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Longitudinal Patterns (longitudinal + pattern)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	46%
Life Sciences	23%
Earth and Environmental Science	15%

Selected Abstracts

Composition and Longitudinal Patterns of Aquatic Insect Emergence in Small Rivers of Palawan Island, the Philippines

INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF HYDROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2004
Hendrik Freitag
Abstract This study presents the first emergence trap samples from streams in the Philippines and Greater Sunda. Aquatic insect emergence from two small rivers and longitudinal patterns including estuaries are compared. A decline of total emergence towards estuaries was observed, affecting all major orders. Diptera, namely Chironomidae, dominated all sites. High abundances in Ceratopogonidae, Odonata, and Coleoptera were found, compared to other emergence studies from tropical and temperate latitudes. Ephemeroptera displayed a highly variable contribution to the emergence from Palawan as well as in other comparative studies either supported by the appropriate conditions for certain functional groups or limited by environmental variables such as pH. Trichoptera are likely to tolerate a wider range of environmental conditions and they are consequently able to fill further niches where Ephemeroptera are under-represented. Except for scarce abundances of Plecoptera observed in this and other studies from the tropics, no substantial differences in emergence composition at order level existed between temperate and tropical rivers, however, with a remarkable local variation. Components of riparian and non-aquatic insects and non-emergent fauna contributing to the collections are discussed based on trap features. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]

Longitudinal patterns of gambling activities and associated risk factors in college students

ADDICTION, Issue 7 2009
Anna E. Goudriaan
ABSTRACT Aims To investigate which clusters of gambling activities exist within a longitudinal study of college health, how membership in gambling clusters change over time and whether particular clusters of gambling are associated with unhealthy risk behaviour. Design Four-year longitudinal study (2002,2006). Setting Large, public university. Participants Undergraduate college students. Measurements Ten common gambling activities were measured during 4 consecutive college years (years 1,4). Clusters of gambling activities were examined using latent class analyses. Relations between gambling clusters and gender, Greek membership, alcohol use, drug use, personality indicators of behavioural undercontrol and psychological distress were examined. Findings Four latent gambling classes were identified: (1) a low-gambling class, (2) a card gambling class, (3) a casino/slots gambling class and (4) an extensive gambling class. Over the first college years a high probability of transitioning from the low-gambling class and the card gambling class into the casino/slots gambling class was present. Membership in the card, casino/slots and extensive gambling classes were associated with higher scores on alcohol/drug use, novelty seeking and self-identified gambling problems compared to the low-gambling class. The extensive gambling class scored higher than the other gambling classes on risk factors. Conclusions Extensive gamblers and card gamblers are at higher risk for problem gambling and other risky health behaviours. Prospective examinations of class membership suggested that being in the extensive and the low gambling classes was highly stable across the 4 years of college. [source]

Longitudinal patterns of new Benzodiazepine use in the elderly,

PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 10 2004
Gillian Bartlett PhD
Abstract Purpose To characterize longitudinal patterns of Benzodiazepine use in the elderly. Methods Prospective cohort of 78,367 community-dwelling Quebec residents aged 66 years or more who were new Benzodiazepine users, was followed for 5 years, 1989,1994. Data acquired from four population-based, provincial administrative databases were used to create time-dependent measures of change in dosage, switching or adding Benzodiazepines for 11 drugs listed in the provincial formulary. Subject-specific Spearman's rank correlation coefficients between dose and time were used to measure the tendency of increasing dose with consecutive periods of use. Multiple logistic regression and generalized estimating equations (GEE) models evaluated subject characteristics associated with increasing dose. Results The mean duration of uninterrupted Benzodiazepine use was 75.5 days. The mean daily dose was about half the recommended adult daily dose but 8.6% of subjects exceeded the recommended adult dose. Some of them (28.8%) switched medications at least once and 8.2% filled two or more prescriptions concurrently. For women, older age at date of first prescription was associated with increasing dose over time (odds ratio (OR) for 10 year age increase,=,1.23, p,<,0.001). Conclusion Long periods of Benzodiazepine use are frequent among Quebec elderly. The evidence of increasing dose, particularly for older women, and long-duration of use has important implications for clinicians. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Public dental service utilization among adults in South Australia

