bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Current Update on Glycoprotein IIb‐IIIa and Direct Thrombin Inhibition in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Non‐ST Elevation Acute Coronary Syndromes: Balancing Bleeding Risk and Antiplatelet Efficacy
Authors: KWA ANDREW T. , ROGERS JASON H.
Published: January 2008

Appropriate pharmacologic treatment for patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) remains a matter of controversy. Additionally, a substantial gap exists between recommended guidelines and current clinical practice. Questions remain regarding which antiplatelet/antithrombotic treatment strategies are appropriate for individual patients, based on their risk. We explore the role of glycoprotein IIb‐IIIa inhibitors and the direct thrombin inhibitor bivalirudin in ACS patients, and consider the difficulties involved in reducing ischemic events while limiting bleeding risks. In patients with ACS who are undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, high levels of microembolization and myocardial necrosis are potential risk factors for adverse long‐term outcomes. Intensive antiplatelet/antithrombotic regimens may substantially affect these factors. Determination of risk levels, with the goal of targeting aggressive antithrombotic and interventional therapies to patients at higher risk, will help physicians choose appropriate pharmacologic therapy for patients with ACS.
Increased Troponin Levels in Nonischemic Cardiac Conditions and Noncardiac Diseases
Authors: DE GENNARO LUISA , BRUNETTI NATALE DANIELE , CUCULO ANDREA , PELLEGRINO PIER LUIGI , IZZO PAOLO , ROMA FRANCESCO , DI BIASE MATTEO
Published: January 2008

Elevated cardiac troponin levels often lead to a diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, this finding may occur also in other conditions, both nonischemic and noncardiovascular, leading to an incorrect diagnosis of ACS and, sometimes, invasive tests. We describe various cardiovascular diseases other than ACS (heart failure, pulmonary embolism, etc.) and noncardiovascular diseases (renal failure, etc.) that may cause elevated troponin levels and give possible explanations and prognostic relevance for this rise.
Status of Physics‐Based Models in the Design of Food Products, Processes, and Equipment
Authors: Datta Ashim K.
Published: January 2008

This article is part of a collection entitled “Models for Safety, Quality, and Competitiveness of the Food Processing Sector,” published in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. It has been peer‐reviewed and was written as a follow‐up of a pre‐IFT workshop, partially funded by the USDA NRI grant 2005‐35503‐16208.

ABSTRACT:  Modeling, in particular physics‐based modeling, can be an important tool to food product, process, and equipment designers by reducing the amount of experimentation (thus reducing the time and expenses involved) and by providing a level of insight that is often not possible experimentally. Food processes involve unique physics and challenges compared to other types of materials processing such as polymers and ceramics. These include complex multiphase transport and multiphysics that are difficult to implement in the available software, and often drastic changes in material properties during processing for which data are unavailable. Such unique and challenging features have made it difficult to embrace modeling as a tool in the food industry. This article discusses, in the context of design use of models, the nature and the state of modeling of food processes, emphasizing the more complex scenarios in both modeling and material properties needed for the models.
Status of Observational Models Used in Design and Control of Products and Processes
Authors: Sablani Shyam S.
Published: January 2008

This article is part of a collection entitled “Models for Safety, Quality, and Competitiveness of the Food Processing Sector,” published in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. It has been peer‐reviewed and was written as a follow‐up of a pre‐IFT workshop, partially funded by the USDA NRI grant 2005‐35503‐16208.

ABSTRACT:  Modeling techniques can play a vital role in developing and characterizing food products and processes. Physical, chemical, and biological changes that take place during food and bioproduct processing are very complex and experimental investigation may not always be possible due to time, cost, effort, and skills needed. In some cases even experiments are not feasible to conduct. Often it is difficult to visualize the complex behavior of a data set. In addition, modeling is a must for process design, optimization, and control. With the rapid development of computer technology over the past few years, more and more food scientists have begun to use computer‐aided modeling techniques. Observation‐based modeling methods can be very useful where time and resources do not allow complete physics‐based understanding of the process. This review discusses the state of selected observation‐based modeling techniques in the context of industrial food processing.
Status of Microbial Modeling in Food Process Models
Authors: Marks Bradley P.
Published: January 2008

ABSTRACT:  Food process models are typically aimed at improving process design or operation by optimizing some physical or chemical outcome, such as maximizing processing yield, minimizing energy usage, or maximizing nutrient retention. However, in seeking to achieve these objectives, one of the critical constraints is usually microbiological. For example, growth of pathogens or spoilage organisms must be held below a certain level, or pathogen reduction for a kill step must achieve a certain target. Therefore, mathematical models for microbial populations subjected to food processing operations are essential elements of the broader field of food process modeling. However, the complexity of the underlying biological phenomena presents special challenges in formulating, validating, and applying microbial models to real‐world applications. In that context, the narrow purpose of this article is to (1) outline the general terminology and constructs of microbial models, (2) evaluate the state of knowledge/state of the art in application of these models, and (3) offer observations about current limitations and future opportunities in the area of predictive microbiology for food process modeling.
Modeling to Improve the Efficiency of Product and Process Development
Authors: Jousse Fabien
Published: January 2008

