bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Untersuchungskonzept für die CANDIS 1CANnabis DISorders -Studie zur Behandlung von cannabisbezogenen Störungen: Ein Beispiel translationaler Forschung
Authors: Hoch Eva , Bühringer Gerhard , Henker Jana , Rohrbacher Heike , Noack René , Pixa Anja , Dittmer Katrin , Rühlmann Anne , Wittchen Hans-Ulrich
Published: June 2011

Zielsetzung: Es wird ein zweistufiges Untersuchungskonzept vorgestellt, das zunächst die Entwicklung und Überprüfung der Wirksamkeit eines Behandlungsprogramms für Cannabisstörungen unter Forschungsbedingungen umfasst. Anschließend erfolgt die Prüfung der Wirksamkeit des Programms unter Praxisbedingungen in Einrichtungen der ambulanten Suchtkrankenhilfe in Deutschland. Methodik: In der ersten Phase wurde ein manualisiertes Behandlungsprogramm für Jugendliche (> = 16 Jahre) und Erwachsene mit Cannabisstörungen entwickelt und im Rahmen einer randomisiert-kontrollierten Effektivitätsstudie mit n = 97 Teilnehmern überprüft. Die Behandlung umfasste 10 Sitzungen und kombinierte Motivationsförderung, kognitiv-behaviorale Therapie und ein psychosoziales Problemlösetraining. Neben einer standardisierten Therapie (ST) wurde auch eine individualisiertere, standardisierte Form (TST) in ihrer Wirksamkeit gegenüber einer Wartekontrollgruppe getestet. In der zweiten Phase wurde eine mehrstufige, multizentrische randomisiert-kontrollierte Transferstudie in n = 11 Einrichtungen der ambulanten Suchtkrankenhilfe durchgeführt. Wirksamkeit, Machbarkeit und Akzeptanz der standardisierten Therapieversion wurden in einer Stichprobe von n = 279 Patienten geprüft. Schlussfolgerungen: Das zweistufige Konzept, als Beispiel einer gezielten translationalen Forschung zur Anwendung grundlagenbasierter Interventionsprinzipien in einem praxisrelevanten Therapieprogramm, konnte von 2004 bis 2009 umgesetzt werden. Die Erfahrungen belegen, dass ein anspruchsvoller Untersuchungsplan zur Wirksamkeitsprüfung therapeutischer Interventionen auch in Einrichtungen der Versorgung umgesetzt werden kann. Weiterhin konnte gezeigt werden, dass auch Transferfragestellungen zur Adäquatheit, Machbarkeit und Akzeptanz eines Therapieprogrammes in ein wissenschaftliches Untersuchungskonzept einbezogen werden können.
Adaptation of a German Multidimensional Networking Scale into English
Authors: Wolff Hans-Georg , Schneider-Rahm Corina I. , Forret Monica L.
Published: June 2011

Networking refers to building and maintaining personal contacts in order to obtain resources that, in turn, enhance one’s career success and work performance. This study reports the translation and adaptation of a multifaceted German networking scale ( Wolff & Moser, 2006 ) into English and focuses on the equivalence of the two language versions. Going beyond the often used translation-backtranslation method, we used a parallel translation-backtranslation method in combination with two expert committees to arrive at the English scale version, aiming to obtain at least structural equivalence. We utilize a bilingual sample (N = 76) as well as monolingual samples from the US (N = 174) and Germany (N = 228) to examine the equivalence following the three steps suggested by Robin, Sireci, and Hambleton (2003 ). First, psychometric properties of the scales were satisfactory and comparable across the language versions. Second, weighted multidimensional scaling supported our assumption that structural equivalence holds. Finally, an analysis of differential item functioning (DIF) showed no, or negligible, DIF for 40 items, and moderate or large DIF for only 4 items.
Construct Validation of the Test of Emotional Intelligence (TEMINT)
Authors: Blickle Gerhard , Momm Tassilo , Liu Yongmei , Witzki Alexander , Steinmayr Ricarda
Published: June 2011

This research seeks to further validate the Test of Emotional Intelligence (TEMINT), an ability-based measure of emotional reasoning skills that has accrued an impressive record of validating evidence. With a sample of 192 university students, Study 1 showed that TEMINT was associated most closely with the “understanding emotion” branch of the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT – Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2002 ). Study 2 was a longitudinal study with 71 employees over 2 years. TEMINT moderated both the getting-ahead motive – income relationship, and the getting-ahead motive – perceived marketability relationship, giving empirical support to the social facilitator role of emotional reasoning skills. Implications and limitations are discussed.
Development and Construct Validation of the Swedish Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory
Authors: Carelli Maria Grazia , Wiberg Britt , Wiberg Marie
Published: June 2011

