bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Circulating procalcitonin in aseptic carcinoma patients: a specificity study with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography/computed tomography as benchmark
Authors: Giovanella Luca , Suriano Sergio , Ricci Riccardo , Ravani Paolo , Ceriani Luca
Published: May 2010

Background: The goal of the study was to evaluate the specificity of serum procalcitonin (PCT) in a large cohort of patients with solid carcinomas at different stages.

Methods: The study involved 447 patients having histologically confirmed carcinoma of the breast, head and neck, ovary, cervix or non-small cell lung carcinoma. Patients with a history of small cell lung cancer, neuroendocrine tumors, medullary thyroid carcinoma, sepsis, systemic inflammatory syndrome, renal failure and/or serum C-reactive protein above 5 ng/mL were excluded. Additionally, those with suspicious infectious or inflammatory diseases in 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography/computed tomography were also excluded. Serum PCT concentrations were measured using a Kryptor system (BRAHMS) and a clinical cut-off at 0.5 ng/mL was used to define positive results.

Results: Serum PCT concentrations did not change at different cancer stages (Kruskal-Wallis, p>0.05). No patient had a PCT concentration >0.5 ng/mL.

Conclusions: Our data show that solid carcinomas “per se” did not increase circulating PCT concentrations, regardless of the histotype and stage of the disease.

Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48:1163–5.
Thyroglobulin measurement in fine-needle aspirates of lymph nodes in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer: a simple definition of the threshold value, with emphasis on potential pitfalls of the method
Authors: Bournaud Claire , Charrié Anne , Nozières Cécile , Chikh Karim , Lapras Véronique , Denier Marie-Laure , Paulin Christian , Decaussin-Petrucci Myriam , Peix Jean-Louis , Lifante Jean-Christophe , Cornu Catherine , Giraud Céline , Orgiazzi Jacques , Borson-Chazot Françoise
Published: May 2010

Background: Thyroglobulin measurements in fine-needle aspirate (FNA-Tg) is an accurate method for the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in differentiated thyroid carcinoma. The goal of this study is to determine the most appropriate diagnostic threshold value for FNA-Tg.

Methods: Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration-cytology (FNA-C) and FNA-Tg were performed on suspicious lymph nodes in 114 consecutive patients with thyroid cancer prior to thyroidectomy (n=13) or during follow-up (n=93), and in 16 control subjects. Functional sensitivity of the thyroglobulin assay was 0.7 ng/mL. Sensitivity and specificity of FNA-Tg and FNA-C were determined for different cut-off values within a range of 0.69–1.34 nanogram/punction (ng/p) using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.

Results: The FNA-Tg cut-off value of 0.93 ng/p offers the best diagnostic performances: 94.2% sensitivity, 97.8% specificity. FNA-C showed 100% specificity in diagnostic samples, but low sensitivity of 71% due primarily to inadequate samples. Combining FNA-C and FNA-Tg resulted in 98% sensitivity and 100% specificity.

Conclusions: A unique threshold of 0.93 ng/p gives high sensitivity and specificity, even in non-thyroidectomized patients. However, since false negative results may be observed in poorly differentiated thyroid cancer, FNA-C should remain combined to FNA-Tg.

Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48:1171–7.
Examination of the mode I critical stress intensity factor of wood obtained by single-edge-notched bending test
Authors: Yoshihara Hiroshi
Published: May 2010

The critical stress intensity factor of mode I (KIc) obtained by single-edge-notched bending (SENB) tests of wood was experimentally and numerically analyzed. A double cantilever beam (DCB) test was also conducted and the results were compared with those of SENB tests. TheKIcvalue was obtained by introducing an additional crack length into the equations used for analyzing the SENB test of isotropic material when the initial crack length ranged from 0.1 to 0.6 times the depth of the specimen.
Predicting the longitudinal modulus of elasticity of Sitka spruce from cellulose orientation and abundance
Authors: McLean J. Paul , Evans Robert , Moore John R.
Published: May 2010

Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) is the most widely planted commercial tree species in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Because of the increasing use of this species for construction, the ability to predict wood stiffness is becoming more important. In this paper, a number of models are developed using data on cellulose abundance and orientation obtained from the SilviScan-3 system to predict the longitudinal modulus of elasticity (MOE) of small defect-free specimens. Longitudinal MOE was obtained from both bending tests and a sonic resonance technique. Overall, stronger relationships were found between the various measures of cellulose abundance and orientation and the dynamic MOE obtained from the sonic resonance measurements, rather than with the static MOE obtained from bending tests. There was only a moderate relationship between wood bulk density and dynamic MOE (R2=0.423), but this relationship was improved when density was divided by microfibril angle (R2=0.760). The best model for predicting both static and dynamic MOE involved the product of bulk density and the coefficient of variation in the azimuthal intensity profile (R2=0.725 and 0.862, respectively). The model parameters obtained for Sitka spruce differed from those obtained in earlier studies on Pinus radiata and Eucalyptus delegatensis, indicating that the model might require recalibration before it can be applied to different species.
Patterns of Population Structure and Environmental Associations to Aridity Across the Range of Loblolly Pine (Pinus taedaL., Pinaceae)
Authors: Eckert Andrew J , van Heerwaarden Joost , Wegrzyn Jill L , Nelson C Dana , Ross-Ibarra Jeffrey , González-Martínez Santíago C , Neale David B
Published: May 2010

