bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Endotracheal tube size and sore throat following surgery: a randomized‐controlled study
Authors: JAENSSON M. , OLOWSSON L. L. , NILSSON U.
Published: November 2009

Background: Sore throat following endotracheal intubation is a common problem following surgery and one of the factors that affects the quality of recovery. This study was carried out with the primary aim of assessing whether the size of the endotracheal tube (ETT) affects the risk of sore throat in women following anaesthesia.

Methods: One hundred healthy adult women undergoing elective surgery were randomly allocated to oral intubation with either ETT size 6.0 or 7.0. Anaesthesia was based on either inhalation or total intravenous anaesthesia according to standardized routines. Pre‐ and post‐operatively, sore throat and discomfort were assessed on a four‐graded scale and for hoarseness on a binary scale (yes or no). Post‐operatively, the assessments were performed after 1–2 and 24 h, and if there was discomfort at 24 h, a follow‐up call was made at 72 and 96 h.

Results: After 1–2 h post‐operatively, there were a higher proportion of patients with sore throat in ETT 7.0 vs. ETT 6.0 (51.1% vs. 27.1%), P=0.006. This difference between the groups was also evident, P=0.002, when comparing changes between the pre‐ and the post‐operative values. The severity of discomfort from sore throat was also higher in ETT 7.0 (38.8%) compared with ETT 6.0 (18.8%), P=0.02. No differences were found in the incidence of hoarseness between the groups. The remaining symptoms lasted up to 96 h post‐operatively in 11%, irrespective of the tube size.

Conclusion: Use of a smaller‐sized ETT can alleviate sore throat and discomfort in women at the post‐anaesthesia care unit.
Titrated propofol induction vs. continuous infusion in children undergoing magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: CHO J. E. , KIM W. O. , CHANG D. J. , CHOI E. M. , OH S. Y. , KIL H. K.
Published: November 2009

Background: Propofol is the popular intravenous (i.v.) anaesthetic for paediatric sedation because of its rapid onset and recovery. We compared the efficacy and safety of a single dose and conventional infusion of propofol for sedation in children who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: This was a double‐blind, randomized‐controlled study. One hundred and sixty children were assigned to group I (single dose) or II (infusion). Sedation was induced with i.v. propofol 2 mg/kg, and supplemental doses of propofol 0.5 mg/kg were administered until adequate sedation was achieved. After the induction of sedation, we treated patients with a continuous infusion of normal saline at a rate of 0.3 ml/kg/h in group I and the same volume of propofol in group II. In case of inadequate sedation, additional propofol 0.5 mg/kg was administered and the infusion rate was increased by 0.05 ml/kg/h. Induction time, sedation time, recovery time, additional sedation and adverse events were recorded.

Results: Recovery time was significantly shorter in group I compared with group II [0 (0–3) vs. 1 (0–3), respectively, P<0.001]. Group I (single dose) had significantly more patients with recovery time 0 compared with group II (infusion) (65/80 vs. 36/80, respectively, P<0.001). Induction and sedation times were not significantly different between groups. There was no significant difference in the frequency of additional sedation and adverse events between groups.

Conclusion: A single dose of propofol without a continuous infusion can provide appropriate sedation in children undergoing MRI for <30 min.
Generation and propagation of gastric slow waves
Authors: Van Helden Dirk F , Laver Derek R , Holdsworth John , Imtiaz Mohammad S
Published: November 2009

1. Mechanisms underlying the generation and propagation of gastrointestinal slow wave depolarizations have long been controversial. The present review aims to collate present knowledge on this subject with specific reference to slow waves in gastric smooth muscle.

2. At present, there is strong agreement that interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) are the pacemaker cells that generate slow waves. What has been less clear is the relative role of primary types of ICC, including the network in the myenteric plexus (ICC‐MY) and the intramuscular network (ICC‐IM). It is concluded that both ICC‐MY and ICC‐IM are likely to serve a major role in slow wave generation and propagation.

3. There has been long‐standing controversy as to how slow waves ‘propagate’ circumferentially and down the gastrointestinal tract. Two mechanisms have been proposed, one being action potential (AP)‐like conduction and the other phase wave‐based ‘propagation’ resulting from an interaction of coupled oscillators. Studies made on single bundle gastric strips indicate that both mechanisms apply with relative dominance depending on conditions; the phase wave mechanism is dominant under circumstances of rhythmically generating slow waves and the AP‐like propagation is dominant when the system is perturbed.

4. The phase wave mechanism (termed Ca2+phase wave) uses cyclical Ca2+release as the oscillator, with coupling between oscillators mediated by several factors, including: (i) store‐induced depolarization; (ii) resultant electrical current flow/depolarization through the pacemaker cell network; and (iii) depolarization‐induced increase in excitability of downstream Ca2+stores. An analogy is provided by pendulums in an array coupled together by a network of springs. These, when randomly activated, entrain to swing at the same frequency but with a relative delay along the row giving the impression of a propagating wave.

