bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
VALVE AND BAND MORPHOLOGY OF SOME FRESHWATER DIATOMS. IV. OUTER SURFACE MUCILAGE OF NAVICULA CONFERVACEA VAR. CONFERVACEA1
Authors: Rosowski James R. , Hoagland Kyle D. , Roemer Stephen C.
Published: November 2004

The development of the mucilage on the outer surface of Navicula confervacea (Kütz.) Grun., a raphed, filamentous diatom, was studied with scanning electron microscopy. This nonstructural cell wall material, present on the surface after critical‐point drying and absent after acid cleaning, was of two types: strands and papillae. Strands were associated with the raphe system, areolae, elongated pores of the mantle, and all girdle sutures. Organic papillae were a common feature of valves, valvo‐copulae and pleurae, but their origin and distribution could not be explained since they often occurred between the obvious openings in the frustule. Strands from the raphe and areolae may function in attaching terminal cells to a substrate and adjacent cells to each other. Other strands of the girdle arise from sutures during cell enlargement and continue to lengthen and intertwine until the individual frustules within a filament are obscured. Strands from sutures might originate from the advalvar row of pores of the girdle bands since these pores lie along the suture, but direct observation of this was not made. Secretion between, the bands also cannot be ruled out. Although mucilaginous papillae may sometimes occur at random on the entire surface of frustules, there is also a distinct, narrow multiseriate row of them around the edge of valves without marginal spines.
SEASONAL PHOTOSYNTHETIC PERFORMANCE OF MACROCYSTIS INTEGRIFOLIA (PHAEOPHYCEAE)1
Authors: Smith Ronald G. , Wheeler William N. , Srivastava Lalit M.
Published: November 2004

The seasonal photosynthetic performances of three age classes of blades of Macrocystis integrifolia Bory were estimated by studying their photosynthetic rate vs. irradiance curves and pigment contents for 15 months. All blade types were irradiance‐saturated between 25 and 70 μE · m−2· S−1. Young and mature blade tissues had higher photosynthetic maxima and initial slopes on an area basis than older blade tissue. The latter, however, had pigment concentrations similar to those in mature blade tissues. All these parameters varied on a seasonal basis. The photosynthetic maxima ranged from 0.1–0.8 μmol · C · cm−2· h−t and showed two peaks, one in late summer‐early fall and the other in late winter. Changes in initial slope and pigment concentrations in the blade tissues suggest that, changes in the size or efficiency of electron transfer in the photosynthetic unit occur. These data are discussed in relation to changes in seawater temperature and nitrate concentrations.
ASSET POVERTY IN THE UNITED STATES, 1984–99: EVIDENCE FROM THE PANEL STUDY OF INCOME DYNAMICS
Authors: Caner Asena , Wolff Edward N.
Published: November 2004

Using PSID data for the years 1984–99, we estimate the level and severity of asset poverty. We find that despite a sharp decline in the official poverty rate, the asset poverty rate barely budged over this period. Moreover, the severity of asset poverty increased during this period. The likelihood of being asset‐poor decreased for those who are college graduates or married with children, whereas it increased for those who are white, for the unmarried elderly, and for those without a college degree. Lifetime events such as changes in job market, marital and homeownership status are correlated with transitions into and out of asset poverty.
RANK AND QUANTITY MOBILITY IN THE EMPIRICAL DYNAMICS OF INEQUALITY
Authors: Beenstock Michael
Published: November 2004

Horizontal and vertical measures of inequality are related through mobility. The paper draws attention to two types of mobility: quantity mobility, which refers to mobility in income itself, and rank mobility, which refers to mobility in the position in the distribution of income. Individually matched census data for earnings in Israel are used to illustrate these concepts empirically. Mobility is measured between 1983 and 1995. It is shown that earnings in Israel are highly mobile. The high degree of earnings mobility implies that horizontal measures of inequality considerably overstate the underlying level of inequality. The method of errors in variables is used to distinguish between current and permanent mobility and inequality. Permanent earnings are more equal than current earnings and less mobile. Finally, the methodology is applied to PSID. It is shown that earnings were more mobile in Israel than in the United States.
MEASURES OF STOCK MARKET VALUE AND RETURNS FOR THE U.S. NONFINANCIAL CORPORATE SECTOR, 1900–2002
Authors: Wright Stephen
Published: November 2004

This paper describes a new dataset of annual time series relating to the U.S. nonfinancial corporate sector: its market value, returns, and the major underlying stocks and flows that are valued by financial markets. The data cover the entire twentieth century, and thus fill a significant gap in the documentation of financial and real economy linkages. Previously available data cover either shorter periods, or a more restricted sample of quoted companies. A range of series are constructed on a consistent basis: returns; dividend yields (including an alternative “cashflow” measure); earnings; and “q”, on a range of definitions; as well as corporate leverage measures. The main features are: the relative long‐run stability of both q and the cashflow dividend yield; the systematic tendency for q to be less than unity; and the ambiguous picture presented by alternative measures of corporate leverage.
CARDIOPROTECTIVE FUNCTIONS OF ATRIAL NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE AND B‐TYPE NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE: A BRIEF REVIEW
Authors: Woods Robyn L
Published: November 2004

1. If one was to design a hormone to protect the heart, it would have a number of features shown by the cardiac natriuretic peptides atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and B‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP). These hormones are made in cardiomyocytes and are released into the circulation in response to atrial and ventricular stretch, respectively. Atrial natriuretic peptide and BNP can reduce the preload and after‐load in normal and failing hearts. They reduce blood volume over the short term by sequestering plasma and over the longer term by promoting renal salt and water excretion and by antagonizing the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system at many levels. Each of these actions affords indirect benefit to a volume‐ or pressure‐threatened heart.

