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Impact
Kinds of Impact Terms modified by Impact Selected AbstractsPREDICTING THE IMPACT OF ANTICIPATORY ACTION ON U.S. STOCK MARKET,AN EVENT STUDY USING ANFIS (A NEURAL FUZZY MODEL)COMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, Issue 2 2007P. Cheng In this study, the adaptive neural fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), a hybrid fuzzy neural network, is adopted to predict the actions of the investors (when and whether they buy or sell) in a stock market in anticipation of an event,changes in interest rate, announcement of its earnings by a major corporation in the industry, or the outcome of a political election for example. Generally, the model is relatively more successful in predicting when the investors take actions than what actions they take and the extent of their activities. The findings do demonstrate the learning and predicting potential of the ANFIS model in financial applications, but at the same time, suggest that some of the market behaviors are too complex to be predictable. [source] FEDERAL MEDICAID ASSISTANCE TO STATES: IMPACT ON PRENATAL CARECONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 3 2008SWATI MUKERJEE In the context of dramatically increasing U.S. health-care costs, this paper contributes to an ongoing debate discussing proposals to replace the government's current policy of matching state Medicaid spending with a block grant system. State-level panel data analysis provides evidence that, ceteris paribus, increasing the federal matching formula has a negative impact on prenatal care. This aggregate result masks significant differences between high- and low-spending states and appears to be driven by the high-spending states thus implying that a 2-track approach to Medicaid funding may be more appropriate than the current system. (JEL I1, H7) [source] THE IMPACT OF PRICES AND CONTROL POLICIES ON CIGARETTE SMOKING AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTSCONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 2 2001C Czart Smoking among youths and young adults rose throughout the 1990s. Numerous policies were enacted to try to reverse this trend. However, little is known about the impact these policies have on the smoking behavior of young adults. This article uses a dichotomous indicator of daily smoking participation in the past 30 days, an ordered measure representing the frequency of cigarette consumption, and a quasi-continuous measure of the number of cigarettes smoked per day on average to examine the impact of cigarette prices, clean indoor air laws, and campus-level smoking policies on the smoking behaviors of a 1997 cross section of college students. The results of the analysis indicate that higher cigarette prices are associated with lower smoking participation and lower levels of use among college student smokers. Local- and state-level clean indoor air restrictions have a cumulative impact on the level of smoking by current smokers. Complete smoking bans on college campuses are associated with lower levels of smoking among current smokers but have no significant impact on smoking participation. Bans on cigarette advertising on campus as well as bans on the sale of cigarettes on campus have no significant effect on the smoking behavior of college students. [source] THE IMPACT OF BRITISH COUNTERTERRORIST STRATEGIES ON POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN NORTHERN IRELAND: COMPARING DETERRENCE AND BACKLASH MODELS,CRIMINOLOGY, Issue 1 2009GARY LAFREE Since philosophers Beccaria and Bentham, criminologists have been concerned with predicting how governmental attempts to maintain lawful behavior affect subsequent rates of criminal violence. In this article, we build on prior research to argue that governmental responses to a specific form of criminal violence,terrorism,may produce both a positive deterrence effect (i.e., reducing future incidence of prohibited behavior) and a negative backlash effect (i.e., increasing future incidence of prohibited behavior). Deterrence-based models have long dominated both criminal justice and counterterrorist policies on responding to violence. The models maintain that an individual's prohibited behavior can be altered by the threat and imposition of punishment. Backlash models are more theoretically scattered but receive mixed support from several sources, which include research on counterterrorism; the criminology literature on labeling, legitimacy, and defiance; and the psychological literature on social power and decision making. In this article, we identify six major British strategies aimed at reducing political violence in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 1992 and then use a Cox proportional hazard model to estimate the impact of these interventions on the risk of new attacks. In general, we find the strongest support for backlash models. The only support for deterrence