.3° for FPB (p = 0.83). The type of brace did not influence the Cobb angle at either time interval or affect the odds of im-provement. Free-Pelvis innovation, introduced to improve comfort and adaptability, does not change the in-brace or short-term results of classical VRB and consequently can be safely applied