2. Recent studies have identified additional modes of action of the natriuretic peptides that may also confer cardioprotective benefits, especially in heart disease. The emerging findings are: (i) that ANP and BNP antagonize the cardiac hypertrophic action of angiotensin II and continue working under conditions where endothelial nitric oxide (NO) function is compromised, such as in the presence of high glucose in diabetes; (ii) they potentiate the bradycardia caused by inhibitory (‘autoprotective’) cardio‐cardiac reflexes; and, furthermore, (iii) BNP can suppress cardiac sympathetic nerve activity in humans, including those with heart failure. Thus, it appears that natriuretic peptides can shift sympathovagal balance in a beneficial direction (away from the sympathetic). The vagal reflex and antihypertrophic actions of the peptides are mediated by particulate guanylyl cyclase (pGC) natriuretic peptide receptors.

3. The multiple synergistic actions of the natriuretic peptides make them and their pGC receptors attractive targets for therapy in heart disease. Encouragingly, exogenous natriuretic peptides remain effective even when endogenous peptide levels are raised, as is the case in heart failure. They also remain effective in disease states where other protective mechanisms, such as the NO system, have become ineffective, offering yet further encouragement for the therapeutic use of the natriuretic peptides.
Effects of thermoperiods on diapause induction in the cabbage beetle, Colaphellus bowringi (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)
Authors: Wang Xiao‐Ping , Xue Fang‐Sen , Ge Feng , Zhou Cheng‐Ai , You Lan‐Shao
Published: November 2004

Abstract.  The effects of thermoperiods on diapause induction in continuous darkness or under a 12 : 12 h LD photoperiod were investigated in the cabbage beetle, Colaphellus bowringi Baly, a typical short‐day species. The diapause response curves both at different constant temperatures and at the thermocycle of format CT x: (24 − x) h (16 : 28 °C) under continuously dark rearing conditions showed that the incidence of diapause depended mainly on whether or not the mean temperature was ≤20 °C or >20 °C. If the mean temperature was ≤20 °C, all individuals entered diapause; if >20 °C, the incidence of diapause declined gradually with increasing mean temperatures. The thermocycle (CT 12 : 12 h) with a series of different cryophases (8–22 °C) and thermophases (24–32 °C) under continuous darkness demonstrated a cryophase response threshold temperature of approximately 19 °C and a thermophase response threshold temperature of approximately 31 °C. Thermoperiodic amplitude (temperature difference between cryophase and thermophase) was shown to have a significant influence on diapause induction at the mean temperatures of 22, 23 and 24 °C, but not at ≥25 °C. Thermoperiodic responses under LD 12 : 12 h clearly showed that the incidence of diapause was influenced strongly by the photophase temperature. The thermoperiod under LD 12 : 12 h induced a much lower incidence of diapause than the thermoperiod with the same temperature in continuous darkness. The ecological significance of thermoperiodic induction of diapause in this species is discussed.
Evidence for anaerobic metabolism in the larval tiger beetle, Phaeoxantha klugii (Col. Cicindelidae) from a Central Amazonian floodplain (Brazil)
Authors: Zerm Matthias , Walenciak Oliver , Val Adalberto L. , Adis Joachim
Published: November 2004

Abstract.  The tiger beetle, Phaeoxantha klugii Chaudoir, survives the annual inundation period in Central Amazonian floodplains as a third‐instar larvae submerged in the soil at approximately 29 °C for up to 3.5 months. Previous studies showed an exceptional anoxia resistance in these larvae and this study investigates whether they perform anaerobiosis. Larvae collected in the field were exposed to a pure nitrogen atmosphere for 0–9 days in the laboratory. The content of lactate, alanine, free sugars and glycogen is analysed in surviving larvae. Lactate and alanine contents rise during anoxia from around 1.5 and 7 to 6–14 and 15–22 µmol g−1 fresh mass, respectively, providing evidence for anaerobic metabolism. Both compounds show a steep increase during the first 12 h and a tendency to rise further with increasing duration of anoxic conditions, indicating a significant metabolic depression within the first day. Content of free sugars and glycogen varies greatly between individuals and ranges from 0.08–2.5 and 0.05–2.9 mg g−1 fresh mass, respectively. Whether glycogen is used as metabolic substrate for anaerobiosis could not be verified. The findings for free sugars indicate that larvae apparently maintain the ability to regulate the level of glucose and/or trehalose even after 9 days of anoxia.
Epicuticular lipids and fertility in primitively social wasps (Hymenoptera Stenogastrinae)
Authors: Turillazzi S. , Sledge M. F. , Dapporto L. , Landi M. , Fanelli D. , Fondelli L. , Zanetti P. , Dani F. R.
Published: November 2004

