Information Relevant (information + relevant)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Drug use investigation (DUI) and prescription-event monitoring in Japan (J-PEM),

PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 7 2001
Katsutoshi Tanaka BSc
Abstract Objective To present ethical issues and relevant problems in observational studies of drug safety in Japan. Methods The Pharmaceutical Affairs Law, associated ordinances, and notifications relevant to Drug Use Investigations (DUIs), and published documents for two pilot studies of prescription-event monitoring in Japan (J-PEM) were examined, particularly with regard to the protection of privacy. Information relevant to the proposed legislation intended to protect personal information and proposed guidelines on ethical issues in epidemiological studies were also collected. Results and Conclusion The formal studies inaugurated as the ,side-effect investigations' in the late 1960s and replaced by those of the DUI in 1980 have been conducted by drug manufacturers, in accordance with the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law. The first pilot study of J-PEM was started in 1997 and the second one is currently operated under a Health Sciences Research grant, supported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Those observational studies have been conducted while maintaining the confidentiality of personal data, but without requiring either approval by institutional ethics boards or informed consent from patients. However, according to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law, those involved in postmarketing surveillance studies must protect the privacy of study subjects and those who break this rule may be subject to penalties. Ethical issues associated with pharmacoepidemiological studies will be clearly determined in Japan before the end of 2001 when the law designed to protect personal information will be introduced and official guidelines on ethical issues in epidemiological studies will have come into effect. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Improving Jurors' Evaluations of Auditors in Negligence Cases,

CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTING RESEARCH, Issue 3 2001
Kathryn Kadous
Abstract Prior research indicates that individuals acting as jurors experience outcome effects in audit negligence litigation. That is, jurors evaluate auditors more harshly in light of negative outcomes, even when audit quality is constant. I posit that outcome effects in this setting are caused by jurors using their negative affect (i.e., feelings) resulting from learning about negative audit outcomes as information relevant to auditor blameworthiness. I tested this hypothesis in an experiment in which I manipulated audit quality, outcome information, and provision of an attribution instruction. The attribution instruction was designed to discredit negative affect as a cue to auditor blameworthiness. Consistent with expectations, attribution participants' evaluations of auditors exhibited less reliance on outcome information and more reliance on audit quality information than did evaluations made by control participants. In fact, outcome effects were eliminated for attribution participants. Courts may be able to improve the quality of jurors' decisions in such cases by employing an attribution instruction. [source]


Social cognition and the brain: A meta-analysis

HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 3 2009
Frank Van Overwalle
Abstract This meta-analysis explores the location and function of brain areas involved in social cognition, or the capacity to understand people's behavioral intentions, social beliefs, and personality traits. On the basis of over 200 fMRI studies, it tests alternative theoretical proposals that attempt to explain how several brain areas process information relevant for social cognition. The results suggest that inferring temporary states such as goals, intentions, and desires of other people,even when they are false and unjust from our own perspective,strongly engages the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ). Inferring more enduring dispositions of others and the self, or interpersonal norms and scripts, engages the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), although temporal states can also activate the mPFC. Other candidate tasks reflecting general-purpose brain processes that may potentially subserve social cognition are briefly reviewed, such as sequence learning, causality detection, emotion processing, and executive functioning (action monitoring, attention, dual task monitoring, episodic memory retrieval), but none of them overlaps uniquely with the regions activated during social cognition. Hence, it appears that social cognition particularly engages the TPJ and mPFC regions. The available evidence is consistent with the role of a TPJ-related mirror system for inferring temporary goals and intentions at a relatively perceptual level of representation, and the mPFC as a module that integrates social information across time and allows reflection and representation of traits and norms, and presumably also of intentionality, at a more abstract cognitive level. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Common themes emerge in the transcriptional control of T helper and developmental cell fate decisions regulated by the T-box, GATA and ROR families

IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 3 2009
Sara A. Miller
Summary Cellular differentiation requires the precise action of lineage-determining transcription factors. In the immune system, CD4+ T helper cells differentiate into at least three distinct effector lineages, T helper type 1 (Th1), Th2 and Th17, with the fate of the cell at least in part determined by the transcription factors T-box expressed in T cells (T-bet), GATA-3 and retinoid-related orphan receptor ,t (ROR,t), respectively. Importantly, these transcription factors are members of larger families that are required for numerous developmental transitions from early embryogenesis into adulthood. Mutations in members of these transcription factor families are associated with a number of human genetic diseases due to a failure in completing lineage-specification events when the factor is dysregulated. Mechanistically, there are both common and distinct functional activities that are utilized by T-box, GATA and ROR family members to globally alter the cellular gene expression profiles at specific cell fate decision checkpoints. Therefore, understanding the molecular events that contribute to the ability of T-bet, GATA-3 and ROR,t to define T helper cell lineages can provide valuable information relevant to the establishment of other developmental systems and, conversely, information from diverse developmental systems may provide unexpected insights into the molecular mechanisms utilized in T helper cell differentiation. [source]


Kinetic and thermodynamic study of thiolato and sulfenato Co(III) complexes in water,acetonitrile mixtures

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL KINETICS, Issue 1 2004
Monika Aranyosiová
Rate constants are reported for peroxodisulfate as well as periodate oxidation of[Co(en)2{SCH2CH(COO)NH2}]+, [Co(en)2(SCH2CH2NH2)]2+, and [Co(en)2(SOCH2CH2NH2)]2+ in water,acetonitrile mixtures. The dependence of rate constants on the acetonitrile concentration is established and discussed. Ancillary information relevant to solvation of reactants has been obtained from solvatochromism and from Gibbs transfer functions. The solvent effect is discussed from the viewpoint of change in solvation of initial and transition state on going from water to water,acetonitrile mixtures. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 36: 34,40, 2004 [source]


Doing Field Studies of Religious Movements: An Agenda

JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION, Issue 3 2001
Susan Pitchford
Although the social scientific study of religion has seen the accumulation of numerous case studies, comparative work involving substantial numbers of cases is rare. In the absence of an accepted agenda for field research, field studies contain information relevant to the study at hand, but do not add systematically to a cumulative database. By contrast, field studies in anthropology may contain idiosyncratic information relevant to the author's interests, but an existing research agenda defines information researchers are expected to include, which has produced an expanding cross-cultural database. In this paper, we propose elements of a research agenda for the study of religious movements, including information related to movements' organizational history and context, mobilization, organization, governance, and outcomes. While this preliminary agenda is subject to refinement by others, it provides a starting point for the accumulation of comparable cases, and a basis for the comparative study of religious movements. [source]


The Blalock-Taussig Shunt

JOURNAL OF CARDIAC SURGERY, Issue 2 2009
Shi-Min Yuan M.D.
This warrants us a zest in making a comprehensive survey on this subject. Methods: Articles were extensively retrieved from the MEDLINE database of National Library of Medicine USA if the abstract contained information relevant to the B-T shunt in terms of the conduit options, modified surgical techniques, surgical indications, short- and long-term results, complications, and prognosis. Further retrieval was undertaken by manually searching the reference list of relevant papers. Results: Classical or modified B-T shunts, either on ipsilateral or contralateral side to the aortic arch, can be performed on patients of any age with minimum postoperative complications and low operative mortality. Expended polytetrafluoroethylene has gained satisfactory long-term patency rate in the construction of the modified B-T shunt. Excellent pulmonary artery growth was observed in the patients with a modified B-T shunt, and it has shown superb prognosis over the classic with regard to hemodynamics, patency rate, and survival. Conclusions: The modified B-T shunt that was developed on basis of the classic fashion remains the preferable palliative procedure aiming at enhancing pulmonary blood flow for neonates and infants with complicated cyanotic congenital heart defects. The modified B-T shunt is technically simpler with less dissection, and blood flow to the respective arm is not jeopardized. It has been proved to be of low risk, excellent palliation, and is associated with excellent pulmonary artery growth, has become the most effective palliative shunt procedure of today. [source]


A critical evaluation of current views regarding eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): Clarifying points of confusion

