bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Differential responses of bumblebees and diurnal Lepidoptera to vegetation succession in long‐term set‐aside
Authors: Alanen Eeva‐Liisa , Hyvönen Terho , Lindgren Sami , Härmä Oskari , Kuussaari Mikko
Published: June 2011

1. Establishing temporal habitat patches, such as long‐term set‐aside, is potentially a valuable approach to support pollinator populations in intensively cultivated landscapes. The benefits of this approach are expected to differ between pollinator groups, because of fundamental differences in their ecology.

2. We studied the responses of two pollinator groups, bumblebees and diurnal Lepidoptera (butterflies and diurnal moths), to the vegetation succession in experimental set‐aside during six consecutive years. The pollinators were monitored in 24 large treatment plots (50 × 50 m), sown with three different seed mixtures (competitive and two alternatives) and unmanaged or managed by mowing, and on 10 surrounding field margins.

3. The responses of the two pollinator groups to vegetation succession were distinctly different. Bumblebees showed a very strong positive response to the diverse seed mixture with abundant floral resources, and their abundance peaked in the first year. The species richness and abundance of Lepidoptera were increased gradually, suggesting differential colonization speeds of species and a gradual establishment of populations. Lepidopteran abundance reached the level of the field margins in 3 years, whereas the corresponding species richness level was not reached. The benefits of the alternative seed mixtures were less pronounced in Lepidoptera than in bumblebees. No effects of the mowing treatment on either species group were detected.

4. Within both pollinator groups, the response to vegetation succession was associated with species traits. In bumblebees, long‐tongued species (indicating specialization) were increased during succession. In butterflies and diurnal moths, colonization success of species was strongly correlated with their wing span (indicating mobility). The most successful colonizers in butterflies were grass feeders and in diurnal moths the species feeding on leguminous plants at the larval stage.

5. Synthesis and applications.The ecological requirements of different pollinator groups should be taken into account when establishing set‐aside. Supporting bumblebees is possible even on short‐term set‐aside, assuming nectar and pollen sources are made available. The occurrence of butterflies and diurnal moths is strongly driven by additional factors, such as the availability of larval host plants as well as adult mobility, which calls for set‐aside management regimes to be in place for several years.
Boundary matters: clinical leadership and the distinctive disciplinary contribution of nursing to multidisciplinary care
Authors: McNamara Martin S , Fealy Gerard M , Casey Mary , Geraghty Ruth , Johnson Maree , Halligan Phil , Treacy Pearl , Butler Michelle
Published: June 2011

Aims.  To describe Irish nurses’ views of clinical leadership and to describe their clinical leadership development needs.

Background.  Nurses are often unclear about the precise nature of clinical leadership and its impact on the processes and outcomes of care and little is known about their self‐perceived clinical leadership development needs.

Design.  Seventeen focus group interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 144 nurses from 13 practice settings. A conceptual lens was provided by the work of Bernstein and Young who emphasise the epistemological, practical and relational significance of boundaries and how they relate in fundamental ways to professionals’ sense of their distinctive disciplinary identities and membership of specialised communities of practice.

Methods.  Focus group data were collected using semi‐structured topic guides. Analysis was facilitated by NVivo 7© and interpretation was informed by a conceptual framework arising from the interplay of emerging themes and the literature review.

Results.  The implications for clinical leadership development of two critical concepts, ‘representing nursing’ and ‘compensatory action’, are discussed in detail.

Conclusions.  Clinical leadership development should emphasise the development of all nurses as clinical leaders in the context of the delineation, clarification and articulation of their distinctive contribution in multidisciplinary care settings.

Relevance to clinical practice.  Clinical leaders are recognised as practice experts and as leaders in their particular fields. Recognition and influence in and beyond the immediate context of care depends greatly on their ability to articulate the distinct nursing contribution to patient care. This ability provides an essential resource to resist the ongoing blurring, effacement and dilution of nurses’ roles.
Forecasting the ward climate: a study from a dementia care unit
Authors: Edvardsson David , Sandman Per‐Olof , Rasmussen Birgit
Published: June 2011

Aims and objectives.  This article present findings from a study aiming to explore the psychosocial climate and its influence on the well‐being of people with dementia in a psycho‐geriatric hospital unit.

Background.  Environmental influence in dementia is well explored in relation to the physical environment; however, few studies have explored the psychosocial environment and its influence on well‐being.

Design.  The study had a grounded theory design.

Methods.  Participant observations were conducted in a psycho‐geriatric ward for assessment and treatment of people with dementia in Sweden (n = 36 hours). Data were collected and analysed in a dialectical fashion using the principles of grounded theory methodology.

Results.  The basic social process that best accounted for the variation in the psychosocial climate and well‐being of patients at the unit was ‘staff presence or absence’, conceptualised as the core category. Three categories emerged in relation to the core category; ‘sharing place and moment’, ‘sharing place but not moment’ and ‘sharing neither place nor moment’.

