bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fungal decomposition of woody debris of Castanopsis sieboldii in a subtropical old‐growth forest
Authors: Fukasawa Yu , Osono Takashi , Takeda Hiroshi
Published: October 2011

Fungi, especially basidiomycetes, are the primary agents of woody debris decomposition in terrestrial forest ecosystems. However, quantitative data regarding the abundance and decay activity of wood‐inhabiting fungi are lacking, especially for tropical and subtropical areas. This study demonstrates the dynamics of decay columns of wood‐inhabiting fungi within decaying woody debris of Castanopsis sieboldii and the wood decay activities of those fungi in a subtropical natural forest. Among six basidiomycetes and two ascomycetes observed as sporocarps on fallen boles of C. sieboldii, Microporus affinis was most abundantly observed in terms of frequency of sporocarps and as percentage area of decay columns within cross‐sections of boles, especially those in the early stages of decomposition. In decay columns of M. affinis, both acid‐unhydrolyzable residue (AUR) and holocellulose decayed simultaneously, and wood relative density decreased to 45.8% of that of fresh C. sieboldii wood. A pure culture decay test under laboratory conditions showed that M. affinis was a strong decomposer of AUR and holocellulose. These results suggest that M. affinis has a central role in lignocellulose decomposition of wood of C. sieboldii in the early stages of decomposition.
The hydrodynamics of confined dispersions
Authors: Swan James W. , Brady John F.
Published: October 2011

A method is proposed for computing the low-Reynolds-number hydrodynamic forces on particles comprising a suspension confined by two parallel, no-slip walls. This is constructed via the two-dimensional analogue of Hasimoto’s solution (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 5, 1959, pp. 317–328) for a periodic array of point forces in a viscous, incompressible fluid, and, like Hasimoto, the summation of interactions is accelerated by substitution and superposition of ‘Ewald-like’ forcing. This method is akin to the accelerated Stokesian dynamics technique (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 448, 2001, pp. 115–146) and models the suspension dynamics with log–linear computational scaling. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated with a calculation of the high-frequency dynamic viscosity of a colloidal dispersion as function of volume fraction and channel width. Similarly, the short-time self-diffusivity for and the sedimentation rate of spherical particles in a confined suspension are determined. The results demonstrate the influence of confining geometry on the transport of small particles, which is becoming increasingly important for micro- and biofluidics.
JENSEN TYPE INEQUALITIES FOR Q-CLASS FUNCTIONS
Authors: MOSLEHIAN MOHAMMAD SAL , KIAN MOHSEN
Published: October 2011

Some inequalities of Jensen type for Q-class functions are proved. More precisely, a refinement of the inequality f((1/P)∑ ni=1pixi)≤P∑ ni=1(f(xi)/pi) is given in which p1,…,pn are positive numbers, P=∑ ni=1pi and f is a Q-class function. The notion of the jointly Q-class function is introduced and some Jensen type inequalities for these functions are proved. Some Ostrowski and Hermite–Hadamard type inequalities related to Q-class functions are presented as well.
Population dynamics and reproduction of wild longsnout seahorseHippocampus reidi
Authors: Mai Ana C.G. , Velasco Gonzalo
Published: October 2011

Life-history characteristics such as growth, mortality, and size at sexual maturity of the seahorseHippocampus reidiwere investigatedin situin north-eastern Brazil from August 2006 to July 2007. The von Bertalanffy growth constantKwas estimated at 1.195 year−1and L∞was set as 20 cm according to Taylor's relationship, using a Lmaxof 19 cm. The smallest male with a brood pouch and the smallest male with a fully mature pouch measured 9 and 9.5 cm (height), respectively, while the smallest mature female measured 8.8 cm. Appropriate reproductive individuals were recorded throughout the study, with peaks from May to November. The size of first effective reproduction (carrying embryos) was 12.4 cm for males, a value higher than previously reported. Estimated instantaneous rate of natural mortality ranged from 1.43 to 1.58 year−1. The estimated life span for the species was 30 months.
Milk in the diet: good or bad for vascular disease?
Authors: Givens D. I.
Published: October 2011

CVD still represent the greatest cause of death and disease burden in Europe and there remains uncertainty whether or not diets rich in milk and/or dairy products affect CVD risk. This paper reviews current evidence on this from prospective studies and the role of serum lipids and blood pressure as markers of CVD risk with such diets. Also the potential of animal nutrition-based approaches aimed at reducing CVD risk from consumption of milk and dairy products is outlined. Briefly, the evidence from prospective studies indicates that increased consumption of milk does not result in increased CVD risk and may give some long-term benefits, although few studies relate specifically to cheese and butter and more information on the relationship between milk/dairy product consumption and dementia is needed. Recent data suggest that the SFA in dairy products may be less of a risk factor than previously thought; although this is based on serum cholesterol responses which taken in isolation may be misleading. Milk and some dairy products have counterbalancing effects by reducing blood pressure and possibly BMI control. Despite this, animal nutrition strategies to replace some SFA in milk with cis-MUFA or cis-PUFA are extensive and intuitively beneficial, although this remains largely unproven, especially for milk. There is an urgent need for robust intervention studies to evaluate such milk-fat modifications using holistic markers of CVD risk including central arterial stiffness.
Residually finite actions and crossed products
Authors: KERR DAVID , NOWAK PIOTR W.
Published: October 2011

