bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pelagic‐Benthic Coupling in the Nordic Seas: The Role of Episodic Events
Authors: Wassmann Paul , Andreassen Inger , Reigstad Marit , Slagstad Dag
Published: May 2008

Abstract. The consequences of the following episodic phenomena for the pelagic‐benthic coupling in the Nordic Seas are illustrated: (1) Advection of water masses between fjords and shelf environments, (2) freshwater run‐off and vertical stability, (3) dynamics of the marginal ice zone in the central and northern Barents Sea and the Polar Ocean, (4) drift patterns of sinking particles along the North Norwegian coast, (5) advection of zooplankton into subarctic fjords and the southern Barents Sea, zooplankton overwintering and composition, and (6) transport of organic particulate matter from the Barents Sea shelf. It is shown that physical processes in the north‐eastern North Atlantic and Polar Ocean can be strongly variable on time scales of days to decades. They have a significant influence on the dynamics of pelagic‐benthic coupling. The physical oceanography influences the vertical and horizontal particle flux not only directly (mixing, advection, up‐ and down‐welling), but also indirectly through its impact on the biota (for example radiation, wind, ice cover, freshwater run‐off and overwintering, advection and retention of zooplankton). Understanding pelagic‐benthic coupling at high latitudes depends even more on a best possible understanding of the physical oceanography and the time scales involved than elsewhere.
Morphological and Biological Particularities of Black Sea Whiting Merlangius merlangus euxinus (nordmann) (Teleostei: Gadidae)*
Authors: Volodin Sergei V.
Published: May 2008

Abstract. From 1987–1992 nearly 4000 specimens of Merlangius merlangus euxinus were collected from most Black Sea areas. Biological parameters such as weight, standard length, sex, and age were studied. Seven meristic and twenty‐four morphometric parameters were analyzed from 756 specimens. Data were processed employing discriminant and cluster analyses; they indicate the existence of several populations or sub‐populations of the Black Sea whiting. The findings are supported by biological data and the general circulation pattern of the Black Sea.
A Comparison of Phytoplankton Biomass Estimators and Their Environmental Correlates in the Mali Ston Bay (Southern Adriatic)
Authors: Jasprica N. , Carić M.
Published: May 2008

Abstract. Phytoplankton biomass estimators – total cell number (CN), total cell volume (CV), chlorophyll a (Chl a). phytoplankton organic carbon (PC), and their response to environmental variables, with a special emphasis on the vertical variability in the structure of the water column – were examined in the Mali Ston Bay (Southern Adriatic). Correlations among biomass estimators as well as with physical‐chemical parameters varied according to hydrodynamic characteristics of the water column. The amount of Chl a per cell ranged from 0.28.06–10‐6μg during stratification to 0.7–2.0.10‐6μg during the mixing period. Most frequent values for PC/Chl a ratios and for Chl a/CV in mixed natural phytoplankton populations were 20–25 and 1–2, respectively.
On the Occurrence of Oceanic Tintinnines with Particular Consideration of the SpeciesAmphorides laackmanni(Jörgensen, 1924), (Ciliophora, Oligotrichida, Tintinnina) in the Northern Adriatic Sea
Authors: KrŠiniĆ F. , Precali R.
Published: May 2008

Abstract. Investigations into the occurrence of oceanic tintinnines in the northern Adriatic Sea were carried out during 62 cruises between November 1979 and September 1995. A contribution to the knowledge of the ecological conditions behind the occurrence of oceanic tintinnines, particularly a consideration of the species Amphorides luuckmanni (Tintinnina) in the northern Adriatic Sea, is presented in this paper. Oceanic tintinnines are usually very rare organisms and their occurrence in the northern Adriatic is connected with the inflow of oligotrophic water masses from the southern Adriatic in autumn. After exceptionally high freshwater discharge from the Po River caused an intensive diatom bloom (October 1993), in early November, with an intrusion of water of high salinity from the south, the mass occurrence of the rare species A. luuckmunni in northern Adriatic open waters was noted, with a maximum of 890 indiv., I‐1. This numerical abundance is the highest ever registered for oceanic tintinnines in the Adriatic Sea. Therefore it may be assumed that oceanic tintinnines occasionally play an important role in the food web in the northern Adriatic pelagic community.
Sponges Inhabiting a Mediterranean Red Coral Population
Authors: Corriero G. , Abbiati M. , Santangelo G.
Published: May 2008

Abstract. A coastal red coral [Corallium rubrum (L.)] population, whose age structure and demographic parameters have been previously analysed, harbours 10 species of endobiotic sponges. This sponge assemblage differs considerably from that inhabiting other calcareous substrata of the surrounding area, suggesting some selectivity for red coral. The two most common endobiotic species, Spiroxya heteroclita Topsent and Cliona sarai Melone, are described in detail. The percentage of infested coral colonies increases according with colony age, with a sharp increment at four years. An increase in coral colony mortality observed at this age may be related to the increment of endobiotic sponge infestation.
Seasonal Variation in Feeding Patterns and Food Niche Overlap in the Mediterranean Blennies Scartella cristata, Parablennius pilicornis and Lipophrys trigloides (Pisces: Blenniidae)
Authors: Nieder J.
Published: May 2008