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2002
Byron R. Perkins
EMDR is an active psychological treatment for PTSD that has received widely divergent reactions from the scientific and professional community. This article examines points of confusion in the published literature on EMDR, including the theoretical, empirical, and historical issues around EMDR and placebo effects, exposure procedures, the eye movement component, treatment fidelity issues, and outcome studies. It also examines historical information relevant to the scientific process and charges of "pseudoscience" regarding EMDR. We conclude that the confusion in the literature is due to (a) the lack of an empirically validated model capable of convincingly explaining the effects of the EMDR method, (b) inaccurate and selective reporting of research, (c) some poorly designed empirical studies, (d) inadequate treatment fidelity in some outcome research, and (e) multiple biased or inaccurate reviews by a relatively small group of authors. Reading the original research articles frequently helps to reduce the confusion arising from the research review literature. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Psychol 58: 77,97, 2002. [source]


Sonographic assessment of clubfoot

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ULTRASOUND, Issue 5 2004
Cosimo Gigante MD
Abstract Purpose This study was performed to develop a standardized methodology for the sonographic assessment of clubfoot at birth and at the end of both conservative treatment and surgical correction. Methods Forty-two congenital clubfeet and 42 normal feet were examined sonographically in the position of spontaneous alignment and during passive manual correction. Scans along 4 planes provided information relevant to the assessment: sagittal posterior, sagittal anterior, coronal lateral, and transverse. Results Sagittal posterior sonograms demonstrated the progressive gain of dorsiflexion ability during the different steps of treatment for clubfoot. Sagittal anterior sonograms could not demonstrate the normal alignment of the navicular in clubfeet because of the bone's medial displacement. On transverse sonograms, the talar head and the medially displaced navicular may lie on the same plane, depending on the severity of the deformity. Coronal lateral sonograms provided for estimation of the relationships between the calcaneus and cuboid, which were described by the calcaneal-cuboid angle. Conclusions Sonography is a promising technique for assessment and monitoring of clubfoot during treatment. The method described here yields accurate and reproducible information about the anatomy of the nonossified clubfoot, helping the orthopedic team decide on appropriate treatment steps. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 32:235,242, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/jcu.20022 [source]


Consumer product evaluation based on tactile sensory information

JOURNAL OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR, Issue 3 2010
Alain d'Astous
This paper presents the results of an experiment in which consumers were asked to examine visually and touch samples of fabric. The participants were either given or not given verbal information relevant to the product category, and provided answers to the dependent variables immediately or after a 4-minute delay. The results showed that memory, confidence in memory, and confidence in product evaluation were positively influenced by the availability of verbal information and therefore support the proposition that relevant verbal information can improve the encoding, retention, and retrieval of consumer experiences that include sensory information and lead to preferences that are better defined. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Antecedents of consumer relative preference for interpersonal information sources in pre-purchase search

JOURNAL OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR, Issue 5 2005
Mehdi Mourali
Abstract Past research has demonstrated clearly the importance of pre-purchase information search within the buying process. Scholars have identified several sources used by consumers in order to obtain information relevant to their purchase situation. Among the various information sources, interpersonal non-commercial sources seem to play an important role in consumers' choice decisions. The present study examines potential antecedents of consumer relative preference for interpersonal information search. The proposed antecedents include personality traits such as individuals' susceptibility to interpersonal influence, their need for cognition and their self-confidence, as well as individual differences in product knowledge and perceived risk associated with the purchase of a specific product. Using structural equation modelling on survey data (419 respondents), seven hypotheses , describing relationships between the diverse variables of the model , were tested. The results indicate that consumer relative preference for interpersonal information search was significantly influenced by consumers' susceptibility to interpersonal influence, their need for cognition, their self-confidence and their product knowledge. Consumers' product knowledge also influenced their perceived risk, which did not affect their preference for interpersonal search significantly. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