We study a notion of residual finiteness for continuous actions of discrete groups on compact Hausdorff spaces and how it relates to the existence of norm microstates for the reduced crossed product. Our main result asserts that an action of a free group on a zero-dimensional compact metrizable space is residually finite if and only if its reduced crossed product admits norm microstates, i.e., is an MF algebra.
Does the design of extra-care housing meet the needs of the residents? A focus group study
Authors: BARNES SARAH , TORRINGTON JUDITH , DARTON ROBIN , HOLDER JACQUETTA , LEWIS ALAN , McKEE KEVIN , NETTEN ANN , ORRELL ALISON
Published: October 2011

The study objective was to explore the views of residents and relatives concerning the physical design of extra-care housing. Five focus groups were conducted with residents in four extra-care schemes in England. One focus group was carried out with relatives of residents from a fifth scheme. Schemes were purposively sampled to represent size, type, and resident tenure. Data were analysed thematically using NVivo 8. Two over-arching themes emerged from the data: how the building supports the lifestyle and how the building design affects usability. Provision of activities and access to amenities were more restrictive for residents with disabilities. Independent living was compromised by building elements that did not take account of reduced physical ability. Other barriers to independence included poor kitchen design and problems doing laundry. Movement around the schemes was difficult and standards of space and storage provision were inadequate. The buildings were too hot, too brightly lit and poorly ventilated. Accessible external areas enabled residents to connect with the outside world. The study concluded that, while the design of extra-care housing meets the needs of residents who are relatively fit and healthy, those with physical frailties and/or cognitive impairment can find the building restrictive resulting in marginalisation. Design across the dependency spectrum is key in meeting the needs of residents. Inclusive, flexible design is required to benefit residents who are ageingin situand have varying care needs.
Substitution between formal and informal care: a ‘natural experiment’ in social policy in Britain between 1985 and 2000
Authors: PICKARD LINDA
Published: October 2011

This paper is concerned with the issue of substitution between formal and informal care in Britain between 1985 and 2000. This period provides the conditions for a ‘natural experiment’ in social policy. During the late 1980s/early 1990s, there was an increase in long-stay residential care for older people, which came to an end around the mid-1990s. The paper examines whether this increase in formal services led to a decline in informal care, and whether this was subsequently reversed. The focus is on provision of intense informal care by adult children to their older parents, trends in which are identified using General Household Survey data. The paper shows that there was a decline in provision of intense and very intense co-resident care for older parents between 1985 and 1995, which came to an end in the mid-1990s. These trends in intergenerational care were negatively related to changes in long-stay residential care. In particular, controlling for age and disability, there was evidence of substitution between nursing home/hospital care and very intense co-resident care for older parents. A key policy implication is that an expansion of very intense formal services for older people could bring about a decline in very intense intergenerational care. The paper relates these findings to the current debate on reform of the long-term care system in England.
Choosing health technology assessment and systematic review topics: The development of priority-setting criteria for patients’ and consumers’ interests
Authors: Bastian Hilda , Scheibler Fülöp , Knelangen Marco , Zschorlich Beate , Nasser Mona , Waltering Andreas
Published: October 2011

Background: The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) was established in 2003 by the German parliament. Its legislative responsibilities are health technology assessment, mostly to support policy making and reimbursement decisions. It also has a mandate to serve patients’ interests directly, by assessing and communicating evidence for the general public.

Objectives: To develop a priority-setting framework based on the interests of patients and the general public.

Methods: A theoretical framework for priority setting from a patient/consumer perspective was developed. The process of development began with a poll to determine level of lay and health professional interest in the conclusions of 124 systematic reviews (194 responses). Data sources to identify patients’ and consumers’ information needs and interests were identified.

Results: IQWiG's theoretical framework encompasses criteria for quality of evidence and interest, as well as being explicit about editorial considerations, including potential for harm. Dimensions of “patient interest” were identified, such as patients’ concerns, information seeking, and use. Rather than being a single item capable of measurement by one means, the concept of “patients’ interests” requires consideration of data and opinions from various sources.

Conclusions: The best evidence to communicate to patients/consumers is right, relevant and likely to be considered interesting and/or important to the people affected. What is likely to be interesting for the community generally is sufficient evidence for a concrete conclusion, in a common condition. More research is needed on characteristics of information that interest patients and consumers, methods of evaluating the effectiveness of priority setting, and methods to determine priorities for disinvestment.
Patient-focused HTAs
Authors: Facey Karen M. , Hansen Helle Ploug
Published: October 2011

HTA can be described as a research-based, practice-oriented assessment of relevant evidence and knowledge on the direct and intended effects of healthcare technologies, as well as the indirect and unintended consequences (4). It is also viewed as a multidisciplinary field of policy analysis that studies the medical, ethical, social, and economic implications of the development, diffusion, and use of a health technology (5).
Child consumption of fruit and vegetables: the roles of child cognitions and parental feeding practices
Authors: Melbye Elisabeth L , Øverby Nina C , Øgaard Torvald
Published: October 2011

Objective

To examine the roles of child cognitions and parental feeding practices in explaining child intentions and behaviour regarding fruit and vegetable consumption.