Conclusions.  Staff were catalysts for the psychosocial climate and when being present and engaged they could create a climate interpreted as at‐homeness which supported patient well‐being. When being absent, the climate quickly became anxious and this facilitated patient ill‐being. To provide quality care for people with dementia staff need to be aware of their role in setting the emotional tone of the psychosocial climate and also that this emotional tone significantly influences patient well‐being.

Relevance to clinical practice.  The findings are clinically relevant and can be operationalised and applied in clinical practice. Awareness of the intimate connection between staff presence and absence, the psychosocial climate and patient well‐being highlights an ethical responsibility to question: routines that promote staff absence; a culture of merely ‘doing for’; and nursing tasks which involve a minimum of staff–patient interaction. The findings have implications for managers as well as for clinical staff.
The pathogenic persona of community‐associated oral streptococci
Authors: Whitmore Sarah E. , Lamont Richard J.
Published: June 2011

The mitis group streptococci (MGS) are widespread in the oral cavity and are traditionally associated with oral health. However, these organisms have many attributes that contribute to the development of pathogenic oral communities. MGS adhere rapidly to saliva‐coated tooth surfaces, thereby providing an attachment substratum for more overtly pathogenic organisms such as Porphyromonas gingivalis, and the two species assemble into heterotypic communities. Close physical association facilitates physiologic support, and pathogens such as Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans display resource partitioning to favour carbon sources generated by streptococcal metabolism. MGS exchange information with community members through a number of interspecies signalling systems including AI‐2 and contact dependent mechanisms. Signal transduction systems induced in P. gingivalis are based on protein dephosphorylation mediated by the tyrosine phosphatase Ltp1, and converge on a LuxR‐family transcriptional regulator, CdhR. Phenotypic responses in P. gingivalis include regulation of hemin uptake systems and gingipain activity, processes that are intimately linked to the virulence of the organism. Furthermore, communities of S. gordonii with P. gingivalis or with A. actinomycetemcomitans are more pathogenic in animal models than the constituent species alone. We propose that MGS should be considered accessory pathogens, organisms whose pathogenic potential only becomes evident in the context of a heterotypic microbial community.
Loss of co‐chaperone TopJ impacts adhesin P1 presentation and terminal organelle maturation in Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Authors: Cloward Jason M. , Krause Duncan C.
Published: June 2011

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a wall‐less human respiratory tract pathogen that colonizes mucosal epithelium via a polar terminal organelle having a central electron‐dense core and adhesin‐related proteins clustered at a terminal button. A mutant lacking J‐domain co‐chaperone TopJ is non‐cytadherent and non‐motile, despite having a core and normal levels of the major cytadherence‐associated proteins. J‐domain co‐chaperones work with DnaK to catalyse polypeptide binding and subsequent protein folding. Here we compared features of the topJ mutant with other cytadherence mutants to elucidate the contribution of TopJ to cytadherence function. The topJ mutant was similar ultrastructurally to a non‐cytadherent mutant lacking terminal organelle proteins B/C, including aberrant core positioning and cell morphology in thin sections, but exhibited a hybrid satellite growth pattern with features of mutants both having and lacking a core. Time‐lapse images of mycoplasmas expressing a YFP fusion with terminal organelle protein P41 suggested that terminal organelle formation/positioning was delayed or poorly co‐ordinated with cell growth in the absence of TopJ. TopJ required a core for localization, perhaps involving HMW1. P1 trypsin accessibility on other non‐cytadherent mutants was significantly enhanced over wild type but unexpectedly was reduced with topJ mutant cells, suggesting impaired processing, translocation and/or folding of this adhesin.
Vanadate and triclosan synergistically induce alginate production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1
Authors: Damron F. Heath , Davis Jr Michael R. , Withers T. Ryan , Ernst Robert K. , Goldberg Joanna B. , Yu Guangli , Yu Hongwei D.
Published: June 2011

Alginate overproduction by P. aeruginosa strains, also known as mucoidy, is associated with chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF). It is not clear how alginate induction occurs in the wild‐type (wt) mucA strains. When grown on Pseudomonas isolation agar (PIA), P. aeruginosa strains PAO1 and PA14 are non‐mucoid, producing minimal amounts of alginate. Here we report the addition of ammonium metavanadate (AMV), a phosphatase inhibitor, to PIA (PIA‐AMV) induced mucoidy in both these laboratory strains and early lung colonizing non‐mucoid isolates with a wt mucA. This phenotypic switch was reversible depending on the availability of vanadate salts and triclosan, a component of PIA. Alginate induction in PAO1 on PIA‐AMV was correlated with increased proteolytic degradation of MucA, and required envelope proteases AlgW or MucP, and a two‐component phosphate regulator, PhoP. Other changes included the addition of palmitate to lipid A, a phenotype also observed in chronic CF isolates. Proteomic analysis revealed the upregulation of stress chaperones, which was confirmed by increased expression of the chaperone/protease MucD. Altogether, these findings suggest a model of alginate induction and the PIA‐AMV medium may be suitable for examining early lung colonization phenotypes in CF before the selection of the mucA mutants.
Inside‐out Z rings – constriction with and without GTP hydrolysis
Authors: Osawa Masaki , Erickson Harold P.
Published: June 2011

