bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Alcohol policy and the public good
Authors: Edwards Griffith
Published: March 2003

Despite a diversity of cultural, social and economic experiences with alcohol at national level, a broad unity of purpose is emerging within the alcohol problems perspective. The scientific basis for that perspective finds its support in a sustained international research effort. With the publication in 1994 of the WHO report "Alcohol Policy and the Public Good", that perspective has been given persuasive empirical underpinning and a sharp focus. Essentially the problems perspective suggests that the target for public policy is the prevention or alleviation of population‐wide alcohol‐related problems, with problems broadly defined. The test for any policy within this arena is then whether it contributes to the achievement of that target. The perspective is thus rational, empirical, rooted in the traditions of public health, and readily intelligible to the ordinary citizen. Key conclusions emanating from "Alcohol Policy and the Public Good" are summarized. That text is rounded off by the challenging assertion that "Drinking problems are not carried by an uncontrollable tide. With public will, and on the evidence, they are capable of amelioration." A positive response to that challenge by the nations of Europe is both necessary and feasible.
Where treatment and prevention merge: the need for a broader approach
Authors: Heather Nick
Published: March 2003

Four papers were presented in a Parallel Session chaired by Dr Jorge Gleser (Israel) and these are summarized here. The papers were: (1) "Supporting primary health care physicians" by Dr Galina A. Korchagina of the Medical Academy of Postgraduate Studies, St Petersburg, the Russian Federation; (2) "A new role for nurses" by Ms Iveta Kelle, Nursing Consultant, Riga, Latvia; (3) "Broadening the base of treatment" by Dr Nina Kerimi of the Research Institute of Preventive and Clinical Medicine, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan; and (4) "Primary health care and alcohol reduction strategies" by Dr Leo Pas of the Academic Centre of General Practice, Free University Brussels, Belgium. Following a discussion, participants agreed on the wording of a draft Policy for Primary Health Care and Community Action and this is also included here.
Alcohol and European transformation
Authors: Simpura Jussi
Published: March 2003

Against the background of papers and discussions from the East‐West seminar at the European Conference on Health, Society and Alcohol, the differences and similarities in eastern and western European transformation processes are discussed. After some remarks on the general nature of eastern transition and western integration, the two sides of Europe are compared with respect to various alcohol‐specific issues. It will be shown that the ongoing transition touches alcohol‐related phenomena on a broad spectrum, and no single characterization (e.g. commercialization and the rise of market interests) is sufficient alone. The changing balance between state, markets and civil society provides, however, an interesting perspective for comparing alcohol‐related changes in various European societies. Finally, the prospects for a common European alcohol agenda are discussed briefly from the point of view of international mobilization on the dimensions of state, markets and civil society. There are signs of increased cooperation along all dimensions, but an all‐European alcohol agenda seems unlikely.
Application of local policy to prevent alcohol problems: experiences from a community trial
Authors: Holder Harold D. , Reynolds Robert I.
Published: March 2003

Alcohol policy conventionally has been established at the national or regional, state and provincial levels. Alcohol policy at any level is not actually limited to the regulation and control of alcohol production, wholesale distribution, and retail sales. There are a number of alternatives for setting alcohol policies within a local community. Building upon existing national and state/provincial laws, policy makers at the community level can set priorities for allocating resources and enforcing laws related to drinking and driving, underage alcohol sales, alcohol serving practices of bars and restaurants and geographical density of alcohol outlets in the community. This paper concludes from the Community Trials Project that policies established at the local level can reduce alcohol problems.
Drinking and driving prevention in the community: program planning and implementation
Authors: Voas Robert B.
Published: March 2003

This paper describes the rationale, development and implementation of the Drinking and Driving Component, which is one of five components of the Community Trials Project conducted by the Prevention Research Center, Berkeley, California (USA). It traces the background of drunk driving enforcement technology and practice against which the programs at the three sites were implemented. A conceptual model for the enforcement component of a comprehensive community alcohol‐related trauma project is presented and its implementation at the three sites is described. Limitations in the available police department resources delayed the implementation of local programs. Media advocacy tied to specific operations proved to be successful in publicizing sensors and sobriety checkpoints were only partially accepted. Overall, the community trials sites increased or held steady their arrest rates in contrast to the comparison sites where DUI arrests declined.
Between despair and hope: health services research on treatment of alcohol abuse
Authors: McCarty Dennis
Published: March 2003

Conference papers have highlighted the difficulty of conducting valid analyses of alcohol and drug abuse treatment services. Because of these difficulties, investigators, providers and policy makers could feel overwhelmed and be reluctant to initiate studies. The papers, however, also offer guidance and encourage researchers to apply these methods and improve their investigations. Common features of the papers are noted and the potential for making contributions to the state of the art is examined. Aspects of health services research that are not addressed in the papers are also discussed. Although alcohol services research is not easy and can be improved, the state of alcohol services research is where it belongs ‐ in the middle of the personal, programmatic and policy level struggles to achieve stable recoveries from alcohol and drug dependence.
Assessing program fidelity in substance abuse health services research
Authors: Orwin Robert G.
Published: March 2003

