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Selected AbstractsYoung adolescents' use of medicine for headache: sources of supply, availability and accessibility at home,PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 4 2008Bjřrn E. Holstein Mag. Abstract Objective Use of medicines for headache is common among young adolescents but little is known about their sources of supply and access to medicines. The purpose was to describe sources of supply, availability and accessibility at home and to examine if supply, availability and accessibility were associated with medicine use. Methods Cross-sectional study in eight schools where all fifth and seventh grade students (11- and 13-year-olds) answered a questionnaire about socio-demographic factors, health and medicine use. Response rate: 84.0%, n,=,595. Results The reported prevalence of headache at least monthly was 45.0%, and 42.5% had used medicines for headache during the past month. 68.2% reported that medicines for headache were always available at home, and 22.2% were allowed to use these without asking for permission. Most pupils received medicine from their parents (73.1%) and physicians (25.4%). Smaller proportions had received medicine from school nurses, teachers, friends and others; 11.6% mentioned at least three sources of supply. Pupils with frequent episodes of headache reported more sources of supply and higher availability and accessibility at home. OR for medicine use among children who mentioned three or more sources of supply was 4.53 (95% CI 2.63,7.83) in a multivariate model controlled for sex, age and prevalence of headache. Use of medicine was also associated with availability at home (OR,=,1.51, 1.01,2.27) and accessibility (OR,=,2.49, 1.57,3.93). Conclusion Medicine use for headache among children and young adolescents is common and control of access may be the key issue for safe medicine use. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The destinies of the low- and middle-income country submissionsACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 4 2007J. Konradsen Objective:, To measure the number of submissions to Acta Pyschiatrica Scandinavica from low- and middle-income countries (LIC/MIC) compared with submissions from high income countries (HIC), to compare the way through the peer review process for the three groups respectively, as well as how they do as published articles eventually. Method:, By help of the Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica editorial office database all submissions of reviews of the literature, clinical overviews, original articles, brief communications, and case reports from 2002 through 2005 were analysed as to external/in-house review, acceptance/rejection, number of downloads from Blackwell-Synergy, and number of citations [Institute of Scientific Information (ISI)] in a comparison between HIC and LIC/MIC. Results:, About 14.6% of the total submissions in 2002/2003 came from LIC and MIC countries, 15.5% for the 2004/2005 period. In both periods, a larger portion of LIC/MIC manuscripts were reviewed exclusively in-house compared with HIC ones and among those papers reviewed by external experts a smaller proportion of the submissions from HIC countries were rejected than of those from LIC and MIC countries. From the first to the second period there is a significant increase of proportion of submitted LIC/MIC papers accepted for publication compared with HIC papers. Full text download and citation statistics did not differ significantly between HIC and LIC/MIC. Conclusion:, Low- and middle-income countries manuscripts do gradually better in the competition with HIC papers in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. The major observation is that the total number of LIC/MIC submissions to the journal is still low. [source] Comparative study of sexuality-related characteristics in young adults with schizophrenia treated with novel neuroleptics and in normal young adultsACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2002P. Fortier This study compared characteristics related to sexual history, sexual activities, sexual functioning and psychological tendencies associated with sexuality in 45 young adults with schizophrenia treated with novel neuroleptics and 61 control young adults. A smaller proportion of young adults with schizophrenia currently had a sexual partner or had ever engaged in sexual relations. They also had sexual relations and sexual desires less often. Whether affected by schizophrenia or not, a smaller proportion of women had ever masturbated. They felt less sexual desire and desired sexual relations less often. Compared to controls, a higher proportion of men with schizophrenia treated with Risperidone or Olanzapine had at least one sexual dysfunction, lacked sexual desire and reported problems with sexual arousal and ejaculation. Women with schizophrenia were more likely to report problems with sexual arousal and galactorrhea. Finally, young adults with schizophrenia develop more negative psychological tendencies associated with sexuality than were normal young adults. Sexual problems are highly prevalent among young adults with schizophrenia. Sexuality should occupy the space it deserves within psychosocial rehabilitation programs and the treatment of schizophrenia. [source] Responses of zooplankton in lufenuron-stressed experimental ditches in the presence or absence of uncontaminated refuges,ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 6 2008Patricia López-Mancisidor Abstract Outdoor experimental ditches were used to evaluate the influence of untreated refuges on the recovery of zooplankton communities following treatment with the fast-dissipating insecticide lufenuron. Each experimental ditch was divided into three sections of the same surface area. The treatments differed in the proportion of ditch (0, 33, 67, and 100% of the surface area) to which the insecticide was applied at the same nominal treatment (3 ,g/L). During the first week postapplication, a barrier was placed between treated and untreated ditch sections. The untreated sections were included to provide a source of organisms for recovery of