bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Visual kansei modeling based on focal area analysis and hierarchical classification
Authors: Tada Masahiro , Kato Toshikazu
Published: September 2007

This paper discusses a modeling technique for visual kansei (visual impression), which differs depending on the individual user. The visual impression is considered at two levels, the impression at the physiological level, which does not differ much between individuals, and the impression at the psychological level, which differs according to the individual's knowledge and experience. The modeling technique for the impression at the physiological level is considered as follows. The image feature parameters simulating the feature extraction mechanism of the visual perception process are defined and are extracted from the image. A hierarchical classification of the database simulating the human intuitive image classification process, image structure estimation using MDL, and discrimination analysis are combined to produce a modeling technique for the impression at the psychological level. After combining the modeling techniques at the physiological and psychological levels, the method is applied to a similar image retrieval system. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(13): 58–71, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20400
Mechanism of regulating execution performance for process group byexecutionresource ontenderoperating system
Authors: Tabata Toshihiro , Nomura Yoshinari , Taniguchi Hideo
Published: September 2007

With increases in the performance of computers, it has become possible to provide a large number of services on a single computer. However, since the required execution performance can vary from service to service, it is necessary to guarantee execution performance for each service individually. In addition, it is common for a single service to be composed of multiple processes. Consequently, the ability to regulate execution performance for units consisting of multiple processes is desirable. Therefore, in this paper we propose a mechanism for regulating the execution performance of process groups usingexecutionresources that encapsulate the assignable processor units designed for the Tender operating system. Specifically,executionsare managed in a tree‐structure and we then regulate execution performance by associating processes with these executions. In addition, we show via an implementation and evaluations that the proposed method is able to regulate the execution performance of process groups well and present an evaluation that makes use of a Web server. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(14): 63–78, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20403
A 3D log‐polar transform for pattern recognition
Authors: Nakata Takayuki , Bao Yue , Fujiwara Naofumi
Published: September 2007

The log‐polar transformation is a model of the foveal sensor, which is often seen in the visual apparatus of living organisms. The log‐polar transformation is widely known in the field of image recognition, and has often been used for facial image recognition. However, this detection method is limited to 2D environments, since it is invariant only to scaling and rotation. This paper proposes a new log‐polar transformation which also detects affine transformation parameters. The proposed method can detect the posture of a 2D image in a 3D environment, as well as scaling and rotation in a 2D environment. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(13): 49–57, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20564
A superstabilizing spanning tree protocol for a link failure
Authors: Katayama Yoshiaki , Hasegawa Toshiyuki , Takahashi Naohisa
Published: September 2007

A self‐stabilizing protocol is a distributed protocol that can eventually solve the problem (reach a legitimate configuration) even when started from an arbitrary initial (global) configuration. These protocols do not make any assumptions about the initial state, and so can tolerate any transient failures that may occur during the execution of the protocol. Superstabilizing protocols offer an even higher degree of fault tolerance over the superior fault tolerance of self‐stabilizing protocols. A superstabilizing protocol is a self‐stabilizing protocol that has a “passage predicate” that is guaranteed to be satisfied by all of the network configurations that appear during the execution of the protocol from when a failure occurs in a legitimate configuration until restabilization. This paper proposes a superstabilizing protocol for constructing a spanning tree that is tolerant of any single arbitrary link failure. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(14): 41–51, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20656
Robust depth map acquisition against depth edges with silhouette consistency
Authors: Iiyama Masaaki , Kakusho Koh , Minoh Michihiko
Published: September 2007

The authors propose a method to measure the smooth curved surface of an object and the depressed surface of an object which cannot be measured using the visual hull method by using a needle diagram obtained via photometric stereo. Errors occur in the distance map as a result of depth edges when recovering a distance map using a needle diagram. In order to reduce these errors, the silhouettes from other directions are used. The distance map restored without taking into consideration the depth edges often lacks consistency with the silhouettes obtained from other directions. The authors take advantage of this feature, define the energy representing the consistency between the distance map and the silhouette as well as the consistency between the distance map and the needle diagram, and then reduce the errors in the distance map by obtaining a distance map which minimizes this energy. Through experiments using the proposed method on simulation data and a real object, the authors evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(14): 29–40, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20763
Practical calculation of the torsional stiffness radius of multistorey tall buildings
Authors: Makarios T.
Published: September 2007