5. The AP‐like mechanism (termed voltage‐accelerated Ca2+wave) propagates sequentially like a conducting AP. However, it is different in that it depends on regenerative store Ca2+release and resultant depolarization rather than regenerative activation of voltage‐dependent channels in the cell membrane.

6. The applicability of these mechanisms to describing propagation in large intact gastrointestinal tissues, where voltage‐dependent Ca2+entry is also likely to be functional, is discussed.
Baroreflex deficit blunts exercise training‐induced cardiovascular and autonomic adaptations in hypertensive rats
Authors: Moraes‐Silva IC , De La Fuente RN , Mostarda C , Rosa K , Flues K , Damaceno‐Rodrigues NR , Caldini EG , De Angelis K , Krieger EM , Irigoyen MC
Published: November 2009

1. Baroreceptors regulate moment‐to‐moment blood pressure (BP) variations, but their long‐term effect on the cardiovascular system remains unclear. Baroreceptor deficit accompanying hypertension contributes to increased BP variability (BPV) and sympathetic activity, whereas exercise training has been associated with an improvement in these baroreflex‐mediated changes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the autonomic, haemodynamic and cardiac morphofunctional effects of long‐term sinoaortic baroreceptor denervation (SAD) in trained and sedentary spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).

2. Rats were subjected to SAD or sham surgery and were then further divided into sedentary and trained groups. Exercise training was performed on a treadmill (five times per week, 50–70% maximal running speed). All groups were studied after 10 weeks.

3. Sinoaortic baroreceptor denervation in SHR had no effect on basal heart rate (HR) or BP, but did augment BPV, impairing the cardiac function associated with increased cardiac hypertrophy and collagen deposition. Exercise training reduced BP and HR, re‐established baroreflex sensitivity and improved both HR variability and BPV. However, SAD in trained SHR blunted all these improvements. Moreover, the systolic and diastolic hypertensive dysfunction, reduced left ventricular chamber diameter and increased cardiac collagen deposition seen in SHR were improved after the training protocol. These benefits were attenuated in trained SAD SHR.

4. In conclusion, the present study has demonstrated that the arterial baroreflex mediates cardiac disturbances associated with hypertension and is crucial for the beneficial cardiovascular morphofunctional and autonomic adaptations induced by chronic exercise in hypertension.
Call for a national plan for rare diseases
Authors: Jaffe Adam , Zurynski Yvonne , Beville Lyndall , Elliott Elizabeth
Published: November 2009

Australia requires a national plan, similar to plans developed internationally, to address the impacts of rare diseases on individuals, the community and health services. Rare diseases often present in childhood, many are chronic, some life threatening and others associated with significant disability. However, diagnosis is often delayed, because of lack of knowledge and experience of health professionals and uncertainty about where to refer. Specialised health services are frequently lacking and specific therapies are often not available, partly because of lack of research funding directed towards rare diseases. A national plan would facilitate a coordinated response to service development, carer support, and health professional and community education, and would promote research and advocacy for affected children and their families.
Sleep, performance and behaviour in Australian indigenous and non‐indigenous children: An exploratory comparison
Authors: Blunden Sarah , Chervin Ronald D
Published: November 2009

Aims:  Sleep problems in Australian children are common and consequential but have not been investigated in Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (indigenous) children. This study compares sleep in indigenous and non‐indigenous children and investigates potential effects on school performance and daytime behaviour.

Methods:  Subjects included 25 indigenous and 25 non‐indigenous children (mean standard deviation (SD) age = 8.8 (1.4 years), range 7–11.11 years), in six Northern Territory primary schools. Parents completed the Sleep Disorders Scale for Children which produces a T‐score (mean = 50 (SD = 10)) for behavioural sleep disorders, sleep disordered breathing, parasomnias, excessive daytime sleepiness and night sweating. Behaviour and school grades were assessed with the parent‐reported Child Behaviour Checklist.

Results:  Behavioural sleep problems of initiating and maintaining sleep, or parasomnias were commonly reported by both groups (24–40%), with indigenous children under 9 years reporting the most problems. No between‐group differences were found in school performance. Significant relationships between sleep quality and behaviours were found, particularly for indigenous children.

Conclusions:  These data suggest that substantial numbers of Australian children – more than one third in this pilot sample – may suffer from significant sleep problems. To the extent that sleep problems may impair prefrontal cortical function, emotional regulation, and control of behaviour, confirmation of current findings could have particular import for indigenous children.
Surgical management of gastroschisis in North Queensland from 1988 to 2007
Authors: Kandasamy Yoga , Whitehall John , Gill Arpinder , Stalewski H
Published: November 2009

Aim:  To review outcomes of gastroschises originating in North Queensland and repaired in the neonatal centre in Townsville from 1988–2007, and compare these outcomes with published data from other centres.

Methods:  A retrospective chart review of outcomes after primary operative repair (POR) with wound closure in fascial layers in the theatre, primary non‐operative repair (PNOR) with apposition of the umbilical cord and adhesive dressing in the ward, secondary repair (SR) after a silo, and complex repair (CR) of cases with obstruction, perforation or atresiae. Epidemiological data of babies originating in North Queensland but managed in Brisbane were secured from Mater Mothers' Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Children.