models was a military surge called Operation Motorman, which was followed by significant declines in the risk of new attacks. The results underscore the importance of considering the possibility that antiterrorist interventions might both increase and decrease subsequent violence. [source] KNOWING WHEN TO FOLD 'EM: AN ESSAY ON EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF CEASEFIRE, COMPSTAT, AND EXILE,CRIMINOLOGY AND PUBLIC POLICY, Issue 3 2005RICHARD A. BERK [source] P-11 THE IMPACT OF INTRODUCING LIQUID BASED CYTOLOGY INTO A ROUTINE SCREENING LABORATORYCYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 2006L. Gregory With the exception of information from the liquid based cytology (LBC) pilot site there has been limited data to date on the impact of the introduction of SurePathÔ LBC in the NHSCSP. We will present data to show the impact on a medium sized laboratory (42 000 requests per annum) over the first phases of rollout. Data from before, during and post conversion, a period of 28 months, shows the following trends: (1) A significant fall in the inadequate rate (2) A slight decrease in the borderline / mild dyskaryosis rate (3) A small increase in the high-grade squamous dyskaryosis reporting rate (4) An increase in both the number and specificity of glandular lesions reported (5) A largely unchanged positive predictive value for high-grade abnormalities (6) A significant increase in laboratory productivity, unrelated to inadequate rate but through increased speed of screening. Although our experience is not directly comparable to the experience of the LBC pilot, our observations may well reflect that we were fortunate to be trained by staff from one of the LBC sites and thereby benefited directly from their experience. [source] 3 ISCHEMIC MITRAL VALVE REPAIR: THE IMPACT OF THE MECHANISM OF MITRAL REGURGITATION ON LATE POSTOPERATIVE RESULTSECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2004E. Ereminien Aim: The aim of our study was to establish the anatomical-functional mechanisms of ischemic mitral regurgitation (MR) and to analyse its impact on late results after mitral valve (MV) reconstructive surgery. Methods: The study included 53 patients with ischemic MR, who underwent CABG and MV repair. MV surgery consisted of subvalvular apparatus repair and/or annuloplasty. 2D Doppler investigations performed pre-, 10,14 days, and 12 months after surgery included evaluation of MV and left ventricular (LV) geometry and function. Results: Analysis of the mechanisms of ischemic MR permitted dividing patients into two groups: group 1,29 patients with inferobasal scar and posterior papillary muscle (PM) displacement, including 22 patients with PM infarction and 7 patients without it, and group 2,24 patients with isolated mitral annulus (MA) dilation. In the case of PM infarction two different mechanisms of MR were stated: (a) P3 restriction and A3 prolapse due to chordal tethering, (b) A3 P3 (commissural) prolapse due to chordal papillary elongation. Preoperatively LV geometry and function were better preserved in group 1 and late MV repair results were better versus (vs.) group 2: LV end-systolic diameter index decreased from 22.9 ± 3.1 mm/m2 to 20.9 ± 3.6 mm/m2 at 1 year, p < 0.05, LV ejection fraction increased from 34.9 ± 8.4 to 41.8 ± 8.1%, respectively, p < 0.05. No significant changes in LV geometry and function were noted in group 2. Conclusions: The underlying mechanism of ischemic MR has an impact on MV repair results. In patients with MR due to posterobasal infarction MV repair resulted in more favorable postoperative effect-marked improvement in LV geometry and function late after surgery versus MR due to isolated MA dilation. [source] GORDON BROWN COUNTS DEAD CHILDREN: THE TRUE IMPACT OF INHERITANCE TAXECONOMIC AFFAIRS, Issue 3 2006Cliff Pratten In the Budget and the supporting documents Gordon Brown and the Treasury reported that only 6% of estates pay Inheritance Tax and that the tax is a fair and targeted system. This article shows that for several reasons the tax affects far more than 6% of the community, is iniquitous and poorly targeted. [source] WELFARE IMPACT OF A BAN ON CHILD LABORECONOMIC INQUIRY, Issue 4 2010JORGE SOARES This article presents a new rationale for imposing restrictions on child labor. In a standard overlapping generation model where parental altruism results in transfers that children allocate to consumption and education, the Nash-Cournot equilibrium results in suboptimal levels of parental transfers and does not maximize the average level of utility of currently living agents. A ban on child labor decreases children's income and generates an increase in parental transfers bringing their levels closer to the optimum, raising children's welfare as well as average welfare in the short run and in the long run. Moreover, the inability to work allows children to allocate more time to education, and it leads to an increase in