This paper addresses how treatment fidelity and related constructs (e.g. program implementation) can be assessed in alcohol, drug abuse and mental health services research. First, it introduces definitions of fidelity and related concepts, and then describes various concepts and tools from program evaluation that have proven useful for assessing fidelity. Next, several of these are illustrated in detail through a case study of a multisite fidelity assessment in substance abuse services research: the process evaluation of the NIAAA Homeless Cooperative Agreement Program. This evaluation included analysis of implementation at the program‐ and participant‐level, the development of scales from the individual services data to estimate intervention strength, fidelity, and "leakage" (i.e. the degree to which services intended exclusively for intervention groups were inadvertently delivered to comparison groups) and the methods with which these data were used to assess whether programs were implemented as planned.
Methods for identifying and assessing groups in health behavioral research
Authors: Rapkin Bruce D. , Dumont Kimberly A.
Published: March 2003

Methods to study groups developed in other fields have much to contribute to the study of health behavior, including alcohol and substance use. This paper surveys group methods in order to demonstrate how attention to group levels of analysis can provide new insights about the context and causes of health behavior. The first major section of this paper focuses on the influences on health behavior associated with "naturally occurring groups" such as peer networks, families, workplaces, neighborhoods, churches, treatment groups and residential settings. Different aspects of group influence are discussed in terms of seven different features of social groups: history, structure, function, resources, process, norms and climate. The second major part of this paper is concerned with methods to identify meaningful subgroups in heterogeneous samples. Following an overview of taxonomic methods to identify and assign cases to groups, we highlight the potential for these methods to help address a number of fundamental theoretical problems in health behavioral research, including: describing cultural diversity, distinguishing response sets in survey research, controlling error in outcomes scores related to baseline differences, tracking trajectories of change, and revealing interactions among determinants of health behavior. The third and final section of the paper highlights specific applications of taxonomic and group‐influence methodologies in intervention research, including design and analysis of randomized trials, studies of existing treatment settings and group‐level variables involved in translational research.
The supply of alcoholic beverages in transitional conditions: the case of Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Moskalewicz Jacek , Simpura Jussi
Published: March 2003

Three periods are distinguished and applied to describe the dynamics of changes in the system of supply of alcoholic beverages in Central and Eastern Europe since 1980. The distinction of these three periods is based on changes in the regulation of the supply. The period of the old regulation ended in most countries around the 1990s. A deregulation took place in the early 1990s. The first steps toward a reregulation were visible in attempts to create a new order in the alcohol market in the last years of the 1990s. The analysis builds mainly on developments in Poland and Russia, with more scattered information from other countries. In each period the role of different actors (the state, the enterprises, organized crime, civil organizations and individuals), different interests (economic development, state finances, political order, public order, public health and various symbolic interests) and different public measures to regulate the supply (licensing, taxation and preventive actions and treatment) are considered. The analysis shows how the state lost its dominant position to private firms and is slowly regaining it again, how interest in state finances, overall economic development and later in profit‐making dominate all three periods, and how the old system of regulations was ruined, to become rebuilt in very small steps with many conflicts and complications. Public health interests and also civil society interests were weak in comparison with economic interests. From the public health perspective, changes in the supply system have had significant consequences, but a more comprehensive regulation of supply does not necessarily lead to diminished alcohol‐related harm.
Local and global alcohol supply: economic and geographic models of community systems
Authors: Gruenewald Paul J. , Treno Andrew J.
Published: March 2003

This paper discusses how economic and geographic distributions of local supply affect patterns of alcohol problems in state and community settings. It is argued that characteristics of local supply directly affect the economic and social behaviors of consumers when purchasing and using alcohol. For example, although taxes may be raised in order to lower alcohol use, the manner in which tax increases are translated into price increases, and the way consumers respond to price increases through alterations in purchase patterns, may strongly mitigate price effects. Similarly, although overall alcohol availability may be reduced in order to lower alcohol use, the tendency for greater numbers of outlets to be focused in low‐income areas and the manner in which consumers bundle alcohol purchases with other routine activities (e.g. shopping) may also strongly mitigate such effects.
Unrecorded alcohol consumption: its economics and its effects on alcohol control in the Nordic countries
Authors: Nordlund Sturla , Österberg Esa
Published: March 2003

