bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of omega 3 fatty acids supplementation in behavior and non-neurodegenerative neuropsychiatric disorders
Authors: Ortega R. M. , Rodríguez-Rodríguez E. , López-Sobaler A. M.
Published: May 2012

This work provides a systematic review of all published randomised, controlled clinical trials (RCT) investigating the effects ofn-3 PUFA intake on the prevention and treatment of non-neurodegenerative neuropsychiatric disorders. Five databases (PubMed, EMBASE, LILACS, CINAHL and The Cochrane Database) were searched for RCT in this area published up to April 2011. The selected studies all involved human participants and included a comparison group. Thirty eight studies were identified, which examined the influence ofn-3 PUFA supplementation on the prevention/treatment of depression (non-perinatal) (n23), perinatal depression (n6) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (n9). Great heterogeneity was noticed in terms of study design, the doses ofn-3 PUFA administered, and study duration. Some benefit was noted with respect to the treatment of hyperactivity and depression in over half the examined studies, although the evidence was not conclusive. For any firm conclusions to be drawn, further studies will be needed that take into account the initialn-3 PUFA status of the subjects. Excessiven-3 PUFA intakes might be associated with a greater risk of peroxidation events and therefore neuropsychiatric deterioration. Indeed, some studies only recorded benefits when lower doses were administered. It is therefore important that the dose required to achieve any potential benefit be determined.
ROLE OF NON-STRUCTURAL CARBOHYDRATE AND ITS CATABOLISM ASSOCIATED WITH SUB 1 QTL IN RICE SUBJECTED TO COMPLETE SUBMERGENCE
Authors: PANDA DEBABRATA , SARKAR RAMANI KUMAR
Published: May 2012

The present study is to characterise the non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) status and its catabolism along with elongation growth in rice cultivars either possessing or not possessing the Sub 1 quantitative trait locus (QTL), i.e. Swarna and Swarna Sub1 exposed to seven days of complete submergence. During submergence, Swarna accelerated the rate of stem and leaf elongation and rapidly consumed NSC. In contrast, Swarna Sub1 consumed energy resources more slowly and maintained similar growth rate to that of non-submerged plants. Swarna Sub1 showed better utilisation of carbohydrate than that of Swarna by progressive induction of alcohol dehydrogenase, starch phosphorylase and total and α-amylase enzyme activity during submergence. Overall, submergence tolerance conferred by the Swarna Sub1 QTL is correlated with better maintenance and utilisation of NSC than that of Swarna.
The Veracity of Caesar
Authors: Balsdon J. P. V. D.
Published: May 2012

JuliusCaesar wrote seven books (a book to every year) on his campaigns in Gaul from 58 to 52 b.c., and three books (the first two describing the events of 49, the third those of 48) on his campaigns against Pompey and the Republican government in the civil war. A. Hirtius, who had perhaps been his secretary in Gaul, wrote Book viii of the B.G.—presumably in the latter part of 44—to describe Caesar's doings in 51 and 50, to link the two parts of Caesar's work together. This we know from Hirtius' own evidence, from the modest little introduction to his book. Who wrote the surviving accounts of Caesar's campaigns from 47 to 45 (the Bellum Alexandrinum, Bellum Africum, and Bellum Hispaniense), we do not know at all.
Re-Presenting the Future of Medicine’s Past: Towards a Politics of Survival
Authors: Cooter Roger
Published: May 2012

The ‘death’ of the social history of medicine was predicated on two insights from postmodern thinking: first, that ‘the social’ was an essentialist category strategically fashioned in the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; and second, that the disciplines of medicine and history-writing grew up together, the one (medicine) seeking to objectify the body, the other (history-writing) seeking to objectify the past. Not surprisingly, in the face of these revelations, historians of medicine retreated from the critical and ‘big-picture’ perspectives they entertained in the 1970s and 1980s. Their political flame went out, and doing the same old thing increasingly looked more like an apology for, than a critical inquiry into, medicine and its humanist project. Unable to face the present, let alone the future, they retreated from both, suffering the same paralysis of will as other historians stymied by the intellectual movement of postmodernism. Ironically, this occurred (occurs) at a moment when ‘medicine’ – writ large to include the biosciences and biotechnology – could easily be said to be the most relevant and compelling subject for understanding contemporary life and politics (global, local, and individual) and, as such, the place to justify the practice of history-writing as a whole. God knows, legitimacy has never been more urgent. But how can this be effected? Political action seems more likely than prayer. But let us begin by reviewing the nature of the problem that demands this response.
Representing Health and Illness: Thoughts for the Twenty-First Century
Authors: Gilman Sander L.
Published: May 2012

In their critical paper on images in the health sciences, Roger Cooter and Claudia Stein pointed out the limits of visualisation and representation in the existing literature in the public representation of health and illness. They focus on the complex and multilayered field of medical representations as the site where levels of epistemic, philosophical and political presuppositions provide insight into the interpreter's historical position. From a close focus on medical (or even public health) representations as a reflection of a partial worldview, to the historical embeddedness that they suggest is the key to understanding the limitations of all visual hermeneutics in the sphere of health and illness:
The Birth of Biopower in Eighteenth-Century Germany
Authors: Stein Claudia
Published: May 2012

