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Kinds of Headings Terms modified by Headings Selected AbstractsFemale Attraction to Conspecific Chemical Cues in the Palmate Newt Triturus helveticusETHOLOGY, Issue 8 2005Jean Secondi Although chemosignals are largely used in sexual communication in urodeles, olfactometer studies in newts provided contrasting results about the sex specificity of female behavioural responses. Because long-range sexual advertisement is believed to be costly, some species might restrain this activity to close interactions with conspecifics. We tested chemical-mediated sexual attraction in female palmate newt (Triturus helveticus) by measuring the attraction to male and female odours in a linear water olfactometer. Unexpectedly, females were attracted towards conspecifics regardless of sex. They did not show attraction towards Limnaea stagnalis, a common sympatric aquatic gastropod. These results do not support the use of long-range male sexual signalling in the palmate newt. Instead, conspecific attraction is likely to promote aggregation of males and females in breeding ponds. Observations in the field and in the laboratory tend to support the aggregative behaviour of this species. We discuss the possible function of conspecific attraction in this context. Heading towards any conspecific would increase the probability of finding potential mates. Chemical cues do not need to be sex-specific at that stage so that long-range sexual advertisement might be unnecessary. This work emphasizes the need for studies investigating the evolutionary relationships between sexual signalling systems and population-distribution patterns. [source] Giovanni Anania, Mary E. Bohman, Colin A. Carter and Alex F. McCalla (eds): Agricultural Policy Reform and the WTO , Where are We Heading?JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2007Gouranga Gopal Das First page of article [source] CHARACTERISTICS OF MUSCLE FROM TWO SPECIES OF BIGEYE SNAPPER, PRIACANTHUS TAYENUS AND PRIACANTHUS MACRACANTHUSJOURNAL OF FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 4 2002SOOTTWAT BENJAKUL ABSTRACT Composition and some properties of muscle from two species of bigeye snapper, P. tayenus and P. macracanthus, were investigated. Both species had a similar composition with the same myofibrillar protein content. However, muscle proteins from P. tayenus had higher thermal stability than those from P. macracanthus, as indicated by the higher enthalpy for transitions as well as the lower inactivation rate constant (KD). Upon 15 days of iced storage, natural actomyosin Ca2* -ATP ase and Mg2+ -Ca2+ -ATPase activities decreased, whereas Mg2+ -EGTA-ATPase activity increased, suggesting the denaturation of myosin, actomyosin and troponin/tropomyosin complexes, respectively. Increased surface hydrophobicity and decreased sulfhydryl groups indicated the denaturation possibly occurred via hydrophobic interaction and disulfide formation. Heading and eviscerating offish retarded the denaturation and physicochemical changes of proteins during iced storage. The results indicated that a rapid and proper post harvest handling was of importance to maintain the muscle quality of bigeye snapper. [source] Monolithic Separation Media: Where Are They Heading?JOURNAL OF SEPARATION SCIENCE, JSS, Issue 10-11 2004Frantisek Svec [source] Review article: stem cell therapies for inflammatory bowel disease , efficacy and safetyALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 8 2010O. García-Bosch Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2010; 32: 939,952 Summary Background, Drugs available for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease fail to induce and maintain remission in a significant number of patients. Aim, To assess the value of stem cell therapies for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease based on published studies. Methods, Publications were identified through a MEDLINE search using the Medical Subject Heading terms: inflammatory bowel diseases, or Crohn's disease, or ulcerative colitis, and stem cell, or stromal cell or transplant. Results, Haematopoietic stem cell therapy as a primary treatment for inflammatory bowel disease was originally supported by animal experiments, and by remissions in patients undergoing transplant for haematological disorders. Later, transplantation specifically performed for patients with refractory Crohn's disease showed long-lasting clinical remission and healing of inflammatory intestinal lesions. Use of autologous nonmyeloablative regimens and concentration of the procedures in centres with large experience are key in reducing treatment-related mortality. Initial trials of mesenchymal stem cell therapy with local injection in Crohn's perianal fistulas had positive results. Conclusions, Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplant changes the natural course of Crohn's disease, and may be a therapeutic option in patients with refractory disease if surgery is not feasible due to disease location or extension. [source] Incorrect and incomplete coding and classification of diabetes: a systematic reviewDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 5 2010M. A. Stone Diabet. Med. 27, 491,497 (2010) Abstract Aims, To conduct a systematic review to identify types and implications of incorrect or incomplete coding or classification within diabetes or between diabetes and other conditions; also to determine the availability of evidence regarding frequency of occurrence. Methods, Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and free-text terms were used to search relevant electronic databases for papers published to the end of August 2008. Two researchers independently reviewed titles and abstracts and, subsequently, the full text of potential papers. Reference lists of selected papers were also reviewed and authors consulted. Three reviewers independently extracted data. Results, Seventeen eligible studies were identified, including five concerned with distinguishing between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Evidence was also identified regarding: the distinction between diabetes and no-diabetes, failure to specify type of diabetes, and diagnostic errors or difficulties involving maturity-onset diabetes of the young, latent autoimmune diabetes in adults, pancreatic diabetes, persistence of foetal haemoglobin and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The sample was too heterogeneous to derive accurate information about frequency, but our findings suggested that misclassification occurs most commonly in young people. Implications relating to treatment options and risk management were highlighted, in addition to psychological and financial implications and the potential impact on the validity of quality of care