The bacterial tubulin homologue FtsZ forms a ring‐like structure called the Z ring that drives cytokinesis. We showed previously that FtsZ–YFP–mts, which has a short amphipathic helix (mts) on its C terminus that inserts into the membrane, can assemble contractile Z rings in tubular liposomes without any other protein. Here we study mts–FtsZ–YFP, where the membrane tether is switched to the opposite side of the protofilament. This assembled ‘inside‐out’ Z rings that wrapped around the outside surface of tubular liposomes. The inside‐out Z rings were highly dynamic, and generated a constriction force that squeezed the tubular liposomes from outside. This is consistent with models where the constriction force is generated by curved protofilaments bending the membrane. We used this system to test how GTP hydrolysis by FtsZ is involved in Z‐ring constriction. Without GTP hydrolysis, Z rings could still assemble and generate an initial constriction. However, the constriction quickly stopped, suggesting that Z rings became rigidly stabilized in the absence of GTP hydrolysis. We propose that remodelling of the Z ring, mediated by GTP hydrolysis and exchange of subunits, is necessary for the continuous constriction.
Regulation of transcription by DNA supercoiling in Mycoplasma genitalium: global control in the smallest known self‐replicating genome
Authors: Dorman Charles J.
Published: June 2011

The mollicute Mycoplasma genitalium causes sexually transmitted disease in humans. It has recently come to widespread public attention through its involvement in pioneering synthetic biology experiments. The 580‐kilo‐base‐pair genome of M. genitalium contains just 470 genes, few of which seem to encode conventional transcription regulators. This raises the important question of how does this simple organism control its gene expression? The finding that the transcription of an osmotically inducible gene encoding a lipoprotein is sensitive to antibiotics that inhibit the activity of DNA gyrase, the enzyme that introduces negative supercoiling into DNA, raises the possibility that changes in DNA supercoiling provide a regulatory mechanism for controlling transcription in M. genitalium.
Is there an important role for reactive oxygen species and redox regulation during floral senescence?
Authors: ROGERS HILARY J.
Published: June 2011

Senescence is a highly regulated process terminating with programmed cell death (PCD). Floral senescence, and in particular petal senescence, forms an interesting model to study this process in that floral lifespan is species specific and linked to biological function. A feature of petal senescence is a rise in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a change in redox balance. A key question is whether this is merely a consequence of de‐regulation of antioxidant systems as cells enter PCD, or whether the rise in ROS may have a regulatory or signalling function. An important division in the physiology of floral senescence is between species in which ethylene is a key regulator, and those in which it appears not to perform an important regulatory role. Another important question we can therefore ask is whether the redox and ROS changes have the same significance in species with different physiologies. Transcriptomic studies in ethylene‐sensitive and ‐insensitive species allow us to further determine whether changes in the activity of ROS‐scavenging enzymes are transcriptionally regulated during floral senescence. Finally, it is important to assess how a signalling role for ROS or redox status would fit with known plant growth regulator (PGR) control of floral senescence.
Ethanol consumption and pineal melatonin daily profile in rats
Authors: Peres Rafael , do Amaral Fernanda Gaspar , Madrigrano Thiago Cardoso , Scialfa Julieta Helena , Bordin Silvana , Afeche Solange Castro , Cipolla‐Neto José
Published: June 2011

It is well known that melatonin participates in the regulation of many important physiological functions such as sleep–wakefulness cycle, motor coordination and neural plasticity, and cognition. However, as there are contradictory results regarding the melatonin production diurnal profile under alcohol consumption, the aim of this paper was to study the phenomenology and mechanisms of the putative modifications on the daily profile of melatonin production in rats submitted to chronic alcohol intake. The present results show that rats receiving 10% ethanol in drinking water for 35 days display an altered daily profile of melatonin production, with a phase delay and a reduction in the nocturnal peak. This can be partially explained by a loss of the daily rhythm and the 25% reduction in tryptophan hydroxylase activity and, mainly, by a phase delay in arylalkylamine N‐acetyltransferase gene expression and a 70% reduction in its peak activity. Upstream in the melatonin synthesis pathway, the results showed that noradrenergic signaling is impaired as well, with a decrease in β1 and α1 adrenergic receptors' mRNA contents and in vitro sustained loss of noradrenergic‐stimulated melatonin production by glands from alcohol‐treated rats. Together, these results confirm the alterations in the daily melatonin profile of alcoholic rats and suggest the possible mechanisms for the observed melatonin synthesis modification.
Dry matter and calcium digestibility in captive veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus)
Authors: Hoby S. , Clauss M. , Aebischer A. , Wenker C. , Robert N. , Liesegang A.
Published: June 2011

