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Selected AbstractsThe Process and Causes of Fledging in a Cavity-Nesting Passerine Bird, the House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)ETHOLOGY, Issue 9 2004L. Scott Johnson Little is known about the process or causes of fledging or nest-leaving in passerine birds because researchers can rarely predict when fledging will occur in a given nest. We used continuous videotaping of nests to both document the process of fledging in the house wren, Troglodytes aedon, a small, cavity-nesting songbird, and test hypotheses as to what might cause fledging to begin. Fledging began any time from 14 to 19 d after hatching commenced. Slower-developing broods fledged later than faster-developing broods. Fledging typically began within 5 h of sunrise and over 80% of all nestlings fledged before noon. All nestlings fledged on the same day at 65% of nests and over two consecutive days in most other nests. We found no evidence that fledging was triggered by changes in parental behaviour. Parental rate of food delivery to nestlings did not decline during a 3-h period leading up to the first fledging, nor was the rate of feeding just prior to the first fledging lower than the rate at the same time the day before. Moreover, parents did not slow the rate of food delivery to nests after part of the brood had fledged. Hatching is asynchronous in our study population which creates a marked age/size hierarchy within broods. At most nests, the first nestling to fledge was the most well-developed nestling in the brood or nearly so (as measured by feather length). This suggests that fledging typically begins when the most well-developed nestlings in the brood reach some threshold size. However, at about one-fifth of nests, the first nestling to fledge was only moderate in size. At these nests, severe competition for food may have caused smaller, less competitive nestlings to fledge first to increase their access to food. We found no strong support for the suggestion that the oldest nestlings delay fledging until their least-developed nestmate reaches some minimum size, although further experimental work on this question is warranted. [source] Graphical analyses of personality disorders in five-factor model spaceEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 4 2005Brian P. O'ConnorArticle first published online: 22 JUN 200 Current knowledge of the associations between personality disorders (PDs) and the five-factor model (FFM) is based largely on the results of linear correlation statistics. Yet we do not know whether FFM,PD associations are indeed linear, and correlational statistics are not directly informative regarding the FFM deviations of individuals with PDs. In this study, graphical analyses of FFM,PD associations for a large, clinical and nonclinical combined sample revealed a diversity of linear and nonlinear FFM patterns, at both the domain and facet levels, for most PDs. However, the FFM deviations from normative levels were only moderate. The discussion focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of the FFM approach to PDs. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Development of a quality assessment instrument for trials of treatments for depression and neurosisINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 3 2001Joanna Moncrieff Abstract There is evidence that the quality of controlled clinical trials affects the results that are obtained. A systematic approach to the assessment of quality is required for psychiatric research. This study set out to develop an instrument for the assessment of the quality of controlled trials of interventions for depressive and non-psychotic conditions. A pilot study led to the development of a scale containing 23 items covering a wide range of aspects of quality including objective formulation, design, presentation of results, analysis and quality of conclusions. Scoring criteria were devised and the scale was then subjected to reliability testing using a random sample of trials of treatment for depression and ,neurosis'. The scale showed moderate inter-rater reliability and results were comparable to those obtained with shorter instruments. It was quick and easy to use. There were significant correlations between year of publication and overall quality score with later studies showing higher quality. The instrument developed here provides a systematic approach to the assessment of quality for use in critical appraisal of individual studies and meta-analysis. However, the scoring process should be used cautiously since inter-rater agreement was only moderate. Copyright © 2001 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] Evaluation of analogues of DRDE-07 as prophylactic agents against the lethality and toxicity of sulfur mustard administered through percutaneous routeJOURNAL OF APPLIED TOXICOLOGY, Issue 2 2006A. S. Kulkarni Abstract Sulfur mustard (SM), chemically bis (2-chloroethyl) sulfide is a bifunctional alkylating agent that causes serious blisters on contact with human skin. Although several antidotes have been reported for the systemic toxicity of SM in experimental animals none of them are approved so far and decontamination of SM immediately by physical or chemical means is recommended as the best protection. Two compounds amifostine [S-2(3-aminopropylamino) ethyl phosphorothioate] and DRDE-07 [S-2(2-aminoethylamino) ethyl phenyl sulfide] gave very good protection as an oral prophylactic agent