The present paper refers to the definition of the torsional stiffness radii of multistorey tall buildings using both the continuous and the discrete model of the structure. The magnitude of the torsional stiffness radius of a building is the most important structural characteristic in order to explain the torsional behaviour of a building during an earthquake as it directly affects the building's torsional flexibility. The importance of the torsional flexibility of buildings is recognized by contemporary Seismic Codes that propose a grid of torsional provisions in order to avoid soft‐storey operation due to floor torsional vibrations around a vertical axis. However, contrary to single‐storey buildings, the torsional stiffness radius of multistorey buildings is not defined directly because both the translational and torsional stiffness of these buildings are expressed in matrix form. In the present paper, this weakness has been overcome using the continuous model of the structure, from which the torsional stiffness radius of a general monosymmetric multistorey tall system arises via a closed mathematical equation. The discrete model of the structure has numerically verified this closed mathematical equation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A simple method for the deflection analysis of tall wall‐frame building structures under horizontal load
Authors: Zalka K. A.
Published: September 2007

New closed‐form formulae are developed for the static deflection of symmetric multi‐storey buildings braced by moment‐resisting (and/or braced) frames, (coupled) shear walls and cores. The behaviour is characterized by shear, local bending and global bending, and corresponding stiffnesses. The analysis is based on that of a single moment‐resisting framework. A closed‐form solution is presented for the lateral deflection. The procedure is then extended to a system of frameworks, (coupled) shear walls and cores by creating an equivalent column which represents the whole structure. Another closed‐form solution is presented, this time for the deflection of the whole building. The deflection is defined by three distinctive parts: the bending deflection of the building, the shear part of the deflection and interaction between the bending and shear modes. It is shown that the interaction between the bending and shear modes is always beneficial as it reduces the deflection of the structure. According to a comprehensive accuracy analysis of 270 multi‐storey building structures with both reinforced concrete and steel bracing units and covering wide ranges of stiffness, the proposed closed‐form solution for the top deflection is simple and reliable: the average error of the formula was 4%. A worked example demonstrates the ease of use of the method. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Characterization of essential and toxic elements in cephalopod tissues by EDXRF and AAS
Authors: Manso M. , Carvalho M. L. , Nunes M. L.
Published: September 2007

Concentrations of K, Ca, Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb, Sr, Cd, Hg and Pb were measured in the muscle, digestive glands and gonads of Octopus vulgaris, Lolligo vulgaris and Sepia officinalis captured in the west and south coast of Portugal. Essential elements (K, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb and Sr) were obtained by energy dispersive x‐ray fluorescence spectrometry, while toxic elements (Cr, Ni, Cd, Hg and Pb) were obtained by atomic absorption spectrometry. The latter technique was used owing to its higher sensitivity, since these elements were not detected by the first technique. The tissues of the three species present a similar pattern for essential elements. Potassium and Ca are present at the highest concentration in all the studied samples. The highest levels for toxic elements were found in the digestive glands, exceeding the maximum allowed values in the case of Se and Cd. However, in the muscle tissue these values were never reached. Comparing both coasts, we can say that the west coast presents higher levels of Pb while the south coast presents enhanced levels of Hg. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Epidemiology and Contemporary Patterns of Trauma Deaths: Changing Place, Similar Pace, Older Face
Authors: Søreide Kjetil , Krüger Andreas J. , Vårdal Anne Line , Ellingsen Christian Lycke , Søreide Eldar , Lossius Hans Morten
Published: September 2007

Background

The epidemiology of trauma deaths in Europe is less than well investigated. Thus, our goal was to study the contemporary patterns of trauma deaths within a defined population with an exceptionally high trauma autopsy rate.

Methods

This was a retrospective evaluation of 260 consecutive trauma autopsies for which we collected demographic, pre‐hospital and in‐hospital data. Patients were analyzed for injury severity by standard scoring systems (Abbreviated Injury Scale [AIS], Revised Trauma Score [RTS], and Injury Severity Score [ISS]), and the Trauma and Injury Severity Scale [TRISS] methodology.

Results

The fatal trauma incidence was 10.0 per 100,000 inhabitants (17.4 per 100,000 age‐adjusted ≥ 55 years). Blunt mechanism (87%), male gender (75%), and pre‐hospital deaths (52%) predominated. Median ISS was 38 (range: 4–75). Younger patients (<55 years) who died in the hospital were more often hypotensive (SBP < 90 mmHg; p = 0.001), in respiratory distress (RR < 10/min, or > 29/min; p < 0.0001), and had deranged neurology on admission (Glasgow Coma Score [GCS] ≤ 8; p < 0.0001), compared to those ≥ 55 years. Causes of death were central nervous system (CNS) injuries (67%), exsanguination (25%), and multiorgan failure (8%). The temporal death distribution is model‐dependent and can be visualized in unimodal, bimodal, or trimodal patterns. Age increased (r = 0.43) and ISS decreased (r = –0.52) with longer time from injury to death (p < 0.001). Mean age of the trauma patients who died increased by almost a decade during the study period (from mean 41.7 ± 24.2 years to mean 50.5 ± 25.4 years; p = 0.04). The pre‐hospital:in‐hospital death ratio shifted from 1.5 to 0.75 (p < 0.007).