Natural populations of forest trees exhibit striking phenotypic adaptations to diverse environmental gradients, thereby making them appealing subjects for the study of genes underlying ecologically relevant phenotypes. Here, we use a genome-wide data set of single nucleotide polymorphisms genotyped across 3059 functional genes to study patterns of population structure and identify loci associated with aridity across the natural range of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.). Overall patterns of population structure, as inferred using principal components and Bayesian cluster analyses, were consistent with three genetic clusters likely resulting from expansions out of Pleistocene refugia located in Mexico and Florida. A novel application of association analysis, which removes the confounding effects of shared ancestry on correlations between genetic and environmental variation, identified five loci correlated with aridity. These loci were primarily involved with abiotic stress response to temperature and drought. A unique set of 24 loci was identified as FST outliers on the basis of the genetic clusters identified previously and after accounting for expansions out of Pleistocene refugia. These loci were involved with a diversity of physiological processes. Identification of nonoverlapping sets of loci highlights the fundamental differences implicit in the use of either method and suggests a pluralistic, yet complementary, approach to the identification of genes underlying ecologically relevant phenotypes.
Fatores associados à incapacidade funcional dos idosos no Brasil: análise multinível
Authors: Alves Luciana Correia , Leite Iúri da Costa , Machado Carla Jorge
Published: May 2010

OBJETIVO: Analisar a influência dos fatores demográficos, socioeconômicos, de condições de saúde e do contexto das unidades da federação na incapacidade funcional dos idosos. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal que utilizou dados da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílio (PNAD) de 2003, do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) e do Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (Ipea). A amostra foi constituída de 33.515 indivíduos com 60 anos ou mais de idade. A variável dependente foi a incapacidade funcional, mensurada pela dificuldade por subir ladeira ou escada. As variáveis independentes foram divididas em dois níveis: individual (características demográficas, socioeconômicas e relativas à saúde) e de contexto (Índice de Gini e Produto Interno Bruto per capita por unidade da federação em 2000). Um modelo de regressão logística multinomial multinível foi utilizado para estimar o efeito das variáveis independentes na incapacidade funcional dos idosos. RESULTADOS: A incapacidade funcional foi associada com fatores demográficos, socioeconômicos e de saúde. Em nível individual, o sexo, a educação, a renda, a ocupação, a autopercepção de saúde e as doenças crônicas foram os fatores mais fortemente relacionados. Em nível de contexto, a desigualdade de renda exibiu uma importante influência. CONCLUSÕES: A autopercepção de saúde é o fator mais fortemente relacionado com a incapacidade funcional dos idosos no Brasil, seguida das doenças crônicas. Sexo, ocupação, escolaridade e renda também são altamente associados. Ações que abordam os principais fatores associados à incapacidade funcional podem contribuir significativamente para o bem-estar e qualidade de vida dos idosos.
Comparação de matrizes de covariâncias de populações normais dependentes: um estudo de caso
Authors: Cirillo Marcelo Angelo , Ferreira Daniel Furtado , Sáfadi Thelma
Published: May 2010

Inferências sobre comparações de matrizes de covariâncias em populações normais dependentes são usualmente obtidas considerando testes assintóticos baseados na maximização de funções de verossimilhanças. Entretanto, se o número de populações e/ou de variáveis consideradas é excessivo pode-se ter problemas na convergência dos métodos numéricos utilizados para obtenção dos estimadores de máxima verossimilhança. Face a esse problema, objetivou-se, neste trabalho, ilustrar por meio de um conjunto de dados reais, a aplicação de um teste para comparar matrizes de covariâncias de populações correlacionadas, usando uma estatística baseada na razão de variâncias generalizadas, cuja distribuição empírica foi obtida por meio da técnica bootstrap.
Prevalência e fatores associados com o consumo de substâncias psicoativas por acadêmicos de enfermagem da Universidade de Passo Fundo
Authors: Picolotto Eduardo , Libardoni Luis Fernando Casarin , Migott Ana Maria Belani , Geib Lorena Teresinha Consalter
Published: May 2010

Com o objetivo de estimar a prevalência de consumo de substâncias psicoativas e seus determinantes entre acadêmicos de enfermagem da Universidade de Passo Fundo (RS), realizou-se estudo transversal com 266 alunos, maiores de dezoito anos, que responderam o questionário do Centro Brasileiro de Informações Sobre Drogas Psicotrópicas. Empregou-se estatística descritiva, qui-quadrado e regressão logística múltipla para análise de dados. A prevalência de uso na vida, no ano e no mês foi maior para álcool, tabaco, benzodiazepínicos e estimulantes. Da amostra, 94% consumiram álcool na vida, 90% no ano e 79% no mês, sendo 14% caracterizado como uso pesado. As alunas consumiram mais benzodiazepínicos e estimulantes que os alunos. Os maiores de 20 anos de idade e os do sexo feminino evidenciaram menor chance de consumo de álcool no mês e aqueles com renda familiar mensal superior a dez salários mínimos apresentaram maior chance de consumo de maconha (OR: 1,92), cocaína (OR:4,63) e inalantes (OR:7,02). O padrão de consumo de substâncias psicoativas assemelha-se ao encontrado em outros grupos de universitários, salvo os benzodiazepínicos e estimulantes, sugerindo-se uma avaliação mais aprofundada desse consumo.
Uso de substâncias psicoativas entre estudantes de odontologia da Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo
Authors: Teixeira Renata Frossard , Souza Renata Santos de , Buaiz Vitor , Siqueira Marluce Miguel de
Published: May 2010