In this study, we developed and evaluated a Swedish version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI; Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999 ). The original version of the ZTPI was extended by including a Future Negative scale, and the psychometric properties of both versions were examined in a sample of 419 adults aged between 18 and 80 years. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) provided support both for the original five-factor solution proposed by Zimbardo and Boyd (1999 ) in a Swedish sample and for a six-factor solution with the Future Negative scale as an independent factor. These findings extend the original ZTPI and suggest that negative feelings about the future constitute a central dimension of the temporal perspective. The Swedish Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (S-ZTPI) provides a reliable and valid instrument for measuring time perspective in the context of Swedish research and to be beneficial in its application in multiple areas of psychology and related disciplines.
Tectonic evolution of a continental subduction‐exhumation channel: Variscan structure of the basal allochthonous units in NW Spain
Authors: Díez Fernández Rubén , Martínez Catalán José Ramón , Arenas Martín Ricardo , Abati Gómez Jacobo
Published: June 2011

A regional study starting from detailed geological mapping has been carried out in the Malpica‐Tui Complex of Galicia in NW Spain. The complex is formed by two units representing pieces of the external edge of Gondwana, subducted and exhumed during the Variscan collision. The study shows that synsubduction and early synexhumation structures in continental subduction channels tends to be obscured and even erased once exhumation is complete. Detailed structural analysis, matched with the knowledge of the history, and available data for other Galician basal units have elucidated the major structures developed during the subduction‐exhumation process. The results include evidence of the plate convergence causing early Variscan continental subduction of the Gondwana margin. Subduction was followed by exhumation driven by ductile thrusting within the subduction channel, which, in turn, provoked crustal duplication in the subducted slab and modified the initial tectonometamorphic architecture of the subduction wedge. The next step was accretion to the adjacent continental domains, placing the subduction wedge on top of unsubducted parts of the Gondwana margin via ductile thrusting. Thrusting was preceded by progressive propagation of a train of recumbent folds toward the foreland that affected the previous structural stack. Subsequent transference of oceanic (Rheic) and peri‐Gondwanan terranes to the Gondwana margin took place by out‐of‐sequence thrusting followed by crustal extensional collapse and strike‐slip tectonics.
Publishing re-usable phylogenetic trees, in theory and practice
Authors: O’Meara Brian , Whitacre Jamie , Mounce Ross , Rosauer Dan , Vos Rutger , Stoltzfus Arlin
Published: June 2011

Sharing and re-use of data are essential to the progressive and self-correcting nature of science. In recognition of this principle, journals and funding agencies have adopted policies to encourage sharing of information ('data'), including empirical data as well as computed inferences such as phylogenetic trees.Here we summarize an ongoing analysis of 1) current practices for sharing phylogenetic trees and associated data; 2) current barriers to effective sharing and reuse of such data; and 3) prospects for reducing these barriers to promote more widespread sharing and re-use. Currently, the technical infrastructure is available to support (with some limitations) rudimentary archiving in conjunction with manuscript publication. Yet, most published trees are not archived, and there is no community standard governing the recommended format or content to ensure a re-usable phylogenetic record. Without a shift in emphasis toward re-usability, along with technology and standards to support such a shift, the value of trees (whether disseminated via public archives, or by other means) will be limited. Interviews with actual or potential secondary consumers of phylogenetic results suggest that there is a considerable market for re-use, but that most attempts end in disappointment. Phylogenetic results available via author requests, journal web sites, archival repositories and project web sites rarely include the critical information that secondary consumers seek, such as unique identifiers for biological sources (including species sources and accession numbers), indicators of quality, and documentation of the analytical methods used to obtain the results.Based on the analysis presented here, we suggest that enabling effective re-use entails a commitment by the research community to several changes from current practice: 1) using globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) to reference informational and material entities; 2) developing and using technology for documenting and exchanging the metadata that facilitate re-use; and 3) supporting development and use of a minimal reporting standard that indicates what data and metadata are considered essential for a re-useable phylogenetic record. We suggest that re-use may be catalyzed most rapidly by identifying and targeting (with appropriate technology) the most promising circumstances for re-use. These might include the extraction of sub-trees from large trees (for use in reconciliation, classification, and comparative analysis); the re-use of seed alignments, sub-alignments and homologized characters; the linking of phylogenies to geographic information (for use in ecology, phylogeography and biogeography); and the construction of supertrees and supermatrices.
Dyslexia, magnocellular integrity and rapidly presented stimuli
Authors: Skottun Bernt , Skoyles John
Published: June 2011

Conlon at al. (2011, Brain and Cognition, 76, 197-205) studied the responses of dyslexic readers and controls to rapidly presented stimuli. They found that the dyslexic readers showed poorer performance than the controls but only when the interstimulus interval (ISI) was short (150 ms), not when it was long (350 ms). This difference they attributed to a magnocellular or dorsal stream deficiency. However, they did not compute the temporal frequency spectra of the two stimuli. This is done here. It is found that it is very difficult to draw any conclusions with regard to the magnocellular system or the dorsal stream using these stimuli.
A Reevaluation of Achromatic Spatio-Temporal Vision: Nonoriented Filters are Monocular, They Adapt, and Can be Used for Decision Making at High Flicker Speeds
Authors: Meese Tim S , Baker Daniel H
Published: June 2011