EFFECTS OF COOKED TEMPERATURES AND ADDITION OF ANTIOXIDANTS ON FORMATION OF HETEROCYCLIC AROMATIC AMINES IN PORK FLOSS

JOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION, Issue 2 2009
GUOZHOU LIAO
ABSTRACT Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) are an important class of food mutagens and carcinogens produced in meats cooked at high temperature. The formation of HAAs in pork floss during processing and the effect of vitamin C and vitamin E on HAAs formation in pork floss were studied. Pork floss was prepared by steaming of raw pork, followed by pressing, tearing, adding various additives, and then the cooked pork was subjected to stir frying. The various HAAs in pork floss were isolated by solid phase extraction and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results showed that the type and level of HAAs increased with increasing processing temperature. Up to seven HAAs, 9H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole (Norharman), 1-methyl-9H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole (Harman), 2-amino-1- methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-f]pyridine (PhIP), 2-amino-dipyrido[1,2-a: 3,,2,-d]imidazole (Glu-P-2), 3-amino-1-methyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole (Trp-P-2), 2-amino-9H-pyrido[2,3-b]indole (AaC) and 2-amino-3-methyl-9H-pyrido[2,3-b]indole (MeAaC) were detected in pork floss when stir fried at 150C. Color development increased with cooking temperatures, and was correlated with HAAs formation. The addition of vitamin C at various levels was not effective toward HAAs inhibition. However, the incorporation of 0.1% vitamin E reduced Norharman, PhIP, AaC and MeAaC concentrations in the pork floss. PRACTICAL APPLICATION The formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) is one of the most unfavorable changes during the cooking of food. Since the connection between the consumption of dietary carcinogens and cancer risks in human has been established, interest in this matter has been growing. However, the processing methods and conditions of Chinese traditional food are different from Western, and to date, little is known about HAAs content in the traditional meat products of China. The information derived from this study serves as an essential base of knowledge from a public health standpoint, and contributes to a repository of HAAs information relevant to Chinese cooking; it also can provide clues to understanding the factors that affect HAAs formation and can indicate means of reducing or eliminating these compounds. [source]


Sperm head morphology in 36 species of artiodactylans, perissodactylans, and cetaceans (Mammalia)

JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY, Issue 2 2005
Amy Downing Meisner
Abstract Detailed descriptions of mammalian sperm morphology across a range of closely related taxa are rare. Most contributions have been generalized descriptions of a few distantly related mammalian species. These studies have emphasized a generalized ungulate sperm morphology, but have not underscored several important morphological differences in ungulate sperm, such as head shape. The present study is the first to document descriptions of sperm head morphology using cold field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) for a large number of closely related mammalian species. In total, the sperm of 36 species in three orders: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates), Cetacea (whales, porpoises, and dolphins), and Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulates) were examined to gather new information relevant to the debate about the phylogenetic placement of cetaceans relative to terrestrial ungulates. In all species examined, the sperm heads were generally flattened and ovate in shape with a distinct apical ridge, although considerable variation in sperm head shape was detected, both within and between orders. In artiodactylans, the sperm head was uniformly flat in lateral view, whereas perissodactylan and cetacean sperm heads showed a distinct posterior thickening. In both artiodactylans and perissodactylans, the mitochondria were elongate and wound in a tight helix around the midpiece, whereas in cetaceans the mitochondria were rounded and appeared to be randomly arranged around the midpiece. Additionally, prominent ridges running along the anterior,posterior axis were observed in the postacrosomal region of the sperm head in four species of cetaceans. These ridges were not observed in any of the terrestrial ungulates examined. Pits or fenestrations were detected in the postacrosomal region in most artiodactylan species examined; these structures were not detected in perissodactylans or cetaceans. The equatorial segment of the acrosome was detected in the artiodactylan species examined, tentatively identified in perissodactylans, but not found in cetaceans. Its shape and location are described for relevant taxa. The presence of a recently reported substructure within the equatorial segment (the equatorial subsegment; Ellis et al. [2002] J Struct Biol 138:187,198) was detected in artiodactylans, and its shape is described for the species examined. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


High-resolution wide-angle X-ray scattering of protein solutions: effect of beam dose on protein integrity

JOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 5 2003
Robert F. Fischetti
Wide-angle X-ray scattering patterns from proteins in solution contain information relevant to the determination of protein fold. At relevant scattering angles, however, these data are weak, and the degree to which they might be used to categorize the fold of a protein is unknown. Preliminary work has been performed at the BioCAT insertion-device beamline at the Advanced Photon Source which demonstrates that one can collect X-ray scattering data from proteins in solution to spacings of at least 2.2,Å (q = 2.8,Å,1). These data are sensitive to protein conformational states, and are in good agreement with the scattering predicted by the program CRYSOL using the known three-dimensional atomic coordinates of the protein. An important issue in the exploitation of this technique as a tool for structural genomics is the extent to which the high intensity of X-rays available at third-generation synchrotron sources chemically or structurally damage proteins. Various data-collection protocols have been investigated demonstrating conditions under which structural degradation of even sensitive proteins can be minimized, making this technique a viable tool for protein fold categorization, the study of protein folding, unfolding, protein,ligand interactions and domain movement. [source]


FULL UNIAXIAL COMPRESSION CURVES FOR PREDICTING SENSORY TEXTURE QUALITY OF COOKED POTATOES

JOURNAL OF TEXTURE STUDIES, Issue 2 2002
ANETTE K. THYBO
ABSTRACT The prediction of six different sensory texture attributes of twenty-seven potato samples based on uniaxial compression curve features and full uniaxial compressions curves is reported. The data set comprised five varieties, sorted in dry matter bins, and sampled at two storage times. The predictions of most of the sensory texture attributes from full compression curves performed better than just using curve features. Furthermore, force-deformation curves are shown to give slightly better predictions than stress-strain curves. For most of the texture attributes better predictions were obtained using uniaxial compression data from raw potato samples as compared to cooked samples. This study is meant to open up a debate on interpreting the information in uniaxial compression curves in relation to sensory texture quality. Multivariate analysis can handle this and can further give insight about where in the curve the information relevant for the predictions of the sensory attributes is found. [source]


Articular to diaphyseal proportions of human and great ape metatarsals

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2010
Damiano Marchi
Abstract This study proposes a new way to use metatarsals to identify locomotor behavior of fossil hominins. Metatarsal head articular dimensions and diaphyseal strength in a sample of chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and humans (n = 76) are used to explore the relationships of these parameters with different locomotor modes. Results show that ratios between metatarsal head articular proportions and diaphyseal strength of the hallucal and fifth metatarsal discriminate among extant great apes and humans based on their different locomotor modes. In particular, the hallucal and fifth metatarsal characteristics of humans are functionally related to the different ranges of motion and load patterns during stance phase in the forefoot of humans in bipedal locomotion. This method may be applicable to isolated fossil hominin metatarsals to provide new information relevant to debates regarding the evolution of human bipedal locomotion. The second to fourth metatarsals are not useful in distinguishing among hominoids. Further studies should concentrate on measuring other important qualitative and quantitative differences in the shape of the metatarsal head of hominoids that are not reflected in simple geometric reconstructions of the articulation, and gathering more forefoot kinematic data on great apes to better understand differences in range of motion and loading patterns of the metatarsals. Am J Phys Anthropol 143:198,207, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Identification of circulatory and excretory metabolites of meisoindigo in rat plasma, urine and feces by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with positive electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 6 2010
Meng Huang
Meisoindigo has been a routine therapeutic agent in the clinical treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia in China since the 1980s. However, information relevant to in vivo metabolism of meisoindigo is absent so far. In this study, in vivo circulatory metabolites of meisoindigo in rat plasma, as well as excretory metabolites in rat urine and feces, were identified by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Integration of multiple reaction monitoring with conventional metabolic profiling methodology was adopted to enable a more sensitive detection of in vivo metabolites. By comparing with the MS/MS spectra and retention times of the in vitro reduced metabolites, the major metabolites in rat plasma were proposed to form from 3,3, double bond reduction, whereas the minor metabolites were formed from reduction followed by N-demethylation, and reduction followed by phenyl mono-oxidation. The major metabolites in the rat urine were proposed to form from reduction followed by phenyl mono-oxidation, and its glucuronide conjugation and sulfate conjugation, whereas the minor metabolites were formed from 3,3, double bond reduction, N-demethylation, reduction followed by N-demethylation, phenyl di-oxidation, phenyl mono-oxidation and its glucuronide conjugation and sulfate conjugation. The major metabolites in the rat feces were proposed to form from reduction followed by phenyl mono-oxidation, whereas the minor metabolites were formed from reduction followed by N-demethylation, and reduction followed by phenyl di-oxidation. The phase I metabolic pathways showed a significant in vitro,in vivo correlation in rat. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