affected zooplankton populations in the treated sections of the ditch after the removal of the barrier. Cyclopoida were the most affected by lufenuron treatment, followed by Daphnia gr. galeata. These and other direct effects of treatment on larvae of the phantom midge Chaoborus spp. resulted in clear indirect effects on populations of Calanoida, Ceriodaphnia, and Rotifera. Overall, faster recovery of the zooplankton community was observed in the treated sections of ditches that were sprayed for a smaller proportion of their surface area. Nevertheless, individual zooplankton populations showed considerable differences in rate of recovery. Cyclopoida showed a relatively slow rate of recovery even in the partially treated ditches. Daphnia gr. galeata recovered more rapidly in treated ditch sections in the presence of unsprayed ditch sections, illustrating the potential influence of unexposed refuges. Furthermore, the presence of refuges most likely dampened the magnitude and duration of indirect effects in the ditches treated with lufenuron. [source] Remittance Patterns of Southern Sudanese Refugee Men: Enacting the Global Breadwinner Role,FAMILY RELATIONS, Issue 4 2008Phyllis J. Johnson Abstract: Questionnaire data from 172 Sudanese refugee men in Western Canada revealed that most of the men were sending money (i.e., remittances) to family in Africa, although doing so created considerable financial and emotional strain. Those who experienced greater emotional strain had more social support and spent a smaller proportion of their income on remittances. Those who experienced greater financial strain had less support, were in Canada a shorter time, and had higher (over $20,000) compared to lower income (less than $20,000). Understanding the continuing financial obligations of global breadwinners, who are providing financially for relatives elsewhere, is critical content for social service programs that serve refugee and immigrant newcomers. [source] Temperature and host species affect nuptial gift size in a seed-feeding beetleFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2006C. W. FOX Summary 1In many insects species, males contribute large nutritional gifts to females during mating, generally as seminal fluids (ejaculates) or spermatophores. These nuptial gifts can affect both male and female fitness, and can mediate selection on male body size. However, it is unclear how environmental variables, such as temperature and diet, affect gift size and the consequences of gift size for male and female fitness. 2We examine how temperature and rearing host affect male nuptial gift size (both total ejaculate size and the proportion of a male's mass allocated to his seminal fluids), and the relationship between gift size and female reproduction, in two populations of the seed-feeding beetle Callosobruchus maculatus. 3Males reared at lower temperature (20 °C) produced substantially larger ejaculates than males reared at higher temperatures (25, 30 and 35 °C). However, males allocated a smaller proportion of their body mass to their ejaculate at the lowest temperature compared with other temperatures. This effect of temperature on male allocation to their ejaculates mirrored the effect of temperature on female body size , male ejaculate size remained a relatively constant proportion of their mate's body mass across temperatures. 4Rearing host also affected male ejaculate size but the magnitude and direction of the host effect differed between populations. 5Rearing temperature affected the relationship between male body mass and ejaculate size. Temperature also affected the relationship between female body mass and fecundity. The relationship between male body mass and ejaculate size was significantly lower when beetles were reared on cowpea than when beetles were reared on azuki or mung. 6We found no evidence that male body size or nuptial gift size affected female fecundity in either population of C. maculatus. We thus propose that the effect of nuptial gift size on male fitness is through a reduction in female mating frequency and thus increased paternity for males producing larger nuptial gifts. [source] Comparison of structure and biodiversity in the Rajhenav virgin forest remnant and managed forest in the Dinaric region of SloveniaGLOBAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2000Andrej Boncina Abstract Comparisons are made between a virgin forest remnant (primeval forest) and a lightly managed (near-to-nature) forest with regard to horizontal forest structures, the structure of forest stands, and the diversity of plant and bird species. In the virgin forest remnant the proportion of canopy gaps is smaller, there are no stands in the developmental phase of a pole stand (10 < cm d.b.h. < 30 cm), and both the growing stock and the proportion of less vigorous trees are considerably greater. In addition, there is a higher percentage of dead trees, a smaller proportion of minor tree species and a considerably lower diversity of plants. The diversity of bird species is similar for each forest type, but rare bird species are confined to the virgin forest remnant. The biological differences between the two types of forest have led to changes in the physical site conditions. The results of the research are valuable in assessing the consequences of near-to-nature forest management. [source] Solifenacin treatment for overactive bladder in Hispanic patients: patient-reported symptom bother and quality of life outcomes from the VESIcare® Open-Label TrialINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 1 2008J. P. Capo' Jr Summary Objective:, The primary goal of overactive bladder (OAB) treatment is to reduce symptoms and improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Although trials open enrolment to everyone, most OAB studies feature Caucasians. Here we present Hispanic data. Methods:, VESIcare® Open-Label Trial was a 12-week, open-label, flexible-dosing study in patients with OAB symptoms for , 3 months. All patients started on solifenacin 5 mg/day, with a dosing option of 5 or 10 mg/day at weeks 4 and 8. Three patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures assessed symptom