evaluations and research. Conclusions, This review draws attention to the occurrence and implications of incorrect or incomplete coding or classification of diabetes, particularly in young people. A pragmatic and clinically relevant approach to classification is needed to assist those involved in making decisions about types of diabetes. [source] Searching PubMed for molecular epidemiology studies: The case of chromosome aberrationsENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS, Issue 4 2006Donatella Ugolini Abstract The available tools for searching literature in the field of Molecular Epidemiology are largely unsatisfactory. To identify major problems in retrieving information on this discipline, we comment here on the results of a literature search on cytogenetic biomarkers in children exposed to environmental pollutants. The search, done on the PubMed/MedLine database, was based on a strategy combining descriptors listed in the PubMed Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) Thesaurus and other available tools (free text or phrase search tools). 178 articles were retrieved by searching the period from January 1, 1980 to November 30, 2004. Only 2 of the 178 articles were indexed by the MeSH term "Epidemiology, molecular" (introduced in 1994) and 30 of 178 by the MeSH term "Biological markers" (introduced in 1989). The case of chromosome aberration (CA) was emblematic of the problem: 44 of 78 articles (56.4%) were not pertinent to the search. The reasons for this poor performance are reported and discussed. Authors and indexers may be able to improve the efficiency of article retrieval in the field of molecular epidemiology by using relevant terms in the title and abstract. This may suggest appropriate MeSH terms to the indexers for the indexing process. As regards the difficulty in identifiyng population studies using CA, the introduction of a specific MeSH term for chromosome aberrations when used as a biomarker would improve the search process. Environ. Mol. Mutagen., 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Euroethics,a database network on biomedical ethicsHEALTH INFORMATION & LIBRARIES JOURNAL, Issue 3 2006Ylva Gavel Background:,euroethics is a database covering European literature on ethics in medicine. It is produced within Eurethnet, a European information network on ethics in medicine and biotechnology. Objectives:, The aim of Euroethics is to disseminate information on European bioethical literature that may otherwise be difficult to find. Methods:, A collaboration model for pooling data from different centres was developed. The policy was to accomplish data uniformity, while still allowing for local differences in terms of software, indexing practices and resources. Records contributed to the database follow common standards in terms of data fields and indexing terms. The indexing terms derive from two thesauri, Thesaurus Ethics in the Life Sciences (TELS) and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). Combining elements from search tools developed previously, the developers sought to find a technical solution optimized for this data model. An approach relying on a thesaurus database that is loaded along with the bibliographic database is described. Results and conclusions:, The present case study offers examples of possible approaches to several tasks often encountered in database development, such as: merging data from diverse sources, getting the most out of indexing terms used in a database, and handling more than one thesaurus in the same system. [source] Effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to support people with dementia living in the community: a systematic reviewINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EVIDENCE BASED HEALTHCARE, Issue 2 2008Deborah Parker BA, MSocSci Executive summary Objectives, The objective of this review was to assess the effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to provide support for people living with dementia in the community. Inclusion criteria, Types of participants, Adult caregivers who provide support for people with dementia living in the community (non-institutional care). Types of interventions, Interventions designed to support caregivers in their role such as skills training, education to assist in caring for a person living with dementia and support groups/programs. Interventions of formal approaches to care designed to support caregivers in their role, care planning, case management and specially designated members of the healthcare team , for example dementia nurse specialist or volunteers trained in caring for someone with dementia. Types of studies, This review considered any meta-analyses, systematic reviews, randomised control trials, quasi-experimental studies, cohort studies, case control studies and observational studies without control groups that addressed the effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to provide support for people living with dementia in the community. Search strategy, The search sought to identify published studies from 2000 to 2005 through the use of electronic databases. Only studies in English were considered for inclusion. The initial search was conducted of the databases, CINAHL, MEDLINE and PsychINFO using search strategies adapted from the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group. A second more extensive search was then conducted using the appropriate Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and keywords for other available databases. Finally, hand searching of reference lists of articles retrieved and of core dementia, geriatric and psycho geriatric journals was undertaken. Assessment of quality, Methodological quality of each of the articles was assessed by two independent reviewers using appraisal checklist developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute and based on the work of the Cochrane Collaboration and Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. Data collection and analysis, Standardised mean differences or weighted mean differences and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each included study reported in the meta-analysis. Results from comparable groups of studies were pooled in statistical meta-analysis using Review Manager Software from the Cochrane Collaboration. Heterogeneity between combined studies was tested using standard chi-square test. Where statistical pooling was not appropriate or possible, the findings are summarised in narrative form. Results, A comprehensive search of relevant databases, hand searching and cross referencing found 685 articles that were assessed for relevance to the review. Eighty-five papers appeared to meet the inclusion criteria based on title and abstract, and the full paper was retrieved. Of the 85 full papers reviewed, 