O objetivo deste trabalho é traçar o perfil do uso de substâncias psicoativas entre os universitários do curso de odontologia do Centro de Ciências da Saúde da Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo. Trata-se de um estudo exploratório, descritivo, transversal e quantitativo, desenvolvido com universitários do primeiro ao último ano do curso de odontologia. O instrumento utilizado na coleta de dados é uma adaptação do proposto pela OMS e desenvolvido pela WHO - Research and Reporting Project on the Epidemiology of Drug Dependence. Os dados foram tabulados e analisados através do Programa Statistical Package for the Social Science. 60,3% dos universitários são do sexo feminino, 48,9% se encontram na faixa etária de 20 a 22 anos e 41,3% e 43,7% pertencem à classe social A e B, respectivamente. Quanto ao uso de substâncias psicoativas, 72,4% fizeram uso na vida de alguma substância, exceto álcool e tabaco; 25,9% fizeram uso de solventes, 13,2% uso de maconha, 10,9%, de anfetamínicos, 27%, de tabaco e 87,9%, de álcool. Faz-se necessário a prevenção do uso indevido de substâncias psicoativas entre universitários, através da abordagem dessa temática no currículo acadêmico e da criação de programas específicos para universitários.
Prevalência e perfil dos usuários de álcool de população adulta em cidade do sul do Brasil
Authors: Bortoluzzi Marcelo Carlos , Traebert Jefferson , Loguercio Alessandro , Kehrig Ruth Terezinha
Published: May 2010

Este é um estudo do tipo observacional e transversal envolvendo 707 indivíduos do município de Joaçaba (SC), que visa conhecer a prevalência de usuários regulares de álcool, bem como seu perfil. Os resultados mostram que 45,5% (322) fazem uso de álcool de forma regular e consumiram álcool ao menos uma vez no último mês. O consumo regular de álcool ocorre predominantemente no sexo masculino (p <0,001), entre pessoas abaixo dos 39 anos de idade (p =0,007), ocorre predominantemente naqueles que trabalham em relação aqueles que não estão trabalhando (p <0,001), entre os que têm mais de oito anos de estudo (p <0,001) e com renda superior a 1.738,00 reais (p <0,001). O consumo regular de álcool declarado foi maior na população que considerou sua saúde como regular, boa ou muito boa (p <0,006), bem como esta relação surge naquelas pessoas que não estiveram internadas no último ano (p <0,013). Os níveis de depressão medidos pelo Inventário de Beck para Depressão (BDI) mostraram menores índices de depressão para aqueles que consomem regularmente álcool (p <0,047).
Uso abusivo de benzidamina no Brasil: uma abordagem em farmacovigilância
Authors: Mota Daniel Marques , Costa Alessandra Alves da , Teixeira Christiane dos Santos , Bastos Augusto Amorim , Dias Murilo Freitas
Published: May 2010

O uso abusivo de medicamentos tem sido objeto de crescente interesse em saúde pública e geralmente veiculado na imprensa brasileira. Dentre os medicamentos, objeto de abuso e que causam dependência física e/ou psíquica, incluemse os barbitúricos, benzodiazepínicos, analgésicos opióides e anfetaminas. Os analgésicos, antitérmicos e antiinflamatórios não esteroidais, apesar de não fazerem parte dessa relação de fármacos, estão, geralmente, associados ao uso recreativo ou fins não terapêuticos. O objetivo deste ensaio é apresentar informações sobre o uso abusivo de benzidamina no Brasil. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo do tipo exploratório, em que foram utilizadas diferentes estratégias metodológicas adotadas na prática de regulação em farmacovigilância. O uso abusivo desse fármaco foi constatado na literatura científica, imprensa e internet. Em função da facilidade na compra de medicamentos sujeitos à prescrição médica, entre outros fatores, devem-se exigir meios e formas para monitorar a comercialização e utilização de medicamentos, assegurando seu uso seguro e racional, incluindo o fortalecimento da farmacovigilância no Brasil.
Tabaco na mídia: análise de matérias jornalísticas no ano de 2006
Authors: Lacerda Alex Eustáquio de , Mastroianni Fábio de Carvalho , Noto Ana Regina
Published: May 2010

Visando compreender a relação entre saúde, imprensa e políticas públicas sobre tabaco no Brasil, foram analisadas matérias sobre tabaco divulgadas na imprensa brasileira no ano de 2006. Através de clipping jornalístico de oito principais jornais e revistas do país, as matérias sobre tabaco foram identificadas e posteriormente submetidas à análise de conteúdo, que permitiu categorização e classificação dos textos. A frequência de matérias de 2006 foi comparada aos anos de 2000 e 2003. Foi observado predomínio de matérias com abordagem factual (46,7%). A maioria das matérias fez menção a consequências negativas, como problemas de saúde física (44,2%), morte (20%) e dependência (14,2%). Na análise das manchetes e lides, as principais categorias observadas foram políticas de controle e o movimentos antitabagistas e divulgação de pesquisas. A frequência de matérias de 2006 (N=120) foi semelhante ao ano de 2003 (N=124) e inferior a 2000 (N=174). A cobertura jornalística sobre tabaco em 2006 foi predominantemente restrita aos danos a saúde e ações antitabagistas. A elevada proporção de abordagem factual e a estabilização da frequência de matérias (2003-2006) podem indicar um empobrecimento na discussão sobre o tema no país.
Impacto do número de dentes presentes no desempenho de atividades diárias: estudo piloto
Authors: Mendonça Bethânia de Melo Carvalho , Cimões Renata , Araújo Ana Claudia da Silva , Caldas Jr Arnaldo de França , Silva Polliana Vilaça
Published: May 2010

