bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Transient host–parasitoid dynamics illuminate the practice of biological pest control
Authors: Mills Nicholas J. 
Published: December 2011

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[ The harlequin bug (Murgantia histrionica; top left) is a specialist herbivore on Isomeris arborea, an endemic plant species of the California coastal sage scrub ecosystem (top right). The bug's eggs (bottom center) are parasitized by two parasitoid natural enemies, Trissolcus murgantiae (bottom left) and Ooencyrtus johnsonii (bottom right). The harlequin bug and its parasitoids exhibit many attributes of pest‐enemy systems in general, and of Homopteran pest systems in particular. First, the bug is a specialist herbivore on a long‐lived host plant, similar to many Homopteran pests that attack long‐lived crop plants (e.g., citrus, olive, stone fruits), and its only natural enemies are the two specialist parasitoids. Second, the bug and parasitoids exhibit the same life history and population dynamics as Homopteran pest systems, with an invulnerable adult stage of the herbivore and a persistent host‐parasitoid interaction with host densities maintained at low levels. Third, the parasitoids engage in the same types of interactions as the natural enemies of Homopteran pests (exploitative competition and multiparasitism). Fourth, the bug is a minor pest of crucifers in the southeastern U.S. and the parasitoids are potential control agents. These attributes make this community an ideal model system for investigating the efficacy of natural enemies in pest suppression. ]Kidd, D. & Amarasekare, P. (2012) The role of transient dynamics in biological pest control: insights from a host–parasitoid community. Journal of Animal Ecology, 81, 47–57.Our current understanding of host–parasitoid relationships has been strongly influenced by the quest for stability and persistence, and consequently, is based on a large body of theory that has focused on the assumption of equilibrium dynamics. In an elegant analysis of a host–parasitoid model parameterized from laboratory observations, Kidd & Amarasekare broaden our understanding by contrasting the parameters that influence transient versus equilibrium dynamics. Their study highlights the importance of parasitoid handling time, competitive exclusion and intraspecific interference in the transient dynamics of a model host–parasitoid community.
Evolution of starvation resistance in Drosophila melanogaster: measurement of direct and correlated responses to artificial selection
Authors: SCHWASINGER‐SCHMIDT T. E. , KACHMAN S. D. , HARSHMAN L. G. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractLaboratory selection for resistance to starvation has been conducted under relatively controlled conditions to investigate direct and correlated responses to artificial selection. With regard to starvation resistance, there are three physiological routes by which the trait can evolve: resource accumulation, energy conservation and starvation tolerance. A majority of energetic compounds and macromolecules including triglycerides, trehalose and other sugars, and soluble protein increased in abundance as a result of selection. Movement was additionally investigated with selected males moving less than control males and selected females exhibiting a similar response to selection. Results obtained from this study supported two of the possible evolutionary mechanisms for adaptation to starvation: energy compound storage and conservation. If the response to selection is based on an evolutionarily conserved pattern of genetic correlations (elevated lipid, elevated sugars and reduced movement), then the response to selection is medically relevant and the genetic architecture should be investigated in depth.
Where have all the blue flowers gone: pollinator responses and selection on flower colour in New ZealandWahlenbergia albomarginata
Authors: CAMPBELL D. R. , BISCHOFF M. , LORD J. M. , ROBERTSON A. W. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractAlthough pollinators are thought to select on flower colour, few studies have experimentally decoupled effects of colour from correlated traits on pollinator visitation and pollen transfer. We combined selection analysis and phenotypic manipulations to measure the effect of petal colour on visitation and pollen export at two spatial scales inWahlenbergia albomarginata. This species is representative of many New Zealand alpine herbs that have secondarily evolved white or pale flowers. The major pollinators, solitary bees, exerted phenotypic selection on flower size but not colour, quantified by bee vision. When presented with manipulated flowers, bees visited flowers painted blue to resemble a congener over white flowers in large, but not small, experimental arrays. Pollen export was higher for blue flowers in large arrays. Pollinator preference does not explain the pale colouration ofW. albomarginata, as commonly hypothesized. Absence of bright blue could be driven instead by indirect selection of correlated characters.