40 were accepted for inclusion, three were systematic reviews, three were meta-analysis, and the remaining 34 were randomised controlled trials. For the randomised controlled trials that were able to be included in a meta-analysis, standardised mean differences or weighted mean differences and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each. Results from comparable groups of studies were pooled in statistical meta-analysis using Review Manager Software and heterogeneity between combined studies was assessed by using the chi-square test. Where statistical pooling was not appropriate or possible, the findings are summarised in narrative form. The results are discussed in two main sections. Firstly it was possible to assess the effectiveness of different types of caregiver interventions on the outcome categories of depression, health, subjective well-being, self-efficacy and burden. Secondly, results are reported by main outcome category. For each of these sections, meta-analysis was conducted where it was possible; otherwise, a narrative summary describes the findings. Effectiveness of intervention type, Four categories of intervention were included in the review , psycho-educational, support, multi-component and other. Psycho-educational Thirteen studies used psycho-educational interventions, and all but one showed positive results across a range of outcomes. Eight studies were entered in a meta-analysis. No significant impact of psycho-educational interventions was found for the outcome categories of subjective well-being, self-efficacy or health. However, small but significant results were found for the categories of depression and burden. Support Seven studies discussed support only interventions and two of these showed significant results. These two studies were suitable for meta-analysis and demonstrated a small but significant improvement on caregiver burden. Multi-component Twelve of the studies report multi-component interventions and 10 of these report significant outcomes across a broad range of outcome measures including self-efficacy, depression, subjective well-being and burden. Unfortunately because of the heterogeneity of study designs and outcome measures, no meta-analysis was possible. Other interventions Other interventions included the use of exercise or nutrition which resulted in improvements in psychological distress and health benefits. Case management and a computer aided support intervention provided mixed results. One cognitive behavioural therapy study reported a reduction in anxiety and positive impacts on patient behaviour. Effectiveness of interventions using specific outcome categories, In addition to analysis by type of intervention it was possible to analyse results based on some outcome categories that were used across the studies. In particular the impact of interventions on caregiver depression was available for meta-analysis from eight studies. This indicated that multi-component and psycho-educational interventions showed a small but significant positive effect on caregiver depression. Five studies using the outcome category of caregiver burden were entered into a meta-analysis and findings indicated that there were no significant effects of any of interventions. No meta-analysis was possible for the outcome categories of health, self-efficacy or subjective well-being. Implications for practice, From this review there is evidence to support the use of well-designed psycho-educational or multi-component interventions for caregivers of people with dementia who live in the community. Factors that appear to positively contribute to effective interventions are those which: ,,Provide opportunities within the intervention for the person with dementia as well as the caregiver to be involved ,,Encourage active participation in educational interventions for caregivers ,,Offer individualised programs rather than group sessions ,,Provide information on an ongoing basis, with specific information about services and coaching regarding their new role ,,Target the care recipient particularly by reduction in behaviours Factors which do not appear to have benefit in interventions are those which: ,,Simply refer caregivers to support groups ,,Only provide self help materials ,,Only offer peer support [source] Quality and Outcomes of Heart Failure Care in Older Adults: Role of Multidisciplinary Disease-Management ProgramsJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 9 2002Ali Ahmed MD, FACP PURPOSE: To determine whether the management of heart failure by specialized multidisciplinary heart failure disease-management programs was associated with improved outcomes. BACKGROUND: The advent of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, beta-blockers, and spironolactone has revolutionized the management of heart failure. Randomized double-blind studies have demonstrated survival benefits of these drugs in heart failure patients. Nevertheless, in spite of these advances, heart failure continues to be a syndrome of poor outcomes.1,4 There is also evidence that a significant portion of heart failure patients does not receive this evidence-based therapy that reduces morbidity and mortality.5,7 Various disease-management programs have been proposed and tested to improve the quality of heart failure care. Most of these programs are specialized multidisciplinary heart failure clinics lead by cardiologists or heart failure specialists and conducted by nurses or nurse practitioners. Similar to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) multidisciplinary geriatric assessment clinics, these clinics also use many other services, including pharmacists, dietitians, physical therapists, and social workers. Some of these programs also have an affiliated home health service. Several observation studies, using mostly pre- and postcomparison designs, have demonstrated the effectiveness of these programs in the process of care, resource use, healthcare costs, and clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure.8 Risk of hospitalization was reduced by 50% to 85% in six of the studies.8 Subsequently, several randomized trials were conducted to determine the effectiveness of these programs. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the effectiveness of these programs on mortality and hospitalization rates of heart failure patients. METHODS: Published articles on human randomized trials involving specialized heart failure disease-management programs in all languages were searched using Medline from 1966 to 1999 and other online databases using the following terms and Medical Subject Headings: case management (exp); comprehensive health care (exp); disease management (exp); health services research (exp); home care services (exp); clinical protocols (exp); patient care planning (exp); quality of health care (exp); nurse led clinics; special clinics; and heart failure, congestive (exp). In addition, a manual search of the bibliographies of searched articles was performed to identify articles otherwise missed in the above search. Personal communications were made with three authors to obtain further data on their studies. Using a data abstraction tool, two of the investigators separately abstracted data from the selected articles. Data from the selected studies were combined using the DerSimonian and Laird random effects model and the Mantel-Haenszel-Peto fixed effects model. Meta-Analyst 0.998 software (J. Lau, New England Medical Center, Boston, MA) was used to determine risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of mortality and hospitalization for patients receiving care through these specialized programs compared with those receiving usual care. The Cochran Q test was used to test heterogeneity among the studies, and sensitivity analyses were performed to examine the effect of various covariates, such as duration of intervention, and other characteristics of the disease-management programs. RESULTS: The original search resulted in 416 published articles, of which 35 met preliminary selection criteria. Of these, 11 were randomized trials and were selected for the meta-analysis. Studies that were not randomized trials, did not involve heart failure patients or disease-management programs, or had missing outcomes were excluded. Of the 11 studies selected, nine involved specialized follow-up using multidisciplinary teams and the remaining two involved follow-up by primary care physicians and telephone. These studies involved 1,937 heart failure patients with a mean age of 74. The follow-up period ranged from no follow-up (one study) to 1 year (one study). Patients receiving care from specialized heart failure disease-management programs had a 13% lower risk of hospitalization than those receiving usual care (summary RR = 0.87; 95% CI = 0.79,0.96), but the Cochran Q test demonstrated significant heterogeneity among the studies (P = .003). Subgroup analysis of the nine studies using specialized follow-up by a multidisciplinary team showed similar results (summary RR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.68,0.86; test of heterogeneity, P> .50). Seven of the nine studies did not show any significant association between intervention and reduced hospitalization, but the two studies that used follow up by primary care physicians and telephone failed to show any significant reduction in hospitalization (summary RR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.75,1.19). In fact, one of the studies demonstrated a higher risk of hospitalization for patients receiving intervention (RR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.04,1.52). Of the 11 studies, only six reported mortality as an outcome. None of these studies found any association between intervention and mortality (summary RR = 1.15, 95% CI = 0.96,1.37; test of heterogeneity, P> .15). Five of the studies used quality of life or functional status as outcomes, and, of them, only one demonstrated significant positive association. The results of the sensitivity analyses were negative for any significant association with duration of intervention or follow-up or year of study. Eight studies performed cost analyses and seven demonstrated cost-effectiveness of the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The authors concluded that specialized disease-management programs were cost-effective, and heart failure patients cared for by these programs were more likely to undergo fewer hospitalizations, but the study did not provide any conclusive association between these programs and quality of care or mortality. The authors recommend that disease-management programs involve patient education and specialized follow-up by a multidisciplinary team including home health care. [source] Ranking indirect connections in literature-based discovery: The role of medical subject headingsJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 11 2006Don R. Swanson Arrowsmith, a computer-assisted process for literature-based discovery, takes as input two disjoint sets of records (A, C) from the Medline database. It produces a list of title words and phrases, B, that are common to A and C, and displays the title context in which each B-term occurs within A and within C. Subject experts then can try to find A,B and B,C title-pairs that together may suggest novel and plausible indirect A,C relationships (via B-terms) that are of particular interest in the absence of any known direct A,C relationship. The list of B-terms typically is so large that it is difficult to find the relatively few that contribute to scientifically interesting connections. The purpose of the present article is to propose and test several techniques for improving the quality of the B-list. These techniques exploit the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) that are assigned to each input record. A MesH-based concept of literature cohesiveness is defined and plays a key role. The proposed techniques are tested on a published example of indirect connections between migraine and magnesium deficiency. The tests demonstrate how the earlier results can be replicated with a more efficient and more systematic computer-aided process. [source] Searching the Literature Using Medical Subject Headings versus Text Word with PubMedTHE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 2 2006Angela A. Chang MD Abstract Objective/Hypothesis: This study was conducted to investigate the performance of two search strategies in the retrieval of information from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) on otolaryngology,head and neck surgery related conditions and diagnoses using PubMed. Methods: Two search strategies,one based on the use of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and the second based on text word searching,were compared. Results: The MeSH search provided a more efficient search than the text word search. Conclusions: Head and neck surgeons can most efficiently search the NLM using PubMed as a search engine by initiating the search with MeSH terms. Once a key article is identified, the searcher should use the "Related Articles" feature. [source] Electrical stimulation as an adjunct to spinal fusion: A meta-analysis of controlled clinical trialsBIOELECTROMAGNETICS, Issue 7 2002Masami Akai Abstract This study was a meta-analysis to examine whether electrical stimulation has a specific effect on spinal fusion. Little evidence exists on the efficacy of electrical stimulation for improving fusion rate of spinal fusion surgery. Using MEDLINE (1966,2000) and EMBASE (1985,1999), a search for articles was carried out using the