Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Larger Proportion (larger + proportion)
Selected AbstractsChildren's use of gesture to resolve lexical ambiguityDEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 6 2009Evan Kidd We report on a study investigating 3,5-year-old children's use of gesture to resolve lexical ambiguity. Children were told three short stories that contained two homonym senses; for example, bat (flying mammal) and bat (sports equipment). They were then asked to re-tell these stories to a second experimenter. The data were coded for the means that children used during attempts at disambiguation: speech, gesture, or a combination of the two. The results indicated that the 3-year-old children rarely disambiguated the two senses, mainly using deictic pointing gestures during attempts at disambiguation. In contrast, the 4-year-old children attempted to disambiguate the two senses more often, using a larger proportion of iconic gestures than the other children. The 5-year-old children used less iconic gestures than the 4-year-olds, but unlike the 3-year-olds, were able to disambiguate the senses through the verbal channel. The results highlight the value of gesture to the development of children's language and communication skills. [source] Methamphetamine use among Australian workers and its implications for preventionDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 3 2008Professor ANN M. ROCHE Director Abstract Introduction and Aims. Little attention has been directed to the use of methamphetamine among Australian workers. To address this, a study was conducted that examined drug consumption patterns of the Australian work-force. Design and Method. A secondary analysis of the 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) data was undertaken that focused on methamphetamine use among those in paid employment. Results. Methamphetamine use in the past 12 months was reported by 4.0% of workers compared to 2.2% of respondents not in the paid work-force. A larger proportion of male (4.8%) than female workers (3.0%) used methamphetamine. The highest prevalence occurred among 18,29-year-old workers (11.2%; males: 12.6%; females: 9.4%), and among workers in hospitality (9.5%), construction (5.4%) and transport (5.4%) industries and among tradespeople (6.5%). Significantly more methamphetamine users reported absenteeism compared to users of other illicit drugs and non-drug users. Among respondents reporting methamphetamine use, 13.4% reported absenteeism due to illicit drug use, while 56.8% reported absenteeism due to any illness or injury. Significantly more methamphetamine users (32.9%) reported going to work under the influence than users of other illicit drugs. Compared to users of other illicit drugs, methamphetamine users were also significantly more likely to drive a car, operate heavy machinery or abuse someone while under the influence. Discussion and Conclusions. The specific details of the profile of workers using methamphetamine and the impact it has on work performance allows for the development of targeted interventions and tailored prevention strategies previously not possible. [source] Body size as an estimator of production costs in a solitary beeECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 2 2002Jordi Bosch Abstract 1. Body weight is often used as an estimator of production costs in aculeate Hymenoptera; however, due to differences between sexes in metabolic rates and water content, conversion of provision weight to body weight may differ between males and females. As a result, the cost of producing female progeny may often have been overestimated. 2. Provision weight and body weight loss throughout development were measured in a solitary bee, Osmia cornuta (Latreille), to detect potential differences between sexes in food weight/body weight conversion. 3. Male O. cornuta invest a larger proportion of larval weight in cocoon spinning, and presumably have higher metabolic rates than females during the larval period; however, this is compensated by a slightly longer larval period in females. 4. Overall, body weight loss throughout the life cycle does not differ significantly between sexes. As a result, cost production ratios calculated from provision weights and from adult body weights are almost identical. 5. The validity of other weight (cocoon, faeces) and linear (head width, intertegular span, wing length, cocoon length, and cell length) measures as estimators of production costs is also discussed. 6. Valid estimators of production costs vary across species due to differences in sex weight ratio, cocoon shape, provision size in reference to cell size, and adult body size. [source] The spatial epidemiology of cocaine, methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) use: a demonstration using a population measure of community drug load derived from municipal wastewaterADDICTION, Issue 11 2009Caleb J. Banta-Green ABSTRACT Aims To determine the utility of community-wide drug testing with wastewater samples as a population measure of community drug use and to test the hypothesis that the association with urbanicity would vary for three different stimulant drugs of abuse. Design and participants Single-day samples were obtained from a convenience sample of 96 municipalities representing 65% of the population of the State of Oregon. Measurements Chemical analysis of 24-hour composite influent samples for benzoylecgonine (BZE, a cocaine metabolite), methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). The distribution of community index drug loads accounting for total wastewater flow (i.e. dilution) and population are reported. Findings The distribution of wastewater-derived drug index loads was found to correspond with expected epidemiological drug patterns. Index loads of BZE were significantly higher in urban areas and below detection in many rural areas. Conversely, methamphetamine was present in all municipalities, with no significant differences in index loads by urbanicity. MDMA was at quantifiable levels in fewer than half the communities, with a significant trend towards higher index loads in more urban areas. Conclusion This demonstration provides the first evidence of the utility of wastewater-derived community drug loads for spatial analyses. Such data have the potential to improve dramatically the measurement of the true level and distribution of a range of drugs. Drug index load data provide information for all people in a community and are potentially applicable to a much larger proportion of the total population than existing measures. [source] Impact of a benzoyl urea insecticide on aquatic macroinvertebrates in ditch mesocosms with and without non-sprayed sections,ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 10 2009Theo C.M. Brock Abstract The long-term response, including recovery, of aquatic macroinvertebrates to short-term insecticide exposure may be affected by the presence of uncontaminated refuges in