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Selected AbstractsINFLATION TARGETING AND THE ECONOMY: LESSONS FROM CANADA'S FIRST DECADECONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 1 2001C Freedman Inflation targeting has become the centerpiece of the monetary policy framework in a number of industrial countries and emerging economies. The first part of this article examines the Canadian experience with inflation targeting since its introduction in early 1991 and various issues that require resolution in establishing such a framework. It also examines the way inflation targets deal with demand, price, and productivity shocks. The second part focuses on Canada's economic performance during the 1990s. Factors other than monetary policy - most notably private sector restructuring and the fiscal situation in the first half of the decade - played an important role in the sluggishness of the recovery from the recession of 1990,91. Trend growth in Canada during the 1990s was lower than in earlier periods and than U.S. trend growth over the same period. The article examines the role of such factors as productivity growth and participation rates in explaining the differences. I conclude that a good monetary policy is necessary but not sufficient for good economic outcomes. [source] Axillary Basal Cell CarcinomaDERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 11 2003Benjamin W. LeSueur MD Background. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) rarely occurs in the axilla. Only 18 cases have been reported in the world literature. Objectives. To report our institution's 11-year experience with axillary BCC. Methods. A review of patient charts and biopsy specimens is given. Results. We report 14 patients with 15 axillary BCCs. The average patient age was 65.6. The average lesion size was 10.8 mm. Nine patients had a personal history of skin cancer at sun-exposed sites. One patient had basal cell nevus syndrome. A history of ionizing radiation and severe sunburn involving the axilla was each seen in separate patients. No other predisposing factors for developing BCC were identified, such as immune suppression or a history of other malignancies. Histologic subtypes of all tumors were considered less aggressive, and only one tumor recurred. Conclusions. Axillary BCC is rare. Factors other than ultraviolet radiation likely contribute to the development of BCC, especially at sun-protected sites. Performing a periodic and complete cutaneous examination that includes sun-protected sites is important, especially in patients who have a history of skin cancer. [source] Axillary Basal Cell Carcinoma: Literature Survey and Case ReportDERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 11 2001Erin S. Gardner MD Background. Primary basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in the axilla has rarely been reported in the literature. No systematic review has yet been conducted. Objective. To present a case of basal cell carcinoma of the axilla. This is a rare presentation of a common disease in a non-sun-exposed part of the body. Methods. An extensive literature search for axillary BCCs was performed. An additional case is reported. Results. Only 14 cases of primary axillary BCC have been reported in the literature. Metastatic axillary BCC is also rarely reported. Conclusion. BCC in the axilla is extremely uncommon. Factors other than sun exposure are likely involved in tumorigenesis. [source] Rising cortisol at childcare: Relations with nap, rest, and temperamentDEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2002Sarah E. Watamura Abstract An unexpected rise in cortisol across the day in full-day, center-based childcare has been recently observed. Most of the children in these studies exhibited the rise across the day at childcare, but the expected drop at home. Possible explanations include more or less napping at childcare than at home. This study measured cortisol during childcare at 10:30 a.m., pre-rest, post-rest, and 3:30 p.m. for 35 children, and at 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at home for 8 children. Duration and quality of rest were coded during nap periods. For 91% of children, cortisol rose at childcare and for 75% dropped at home. None of the napping variables were related to the rise at childcare nor were differences found between home and childcare rest. Factors other than daytime rest periods seem likely to account for the rise in cortisol across the childcare day, possibly factors involving the interactional demands of group settings during this developmental period. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 40: 33,42, 2002 [source] Association between Insurance Status and Admission Rate for Patients Evaluated in the Emergency DepartmentACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2003Jennifer Prah Ruger PhD Abstract Objectives: To determine if differences exist in hospital and intensive care unit (ICU)/operating room admission rates based on health insurance status. Methods: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study of data from hospital clinical and financial records for all 2001 emergency department (ED) visits (80,209) to an academic urban hospital. Hospital admission and intensive care unit (ICU)/operating room admissions were analyzed, controlling for triage acuity, primary complaint, diagnosis, diagnosis-related group (DRG) severity, and demographics. Multivariate logistic regression models identified factors associated with hospital admission for underinsured (self-pay and Medicaid) compared with other insured (private health maintenance organization, preferred provider organization, worker's compensation, and Medicare) patients. Results: Compared with the other insured group, underinsured patients were less likely, overall, to be admitted to the hospital (odds ratio [OR], 0.82; 95% CI = 0.76 to 0.90), controlling for all other factors studied. Subgroup analysis of common complaints showed underinsured patients with a chief complaint of abdominal pain (OR, 0.67; 95% CI = 0.55 to 0.80) or headache (OR, 0.61; 95% CI = 0.39 to 0.95) had the lowest adjusted ORs for admission to the hospital, compared with other insured patients. Underinsured patients with DRG of "menstrual and other female reproductive system disorders" (OR, 0.17; 95% CI = 0.06 to 0.51) or "esophagitis, gastroenteritis, and miscellaneous digestive disorders" (OR, 0.55; 95% CI = 0.28 to 0.96) also were less likely to be admitted compared with