bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pluralisme identitaire et nation unitaire en Suisse
Authors: Meune Manuel
Published: September 2011

Résumé:  L’article s’interroge sur l’absence, en Suisse, d’un mouvement national interne qui s’opposerait au récit national fédéral. L’auto‐désignation comme nation, au sein de pays plurilingues comme le Canada, est l’indice de tensions linguistiques fortes, mais en Suisse, seul le concept de « communauté linguistique » se réfère à l’échelon ethnolinguistique. Même si les émotions identitaires et le rapport au territoire dans le canton de Fribourg rappellent la situation québécoise, les conflits linguistiques sont réglés exclusivement au niveau cantonal. Pour qu’émerge un discours national « infra‐suisse », il faudrait que l’appartenance romande ou alémanique soit considérée comme particulièrement centrale. Or, notre enquête auprès de 962 conseillers communaux de cantons bilingues montre que l’affiliation linguistique est importante et modèle les comportements politiques, mais qu’elle ne concurrence pas l’identification cantonale (particulièrement forte en Valais) ou l’identification suisse. Pour des raisons qui tiennent à l’histoire et à la géographie linguistique, la Suisse demeure une nation unitaire.
Taking Cantonal Variations of Integration Policy Seriously — or How to Validate International Concepts at the Subnational Comparative Level
Authors: Manatschal Anita
Published: September 2011

Abstract: Subnational varieties of immigrant integration policy, which are particularly salient in federal states, remain largely neglected by migration studies. Following Lijphart, who long demanded to verify international research at the subnational level, this study aims at capturing subnational policy variations using the example of Swiss cantons. In line with international approaches, cantonal integration policies are conceptualized and measured in terms of immigrants’ ease or difficulty of access to civic, political, socio‐structural, as well as cultural and religious rights and obligations. The transfer of an international concept to the subnational level facilitates a validation of the former, which constitutes a second neglected research field. Finally, a look at the empirical evidence allows testing the construct validity of our measurement: in line with theoretical assumptions, our data reveal a clear linguistic divide, an institutionalised “Röschtigraben”, with German speaking cantons exhibiting overall more restrictive policies than Latin cantons.
Adherence, persistence and continuation with cholinesterase inhibitors in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Le Couteur David G , Robinson Maxine , Leverton Ann , Creasey Helen , Waite Louise , Atkins Kerry , McLachlan Andrew J
Published: September 2011

Aim:  To determine adherence, persistence and continuation beyond 6 months with cholinesterase inhibitors in Australians with Alzheimer's disease.

Methods:  Adherence and persistence with cholinesterase inhibitors were assessed by data linkage using the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) Authority database and other health databases.

Results:  Over 18 000 people commenced cholinesterase inhibitors during 2004. Adherence was 79.4% while the medication possession ratio was 0.88. Some 70.3% of people filled all six scripts for the initial trial period of therapy. Some 57.3% of evaluable patients accessed funding beyond six prescriptions, indicating that their clinicians had declared that there was a two‐point or more greater improvement in the Mini‐Mental State Examination. Despite the high rate of continuation beyond 6 months, the rates of institutionalisation and death were no different to those reported in clinical trials.

Conclusions:  Persistence and adherence with cholinesterase inhibitors was reasonable once treatment was established. There was an unexpectedly high continuation rate beyond six prescriptions.
Crystal structure of Onconase at 1.1 Å resolution – insights into substrate binding and collective motion
Authors: Holloway Daniel E. , Singh Umesh P. , Shogen Kuslima , Acharya K. Ravi
Published: September 2011

Onconase® (ONC) is an amphibian member of the pancreatic ribonuclease superfamily that is selectively toxic to tumor cells. It is a much less efficient enzyme than the archetypal ribonuclease A and, in an attempt to gain further insight, we report the first atomic resolution crystal structure of ONC, determined in complex with sulfate ions at 100 K. The electron density map is of a quality sufficient to reveal significant nonplanarity in several peptide bonds. The majority of active site residues are very well defined, with the exceptions being Lys31 from the catalytic triad and Lys33 from the B1 subsite, which are relatively mobile but rigidify upon nucleotide binding. Cryocooling causes a compaction of the unit cell and the protein contained within. This is principally the result of an inward movement of one of the lobes of the enzyme (lobe 2), which also narrows the active site cleft. Binding a nucleotide in place of sulfate is associated with an approximately perpendicular movement of lobe 2 and has little further effect on the cleft width. Aspects of this deformation are present in the principal axes of anisotropy extracted from Cα atomic displacement parameters, indicating its intrinsic nature. The three lowest‐frequency modes of ONC motion predicted by an anisotropic network model are compaction/expansion variations in which lobe 2 is the prime mover. Two of these have high similarity to the cryocooling response and imply that the essential ‘breathing’ motion of ribonuclease A is conserved in ONC. Instead, shifts in conformational equilibria may contribute to the reduced ribonucleolytic activity of ONC.