Abstract. Lipid cuticular profiles of females of four species belonging to three different genera of stenogastrine wasps are examined in connection with reproductive potential (relative ovarian development). Cuticular lipids may not only represent the cues for nestmate discrimination (already behaviourally ascertained in three of the same species), but also allow discrimination of fertile and non fertile individuals. Comparisons with more socially evolved insects are reported and discussed.
Deteriorating effects of diapause duration on postdiapause life history traits in the Kanzawa spider mite
Authors: Ito Katsura
Published: November 2004

Abstract.  The aim of this study is to clarify the deleterious effects of long‐term diapause on survival, postdiapause number of offspring and longevity in two populations of Kanzawa spider mite Tetranychus kanzawai Kishida (Acari: Tetranychidae), which were collected from Orixa japonica (Rutaceae) and Hydrangia hirta (Saxifragaceae) in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. As the chilling period lengthens, the rate of surviving females declines more steeply in the Orixa population than the Hydrangea population. In the Orixa population, the offspring numbers of diapausing females chilled for 30 or 90 days are not significantly different from those of the parental generation, whereas they decrease to approximately one‐half that of the parental generation in the Hydrangea population. The postdiapause longevity in the 30‐ or 90‐day chilling treatments does not shorten significantly compared with that of parental generation in the Orixa population, but the longevity of the Hydrangea population declines significantly after these chilling periods. These results suggest that deteriorating effects of diapause act in a quite different manner in the two populations. A possible mechanism generating such a difference is discussed in view of trade‐off between the maintenance of body conditions and survival during hibernation.
Effect of a Training Program for Maternity Ward Professionals on Duration of Breastfeeding
Authors: Vittoz Jean‐Philippe , Labarere Jose , Castell Marion , Durand Muriel , Pons Jean‐Claude
Published: November 2004

Abstract:  Background: Training programs are commonly viewed as an effective way to improve breastfeeding‐related practices of health professionals. The objective of this study was to determine whether a 3‐day training program for maternity ward professionals was followed by an increase in duration of any breastfeeding. Methods: A before‐and‐after study was conducted involving two retrospective random samples of 308 mothers who had delivered a healthy singleton infant of 37 weeks’ or more gestation and 2,500 g or more birthweight in a level 3 maternity ward in a university hospital in France. Data were gathered from medical records and postal questionnaire. Results: Study participants included 169 mothers (54.9%) in the pre‐intervention sample and 178 (57.8%) in the post‐intervention sample. The prevalence of any breastfeeding at birth was 77.5 percent (70.5%–83.6%) in the pre‐intervention sample and 82.6 percent (76.2%–87.8%) in the post‐intervention sample(p = 0.24); the median duration of any breastfeeding was 13 weeks and 16 weeks, respectively(χ2log‐rank test = 5.8, p = 0.02). The decreased risk of weaning in the post‐intervention sample persisted after adjustment for baseline characteristics (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.70 [0.54–0.91]). It was paralleled by significant improvement in maternity ward practices that are known to affect the duration of breastfeeding. Conclusion: An intensive 3‐day training program for maternity ward professionals can be followed by a significant but moderate increase in the duration of any breastfeeding. Multifaceted interventions involving prenatal components and community support should be planned in Western countries with low to intermediate prevalence of breastfeeding.
Humanizing Birth:  A Global Grassroots Movement
Authors: Goer Henci
Published: November 2004

Abstract:  A survey of a convenience sample of 24 grassroots birth activist groups based in several countries revealed remarkable similarities despite differences in culture and maternity care systems. With few exceptions, they began with a few individuals, generally women, who were dissatisfied or angry with an obstetric management system that failed to provide safe, effective, humane maternity care, that suppressed alternative models of care and nonconforming practitioners, or both. Responses indicated that organizational structures tend to fall into a limited number of categories, and strategies intended to accomplish reform overlap considerably. All groups have experienced difficulties resulting from the hegemony of conventional obstetric management and active opposition of practitioners within that model. Most groups are volunteer based, and all struggle under the handicap of limited resources compared with the forces arrayed against them and the scope of what they hope to accomplish.
Novel heat shock protein HspQ stimulates the degradation of mutant DnaA protein in Escherichia coli
Authors: Shimuta Toh‐ru , Nakano Kiyotaka , Yamaguchi Yoko , Ozaki Shogo , Fujimitsu Kazuyuki , Matsunaga Chika , Noguchi Kenji , Emoto Akiko , Katayama Tsutomu
Published: November 2004