Com o objetivo de estabelecer a relação entre os aspectos relacionados ao número de dentes presentes na cavidade bucal e o impacto no desempenho diário,foi realizado um estudo piloto com 75 pacientes que foram divididos em três grupos:arco curto,arco completo e desdentado. Para avaliar o impacto, foi utilizado o IODD (índice dos impactos odontológicos no desempenho diário). Os resultados evidenciaram que 16% dos pesquisados tiveram pelo menos uma atividade diária afetada. Embora não tenha sido registrada diferença significante entre os grupos em relação a cada uma das atividades, destaca-se que o percentual dos que tiveram a atividade mais afetada foi menos elevado no grupo de arco completo, para as atividades mastigar,falar/pronunciar palavras claramente e sorrir; e o menor percentual de atividades afetadas ocorreu no grupo desdentado, para as atividades limpar a boca/escovar os dentes e dormir. Em relação à média do IODD, esta foi menor no grupo com arco completo e foi similar entre os outros dois grupos. As médias das variáveis frequência e severidade dos impactos foram menos elevadas no grupo arco completo e tiveram valores aproximados nos outros dois grupos. Com base nos resultados, pôde-se concluir que não foram registradas diferenças significativas entre os grupos em relação a cada uma das atividades diárias afetadas.
Perda dentária e expectativa da reposição protética: estudo qualitativo
Authors: Silva Maria Elisa de Souza e , Magalhães Cláudia Silami de , Ferreira Efigênia Ferreira e
Published: May 2010

Esse estudo qualitativo analisou as repercussões da perda dentária total de usuários do serviço público. Aplicou-se o Oral Health Impact Profile simplificado(OHIP14) a cinquenta voluntários e, após a apuração dos resultados, foram selecionados treze pacientes para entrevistas individuais baseadas em um roteiro com questões abertas. A seleção das pessoas foi de acordo com o grau de percepção do impacto da condição bucal na qualidade de vida, medida pela pontuação OHIP, de forma a incluir a maior variedade de perfis da amostra inicial. Da análise do conteúdo dos depoimentos, verificou-se que a perda dentária total tem forte impacto na vida das pessoas e implica consequências negativas como vergonha, dificuldade em se alimentar, prejuízo ao relacionamento social e sentimento de incompletude. A possibilidade de reposição protética dos dentes gera ansiedade nas pessoas e, embora elas saibam que a utilização das próteses possa representar sacrifícios, a expectativa de retorno ao padrão social geralmente aceito e de recuperação de sua própria imagem rejuvenescida faz valer a pena quaisquer sacrifícios.
Problemas éticos vivenciados por dentistas: dialogando com a bioética para ampliar o olhar sobre o cotidiano da prática profissional
Authors: Amorim Adriana Gomes , Souza Elizabethe Cristina Fagundes de
Published: May 2010

A bioética busca a humanização dos serviços de saúde e a promoção dos direitos dos usuários. Na odontologia, são poucos os estudos que tratam dessa temática, o que justificou a realização da pesquisa que apresentamos neste artigo. O objetivo do estudo foi identificar, a partir da visão dos cirurgiões-dentistas, os problemas éticos vivenciados na prática odontológica. Trata-se de uma investigação qualitativa de caráter exploratório descritivo. O material empírico foi coletado através de entrevistas semiestruturadas, realizadas com quinze cirurgiões-dentistas que atuam no estado do Rio Grande do Norte. Os resultados apontam que muitos dos problemas éticos coincidem com infrações ao Código de Ética Odontológica, confirmando uma noção de ética deontológica adquirida na formação profissional e, portanto, insuficiente para solucionar os problemas que emergem na prática profissional. Concluímos que os problemas éticos identificados na prática profissional precisam ser compreendidos para além da dimensão deontológica em direção aos aspectos da produção do trabalho. Torna-se preciso, então, incorporar nas práticas de saúde, incluindo as de saúde bucal, as tecnologias da gestão do cuidado, o que implica o reconhecimento de diferentes dimensões que produzem os sujeitos e suas necessidades de saúde.
Prevalência de enteroparasitoses na população do município de Maria Helena, Paraná
Authors: Santos Simone Aparecida dos , Merlini Luiz Sérgio
Published: May 2010

O estudo epidemiológico dos parasitas intestinais tem por objetivo determinar as principais doenças e seus respectivos agentes etiológicos que se encontram distribuídos por todo o mundo, de forma endêmica ou epidêmica. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar a prevalência de infecção por enteroparasitoses, em qual idade há sua maior prevalência, relacionando a infecção com a idade, o sexo e a região em que a pessoa vive, no município de Maria Helen (PR). A coleta de dados foi realizada de junho de 2004 a maio de 2006. Foram analisadas 431 amostras de fezes pelo método de sedimentação espontânea e centrífugo-flutuação. A prevalência de enteroparasitoses foi de 16%, sendo os enteroparasitas mais frequentes: Endolimax nana (6,5%), Entamoeba coli (3,5%), Giardia intestinalis (6,3%), Ascaris lumbricoides (1,4%), Strongyloides stercoralis (0,7%), Entrobius vermicularis (0,7%), Ancilostomídeo (0,2%), Entamoeba hystolitica e Taenia sp (0,2%). O poliparasitismo foi detectado em 3,2% das amostras. A faixa etária que apresentou maior prevalência foi de zero a nove anos, porém não houve diferença estatística entre os fatores analisados, uma vez que p>0,05. Diante desses resultados, conclui-se que o município apresenta características similares em relação à zona rural e urbana.
Dimensões do associativismo voluntário no cenário das relações entre saúde, pobreza e doença
Authors: Moreira Martha Cristina Nunes
Published: May 2010