ABSTRACT:  Simulations are used in many areas of the food development chain, have major impact in process engineering and scale‐up studies, and are used to guide chemical and physical understanding in food research. On the other hand, they have much less impact on the development of food recipes. Consumer pressure is driving for healthier yet tastier foods, which need to be built for the purpose. This requires an understanding of the functions of food and how its structure can be engineered for that purpose and will require integration of product and process development. This should increase the use and impact of simulations, because of the increased scientific content of product development and engineers becoming more accustomed to using simulation as one tool of the trade. However, to date there are too few validated models amenable to truly predictive simulations: more needs to be done to develop predictive models at the fundamental level, before industrial food development can use simulations in the daily routine. Another key factor is the education of more people in the proper understanding and use of modeling as one of the tools guiding food product development.
Use of Modeling to Enhance the Microbiological Safety of the Food System
Authors: Black D. Glenn , Davidson P. Michael
Published: January 2008

ABSTRACT:  The use of modeling techniques for safety and risk prediction in the food supply is strongly supported by the incidence of foodborne outbreaks worldwide. In microbiological food safety, important parameters include incidence, microbial growth, microbial inactivation or survival, and dose response of the host. The goals of the modeler should include (1) identifying possible inputs and outputs for a particular concern and (2) choosing factors for integration into a larger, overall model. A case study of ground beef from the farm to the consumer reviews multiple points of concern where relevant parameters for Escherichia coli O157:H7 can be modeled. The prevalence and concentration of E. coli O157:H7 in cattle have been confirmed and studies have explored various feeding regimens and hide‐cleaning methods for controlling the pathogen prior to slaughter. There is significant impact of incidence and cross‐contamination during slaughter operations. Intervention methods such as washing and heat treatments and proper carcass handling may reduce the contamination level. Microbial growth in meat products can be extensive, given the possibility of temperature abuse during transportation and storage. Dose–response models for susceptible consumers provide a safety perspective for quantitative microbial models. Growth prediction and lethality models, available online, are valuable tools for both researchers and processors. The goal of the processor should be the “highest reduction possible” (to meet adequate safety requirements) prior to the preparation of raw product. The researcher must continually question the use of a model and the availability of data to validate any conclusions.
Status of food process modeling and where do we go from here (Synthesis of the outcome from brainstorming)
Authors: Datta Ashim K. , Halder Amit
Published: January 2008

This article is part of a collection entitled “Models for Safety, Quality, and Competitiveness of the Food Processing Sector,” published in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. It has been peer‐reviewed and was written as a follow‐up of a pre‐IFT workshop, partially funded by the USDA NRI grant 2005‐35503‐16208.
P50 sensory gating deficit is a common marker of vulnerability to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia
Authors: Sánchez‐Morla E. M. , García‐Jiménez M. A. , Barabash A. , Martínez‐Vizcaíno V. , Mena J. , Cabranes‐Díaz J. A. , Baca‐Baldomero E. , Santos J. L.
Published: January 2008

Objective:  P50 gating in schizophrenia has contributed much to our understanding of the pathophysiology of the illness. We examined euthymic bipolar patients to determine if they also have a P50 gating deficit.

Method:  P50 gating was measured in 81 euthymic bipolar patients (50 with a lifetime history of psychotic symptoms), 92 stable schizophrenic patients, and 67 control subjects.

Results:  P50 gating was significantly lower in control subjects than in bipolar patients with a lifetime history of psychosis (P = 0.001) and schizophrenic patients (P = 0.0001). In all patient groups, the percentage of patients with P50 gating was higher than in the control group (χ2 = 30.596; P < 0.0001). There was no statistically significant correlation between P50 gating and other clinical variables.

Conclusion:  Our data suggest that P50 gating deficit is a neurobiological marker that is present in stable schizophrenic patients and euthymic bipolar patients.
Influence of hatch duration and individual daily growth rates on size structure of age‐0 smallmouth bass cohorts in two glacial lakes
Authors: Phelps Q. E. , Isermann D. A. , Willis D. W.
Published: January 2008

Abstract –  We assessed hatch dates and daily growth rates of age‐0 smallmouth bass from two glacial lakes over a 3‐year period. Hatching durations (19–27 days among years) of smallmouth bass occurred from late May until late June. Mean daily growth rate of age‐0 smallmouth bass ranged from 0.56 to 1.56 mm·day−1. Correlation analysis indicated that hatch date had little effect on daily growth rates. Hatch date was significant in explaining variation in total length (TL) of age‐0 smallmouth bass at time of capture in only three of six cases and hatch date never explained >50% of the variation in bass length. Daily growth rate significantly explained variation in smallmouth bass TL at time of capture in all six models, accounting for 31–86% of the variability in bass length. Our findings suggest that size structure of age‐0 cohorts in some populations may be more strongly regulated by variation in individual daily growth rate than by hatch timing.
Varicella‐related deaths in children and adolescents – Germany 2003–2004
Authors: Grote Veit , Von Kries Rüdiger , Springer Wolfgang , Hammersen Gerhard , Wolfgang Kreth Hans , Liese Johannes
Published: January 2008

Aim: Although varicella is acknowledged as a rare cause of death in children, there are few comprehensive data with respect to the clinical course leading to death.