Escherichia coli DnaA protein initiates chromosomal replication and is an important regulatory target during the replication cycle. In this study, a suppressor mutation isolated by transposon mutagenesis was found to allow growth of the temperature‐sensitive dnaA508 and dnaA167 mutants at 40 °C. The suppressor consists of a transposon insertion in a previously annotated ORF, here termed hspQ, a novel heat shock gene whose promoter is recognized by the major heat shock sigma factor σ32. Expression of hspQ on a pBR322 derivative inhibits growth of the dnaA508 and dnaA167 mutants at 30 °C, whereas growth of dnaA46 and other dnaA mutants is insensitive to changes in the level of hspQ. Cellular DnaA508 protein is degraded rapidly at elevated temperature, but hspQ disruption impedes this process. In contrast, DnaA46 protein is rapidly degraded in an hspQ‐independent manner. Gel‐filtration and chemical cross‐linking experiments suggest that HspQ forms a stable homodimer in solution and can form homomultimers consisting of about four monomers. Heat‐shock induced proteases such as Clp contain homomultimers of subunit proteins. We propose that HspQ is a new factor involved in the quality control of proteins and that it functions by excluding denatured proteins.
High‐throughput screening of genome fragments bound to differentially acetylated histones
Authors: Kaneda Ruri , Toyota Minoru , Yamashita Yoshihiro , Koinuma Koji , Choi Young Lim , Ota Jun , Kisanuki Hiroyuki , Ishikawa Madoka , Takada Shuji , Shimada Kazuyuki , Mano Hiroyuki
Published: November 2004

Although acetylation‐deacetylation of histones contributes to regulation of gene expression, few methods have been available to determine the whole‐genome histone acetylation profile in specific cells or tissues. We have now developed a genome‐wide screening method, differential chromatin scanning (DCS), to isolate genome fragments embedded in histones subject to differential acetylation. This DCS screening was applied to a human gastric cancer cell line incubated with or without an inhibitor of histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity, resulting in the rapid identification of more than 250 genome fragments. Interestingly, a number of cancer‐related genes were revealed to be the targets of HDAC in the cancer cells, including those for tumour protein 73 and cell division cycle 34. Such differential acetylation of histone was also shown to be linked to the regulation of transcriptional activity of the corresponding genes. Among the isolated genome fragments, 94% (32/34) of them were confirmed to be bound to differentially acetylated histones, and the genes corresponding to 78% (7/9) of them exhibited differential transcriptional activity consistent with the level of histone acetylation. With its high fidelity, the DCS method should open a possibility to rapidly compare the genome‐wide histone acetylation profiles and to provide novel insights into molecular carcinogenesis.
Id2 haploinsufficiency in mice leads to congenital hydronephrosis resembling that in humans
Authors: Aoki Yoshitaka , Mori Seiichi , Kitajima Kazuhito , Yokoyama Osamu , Kanamaru Hiroshi , Okada Kenichiro , Yokota Yoshifumi
Published: November 2004

Congenital hydronephrosis is one of the most common anomalies found in humans and may cause renal failure in childhood. Half of the cases are due to obstruction at the ureteropelvic junction (UPJ). Here we report that mice lacking Id2, an inhibitor of basic helix‐loop‐helix (bHLH) transcription factors, exhibit hydronephrosis mimicking the characteristics of human cases such as unilaterality and male preponderance. Hydronephrosis was found even in Id2+/– mice. The penetrance was 67.2% in Id2−/– males, 48.8% in Id2+/– males, 28.0% in Id2−/– females and 20.0% in Id2+/– females. Distortion or high insertion of the ureter at the UPJ was frequently observed and these morphological changes were evident in late embryogenesis. Histologically, the muscle layer, where Id2 is normally expressed, was hypertrophic and/or irregular at the UPJ. Furthermore, gene expression analysis suggested that BMP4 (bone morphogenetic protein 4), which is known to be involved in the development of hydronephrosis, appears to function as an upstream factor of Id2. Our results thus raise the possibility that Id2 is a gene responsible for the pathogenesis of hydronephrosis in man.
The Sec14 family glycerophospholipid‐transfer protein is required for structural integrity of the spindle pole body during meiosis in fission yeast
Authors: Nakase Yukiko , Nakamura Taro , Okazaki Koei , Hirata Aiko , Shimoda Chikashi
Published: November 2004

The fission yeast spo20+ gene encodes a glycerophospholipid‐transfer protein. spo20 mutants are unable to assemble the forespore membrane properly. Here we studied the structural integrity of the spindle pole body (SPB) in spo20‐H6 mutants during meiosis. Meiotic cells expressing a GFP‐tagged SPB marker protein, Spo15‐GFP, showed an excess number of SPBs, some of which were not localized to the spindle poles and were termed ‘pseudo‐SPBs’. Formation of spindles for meiosis I was significantly delayed in spo20‐H6 cells, although the morphology of spindles and segregation of the sister chromatids seemed normal. The SPB of spo20‐H6 contained meiosis‐specific outer plaques, though outermost layers were less evident. Time‐lapse studies of spo20‐H6 cells showed that the pseudo‐SPBs originated from normal SPBs at the spindle poles during meiosis I. Among the SPB components tested, Spo15, Spo13, Sad1 and Cut12 were localized to the pseudo‐SPBs, but Sid4 was not always present. Alp4, a component of the γ‐tubulin complex, was also present in about 40% of the pseudo‐SPBs. The forespore membranes initiated from both the SPBs and the pseudo‐SPBs. We conclude that Spo20 plays a role in maintaining the structural integrity of the meiotic SPB, besides supplying membrane vesicles for forespore membrane assembly.
Successful liver transplantation in a patient with severe haemophilia A and a high‐titre factor VIII inhibitor
Authors: Ashrani A. A. , Reding M. T. , Shet A. , Osip J. , Humar A. , Lake J. R. , Key N. S.
Published: November 2004