Abstract. Gut contents of a total of 180 specimens of the blennies Scartella cristata (L., 1758). Parablennius pilicornis (Cuvier, 1829) and Lipophrys trigloides (Valenciennes, 1836) caught in the course of 1990 off Playa de la Mora (Prov. Tarragona, Spain) were analysed. The quantitative composition of food differed considerably between the 3 species (mostly algae in the herbivorous S. cristara. Amphipoda in the carnivorous L. trigloides and a variety of items in omnivorous P. pilicornis). The 3 species in the course of a year overlap little in food resource use, with overlap reaching its maximum in April when juvenile Mytilus on the rock substrate are in ample supply. In S. cristata and L. trigloides, diversity of food items is similarly lowest in July and April, respectively, when these 2 species attain their optimal nutritional status. In contrast, diet diversity and food intake are inversely correlated in P. pilicornis. Evidently, resource sharing between blenniid species in the rocky shore habitat is clearly structured, but subject to seasonal dynamics. It is concluded that food niche analyses should consider seasonal plasticity in feeding patterns and refrain from premature conclusions based on short‐term studies.
Dimorphism in the Ascidian Pyura stolonifera Near Melbourne, Australia, and its Evaluation Through Field Transplant Experiments
Authors: Jr J. E. Dalby
Published: May 2008

Abstract. On the central coast of Victoria, Australia, the ascidian Pyura stolonifera (Heller. 1878) assumes 2 morphs. a yellow form living exclusively on inner shores, and a brown morph mainly on outer coasts. Distributional surveys, morphological analyses and field transplant experiments were conducted as part of a multidisciplinary investigation designed to elucidate the environmental and genetic components of dimorphism in this species. Distributional surveys revealed that the 2 morphs have a parapatric distribution. Morphological analyses showed striking differences between morphs in colours of tissue types, external anatomy, morphometry and gravimetry. Possible ecological significances of this morphological differentiation are discussed. Transplant experiments, in which morphs were moved within and between habitats, yielded no evidence for morphological plasticity in adults of this species for the great majority of characters examined.
Molluscan Hard‐Substrate Associations in the Northern Red Sea
Authors: Zuschin M. , Piller W. E.
Published: May 2008

Abstract. The mollusc associations of 29 hard‐substrate localities in the Northern Bay of Safaga Red Sea, Egypt were studied. The hard substrates were classified into 7 types: reef flats, intertidal rock bottom, very shallow subtidal conglomerate, Porites carpet, faviid carpet, platy scleractinian association, Sarcophyton carpet. Based on a cluster analysis the molluscs of these hard substrates can be classified into 5 groups: Group A is dominated by Dendropoma maxima, Chamoidea and Tridacna maxima, group B by Pedum spondyloideum, T. maxima and Coralliophila neritoidea, group C by Chamoidea and Cerithium rüppelli, group D by Modiolus auriculatus, Chamoidea, Morula granulata and Nerita albicilla and group E by Chamoidea and Pitar hebraea. The latter group contains only samples which are generally poor in molluscs. Group A molluscs are diagnostic for reef flats, group B for Porites and faviid carpets, group C for Sarcophyton carpets and group D for tidal/shallow subtidal rock substrates. The different hard substrates are therefore characterized by diagnostic mollusc associations and some of them could also be identified in the fossil record.
Some Aspects of Diet and Foraging Behavior of Octopus dofleini Wülker, 1910 in its Northernmost Range
Authors: Vincent T. L. S. , Scheel D. , Hough K. R.
Published: May 2008

Abstract. Diet and foraging behavior of Octopus dofleini in Prince William Sound and Port Graham, Alaska, were studied from collections of den litter, measurements of octopuses and estimates of live prey abundance. Based on 193 den collections from depths of ‐ 31 to + 1.3 m, a diet of hard‐bodied prey could be identified. The five most common litter species made up 80% of the litter remains, with nearly 30 species of various taxa malung up the rest. The proportions of major hard‐bodied prey species in each litter pile significantly differed with depth of den, associated substrata, presence of cobble and geographical location but not with the presence of boulders or outcrop, the density of kelp or season of litter collection. Octopus weight was not significantly correlated with the size of prey remains although O. dofleini may take a wide range of prey sizes once it reaches 2.5 kg. O. dofleini was more likely to be found at sites with crabs, although no litter species was significantly preferred over its estimated abundance, and one species was significantly avoided. These results suggest that O. dofleini includes suitable bivalve and crab species in its diet in relation to live abundance, while at the same time exercising an element of selectivity, as some species were actively avoided. Comparison of litter remains from the northern‐most range of O. dofleini with those published for British Columbia show that diet breadth was similar, but the identity of major hard‐bodied prey species was very different for Alaskan octopuses.
Spatial Distribution of Shelf‐ and Slope‐Dwelling Fishes Collected by Bottom Longline off Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, Canary Islands
Authors: Uiblein Franz , Bordes Fernando , Castillo Ricardo , Ramos Antonio G.
Published: May 2008