Medical Subject Headings: (1) electric stimulation or electromagnetic fields, (2) spinal fusion, (3) controlled or clinical trial, and (4) human. Data were extracted from all the hit articles and additionally collected from appropriate journal lists. A total of five randomized controlled trials (RCT) on bones assessing healing of spinal fusion were identified and scored on methodological quality. All the identified studies reported positive findings, but the quality score of each trial showed wide flaws. Because of relatively homogenous subjects who had spine fusion and radiographic assessment from these studies, pooling of the data was able to be performed. Excluding one trial with the lowest score, the combined results of four trials, whose major endpoints were the success rate of the fusion, revealed a statistically significant effect of electrical stimulation with various techniques, but the selected trials still showed wide variation in view of stimulation modalities and treatment protocol. The pooled result of the studies in this review revealed the efficacy of electrical stimulation based on proved methodological quality. As problems on therapeutic modality and protocol remain, there is a further need for improvement in design to constitute acceptable proof and to establish treatment programs that better demonstrate electrical stimulation effects on spinal fusion. Bioelectromagnetics 23:496,504, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Dilemmas of Counter-Mapping Community Resources in TanzaniaDEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 1 2002Dorothy L. Hodgson Recent work has celebrated the political potential of ,counter-mapping', that is, mapping against dominant power structures, to further seemingly progressive goals. This article briefly reviews the counter-mapping literature, and compares four counter-mapping projects from Maasai areas in Tanzania to explore some potential pitfalls in such efforts. The cases, which involve community-based initiatives led by a church-based NGO, ecotourism companies, the Tanzanian National Parks Authority, and grassroots pastoralist rights advocacy groups, illustrate the broad range of activities grouped under the heading of counter-mapping. They also present a series of political dilemmas that are typical of many counter-mapping efforts: conflicts inherent in conservation efforts involving territorialization, privatization, integration and indigenization; problems associated with the theory and practice of ,community-level' political engagement; the need to combine mapping efforts with broader legal and political strategies; and critical questions involving the agency of ,external' actors such as conservation and development donors, the state and private business interests. [source] Recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) research: Where are we and to where are we heading?EQUINE VETERINARY JOURNAL, Issue 4 2009P. M. Dixon First page of article [source] Avoiding the effect of item wording by means of bipolar instead of unipolar items: An application to social optimismEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2010Karl Schweizer Abstract Scales including positively and negatively worded items usually show an impaired degree of homogeneity. The transformation of unipolar positively and negatively worded items into bipolar items can avoid this disadvantageous effect. The precondition for this transformation is that each pair of items refers to the same topic. It is this topic that serves as the heading of the bipolar item. This scale construction method is demonstrated in the items of the social optimism scale (Schweizer & Schneider, 1997) that comprises unipolar items. The investigation of both the original and the transformed scales in a sample of 808 participants revealed equivalence and a high quality for both scales. Results of an additional sample confirmed the validity of both social optimism scales. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Regrounding the ,Ungrounded Empires':localization as the geographical catalyst for transnationalismGLOBAL NETWORKS, Issue 2 2001Yu Zhou The emerging literature on transnationalism has reshaped the study of immigration in the USA from ,melting pot' and later ,salad bowl', to ,switching board', which emphasizes the ability of migrants to forge and maintain ties to their home countries. Often under the heading of ,transnationalism from below', these studies highlight an alternative form of globalization, in which migrants act as active agents to initiate and structure global interactions. The role of geography, and in particular, localization in transnational spaces, is central to the transnationalism debate, but is yet to be well articulated. While it has been commonly claimed that transnationalism represents deterritorialized practices and organizations, we argue that it is in fact rooted in the territorial division of labour and local community networks in immigrant sending and receiving countries. We examine closely two business sectors engaged in by the Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles: high-tech firms and accounting firms. Each illustrates, respectively, the close ties of Chinese transnational activities with the economic base of the Los Angeles region, and the contribution of local-based, low-wage, small ethnic businesses to the transnational practices. We conclude that deeper localization is the geographical catalyst for transnational networks and practices. [source] The effect of temperature and daylength on heading in tetraploid cultivars of rhodesgrass (Chloris gayana Kunth)GRASSLAND SCIENCE, Issue 4 2005Isao Tarumoto Abstract The present study was conducted to clarify the effect of temperature and daylength on heading in tetraploid cultivars of rhodesgrass (Chloris gayana Kunth). Five cultivars, Tochiraku-kei (2,), Fords Katambora (2,), Callide (4,), Masaba (4,) and Pokot (4,), were planted on three dates at 1-month intervals (4 May, 4 June and 4 July) in three of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries research institutions in Ishigaki (Tropical Agriculture Research Center), Nishigoshi (Kyushu National Agricultural Experiment Station) and Nishinasuno (National Grassland Research Institute) in 1978. Three tetraploid cultivars were planted on three dates at 1-month intervals (4 May, 4 June and 4 July) under four daylength-treatments of natural daylength (ND), 12 h daylength [12 h], ND/12 h and 12 h/ND, and changed daylength at the eighth leaf stage, in Nishinasuno in 1978. Under natural daylength, although heading was not observed for Masaba and Pokot, heading was observed in all plots for Tochiraku-kei, Fords Katambora and Callide, and their days to heading (DH) linearly decreased with increases in daily mean temperature (DMT). The