O presente artigo trabalha com a temática do associativismo voluntário tomando por base o aporte teórico da teoria da dádiva (1960). Em sua base empírica, estão os dados primários advindos de uma pesquisa realizada com dirigentes e/ou fundadores de catorze associações voluntárias brasileiras identificadas por uma filosofia de ação comum. A discussão analisa a ação dessas associações e outras ações voluntárias também surgidas no cenário brasileiro da década de noventa do século XX. Destacamos como conclusão o fato de que às iniciativas voluntárias é preciso ancorar a perspectiva de um circuito de trocas, de proximidade e reciprocidade, às custas de recairmos em ações de benemerência, que reativam a filantropia e a dependência.
Revision of theMelolontha guttigeraGroup (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) with a Key and an Annotated Checklist of the East and South-East AsianMelolonthaGroups
Authors: Li Chun-Lin , Yang Ping-Shih , Wang Chuan-Chan
Published: May 2010

The Oriental Melolontha guttigera species group is revised with synopsis, a key to species, description of a new species, redescriptions of known species, remarks, illustrations, and distribution map, The guttigera species group is the only representative of the genus with its distribution extending southward from the eastern Himalayas to Indochina and crossing the equator to Java. Five species are known in this group, including a new species, M. setifera, from Myanmar. Lectotypes are designated for Melolontha guttigera Sharp and Melolontha weyersi Brenske. A key for the East and South-East Asian species group of the genus is provided, An annotated checklist of Melolontha species recorded in the region is updated in which several nomenclatural changes are proposed as follows: Hoplosternus carinata Brenske, Hoplosternus malaccensis Moser, Hoplosternus incana Motschulsky, and Hoplosternus shanghaiana Brenske are transferred to Melolontha; Melolontha fuliginosa Fairmaire and Melolontha laticauda Bates are transferred to Exolontha; Hoplosternus laevipennis Blanchard is transferred to Tocama; Hoplosternus heydeni Moser n. syn. = Melolontha chinensis (Guérin-Méneville); Melolontha nitidicollis Blanchard n. syn. = Melolontha indica Hope; Hoplosternus bifurcatus Brenske n. syn. = Melolontha furcienanda Ancey; Melolontha albidiventris Fairmaire n. syn. = Tocama rubiginosa (Fairmaire); Hoplesternus squamulatus Frey n. syn. = Tocama laevipennis (Blanchard); Melolontha hualiensis Kobayashi et Chou n. syn. = Melolontha minima Kobayashi.
The Genus Minanga Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in China, with Description of a New Subgenus and Species
Authors: Tan Jiang-Li , He Jun-Hua , Chen Xue-Xin
Published: May 2010

A new species of Minanga Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Sigalphinae), Minanga brevicarinata Tan & Chen, sp. nov., from China is described and illustrated, Previously known mainly from the Afrotropical region (eight species), with one species recently described from the Nearctic region, the genus is recorded for the first time from the boundary of Palearctic and Oriental regions. A new subgenus, Anopliminanga subgen. nov., is proposed to include two species (Minanga achterbergi Sharkey and Minanga brevicarinata sp. nov.). A key to species of the genus Minanga is updated. The distribution of Minanga and the new subgenus are briefly discussed.
Swollen Woman, Shifting Canon: A Midwife's Charm and the Birth of Secular Romance Lyric
Authors: Paden William D. , Paden Frances Freeman
Published: May 2010

In “Tomida femina” (“A swollen woman”), a tenth-century charm written in Occitan, the vernacular of the south of France, a birthing woman and her helpers intone magical language during the most intense moments of childbirth. The poem permits us, with brief but uncommon intimacy, to imagine the lives of women long ago. It takes its place in a European tradition of birthing charms, including others written in Latin, German, and English. These charms, and in particular “Tomida femina,” provide an image of vigorous medieval women in childbirth that precedes the images of women in other secular Romance lyrics—young girls in love in the Mozarabickharjas, idealized ladies in troubadour songs, and passionate aristocratic women in the poetry of the Occitan trobairitz.
Forgetting Sedgwick
Authors: Doan Laura
Published: May 2010

Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick was not a historian of sexuality, but she was keenly aware of the historicity of sexuality and erotic desire in ways unlike other major figures in queer theory. This fact has gone largely unnoticed in queer studies, a field dominated by literary and cultural critics that has an uneasy relation with academic history. An example of the historicity of Sedgwick's theories of sexuality can be seen in her famous critique of Foucault's Great Paradigm Shift—that imaginary moment in the late nineteenth century when the category of the modern homosexual was thought to displace the category of the sodomite (Epistemology44). The formulation of axiom 5 inEpistemology of the Closet—“the historical search for a Great Paradigm Shift may obscure the present conditions of sexual identity” (44)—reveals a deep consciousness of the “irreduciblehistoricityof all things … discerning the time-and-place specificity of a thing, identifying the ways in which it relates to its context or milieu, and determining the extent to which it is both enabled and hamstrung by this relationship,” to cite the historian Hayden White's description of history as critique (224). If Foucauldian genealogy (or a “history of the present”) “begins with an analysis of blind spots in our current understanding, or with a problematization of what passes for ‘given’ in contemporary thought” (Halperin 13), it is vital, as Sedgwick puts it, to “denaturalize the present, rather than the past” (Epistemology48). Sedgwick's vantage point on a queer past pivots around “homosexuality as weconceive of ittoday” (45), a phrase as resonant now in sexuality studies as was Foucault's reference to the homosexual as a species (Foucault 43). So entrenched are the modern categories of identity that Sedgwick repeats the phrase over and over in her cogent analysis of our current conceptions of sexuality. Such insistent differentiation between an alien past and an equally—if not more—alien present, the distinction between “them” and “us,” reverberates across the history of homosexuality. Consider, for instance, Matt Houlbrook's discussion of men who refrain from using “‘gay’ in the way we would use the term today” (xiii) or Jonathan Ned Katz's understanding of the presentness of our present standpoint—“what we today recognize as erotic feelings and acts” (6).
Sex and the Aesthetics of Existence
Authors: Dean Tim
Published: May 2010

