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Measurement Time (measurement + time)
Selected AbstractsUltrabroadband THz spectroscopy using rapid scanning methodPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 10 2006H. Shimosato Abstract We applied rapid scanning method to ultrabroadband terahertz detection using photoconductive antennas. Measurement time was reduced to one tenth of the conventional method. Ultrabroadband terahertz spectrum from 0.1 to 15 THz was observed. This technique provides significant improvement in THz time-domain spectroscopy. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Naltrexone versus acamprosate in the treatment of alcohol dependence: a multi-centre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trialADDICTION, Issue 10 2006Kirsten C. Morley ABSTRACT Aim To compare the efficacy of acamprosate and naltrexone in the treatment of alcohol dependence., Design A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial., Setting Three treatment centres in Australia., Participants A total of 169 alcohol dependent subjects were given naltrexone (50 mg/day), acamprosate (1998 mg/day) or placebo for 12 weeks. Intervention All subjects were offered manualized compliance therapy, a brief intervention that targets problems that may affect treatment compliance such as ambivalence and misperceptions about medication. Measurements Time to the first drink, time to first relapse, drinks per drinking day and cumulative abstinence. Findings In intention-to-treat analyses, there were no differences between groups on outcome measures of drinking, craving or biochemical markers. Similarly, analyses of the 94 subjects that completed the study in full and demonstrated 80% compliance, revealed no significant treatment effects. Differential treatment effects were identified after stratification according to scores on the Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS) and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS). A significant beneficial treatment effect on time to first relapse was revealed for subjects with ,no depression' allocated to naltrexone (n = 56; P < 0.01). In addition, a significant beneficial treatment effect was revealed in subjects with ,low dependence' allocated to naltrexone (n = 34; P < 0.05). Conclusions The results of this study support the efficacy of naltrexone in the relapse prevention of alcoholism amongst those with low levels of clinical depression and alcohol dependence severity. No effect of acamprosate was found in our sample. [source] Application of inverse solution in two-dimensional heat conduction problem using Laplace transformationHEAT TRANSFER - ASIAN RESEARCH (FORMERLY HEAT TRANSFER-JAPANESE RESEARCH), Issue 7 2003Masanori Monde Abstract An inverse solution has been explicitly derived for two-dimensional heat conduction in cylindrical coordinates using the Laplace transformation. The applicability of the inverse solution is checked using the numerical temperatures with a normal random error calculated from the corresponding direct solution. For a gradual temperature change in a solid, the surface heat flux and temperature can be satisfactorily predicted, while for a rapid change in the temperature this method needs the help of a time partition method, in which the entire measurement time is split into several partitions. The solution with the time partitions is found to make an improvement in the prediction of the surface heat flux and temperature. It is found that the solution can be applied to experimental data, leading to good prediction. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 32(7): 602,617, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.10115 [source] A novel lattice-spacing comparator with resolution of 10,8JOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2003Xiaowei Zhang A novel, fast and stable system for measuring the lattice spacing of a silicon crystal with a precision of 10,8 is described. Self selection of monochromatic X-rays by a monolithic double channel-cut crystal monochromator (MDCM), producing silicon 264 and 624 diffraction, may lead to a stable, highly collimated and narrow-bandwidth beam. When utilizing the 264 and 624 Bragg reflections of a silicon sample, the angular distance between the two associated Bragg peaks must be extremely small, so that the diffraction angle can be determined with high precision and the traveling time from one peak to the other can be considerably reduced by the order of at least three compared with the established classical Bond method. This so-called self-reference comparator method can dramatically save measurement time and can provide an absolute measurement on the basis of the known X-ray wavelength available from the MDCM. Thus a lattice-spacing measurement with resolution of 10,8, within a few tens of seconds for an area of 1,mm2 on a silicon sample, has been realised. [source] Meta-analysis of the effects of respiratory rehabilitation programmes on exercise capacity in accordance with programme characteristicsJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 1 2007HyunSoo Oh PhD Aims and