Preliminary Study on the Mineral Apposition Rate in distal femoral epiphysis of New Zealand White Rabbit at Skeletal Maturity
Authors: Cacchioli A. , Ravanetti F. , Soliani L. , Borghetti P. 
Published: December 2011

With 3 figures and 1 tableSummaryStudies investigating the effect of different factors on the skeletal system require characterization of an appropriate animal model. Rabbits are among the most commonly studied animals for medical research, being used in about 35% of musculoskeletal research studies. The present dynamic cross‐sectional histomorphometric study quantitatively determined mineral apposition rates (MARs) in the distal femoral epiphysis in four regions of interest (ROIs) in New Zealand white rabbits. ROIs included the craniolateral (CrL), caudolateral (CaL), craniomedial (CrM) and caudomedial (CaM) areas, using a reference height at different stages of skeletal maturity corresponding to experimental ages of 6, 7 and 8 months old (M6, M7 and M8). We evaluated whether a correlation exists in MARs between the times and the regions examined. Such data could be used in studies on growth of the rabbit's femur, on biomaterials for bone integration or regeneration and on growth disturbances produced by various pathologic factors. We found no interaction at the experimental times; thus, M6, M7 and M8 are considered homogeneous in terms of MARs. The velocity profiles of the MARs were statistically significantly different among the considered ROIs. For all experimental times, the CrM region had a higher MAR than the other ROIs. Both the CrM and CaM ROIs had higher MARs than the corresponding lateral ROIs. Our results indicate that bone formation is not constant within the cross‐section, but is statistically different between the ROIs considered.
Early implementation of antifungal therapy in the management of febrile neutropenia is associated with favourable outcome during induction chemotherapy for acute leukaemias
Authors: Khalafallah A. , Maiwald M. , Hannan T. , Abell S. , Staker J. , Supperamohan A. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBackground:  Mortality related to induction chemotherapy during the treatment of acute leukaemias (AL) has been estimated at 5–20%, and this increases with age. Fungal infection remains one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality and is considered an obstacle to the successful management of acute leukaemias.Methods:  We retrospectively analysed all patients treated for acute leukaemias at a single institution between July 2006 and January 2009, to assess the impact of early antifungal therapy on outcome during induction chemotherapy. There were 44 episodes of induction chemotherapy, with a median age of patients of 61 years (range 18–81), including 29 patients with acute myeloid leukaemia, 9 with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and 6 with relapsed AL. The median age was 61 years (range 18–81), and 20 patients were over the age of 60 years.Results:  All patients who developed febrile neutropenia received broad‐spectrum antibiotics. Early empirical antifungal treatment was commenced with voriconazole (15 patients) or caspofungin (12 patients) if the febrile neutropenia did not resolve after 72 h of antibiotic therapy, in conjunction with radiological changes consistent with possible fungal infection. None of the patients succumbed during induction chemotherapy. The 120‐day mortality rate after the induction therapy was 2.2%, without any incidence of invasive fungal disease.Conclusion:  Our analysis shows that early empirical treatment for fungal infection with voriconazole or caspofungin is associated with a favourable outcome of induction therapy for acute leukaemias. Further studies to confirm this finding are warranted.