Conclusions

While pre‐hospital and early deaths still predominate, an increasing proportion succumb after
arrival in hospital. Focus on injury prevention is imperative, particularly for brain injuries. Although hemorrhage and multiorgan failure deaths have decreased, they do still occur. Redirected attention and focus on the geriatric trauma population is mandated.
A Speeded Item Response Model with Gradual Process Change
Authors: Goegebeur Yuri , De Boeck Paul , Wollack James A. , Cohen Allan S.
Published: September 2007

An item response theory model for dealing with test speededness is proposed. The model consists of two random processes, a problem solving process and a random guessing process, with the random guessing gradually taking over from the problem solving process. The involved change point and change rate are considered random parameters in order to model examinee differences in both respects. The proposed model is evaluated on simulated data and in a case study.
Partogram use in the Dar es Salaam perinatal care study
Authors: Nyamtema A.S. , Urassa D.P. , Massawe S. , Massawe A. , Lindmark G. , van Roosmalen J.
Published: September 2007

Objective

To assess the quality of partograms used to monitor labor in Dar es Salaam hospitals, Tanzania.

Methods

The study team reviewed the records of the parameters of labor, and maternal and fetal conditions in 367 partograms, and interviewed 20 midwives.

Results

All midwives interviewed had been previously trained to use the partogram. Of all partograms reviewed, 50% had no records of duration of labor. Although cervical dilation and fetal heart rates were recorded in 97% and 94% of the partograms respectively, 63% and 91% of these were judged to be substandard. Substandard monitoring of fetal heart rates was strongly associated with poor fetal outcome (P < 0.001). Blood pressure, temperature, and pulse rates were not recorded in 47%–76% of partograms.

Conclusion

These findings reflect poor management of labor and indicate urgent in‐service training to address the importance of documentation and regular partogram audit in order to reduce maternal and perinatal deaths.
Sources of information for stress assignment in reading Greek
Authors: PROTOPAPAS ATHANASSIOS , GERAKAKI SVETLANA , ALEXANDRI STELLA
Published: September 2007

To assign lexical stress when reading, the Greek reader can potentially rely on lexical information (knowledge of the word), visual–orthographic information (processing of the written diacritic), or a default metrical strategy (penultimate stress pattern). Previous studies with secondary education children have shown strong lexical effects on stress assignment and have provided evidence for a default pattern. Here we report two experiments with adult readers, in which we disentangle and quantify the effects of these three potential sources using nonword materials. Stimuli either resembled or did not resemble real words, to manipulate availability of lexical information; and they were presented with or without a diacritic, in a word-congruent or word-incongruent position, to contrast the relative importance of the three sources. Dual-task conditions, in which cognitive load during nonword reading was increased with phonological retention carrying a metrical pattern different from the default, did not support the hypothesis that the default arises from cumulative lexical activation in working memory.
Gesture use in story recall by Chinese–English bilinguals
Authors: NICOLADIS ELENA , PIKA SIMONE , YIN HUI , MARENTETTE PAULA
Published: September 2007

Previous studies have shown inconsistent results concerning bilinguals' use of gestures to compensate for reduced proficiency in their second language (L2). These results could be because of differing task demands. In this study, we asked 16 intermediate English L2 speakers (whose first language [L1] was Chinese) to watch a story and tell it back in both languages. We attempted to link gesture use to proficiency while accounting for task complexity as measured by scenes recalled. The results showed that these L2 speakers told longer stories in their L1 and used more iconic gestures in their L2. There were also trends for the women to tell longer stories and use more gestures in their L2 compared to the men. These results are consistent with the idea that the relationship between gesture use and proficiency is mediated by task complexity. The trends for gender differences, however, point to the possibility that gesture use is also related to expressivity.
States and state systems: democratic, Westphalian or both?
Authors: NAVARI CORNELIA
Published: September 2007

Two rival accounts have come to dominate discussion of the origins and character of the contemporary international system. One, closely associated with the English School and the traditional account, places its origins with the appearance, and acceptance, of the centralised authority of the modern state. We might call this ‘the Westphalia version’. In this account, the modern state system is often represented in terms of what it is not. It is not a feudal regnum with a multiplicity of functionally distinct authorities. It is not a theocratic imperium where one power aimed at ‘the control and protection of Christendom’. It is a society of sovereigns, of de jure equals, each of whom accorded the others’ right to exist, and whose common ideological quantum is low. The rival is located within democratic transition theory. It postulates the modern state system as an extension of the liberal democratic state. The liberal state is not sovereign in the Westphalian sense: liberal authority is diffuse. Moreover, the liberal state produces its own, distinctive, international impulses that distance it in significant ways from the Westphalian pattern. Both see the state system as ‘produced’ by the state, as an immanent effect of stateness, but the account of the state’s trajectory differs radically.
Hedley Bull’s paradox of the balance of power: a philosophical inquiry
Authors: HJORTH RONNIE
Published: September 2007