improvement and treatment satisfaction: the Patient Perception of Bladder Condition (PPBC) scale, a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the Overactive Bladder Questionnaire (OAB-q). Results:, 94/2205 patients in the full population were Hispanic. Urgency was most frequently reported at baseline (93.6%), followed by frequency (91.5%), nocturia (84.0%) and urge incontinence (UI) (67.0%). Frequency was reported as the most bothersome symptom (MBS) by a higher proportion of Hispanics than the full population (40.4% vs. 28.1%). UI was reported as the MBS by a smaller proportion of Hispanics (18.1% vs. 27.3%). Patients reporting moderate-to-severe problems related to bladder condition at baseline reported improvement to ,some minor problems' at week 12. Over 72.0% of patients experienced PPBC score improvement. Both groups reported significant improvements in urgency, UI, frequency and nocturia on the VAS (all p < 0.001) and all OAB-q domains (all p < 0.001) at week 12. Conclusion:, Although numbers were small, Hispanics receiving solifenacin for OAB reported improvement from baseline in symptom bother and HRQoL, as assessed by three independent PRO measures. [source] The Effect of a High-Intensity Functional Exercise Program on Activities of Daily Living: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Residential Care FacilitiesJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 10 2009Hĺkan Littbrand PT OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether a high-intensity functional weight-bearing exercise program reduces dependency in activities of daily living (ADLs) in older people living in residential care facilities, focusing on people with dementia. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial. SETTING: Nine residential care facilities. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred ninety-one older people dependent in ADLs and with a Mini-Mental State Examination score of 10 or greater. One hundred (52.4%) of the participants had dementia. INTERVENTION: A high-intensity functional weight-bearing exercise program or a control activity consisting of 29 sessions over 3 months. MEASUREMENTS: The Barthel ADL Index; follow-up at 3 months (directly after the intervention) and 6 months with intention-to-treat analyses. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between the groups regarding overall ADL performance. Analyses for each item revealed that a smaller proportion of participants in the exercise group had deteriorated in indoor mobility at 3 months (exercise 3.5% vs control 16.0%, P=.01) and 6 months (7.7% vs 19.8%, P=.03). For people with dementia, there was a significant difference in overall ADL performance in favor of the exercise group at 3 months (mean difference 1.1, P=.03) but not at 6 months. CONCLUSION: A high-intensity functional weight-bearing exercise program seems to reduce ADL decline related to indoor mobility for older people living in residential care facilities. The program does not appear to have an overall effect on ADLs. In people with dementia, the exercise program may prevent decline in overall ADL performance, but continuous training may be needed to maintain that effect. [source] Quantifying the influence of sociality on population structure in bottlenose dolphinsJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2006DAVID LUSSEAU Summary 1The social structure of a population plays a key role in many aspects of its ecology and biology. It influences its genetic make-up, the way diseases spread through it and the way animals exploit their environment. However, the description of social structure in nonprimate animals is receiving little attention because of the difficulty in abstracting social structure from the description of association patterns between individuals. 2Here we focus on recently developed analytical techniques that facilitate inference about social structure from association patterns. We apply them to the population of bottlenose dolphins residing along the Scottish east coast, to detect the presence of communities within this population and infer its social structure from the temporal variation in association patterns between individuals. 3Using network analytical techniques, we show that the population is composed of two social units with restricted interactions. These two units seem to be related to known differences in the ranging pattern of individuals. By examining social structuring at different spatial scales, we confirm that the identification of these two units is the result of genuine social affiliation and is not an artefact of their spatial distribution. 4We also show that the structure of this fission-fusion society relies principally on short-term casual acquaintances lasting a few days with a smaller proportion of associations lasting several years. These findings highlight how network analyses can be used to detect and understand the forces driving social organization of bottlenose dolphins and other social species. [source] How Many Women Have Osteoporosis?JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 5 2005L. Joseph Melton III Osteoporosis is widely viewed as a major public health concern, but the exact magnitude of the problem is uncertain and likely to depend on how the condition is defined. Noninvasive bone mineral measurements can be used to define a state of heightened fracture risk (osteopenia), or the ultimate clinical manifestation of fracture can be assessed (established osteoporosis). If bone mineral measurements more than 2 standard deviations below the mean of young normal women represent osteopenia, then 45% of white women aged 50 years and over have the condition at one or more sites in the hip, spine, or forearm on the basis of population-based data from Rochester, Minnesota. A smaller proportion is affected at each specific skeletal site: 32% have bone mineral values this low in the lumbar spine, 29% in either of two regions in the proximal femur, and 26% in the midradius. Although this overall estimate is substantial, some other serious chronic diseases are almost as common. More importantly, low bone mass is associated with adverse health outcomes, especially fractures. The lifetime risk of any fracture of the hip, spine, or distal forearm is almost 40% in white women and 13% in white men from age 50 years onward. If the enormous costs associated with these fractures are to be reduced, increased attention must be given to the design and implementation of control programs directed at this major health problem. [source] Maximum size distributions in tropical forest communities: relationships with rainfall and disturbanceJOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Lourens Poorter Summary 1The diversity and structure of communities are partly determined by how species partition resource gradients. Plant size is an important indicator of species position along the vertical light gradient in the vegetation. 