In April 2009, Sir David Attenborough, the respected face and voice of British natural history programmes for more than fifty years, became the patron of a new charity, the Optimum Population Trust (OPT), an organisation campaigning to limit the world's population. His reason for accepting the honour, he confessed to The Times, was that he was terribly worried about the dramatic increase of the world's population and the effect it was having on the quality of human life throughout the world:

There are three times as many people in the world as when I started making television programmes only a mere fifty-six years ago. It is frightening. We can't go on as we have been. We are seeing the consequences in terms of ecology, atmospheric pollution and in terms of the space and food production.
Cyborg Spirituality
Authors: Pickering Andrew
Published: May 2012

This article explores crossovers from Eastern philosophy and spirituality to contemporary science and medicine in the West. My interest is not so much in specific lines of historical transmission, as in the channels through which they flow. In particular, my argument is that different ontologies – visions of how the world is – either facilitate or block such exchanges. As an example, think about physics. The ontology of mainstream physics is a modern, dualist one, inasmuch as physical thought revolves around a material world from which anything human is absent, and the human leftovers fall to the humanities and social sciences. This ontology, more or less by definition, blocks any resonance with Eastern ideas or practices, and, accordingly, they are almost entirely absent from the history of physics, except, importantly, in lines of work on the foundations of physics, especially quantum mechanics. If one meditates on the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, for instance, boundaries between the observer and the observed start to unravel, the dualist ontology erodes, and there, indeed, one finds all sorts of resonances with the East, as elaborated in an endless list of books that includes, for example, The Tao of Physics and The Dancing Wu Li Masters. That is my basic idea: resonances with the East spring forth in Western science whenever modern dualism starts to fray around the edges. But this essay is not about physics, and I turn now to the post-war history of cybernetics in Britain and its rather different non-modern ontology.
Mood Disorders and the Brain: Depression, Melancholia, and the Historiography of Psychiatry
Authors: Jansson Åsa
Published: May 2012

Despite the increasingly widespread availability of psychotropics believed to restore biochemical equilibrium in the brains of persons diagnosed with mood disorders, the number of people suffering from such medical conditions appears to be increasing. According to The Royal College of Psychiatrists, ‘by 2020 it is estimated that depression will be the second most common disabling condition in the world’, a figure it derives from the World Health Organization. Depression is, it seems, rapidly becoming a global threat. In a trend that is mirrored in much of the West, the number of prescriptions dispensed for antidepressants in the UK has doubled in the last decade and is continuing to rise. The need for a critical perspective on mood disorders is growing.
Contested Jurisdictions: Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis, and Clinical Psychology in the United States, 1940–2010
Authors: Scull Andrew
Published: May 2012

American psychiatry on the eve of Pearl Harbor was a small, stigmatised, and isolated specialty, for the most part confined as surely inside the high walls of its barrack-asylums as the patients over whom it exercised near-autocratic powers. The number of mentally ill patients incarcerated in state and county mental hospitals had grown sharply, from 150,000 at the turn of the century to 445,000 in 1940. The fiscal crisis of the states that accompanied the Great Depression had produced a steady deterioration of conditions in these institutions, a deterioration that would intensify as a result of the exigencies of total war. In the immediate aftermath of that prolonged conflict, conditions had degenerated to such a parlous state that a number of outside observers compared America's asylums to Nazi death camps.
Sisters Behind the Wire: Reappraising Australian Military Nursing and Internment in the Pacific during World War II
Authors: Fletcher Angharad
Published: May 2012

During the Second World War, approximately 3,500 Australian military nurses served in combat regions throughout the world. The vast majority were enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS), but after the Japanese advance and the fall of Hong Kong (December 1941) and Singapore (February 1942), a significant number of these nurses spent three-and-a-half years as POWs in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan and the Philippines. To date, considerable research has been undertaken on POW experiences in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Japan, albeit primarily focused on the testimonies of men and civilian women. This body of research utilises various methodologies, from Yuki Tanaka and Kei Ushimura's efforts to reconcile Japanese war crimes with the corruption of the Bushido ethic and sexual violence in contemporary Japanese society, to Christina Twomey's work on the imprisonment and repatriation of Dutch, Dutch–Eurasian and Australian civilian women and children. In the past fifteen years, historians have become aware of the need to recognise the multiplicity of these experiences, rather than continuing to focus on individual community, camp or regional case studies. Nurses are by no means absent from the discussion, although the majority of notable works on this subject focus on Hong Kong or the Philippines and adopt a descriptive and somewhat anecdotal approach. At the same time, scant critical attention has been paid to the internment of nurses in Indonesia despite a wealth of material kept in the Australian War Memorial (AWM) and National Archives of Australia (NAA).
Appeals to Autonomy and Obedience: Continuity and Change in Governing Technologies in Danish and Swedish Health Promotion
Authors: Vallgårda Signild
Published: May 2012