Abstract. A total of 1789 fish belonging to 38 families and 73 species were collected at depths between 18 and 1102 m during 216 bottom longline operations off Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, between February 1994 and December 1995. For each species the depth distribution is provided. Length‐weight and depth‐size relationships are reported for three shelf‐dwelling species. The bigger‐deeper relationship found in two of them contrasts with the bigger‐shallower pattern of the deeper living trichiurid Lepidopus caudatus. In November 1997, nine additional bottom longline operations were carried out off eastern Fuerteventura at depths between 805 and 1217 m. In this area, after earlier studies in October 1995, a spawning aggregation of the morid Mora moro was encountered for the second time. The catches of 1997 revealed a strongly male‐biased sex ratio. Also, the males showed a significantly lower gonadosomal index than two years earlier. These findings indicate slight interannual variations in reproductive timing and an earlier arrival of male Mora moro at the spawning grounds. Clear variations in the number of fish collected at adjacent sites possibly reflect a preference for distinct microhabitats. Preliminary evidence of local upwelling of cold water above the spawning grounds is provided by satellite imagery.
Population Dynamics of Sergio mirim RODRIGUES 1971 Decapoda: Thalassinidea: Callianassidae in Cassino Beach, Southern Brazil
Authors: PEZZLJTO PAULO R.
Published: May 2008

Abstract. Thalassinid shrimps have been extensively exploited for bait in many countries around the world. In order to prepare future management strategies for a little‐exploited population of Sergio mirim in southern Brazil, growth, mortality and reproduction of this species were studied between June 1988 and November 1992. Size‐frequency distributions were dominated by mature individuals, and recruitment occurred in austral spring, with widely variable abundances between years. Females attained larger mean and maximum sizes than males. The sex ratio was balanced for young individuals and female‐biased for the mature segment of the population, as previously reported for other species of burrowing shrimps. Ovigerous females were found mostly between September and January, and egg numbers were a function of carapace length. From parameters of the VON BERTALANFFY growth curves, a maximum life span of approximately 4 years was estimated for both sexes. Among callianassids for which reproductive measures are known. S. mirim represents one of the highest reproductive potentials. The advantages of the thalassinidean female‐biased sex ratio pattern is discussed.
Stock Evaluation of Three Littoral Echinoid Species on the Catalan Coast North‐Western Mediterranean
Authors: Palacín Cruz , Turon Xavier , Ballesteros Manuel , Giribet Gonzalo , López Salvador
Published: May 2008

Abstract. We estimated the abundances of the three common littoral echinoid species Paracentrotus lividus, Arbacia lixula and Sphaerechinus granularis in a littoral zone between 0 and 10m depth on the Catalan shores NE Spain. Densities of each species were estimated from a total number of 11 571× 1 m2 sampling units deployed at 152 sites along the 13 zones into which the coast was divided. The surface area available in each of these zones was estimated at the scale of the sampling unit 1 m2 taking into account the fractal dimension of the shore. The stocks individuals > 2cm test diameter of these species for the whole Catalan shore ≅ 300 km, straight‐line distance were estimated to be about 279.1 × 106 individuals for P. lividus, 28.9 × 106 individuals for A. lixula and 10.9 × 106 individuals for S. granularis. These sea‐urchins are key species in the regulation of algal communities and some of them P. lividus. S. granularis are of commercial interest. This information will provide a tool for the future monitoring and management of this resource, which now faces diverse pressures of human origin.
Movement and Home Ranges of Dugongs Around the Lease Islands, East Indonesia
Authors: Iongh Hans H. de , Langeveld Paul , van der Wal Mark
Published: May 2008

Abstract. Four individual dugongs Dugong dugong, MÜLLER, 1776 were tracked with buoyant, tethered. conventional and satellite radio transmitters. The dugongs three adult females and one immature male were encircled with a net at a catch site near Haruku Island, East Indonesia, and tracked for between 41 and 285 days. The animals showed individualistic patterns of movement, moving between 2 and 3 core areas, travelling between 17 and 65 km from the site of capture. One adult female spent most of the time at two distinct inshore seagrass beds separated by about 17 km; she made five trips between the two sites. Two other females made separate trips to two distinct sites, one of them returning to the catch site at Haruku Island. The immature male journeyed between two areas about 65 km apart. completing the journey in four days. The patterns of movement confirmed a practice of regular recropping of restricted grazing swards by small, loose feeding assemblages rather than fixed herds with a strong social bond. Mean home ranges covered 4.1 km2 50% harmonic mean and 43.4 km2 95% harmonic mean.
Zooplankton Feeding Ecology: Grazing by Marine Copepods and Cladocerans upon Phytoplankton and Cyanobacteria from Kingston Harbour, Jamaica
Authors: Turner Jefferson T. , Hopcroft Russell R. , Lincoln Jean A. , Huestis Cameran Sassman , Tester Patricia A. , Roff John c.
Published: May 2008