Database
 Structural data have been submitted to the Protein Data Bank under accession number 3SNF.
How fast does oral dexamethasone work in mild to moderately severe croup? A randomized double‐blinded clinical trial
Authors: Dobrovoljac Milana , Geelhoed Gary C
Published: September 2011

Objective: For children with croup controversy remains over dosage and time to onset of action of oral steroids. The Cochrane Collaboration and other reviews have suggested 0.6 mg/kg dexamethasone be used (despite some evidence that 0.15 mg/kg is effective) with no expectation of benefit before 4–6 h. This randomized double‐blinded clinical trial examines whether 0.15 mg/kg dexamethasone works by 30 min.

Methods: Children with croup aged above 6 months presenting to a tertiary paediatric ED with a Westley croup score of mild to moderate range (scores 1–6 out of 17) were randomized to receive either 0.15 mg/kg dexamethasone or oral placebo solution. Vital signs and croup score were recorded at study entry and every 10 min up to 1 h after administration of the study drug. The main outcome measure was croup score at 30 min.

Results: Each group contained 35 children. Baseline characteristics were similar, except for respiratory rate, which was higher in the placebo group. There was a growing trend to a lower croup score in the dexamethasone group, evident from 10 min and statistically significant from 30 min.

Conclusion: For children with croup an oral dose of 0.15 mg/kg dexamethasone offers benefit by 30 min, much earlier than the 4 h suggested by the Cochrane Collaboration. This result might encourage doctors to treat more children with all severities of croup being less worried about potential side‐effects and delayed benefit.
Teaching medical students to resuscitate children: An innovative two‐part programme
Authors: Thomson Natasha M , Campbell Dianne E , O'Leary Fenton M
Published: September 2011

Objective: The objective of the present study was to design and evaluate a novel, ‘blended learning’ approach to the teaching of paediatric resuscitation to medical students.

Methods: Participants were recruited from the Graduate Medical Program at the University of Sydney. The course incorporated an initial e‐learning module and a subsequent practical component. The e‐learning module taught basic and advanced life support. Students then attended a 90 min practical session, which focussed on team work and the psychomotor components of resuscitation. Improvement in knowledge was measured by a multiple choice question (MCQ) test. The MCQ was completed prior to beginning the whole course, after completion of the e‐learning module and again at follow up 8 months later. Students also completed an evaluation survey.

Results: Twenty‐one students participated. There was a significant objective increase in knowledge from pre‐course to post e‐learning scores, median scores (interquartile range) from 12/23 (10.5 to 13.5) to 21/23 (20 to 22.5), P < 0.001. This significant increase in knowledge was still apparent at follow up 8 months later. Median MCQ score at follow up was 17/23 (14 to 18.5), P < 0.002. Students self‐rated significant improvements in their knowledge, confidence and ability to perform basic and advanced life support for the whole course and between individual components (P < 0.001).

Conclusions: A novel paediatric resuscitation course for medical students was developed and evaluated. This demonstrated significant objective improvements in student knowledge throughout the course, at course completion and at 8 month follow up. There were also significant subjective improvements in knowledge, confidence and ability to perform paediatric resuscitation.
Storied experiences of nurse practitioners managing prehypertension in primary care
Authors: Hernandez Johnanna , Anderson Stoerm
Published: September 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the nurse practitioner (NP) experience with caring for prehypertensive patients. Lifestyle modifications are the primary recommendation for management of prehypertension. Given the historical foundation of health promotion and disease prevention as a fundamental component of NP professional identity, gaining insight into the experience of caring for prehypertensive patients in the current healthcare environment is valuable to the profession, patients, and communities. Therefore, the NP role in health promotion and disease prevention related to prehypertension was explored as well.

Data sources: Narrative inquiry was the chosen methodology to gather narrative accounts of eight NPs caring for prehypertensive patients in primary care. The three‐dimensional narrative inquiry space was used to guide the researcher during data analysis.

Conclusions: Three themes emerged from the NPs’ narratives: realities of practice, ambiguous role identity, and bridging models. Time constraints, financial considerations, and bridging the nursing and medical models while adapting to practice environments were barriers identified as components of the NP experience caring for patients with prehypertension.

Implications for practice: This study revealed that caring for prehypertensive patients is a complex and multilayered experience.
Avoiding regulatory complaints when treating chronic pain patients with opioids
Authors: Hudspeth Randall S.
Published: September 2011

Purpose: To provide nurse practitioners (NPs) in primary care settings who treat chronic pain with opioids information on nationally accepted standards, assessment tools, pain management contracts, and effective documentation strategies to evidence safe practice to protect patients, the public, and to defend the NP against complaints that lead to regulatory investigations.

Data sources: Existing screening tools and national pain management standards.

Conclusions: Many NPs lack formal pain management education and preceptorships, thus leaving them at risk for incomplete assessments, poor documentation, and failing to implement necessary safeguards that can lead to regulatory complaint investigations and discipline against their license.