2Here, we compared the size distribution of tree species in 44 Ghanaian tropical forest communities, using data from 880 one-hectare plots and over 118 000 trees belonging to more than 210 species. 3The size distribution of forest species showed a continuous normal or log-normal distribution, with many canopy species and a few large species, and varied from community to community. Multiple regression showed that this variation is related to rainfall and to disturbance. 4Size distributions in wet forests were less skewed than those in dry forests, with a smaller proportion of big species and a smaller size range. At the same time they exhibited tighter species packing, resulting in higher species richness. Communities with high disturbance have less species packing and lower species richness. 5Synthesis. We conclude that the factors that constrain organism size and species coexistence in these tropical forest tree communities differ from those known to operate on a number of well-studied animal communities. [source] Investigating household food interpurchase behavior through market segmentation,AGRIBUSINESS : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 3 2010Diansheng Dong In this study, a market segmentation approach is developed and applied to analyze U.S. households' cheese purchases. The segmentation is based on household interpurchase time, or the hazard rate of purchases. In this study, four segments have been discovered in the U.S. market for household cheese purchases. Two of the segments jointly represent about 40% of all cheese-purchasing households and are characterized as frequent buyers with an average interpurchase time of 2 weeks. These frequent-purchase households are larger in size, have greater incomes, have a smaller proportion of African Americans, and are insensitive to coupons. They are often described in the marketing literature as loyal customers. In contrast, the other two segments, which jointly represent about 60% of the households, are characterized by infrequent buyers with an average interpurchase time of 6 weeks. These infrequent-purchase households are smaller in size, have less income, have a higher proportion of African Americans, and are sensitive to coupons. Marketing promotions typically target the infrequent-purchase households. [EconLit citations: D12, C51, C41]. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [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] Markers of Overcrowding in a Pediatric Emergency DepartmentACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 2 2010Antonia S. Stang MD Abstract Objectives:, The objective of this study was to identify markers of overcrowding in pediatric emergency departments (PEDs) according to expert opinion and then to use statistical methods to further explore the underlying construct of overcrowding. Methods:, A cross-sectional survey of all PED directors (n = 12) and pediatric emergency medicine fellowship program directors (n = 10) across Canada was conducted to elicit expert opinion on relevant markers of emergency department (ED) crowding. The list of markers was reduced to those specific to the ED for which data could be extracted from one tertiary care PED from an existing computerized patient tracking system. Data representing 2,190 consecutive shifts and 138,361 patient visits were collected between April 2005 and March 2007. Common factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine the underlying factors that best represented overcrowding as determined by markers identified by experts in pediatric emergency medicine Results:, The main markers of overcrowding identified by the survey included measures of patient volume (25%), ED operational processes (55%), and delays in transferring patients to inpatient beds (13%). Data collected on 41 markers were retained for the CFA. The results of the CFA indicated that the largest portion of variation in the data (48%) was accounted for by markers describing patient volumes and flow through the ED. Measures of admission delays accounted for a smaller proportion of variability (9%). Conclusions:, The results suggest that for this tertiary PED, markers of ED operational processes and patient volume may be more relevant for determination of overcrowding than markers reflecting delays in transferring patients to inpatient beds. This study provides a foundation for further research on markers of overcrowding specific to the pediatric setting. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:151,156 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine [source] Energy Price Shocks and the Macroeconomy: The Role of Consumer DurablesJOURNAL OF MONEY, CREDIT AND BANKING, Issue 7 2008RAJEEV DHAWAN energy prices; business cycles; durable goods We create a model with a distinction between investment in consumer durables and capital goods, as well as energy use by households and firms, to evaluate the importance of energy price shocks for output fluctuations. Simulation results indicate that this economy has a smaller proportion of output fluctuations attributable to energy price shocks than one without durable goods and household energy use. We show that an energy price hike is absorbed by reducing investment in durables more than in fixed capital. This rebalancing effect cushions the hit to future production. Thus, productivity shocks remain the prime driver for output