Abstract. Grazing by the copepods Temora turbinata and Acartia lilljeborgii and the marine cladoceran Penilia avirostris on natural phytoplankton and cyanobacteria assemblages from Kingston Harbour. Jamaica, was examined in summer 1992. Food assemblages were often dominated by an unidentified filamentous cyanobacterium. with abundances of up to 1.16 × 104 filaments. ml‐1. Other abundant phytoplankters included microflagellates and diatoms of the genus Niteschia. Mean clearance rates for the entire food assemblage ranged from 0.10 to 2.41 ml animal‐1. h‐1, although most mean clearance rates were between 0.5 and 1.5 ml. animal‐1 h‐1. Patterns of selection of different food items by various grazers on different dates were variable and inconsistent. Microscopic measurements revealed that cyanobacterial filament lengths were shorter in grazed than initial aliquots during a cyanobacterium bloom in August. This suggests that grazers reduced lengths of many filaments by biting off portions, in addition to consuming entire filaments. Such ‘filament clipping’ of cyanobacteria filaments has been recorded previously in freshwater studies and suggests that grazers impact a larger portion of the phytoplankton assemblage than is accounted for by ingestion and clearance rates based only upon removal of filaments. Grazers exhibited no adverse effects from consuming cyanobacteria. Cyanobacterkd are often considered to be toxic or of poor food quality for planktonic grazers. but due to the high abundance and dominance of filamentous cyanobacteria in Kingston Harbour. if these cyanobacteria were ungrazed. there would at times be little alternative phytoplankton food for copepods and cladocerans. Our results suggest that the trophic role of tilamentous cyanobacteria in pelagic food webs of the tropical ocean should be further investigated and possibly reconsidered.
Biomass Size Spectra of Near‐Shore Shallow‐Water Benthic Communities in the Gulf of Gdańsk Southern Baltic Sea
Authors: Drgas Aleksander , Radziejewska Teresa , Warzocha Jan
Published: May 2008

The concept of size spectra, developed by Sheldon & Parsons 1967 and Sheldon et al. 1972, seeks to describe community structure by evoking the distribution of biomass over a sequence of equal intervals of the logarithm of body size. In this study, biomass size spectra were prepared for benthic macro‐ and meiobenthos communities at 5 stations, differing in their sediment characteristics, located in the shallow, coastal area of the Gulf of Gdańsk Southern Baltic Sea. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the community spectra would allow distinct separation of ecological categories of the benthos and whether habitat differences between stations would significantly affect benthic size spectra.

Benthic biomass at the stations sampled depended mainly on nematodes and oligochaetes among the meiobenthos and on hydrobiid snails and M. edulis among the macrobenthos. Regardless of habitat, size spectra peaked initially at the meiofaunal range weight class 25 1. 19–501.19 ng C, identical to that reported in other studies. The separation between meio‐ and macrobenthic peaks, however, was not as pronounced as that found in other studies. Normalized size spectra demonstrated that most of the variations in the spectra between stations was introduced by macrobenthos, which differed between the coarse‐ and fine‐grained sediments. Nonetheless, those differences were not strong enough to significantly affect the spectra. In consequence, the benthic biomass spectra of all the stations were found to conform to a common pattern and could be represented by a single, average spectrum.
How Sessile are Sea Anemones? A Review of Free‐living Forms in the Actiniaria Cnidaria: Anthozoa
Authors: RIEMANN‐ZÜRNECK KARIN
Published: May 2008

Abstract. There is scattered information in the literature that sea anemones are not always sedentary but instead may temporarily or permanently live loosely attached, detached or even pelagically. This is the first attempt to summarize and assess these observations and their probable ecological significance for the life cycles of the respective species. According to current knowledge there are no truly pelagic species of sea anemones; thus, the ‘Minyadidae’sensu Carlgren, 1949 have to be abolished as a taxonomic group. Instead, there are indications that there are phases and stages within the life course of many anemone species which are liable to lead a free life in response to abiotic and biotic environmental factors. Juvenile, post‐metamorphic stages seem to be of major significance in these respects and may be subjected to long distance dispersal. It is speculated that some of these free‐living stages may represent morphologically and/or ecologically different stages between larvae and adults. The newly discovered lifestyle of ‘straying predator’ is described from sublittoral habitats off South Africa.
Influence of Bacterial Exopolymers, Conspecific Adult Extract and Salinity on the Cyprid Metamorphosis of Balanus amphitrite Cirripedia: Thoracica
Authors: Anil Arga C. , Khandeparkar Rakhee D. S.
Published: May 2008

Abstract. The influence of bacterial exopolymers and conspecific adult extract of Balanus amphitrite on metamorphosis of cyprid larvae at different salinities has been evaluated through laboratory assay. The bacterial exopolymers epm extracted from Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter and Enterobacteriaceae strains, isolated from the shell surface of Balanus amphitrite, were examined for their influence on metamorphosis, both individually and in combination with conspecific adult extract at 15, 25, 35 and 45% salinities. The epm extracted from the pool of these three strains mixed culture was also tested similarly.