Although metabolic bone disease (MBD) is a very common disease in reptiles kept as pets, empirical data on the calcium (Ca) metabolism of reptiles are still scarce. We used the opportunity of a large‐scale experimental study on growth and clinical manifestations of MBD in captive veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus) to measure the apparent dry matter (DM) and Ca digestibility in 19 animals (6–49 g), receiving locust nymphs (Locusta migratoria) of two size classes (0.05 and 0.5 g) with or without supplementation of Ca, vitamin A and cholecalciferol (Group A: Ca 0.04‐0.09%DM; Group B: Ca 0.47‐0.84%DM). Dry matter digestibility was significantly lower for animals receiving smaller‐sized prey. A regression analysis of dietary Ca vs. digestible Ca content revealed a complete ‘true’ digestibility of Ca for the range of investigated diets, which might indicate that requirements for this mineral were not yet exceeded by the diets used (so that a reduction in Ca absorption would be induced). Options of higher dietary Ca provision, and reactions of chameleons to such diets, should be further investigated.
Effects of dietary carbohydrate sources on plasma glucose, insulin and IGF‐I levels in multiparous sows
Authors: Wientjes J. G. M. , Soede N. M. , Aarsse F. , Laurenssen B. F. A. , Koopmanschap R. E. , van den Brand H. , Kemp B.
Published: June 2011

Effects of different carbohydrate sources on plasma glucose, insulin and insulin‐like growth factor‐I (IGF‐I) levels were compared to subsequently be able to study effects of insulin‐stimulating diets on follicle development in sows. The following feed components were tested in 12 sows during six consecutive test periods of 9.5 days: dextrose (DEX), sucrose (SUC), lactose (LAC), dextrose plus lactose (DL), sucrose plus lactose (SL), dextrose plus sugarbeet pulp (DSBP) and control (CON). On day 2, 5 and 9 of each test period, plasma glucose (only at day 9), insulin and IGF‐I profiles were determined. Despite similar glucose profiles for all diets, the postprandial insulin response was higher for DL and SL compared with CON and LAC; the other diets were intermediate. Plasma IGF‐I levels were higher in CON, LAC and SL compared with DSBP, but differences were only marginal. It was concluded that dextrose and sucrose have the potential to stimulate fast and high insulin peaks, especially when combined with additional lactose. Despite the high dextrose in the DSBP diet, the insulin response was flattened, probably due to the viscosity of sugarbeet pulp. The results show that modulation of plasma insulin levels by dietary carbohydrates seems possible in anabolic sows, but IGF‐I levels are less easily modified.
What people say about travelling outdoors after their stroke: A qualitative study
Authors: Barnsley Lara , McCluskey Annie , Middleton Sandy
Published: June 2011

Background/aim: Reduced walking ability and loss of confidence are common after stroke. Many people cannot drive or use public transport, which can restrict participation. This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences and attitudes of people following stroke to travelling outdoors early after hospital discharge.

Methods: Two semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 19 people post‐stroke, all of whom were receiving rehabilitation to increase outdoor travel. Mean age was 68.6 years (SD 11.7 years). Eight significant others also participated. Interviews were conducted at home (median 21 days post‐discharge), with a second interview three months later. Questions focussed on common destinations, modes of travel including driving when relevant and factors that influenced outdoor travel. Qualitative data were analysed using constant comparative (grounded theory) methods, resulting in themes and categories.

Results: People with stroke were categorised as either ahesitantorconfident explorer, in relation to walking, catching public transport and driving. Factors influencing outdoor travel included their emotional disposition, having meaningful destinations, expectations of recovery and the sphere of influence, including family and therapists. These factors could have an enabling or restricting effect. A pre‐stroke walking habit also positively contributed to outdoor travel. Gate‐keeping by therapists, general practitioners and family members seemed to adversely affect travel.

Conclusions: This emerging theory offers insights into the experiences and attitudes to outdoor travel of people who were ambulant and participating in community rehabilitation following a stroke. Future research could explore the experiences of people with more severe mobility, cognitive and communication problems.
Receptor dependent immobilization of spermatozoa by sperm immobilization factor isolated from Escherichia coli: Proof of evidence
Authors: Kumar Vijay , Prabha Vijay , Kaur Siftjit , Kaur Kiranjeet , Singh SK
Published: June 2011

Objective:  To examine the receptor‐ligand interaction between E. coli and spermatozoa resulting in sperm immobilization.

Methods:  Sperm immobilization factor (SIF) was isolated and purified from filtrate of E. coli suspension. Receptor on human spermatozoa for SIF was made to isolated and purified by salt extraction, gel permeation and ion exchange chromatography. Receptor dependent immobilization of spermatozoa by SIF was confirmed by competitive inhibition by addition of the purified receptor and binding to sperm receptor by Fluorescin Isothiocynate (FITC) labelled SIF using fluorescence microscopy.