Results:  Fifty cases were treated in Townsville: 16 by PNOR, 22 by POR, 6 by SR and 6 by CR. Outcomes of uncomplicated cases treated by PNOR, POR and SR were similar. Outcomes of complicated cases after CR were significantly worse. No significant differences were found between PNOR in Townsvillle and published outcomes after SR from four overseas units. No differences were detected in outcomes of inborn and outborn babies, those delivered by vaginal or caesarean birth or between indigenous and non‐indigenous babies. Three (6%) died. Gastroschisis is increasing in North Queensland, particularly in younger mothers. The incidence is 2–3 times higher in indigenous mothers.

Conclusion:  No significant differences were found between PNOR and other techniques for uncomplicated cases. PNOR avoids the use of theatre and staff, reducing delay and cost, and the need to transport a sick baby.
A home respiratory support programme for children by parents and layperson carers
Authors: Tibballs James , Henning Robert , Robertson Colin F , Massie John , Hochmann Mark , Carter Bradley , Osborne Anthony , Stephens Rosemary A , Scoble Maureen , Jones Sue‐Ellan , White Justine , Bryan Doug
Published: November 2009

Aim:  To describe a respiratory support programme for children at home by parents and layperson carers.

Methods:  Analysis of records of children with long‐term mechanical respiratory support at home.

Results:  From 1979 to 2008 the programme managed 168 children (median age 7 years, range 3 weeks–19 years) with obstructive sleep apnoea (55, 32%), neuromuscular conditions (42, 25%), tracheo‐bronchomalacia (23, 14%), kyphoscoliosis‐cerebral palsy (20, 12%), acquired central hypoventilation (8, 5%), congenital central hypoventilation (7, 4%), chronic lung disease or pulmonary hypoplasia (8, 5%), traumatic quadriplegia (3, 2%) and tumour‐related quadriplegia (2, 1%). One hundred and sixty‐one (96%) were discharged: 73 (46%) remain in the programme; 27 (16%) transferred to adult services, 25 (15%) recovered and 36 (23%) died. Principal modes of therapy were mask continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) 35%, mask bilevel positive airway pressure 30%, tracheostomy CPAP 20%, tracheostomy mechanical ventilation 8%, phrenic nerve pacing 3%, negative pressure chamber ventilation 2% and nasal tube CPAP 2%. Two unexpected deaths occurred at home: one from accidental tracheostomy decannulation and another unrelated to respiratory support. Average time in the programme was 3.3 years. Parents of 69 children were provided with trained carers. Successful discharge resulted from early recognition of potential to discharge, parental training, recruitment and training of carers, purchase of equipment and secure funding. Seven children were not discharged, two of whom died in the hospital and five are subject to discharge planning.

Conclusion:  Respiratory support of children at home by trained parents and layperson carers is safe and efficient. All modes of respiratory support may be used.
Blue Rubber Bleb Nevus Syndrome: Extensive small bowel vascular lesions responsible for gastrointestinal bleeding
Authors: Hasosah Mohammed Y , Abdul‐Wahab Ahmed A , Bin‐Yahab Solaiman A , Al‐Rabeaah Abdullah A , Rimawi Mahmoud M , Eyoni Yousif A , Satti Mohamed B
Published: November 2009

Blue Rubber Bleb Nevus Syndrome is a rare condition characterised by multiorgan venous malformations, in particular of cutaneous area and the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. We report here a child with chronic iron deficiency anaemia, melena and skin lesions. She had severe hypochromic microcytic anaemia. Upper and lower endoscopy revealed hundreds of red‐bluish polypoid lesions involving the entire GI tract primarily of the small bowel. Due to localisation of the most severe lesions, the patient responded well to surgical treatment, allowing a sustained clinical remission.
Non‐invasive papillary urothelial neoplasms: The 2004 WHO/ISUP classification system
Authors: Miyamoto Hiroshi , Miller Jeremy S. , Fajardo Daniel A. , Lee Thomas K. , Netto George J. , Epstein Jonathan I.
Published: November 2009

The classification and grading of papillary urothelial neoplasms has been a long‐standing subject of controversy. Previously, numerous diverse grading schemes for bladder tumor, including the 1973 World Health Organization (WHO) classification, existed whereby one of the major limitations was poor inter‐observer reproducibility among pathologists. The WHO/International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) consensus classification system of urothelial neoplasms of the urinary bladder was developed in 1998 and was revised most recently in 2003 (published in 2004). Importantly, the current classification system provides detailed histological criteria for papillary urothelial lesions and allows for designation of a lesion (papillary urothelial neoplasm of low malignant potential) with a negligible risk of progression. Thus, the latest system is designed to be a universally acceptable one for bladder tumors that not only could be effectively used by pathologists, urologists, and oncologists, but also stratifies the tumors into prognostically significant categories. This article outlines the 2004 WHO/ISUP classification system regarding the specific histological criteria for non‐invasive papillary urothelial neoplasms and the clinical significance of each category.
Efficacy and safety of iodopovidone pleurodesis in malignant pleural effusions
Authors: NETO Jose D.A. , De OLIVEIRA Sandro F.Q. , VIANNA Sylvana P. , TERRA Ricardo M.
Published: November 2009

Background and objective:  Pleurodesis is one of the best methods of controlling malignant pleural effusions (MPE), a distressing complication of metastatic disease. In recent studies of a wide range of pleural diseases, iodopovidone was used as a sclerosing agent for pleurodesis and demonstrated good results with low morbidity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of iodopovidone pleurodesis in MPE.