Implications for practice: NPs often lack awareness of national pain management standards and the risks of chronic opioid prescribing. When adverse events occur, the NP can become the focus of a regulatory investigation that results in formal discipline against their license to practice. Using standard assessment tools, pain management contracts, and implementing safeguards to protect the patient and the public evidence safe practice and, help avoid regulatory discipline against the NP license.
Using aerial photography to investigate evidence of feeding by bowhead whales
Authors: Mocklin Julie A. , Rugh David J. , Moore Sue E. , Angliss Robyn P.
Published: September 2011

Abstract

Aerial photographs were analyzed to investigate the feeding habits of the Bering‐Chukchi‐Beaufort (BCB) population of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus), particularly epibenthic feeding near Barrow, Alaska. Evidence of epibenthic feeding was based on mud visible on the dorsal surface of whales, resulting from feeding near the seafloor. Other cues used to assess feeding were an open mouth or the presence of feces in photographs. Over 3,600 photographs were analyzed including photos from surveys in spring and late summer and in both the western and eastern Beaufort Sea. Of all the photographs analyzed, 64% were scored as definitively muddy. In spring, ratios ranged from a low of 27% in 2003 to a high of 76% in 2004. When all May sample sets off Barrow were combined (1985, 1986, 2003, 2004), there was a significant difference (t‐test, P < 0.004) between the proportion of muddy juveniles to the proportion of muddy adults, with muddy adults being more common. The Barrow area was a commonly used feeding ground during migrations in both the spring (61% of the sample were feeding; 55% epibenthically) and autumn (99% of the sample; 97% epibenthically). Bowheads both migrate and feed through areas where petroleum extraction is underway and anticipated; hence, exposure to oil after a spill is of considerable concern to Native communities and management agencies.
Home range, survival, and dispersal of endangered Saimaa ringed seal pups: Implications for conservation
Authors: Niemi Marja , Auttila Miina , Viljanen Markku , Kunnasranta Mervi
Published: September 2011

Abstract

Lake Saimaa in eastern Finland is inhabited by a critically endangered ringed seal subspecies Pusa hispida saimensis. Since accidental mortality in gill nets, resulting in reduced pup survival, is considered to be the main factor contributing to the decline in its population, fishing restriction areas have been established. In this study, 10 pups were located daily using very high frequency (VHF) telemetry to estimate their home ranges, movements, and survival. The pups dispersed after weaning at the age of ca. 3 mo and moved up to 15 km a day between consecutive locations and up to 25 km away from their birth sites. The home ranges of the pups at the age of 3–4 mo were variable in size, from 3 to 162 km2. The pups preferred the same shallow water areas (<6 m) that were used for gill net fishing. The annual fishing restrictions covered an average of 83% of the pups’ home ranges. Four of the pups were nevertheless killed in fishing gear. The results have implications for Saimaa ringed seal management and conservation. For instance, large home ranges of pups and the long distances movements should be taken into account when zoning shore use and imposing fishing restrictions.
Ontogenetic dietary information of the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) assessed using stable isotope analysis
Authors: Orr Anthony J. , Newsome Seth D. , Laake Jeffrey L. , VanBlaricom Glenn R. , DeLong Robert L.
Published: September 2011

Abstract

We used stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes to examine ontogenetic dietary changes in 289 California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) at San Miguel Island, California during 2004–2007. Tissues analyzed included fur, red blood cells, plasma, and serum. For all tissues, pups had higher δ15N values and lower δ13C values compared to adults, which indicated that pups were feeding higher trophically than older conspecifics and on a lipid‐rich milk diet prior to weaning. Yearling δ15N values were slightly lower than pup or nearly indistinguishable from adult values depending on the tissue analyzed, indicating a dietary shift from maternal dependency to independent foraging. Juveniles (2–4 yr) and adults (>4 yr) had similar δ15N values indicating they fed at a similar trophic level. There did not appear to be a pronounced dietary shift in δ13C values. However, δ13C values integrated with telemetry data indicated that postweaned individuals fed in similar foraging areas. Dietary changes during early life stages may be due to differences in physiology, morphology, experience, or energetic requirements; however, young animals are able to attain the skills needed to consume adult prey types near the end of their second year of life.
An in‐field experimental test of pinniped behavioral types
Authors: Twiss Sean D. , Culloch Ross , Pomeroy Patrick P.
Published: September 2011

Abstract

There has been extensive recent interest in the concepts of behavioral types, behavioral syndromes, and personalities in nonhuman animal species. Evidence for behavioral types now exists from a wide range of taxa, from mollusks to mammals. However, marine mammals are poorly represented in this literature. Here, we describe an in‐field experimental test of behavioral types in breeding gray seals, using a remotely controlled vehicle to deliver a standardized test stimulus to target individuals. We report on the design and implementation of this test and on the behavioral responses of individuals. Analysis of behavioral responses from both males and females revealed consistent individual differences across tests, suggesting that this is a practical and viable technique for determining individual variation in behavioral type in the field. Despite extensive literature on behavioral types, studies of behavioral types in wild populations remain rare. It is, therefore, important to develop ways to identify and quantify the existence of behavioral types in natural populations, because only by doing this, can we hope to ascertain the ecological and evolutionary relevance of behavioral types.
Theoretical Study of Electron Transfer in Rhodobacter sphaeroides Reaction Center
Authors: Hiyama Miyabi , Koga Nobuaki
Published: September 2011