This essay examines the complex relationship between international law and the balance of power which Hedley Bull claims is paradoxical. Bull argues that the balance of power is an ‘essential condition’ of international law and that the actions required to preserve the balance ‘often involve’ violation of international law. It is shown that what seems to be a paradox is not a paradox but essentially a normative problem related to the difficulties in regulating power within international society, and that the perceived paradox does more to obscure than to clarify the fundamental normative problem to be dealt with.
Shifting the gaze from hysterical mothers to ‘deadly dads’: spectacle and the anti-nuclear movement
Authors: MANAGHAN TINA
Published: September 2007

This article uses the trope of ‘hysterical motherhood’ to elucidate one of the unique forms that women’s protest action took at the height of the American anti-nuclear movement. It advances an understanding of ‘hysterical motherhood’ as both an embodied tactic and a performative act, arguing that its tactical effectiveness lay in its ability to redirect the societal gaze from the ‘hystericized’ bodies of women to the bodies and practices of militarised men. In so doing, it (re)structured the field of the possible: constraining and enabling performative enactments of masculinity and the nuclear state.
Irregular migrants, neoliberal geographies and spatial frontiers of ‘the political’
Authors: McNEVIN ANNE
Published: September 2007

In this article I argue that the demands of irregular migrants to belong to political communities constitute key contemporary sites of ‘the political’. I also argue that geographies associated with neoliberal globalisation (transnational production circuits, special economic zones and global cities) are implicated in irregular migration flows and in new conceptions of political belonging. In relation to these claims, I reflect upon recent mobilisations in the US context, in which hundreds of thousands of irregular migrants and their supporters asserted the right to belong. I suggest that similar claims to belong are likely to proliferate and that neoliberal geographies may provide some clues as to where and how these contemporary frontiers of the political might proceed. I conclude by suggesting that a multidimensional approach to political belonging provides a sound conceptual starting point for the analytical and normative challenges raised by both the claims of non-status migrants and the sovereign practices of contemporary states.
From cosmopolitan nationalism to cosmopolitan democracy
Authors: ECKERSLEY ROBYN
Published: September 2007

This article offers both a critique and reconstruction of cosmopolitan democracy. It argues that cosmopolitan democracy promotes an excessively individualist account of political life and a functionalist approach to political community that are likely to undermine the kinds of national communities and citizens that are most likely to mobilise against global injustices. It argues that the alleviation of global injustices depends on the rescuing and reframing, rather than weakening, of national identities so that they take on a more cosmopolitan character. Cosmopolitan democracy is dependent upon cosmopolitan nationalism, based on a commitment to common liberty and justice at home and abroad.
Solidarity and spheres of culture: the cosmopolitan and the postcolonial
Authors: JABRI VIVIENNE
Published: September 2007

Cosmopolitan thought and practice bring into sharp focus the question of solidarity, its articulations, and implications in relation to how the political is understood in the sphere of the international. Where liberal cosmopolitanism aims its remit at a transcendent sphere of humanity, seeking to place humanity as the constitutive feature of a redesigned political community, a cosmopolitanism that is distinctly political in its orientation takes the postcolonial critique seriously, unravels the complicities of liberal cosmopolitan articulations of solidarity in global structures of domination, and locates its self-definition in an imminent critique of modernity. The political cosmopolitanism defined in the article presents a conception of solidarity without community, a conception that at once both recognises modernity’s legacy in the perpetuation of inequality and enables a conception of the universal that is not complicit in such relations.
Negotiating the politics of difference in the project of feminist solidarity
Authors: STEANS JILL
Published: September 2007

The article is concerned with the constitutive tension between solidarity and difference in feminist practice. It is argued that while a ‘politics of difference’ has dogged efforts to build feminist solidarity across the boundaries of class, nation, ethnicity and religion, this does not refute the continuing importance of the concept of solidarity in understanding the dynamic interaction of agents in transnational political space. Drawing upon a number of illustrations from contemporary feminist practice, it is further argued that differences among women do not preclude solidarity. On the contrary, respect for difference is a necessary condition for forging solidarity. Moreover, conflict need not be divisive and can be creative in this process.
Transforming Family Law in Post-Deng China: Marriage, Divorce and Reproduction
Authors: Palmer Michael
Published: September 2007