AUSTRALIAN DENTAL JOURNAL, Issue 2 2009
L Luzzi
Abstract Background:, Longitudinal patterns of public dental service use may reflect access issues to public dental care services. Therefore, patterns of dental service use among South Australian adult public dental patients over a 3½-year period were examined. Methods:, Public dental patients (n = 898) initially receiving a course of emergency dental care (EDC) or general dental care (GDC) at baseline were followed for up to 3½ years. Patient clinical records were accessed electronically to obtain information on dental visits and treatment received at those visits. Results:, Some 70.7 per cent of EDC and 51.3 per cent of GDC patients returned for dental treatment post-baseline. EDC patients returned within a significantly shorter time period post-baseline, received significantly more courses of care and were visiting more frequently than GDC patients. A greater proportion of EDC patients received oral surgery, restorative, endodontic and prosthodontic services, but fewer received periodontic services. EDC patients received significantly more oral surgery and fewer preventive services per follow-up year, on average, than GDC patients. Large proportions of EDC (52.4 per cent) and GDC (63.8 per cent) patients who returned sought emergency care post-baseline. Conclusions:, Patients appeared to be cycling through emergency dental care because of lack of access to general care services, highlighting access problems to public dental care. [source]

Geographical and individual variation in echolocation calls of the intermediate leaf-nosed bat, Hipposideros larvatus

ETHOLOGY, Issue 8 2010
Tinglei Jiang
The cause and significance of variation in echolocation call frequency within hipposiderid bats is not well understood despite an increasing number of allopatric and sympatric examples being documented. We examined variation patterns in the resting frequency (RF) of echolocation calls emitted by the intermediate leaf-nosed bat, Hipposideros larvatus, on a broad geographical scale. Data mining technology and Kruskal,Wallis test both showed substantial variation with a longitudinal pattern in RF in H. larvatus among colonies, and this variation was associated with geographical distance and not body size. In addition, we found that a high degree of variability between individuals was hidden under the geographical variation. The results support an effect of random cultural drift, and challenge the prey detection hypothesis. Moreover, an acoustic difference among local island colonies may be indicative of a vocal dialect. We found that each colony of H. larvatus seems to maintain a ,private bandwidth', which could be used for colony identity and individual communication thus helping individuals and colonies to get a number of fitness benefits. [source]

A conceptual model for the longitudinal distribution of wood in mountain streams

EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 3 2009
Ellen Wohl
Abstract Wood load, channel parameters and valley parameters were surveyed in 50 contiguous stream segments each 25 m in length along 12 streams in the Colorado Front Range. Length and diameter of each piece of wood were measured, and the orientation of each piece was tallied as a ramp, buried, bridge or unattached. These data were then used to evaluate longitudinal patterns of wood distribution in forested headwater streams of the Colorado Front Range, and potential channel-, valley- and watershed-scale controls on these patterns. We hypothesized that (i) wood load decreases downstream, (ii) wood is non-randomly distributed at channel lengths of tens to hundreds of meters as a result of the presence of wood jams and (iii) the proportion of wood clustered into jams increases with drainage area as a result of downstream increases in relative capacity of a stream to transport wood introduced from the adjacent riparian zone and valley bottom. Results indicate a progressive downstream decrease in wood load within channels, and correlations between wood load and drainage area, elevation, channel width, bed gradient and total stream power. Results support the first and second hypotheses, but are inconclusive with respect to the third hypothesis. Wood is non-randomly distributed at lengths of tens to hundreds of meters, but the proportion of pieces in jams reaches a maximum at intermediate downstream distances within the study area. We use these results to propose a conceptual model illustrating downstream trends in wood within streams of the Colorado Front Range. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Incarceration and drug use patterns among a cohort of injection drug users

ADDICTION, Issue 1 2009
Kora DeBeck
ABSTRACT Aims Drug law enforcement remains the dominant response to drug-related harm. However, the impact of incarceration on deterring drug use remains under-evaluated. We sought to explore the relationship between incarceration and patterns of drug use among people who inject drugs (IDU). Design Using generalized estimating equations (GEE), we examined the prevalence and correlates of injection cessation among participants in the Vancouver Injection Drug User Study followed over 9 years. In subanalyses, we used McNemar's tests and linear growth curve analyses to assess changes in drug use patterns before and after a period of incarceration among participants reporting incarceration and those not incarcerated. Findings Among 1603 IDU, 842 (53%) reported injection cessation for at least 6 months at some point during follow-up. In multivariate GEE analyses, recent incarceration was associated negatively with injection cessation [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.37,0.50], whereas the use of methadone was associated positively with cessation (AOR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.22,1.56). In subanalyses assessing longitudinal patterns of drug use among incarcerated individuals and those not incarcerated over the study period, linear growth curve analyses indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in patterns of drug use between the two groups (all P > 0.05). Conclusions These observational data suggest that incarceration does not reduce drug use among IDU. Incarceration may inhibit access to mechanisms that promote injection cessation among IDU. In contrast, results indicate that methadone use is associated positively with injection cessation, independent of previous frequency of drug use. [source]

Are single-gift committed donors different from their multiple-gift counterparts?