The starting point of this paper is the fact that no country has complete records of alcohol consumption. In addition to being a matter or statistical accuracy, unrecorded alcohol also plays an important role in alcohol policy discussions. Furthermore, its quantity is bound to basic economic laws. These latter two aspects are the main interest in this paper, which discusses, first, what is really meant by unrecorded alcohol consumption and what kind of categories are included in it. The next task is to discuss the economics of different categories of unrecorded alcohol and the mechanisms which lead to increases or decreases in them. The examples in this part of the paper come from the Nordic countries. Arguments about increased smuggling and illegal distilling have always been used against alcohol policy restrictions in the Nordic countries. Recently the level of travellers' alcohol imports and border trade have also been used for the same purpose. In the European Union the task to harmonize alcohol excise taxes is partly given to increased travellers' duty‐free allowances and market forces. This policy has already led to reductions in alcohol taxation both in Denmark and Sweden.
Maximizing help for dissonant smokers
Authors: Kunze Michael
Published: March 2003

'Consonant' smokers know and accept the risks associated with tobacco consumption, and do not wish to change their smoking, whereas 'dissonant' smokers are tobacco consumers whose attitudes differ from their behaviour. Dissonant smokers have several options: to quit smoking (the optimal solution), reduce their smoking, switch products or brands, or do nothing. To date, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is the best‐established medical aid to smoking cessation, but several important factors impact on NRT use. As smokers constitute a diverse group there is a need for various different formulations, some of which will suit certain smokers better than others. Smokers should be allowed to select their preferred products in order to increase compliance, and should also be permitted to combine various products if desired. Adequate dosage regimens should be stressed in order to avoid under‐dosing, which is common with NRT. It is also essential that the medical system focuses increasingly on the diagnosis and treatment of those smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit smoking. High nicotine dependence correlates with a high risk of pulmonary and cardiovascular disease; because these smokers cannot quit, cessation efforts have little impact on the incidence of tobacco‐related diseases in this population. Additional smoking control interventions, such as smoking reduction therapy, are therefore required to treat this group. Our experience in Vienna shows that these smokers can be targeted through approaches that utilize new messages offering alternatives to cessation.
Reduced smoking: an introduction and review of the evidence
Authors: Hughes John R.
Published: March 2003

The major questions about reductions in the number of cigarettesday as a treatment goal are (1) how many smokers can reduce and maintain such reduction, (2) how much compensation will occur, (3) will reduced smoking significantly decrease the risk of smoking and (4) will reduction promote or undermine cessation. Naturalistic studies of smokers who are not trying to stop smoking indicate that a substantial minority of smokers spontaneously reduce their number of cigarettesday and can maintain significant reductions (‐7% to ‐43%) over long periods of time. Six experimental trials of smokers not interested in quitting were able to induce large reductions in cigarettesday (‐15% to ‐63%) using behavioral therapy andor nicotine replacement. Reductions in toxin exposure (carbon monoxide) were not as large but still substantial (‐21% to ‐35%). The three studies with long‐term follow‐ups found little loss of effects over 6‐30 months. Although face‐valid, there is no direct test of whether reduced smoking will decrease smoking risks and such a study would need to be very large and last for a long time. None of the above‐cited studies indicate that reduction undermines the probability of future cessation attempts and several found reduction promotes future cessation.
Craving research: future directions
Authors: Drummond D. Colin , Litten Raye Z. , Lowman Cherry , Hunt Walter A.
Published: March 2003

Many prospective clinical studies have concluded that craving does not reliably predict relapse and that the concept is of little or no clinical utility. Contrary to earlier more simplistic clinical models of addiction, more recent models do not require that craving be present for relapse to occur. New approaches to study human craving may enhance its predictive validity and yield more knowledge of its nature, course, behavioural sequelae and regulatory function in alcohol/drug consumption. These approaches include empirical research that focuses on: (1) the elucidation of the domains of craving (i.e. subjective experience, physiological responses, behavioural sequelae and their inter‐relationships); (2) the temporal dynamics of craving (i.e. its course over minutes or days, as well as its natural history over the course of a drinking career); (3) the factors that may mediate/moderate/determine the development and resolution of craving; (4) studies of the predictive validity of craving measures; and (5) the development of valid methods of measuring the different domains of craving. The conclusions are that future craving research should: (1) incorporate more sophisticated general theories of behaviour (conditioning, cognitive social learning, neurobiological, and genetic); (2) apply more sophisticated and standardized measurement methods and experimental paradigms, including studies in which alcohol is made available to human subjects; and (3) effective development of new pharmacological and behavioural therapies for relapse prevention depend on greater understanding of the nature and measurement of craving.
The microstructure of ethanol drinking: genetic and behavioral factors in the control of drinking patterns
Authors: Samson Herman H.
Published: March 2003