Results:  Heat labile, non‐dialyzable, sperm immobilization factor of ∼56 kDa was isolated and purified from E. coli. Using SIF as a tool, receptor of 113 kDa could be isolated and purified from human spermatozoa. Addition of purified receptor completely inhibited sperm immobilization and death induced by SIF suggesting receptor‐dependent immobilization of spermatozoa. Further incubation of sperm with FITC labelled SIF resulted in staining of whole sperm.

Conclusion:  The study provides evidence of receptor‐ligand interaction between E. coli and spermatozoa.
MULTICENTER PHASE II RANDOMIZED STUDY EVALUATING DOSE–RESPONSE OF ANTIPERISTALTIC EFFECT OF L‐MENTHOL SPRAYED ONTO THE GASTRIC MUCOSA FOR UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL ENDOSCOPY
Authors: HIKI NAOKI , KAMINISHI MICHIO , YASUDA KENJIRO , UEDO NORIYA , KOBARI MASUMI , SAKAI TERUFUMI , HIRATSUKA TAKASHI , OHNO KYOTA , HONJO HAJIME , NOMURA SACHIYO , YAHAGI NAOHISA , TAJIRI HISAO , SUZUKI HIROAKI
Published: June 2011

Aim:  Peppermint oil solution was found to be effective for reducing gastric spasm during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The aim of the present study was to assess whether the gastric peristalsis‐suppressing effect is dose‐dependently induced by L‐menthol, the major constituent of peppermint oil, and to determine the recommended dose of an L‐menthol preparation.

Methods:  In this phase II, multicenter, double‐blind, dose–response study, 131 eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive 20 mL of 0.4% L‐menthol (n = 32), 0.8% L‐menthol (n = 35), 1.6% L‐menthol (n = 30), or placebo (n = 34). The primary efficacy measure was the proportion of subjects with no peristalsis in two time periods, 75 to 105 s after treatment and immediately before the completion of endoscopy.

Results:  The peristalsis‐suppressing effect of L‐menthol increased dose dependently (5.6%, 32.0%, 47.4% and 52.9% in the 0%, 0.4%, 0.8% and 1.6% groups, respectively: P < 0.001, one‐tailed Cochran‐Armitage trend test). As compared with the placebo group, the proportion of subjects with no peristalsis after administration was significantly higher in the 0.8% group (P = 0.015) and 1.6% group (P = 0.009). Adverse events in the L‐menthol dose groups occurred with similar frequencies in the placebo group.

Conclusion:  L‐menthol suppresses peristalsis in a dose‐dependent manner, and the dose–response reaches a plateau at 0.8% L‐menthol. Further Phase III studies are needed to establish the superiority of 0.8% L‐menthol over placebo.
Nursing students' perceptions of nursing: a descriptive study of four cohorts
Authors: Safadi R.R. , Saleh M.Y.N. , Nassar O.S. , Amre H.M. , Froelicher E.S.
Published: June 2011

SAFADI R.R., SALEH M.Y.N., NASSAR O.S., AMRE H.M. & FROELICHER E.S. (2011) Nursing students' perceptions of nursing: a descriptive study of four cohorts. International Nursing Review58, 420–427

Aims:  The study aims to describe nursing students' changing perception of nursing over 4 years of the nursing programme and examine whether perception differed by gender, previous study or choice of nursing education.

Methods:  A descriptive cross‐sectional design was used, with a probability sample of 606 students. Respondents were a random sample of 50% of each of the four educational cohorts studying within the academic year 2008–2009 in one baccalaureate nursing programme at a Jordanian public university. A specifically designed tool of statements of nursing definitions based on nursing theories, the nursing literature and sociocultural beliefs was used to identify student nurses' perception of nursing.

Findings:  Student perceptions changed from lay altruistic beliefs of nursing to theoretical medical technological views of the profession denoting a theory–practice gap. Perceptions also differed by gender, having a previous associate degree in nursing and a priority choice to study nursing.

Conclusion:  Such results delineated the importance of revising nursing schools' curricula and the universities' admission policies into the nursing profession.
Children's knowledge of cancer diagnosis and treatment: Jordanian mothers' perceptions and satisfaction with the process
Authors: Arabiat D.H. , Alqaissi N.M. , Hamdan‐Mansour A.M.
Published: June 2011

ARABIAT D.H., ALQAISSI N.M. & HAMDAN‐MANSOUR A.M. (2011) Children's knowledge of cancer diagnosis and treatment: Jordanian mothers' perceptions and satisfaction with the process. International Nursing Review58, 443–449

Background:  The amount of information shared with children regarding their illness, as well as what knowledge children are entitled to know, varies widely among cultures.

Aims:  This study aims to examine mothers' accounts of communication about cancer diagnosis to their children, how much children knew about their illnesses and how satisfied the mothers were with the method they used in communicating the diagnosis.

Methods:  Using semi‐structured interviews and open‐ended questions, 51 mothers attending paediatric oncology clinics in Jordan were interviewed. Content analysis was used to analyse the data.