the stressed ecosystem. Experimental ditches were used to study the influence of non-sprayed ditch sections regarding the ecotoxicological effects on and the recovery of macroinvertebrates following treatment with the insecticide lufenuron. The treatment regimes differed in the proportion of the ditch (0, 33, 67, and 100% of surface area) that was sprayed to reach a lufenuron concentration of 3 ,/L in the water column of the sprayed ditch section. The magnitude and duration of effects on macroinvertebrates, and on arthropods in particular, were higher when a larger proportion of the ditch was treated. Initially, more pronounced responses were observed for bivoltine and multivoltine insects and macrocrustaceans than for univoltine and semivoltine arthropods. Most macroinvertebrate arthropods showed delayed responses, with maximum treatment-related effects observed two to six weeks after lufenuron application. This latency of effects can be explained by the mode of action of lufenuron, involving inhibition of chitin synthesis, which affects arthropod molting and metamorphosis. The observed effects were short-lived only in those ditches where 33% of the surface area was sprayed. In the ditches where 67 and 100% of the surface area was sprayed, some insects and macrocrustaceans showed long-term effects. In the 100% sprayed ditches in particular, the treatment-related reduction in arthropods resulted in indirect effects, such as an increase in snails, and later in an increase in the ephemeropteran Cloeon dipterum, probably because of an increase in periphyton, and release from competition and predation. Effects that are most likely indirect also were observed for Oligochaeta, Hirudinea, and the flatworm Mesostoma sp. [source] Correlates of Self-Directed Behaviour in Wild White-Faced CapuchinsETHOLOGY, Issue 4 2000Joseph H. Manson Elevated rates of self-directed behaviour (SDB) such as self-scratching and autogrooming have been widely used in recent years as an indicator of anxiety in catarrhine primates. This study presents the first examination of correlates of SDB rates in a platyrrhine primate. Subjects were 8 wild female white-faced capuchins at Lomas Barbudal, Costa Rica, who were observed for 119 h of focal individual follows. The subjects performed significantly more self-scratching and autogrooming while in close proximity to conspecifics than while alone, irrespective of whether the neighbour was dominant or subordinate to them. This result was attributable to elevated SDB rates during the 30 s preceding and following allogrooming bouts. Furthermore, subjects engaged in more SDB while in proximity to females (a) that were closer to them in dominance rank and (b) with whom they spent a larger proportion of their time in proximity. Self-directed behaviour rates after conflicts did not differ from non-postconflict rates. Nor were SDB rates above baseline levels during the 30 s before subjects descended to the ground. These results may provide support for the view that SDB rates index anxiety in this species, if grooming decisions signal individuals' current allegiances and are therefore a source of anxiety, even if being groomed is, itself, relaxing. Postconflict preparation for further aggression may mitigate against scratching and autogrooming in a fast-moving arboreal species. [source] Noxious Somatic Inputs to Hypothalamic-Midbrain Projection Neurones: a Comparison of the Columnar Organisation of Somatic and Visceral Inputs to the Periaqueductal Grey in the RatEXPERIMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 2 2002D. M. Parry The induction of Fos protein was used to localise hypothalamic neurones activated by noxious somatic stimulation. This was combined with retrograde transport of fluorescent latex microspheres from identified ,pressor' and ,depressor' sites in the dorsolateral/lateral or ventrolateral columns of the periaqueductal grey (PAG). Fos-positive neurones were found throughout the rostral hypothalamus. Of those neurones activated by noxious somatic stimuli that projected to the PAG all but one was retrogradely labelled from sites that included the lateral column. Only one neurone was double labelled following injection of tracer at a depressor site in the ventrolateral PAG. This is in marked contrast to visceroresponsive hypothalamic neurones, a larger proportion of which project to the PAG and which, as reported previously, preferentially target depressor sites in the ventrolateral sector. These results are discussed in relation to the roles of the anterior hypothalamus and the different functional columns of the PAG in co-ordinating autonomic and sensory functions in response to nociceptive inputs originating in different peripheral domains. [source] A comparative study of the asparagine-linked oligosaccharides on siglec-5, siglec-7 and siglec-8, expressed in a CHO cell line, and their contribution to ligand recognitionFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 5 2001Sylvie Freeman The siglecs (sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectins) mediate sialic acid-dependent cellular interactions and may in some cases signal through SH2-binding domains. In addition to the previously characterized siglecs, sialoadhesin, CD22, CD33 and myelin-associated glycoprotein, several new ones, siglec-5, siglec-7 and siglec-8, have recently been cloned. Although these novel receptors have generated considerable interest as therapeutic targets because of their expression pattern on immune cells, very little is known about how their lectin activity is regulated. Previous studies with sialoadhesin, CD22 and CD33 have shown that siglec glycosylation has significant effects on binding. To determine any differences in the glycan composition of siglec-5, siglec-7 and siglec-8 that may modify their function, we released and characterized the N-linked oligosaccharide distribution in these three glycoproteins. The glycan pools from siglec-5 and siglec-7 contained a larger proportion of sialylated and core-fucosylated biantennary, triantennary and tetra-antennary oligosaccharides, whereas the carbohydrate mixture released from siglec-8 is noticeably less sialylated and is more abundant in ,high-mannose'-type glycans. In addition, we show that, in contrast with CD22 and CD33, mutating the conserved potentially N-linked glycosylation site in the first domain has no effect on binding mediated by siglec-5 or siglec-7. [source] Effects of temperature and sediment properties on benthic CO2 production in an oligotrophic boreal lakeFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 8 2010IRINA BERGSTRÖM Summary 1. Temperature and many other physical and chemical factors affecting CO2 production in lake sediments vary significantly both seasonally and spatially. The effects of temperature and sediment properties on benthic CO2 production were studied in in situ and in vitro experiments in the boreal oligotrophic Lake Pääjärvi, southern Finland. 