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NONPROFIT & VOLUNTARY SECTOR MARKETING, Issue 3 2010
Anyuan Shen
Committed donors who keep giving every year are a key asset for nonprofit organizations because they provide a steady funding source and return a higher lifetime value. We distinguish between committed donors who give only one gift per year (single-gift (SG) donors) and those who give multiple gifts in at least some year (multiple-gift (MG) donors). In this paper, we study whether SG donors and MG donors follow different longitudinal patterns of gift-giving in four consecutive years. We theorize that a donor's yearly gift amount is an indication of his or her willingness to give (WTG) to the organization and may be explained in terms of his or her intrinsic willingness to give (IWTG) and extrinsic willingness to give (EWTG) for that year. We test our theory with data from a leading US nonprofit organization and find that SG donors and MG donors would follow different longitudinal patterns: While SG donors and MG donors would start off at a similar level of WTG in year 1 and would both increase WTG in subsequent years, MG donors would record a higher rate of increase than SG donors. IWTG and EWTG would have different relative importance as determinants of the observed yearly giving level: MG donors depend on both IWTG and EWTG whereas SG donors largely depend on IWTG rather than EWTG to determine how much to give in a year. Our findings suggest that different strategies are needed to manage SG donors and MG donors to sustain and grow annual contributions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Composition and Longitudinal Patterns of Aquatic Insect Emergence in Small Rivers of Palawan Island, the Philippines

Use of Medicare and Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care by Veterans with Dementia: A Longitudinal Analysis

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 10 2009
Carolyn W. Zhu PhD
The objectives of this study were to examine longitudinal patterns of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA),only use, dual VA and Medicare use, and Medicare-only use by veterans with dementia. Data on VA and Medicare use were obtained from VA administrative datasets and Medicare claims (1998,2001) for 2,137 male veterans who, in 1997, used some VA services, had a formal diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia in the VA, and were aged 65 and older. Generalized ordered logit models were used to estimate the effects of patient characteristics on use group over time. In 1998, 41.7% of the sample were VA-only users, 55.4% were dual users, and 2.9% were Medicare-only users. By 2001, 30.4% were VA-only users, 51.5% were dual users, and 18.1% were Medicare-only users. Multivariate results show that greater likelihood of Medicare use was associated with older age, being white, being married, having higher education, having private insurance or Medicaid, having low VA priority level, and living in a nursing home or dying during the year. Higher comorbidities were associated with greater likelihood of dual use as opposed to any single system use. Alternatively, number of functional limitations was associated with greater likelihood of Medicare-only use and less likelihood of VA-only use. These results imply that different aspects of veterans' needs have differential effects on where they seek care. Efforts to coordinate care between VA and Medicare providers are necessary to ensure that patients receive high-quality care, especially patients with multiple comorbidities. [source]

Spatial patterns of the biological traits of freshwater fish communities in south-west France

JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2005
F. Santoul
Spatial patterns in the combinations of biological traits of fish communities were studied in the Garonne River system (57 000 km2, south-west France). Fish species assemblages were recorded at 554 sampling sites, and the biological traits of species were described using a fuzzy-coding method. A co-inertia analysis of species distributions and biological traits identified some spatial patterns of species trait combinations. Fish species richness progressively increased from up- to downstream sections, and the longitudinal patterns of fish assemblages partitioned the river into clear biogeographic areas, such as the brown trout Salmo trutta(headwater streams), the grayling Thymallus thymallus, the barbel Barbus barbus and the bream Abramis brama zones (most downstream sections), which fitted with Huet's well-known zonation for western European rivers. Only a few biological traits, chiefly related to life-history attributes, significantly influenced the observed fish distributions. Fecundity, potential size, maximum age and reproductive factor increased from headwater to plain reaches. As a theoretical framework for assessing and predicting the functional organization of stream fish communities, spatial variations in species traits can be related to habitat conditions, thus providing explicit spatial schemes that may be useful to the design of both scientific studies and river management. [source]

Longitudinal patterns of new Benzodiazepine use in the elderly,

Does what happens in group care stay in group care?

CHILD & FAMILY SOCIAL WORK, Issue 3 2010
The relationship between problem behaviour trajectories during care, post-placement functioning
ABSTRACT Residential programmes for youth may improve youth behaviour during placement, but it is not clear whether there is an association between a youth's behaviour pattern during placement and post-placement outcomes. Life course perspective has been used to understand longitudinal patterns and pathways, and new statistical methods have been developed to identify latent trajectory groups. This study used administrative data from a family-style group care programme to assess whether a youth's externalizing behaviour trajectory while in placement can significantly predict delinquency and adjustment outcomes at discharge and 6-month follow-up. Findings from multinomial logistic regression revealed a statistically significant relationship between a youth's behaviour trajectory class and outcomes. Behaviour pattern during care was a stronger predictor of outcome than cross-sectional measures such as other demographic factors, placement history or mental-health need indicators. [source]