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Selected AbstractsSkills needed to help communities manage natural resource conflictsCONFLICT RESOLUTION QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2008Loretta Singletary Competition for natural resources has spawned unprecedented conflict between users, resulting in litigious and legislative actions. Citizens often expect Cooperative Extension professionals to engage communities in collaborative processes to manage these conflicts. This paper examines thirty-five skills Cooperative Extension professionals need if they are to engage communities in collaborative processes. Survey methodology is used to assess the skills extension professionals perceive as most needed, and the ranked means of the perceived skill needs are presented. The results offer information useful to strengthen the capacity of extension professionals to play an important role in helping citizens manage natural resource conflicts. [source] Dynamic Analysis of Exercise Oxygen Consumption Predicts Outcomes in Advanced Heart FailureCONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE, Issue 6 2007Guy A. MacGowan MD It is unclear whether cardiopulmonary stress testing provides prognostic information in patients with very advanced heart failure receiving contemporary medical therapy. Analysis of cardiopulmonary treadmill stress data in a group of patients with advanced heart failure and severe functional impairment was performed (N=102, peak exercise oxygen consumption [VO2] ,14 mL/kg/min, 47% receiving ,-blockers). Dynamic variables (peak - baseline values) better predicted outcomes than did single value peak measurements, especially ,VO2. Multivariate analysis showed that usage of ,-blockers and ,VO2 (both P<.05) independently and significantly predicted outcomes. Subgroup analysis showed that ,VO2 was particularly useful in predicting outcomes in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy or who were not receiving ,-blockers. Thus, in patients with very advanced heart failure, cardiopulmonary stress testing-derived ,VO2 provides important prognostic information useful to help predict clinical deterioration or death, particularly for patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy or who are not receiving ,-blockers. [source] Monetary policy and financial imbalances: facts and fictionECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 63 2010Katrin Assenmacher-Wesche Summary Following the financial crisis, many have argued that monetary policy should lean against asset price increases and that deviations of credit and asset prices from trend can be used to capture financial imbalances. We study quarterly data spanning 1986,2008 for a sample of 18 countries and argue that such measures contain little information useful for forecasting the future economic conditions. This casts doubts on the leaning-against-the-wind view. We also argue that tightening monetary policy in response to such imbalances are likely to depress real growth substantially. That finding, however, is sensitive to the Lucas critique. --- Katrin Assenmacher-Wesche and Stefan Gerlach [source] Species-specific differences in oak foliage affect preference and performance of gypsy moth caterpillarsENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 2 2003L. K. Foss Abstract The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), is an introduced defoliator that preferentially feeds on oaks, Quercus spp. (Fagaceae) in the north-eastern USA. As the gypsy moth expands its geographic range, the extensive oak component in forests and urban environments of the USA assure its successful establishment. Given their economic and ecological importance, and the gypsy moth's potential to cause mortality, we evaluated caterpillar preference and performance on various oaks prevalent in the central hardwoods region. Most of the physical and chemical characteristics we measured, from budbreak phenology to foliar chemistry, varied significantly among the oak species tested. Similarly, insect preference and performance varied significantly, though not always in predictable ways. Caterpillar preference was compared for black, Q. velutina Lamarck, burr, Q. macrocarpa Michaux, cherrybark, Q. pagoda Rafinesque, northern red, Q. rubra L., pin, Q. palustris Muenchhausen, swamp white, Q. bicolor Willdenow, white, Q. alba L., and willow, Q. phellos L., oaks. Gypsy moth preference was greatest for black and burr, and least for northern red, pin, and willow oaks. We assessed foliar characteristics and caterpillar performance on foliage from burr, cherrybark, northern red, pin, and willow oaks. Caterpillar preference did not always correlate with performance. Gypsy moth consumption and growth were highest, and development most rapid, on pin oak, which had high nitrogen and tannin levels, and was among the least preferred. Northern red and willow oaks were also among the least preferred and were the least suitable tested, producing caterpillars with moderate to low consumption and growth rates, as well as the longest development. Northern red oak contained the lowest foliar tannins; willow oak foliage was lowest in carbohydrates and nitrogen. Our results suggest that a combination of foliar characteristics may be responsible for gypsy moth preference and performance, and that an optimal combination of foliar components serves to maximize host suitability. These data will provide information useful for planning and managing urban forests in the presence of expanding gypsy moth populations. [source] The status of warning services for plant pests in Italy,EPPO BULLETIN, Issue 1 2000V. Rossi A survey of the present status of warning services for plant protection in Italy shows the lack of a national project, so that the different