Findings:  Mothers expressed a range of views about the forms of disclosure, including being clear about the diagnosis and its treatment and being secretive yet misconceptualizing the accounts of the illness. The median age for the children diagnosed with cancer was 11 years (interquartile range 7–16 years). Most of the mothers were offered no help with talking to their children about cancer diagnosis. Mothers who found it difficult to tell the news of the diagnosis to their children finally withheld the diagnoses from them. Those same mothers were unhappy and uncomfortable with the communication method they had used with children.

Conclusion:  This study emphasized the role of nurses' interaction with their child patients diagnosed with cancer. Nurses should not have an opinion about how and what children need to know about their illness, and preferably should take an active role in the process of communication between mothers and their children. Further work and research are needed in this field.
Religion, culture and male involvement in the use of the Standard Days Method: evidence from Enugu and Katsina states of Nigeria*
Authors: Ujuju C. , Anyanti J. , Adebayo S.B. , Muhammad F. , Oluigbo O. , Gofwan A.
Published: June 2011

UJUJU C., ANYANTI J., ADEBAYO S.B., MUHAMMAD F., OLUIGBO O. & GOFWAN A. (2011) Religion, culture and male involvement in the use of the Standard Days Method: evidence from Enugu and Katsina states of Nigeria. International Nursing Review58, 484–490

Aim:  This paper presents findings from an exploratory study on the use of the Standard Days Method® (SDM) of family planning (FP) in Katsina and Enugu states of Nigeria.

Background:  Potential users of FP often do not use modern methods if its practice is in dissonance with cultural and religious values. Increasing FP options through the introduction of effective natural methods is important, as it will ensure that FP providers, particularly nurses, can provide appropriate non‐hormonal methods to women who are interested in their use. This will bring about an increased contraceptive prevalence in countries with strong religious barriers to modern FP methods.

Methods:  A qualitative study using focus group discussions and in‐depth interviews was conducted with nurses, community FP providers and users of the SDM following the introduction of the method in two Nigerian states.

Discussion:  Both users and providers perceive the SDM to be religiously and culturally acceptable. They found it useful particularly among women who could not use hormonal methods for medical reasons.

Conclusion:  There was no religious/cultural opposition to the use of SDM. Spousal involvement in use within localities where hormonal methods are not accepted was perceived as an important factor in making the method acceptable. It is imperative to scale up the intervention to other areas both in Nigeria and in other countries that have similar religious and cultural resistance to modern FP methods.
The integration substitute: the role of controls in managing human asset specificity
Authors: Sridharan VG , Akroyd Chris
Published: June 2011

As the integration solution to the problem of specific assets cannot be replicated on human asset specificity because slavery is illegal, economic theory states that control systems substitute for integration through a balanced structure to help align diverse interests. To understand the intricate design features of the balance, we examine a case‐study firm. For low human asset specificity, the restriction and segregation of usable decision rights link with standards. However, incentives are traced to individuals only to the extent task deviations do not create relevant future costs that are difficult to be self‐corrected. For high specificity, incentives are related to outputs rather than outcomes, because outcome variations reduce the attractiveness of maintaining the balance. Subjective assessment is used as an efficient alternate ‘balancing’ solution and decision control is shared when available subjective data are inadequate.
On not receiving money from African dictators: A case study in moral politics (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)
Authors: Hart Keith
Published: June 2011

The resignation of the director of the London School of Economics as a result of links with Gaddafi recalls an episode when the author was Director of the Centre of African Studies at the University of Cambridge. The Nigerian dictator offered to fund a fellowship in the name of his wife, to general approval including that of Nigerian students. This story provokes some reflections on morality and politics featuring Shakespeare's profound insight into the tension between the collective interest and personal morality. Dirty money continues to flow into the coffers of prestigious institutions, but it remains the case that this prestige may be used for good or ill.
Applied anthropology anyone? (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)
Authors: Marks Jonathan
Published: June 2011

As a boundary‐straddling branch of knowledge, anthropology is a classically dangerous academic domain. But it is only “anti‐science” if one conceptualizes “science” perversely.
Ethical predicaments: Advocating security for mobile pastoralists in weak states (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)
Authors: Moritz Mark , Scholte Paul
Published: June 2011

Some have argued that anthropologists have a moral responsibility to advocate on behalf of research subjects suffering from structural and other forms of violence. However, advocacy is not without its problems; action taken on behalf of one's research subjects may have adverse consequences for others. This is our current predicament. Violence and insecurity have always been major themes in our work with mobile pastoralists in the Far North Region of Cameroon, who have suffered deadly cattle raids for decades. More recently, pastoralists have been subject to child kidnappings and extortion by criminal gangs. As researchers working with these people, we have repeatedly informed development projects, NGOs and government authorities about these and other insecurity problems. The difficulty is that the government response, in particular the use of paramilitary forces, has created another kind of insecurity which has adverse effects on others.
Enter the myopticon: Uncertain surveillance in the Danish asylum system (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)
Authors: Whyte Zachary
Published: June 2011