Predicting failure to return to work
Authors: Mills R. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractAim:  The research question is: is it possible to predict, at the time of workers' compensation claim lodgement, which workers will have a prolonged return to work (RTW) outcome? This paper illustrates how a traditional analytic approach to the analysis of an existing large database can be insufficient to answer the research question, and suggests an alternative data management and analysis approach.Methods:  This paper retrospectively analyses 9018 workers' compensation claims from two different workers' compensation jurisdictions in Australia (two data sets) over a 4‐month period in 2007. De‐identified data, submitted at the time of claim lodgement, were compared with RTW outcomes for up to 3 months. Analysis consisted of descriptive, parametric (analysis of variance and multiple regression), survival (proportional hazards) and data mining (partitioning) analysis.Results:  No significant associations were found on parametric analysis. Multiple associations were found between the predictor variables and RTW outcome on survival analysis, with marked differences being found between some sub‐groups on partitioning – where diagnosis was found to be the strongest discriminator (particularly neck and shoulder injuries). There was a consistent trend for female gender to be associated with a prolonged RTW outcome. The supplied data were not sufficient to enable the development of a predictive model.Conclusion:  If we want to predict early who will have a prolonged RTW in Australia, workers' compensation claim forms should be redesigned, data management improved and specialised analytic techniques used.
Nurse education in Jordan: history and development
Authors: Zahran Z. 
Published: December 2011

ZAHRAN Z. (2011) Nurse education in Jordan: history and development. International Nursing Review59, 380–386Aim:  This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the development of nurse education and practice in Jordan.The problem:  Several types and levels of nurse education have been established influenced, in particular, by Northern American and British models of nurse education and practice. New colleges with new programmes are being introduced at all levels, with a continuing growth in the number of students graduating from nursing programmes, demonstrating the extent to which the status of nursing is changing in Jordan. However, the development of nurse education in Jordan is not wholly congruent with the development of nursing practice. The majority of nursing activities are embedded within a medical model of care or relate to carrying out medical orders, giving rise to task‐oriented care delivery. Jordanian nurses are faced with many challenges in terms of their education and practice.Methods:  There are few published papers that provide a description of this development. The extant literature on nursing history in Jordan comprises descriptions by university academics, official websites of nursing's regularity body, in addition to anecdotal accounts and conference presentations.Conclusion:  Nurse education in Jordan has evolved over a relatively short period of time. Collaboration between academics and healthcare providers is vital in order to shape the role of nurses and nursing in the future. Insights gained from this development may benefit nurses globally who are working towards restructuring their nurse education and practice.
Promoting Healthy Routes Back to Work? Boundary Spanning Health Professionals and Employability Programmes in Great Britain
Authors: Lindsay Colin , Dutton Matthew 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBetween 2003 and 2011, the Pathways to Work (PtW) initiative was established across Great Britain, as policymakers sought to address the ‘health‐related, personal and external barriers’ faced by people who were out of work and claiming incapacity benefits (IBs). In the first 18 districts that PtW was rolled‐out, the Public Employment Service (Jobcentre Plus) and National Health Service (NHS) organizations worked in partnership to deliver ‘condition management programmes’, which helped IB claimants to cope with health problems. Evaluation research has identified significant health benefits associated with these condition management programmes, but there has been less discussion of the role of frontline NHS professionals in ensuring that services worked effectively on the ground. This article deploys the concept of ‘boundary spanning’ to explore the role of NHS professionals within PtW. Drawing on more than 50 in‐depth interviews, the article concludes that these NHS staff played a key boundary spanning role in facilitating partnerships, based on an ability to engage with the values/practices of other partner organizations (especially Jobcentre Plus) and a willingness to challenge established professional boundaries and ways of working. The article notes that recent policy initiatives have abandoned the PtW partnership approach in favour of more familiar models of contracting out, and that NHS professionals have been excluded from the delivery of health/employability services. It is argued that these recent changes may negatively affect the quality and range of health‐related services available to people on IBs.