Masking, adaptation, and summation paradigms have been used to investigate the characteristics of early spatio-temporal vision. Each has been taken to provide evidence for (i) oriented and (ii) nonoriented spatial-filtering mechanisms. However, subsequent findings suggest that the evidence for nonoriented mechanisms has been misinterpreted: those experiments might have revealed the characteristics of suppression (eg, gain control), not excitation, or merely the isotropic subunits of the oriented detecting mechanisms. To shed light on this, we used all three paradigms to focus on the ‘high-speed’ corner of spatio-temporal vision (low spatial frequency, high temporal frequency), where cross-oriented achromatic effects are greatest. We used flickering Gabor patches as targets and a 2IFC procedure for monocular, binocular, and dichoptic stimulus presentations. To account for our results, we devised a simple model involving an isotropic monocular filter-stage feeding orientation-tuned binocular filters. Both filter stages are adaptable, and their outputs are available to the decision stage following nonlinear contrast transduction. However, the monocular isotropic filters (i) adapt only to high-speed stimuli—consistent with a magnocellular subcortical substrate—and (ii) benefit decision making only for high-speed stimuli (ie, isotropic monocular outputs are available only for high-speed stimuli). According to this model, the visual processes revealed by masking, adaptation, and summation are related but not identical.
A dynamic biophysical fugacity model of the movement of a persistent organic pollutant in Antarctic marine food webs
Authors: Cropp Roger , Kerr Georgina , Bengtson-Nash Susan , Hawker Darryl
Published: June 2011

Environmental contextPersistent organic pollutants (POPs) are potentially toxic chemicals capable of long distance transport and are often found far from their source. Little is known of their behaviour in Antarctica, where the marine plankton food web is driven by strong seasonal variations in solar radiation. Here the first dynamic coupled ecosystem–fugacity model to describe how POPs distribute through the Antarctic environment is presented. The model is used to identify the important processes that govern the presence of hexachlorobenzene in Antarctic plankton.
AbstractPolar regions can be repositories for many persistent organic pollutants (POPs). However, comparatively little is known of the movement and behaviour of POPs in Antarctic ecosystems. These systems are characterised by strong seasonal effects of light on plankton dynamics. This work describes a mass-conserving, fugacity-based dynamic model to describe the movement of POPs in the Antarctic physical and plankton systems. The model includes dynamic corrections for changes in the population volumes and the temperature dependence of the fugacity capacities, and was developed by coupling a dynamic Nutrient–Phytoplankton–Zooplankton–Detritus (NPZD) ecosystem model to fugacity models of the chemistry and biology of the Southern Ocean. The model is applied to the movement of hexachlorobenzene, a POP found in the Antarctic environment. The model predicts that the burden of HCB in the plankton varies with the seasonal cycle in Antarctic waters, and induces a seasonal variation in the biomagnification factor of zooplankton. This suggests that time series of POP concentrations in Antarctic biotic and abiotic systems should be measured over complete seasonal cycles. Furthermore, detritus is shown to be a key contributor to the movement of POPs in polar environments, linking physical and biological components of the model.
1-D and 2-D NMR metabolomics of earthworm responses to sub-lethal trifluralin and endosulfan exposure
Authors: Yuk Jimmy , Simpson Myrna J. , Simpson André J.
Published: June 2011

Environmental contextEnvironmental metabolomics is an emerging field that examines the metabolic changes in organisms in response to potential environmental stressors. In this study, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is used to investigate earthworm metabolic responses to sub-lethal exposure of environmentally persistent pesticides. The study identifies two toxic modes of action elicited by the pesticides, and highlights the potential of metabolomics for the chemical assessment of persistent environmental contaminants. Abstract1-D and 2-D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is used to examine the metabolic response of the earthworm (Eisenia fetida) after contact test exposure to an organofluorine pesticide, trifluralin, and an organochlorine pesticide, endosulfan. Three sub-lethal concentrations were used for each pesticide (0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 mg cm–2 for trifluralin and 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 μg cm–2 for endosulfan). Principal component analysis of the trifluralin and endosulfan NMR datasets showed separation between the unexposed and the exposed earthworm groups. Alanine, glycine, maltose and ATP were significant in the highest concentration (1.0 mg cm–2) for trifluralin-exposed earthworms and may result from a non-polar narcosis toxic mode of action (MOA). Leucine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, lysine, glutamate, valine, glycine, isoleucine, methionine, glutamine, alanine, maltose, glucose, meibiose, malate, fumarate and ATP were detected as significant for the two highest concentrations (1.0 and 2.0 μg cm–2) for endosulfan-exposed earthworms and a neurotoxic MOA is postulated. This study highlights the use of 1-D and 2-D metabolomics for understanding the biochemical response of environmental contaminants to model organisms such as earthworms.
Managing feral goat impacts by manipulating their access to water in the rangelands
Authors: Russell Benjamin G. , Letnic Mike , Fleming Peter J. S.
Published: June 2011