regional governments approach the question in different ways. In spite of this, some common characters are present: (1) most of the regions manage the warning service directly; (2) everywhere, the warning service interacts with research institutes, farmers' associations, agrometeorological networks and other warning services; (3),indirect warning' is the prevalent model of organization; geographical areas are divided into homogeneous subareas, where information useful for producing advice is collected and elaborated; warnings are then disseminated by different means of communication, and farmers comply with them autonomously; (4) warnings are usually prepared by a team of advisers, who meet periodically, analyse available information and elaborate suggestions for crop protection; (5) available information comes from field monitoring, weather stations, insect and spore traps, forecasting models for pests and diseases; unfortunately, forecasting models are not widespread; (6) the content of warnings is rather uniform, including information on crops pests and diseases, suggestions for control strategies and, frequently, meteorological conditions and forecasts; (7) different means are used to disseminate warnings to farmers; usually several methods co-exist: bulletins published in local newspapers, sent by mail or fax, displayed on notice boards or available via the Internet; placards; telephone messages; surveys on local TV or radio. [source] Cell surface analysis of the lipid-discharging obligate hydrocarbonoclastic species of the genus AlcanivoraxEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF LIPID SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 6 2010Alvin Brian Lange Abstract This study presents novel information useful for addressing the question how species of the genus Alcanivorax discharge triacylglycerols (TAG) and/or wax esters (WE). The observed structures were referred as "blebs" according to Gauthier et al.1 to avoid confusion with other discharging phenomena. The cells were aerobically cultivated on solid media and not in liquid media to maintain the cells in the native state, and were investigated by transmission electron microscopic (TEM) and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) methods to document the surface structures of the cells. The phenomenon of lipid export could be allocated to three phases: phase I: protrusion formation of the cell membrane occurred; phase II: discharging progressed further with blebs becoming larger; and phase III: the blebs at the cell surface were separated from the cells. Using freeze-fracture micrographs by TEM, vesicle experiments and TLC, we have shown that the blebs contained TAGs and WEs. The results shown in this study will support further research to unravel the unknown discharging mechanism. In addition, the formation of an extensive extracellular matrix was observed by SEM. [source] A critical appraisal of prognostic and predictive factors for common lung cancersHISTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 7 2006F B J M Thunnissen The outlook for patients with lung cancer remains poor despite advances in the understanding of the pathology and biology of this disease. To optimize treatment protocols prognostic data are essential. The current era with molecular research on mRNA expression analysis and proteomics will lead to a plethora of new molecular markers, which are likely to be correlated, at least in part, with each other and with disease activity, progression and survival. However, although the number of prognostic factors analysed in published systematic reviews on lung cancer is large, the scope of these factors in individual studies is often narrow. In daily practice prognostic factors other than general TNM staging are not implemented. To assess the efficacy of new prognostic factors for the management of individual patients with non-small cell lung cancer, studies with clinically relevant modelling are required. In this review arguments are provided to use a model combining radiological and histopathological growth rate, histopathological diagnosis and molecular characteristics as markers for metastatic capacity, tumour volume doubling time and expected response to targeted therapy. This may reveal time-related predictive information useful for treatment guidance of the individual patient. [source] Hydrology as a policy-relevant scienceHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 16 2004Kuniyoshi Takeuchi Abstract Water is now a global political agenda and water science is part of it. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000, the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, the 3rd World Water Forum and Ministerial Conference in Kyoto in 2003 and the G8 Summit in Evian in 2003 were all concerned about urgent global water issues and call for international scientific research collaboration. Hydrology is responding to such political commitments with various scientific initiatives that include the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) Predictions in Ungauged Basins (PUB), the Global Energy and Water Circulation Experiments (GEWEX) Coordinated Enhanced Observation Period (CEOP), and the Global Water Systems Project (GWSP). These initiatives will play key roles in the implementation of the new intergovernmental project, Global Earth Observing System of Systems, under preparation by Global Observation Summits from 2003 to 2005. In order to achieve the MDGs, hydrological science has to play a major role supporting policy makers by overcoming methodological obstacles and providing the necessary information. This paper emphasizes that: the availability of ground measurements is a limiting factor that prevents the full use of scientific knowledge; hydrology has to integrate and downscale the various global information into local-scale information useful for river basin management; as the availability of professional personnel is in critical short supply, in addition to funds needed, to achieve the MDGs any scientific research should always accompany capacity-building programmes to close the science divide between developed and developing nations. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Sediment quality assessment and dredged material management in Spain: Part II, analysis of action levels for dredged material management and application to the bay of Cádiz,INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2007Manuel Alvarez-Guerra Abstract When sediments are removed from aquatic bottoms, they turn into dredged material that must be managed, taking into account its environmental impact. In Part II of this 2-part paper addressing sediment quality assessment and dredged material management in Spain, legislation and criteria used to regulate dredged material disposal at sea in different European countries are reviewed, as are action levels (ALs) derived by different countries used to evaluate management of dredged sediments from Cádiz Bay located on the South Atlantic coast of Spain. Comparison of ALs established for dredged material disposal by different countries reveals orders of magnitude differences in the values established for the same chemical. In Part I of this 2-part paper, review of different sediment quality guideline (SQG) methods used to support sediment quality assessments indicated a great heterogeneity of SQGs, both with regard to the numeric values for a particular chemical and the number of substances for which SQGs have been derived. The analysis highlighted the absence of SQGs for priority substances identified in current European Union water policy. Here, in Part II, the ALs are applied to dredged sediments from Cádiz Bay (South Atlantic coast of Spain), evidencing that the heterogeneity of ALs implemented in the reviewed countries could determine different management strategies. The application of other measurements such as bioassays might offer information useful in identifying a cost-effective management option in a decision-making framework, especially for dredged material with intermediate chemical concentrations. [source] Some properties of polyphenol oxidase from lilyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 1 2008Ying Yang Summary A study of crude polyphenol oxidase (PPO) from lily bulbs was carried out to provide information useful for guiding food processing operations. Optimum pH for the enzyme activity in the presence of catechol, were 4.0 and 7.0 at room temperature(approximately 20 °C) and the enzyme was stable in the pH range from 5.0 to 6.5 at 4 °C for 10 h. Its optimum temperature was 40 °C and the heat inactivation of the enzyme followed first-order kinetics. Lily PPO possessed a diphenolase activity toward catechol, catechin and gallic acid; catechin was the best substrate for the enzyme considering the Vmax/Km ratio. The most effective enzyme inhibitor was sodium sulphite, although ascorbic acid, l -cysteine and thiourea were also effective inhibitors at high concentration. But NaCl and citric acid were poor inhibitors of the enzyme. Data generated by this study might help to better prevent lily bulbs browning. [source] Diagnostic clues to megaloblastic anaemia without macrocytosisINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LABORATORY HEMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2007C. W. J. CHAN Summary Masking of the macrocytic expression of megaloblastic anaemia (MA) by coexisting thalassaemia, iron deficiency and chronic illness has been widely reported. We described the haematological and clinical features of 20 Chinese patients with MA presenting with mean corpuscular volume (MCV) ,99 fl, and analysed the steps leading to the final diagnosis of MA with concomitant thalassaemia trait (n = 11), thalassaemia trait and iron deficiency (n = 3), iron deficiency (n = 4) and chronic illness (n = 2). We also compared the haematological characteristics of this group of patients with a group of normocytic anaemic patients without vitamin B12/folate deficiency, and identified certain laboratory information useful for differentiating the two groups. Statistically significant parameters included the mean values of haemoglobin, MCV, red cell distribution width (RDW), reticulocyte index, platelet count and serum bilirubin. All provided clues to maturation disorders within the marrow. A decision flowchart for the diagnosis of MA without macrocytosis was proposed. In the studied population, by using the parameters of haemoglobin <10 g/dl, MCV 80,99 fl, RDW , 16% and reticulocyte index , 2% as indicators, there was a 58% chance that a patient had MA without macrocytosis if he/she had all the four indicators, and a 2.2% chance of having it if he/she did not have these indicators. We emphasized the importance of including peripheral blood smear examination in the diagnostic procedures for such patients, as well as the importance of paying attention to patients' medical history, racial background and previous MCV value. [source] Forecasting the recent behavior of US business fixed investment spending: an analysis of competing models,JOURNAL OF FORECASTING, Issue 1 2007David E. Rapach Abstract We evaluate forecasting models of US business fixed investment spending growth over the recent 1995:1,2004:2 out-of-sample period. The forecasting models are based on the conventional Accelerator, Neoclassical, Average Q, and Cash-Flow models of investment spending, as well as real stock prices and excess stock return predictors. The real stock price model typically generates the most accurate forecasts, and forecast-encompassing