The increasingly used concept new public health indicates that a fundamental change has occurred in the goals and methods of disease prevention and health promotion. The change is often said to imply less expert-driven governing of citizens. In this article, governing technologies in the field of public health in Denmark and Sweden are analysed to investigate whether substantial changes have taken place in the governing efforts. In the endeavours unfolded in relation to health examinations for children and pregnant women during the last eighty years, no apparent evidence exists of a significant change in governing technologies. Regulatory, expert-driven and empowering technologies have been used during the whole period; additionally, appeals to autonomy, responsibility and obedience as well as to trust in authorities co-exist throughout the period. The fundamental change is the huge increase in the health authorities’ governing ambitions.
The Use of Mercury against Pediculosis in the Renaissance: The Case of Ferdinand II of Aragon, King of Naples, 1467–96
Authors: Fornaciari Gino , Marinozzi Silvia , Gazzaniga Valentina , Giuffra Valentina , Picchi Malayka Samantha , Giusiani Mario , Masetti Massimo
Published: May 2012

The hair samples of Ferdinand II of Aragon (1467–1496), King of Naples, whose mummy is preserved in the Basilica of San Domenico Maggiore in Naples, showed a high content of mercury, with a value of 827ppm. Furthermore, examination using a stereomicroscope and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) of head and pubic hairs of Ferdinand II, revealed a lice infestation. The reasons for the massive presence of the mercury in the king's hair are discussed and contemporary literature regarding the use of this metal in medical therapies and in cosmetic practices is analysed. As a result, the high value of mercury in the hair of Ferdinand II can be attributed to antipediculosis therapy, applied as a topic medicament. This case represents an important finding for the history of medicine, because demonstrates that in the Renaissance mercury was applied locally not only to treat syphilis, as well attested by direct and indirect sources, but also to prevent or eliminate lice infestation.
Lexical strategies in verbal linguistic victimisation in Cameroon
Authors: Anchimbe Eric A.
Published: May 2012

The aim of this illustrative paper is to show how words and expressions are coined or changed in Cameroonian speech in English and French in order to insult or stereotype other groups of people. Taken along official language lines, ethnic boundaries and social divides, these lexical elements reproduce some aspect of the addressee's history, social stance, academic achievement, professional background, linguistic and political belonging, and even gender. The expressions are from four major sources: French, English, Pidgin English and various indigenous languages. Some of them capture common social phenomena in the society. For example, Pidgin English supplies a descriptive name for a woman who moves in with a man to whom she is not married, i.e. come-we-stay. This appellation focuses more on the woman and the relationship rather than on the man. Such coinages are also common elsewhere in Africa. For instance, Nigerian Pidgin English supplies the appellation face-me-I-face-you for cramped up residential apartments in which rooms face each other on the corridor. Lexical strategies for naming and derogation are common in these two societies where groups compete with each other for their voices to be heard and respected.
Campus in English or campus in shock?
Authors: Cho Jinhyun
Published: May 2012

With the acceleration of globalization, universities in East Asia are increasingly under pressure to compete internationally, and ‘internationalization’ of tertiary education in the region has topped the education reform agenda of each government (Mok & James, 2005). In an effort to join the league of world-class universities and attract international students, East Asian universities have expanded the number of English-medium lectures (EMLs) offered as part of their internationalization strategy, and no country has embraced the move more than Korea (Newsweek, February 26, 2007). As of 2010, all the classes at the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) are conducted in English only and 93 percent of classes at the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), the nation's two best science and engineering universities, with rates of EML averaging around 10 to 30 percent among the top 7 universities in Korea as of the first half of 2008 (Chosun Ilbo, March 10, 2008). Reforms of Korean universities characterized by the introduction of EMLs have been praised by many local as well as top international media such as theNew York Timesand theScience Magazine. Often lost amid the hype, however, are the challenges facing local students in learning complex material in English, a language which most have learned only as a foreign language and to limited levels of proficiency. This article compares opinions expressed in the mainstream media with those from university presses run by student organizations that have been most active in expanding English-medium programs by analyzing articles related to EMLs. The aim of this comparative research is to find out if there are any observable differences in views presented by these two types of print media, in an attempt to shed light on the move to EMLs in this exclusively monolingual country.
Rational analogues of Ramanujan's series for 1/π
Authors: CHAN HENG HUAT , COOPER SHAUN
Published: May 2012

A general theorem is stated that unifies 93 rational Ramanujan-type series for 1/π, 40 of which are believed to be new. Moreover, each series is shown to have a companion identity, thereby giving another 93 series, the majority of which are new.
The pertussis epidemic: informing strategies for prevention of severe disease
Authors: CLARKE M. F. , RASIAH K. , COPLAND J. , WATSON M. , KOEHLER A. P. , DOWLING K. , MARSHALL H. S.
Published: May 2012