objectives., This study was performed to investigate the effects of respiratory rehabilitation programmes on exercise capacity in terms of the programme type, the protocol used and other programme characteristics. Background., As the suitable rehabilitation programmes have not been specified, diverse programmes are provided in clinics. Design., Meta-analysis of the primary study results Methods., A computerized search through MEDLINE and CINHAL in addition to tracking down references cited in bibliographies of primarily searched studies were performed to obtain sample studies. Finally 19 research reports were examined. Results., The results of meta-regression showed that the combined effect size of the programmes on exercise capacity was unaffected by forced expiratory volume (in one second), age, the duration and frequency of the programme, or study quality. In addition, the results of meta- anova indicated that the combined effect size was not affected by (i) whether a programme was hospital based or not, (ii) whether a programme was lower-extremity or combined low- and upper-extremity exercise training, (iii) measurement time, and (iv) exercise intensity. Conclusions., The effects of programmes on exercise capacity were not differed in terms of the places where rehabilitation programmes were applied, programme content, measurement time, exercise target sites of body, and the duration and frequency of the programme. Relevance to clinical practice., The results of the present study can provide objective data when constructed or applied on a respiratory rehabilitation programme in clinics. [source] Noncontact photo-acoustic defect detection in drug tabletsJOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Issue 8 2007Ivin Varghese Abstract Quality assurance monitoring is of great importance in the pharmaceutical industry for the reason that if defects such as coating layer irregularities, internal cracks, and delamination are present in a drug tablet, the desired dose delivery and bioavailability can be compromised. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established the Process Analytical Technology (PAT) initiative, in order to ensure efficient quality monitoring at each stage of the manufacturing process by the integration of analysis systems into the evaluation procedure. Improving consistency and predictability of tablet action by improving quality and uniformity of tablet coatings as well as ensuring core integrity is required. An ideal technique for quality monitoring would be noninvasive, nondestructive, have a short measurement time, intrinsically safe, and relatively inexpensive. In the proposed acoustic system, a pulsed laser is utilized to generate noncontact mechanical excitations and interferometric detection of transient vibrations of the drug tablets is employed for sensing. Two novel methods to excite vibrational modes in drug tablets are developed and employed: (i) a vibration plate excited by a pulsed-laser and (ii) pulsed laser-induced plasma generated shockwave expansion. Damage in coat and/or core of a tablet weakens its mechanical stiffness and, consequently, affects its acoustic response to an external dynamic force field. From the analysis of frequency spectra and the time,frequency spectrograms obtained under both mechanisms, it can be concluded that defective tablets can be effectively differentiated from the defect-free ones and the proposed proof-of-concept techniques have potential to provide a technology platform to be used in the greater PAT effort. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 96:2125,2133, 2007 [source] Analysis of longitudinal data with drop-out: objectives, assumptions and a proposalJOURNAL OF THE ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY: SERIES C (APPLIED STATISTICS), Issue 5 2007Peter Diggle Summary. The problem of analysing longitudinal data that are complicated by possibly informative drop-out has received considerable attention in the statistical literature. Most researchers have concentrated on either methodology or application, but we begin this paper by arguing that more attention could be given to study objectives and to the relevant targets for inference. Next we summarize a variety of approaches that have been suggested for dealing with drop-out. A long-standing concern in this subject area is that all methods require untestable assumptions. We discuss circumstances in which we are willing to make such assumptions and we propose a new and computationally efficient modelling and analysis procedure for these situations. We assume a dynamic linear model for the expected increments of a constructed variable, under which subject-specific random effects follow a martingale process in the absence of drop-out. Informal diagnostic procedures to assess the tenability of the assumption are proposed. The paper is completed by simulations and a comparison of our method and several alternatives in the analysis of data from a trial into the treatment of schizophrenia, in which approximately 50% of recruited subjects dropped out before the final scheduled measurement time. [source] Neutron