Asylum seekers in Europe face increasingly restrictive policy regimes across the continent. In Denmark, they are held at designated asylum centres while their cases are processed and are subject to limitations on their movement, education and employment, as well as to a degree of surveillance from both the state and the Danish Red Cross, which operates the majority of the asylum centres. While these structures are in some ways reminiscent of Foucault's panopticon, I want to suggest a counterpoint to the panopticon, which I call the ‘myopticon’ to indicate the near‐sightedness of the central surveying eye. The myopticon is a near‐sighted system of surveillance practices, knowledges and sanctions, deployed as though it were panoptic. I want to suggest that the uncertainty that has soaked through the Danish asylum system and profoundly affected the asylum seekers in it is not a byproduct of bureaucratic processing, but intrinsic to the operation of the myopticon. By drawing out points of distinction with Foucault's panopticon, I sketch the outlines of a new technology of power that has powerful consequences for the daily lives of asylum seekers in Denmark.
Iraq: The state‐of‐nature effect (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)
Authors: Sahlins Marshall
Published: June 2011

In the civil strife of ancient Greek cities that was the model for Hobbes' state of nature, the intervention of the larger forces of Athens and Sparta, proclaiming unconditional causes‐to‐die‐for, transformed local social differences into lethal factional enmities. Death then raged from many quarters. The same effect of anarchic violence has followed from imperial conquer‐and‐divide policies in modern colonial and post‐colonial societies. The present paper documents the processes by which the American intervention in Iraq transformed a plural nation into a bellum omnium contra omnes. Historically, the state of nature appears as the effect of the subversion of the social contract rather than its precondition.
The Role and Impact of Trade Union Equality Representatives in Britain
Authors: Bacon Nicolas , Hoque Kim
Published: June 2011

Drawing on data from the first national survey of trade union equality representatives, this article assesses the role and impact of equality representatives in Britain. While the majority of equality representatives report having had a positive impact on employer equality practice, the analysis also suggests that equality representative effectiveness might be enhanced via the introduction of statutory rights to time off. In addition, it points to the need for unions to include equality on the bargaining agenda, attract new representatives to the role, and ensure that equality representatives have the confidence and skills to represent members effectively within grievance procedures. It also suggests an important role for the government in encouraging employers to engage in meaningful dialogue with equality representatives.
Did the Market Signal Impending Problems at Northern Rock? An Analysis of Four Financial Instruments
Authors: Hamalainen Paul , Pop Adrian , Hall Max , Howcroft Barry
Published: June 2011

The academic literature has regularly argued that market discipline can support regulatory authority mechanisms in ensuring banking sector stability. This includes, amongst other things, using forward‐looking market prices to identify those credit institutions that are most at risk of failure. The paper's key aim is to analyse whether market investors signalled potential problems at Northern Rock in advance of the bank announcing that it had negotiated emergency lending facilities at the Bank of England in September 2007. A further aim of the paper is to examine the signalling qualities of four financial market instruments (credit default swap spreads, subordinated debt spreads, implied volatility from options prices and equity measures of bank risk) so as to explore both the relative and individual qualities of each. The paper's findings, therefore, contribute to the market discipline literature on using market data to identify bank risk‐taking and enhancing supervisory monitoring. Our analysis suggests that private market participants did signal impending financial problems at Northern Rock. These findings lend some empirical support to proposals for the supervisory authorities to use market information more extensively to improve the identification of troubled banks. The paper identifies equities as providing the timeliest and clearest signals of bank condition, whilst structural factors appear to hamper the signalling qualities of subordinated debt spreads and credit default swap spreads. The paper also introduces idiosyncratic implied volatility as a potentially useful early warning metric for supervisory authorities to observe.
A decision support system for fund raising management based on the Choquet integral methodology
Authors: Barzanti Luca , Giove Silvio
Published: June 2011

The employment of a decision support system for optimizing fund raising strategies is crucial to the management of non‐profit organizations. Commonly considered methodologies utilize the organization's donor database in order to gather and analyse information. However, many organizations, especially small‐ and medium‐sized ones, do not own or efficiently manage a database, and consequently, the usual methods are inapplicable. In this paper, a decision support system is developed that is able to identify the most promising fund raising strategies on the basis of the organization's profile. The profile factors of a non‐profit organization are analysed and hierarchically organized in a decision tree in order to effectively employ the Choquet integral methodology, which is recommended in these kinds of multi‐criteria decision problems. The results obtained in the real operational context show the effectiveness of the proposed system.
A multi‐resolution multi‐classifier system for speaker verification
Authors: Impedovo Donato , Pirlo Giuseppe , Petrone Mario
Published: June 2011