A comparative method to evaluate and validate stochastic parametrizations

THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 642 2009
Leon Hermanson
Abstract There is a growing interest in using stochastic parametrizations in numerical weather and climate prediction models. Previously, Palmer (2001) outlined the issues that give rise to the need for a stochastic parametrization and the forms such a parametrization could take. In this article a method is presented that uses a comparison between a standard-resolution version and a high-resolution version of the same model to gain information relevant for a stochastic parametrization in that model. A correction term that could be used in a stochastic parametrization is derived from the thermodynamic equations of both models. The origin of the components of this term is discussed. It is found that the component related to unresolved wave,wave interactions is important and can act to compensate for large parametrized tendencies. The correction term is not proportional to the parametrized tendency. Finally, it is explained how the correction term could be used to give information about the shape of the random distribution to be used in a stochastic parametrization. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society [source]


Further Correspondences and Similarities of Shamanism and Cognitive Science: Mental Representation, Implicit Processing, and Cognitive Structures

ANTHROPOLOGY OF CONSCIOUSNESS, Issue 1 2003
Timothy L. Hubbard
Properties of mental representation are related to findings in cognitive science and ideas in shamanism. A selective review of research in cognitive science suggests visual images and spatial memory preserve important functional information regarding physical principles and the behavior of objects in the natural world, and notions of second-order isomorphism and the perceptual cycle developed to account for such findings are related to shamanic experience. Possible roles of implicit processes in shamanic cognition, and the idea that shamanic experience may involve normally unconscious information becoming temporarily available to consciousness, are considered. The existence of a cognitive module dedicated to processing information relevant to social knowledge and social interaction is consistent with cognitive science and with shamanism, and may help account for the extension of intentionality and meaning that characterize shamanic practice. Overall, findings from cognitive science and ideas from shamanism exhibit a number of correspondences and similarities regarding basic properties of cognition, and this suggests that shamanic and nonshamanic cognition may not be fundamentally different. [source]


Dryland salinity: economic, scientific, social and policy dimensions

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL & RESOURCE ECONOMICS, Issue 4 2001
David J. Pannell
A broad range of information relevant to salinity is reviewed in order to critically evaluate existing and prospective policy responses. The review includes issues of hydrogeology, farmer perceptions and preferences, farm-level economics of salinity management practices, spill-over benefits and costs from salinity management, and politics. The technical challenge of preventing salinity is far greater than previously recognised. The farm-level economics of currently available management practices for salinity prevention are adverse in many situations. Off-site benefits from on-farm practices are often small and long delayed. Past national salinity policies have been seriously flawed. While current policy proposals include positive elements, they have not sufficiently escaped from the past. [source]


Analyzing characteristic length scales in biofilm structures

BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 2 2009
K. Milferstedt
Abstract The quantification of biofilm structure based on image analysis requires a statistical measure like representative elemental areas (REA) to determine the necessary size of biofilm area to be imaged. In this study, REAs for biofilm structure were calculated for the descriptors Gray level and Correlation (COR) derived from a spatial gray level dependence matrix analysis (SGLDM). An important difference between these two descriptors is their response to structural features at different spatial scales. Gray level is a scale-independent descriptor, whereas COR is scale-dependent. For scale-independent descriptors, the size of the individual images is not relevant when determining REAs. This is in contrast to scale-dependent descriptors for which REAs can only be determined when the area of each image covers the range of structural variability of the biofilm. We used COR to analyze scale dependence of structural heterogeneity at different length scales. A characteristic length of 400 µm in biofilm images provides structural information relevant for mass transport phenomena in biofilms. Overall REAs for gray level and COR were on average 3.4 mm2. The scale-dependent descriptor COR could not in all cases accurately be determined from combining individual image analysis results,even when the combined area resulted in the REA. Microscope and camera specifications define the upper and lower limit of detectable characteristic length that can be extracted from images and should therefore be considered in the experimental design when choosing an imaging technique. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;102: 368,379. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