To assess the impact of Bordetella pertussis infections in South Australia during an epidemic and determine vulnerable populations, data from notification reports for pertussis cases occurring between July 2008 and December 2009 were reviewed to determine the distribution of disease according to specific risk factors and examine associations with hospitalizations. Although the majority (66%) of the 6230 notifications for pertussis occurred in adults aged >24 years, the highest notification and hospitalization rate occurred in infants aged <1 year. For these infants, factors associated with hospitalization included being aged <2 months [relative risk (RR) 2·3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·60–3·32], Indigenous ethnicity (RR 1·7, 95% CI 1·03–2·83) and receiving fewer than two doses of pertussis vaccine (RR 4·1, 95% CI 1·37–12·11). A combination of strategies aimed at improving direct protection for newborns, vaccination for the elderly, and reducing transmission from close contacts of infants are required for prevention of severe pertussis disease.
Population development and historical occurrence of king penguins at the Falkland Islands
Authors: Pistorius Pierre A. , Baylis Alastair , Crofts Sarah , Pütz Klemens
Published: May 2012

After an extended period of sporadic sightings of small numbers of king penguins at the Falkland Islands, they established themselves on Volunteer Point, situated at the north-east of the islands, by the late 1970s. By 1980, a small breeding population was present which yielded some 40 fledglings during that same year. Since 1991, the population has been monitored annually and the resulting fledgling counts analysed to assess population trends. The population demonstrated a significant increase over the past three decades, at about 10% per annum, with time explaining 75% of the variation in count data. The current population is estimated to be 720 breeding pairs. Despite several authors having alluded to the existence of a large colony of king penguins at the Falklands prior to human exploitation, we found no evidence in support of this. We furthermore found no evidence in the literature in support of exploitation for king penguin oil during the 19th century. Unlike at other breeding sites, increasing numbers of king penguins at the Falklands is consequently unlikely to be a recovery response following exploitation, but rather an indication of either increased immigration or of improved feeding conditions.
Results of seismic monitoring surveys of Deception Island volcano, Antarctica, from 1999–2011
Authors: Carmona Enrique , Almendros Javier , Serrano Inmaculada , Stich Daniel , Ibáñez Jesús M.
Published: May 2012

Deception Island volcano (South Shetland Islands, Antarctica) has been monitored in summer surveys since 1994. We analyse the seismicity recorded from 1999–2011 with a local network and seismic arrays. It includes long-period (LP) events, volcanic tremor episodes and volcano-tectonic (VT) earthquakes. Long-period events are conspicuous, ranging from 58 (2007–08) to 2868 events (2003–04). The highest number of LP events in one day is 243 on 2 February 2001, and there are several discrete periods of intense LP activity. These variations may be related to alterations in the shallow hydrothermal system of Deception Island. The number of VT earthquakes recorded during the surveys range from 4 (2008–09) to 125 (2007–08). In some periods VT distributions are temporally and spatially homogeneous, with a generally low level of seismicity. In other periods we observe a peak of VT activity lasting a few days, concentrated in a particular area. These two patterns may respond to different processes, involving regional stresses and local tectonic destabilization induced by volcanic activity. Overall, this study indicates that over the period 1999–2011 the volcano presented a moderate level of seismicity, and suggests that there has been no significant reactivation of the volcano since the 1999 seismic crisis.
A Redundant Resource: A Pre-Planned Casualty Clearing Station for a FIFA 2010 Stadium in Durban
Authors: Hardcastle Timothy C. , Samlal Sanjay , Naidoo Rajen , Hendrikse Steven , Gloster Alex , Ramlal Melvin , Ngema Sibongiseni , Rowe Michael
Published: May 2012

This report details the background, planning, and establishment of a mass-casualty management area for the Durban Moses Mabhida Stadium at the Natal Mounted Rifles base, by the Department of Health and the eThekwini Fire and Rescue Service, for the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) 2010 Soccer World Cup. The report discusses the use of the site during the seven matches played at that stadium, and details the aspects of mass-gathering major incident site planning for football (soccer).

The area also was used as a treatment area for other single patient incidents outside of the stadium, but within the exclusion perimeter, and the 22 patients treated by the Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) team are described and briefly discussed. A site-specific patient presentation rate of 0.48 per 10,000 and transport-to-hospital rate (TTHR) of 0.09/10,000 are reported. Lessons learned and implications for future event planning are discussed in the light of the existing literature.

HardcastleTC, SamlalS, NaidooR, HendrikseS, GlosterA, RamlalM, NgemaS, RoweM. A redundant resource: a pre-planned casualty clearing station for a FIFA 2010 stadium in Durban. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(2):1-7.
Cost Utility Analyses in International Disaster Responses—Where Are They?
Authors: Zoraster Richard
Published: May 2012

International health care providers have flocked to Haiti and other disaster-affected countries in record numbers. Anecdotal articles often give “body counts” to describe what was accomplished, followed months later by articles suggesting outcomes could have been better. Mention will be made that various interventions were “expensive,” or not the best use of limited funds. But there is very little science to post-intervention evaluations, especially with regard to the value for the money spent. This is surprising, because a large body of literature exists with regard to the Cost Utility Analysis (CUA) of health care interventions. Applying reproducible metrics to disaster interventions will help improve performance.