The concept of craving can be examined in many different ways, depending upon the individual definition of the term. Using the concepts and procedures of regulatory behavior analysis, this review explores behavioral studies in rats that have some relationships to some of the possible processes that underlie the concept of craving in humans. Data are reviewed from studies employing both limited and continuous access to ethanol, examining the role of access availability, ethanol initiation, response cost, time since last access, composition of the ethanol containing solution and genetic selection. From this review, it is clear that rat models can implicate important variables involved in the control of human alcohol consumption.
Can craving be modeled in animals? The relapse prevention perspective
Authors: Littleton John
Published: March 2003

The mechanism that underlies craving is unknown, and this makes it difficult to model craving in any general way in animals. However, there is considerable evidence that conditioned “drug‐like” and “drug‐opposite” responses play a part in relapse during abstinence. In so much as these conditioned responses represent one type of mechanism that leads to craving, they can be used to develop animal models of craving. Indeed, there are several types of model already available that are based on drug‐conditioned responses, and that are relevant. However, most current “drug conditioning models” have not been developed with the specific intention of modeling factors that predispose to relapse, and they have deficiencies for this purpose as a result. In addition, some of the drug‐conditioning models are unsuitable for the study of alcohol rather than for more positively reinforcing drugs such as cocaine. This commentary considers first whether the existing models, and the concepts behind them, can be adapted to provide “craving models” and, secondly, whether the resulting models may be used to evaluate anti‐relapse drugs. This purpose requires two levels of complexity, simple “screening tests” that suggest that a drug may be worth evaluating further, and models of more complex behavior that have face validity to relapse in the human subject, and have predictive value for therapeutic use in relapse. Finally, rather different animal models, based on the concepts of extinction and reinstatement, might be used to answer fundamental questions as to the mechanisms of relapse into use of alcohol. All the proposed types of animal models of craving are based on conditioned reinforcements, rather than being based on reinforcing effects of the drugs themselves (as are most of the current models). However, if the development of “craving models” based on conditioning will help us better understand relapse, then the therapeutic benefits that can be expected will make the effort worthwhile.
What does cue‐reactivity have to offer clinical research?
Authors: Drummond D. Colin
Published: March 2003

This paper examines the application of the cue‐reactivity paradigm as a means of studying alcohol dependence in clinical populations. Three main areas of application will be examined: cue‐reactivity as a means of understanding the nature of alcohol dependence; cue‐reactivity as a predictor of relapse; and cue‐reactivity as a method of studying treatment effects. The study of cue exposure and cue‐reactivity has a long history but it is only relatively recently that the potential of cue‐reactivity as a means of understanding and treating addictive behaviours has been studied in depth. The principal advantage of cue‐reactivity over other existing paradigms to study addictive behaviour is in having a solid basis in widely studied general theories of behaviour. Cue‐reactivity also provides a means of measuring and unpacking the concept of craving. Craving has long been believed to represent the underlying basis for addictive behaviour, and in the majority of research studies craving has been conceptualized and measured in relatively simplistic ways. Craving has generally been viewed as a unitary phenomenon and measured using self‐reported questionnaires. Such approaches have had limited explanatory value, particularly in recent psychopharmacology research. There is clearly a need to develop new paradigms to study the effects of pharmacological agents aimed at attenuating drinking behaviour. It is in this area that cue‐reactivity currently offers the greatest potential. In particular, the cue‐reactivity paradigm draws an important distinction between cue mediated craving and withdrawal craving. This can be viewed as similar to the distinction between generalised anxiety and anxiety provoked by phobic stimuli. However, while much is now known about the phenomenon of cue‐reactivity, several aspects require further elucidation and research investment.
Alcohol consumption and overall accident mortality in 14 European countries
Authors: Skog Ole‐Jørgen
Published: March 2003

Aims. To evaluate the effects of changes in aggregate alcohol consumption on overall accident mortality in 14 western European countries after 1950, and to compare traditional beer, wine, and spirits countries with respect to the impact of alcohol.

Design, setting and participants. The countries were sorted into three groups ‐ traditional spirits countries of northern Europe, traditional beer countries of central Europe and wine countries of southern Europe. Gender‐ and age‐specific annual mortality rates were analysed in relation to per capita alcohol consumption, utilizing the Box‐Jenkins technique for time series analysis. All series were differenced to remove long‐term trends. The results of the analyses in individual countries were pooled within each group of countries to increase the statistical power.

Measurements. Overall accident mortality data for 5‐year age groups were converted to gender and age specific mortality rates in the age groups 15‐29, 30‐49 and 50‐69 years. Rates were age adjusted within groups. Data on per capita alcohol consumption were converted to consumption per inhabitant 15 years and older.

Findings. The analyses demonstrated a statistically significant and positive relationship between changes in aggregate alcohol consumption in all three groups of countries. The estimated effect parameter was larger in northern Europe than in central Europe, and smallest in southern Europe.