Design

Cross-sectional surveys among pre-adolescent children and their parents.

Setting

The child questionnaire included measures of fruit and vegetable consumption and cognitions regarding fruit and vegetable consumption as postulated by the Attitude–Social Influence–Self-Efficacy (ASE) model. The parent questionnaire included measures of parental feeding practices derived from the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire (CFPQ).

Subjects

In total, 963 parents and 796 students in grades 5 and 6 from eighteen schools in the south-western part of Norway participated.

Results

A large portion of child intention to eat fruit and child fruit consumption was explained by child cognitions (29 % and 25 %, respectively). This also applied to child intention to eat vegetables and child vegetable consumption (42 % and 27 %, respectively). Parent-reported feeding practices added another 3 % to the variance explained for child intention to eat fruit and 4 % to the variance explained for child vegetable consumption.

Conclusions

The results from the present study supported the application of the ASE model for explaining the variance in child intentions to eat fruit and vegetables and in child consumption of fruit and vegetables. Furthermore, our findings indicated that some parental feeding practices do have an influence on child intentions and behaviour regarding fruit and vegetable consumption. However, the role of parental feeding practices, and the pathways between feeding practices and child eating intentions and behaviour, needs to be further investigated.
Habitability of super-Earth planets around main-sequence stars including red giant branch evolution: models based on the integrated system approach
Authors: Cuntz M. , von Bloh W. , Schröder K.-P. , Bounama C. , Franck S.
Published: October 2011

In a previous study published in Astrobiology, we focused on the evolution of habitability of a 10 M⊕ super-Earth planet orbiting a star akin to the Sun. This study was based on a concept of planetary habitability in accordance with the integrated system approach that describes the photosynthetic biomass production taking into account a variety of climatological, biogeochemical and geodynamical processes. In the present study, we pursue a significant augmentation of our previous work by considering stars with zero-age main-sequence masses between 0.5 and 2.0 M⊙ with special emphasis on models of 0.8, 0.9, 1.2 and 1.5 M⊙. Our models of habitability consider geodynamical processes during the main-sequence stage of these stars as well as during their red giant branch evolution. Pertaining to the different types of stars, we identify the so-called photosynthesis-sustaining habitable zone (pHZ) determined by the limits of biological productivity on the planetary surface. We obtain various sets of solutions consistent with the principal possibility of life. Considering that stars of relatively high masses depart from the main-sequence much earlier than low-mass stars, it is found that the biospheric lifespan of super-Earth planets of stars with masses above approximately 1.5 M⊙ is always limited by the increase in stellar luminosity. However, for stars with masses below 0.9 M⊙, the lifespan of super-Earths is solely determined by the geodynamic timescale. For central star masses between 0.9 and 1.5 M⊙, the possibility of life in the framework of our models depends on the relative continental area of the super-Earth planet.
Crossing borders in transnational gender history
Authors: Wiesner-Hanks Merry E.
Published: October 2011

Transnational history and the history of gender and sexuality have both been concerned with the issue of borders and their crossing, but the two fields themselves have not intersected much in the past. This is beginning to change, and this article surveys recent scholarship that draws on both fields, highlighting work in six areas: movements for women’s and gay rights; diverse understandings of sexuality and gender; colonialism and imperialism; intermarriage; national identity and citizenship; and migration. This new research suggests ways in which the subject matter, theory, and methodology in transnational history and the history of gender and sexuality can interconnect: in the two fields’ mutual emphasis on intertwinings, relationships, movement, and hybridity; their interdisciplinarity and stress on multiple perspectives; and their calls for destabilization of binaries.
Globalizing the 1926 International Sanitary Convention
Authors: Sealey Anne
Published: October 2011

The 1926 International Sanitary Convention, which laid out requirements for port sanitation and quarantine in order to limit the spread of diseases internationally, changed the way that the world approached international epidemic control. The 1926 convention is notable for two reasons: the increased reliance on epidemic intelligence rather than quarantine, and the splitting of the world into a series of formalized regional networks under the auspices of a global agreement. This article explores the creation and the limits of this system as a window into shifting understandings of disease and international relations in the interwar era, arguing that sanitary spheres of influences were shaped by, but not entirely dependent on, political spheres of influence.
AGU scientists meet with legislators during Geosciences Congressional Visits Day
Authors: Uhlenbrock Kristan
Published: October 2011