This study will: (1) introduce and explain basic CUA; (2) review why the application of CUA is difficult in disaster settings; (3) consider how disasters may be unique with regard to CUA; (4) demonstrate past and theoretical utilization of CUA in disaster settings; and (5) suggest future utilization of CUA by healthcare providers in Disaster Response.

Zoraster R. Cost utility analyses in international disaster responses—where are they? Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(2):1-6.
Leadership and Use of Standards by Australian Disaster Medical Assistance Teams: Results of a National Survey of Team Members
Authors: Aitken Peter , Leggat Peter A. , Robertson Andrew G. , Harley Hazel , Speare Richard , Leclercq Muriel G.
Published: May 2012

Introduction

It is likely that calls for disaster medical assistance teams (DMATs) will continue in response to international disasters.

Objective

As part of a national survey, the present study was designed to evaluate leadership issues and use of standards in Australian DMATs.

Methods

Data was collected via an anonymous mailed survey distributed via State and Territory representatives on the Australian Health Protection Committee, who identified team members associated with Australian DMAT deployments from the 2004 Asian Tsunami disaster.

Results

The response rate for this survey was estimated to be approximately 50% (59/118). Most of the personnel had deployed to the Asian Tsunami affected areas. The DMAT members were quite experienced, with 53% (31/59) of personnel in the 45-55 years of age group. Seventy-five percent (44/59) of the respondents were male. Fifty-eight percent (34/59) of the survey participants had significant experience in international disasters, although few felt they had previous experience in disaster management (5%, 3/59). There was unanimous support for a clear command structure (100%, 59/59), with strong support for leadership training for DMAT commanders (85%, 50/59). However only 34% (20/59) felt that their roles were clearly defined pre-deployment, and 59% (35/59) felt that team members could be identified easily. Leadership was identified by two team members as one of the biggest personal hardships faced during their deployment. While no respondents disagreed with the need for meaningful, evidence-based standards to be developed, only 51% (30/59) stated that indicators of effectiveness were used for the deployment.

Conclusions

In this study of Australian DMAT members, there was unanimous support for a clear command structure in future deployments, with clearly defined team roles and reporting structures. This should be supported by clear identification of team leaders to assist inter-agency coordination, and by leadership training for DMAT commanders. Members of Australian DMATs would also support the development and implementation of meaningful, evidence-based standards. More work is needed to identify or develop actual standards and the measures of effectiveness to be used, as well as the contents and nature of leadership training.

Aitken P, Leggat PA, Robertson AG, Harley H, Speare R, Leclercq MG. Leadership and use of standards by Australian disaster medical assistance teams: results of a national survey of team members.Prehosp Disaster Med.2012;27(2):1-6.
A Survey of National Physicians Working in an Active Conflict Zone: The Challenges of Emergency Medical Care in Iraq
Authors: Donaldson Ross I. , Shanovich Patrick , Shetty Pranav , Clark Emma , Aziz Sharaf , Morton Melinda , Hasoon Tariq , Evans Gerald
Published: May 2012

Introduction

There has been limited research on the perspectives and needs of national caregivers when confronted with large-scale societal violence. In Iraq, although the security situation has improved from its nadir in 2006-2007, intermittent bombings, and other hostilities continue. National workers remain the primary health resource for the affected populace.

Problem

To assess the status and challenges of national physicians working in the Emergency Departments of an active conflict area.

Methods

This study was a survey of civilian Iraqi doctors working in Emergency Departments (EDs) across Iraq, via a convenience sample of physicians taking the International Medical Corps (IMC) Doctor Course in Emergency Medicine, given in Baghdad from December 2008 through August 2009.

Results

The 148 physician respondents came from 11 provinces and over 50 hospitals in Iraq. They described cardiovascular disease, road traffic injuries, and blast and bullet injuries as the main causes of death and reasons for ED utilization. Eighty percent reported having been assaulted by a patient or their family member at least once within the last year; 38% reported they were threatened with a gun. Doctors reported seeing a median of 7.5 patients per hour, with only 19% indicating that their EDs had adequate physician staffing. Only 19% of respondents were aware of an established triage system for their hospital, and only a minority had taken courses covering ACLS- (16%) or ATLS-related (24%) material. Respondents reported a wide diversity of prior training, with only 3% having some type of specialized emergency medicine degree.

Conclusions

The results of this study describe some of the challenges faced by national health workers providing emergency care to a violence-stricken populace. Study findings demonstrate high levels of violent behavior directed toward doctors in Iraqi Emergency Departments, as well as staffing shortages and a lack of formal training in emergency medical care.

Donaldson RI, Shanovich P, Shetty P, Clark E, Aziz S, Morton M, Hasoon T, Evans G. A survey of national physicians working in an active conflict zone: the challenges of emergency medical care in Iraq. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(2):1-9.
Surgical Care during Humanitarian Crises: A Systematic Review of Published Surgical Caseload Data from Foreign Medical Teams
Authors: Nickerson Jason W. , Chackungal Smita , Knowlton Lisa , McQueen Kelly , Burkle Frederick M.
Published: May 2012

Objective

Humanitarian surgery is often organized and delivered with short notice and limited time for developing unique strategies for providing care. While some surgical pathologies can be anticipated by the nature of the crisis, the role of foreign medical teams in treating the existing and unmet burden of surgical disease during crises is unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine published data from crises during the years 1990 through 2011 to understand the role of foreign medical teams in providing surgical care in these settings.