Methods:  A retrospective analysis was performed on patients with MPE who underwent pleurodesis at our institution between 2005 and 2008. All patients underwent instillation of 20 mL of 10% iodopovidone, 80 mL of normal saline and 2 mg/kg of lidocaine through a chest tube, which was clamped for 2 h. The tube was removed when the daily output of fluid was <200 mL. Data on the requirement for additional pleural procedures, adverse events and survival were collected.

Results:  Sixty‐one pleurodesis procedures were performed in 54 patients. No procedure‐related mortality was observed. Adverse events occurred after 11 (18%) pleurodesis procedures. The most frequent complication was mild thoracic pain that occurred immediately after 10 (16.4%) procedures, and one patient developed pleural empyema that was treated with drainage and antibiotics. A success rate of 98.4% was observed. Except for the patient who developed pleural empyema, none of the other patients had recurrences of pleural fluid or required additional pleural procedures during the follow‐up period (mean of 5.6 months).

Conclusions:  Iodopovidone pleurodesis was successful and was associated with only a few minor complications. It appears to be a good option for the management of recurrent MPE.
Ambient temperature impacts on pH of exhaled breath condensate
Authors: KOCZULLA Andreas R. , NOESKE Sarah , HERR Christian , DETTE Frank , PINKENBURG Olaf , SCHMID Severin , JÖRRES Rudolf A. , VOGELMEIER Claus , BALS Robert
Published: November 2009

Background and objective:  Analysis of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) pH is a non‐invasive method to study airway inflammation. Low pH is correlated with inflammatory diseases like asthma and COPD. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of measurement temperature on pH values of EBC.

Methods:  EBC was collected using the RTube in 10 healthy non‐smoking controls, 10 smokers before and after cigarette smoking, 10 stable COPD patients and 10 patients with exacerbated COPD. pH was determined directly after degassing at temperatures of 23°C and 37°C.

Results:  When comparing all groups pH was significantly (P = 0.0002) higher (mean ± SD 7.88 ± 0.92) at 37°C as compared with 23°C (7.44 ± 0.90). Specifically, at 23°C pH was significantly lower in the group of exacerbated COPD (6.78 ± 1.27) and healthy non‐smoking controls (8.04 ± 0.39). In contrast, subgroup analysis of values assessed at 37°C did not display significant differences.

Conclusions:  Our data indicate a considerable influence of temperature on pH values in EBC. Thus the temperature at which pH measurements in EBC studies are performed should be declared.
Sleep hypoventilation due to increased nocturnal oxygen flow in hypercapnic COPD patients
Authors: SAMOLSKI Daniel , TÁRREGA Julia , ANTÓN Antonio , MAYOS Mercedes , MARTÍ Sergi , FARRERO Eva , GÜELL Rosa
Published: November 2009

Background and objective:  Several COPD treatment guidelines recommend increasing oxygen flow during sleep to avoid nocturnal desaturation. However, such an increase could have deleterious clinical and gas exchange effects. The objective of this study was to evaluate short‐term gas exchange alterations produced by increasing the nocturnal oxygen flow rate.

Methods:  Thirty‐eight COPD patients with chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure were evaluated. In a cross‐over study, patients were randomly assigned to receive the daytime oxygen flow rate on one night and an additional litre on the alternate night. Nocturnal pulse oximetry and arterial blood gases at awakening were measured, in each patient, on two consecutive days.

Results:  The administration of 1 L more oxygen during the night resulted in improved parameters of nocturnal oxygenation (oxygen pulse oximetry saturation—SpO2; percentage of sleep time spent at SpO2 < 90%—CT90; PaO2 at awakening). Nevertheless, such an increase in oxygen flow during the night was also associated with greater hypercapnia and acidosis (p < 0.05) the next morning.

Conclusions:  The increase of oxygen flow in severe COPD patients with established daytime hypercapnia improved nocturnal oxygenation but it also led to greater hypercapnia and respiratory acidosis at awakening in a considerable proportion of these patients.
Leaf miners: The hidden herbivores
Authors: SINCLAIR ROBYN JEAN , HUGHES LESLEY
Published: November 2009