Methods: A nationwide, active surveillance was carried out in Germany for children up to age 17 years who were admitted to a paediatric hospital for varicella or associated complications, including deaths.

Results: A total of 10 children with varicella‐associated death were reported over period of 2 years, yielding a mortality rate of 0.4/1 000 000 children per year. Three deaths occurred in children diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukaemia and disseminated varicella, two shortly after diagnosis of leukaemia and therefore not preventable, and one during remission with an untypical presentation. Two children died with a congenital varicella syndrome. There was no death in children with neonatal varicella. Four other cases were related to varicella pneumonia or septicaemia and one to myocarditis.

Conclusion: In a population with no general varicella vaccination programme, varicella accounted for a small but not negligible risk for death in immunocompetent and immunocompromised children. Together these data point to the importance of a thoroughly implemented, general varicella vaccination programme.
Violence against women and the risk of under‐five mortality: analysis of community‐based data from rural Bangladesh
Authors: Åsling‐Monemi Kajsa , Tabassum Naved Ruchira , Persson Lars Åke
Published: January 2008

Aim: To assess whether violence against women was associated with increased mortality risks for their daughters and sons before the age of 5.

Methods: Secondary analysis of longitudinal data from rural Bangladesh of 2691 live‐born children in relation to their mother's experience of physical, sexual and emotional partner violence and level of controlling behaviour in marriage. Analyses were adjusted for potential confounders and stratified by gender.

Result: Under five‐mortality was 88 per 1000 in this cohort. Overall, there was no association between different forms of violence against women and under‐five mortality. However, more educated women had an increased risk of under‐five deaths of their female offspring if ever exposed to severe physical violence (adjusted hazard ratio 2.2, 95% CI 1.06–4.50) or to a high level of controlling behaviour in marriage (adjusted hazard ratio 2.5, 95% CI 1.30–4.90). Controlling behaviour in marriage increased the hazard ratios in a dose–response manner. Increased mortality risks were neither shown for offspring of women with low or no education nor for boys in any educational group.

Conclusion: Severe physical violence and controlling behaviour in marriage were associated with higher under‐five mortality among daughters of educated mothers in rural Bangladesh, indicating gender‐biased consequences of partner violence for child mortality.
ADHD symptoms and maturity – a study in primary school children
Authors: Gustafsson P , Thernlund G , Besjakov J , Karlsson MK , Ericsson I , Svedin CG
Published: January 2008

Aim: To study if age and non‐behavioural measures of biological maturity have any associations with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Methods: Two hundred fifty‐one children 7 to 9 years of age in a Swedish school were screened for ADHD‐symptom. ADHD‐symptoms were estimated by Conners Abbreviated Questionnaire by both parents and teachers. Motor function, body weight and body height were measured. Skeletal age was estimated through hand radiographs.

Results: Height, weight and skeletal bone‐age did correlate significantly with age (rs = 0.44–0.69, p < 0.001) but not with ADHD symptom scores. Motor dysfunction had a weak negative correlation with age (rs =−0.21, p < 0.05). Parent and teacher scores of ADHD‐symptoms did not correlate with age.

Conclusion: This study showed that the variables measuring general biological maturity had a strong association with age, whereas motor dysfunction and ADHD symptoms had no significant association with age. ADHD symptoms did not correlate with the variables measuring general biological maturity. These results do not support the hypothesis that a general biological immaturity is an important etiologic factor for ADHD symptomatology.
Survival and neurodevelopmental morbidity at 1 year of age following extremely preterm delivery over a 20‐year period: a single centre cohort study
Authors: Riley K , Roth S , Sellwood M , Wyatt JS
Published: January 2008

Aim: To assess survival and neurodevelopmental outcome of extremely preterm infants over a 20‐year period at a single tertiary neonatal centre.

Methods: All infants between 22 and 25+6 weeks of gestation admitted to a single UK neonatal centre between 1981 and 2000 were enrolled prospectively. Infants in the same gestational age range who were born alive at the hospital but not admitted to the neonatal unit were also identified over the period 1991–2000. All surviving infants received neurological and developmental assessment at a corrected age of 1 year.

Results: There was a progressive increase in survival at all gestational ages over the 20‐year period. Overall survival rose from 32% to 71% as a proportion of all admissions. The proportion of survivors with adverse neurodevelopmental outcome at 1 year of age showed no consistent change over the same period.