reflectivity of polymer-plasticiser diffusionMACROMOLECULAR SYMPOSIA, Issue 1 2002J.S. Higgins Neutron reflectivity (NR) has been widely exploited to look at polymer thin films and in many ways is an ideal technique for studying polymer interfaces and surfaces, providing high-resolution concentration - depth profiles across the film thickness. Most NR studies to date have concentrated on thin films of amorphous polymers which possess Tg values well above room temperature. These polymers are ideally suited to NR measurements, firstly because they form homogeneously flat films and, secondly, heat-quench cycles can be used to study time-dependent processes. This has been used to great effect in NR studies of the initial stages of polymer - polymer interdiffusion or the kinetics of surface segregated layers for instance. One of the biggest drawbacks to this approach is that in polymer systems where one or more of the components has a Tg close to or less than room temperature, the polymers can still move during the measurement time of an NR profile, which typically takes 1-2 h for a full profile. Therefore, in order to study such systems, we have developed an approach to NR measurements that allows us to investigate diffusion processes in situ. Our new approach allows us to take NR profiles in only 20 s. This paper describes the method of real-time NR measurements in detail and illustrates the capabilities of the technique with highlights from some of our recent work on the early stages of polymer-plasticiser interdiffusion. [source] Fast CT-PRESS-based spiral chemical shift imaging at 3 TeslaMAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 5 2006Dirk Mayer Abstract A new sequence is presented that combines constant-time point-resolved spectroscopy (CT-PRESS) with fast spiral chemical shift imaging. It allows the acquisition of multivoxel spectra without line splitting with a minimum total measurement time of less than 5 min for a field of view of 24 cm and a nominal 1.5 × 1.5-cm2 in-plane resolution. Measurements were performed with 17 CS encoding steps in t1 (,t1 = 12.8 ms) and an average echo time of 151 ms, which was determined by simulating the CT-PRESS experiment for the spin systems of glutamate (Glu) and myo -inositol (mI). Signals from N-acetyl-aspartate, total creatine, choline-containing compounds (Cho), Glu, and mI were detected in a healthy volunteer with no or only minor baseline distortions within 14 min on a 3 T MR scanner. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Multiple spin-echo spectroscopic imaging for rapid quantitative assessment of N-acetylaspartate and lactate in acute strokeMAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 2 2004Astrid Stengel Abstract Monitoring the signal levels of lactate (Lac) and N-acetylaspartate (NAA) by chemical shift imaging can provide additional knowledge about tissue damage in acute stroke. Despite the need for this metabolic information, spectroscopic imaging (SI) has not been used routinely for acute stroke patients, mainly due to the long acquisition time required. The presented data demonstrate that the application of a fast multiple spin-echo (MSE) SI sequence can reduce the measurement time to 6 min (four spin echoes per echo train, 32 × 32 matrix). Quantification of Lac and NAA in terms of absolute concentrations (i.e., mmol/l) can be achieved by means of the phantom replacement approach, with correction terms for the longitudinal and transversal relaxation adapted to the multiple spin-echo sequence. In this pilot study of 10 stroke patients (symptom onset < 24 hr), metabolite concentrations obtained from MSE-SI add important information regarding tissue viability that is not provided by other sequences (e.g., diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI)). Metabolic changes extended beyond the borders of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) lesion in nine of the 10 patients, showing a rise in Lac concentrations up to 18 mmol/l, while NAA levels sometimes dropped below the detection level. Considerable differences among the patients in terms of the Lac concentrations and the size of the SI-ADC mismatch were observed. Magn Reson Med 52:228,238, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Fast acquisition-weighted three-dimensional proton MR spectroscopic imaging of the human prostate,MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 1 2004Tom W.J. Scheenen Abstract The clinical application of 3D proton spectroscopic imaging (3D SI) of the human prostate requires a robust suppression of periprostatic lipid signal contamination, minimal intervoxel signal contamination, and the shortest possible measurement time. In this work, a weighted elliptical sampling of k -space, combined with k -space filtering and pulse repetition time (TR) reduction minimized lipid signals, intervoxel contamination, and measurement time. At 1.5 T, the MR-visible prostate metabolites citrate, creatine, and choline can now be mapped over the entire human prostate with uncontaminated spherical voxels, with a volume down to 0.37 cm3, in measurement times of 7,15 min. Magn