Leaf mining is a form of endophagous herbivory in which insect larvae live and feed within leaf tissue. In this review we discuss aspects of leaf miner ecology, and the current evidence for three hypotheses relating to the evolution of this feeding guild. We also present a summary of the literature coverage relating to these herbivores, which have been relatively poorly studied compared with insects that feed externally such as sap suckers and leaf chewers. The majority of published studies concern leaf miners from the northern hemisphere, with a general focus on those species considered to be agricultural, forestry or horticultural pests. In a more detailed case study, we examine aspects of leaf miner ecology of Australian species. At least 114 species have been recorded as leaf miners in Australia in four orders: Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera and Hymenoptera. Lepidoptera and Diptera are the most speciose orders of Australian leaf miners; Hymenoptera are represented by a single endemic genus and half of all coleopteran miners are species introduced for biological control. Both the known number of leaf‐mining species in Australia and the known number of hosts have increased in recent years following new targeted surveys. Leaf miners in Australia occur in many habitats and feed on a wide variety of host plants in at least 60 families although most individual species are monophagous. Although much of the research on leaf miners in Australia has focused on species that are commercially important pests or biological control agents, studies on fundamental aspects of leaf miner ecology are increasing. We identify a number of research questions aimed at better understanding the ecology of leaf miners in Australia and elsewhere.
Short‐term differences in animal assemblages in patches formed by loss and growth of habitat
Authors: MACREADIE PETER I. , CONNOLLY ROD M. , KEOUGH MICHAEL J. , JENKINS GREGORY P. , HINDELL JEREMY S.
Published: November 2009

Ecological theory predicts that habitat growth and loss will have different effects on community structure, even if they produce patches of the same size. Despite this, studies on the effects of patchiness are often performed without prior knowledge of the processes responsible for the patchiness. We manipulated artificial seagrass habitat in temperate Australia to test whether fish and crustacean assemblages differed between habitats that formed via habitat loss and habitat growth. Habitat loss treatments (originally 16 m2) and habitat growth treatments (originally 0 m2) were manipulated over 1 week until each reached a final patch size of 4 m2. At this size, each was compared through time (0–14 days after manipulation) with control patches (4 m2 throughout the experiment). Assemblages differed significantly among treatments at 0 and 1 day after manipulation, with differences between growth and loss treatments contributing to most of the dissimilarity. Immediately after the final manipulation, total abundance in habitat loss treatments was 46% and 62% higher than controls and habitat growth treatments, respectively, which suggests that animals crowded into patches after habitat loss. In contrast to terrestrial systems, crowding effects were brief (≤1 day), signifying high connectivity in marine systems. Growth treatments were no different to controls, despite the lower probability of animals encountering patches during the growth phase. Our study shows that habitat growth and loss can cause short‐term differences in animal abundance and assemblage structure, even if they produce patches of the same size.
Response of fauna in seagrass to habitat edges, patch attributes and hydrodynamics
Authors: MURPHY HANNAH M. , JENKINS GREGORY P. , HINDELL JEREMY S. , CONNOLLY ROD M.
Published: November 2009

This study has investigated the taxon‐specific responses of fauna to patch edges, and how these relate to patch attributes (patch size, seagrass biomass and water depth), and hydrodynamics in the seagrass habitat. Faunal abundances were sampled at the edge, 2 m in from the edge, and in the middle of 10 seagrass patches of variable size in Port Phillip Bay, Australia. Five of nine taxa showed edge effects. There were higher abundances at the edge compared with the middle for porcellid harpacticoids, and an increase in abundance from the edge to the middle of the patches for tanaids and isopods. For caprellid and gammarid amphipods, the edge effect varied across patches. Changes in current within the patch and patch size were related to the variability in the edge effect pattern of caprellids. None of the measured environmental variables (seagrass biomass, current and water depth) or patch size had a role in the variable edge effect pattern of gammarid amphipods. At the patch level, the distribution of six of nine taxa in this study, namely isopods, polychaetes, ‘other harpacticoids’, porcellid harpacticoids, cumaceans and gammarid amphipods, was related to differences in average water depth, average seagrass biomass and patch size. Our study indicates that the faunal response to edges cannot be generalized across seagrass habitat, and the implications of habitat area loss will vary depending on the taxon under consideration.
Phenology, ontogeny and the effects of climate change on the timing of species interactions
Authors: Yang Louie H. , Rudolf V. H. W.
Published: November 2009

Climate change is altering the phenology of many species and the timing of their interactions with other species, but the impacts of these phenological shifts on species interactions remain unclear. Classical approaches to the study of phenology have typically documented changes in the timing of single life‐history events, while phenological shifts affect many interactions over entire life histories. In this study, we suggest an approach that integrates the phenology and ontogeny of species interactions with a fitness landscape to provide a common mechanistic framework for investigating phenological shifts. We suggest that this ontogeny–phenology landscape provides a flexible method to document changes in the relative phenologies of interacting species, examine the causes of these phenological shifts, and estimate their consequences for interacting species.