We investigate the substitution effects on electron transfer in Rhodobacter (Rb.) sphaeroides reaction center using ab initio calculations. The overlap of molecular orbitals in the X‐ray structure of 1PCR of the protein data bank using Gaussian09 can qualitatively explain the tendency of the experimental transition time. The charge effects of proteins on electron transfer in Rb. sphaeroides reaction center are also investigated, by employing a simple point charge approximation for proteins. We have found that the primary effect for the route A orientation is the effect of long side chains. For the route A orientation on the electron transfer, the influence of the charges of proteins operates through the long side chains indirectly as well as directly work to increase the value of overlap integrals.
Photochemical Inactivation of Alpha‐ and Poxviruses
Authors: Sagripanti Jose‐Luis , Marschall Hans‐Jürgen , Voss Lucy , Hülseweh Birgit
Published: September 2011

The objective of this study was to determine whether photochemical inactivation of viruses could be accomplished with high efficiency while preserving the molecular integrity of viral targets allowing subsequent diagnostic tests to be performed at a lower level of containment and cost. We studied the effect of 5‐iodonaphthyl 1‐azide (INA) and amotosalen (AMO, also known as S‐59), which are photochemicals known to target either viral proteins or nucleic acids, respectively. We found that vaccinia virus (VACV, an orthopox virus with a DNA genome) and pixuna virus (PIXV, an alphavirus with an RNA genome) were stable when irradiated with UVA alone or when exposed to either INA or AMO in the dark. AMO followed by UVA exposure was at least 1000‐fold more virucidal than INA/UVA on vaccinia and pixuna viruses treated under similar conditions. Photoinactivation with either INA or AMO at conditions that abolished viral infectivity resulted in only minimal impairment of subsequent ELISA and PCR testing. The results presented in this study should assist in developing methods to inactivate in the field environmental and forensic samples suspected of viral contamination, thus limiting the need for costly security and safety operations after an accidental or intentional viral release.
Evaluation of influential factors on market values of five major international oil companies, using the method of panel data with two‐way error components and its application in oil and gas industries of Iran
Authors: Fard Ali Taheri
Published: September 2011

Market value is one of the important indices for evaluating a company's financial operation. Profit from, and volume of oil and gas reserves of companies are the most important factors that influence the market value of large international oil companies. In this study, two‐way error component regression with fixed effects is used to estimate influential factors on market value of five major oil companies. Accordingly, the effect of oil and gas reserves volume on the financial value of big oil companies is about 1.73 times more than the effect of companies’ profit. With more profitability from buy‐back contracts of Iran, big oil companies have enough reason to be selective with production contracts in which to participate. To solve this, it is proposed that smaller international contractors be used to help the national oil company develop the country's oil and gas fields but that project management be handled by oil and gas industry managers within the country.
Income and price elasticities and oil‐saving technological changes in ARDL models of demand for oil in G7 and BRIC
Authors: Asali Mehdi
Published: September 2011

In recent years, global growth of demand for oil has been mainly due to the increasing demand for energy in major developing nations, namely China, India and Brazil, fuelled by their exceptional economic performance. In the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), on the other hand, and particularly in the G7 countries where more than 70 per cent of OECD demand for oil is consumed, demand for oil has been stagnant and seems to be plateaued. Indeed, per capita consumption for oil in these countries has been diminishing in recent years. Given the rising share of the major developing economies in global demand for oil, increased attention to carbon emission and the recent ascending trends of oil prices have renewed interest in the likely paths of demand for oil in these economies and the role that energy policies and rising oil prices might play in oil‐saving technological changes in the major oil‐consuming nations. In this paper, an attempt is made to use time‐series modelling techniques for estimating income and price elasticities of demand for oil in G7 and Brazil, Russia, India and China countries and to test whether oil‐saving technological changes in these economies could be attributed to exogenous factors such as energy policies and regulations or should be considered mainly a matter of price‐induced endogenous changes.
Carbon border adjustment, trade and climate governance. Issues for OPEC economies
Authors: Abbas Mehdi
Published: September 2011

The relation between the climate regulation and the multilateral trade regime is a rising issue in the field of international governance. This paper presents the options available to Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries' economies related to this. It analyses the option of introducing a carbon tax or border adjustment measures in the core of the World Trade Organization (WTO) regime. It demonstrates that this option is not sustainable for both institutional and political economy reasons. This is why the paper argues that the way to build a climate‐compatible trade regulation that takes into account oil‐exporting countries' interests is to elaborate a cross‐institutional cooperation between the WTO and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Oil and the macroeconomy: empirical evidence from oil‐exporting African countries
Authors: Iwayemi Akin , Fowowe Babajide
Published: September 2011