Conclusion. The results are compatible with the hypothesis that accident mortality rates are influenced by per capita alcohol consumption in southern, central and northern Europe. However, alcohol appears to play a larger role in northern Europe than in southern Europe.
Alcohol consumption and mortality rates from traffic accidents, accidental falls, and other accidents in 14 European countries
Authors: Skog Ole‐Jørgen
Published: March 2003

Aims. To evaluate the effects of changes in aggregate alcohol consumption on fatal motor vehicle traffic accidents, accidental falls, and other accidents in 14 western European countries after 1950, and to compare traditional beer, wine and spirits countries.

Design, setting and participants. The countries were sorted into three groups. Gender‐specific, age‐adjusted annual mortality rates (15‐69 years) were analysed in relation to per capita alcohol consumption, utilizing the Box‐Jenkins technique for time series analysis. All series were differenced to remove long‐term trends. The results of the analyses of individual countries were pooled within each group of countries to increase the statistical power.

Measurements. Overall accident mortality data for 5‐year age groups were converted to age‐adjusted mortality rates for the age group 15‐69 years, using a European standard population. Data on per capita alcohol consumption were converted to consumption per inhabitant 15 years and older.

Findings. For male accidental falls, the analyses uncovered a statistically significant association with alcohol consumption in northern and central Europe, but not in southern Europe. Among females the association was insignificant in all regions. For male traffic accidents, significant relationships were uncovered in central and southern Europe, but not in northern Europe. Among females the effect was significant only in central Europe. For the remaining fatal accidents a significant relationship was found for north European males only.

Conclusion. The association between aggregate alcohol consumption and rates of fatal accidents is mainly due to traffic accidents in central and southern Europe, and to falls and other accidents in northern Europe.
The Marijuana Treatment Project: rationale, design and participant characteristics
Authors: Stephens Robert S. , Babor Thomas F. , Kadden Ronald , Miller Michael ,   The Marijuana Treatment Project Research Group
Published: March 2003

Aims Recent findings regarding the prevalence of marijuana dependence and associated consequences indicate the need for empirically validated treatments for this population. The Marijuana Treatment Project (MTP) was a multi‐site study of two treatments for adults with marijuana dependence.

Design Participants (N= 450) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions at each of three sites: 1) a 9‐session cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) with motivational enhancement therapy (MET) and case management (CM) components; 2) a 2‐session MET intervention; or 3) a delayed treatment control (DTC).

Setting The study was conducted in outpatient drug treatment clinics in three U.S. cities.

Participants Participants were individuals aged 18 or over who met diagnostic criteria for cannabis dependence and who voluntarily presented for treatment.

Measurement Study variables included DSM‐IV dependence criteria, timeline follow‐back assessment of drug use, Addiction Severity Index composite scores, and problems related to marijuana use.

Findings Participants were daily users, who smoked marijuana multiple times per day, and had been doing so for more than 15 years. They reported multiple dependence symptoms and negative consequences related to marijuana use. Approximately 32% of the sample was female, and 30% of the sample was either Hispanic (17%), African American (12%), or of mixed racial backgrounds (1%).

Conclusions The multi‐site nature of the MTP allowed for the recruitment of a more ethnically and gender diverse sample than had been studied previously but there were few differences in the clinical characteristics of participants at the geographically and sociodemographically diverse study sites.
Correlates of pre‐treatment drop‐out among persons with marijuana dependence
Authors: Vendetti Janice , McRee Bonnie , Miller Michael , Christiansen Kenneth , Herrell James ,   The Marjuana Treatment Project Research Group
Published: March 2003

Aims  Our objective was to identify client characteristics and other factors associated with pre‐treatment drop‐out by people with marijuana dependence.

Design and participants  Data from the Marijuana Treatment Project's screening assessment were used to examine correlates of pre‐treatment drop‐out. Information from all eligible study participants (n = 813) (i.e. those who were interested in receiving treatment for their marijuana dependence and were determined to be eligible for the randomized treatment efficacy trial) was used to examine differences between the 450 participants who initiated treatment (by enrolling in the trial) and the 363 individuals who declined enrollment.

Setting  The study was conducted at three community‐based outpatient treatment facilities in Farmington, CT, Seattle, WA and Miami, FL.

Measurements  The information gathered in the screening interview included demographic characteristics, residential stability variables, employment and education history and referral source. Substance use variables included the number of days and the number of times per day marijuana was used, self‐perceived dependence on marijuana, alcohol or other drugs, other drug use history and current treatment (i.e. substance abuse, medical, psychiatric) situation.

Findings  Stepwise logistic regression was conducted to confirm variables associated with treatment initiation in bivariate analyses. Pre‐treatment drop‐out was associated with being younger, unmarried, unemployed, less educated and Asian American or Native American. It was also associated with self‐perceived dependence on marijuana and use of other drugs.