Summary.  We present the case of a 61‐year‐old man with severe haemophilia A and a high‐titre factor VIII inhibitor who underwent successful orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) for hepatocellular carcinoma. Postoperatively, a modest early anamnestic response to FVIII was followed by immunological tolerance to FVIII. This case illustrates the technical feasibility of OLT in some patients with high‐titre inhibitors to FVIII, and suggests that immune tolerance may be induced by endogenously produced FVIII from the transplanted organ.
Hepatitis C infection in children with haemophilia: a pilot study
Authors: Posthouwer D. , Wolters V. M. , Fischer K. , Houwen R. H. J. , van den Berg H. M. , Mauser‐Bunschoten E. P.
Published: November 2004

Summary.  Many haemophilia patients were infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in childhood after transfusion with inadequately or non‐virus inactivated clotting factor products. Limited information is available on the clinical course of HCV infection in children. To assess the clinical consequences of hepatitis C in these young patients we performed a pilot study of 31 patients with haemophilia, infected with HCV before the age of 13. Current median age was 20 years. Nineteen (61%) patients had chronic hepatitis C, whereas the remaining 12 patients spontaneously cleared HCV. The median duration of infection was 17 years. Among patients chronically infected with HCV, an enlarged liver and/or spleen on ultrasound was present in 59%, whereas 63% had abnormal aminotransferases and/or γ‐GT values. In conclusion, 39% of the patients infected in childhood cleared HCV spontaneously. The majority of the patients with chronic hepatitis C had ultrasound and/or laboratory abnormalities and these findings may be associated with the presence of chronic liver disease.
Same day outpatient transjugular liver biopsies in haemophilia
Authors: Saab S. , Cho D. , Quon D. V. K. , Ibrahim A. B. , Dong P. , Marder V. , Logan L.
Published: November 2004

Summary.  Patients with haemophilia are at increased risk of hepatitis C infection because of prior transfusion of blood products. Virtually all haemophiliacs who received pooled blood products before the mid‐1980s have been infected with hepatitis C. A liver biopsy is important to identify the extent of liver disease, and to help determine the necessity of interferon therapy. With factor replacement, in‐hospital liver biopsy is safe. Thirty patients with haemophilia were evaluated for chronic hepatitis C infection. Eleven patients subsequently underwent successful transjugular liver biopsy in the outpatient setting after appropriate factor replacement. Mean ± SD pre‐ and posthaemoglobin values were 15.8 ± 0.79 and 14.4 ± 0.71 g dL−1 (P = ns). There was no significant change in heart rate, systolic or diastolic blood pressure during the monitoring period (P = ns) and no major complication was noted in perioperative follow‐up. The mean length of the liver biopsy specimens was 1.7 ± 0.3 cm, mean grade was 2 ± 0.6 and mean stage was 2.3 ± 1.2. Our experience demonstrates that outpatient transjugular liver biopsy can be safely performed in patients with haemophilia in the outpatient setting, avoiding the cost and need for hospital admission.
Thawed cryoprecipitate stored for 6 h at room temperature: a potential alternative to factor VIII concentrate for continuous infusion
Authors: Pesquera‐Lepatan L. M. B. , Hernandez F. G. , Lim R. D. , Chua M. N.
Published: November 2004

Summary.  Continuous infusion (CI) of factor VIII concentrates has been demonstrated to be cost‐effective method in maintaining stable levels of FVIII activity in haemophilia A patients with major bleeding or undergoing major surgery. Cryoprecipitates remain the major source of FVIII in developing countries‐like the Philippines because of limited availability and high cost of concentrates. To support the use of cryoprecipitate as alternative to FVIII concentrate for CI in centres with no factor concentrates, FVIII levels in 37 bags of random cryoprecipitate were measured at 0, 2, 4 and 6 h after thawing, kept at room temperature with bacteriological culture studies performed on the sixth hour. The mean FVIII content at hour 0 was 108.10 U per bag. Type ORh+ blood had lower FVIII content (±78.91 U per bag) compared with blood types ARh+ (±121.64 U per bag) and BRh+ (±117.04 U per bag). The units stored <6 months had higher FVIII content (±117.74 U per bag) compared with those stored for over 6‐ but <12‐months (±66.77 U per bag). The mean rate of decline of FVIII activity at 2, 4 and 6 h was statistically significant at 10.35% (P = 0.000), 21.49% (P = 0.000) and 29.41% (P = 0.000) from baseline, respectively, using the paired t‐test. Similar finding was found across different blood types and storage duration. Only one of 37 bags grew Staphylococcus aureus on day 10 of incubation.
Comparing hand‐held computers and paper diaries for haemophilia home therapy: a randomized trial
Authors: Walker I. , Sigouin C. , Sek J. , Almonte T. , Carruthers J. , Chan A. , Pai M. , Heddle N.
Published: November 2004