THEOLOGIANS OF SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION: A PROPOSAL FOR READING RENÉ GIRARD THROUGH THE LENSES OF HANS URS VON BALTHASAR AND JOHN CASSIAN
Authors: MONGRAIN KEVIN 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThis essay contends that René Girard is not a philosopher or a scientist whose ideas are open to theological appropriation. Instead, contrary to his assertions otherwise, the Girard corpus ought to be read as if it were articulating a form of theology whose primary intellectual home can ultimately be found on a theological map. As the field of Girardian theology grows, it becomes more evident that we need some theological lenses for examining the theology already lying waiting—sometimes inchoately, sometimes not—in Girard's texts, and also for examining how theologians use and misuse his texts. If we can see that he is already doing theology then a theological critique becomes plausible and valid in principle, and indeed becomes an internal critique. Applying good interpretive lenses will provide some rigorous criteria for analyzing the degree to which Girardian theologians are following the internal logic of Girard's thought in their appropriations of it. The interpretive lenses I propose using on Girard are first the theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar (d. 1988) and then the theology of John Cassian (d. circa 435). These two theologians provide us with lenses that help us see that Girard is fundamentally a Catholic theologian involved in resisting the speculative re‐writing of Christianity by proponents of “false gnosis” and that he belongs within the category of theologians who advocate spiritual transformation and “true gnosis.”
GIRARD AND THE SPACES OF APOCALYPTIC
Authors: O'REGAN CYRIL 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThis article examines the apocalyptic turn evident in René Girard's Battling to the End (2009), which puts an exclamation point on what has been an increasing tendency in Girard's thought. Its general aim is to describe Girard's particular form of biblical apocalyptic. Toward that end, (a) it unfolds Girard's arguments against other apocalyptic contenders, including Hegel and Heidegger; (b) it opens up a space of conversation with other forms of apocalyptic thought (e.g. Johann Baptist Metz and, more controversially, Emmanuel Levinas); and (c) in and through Girard's affirmation of Benedict XVI, raises the question of whether there is a structural symmetry between their thought, and whether both articulate a form of Augustinian apocalyptic.
Treatment fidelity in psychosocial intervention for children and adolescents with comorbid problems
Authors: McArthur Brae Anne , Riosa Priscilla Burnham , Preyde Michèle 
Published: December 2011

Background:  Intervention fidelity has important implications for the interpretation of intervention outcomes. Reviews on fidelity implementation for psychosocial interventions targeting children and adolescents with comorbid mental health problems are scarce. The purpose of this study was to systematically review reported fidelity of psychosocial interventions for children with comorbid mental health conditions.Method:  Fidelity and quality ratings were calculated based on an analysis of articles resulting from a previously reported systematic search of the literature (using PsycINFO, MEDLINE and ERIC databases between 1994 and 2009), using the Intervention Fidelity Assessment Checklist for the fidelity measure and the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for assessing risk of bias for the quality measure.Results:  Overall, few studies were found to have a high level of fidelity adherence. Only 1 of the 10 studies met the ‘high’ intervention fidelity cutoff.Conclusions:  Findings suggest that current psychosocial interventions for children and adolescents with comorbid mental health disorders must be interpreted with caution, given many studies either do not measure intervention fidelity or have variable levels of fidelity adherence. Including fidelity components in future studies would aid in determining the effectiveness and generalizability of interventions targeted at children with comorbid disorders.
Minimum Nurse Staffing Legislation and the Financial Performance of California Hospitals
Authors: Reiter Kristin L. , Harless David W. , Pink George H. , Mark Barbara A. 
Published: December 2011

ObjectiveTo estimate the effect of minimum nurse staffing ratios on California acute care hospitals’ financial performance.Data Sources/Study SettingSecondary data from Medicare cost reports, the American Hospital Association's (AHA) Annual Survey, and the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) are combined from 2000 to 2006 for 203 hospitals in California and 407 hospitals in 12 comparison states.Study DesignThe study employs a difference‐in‐difference analytical approach. Hospitals are grouped into quartiles based on pre‐regulation nurse staffing levels in adult medical‐surgical and pediatric units (quartile 1 = lowest staffing). Differences in operating margin, operating expenses per day, and inpatient operating expenses per discharge for California hospitals within a staffing quartile during the period of regulation are compared to differences at hospitals in comparison states during the same period.Data Collection/Extraction MethodsHospital data from Medicare cost reports are merged with nurse staffing measures obtained from AHA and from OSPHD.Principal FindingsRelative to hospitals in comparison states, operating margins declined significantly for California hospitals in quartiles 2 and 3. Operating expenses increased significantly in quartiles 1, 2, and 3.ConclusionsImplementation of minimum nurse staffing legislation in California put substantial financial pressure on some hospitals.