Conclusions  By recognizing demographic and substance use factors that may serve as barriers for individuals accessing treatment for marijuana dependence, clinicians may target clients with these characteristics proactively to encourage treatment initiation and subsequent attendance.
Force–length characteristics of in vivo human skeletal muscle
Authors: Maganaris C. N.
Published: March 2003

In the present study, the in vivo force–length relations of the human soleus (SOL) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles were estimated. Measurements were taken in six men at ankle angles from 30° of dorsiflexion to 45° of plantarflexion in steps of 15°, and involved dynamometry, electrical stimulation, ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). For each muscle and ankle angle studied the following three measurements were carried out: (1) dynamometry‐based measurement of maximal voltage tetanic moment, (2) ultrasound‐based measurement of pennation angle and fibre length and (3) MRI‐based measurement of tendon moment arm length. Tendon forces were calculated dividing moments by moment arm lengths, and muscle forces were calculated dividing tendon forces by the cosine of pennation angles. In the transition from 30° of dorsiflexion to 45° of plantarflexion the SOL muscle fibre length decreased from 3.8 to 2.4 cm and its force decreased from 3330 to 290 N. Over the same range of ankle angles the TA muscle fibre length increased from 3.7 to 6 cm and its force increased from 157 to 644 N. Over the longest muscle fibre lengths reached the force of both muscles remained approximately constant. These results indicate that the intact human SOL and TA muscles operate in the ascending limb and plateau region of the force–length relationship. Similar conclusions were reached when calculating the theoretical operating range of the two muscle sarcomeres in the study.
Home range size and dispersion in the helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris galeata Pallas) of the Waza National Park, Cameroon
Authors: Langmia Njiforti Hanson , Hueso Kortekaas Katia
Published: March 2003

Field investigations of the home range size and emigration pattern of wild helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris galeata Pallas) from 1992 to 1995 showed that home range size (±95% confidence limits (CL) ) varied with season from 3·6±1·5 km2 for the dry seasons to 3·1±1·5 km2 for the rainy seasons. Home range size varied depending on whether it was estimated with data for adult males, adult females or young birds, with a higher home range size for young birds, closely followed by adult males. Group size (±95%CL) varied by month, and was highest between March and April (47·0±8·1 birds/group) and lowest in August 9·0±5·1 birds/group). More young birds (±95%CL) (36·8±19·6%) dispersed than adult males (21·1±1·9%) or adult females (13·5±1·8%). There was a highly significant positive correlation between group size and the number of birds emigrating from the group. There was also a significant negative correlation between the weights of birds at tagging and the percentage that emigrated during the first year of study but not later. This is suggested to be linked to the high number of young birds emigrating, since they weigh relatively less than adults. The lack of correlation between body weight and number of birds emigrating a year or later after birds were tagged was thought to be due to the fact that birds tagged while young attained adult weight within a year.
Notes on the ecology of a suburban population of Rainbow lizards in coastal Kenya
Authors: ANIBALDI CLAUDIO , LUISELLI LUCA , ANGELICI FRANCESCO
Published: March 2003

Aspects of the ecology of a suburban population of rainbow lizards, Agama agama Linnaeus 1758, have been studied in Malindi, a coastal locality of SE Kenya. Four different family groups were monitored on a wall transect 120 m long. Each group constituted a dominant male (i.e. a brightly coloured and aggressive individual) and three to four adult females, but in one of the studied groups a subordinate male was also seen. Both sexes were active in the morning, and peak activity fell between 10.00 and 11.30 hours. Dominant males used elevated perches significantly more often than subordinate males and females. The diet consisted of terrestrial arthropods, and most of the prey eaten were beetles (6–8 mm long). The foraging strategy used by rainbow lizards was to eat small insects at very short time intervals. The lizards used sit‐and‐wait foraging, remaining motionless until the prey was <5 cm away. The rainbow lizards studied did not feed upon plant material.
Fluctuations in food supply in an insularized and heavily grazed savanna ecosystem in Kenya
Authors: MWANGI E. , WESTERN D.
Published: March 2003

The herbaceous plant standing crop differed significantly between seasons and vegetation types. It showed similar seasonal fluctuations in all habitat types although herbivore offtake rates differed considerably among habitats. Nutritive value of the pasture also differed between seasons, sometimes falling below minimum levels for herbivore maintenance. These conditions created considerable nutritive stress for the high‐density large herbivore community. This study indicates the need for active management of plant and animal communities to maintain species and habitat diversity.
Bird–mammal associations in forest openings of northern Congo (Brazzaville)
Authors: RUGGIERO R. G , EVES H. é
Published: March 2003