Most studies on the oil–macroeconomy relationship focus predominantly on advanced, oil‐importing countries. This study deviates from these studies by conducting an empirical analysis of the effects of oil price shocks on oil‐exporting countries from Africa. We make use of data over the period 1970 to 2006 and estimate vector autoregressions for four of the largest African oil exporters: Algeria, Egypt, Libya and Nigeria. The results of Granger causality tests agree with the evidence from previous research, and we find little evidence of a short‐run effect of oil price shocks on macroeconomic variables. Impulse response functions show that shocks to oil prices instigate volatile responses from macroeconomic variables, and in most cases, the initial responses of macroeconomic variables to shocks in oil prices are negative, thereby agreeing with previous research. This has the implication that although rising oil prices should provide more foreign exchange earnings, and consequently increased government revenue for these oil‐exporting African countries, such increases have not been channelled into improving economic activities.
Land‐use change to bioenergy production in Europe: implications for the greenhouse gas balance and soil carbon
Authors: Don Axel , Osborne Bruce , Hastings Astley , Skiba Ute , Carter Mette S. , Drewer Julia , Flessa Heinz , Freibauer Annette , Hyvönen Niina , Jones Mike B. , Lanigan Gary J. , Mander Ülo , Monti Andrea , Djomo Sylvestre Njakou , Valentine John , Walter Katja , Zegada‐Lizarazu Walter , Zenone Terenzio
Published: September 2011

Bioenergy from crops is expected to make a considerable contribution to climate change mitigation. However, bioenergy is not necessarily carbon neutral because emissions of CO2, N2O and CH4 during crop production may reduce or completely counterbalance CO2 savings of the substituted fossil fuels. These greenhouse gases (GHGs) need to be included into the carbon footprint calculation of different bioenergy crops under a range of soil conditions and management practices. This review compiles existing knowledge on agronomic and environmental constraints and GHG balances of the major European bioenergy crops, although it focuses on dedicated perennial crops such as Miscanthus and short rotation coppice species. Such second‐generation crops account for only 3% of the current European bioenergy production, but field data suggest they emit 40% to >99% less N2O than conventional annual crops. This is a result of lower fertilizer requirements as well as a higher N‐use efficiency, due to effective N‐recycling. Perennial energy crops have the potential to sequester additional carbon in soil biomass if established on former cropland (0.44 Mg soil C ha−1 yr−1 for poplar and willow and 0.66 Mg soil C ha−1 yr−1 for Miscanthus). However, there was no positive or even negative effects on the C balance if energy crops are established on former grassland. Increased bioenergy production may also result in direct and indirect land‐use changes with potential high C losses when native vegetation is converted to annual crops. Although dedicated perennial energy crops have a high potential to improve the GHG balance of bioenergy production, several agronomic and economic constraints still have to be overcome.
Inoculation of hybrid poplar with the endophytic bacterium Enterobacter sp. 638 increases biomass but does not impact leaf level physiology
Authors: Rogers Alistair , McDonald Kelly , Muehlbauer Megan F. , Hoffman Adam , Koenig Kaitlyn , Newman Lee , Taghavi Safiyh , van der Lelie Daniel
Published: September 2011

Endophytic bacteria have been shown to provide several advantages to their host, including enhanced growth. Inoculating biofuel species with endophytic bacteria is therefore an attractive option to increase the productivity of biofuel feedstocks. Here, we investigated the effect of inoculating hard wood cuttings of Populus deltoides Bartr. × Populus. nigra L. clone OP367 with Enterobacter sp. 638. After 17 weeks, plants inoculated with Enterobacter sp. 638 had 55% greater total biomass than un‐inoculated control plants. Study of gas exchange and fluorescence in developing and mature leaves over a diurnal cycle and over a 5 week measurement campaign revealed no effects of inoculation on photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, photosynthetic water use efficiency or the maximum and operating efficiency of photosystem II. However, plants inoculated with Enterobacter sp. 638 had a canopy that was 39% larger than control plants indicating that the enhanced growth was fueled by increased leaf area, not by improved physiology. Leaf nitrogen content was determined at two stages over the 5 week measurement period. No effect of Enterobacter sp. 638 on leaf nitrogen content was found indicating that the larger plants were acquiring sufficient nitrogen. Enterobacter sp. 638 lacks the genes for N2 fixation, therefore the increased availability of nitrogen likely resulted from enhanced nitrogen acquisition by the 84% larger root system. These data show that Enterobacter sp. 638 has the potential to dramatically increase productivity in poplar. If fully realized in the production environment, these results indicate that an increase in the environmental and economic viability of poplar as a biofuel feedstock is possible when inoculated with endophytic bacteria like Enterobacter sp. 638.
REDDcalculator.com: a web‐based decision‐support tool for implementing Indonesia’s forest moratorium
Authors: Koh Lian Pin , Gibbs Holly K. , Potapov Peter V. , Hansen Matthew C.
Published: September 2011

1. The governments of Norway and Indonesia are collaborating on a REDD+ partnership that would contribute to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation, forest degradation and peatland conversion in Indonesia. Part of this agreement requires Indonesia to implement a 2‐year moratorium to suspend the issuance of new permits for conversion of peat and natural forests for forestry or agriculture.