This article considers the principal changes in family law in the People's Republic of China during the post-Deng period. The developments that have occurred during the period of review have been notable for their pace and their contribution to a growing legal sophistication in China's corpus of family law. They expand on a series of major reforms in family law documented in my earlier China Quarterly article. Overall, it is in the area of divorce that the most dramatic changes have taken place in family law over the past decade.
Functional polarity of dendrites and axons of primate A1 amacrine cells
Authors: DAVENPORT CHRISTOPHER M. , DETWILER PETER B. , DACEY DENNIS M.
Published: September 2007

The A1 cell is an axon-bearing amacrine cell of the primate retina with a diffusely stratified, moderately branched dendritic tree (∼400 μm diameter). Axons arise from proximal dendrites forming a second concentric, larger arborization (>4 mm diameter) of thin processes with bouton-like swellings along their length. A1 cells are ON-OFF transient cells that fire a brief high frequency burst of action potentials in response to light (Stafford & Dacey, 1997). It has been hypothesized that A1 cells receive local input to their dendrites, with action potentials propagating output via the axons across the retina, serving a global inhibitory function. To explore this hypothesis we recorded intracellularly from A1 cells in an in vitro macaque monkey retina preparation. A1 cells have an antagonistic center-surround receptive field structure for the ON and OFF components of the light response. Blocking the ON pathway with L-AP4 eliminated ON center responses but not OFF center responses or ON or OFF surround responses. Blocking GABAergic inhibition with picrotoxin increased response amplitudes without affecting receptive field structure. TTX abolished action potentials, with little effect on the sub-threshold light response or basic receptive field structure. We also used multi-photon laser scanning microscopy to record light-induced calcium transients in morphologically identified dendrites and axons of A1 cells. TTX completely abolished such calcium transients in the axons but not in the dendrites. Together these results support the current model of A1 function, whereby the dendritic tree receives synaptic input that determines the center-surround receptive field; and action potentials arise in the axons, which propagate away from the dendritic field across the retina.
Glycine receptors of A-type ganglion cells of the mouse retina
Authors: MAJUMDAR SRIPARNA , HEINZE LIANE , HAVERKAMP SILKE , IVANOVA ELENA , WÄSSLE HEINZ
Published: September 2007

A-type ganglion cells of the mouse retina represent the visual channel that transfers temporal changes of the outside world very fast and with high fidelity. In this study we combined anatomical and physiological methods in order to study the glycinergic, inhibitory input of A-type ganglion cells. Immunocytochemical studies were performed in a transgenic mouse line whose ganglion cells express green fluorescent protein (GFP). The cells were double labeled for GFP and the four α subunits of the glycine receptor (GlyR). It was found that most of the glycinergic input of A-type cells is through fast, α1-expressing synapses. Whole-cell currents were recorded from A-type ganglion cells in retinal whole mounts. The response to exogenous application of glycine and spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) were measured. By comparing glycinergic currents recorded in wildtype mice and in mice with specific deletions of GlyRα subunits (Glra1spd-ot,Glra2−/−,Glra3−/−), the subunit composition of GlyRs of A-type ganglion cells could be further defined. Glycinergic sIPSCs of A-type ganglion cells have fast kinetics (decay time constant τ = 3.9 ± 2.5 ms, mean ± SD). Glycinergic sIPSCs recorded inGlra2−/−andGlra3−/−mice did not differ from those of wildtype mice. However, the number of glycinergic sIPSCs was significantly reduced inGlra1spd-otmice and the remaining sIPSCs had slower kinetics than in wildtype mice. The results show that A-type ganglion cells receive preferentially kinetically fast glycinergic inputs, mediated by GlyRs composed of α1 and β subunits.
Multiple functions of cation-chloride cotransporters in the fish retina
Authors: DMITRIEV ANDREY V. , DMITRIEVA NINA A. , KEYSER KENT T. , MANGEL STUART C.
Published: September 2007

A GABA- or glycine-induced increase in Cl− permeability can produce either a depolarization or hyperpolarization, depending on the Cl− equilibrium potential. It has been shown that retinal neurons express the chloride cotransporters, Na-K-2Cl (NKCC) and K-Cl (KCC), the primary molecular mechanisms that control the intracellular Cl− concentration. We thus studied (1) the localization of these cotransporters in the fish retina, and (2) how suppression of cotransporter activity in the fish retina affects function. Specific antibodies against NKCC and KCC2 revealed that both cotransporters were expressed in the outer and inner plexiform layers, and colocalized in many putative amacrine cells and in cells of the ganglion cell layer. However, the somata of putative horizontal cells displayed only NKCC immunoreactivity and many bipolar cells were only immunopositive for KCC2. In the outer retina, application of bumetanide, a specific inhibitor of NKCC activity, (1) increased the steady-state extracellular concentration of K+ ([K+]o) and enhanced the light-induced decrease in the [K+]o, (2) increased the sPIII photoreceptor-dependent component of the ERG, and (3) reduced the extracellular space volume. In contrast, in the outer retina, application of furosemide, a specific inhibitor of KCC activity, decreased sPIII and the light-induced reduction in [K+]o, but had little effect on steady-state [K+]o. In the inner retina, bumetanide increased the sustained component of the light-induced increase in [K+]o. These findings thus indicate that NKCC and KCC2 control the [K+]o and extracellular space volume in the retina in addition to regulating GABA- and glycine-mediated synaptic transmission. In addition, the anatomical and electrophysiological results together suggest that all of the major neuronal types in the fish retina are influenced by chloride cotransporter activity.
Are saltflats suitable supplementary nesting habitats for Malaysian
Plovers Charadrius peronii threatened by
beach habitat loss in Thailand?
Authors: Yasué Maï , Patterson Allison , Dearden Philip
Published: September 2007