2. In in situ experiments, temperature of the water overlying the shallow littoral sediment varied seasonally between 0.5 and 15.7 °C, but in deep water (,20 m) the range was only 1.1,6.6 °C. The same exponential model (r2 = 0.70) described the temperature dependence at 1.2, 10 and 20 m depths. At 2.5 and 5 m depths, however, the slopes of the two regression models (r2 = 0.94) were identical but the intercept values were different. Sediment properties (wet, dry, mineral and organic mass) varied seasonally and with depth, but they did not explain a significantly larger proportion of variation in the CO2 output rate than temperature. 3. In in vitro experiments, there was a clear and uniform exponential dependence of CO2 production on temperature, with a 2.7-fold increase per 10 °C temperature rise. The temperature response (slope of regression) was always the same, but the basic value of CO2 production (intercept) varied, indicating that other factors also contributed to the benthic CO2 output rate. 4. The annual CO2 production of the sediment in Lake Pääjärvi averaged 62 g CO2 m,2, the shallow littoral at 0,3 m depth releasing 114 g CO2 m,2 and deep profundal (>15 m) 30 g CO2 m,2. On the whole lake basis, the shallow littoral at 0,3 m depth accounted for 53% and the sediment area in contact with the summer epilimnion (down to a depth c. 10 m) 75% of the estimated total annual CO2 output of the lake sediment, respectively. Of the annual production, 83% was released during the spring and summer. 5. Using the temperature-CO2 production equations and climate change scenarios we estimated that climatic warming might increase littoral benthic CO2 production in summer by nearly 30% from the period 1961,90 to the period 2071,2100. [source] Geographical and taxonomic influences on cranial variation in red colobus monkeys (Primates, Colobinae): introducing a new approach to ,morph' monkeysGLOBAL ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Andrea Cardini ABSTRACT Aim, To provide accurate but parsimonious quantitative descriptions of clines in cranial form of red colobus, to partition morphological variance into geographical, taxonomic and structured taxonomic components, and to visually summarize clines in multivariate shape data using a method which produces results directly comparable to both univariate studies of geographical variation and standard geometric morphometric visualization of shape differences along vectors. Location, Equatorial Africa. Methods, Sixty-four three-dimensional cranial landmarks were measured on 276 adult red colobus monkeys sampled over their entire distribution. Geometric morphometric methods were applied, and size and shape variables regressed onto geographical coordinates using linear and curvilinear models. Model selection was done using the second-order Akaike information criterion. Components of variation related to geography, taxon or their combined effect were partitioned using partial regresssion. Multivariate trends in clinal shape were summarized using principal components of predictions from regressions, plotting vector scores on maps as for univariate size, and visualizing differences along main axes of clinal shape variation using surface rendering. Results, Significant clinal variation was found in size and shape. Clines were similar in females and males. Trend surface analysis tended to be more accurate and parsimonious than alternative models in predicting morphology based on geography. Cranial form was relatively paedomorphic in East Africa and peramorphic in central Africa. Most taxonomic variation was geographically structured. However, taxonomic differences alone accounted for a larger proportion of total explained variance in shape (up to 40%) than in size (, 20%). Main conclusions, A strong cline explained most of the observed size variation and a significant part of the shape differences of red colobus crania. The pattern of geographical variation was largely similar to that previously reported in vervets, despite different habitat preferences (arboreal versus terrestrial) and a long period since divergence (c. 14,15 Myr). This suggests that some aspects of morphological divergence in both groups may have been influenced by similar environmental, geographical and historical factors. Cranial size is likely to be evolutionarily more labile and thus better reflects the influence of recent environmental changes. Cranial shape could be more resilient to change and thus better reflects phylogenetically informative differences. [source] Controls on surface water chemistry in two lake-watersheds in the Adirondack region of New York: differences in nitrogen solute sources and sinksHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 10 2007Mari Ito Abstract The southwestern Adirondack region of New York receives among the highest rates of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition in the USA. Atmospheric N deposition to sensitive ecosystems, like the Adirondacks, may increase the acidification of soils through losses of exchangeable nutrient cations, and the acidification of surface waters associated with enhanced mobility of nitrate (NO3,). However, watershed attributes, including surficial terrestrial characteristics, in-lake processing, and geological settings, have been found to complicate the relationships between atmospheric N deposition and N drainage losses. We studied two lake-watersheds in the southwestern Adirondacks, Grass Pond and Constable Pond, which are located in close proximity (,26 km) and receive similarly high N deposition, but have contrasting watershed attributes (e.g. wetland area, geological settings). Since the difference in the influence of N deposition was minimal, we were able to examine both within- and between-watershed influences of land cover, the contribution of glacial till groundwater inputs, and in-lake processes on surface water chemistry with particular emphasis on N solutes and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Monthly samples at seven inlets and one outlet of each lake were collected from May to October in 1999 and 2000. The concentrations of NO3, were high at the Grass Pond inlets, especially at two inlets, and NO3, was the major N solute at the Grass Pond inlets. The concentrations of likely weathering products (i.e. dissolved Si, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+) as well as acid neutralizing capacity and pH values, were also particularly high at those two Grass Pond inlets, suggesting a large contribution of groundwater inputs. Dissolved organic N (DON) was the major N solute at the Constable Pond inlets. The higher concentrations of DON and DOC at the Constable Pond inlets were attributed to a large wetland area in the watershed. The DOC/DON ratios were also higher at the Constable Pond inlets, possibly due to a larger proportion of coniferous forest area. Although DON and DOC were strongly related, the stronger relationship of the proportion of wetland area with DOC suggests that additional factors regulate