Ecology Letters (2010) 13: 1–10
Refuge‐mediated apparent competition in plant–consumer interactions
Authors: Orrock John L. , Holt Robert D. , Baskett Marissa L.
Published: November 2009

At the intersection of consumer behaviour and plant competition is the concept of refuge‐mediated apparent competition: an indirect interaction whereby plants provide a refuge for a shared consumer, subsequently increasing consumer pressure on another plant species. Here, we use a simple model and empirical examples to develop and illustrate the concept of refuge‐mediated apparent competition. We find that the likelihood that an inferior competitor will succeed via refuge‐mediated apparent competition is greater when competitors have similar resource requirements and when consumers exhibit a strong response to the refuge and high attack rates on the superior competitor. Refuge‐mediated apparent competition may create an emergent Allee effect, such that a species invades only if it is sufficiently abundant to alter consumer impact on resident species. This indirect interaction may help explain unresolved patterns observed in biological invasion, such as the different physical structure of invasive exotic plants, the lag phase, and the failure of restoration efforts. Given the ubiquity of refuge‐seeking behaviour by consumers and the ability of consumers to alter the outcome of direct competition among plants, refuge‐mediated apparent competition may be an underappreciated mechanism affecting the composition and diversity of plant communities.

Ecology Letters(2010) 13: 11–20
Transporter genes expressed by coastal bacterioplankton in response to dissolved organic carbon
Authors: Poretsky Rachel S. , Sun Shulei , Mou Xiaozhen , Moran Mary Ann
Published: November 2009

Coastal ocean bacterioplankton control the flow of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from terrestrial and oceanic sources into the marine food web, and regulate the release of inorganic carbon to atmospheric and offshore reservoirs. While the fate of the chemically complex coastal DOC reservoir has long been recognized as a critical feature of the global carbon budget, it has been problematic to identify both the compounds that serve as major conduits for carbon flux and the roles of individual bacterioplankton taxa in mediating that flux. Here we analyse random libraries of expressed genes from a coastal bacterial community to identify sequences representing DOC‐transporting proteins. Predicted substrates of expressed transporter genes indicated that carboxylic acids, compatible solutes, polyamines and lipids may be key components of the biologically labile DOC pool in coastal waters, in addition to canonical bacterial substrates such as amino acids, oligopeptides and carbohydrates. Half of the expressed DOC transporter sequences in this coastal ocean appeared to originate from just eight taxa: Roseobacter, SAR11, Flavobacteriales and five orders of γ‐Proteobacteria. While all major taxa expressed transporter genes for some DOC components (e.g. amino acids), there were indications of specialization within the bacterioplankton community for others (e.g. carbohydrates, carboxylic acids and polyamines). Experimental manipulations of the natural DOC pool that increased the concentration of phytoplankton‐ or vascular plant‐derived compounds invoked a readily measured response in bacterial transporter gene expression. This highly resolved view of the potential for carbon flux into heterotrophic bacterioplankton cells identifies possible bioreactive components of the coastal DOC pool and highlights differing ecological roles in carbon turnover for the resident bacterial taxa.
Differential expression of multiple terminal oxidases for aerobic respiration in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Kawakami Takuro , Kuroki Miho , Ishii Masaharu , Igarashi Yasuo , Arai Hiroyuki
Published: November 2009

Pseudomonas aeruginosa has five terminal oxidases for aerobic respiration. Two of them, the bo3 oxidase (Cyo) and the cyanide‐insensitive oxidase (CIO), are quinol oxidases and the other three, the cbb3‐1 oxidase (Cbb3‐1), the cbb3‐2 oxidase (Cbb3‐2) and the aa3 oxidase (Aa3), are cytochrome c oxidases. The expression pattern of the genes for these terminal oxidases under various growth conditions was investigated by using lacZ transcriptional fusions and some novel regulatory issues were found. The Aa3 genes were induced under starvation conditions. The Cyo genes were induced by exposure to the nitric oxide‐generating reagent S‐nitrosoglutathione. The CIO genes were induced by exposure to sodium nitroprusside as well as cyanide. The stationary phase sigma factor RpoS was found to be involved in the expression of the Aa3 and CIO genes. The role of two redox‐responsive transcriptional regulators, ANR and RoxSR, was investigated using the anr and roxSR mutant strains. The ANR was involved in the repression of the CIO genes and induction of the Cbb3‐2 genes. The other three terminal oxidase genes were not significantly regulated by ANR. On the other hand, all five terminal oxidase genes were shown to be directly or indirectly regulated by RoxSR. The Aa3 genes were repressed but the genes for the other four enzymes were induced by RoxSR. The transcriptome data also showed that some respiration‐related genes were regulated by RoxSR, suggesting that this two‐component regulatory system plays an important role in the regulation of respiration in P. aeruginosa.
Entero‐urethroplasty for the salvage of bulbo‐membranous stricture disease or trauma
Authors: Mundy Anthony R. , Andrich Daniela E.
Published: November 2009

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4

OBJECTIVE

To describe a salvage procedure for bulbo‐membranous stricture disease or trauma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Over a 10‐year period 11 patients with otherwise unsalvageable strictures of the bulbo‐membranous urethra or defects after trauma were treated by interposition of a tailored intestinal flap. An intestinal flap, on average 8 cm in length, was harvested from the ileum, the stomach, the right colon or (preferably) the sigmoid colon, and tailored to a calibre of 26–30 F. It was then sutured between the stump of the prostate and the distal bulbar or proximal pendulous urethra either following the normal perineal route for the urethra or a more direct route through a trench cut in the superior pubic ramus.