human capital. Besides, to increase transfers, parents decrease savings and hence physical capital accumulation. When prices are flexible, these effects diminish the positive welfare impact of the ban on child labor. (JEL D91, E21) [source] HAS WAL-MART BURIED MOM AND POP?: THE IMPACT OF WAL-MART ON SELF-EMPLOYMENT AND SMALL ESTABLISHMENTS IN THE UNITED STATESECONOMIC INQUIRY, Issue 4 2008RUSSELL S. SOBEL This paper explores the widely accepted view that Wal-Mart causes significant harm to the traditional, small "mom and pop" business sector of the U.S. economy. We present the first rigorous econometric investigation of this issue by examining the rate of self-employment and the number of small employer establishments using both time series and cross-sectional data. We also examine alternative measures and empirical techniques for robustness. Contrary to popular belief, our results suggest that the process of creative destruction unleashed by Wal-Mart has had no statistically significant long-run impact on the overall size and profitability of the small business sector in the United States. (JEL L81, D59, C21) [source] THE IMPACT OF REGULATORY COMPETITION ON THE INVESTMENT OF AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES IN NEW ZEALANDECONOMIC PAPERS: A JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECONOMICS AND POLICY, Issue 2 2005Malcolm Abbott In this paper the regulatory differences between Australia and New Zealand in higher education are examined to determine if they have encouraged the entry of Australian universities into the New Zealand education market. Some general observations are also made about the nature of regulatory competition and the manner in which it influences the development of the international education export industry. [source] IMPACT OF E-COMMERCE ON QUEENSLAND TAXATIONECONOMIC PAPERS: A JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECONOMICS AND POLICY, Issue 1 2001DOMINIC L'HUILLIER First page of article [source] THE IMPACT OF CONTINUING EDUCATION TRAINING ON LAW GUARDIAN KNOWLEDGE, EFFICACY, AND PRACTICE BEHAVIORSFAMILY COURT REVIEW, Issue 1 2007Wendi Cross There is an increased demand for law guardians in domestic violence cases, especially those involving child witnesses. Training is required for law guardians to meet child clients' needs. While workshops and conferences are typical venues for continuing education training, their effectiveness is unknown. This pilot study compared law guardians who attended a conference on community violence and children to nonattendees on several training outcomes. Results showed a positive impact on attendees' feelings of efficacy and intentions to carry out new practice behaviors post-conference; differences were maintained at follow-up. Limitations and implications of this pilot study are discussed. [source] Thirty years on from the paper ,Gust Spectrum Fatigue Crack Propagation in Candidate Skin Materials', Fatigue of Engineering Materials and Structures, Vol.FATIGUE & FRACTURE OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES, Issue 1 2009IMPACT OF THE PAPER This paper1 addressed a very specific topic and by itself would not have had much impact in the intervening years. However, most of the paper's content was subsequently included in an extensive report on the Damage Tolerance (DT) properties of aluminium alloys.2 This report enabled guidelines for flight simulation fatigue crack growth testing to be formulated.3,4 [source] METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS DURING SLUSH-FLOW RELEASE AND THEIR GEOMORPHOLOGICAL IMPACT IN NORTHWESTERN ICELAND: A CASE STUDY FROM THE BÍLDUDALUR VALLEYGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES A: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2006ARMELLE DECAULNE ABSTRACT. This paper examines triggering factors and geomorphic significance of slush flows in the Bíldudalur valley, northwestern Iceland. The area is prone to release slush flows from two confined gullies, and at least ten flows have been reported since the beginning of the twentieth century. Despite their short path (600 m) and their moderate magnitude (from 6000 to 8000 m3), slush flows in the Bíldudalur valley represent a serious threat for the local community that is situated within the runout and deposition zones. With the help of meteorological data, the release of known slush flows is examined, highlighting the role of heavy rainfall and rapid snow-melt during winter cyclonic activity. The geomorphological impact of slush flows is assessed through the characteristics of the landforms produced during the 1997 and 1998 slush-flow events. It appears that the most obvious characteristics of slush flows in the Bíldudalur valley are the entrainment and deposition of debris, spatially differentiated. Chaotic sedimentation occurs chiefly in the middle part of a clearly concave cone, even if the flows continue beyond the cone. [source] THE LASTING