2. This partnership offers an unprecedented opportunity for Indonesia to mitigate its deforestation and carbon emission levels. However, it has also galvanized intense debates within Indonesian society regarding the scope of the moratorium and its consequent environmental and socioeconomic ramifications.

3. We developed a web‐based application for evaluating the implications and trade‐offs of implementing Indonesia’s forest moratorium in Kalimantan. This spatially explicit tool quantifies the moratorium’s benefits for carbon conservation and its opportunity costs under alternative user‐defined moratorium scenarios. This application could serve as a useful framework for understanding the costs and benefits of REDD+ implementation across Indonesia and other forest‐rich tropical nations.
PMx: software package for demographic and genetic analysis and management of pedigreed populations
Authors: Lacy Robert C. , Ballou Jonathan D. , Pollak John P.
Published: September 2011

1. The concepts and algorithms for demographic and genetic analysis of pedigreed populations have been evolving rapidly in recent years.

2. The PMx software brings together into one integrated package a number of tools for pedigree analysis, including methods for dealing with missing, uncertain and probabilistic data not previously available in distributed software.

3. PMx provides tools for optimal demographic and genetic management of populations of wildlife species, rare domestic breeds, and other populations for which the primary goal is to conserve genetic diversity, and it is being implemented as the primary pedigree management tool for the breeding programmes of zoo associations around the world.

4. PMx can be used to characterize the demography and genetics of any captive or wild population for which pedigree and life‐history data are available.
Automated estimation of foliage cover in forest understorey from digital nadir images
Authors: Macfarlane Craig , Ogden Gary N.
Published: September 2011

1. Understorey vegetation can contribute significantly to the foliage cover and gas exchange of forest and impact the accuracy of remotely‐sensed vegetation indices. Visual assessment is a rapid means of estimating cover, but its drawbacks include bias and inconsistency between observers and observation periods and the inability of observers to distinguish between cover intervals smaller than 10%. The accuracy of visual assessment is unlikely to be able to reliably detect changes smaller than 10%. Hence, there is a need for rapid and accurate alternatives for estimating understorey cover in forests.

2. Nadir (downward facing) photography is an alternative method that has been applied successfully in agriculture but not tested in forests. Detection of green foliage in images of forest understorey is far more challenging than in images of agricultural crops owing to the heterogeneity of the vegetation, the background and the lighting conditions. We tested several image analysis approaches to classifying and quantifying foliage cover in images taken from a height of 3–4 m above the ground using a digital SLR camera on an extendible pole. To reduce the impact of lighting variations on image processing, we converted red, green and blue (RGB) digital numbers from the RGB image to green leaf algorithm (GLA) values and to the CIE L*a*b* colour model prior to analysis.

3. The most successful classification method (LAB2) utilised the GLA, a* and b* values of each pixel to classify green vegetation using a minimum‐distance‐to‐means classifier. A histogram‐corner detection method (Rosin) was superior to other methods when cover was <10%. Between‐class variance methods were the least accurate methods. Owing to the spectral complexity of the forest floor, it was necessary to filter noise from the classified images. Further work is needed to separate shades of gray from hues of green in images with sparse cover and coarse woody debris.

4. Synthesis and Applications. We propose that the LAB2 method be used to quantify foliage cover in nadir images of understorey with cover >10% but that the Rosin method be used for cover <10%. The automated methodology that we have developed yields estimates of foliage cover in forest understorey from digital photography that are rapid, objective and at least as accurate as visual assessment (i.e. within 5%). User intervention is limited to quality control. The improved method could be extended to indirect estimation of leaf area index for studies of forest water balance and productivity.
Complications after two transphyseal bridging techniques for treatment of angular limb deformities of the distal radius in 568 Thoroughbred yearlings
Authors: CARLSON E. R. , BRAMLAGE L. R. , STEWART A. A. , EMBERTSON R. M. , RUGGLES A. J. , HOPPER S. A.
Published: September 2011

Reasons for performing study: Surgical correction of carpal angular limb deformities by growth retardation is commonly undertaken with a screws and tension band wire loop technique (S&W) or a single transphyseal screw (STS). This study compares complications after S&W and STS bridging in the distal radius of Thoroughbred yearlings.

Objective: To compare the prevalence of complications serious enough to require follow‐up radiographs following either S&W or STS surgery for growth manipulation in the distal radius of Thoroughbred yearlings.

Methods: Medical records and radiographs from Thoroughbred yearlings (age range 261–457 days) treated for carpal angular limb deformities at a single hospital over 2 years were reviewed. Each of the techniques was used exclusively during a single year. The complication threshold criterion for inclusion was the need for nonroutine radiographs of the operated site anytime after implant insertion or removal.