fluctuations. [source] Oestrogen Receptor ,-Immunoreactivity in Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone-Expressing Neurones: Regulation by OestrogenJOURNAL OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 9 2001I. Kalló Abstract Double-label immunohistochemistry was employed to establish whether immunoreactivity for the , subtype of the oestrogen receptor (ER,-IR) is present in gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH)-containing cells. In the immortalized GnRH cell line, GT1-7, almost all nuclei were immunoreactive for ER,. In the preoptic area of ovariectomized rats, more than one-half of the GnRH neurones (52.0,63.5%) contained ER,-IR within the nucleus; a smaller proportion of these neurones (5,10%) displayed a particularly intense nuclear signal for ER,. The presence of ER,-IR in the nuclei of GT1-7 cells and GnRH neurones is consistent with recent reports of ER, mRNA in these cells. Oestrogen treatment reduced the percentage of GnRH neurones with detectable ER,-IR. The range of signal intensity for ER, and the incidence of the ER, signal in GnRH neurones were comparable following double-label immunohistochemistry involving either bright field or fluorescent techniques. These findings raise the possibility that ER, receptors mediate direct effects of oestrogen on GnRH neurones. [source] The Role of Pre-collegiate Partnership Programs in Environments Ambivalent about Affirmative Action: Reflections and Outcomes from an Early ImplementationJOURNAL OF SOCIAL ISSUES, Issue 3 2005Geoffrey Maruyama Preparing underrepresented students for college success though pre-collegiate partnership programs is one alternative to affirmative action programs. This article describes the Multicultural Excellence Program (MEP), a partnership program between an urban school district and 22 four-year higher education institutions. MEP, begun in 1987, targets 7th,12th-grade students from groups historically underrepresented in higher education. It helps them plan how to prepare themselves for continuing on to a four-year college. Analyses evaluating program effectiveness examined outcomes of over 4,000 secondary students and 243 college students. Despite substantial turnover, particularly at transition points, MEP has been very successful in enrolling its high school graduates immediately in four-year colleges. Although many MEP students have thrived in college, a smaller proportion has struggled. [source] SEXUAL ECOLOGY OF THE SPINNER DOLPHIN, STENELLA LONGIROSTRIS: GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION IN MATING SYSTEMMARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE, Issue 3 2003William F. Perrin Abstract We offer the first report for a cetacean of geographical variation in mating system based in morphology. Analysis of samples from 1,678 male spinner dolphins from the eastern Pacific revealed that testis + epididymis weight was greater (to 1,354 g) in the whitebelly form of the species than in the eastern form (to 843 g). Sexual dimorphism in dorsal-fin shape is greater in the eastern form. The difference in testis size was strongly linked with shape of the dorsal fin on an individual basis. Only a few eastern males (0.6%) reached testis + epididymis weight at which all epididymides contain sperm, while a much larger proportion of whitebelly spinners (15.2%) reached this level, suggesting that a smaller proportion of eastern spinner males may participate in reproductive activity. This, and the fact that increased dimorphism and decreased testis size are indicative of increased polygyny in a wide variety of other mammal species, leads to the conclusion that the mating system varies geographically in the species, with a gradient from a more polygynous mating system in the eastern form to a more open or polygynandrous mating system in the whitebelly form. Differences in ovulation rate in the two forms are consistent with this conclusion. [source] Origin of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) from the Yucatan peninsula inferred from mitochondrial DNA analysisMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2001Kylea E. Clarke Abstract Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) sampled at sites in Europe, Africa and South Ámerica were analysed using a mitochondrial DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) marker. These samples were used to provide baseline information for a detailed analysis of the process of Africanization of bees from the neotropical Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. Radical changes in mitochondrial haplotype (mitotype) frequencies were found to have occurred in the 13-year period studied. Prior to the arrival of Africanized bees (1986) the original inhabitants of the Yucatan peninsula appear to have been essentially of southeastern European origin with a smaller proportion having northwestern European ancestry. Three years after the migration of Africanized bees into the area (1989), only very low levels of maternal gene flow from Africanized populations into the resident European populations had occurred. By 1998, however, there was a sizeable increase in the proportion of African mitotypes in domestic populations (61%) with feral populations having 87% of mitotypes classified as African derived. The results suggest that the early stages of Africanization did not involve a rapid replacement of European with African mitotypes and that earlier studies probably overestimated the prevalence of African mitotypes. [source] Rheumatology nurse practitioners' perceptions of their roleMUSCULOSKELETAL CARE, Issue 2 2006Leslie Goh MRCP(UK) Abstract Objectives:,To identify the current practices of rheumatology nurse practitioners and ascertain their perceptions of how their role could be enhanced. Method:,A cross-sectional questionnaire study of currently employed nurse practitioners in rheumatology in the United Kingdom (UK) was undertaken. Results:,200 questionnaires were distributed and 118 nurses responded. Ninety-five respondents met the inclusion criteria for undertaking an advanced nursing role. Typical conditions dealt with included: rheumatoid arthritis (96.8%); psoriatic arthritis (95.8%); osteoarthritis (63.2%); ankylosing spondylitis (62.8%); systemic lupus erythematosus (51.6%); and scleroderma (34.7%). Drug monitoring, education, counselling of patients and arranging basic investigations were routinely performed by more than 80% of respondents. A smaller proportion performed an extended role that included dealing with referrals, research and audit, the administration of intra-articular injections, and admission of patients. Specific attributes identified as being necessary for competence were: knowledge and understanding of rheumatic diseases (48.4%); drug therapy (33.7%); good communication skills (35.8%); understanding of the roles of the team (27.4%); working effectively (23.2%) as part of a multidisciplinary team; assessment of patients by physical examination (28.4%); teaching (26.3%), research (17.9%); organizational skills (14.7%); and the interpretation of investigations (9.5%). Factors that could enhance their role included: attendance at postgraduate courses (30.5%); obtaining further qualifications (13.7%); active participation in the delivery of medical education (41.1%); training in practical procedures (31.6%); protected time and resources for audit and research (11.6%); formal training in counselling (11.6%); and implementation of nurse prescribing (10.5%). Conclusion:,Nurse practitioners already have a wide remit and play an invaluable part in the delivery of modern rheumatology services. An extended role could improve patient care and enhance nursing career pathways in rheumatology. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Cultural versus reproductive success: Why does economic development bring new tradeoffs?AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2009Lesley Newson Achievements that attract social rewards in developed countries, such as educational qualifications, a prestigious career, and the ability to acquire prestige goods, interfere with a woman's ability to achieve reproductive success. This tradeoff between cultural and reproductive success may have developed because economic development creates an evolutionarily novel social environment. In the social environment of developed countries, a far smaller proportion of social exchange is between kin than in the small-scale communities in which the human brain and behavior evolved. Evidence suggests that social interaction between non-kin is less likely to encourage behavior that enhances inclusive fitness. A model of the cultural change that is likely to result from this change in social influence suggests that beliefs and values will become increasingly less consistent with the pursuit of fitness (Newson et al. [2007]: Evol Hum Behav 28: 199,210). Responses to the World Value Survey, which has been carried out in over 70 countries, confirm a number of the predictions of this model. In countries where fertility began to decline more recently, people appear to perceive the costs of having children to be lower relative to the cost of childlessness and the benefits of being a parent. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Is There a Stabilizing Selection Around Average Fertility in Modern Human Populations?POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, Issue 3 2001Ulrich Mueller Possibly the greatest challenge for an evolutionary explanation of demographic transition is the fact that fertility levels universally start to fall first among the well-to-do, well-educated, healthy classes, which can be explained only by some voluntary or at least adaptive action. The problem of how restraints on fertility could have evolved by natural selection has been tackled with group selection models as well as with stabilizing selection models. The latter model, which is critically discussed in this article, posits that some intermediate (rather than maximal) level of fertility is optimal for long-term reproductive success. Tests of stabilizing selection in human populations are rare, their results inconclusive. Here four sets of data are analyzed: they are samples drawn from the 'class of 1950 of the US Military Academy at West Point (cohorts 1923,29), retired US noncommissioned officers (cohorts 1913,37), and western German and eastern German physicians (cohorts 1930,35), all containing fertility data over two generations, and from European royalty (cohorts 1790,1939) containing fertility data over four generations. Deterministic as well as stochastic fitness measures are used. It is found that maximal, not average, fertility in the first generation leads to maximal long-term reproductive success. Also against prediction, no decreasing marginal fitness gains by increasing fertility can be observed. The findings leave little space for considering stabilizing selection as a plausible mechanism explaining the course of demographic transition but indicate instead that biological evolution today is as fast and vigorous as ever in human history. Even in large populations, all people living today may be the descendants of just some few percents,a much smaller proportion than generally believed, of the people living some generations ago. [source] Effects of Native and Non-Native Grassland Plant Communities on Breeding Passerine Birds: Implications for Restoration of Northwest Bunchgrass PrairieRESTORATION ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2009Patricia L. Kennedy Abstract One common problem encountered when restoring grasslands is the prominence of non-native plant species. It is unclear what effect non-native plants have on habitat quality of grassland passerines, which are among the most imperiled groups of birds. In 2004 and 2005, we compared patterns of avian reproduction and the mechanisms that might influence those patterns across a gradient of 13 grasslands in the Zumwalt Prairie in northeastern Oregon that vary in the degree of non-native plant cover (0.9,53.4%). We monitored the fate of 201 nests of all the breeding species in these pastures and found no association of percent non-native cover with nest densities, clutch size, productivity, nest survival, and nestling size. Regardless of the degree of non-native cover, birds primarily fed on Coleoptera, Orthoptera, and