SCIENTIFIC IMPACT OF THE THORNTHWAITE WATER,BALANCE MODELGEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW, Issue 3 2010BARRY D. KEIM First page of article [source] THE IMPACT OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS ON THE STUDY OF HISTORYHISTORY AND THEORY, Issue 1 2009ANTOON DE BAETS ABSTRACT There is perhaps no text with a broader impact on our lives than the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). It is strange, therefore, that historians have paid so little attention to the UDHR. I argue that its potential impact on the study of history is profound. After asking whether the UDHR contains a general view of history, I address the consequences of the UDHR for the rights and duties of historians, and explain how it deals with their subjects of study. I demonstrate that the UDHR is a direct source of five important rights for historians: the rights to free expression and information, to meet and found associations, to intellectual property, to academic freedom, and to silence. It is also an indirect source of three duties for historians: the duties to produce expert knowledge about the past, to disseminate it, and to teach about it. I discuss the limits to, and conflicts among, these rights and duties. The UDHR also has an impact on historians' subjects of study: I argue that the UDHR applies to the living but not to the dead, and that, consequently, it is a compass for studying recent rather than remote historical injustice. Nevertheless, and although it is itself silent about historians' core duties to find and tell the truth, the UDHR firmly supports an emerging imprescriptible right to the truth, which in crucial respects is nothing less than a right to history. If the UDHR is a "Magna Carta of all men everywhere," it surely is one for all historians. [source] Treatment of Depression Improves Physical Functioning in Older AdultsJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 3 2005Christopher M. Callahan MD Objectives: To determine the effect of collaborative care management for depression on physical functioning in older adults. Design: Multisite randomized clinical trial. Setting: Eighteen primary care clinics from eight healthcare organizations. Participants: One thousand eight hundred one patients aged 60 and older with major depressive disorder. Intervention: Patients were randomized to the Improving Mood: Promoting Access to Collaborative Treatment (IMPACT) intervention (n=906) or to a control group receiving usual care (n=895). Control patients had access to all health services available as part of usual care. Intervention patients had access for 12 months to a depression clinical specialist who coordinated depression care with their primary care physician. Measurements: The 12-item short form Physical Component Summary (PCS) score (range 0,100) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) (range 0,7). Results: The mean patient age was 71.2, 65% were women, and 77% were white. At baseline, the mean PCS was 40.2, and the mean number of IADL dependencies was 0.7; 45% of participants rated their health as fair or poor. Intervention patients experienced significantly better physical functioning at 1 year than usual-care patients as measured using between-group differences on the PCS of 1.71 (95% confidence interval (CI)=0.96,2.46) and IADLs of ,0.15 (95% CI=,0.29 to ,0.01). Intervention patients were also less likely to rate their health as fair or poor (37.3% vs 52.4%, P<.001). Combining both study groups, patients whose depression improved were more likely to experience improvement in physical functioning. Conclusion: The IMPACT collaborative care model for late-life depression improves physical function more than usual care. [source] Supercritical water for environmental technologiesJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 5 2010Dr Anne Loppinet-Serani Abstract OVERVIEW: Supercritical water is a great medium in which to perform chemical reactions and to develop processes. Due to its unique thermo-physico-chemical properties, supercritical water is able to play the role of solvent of organic compounds and/or to react with them. These specific properties have been used since the 1990s to develop new technologies dedicated to the environment and energy. IMPACT: Supercritical water based technologies are innovative and efficient processes having a strong impact on society, the environment and the economy, and is termed a sustainable technology. APPLICATIONS: Three main applications for supercritical water technology are under development: (i) supercritical water oxidation (SCWO); (ii) supercritical water biomass gasification (SCBG); and (iii) hydrolysis of polymers in supercritical water (HPSCW) for composites/plastics recycling. In this paper some fundamentals of supercritical water are first presented to introduce the above three major developments. Then these technologies are reviewed in terms of their present and future industrial development and their impact on the environment and on energy production. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Liquid membrane technology: fundamentals and review of its applicationsJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 1 2010M. F. San Román Abstract OVERVIEW: During the past two decades, liquid membrane technology has grown into an accepted unit operation for a wide variety of separations. The increase in the use of this technology owing to strict environmental regulations and legislation together with the wider acceptance of this technology in preference to conventional separation processes has led to a spectacular advance in membrane development, module configurations, applications, etc. IMPACT: Liquid membrane technology makes it possible to attain high selectivity as well as efficient use of energy and material relative to many other separation systems. However, in spite of the known advantages of liquid membranes, there are very few examples of industrial applications because of the problems associated with the stability of the liquid membrane. APPLICATIONS: Liquid membrane technology has found applications in the fields of chemical and pharmaceutical technology, biotechnology, food processing and environmental engineering. On the other hand, its use in other fields, such as in the case of hydrogen separation, the recovery of aroma compounds from fruits, the application of ionic liquids in the membrane formulation, etc., is increasing rapidly. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Contributions of electrochemical oxidation to waste-water treatment: fundamentals and review of applicationsJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 12 2009Ángela Anglada Abstract OVERVIEW: This paper provides an overview of some fundamental aspects of electrochemical oxidation and gives updated information on the application of this technology to waste-water treatment. In recent years, electrochemical oxidation has gained increasing interest due to its outstanding technical characteristics for eliminating a wide variety of pollutants normally present in waste-waters such as refractory organic matter, nitrogen species and microorganisms. IMPACT: The strict disposal limits and health quality standards set by legislation may be met by applying electrochemical oxidation. However, treatment costs have to be cut down before full-scale application of this technology. Deployment of electrochemical oxidation in combination with other technologies and the use of renewable sources to power this process are two steps in this direction. APPLICATIONS: Effluents from landfill and a wide diversity of industrial effluents including the agro-industry, chemical, textile, tannery and food industry, have been effectively treated by this technology. Its high efficiency together with its disinfection capabilities makes electro-oxidation a suitable technology for water reuse programs. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry [source] IMPACT OF BLENDING OF FRYING OILS ON VISCOSITY AND HEAT TRANSFER COEFFICIENT AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURESJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2010SUKUMAR DEBNATH ABSTRACT In the present work, the effect of binary blending of five frying oils on kinematic viscosity (,) and convective heat transfer coefficient (h) was studied at elevated temperatures (170, 180 and 190C). A Cannon Ubbelhode calibrated capillary viscometer (Cannon Instrument Company, State College, PA) in a custom-designed and fabricated convective air bath heater and a highly conductive cylindrical metal transducer were used for generating,and h data, respectively. The value of,decreased from 3.617 × 10 - 6 to 2.062 × 10 - 6 m2 s - 1, and h increased from 221.0 to 301.2 Wm - 2 C - 1 by increasing the aforementioned oil temperatures. A good correlation between, (R2 > 0.996) or h (R2 > 0.987) of these frying oils and their selected binary blends with the previously mentioned temperature range was observed. Significant difference (P < 0.05) was found between different levels of parameters when treatments were compared using Tukey's test. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS In food engineering applications, the physical properties of foods play an important role in the analysis of process parameters and in the design and fabrication of processing equipment. Determination of kinematic viscosity and convective heat transfer coefficients of frying oils and their selected blends at elevated temperatures are useful from an industrial point of view. In the present work, the effect of blending different edible oils on the kinematic viscosity and convective heat transfer coefficients at elevated temperatures was studied. Because selected blended oils provided lower levels of viscosities and higher levels of heat transfer coefficients, these results may be an attractive proposition in