Conclusion: In this single centre cohort study, marked improvements in survival over a 20‐year period were not accompanied by a significant increase in neurodevelopmental morbidity.
Application of Superposition with Nonlinear Head‐Dependent Fluxes
Authors: Durbin Timothy , Delemos David , Rajagopal‐Durbin Aparna
Published: January 2008

While superposition is commonly used to address linear ground water problems, it can also be used to address certain nonlinear problems. In particular, it can be used to address problems with nonlinear head‐dependent fluxes, where the problem can be separated conveniently into steady‐state and transient‐state components. Superposition can be used to simulate the transient‐state head changes independently from the steady‐state heads. The problems addressable by superposition include phreatophyte discharges, stream‐aquifer interactions, spring discharges, and drain discharges. Each of these represents a nonlinear head‐dependent flux, where the flux depends on the elevation of the land surface or some other feature. Superposition is applied by referencing elevations to the local steady‐state water table and by imposing the negative of the steady‐state flux on the transient‐state problem.
Dynamics of Flood Water Infiltration and Ground Water Recharge in Hyperarid Desert
Authors: Dahan Ofer , Tatarsky Boaz , Enzel Yehouda , Kulls Christoph , Seely Mary , Benito Gererdo
Published: January 2008

A study on flood water infiltration and ground water recharge of a shallow alluvial aquifer was conducted in the hyperarid section of the Kuiseb River, Namibia. The study site was selected to represent a typical desert ephemeral river. An instrumental setup allowed, for the first time, continuous monitoring of infiltration during a flood event through the channel bed and the entire vadose zone. The monitoring system included flexible time domain reflectometry probes that were designed to measure the temporal variation in vadose zone water content and instruments to concurrently measure the levels of flood and ground water. A sequence of five individual floods was monitored during the rainy season in early summer 2006. These newly generated data served to elucidate the dynamics of flood water infiltration. Each flood initiated an infiltration event which was expressed in wetting of the vadose zone followed by a measurable rise in the water table. The data enabled a direct calculation of the infiltration fluxes by various independent methods. The floods varied in their stages, peaks, and initial water contents. However, all floods produced very similar flux rates, suggesting that the recharge rates are less affected by the flood stages but rather controlled by flow duration and available aquifer storage under it. Large floods flood the stream channel terraces and promote the larger transmission losses. These, however, make only a negligible contribution to the recharge of the ground water. It is the flood duration within the active streambed, which may increase with flood magnitude that is important to the recharge process.
A Novel Macrocyclic Polyamine Cationic Lipid Containing an Imidazolium Salt Group: Synthesis, Characterization and Its Transfection Activity as a Gene Delivery Vector
Authors: Huang Qing‐Dong , Chen Hong , Zhou Li‐Hong , Huang Jun , Wu Jiang , Yu Xiao‐Qi
Published: January 2008

The synthesis and characterization of a novel macrocyclic polyamine cationic lipid containing an imidazolium salt group is reported. Its interaction with plasmid DNA was studied by gel electrophoresis and fluorescence quenching experiments. The transfection activity of target compound as a gene delivery vector was also investigated. The results showed that the synthesized macrocyclic polyamine cationic lipid has high binding and condensation ability of DNA under physiological conditions probably because of the cooperation effect of macrocyclic polyamine (Cyclen) and an imidazolium salt group. This novel lipid could transfer plasmid DNA into cell in in vitro experiment without the use of any extraneous agent.
Balancing multiple mutualists: asymmetric interactions among plants, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and fungal endophytes
Authors: Mack Keenan M. L. , Rudgers Jennifer A.
Published: January 2008

Most organisms engage in beneficial interactions with other species; however, little is known regarding how individuals balance the competing demands of multiple mutualisms. Here we examine three‐way interactions among a widespread grass, Schedonorus phoenix, a protective fungal endophyte aboveground, Neotyphodium coenophialum, and nutritional symbionts (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) belowground. In a greenhouse experiment, we manipulated the presence/absence of both fungi and applied a fertilizer treatment to individual plants. Endophyte presence in host plants strongly reduced mycorrhizal colonization of roots. Additionally, for plants with the endophyte, the density of endophyte hyphae was negatively correlated with mycorrhizal colonization, suggesting a novel role for endophyte abundance in the interaction between the symbionts. Endophyte presence increased plant biomass, and there was a positive correlation between endophyte hyphal density and plant biomass. The effects of mutualists were asymmetric: mycorrhizal fungi treatments had no significant impact on the endophyte and negligible effects on plant biomass. Fertilization affected all three species – increasing plant biomass and endophyte density, but diminishing mycorrhizal colonization. Mechanisms driving negative effects of endophytes on mycorrhizae may include inhibition via endophyte alkaloids, altered nutritional requirements of the host plant, and/or temporal and spatial priority effects in the interactions among plants and multiple symbionts.
Evolution of drought tolerance and defense: dependence of tradeoffs on mechanism, environment and defense switching
Authors: Haugen Riston , Steffes Lexi , Wolf Joy , Brown Paul , Matzner Steven , Siemens David H.
Published: January 2008