Feral goats are a significant threat to biodiversity in Australia. However, goats are also harvested by some landholders for commercial benefit and this can lead to disagreements regarding control techniques. In the rangelands of New South Wales, feral goat distribution is closely linked to artificial watering points (AWP) such as tanks and bores. Previous surveys indicated that goat activity was rare more than 4 km from water. We hypothesised that constructing sections of goat-proof fencing in areas where goats were feeding on National Parks but watering on neighbouring properties, such that they had to travel more than 4 km from the AWP to access the park, would result in a significant decrease in goat abundance in these areas. We tested this hypothesis in Paroo-Darling National Park, Gundabooka State Conservation Area and Gundabooka National Park using changes in index (fresh goat dung groups per 100-m transect). We also measured kangaroo dung and ground cover index changes. Twelve months after the fences were constructed, goat dung significantly declined compared with non-treatment areas and the relationship between distance to water and goat dung broke down at the treatment sites. Kangaroo indices were not affected by the fences. The results for bare ground were the same as for goat dung, with significantly less bare ground and a breakdown in the relationship with distance to water at the treatment sites after the fences were constructed, but this was due to a corresponding increase in litter rather than live vegetation. This technique can be a significant tool for protecting biodiversity from feral goats, without removing the potential for neighbouring landholders to harvest the goats. If strategically used to create zones free of resident goats around the boundaries of conservation reserves, it should increase the effectiveness of other techniques such as trapping, mustering and shooting, by reducing post-control reinvasion. Recognition of access to water as an important management tool should substantially improve our management of feral goats in the rangelands.
Drivers of change in the Social-Ecological Systems of the Gwydir Wetlands and Macquarie Marshes in northern New South Wales, Australia
Authors: Whalley R. D. B. , Price J. N. , Macdonald M. J. , Berney P. J.
Published: June 2011

The Murray–Darling Basin is a Social-Ecological System (SES) of major importance to Australia and includes extensive wetland areas in the north-western parts of New South Wales. The Gwydir Wetlands and the Macquarie Marshes are the particular focus of this paper. These two wetland SES have undergone five successive adaptive cycles (phases) since they were first visited by Europeans in the early 19th century and the ecological, economic and social drivers initiating each transformation to a new cycle are described and analysed. The arrival of the European settlers with their domestic livestock rapidly displaced the Indigenous SES and the wetlands were extensively grazed; during wet periods the livestock were moved out of the wetlands and moved back in as the water receded. More recent land-use changes resulted from the building of major dams to enable storage of water for use in irrigated agriculture. A consequence of dam construction and water use has been a reduction in the frequency and extent of flooding, which has allowed many parts of the wetlands to be continually grazed. Furthermore, as machinery capable of cultivating the very heavy textured soils became available, dryland cropping became a major enterprise in areas of the floodplain where the likelihood of flooding was reduced. With the reduction in flooding, these wetland sites have been seriously degraded. The final phase has seen the invasion by an exotic weed, lippia [Phyla canescens (Kunth) Greene], which is a perennial that grows mat-like between other species of plants and spreads to produce a virtually mono-specific stand. The domestic livestock carrying capacity of the land becomes more or less zero and the conservation value of the wetlands is also dramatically decreased. Therefore, we suggest that lippia should be classed as an ecosystem engineer that has caused the latest transformation of these wetland SES and suggest research directions to investigate how they can be managed to revert to a state in which lippia is no longer dominant.
Looking back in time: can safe pasture utilisation rates be determined using commercial paddock data in the Northern Territory?
Authors: Walsh Dionne , Cowley Robyn A.
Published: June 2011

A ‘safe’ pasture utilisation rate is defined as the proportion of annual forage growth that can be consumed by domestic livestock without adversely affecting land condition in the long term. Pasture utilisation rates are thus a cornerstone of a sustainable grazing industry because they directly determine livestock carrying capacity. Until now, it has only been possible to determine utilisation rates in the Northern Territory via expensive and time-consuming grazing trials. Reliance on this method has limited the validation of safe utilisation rates for the range of land types used for pastoral production. This study tested an alternative cost-effective method for calculating utilisation rates based on an approach used previously in Queensland. The method retrospectively calculates utilisation rates using cattle records and modelled pasture growth from commercial paddocks in good land condition. The assumption underpinning the method is that paddocks in good land condition, with a long history of grazing, must have been managed in such a way as to achieve a safe level of pasture utilisation.
Utilisation rates were calculated for 10 commercial paddocks on three properties in the Barkly Tableland region of the Northern Territory from 1999 to 2009. Animal intake for each paddock was calculated from detailed cattle records held in property databases. Pasture growth was estimated using simulation models and cross-checked with field measurements. An average utilisation rate of up to 25% of annual pasture growth was found to be safe on highly uniform, grey cracking-clays supporting Mitchell grass (Astrebla F. Muell. spp.) pastures. However, this level of utilisation had negative impacts on land condition on less resilient and preferentially grazed pasture communities in paddocks with a mix of land types. The implications of the results for carrying capacity, animal productivity and seasonal risk management are explored in this paper.
A site-based approach to delivering rangeland ecosystem services
Authors: Brown Joel , MacLeod Neil
Published: June 2011