improving the quality of fried products and cost-effectiveness in the fried food industry. [source] THE IMPACT OF PRIORITIZING ACADEMIC INTEGRITY IN BUSINESS SCHOOLS: A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVEJOURNAL OF LEGAL STUDIES EDUCATION, Issue 2 2001Elletta Sangrey Callahan [source] IMPACT OF MARITAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS ON THERAPEUTIC ALLIANCE IN COUPLES UNDERGOING COUPLE THERAPYJOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY, Issue 2 2005Salima Mamodhoussen In this study, we describe the psychometric properties of the Couple Therapy Alliance Scale, revised (CTAS,r) and investigates the impact of marital and psychiatric distress on alliance. Seventy-nine couples in therapy completed a French version of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale and of the Psychiatric Symptoms Index at session one, and a French version of the CTAS,r at session three. Results indicate that the French version of the CTAS,r has adequate psychometric properties, although the subscales of the instrument are highly intercorrelated. Furthermore, marital adjustment predicts alliance scores, whereas psychiatric symptoms do not. Finally, male marital adjustment and female psychiatric symptoms are lower in couples where spouses have divergent perceptions of the alliance. Future research directions are discussed. [source] IMPACT OF MAGMATISM ON PETROLEUM SYSTEMS IN THE SVERDRUP BASIN, CANADIAN ARCTIC ISLANDS, NUNAVUT: A NUMERICAL MODELLING STUDYJOURNAL OF PETROLEUM GEOLOGY, Issue 3 2007S.F. Jones Numerical modelling is used to investigate for the first time the interactions between a petroleum system and sill intrusion in the NE Sverdrup Basin, Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Although hydrocarbonexploration has been successful in the western Sverdrup Basin, the results in the NE part of thebasin have been disappointing, despite the presence of suitable Mesozoic source rocks, migrationpaths and structural/stratigraphic traps, many involving evaporites. This was explained by (i) theformation of structural traps during basin inversion in the Eocene, after the main phase ofhydrocarbon generation, and/or (ii) the presence of evaporite diapirs locally modifying the geothermalgradient, leading to thermal overmaturity of hydrocarbons. This study is the first attempt at modellingthe intrusion of Cretaceous sills in the east-central Sverdrup Basin, and to investigate how theymay have affected the petroleum system. A one-dimensional numerical model, constructed using PetroMod9.0®, investigates the effectsof rifting and magmatic events on the thermal history and on petroleum generation at the DepotPoint L-24 well, eastern Axel Heiberg Island (79°23,40,N, 85°44,22,W). The thermal history isconstrained by vitrinite reflectance and fission-track data, and by the tectonic history. The simulationidentifies the time intervals during which hydrocarbons were generated, and illustrates the interplaybetween hydrocarbon production and igneous activity at the time of sill intrusion during the EarlyCretaceous. The comparison of the petroleum and magmatic systems in the context of previouslyproposed models of basin evolution and renewed tectonism was an essential step in the interpretationof the results from the Depot Point L-24 well. The model results show that an episode of minor renewed rifting and widespread sill intrusionin the Early Cretaceous occurred after hydrocarbon generation ceased at about 220 Ma in theHare Fiord and Van Hauen Formations. We conclude that the generation potential of these deeperformations in the eastern Sverdrup Basin was not likely to have been affected by the intrusion ofmafic sills during the Early Cretaceous. However, the model suggests that in shallower sourcerocks such as the Blaa Mountain Formation, rapid generation of natural gas occurred at 125 Ma, contemporaneous with tectonic rejuvenation and sill intrusion in the east-central Sverdrup Basin. A sensitivity study shows that the emplacement of sills increased the hydrocarbon generation ratesin the Blaa Mountain Formation, and facilitated the production of gas rather than oil. [source] GRAZING IMPACT OF, AND INDIRECT INTERACTIONS BETWEEN MESOGRAZERS ASSOCIATED WITH KELP (LAMINARIA DIGITATA),JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Markus Molis Little is known about the indirect effects of nonlethal grazing impacts in mesograzer,seaweed interactions. Using laboratory experiments, the effect of grazing by the seasonally abundant kelp-associated gastropod Lacuna vincta on subsequent kelp consumption by one kelp-associated (Idotea granulosa) and one nonassociated species of isopod (I. emarginata) was determined. Measurements of the toughness and elemental composition of different parts of the sporophyte of Laminaria digitata (Huds.) J. V. Lamour., as well as grazer-induced changes in the palatability of the blade, were conducted to explore possible