the other insured group. No significant differences in ICU/operating room admission rates were found between insurance groups. Conclusions: Whereas there was no difference in admission rates to the ICU/operating room by insurance status, this single-center study does suggest an association between insurance status and admission to a general hospital service, which may or may not be causally related. Factors other than provider bias may be responsible for this observed difference. [source] Spatial and temporal trends in abundance of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, in Newfoundland with emphasis on impacts of the 1992 closure of the commercial fisheryFISHERIES MANAGEMENT & ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2004J. B. Dempson Abstract Closure of the Newfoundland commercial Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., fishery in 1992 was the most restrictive measure introduced to help rebuild depressed local stocks of salmon. Here, the effects of the closure are evaluated by analysing trends in abundance since 1984, and estimates of survival in both freshwater and marine environments derived from enumeration of salmon at fish counting facilities. While freshwater production of smolts generally has been maintained, marine survival rates remain low (2,10%), and highly variable. Overall, total stock size differs little from that prior to the closure of the commercial salmon fishery. Spawning escapements have increased by a factor of 2 or 3 in some rivers, but in other areas total returns are lower on average than those prior to the fishery closure. Factors other than exploitation are contributing to lack of stock recovery, resulting in continued conservation concerns. [source] Environmental and hormonal regulation of the activity,dormancy cycle in the cambial meristem involves stage-specific modulation of transcriptional and metabolic networksTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2007Nathalie Druart Summary We have performed transcript and metabolite profiling of isolated cambial meristem cells of the model tree aspen during the course of their activity,dormancy cycle to better understand the environmental and hormonal regulation of this process in perennial plants. Considerable modulation of cambial transcriptome and metabolome occurs throughout the activity,dormancy cycle. However, in addition to transcription, post-transcriptional control is also an important regulatory mechanism as exemplified by the regulation of cell-cycle genes during the reactivation of cambial cell division in the spring. Genes related to cold hardiness display temporally distinct induction patterns in the autumn which could explain the step-wise development of cold hardiness. Factors other than low temperature regulate the induction of early cold hardiness-related genes whereas abscisic acid (ABA) could potentially regulate the induction of late cold hardiness-related genes in the autumn. Starch breakdown in the autumn appears to be regulated by the ,short day' signal and plays a key role in providing substrates for the production of energy, fatty acids and cryoprotectants. Catabolism of sucrose and fats provides energy during the early stages of reactivation in the spring, whereas the reducing equivalents are generated through activation of the pentose phosphate shunt. Modulation of gibberellin (GA) signaling and biosynthesis could play a key role in the regulation of cambial activity during the activity,dormancy cycle as suggested by the induction of PttRGA which encodes a negative regulator of growth in the autumn and that of a GA-20 oxidase, a key gibberellin biosynthesis gene during reactivation in spring. In summary, our data reveal the dynamics of transcriptional and metabolic networks and identify potential targets of environmental and hormonal signals in the regulation of the activity,dormancy cycle in cambial meristem. [source] Paramedic and Emergency Medical Technicians Views on Opportunities and Challenges When Forgoing and Halting Resuscitation in the FieldACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 6 2009Corita R. Grudzen MD Abstract Objectives:, The objective was to assess paramedic and emergency medical technicians (EMT) perspectives and decision-making after a policy change that allows forgoing or halting resuscitation in prehospital atraumatic cardiac arrest. Methods:, Five semistructured focus groups were conducted with 34 paramedics and 2 EMTs from emergency medical services (EMS) agencies within Los Angeles County (LAC), 6 months after a policy change that allowed paramedics to forgo or halt resuscitation in the field under certain circumstances. Results:, Participants had an overwhelmingly positive view of the policy; felt it empowered their decision-making abilities; and thought the benefits to patients, family, EMS, and the public outweighed the risks. Except under certain circumstances, such as when the body was in public view or when family members did not appear emotionally prepared to have the body left on scene, they felt the policy improved care. Assuming that certain patient characteristics were present, decisions by paramedics about implementing the policy in the field involve many factors, including knowledge and comfort with the new policy, family characteristics (e.g., agreement), and logistics regarding the place of arrest (e.g., size of space). Paramedic and EMT experiences with and attitudes toward forgoing resuscitation, as well as group dynamics among EMS leadership, providers, police, and ED staff, also play a role. Conclusions:, Participants view the ability to forgo or halt resuscitation in the field as empowering and do not believe it presents harm to patients or families under most circumstances. Factors other than patient clinical characteristics, such as knowledge and attitudes toward the policy, family emotional preparedness, and location of arrest, affect whether paramedics will implement it. [source] Simultaneous management of blood flow and IOP in glaucomaACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 4 2001Alon Harris ABSTRACT. Factors other than intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation must be involved in initiation and progression of glaucoma. An additional element in disease causation may be ischemia in the retina and optic nerve head. Ischemic damage to neurons in the CNS is similar mechanistically and histopathologically to changes seen in glaucoma. Further, glaucoma patients with normal