Araneae. But as percent non-native cover in the pastures increased, Orthoptera made up a greater proportion of diet and Coleoptera made up a smaller proportion. These diet switches were not the result of changes in terrestrial invertebrate abundance but may be related to decreases in percent bare ground associated with increasing cover of non-native vegetation. Measures of nest crypticity were not associated with cover of non-native vegetation, suggesting that predation risk may not increase with increased cover of non-native vegetation. Thus, the study results show that increased non-native cover is not associated with reduced food supplies or increased predation risk for nesting birds, supporting the growing body of evidence that grasslands with a mix of native and non-native vegetation can provide suitable habitat for native grassland breeding birds. [source] Examining the extinction risk of specialized folivores: a comparative study of Colobine monkeysAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY, Issue 9 2008Jason M. Kamilar Abstract Species extinctions are nonrandom with some taxa appearing to possess traits that increase their extinction risk. In this study, eight predictors of extinction risk were used as independent variables to predict the IUCN category of a subfamily of specialized folivorous primates, the Colobinae. All data were transformed into phylogenetically independent contrasts and were analyzed using bivariate regressions, multiple regression, and a maximum likelihood approach using Akaike's Information Criterion to assess model performance. Once an outlier was removed from the data set, species that devote a smaller proportion of their diet to mature leaf consumption appear to be at a greater risk of extinction. Also, as female body mass increases, so does extinction risk. In contrast, as maximum latitude and the number of habitat types increase, extinction risk appears to decrease. These findings emphasize the importance of examining detailed dietary variation for predicting extinction risk at a relatively fine taxonomic scale and, consequently, may help improve conservation management. Am. J. Primatol. 70:816,827, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] In-court versus out-of-court testimonies: Children's experiences and adults' assessmentsAPPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2010Sara Landström The study examined the effects of different presentation modes on child witnesses' experiences and adults' perception and assessments of the same witnesses. Child witnesses (N,=,108) were interviewed about an event that they had either experienced or imagined. Adult mock jurors (N,=,240) watched the children's testimonies live, via two-way closed-circuit television (CCTV), or via a pre-recorded video. The results showed that the live observers perceived the children in more positive terms than did the two-way CCTV observers, who in turn perceived the children in more positive terms than did the video observers. Briefly, it seems as the more proximal the presentation mode, the more positive the observers' perception. Somewhat in contrast to these results, a significantly smaller proportion of the children who testified on video stated that they were nervous, compared to the children who testified live or via two-way CCTV. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Late Holocene dispersal and accumulation of terrigenous sediment on Poverty Shelf, New ZealandBASIN RESEARCH, Issue 2 2009A. J. Kettner ABSTRACT We use coupled numerical models (HydroTrend and SedFlux) to investigate the dispersal and accumulation of sediment on Poverty Shelf, North Island, New Zealand, during the past 3 kyr. In this timeframe, we estimate that the Waipaoa River system delivered ,10 Gt of sediment to Poverty Shelf, 5,10% of which was transported to the outer shelf and continental slope. The domain of the two-dimensional model (SedFlux) is representative of a 30 km traverse across the shelf. Comparing the model output with seismic reflection data and a core obtained from the middle shelf shows that, without extensively modifying the governing equations or imposing unrealistic conditions on the model domain, it is possible to replicate the geometry, grain size and accumulation rate of the late Holocene mud deposit. The replicate depositional record responds to naturally and anthropogenically induced vegetation disturbance, as well as to storms forced by long-period climatic events simulated entirely within the model domain. The model output also suggests that long-term fluctuations in the amount and caliber of river sediment discharge, promoted by wholesale changes in the catchment environment, may be translated directly to the shelf depositional record, whereas short-term fluctuations conditioned by event magnitude and frequency are not. Thus on Poverty Shelf, as well as in depocenters on other active continental margins which retain a much smaller proportion of the terrigeneous sediment delivered to them, flood-generated event beds are not commonplace features in the high-resolution sedimentary record. This is because the shelf sedimentary record is influenced more by the energy available to the coastal ocean which helps keep the sediment in suspension and facilitates its dispersal, than by basin hydrometeorology which determines the turbidity and velocity of the river plume. [source] Testing long-term patterns of basin sedimentation by detrital zircon geochronology, Centralian Superbasin, AustraliaBASIN RESEARCH, Issue 3 2007D. W. Maidment ABSTRACT Detrital zircon geochronology of Neoproterozoic to Devonian sedimentary rocks from the Georgina and Amadeus basins has been used to track changes in provenance that reflect the development and inversion of the former Australian Superbasin. Through much of the Neoproterozoic, sediments appear to have been predominantly derived from local sources in the Arunta and Musgrave inliers. Close similarities between the detrital age signatures of late Neoproterozoic sedimentary rocks in the two basins suggests that they were contiguous at this time. A dominant population of 1.2,1.0 Ga zircon in Early Cambrian sediments