Results: Of 568 horses, 253 received S&W and 315 received STS. Horses were of similar age at the time of surgery for STS and S&W. Single transphyseal screws were left in place for a significantly shorter amount of time (16 days). Sex, the limb(s) treated and medial vs. lateral placement were not significantly different between techniques. Complications included physitis post implant removal, metaphyseal collapse post implant removal, infection, overcorrection and seroma formation severe enough to require radiography. Physitis and metaphyseal collapse occurred significantly more frequently with STS compared with S&W. Infection, overcorrection and seromas were not significantly different between techniques.

Conclusion: The STS and S&W techniques are both viable treatment options for correction of carpal angular limb deformities. However, horses treated with the STS technique have a significantly increased risk of developing physitis or metaphyseal collapse.

Potential relevance: Horses treated with STS bridging have a significantly increased risk of developing the post correction complications of moderate to severe physitis and metaphyseal collapse compared with horses treated with S&W bridging.
Adherence to physical and mental activity interventions: Coping plans as a mediator and prior adherence as a moderator
Authors: Evers Andrea , Klusmann Verena , Schwarzer Ralf , Heuser Isabella
Published: September 2011

Objective. Adherence to behavioural intervention programmes is a necessary condition for beneficial outcomes to be achieved. This study tested whether social cognitive variables and coping plans predict adherence.

Design and methods. Adherence was examined in a randomized controlled trial with healthy older women (age range: 70–93 years), who were randomized to a physical (N= 86) or a mental (N= 85) activity intervention. Intentions, self‐efficacies, coping plans, and objectively measured adherence levels were assessed. A moderated mediation analysis evaluated the power of coping plans to translate intention into behaviour, depending on levels of prior adherence.

Results. Adherence to the physical activity programme (65%) was significantly lower than adherence to the mental activity programme (84%, p < .001). Intentions (β= .22) weakly predicted adherence in the initiation period of the physical activity programme (6 weeks); pre‐action self‐efficacy predicted adherence in the initiation period of the mental activity programme (β= .35). In both groups, coping plans predicted mid‐period adherence (10 weeks) and long‐term adherence (20 weeks), moderated by prior adherence (all ps < .01). Coping plans mediated the relationship between intentions and behaviour only in the exercise condition.

Conclusions. Instructing older individuals to generate coping plans facilitated their adherence to physical and mental activity programmes. This effect was larger for participants with lower levels of prior adherence – and may have prevented them from dropping out of the programme.
Neural control of the circulation during exercise: insights from the 1970–1971 Oxford studies
Authors: Mitchell Jere H.
Published: September 2011

During exercise the magnitude of the cardiovascular response is closely matched to the intensity of the exercise. In achieving this appropriate matching, an important role is played by the autonomic nervous system. Two mechanisms have been postulated to regulate this response. In one mechanism the changes in autonomic nerve activity to the heart and blood vessels are caused by signals arising in a central area of the brain and in the other mechanism the changes are caused by signals arising in the contracting skeletal muscle. In 1970–71 two studies were performed in Oxford which furthered our understanding of these two mechanisms. In one of these studies it was shown in cats that a reflex arising in the contracting skeletal muscle reflexly increased blood pressure and heart rate and that the thinly myelinated (Group III or A Ō) and the unmyelinated (Group IV or C) afferent nerve fibers were responsible. In the second of these studies it was shown in humans that a central mechanism could also increase the blood pressure and heart rate during static contraction at a fixed force. Tendon vibration of a skeletal muscle induces an involuntary reflex contraction. Utilizing this effect the central command needed to produce the same tension development was reduced or increased. When the same force was achieved with less central command the cardiovascular response was reduced and with more central command was increased. This demonstrated that descending motor commands from higher brain centers have an effect on the cardiovascular response to exercise.
Anoctamin 2/TMEM16B: a calcium‐activated chloride channel in olfactory transduction
Authors: Pifferi Simone , Cenedese Valentina , Menini Anna
Published: September 2011

In vertebrate olfactory transduction, a Ca2+‐dependent Cl− efflux greatly amplifies the odorant response. The binding of odorants to receptors in the cilia of olfactory sensory neurons activates a transduction cascade that involves the opening of cyclic nucleotide‐gated channels and the entry of Ca2+ into the cilia. The Ca2+ activates a Cl− current that, in the presence of a maintained elevated intracellular Cl− concentration, produces an efflux of Cl− ions and amplifies the depolarization. In this review, we summarize evidence supporting the hypothesis that anoctamin 2/TMEM16B is the main, or perhaps the only, constituent of the Ca2+‐activated Cl− channels involved in olfactory transduction. Indeed, studies from several laboratories have shown that anoctamin 2/TMEM16B is expressed in the ciliary layer of the olfactory epithelium, that there are remarkable functional similarities between currents in olfactory sensory neurons and in HEK 293 cells transfected with anoctamin 2/TMEM16B, and that knockout mice for anoctamin 2/TMEM16B did not show any detectable Ca2+‐activated Cl− current. Finally, we discuss the involvement of Ca2+‐activated Cl− channels in the transduction process of vomeronasal sensory neurons and the physiological role of these channels in olfaction.
Preventing unintentional injuries to children under 15 years in the outdoors: a systematic review of the effectiveness of educational programs
Authors: Pearson Mark , Hunt Harriet , Garside Ruth , Moxham Tiffany , Peters Jaime , Anderson Rob
Published: September 2011

Introduction

Unintentional injuries to children in the outdoors have a significant impact on child mortality, development and healthcare costs. This paper presents the findings of a systematic review about the effectiveness of programs that provided information, advice or education about the prevention of unintentional injuries to children under 15 years during outdoor play and leisure.