Resort development and coastal beach erosion have led to declines in beach
breeding habitat for the near-threatened Malaysian Plover (Charadrius peronii) in the Gulf of Thailand.
Semi-natural saltflats may provide supplementary nesting areas. We compared the
environmental conditions, incubation behaviour and nesting success of plovers
breeding on sandy beaches and saltflats in Thailand. In total we monitored 21
and nine nesting attempts in 2004 (beaches and saltflats, respectively) and 26
and 22 nesting attempts in 2005. Despite higher air temperatures in the
saltflats (P < 0.0001), we
detected no significant differences in nest attendance (P = 0.542 and P = 0.885 for
2004 and 2005, respectively), number of incubator changes between parents
(P = 0.776 and P = 0.823) or number of parental nest departures (P = 0.087 and P
= 0.712) during 120 incubation observations on 55 nests. There was also no
difference in hatching success between beaches in 2004 (beach = 0.65, saltflat =
0.55; P = 0.692, n = 26) and 2005 (beach = 0.46, saltflat = 0.35; P = 0.539, n =
41). These results suggest that saltflats may provide nesting habitat for
Malaysian Plovers and could help enhance overall hatching success rates by
reducing nesting densities on beaches. Although there are few remaining intact
saltflats in coastal Thailand, there are currently vast areas of abandoned tiger
prawn aquaculture ponds that could be rehabilitated into saltflats at relatively
low cost. Given the large area of disused aquaculture ponds throughout Thailand
and South-East Asia and the substantial human pressure on coastal habitats,
there could be considerable conservation benefits to the restoration of
aquaculture ponds.
Exterior nest-boxes may negatively affect Barn Owl Tyto alba survival: an ecological trap
Authors: Klein Ákos , Nagy Tibor , Csörgő Tibor , Mátics Róbert
Published: September 2007

Nest-site reduction has played a significant role in the decline of Barn Owl Tyto alba populations throughout Europe and North America. Techniques of nest-site augmentation, involving the provision of nest-boxes, have been widely used in a range of species of conservation concern, including falcons, eagles, parrots, owls and cavity-nesting ducks. A common method of Barn Owl conservation is the placement of nest-boxes on church towers. Despite the usefulness of nest-boxes, several studies have shown that there may be associated disadvantages and that nest-boxes may even act as ‘ecological traps’. The purpose of this research was to compare the survival rate of owlets hatched in nest-boxes with those hatched in the more “natural” environment of church towers. Survival time analysis elucidated that owlets developing in nest-boxes had significantly lower survival than those hatched in church towers. This difference was most obvious after the parent-dependent period of the life history. Surprisingly, the length of time from hatching to the onset of winter had no effect on the survival of the owlets, even though the accumulation of sufficient body reserves and acquisition of hunting experience are thought to be important in determining survival during the critical first winter of life. We propose possible causes for the negative effects of nest-boxes and recommend some modifications to the priorities of Barn Owl Action Plans, e.g. partial reopening of buildings instead of nest-box installation. This paper emphasizes the importance of considering revision of Species Action Plans in the case of other endangered species where conservation is based on nest-site supplement (e.g. hornbills, cavity-nesting seabirds, European Roller Coracias garrulus, Little Owl Athene noctua, Saker Falcon Falco cherrug, White Stork Ciconia ciconia).
Obesity, essential hypertension and renin–angiotensin system
Authors: Segura Julian , Ruilope Luis M
Published: September 2007

Abdominal obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease worldwide, and it is becoming a dramatic issue for national health systems. Overweight and obesity are highly associated with multiple comorbidities, elevated blood pressure values, dyslipidaemia, reduced insulin sensitivity and alterations of large and minor vessels.