Reson Med 52:80,88, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Fast proton spectroscopic imaging using steady-state free precession methodsMAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 3 2003Wolfgang Dreher Abstract Various pulse sequences for fast proton spectroscopic imaging (SI) using the steady-state free precession (SSFP) condition are proposed. The sequences use either only the FID-like signal S1, only the echo-like signal S2, or both signals in separate but adjacent acquisition windows. As in SSFP imaging, S1 and S2 are separated by spoiler gradients. RF excitation is performed by slice-selective or chemical shift-selective pulses. The signals are detected in absence of a B0 gradient. Spatial localization is achieved by phase-encoding gradients which are applied prior to and rewound after each signal acquisition. Measurements with 2D or 3D spatial resolution were performed at 4.7 T on phantoms and healthy rat brain in vivo allowing the detection of uncoupled and J-coupled spins. The main advantages of SSFP based SI are the short minimum total measurement time (Tmin) and the high signal-to-noise ratio per unit measurement time (SNRt). The methods are of particular interest at higher magnetic field strength B0, as TR can be reduced with increasing B0 leading to a reduced Tmin and an increased SNRt. Drawbacks consist of the limited spectral resolution, particularly at lower B0, and the dependence of the signal intensities on T1 and T2. Further improvements are discussed including optimized data processing and signal detection under oscillating B0 gradients leading to a further reduction in Tmin. Magn Reson Med 50:453,460, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Accurate phosphorus metabolite images of the human heart by 3D acquisition-weighted CSIMAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 5 2001Rolf Pohmann Abstract Fourier imaging modalities suffer from significant signal contamination between adjacent voxels, especially when the spatial resolution is comparable to the size of the anatomical structures. This contamination can be positive or negative, depending on the spatial response function and the geometry of the object. Such a situation arises in human cardiac 31P chemical shift imaging (CSI). Acquisition-weighted CSI reduces this contamination substantially, which is demonstrated by comparing conventional CSI to Hanning-weighted 3D 31P-CSI experiments in 13 healthy volunteers at 2 T. The nominal spatial resolution and the total number of scans were identical for both experiments. The improved spatial response function of the acquisition-weighted experiment led to a significantly (P < 0.0001) higher myocardial PCr/ATP ratio (2.05 ± 0.31, mean ± SD, N = 33, corrected for saturation and blood contribution) compared to the conventional CSI experiment (1.60 ± 0.46). This is explained by the absence of negative contamination from skeletal muscle, which also resulted in an increase of the observed SNR (from 5.4 ± 1.4 to 7.2 ± 1.4 for ATP). With acquisition-weighted CSI, metabolic images with a nominal resolution of 16 ml could be obtained in a measurement time of 30 min. After correction for the inhomogeneous B1 field of the surface coil, these images show uniform ATP distribution in the entire myocardium, including the posterior wall. Magn Reson Med 45:817,826, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] In Situ Measurement of Pinna nobilis Shells for Age and Growth Studies: A New DeviceMARINE ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2002José Rafael García-March Abstract. Pinna nobilis Linnaeus 1758 is an endemic bivalve mollusc in the Mediterranean Sea, where it inhabits seagrass meadows, especially Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile. It is the largest bivalve in the Mediterranean, reaching lengths up to 120,cm. In its natural habitat, P. nobilis lives with the anterior part of the valve buried in the seabed, attached to Posidonia rhizomes by byssus threads. This habit makes it impossible to measure its total length directly in situ. As the only way to determine the individual age is the relationship between age and total length, several equations have been proposed to estimate total length by relating it to the unburied parts of the shell. Such measurements are essential to ecological studies that consider age, growth, and population dynamics, and that evaluate the environmental factors that affect this species. Accurately estimating total length depends on the accuracy and precision of the method employed to measure the unburied shell parts. In this paper, we point out the lack of precision of the instruments and methods used until now; we also demonstrate the reason for this imprecision. A new device to measure unburied parts of Pinna nobilis with a precision comparable to that obtained when measuring extracted valves is described. This device is unaffected by substratum type and reduces measurement time. The latter is a very important feature, because these procedures are usually performed whilst SCUBA diving. Finally, a growth equation has been fitted to the measurements