Summary.  Treatment of severe haemophilia with factor concentrates is by self‐infusion in the home. Adherence to record keeping on paper diaries is poor. A randomized‐controlled trial compared adherence with record keeping of paper diaries with hand‐held computers. Forty‐one individuals with severe haemophilia, were randomized to hand‐held computers (n = 22) or paper diaries (n = 19) and followed for 6 months. About 86.2% (679 of 788) of infusions by patients in the computer group were in compliance with the data submission schedule compared with only 48.3% (358 of 741) of infusions by patients using paper diaries (P < 0.0001). The time intervals between infusions and the receipt of data were shorter in the computer group (median 0.25 vs. 25 days respectively, P < 0.0001). Reminder phone calls by the clinic were made less frequently to users of hand‐held computers than to users of paper diaries (median one vs. five times, P < 0.0001). Accuracy of data was similar for both methods. Compliance with hand‐held computers was superior to paper diaries. The clinic received data from hand‐held computers mostly on the same day, and nurses could thereby provide clinical advice more effectively. Although hand‐held computers did not result in increased accuracy, errors could be detected and corrected more rapidly. Electronic data can more easily be verified, analysed and summarized than that from paper diaries.
Relationships between the demography and distribution of two bird‐dispersed plants in an island archipelago
Authors: Burns K. C.
Published: November 2004

Aim I evaluated relationships between the demography and distribution of two bird‐dispersed shrubs in an island archipelago to better understand the life history precursors of different island distributional patterns.

Location Barkley Sound, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada (48°80′ N, 125°20′ W).

Methods The abundance and occurrence ofLonicera involucrataRich. (Caprifoliaceae) andRibes divaricatumDougl. (Grossulariaceae) were measured on 69 islands measuring between 25 and 800 m2. Light and soil conditions were quantified to broadly characterize changes in environmental conditions with island area and isolation. Several experiments and field observations were conducted to evaluate the life history response of each species to changes in island environments.

Results Lonicerashowed a typical island distribution; it increased in abundance and occurrence with island area.Ribeshad a more unusual distributional pattern; it showed no differences in occurrence or abundance with island area. The distribution of both species was unrelated to island isolation. Small islands had less soil and more light than large islands, while environmental conditions were unrelated to island isolation.Lonicerahad higher seed germination rates and adult survivorship in large island environments, but similar rates of seed dispersal, seedling survivorship and sapling survivorship in large and small island environments.Ribeshad similar rates of seed dispersal, germination and adult survivorship in large and small island environments. However, slightly higher seedling survivorship in large island environments was offset by decreased sapling survivorship.

Conclusions Demographic advantages accrued at particular life history stages were either enhanced (Lonicera) or erased (Ribes) at other life history stages. Nevertheless, overall life history trends were consistent with distributional patterns, and suggest different suites of life history characteristics promote different island distributions.
Species diversity and endemism of five major Malesian islands: diversity–area relationships
Authors: Roos Marco C. , Keßler Paul J. A. , Robbert Gradstein S. , Baas Pieter
Published: November 2004

Aim  A comparison of biodiversity patterns within Malesia in relation to surface area.

Location  Analysis of the patterns in species richness and endemism of vascular plants in the five major Malesian islands, i.e. Java, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Borneo and New Guinea.

Methods  Available data on species richness and species ranges in correlation with the surface area of the respective islands were examined in this work. Estimations of total species numbers for these islands are presented based on extrapolation of all available published Flora Malesiana information and recent checklists, all in all comprising 12,000 different species. The regression analysis of overall species richness and endemism were studied for all species together as well as for different plant families to compare the fit with the Arrhenius species–area model.

Results  The five islands form a series of independent areas of increasing size suited for an analysis of the species–area relationships at the regional scale. All species taken together and those of families with even distribution throughout Malesia show significant species–area relationships. Non‐significant relationships were detected in families with western or eastern‐centred Malesian distribution patterns. Relationships between number of endemic species and surface area are significant for all species and for the majority of the families with significant species–area relationships.

Main conclusions  Species–area relationships of families appear to be dependent on species number. Families with high numbers of species usually have a significant species–area relationship whereas small families have not. For the families that display an eastern or western Malesian centred pattern, a historical biogeographical explanation should be invoked. Island surface area appears to be a predictor for island percent endemism in Malesian vascular plants. None of the islands appears to be a hotspot of endemism nor of species diversity, as no significant departure from the Arrhenius model was noted for any of them.
Community mental health nursing and early intervention in dementia: developing practice through a single case history
Authors: Keady John , Woods Bob , Hahn Sue , Hill Jim
Published: November 2004

This paper reports on a single case history taken from the ‘Dementia Action Research and Education’ project, a 15‐month primary care intervention study that was undertaken in North Wales in the early part of 2000. The study sought to address the meaning, context and diversity of early intervention in dementia care and employed a community mental health nurse and a psychiatric social worker to undertake early and psychosocial interventions with older people with dementia (aged 75 years and over) and their families. The workers tape‐recorded, documented and analysed their interventions with 27 older people with dementia and their families over the 15‐month duration of the study. Clinical supervision was also undertaken during the intervention phase. One case history is presented in this paper to illustrate the work of the community mental health nurse and to identify areas of practice development. Greater role transparency, collaborative working and improvement in educational preparation for practice are called for.
A literature review exploring how healthcare professionals contribute to the assessment and control of postoperative pain in older people
Authors: Brown Donna
Published: November 2004