Activation of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) in adipose tissue may represent an important link between obesity and hypertension. Angiotensin II has been shown to play a role in adipocyte growth and differentiation. Adipocytes also secrete adiponectin, enhancing insulin sensitivity and preventing atherosclerosis. Blockade of the RAS with either an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin II receptor blocker results in a substantial increase in adiponectin levels and improved insulin sensitivity. Obesity-related hypertension needs a comprehensive approach to treatment including both weight loss and pharmacological therapies. Antihypertensive drugs prescription should be based on guidelines recommendations for management of hypertension, taking into account the growing evidences about the relationship between some antihypertensive drugs and the development of new-onset diabetes.

This review discusses the role of RAS in the relationship between obesity, essential hypertension and insulin resistance.
An Improved Holey Carbon Film for Cryo-Electron Microscopy
Authors: Quispe Joel , Damiano John , Mick Stephen E. , Nackashi David P. , Fellmann Denis , Ajero Teddy G. , Carragher Bridget , Potter Clinton S.
Published: September 2007

Two issues that often impact the cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) specimen preparation process are agglomeration of particles near hole edges in holey carbon films and variations in vitreous ice thickness. In many cases, the source of these issues was identified to be the residues and topography often seen in commercially available films. To study and minimize their impact during specimen preparation, an improved holey carbon film has been developed. Rather than using a consumable template based on soft materials that must be removed prior to grid assembly, a method was developed that uses a hard template and a water-soluble release layer to replicate the template pattern into the carbon films. The advantages of this method are the improved purity and flatness of the carbon films, and these attributes are shown to have a dramatic improvement on the distribution of single particles embedded in vitreous ice suspended across the holes. Improving particle distribution is an enabling factor toward increasing the throughput of data collection for cryoEM.
Holoprosencephaly: new models, new insights
Authors: Krauss Robert S.
Published: September 2007

Holoprosencephaly (HPE) is a common congenital malformation that is characterised by a failure to divide the forebrain into left and right hemispheres and is usually accompanied by defects in patterning of the midline of the face. HPE exists in inherited, autosomal dominant (familial) forms and mutation-associated sporadic forms, but environmental factors are also implicated. There are several features of HPE that are not well understood, including the extremely variable clinical presentation, even among obligate carriers of familial mutations, and the restriction of structural anomalies to the ventral anterior midline, despite association with defects in signal transduction pathways that regulate development of many additional body structures. The new animal models described in this review may help unravel these puzzles. Furthermore, these model systems suggest that human HPE arises from a complex interaction between the timing and strength of developmental signalling pathways, genetic variation and exposure to environmental agents.
Screening for depression in palliative cancer patients attending a pain and symptom control clinic
Authors: Sela Rami A.
Published: September 2007

Objective: Depression in palliative care patients is often underrecognized. Screening can increase case recognition. The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of depression in palliative cancer patients attending a pain and symptom control clinic and to investigate the validity and utility of a depression visual analogue scale in detecting depression in the advanced cancer outpatient population.

Method: One hundred and thirty-two oncology outpatients who came for consultation at a multidisciplinary pain and symptom control clinic were asked and agreed to complete the Brief Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (BZSDS; Dugan et al., 1998) and depression visual analogue scale (DVAS).

Results: The majority of participants (72%) indicated clinically significant depressive symptoms according to the BZSDS (21% in the “mild” depressive symptoms range, 32% in the “moderate” range, and 19% in the “severe” range). Participants indicated low endorsement rates of items related to overt manifestation of depression (e.g., sadness, tearfulness, irritability, and suicide ideation). The DVAS showed high correlation with the BZSDS (r = .82) and is a potentially useful screening instrument for detecting depressive disorder in palliative care cancer patients.

Significance of results: The results of the study underline the importance of routine screening to detect depressive disorder in palliative care patients to improve their quality of care. The depression visual analogue scale was found to be an effective simple screening tool, easy to administer and use.
Experiences of engagement in creative activity at a palliative care facility
Authors: la Cour Karen , Josephsson Staffan , Tishelman Carol , Nygård Louise
Published: September 2007

Objective: To investigate the meanings that people with advanced cancer ascribe to engaging in creative activity in palliative occupational therapy.

Methods: Sixteen interviews were conducted with eight participants over a period of 8–12 months. Participants were asked to narrate about their engagement in creative activities at a palliative intervention program. Transcribed interviews were analyzed with a phenomenological method.

Results: Engagement in creative activities was found to ease life in proximity to death for persons with advanced cancer and limited survival time. For the participants, creativity meant that some of the consequences of incurable cancer could be confronted and alternative potentials could be explored and acknowledged. This occurred in an ongoing process of creating alternative ways to deal with life.