IOP show clear evidence for cerebral and ocular ischemia. Aging and atherosclerosis reduce the ability of the eye to autoregulate blood flow when ocular perfusion pressure changes: the dependence of blood flow on perfusion pressure links ischemia to IOP. Consequently, neuroprotective treatments for glaucoma should be designed to both reduce IOP and improve ocular nutrient delivery. [source] Optic nerve head parameters of an indigenous population living within Central AustraliaCLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL OPHTHALMOLOGY, Issue 9 2006John A Landers MBBS MPH Abstract Purpose:, Clinical examination of the optic disc is an essential element in the assessment of its health. Previous work has described normal optic disc appearance among different races. No such description of optic discs exists for indigenous Australians, who are at low risk of developing glaucoma. This study was designed to evaluate optic disc parameters of indigenous Australians. Methods: A sample of 208 indigenous Australians were recruited as they presented to remote clinics in Central Australia. Each subject underwent optic disc photography using a Topcon TRC-NW100 digital fundus camera. Optic discs were measured and analysed with Topcon ImageNet 2000 software. Results: Among other parameters, mean vertical disc diameter and disc area were 2.13 ± 0.21 mm (mean ± SD) and 3.13 ± 0.57 mm2, respectively, for right eyes and 2.14 ± 0.21 mm and 3.16 ± 0.58 mm2 for left eyes. When compared with published studies, these parameters were significantly larger than Caucasians, but similar to African individuals. Conclusion:, Our results suggest that indigenous Australians have optic discs that are larger than those of Caucasians, but similar to those of Africans who are considered to at a greater risk of glaucoma. Factors other than optic disc area are likely to underlie the higher prevalence of primary open angle glaucoma among African individuals. [source] Factors in older cadaveric organ donors impacting on renal allograft outcomeCLINICAL TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 1 2001Deborah J Verran Transplantation of renal allografts (RA) from older donors has become more common, despite conflicting data on outcome between reports from large series versus individual centres. Factors other than donor age per se may contribute to RA outcome. The outcome of RA procured from 114 older donors over 55 yr of age in NSW, between 1990 and 1997, was analysed. Corresponding donor factors, including demographics, medical history, inotrope use, major hypotension and findings at procurement, were also analysed. Of the potential RA, 8% were discarded and the remainder transplanted. Factors significantly associated with renal discard were pre-transplantation donation biopsy abnormality (p<0.001) and a history of cardiovascular (CV) disease in the donor (p<0.02). Donor aortorenal atherosclerosis (AS; p<0.09) and a donor age of 65 yr or older (p<0.08) were common in the discard group. The never function rate was 7.6% and was associated with a history of a discarded partner kidney (p<0.05). The delayed graft function rate was 33% and was associated with a history of donor CV disease. At a median follow up of 5 yr, the death censored allograft failure rate was 24%. Allograft failure was associated with a history of donor hypertension (p<0.05). Donor AS (p<0.7) tended to have been more common in the allograft failure group. A number of cadaveric organ donor factors documented at procurement may be associated with inferior outcome of RA. These include biopsy abnormality, history of donor CV disease and history of donor hypertension. A donor age of 65 yr or older or significant visible aortorenal AS may also be factors. This retrospective review of kidneys procured from 114 older cadaveric organ donors identifies factors apart from donor age, which may have a negative impact on both allograft utilisation and outcome. Theses factors include renal biopsy abnormality, history of donor CV disease, discard of a partner kidney and donor hypertension. Visible AS in the donor aorta documented at renal procurement may also be a factor. [source] Effect of a Dummy Audience on Male,Male Interactions in Siamese Fighting Fish, Betta splendensETHOLOGY, Issue 2 2006Teresa L. Dzieweczynski Recent research on Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens, and other taxa has demonstrated that an audience can cause males to alter their behavior in aggressive interactions. One factor not taken into account in these studies is how exactly the audience influences these interactions. It is possible that a live audience may interact with the subjects, creating an active communication network rather than a signaler,receiver dyad with a passive audience. Here, we used a dummy audience to control for information exchange between the audience and the interactants that might cause them to modify their behavior. Audience treatments included dummies of male and female B. splendens, a dummy cichlid, and a control condition with no audience present. The presence of a dummy audience did not influence male,male interactions. However, males spent the most time near the audience tank when the audience was a dummy of a B. splendens. This suggests that some factor other than the physical presence of the audience is responsible for the modification of behavior found in previous audience effect studies in Siamese fighting fish. However, we cannot rule out definitively that our dummy audience is viewed as unimportant by the opponents and, thus, ignored. Further research is necessary to determine which component of the audience is important for producing audience effects. [source] Influence of salinity, competition and food supply on the growth of Gobiosoma robustum and Microgobius gulosus from Florida Bay, U. S. A.JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2004P. J. Schofield The code Gobiosoma robustum and clown Microgobius gulosus gobies were grown in the laboratory over 27 days at two salinities (5 and 35), two food levels [low (a fixed proportion of initial mass) and high (saturation)] and both with and without the presence of the other species. Both species exhibited greatest growth at the high food level and the low (5) salinity. Neither species was affected by the presence of the other species, and there were no overall differences in growth between the two species. Thus, the observed competitive superiority of G. robustum over M. gulosus does not seem to