Methods

A literature search was completed using PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE databases to locate relevant manuscripts published in peer-reviewed journals. A qualitative review of the surgical activities reported in the studies was performed.

Results

Of 185 papers where humanitarian surgical care was provided by a foreign medical team, only 11 articles met inclusion criteria. The reporting of surgical activities varied significantly, and pooled statistical analysis was not possible. The quality of reporting was notably poor, and produced neither reliable estimates of the pattern of surgical consultations nor data on the epidemiology of the burden of surgical diseases. The qualitative trend analysis revealed that the most frequent procedures were related to soft tissue or orthopedic surgery. Procedures such as caesarean sections, hernia repairs, and appendectomies also were common. As length of deployment increased, the surgical caseload became more reflective of the existing, unmet burden of surgical disease.

Conclusions

This review suggests that where foreign medical teams are indicated and requested, multidisciplinary surgical teams capable of providing a range of emergency and essential surgical, and rehabilitation services are required. Standardization of data collection and reporting tools for surgical care are needed to improve the reporting of surgical epidemiology in crisis-affected populations.

Nickerson JW, Chackungal S, Knowlton L, McQueen K, Burkle FM Jr. Surgical care during humanitarian crises: a systematic review of published surgical caseload data from foreign medical teams. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(2):1-6.
Referent salience affects second language article use
Authors: TRENKIC DANIJELA , PONGPAIROJ NATTAMA
Published: May 2012

The effect of referent salience on second language (L2) article production in real time was explored. Thai (–articles) and French (+articles) learners of English described dynamic events involving two referents, one visually cued to be more salient at the point of utterance formulation. Definiteness marking was made communicatively redundant with all referents. Thai groups omitted articles more with more than with less salient referents. The results corroborate previous offline data suggestive of the salience effect for L2 users from article-less L1 backgrounds, but point against the view that this is due to the redundancy of definiteness marking. The results seem better explained by persistent grammatical competition between L1 and L2 structures, consistent with the view that language systems within a bilingual mind cannot be kept fully apart.
The Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Greek Version of the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q)
Authors: Giovazolias Theodoros , Tsaousis Ioannis , Vallianatou Christina
Published: May 2012

This study investigates the latent structure and the psychometric characteristics of the attitudinal subscales of the Greek translation of the EDE-Q (G-EDE-Q) using two samples. The first sample consisted of 500 university female students and tested the latent structure of the G-EDE-Q. The second sample consisted of 164 female psychology students and examined the internal consistency as well as the concurrent, convergent, and discriminant validity of the G-EDE-Q. The results from confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed that a three-factor solution fit the data better than the other models examined, providing evidence to contradict the originally proposed structure of the instrument. The results support both, the internal consistency as well as the concurrent, convergent, and discriminant validity of the G-EDE-Q global scale and its subscales. The discussion focuses on the critical review of previous statistical procedures employed and the clinical and research implications of the present findings.
Framing Work Competencies Through Personality Traits
Authors: Consiglio Chiara , Alessandri Guido , Borgogni Laura , Piccolo Ronald F.
Published: May 2012

The present study investigated the construct validity and reliability of the Big Five Competencies grid (BFC grid), an instrument framed and validated within a well-established conceptual model, the Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality. A first sample of 1,307 employees (65% males) in a variety of job types completed the BFC grid and a list of Big Five prototypical adjectives. Exploratory structural equation modeling attested a six-factor competencies structure corresponding to four broad traits (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Emotional stability, Openness) and two facets of conscientiousness. The six scales showed adequate reliability and dominant associations with the corresponding personality traits. In a second sample of 150 employees (87% males), the six-factor structure was confirmed together with convergent validity between self- and other-ratings of work competencies. Implications and suggestions for future results are discussed.
Decadal changes in the aragonite and calcite saturation state of the Pacific Ocean
Authors: Feely Richard A. , Sabine Christopher L. , Byrne Robert H. , Millero Frank J. , Dickson Andrew G. , Wanninkhof Rik , Murata Akihiko , Miller Lisa A. , Greeley Dana
Published: May 2012

Based on measurements from the WOCE/JGOFS global CO2 survey, the CLIVAR/CO2 Repeat Hydrography Program and the Canadian Line P survey, we have observed an average decrease of 0.34% yr−1 in the saturation state of surface seawater in the Pacific Ocean with respect to aragonite and calcite. The upward migrations of the aragonite and calcite saturation horizons, averaging about 1 to 2 m yr−1, are the direct result of the uptake of anthropogenic CO2 by the oceans and regional changes in circulation and biogeochemical processes. The shoaling of the saturation horizon is regionally variable, with more rapid shoaling in the South Pacific where there is a larger uptake of anthropogenic CO2. In some locations, particularly in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre and in the California Current, the decadal changes in circulation can be the dominant factor in controlling the migration of the saturation horizon. If CO2 emissions continue as projected over the rest of this century, the resulting changes in the marine carbonate system would mean that many coral reef systems in the Pacific would no longer be able to sustain a sufficiently high rate of calcification to maintain the viability of these ecosystems as a whole, and these changes perhaps could seriously impact the thousands of marine species that depend on them for survival.
Validation of the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center's solar flare forecasting look‐up table and forecaster‐issued probabilities
Authors: Crown Misty D.
Published: May 2012