This year marks the fourth annual Geosciences Congressional Visits Day (Geo‐CVD), in which scientists from across the nation join together in Washington, D. C., to meet with their legislators to discuss the importance of funding for Earth and space sciences. AGU partnered with seven other Earth and space science organizations to bring more than 50 scientists, representing 23 states, for 2 days of training and congressional visits on 20–21 September 2011. As budget negotiations envelop Congress, which must find ways to agree on fiscal year (FY) 2012 budgets and reduce the deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years, Geo‐CVD scientists seized the occasion to emphasize the importance of federally funded scientific research as well as science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. Cuts to basic research and STEM education could adversely affect innovation, stifle future economic growth and competitiveness, and jeopardize national security.
How ocean ridges affect large‐scale ocean circulation
Authors: Schultz Colin
Published: October 2011

Driving the flow of heat and nutrients around the ocean is the meridional overturning circulation, a large‐scale current system that in the Atlantic Ocean carries warm surface waters northward and cold, dense water to the south along the bottom of the ocean. An important leg of this journey is the conversion of light warm water into North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW), which occurs along the coasts of Greenland and Labrador, Canada. The temperature and density profile of the ocean is important for climate and ecological systems, so understanding any physical features that may impinge on the properties of NADW, such as ocean ridges, is particularly important. Using experiments in a laboratory water tank, Stewart et al. identified how a ridge could affect the circulation patterns in a model ocean. The authors imposed temperature and heat flux gradients on the surface of the ocean analogue and tracked how differences in ridge size, shape, and location affected the temperature and density stratification. They found that when the ridge is sufficiently shallow, such that the depth of the water between the top of the ridge and the surface of the ocean is less than twice as deep as the ocean thermocline—a near‐surface band of the ocean in which water temperature decreases rapidly with depth—the ridge can significantly affect downstream properties. The authors found that when the deep water is forced up and over a shallow ridge, it tends to mix with the warmer water of the thermocline, increasing the average temperature and density stratification of water downstream from the ridge. (Journal of Geophysical Research‐Oceans, doi:10.1029/2011JC006980, 2011
Mesothelin enhances invasion of ovarian cancer by inducing MMP-7 through MAPK/ERK and JNK pathways
Authors: Chang Ming-Cheng , Chen Chi-An , Chen Pao-Jen , Chiang Ying-Cheng , Chen Yu-Li , Mao Tsui-Lien , Lin Han-Wei , Lin Chiang Wen-Hsien , Cheng Wen-Fang
Published: October 2011

Ovarian cancer has one of the highest mortalities in malignancies in women, but little is known of its tumour progression properties and there is still no effective molecule that can monitor its growth or therapeutic responses. MSLN (mesothelin), a secreted protein that is overexpressed in ovarian cancer tissues with a poor clinical outcome, has been previously identified to activate PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase)/Akt signalling and inhibit paclitaxel-induced apoptosis. The present study investigates the correlation between MSLN and MMP (matrix metalloproteinase)-7 in the progression of ovarian cancer, and the mechanism of MSLN in enhancing ovarian cancer invasion. The expression of MSLN correlated well with MMP-7 expression in human ovarian cancer tissues. Overexpressing MSLN or ovarian cancer cells treated with MSLN showed enhanced migration and invasion of cancer cells through the induction of MMP-7. MSLN regulated the expression of MMP-7 through the ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) 1/2, Akt and JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) pathways. The expression of MMP-7 and the migrating ability of MSLN-treated ovarian cancer cells were suppressed by ERK1/2- or JNK-specific inhibitors, or a decoy AP-1 (activator protein 1) oligonucleotide in in vitro experiments, whereas in vivo animal experiments also demonstrated that mice treated with MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase)/ERK- or JNK-specific inhibitors could decrease intratumour MMP-7 expression, delay tumour growth and extend the survival of the mice. In conclusion, MSLN enhances ovarian cancer invasion by MMP-7 expression through the MAPK/ERK and JNK signal transduction pathways. Blocking the MSLN-related pathway could be a potential strategy for inhibiting the growth of ovarian cancer.
Forecasting Enrollment in Differential Assessment Programs Using Cellular Automata
Authors: Onsted Jeffrey A , Clarke Keith C
Published: October 2011

Urban growth models have been used for decades to forecast urban development in metropolitan areas. Since the 1990s cellular automata, with simple computational rules and an explicitly spatial architecture, have been heavily utilized in this endeavor. One such cellular-automata-based model, SLEUTH, has been successfully applied around the world to better understand and forecast not only urban growth but also other forms of land-use and land-cover change, but like other models must be fed important information about which particular lands in the modeled area are available for development. Some of these lands are in categories for the purpose of excluding urban growth that are difficult to quantify since their function is dictated by policy. One such category includes voluntary differential assessment programs, whereby farmers agree not to develop their lands in exchange for significant tax breaks. Since they are voluntary, today's excluded lands may be available for development at some point in the future. Mapping the shifting mosaic of parcels that are enrolled in such programs allows this information to be used in modeling and forecasting. In this study, we added information about California's Williamson Act into SLEUTH's excluded layer for Tulare County. Assumptions about the voluntary differential assessments were used to create a sophisticated excluded layer that was fed into SLEUTH's urban growth forecasting routine. The results demonstrate not only a successful execution of this method but also yielded high goodness-of-fit metrics for both the calibration of enrollment termination as well as the urban growth modeling itself.
Antitumor Activities and Structure - Activity Relationship of Phosphotriester Derivatives of Homocamptothecin Based on a Semisynthetic Route
Authors: Zhang Yong-Qiang , Zhang Huo-Jun , Zhang Jing , Wang Juan , Yao Jian-Zhong , Zhu Lin-Jian , Zhuang Chun-Lin , Wang Sheng-Zheng , Dong Guo-Qiang , Sheng Chun-Quan , Miao Zhen-Yuan , Zhang Wan-Nian
Published: October 2011