confer an advantage relative to feeding success. Furthermore, as growth of G. robustum was greater at the lower salinity, it is clear that some factor other than salinity is restricting this species from north-eastern Florida Bay. Additional work on the importance of predation and food resources in various regions of Florida Bay is needed to further evaluate the underlying mechanisms responsible for the bay-wide distribution of these species. [source] Spatially-localized correlation of dGEMRIC-measured GAG distribution and mechanical stiffness in the human tibial plateauJOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH, Issue 1 2005Joseph T. Samosky Abstract The concentration of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) in articular cartilage is known to be an important determinant of tissue mechanical properties based on numerous studies relating bulk GAG and mechanical properties. To date limited information exists regarding the relationship between GAG and mechanical properties on a spatially-localized basis in intact samples of native tissue. This relation can now be explored by using delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC,a recently available non-destructive magnetic resonance imaging method for measuring glycosaminoglycan concentration) combined with non-destructive mechanical indentation testing. In this study, three tibial plateaus from patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty were imaged by dGEMRIC. At 33,44 test locations for each tibial plateau, the load response to focal indentation was measured as an index of cartilage stiffness. Overall, a high correlation was found between the dGEMRIC index (T) and local stiffness (Pearson correlation coefficients r = 0.90, 0.64, 0.81; p < 0.0001) when the GAG at each test location was averaged over a depth of tissue comparable to that affected by the indentation. When GAG was averaged over larger depths, the correlations were generally lower. In addition, the correlations improved when the central and peripheral (submeniscal) areas of the tibial plateau were analyzed separately, suggesting that a factor other than GAG concentration is also contributing to indentation stiffness. The results demonstrate the importance of MRI in yielding spatial localization of GAG concentration in the evaluation of cartilage mechanical properties when heterogeneous samples are involved and suggest the possibility that the evaluation of mechanical properties may be improved further by adding other MRI parameters sensitive to the collagen component of cartilage. © 2004 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. [source] Effects of elevated ozone on photosynthesis and stomatal conductance of two soybean varieties: a case study to assess impacts of one component of predicted global climate changePLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 2009E. Singh Abstract Global climatic change scenarios predict a significant increase in future tropospheric ozone (O3) concentrations. The present investigation was done to assess the effects of elevated O3 (70 and 100 ppb) on electron transport, carbon fixation, stomatal conductance and pigment concentrations in two tropical soybean (Glycine max L.) varieties, PK 472 and Bragg. Plants were exposed to O3 for 4 h·day,1 from 10:00 to 14:00 from germination to maturity. Photosynthesis of both varieties were adversely affected, but the reduction was higher in PK 472 than Bragg. A comparison of chlorophyll a fluorescence kinetics with carbon fixation suggested greater sensitivity of dark reactions than light reactions of photosynthesis to O3 stress. The O3 -induced uncoupling between photosynthesis and stomatal conductance in PK 472 suggests the reduction in photosynthesis may be attributed to a factor other than reduced stomatal conductance. An increase in internal CO2 concentration in both O3 -treated soybean varieties compared suggests that the reduction in photosynthesis was due to damage to the photosynthetic apparatus, leading to accumulation of internal CO2 and stomatal closure. The adverse impact of O3 stress increased at higher O3 concentrations in both soybean varieties leading to large reductions in photosynthesis. This study suggests that O3 -induced reductions in photosynthesis in tropical and temperate varieties are similar. [source] The Role of Person Familiarity in Young Infants' Perception of Emotional ExpressionsCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2001Ronit Kahana-Kalman This research investigated the role of person familiarity in the ability of 3.5-month-old infants to recognize emotional expressions. Infants (N= 72) were presented simultaneously with two filmed facial expressions, happy and sad, accompanied by a single vocal expression that was concordant with one of the two facial expressions. Infants' looking preferences and facial expressions were coded. Results indicated that when the emotional expressions were portrayed by each infant's own mother, infants looked significantly longer toward the facial expressions that were accompanied by affectively matching vocal expressions. Infants who were presented with emotional expressions of an unfamiliar woman did not. Even when a brief delay was inserted between the presentation of facial and vocal expressions, infants who were presented with emotional expressions of their own mothers looked longer at the facial expression that was sound specified, indicating that some factor other than temporal synchrony guided their looking preferences. When infants viewed the films of their own mothers, they were more interactive and expressed more positive and less negative affect. Moreover, infants produced a greater number of full and bright smiles when the sound-specified emotion was "happy," and particularly when they viewed the happy expressions of their own mothers. The average duration of negative affect was significantly longer for infants who observed the unfamiliar woman than for those who observed their own mothers. These results show that when more contextual information,that is, person familiarity ,was available, infants as young as 3.5 months of age recognized happy and sad expressions. These findings suggest that in the early stages of development, infants are sensitive to contextual information that potentially facilitates some of the meaning of others' emotional expressions. [source] A Nationwide Assessment of the Biodiversity Value of Uganda's Important Bird Areas NetworkCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2006HERBERT TUSHABE AIAs; complementariedad; congruencia trans-taxón; selección de sitios de conservación Abstract:,BirdLife International's Important Bird Areas (IBA) program is the most developed global system for identifying sites of conservation priority. There have been few assessments, however, of the conservation value of IBAs for nonavian taxa. We combined past data with extensive new survey results for Uganda's IBAs in the most comprehensive assessment to date of the wider biodiversity value of a tropical country's IBA network. The combined data set included more than 35,000 site × species records for birds, butterflies, and woody plants at 86 Ugandan sites (23,400 km2), including 29 of the country's 30 IBAs, with data on additional taxa for many sites. Uganda's IBAs contained at least 70% of the country's butterfly and woody plant species, 86% of its dragonflies and 97% of its birds. They also included 21 of Uganda's 22 major vegetation types. For butterflies, dragonflies, and some families of plants assessed, species of high conservation concern were well represented (less so for the latter). The IBAs successfully represented wider biodiversity largely because many have distinctive avifaunas and, as shown by high cross-taxon congruence in complementarity, such sites tended to be distinctive for other groups too. Cross-taxon congruence in overall species richness was weaker and mainly associated with differences in site size. When compared with alternative sets of sites selected using complementarity-based, area-based, or random site-selection algorithms, the IBA network was efficient in terms of the number of sites required to represent species but inefficient in terms of total area. This was mainly because IBA selection considers factors other than area, however, which probably improves both the cost-effectiveness of the network and the persistence of represented species. Resumen:,El programa de Áreas de Importancia para las Aves (AIAs) de Birdlife International es el sistema global más desarrollado para la identificación de sitios de prioridad para la conservación. Sin embargo, ha habido pocas evaluaciones del valor de conservación de las AIAs para taxa no aviares. En la evaluación más integral, hasta la fecha, del valor de la biodiversidad en general de la red de AIAs de un país tropical, combinamos datos antiguos con los resultados de muestreos extensivos recientes de las AIAs de Uganda. El conjunto de datos combinados incluyó más de 35000 registros de sitios x especies de aves, mariposas y plantas leñosas en 86 sitios en Uganda (23400 km2), incluyendo 29 de las 30 AIAs del país, con datos sobre taxa adicionales en muchos sitios. Las AIAs de Uganda contenían por lo menos un 70% de las especies de mariposas y plantas leñosas del país, 86% de sus libélulas y 97% de sus aves. También incluyeron 21 de los 22 principales tipos de vegetación. En las mariposas, libélulas y algunas de las familias de plantas evaluadas, la representación de especies de alto interés para la conservación fue buena (menor en las plantas). Las Áreas de Importancia para las Aves representaron exitosamente a la biodiversidad en general principalmente porque muchas tienen avifaunas distintivas y, como muestra la alta congruencia trans-taxón en complementariedad, tales sitios tendieron a ser distintivos para otros grupos también. La congruencia trans-taxón en la riqueza de especies total fue más débil y se asoció principalmente con diferencias en el tamaño del sitio. Cuando se compara con conjuntos alternativos de sitios seleccionados mediante algoritmos basados en complementariedad, área o selección aleatoria de sitios, la red de AIAs fue eficiente en términos del número de sitios requeridos para representar especies, pero ineficiente en términos del área total. Sin embargo, esto se debió principalmente a que la selección de AIA considera factores distintos al área que probablemente mejoran tanto la efectividad de la red como la persistencia de las especies representadas. [source] Understanding sexual offending in schizophreniaCRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 2 2004Christopher R. Drake M Clin Psych MAPS Background Studies have found an elevated incidence of violent sexual offences in males with schizophrenia. The relationship between sexual offending and psychiatric illness is, however, complex and poorly defined. Aims The aim of the present article is to delineate possible mechanisms that underlie offensive sexual behaviour in schizophrenia that can be used as a framework for assessing and treating these behaviours. A review of research pertaining to the aetiology of sexual deviance in schizophrenia was conducted, focusing in particular on the role of early childhood experiences, deviant sexual preferences, antisocial personality traits, psychiatric symptomatology and associated treatment effects, the impact of mental illness on sexual and social functioning, and other potential contributory factors. Towards a typology It is proposed that schizophrenic patients who engage in sexually offensive activities fall into four broad groups: (1) those with a pre-existing paraphilia; (2) those whose deviant sexuality arises in the context of illness and/or its treatment; (3) those whose deviant sexuality is one manifestation of more generalized antisocial behaviour, and (4) factors other than the above. This classification provides a useful framework for evaluating and treating sexually offensive behaviours in schizophrenic patients. Copyright © 2004 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] Behavioural treatment of urinary incontinence and encopresis in children with learning disabilities: transfer of stimulus controlDEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 4 2000Linda Smith MAMSc Clinical Psychologist Urinary and faecal incontinence present a considerable problem in people with learning disabilities, despite the general effectiveness of behavioural techniques in continence training. Children with learning disabilities and obsessional behaviour may be particularly resistant to toilet training, even where relatively cognitively able, and often despite a substantial degree of control over their eliminatory functions. Their resistance may be more appropriately regarded as a challenging behaviour and their incontinence better explained by factors other than a simple failure to learn. A 'stimulus-control'hypothesis proposes that the child's nappy (diaper) /potty/underwear