Resident and migrant birds and several mammal species utilize natural forest openings to exploit foraging opportunities that are otherwise rare or absent in the dense forest of equatorial Africa. Certain bird species exhibit protocooperative and commensal relationships with these mammals. In a large marshy opening, five species of birds exploited the actions of large terrestrial mammals to flush prey, two species of birds used two species of aquatic mammals to expose prey, and another bird species fed directly on mammalian ectoparasites. African jacanas had a higher foraging rate when associated with gorillas and elephants than when alone, and great egrets had a higher capture efficiency when elephants were present. In a second opening, covered by a shallow, algae‐laden pond, African jacanas, finfeet, and Hartlaub's ducks competed to remove arthropod ectoparasites from forest buffalo and bongo antelope, both of which consistently reacted to the alarm calls of jacanas and Hartlaub's ducks. At least ten species of birds directly benefit from associations with mammals. Indirect benefits were also noted as African jacanas, black crakes, and palm‐nut vultures selected food items from elephant and buffalo dung.
Primate frugivory in Kibale National Park, Uganda, and its implications for human use of forest resources
Authors: LAMBERT JOANNA
Published: March 2003

In an attempt to understand the practical and/or economic implications of primate seed dispersal, it was established which seed species are dispersed by frugivorous primates in Kibale National Park, Uganda, and which of this sort of species were used by Ugandan people. A list of fruit species consumed by Kibale primates was compiled using primary data and by reviewing all known published accounts of their fruit diet. Primates consume the fruit of 87 Kibale forest tree species; the seeds of 11% of these species are destroyed by the primates. The remaining 77 species are dispersed by either one, two, three or all four of the frugivorous Kibale primates. Of these 77 species, 42% have some utility to local Ugandan inhabitants, suggesting that maintaining populations of primates is important not only for natural forest regeneration, but also for human habitat use. This report illustrates the complexity of the seed dispersal process and suggests links not only between plants and their dispersers, but also between sets of plants/dispersers and the human populations that rely on forest resources.
Forest association and phenology of wild coffee in Kibale National Park, Uganda
Authors: KASENENE JOHN
Published: March 2003

A study on the forest association and phenology of wild coffee (Coffea canephora Pierre) was conducted in Kibale forest, Uganda. Nested quadrats were used to enumerate tree species, including coffee and herbaceous plants associated with forest and coffee stands. A total of 150 coffee trees was marked along transects and monthly scans carried out to score for fruits, flowers, leaves and leaf insect damage. Pre‐ and post‐dispersal predation levels and coffee yield estimates were made by examining fruits from trees, forest floor and seasonal fruit falls into demarcated plots. In the forest, wild coffee stands are associated with low‐quality forest types in terms of timber species (about 10.5 canopy species/study site) and low stocking densities of trees ≥ 50 cm d.b.h. (average 38 trees ha−1 for each site) and poor forest regeneration. In the forest, wild coffee reproductive phases overlap with ripening, coinciding with flower bud and flower production. The variable peak ripening season falls between November and April. The wild coffee yields are generally low (average of 3.5 intact fruits 16 m−2 month−1), with low insect fruit/seed damage (4–19%) but high levels of wastage due to monkeys, bats and birds.
Short‐term gland secretion in the African elephant: tourist disturbance or social interactions as source for secretion?
Authors: Weibull Ann‐Christin , Eriksson Helena
Published: March 2003

The temporal gland is an organ found exclusively in elephants, located midway between the eye and the ear. Hypotheses exist about what factors lead to the release of the secretion but so far few studies have taken place in the wild, especially of secretion in relation to behaviour. It has been suggested that the secretion serves in communication or that it is a symptom of stress. These hypotheses were tested by observing free‐ranging elephants in Etosha National Park, Namibia. Factors considered were the impact of carnivores, of herds of other herbivores, of vehicles and of other elephants on the amount of secretion in focal elephant families. Neither other mammals nor tourists, recorded in terms of vehicles, seemed to affect secretion, but the secretion increased with the rate at which members of elephant families displaced each other. It is concluded that the secretion is predominantly related to social behaviour and less to factors extrinsic to the elephant herd.
Diet of the helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris galeata Pallas) in the Waza region of North Cameroon
Authors: NJIFORTI HANSON LANGMIA , HEBOU LUC , BODENKAMP ARNOLD
Published: March 2003

Through laboratory and field experiments, we investigated the effect of food availability and food nutritive value on food selection by helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris galeata Pallas) during the dry season in the Waza region of North Cameroon. Field study and crop analysis shows that a wide variety of food types are eaten by guineafowl during the dry season. Analysis of 101 crops from wild birds reveals a statistically significant positive correlation between the sodium and water content of food items and the quantity found in the crops. Rhizomes of Stylochiton lancifolius and termites form the bulk of the diet of this species during the dry season. It is concluded that the selection of water‐rich food may be an adaptation to dry environment.
The response of lions and spotted hyaenas to sound playbacks as a technique for estimating population size
Authors: OGUTU J. O. , DUBLIN H. T.
Published: March 2003

Overall, 217 lions (>1 year) Panthera leo (Linnaeus) and 2069 spotted hyaenas (>8 mo) Crocuta crocuta (Erxleben) responded to broadcast vocalizations, call‐ins, during six surveys in the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.