Plants evolve defenses against herbivores and pathogens in stressful environments; however, plants that evolve tolerances to other environmental stressors may have compromised defenses. Such tradeoffs involving defenses may depend on limited resources or otherwise stressful environments; however, the effect of stressful environments on defense expression might be different for different genotypes (G×E). To test these predictions, we studied genetic variation and co‐variation of drought stress tolerance and defenses at two levels of genetic variation: between and within closely related species. We did this across an experimental drought stress gradient in a growth room for species for which genetic variation in drought tolerance was likely. In apparent contrast to predictions, the species Boechera holboellii (Brassicaceae) from lower and dryer elevations had slower inherent growth rates and correspondingly higher total defensive glucosinolate concentrations than the closely related species B. stricta from higher elevations. Thus, B. holboellii was both drought tolerant and defended; however, optimality theory does predict tradeoffs between defense and growth. Differences between species in the direct effect of water deficiency on glucosinolate production did not obscure the grow‐or‐defend tradeoff. B. holboellii may also have been more resistant to the specialist herbivore Plutella xylostella; a trend that was less clear because it depended on plant development and water deficient conditions. At finer scales of genetic variation, there was significant variation among families and naturally occurring inbred lines of B. stricta in drought tolerance measured as inherent growth, the reaction norm of growth across drought treatments, shoot water potential, and transpiration rates. Evidence for tradeoffs was also found within B. stricta in genetic correlations between resistance and transpiration rates, or glucosinolates and growth rates. No G×E was detected at these finer scales of genetic variation, although sometimes the tradeoff was dependent on drought conditions. Direct effects of drought stress resulted in an apparent plastic switch between resistance and tolerance to damage, which might be a cost avoidance mechanism because tradeoffs never involved tolerance to damage. Thus, when drought tolerance is manifest as slow inherent growth rates, plants may also have relatively high defense levels, especially in stressful environments. Otherwise, defenses may be compromised by drought‐coping mechanisms, although plastic switches to less costly defenses may alleviate constraints in stressful environments.
Tracing the influence of larch‐bud‐moth insect outbreaks and weather conditions on larch tree‐ring growth in Engadine (Switzerland).
Authors: Baltensweiler Werner , Weber Urs M. , Cherubini Paolo
Published: January 2008

Tree‐ring analysis of insect‐defoliated trees has so far been used for detecting past insect outbreaks only. We hypothesize that the impact of the larch‐bud‐moth (LBM) Zeiraphera dinian outbreaks on the growth of larch Larix decidua in the Engadine (Switzerland) is closely coupled to the spatial development of the outbreak and the ecological characteristics of the respective sites and weather conditions. We tested this hypothesis by reviewing data sets available in the literature and by analysing original data. We monitored LBM population densities and the needle phenology, growth and defoliation of larch over 28 years, i.e. over four outbreak cycles. In addition, information on defoliation patterns covering six earlier outbreaks over 50 years was matched with tree‐ring information. Tree‐ring chronologies of 18 larch stands were analysed with regard to abrupt growth changes and latewood events. Defoliation induces an immediate reduction in latewood, followed by a reduction in needle length and a significant decrease in radial growth in the subsequent year. We have called this tree‐ring pattern the “larch‐bud‐moth syndrome”. A careful analysis of the various parameters of the LBM syndrome for two specific population cycles enabled us to define different interaction patterns between weather conditions and tree growth. These can then be included in climate change models to help disentangle the impact of insect defoliation from that of adverse climatic conditions.
Resource tracking by avian frugivores in mountain habitats of northern Spain
Authors: Guitián José , Munilla Ignacio
Published: January 2008