against SM the in mouse model, but in the rat model the protection was only moderate. In the search for more effective and less toxic compounds, a number of analogues of DRDE-07 were synthesised and their protective efficacy was evaluated in mouse and rat models. The LD50 of S-aryl substitution was between 1 and 2 g kg,1 and S-alkyl substitution was more than 2 g kg,1. In the mouse model, DRDE-07, DRDE-10, DRDE-21, DRDE-30 and DRDE-35 gave about 20 fold protection, and DRDE-23 and DRDE-38 gave less protection of 4.8 and 9.0 fold respectively, against percutaneously administered SM. In the rat model, DRDE-07, DRDE-09, DRDE-10 and DRDE-21 gave about two fold protection. Percutaneously administered SM (19.33 mg kg,1) significantly depleted the hepatic GSH content in mice. Pretreatment with DRDE-21 significantly elevated the levels. A 4.4 fold increase in % DNA fragmentation was observed 7 days after SM administration (19.33 mg kg,1) in mice. Pretreatment with DRDE-07, DRDE-09, DRDE-10, DRDE-21, DRDE-30 and DRDE-35 significantly protected the mice from SM induced DNA damage. The histopathological lesions in liver and spleen induced by percutaneously administered SM was reduced by pretreatment with DRDE-07, DRDE-09, DRDE-10 and DRDE-21. These analogues may prove as prototypes for the designing of more effective prophylactic drug for SM. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Accuracy of Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scoring in clinical practiceACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 1 2009M. TALLGREN Background: The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score is used to quantify the severity of illness daily during intensive care. Our aim was to evaluate how accurately SOFA is recorded in clinical practice, and whether this can be improved by a refresher course in scoring rules. Methods: The scores recorded by physicians in a university hospital intensive care unit (ICU) were compared with the gold standard determined by two expert assessors. Data concerning all consecutive patients during two 6-week-long observation periods (baseline and after the refresher course) were compared. Results: SOFA was accurate on 75/158 (48%) patient days at baseline. The cardiovascular, coagulation, liver, and renal component scores showed excellent accuracy (,82%, weighted ,,0.92), while the neurological score showed only moderate (70%, weighted , 0.51) and the respiration score showed good accuracy (75%, weighted , 0.79). After the refresher course, the number of ,2 point errors decreased (P<0.01). Sedation precluded neurological evaluation on 135/311 (43%) days. The accuracy of the assumed neurological scores was lower than those based on timely data: 89/135 (66%, weighted , 0.55) vs. 125/176 (71%, weighted , 0.81) (P<0.01). Conclusion: Only half of the SOFA scores were accurate. In most cases, they were accurate enough to allow the recognition of organ failure and detection of change. The component scores showed good to excellent accuracy, except the neurological score. After the refresher course, the results improved slightly. The moderate accuracy of the neurological score was not amended. A simpler neurological classification tool than the Glasgow Coma Scale is needed in the ICU. [source] Recommendations on Use of Biomarkers in Alcoholism Treatment TrialsALCOHOLISM, Issue 10 2003John P. Allen Background: Biochemical markers of heavy drinking are playing increasingly prominent roles in alcohol treatment efficacy studies, especially in those designed to evaluate medications. Among these roles are serving as inclusion or exclusion criteria for research participants, corroboration of self-report of drinking status, assessment of the safety of the agent being evaluated, and determination of treatment outcome. Methods: Recent alcohol medication development trials that included biomarker information were reviewed and critiqued from the perspectives of how biomarker measures were used and how findings on them were reported. Results: Although generally the application of biomarkers as inclusion criteria is not recommended, they may aid in exclusion of potential subjects (e.g., elevated liver function measures in trials of agents that could result in liver damage). Biomarkers are most commonly used as indicators of outcome, usually serving as secondary outcome variables. The relationship of outcome findings on biomarker and self-report measures is positive, but only moderate. As used to date, biomarkers of drinking tend to be less sensitive than well-standardized and properly administered self-report measures. Nevertheless, they do provide a useful, unique source of information on drinking status. Conclusions: The contribution of biomarkers to alcoholism clinical research would be enhanced if certain design strategies were incorporated into their application and if critical information were included in the research publication. This article offers a series of recommendations to improve on their use in a research context. [source] Defining the content for the objective structured clinical examination component of the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board examination: development of a blueprintMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 7 2000Philip Tombleson Introduction We describe the steps taken to develop an appropriate list of ,clinical problems' used to define the content of the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) component of