Leo Bersani's contributions to Queer Theory have been essentially traumatic. Ever since “Is the Rectum a Grave?,” with its startling opening sentence (“There is a big secret about sex: most people don't like it” [197]), Bersani's writing on sexuality has disrupted the conceptual coordinates of queer theory, a field that officially welcomes the disruptive. What has made Bersani hard to assimilate is less his psychoanalytic emphasis on the ineluctable masochism of sexuality (a principal reason for the aversion to sex) than his insistent conceptualization of sexuality in aesthetic terms. Although his work has never shied from the rebarbative aspects of erotic life, it is, in fact, Bersani's speculations about relationality as irreducibly aesthetic that have proved tougher for the field of queer theory to countenance. (Queer theorists take sexual variance in stride; we have a harder time dealing with art.) It is not merely that Bersani draws examples from literature, painting, sculpture, and cinema when discussing erotic relationality. More fundamentally, his earlier work claimed that art has effects on the human subject akin to those of sexuality, while his later writing proposes a specifically aesthetic subjectivity—rather than the sexual kind—as the preferred basis for relating to the world beyond the self.
“Good Readers Make Good Doctors”: Community Readings and the Health of the Community
Authors: Levin Amy , Davis Phoebe Stein
Published: May 2010

One of my best experiences as a professor of literature—one of those moments that make the whole endeavor worthwhile—occurred during a discussion of Kafka'sThe Metamorphosisin the visitation room of a former funeral parlor. The building had been acquired by my local hospital and converted into a meeting space with rickety metal folding tables, and it was home to my first Literature & Medicine reading and discussion group.

That night, I was experimenting with a risky pairing, linking Kafka's text with an article on doctors and sex-reassignment surgery for infants born with ambiguous genitalia (Feder 294–320). As health-care professionals, members of this reading community were excited by Kafka's adeptness at conveying the array of emotions experienced by Gregor Samsa and his family, including shame, rage, helplessness, and fear at the sudden change in a loved one. The economic dilemmas of the isolated family, together with their sudden questioning of the definition of the monstrous, gained new echoes and generated fresh readings.

For me as a scholar, the insights evoked by this pairing generated the same excitement and sense of discovery I experience after successfully explaining a complicated bit of literary interpretation. In turn, the Literature & Medicine programs sponsored by many state humanities councils create valuable reading communities by bringing scholars into hospitals to discuss texts about medical issues with doctors, nurses, and other employees. They offer critically important opportunities for health-care workers to talk about issues that may not arise elsewhere. For example, discussions of sex-reassignment surgery remain taboo in many hospitals, precisely because for many staff and family members the very idea of intersexuality is monstrous. On a broader basis, the effect of Gregor's change on his family echoes the consequences of the sudden disability of a family member. The pairing I presented thus allowed hospital staff members new, more sympathetic insights as well as opportunities to talk about the topics outside the press of everyday practice.

—Amy Levin
Ventral structure and ontogeny of the late Furongian (Cambrian) trilobiteGuangxiaspis guangxiensisZhou, 1977 and the diphyletic origin of the median suture
Authors: Zhu Xue-Jian , Hughes Nigel C. , Peng Shan-Chi
Published: May 2010

Articulated meraspid and holaspid exoskeletons ofGuangxiaspis guangxiensisfrom the Guole Township, Jingxi County, Guangxi Province, China, are preserved in mudstone deposited during an obrution event. The species has a short dorsal pre-cranidial median suture that splits ventrally into a pair of posteriorly divergent connective sutures. The rostral plate ofG. guangxiensisis thus triangular in outline, as in the co-occurrentShergoldia laevigata, which also bore a conterminant hypostome. These two taxa appear to be closely related. The cephalic venter ofShergoldia laevigatahas recently been interpreted to suggest a diphyletic origin of the median suture within the order Asaphida, butGuangxiaspis guangxiensis, Shergoldia laevigataand other tsinaniid trilobites display several characters reminiscent of members of the non-asaphide suborder Leiostegiina. These include swellings adjacent to the margins of the L1 glabellar lobe, the shape and furrows of the glabella, a semi-circular pygidium with a long and thin axis, and macrospinous first opisthopleurae of the holaspid pygidium. Based on these characters and on other new information on the early ontogeny of other tsinaniids, all these taxa likely belong within Leiostegiina. This suggests that the median suture arose independently in corynexochide and asaphide trilobites. The degree of convergence betweenS. laevigataand members of the derived asaphide family Asaphidae was remarkable.Guangxiaspis guangxiensisshows marked morphological change during both meraspid and holaspid ontogeny and might include more than a single morphotype.
Endobiotic cornulitids in Upper Ordovician tabulate corals and stromatoporoids from Anticosti Island, Quebec
Authors: Dixon Owen A.
Published: May 2010