Carnivore response varied seasonally and was significantly higher and more uniform when migratory prey were absent. Variation in wildebeest abundance, by affecting food availability, was the only significant predictor of response. Variability in response with overall prey abundance was higher for lions than hyaenas. Lion response occurred within a radius of 2·5 km, was independent of age and sex but dropped virtually to zero whenever lions possessed a carcass at the time of broadcasting.

An independent total census recorded 547 lions (all ages) in the Reserve, 9·96% of which were nomads. This proportion increased by 7·94% following the influx of migrants and raised lion (>1 year) density from 0·292 to 0·320 lions/km2. The call‐in estimate of 0·294±0·009 (95% c.l.) lions/km2 practically equalled the total count. The high precision and low bias (−0·224%) of this estimate imply that call‐in surveys are reliable and may be employed to effectively monitor carnivore populations in the long term. Under simple random sampling, covering about 20% of an area would seem adequate to produce reliable density estimates.
Population status and feeding habits of the translocated sub‐population of Hunter's antelope or hirola (Beatragus hunteri, Sclater, 1889) in Tsavo East National Park, Kenya
Authors: Andanje S. A. , Ottichilo W. K.
Published: March 2003

The population status and feeding habits of Hunter's antelope or hirola (Beatragus hunteri) in Tsavo East National Park were determined in this study in 1995. This is the first study that has ever been undertaken on the hirola population of about 20 animals that were translocated to Tsavo East National Park from South Garissa District in 1963. Relevant data and information were collected using different ecological research techniques.

A total of eight nursery herds (5–11 individuals per herd) comprising 60 individuals, five lone bulls and 11 lone sub‐adults was observed. This gave a total population estimate of 76 animals in the entire study area. Adult animals dominated the population (60.53%), indicating a population skew towards adults. The adult sex ratio was biased towards females (43.42%). Hirola were observed to feed mainly on short, green grasses. The dominant feed species were Panicum infestum, Digitaria rivae, Latipes senegalensis and Cenchrus ciliaris. Occasionally, hirola was observed to feed on forbs (e.g. Portulaca oleraceae, Tephrosia subtriglora and Commelina erecta).

Results of this study show that the population growth of the hirola sub‐population in the Park has been low (1.8 individuals per year). Factors thought to contribute to this low growth include predation and low genetic variability.
Floristic assessment of an Afromontane grassland fragmentation experiment in a pine plantation
Authors: Bredenkamp G. J. , Ferguson J. W. H. , Foord S. H. , De Frey W. H.
Published: March 2003

Twenty‐four grassland fragments were established in an area of high botanical diversity planted with Pinus patula plantations. This area is representative of the eastern Drakensberg escarpment, containing a large number of endemic plant taxa. The experimental fragments comprise six replicates of two fragment sizes (0.25 and 1.5 ha), with a similar grouping of control plots in adjacent undisturbed grassland designated for conservation. The plots form the basis of a long‐term study on fragmented plant and animal communities. Vegetation surveys were performed using nearest neighbour step point and Braun–Blanquet techniques. Analysis of similarity (anosim) indicates that in neither the large nor small fragments do the control plots differ significantly in floristic structure from the experimental fragments. Five variations of the Themeda triandra‐dominated grassland were identified, corresponding to slight variations in ground moisture. The experimental fragments and control plots were sufficiently similar to be analysed as replicates within the fragmentation study. This forms the foundation for the long‐term analysis of plant communities within the fragments, as well as for analyses of insect and vertebrate communities within the fragments.
Censusing rainforest game species with communal net hunts
Authors: Noss Andrew J.
Published: March 2003

This paper presents a method to address two wildlife management problems in central African rainforests: the need for local communities to take responsibility for wildlife management, and the lack of simple and appropriate wildlife monitoring techniques. The method uses encounters of game species during net hunts to calculate abundance indices as well as to estimate population densities for the four principal game species in the Dzanga–Sangha region: the duikers Cephalophus monticola (10.7–20.4 km−2), C. dorsalis (1.2–2.0 km−2), and C. callipygus (0.9–1.2 km−2), and the brush‐tailed porcupine Atherurus africanus (2.7–5.3 km−2). Game species behaviour, the hunting practice, and comparisons with results from other research across central Africa suggest that the method can provide valid density estimates for C. monticola and C. dorsalis, but only abundance indices for C. callipygus and A. africanus. Nevertheless, the method can be applied by hunters in the course of their normal activities, and is adapted to the local habitat types and game species. As such, it can be an important tool for local communities in developing sustainable wildlife management programmes.