the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) examination. Method A blueprint and list of 255 clinical problems was compiled by reviewing PLAB questions, published curricula of the UK Royal Colleges and other sources such as the General Medical Council's own guidelines. This list was sent to a random sample of 251 successful PLAB candidates who were asked to rate the clinical problems using a scale of ,seen frequently/seldom/never' and to 120 members of the accident and emergency (A&E) specialists' association who were asked to identify ,important' tasks. The list was further validated using activity data obtained for consecutive A&E attendances (934) and admissions (6130) at three hospitals. Results After two mailings, 131/251 (52%) former PLAB candidates and 89/120 (74%) A&E specialists replied. All of the 255 clinical problems were seen by some former candidates and were felt to be important by some A&E specialists. Of the 255 problems, 40 were neither rated as important nor as seen frequently/seldom by over 50% of respondents. The 255 clinical problems covered a mean 94% consecutive A&E attendances and 97·6% reasons for hospital admission. The correlation between clinical problems that were frequently encountered and those felt to be important was rho=0·38 (P < 0·01). Conclusion The clinical problems appear to be appropriate for defining the content of the PLAB OSCE. We suggest that our problem list is useful in that all the problems are seen by some senior house officers, are felt to be important by some A&E specialists and cover greater than or equal to 94% of the conditions for which patients both attend and are admitted from casualty. The correlation between clinical task importance and the frequency that they were seen was only moderate, partly reflecting the relative seriousness of some uncommon medical conditions, which should not be missed on clinical assessment. The content of the OSCE component of the PLAB examination is being reviewed in the light of the findings of this study. The limitations of the study are discussed. [source] Long-term functional and subjective results of thumb replantationMICROSURGERY, Issue 8 2006Frank Unglaub M.D. The aim of this follow-up study was to evaluate the functional and subjective results after thumb replantation. Twenty-four patients with replantation of the thumb, performed during the period 1992,1997, were reexamined after 6.5 years (range, 4.2,9.1 years post-injury). In 10 cases the amputations were isolated, 14 amputations were combined with other injuries of the hand, 15 amputations resulted from crush/avulsion injuries, and 9 amputations were sharp. Range of motion, grip strength, cutaneous sensibility, and upper-extremity functioning using the DASH questionnaire were determined. A correlation analysis with important variables was performed. Average range-of-motion in the metacarpophalangeal joint was 44° (±24.2) and in the interphalangeal joint was 12° (±8.4). Grip-strength of the injured hand was 70% (±31.4) and pinch strength was 68% (±28.7) in comparison to the non-injured hand. DASH-scores correlated with grip-strength, pinch-strength, and cutaneous sensation but no correlation was found between DASH and the level of amputation. Functional results were independent of amputation levels and patient age. Although the results of cutaneous sensibility were only moderate, patients were able to use their thumb to perform work and daily living activities. The majority of patients had returned to their previous occupation. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Microsurgery, 2006. [source] The cognitive representation of filmic event summariesAPPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2004Stephan Schwan The present study compared two types of film summaries and a complete film event portrayal of two different event sequences, measuring their perceived structure during presentation and the subsequent ability to recall them. The summaries were based on the model of behavioural perception (Newtson & Engquist, 1976; Zacks & Tversky, 2001) and either retained the borders (breakpoints) or the middle parts (non-breakpoints) of each segment of the event sequence. It was found that breakpoint-keeping summaries were perceived to be more structured and were recalled more coherently and comprehensively than non-breakpoint-keeping summaries. On the other hand, breakpoint-keeping summaries were not recalled any more completely than event portrayals that had not been shortened. Also, breakpoint-keeping summaries showed only moderate overlap in their recalled event steps. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Kinetic limitations of a bioelectrochemical electrode using carbon nanotube-attached glucose oxidase for biofuel cellsBIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 6 2009Xueyan Zhao Abstract Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been used for various bioelectrochemical applications, presumably for substantial improvement in performance. However, often only moderate results observed, with many governing factors have been considered and suggested yet without much systematic evaluation and verification. In this study, CNT-supported glucose oxidase (CNT,GOx) was examined in the presence of 1,4-benzoquinone (BQ). The intrinsic Michaelis parameters of the reaction catalyzed by CNT,GOx were found very close to those of native GOx. However, the Nafion entrapment of CNT,GOx for an electrode resulted in a much lower activity due to the limited availability of the embedded enzyme. Interestingly, kinetic studies revealed that the biofuel cell employing such an enzyme electrode only generated a power density equivalent to <40% of the reaction capability of the enzyme on electrode. It appeared to us that factors such as electron and proton transfer resistances can be more overwhelming than the heterogeneous reaction kinetics in limiting the power generation of such biofuel cells. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009; 104: 1068,1074. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Unprecedented Stereoselective Synthesis of Catalytically Active Chiral Mo3CuS4 ClustersCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 5 2006Marta Feliz Dr. Abstract Cluster excision of polymeric {Mo3S7Cl4}n phases with chiral phosphane (+)-1,2-bis[(2R,5R)-2,5-(dimethylphospholan-1-yl)]ethane ((R,R)-Me-BPE) or with its enantiomer ((S,S)-Me-BPE) yields the stereoselective formation of the trinuclear cluster complexes [Mo3S4{(R,R)-Me-BPE}3Cl3]+ ([(P)- 1]+) and [Mo3S4{(S,S)-Me-BPE}3Cl3]+ ([(M)- 1]+), respectively. These complexes posses an incomplete cuboidal structure with the metal atoms defining an equilateral triangle and one capping and three bridging sulfur atoms. The P and M symbols refer to the rotation of the chlorine atoms around the C3 axis, with the capping sulphur atom pointing towards the viewer. Incorporation of copper into these trinuclear complexes affords heterodimetallic cubane-type compounds of formula [Mo3CuS4{(R,R)-Me-BPE}3Cl4]+ ([(P)- 2]+) or [Mo3CuS4{(S,S)-Me-BPE}3Cl4]+ ([(M)- 2]+), respectively, for which the chirality of the trinuclear precursor is preserved in the final product. Cationic complexes [(P)- 1]+, [(M)- 1]+, [(P)- 2]+, and [(M)- 2]+ combine the chirality of the metal cluster framework with that of the optically active diphosphane ligands. The known racemic [Mo3CuS4(dmpe)3Cl4]+ cluster (dmpe=1,2-bis(dimethylphosphanyl)ethane) as well as the new enantiomerically pure Mo3CuS4 [(P)- 2]+ and [(M)- 2]+ complexes are efficient catalysts for the intramolecular cyclopropanation of 1-diazo-5-hexen-2-one (3) and for the intermolecular cyclopropanation of alkenes, such as styrene and 2-phenylpropene, with ethyl diazoacetate. In all cases, the cyclopropanation products were obtained in high yields. The diastereoselectivity in the intermolecular cyclopropanation of the alkenes and the enantioselectivity in the inter- or intramolecular processes are only moderate. La reacción de escisión de la fase polimérica {Mo3S7Cl4}ncon la fosfina quiral (+)-1,2-bis[(2R,5R)-2,5-(dimetilfosfolan-1-il)]etano, (R,R)-Me-BPE, o con su enantiómero, (S,S)-Me-BPE, conduce a la formación estereoselectiva de los complejos clúster trinucleares [Mo3S4(R,R -Me-BPE)3Cl3]+([(P)- 1]+) y [Mo3S4(S,S -Me-BPE)3Cl3]+([(M)- 1]+), respectivamente. Estos complejos poseen una estructura de cubo incompleto, dónde los átomos metálicos definen un triángulo equilátero, con un azufre unido a tres átomos de molibdeno y tres azufres puente. Los símbolos P y M hacen referencia a la rotación de los átomos de cloro alrededor del eje C3, con el azufre apuntado dirigido hacia el observador. La incorporación de cobre a estos complejos trinucleares conduce a compuestos heterodimetálicos con estructura tipo cubano de fórmula [Mo3CuS4(R,R -Me-BPE)3Cl4]+([(P)- 2]+) y [Mo3CuS4(S,S -Me-BPE)3Cl4]+([(M)- 2]+) donde la quiralidad del precursor trinuclear se mantiene en el producto final. Los complejos catiónicos [(P)- 1]+, [(M)- 1]+, [(P)- 2]+y [(M)- 2]+combinan la quiralidad del esqueleto clúster con la de los ligandos difosfina. El clúster racémico [Mo3CuS4(dmpe)3Cl4]+(dmpe=1,2-bis(dimetilfosfino)etano), así como los complejos Mo3CuS4 enantioméricamente puros [(P)- 2]+o [(M)- 2]+son catalizadores eficaces para la reacción de ciclopropanación intramolecular de 1-diazo-5-hexen-2-ona (3) y para la ciclopropanación intermolecular de alquenos, estireno y 2-fenilpropeno, con etil diazoacetato. En todos los casos los productos de ciclopropanación se obtienen con rendimientos elevados. La diastereoselectividad en la ciclopropanación intermolecular de alquenos y la enantioselectividad en los procesos tanto inter- como intramoleculares son únicamente moderadas. [source] Colorimetric study of SCOTDIC colour specifierCOLORATION TECHNOLOGY, Issue 5 2008Asim Kumar Roy Choudhury In this study, SCOTDIC cotton standard colours (a physical exemplification of the Munsell system) were studied extensively. L*, a*, b* values were measured and plotted to check the uniformity of the Munsell (SCOTDIC) hue, value and chroma values in a CIELAB diagram. Although for some borderline hues the hue angles were quite different than expected (around 0° or 360°), the correlation between SCOTDIC hue and CIELAB hue angle was fairly good and the correlation between SCOTDIC value and CIELAB lightness was also quite high. However, the correlation between SCOTDIC chroma and CIELAB chroma was only moderate. In the CIELAB diagram, the constant SCOTDIC hue and constant chroma loci took the shape of approximately linear radial lines starting from the origin and approximately concentric circles with the origin as their centres, respectively. However, some deviations were observed for high chroma colours and yellow hues in the respective cases. The instrumentally predicted Munsell notations were compared with the actual SCOTDIC notations. Some deviations of the SCOTDIC system from the Munsell system were observed. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||