Geometric morphometrics of corpus callosum and subcortical structures in the fetal-alcohol-affected brain

BIRTH DEFECTS RESEARCH, Issue 1 2001
Fred L. Bookstein
Background Although experienced clinicians have been diagnosing fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) for nearly 30 years, the rest of the spectrum of fetal alcohol damage is not being classified effectively. This article describes a quantification of neuroanatomical structure that may supply a useful discriminator of prenatal brain damage from alcohol. It is demonstrated in a data set of adults of both sexes. Methods Ninety adults (45 males) were examined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These subjects were group-matched for age and ethnicity across three diagnoses: FAS, fetal alcohol effects (FAE), and normals. All FAS and FAE were heavily alcohol-exposed in utero; normals were not. From T1 -weighted MR brain images, we extracted 3D morphometric representations of shape for 33-landmark point configurations and 40-point outlines of the corpus callosum along its midline (a slightly nonplanar structure). Results There are striking differences between exposed and unexposed in the statistical distributions of these two shapes. The differences are better characterized by excess variance in the exposed group than by any change in average landmark or outline shape. For each sex, combining the callosal outline data with the landmark data leads to a powerful quadratic discriminator of exposed from unexposed. The discriminating features include the relationship of brain stem to diencephalon, and localized variabilities of callosal outline shape, but not diagnosis (FAS vs. FAE). Conclusions Statistical analysis of brain shape is a powerful new source of information relevant to fetal alcohol spectrum nosology and etiology. Patients with FAS and FAE do not differ in these brain shape features, but both differ from the unexposed. The aspects of brain shape that are especially variable may be entailed in the underlying neuroteratogenetic mechanisms. Teratology 64:4,32, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Epidemiology and prognosis of ovarian metastases in colorectal cancer,

BRITISH JOURNAL OF SURGERY (NOW INCLUDES EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY), Issue 11 2010
J. Segelman
Background: National guidelines for prophylactic oophorectomy in women with colorectal cancer are lacking. The aim of this population-based cohort study was to report on the prevalence, incidence and prognosis of ovarian metastases from colorectal cancer, providing information relevant to the discussion of prophylactic oophorectomy. Methods: All 4566 women with colorectal cancer in Stockholm County during 1995,2006 were included and followed until 2008. Prospectively collected data regarding clinical characteristics, treatment and outcome were obtained from the Regional Quality Registry. Results: The prevalence of ovarian metastases at the time of diagnosis of colorectal cancer was 1·1 per cent (34 of 3172) among women with colonic cancer and 0·6 per cent (8 of 1394) among those with rectal cancer (P = 0·105). After radical resection of stage I,III colorectal cancer, metachronous ovarian metastases were found during follow-up in 1·1 per cent (22 of 1971) with colonic cancer and 0·1 per cent (1 of 881) with rectal cancer (P = 0·006). Survival in patients with ovarian metastases was poor. Conclusion: Ovarian metastases from colorectal cancer are uncommon. Copyright © 2010 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


From Surface to Depth: Diagnosis and Assessment in Personality Pathology

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY: SCIENCE AND PRACTICE, Issue 2 2007
Robert F. Bornstein
As Sheets and Craighead (2007) note, the current organization of personality disorders (PDs) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is limited by excessive comorbidity among different forms of personality pathology and by co-occurrence of symptoms from ostensibly unrelated PDs. In this commentary, I offer an alternative solution to the syndrome- and symptom-level problems that characterize our current organization of PDs. This solution involves (a) formally conceptualizing each DSM PD using multiple theoretical frameworks, and (b) using psychological assessment data to obtain information relevant to key elements of these theoretical frameworks. Guidelines for multimodal assessment of PDs are offered, and suggestions for integrating diagnostic information and psychological test data are described. [source]