has developed strong stimulus control over the elimination response. This report describes three case studies in which treatment-resistant children, aged between 8 and 12 years, with mild or moderate learning disabilities, were successfully treated for nappy-dependent nocturnal encopresis or diurnal urinary incontinence. The children were routine case referrals for whom previous attempts to train bowel or bladder control had failed. Behavioural techniques, such as 'shaping'(gradually increasing the proximity to the toilet),,fading'(reducing the presence of the nappy), and rewards for eliminating, effected successful transfer of stimulus control over elimination from nappy to toilet. Treatment times varied, depending on the degree of the child's obsession and resistance to change. [source] Implications of Liebig's law of the minimum for the use of ecological indicators based on abundanceECOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2005J. G. Hiddink Many ecological responses to environmental variables or anthropogenic agents are difficult and expensive to measure. Therefore it is attractive to describe such responses in terms of indicators that are easier to measure. In ecosystem management, indicators can be used to monitor spatial and temporal changes in an environmental feature. The aim of this paper is to show that it is important to take Liebig's law of the minimum into consideration to understand when it is appropriate or inappropriate to use ecological indicators based on abundance. When developing indicators that relate the abundance of an organism to an environmental factor, it is likely that this relationship will be polygonal rather than a simple linear relationship. The upper boundary of the distribution describes how abundance is limited by this factor, while the variation below the upper boundary is explained by situations when factors other than the factor of interest limit abundance. The variation below the upper boundary of the distribution means that the use of indicators to examine spatial patterns in the response of abundance to an environmental factor can be problematic. Thus, while abundance-based indicators can identify sites that are in a good condition, they are less useful to detect those affected by environmental degradation. In contrast, abundance-based ecological indicators may enable temporal monitoring of the impact of environmental factors, as it is expected that limiting factors are less variable in time than in space. In conclusion, when multiple factors are limiting, a significant correlation between an indicator and a variable is not enough to validate the status of a factor as an indicator. [source] Long term effects of cormorant predation on fish communities and fishery in a freshwater lakeECOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2001Henri Engström Cormorant impact upon natural fish populations has long been debated but little studied because of the requirements of sound data that are often hard to fill. In this study I have monitored fish community composition/abundance before and after a cormorant colony was established in a high productive lake, Ymsen, of south-central Sweden. Data on fish abundance before cormorant establishment enabled me to control for changes in fish densities prior to cormorant colonisation. To control for possible changes in fish populations caused by factors other than cormorant predation (i.e. large-scale regional changes due to climate) data were compared with a control lake, Garnsviken, with no cormorants. Since Lake Ymsen also harbour an important commercial fishery, cormorant impact upon fishery yields was evaluated. The most important fish species in the diet of the cormorants were ruffe (75% by number), roach (11%) and perch (10%). Except for perch, commercially important fish made up a very small fraction of the cormorant diet. Eel, the most important fish for the fishery, was absent in the cormorant diet, pikeperch constituted 0.2% and pike 1.5%. Estimated fish outtake by the cormorants was 12.8 kg ha,1 yr,1 compared to 8.6 kg ha,1 yr,1 for the fishery. Despite considerable fish withdrawal by the cormorants, fish populations did not seem to change in numbers or biomass. The present study indicates that cormorant impact upon fish populations in Lake Ymsen was small and probably in no case has led to declines of neither commercial nor of non-commercial fish species. Still, the number of breeding cormorants in Lake Ymsen, in relation to foraging area, is among the highest known for Swedish lakes. [source] Can the extremely female-biased sex ratio of the social spider mites be explained by Hamilton's local mate competition model?ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 6 2007YUKIE SATO Abstract 1.,Extremely female-biased sex ratios are known in the social spider mite species, Stigmaeopsis longus and S. miscanthi. Whether Hamilton's local mate competition (LMC) theory can explain such sex ratios was investigated. 2.,Significant changes of the progeny sex ratios in the direction predicted by the LMC model were found in both species when the foundress number changed. Therefore, LMC can partly explain the skewed sex ratios in these species. 3.,When the foundress number increased, the progeny sex ratio was still female biased and significantly different from the prediction of the LMC model for haplodiploidy. Relatedness between foundresses could not fully explain the female-biased sex ratios. Therefore, these results suggest that there are factors other than LMC skewing the sex ratios of these species toward female. [source] Microbial succession of nitrate-reducing bacteria in the rhizosphere of Poa alpina across a glacier foreland in the Central AlpsENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 9 2006K. Deiglmayr Summary Changes in community structure and activity of the dissimilatory nitrate-reducing community were investigated across a glacier foreland in the Central Alps to gain insight into the successional pattern of this functional group and the driving environmental factors. Bulk soil and rhizosphere soil of Poa alpina was sampled in five replicates in August during the flowering stage and in September after the first snowfalls along a gradient from 25 to 129 years after deglaciation and at a reference site outside the glacier foreland (> 2000 years deglaciated). In a laboratory-based assay, nitrate reductase activity was determined colorimetrically after 24 h of anaerobic incubation. In selected