This paper describes a Speaker Verification System based on the use of multi resolution classifiers in order to cope with performance degradation due to natural variations of the excitation source and of the vocal tract. The different resolution representations of the speaker are obtained by considering multiple frame lengths in the feature extraction process and from these representations a single Pseudo‐Multi Parallel Branch (P‐MPB) Hidden Markov Model is obtained. In the verification process, different resolution representations of the speech signal are classified by multiple P‐MPB systems: the final decision is obtained by means of different combination techniques. The system based on the Weighted Majority Vote technique considerably outperforms baseline systems: improvements are between 15% and 38%. The execution time of the verification process is also evaluated and it proves to be very acceptable, thus allowing the use of the approach for applications in real time systems.
Meeting the demand for crop production: the challenge of yield decline in crops grown in short rotations
Authors: Bennett Amanda J. , Bending Gary D. , Chandler David , Hilton Sally , Mills Peter
Published: June 2011

There is a trend world‐wide to grow crops in short rotation or in monoculture, particularly in conventional agriculture. This practice is becoming more prevalent due to a range of factors including economic market trends, technological advances, government incentives, and retailer and consumer demands. Land‐use intensity will have to increase further in future in order to meet the demands of growing crops for both bioenergy and food production, and long rotations may not be considered viable or practical. However, evidence indicates that crops grown in short rotations or monoculture often suffer from yield decline compared to those grown in longer rotations or for the first time. Numerous factors have been hypothesised as contributing to yield decline, including biotic factors such as plant pathogens, deleterious rhizosphere microorganisms, mycorrhizas acting as pathogens, and allelopathy or autotoxicity of the crop, as well as abiotic factors such as land management practices and nutrient availability. In many cases, soil microorganisms have been implicated either directly or indirectly in yield decline. Although individual factors may be responsible for yield decline in some cases, it is more likely that combinations of factors interact to cause the problem. However, evidence confirming the precise role of these various factors is often lacking in field studies due to the complex nature of cropping systems and the numerous interactions that take place within them. Despite long‐term knowledge of the yield‐decline phenomenon, there are few tools to counteract it apart from reverting to longer crop rotations or break crops. Alternative cropping and management practices such as double‐cropping or inter‐cropping, tillage and organic amendments may prove valuable for combating some of the negative effects seen when crops are grown in short rotation. Plant breeding continues to be important, although this does require a specific breeding target to be identified. This review identifies gaps in our understanding of yield decline, particularly with respect to the complex interactions occurring between the different components of agro‐ecosystems, which may well influence food security in the 21st Century.
Carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems: do browsing and grazing herbivores matter?
Authors: Tanentzap Andrew J. , Coomes David A.
Published: June 2011

Large mammalian herbivores manifest a strong top‐down control on ecosystems that can transform entire landscapes, but their impacts have not been reviewed in the context of terrestrial carbon storage. Here, we evaluate the effects of plant biomass consumption by large mammalian herbivores (>10 kg adult biomass), and the responses of ecosystems to these herbivores, on carbon stocks in temperate and tropical regions, and the Arctic. We calculate the difference in carbon stocks resulting from herbivore exclusion using the results of 108 studies from 52 vegetation types. Our estimates suggest that herbivores can reduce terrestrial above‐ and below‐ground carbon stocks across vegetation types but reductions in carbon stocks may approach zero given sufficient periods of time for systems to respond to herbivory (i.e. decades). We estimate that if all large herbivores were removed from the vegetation types sampled in our review, increases in terrestrial carbon stocks would be up to three orders of magnitude less than many of the natural and human‐influenced sources of carbon emissions. However, we lack estimates for the effects of herbivores on below‐ground biomass and soil carbon levels in many regions, including those with high herbivore densities, and upwards revisions of our estimates may be necessary. Our results provide a starting point for a discussion on the magnitude of the effects of herbivory on the global carbon cycle, particularly given that large herbivores are common in many ecosystems. We suggest that herbivore removal might represent an important strategy towards increasing terrestrial carbon stocks at local and regional scales within specific vegetation types, since humans influence populations of most large mammals.
Uncovering auditory evoked potentials from cochlear implant users with independent component analysis
Authors: Viola Filipa C. , Thorne Jeremy D. , Bleeck Stefan , Eyles Julie , Debener Stefan
Published: June 2011

Auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) provide an objective measure of auditory cortical function, but AEPs from cochlear implant (CI) users are contaminated by an electrical artifact. Here, we investigated the effects of electrical artifact attenuation on AEP quality. The ability of independent component analysis (ICA) in attenuating the CI artifact while preserving the AEPs was evaluated. AEPs recovered from CI users were systematically correlated with age, demonstrating that individual differences were well preserved. CI users with high‐quality AEPs were characterized by a significantly shorter duration of deafness. Finally, a simulation study revealed very high spatial correlations between original and recovered normal hearing AEPs (r>.95) that were previously contaminated with CI artifacts. The results confirm that after ICA, good quality AEPs can be recovered, facilitating the objective, noninvasive study of auditory cortex function in CI users.