DON. The aggregated representation of watershed physical features (i.e. elevation, watershed area, mean topographic index, hypsometric-analysis index) was not clearly related to the lake N and DOC chemistry. Despite distinctive differences in inlet N chemistry, NO3, and DON concentrations at the outlets of the two lakes were similar. The lower DOC/DON ratios at the lake outlets and at the inlets having upstream ponds suggest the importance of N processing and organic N sources within the lakes. Although an inverse relationship between NO3, and DOC/DON has been suggested to be indicative of a N deposition gradient, the existence of this relationship for sites that receive similar atmospheric N deposition suggest that the relationship between NO3, and the DOC/DON ratio is derived from environmental and physical factors. Our results suggest that, despite similar wet N deposition at the two watershed sites, N solutes entering lakes were strongly affected by hydrology associated with groundwater contribution and the presence of wetlands, whereas N solutes leaving lakes were strongly influenced by in-lake processing. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Modelling the benefits of American Mink Mustela vison management options for terns in west ScotlandIBIS, Issue 2008NORMAN RATCLIFFE American Mink Mustela vison is a semi-aquatic predator that has invaded the west coast of Scotland and many of its associated islands. We developed a GIS model of their potential range based on their dispersal abilities and habitat use, which revealed that most islands in west Scotland are accessible to Mink, and that these host a large proportion of the region's Common Sterna hirundo and Arctic Terns S. paradisaea. Mink are predators on tern eggs and chicks, and statistical modelling of long-term productivity data demonstrated that unprotected sites within their range have an average productivity of 0.33 chicks per pair, whereas that at sites where Mink were trapped was 253% higher. We assessed the benefits of current Mink control projects for terns in the Western Isles and the remainder of west Scotland using a population modelling approach. This showed that both projects delivered considerable benefits for Common Terns, because a large proportion of their numbers were within the area of the control programmes and in sites that would be accessible to Mink if no control were in operation. For Arctic Terns, the benefits were less clear, as a larger proportion of their numbers were outside the control areas, and many of these were in sites isolated from, or unsuitable for, Mink. We discuss the implications of these findings for future strategic planning of Mink management in west Scotland. [source] The Development of Affect Specificity in Infants' Use of Emotion CuesINFANCY, Issue 5 2008Nicole Gendler Martin This study examined the emergence of affect specificity in infancy. In this study, infants received verbal and facial signals of 2 different, negatively valenced emotions (fear and sadness) as well as neutral affect via a television monitor to determine if they could make qualitative distinctions among emotions of the same valence. Twenty 12- to 14-month-olds and 20 16- to 18-month-olds were examined. Results suggested that younger infants showed no evidence of referential specificity, as they responded similarly to both the target and distracter toys, and showed no evidence of affect specificity, showing no difference in play between affect conditions. Older infants, in contrast, showed evidence both of referential and affect specificity. With respect to affect specificity, 16- to 18-month-olds touched the target toy less in the fear condition than in the sad condition and showed a larger proportion of negative facial expressions in the sad condition versus the fear condition. These findings suggest a developmental emergence after 15 months of age for affect specificity in relating emotional messages to objects. [source] Children's understanding of advertising: an investigation using verbal and pictorially cued methodsINFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2007Laura Owen Abstract Conflicting results on children's understanding of advertising may stem from differences in research methods. Most studies are conducted using interviewing techniques, employing only verbal questioning. In the present study, 136 children of two age groups (7 and 10 years) were first asked what advertising was for and, after responding, shown depictions of possible reasons. The results indicate that although older children are more likely than younger ones to understand that advertising seeks to promote selling, pictorial cues allow a much larger proportion of all children to indicate their understanding than verbal questioning does on its own, with younger children especially showing improvement. Thus, seven-year-olds seem to have an implicit understanding of the persuasive intent of advertising that they are unable to articulate in response to investigators' questions. Multiple methods appear to offer a means of evaluating the level of sophistication in children' understanding of advertising. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Infliximab improves quality of life in patients with Crohn's diseaseINFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES, Issue 4 2002Dr. Gary R. Lichtenstein Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to assess the effect of infliximab on quality of life in patients with active Crohn's disease (CD) inadequately responsive to concomitant therapies. Methods We examined responses to the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) from patients enrolled in a previously reported, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Patients with active CD received a single intravenous infusion of either placebo or infliximab 5, 10, or 20 mg/kg. Most patients received stable doses of mesalamine, corticosteroids, azathioprine, or 6-mercaptopurine throughout the study. Changes from baseline in overall IBDQ score and individual dimensions at 4 weeks postinfusion were compared. Results Patients treated with infliximab had a significantly larger improvement in overall IBDQ score than those treated with placebo at 4 weeks (p < 0.001). Infliximab-treated patients also had larger improvements in all IBDQ dimensions: bowel (p = 0.007), social (p = 0.002), emotional (p < 0.001), and systemic (p < 0.001). A significantly larger proportion of infliximab-treated patients reported having normal or near-normal frequency of bowel movements in the past week (p < 0.001), full or a lot of energy (p = 0.019), and no or hardly any difficulty doing leisure or sports activities (p = 0.011), and being extremely or very satisfied with their personal life (p = 0.046). They also significantly differed in responses regarding fatigue, frustration, ability to work, general well-being, depression, anxiety, and anger resulting from bowel problems. Conclusions These results indicate that infliximab