Significance of results: Creative activity is a means for participants to develop ways to adapt and cope with declining physical abilities and existential concerns through working with their hands and bodies. This complements the often negative focus in palliative phases of cancer with an understanding of how enriching aspects of life can be maintained. The results highlight how people in palliative care experience their engagement in creative activity in the form of crafts, and how such engagements may be a significant tool for finding alternative ways to handle challenges in ongoing life.
Evaluation of a program to celebrate seasonal events for Japanese hospice patients
Authors: Matsushima Tatsuko , Akabayashi Akira , Slingsby Brian Taylor , Nishitateno Kenji
Published: September 2007

Objective: Palliative care of the terminally ill requires not only treatment of physical pain, but also care for a patient's spiritual and social needs. In Japan, where many customs correlate closely with the seasons of fall, winter, spring, and summer, seasonal events carry significance for patients who have reached a terminal stage of disease. This study determined how Japanese hospice patients evaluate a program that celebrates seasonal events and considers the modality and significance of season events at hospices.

Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted for 1 year between August 2000 and July 2001 at a hospice located in the suburbs of Tokyo, Japan. Of the original 48 instruments, a total of 43 instruments were returned (response rate: 89.6%).

Results: Results showed that 72.1% of respondents participated in seasonal events, and the majority of participants positively evaluated their experiences of seasonal events. Positive aspects included being able to get a feeling for the seasons (74.2%) and being able to interact with staff and volunteers (51.6%). Negative aspects included that the events were too long (9.7%) and tiring (6.5%), and that the events made one feel sad (6.5%). Reasons for participating in seasonal events included seeming fun (71.0%), recreative (58.1%), and being entertaining (48.4%).

Significance of results: Overall findings suggest that there is significance in celebrating the seasons with a monthly event at hospices. Further research is needed on the modality and experiences of celebrating the seasons at hospices in other nations.
Facing uncertainty: The lived experience of palliative care
Authors: McKechnie Roz , MacLeod Rod , Keeling Sally
Published: September 2007

Objective: This qualitative research study listens to the narratives of people experiencing the dying process who attended the Otago Community Hospice, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Methods: Ten people, aged between 51 and 65 years old, were approached; two declined and one died sooner than expected. All were women (although this was not part of the original design), and all had carcinoma. Data for the study were sought through qualitative research interviews, considering the development of each participant's illness in relation to her perception of her embodiment in the palliative care setting, and concluding with questions about what she wants the people who care for and about her to learn from her experience. Consistent with this phenomenological approach, the method of analysis was thematic and interpretive.

Results: The main theme was the uncertainty that all participants felt throughout the diagnostic process and during treatment. Uncertainty, too, was a factor in how they managed their day, whether they would be able to sustain an outing or an activity or not, and whether they would be pain free. None were afraid of dying but hoped that when they did die, they would do so comfortably. The relationship with their general practitioners varied. Where fatigue or the effects of medication were not an issue, they could think clearly, but their bodies were experienced as letting them down and limiting their activities. The ideal of “living until you die” was not able to be fulfilled. The increasing approach of social death as they withdrew from their employment and social responsibilities affected them.

Significance of results: Whether one has a “good death” or not is determined not only by the progression and management of the disease process by health professionals, but also by the way in which one is perceived, by self and others. There are no guidelines for the dying role; everybody dies differently and individually.
Experiences of breathlessness: A systematic review of the qualitative literature
Authors: Gysels Marjolein , Bausewein Claudia , Higginson Irene J.
Published: September 2007

Objective: Breathlessness is one of the core symptoms in many advanced conditions. The subjective nature of the symptom has been acknowledged in many definitions, emphasizing that it can only be fully perceived and interpreted by the patients themselves.

Aim: To review and assess the evidence on the psychosocial nature or experience of breathlessness.

Methods: Relevant literature was identified through electronic and hand searches. Studies with qualitative enquiry or mixed method designs were included. The methodological quality of studies was assessed with a standard grading scale.

Results: Twenty-two studies were identified, 12 from the United Kingdom, 4 from the United States, 3 from Canada, 1 from Sweden, 1 from Iceland, and 1 from Finland. The nature of the studies determined the themes in which the studies were subsumed. Studies on COPD (19) outnumbered “all other conditions” (3), one of which had COPD and cancer patients and so these were analyzed separately. Within the COPD category most studies (17) considered the experience of breathlessness from the perspective of the patient, 1 study from the informal carer, and 1 from the professional carer. Most of the papers sought to understand the meaning of the symptom in the patient's daily life. The other papers demarcated separate areas of the experience of acute exacerbations and the patient's view on care. The studies explored the subjective component of breathlessness, as part of human experience and social life. The papers showed the influence of the meaning the symptom has for those affected on their ability to cope and on their management.

Significance of results: Although the work in this area is still dominated by research on COPD, the totality of the evidence now shows breathlessness as an intractable symptom in other advanced conditions. Practice recommendations focused on the holistic approach as part of palliative and nursing care.