Based on a new semisynthetic route, a series of phosphotriester 7-alkyl-homocamptothecin derivatives are designed and synthesized. Cytotoxic activity assays show that compounds 12a and 14c with a methyl in position C7 of the homocamptothecin are more potent than the other derivatives and the positive drug irinotecan against A-549, MCF-7, and LOVO cell lines. Moreover, compound 14c shows potent tumour inhibitory activity in a Colo205 xenograft model.
Energy determinants GAPDH and NDPK act as genetic modifiers for hepatocyte inclusion formation
Authors: Snider Natasha T. , Weerasinghe Sujith V.W. , Singla Amika , Leonard Jessica M. , Hanada Shinichiro , Andrews Philip C. , Lok Anna S. , Omary M. Bishr
Published: October 2011

Genetic factors impact liver injury susceptibility and disease progression. Prominent histological features of some chronic human liver diseases are hepatocyte ballooning and Mallory-Denk bodies. In mice, these features are induced by 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC) in a strain-dependent manner, with the C57BL and C3H strains showing high and low susceptibility, respectively. To identify modifiers of DDC-induced liver injury, we compared C57BL and C3H mice using proteomic, biochemical, and cell biological tools. DDC elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress enzymes preferentially in C57BL livers and isolated hepatocytes. C57BL livers and hepatocytes also manifested significant down-regulation, aggregation, and nuclear translocation of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). GAPDH knockdown depleted bioenergetic and antioxidant enzymes and elevated hepatocyte ROS, whereas GAPDH overexpression decreased hepatocyte ROS. On the other hand, C3H livers had higher expression and activity of the energy-generating nucleoside-diphosphate kinase (NDPK), and knockdown of hepatocyte NDPK augmented DDC-induced ROS formation. Consistent with these findings, cirrhotic, but not normal, human livers contained GAPDH aggregates and NDPK complexes. We propose that GAPDH and NDPK are genetic modifiers of murine DDC-induced liver injury and potentially human liver disease.
High-resolution imaging reveals indirect coordination of opposite motors and a role for LIS1 in high-load axonal transport
Authors: Yi Julie Y. , Ori-McKenney Kassandra M. , McKenney Richard J. , Vershinin Michael , Gross Steven P. , Vallee Richard B.
Published: October 2011

The specific physiological roles of dynein regulatory factors remain poorly understood as a result of their functional complexity and the interdependence of dynein and kinesin motor activities. We used a novel approach to overcome these challenges, combining acute in vivo inhibition with automated high temporal and spatial resolution particle tracking. Acute dynein inhibition in nonneuronal cells caused an immediate dispersal of diverse forms of cargo, resulting from a sharp decrease in microtubule minus-end run length followed by a gradual decrease in plus-end runs. Acute LIS1 inhibition or LIS1 RNA interference had little effect on lysosomes/late endosomes but severely inhibited axonal transport of large, but not small, vesicular structures. Our acute inhibition results argue against direct mechanical activation of opposite-directed motors and offer a novel approach of potential broad utility in the study of motor protein function in vivo. Our data also reveal a specific but cell type–restricted role for LIS1 in large vesicular transport and provide the first quantitative support for a general role for LIS1 in high-load dynein functions.
Clinical translation of optical and optoacoustic imaging
Authors: Ntziachristos Vasilis
Published: October 2011

Macroscopic optical imaging has rather humble technical origins; it has been mostly implemented by photographic means using appropriate filters, a light source and a camera yielding images of tissues. This approach relates to human vision and perception, and is simple to implement and use. Therefore, it has found wide acceptance, especially in recording fluorescence and bioluminescence signals. Yet, the difficulty in resolving depth and the dependence of the light intensity recorded on tissue optical properties may compromise the accuracy of the approach. Recently, optical technology has seen significant advances that bring a new performance level in optical investigations. Quantitative real-time multi-spectral optical and optoacoustic (photoacoustic) methods enable high-resolution quantitative imaging of tissue and disease biomarkers and can significantly enhance medical vision in diagnostic or interventional procedures such as dermatology, endoscopy, surgery, and various vascular and intravascular imaging applications. This performance is showcased herein and examples are given to illustrate how it is possible to shift the paradigm of optical clinical translation.
In vivo
Cerenkov luminescence imaging: a new tool for molecular imaging
Authors: Mitchell Gregory S. , Gill Ruby K. , Boucher David L. , Li Changqing , Cherry Simon R.
Published: October 2011