significantly improved quality of life in patients with active CD, increasing their ability to work and participate in leisure activities, and decreasing feelings of fatigue, depression, and anger. [source] An improved method of constructing a database of monthly climate observations and associated high-resolution gridsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 6 2005Timothy D. Mitchell Abstract A database of monthly climate observations from meteorological stations is constructed. The database includes six climate elements and extends over the global land surface. The database is checked for inhomogeneities in the station records using an automated method that refines previous methods by using incomplete and partially overlapping records and by detecting inhomogeneities with opposite signs in different seasons. The method includes the development of reference series using neighbouring stations. Information from different sources about a single station may be combined, even without an overlapping period, using a reference series. Thus, a longer station record may be obtained and fragmentation of records reduced. The reference series also enables 1961,90 normals to be calculated for a larger proportion of stations. The station anomalies are interpolated onto a 0.5° grid covering the global land surface (excluding Antarctica) and combined with a published normal from 1961,90. Thus, climate grids are constructed for nine climate variables (temperature, diurnal temperature range, daily minimum and maximum temperatures, precipitation, wet-day frequency, frost-day frequency, vapour pressure, and cloud cover) for the period 1901,2002. This dataset is known as CRU TS 2.1 and is publicly available (http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/). Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society [source] The Social Value of Seascapes in the Jurien Bay Marine Park: An Assessment of Positive and Negative Preferences for ChangeJOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 3 2006Abbie McCartney Q51; C25 Abstract The Jurien Bay Marine Park, Australia, is known for its pristine seascapes, including views of the ocean and of the coastline. To aid the management of the various seascapes, this paper estimates aspects of the social value of these seascapes through the use of a contingent valuation study. Positive and negative preferences for change were accommodated within the survey design and model estimation. A single-function extended spike model was employed to estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) for protection of the seascapes, and was later constrained to a restricted version of a spike model. The restricted model identified that a proportion of the population had a positive preference for change within the seascapes, but a larger proportion had a negative preference, resulting in a positive net WTP to maintain seascapes in their current condition. Seascapes with coastal views were determined as having the highest social value; however, the value of the ocean seascapes followed closely behind. The positive welfare estimate for natural seascapes provides a reason for their preservation. [source] Memory Complaint Is Not Necessary for Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Does Not Predict 10-Year Trajectories of Functional Disability, Word Recall, or Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire LimitationsJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 2 2006Jama L. Purser PhD OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence and utility of memory complaint in a geographically representative cohort and, in cases with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), to determine whether memory complaint alters 10-year trajectories of disability in activities of daily living (ADLs), Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) score, and 20-item word recall. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Washington and Iowa counties, Iowa. PARTICIPANTS: Iowa Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (N=3,673; aged ,65; 61.3% female; 99.9% white). MEASUREMENTS: Age, sex, education, SPMSQ score, 20-item word recall, ADL or instrumental ADL disability, and chronic medical conditions. RESULTS: The prevalence of memory complaint was 34%. Although proportionally more cognitively impaired individuals were in the memory complaint group (34% vs 27%), the pattern of subclassification into cognitively intact and MCI Stage 1 and 2 subgroups was similar for people with and without memory complaint. Median SPMSQ score and number of words recalled at baseline were comparable across memory complaint categories in each subgroup. MCI participants without subjective memory complaint constituted a larger proportion of the overall sample than individuals with subjective memory complaint (460 (14%) vs 295 (8.9%)) and of persons objectively classified as having MCI (61% vs 39%). The distribution of individual 10-year change in ADL disability, SPMSQ score, and word recall were similar for those with and without memory complaint across all subgroups of cognitive impairment. CONCLUSION: Memory complaint is not necessary for MCI diagnosis and does not distinguish cases with different progression rates in disability or cognitive impairment. 2006. [source] The Minimum Data Set Weight-Loss Quality Indicator: Does It Reflect Differences in Care Processes Related to Weight Loss?JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 10 2003Sandra F. Simmons PhD Objectives: To determine whether nursing homes (NHs) that score differently on prevalence of weight loss, according to a Minimum Data Set (MDS) quality indicator, also provide different processes of care related to weight loss. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Sixteen skilled nursing facilities: 11 NHs in the lower (25th percentile,low prevalence) quartile and five NHs in the upper (75th percentile,high prevalence) quartile on the MDS weight-loss quality indicator. Participants: Four hundred long-term residents. Measurements: Sixteen care processes related to weight loss were defined and operationalized into clinical indicators. Trained research staff conducted measurement of NH staff implementation of each care process during assessments on three consecutive 12-hour days (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.), which included direct observations during meals, resident interviews, and medical record abstraction using standardized protocols. Results: The prevalence of weight loss was significantly higher in the participants in the upper quartile NHs than in participants in the lower quartile NHs based on MDS and monthly weight data documented in the medical record. NHs with a higher prevalence of weight loss had a sig-nificantly larger proportion of residents with risk factors for weight loss, namely low oral food and fluid intake. There were few significant differences on care process measures between low- and high-weight-loss