result indicated that, under natural daylength in summer, temperature was a major factor in determining DH in tetraploid Callide, which was the same as in diploid rhodesgrass cultivars. Callide reached heading under all four daylength treatments. However, Masaba and Pokot reached heading only under 12 h and ND/12 h treatments, suggesting that Masaba and Pokot have qualitative sensitivity to photoperiods that operate after the ninth leaf stage. These findings would be useful in tetraploid rhodesgrass for estimating foliage harvesting time in the field and for conducting cross-pollination in a greenhouse during winter. [source] Four-Month-Olds' Discrimination of Optic Flow Patterns Depicting Different Directions of Observer MotionINFANCY, Issue 2 2003Rick O. Gilmore One of the most powerful sources of information about spatial relationships available to mobile organisms is the pattern of visual motion called optic flow. Despite its importance for spatial perception and for guiding locomotion, very little is known about how the ability to perceive one's direction of motion, or heading, from optic flow develops early in life. In this article, we report the results of 3 experiments that tested the abilities of 4-month-old infants to discriminate optic flow patterns simulating different directions of self-motion. The combined results from 2 different experimental paradigms suggest that 4-month-olds discriminate optic flow patterns that simulate only large (> 32°) changes in the direction of the observer's motion through space. This suggests that prior to the onset of locomotion, there are limitations on infants' abilities to process patterns of optic flow related to self-motion. [source] Ease of reading of mandatory information on Canadian food product labelsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSUMER STUDIES, Issue 4 2009Mary Alton Mackey Abstract Food product labels present individual product information, safety, nutrition, electronic inventory, container and environmental information, in various formats, languages and images. Some information is mandatory; much is promotional. The food label is an essential tool for regulators of safe food handling, nutrition policy and fair competition. Mandatory information on food labels in Canada is required to be presented in both English and French, readily discernable, prominently displayed and legible. This study examines the ease of finding and reading of mandatory label components on selected Canadian food products. A validated typographical scoring system assessed the lists of ingredients on a purposive sample of 100 food labels representing foods in all groups in Canada's Food Guide. Seven percent of the ingredient lists were easy to read; 26% were difficult to read and 67% were very difficult to read. Well-educated resourceful readers in consumer focus groups examined food labels for key elements that influence ease of finding and reading information. Focus groups and typographical scoring identified: colour contrast, case, print style, print size, space between the lines, reverse print, organization, justification, type of surface, hyphenation and print reproduction as factors that affect ease of reading. Print that curves around a container, lack of paragraphing or point form organization make reading difficult; text blocks at right angles to each other make comparisons difficult; separation of the nutrition facts table from the list of ingredients makes decision making tedious. Inadequate spacing between lines of print creates problems for readers of English and exacerbates problems for readers of French. Words placed over illustrations, busy backgrounds or watermarks increase reading difficulty. Hazard statements, instructions and storage information imbedded in other information without added space or appropriate heading is difficult to find and read. Canadian consumers echo consumers in 28 European countries who find label information difficult to find and to read and want clear guidelines/regulations on the placement and the typography of mandatory food label components [source] Panel on Salvation: the Catholic PerspectiveINTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF MISSION, Issue 382-383 2007Teresa Francesca Rossi In the reflection about salvation, mission and healing, the aspect of revelation has not been so much emphasized in the last years. However, it seems to me that revelation, rather than just eschatology, might be the key concept in understanding healing and reconciliation. The signs and wonders that confirm the preaching of the gospel of salvation are necessary in order to give the preacher and the faithful a shape, a frame to human knowledge of God and salvation, though in the "fleshy" knowledge of the human being. Without the shape or frame of a divine sign there can be neither prophecy nor preaching, because prophecy and preaching concern the Word of God. Signs and wonders confirm preaching but only by deepening a cognitive dimension. When we day, "God will heal you," we are announcing the good news of healing, while at the same time we are budding some new conditions to know God. We are at the heart of revelation. At the same time, when we deal with healing, we are not only dealing with the dimension of knowing God and operating signs and wonder, we are also dealing with a dimension of prophecy inasmuch as no prophecy is allowed unless there is a capability of speaking "in the name of", and "on behalf of", which implies a real, though imperfect, knowledge of God, such as we receive not only in revelation but also in signs and wonders. So, healing, this starting point, this unexplored way, this unprecedented path to the understanding of the economy of sulfation, continues revelation because it leads to new knowledge. Inasmuch ad heading does not belong to the economy of final salvation but to the economy of a "restored flesh", it is closer to revelation than to resurrection. It is the seal of redemption. [source] Evaluating nursing documentation , research designs and methods: systematic reviewJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 3 2009Kaija Saranto Abstract Title., Evaluating nursing documentation , research designs and methods: systematic review. Aim., This paper is a report of a review conducted to assess the research methods applied in the evaluation of nursing documentation. Data sources., The material was drawn from three databases: CINAHL, PubMed and Cochrane using the keywords nursing documentation, nursing care plan, nursing record system, evaluation and assessment. The search was confined to relevant electronically-retrievable studies published in the English language from 2000 to 2007. This yielded 41 studies, including two reviews. Methods., Content analysis produced a classification into three themes: nursing documentation, patient-centred documentation and standardized documentation. Each study was assessed according to its research design, methodology, sample size and focus of data collection. In addition, the studies categorized under the heading of standardized documentation were assessed in terms of their outcomes. Results., Most of the studies (n = 19) focused on patient-centred documentation. Most (n = 20) were retrospective studies and used data collected from patient records (n = 35). An audit instrument was used to assess nursing documentation in almost all the studies. Studies classified under the heading of standardized documentation showed more positive than negative effects with respect to quality, the nursing process and terminology use, knowledge level and acceptance of computer use in documentation. Conclusion., The use of structured nursing terminology in electronic patient record systems will extend the scope of documentation research from assessing the quality of documentation to measuring patient outcomes. More data should also be collected from patients and family members when evaluating nursing documentation. [source] A methodology on the automatic recognition of poor lane keepingJOURNAL OF ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION, Issue 2 2008Article first published online: 8 JAN 2010, Banihan Gunay Driving disorder, such as having difficulty in staying in the lane, abrupt lane changes and driving on the shoulder are typical consequences of many dangerous driving circumstances, and can be grouped under the heading of "lateral discipline of driving". Recognition of these situations is largely observational and spotted/examined by police at high costs. The work provides a theoretical description of an automatic detection system to recognise irregular lateral vehicle movements resulted by various forms of dangerous driving. It is based on establishing certain threshold values for normal driving (lateral) patterns and by checking given traffic instances against these criteria. The system described is thought to offer substantial time and money savings to the responsible authorities, after having applied and validated the system in practice as part of ongoing research. [source] Principles for psychosocial treatment of personality disorder: Summary of the APA Division 12 Task Force/NASPR reviewJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2006Kenneth L. Critchfield A wide variety of clinical problems and relational styles are collected under the diagnostic heading of personality disorder (PD). These disorders involve maladaptive, persistent ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving that are associated with both functional impairment and disturbed interpersonal relationships. Personality disorders are difficult to treat, and challenge a therapist's ability to intervene helpfully, in part because the maladaptive patterns can impact the therapy relationship itself. Therapeutic principles were derived by Task Force review from the small body of research conducted to date with this family of disorders and include characteristics of clients and therapists, their relationship together, and essential elements of technique. The importance of a collaborative relationship as well as a treatment that is comprehensive, empathic, patiently applied, and flexibly tailored to presenting problems are dominant themes across principles. Treatment research with PD is in its early stages and many important areas remain uncharted. The Task Force principles are here summarized in hopes of providing general guidance to clinicians working with PD, as well as to outline research needs for the area. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 62: 661,674, 2006. [source] A multimodal behavioral approach to performance anxietyJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 8 2004Arnold A. Lazarus Cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) stresses a trimodal assessment framework (affect, behavior, and cognition [ABC]), whereas the multimodal approach assesses seven discrete but interactive components,behavior, affect, sensation, imagery, cognition, interpersonal relationships, and drugs/biological factors (BASIC I.D.). Only complex or recalcitrant cases call for the entire seven-pronged range of multimodal interventions. Various case illustrations are offered as examples of how a clinician might proceed when confronted with problems that fall under the general heading of performance anxiety. The main example is of a violinist in a symphony orchestra whose career was in serious jeopardy because of his extreme fear of performing in public. He responded very well to a focused but elaborate desensitization procedure. The hierarchy that was eventually constructed contained many dimensions and subhierarchies featuring interlocking elements that evoked his anxiety. In addition to imaginal systematic desensitization, sessions were devoted to his actual performance in the clinical setting. As a homework assignment, he found it helpful to listen to a long-playing record of an actual rehearsal and to play along with the world-renowned orchestra and conductor. The subsequent disclosure by the client of an important sexual problem was dealt with concomitantly by using a fairly conventional counseling procedure. Therapy required 20 sessions over a 3-month period. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol/In Session. [source] Simple yet stable bearing-only navigationJOURNAL OF FIELD ROBOTICS (FORMERLY JOURNAL OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS), Issue 5 2010Krajník This article describes a simple monocular navigation system for a mobile robot based on the map-and-replay technique. The presented method is robust and easy to implement and does not require sensor calibration or structured environment, and its computational complexity is independent of the environment size. The method can navigate a robot while sensing only one landmark at a time, making it more robust than other monocular approaches. The aforementioned properties of the method allow even low-cost robots to effectively act in large outdoor and indoor environments with natural landmarks only. The basic idea is to utilize a monocular vision to correct only the robot's heading, leaving distance measurements to the odometry. The heading correction itself can suppress the odometric error and prevent the overall position error from diverging. The influence of a map-based heading estimation and odometric errors on the overall position uncertainty is examined. A claim is stated that for closed polygonal trajectories, the position error of this type of navigation does not diverge. The claim is defended mathematically and experimentally. The method has been experimentally tested in a set of indoor and outdoor experiments, during which the average position errors have been lower than 0.3 m for paths more than 1 km long. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Automatic guidance of a four-wheel-steering mobile robot for accurate field operationsJOURNAL OF FIELD ROBOTICS (FORMERLY JOURNAL OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS), Issue 6-7 2009Christophe Cariou As world population growth requires an increasing level of farm production at the same time that environmental preservation is a priority, the development of new agricultural tools and methods is required. In this framework, the development of robotic devices can provide an attractive solution, particularly in the field of autonomous vehicles. Accurate automatic guidance of mobile robots in farming constitutes a challenging problem for researchers, mainly due to the low grip conditions usually found in such a context. From assisted-steering systems to agricultural robotics, numerous control algorithms have been studied to achieve high-precision path tracking and have reached an accuracy within ±10 cm, whatever the ground configuration and the path to be followed. However, most existing approaches consider classical two-wheel-steering vehicles. Unfortunately, by using such a steering system, only the lateral deviation with respect to the path to be followed can be satisfactorily controlled. Indeed, the heading of the vehicle remains dependent on the grip conditions, and crabwise motions, for example, are systematically observed on a slippery slope, leading to inaccurate field operations. To tackle this drawback, a four-wheel-steering (4WS) mobile robot is considered, enabling servo of both lateral and angular deviations with respect to a desired trajectory. The path tracking control is designed using an extended kinematic representation, allowing account to be taken online of wheel skidding, while a backstepping approach permits management of the 4WS structure. The result is an approach taking advantage of both rear and front steering actuations to fully compensate for sliding effects during path tracking. Moreover, a predictive algorithm is developed in order to address delays induced by steering actuators, compensating for transient overshoots in curves. Experimental results demonstrate that despite sliding phenomena, the mobile robot is able to automatically and accurately achieve a desired path, with lateral and angular errors, respectively, within ±10 cm and ±2 deg, whatever its shape and whatever the terrain conditions. This constitutes a promising result in efforts to define efficient tools with which to tackle tomorrow's agriculture challenge. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Evidence of a rheotactic component in the odour search behaviour of freshwater eelsJOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2003A. G. Carton The detection of food odour by the freshwater eels, Anguilla australis and Anguilla dieffenbachii released a behavioural response to flow that resulted in direct upstream movement toward the odour source. Changes in various orientation parameters were observed as eels neared the source. Eels had substantially lower swimming velocities and considerably more variable heading and course angles close to the odour source (,0·9 m) than further away (>0·9 m). Observed changes in orientation parameters were primarily due to changes in the behaviour of a searcher following odour loss. Cross-stream movements were initiated when the eel moved beyond the lateral margins of the odour plume. The behavioural switch from odour-conditioned rheotaxis to cross-stream casting following odour loss occurred more frequently close to the odour source where the plume was most narrow. Odour-conditioned rheotaxis enables the searcher to move quickly and efficiently toward the odour source without the need to extract directional information from a highly intermittent and complex chemical signal. [source] Experiencing psychiatric diagnosis: client perspectives on being named mentally ill,JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 6 2003Y. M. HAYNE rn phd In this article is reported result of a phenomenological study whereby privileged view was gained into the lives of persons who had experienced receiving a diagnosis which named ,severe and enduring mental illness'. Thematic analysis yielded the four essential themes of diagnosis as the experience of ,a knowledge that knows', ,destructive (gift) of difference', ,making visible the invisible' and ,making knowledge knowledgeable'. Each of the themes is discussed under its own heading in this paper as a means for describing the nature of ,experiencing psychiatric diagnosis'. Effort is made to provide glimpse into the ,lifeworld' of being diagnosed mentally ill, and the reader's attention is directed to a particular kind of power that exists in the medical language of diagnoses. Discernment is highlighted as most consequential to an ,action sensitive practice' and a case is made for care-providers in psychiatric-mental health care to be sensitized to how medical terminology is experienced and the need to strive for balance within the ,economy of power' contained in these specialized words. [source] KILLER WHALE ATTACKS ON MINKE WHALES: PREY CAPTURE AND ANTIPREDATOR TACTICSMARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE, Issue 4 2005John K. B. Ford Abstract We describe nine incidents of predation or attempted predation of minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) by mammal-hunting "transient" killer whales (Orcinus orca) in coastal waters of British Columbia, Washington, and southeastern Alaska. Pursuits of minke whales were characterized by prolonged chases on a straight heading at velocities of 15,30 km/h. In four of the nine cases the adultsized minke whale gradually outdistanced the killer whales, which abandoned the high-speed pursuit after 0.5,1 h. In one case the minke beached itself and died. Four attacks were successful. In one instance a subadult minke was killed in open water following a chase. In two cases the fleeing minke entered a confined bay and was killed by the killer whales. One adult minke was taken after apparently attempting to seek cover beside a large sailboat. Minke whales made no attempt to physically defend themselves and were killed by repeated ramming or by asphyxiation. Although killer whales are capable of sprinting speeds greater than those of minke whales, it appears that adult minkes can maintain higher sustained speeds and evade capture if sufficient space for an extended escape trajectory is available. Successful predation of minke whales in coastal waters is rare compared to pinnipeds and small cetaceans, the main prey of transient killer whales. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||