The influence of epm varied with the strain of bacteria and salinity. The surface condition and time interval significantly influenced the metamorphosis rate. The interaction between these two variables, however, did not change in any combination, irrespective of the bacterial strain used. The Pseudomonas epm promoted metamorphosis at 15%, but was inhibitory at 45%. The Acinetobacter epm induced metamorphosis to a level of 71 ± 15% at 15%. No such metamorphosis promotion was observed with the epm of this strain at higher salinities and the influence was less than the conspecific adult extract. The epm of Enterobacteriaceae and mixed culture epm did not promote metamorphosis. There was no appreciable change in the metamorphic rate in the control conditions at 25%, 35% and 45% salinities and the rate was much lower than that obtained with conspecific adult extract. At 15%, however, the influence of adult extract was closer to that of the control condition. This shows that even in the absence of any attractant, the settlement intensity is positively influenced at mid‐salinity of the barnacles' natural distributional range.
A Baseline Study on Benthic Species Distribution in Two Neighbouring Gulfs, With and Without Access to Bottom Trawling
Authors: Simboura Nomiki , Zenetos Argyro , Pancucci‐Papadopoulou Maria‐Antonietta , Thessalou‐Legaki Maria , Papaspyrou Socrates
Published: May 2008

Abstract. An extensive survey of the benthic fauna was carried out at two neighbouring regions of the Aegean Sea, one normally trawled and the other closed to trawlers. Benthic samples were collected from seven areas located away from land‐based sources. The faunistic analysis showed that species diversity and abundance was higher in the trawled area compared with the untrawled area, a fact which was attributed to the difference in sediment characteristics between the two areas. A degree of disturbance detected in the trawled area was evidenced by an increase in the number of polychaetes at the expense of other benthic groups and an abundance of some opportunistic species. This could possibly be related to trawling activities. as no other causes of disturbance were found in either area.
Growth and Heterozygosity in a 12‐Month‐Old Cohort of Ostrea chilensis Obtained by Mass Spawning in the Laboratory
Authors: Toro Jorge E. , Vergara Ana M.
Published: May 2008

Abstract. Oysters Ostrea chilensis Philippi 1845. from a 40‐month‐old cohort which came from the natural population of the Quempillen River Estuary Southern Chile, were used as parental stock n = 600 for a hatchery‐produced cohort. At 12 months of age this cohort was analysed physiologically filtration rate, organic ingestion rate, absorption rate, assimilation efficiency, excretion rate, respiration rate and electrophoretically multilocus heterozygosity MLH using four loci: LAP, GPI, PGM, CA. Most physiological variables were positively correlated with dry weight P < 0.05. with the exception of assimilation efficiency, excretion size and net growth efficiency P > 0.05. Also. there was a positive correlation between body size, ingestion rate, absorption rate and net growth efficiency with MLH. Respiration rate and consequently energy losses were negatively correlated with MLH. The energetic efficiency product of a lower metabolic cost in the heterozygous individuals in this cohort is reflected in a higher net growth efficiency and a positive correlation between growth and MLH. The genetic basis for the relationship between metabolic parameters and heterozygosity can be due to an overdominance in this 12‐month‐old cohort.
Development of an instrument to measure the clinical learning environment in diagnostic radiology
Authors: Bloomfield L , Subramaniam R
Published: May 2008

A clinical learning environment survey instrument was developed that provided insights into diagnostic radiology trainees’ perceptions of the culture and context of the hospital‐based training programme. The survey was completed by trainees allocated to 37 important training hospitals in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore in 2006. The main findings were that most obvious strengths of the diagnostic radiology programme are the wide variety of work‐based learning opportunities and the social atmosphere. These were well regarded in all training sites. Work overload was seen as a significant problem in most hospitals and will probably remain a challenge. The areas that are most likely to repay efforts to bring about change are supervision and feedback. The study provides baseline data against which the influence of changes to the training programme may be evaluated.
Fine‐needle trucut biopsy versus fine‐needle aspiration cytology with ultrasound guidance in the abdomen
Authors: O’Connell AM , Keeling F , Given M , Logan M , Lee MJ
Published: May 2008

Historically, fine‐needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) has varying sensitivity, specificity and accuracy in the diagnosis of abdominal lesions with a high insufficient sampling rate. We compared 20‐G fine‐needle trucut biopsy (FNTB) with FNAC results in the biopsy of solid abdominal tumours. A retrospective review of 171 (128× 20‐G FNTB and 43× FNAC) ultrasound‐guided biopsies of abdominal tumours on 157 patients (male : female 85:72, mean age 61.25 years) were carried out. One hundred and seventy‐one biopsies were carried out: liver 109, pancreas 19, lymph node 10, omentum 5, right iliac fossa mass 6, adrenal 6 and others 16. An average of 2.06 and 1.97 passes (range 1–4) were carried out per FNTB and FNAC, respectively. A definitive diagnosis was made in 122/128 biopsies (95.3%) and 32/43 biopsies (74.4%) for FNTB and FNAC, respectively. Diagnoses consisted of metastatic liver disease (74/171), pancreatic adenocarcinoma (10/171), lymphoma (8/171) and others (33/171) and benign (29/171). No significant complications occurred in either group. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy were 87, 100, 100, 50, 84.4 and 93.1, 100, 100, 60, 71.4 for FNTB and FNAC, respectively. A greater and more consistent positive diagnosis rate is yielded by 20‐G FNTB (95.3%) than FNAC (74.4%). The diagnostic accuracy of FNTB is 84.4% compared with 69.8% for FNAC. A greater insufficient sampling rate occurs with FNAC (25.6%) than with FNTB (4.7%). For abdominal biopsy, 20‐G FNTB needles have a much higher yield than FNAC with no increase in complications. FNTB is the preferred choice, particularly where cytological assistance at the time of biopsy is unavailable.
Prototype system for enhancement of frontal chest radiographs using eigenimage processing
Authors: Butler A , Bones P , Hurrell M
Published: May 2008