rhizosphere soil samples, the community structure of nitrate-reducing microorganisms was analysed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis using degenerate primers for the narG gene encoding the active site of the membrane-bound nitrate reductase. Clone libraries of the early (25 years) and late (129 years) succession were constructed and representative clones sequenced. The activity of the nitrate-reducing community increased significantly with age mainly due to higher carbon and nitrate availability in the late succession. The community structure, however, only showed a small shift over the 100 years of soil formation with pH explaining a major part (19%) of the observed variance. Clone library analysis of the early and late succession pointed to a trend of declining diversity with progressing age. Presumably, the pressure of competition on the nitrate reducers was relatively low in the early successional stage due to minor densities of microorganisms compared with the late stage; hence, a higher diversity could persist in this sparse environment. These results suggest that the nitrate reductase activity is regulated by environmental factors other than those shaping the genetic structure of the nitrate-reducing community. [source] Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in the aquatic ecosystem of the Okavango Delta, Botswana, South AfricaENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2003Bontle Mbongwe Abstract Concentrations of DDT and its metabolites were measured in water, plants, invertebrates, and fish from lagoons in the Okavango Delta, Botswana (Africa), where DDT has been used for approximately 50 years. The sampling area was sectioned to distinguish spraying for malaria and for African sleeping sickness. Average concentrations of total DDT (sum of DDT and its metabolites) in the Okavango ranged from 0.009 ng/L in water to 18.76 ng/g wet weight in fish. These levels are approximately 1% of those found in piscivorous fish from temperate North America. The dichlorodiphenyl ethylene (DDE) metabolite was the most abundant fraction of total DDT. Although total DDT concentrations were higher in areas treated for malaria than areas treated for sleeping sickness, these concentrations were likely driven by factors other than the historic application of the pesticide. Equilibration with air concentrations is the most likely explanation for these levels. Since the mean annual temperature exceeds the temperature of vaporization of DDT, this research points to the need for reliable transport models. Our results showed that total DDT concentration in fish was best explained by lipid content of the fish and trophic position inferred by ,15N, regardless of DDT application history in those areas. The reservoir above Gaborone Dam, an area downstream of the Okavango but where DDT had not been used, was sampled to compare total DDT levels to the treated areas. The two species (a herbivorous threespot talapia and the omnivorous sharptooth catfish) from Gaborone had levels higher than those found in the Okavango Delta, but these differences can again be explained using trophic position inferred by ,15N rather than by fish size or location. [source] ,-Globin gene cluster haplotypes and HbF levels are not the only modulators of sickle cell disease in LebanonEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY, Issue 2 2003A. Inati Abstract: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited autosomal recessive disorder of the , -globin chain. Despite the fact that all subjects with SCD have the same single base pair mutation, the severity of the clinical and hematological manifestations is extremely variable. This study examined for the first time in Lebanon the correlation between the clinical manifestation of SCD and the , -globin gene haplotypes. The haplotypes of 50 patients diagnosed with SCD were determined using polymerase chain reaction amplification of fragments containing nine polymorphic restriction sites around and within the ,,G,,A,,,,,,,, -globin gene complex. Most reported haplotypes were found in our population with the Benin haplotype as the most prevalent one. When the patients were divided according to their HbF levels into three groups (Group A: HbF < 5%, Group B: HbF between 5 and 15%, and Group C: HbF > 15%), surprisingly, the highest levels of HbF were associated with the most severe clinical cases. Our findings suggest that fetal hemoglobin levels are important but not the only parameters that affect the severity of the disease. In addition, the high levels of HbF in patients with CAR haplotypes did not seem to ameliorate the severity of symptoms, suggesting that genetic factors other than haplotypes are the major determinants of increased HbF levels in Lebanon. [source] Does the Implicit Association Test for assessing anxiety measure trait and state variance?EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 6 2004Stefan C. Schmukle The stability of the Implicit Association Test for assessing anxiety (IAT-Anxiety) is lower than its internal consistency, indicating that the IAT-Anxiety measures both stable and occasion-specific variance. This suggests that the IAT-Anxiety may be not only a valid measure of trait anxiety but also one of state anxiety. To test this assumption, two studies were conducted in which state anxiety was experimentally induced by a public speaking task. However, both studies showed that the IAT-Anxiety score did not change when a state of anxiety was induced. Thus, it seems that occasion-specific factors other than variations in state anxiety lead to occasion-specific variance in the IAT-Anxiety score. Implications for the indirect assessment of personality dispositions with the IAT are discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Muscle afferent contributions to the cardiovascular response to isometric exerciseEXPERIMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 6 2004James P. Fisher The cardiovascular response to isometric exercise is governed by both central and peripheral mechanisms. Both metabolic and mechanical stresses on the exercising skeletal muscle produce cardiovascular change, yet it is often overlooked that the afferent signal arising from the muscle can be modified by factors other than exercise intensity. This review discusses research revealing that muscle fibre type, muscle mass and training status are important factors in modifying this peripheral feedback from the active muscles. Studies in both