Systems comprising avian frugivores and fleshy‐fruited plants are commonly used as models to study how animals respond to temporal and spatial variations in food abundance and distribution. Results have been far from conclusive, partly because of methodological constraints. In this study we investigated the fulfilment of a necessary condition for food tracking: correlation over time and space between the abundance of food and the abundance of food trackers. We used a paired‐sample design in which fruit sites were compared with fruitless sites on two different spatial scales (landscape and habitat patch) in eight different river basins in the Cantabrian Mountains (NW Spain). Fruit and bird abundances were recorded monthly (October to February) at all sites during three consecutive fruiting seasons. Fruiting seasons (“years”) could be ranked by fruit abundance as low (2003), intermediate (2002) and high (2004). Since fruit sites were located at considerably higher elevations than fruitless sites, the possible effects of altitude, together with those of other uninvestigated factors, were taken into account by using non‐frugivorous birds. Our results apparently suggest a temporal and spatial association between frugivores (avian seed dispersers) and fruit availability at the landscape scale but not at the smaller (habitat patch) scale. This, together with the absence of a similar pattern in non‐frugivores, suggests that fruit availability is an important ecological factor affecting the autumn and winter abundance patterns of frugivorous birds and that this factor operates at the landscape scale but not at the habitat patch scale. Moreover, the negative elevational gradient in bird abundance that is typical of temperate mountain ecosystems was clearly reversed for frugivores in the intermediate and high fruiting years (suggesting that the negative effect of higher altitude may have been counterbalanced by the greater availability of food). As in other European upland areas, traditional farming practices in the Cantabrian Mountains are declining and, as a result, the proportion of fruitless habitats is increasing. Our study suggests that in these upland ecosystems frugivorous bird abundances in autumn and winter are associated to fruit supply, thus this habitat change tendency will probably have, in the long‐term, a negative effect on bird populations.
Human tissue legislation: listening to the professionals
Authors: Campbell A V , McLean S A M , Gutridge K , Harper H
Published: January 2008

The controversies in Bristol, Alder Hey and elsewhere in the UK surrounding the removal and retention of human tissue and organs have led to extensive law reform in all three UK legal systems. This paper reports a short study of the reactions of a range of health professionals to these changes. Three main areas of ethical concern were noted: the balancing of individual rights and social benefit; the efficacy of the new procedures for consent; and the helpfulness for professional practice of the new legislation and regulation. Recognition of these concerns may help in forging a new partnership between professionals and patients and their families.
Teaching ethics in the clinic. The theory and practice of moral case deliberation: Table 1
Authors: Molewijk A C , Abma T , Stolper M , Widdershoven G
Published: January 2008

A traditional approach to teaching medical ethics aims to provide knowledge about ethics. This is in line with an epistemological view on ethics in which moral expertise is assumed to be located in theoretical knowledge and not in the moral experience of healthcare professionals. The aim of this paper is to present an alternative, contextual approach to teaching ethics, which is grounded in a pragmatic-hermeneutical and dialogical ethics. This approach is called moral case deliberation. Within moral case deliberation, healthcare professionals bring in their actual moral questions during a structured dialogue. The ethicist facilitates the learning process by using various conversation methods in order to find answers to the case and to develop moral competencies. The case deliberations are not unique events, but are a structural part of the professional training on the work floor within healthcare institutions. This article presents the underlying theory on (teaching) ethics and illustrates this approach with an example of a moral case deliberation project in a Dutch psychiatric hospital. The project was evaluated using the method of responsive evaluation. This method provided us with rich information about the implementation process and effects the research process itself also lent support to the process of implementation.
Time variation of some selected topics in bioethical publications
Authors: Cohen C , Vianna J A R , Battistella L R , Massad E
Published: January 2008

Objective:

To analyse the time variation of topics in bioethical publications as a proxy of the relative importance.

Methods:

We searched the Medline database for bioethics publications using the words “ethics or bioethics”, and for 360 specific topics publications, associating Medical Subject Heading topic descriptors to those words. We calculated the ratio of bioethics publications to the total publications of Medline, and the ratio of each topic publications to the total bioethics publications, for five-year intervals, from 1970 to 2004. We calculated the time variation of ratios, dividing the difference between the highest and lowest ratio of each topic by its highest ratio. Four topics were described, selected to illustrate different patterns of variation: “Induced Abortion”, “Conflict of Interest”, “Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome”, “Medical Education.”

Results:

The ratio of bioethics publications to total Medline publications increased from 0.003 to 0.012. The variation of the topic’s ratios was higher than 0.7 for 68% of the topics. The Induced Abortion ratios decreased from 0.12 to 0.02. Conflict of Interest ratios increased from zero to 0.07. The Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ratios were nearly zero in the first three intervals, had a peak of 0.06 during 1985–9, followed by a decrease to 0.01. Medical Education ratios varied few, from 0.04 to 0.03.

Conclusions:

There was an increase of bioethical publications in the Medline database. The topics in bioethics literature have an important time variation. Some factors were suggested to explain this variation: current legal cases, resolution of the issue, saturation of a discussion and epidemiologic importance.
Terminal sedation and the “imminence condition”
Authors: Cellarius V
Published: January 2008