NHs. Staff in low-weight-loss NHs consistently provided verbal prompting and social interaction during meals to a greater proportion of residents, including those most at risk for weight loss. Conclusion: The MDS weight-loss quality indicator reflects differences in the prevalence of weight loss between NHs. NHs with a lower prevalence of weight loss have fewer residents at risk for weight loss and staff who provide verbal prompting and social interaction to more residents during meals, but the adequacy and quality of feeding assistance care needs improvement in all NHs. [source] Spatial synchrony in field vole Microtus agrestis abundance in a coniferous forest in northern England: the role of vole-eating raptorsJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 2000S.J. Petty 1.,The regional synchrony hypothesis (RSH) states that synchrony in microtine abundance over large geographical areas is caused by nomadic avian predators that specialize on small mammals for food. This has proved a difficult hypothesis to test because experiments at an appropriate scale are almost impossible. 2.,We used the decline of the most abundant, nomadic vole-eating raptors in an extensive conifer forest in northern England (Kielder Forest) as a natural experiment to evaluate their influence on synchronizing voles at different spatial scales. Field vole populations fluctuated on a 3,4-year cycle of abundance, similar to the periodicity in central Fennoscandia. 3.,Over a 23-year period, the combined numbers and density of kestrels and short-eared owls significantly declined. If these raptors were responsible for synchronizing vole abundance, the decline should have been associated with a decrease in synchrony. We could find no change in synchrony during the period of the greatest decline in kestrel and short-eared owl numbers (1980,97). 4.,In Kielder, vole abundance has been shown to change in a wave-like manner, with synchrony in the direction of the wave being 5,10-fold smaller than that reported in Fennoscandia. Tawny owls are sedentary and the most abundant vole-eating raptor in our study area, and might have an equalizing influence on vole abundance over smaller areas if they foraged in a density-dependent manner and responded functionally to increasing vole density. If this was the case, spatial variability in vole density should have been less in occupied than unoccupied owl territories, especially in years of low vole density when owls could take a larger proportion of the standing crop of voles. Even though tawny owls caught a significant proportion of the vole population, we could find no difference in variation in vole density between owl territories that were unoccupied, occupied with no breeding attempt, or occupied with a successful breeding attempt. 5.,We conclude that the small-scale synchrony in field vole abundance is unlikely to be caused by avian predators. Instead, it is more likely to be related to the pattern of clear-cutting that has developed in Kielder, which restricts vole dispersal. If this assumption is correct, we would predict more widespread synchrony in vole abundance in first-generation forests when extensive areas are planted over short periods of time, and this is supported by anecdotal evidence. These conclusions indicate that foresters may be able to manipulate the spatial dynamics of voles and vole predators by varying patch sizes within forests. [source] Green woodhoopoe Phoeniculus purpureus territories remain stable despite group-size fluctuationsJOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2004Andrew N. Radford Cooperatively breeding groups may be constrained in size by the territory available to them, or territories may be expanded to accommodate extra group members. Here, we show that there was no relationship between the number of adult green woodhoopoes Phoeniculus purpureus in a group and the size of its territory. Furthermore, territories were remarkably stable between seasons, with no significant changes in area, despite fluctuating group sizes. These results suggest that food was not limiting at the group sizes found in this study: sufficient resources were available within existing territories for groups that were expanding in size. Following an increase in group membership, a larger proportion of the available area was utilised. Groups also used a larger area in the non-breeding season compared to when breeding: in the latter instance, foraging was concentrated in the vicinity of the nest. [source] The evolutionary species pool hypothesis and patterns of freshwater diatom diversity along a pH gradientJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2005Jason Pither Abstract Aim, To interpret the unimodal relationship between diatom species richness and lake pH within the context of the evolutionary species pool hypothesis (SPH). We test the following primary prediction arising from the SPH: the size of the potential species pool (PSP) will increase along a gradient representing the historical commonness of different pH environments (pH commonness). To do this we assume that the present-day spatial dominance of near-neutral pH conditions compared with acidic and alkaline conditions reliably mimics the relative spatial availabilities of historical pH conditions among freshwater lakes. We also determine whether local richness represents a constant proportion of PSP size along the pH commonness gradient. Location, Two hundred and thirty-four lakes distributed over a 405,000 km2 region of the north-eastern United States of America. Methods, Sediment diatom morphospecies lists and pH data were acquired from the US Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) website. Using 248 morphospecies that occurred in at least 10 of the 234 lakes, four different measures of PSPs were calculated along the pH gradient. Local species richness was equated with the number of species occurring within the lake. Alpha diversity was equated with the average species richness of lakes with similar pH values. A combination of statistical methods were employed, including correlations, quadratic regression and piecewise regression. Results, PSP size increased significantly with pH commonness for all four measures of PSP size, thus supporting the primary prediction of the evolutionary SPH. Local richness comprised a larger proportion of the PSP within acidic lakes than within circumneutral lakes. Alpha diversity and lake species richness both increased significantly with pH commonness, but the former did so in a two-step fashion. We test and reject several alternative contemporary time-scale explanations for our findings. Main Conclusions, Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that diatom taxonomic richness is presently lower within acidic and highly alkaline lakes than in circumneutral lakes owing to the limited opportunity in space and/or time for the evolution of suitably adapted species. Whereas ecological processes can explain why certain species are excluded