Rangeland ecosystems are capable of providing an array of ecosystem services important to the wellbeing of society. Some of these services (e.g. meat, fibre) are transported to markets and their quantity, quality and value are established via a set of widely accepted standards. Other services (e.g. climate mitigation, water quality, wildlife habitat) do not leave the land, but are, in fact, most valuable when they remain in situ. Determining their quantity, quality and value presents a challenge that must be met if there is to be a credible, accessible ecosystem services market for rangelands. In this paper we describe some of the ecosystem services that may be extracted from rangelands, discuss their unique ecological nature and relate those unique ecological properties to soil and vegetation attributes that can serve as a basis for measurement, both quality and quantity. We suggest the use of a soil/vegetation-based system in which similar climate, geomorphology and edaphic properties are grouped into ecological sites based on their response to disturbance. Within each ecological site, a unique state and transition model describes the dynamics of vegetation and soil surface properties, provides state indicators (vegetation structure, soil properties), predicts ecosystem services that may be derived at multiple scales, and organises information related to management to achieve ecosystem service objectives, including sustainability.
Managing for rainfall variability: impacts of grazing strategies on perennial grass dynamics in a dry tropical savanna
Authors: Orr D. M. , O'Reagain P. J.
Published: June 2011

Rainfall variability remains a major challenge to sustainable grazing management in northern Australia with perennial grasses the key to the stability of the resources that maintain a sustainable grazing industry. This paper describes the dynamics of five perennial grasses – Bothriochloa ewartiana (Domin) C.E. Hubb., Chrysopogon fallax S.T. Blake, Aristida spp., Panicum effusum R. Br. and Heteropogon contortus (L.) P. Beauv. ex Roem. & Schult. in relation to three grazing strategies – moderate stocking at long-term carrying capacity, heavy stocking and rotational wet season spelling. The research was conducted in permanent quadrats on the predominant land type in an extensive grazing study in an Aristida-Bothriochloa pasture in north Australia between 1998 and 2010. Summer rainfall was above average for two periods – 1998 – 2001 and 2008 – 2010 with drought and below-average rainfall from 2002 to 2007. Low rainfall affected the dynamics of all grasses by reducing survival and basal area through its effect on plant size; this impact was most noticeable for the shorter-lived Aristida spp., P. effusum and H. contortus. The impact of grazing was greatest on the long-lived B. ewartiana and C. fallax; this effect was accentuated by the 2002–07 drought. Heavy grazing during this period further reduced the survival and size of B. ewartiana in comparison with the moderate stocking and rotational spell treatments. In contrast, the survival of C. fallax was reduced in the moderate stocking and rotational spelling treatment during drought, relative to that under heavy grazing. The density of B. ewartiana declined even under moderate grazing and despite two sequences of above-average rainfall because seedling recruitment failed to offset mature plant death. Results from this study emphasised the importance of maintaining the existing populations of key long-lived species such as B. ewartiana through good management. These results also supported the overall findings from the grazing study indicating that stocking at the long-term carrying capacity is sustainable in managing for climate variability.
Effects of periodic presumptive treatment on three bacterial sexually transmissible infections and HIV among female sex workers in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Authors: Bruce Eunice , Bauai Ludwina , Masta Andrew , Rooney Poyap J. , Paniu Michael , Sapuri Mathias , Keogh Louise , Kaldor John , Fairley Christopher K.
Published: June 2011

Background Sexually transmissible infections (STI) are common in female sex workers (FSW). Aim: To determine if 3-monthly periodic presumptive treatments (PPT) would reduce the prevalence of STI in FSW. Methods: In a cohort study conducted between November 2003 and September 2004, FSW were enrolled, counselled and interviewed. Informed consent was obtained. Testing by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng) and Trichomonas vaginalis (Tv), and serology for HIV were performed at baseline and final follow-up visits. Each FSW received 3-monthly oral amoxicillin, probenecid, a combination of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid, and azithromycin. Tinidazole was administered once. Results: The cohort consisted of 129 FSW at baseline and 71 at final follow-up visit. Of these 71 FSW, there was a significant decline in the proportion with positive PCR results for Ct from 38% to 16% (P = 0.001), Ng from 56% to 23% (P = <0.001) and Tv from 62% to 30% (P = <0.001) between baseline and the final follow-up visit. HIV prevalence increased from 15% to 21% (P = 0.125). Conclusions: PPT was statistically effective in reducing STI but rates rebounded rapidly. Several new HIV infections occurred. If PPT is to be very effective in FSW where the prevalence of STI is so high, then 100% condom use with clients and regular sexual partners (RSP), and high rates of notification of RSP would be required if low incidence and prevalence of STI were to be achievable.
Changes in depression in a cohort of Danish HIV-positive individuals: time for routine screening
Authors: Rodkjaer Lotte , Laursen Tinne , Christensen Nils B. , Lomborg Kirsten , Ostergaard Lars , Sodemann Morten
Published: June 2011