mechanisms of indirect effects. In situ grazing pressure was the highest between July and September, with the blade being the preferred part of the kelp sporophyte, despite missing differences in the elemental composition among kelp parts. The laboratory experiments supported our hypotheses in that kelp consumption by both species of isopods was lower on intact than on L. vincta,damaged areas of the blade. This pattern was not caused by grazing-induced changes in blade palatability. Instead, the observed increase in isopod consumption following grazing by L. vincta resulted more likely from the combined effects of a reduction in the toughness of L. vincta,damaged kelp blades and some unknown gastropod cue(s). These results suggest that kelp-associated and nonassociated mesograzers may benefit from the nonlethal grazing impact of L. vincta due to changes in physical traits of the seaweed. Thus, the nonlethal grazing impact by one species of mesograzer can positively modify the trophic interactions between kelp and other potential competitors, suggesting that the interactions among mesograzers might be more complex than previously assumed. [source] IMPACT OF THE INVASIVE SEAWEED SARGASSUM MUTICUM (PHAEOPHYTA) ON AN INTERTIDAL MACROALGAL ASSEMBLAGE,JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 5 2005Íñigo Sánchez The impact of the invasive seaweed Sargassum muticum (Yendo) Fensholt on a low intertidal macroalgal assemblage was assessed at a semiexposed rocky shore in northern Spain between 2002 and 2004. Sargassum muticum plants were removed from the mature macroalgal assemblage and from those occurring along the successional process of the assemblage. Biomass, richness, diversity, and percentage cover of macroalgae in experimental plots were compared with unmanipulated controls. The effect of S. muticum removal on the macroalgal assemblage more than 2 years after the beginning of the experiment was negligible. Moreover, no differences between treatments were detected in the general patterns of succession. Only significant differences in S. muticum abundance were detected between treatments at the end of the experiment. We suggest that the low abundance of S. muticum at this intertidal level and its pseudoperennial life cycle may limit competition with native macroalgae. However, long-term removal experiments may be a more indicator of the impact of S. muticum at the upper limit of its vertical distribution. [source] IMPACT OF IRON LIMITATION ON THE PHOTOSYNTHETIC APPARATUS OF THE DIATOM CHAETOCEROS MUELLERI (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE)JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 6 2001Margaret Davey Iron starvation induced marked increases in flavodoxin abundance and decreases in light-saturated and light-limited photosynthesis rates in the diatom Chaetoceros muelleri. Consistent with the substitution of flavodoxin for ferredoxin as an early response to iron starvation, increases of flavodoxin abundance were observed before declines of cell division rate or chl a specific photosynthesis rates. Changes in the abundance of flavodoxin after the addition of iron to iron-starved cells indicated that flavodoxin was not actively degraded under iron-replete conditions. Greater declines in light-saturated oxygen evolution rates than dark oxygen consumption rates indicated that the mitochondrial electron transfer chain was not affected as greatly by iron starvation as the photosynthetic electron transfer chain. The carbon:nitrogen ratio was unaffected by iron starvation, suggesting that photosynthetic electron transfer was a primary target of iron starvation and that reductions in nitrate assimilation were due to energy limitation (the C:N ratio would be expected to rise under nitrogen-limited but energy-replete conditions). Parallel changes were observed in the maximum light-saturated photosynthesis rate and the light-limited initial slope of the photosynthesis-light curve during iron starvation and recovery. The lowest photosynthesis rates were observed in iron-starved cells and the highest values in iron-replete cells. The light saturation parameter, Ik, was not affected by iron starvation, nor was the chl-to-C ratio markedly reduced. These observations were consistent with iron starvation having a similar or greater effect on photochemical charge separation in PSII than on downstream electron transfer steps. Declines of the ratio of variable to maximum fluorescence in iron-starved cells were consistent with PSII being a primary target of iron starvation. The functional cross-section of PSII was affected only marginally (<20%) by iron starvation, with the largest values observed in iron-starved cells. The rate constant for electron transfer calculated from fast repetition rate fluorescence was found to covary with the light-saturated photosynthesis rate; it was lowest in the most severely starved cells. [source] Integrated Management of Physician-delivered