animals and humans have shown that the pressor response resulting from exercise of muscle with a faster contractile character and isomyosin content is greater than that from a muscle of slower contractile character. Athletic groups participating in training programmes that place a high anaerobic load on skeletal muscle groups show attenuated muscle afferent feedback. Similarly, longitudinal studies have shown that specific local muscle training also blunts the pressor response to isometric exercise. Thus it appears that training may decrease the metabolic stimulation of muscle afferents and in some instances chronic exposure to the products of anaerobic metabolism may blunt the sensitivity of the muscle metaboreflex. There may be surprising parallels between the local muscle conditions induced in athletes training for longer sprint events (e.g. 400 m) and by the low-flow conditions in, for example, the muscles of chronic heart failure patients. Whether their similar attenuations in muscle afferent feedback during exercise are due to decreased metabolite accumulation or to a desensitization of the muscle afferents is not yet known. [source] Genetic evidence for `leaky' cohorts in the semivoltine stonefly Peltoperla tarteri (Plecoptera: Peltoperlidae)FRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2002ALICIA S. SCHULTHEIS 1.,Genetic techniques are being used increasingly to address questions about dispersal and gene flow of freshwater invertebrates. However, population genetic structure can be affected by factors other than dispersal. Many stream insects have long life cycles that result in the simultaneous existence of multiple cohorts throughout the larval development period. If larval development is fixed, successive cohorts may be reproductively isolated and, as a result, genetically distinct. In such cases, significant levels of genetic differentiation between cohorts could confound estimates of dispersal based on population genetic structure. 2.,Peltoperla tarteri is a stonefly that can be abundant in Appalachian headwater streams. Although P. tarteri is univoltine at the type locality (Big Paint Hollow, WV, U.S.A.), the study populations in southwestern Virginia, U.S.A., were semivoltine. This semivoltine life cycle results in the simultaneous existence of multiple cohorts with the potential for significant genetic differentiation among them. 3.,Levels of genetic differentiation among P. tarteri cohorts were analysed with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data from the non-coding origin of replication or `control' region from 93 individuals from two successive cohorts (collected in 1998 and 1999). 4.,Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated no genetic differentiation among cohorts (FST=0.0), and gene flow among cohorts was very high (Nm=,). 5.,High levels of gene flow among cohorts suggest that larval development of P. tarteri is not fixed. Gene flow among cohorts most likely occurs as a result of a cohort split in which some individuals complete development in one or three years instead of two. [source] A comparative analysis of the diving behaviour of birds and mammalsFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2006L. G. HALSEY Summary 1We use a large interspecific data set on diving variables for birds and mammals, and statistical techniques to control for the effects of phylogenetic non-independence, to assess evolutionary associations among different elements of diving behaviour across a broad and diverse range of diving species. Our aim is to assess whether the diving ability of homeothermic vertebrates is influenced by factors other than the physiology of the species. 2Body mass is related to dive duration even when dive depth is controlled for and thus for a given dive depth, larger species dive for longer. This implies that larger species have a greater capacity for diving than is expressed in their dive depth. Larger animals that dive shallowly, probably for ecological reasons such as water depth, make use of the physiological advantage that their size confers by diving for longer. 3Dive duration correlates with dive depth more strongly than with body mass. This confirms that some animals are poor divers for their body mass, either because of a lower physiological capacity or because their behaviour limits their diving. 4Surface duration relates not only to dive duration but also to dive depth, as well as to both independently. This indicates a relationship between dive depth and surface duration controlling for dive duration, which suggests that deeper dives are energetically more expensive than shallow dives of the same duration. 5Taxonomic class does not improve any of the dive variable models in the present study. There is thus an unsuspected consistency in the broad responses of different groups to the effects on diving of the environment, which are therefore general features of diving evolution. [source] Predicting the impacts of climate change on the distribution of species: are bioclimate envelope models useful?GLOBAL ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2003Richard G. Pearson ABSTRACT Modelling strategies for predicting the potential impacts of climate change on the natural distribution of species have often focused on the characterization of a species' bioclimate envelope. A number of recent critiques have questioned the validity of this approach by pointing to the many factors other than climate that play an important part in determining species distributions and the dynamics of distribution changes. Such factors include biotic interactions, evolutionary change and dispersal ability. This paper reviews and evaluates criticisms of bioclimate envelope models and discusses the implications of these criticisms for the different modelling strategies employed. It is proposed that, although the complexity of the natural system presents fundamental limits to predictive modelling, the bioclimate envelope approach can provide a useful first approximation as to the potentially dramatic impact of climate change on biodiversity. However, it is stressed that the spatial scale at which these models are applied is of fundamental importance, and that model results should not be interpreted without due consideration of the limitations involved. A hierarchical modelling framework is proposed through which some of these limitations can be addressed within a broader, scale-dependent context. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||