tests indicate that this model contains most of the information useful for forecasting investment spending growth relative to the other models at longer horizons. In a robustness check, we also evaluate the forecasting performance of the models over two alternative out-of-sample periods: 1975:1,1984:4 and 1985:1,1994:4. A number of different models produce the most accurate forecasts over these alternative out-of-sample periods, indicating that while the real stock price model appears particularly useful for forecasting the recent behavior of investment spending growth, it may not continue to perform well in future periods.,,Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Design engineers and technical professionals at work: Observing information usage in the workplaceJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Suzie Allard This exploratory study examines how design engineers and technical professionals (hereafter referred to as engineers) in innovative high-tech firms in the United States and India use information in their daily work activities including research, development, and management. The researchers used naturalistic observation to conduct a series of daylong workplace observations with 103 engineers engaged in product design and testing in four U.S.- and two India-based firms. A key finding is that engineers spend about one fourth of their day engaged in some type of information event, which was somewhat lower than the percentage identified in previous research. The explanation may be rooted in the significant change in the information environment and corporate expectations in the last 15 years, which is the time of the original study. Searching technology has improved, making searching less time consuming, and engineers are choosing the Internet as a primary source even though information may not be as focused, as timely, or as authoritative. The study extends our understanding of the engineering workplace, and the information environment in the workplace, and provides information useful for improving methods for accessing and using information, which could ultimately lead to better job performance, facilitate innovation, and encourage economic growth. [source] Phylogeography and genetic structure of northern populations of the yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia)MOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2000Emmanuel Milot Abstract Phylogeographic patterns of intraspecific variation can provide insights into the population-level processes responsible for speciation and yield information useful for conservation purposes. To examine phylogeography and population structure in a migratory passerine bird at both continental and regional geographical scales, we analysed 344 bp of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequence from 155 yellow warblers (Dendroica petechia) collected from seven locations across Canada and from Alaska. There is a major subdivision between eastern (Manitoba to Newfoundland) and western (Alaska and British Columbia) populations which appears to have developed during the recent Pleistocene. Some localities within these two regions also differ significantly in their genetic composition, suggesting further subdivision on a regional geographical scale. Eastern and western birds form distinct phylogeographic entities and the clustering of all western haplotypes with two eastern haplotypes suggests that the western haplotypes may be derived from an eastern lineage. Analyses based on coalescent models support this explanation for the origin of western haplotypes. These results are consistent with important features of Mengel's model of warbler diversification. From a conservation perspective they also suggest that individual populations of migrant birds may form demographically isolated management units on a smaller scale than previously appreciated. [source] Oogenesis and laboratory survival in the Scottish biting midge Culicoides impunctatusPHYSIOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 1 2006S. Carpenter Abstract., Oogenesis is investigated in Culicoides impunctatus to provide information useful for the laboratory culture of this species. The first mature follicles in individuals held at 15, 20, 25 and 30 °C appear at 132, 120, 108 and 96 h, respectively, after a blood meal, whereas mature follicles are present in 50% of individuals by 156, 132, 120 and 108 h. Potential fecundity is low and the production of mature follicles is not synchronized closely with digestion of the blood meal. Adult survival is both temperature- and density-dependent. These results are interpreted in terms of the species' adaptation to a Northern climate and recommendations are made for future laboratory colonization attempts as well as future studies. [source] Prevalence of cigarette smoking by occupation and industry in the United States,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 3 2001Ki Moon Bang PhD Abstract Background This study was undertaken to estimate the most recent prevalence of cigarette smoking by occupation and industry in the US, using the data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), 1988,1994. Methods Included in NHANES III are data on the cigarette smoking status, occupation, industry, and other demographic information of US non-institutionalized civilians obtained through household interview surveys. The study population included 20,032 adults aged 17 years and older. To estimate the prevalence of cigarette smoking across occupation and industry groups, we used the Survey Data Analysis (SUDAAN) software. Results The prevalence of cigarette smoking was highest among material moving occupations, construction laborers, and vehicle mechanics and repairers. The lowest smoking prevalence was found