from particular habitats, e.g. acidic lakes, they cannot account for why so few species are adapted to those habitats in the first place. [source] Monthly Oral Ibandronate Therapy in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis: 1-Year Results From the MOBILE StudyJOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 8 2005Paul D Miller MD Abstract Once-monthly (50/50, 100, and 150 mg) and daily (2.5 mg; 3-year vertebral fracture risk reduction: 52%) oral ibandronate regimens were compared in 1609 women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. At least equivalent efficacy and similar safety and tolerability were shown after 1 year. Introduction: Suboptimal adherence to daily and weekly oral bisphosphonates can potentially compromise therapeutic outcomes in postmenopausal osteoporosis. Although yet to be prospectively shown in osteoporosis, evidence from randomized clinical trials in several other chronic conditions shows that reducing dosing frequency enhances therapeutic adherence. Ibandronate is a new and potent bisphosphonate with antifracture efficacy proven for daily administration and also intermittent administration with a dose-free interval of >2 months. This report presents comparative data on the efficacy and safety of monthly and daily oral ibandronate regimens. Materials and Methods: MOBILE is a 2-year, randomized, double-blind, phase III, noninferiority trial. A total of 1609 women with postmenopausal osteoporosis were assigned to one of four oral ibandronate regimens: 2.5 mg daily, 50 mg/50 mg monthly (single doses, consecutive days), 100 mg monthly, or 150 mg monthly. Results: After 1 year, lumbar spine BMD increased by 3.9%, 4.3%, 4.1%, and 4.9% in the 2.5, 50 /50, 100, and 150 mg arms, respectively. All monthly regimens were proven noninferior, and the 150 mg regimen superior, to the daily regimen. All monthly regimens produced similar hip BMD gains, which were larger than those with the daily regimen. All regimens similarly decreased serum levels of C-telopeptide, a biochemical marker of bone resorption. Compared with the daily regimen, a significantly larger proportion of women receiving the 100 and 150 mg monthly regimens achieved predefined threshold levels for percent change from baseline in lumbar spine (6%) or total hip BMD (3%). All regimens were similarly well tolerated. Conclusions: Monthly ibandronate is at least as effective and well tolerated as the currently approved daily ibandronate regimen in postmenopausal osteoporosis. [source] The Role of Risk Management and Governance in Determining Audit DemandJOURNAL OF BUSINESS FINANCE & ACCOUNTING, Issue 9-10 2006W. Robert Knechel Abstract:, Most prior research into audit fees has been based on a theoretical model which treats audit fees as the by-product of a production function ignoring potential demand forces that may drive the level of the audit fee. Inspired by prior ,anomalous' results, we take a different perspective by focusing on demand factors that may affect the level of the audit fee. Using data collected from a sample of listed companies in Belgium, we consider both disclosures about risk and risk management and actual decisions about corporate governance to examine whether audit fees are higher when these demand forces exist. In general, we expect that external auditing will increase in situations where there are multiple stakeholders with individual risk profiles who can shift some of the cost of monitoring to other stakeholders. Consistent with our theory and expectations, our results indicate that audit fees are higher when a company has an audit committee, discloses a relatively high level of financial risk management, and has a larger proportion of independent Board Members. Audit fees are lower when a company discloses a relatively high level of compliance risk management. The latter result indicates that controls are only complementary as long as they are voluntary, as mandated controls act as substitutes for non-mandated controls. [source] Hypertension in Minority PopulationsJOURNAL OF CLINICAL HYPERTENSION, Issue 5 2006Keith C. Ferdinand MD The US population, by percentage, shows a trend toward increased proportions of citizens identified as minorities. Whereas in 2000, according to the US Census Bureau, 71.4% of the population was self-identified as white; this group is expected to decrease to 61.9% by 2025. The proportion of blacks and African Americans from 2000 vs. 2025 is expected to increase from 12.2% to 12.9%. Also, in the smaller population of American-Indian, Eskimo, and Aleutian natives, growth is projected from 0.7% to 0.8%. Asians and Pacific Islanders as a category will become a larger proportion, from 3.9% to 6.2%. The largest increase in proportion will be seen in those identified as Hispanic (of any race), from 11.8% in 2002 to 18.2% in 2025. [source] Some local and systemic immunological features of prepubertal periodontitisJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PERIODONTOLOGY, Issue 2 2001T. Berglundh Abstract Objectives: The aim of the present investigation was to study local (gingival) and systemic host defense characteristics in a sample of children exhibiting local prepubertal periodontitis (LPP). Material and methods: 2 groups of subjects were included in the present study. One group consisted of 11 children (9.5±2.0 years) with signs of periodontal disease (LPP group). A 2nd group comprised 21 adults (48.1±5.8 years) with advanced periodontal disease: adult periodontitis (AP) group. Gingival biopsies and a sample of peripheral blood were obtained in each individual of the AP group and in 7 out of the 11 subjects in the LPP group. The biopsies were prepared for morphometrical and immunohistochemical analysis and the blood samples prepared for immunohistochemical analysis. Results: The cellular infiltrates in the biopsies of the LPP group contained a larger proportion of lymphocytes and, in particular B cells, than was the case in the AP group. The TCR V,/V, gene expression in the lesions in the AP group was dominated by V, 17 and in the LPP group by V, 2. The content in peripheral blood of various lymphocyte sub-populations and TCR V,/V, gene expression in the 2 groups was almost similar. Conclusion: It is suggested that (i) the systemic host response in children with prepubertal periodontitis has many features in common with that seen in adult patients but that (ii) local defense mechanisms in the periodontitis lesion of LPP differ from those in adult periodontitis. [source] Temperament, character, and dissociation among detoxified male inpatients with alcohol dependencyJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2008Cuneyt Evren Abstract The aim of this study was to determine possible relationships of pathological dissociation with temperament, character, and concurrent psychopathological features in a consecutive series of male alcohol-dependent patients. Fifty-eight patients with pathological dissociation were compared with 118 nondissociative patients classified by dissociative taxon membership. Beside higher scores on anxiety, depression, and alcoholism scales, a larger proportion of dissociative group reported childhood abuse, suicide attempts, and self-mutilation than did the nondissociative group. They also had higher scores of novelty seeking and harm avoidance, but lower scores of persistence, self-directedness, and cooperativeness. Trait anxiety, depression, and severity of alcoholism predicted dissociative experiences; however, none of the temperament or character measures did. Rather than being a derivative of temperament or character features, dissociative experiences of male alcohol-dependent patients are associated with overall concurrent psychopathology. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 64:717,727, 2008. [source] Evaluation of stress- and immune-response biomarkers in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., fed different levels of genetically modified maize (Bt maize), compared with its near-isogenic parental line and a commercial suprex maizeJOURNAL OF FISH DISEASES, Issue 4 2007A Sagstad Abstract The present study was designed to evaluate if genetically modified (GM) maize (Bt maize, event MON810) compared with the near-isogenic non-modified (nGM) maize variety, added as a starch source at low or high inclusions, affected fish health of post-smolt Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. To evaluate the health impact, selected stress- and immune-response biomarkers were quantified at the gene transcript (mRNA) level, and some also at the protein level. The diets with low or high inclusions of GM maize, and its near-isogenic nGM parental line, were compared to a control diet containing GM-free suprex maize (reference diet) as the only starch source. Total superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in liver and distal intestine was significantly higher in fish fed GM maize compared with fish fed nGM maize and with the reference diet group. Fish fed GM maize showed significantly lower catalase (CAT) activity in liver compared with fish fed nGM maize and to the reference diet group. In contrast, CAT activity in distal intestine was significantly higher for fish fed GM maize compared with fish fed reference diet. Protein level of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in liver was significantly higher in fish fed GM maize compared with fish fed the reference diet. No diet-related differences were found in normalized gene expression of SOD, CAT or HSP70 in liver or distal intestine. Normalized gene expression of interleukin-1 beta in spleen and head-kidney did not vary significantly between diet groups. Interestingly, fish fed high GM maize showed a significantly larger proportion of plasma granulocytes, a significantly larger sum of plasma granulocyte and monocyte proportions, but a significantly smaller proportion of plasma lymphocytes, compared with fish fed high nGM maize. In conclusion, Atlantic salmon fed GM maize showed some small changes in stress protein levels and activities, but none of these changes were comparable to the normalized gene expression levels analysed for these stress proteins. GM maize seemed to induce significant changes in white blood cell populations which are associated with an immune response. [source] Reproductive Allocation Patterns in Different Density Populations of Spring WheatJOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2008Jing Liu Abstract The effects of increased intraspecific competition on size hierarchies (size inequality) and reproductive allocation were investigated in populations of the annual plant, spring wheat (Triticum aestivum). A series of densities (100, 300, 1 000, 3 000 and 10 000 plants/m2) along a gradient of competition intensity were designed in this experiment. The results showed that average shoot biomass decreased with increased density. Reproductive allocation was negatively correlated to Gini coefficient (R2 = 0.927), which suggested that reproductive allocation is inclined to decrease as size inequality increases. These results suggest that both vegetative and reproductive structures were significantly affected by intensive competition. However, results also indicated that there were different relationships between plant size and reproductive allocation pattern in different densities. In the lowest density population, lacking competition (100 plants/m2), individual reproductive allocation was size independent but, in high density populations (300, 1 000, 3 000 and 10 000 plants/m2), where competition occurred, individual reproductive allocation was size dependent: the small proportion of larger individuals were winners in competition and got higher reproductive allocation (lower marginal reproductive allocation; MRA), and the larger proportion of smaller individuals were suppressed and got lower reproductive allocation (higher MRA). In conclusion, our results support the prediction that elevated intraspecific competition would result in higher levels of size inequality and decreased reproductive allocation (with a negative relationship between them). However, deeper analysis indicated that these frequency- and size-dependent reproductive strategies were not evolutionarily stable strategies. [source] Transmission routes of hepatitis B virus infection in chronic hepatitis B patients in The NetherlandsJOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 3 2008M. Toy Abstract The Netherlands is a low endemic country for hepatitis B virus (HBV). Rotterdam, a city in The Netherlands harbors a large group of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients of which most are born abroad. The study included 464 consecutive CHB patients who were reported to the Municipal Public Health Service in Rotterdam from January 1, 2002 to September 15, 2005. The HBV genotypes, possible transmission routes of infection and travel history of CHB patients born in The Netherlands, were compared with those CHB patients living in The Netherlands but who were foreign-born, taking into account the ethnicity of the mother. Of the 464 patients with CHB infection, 14% were Dutch-born and 86% were foreign-born. The CHB patients in the Dutch-born group had genotypes A (35%), B (15%), C (11%), D (37%), and G (2%). In the foreign-born group, the distribution of genotypes was A (20%), B (15%), C (11%), D (40%), and E (15%). In the Dutch-born group, sexual transmission accounted for a larger proportion of infections (P,<,0.0001) compared to the foreign-born group, whereas perinatal transmission is reported to be higher in the foreign-born group and in the Dutch-born group with a foreign mother. The genotypes of the chronic HBV strains determined corresponded well with the HBV genotypes expected from the countries of origin of the patients or their mothers. Genotypes A and D are predominant in CHB patients in The Netherlands. J. Med. Virol. 80:399,404, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||