RESULTS

Three patients developed proximal anastomotic contractures requiring interval dilatation in one and revision in two. Two patients developed a stone in the gut segment one of which was removed traumatically causing irreparable damage to the neourethra. The results were otherwise satisfactory.

CONCLUSION

For an otherwise unsalvageable bulbo‐membranous stricture or defect, a tailored flap of intestine, preferably sigmoid colon, gives satisfactory results. Of the two potential routes for the neourethra, we have more experience with the normal route but the direct route has several advantages.
EUROPEANIZATION AND BUREAUCRATIC AUTONOMY IN THE NEW MEMBER STATES: A CASE STUDY OF THE AGRICULTURAL PAYING AGENCY IN SLOVAKIA
Authors: BEBLAVÝ MIROSLAV
Published: November 2009

The paper explores the impact of Europeanization on bureaucratic autonomy in the new EU member states using as a case study the Agricultural Paying Agency in Slovakia. The paper shows that Europeanization had limited sustained impact on the personal autonomy of senior officials; however, it requires and sustains the personal autonomy of an extensive cadre of mid‐level and junior civil servants. At the same time, it necessitates and continues to sustain significant change in the way agricultural subsidies are distributed, with a high level of autonomy in implementation and a lower, but still significant, measure of autonomy in policy‐making. These conclusions can also generally be supported by evidence from Lithuania and Poland. In addition, the coercive elements of Europeanization interacted with the temporarily high bureaucratic autonomy in Slovakia to ‘open’ non‐coercive channels of Europeanization of agricultural subsidies and beyond.
TACKLING HEALTH INEQUALITIES IN POST‐DEVOLUTION BRITAIN: DO TARGETS MATTER?
Authors: BLACKMAN TIM , ELLIOTT EVA , GREENE ALEX , HARRINGTON BARBARA , HUNTER DAVID , MARKS LINDA , McKEE LORNA , SMITH KAT , WILLIAMS GARETH
Published: November 2009

Since devolution in 1998, many aspects of public policy in Great Britain have diverged between England, Scotland and Wales, including how targets and performance assessment are used in the National Health Service and local government. Health inequality is an example where all three countries have recognized a need to act but approaches to performance assessment differ. Based on interviews with senior managers, the complexity of health inequality as an object of local intervention is explored and compared. Despite contrasting approaches to targets, local discourses in all three countries had significant similarities. Health inequality had to compete against a preoccupation with improving access to acute services generally and balancing budgets over the short term. There was a bias in the interventions described towards targeting health behaviours, but with limited use of evidence about efficacy, and indications that measuring progress with reducing health inequalities was starting to lead to an emphasis on ‘quick wins' from pharmacological interventions.
REVIEW ARTICLE: THEORY AND METHOD IN THE STUDY OF DELEGATION: THREE DOMINANT TRADITIONS
Authors: FLINDERS MATTHEW
Published: November 2009

This article focuses on the theories and methods that have been developed and deployed by scholars in order to understand both the cause and effect of delegation within state systems. It identifies three dominant traditions in the study of delegation, each of which reflects a certain disciplinary lineage as well as great variety in terms of ontological, epistemological and methodological positions. The aim of this article is not to make any normative claims about the innate superiority of any particular approach but to instead argue in favour of a pluralistic methodology which is sensitive to the layered quality of knowledge. By way of forging a sense of a shared enemy or weakness, the article concludes by arguing that all three traditions are united by their relative failure to study the logic of delegation and the power of ideas. In essence, each of the traditions has focused too heavily on what could be termed the politics of delegation (that is, the secondary consequences of delegation) and has, as a result, failed to focus attention on the politicization of delegation in terms of locating the basic logic of delegation back within the contours of public contestation.
PRIVACY AS ROGUERY: PERSONAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION IN AN AGE OF TRANSPARENCY
Authors: SHARMAN J.C.
Published: November 2009

A fundamental shift has occurred in the relationship between the state and the individual regarding financial privacy. The onus is now on citizens to show why governments should not have access to their personal financial information, rather than governments having to show why they should. This article argues that this shift has come about in large part because of the activities of autonomous and influential transnational networks of regulators. These regulatory networks have systematically favoured administrative efficiency and transparency at the expense of privacy in designing responses to financial crimes. Evidence is drawn from an examination of recent policy developments in countering tax evasion, money laundering, and the financing of terrorism. Currently, the principle of financial transparency suggests that financial privacy inhibits the fight against criminals and terrorists; by extension, asserting a right to privacy indicates some kind of roguery afoot.
PRIVATE LEGISLATION AS A STRATEGY OF POLITICAL NEGOTIATION
Authors: MAOR ANAT
Published: November 2009

This article contributes to the perception of the role of the legislator as political initiator in modern parliamentarianism. Most of the research literature relates to the parliament member as a ‘eam player’ of their faction and party. This research was conducted into the functioning of the Israeli parliament The Knesset and into private members' legislation. The article examines in an innovative way the act of legislation, not only as a judicial or procedural process but as a process of political negotiation. The concept and findings that arose from the study of the role of the legislator as initiator of bills and negotiator with the government gives important knowledge and perspective on legislation as a political negotiation process.
Simulation of equatorial wind field patterns with TAPM during the 1997 haze episode in Peninsular Malaysia
Authors: Mahmud Mastura
Published: November 2009

The large‐scale forest fires that occurred during the major El Niño event in 1997 can be counted among the worst environmental disasters in Southeast Asia. This study investigates atmospheric mesoscale features over Sumatra and the Klang Valley in Peninsular Malaysia during the resultant haze episode of September 1997 utilizing a limited area mesoscale three‐dimensional meteorological and dispersion model, The Air Pollution Model (TAPM).