“Terminal sedation” refers to the use of sedation as palliation in dying patients with a terminal diagnosis. Although terminal sedation has received widespread legal and ethical justification, the practice remains ethically contentious, particularly as some hold that it foreseeably hastens death. It has been proposed that empirical studies show that terminal sedation does not hasten death, or that even if it may hasten death it does not do so in a foreseeable way. Nonetheless, it is clear that providing terminal sedation in combination with the withholding or withdrawing of life-prolonging treatments such as fluid and nutrition can foreseeably hasten death significantly—what is here called early terminal sedation (ETS). There are ethical justifications for the use of sedation in palliative care and thus it would seem that ETS is an ethically and legally acceptable practice. However, what emerges from the literature is the repeated assertion that terminal sedation must be restricted to use in imminently dying patients—the “imminence condition”—and that therefore ETS is unacceptable. This restriction has taken on greater significance with the trend of palliative care to include the care of patients who are not imminently dying. This paper proposes to show that although there is widespread intuitive support for the imminence condition, it does not follow from the justifications for sedation as palliation, and that explicit arguments for the imminence condition are needed.
Riparian areas in the Canadian boreal forest and linkages with water quality in streams
Authors: Luke Stacey H. , Luckai Nancy J. , Burke Janice M. , Prepas Ellie E.
Published: January 2008

Riparian areas in the Canadian boreal forest represent the transition zone between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We review factors that influence riparian vegetation communities and the associated interactions with boreal streams. Regional and local drivers (e.g., climate, edaphic factors, and natural disturbances) that affect upland boreal vegetation also operate in riparian areas. However, the proximity of riparian areas to the stream channel not only modifies some of these drivers, but it means that the stream itself becomes a driver of riparian vegetation dynamics. For example, hydrological disturbances like flooding and ice scour affect soil texture and alter successional pathways, sometimes completely denuding streambanks of vegetation. Even in riparian areas unaffected by such catastrophic disturbances, saturated soil conditions can influence riparian forest composition and nutrient cycling. Saturated soils support lower mineralization rates, therefore organic layers store relatively more carbon and nitrogen than adjoining upland soils, and primary productivity is generally lower. Saturated soils also have implications for the ability of the riparian area to “buffer” streams from inputs of water and nutrients. For example, reducing conditions in riparian soils could be the sites for nitrate removal from groundwater by denitrification. Spatial variation in weather, soils, vegetation cover, slope, accumulation of organic matter, geographic location, and relief undoubtedly add to the complexity of understanding the role of riparian systems in Canada’s vast boreal forest. However, the opportunity to identify patterns relating to riparian areas will assist in our understanding and management of these multifaceted systems.
Implications of climate warming for Boreal Shield lakes: a review and synthesis
Authors: Keller W.
Published: January 2008

Climate change is a reality. A warming climate will have large effects on lakes of the Boreal Shield. Our ability to forecast these effects, however, is hampered by a very incomplete understanding of the actual interactions between weather and many aspects of lake ecosystems. Climate change will affect lakes in very complex ways. Changing weather conditions will have direct effects on thermal habitats; however, there will also be very important indirect effects on lake ecosystems through influences on watershed processes that affect the thermal and chemical characteristics of lakes. Altered habitat conditions will affect the resident biota in both positive and negative ways and may favour range expansions of some native and non-native species. Our understanding of the altered biological interactions that will structure lake communities in a warmer climate is still limited, making the prediction of biological outcomes very difficult. Modelling efforts, experiments and empirical analyses of relationships between important attributes of lakes, lake communities, and weather conditions in the past are beginning to further our ability to predict likely future effects. Much more work is needed in all these research areas to further our understanding of the probable effects of climate change on Boreal Shield lakes. Because of the potential interactions of climate with other large-scale environmental stressors such as UV-B irradiance, exotic species invasions, base cation depletion, and acidification, future studies need to consider multiple stressor effects.
Physical effects of weather events on the abundance and diversity of insects in North American forests
Authors: Gandhi Kamal J.K. , Gilmore Daniel W. , Katovich Steven A. , Mattson William J. , Spence John R. , Seybold Steven J.
Published: January 2008

We summarize the effects of major weather events such as ice storms, wind storms, and flooding on the abundance and diversity of terrestrial forest insects and their allies. This synthesis indicates that weather events influence both spatial and temporal patterns of forests and insect communities in North American landscapes. The Atlantic and Pacific oceanic sides of the continent are relatively more susceptible to ice and wind storms, respectively. There have been more studies and reports on the responses of forest insects to wind storms, and on economically important subcortical insects than on gall-forming, foliage-feeding, fungal-feeding, litter-dwelling, pollinating, parasitizing, predaceous, root-feeding, and sap-feeding insects. Weather events positively affect populations of subcortical insect species, and impact their colonization patterns and dynamics. Species belonging to genera such as Dendroctonus (Scolytidae) and Monochamus (Cerambycidae) may sometimes cause economic damage by colonizing residual live tree, and dead trees, rendering the wood unsalvageable. Subsequent outbreaks of spruce beetle, Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby) and Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins, have been frequently documented in western North American forests following wind events. Wind disturbances have also been observed to accelerate the life-cycles of D. rufipennis and Semanotus litigiosus (Casey) (Cerambycidae), and in rare instances, have caused Monochamus spp. to become primary colonizers. Populations of other important subcortical species have not always increased dramatically following weather events. Foliage- and pollen-feeding insects may experience mortality directly from a weather event or indirectly through habitat alteration. In some cases, forest insects may use storms to migrate to new habitats. Populations of open-habitat and forest specialist litter-dwelling species have increased and decreased, respectively, subsequent to weather events. Forest specialist species generally rebound within a short period of time, suggesting that they are adapted to these periodic weather events. Little is known about the combined effects of post-weather-disturbance management practices such as salvage-logging and prescribed-burning on insects in North American forests.
GENERALIZED PROJECTIVE SYNCHRONIZATION OF A CLASS OF DELAYED NEURAL NETWORKS
Authors: MENG JUAN , WANG XINGYUAN
Published: January 2008