A prototype system is described for enhancement of radiographic images in the eigen domain. The images chosen to enhance are frontal chest radiographs. This class of images has been chosen because it is both a clinically important examination and an example of the high‐resolution images used within radiology. The enhancement method is based on principal components analysis, a multivariate statistical technique first used within image processing for face recognition. The method requires a training set of normal images to identify normal patterns of variance. The enhancement process then removes these normal patterns of variance, often increasing the relative intensity of pathologies. Enhanced images presented in this paper include a range of common pathologies found on chest radiographs. Details of implementation, computing expense and possible applications within radiology are discussed.
Clinical influence of 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography on the management of primary tumours of the thymus
Authors: Lee JW‐Y , Mac Manus M , Hogg A , Hicks R , Ball D
Published: May 2008

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effect of PET on the management of primary tumours of the thymus. Patients with a primary tumour of the thymus who underwent PET were identified from a prospective database. Forty‐three PET scans were carried out on 26 patients with primary thymic tumours. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 79, 100 and 85%, respectively. Conventional imaging and PET findings were discordant in 10 cases (23%). PET appropriately changed patient management in three (7.0%) cases based on accurate results that differed from pre‐PET imaging. Most PET scans carried out (88%) did not influence clinical management. Patient comorbidities, limited treatment options and already planned surgery are factors that may hinder the effect of PET in the setting of thymic tumours. The potential for false‐negative results, probably because of a combination of low‐fluorodeoxyglucose avidity and small volume residual disease, needs to be considered in management planning. However, the positive predictive value of PET is high and enables appropriate modification of management in a small, but potentially important subset of patients.
The important role of radiotherapy in patients with non‐melanoma skin cancer and other cutaneous entities
Authors: Veness MJ
Published: May 2008

Non‐melanoma skin cancer is the commonest malignancy worldwide and a significant public health issue. Although most non‐melanoma skin cancers are small and easily excised or ablated, a recommendation of definitive radiotherapy is often made in patients where the outcome (cosmetic and/or functional) will probably be better with radiotherapy compared to surgery. The aim of adjuvant radiotherapy is to reduce the risk of loco‐regional recurrence and the role of palliative radiotherapy is important in improving the quality of life in patients with advanced and/or incurable disease. The aim of this review article is to broadly discuss the various clinical settings in which a recommendation of radiotherapy may be made and also includes a discussion on less frequently encountered cutaneous entities (e.g. in situ squamous cell carcinoma, keratocanthoma, lentigo maligna, cutaneous lymphomas and malignant fibrous tumours).
Low‐dose palliative splenic irradiation in haematolymphoid malignancy
Authors: Shrimali RK , Correa PD , O’Rourke N
Published: May 2008

Patients are treated with palliative splenic irradiation (SI) to relieve pain, volume effects and the clinical consequences of hypersplenism. The case records of 19 patients treated with palliative SI at our centre, from April 2003 to November 2004, were reviewed. Twenty‐two courses of SI were identified. The radiation doses delivered ranged from 150 to 800 cGy (median 450 cGy). The fraction sizes ranged from 25 to 100 cGy. Parallel–opposed anteroposterior–posteroanterior portals were the most common field arrangement. The target volume was reduced in 18 out of 22 courses. The percentage of field reduction ranged from 0 to 59.57% (mean 24.82%). Twelve of 14 courses were successful in achieving symptom palliation. Of the six patients who received SI for a combination of splenic symptoms and abnormal blood tests, five had symptomatic palliation but only one patient responded haematologically. Of two patients who were started on palliative SI for abnormal haematology alone, only one responded. In summary, 17 of 20 (85%) courses of SI initiated for symptom control resulted in effective palliation. Only two of eight (25%) courses of SI started for abnormal blood counts produced a desired response. To conclude, SI offers an effective and well‐tolerated palliative treatment option.
Building Intercultural Citizenship through Education: a human rights approach
Authors: STAVENHAGEN RODOLFO
Published: May 2008

This article analyses the challenges posed by traditional ethnic and linguistic minorities in multicultural states and more specifically the problems faced by indigenous peoples and communities. Their educational and cultural needs and demands are increasingly being framed in the language of human rights, based on the expanding international legal and institutional human rights system. The United Nations World Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna in 1993, endorsed a rights‐based approach to development, human rights education is a growing field in educational practice, respect for cultural diversity is now enshrined in international and domestic laws, and the right of every person to education and to culture has become a mainstay of international human rights principles to which a majority of the world's states has subscribed.
Learning to Live Together: the contribution of intercultural education
Authors: MARTINS ISABEL FERREIRA
Published: May 2008