obtained with the new device from a population located in Moraira (Alicante, western Mediterranean). [source] Noninvasive quantification of human brain ascorbate concentration using 1H NMR spectroscopy at 7,TNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 3 2010Melissa Terpstra Abstract Ascorbate (Asc, vitamin C) was quantified in the human brain noninvasively using two different 1H NMR spectroscopy methods: short-echo time STEAM and MEGA-PRESS homonuclear editing. Taking advantage of increased sensitivity and chemical shift dispersion at 7,T, Asc was quantified with increased reliability relative to our previous study accomplished at 4,T. Asc concentration quantified from short-echo time spectra measured from the occipital lobe of eight healthy subjects ([Asc],=,1.1,±,0.3,µmol/g, mean,±,SD) was in excellent agreement with Asc concentration quantified from the same volume of interest using homonuclear editing ([Asc],=,1.2,±,0.2,µmol/g). This agreement indicates that at 7,T, Asc can be reliably quantified in the human brain simultaneously with 15 other metabolites. Additional advantages of the short-echo time approach were: shorter measurement time than homonuclear editing and minimal effect of T2 relaxation on Asc quantification. High magnetic field was also beneficial for Asc quantification with MEGA-PRESS because increased chemical shift dispersion enabled editing with full efficiency, which resulted in a supra-linear gain in signal-to-noise ratio relative to 4,T. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Rapid selection of peptide containing fractions in off-line 2-D HPLC in shotgun proteome analysis by screening with MALDI TOF MSPROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 19 2009Maria Lasaosa A simple and fast screening method for the selection of fractions of first dimension separation to be analyzed in second dimension-MS/MS experiments in offline multidimensional liquid chromatographic separation schemes for shotgun proteome analysis was developed. The method is based on the measurement of total peptide content of the first dimension fractions by MALDI MS and was established using a tryptic digest of a bacterial proteome. The results of the screening process were in good agreement with those obtained in a detailed proteome analysis performed by RP×ion-pair RP-MALDI TOF/TOF MS analysis. The method supports a straightforward planning of experiments, also enabling a reduction of overall measurement time in shotgun proteome analysis. [source] A longitudinal study of gender-related cognition and behaviourDEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2004Anne Campbell Gender schema theory proposes that children's acquisition of gender labels and gender stereotypes informs gender-congruent behaviour. Most previous studies have been cross-sectional and do not address the temporal relationship between knowledge and behaviour. We report the results of a longitudinal study of gender knowledge and sex-typed behaviour across three domains in children tested at 24 and 36 months (N = 56). Although both knowledge and sex-typed behaviour increased significantly between 2 and 3 years, there was no systematic pattern of cross-lagged correlations between the two, although some concurrent relationships were present at 24 months. Future longitudinal work might profitably focus on younger children using reliable pre-verbal measures of gender knowledge and employing a shorter lag between measurement times. [source] Quantitative T1 mapping of hepatic encephalopathy using magnetic resonance imagingHEPATOLOGY, Issue 5 2003Nadim Joni Shah M.D. Changes are shown in the spin-lattice (T1) relaxation time caused by the putative deposition of manganese in various brain regions of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) patients using a novel and fast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method for quantitative relaxation time mapping. A new method, T1 mapping with partial inversion recovery (TAPIR), was used to obtain a series of T1 -weighted images to produce T1 maps. Imaging of 15 control subjects and 11 patients was performed on a 1.5T MRI scanner. The measurement time per patient with this technique, including adjustments, was ,5 minutes. Regions of interest in the globus pallidus, the caudate nucleus, the posterior and anterior limbs of the internal capsule, the putamen, the frontal and occipital white matter, the white matter of the corona radiata, the occipital visual and frontal cortices, and the thalamus were interactively defined in the left hemisphere and analyzed with respect to their T1 values. T1 changes in the brains of HE patients can be determined quantitatively with TAPIR in short, clinically relevant measurement times. Significant correlations between the change in T1 and HE severity have been shown in the globus pallidus, the caudate nucleus, and the posterior limb of the internal capsule. No significant correlation of T1 with grade of HE was found in the putamen, frontal white matter, white matter of the corona radiata, white matter in the occipital lobe, the anterior limb of the internal capsule, visual