Methods

A structured search strategy was conducted in a range of databases. All report titles and abstracts were screened using pre-defined criteria. Included reports were quality appraised using a modified Graphical Appraisal Tool for Epidemiological studies (GATE) tool. All quality appraisals and data extraction were checked by a second reviewer. If not provided in the original reports, ORs and mean differences were calculated, where sufficient data were available.

Results

Twenty-three studies met the inclusion criteria. There was a paucity of robust study designs. The majority of studies only reported a short-term follow-up of intermediate outcome measures. Only two studies measured injury rates; both reported a reduction, but both studies also had considerable methodological weaknesses. The five studies that measured the use of protective equipment reported mixed results, although there is some evidence that suggests that more extensive educational programs (such as health fairs and media campaigns) increase their use. The 20 studies that measured behaviour, attitude or knowledge outcomes reported highly mixed results.

Discussion

Methodological weaknesses of the included studies limit support for a particular course of action. To better inform policy and practice, future research should (1) use robust study designs and (2) not rely on short-term proxy outcome measures.
Bicyclist deaths and striking vehicles in the USA
Authors: Ackery Alun D , McLellan Barry A , Redelmeier Donald A
Published: September 2011

Objectives

Bicycling is a popular means of transportation that is sometimes associated with injury from collisions. The authors analysed national data for the USA to evaluate bicyclist deaths associated with motor vehicle impacts.

Methods

The authors conducted a population-based case–control analysis of road deaths reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The authors included bicyclist deaths from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2008 (cases), along with the non-bicyclist road deaths immediately before and after the bicyclist death in the same state (controls). Analyses also included linkages to auto appraisal websites to estimate type, size and cost of the motor vehicle involved in each death.

Results

A total of 711 bicyclist deaths were included, equivalent to a rate of 2 deaths per million population annually. No state had a rate statistically significantly below the national average whereas Florida was a high outlier with three times the national rate (p<0.001). The typical bicyclist who died was a man travelling in the afternoon or evening. The average estimated resale value of the involved motor vehicle was about one-third higher for bicyclist deaths than control deaths (US$10 603 vs US$8118, p<0.001). Analyses based on median estimated resale value and luxury resale value yielded similar findings. Stratified analyses based on demographics, time and posted speed limits yielded similar discrepancies. Larger motor vehicles were particularly common in bicyclist deaths compared to control deaths, especially freight trucks (11% vs 8%, p=0.008) and large automobiles (43% vs 37%, p=0.004). Conversely, motorcycles were distinctly infrequent in bicyclist deaths compared to control deaths (1% vs 14%, p<0.001).

Conclusions

Large expensive motor vehicles account for a disproportionate share of bicyclist deaths. Bicyclists, motorists, policy-makers and vehicle manufacturers need to consider more imaginative solutions to help prevent future deaths.
Reducing regional inequality in mortality from road traffic injuries through enforcement of the mandatory motorcycle helmet law in Taiwan
Authors: Lu Tsung-Hsueh , Lai Ching-Huei , Chiang Tung-Liang
Published: September 2011

Background

This study was conducted to examine whether passage of the mandatory motorcycle helmet law in 1997 reduced the regional inequality in mortality from road traffic injuries (RTIs) across 22 cities/counties in Taiwan.

Methods

We calculated the absolute (between-group variance, BGV) and relative (rate ratio between the city/county with the highest and lowest rate, RR) terms of inequality for the overall and motorcycle-related RTI mortality rates, the rate of helmet use and three other explanatory factors associated with RTI mortality at the city/county level from 1997 through 2008.

Results

The BGV of the overall and motorcycle-related RTI mortality rates across the 22 cities/counties showed persistently decreasing trends from 1997 to 2008; however, the RR of RTI mortality first increased and then levelled off from 2002. The decreasing trend in inequality was most prominent in males aged 0–24 years. The BGV and RR of the rate of motorcycle helmet use decreased after passage of the law but increased from 2002 onwards.

Conclusion

In Taiwan, passage of the mandatory motorcycle helmet law reduced the regional inequality in RTI mortality; however, a resurgence in regional inequality in the helmet use rate  years after passage of the helmet law was noted. It is therefore necessary to monitor the helmet use rate after passage of such a law to ensure the effect of a reduction in regional inequality in RTI mortality.