Little research has examined the care older people receive in the acute surgical setting. Although pain assessment and management are judged to be a priority in nursing, often pain, in older people, is undermanaged for a variety of reasons. Factors such as stoicism, communication and ageism can shape both the patients’ and nurses’ attitude towards the perception of pain which subsequently affects pain management. Through a review of the literature, this paper aims to: (i) identify how healthcare professionals contribute to the assessment and control of postoperative pain in older people and (ii) explore potential barriers to achieving more advantageous pain control in this group. It is suggested that to improve pain management there is a need to individualize pain assessment for older people and to assist clinicians with enhancing their education and decision‐making abilities in this field. This may best be achieved by supporting a programme of change to develop the skills of staff and encouraging learning through reflective practice. There is however a need for further research in this area.
Older people's views on rural life: a study of three villages
Authors: Manthorpe Jill , Malin Nigel , Stubbs Helena
Published: November 2004

In the context of increasing interest in how rurality affects health services and nursing practice in the UK, this paper reports and discusses data from a survey of older people living in three English villages. The survey found that village populations differed widely, that there were changes in the proportions of older people in the villages over time, and that close social networks existed for some but not all. The paper concludes that health care practitioners should avoid stereotypes of village life. In their increasing emphasis on health promotion and active ageing among older people, nurses may find data collected by the voluntary sector to be a useful resource. Working in partnership with groups to achieve a deep understanding of local contexts may assist nursing practitioners when building up pictures of older patients' health‐related needs and views.
Preventive home care of frail older people: a review of recent case management studies
Authors: Hallberg Ingalill Rahm , Kristensson Jimmie
Published: November 2004

Preventive actions targeting community‐dwelling frail older people will be increasingly important with the growing number of very old and thereby also frail older people. This study aimed to explore and summarize the empirical literature on recent studies of case/care management interventions for community‐dwelling frail older people and especially with regard to the content of the interventions and the nurse's role and outcome of it. Very few of the interventions took either a preventive or a rehabilitative approach using psycho‐educative interventions focusing, for instance, on self‐care activities, risk prevention, health complaints management or how to preserve or strengthen social activities, community involvement and functional ability. Moreover, it was striking that very few included a family‐oriented approach also including support and education for informal caregivers. Thus it seems that the content of case/care management needs to be expanded and more influenced by a salutogenic health care perspective. Targeting frail older people seemed to benefit from a standardized two‐stage strategy for inclusion and for planning the interventions. A comprehensive geriatric assessment seemed useful as a base. Nurses, preferably trained in gerontological practice, have a key role in case/care management for frail older people. This approach calls for developing the content of case/care management so that it involves a more salutogenic, rehabilitative and family‐oriented approach. To this end it may be useful for nurses to strengthen their psychosocial skills or develop close collaboration with social workers. The outcome measures examined in this study represented one of three perspectives: the consumer's perspective, the perspective of health care consumption or the recipient's health and functional ability. Perhaps effects would be expected in all three areas and thus these should be included in evaluative studies in addition to measures for family and/or informal caregiver's strain and satisfaction.
Processes, outcomes and evaluation: challenges to practice development in gerontological nursing
Authors: Conway Jane , FitzGerald Mary
Published: November 2004

When aligned to participants’ needs, evaluation may be used to enhance practice developers’ work. Process evaluation enables practice developers to evaluate as they develop; making evaluation an integral part of practice development rather than an ‘add on task’. It is contended that beginning practice developers can discharge their need to evaluate their work through the practice development techniques of critical reflection, dialogue and action learning. These form the basis of iterative and formative evaluation activity. However other types of evaluation are important for different audiences in practice development. Consideration of the purpose and utility of evaluation in a range of contexts in which gerontological nursing occurs, brings some clarity regarding the scope of the evaluation required to sustain practice development initiatives. In addition, it helps to clarify the nature of the evaluation required to provide evidence of patient‐centred outcomes from developments in the practice of gerontological nursing.
The importance of changing oceanography in controlling late Quaternary carbonate sedimentation on a high‐energy, tropical, oceanic ramp: north‐western Australia
Authors: James Noel P. , Bone Yvonne , Kyser T. Kurtis , Dix George R. , Collins Lindsay B.
Published: November 2004