A Policy Impact Analysis of the Mandatory NCAA Sickle Cell Trait Screening Program
Authors: Tarini Beth A. , Brooks Margaret Alison , Bundy David G. 
Published: December 2011

ObjectiveTo estimate the impact of the mandatory National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sickle cell trait (SCT) screening policy on the identification of sickle cell carriers and prevention of sudden death.Data SourceWe used NCAA reports, population‐based SCT prevalence estimates, and published risks for exercise‐related sudden death attributable to SCT.Study DesignWe estimated the number of sickle cell carriers identified and the number of potentially preventable sudden deaths with mandatory SCT screening of NCAA Division I athletes. We calculated the number of student‐athletes with SCT using a conditional probability based upon SCT prevalence data and self‐identified race/ethnicity status. We estimated sudden deaths over 10 years based on published attributable risk of exercise‐related sudden death due to SCT.Principal FindingsWe estimate that over 2,000 NCAA Division I student‐athletes with SCT will be identified under this screening policy and that, without intervention, about seven NCAA Division I student‐athletes would die suddenly as a complication of SCT over a 10‐year period.ConclusionUniversal sickle cell screening of NCAA Division I student‐athletes will identify a substantial number of sickle cell carriers. A successful intervention could prevent about seven deaths over a decade.
Reduction in hyperammonaemia by ornithine phenylacetate prevents lipopolysaccharide‐induced brain edema and coma in cirrhotic rats
Authors: Wright Gavin , Vairappan Balasubramaniyan , Stadlbauer Vanessa , Mookerjee Rajeshwar P. , Davies Nathan A. , Jalan Rajiv 
Published: December 2011

AbstractObjectiveIn liver failure, inflammation synergistically exacerbates the deleterious cerebral effects of ammonia. The aims were to test whether treatment with the ammonia‐lowering agent ornithine phenylacetate (OP) and/or anti‐TNF‐α (infliximab) prevent the deleterious brain consequences of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in cirrhotic rats.DesignRats 4 weeks following bile duct‐ligation (BDL), sham‐operation (sham) and/or 7 days hyperammonemic feed (HD), were randomized to receive LPS (1 mg/kg) or saline, and treatment with either 3 days intraperitoneal injections of OP (0.6 g/kg) and/or infliximab, 10 mg/kg. Animals were sacrificed at coma stages or at 3 h.ResultsIn sham rats, both HD and LPS increased brain water, with an increase in ammonia in the former and brain cytokines in the latter but with no effect on consciousness. BDL + HD rats caused significantly higher plasma ammonia, TNF‐α and IL‐6 levels compared to sham. LPS significantly worsened coma stage, increased brain water and plasma and brain TNF‐α. OP significantly delayed LPS‐induced progression to coma stages (P < 0.009), reduced arterial ammonia and brain water (P < 0.001 and P < 0.01 respectively), which was associated with a significant reduction in cytokines. Infliximab significantly reduced plasma and brain cytokines, but not brain water. OP + infliximab attenuated increase in brain water and delayed occurrence of coma, which was not different to OP alone. In BDL rats, OP reduced the expression of brain iNOS and NFκB.ConclusionReduction in ammonia with OP in cirrhotic rats prevents LPS‐induced brain edema and delays coma, suggesting that ammonia may prime the brain to the deleterious effect of LPS, possibly through effects on iNOS and NFκB related mechanisms.