among teachers. Among industry groups, the construction industry had the highest prevalence of cigarette smoking. Conclusions These findings provide information useful for targeting education activities focusing on adverse health effects of cigarette smoking and also for indirect adjustments in analysis of morbidity and mortality by occupation. Am. J. Ind. Med. 40:233,239, 2001. Published 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Measuring Community Coalition Effectiveness Using the ICE© InstrumentPUBLIC HEALTH NURSING, Issue 1 2006Mary E. Cramer ABSTRACT This article presents the development and psychometric testing of the Internal Coalition Effectiveness (ICE) instrument, which was based on the conceptual model Internal Coalition Outcome Hierarchy. Sixty-one items were derived from literature about successful coalitions, and the ICE instrument was tested for reliability and validity. A national panel of eight experts conducted content validity. Remaining tests involved a sample of 61 members and leaders of a large midwestern coalition (77% response rate, n = 47). Content validity involved a two-stage process for rigorous item development and quantification (0.88, p < 0.05). Internal consistency was based on bivariate Pearson's correlation of 0.30,0.70 for two-item scales and Cronbach's ,(, = 0.70). Construct validity was assessed by correlation analysis, independent Student's t tests, and informal coalition feedback. The final 30-item version of ICE is psychometrically sound. Findings were shared with the local coalition, and, in support of the instrument's validity, members and leaders found this information useful for promoting coalition sustainability by identifying internal strengths and areas for improvement. The ICE instrument adds to the body of literature by measuring critical constructs of coalition effectiveness and has significant application for public health nurses working as evaluators for coalitions engaged in community health programing. [source] Doctors in a Wired World: Can Professionalism Survive Connectivity?THE MILBANK QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2002David Blumenthal The Information Revolution Has Raised Myriad questions about how the health care system will function in the future (Gingrich and Magaziner 2000; National Research Council 2000). The consensus seems to be that new information technologies will significantly affect almost every aspect of health care, from the way that employers and individuals purchase health insurance to the way that doctors and patients provide and receive care (National Research Council 2000). Although peer-reviewed evidence to support these predictions is scarce, the available data suggest that the major health care actors are actively experimenting with the new capabilities to exchange information. A February 2002 survey by Harris Interactive (www.Harrisinteractive.com) found that 137 million Americans were users of the Internet and the World Wide Web and 110 million reported going on-line at least three times a month to look for health care information (Landro 2002). An earlier survey by the Pew Charitable Trusts reported that of those Americans who used the Internet for health care purposes, 92 percent found the information useful. The information revolution has the potential to reduce the asymmetry of information between patients and doctors and thereby to undermine a central pillar of physicians' claim to professional status: the possession of distinctive competence based on technical know-how selflessly applied and collectively monitored. A close analysis of the information revolution's likely effects suggests that for some patients with some conditions, their access to more and better information will indeed reduce the magic, mystery, and power of the medical profession. However, the information revolution also offers opportunities for physicians to bolster the cognitive and moral bases of professionalism. To seize those opportunities, physicians must master new roles and skills and avoid unacceptable conflicts of interest. [source] The role of colour Doppler ultrasonography in detecting prostate cancerBJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2000K. Shigeno Objective To determine the usefulness of colour Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS) in detecting prostate cancer, by comparing CDUS with grey-scale transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Patients and methods In all, 278 patients who underwent prostate biopsies because of an abnormal digital rectal examination, elevated prostate specific antigen levels, and/or abnormal TRUS between May 1998 and November 1999 were evaluated. The diagnostic accuracies of TRUS, CDUS, MRI and combinations of these imaging techniques in detecting prostate cancer were compared, based on the biopsy results. Results Carcinoma was detected in 233 of 1696 specimens, and 87 patients were diagnosed with prostate cancer. For each detected cancer site, the sensitivity of CDUS was lower than those of other imaging techniques, but CDUS had high a specificity and positive predictive value. The combination of grey-scale TRUS and CDUS or MRI improved the sensitivity and negative predictive value. The specificity and positive predictive value of the combination of grey-scale TRUS and MRI were less than those for grey-scale TRUS alone, while those for the combination of grey-scale TRUS and CDUS were higher than those for grey-scale TRUS alone. Five tumours were isoechoic but seen as hypervascular lesions with CDUS. Conclusion CDUS provides information useful for detecting prostate cancer when used in combination with grey-scale TRUS, and should be included in the routine examination for prostate cancer. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||