Alcohol Care for Tuberculosis Patients: Design and ImplementationALCOHOLISM, Issue 2 2010Shelly F. Greenfield Background:, While the integration of alcohol screening, treatment, and referral in primary care and other medical settings in the U.S. and worldwide has been recognized as a key health care priority, it is not routinely done. In spite of the high co-occurrence and excess mortality associated with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) among individuals with tuberculosis (TB), there are no studies evaluating effectiveness of integrating alcohol care into routine treatment for this disorder. Methods:, We designed and implemented a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to determine the effectiveness of integrating pharmacotherapy and behavioral treatments for AUDs into routine medical care for TB in the Tomsk Oblast Tuberculosis Service (TOTBS) in Tomsk, Russia. Eligible patients are diagnosed with alcohol abuse or dependence, are newly diagnosed with TB, and initiating treatment in the TOTBS with Directly Observed Therapy-Short Course (DOTS) for TB. Utilizing a factorial design, the Integrated Management of Physician-delivered Alcohol Care for Tuberculosis Patients (IMPACT) study randomizes eligible patients who sign informed consent into 1 of 4 study arms: (1) Oral Naltrexone + Brief Behavioral Compliance Enhancement Therapy (BBCET) + treatment as usual (TAU), (2) Brief Counseling Intervention (BCI) + TAU, (3) Naltrexone + BBCET + BCI + TAU, or (4) TAU alone. Results:, Utilizing an iterative, collaborative approach, a multi-disciplinary U.S. and Russian team has implemented a model of alcohol management that is culturally appropriate to the patient and TB physician community in Russia. Implementation to date has achieved the integration of routine alcohol screening into TB care in Tomsk; an ethnographic assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of AUD management among TB physicians in Tomsk; translation and cultural adaptation of the BCI to Russia and the TB setting; and training and certification of TB physicians to deliver oral naltrexone and brief counseling interventions for alcohol abuse and dependence as part of routine TB care. The study is successfully enrolling eligible subjects in the RCT to evaluate the relationship of integrating effective pharmacotherapy and brief behavioral intervention on TB and alcohol outcomes, as well as reduction in HIV risk behaviors. Conclusions:, The IMPACT study utilizes an innovative approach to adapt 2 effective therapies for treatment of alcohol use disorders to the TB clinical services setting in the Tomsk Oblast, Siberia, Russia, and to train TB physicians to deliver state of the art alcohol pharmacotherapy and behavioral treatments as an integrated part of routine TB care. The proposed treatment strategy could be applied elsewhere in Russia and in other settings where TB control is jeopardized by AUDs. If demonstrated to be effective, this model of integrating alcohol interventions into routine TB care has the potential for expanded applicability to other chronic co-occurring infectious and other medical conditions seen in medical care settings. [source] Constant or special observations of inpatients presenting a risk of aggression or violence: nurses' perceptions of the rules of engagementJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 4 2005I. MACKAY bsc (hons) rmn In acute psychiatric settings the practice of ,observation' is commonly employed. Increased levels of observation, ,constant' or ,special' are used for those perceived as presenting a ,higher' risk. As an intervention it is used most frequently for those at risk of self-harm or suicide, the practice is also however, used for those thought to present a risk of violent behaviour. In this descriptive study the perceptions of 1st level registered mental nurses (RMNs) gave an account of observation for those perceived to be at risk of violence or aggression and insight into what was considered important and desirable in practice. Unstructured qualitative interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of six RMNs from a psychiatric intensive care unit. Three major categories, Procedure, Role, and Skills emerged which revealed a complex practice far removed from its literal description as merely ,watching'. Six subcategories emerged from the Role. (1) intervening; (2) maintaining the safety of the patient and others; (3) prevention de-escalation and the management of aggression and violence; (4) assessing; (5) communication; and (6) therapy. Skills in these and, experience were thought to IMPACT on the success of the practice. The description of this and the skills involved offer a definition of the ,rules of engagement' which give insight to the practice and the training needs of staff advocated for ,observation'. The acronym IMPACT may be useful in this. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||