Cerenkov radiation is a phenomenon where optical photons are emitted when a charged particle moves faster than the speed of light for the medium in which it travels. Recently, we and others have discovered that measurable visible light due to the Cerenkov effect is produced
in vivo
following the administration of β-emitting radionuclides to small animals. Furthermore, the amounts of injected activity required to produce a detectable signal are consistent with small-animal molecular imaging applications. This surprising observation has led to the development of a new hybrid molecular imaging modality known as Cerenkov luminescence imaging (CLI), which allows the spatial distribution of biomolecules labelled with β-emitting radionuclides to be imaged
in vivo
using sensitive charge-coupled device cameras. We review the physics of Cerenkov radiation as it relates to molecular imaging, present simulation results for light intensity and spatial distribution, and show an example of CLI in a mouse cancer model. CLI allows many common radiotracers to be imaged in widely available
in vivo
optical imaging systems, and, more importantly, provides a pathway for directly imaging β
−
-emitting radionuclides that are being developed for therapeutic applications in cancer and that are not readily imaged by existing methods.
The conservation value of South East Asia's highly degraded forests: evidence from leaf-litter ants
Authors: Woodcock Paul , Edwards David P. , Fayle Tom M. , Newton Rob J. , Khen Chey Vun , Bottrell Simon H. , Hamer Keith C.
Published: October 2011

South East Asia is widely regarded as a centre of threatened biodiversity owing to extensive logging and forest conversion to agriculture. In particular, forests degraded by repeated rounds of intensive logging are viewed as having little conservation value and are afforded meagre protection from conversion to oil palm. Here, we determine the biological value of such heavily degraded forests by comparing leaf-litter ant communities in unlogged (natural) and twice-logged forests in Sabah, Borneo. We accounted for impacts of logging on habitat heterogeneity by comparing species richness and composition at four nested spatial scales, and examining how species richness was partitioned across the landscape in each habitat. We found that twice-logged forest had fewer species occurrences, lower species richness at small spatial scales and altered species composition compared with natural forests. However, over 80 per cent of species found in unlogged forest were detected within twice-logged forest. Moreover, greater species turnover among sites in twice-logged forest resulted in identical species richness between habitats at the largest spatial scale. While two intensive logging cycles have negative impacts on ant communities, these degraded forests clearly provide important habitat for numerous species and preventing their conversion to oil palm and other crops should be a conservation priority.
Impacts of logging on density-dependent predation of dipterocarp seeds in a South East Asian rainforest
Authors: Bagchi Robert , Philipson Christopher D. , Slade Eleanor M. , Hector Andy , Phillips Sam , Villanueva Jerome F. , Lewis Owen T. , Lyal Christopher H. C. , Nilus Reuben , Madran Adzley , Scholes Julie D. , Press Malcolm C.
Published: October 2011

Much of the forest remaining in South East Asia has been selectively logged. The processes promoting species coexistence may be the key to the recovery and maintenance of diversity in these forests. One such process is the Janzen–Connell mechanism, where specialized natural enemies such as seed predators maintain diversity by inhibiting regeneration near conspecifics. In Neotropical forests, anthropogenic disturbance can disrupt the Janzen–Connell mechanism, but similar data are unavailable for South East Asia. We investigated the effects of conspecific density (two spatial scales) and distance from fruiting trees on seed and seedling survival of the canopy tree
Parashorea malaanonan
in unlogged and logged forests in Sabah, Malaysia. The production of mature seeds was higher in unlogged forest, perhaps because high adult densities facilitate pollination or satiate pre-dispersal predators. In both forest types, post-dispersal survival was reduced by small-scale (1 m
2
) conspecific density, but not by proximity to the nearest fruiting tree. Large-scale conspecific density (seeds per fruiting tree) reduced predation, probably by satiating predators. Higher seed production in unlogged forest, in combination with slightly higher survival, meant that recruitment was almost entirely limited to unlogged forest. Thus, while logging might not affect the Janzen–Connell mechanism at this site, it may influence the recruitment of particular species.
Ecological impacts of tropical forest fragmentation: how consistent are patterns in species richness and nestedness?
Authors: Hill Jane K. , Gray Michael A. , Khen Chey Vun , Benedick Suzan , Tawatao Noel , Hamer Keith C.
Published: October 2011