Mesoscale features that would not be highlighted by global numerical prediction models, such as the daily land and sea breeze conditions at the selected air pollution stations located near the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, were predicted with an Index of Agreement of 0.3, which implied a moderate conformity between the predicted and observed values. Tracer analysis of air particles at a selected location in the Straits of Malacca verified the existence of the landward and shoreward movement of the air during the simulation of the low‐level wind field. Air pollutants from the burning areas of neighbouring Sumatra just across the straits were transported towards the Klang valley during the daytime and seawards during the nighttime, highlighting the recirculation features of aged and newer air particles over the seven days (13–18 September) of the model simulation. The presence of the central Main Range east of the Klang valley to a certain extent limited further eastward movement of the air particles. Near calm conditions at low levels were simulated from midnight to midday on 14 September, where the movement of the polluted air particles from the uncontrolled burning in Sumatra was confined within the Straits of Malacca. Turbulence within the planetary boundary layer in terms of the total kinetic energy was found to be weak from 14 to 15 September, congruent with the weak strength of low level winds that reduced the ability of the air to transport the pollutants during the period of severe smoke haze.

Statistical evaluation showed that parameters such as the systematic RMSE (root mean square error) and unsystematic RMSE for the zonal wind component were slightly higher than for the meridional one, indicating higher errors between the observed and simulated zonal values. Otherwise, the equatorial meteorological parameters such as wind speed and temperature were successfully simulated by the model with comparatively high correlation coefficients, lower RMSEs and moderately high indices of agreement with observed values.
Twenty years of change in the Fijian periphery: The case of the Kadavu Island
Authors: Sofer Michael
Published: November 2009

This paper reviews changes in the development and peripheralized status of the Fijian island of Kadavu from a 20‐year perspective. A combination of microgeographic studies in three villages and a mesogeographical analysis show that the conditions of internal dependency found in Kadavu in the early 1980s had not changed much: the pattern of cash crop production and trade remained almost entirely dependent on the yaqona (Pacific kava) beverage crop; shipping services provided by core agents had not improved; the island had experienced significant outmigration; and government initiatives to change the trend were limited. These elements perpetuate a core–periphery structure in Fiji that hampers the development of a self‐sufficient periphery. For Kadavu villagers, however, the benefits derived from the continued form of non‐capitalist production afford them a certain degree of autonomy vis‐à‐vis the market economy, which might be to their advantage under the ongoing conditions of peripheralization.
Local economic linkages to community‐based tourism in rural Costa Rica
Authors: Trejos Bernardo , Chiang Lan‐Hung Nora
Published: November 2009

This paper reports on the contribution of tourism to the wellbeing of rural residents through the development of economic linkages engaged by community‐based tourism (CBT) in rural Costa Rica. In a qualitative case study of local economic linkages surrounding one such project in Chira Island, economic linkages were assessed at two levels: discourse and practice. The findings indicate that CBT does not involve the collective property of the community, but rather, the collective property of a group of community members organized in a formal association. As a result, a discourse on local economic linkages has been promoted by CBT support organizations in which hopes of wider benefits are placed on small linkages to services and products provided by local community members. However, a field survey suggested that the economic linkages generated by CBT in the community were sporadic and polyvalent and, furthermore, that the linkages with agriculture are negatively affected by scale and seasonality, resulting in leakages out of the community. These findings caution practitioners that CBT may only have small‐scale positive impacts on the local economy.
The price of spice: Ethnic minority livelihoods and cardamom commodity chains in upland northern Vietnam
Authors: Tugault‐Lafleur Claire , Turner Sarah
Published: November 2009

The northern uplands of Vietnam are witness to rapidly developing commodity markets for a range of forest and agricultural products. Since the early 1990s the cultivation of black cardamom (Amomum aromaticum) has become a source of cash income for a growing number of ethnic minority households in these uplands. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, and utilizing a commodity chain and livelihoods approach, this article investigates the contemporary dynamics surrounding the cultivation, harvesting and trade of dried cardamom fruit from Hmong cultivators in Lao Cai province to consumers elsewhere in Vietnam and beyond to China and the global market. We analyse the spatial and social structures of these commodity chains, drawing attention to a range of mechanisms of access. We find that these mechanisms are reliant upon specific ethnic relations as well as different forms of capital that together sustain economic advantages for particular actors. While focusing on the ethnic minority cultivators active in these commodity chains, we also call for more nuanced understandings of how the trade in forest products fits within local agricultural systems and household livelihood decision making processes in the Vietnam uplands.