cortex, thalamus, or frontal cortex. In conclusion, these measurements show that T1 mapping is feasible in short, clinically relevant acquisition times. [source] Fast acquisition-weighted three-dimensional proton MR spectroscopic imaging of the human prostate,MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 1 2004Tom W.J. Scheenen Abstract The clinical application of 3D proton spectroscopic imaging (3D SI) of the human prostate requires a robust suppression of periprostatic lipid signal contamination, minimal intervoxel signal contamination, and the shortest possible measurement time. In this work, a weighted elliptical sampling of k -space, combined with k -space filtering and pulse repetition time (TR) reduction minimized lipid signals, intervoxel contamination, and measurement time. At 1.5 T, the MR-visible prostate metabolites citrate, creatine, and choline can now be mapped over the entire human prostate with uncontaminated spherical voxels, with a volume down to 0.37 cm3, in measurement times of 7,15 min. Magn Reson Med 52:80,88, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Reliable hot-spot classification in 10,ms using ultra-fast lock-in thermographyPROGRESS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS: RESEARCH & APPLICATIONS, Issue 7 2009Martin Kasemann Abstract We propose and demonstrate a reliable and non-destructive spatially resolved measurement technique for ultra-fast hot-spot classification of solar cells. The method can deliver quantitative images of the local heat dissipation in hot-spots in measurement times below 10,ms. The high accuracy and sensitivity allow for reliable hot-spot testing and provide the basis for a reliable classification of solar cells into different hot-spot categories. The method can be applied to wafer-based silicon solar cells and in principle also to thin-film solar cells of all material compositions. This paper explains the measurement principle, gives a detailed step-by-step description of viable automated evaluation procedures, and assesses the sensitivity and accuracy of the method. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Sexual function, depressive symptoms and marital status in nonseminoma testicular cancer patients: a longitudinal studyPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Marrit A. Tuinman Abstract Goal: To longitudinally investigate sexual functioning in testicular cancer patients during the first year, and examine the effect of relationship status (with a partner or single) and depressive symptoms on sexual functioning. Patients and methods: 93 testicular cancer patients (39% single) treated in two large referral centers for testicular cancer filled in the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and CES-D after orchiectomy (T1) and 3 (T2) and 12 (T3) months later. Results: Orgasmic functioning, overall satisfaction and total sexual functioning decreased between T1 and T2 and increased to an above T1 level at T3. Levels of erectile functioning and intercourse satisfaction were higher at T3 than at T1 and T2. Desire remained stable. Type of treatment did not affect sexual functioning. Singles reported worse sexual functioning at all measurement times than committed patients, and comparable desire. One year after surgery, singles also reported worse sexual functioning on three domains when compared with norms. Depressive symptoms were highest and significantly but weakly related to one domain of sexual functioning at T1, to three domains at T2, and to none at T3. Early depressive symptoms had small to moderate predictive power on sexual functioning at T2, but not at T3. Conclusion: Sexual functioning, but not desire, fluctuates during the first year after testicular cancer. Type of treatment and depressive symptoms were no risk factors for sexual dysfunction in the longer term. Singles reported more sexual problems than patients in a relationship and norms, they may need more information and guidance concerning their sexuality. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Model test of the relationship between self-help-promoting nursing interventions and self-care and health status outcomesRESEARCH IN NURSING & HEALTH, Issue 2 2004Grace J. Kreulen Abstract In this study of a nursing intervention outcomes model was tested. Path analysis techniques were used to examine predicted relationships between self-help-promoting interventions and patient outcomes of self-care practice and client morbidity at three times. A sample of 307 women receiving medical treatment for breast cancer provided data for the study. The average participant was White, middle-aged, married, educated, and in stage I or stage II disease. Findings support the hypothesized model linking these nursing interventions directly to self-care outcomes and self-care to client morbidity outcomes. Client factors of age, social network size, disease stage, receipt of chemotherapy, resourcefulness, and uncertainty significantly influenced predicted relationships. Examination of specific patterns of relationships for the sample revealed delayed behavioral responses to the interventions, variability in predictors of each outcome at the three measurement times and a more strongly predictive model when patient outcomes were considered within the context of client factors. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 27:97,109, 2004 [source] Cage colour and post-harvest K+ concentration affect skin colour of Australian snapper Pagrus auratus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 9 2008Ben J Doolan Abstract In an attempt to improve post-harvest skin colour in cultured Australian snapper Pagrus auratus, a two-factor experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of a short-term change in cage colour before harvest, followed by immersion in K+ -enriched solutions of different concentrations. Snapper supplemented with 39 mg unesterified astaxanthin kg,1 for 50 days were transferred to black (for 1 day) or white cages (for 1 or 7 days) before euthanasia by immersing fish in seawater ice slurries supplemented with 0, 150, 300, 450 or 600 mmol L,1 K+ for 1 h. Each treatment was replicated with five snapper (mean weight=838 g) held individually within 0.2 m3 cages. L*, a* and b* skin colour values of all fish were measured after removal from K+ solutions at 0, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h. After immersion in K+ solutions, fish were stored on ice. Both cage colour and K+ concentration significantly affected post-harvest skin colour (P<0.05), and there was no interaction between these factors at any of the measurement times (P>0.05). Conditioning dark-coloured snapper in white surroundings for 1 day was sufficient to significantly improve skin lightness (L*) after death. Although there was no difference between skin lightness values for fish held for either 1 or 7 days in white cages at measurement times up to 12 h, fish held in white cages for 7 days had significantly higher L* values (i.e. they were lighter) after 24 and 48 h of storage on ice than those held only in white cages for 1 day. K+ treatment also affected (improved) skin lightness post harvest although not until 24 and 48 h after removal of fish from solutions. Before this time, K+ treatment had no effect on skin lightness. Snapper killed by seawater ice slurry darkened (lower L*) markedly during the first 3 h of storage in contrast with all K+ treatments that prevented darkening. After 24 and 48 h of storage on ice, fish exposed to 450 and 600 mmol L,1 K+ were significantly lighter than fish from seawater ice slurries. In addition, skin redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) were strongly dependent on K+ concentration. The initial decline in response to K+ was overcome by a return of a* and b* values with time, most likely instigated by a redispersal of erythrosomes in skin erythrophores. Fish killed with 0 mmol L,1 K+ maintained the highest a* and b* values after death, but were associated with darker (lower L*) skin colouration. It is concluded that a combination of conditioning snapper in white surroundings for 1 day before harvest, followed by immersion in seawater ice slurries supplemented with 300,450 mmol L,1 K+ improves skin pigmentation after >24 h of storage on ice. [source] Decadal dynamics of tree cover in an Australian tropical savannaAUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2009CAROLINE E. R. LEHMANN Abstract Spatio-temporal variation in tropical savanna tree cover remains poorly understood. We aimed to quantify the drivers of tree cover in tropical mesic savannas in Kakadu National Park by relating changes in tree cover over 40 years to: mean annual rainfall, fire activity, initial tree cover and prior changes in tree cover. Aerial photography, acquired in 1964, 1984 and 2004, was obtained for fifty sites in Kakadu that spanned a rainfall gradient from approximately 1200 to 1600 mm. The remotely sensed estimates of tree cover were validated via field survey. Linear mixed effects modelling and multi-model inference were used to assess the strength and form of the relationships between tree cover and predictor variables. Over the 40 years, tree cover across these savannas increased on average by 4.94 ± 0.88%, but was spatio-temporally variable. Tree cover showed a positive albeit weak trend across the rainfall gradient. The strength of this positive relationship varied over the three measurement times, and this suggests that other factors are important in controlling tree cover. Tree cover was positively related to prior tree cover, and negatively correlated with fire activity. Over 20 years tree cover was more likely to increase if (i) tree cover was initially low or (ii) had decreased in the previous 20-year interval or (iii) there had been fewer fires. Across the examined rainfall gradient, the greater variability in fire activity and inherently higher average tree cover at the wetter latitudes resulted in greater dynamism of tree cover compared with the drier latitudes. This is consistent with savanna tree cover being determined by interactions between mean annual rainfall, tree competition and frequent fire in these tropical mesic savannas. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||