Large areas of tropical forest now exist as remnants scattered across agricultural landscapes, and so understanding the impacts of forest fragmentation is important for biodiversity conservation. We examined species richness and nestedness among tropical forest remnants in birds (meta-analysis of published studies) and insects (field data for fruit-feeding Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) and ants). Species–area relationships were evident in all four taxa, and avian and insect assemblages in remnants typically were nested subsets of those in larger areas. Avian carnivores and nectarivores and predatory ants were more nested than other guilds, implying that the sequential loss of species was more predictable in these groups, and that fragmentation alters the trophic organization of communities. For butterflies, the ordering of fragments to achieve maximum nestedness was by fragment area, suggesting that differences among fragments were driven mainly by extinction. In contrast for moths, maximum nestedness was achieved by ordering species by wing length; species with longer wings (implying better dispersal) were more likely to occur at all sites, including low diversity sites, suggesting that differences among fragments were driven more strongly by colonization. Although all four taxa exhibited high levels of nestedness, patterns of species turnover were also idiosyncratic, and thus even species-poor sites contributed to landscape-scale biodiversity, particularly for insects.
Long-term responses of rainforest erosional systems at different spatial scales to selective logging and climatic change
Authors: Walsh R. P. D. , Bidin K. , Blake W. H. , Chappell N. A. , Clarke M. A. , Douglas I. , Ghazali R. , Sayer A. M. , Suhaimi J. , Tych W. , Annammala K. V.
Published: October 2011

Long-term (21–30 years) erosional responses of rainforest terrain in the Upper Segama catchment, Sabah, to selective logging are assessed at slope, small and large catchment scales. In the 0.44 km
2
Baru catchment, slope erosion measurements over 1990–2010 and sediment fingerprinting indicate that sediment sources 21 years after logging in 1989 are mainly road-linked, including fresh landslips and gullying of scars and toe deposits of 1994–1996 landslides. Analysis and modelling of 5–15 min stream-suspended sediment and discharge data demonstrate a reduction in storm-sediment response between 1996 and 2009, but not yet to pre-logging levels. An unmixing model using bed-sediment geochemical data indicates that 49 per cent of the 216 t km
−2
a
−1
2009 sediment yield comes from 10 per cent of its area affected by road-linked landslides. Fallout
210
Pb and
137
Cs values from a lateral bench core indicate that sedimentation rates in the 721 km
2
Upper Segama catchment less than doubled with initially highly selective, low-slope logging in the 1980s, but rose 7–13 times when steep terrain was logged in 1992–1993 and 1999–2000. The need to keep steeplands under forest is emphasized if landsliding associated with current and predicted rises in extreme rainstorm magnitude-frequency is to be reduced in scale.
Validation of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy‐Fatigue (FACIT‐F) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Tinsley A. , Macklin E. A. , Korzenik J. R. , Sands B. E.
Published: October 2011

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2011; 34: 1328–1336

Background  Many patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) complain of significant fatigue. To date, no instrument to measure fatigue has been validated in a US inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) population.

Aim  To determine the reliability and validity of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy‐Fatigue (FACIT‐F) scale in IBD.

Methods  A total of 209 patients with IBD completed the 13 items of the FACIT‐F, alongside laboratory testing and disease activity assessment. Internal consistency was measured by Cronbach’s alpha; test–retest reliability by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC); validity by the correlation of the FACIT‐F score with C‐reactive protein (CRP) erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), haematocrit (HCT) and disease activity as measured by the Harvey‐Bradshaw Index (HBI; CD) and Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index (SCCAI; UC).

Results  The mean ± SD FACIT‐F score was 38.9 ± 11.0 overall (CD 38.6 ± 11.3; UC 39.4 ± 10.6). Cronbach’s alpha was 0.94. The ICC for first and repeat FACIT‐F scores assessed within 180 days without change in disease state was 0.81 (CD 0.78; UC 0.87). FACIT‐F scores were lower in patients with active symptoms (CD 4.6 points, 95% CI 2.4–6.9, P < 0.001; UC 8.5 points, 95% CI 5.5–11.4, P < 0.001). In UC, FACIT‐F scores were correlated with ESR (−0.76, 95% CI −0.89 to −0.50), CRP (−0.72, 95% CI −0.88 to −0.43) and HCT (0.53, 95% CI 0.22–0.74).

Conclusion  The FACIT‐F scale is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring fatigue in IBD.
Participation in social, leisure and informal learning activities among care leavers in England: positive outcomes for educational participation
Authors: Hollingworth Katie E.
Published: October 2011

Against a background of research and national statistics that consistently show that educational participation and achievement of young people in and leaving care is significantly lower than is the case for the non‐care population, previous research has shown the positive impact that social, leisure and informal learning activities can have on the educational participation and achievements of young people, and particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The UK: Care Matters Green Paper stated that involvement in leisure and social activities can have a positive impact on the self‐esteem of young people in and leaving care and upon their educational attainment and later success in the labour market.