This paper provides an assessment of the operational solar flare look‐up table currently in use at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) during solar cycle 23 (May 1996 – December 2008). To assess the value of human interaction, a validation of subjective flare probability forecasts was conducted and compared to the results obtained from the climatological look‐up table used at SWPC. Probabilistic flare forecasts are evaluated using the Brier Skill Score, then discretized and entered into contingency tables from which a variety of verification measures are calculated. The ultimate goal of this report is to provide an operational baseline, whereby the scores and statistics from this paper can be used as the basis for future evaluation of models presented to the operational community.
Water and heat budgets of a shallow tropical reservoir
Authors: Xing Zikun , Fong Derek A. , Tan Kok Meng , Lo Edmond Yat‐Man , Monismith Stephen G.
Published: May 2012

This study is one of the few attempts to close water and heat budgets in tropical lakes and reservoirs on both daily and monthly time scales. A water budget of Kranji Reservoir is constructed for the year of 2007 using data for water level, reservoir gate operation records, and inflow predicted by a catchment rainfall‐runoff model. A heat budget of Kranji Reservoir is also constructed for a field deployment period in 2007 using data for surface radiation fluxes measured by a meteorological station, heat fluxes associated with inflows and outflows, and heat content of the water column measured by thermistors. All the components of the water and heat budgets are accounted for on the basis of a complete data set obtained from field measurements and reliable model predictions, including those that were often neglected in the earlier studies, e.g., advective heat. The water budget of Kranji Reservoir is dominated by the discharge and catchment inflow, which are very sensitive to the variations in precipitation. Analysis of the gate operation records in 2007 shows an appreciable amount of the outflow of Kranji Reservoir was released, especially during storm events. The heat budget reveals that net heat flux of this shallow tropical reservoir is dominated by the net surface radiation fluxes and is also highly responsive to variations in stormflow conditions. It is noted that two critical components in the heat budget are latent heat and inflow advective heat, which equal 83% and 71% of net radiation, respectively.
Lithosphere versus asthenosphere mantle sources at the Big Pine Volcanic Field, California
Authors: Gazel Esteban , Plank Terry , Forsyth Donald W. , Bendersky Claire , Lee Cin‐Ty A. , Hauri Erik H.
Published: May 2012

Here we report the first measurements of the H2O content of magmas and mantle xenoliths from the Big Pine Volcanic Field (BPVF), California, in order to constrain the melting process in the mantle, and the role of asthenospheric and lithospheric sources in this westernmost region of the Basin and Range Province, western USA. Melt inclusions trapped in primitive olivines (Fo82–90) record surprisingly high H2O contents (1.5 to 3.0 wt.%), while lithospheric mantle xenoliths record low H2O concentrations (whole rock <75 ppm). Estimates of the oxidation state of BPVF magmas, based on V partitioning in olivine, are also high (FMQ +1.0 to +1.5). Pressures and temperatures of equilibration of the BPVF melts indicate a shift over time, from higher melting temperatures (∼1320°C) and pressures (∼2 GPa) for magmas that are >500 ka, to cooler (∼1220°C) and shallower melting (∼1 GPa) conditions in younger magmas. The estimated depth of melting correlates strongly with some trace element ratios in the magmas (e.g., Ce/Pb, Ba/La), with deeper melts having values closer to upper mantle asthenosphere values, and shallower melts having values more typical of subduction zone magmas. This geochemical stratification is consistent with seismic observations of a shallow lithosphere‐asthenosphere boundary (∼55 km depth). Combined trace element and cryoscopic melting models yield self‐consistent estimates for the degree of melting (∼5%) and source H2O concentration (∼1000 ppm). We suggest two possible geodynamic models to explain small‐scale convection necessary for magma generation. The first is related to the Isabella seismic anomaly, either a remnant of the Farallon Plate or foundered lithosphere. The second scenario is related to slow extension of the lithosphere.
OIB/seamount recycling as a possible process for E‐MORB genesis
Authors: Ulrich Marc , Hémond Christophe , Nonnotte Philippe , Jochum Klaus Peter
Published: May 2012