Background: The aim of this study was to follow a cohort of HIV-positive individuals for 3 years in order to assess changes in depression, adherence, unsafe sex and emotional strains from living with HIV. Methods: Participants were assessed for depression, adherence, emotional strain and unsafe sex via a questionnaire. The Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI) was used to assess the prevalence and severity of depressive symptoms. Patients with a BDI score of 20 or above (moderate to major depression) were offered a clinical evaluation by a consultant psychiatrist. Results: In 2005, 205 HIV-positive individuals participated in the study. Symptoms of depression (BDI >14) were observed in 77 (38%) and major depression (BDI ≥20) in 53 (26%) individuals. In 2008, 148 participants were retested (72% of original sample). Depression (BDI >14) was observed in 38 (26%) and symptoms of major depression (BDI ≥20) in 24 (16%) individuals. Patients at risk of moderate to major depression were more likely to be non-adherent to medications, to practice unsafe sex and to suffer from emotional strains compared with patients not at risk of depression, both at baseline (2005) and follow-up (2008). Conclusion: This study demonstrated a decline in depression scores over time and an association between the risk of depression and low medication adherence, stress and unsafe sex. We recommend routine screening for depression to be conducted regularly to provide full evaluations and relevant psychiatric treatment.
Unveiling the hidden epidemic: a review of stigma associated with sexually transmissible infections
Authors: Hood Julia E. , Friedman Allison L.
Published: June 2011

Stigma has long accompanied sexually transmissible infections (STI) and hindered prevention and control efforts. It not only acts as a formidable barrier to STI testing, treatment and disclosure, but has a multitude of consequences for the health and quality of life of infected individuals. This review summarises the literature related to STI stigma and offers practical approaches to counter STI-associated stigma through multi-level efforts. Specifically, it describes the key sources that breed and perpetuate stigma, outlines how STI-associated stigma has been conceptualised and measured in the literature, documents the impact of stigma on infected and uninfected individuals, and summarises the stigma reduction strategies recommended in the literature. Gaps in the literature are identified and areas for further research are suggested, along with practical strategies for moving forward.
Evaluation of Health Map: a patient-centred web-based service for supporting HIV-infected patients
Authors: Gamage Deepa G. , Sidat Mohsin , Read Tim , Cummings Rosey , Bradshaw Catriona S. , Howley Kerri , Fehler Glenda , Sze Jun Kit , Chen Marcus , Fairley Christopher K.
Published: June 2011

Background: Our aim was to describe the use of and responses to a self-management website, ‘Health Map’, established to address the key chronic health issues of HIV-positive people. Methods: Health Map assessed health issues against current recommendations for: treatment adherence, monitoring CD4 counts and viral load, psychological health and physical activity, vaccination, cholesterol, fasting blood sugar, blood pressure, alcohol consumption, smoking, body mass index, and cervical screening for women and sexually transmissible infection (STI) screening for men who have sex with men (MSM). Results: A total of 552 people, with a mean age of 37 years, completed the full ‘Health Map’ program, of whom 536 (97%) were Australian, 425 (77%) were male, including 268 (63%) MSM. Online responses to several health indices were of concern: 49% missed at least one dose of antiretroviral therapy per month and only 41% had had an HIV viral load test in the 4 months prior. Only 43% reported regular physical activity, and 49% and 61% reported vaccination for hepatitis A and B. The proportion tested within the recommended periods for fasting cholesterol (40%), fasting blood sugar (35%) and cervical screening (43%) in women or STI screening for MSM (53%) were low. Conclusions: A substantial proportion of individuals completing the online survey reported information that would suggest their HIV and more general health care is suboptimal. These data are consistent with community surveys and indicate the need for improvement in the chronic management of HIV.
Re-testing for chlamydia at sexual health services in Australia, 2004 - 08
Authors: Guy Rebecca , Wand Handan , Franklin Neil , Fairley Christopher K. , Chen Marcus Y. , O'Connor Catherine C. , Marshall Lewis , Grulich Andrew E. , Kaldor John M. , Hellard Margaret , Donovan Basil , on behalf of the ACCESS Collaboration
Published: June 2011

Objective To describe the frequency of the 3-month test for re-infection among sexual health service patients in Australia. Methods: We assessed the re-testing rates at 30–120 days after chlamydia infection in men who have sex with men (MSM), heterosexual males and females attending sexual health services across Australia between 2004 and 2008. A χ2-test was used to determine significant differences in re-testing rates according to demographic characteristics and trends over time. Results: In the 5-year period, 10 207 MSM, 28 530 heterosexual males and 31 190 heterosexual females were tested for chlamydia. Of those tested, 9057 (13.0%) were positive. The proportion of patients with chlamydia infection who were re-tested in 30–120 days was 8.6% in MSM, 11.9% in heterosexual males and 17.8% in heterosexual females. Among MSM, chlamydia re-testing rates were lower in men aged <30 years (8.4%) than ≥30 years (12.5%) (P = 0.04) and lower in travellers and migrants (2.9%) than non-travellers (9.9%) (P = 0.002). In heterosexual males, chlamydia re-testing rates were lower in men in regional and rural areas (10.5%) than metropolitan areas (13.5%) (P = 0.017). There was no increasing trend in re-testing rates between 2004 and 2008 (P = 0.787). Of the patients re-tested, 44.1% of MSM were positive, 21.0% of heterosexual males and 16.1% of females. Discussion: The high chlamydia positivity at 30–120 days support recommendations that call for a 3-month test for re-infection following a positive test. The low re-testing rates highlight the need for innovative strategies to increase re-testing.
Should we change the focus of health promotion in sexual health clinics?
Authors: Crouch Alan , Fagan Patricia
Published: June 2011