This paper reports on the English results of a cross‐national study of young people from a public care background and their pathways to education in Europe. Using case study examples it explores the impact that social, leisure and informal learning activities can have on educational participation and educational pathways of young people in and leaving care. The paper argues that, in view of these findings, encouraging and supporting young people in and leaving care into these types of activities should be a priority for social care professionals, carers and teachers.
The cost‐effectiveness of substituting physicians with diabetes nurse specialists: a randomized controlled trial with 2‐year follow‐up
Authors: Arts Elke E.A. , Landewe‐Cleuren Sabine A.N.T. , Schaper Nicolaas C. , Vrijhoef Hubertus J.M.
Published: October 2011

arts e.e.a., landewe‐cleuren s.a.n.t., schaper n.c. & vrijhoef h.j.m. (2012) The cost‐effectiveness of substituting physicians with diabetes nurse specialists: a randomized controlled trial with 2‐year follow‐up.Journal of Advanced Nursing68(6), 1224–1234.

Aims. To evaluate the cost‐effectiveness of an intervention substituting physicians with nurse specialists.

Background. Increasing populations of people with diabetes in most Western countries require creative solutions that give high‐quality chronic care while controlling costs. Instigating nurse specialists as a substitute for physicians yields positive results in this area. Research about such interventions in a hospital‐based setting is limited.

Methods. This paper is a report of a study of a randomized, non‐blinded clinical trial including people with diabetes mellitus types 1 and 2. In the intervention group nurse specialists were the central carers, providing care that conformed to a preset protocol. Patients were included between 2004 and 2007. Costs, quality of life and adverse events were measured, cost‐effect ratios and incremental cost‐effect ratios were calculated based on health‐resource utilization rates, corresponding market prices and national tariffs from 2007.

Results. Health related quality of life scores did not differ significantly between the control and the intervention group. In the intervention group, fewer patients were hospitalized and fewer side effects from drugs were reported compared to controls. Nurse specialists as central care givers generated a modest reduction in costs per quality adjusted life year gained compared to usual care.

Conclusion. Nurse specialists give diabetes care that is similar to care provided by physicians in terms of quality of life and economic value. Instigating a nurse specialist as central carer yields opportunities to generate cost savings. Developing interventions which also focus on prevention of complications is recommended when aiming for long‐term organisational cost savings.
Nurses’ use of online health information in medical wards
Authors: Gilmour Jean A. , Huntington Annette , Broadbent Rachel , Strong Alison , Hawkins Mona
Published: October 2011

gilmour j.a., huntington a., broadbent r., strong a. & hawkins m. (2012) Nurses’ use of online health information in medical wards. Journal of Advanced Nursing68(6), 1349–1358.

Aim.  This paper is a report of a study of nurses’ access, use and evaluation of online health information in medical wards.

Background.  Online health information is commonly used by patients with chronic illness to support their education needs. Nurses have a critical role in assisting patients to access and use this information.

Method.  This descriptive cross‐sectional survey of a random sample of 540 nurses employed in medical wards was carried out in 2009. The response rate was 58·7% (293). The analytical approach included descriptive statistics and non‐parametric tests of correlation and differences between groups. A content analysis was performed on the qualitative data.

Results.  Most respondents (78·6%) were satisfied with work Internet access and 58·2% believed that the use of online information improved care delivery. Nearly half the group was aware of patient misconceptions about their illness due to incorrect interpretations of online information, but only 24·4% checked if patients used online information. There was a significant association between assessing patients use and awareness of patient misconceptions.

Conclusion.  The findings of this study highlight that while online resources add to education opportunities, the ongoing nursing assessment required to determine online information needs is not always incorporated into nursing practice. Patient misunderstandings of online material were also identified; developing patient competency in evaluating open access health information should now be recognized as an integral aspect of illness management education.
A segmentation algorithm for automated tracking of fast swimming unlabelled cells in three dimensions
Authors: PIMENTEL J.A. , CARNEIRO J. , DARSZON A. , CORKIDI G.
Published: October 2011

Recent advances in microscopy and cytolabelling methods enable the real time imaging of cells as they move and interact in their real physiological environment. Scenarios in which multiple cells move autonomously in all directions are not uncommon in biology. A remarkable example is the swimming of marine spermatozoa in search of the conspecific oocyte. Imaging cells in these scenarios, particularly when they move fast and are poorly labelled or even unlabelled requires very fast three‐dimensional time‐lapse (3D+t) imaging. This 3D+t imaging poses challenges not only to the acquisition systems but also to the image analysis algorithms. It is in this context that this work describes an original automated multiparticle segmentation method to analyse motile translucent cells in 3D microscopical volumes. The proposed segmentation technique takes advantage of the way the cell appearance changes with the distance to the focal plane position. The cells translucent properties and their interaction with light produce a specific pattern: when the cell is within or close to the focal plane, its two‐dimensional (2D) appearance matches a bright spot surrounded by a dark ring, whereas when it is farther from the focal plane the cell contrast is inverted looking like a dark spot surrounded by a bright ring. The proposed method analyses the acquired video sequence frame‐by‐frame taking advantage of 2D image segmentation algorithms to identify and select candidate cellular sections. The crux of the method is in the sequential filtering of the candidate sections, first by template matching of the in‐focus and out‐of‐focus templates and second by considering adjacent candidates sections in 3D. These sequential filters effectively narrow down the number of segmented candidate sections making the automatic tracking of cells in three dimensions a straightforward operation.