In this paper, the generalized projective synchronization of a class of delayed neural networks is investigated. Based on the Lyapunov stability theorem, a kind of controller is designed. The generalized projective synchronization of delayed neural networks can be achieved by using this kind of controller. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations are provided to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS ACTIVITIES IN THE HME DIRECTORATE OF THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY
Authors: CACCIAPUOTI LUIGI , MINSTER OLIVIER
Published: January 2008

The Human Spaceflight, Microgravity, and Exploration (HME) Directorate of the European Space Agency is strongly involved in fundamental physics research. One of the major activities in this field is represented by the ACES (Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space) mission. ACES will demonstrate the high performances of a new generation of atomic clocks in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station (ISS). Following ACES, a vigorous research program has been recently approved to develop a second generation of atomic quantum sensors for space applications: atomic clocks in the optical domain, aiming at fractional frequency stability and accuracy in the low 10-18 regime; inertial sensors based on matter-wave interferometry for the detection of tiny accelerations and rotations; a facility to study degenerate Bose gases in space. Tests of quantum physics on large distance scales represent another important issue addressed in the HME program. A quantum communication optical terminal has been proposed to perform a test of Bell's inequalities on pairs of entangled photons emitted by a source located on the ISS and detected by two ground stations. In this paper, present activities and future plans will be described and discussed.
LONG RANGE GRAVITY TESTS AND THE PIONEER ANOMALY
Authors: REYNAUD SERGE , JAEKEL MARC-THIERRY
Published: January 2008

Experimental tests of gravity performed in the solar system show a good agreement with general relativity. The latter is, however, challenged by the Pioneer anomaly, which might be pointing at some modification of gravity law at ranges of the order of the size of the solar system. As this question could be related to the puzzles of "dark matter" or "dark energy," it is important to test it with care. There exist metric extensions of general relativity which preserve the well-verified equivalence principle while possibly changing the metric solution in the solar system. Such extensions have the capability to preserve compatibility with existing gravity tests while opening free space for the Pioneer anomaly. They constitute arguments for new mission designs and new space technologies as well as for having a new look at data of already-performed experiments.
TESTING THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUIVALENCE IN AN EINSTEIN ELEVATOR
Authors: SHAPIRO I. I. , LORENZINI E. C. , ASHENBERG J. , BOMBARDELLI C. , CHEIMETS P. N. , IAFOLLA V. , LUCCHESI D. M. , NOZZOLI S. , SANTOLI F. , GLASHOW S.
Published: January 2008

Improving the level of accuracy in testing the principle of equivalence (PE) requires reliably extracting a very small signal from an instrument's intrinsic noise and the noise associated with the instrument's motion. In fact, the spin velocity required to modulate a PE-violating signal produces a relatively high level of motion-related noise and modulation of gravity gradients at various frequencies. In the test of the PE in an Einstein elevator under development by our team, the differential acceleration detector free-falls while spinning around a horizontal axis inside an evacuated, comoving capsule released from a stratospheric balloon. The accuracy goal of the experiment is to test the PE at an accuracy of a few parts in 1015, a limit set by the expected white-noise sources in our detector. The extraction of a very small signal from the prevailing noise sources is necessary for the experiment to succeed. In this paper, we discuss different detector configurations and describe a particular design that is able to provide a remarkable attenuation and frequency separation of the effects of motion and gravity gradients with respect to a PE-violating signal. Numerical simulations of the detector's dynamics in the presence of relevant perturbations, realistic errors, and construction imperfections show the merits of this configuration for the differential acceleration detector.
The Postperovskite Transition
Authors: Shim Sang-Heon
Published: January 2008

The discovery of the postperovskite (PPv) transition has profound impact on our understanding of the core-mantle boundary (CMB) region. Unlike perovskite (Pv), the PPv phase has a layered structure of the SiO6octahedra, which may lead to a large contrast in some properties with Pv. Recent studies have proposed unusual properties of PPv, such as a large positive Clapeyron slope, a large sensitivity of the transition depth to iron, a decrease in bulk sound speed at the transition, and a development of significant lattice preferred orientation. Many of the proposed properties can provide explanations for the intriguing seismic observations at the CMB region. Yet significant discrepancies still exist. However, rapid developments in mineral physics will continue to improve our knowledge on the changes across the PPv transition.