In a response to the recent article by Rudiger Pitroff and Elizabeth Goodburn on changing the focus of health promotion in sexual health clinics, Crouch and Fagan draw attention to the confusion among practitioners between brief interventions in clinics (health education) and the actual nature and scope of sexual health promotion. The response refocuses attention on the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion and on the social determinants of sexual health inequity as appropriate design drivers of a pilot initiative proposed by Pitroff and Goodburn to re-orient sexual health service provision around the real needs of its clients.
Measurement ofc-axis angular orientation in calcite (CaCO3) nanocrystals using X-ray absorption spectroscopy
Authors: Gilbert P. U. P. A. , Young Anthony , Coppersmith Susan N.
Published: June 2011

We demonstrate that the ability to manipulate the polarization of synchrotron radiation can be exploited to enhance the capabilities of X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, to include linear dichroism effects. By acquiring spectra at the same photon energies but different polarizations, and using a photoelectron emission spectromicroscope (PEEM), one can quantitatively determine the angular orientation of micro- and nanocrystals with a spatial resolution down to 10 nm. XANES-PEEM instruments are already present at most synchrotrons, hence these methods are readily available. The methods are demonstrated here on geologic calcite (CaCO3) and used to investigate the prismatic layer of a mollusk shell,Pinctada fucata. These XANES-PEEM data reveal multiply oriented nanocrystals within calcite prisms, previously thought to be monocrystalline. The subdivision into multiply oriented nanocrystals, spread by more than 50°, may explain the excellent mechanical properties of the prismatic layer, known for decades but never explained.
The Impact of a Theatre Performance on Mental Health Service Delivery in the Context of User Involvement
Authors: Jacques Jean-François
Published: June 2011

This paper gives an account of a collaborative project between staff and service users of a statutory day service which, in the context of mental health service user involvement, aimed at examining the impact of a theatre performance devised and performed by mental health service users on improving care practice and mental health service delivery. The paper will consider the background of the project as well as giving a detailed account of the project itself and a reflection on the outcomes. In the context of dramatherapy, it opens possibilities for the use of performance as a platform for dialogue, and the identification and implementation of strategies for change at a collective level.
Land concentration and accumulation after redistributive reform in post-settler Zimbabwe
Authors: Moyo Sam
Published: June 2011

Zimbabwe's recent fast-track land reform was redistributive, but it retained significant enclaves of large-scale agro-industrial estates owned by transnational, domestic and state capital, despite unfulfilled popular and domestic elite demands for land. Such estates were encouraged by the state to produce agro-fuel (ethanol from sugar), sugar, tea, coffee, timber and citrus, with wildlife ranching for domestic and export markets, alongside expanded small food producers. This outcome reflects the unresolved contradictions of seeking autonomous development in the context of sanctions, domestic political polarisation and declining agricultural production, while promoting reintegration into broader world markets. Neoliberal policies replaced dirigisme by 2008 to promote stabilisation and agricultural recovery but with limited impact. Foreign agricultural investment in Zimbabwe is nonetheless atypical of the current neoliberal land grabbing in Africa, since Zimbabwe reversed past inequalities and retains some state autonomy, and residual land concentration remains contested.
Languages: building on firm foundations
Authors: Swarbrick Ann
Published: June 2011

Modern language teaching in England suffers from a number of public misconceptions: the British are ‘no good at languages’, teachers are failing at language teaching and uptake at Key Stage 4 is in terminal decline. This article takes the debate away from these myths with a plea to move beyond the cultural stereotyping of languages teaching. Considering the recent history of language teaching and the current issues, the White Paper that led to the curriculum review is examined as an opportunity to create innovative solutions to the current debates. It argues that the subject needs fewer polarisations and more vision about what a languages education from 5 to at least 16 could bring in terms of developing the linguists we need for the future. This is done through considering the issues for Key Stages 3 and 4, the curriculum content of languages at these stages, the reform of teacher training, and keeping up with other European countries. The article concludes that languages teachers should be encouraged to engage in the debate and become confident in the teaching of their subject through working together, with supporting agencies, on their own subject priorities.
Reviewing the case for geography, and the ‘knowledge turn’ in the English National Curriculum
Authors: Lambert David
Published: June 2011

This article presents a framework for understanding geographical knowledge in the context of the National Curriculum in England. It offers a cautious welcome to the 2010 White Paper in that it places emphasis on teaching and the role of teachers in selecting what is taught: it is broadly sympathetic to the policy thrust which seeks to rebalance the school curriculum onto questions of subject knowledge rather than generic ‘skills’ and pedagogy. In the context of curriculum development projects in the past and a renewed case for geography in education, the article provides a critical analysis of the significance of ‘core knowledge’ in geography. It begins to show how core knowledge is distinguished from, and relates to, deeper understandings using the framework of ‘capabilities’. An appendix is included for discussion which presents a minimalist knowledge framework for geography: this raises questions about the content knowledge requirement of teachers.
The return to subjects: a sociological perspective on the UK Coalition government%s approach to the 14–19 curriculum
Authors: Young Michael
Published: June 2011