This article reflects the 17 years of experience of the ‘Entreculturas project’ in Portugal, where the ‘Learning to live together’ dimension has played a central role. It questions how intercultural education and training can contribute to promote and model an intercultural citizenship societal project and looks back at the history of the Entreculturas process in two different settings i) within the Ministry of Education (1991/2003), aimed at building and developing intercultural education in the educational system, and ii) at present, within the ACIDI — High Commission for Immigration and Intercultural Dialogue —‘upgraded’ into a broader transversal dimension of immigrants’ integration public policy.
The career paths of a group of Romanian nurses in Italy: a 3‐year follow‐up study
Authors: Palese A. , Barba M. , Mesaglio M.
Published: May 2008

Purpose:  The objective of this study was to describe for how long a homogeneous group of 17 Romanian nurses who first arrived at the ‘Teaching Hospital’ in Italy in 2003, stayed in the same hospital/ward of the host country, why and when they decided to move from one hospital to another, and their levels of competence in core skills, after either 6 months or 3 years.

Methods:  A longitudinal study design was adopted. The first phase was carried out in 2004, the second in 2006. We used an anonymous questionnaire.

Results:  Only ten of the 17 nurses, who had started working in Italy 3 years before, remained in the same Hospital where they first started working. In spite of being given the opportunity to stay, some decided to move to hospitals where it is possible to earn more money or where they could save more by living in less expensive towns. The first nurse left the hospital in the first year, five in the second and one in the third year. Levels of perceived professional independence after 3 years are very good: the permanent group had improved their skills in all areas even though they felt a lack of confidence during the first 6 months.

Conclusions:  This study, within the limits of the sample and the methods, shows that foreign nurses are highly mobile in the host country and this revolves around the opportunity to earn more. With increasing recruitment of nurses from within the European continent, it is necessary to continue studying the factors that sustain foreign nurses, to find out how they can be helped, how to value their imported professional skills, how to reduce the initial lack of faith in their own abilities and to discover which strategies would encourage them to stay in the hospital where they arrived.
Cooperation between Finnish primary school nurses and pupils' parents
Authors: Mäenpää T. , Åstedt‐Kurki P.
Published: May 2008

Aim:  To generate information on how school nurses in Finnish primary schools describe cooperation with the school‐aged (7–12 years) children's parents.

Background:  Cooperation between the school nurse and parents is essential for health promotion with primary school children. The topic has not been widely investigated in international research.

Methods:  The data consist of descriptions written by 20 Finnish primary school nurses in 2003 and 2005. The data were analysed by the method of grounded theory.

Findings:  Cooperation with parents aims at outlining the child's life situation, ascertaining the family's health situation and helping when the child has difficulties. The school nurses described meetings with parents, providing health information and bolstering parental resources as the forms of cooperation. Cooperation is professionally rewarding and school nurse‐centred. Confidentiality and familiarity are perceived as facilitating factors while difficulties in communication, factors connected with family and structural factors of work were perceived as barriers.

Conclusions:  It is necessary to develop cooperation between school nurses and parents in primary schools. Cooperation and communication skills should be emphasized more in school nurses' training. The findings enable an understanding of the phenomenon of cooperation in school health services and they add valuable point of views to the discussion and the development of children's health services.
Working together; a nursing development project in Tajikistan
Authors: Parfitt B. , Mughal M. , Thomas H.
Published: May 2008

Background:  This paper describes a Nursing Development Programme in Tajikistan where four organizations worked together to develop some innovative changes in nursing practice and education. Within the context of Health Care Reform the Government of Tajikistan provided a climate for Nursing Development. The joint efforts of the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), the WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing and Midwifery at Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland, and the Aga Khan Health Service in Tajikistan, have led to major changes in education and practice.

Methods:  The project focused on the development of new standards for practice in Gorno Badakhshan and a new Family Health Nurse curriculum for all students entering nursing programmes. A Nursing Centre was opened to provide leadership in education and practice and a co‐ordinating Council was established to develop professional standards.

Results:  The project has demonstrated that nurses in Tajikistan have embraced the developments in both education and practice with the aim of improving the care they give to their communities and the support they provide for the teams within which they work.

Conclusions:  The project also illustrates how different organizations can work effectively together. Key principles identified from this project for effective collaborative working include: communication, common goals, shared expertise, pooled funding and close alignment with Government strategies for Health Reform.
Building competencies for nurse administrators in the Republic of Georgia
Authors: Nishiyama M. , Wold J.L. , Partskhladze N.
Published: May 2008

Aim:  To assess the level of competency among nurse administrators in the Republic of Georgia (Georgia) and to recommend interventions to implement effective nursing management practices in a resource constrained setting.