Conoidal shells ofCornulites celatusn. sp. occur commonly within host coralla ofPropora confertaMilne-Edwards and Haime, 1851, sensu lato, from the Laframboise Member of the Ellis Bay Formation (Ashgill: Upper Ordovician) at Pointe Laframboise on western Anticosti Island. Examples have also been found at the same locality in the tabulate coralsPaleofavositessp.,Acidolites arctatusDixon, 1986, andA. compactusDixon, 1986, and the stromatoporoidEcclimadictyonsp., but not in other associated tabulate coral species. Growth interference between the shells and their hosts indicates a commensal relationship.C.celatusapparently had a more limited paleoenvironmental range than its principal coral host species, which occurs abundantly elsewhere on the island without its endobiotic partner. The diagnosis ofCornulitesis emended to include forms having a two-layered shell wall with a distinctive outer layer consistently preserved as prismatic calcite. This new species extends the known stratigraphic range of cornulitids in commensal relationships with corals and stromatoporoids from the Silurian back to the Upper Ordovician.
The Late Cretaceous shark Ptychodus marginalis in the Western Interior Seaway, USA
Authors: Hamm Shawn A.
Published: May 2010

Re-evaluation of teeth referred to the Late Cretaceous shark Ptychodus polygyrus from North America are hereby determined to be synonymous with another species having similar tooth morphology, Ptychodus marginalis Agassiz. Ptychodus marginalis differs from P. polygyrus by having an elevated and rounded tooth crown with transverse ridges restricted centrally on the apex of the crown with a clearly defined marginal area. The type specimen of P. marginalis was described from Middle Cenomanian to Middle Turonian deposits in the English Chalk, and teeth possessing identical tooth morphologies are found within contemporary units in North America, whereas teeth having the typical P. polygyrus morphology are restricted to Late Santonian-Early Campanian deposits.
Effects of Cutting Height of the First Crop on Estimated Total Digestible Nutrient Concentration and Yield in Double‐Harvested Rice
Authors: Nakano Hiroshi , Hattori Ikuo , Sato Kenji , Morita Satoshi , Kitagawa Hisashi , Takahashi Motoki
Published: May 2010

We examined the effects of cutting height (15, 5, or 0 cm) and equipment traffic treatment (treatment or no treatment) of the first crop on estimated total digestible nutrient (TDN) concentration and yield in double‐harvested forage rice (Oryza sativa L.) in southwestern Japan. In forage rice production, it is important to maximize the nutrition in leaf and stem, especially leaf sheath plus stem (stem) due to the high ratio to the whole plant weight, rather than in panicle, to minimize the overall loss of nutrition from the crop. In the total of the first and second crops, stem estimated TDN yield was lower when the first crop had been cut at a height of 15 cm (517 g m−2) than 5 and 0 cm (576 and 598 g m−2, respectively). In the second crop in 2006, stem estimated TDN concentration decreased from 541 to 478 g kg−1 with increasing cutting height from 0 to 15 cm, because the organic cellular contents (OCC), which include starch and sugar, concentration decreased. The second crop headed earlier with increasing cutting height. Thus, although starch was translocated from the stem to the panicle in the second crop when the first crop was cut at a height of 15 cm, insufficient starch was translocated to the panicle when the first crop was cut at 5 and 0 cm because of the low temperatures after heading. To reduce the overall loss of nutrition from a crop, it is effective to cut stubble lower. In the second crop, whole plant estimated TDN concentration and yield was not greatly influenced by equipment traffic treatment.
Antioxidant Enzyme Response of Creeping Bentgrass Clonal Lines with Marine Peptide and Chitosan Oligosaccharide
Authors: Sarkar Dipayan , Bhowmik Prasanta C. , Shetty Kalidas
Published: May 2010

The effect of antioxidant stimulators on low phenolic and high phenolic single seed originating creeping bentgrass [Agrostis stolonifera var. palustris (Huds.) Farw.] clonal lines were investigated to understand whether these natural compounds could improve the physiological adjustments of creeping bentgrass under low temperature exposure. A marine peptide hydrolysate, and chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) derived from marine chitin were applied to creeping bentgrass foliage and then subjected to cold temperature (4°C, day/night temperature) for 3 wk. Significant stimulation of total phenolic content (8%‐CB 27 to 75%‐CB 15) and antioxidant enzyme response (16%‐CB 27 to 44% CB 13) was observed in creeping bentgrass clonal lines following application of marine peptide + COS. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) (13–50%), and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) activity (58–99%) increased significantly after treatments in all creeping bentgrass clonal lines, and stimulation of antioxidant enzyme activity was more profound in low phenolic creeping bentgrass clonal lines. Higher glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and higher proline dehydrogenase (PDH) activity was also observed in these lines following application of marine peptide + COS. Stimulation of pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and a probable proline oxidation in creeping bentgrass clonal lines after foliar application of marine peptide ± COS suggest a role for the enzymes in the improvement of these lines.
Identification of Nitrogen Management Categories by Corn Stalk Nitrate Sampling Guided by Aerial Imagery
Authors: Kyveryga P. M. , Tao H. , Morris T. F. , Blackmer T. M
Published: May 2010

Past studies on N management in corn (Zea maysL.) have shown insurmountable difficulties predicting N supply from soil and fertilizer sources. New tools are needed for collecting feedback about the N status of corn from large areas at a low cost. We used adaptive management to compare major N management practices by organizing many grower groups across Iowa and conducting a guided corn stalk nitrate survey of 683 fields in 2006 and 824 in 2007. Aerial images of corn canopy taken in late August were used to select three sampling areas, one within each predominant soil type within a field. Ordinal logistic regressions (OLRs) were used to calculate the cumulative probability of a stalk sample to test in a higher stalk test category and to identify important factors affecting stalk test values. The analyses revealed significant differences in corn N status among management categories based on combinations of forms and timing of fertilizer and manure applications, previous crop, and soil drainage classes. In both years, fields receiving spring anhydrous ammonia (AA) were more likely to test higher than fields receiving fall liquid swine (Sus scrofa) manure (LSM), spring urea‐ammonium nitrate (UAN) solution, or fall AA. The large amounts of rainfall in June 2006 and cumulative spring rainfall in 2007 significantly decreased the likelihood to test in a higher stalk test category. A guided corn stalk nitrate survey as part of an adaptive management program allows documenting relatively efficient management practices within large areas of spatially variable soils and rainfall patterns.
Leaf Harvesting Time and Frequency Affect Vegetative and Grain Yield of Cowpea
Authors: Saidi Mwanarusi , Itulya Francis M. , Aguyoh Joseph , Ngouajio Mathieu
Published: May 2010

Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] is a vital component of traditional cropping systems in the subtropics and tropics, grown both for high‐protein grain and nutritious fresh leaves. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of (i) cropping regime and (ii) leaf harvesting initiation time and frequency on yield and yield components of dual‐purpose cowpea. Studies were conducted at the Kenya National Dry land Research Center–Katumani over four seasons. Cowpea cultivar ‘K80’ was grown as a monocrop or intercropped with maize. Leaf harvesting was initiated at 2, 3, or 4 wk after emergence (WAE) and thereafter done at 7‐ or 14‐d intervals. Control plants remained intact with no leaf harvesting. The number of lateral stems per plant, pods per plant, seeds per pod, unit seed weight, and vegetable and grain yields were monitored throughout each season, and plant productivity was found to be lower in intercropped than in monocropped cowpea. Leaf harvesting reduced all yield components. Initiating leaf harvesting at 3 and 4 WAE resulted in the highest leaf and grain yields, respectively. Harvesting leaves at a 7‐d interval was associated with higher leaf yield, while a 14‐d interval led to higher grain yield. Overall, yields were highest under treatments with no leaf harvest and lowest when leaf harvesting was initiated 2 WAE. Results of this study can help dual‐purpose cowpea growers optimize yields according to their production goals.
Poultry Litter Application Increases Nitrogen Cycling Compared with Inorganic Nitrogen Fertilization
Authors: Sainju Upendra M. , Senwo Zachary N. , Nyakatawa Ermson Z. , Tazisong Irenus A. , Reddy K. Chandra
Published: May 2010

Poultry litter, an inexpensive source of nutrients and available in abundant amounts in the southeastern USA, may increase N cycling and reduce N losses compared with inorganic N fertilization if applied for crop production. We evaluated the effect of long‐term application of poultry litter and inorganic N fertilizer on crop N uptake, soil N fractions, and N losses in conservation and conventional tillage with or without cover crop at the 0‐ to 20‐cm depth in a Decatur silt loam (clayey, kaolinitic, thermic, Typic Paleudults) in northern Alabama. Treatments were incomplete factorial combinations of three tillage practices [no‐till (NT), mulch till (MT), and conventional till (CT)], two cropping systems [cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)–cotton–corn (Zea mays L.) and rye (Secale cereale L.)/cotton–rye/cotton–corn], and two N fertilization sources and rates (0 and 100 kg N ha−1 from NH4NO3 and 100 and 200 kg N ha−1 from poultry litter). Nitrogen fractions were soil total N (STN), particulate organic N (PON), microbial biomass N (MBN), potential N mineralization (PNM), NH4–N, and NO3–N. Crop N uptake varied among treatments and years and total uptake from 1997 to 2005 was greater in rye/cotton–rye/cotton–corn than in cotton–cotton–corn and greater with NH4NO3 than with poultry litter at 100 kg N ha−1 After 10 yr, STN and PON contents at 0 to 20 cm were greater in NT with poultry litter than in other treatments, except in CT with poultry litter, resulting in N storage at 38 kg N ha−1 yr−1 with poultry litter compared with loss at 4 kg N ha−1 yr−1 with NH4NO3. The MBN, PNM, and NO3–N contents were greater with poultry litter than with NH4NO3, regardless of tillage. Calculation of estimated N balance showed that poultry litter conserved N at 191 to 556 kg N ha−1 compared with –75 to 201 kg N ha−1 with NH4NO3. Poultry litter application can increase soil N storage and mineralization and reduce the potential for N loss compared with inorganic N fertilization, thereby reducing the need for N fertilization and environmental N contamination.
Nitrogen Fertilizer and Urease Inhibitor Effects on Canola Emergence and Yield in a One‐Pass Seeding and Fertilizing System
Authors: Grant C. A. , Derksen D. A. , McLaren D. , Irvine R. B.
Published: May 2010

Field studies were conducted over 3 yr at two locations on the eastern Canadian prairies to evaluate the impact of urea and urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) placed near the seed‐row in a one‐pass seeding and fertilizing operation on seedling damage, biomass yield at flowering, and final seed yield of canola (Brassica napus L.). Seedling damage occurred in canola with increasing rates of urea or UAN fertilizer applied as a side‐band targeted to place the fertilizer placed 2.5 cm to the side and 2.5 cm below the seed row at the time of seeding. Decrease in stand density with UAN was similar to that resulting from urea application. The urease inhibitor (UI) N‐(n‐butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) decreased seedling damage in canola from both urea and UAN fertilizer. Dry matter yield at flowering was only rarely affected by seedling damage, but NBPT increased canola seed yield at high rates of N application in three of six site‐years and decreased seed yield at one site‐year. Chlorophyll concentration in the seed increased as stand density decreased, indicating a negative effect of seedling damage on both maturity and seed quality. Caution should be used to ensure that seed and fertilizer separation is adequate and safe rates of N application are not exceeded when fertilizer is banded near the seed‐row. Use of NBPT can reduce the risk of seedling damage and increase the amount of urea or UAN that can safely be side‐banded in a one‐pass seeding and fertilizing operation.