This article draws on some ideas from the sociology of knowledge to examine the UK Coalition government%s approach to the 14–19 curriculum. Following a brief outline of a theoretical model, the article contrasts the ideas about the curriculum of the new Secretary of State, Michael Gove, with those they seek to replace. Following a brief discussion of Gove%s ideas about vocational education, the article concludes by proposing a more coherent approach to the 14–19 curriculum and discusses its implications for the question of educational equality.
CAREER MOBILITY IN ITALY
Authors: Barone Carlo , Lucchini Mario , Schizzerotto Antonio
Published: June 2011

This article examines the role of social origins and education for career mobility in contemporary Italy by means of growth curves models. We find that opportunities for career advancement are rather limited and that risks of downward mobility are virtually negligible. Although this picture displays a noticeable degree of stability over time, a moderate increase of career fluidity across cohorts can be detected. Moreover, social origins and education exert a marked influence on the first occupation, while the subsequent career-adjustment of these initial social inequalities is rather limited. Furthermore, the small influence of origins and education on career opportunities does not display any systematic trend across cohorts.
CLASS ORIGINS, EDUCATION AND OCCUPATIONAL ATTAINMENT IN BRITAIN
Authors: Bukodi Erzsébet , Goldthorpe John H.
Published: June 2011

Studies of intergenerational class mobility and of intragenerational occupational mobility have of late tended to diverge in their concerns and methodology. This reflects assumptions regarding the increasing part played by education in intergenerational mobility and the decreasing part played by class origins in intragenerational mobility, once education is controlled. The paper contributes to the questioning of these assumptions on empirical grounds. Analyses are made of the occupational mobility of men in three British birth cohorts over the course of their earlier working lives. We find that while educational qualifications have a strong effect on occupational attainment, this effect does not increase across the three cohorts; that class origins also have a significant effect, and one that does not decrease across the cohorts; and that features of work-life experience, in particular the frequency of occupational changes, likewise have a persisting effect, independently of both education and class origins. Secular changes in mobility processes are thus scarcely in evidence, but the analyses do provide strong indications of a cohort effect. Men in the 1958 birth cohort, whose first years in the labour market coincided with a period of severe recession, de-industrialisation and high unemployment, would appear to have experienced various lasting disadvantages in their subsequent occupational histories.
OCCUPATIONAL MOBILITY AND DEVELOPMENTS OF INEQUALITY ALONG THE LIFE COURSE
Authors: Hillmert Steffen
Published: June 2011

On the basis of inter-cohort comparisons, this paper describes patterns of intra-generational occupational mobility in Germany and their long-term trends since World War II. It also presents conceptual links between individual mobility and developments of inequality along the life course, with a special focus on the question of the extent to which employment careers are characterised by specific forms of cumulative advantage and disadvantage. Finally, it is asked how intra-generational developments are related to inter-generational social mobility. The paper also discusses how mobility patterns can be linked to specific institutions which – together with labour market conditions – are crucial determinants of the development of inequality within a cohort. In its empirical part, the paper presents evidence from cohort-specific analyses based on life-course data from a broad range of West German birth cohorts.
THE ORGANISATIONAL NATURE OF UNION CAREERS
Authors: Guillaume Cécile , Pochic Sophie
Published: June 2011

The equality agenda has gained a much higher visibility in the UK and in France. Most unions have adopted specific measures to improve women's representation in their structures. However, even in highly feminised unions, women remain under-represented in union leadership positions. To understand the gap between the presence of women in the lay membership/activist population and their slow disappearance at the higher levels of the union hierarchy, this study is focused on the role of organizational contexts. We argue that to understand the feminisation of union leadership, we need to consider the characteristics of ‘internal union labour markets’: ports of entry, typical/atypical career routes, norms of job evaluation, internal job segregation and hierarchy, human resources management and gender-equality policies. To fully grasp the influence of contexts on the process of feminisation, specific attention to the evolution of the repertoires of action by unions is also useful.
Can you See me in the Snow? Action Simulation Aids the Detection of Visually Degraded Human Motion
Authors: Parkinson Jim , Springer Anne , Prinz Wolfgang
Published: June 2011

Using a novel paradigm, we demonstrate that action simulation can directly facilitate ongoing perception of people's movements. Point-light actors (PLAs) representing common human motions were shown embedded in a visual noise reminiscent of “TV snow”. At first, the PLAs were perceived clearly, then occluded from view for a short duration, during which it was hypothesized that a real-time action simulation was generated tracking the motion's course. The PLA then reappeared in motion at variable visibility against the noise, whilst detection thresholds for the reappearance were measured. In the crucial manipulation, the test motion was either temporally congruent with the motion as it would have continued during occlusion, and thus temporally matching the simulation, or temporally incongruent. Detection thresholds were lower for congruent than for incongruent reappearing motions, suggesting that reappearing motion that temporally matched the internal action simulation was more likely to be detected.