This paper deals with the origin of enriched MORB independent from any hot spot activity. Indeed, MORB enrichment was readily attributed to a ridge/hot spot interaction and in absence of identified neighboring hot spot, to more questionable processes (e.g., incipient plume or plume activity residue). More recently, the existence of enriched MORB away from any identifiable hot spot was attributed to different origins (i.e., recycled oceanic crust and/or enriched mantle after subduction metasomatism). Within this frame, we present here a new set of geochemical analyses of major and trace elements and Sr, Nd and Pb isotopes on samples collected by submersible on both intersections of the 15°20′N fracture zone with the spreading axis of the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge. This area is characterized by an increasing enrichment of the lava compositions from north to south through the fracture zone. Results show that the geochemical enrichment observed with a different intensity on both sides of the fracture zone is linked to the 14°N topographic and geochemical anomaly. Our modeling shows that both trace element and isotopic compositions are consistent with a binary mixing between the regional depleted MORB mantle source and a recycled OIB/seamount, as previously proposed to explain the observed enrichment at 14°N. This model can also account for other enriched MORB i.e., the 18°–20°S region of the Central Indian Ridge, illustrating that it does not represent an isolated and local process. On the basis of our results and on the DMM isotopic evolution, the age of the recycled OIB/seamount is estimated to be ∼250 Ma, suggesting a recycling within the upper mantle. Considering the huge number of ocean islands and seamounts upon the ocean floor, their recycling into the upper mantle is a plausible process to produce enriched MORB.
Homogeneous superchondritic 142Nd/144Nd in the mid‐ocean ridge basalt and ocean island basalt mantle
Authors: Jackson Matthew G. , Carlson Richard W.
Published: May 2012

146Sm decays to 142Nd with a relatively short half‐life (∼68 Ma). The142Nd/144Nd of modern terrestrial mantle‐derived lavas is 18 ± 5 ppm higher than the chondrite reservoir. The difference in142Nd/144Nd between Earth and chondrites likely owes to Sm/Nd ratios 6% higher in the accessible Earth that arose within the first 30 million years following accretion. In order to constrain the early history of the mantle domains sampled by ocean island basalts (OIB) and mid‐ocean ridge basalts (MORB), we present high‐precision142Nd/144Nd measurements on 11 different lavas from five hot spots, and one lava each from the Indian and Atlantic ridges. The lavas examined in this study bracket much of the known Sr‐Nd‐Pb‐He isotopic variability the in mantle. These data complement existing high‐precision142Nd/144Nd data on MORB and OIB lavas. In agreement with previous studies, we find that MORB and OIB lavas examined for high‐precision142Nd/144Nd exhibit ratios that are indistinguishable from the terrestrial standard and are 15–20 ppm higher than the average obtained for ordinary and enstatite chondrites. The uniform, superchondritic 142Nd/144Nd data in OIB and MORB are consistent with derivation from a common, early formed (<30 Ma after accretion) progenitor reservoir with Sm/Nd ∼6% higher than chondrites. If there exists any variability in 142Nd/144Nd in the OIBs and MORBs examined to date, it is too small to be resolved with the precision currently available.
Effects of atmospheric light scattering on spectroscopic observations of greenhouse gases from space: Validation of PPDF‐based CO2 retrievals from GOSAT
Authors: Oshchepkov Sergey , Bril Andrey , Yokota Tatsuya , Morino Isamu , Yoshida Yukio , Matsunaga Tsuneo , Belikov Dmitry , Wunch Debra , Wennberg Paul , Toon Geoffrey , O'Dell Christopher , Butz André , Guerlet Sandrine , Cogan Austin , Boesch Hartmut , Eguchi Nawo , Deutscher Nicholas , Griffith David , Macatangay Ronald , Notholt Justus , Sussmann Ralf , Rettinger Markus , Sherlock Vanessa , Robinson John , Kyrö Esko , Heikkinen Pauli , Feist Dietrich G. , Nagahama Tomoo , Kadygrov Nikolay , Maksyutov Shamil , Uchino Osamu , Watanabe Hiroshi
Published: May 2012

This report describes a validation study of Greenhouse gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) data processing using ground‐based measurements of the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) as reference data for column‐averaged dry air mole fractions of atmospheric carbon dioxide (XCO2). We applied the photon path length probability density function method to validate XCO2retrievals from GOSAT data obtained during 22 months starting from June 2009. This method permitted direct evaluation of optical path modifications due to atmospheric light scattering that would have a negligible impact on ground‐based TCCON measurements but could significantly affect gas retrievals when observing reflected sunlight from space. Our results reveal effects of optical path lengthening over Northern Hemispheric stations, essentially from May–September of each year, and of optical path shortening for sun‐glint observations in tropical regions. These effects are supported by seasonal trends in aerosol optical depth derived from an offline three‐dimensional aerosol transport model and by cirrus optical depth derived from space‐based measurements of the Cloud‐Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) instrument. Removal of observations that were highly contaminated by aerosol and cloud from the GOSAT data set resulted in acceptable agreement in the seasonal variability of XCO2 over each station as compared with TCCON measurements. Statistical comparisons between GOSAT and TCCON coincident measurements of CO2column abundance show a correlation coefficient of 0.85, standard deviation of 1.80 ppm, and a sub‐ppm negative bias of −0.43 ppm for all TCCON stations. Global distributions of monthly mean retrieved XCO2 with a spatial resolution of 2.5° latitude × 2.5° longitude show agreement within ∼2.5 ppm with those predicted by the atmospheric tracer transport model.