Background:  The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 resulted in deterioration of the healthcare system in Georgia. Even though the 1995 healthcare reformers recognized that baccalaureate educated nurses were essential resources for quality health care, limited resources delayed further steps. Hence, Georgia has struggled to raise nursing education levels and to establish nursing as a professional occupation.

Study design and methods:  Using an exploratory descriptive research technique, surveys of nurse managers were conducted in 2004 and in 2005. This study assessed the level of practice among Georgian nurse administrators compared with the international competencies of the International Council of Nurses.

Findings:  There were no organized procedures to evaluate competencies of nurses on a regular basis. While minimal clinical nursing practice guidelines exist, nurse managers did not fully utilize them for either mentoring the staff nurses or assuring an adequate quality of nursing care. Many nurse managers viewed financial constraints as an obstacle to delivering better nursing care.

Conclusions:  Recommendations include: (1) establishing effective protocols to evaluate the competencies of nurses, (2) mandating the use of existing nursing guidelines, (3) establishing effective resource inventory systems, and (4) mandating safety education and ensuring a safe work environment.
Flower‐specific expression of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens isopentenyltransferase gene results in radial expansion of floral organs in Petunia hybrida
Authors: Verdonk Julian C. , Shibuya Kenichi , Loucas Holly M. , Colquhoun Thomas A. , Underwood Beverly A. , Clark David G.
Published: May 2008

Biotechnology has the potential to modify commercially important traits of crops, such as fruit size and stress tolerance. To date, the floricultural industry has not profited significantly from these possibilities to manipulate, for example, flower size. Cytokinins are known to be involved in many aspects of plant development, including cell division. Increasing the amount of cytokinins has the potential to increase the size of an organ, such as the flower or the fruit. The Agrobacterium tumefaciens cytokinin biosynthesis gene isopentenyltransferase (ipt) has been shown to increase cytokinin levels when introduced into plants. Moreover, it has a dramatic effect on the vegetative development of plants. The expression of the ipt gene under the control of the flower‐specific Arabidopsis APETALA3 promoter in petunia (Petunia hybrida) increases the flower size dramatically, but with no effect on vegetative development. The resulting transgenic plants produced flowers with larger corolla diameter and greater total floral fresh weight. This strategy has the potential for use in the production of ornamental crops with large flowers and crop species with larger fruit.
‘All hazards approach’ to disaster management: the role of information and knowledge management, Boyd's OODA Loop, and network‐centricity
Authors: Von Lubitz Dag K.J.E. , Beakley James E. , Patricelli Frédéric
Published: May 2008

The ever‐increasing complexity of disasters demands utilisation of knowledge that exists outside domains traditionally drawn upon in disaster management. To be operationally useful, such knowledge must he extracted, combined with information generated by the disaster itself, and transformed into actionable knowledge. The process, though, is hampered by existing, business‐oriented approaches to knowledge management, by technical issues related to access to relevant, multi‐domain information/knowledge, and by executive decision‐making processes based predominantly on historical knowledge. Consequently, as shown by many recent incidents, the management of large‐scale (mega) disasters is often inefficient and exceedingly costly. This paper demonstrates that the integration of modified information and knowledge management into the concepts of network‐centric operations and network‐enabled capabilities, and the employment of Boyd's OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act) Loop‐based decision‐making in unpredictable and dynamically changing environments, may address some of these problems.
The politics of NGO registration in international protectorates: the cases of Bosnia and Iraq
Authors: Bolton Matthew , Jeffrey Alex
Published: May 2008

Following international interventions in Bosnia‐Herzegovina1 and Iraq, non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) have played a central role in delivering humanitarian relief, encouraging participation in new systems of government, and advocating on behalf of marginalised groups. Although intervening agencies have framed such autonomous organisations as unquestionably virtuous, scholars have increasingly questioned the agency of NGOs, pointing to the constraining effects of funding and regulatory mechanisms. This paper contributes to this body of work by offering a detailed examination of legislation requiring NGOs to register with nascent state institutions. Drawing on case study material from Bosnia and Iraq, it argues that NGO registration should not be dismissed as a technical or legal matter, but that it should be embraced as a significant political practice embedded in relations of power. Registration legislation has increased the transparency of NGO funding origins and institutional practices, yet it has simultaneously acted as a barrier to smaller organisations and led to the transmission of international objectives through civil society entities.
Immigration from the perspective of hosts and immigrants: Roles of psychological essentialism and social identity
Authors: Bastian Brock , Haslam Nick
Published: May 2008

Implicit person theory research can be conceptualized within the framework of psychological essentialism. Essentialist beliefs are associated with entity theories and both predict phenomena such as stereotyping. The present research extended previous work on the links between implicit theories and social identity processes, examining how essentialist beliefs are associated with social identification and processes related to prejudice and intergroup perception. After developing a new measure of essentialist beliefs in Study 1, Study 2 showed that these beliefs were associated with negative bias towards immigrants, particularly when participants were primed with an exclusive social identity. In Study 3, essentialist beliefs among immigrants moderated their adoption of Australian identity as a self‐guide during acculturation. Essentialist beliefs therefore play a significant role in the psychology of social identity.