The North West Shelf is an ocean‐facing carbonate ramp that lies in a warm‐water setting adjacent to an arid hinterland of moderate to low relief. The sea floor is strongly affected by cyclonic storms, long‐period swells and large internal tides, resulting in preferentially accumulating coarse‐grained sediments. Circulation is dominated by the south‐flowing, low‐salinity Leeuwin Current, upwelling associated with the Indian Ocean Gyre, seaward‐flowing saline bottom waters generated by seasonal evaporation, and flashy fluvial discharge. Sediments are palimpsest, a variable mixture of relict, stranded and Holocene grains. Relict intraclasts, both skeletal and lithic, interpreted as having formed during sea‐level highstands of Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 3 and 4, are now localized to the mid‐ramp. The most conspicuous stranded particles are ooids and peloids, which 14C dating shows formed at 15·4–12·7 Ka, in somewhat saline waters during initial stages of post‐Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) sea‐level rise. It appears that initiation of Leeuwin Current flow with its relatively less saline, but oceanic waters arrested ooid formation such that subsequent benthic Holocene sediment is principally biofragmental, with sedimentation localized to the inner ramp and a ridge of planktic foraminifera offshore. Inner‐ramp deposits are a mixture of heterozoan and photozoan elements. Depositional facies reflect episodic environmental perturbation by riverine‐derived sediments and nutrients, resulting in a mixed habitat of oligotrophic (coral reefs and large benthic foraminifera) and mesotrophic (macroalgae and bryozoans) indicators. Holocene mid‐ramp sediment is heterozoan in character, but sparse, most probably because of the periodic seaward flow of saline bottom waters generated by coastal evaporation. Holocene outer‐ramp sediment is mainly pelagic, veneering shallow‐water sediments of Marine Isotope Stage 2, including LGM deposits. Phosphate accumulations at ≈ 200 m water depth suggest periodic upwelling or Fe‐redox pumping, whereas enhanced near‐surface productivity, probably associated with the interaction between the Leeuwin Current and Indian Ocean surface water, results in a linear ridge of pelagic sediment at ≈ 140 m water depth. This ramp depositional system in an arid climate has important applications for the geological record: inner‐ramp sediments can contain important heterozoan elements, mid‐ramp sediments with bedforms created by internal tides can form in water depths exceeding 50 m, saline outflow can arrest or dramatically slow mid‐ramp sedimentation mimicking maximum flooding intervals, and outer‐ramp planktic productivity can generate locally important fine‐grained carbonate sediment bodies. Changing oceanography during sea‐level rise can profoundly affect sediment composition, sedimentation rate and packaging.
Laminated–bioturbated cycles in Maastrichtian chalk of the North Sea: oxygenation fluctuations within the Milankovitch frequency band
Authors: Damholt Tove , Surlyk Finn
Published: November 2004

The Maastrichtian chalk of the southern Central Graben, Danish North Sea, is a homogeneous pure white coccolithic chalk mudstone deposited in a deep epeiric shelf sea, which covered large parts of northern Europe. The sediment displays a pronounced cyclicity marked by decimetre‐thick bioturbated beds alternating with slightly thinner non‐bioturbated, mainly laminated beds. The laminated half‐cycles consist of alternating millimetre‐thick, graded, high‐porosity laminae and non‐graded, low‐porosity laminae. The cyclicity has been interpreted previously as caused by periods of slow background sedimentation and bioturbation interrupted by periods of rapid deposition of laminated beds, with the latter reflecting random and local resedimentation processes. Based on textural and structural analysis, the millimetre‐scale, non‐graded laminae are interpreted as having been deposited directly from pelagic rain of pelleted coccoliths representing the primary production. The graded laminae were deposited from small‐volume, low‐density turbidity currents and suspension clouds. The sedimentation rates of the cyclical chalk are similar to those known elsewhere, and the lamination is interpreted as having been preserved from destruction through bioturbation by anoxic conditions at the seafloor. Bioturbated–laminated cycles are thus formed by slow sedimentation during alternating seafloor redox conditions probably on a Milankovitch scale. A direct implication of this interpretation is that the cycles are areally widespread, probably extending throughout the southern Central Graben area and may be useful for correlation and high‐resolution cyclostratigraphy in the chalk fields of the Danish North sea. If the laminated half‐cycles represent a few rapid resedimentation events, with a high sedimentation rate as suggested by most workers, then the sediment would not be truly cyclic, but would represent event sedimentation within a pelagic background represented by the bioturbated beds. In this case, the cycles would have very limited potential for correlation.
Sedimentology and kinematics of a large, retrogressive growth‐fault system in Upper Carboniferous deltaic sediments, western Ireland
Authors: Wignall P. B. , Best J. L.
Published: November 2004

Growth faulting is a common feature of many deltaic environments and is vital in determining local sediment dispersal and accumulation, and hence in controlling the resultant sedimentary facies distribution and architecture. Growth faults occur on a range of scales, from a few centimetres to hundreds of metres, with the largest growth faults frequently being under‐represented in outcrops that are often smaller than the scale of feature under investigation. This paper presents data from the exceptionally large outcrops of the Cliffs of Moher, western Ireland, where a growth‐fault complex affects strata up to 60 m in thickness and extends laterally for ≈ 3 km. Study of this Namurian (Upper Carboniferous) growth‐fault system enables the relationship between growth faulting and sedimentation to be detailed and permits reconstruction of the kinematic history of faulting. Growth faulting was initiated with the onset of sandstone deposition on a succession of silty mudstones that overlie a thin, marine shale. The decollement horizon developed at the top of the marine shale contact for the first nine faults, by which time aggradation in the hangingwall exceeded 60 m in thickness. After this time, failure planes developed at higher stratigraphic levels and were associated with smaller scale faults. The fault complex shows a dominantly landward retrogressive movement, in which only one fault was largely active at any one time. There is no evidence of compressional features at the base of the growth faults, thus suggesting open‐ended slides, and the faults display both disintegrative and non‐disintegrative structure. Thin‐bedded, distal mouth bar facies dominate the hangingwall stratigraphy and, in the final stages of growth‐fault movement, erosion of the crests of rollover structures resulted in the highest strata being restricted to the proximity of the fault. These upper erosion surfaces on the fault scarp developed erosive chutes that were cut parallel to flow and are downlapped by the distal hangingwall strata of younger growth faults.