of the Amadeus Basin reflects the uplift of the Musgrave Inlier during the Petermann Orogeny between 560 and 520 Ma, which shed a large volume of detritus northwards into the Amadeus Basin. Early Cambrian sedimentary rocks in the Georgina Basin have a much smaller proportion of 1.2,1.0 Ga detritus, possibly due to the formation of sub-basins along the northern margin of the Amadeus Basin which might have acted as a barrier to sediment transfer. An influx of 0.6,0.5 Ga zircon towards the end of the Cambrian coincides with the transgression of the Larapintine Sea across central Australia, possibly as a result of intracratonic rifting. Detrital zircon age spectra of sedimentary rocks deposited within this epicontinental sea are very similar to those of coeval sedimentary rocks from the Pacific Gondwana margin, implying that sediment was transported into central Australia from the eastern continental margin. The remarkably consistent ,Pacific Gondwana' signature of Cambro-Ordovician sediments in central and eastern Australia reflects a distal source, possibly from east Antarctica or the East African Orogen. The peak of the marine incursion into central Australia in the early to mid Ordovician coincides with granulite-facies metamorphism at mid-crustal depths between the Amadeus and Georgina basins (the Larapinta Event). The presence of the epicontinental sea, the relative lack of a local basement zircon component in Cambro-Ordovician sedimentary rocks and their maturity suggest that metamorphism was not accompanied by mountain building, consistent with an extensional or transtensional setting for this tectonism. Sediments deposited at ,435,405 and ,365 Ma during the Alice Springs Orogeny have detrital age signatures similar to those of Cambro-Ordovician sedimentary rocks, reflecting uplift and reworking of the older succession into narrow foreland basins adjacent to the orogen. [source] Pregnancy outcome distribution and prenatal diagnosis of autosomal abnormalities, Hawaii, 1986-1999BIRTH DEFECTS RESEARCH, Issue S1 2002Mathias B. Forrester Background Approximately 10% of birth defects result from chromosomal abnormalities. This study investigated the pregnancy outcome distribution of autosomal abnormalities and impact of prenatal diagnosis on autosomal abnormalities. Methods Data were obtained from a population-based birth defects registry and included all autosomal abnormalities delivered in Hawaii during 1986-1999. Results There were 1,015 autosomal abnormality cases, consisting of 523 (52%) live births, 38 (4%) late fetal deaths, 187 (18%) early fetal deaths, 265 (26%) elective terminations, and 2 unknown pregnancy outcome. Live births comprised the majority of translocations (81%), inversions (93%), and deletions (84%) but a smaller proportion of trisomies (42%). Autosomal abnormalities were prenatally diagnosed in 489 (48%) of the cases, of which 243 (50%) were subsequently electively terminated. By type of autosomal abnormality, prenatal diagnosis rates were trisomy (44%), translocation (68%), inversion (91%), deletion (29%), and subsequent elective termination rates were trisomy (73%), translocation (11%), inversion (4%), deletion (50%). The prenatal diagnosis rate was higher for maternal age 35 years or greater than for maternal age less than 35 years (relative risk (RR) 1.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6-2.0), as was the elective termination rate (RR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.6). The prenatal diagnosis rate was higher in 1993-1999 than in 1986-1992 (RR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1-1.4), although there was no statistically significant difference between the two time periods for subsequent elective termination rate (RR 0.9, 95% CI 0.8-1.1). Conclusions Pregnancy outcome distribution, prenatal diagnosis rates, and subsequent elective terminations rates vary by type of autosomal abnormality. Teratology 66:S7,S11, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Randomised controlled trial of total compared with subtotal hysterectomy with one-year follow up resultsBJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 12 2003Helga Gimbel Objective To compare total abdominal hysterectomy and subtotal abdominal hysterectomy performed for benign uterine diseases. Design Randomised, controlled, unblinded trial with central, computer-generated randomisation. Setting Danish trial performed in 11 departments of gynaecology. Population Women referred for benign uterine diseases were randomised to total abdominal hysterectomy (n= 158) or subtotal abdominal hysterectomy (n= 161). One-year follow up questionnaires had a response rate of 87%. Methods Patients were followed by strict data collection procedures, including postal questionnaires. The results after one year of follow up were analysed by intention-to-treat analyses. Main outcome measures (1) Primary: urinary incontinence and (2) secondary: post-operative complications, quality of life (SF-36), constipation, prolapse of the vaginal vault/cervical stump, satisfaction with sexual life, pelvic pain and vaginal bleeding. Results A significantly (P= 0.043) smaller proportion of women had urinary incontinence one year after total abdominal hysterectomy compared with subtotal abdominal hysterectomy [9%vs 18% (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.01,4.29)]. The lower proportion of incontinent women in the total abdominal hysterectomy group was a result of a higher proportion of symptom relief (total abdominal hysterectomy: 20/140, subtotal abdominal hysterectomy: 14/136) as well as a lower proportion of women with new symptoms (total abdominal hysterectomy: 3/140, subtotal abdominal hysterectomy: 10/137). Twenty-seven women (20%) from the subtotal abdominal hysterectomy group had vaginal bleeding and two of them had to have their cervix removed. No other clinically important differences were found between the two hysterectomy methods. Conclusions A smaller proportion of women suffered from urinary incontinence after total abdominal hysterectomy than after subtotal abdominal hysterectomy one year post-operatively. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||