bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
From pattern to process: linking intrinsic water‐use efficiency to drought‐induced forest decline
Authors: Linares Juan Carlos , Camarero J. Julio 
Published: October 2011

AbstractThe rise in atmospheric CO2 concentrations (Ca) has been related to tree growth enhancement and increasing intrinsic water‐use efficiency (iWUE). However, the extent that rising Ca has led to increased long‐term iWUE and whether climate could explain deviations from expected Ca‐induced growth enhancement are still poorly understood. The aim of this research was to use Ca and local climatic variability to explain changes during the 20th century in growth and tree ring and needle δ13C in declining and nondeclining Abies alba stands from the Spanish Pyrenees, near the southern distribution limit of this species. The temporal trends of iWUE were calculated under three theoretical scenarios for the regulation of plant‐gas exchange at increasing Ca. We tested different linear mixed‐effects models by multimodel selection criteria to predict basal area increment (BAI), a proxy of tree radial growth, using these scenarios and local temperature together with precipitation data as predictors. The theoretical scenario assuming the strongest response to Ca explained 66–81% of the iWUE variance and 28–56% of the observed BAI variance, whereas local climatic variables together explained less than 11–21% of the BAI variance. Our results are consistent with a drought‐induced limitation of the tree growth response to rising CO2 and a decreasing rate of iWUE improvement from the 1980s onward in declining A. alba stands subjected to lower water availability.
Climate‐driven trends and ecological implications of event‐scale upwelling in the California Current System
Authors: Iles Alison C. , Gouhier Tarik C. , Menge Bruce A. , Stewart Julia S. , Haupt Alison J. , Lynch Margaret C. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractEastern boundary current systems are among the most productive and lucrative ecosystems on Earth because they benefit from upwelling currents. Upwelling currents subsidize the base of the coastal food web by bringing deep, cold and nutrient‐rich water to the surface. As upwelling is driven by large‐scale atmospheric patterns, global climate change has the potential to affect a wide range of significant ecological processes through changes in water chemistry, water temperature, and the transport processes that influence species dispersal and recruitment. We examined long‐term trends in the frequency, duration, and strength of continuous upwelling events for the Oregon and California regions of the California Current System in the eastern Pacific Ocean. We then associated event‐scale upwelling with up to 21 years of barnacle and mussel recruitment, and water temperature data measured at rocky intertidal field sites along the Oregon coast. Our analyses suggest that upwelling events are changing in ways that are consistent with climate change predictions: upwelling events are becoming less frequent, stronger, and longer in duration. In addition, upwelling events have a quasi‐instantaneous and cumulative effect on rocky intertidal water temperatures, with longer events leading to colder temperatures. Longer, more persistent upwelling events were negatively associated with barnacle recruitment but positively associated with mussel recruitment. However, since barnacles facilitate mussel recruitment by providing attachment sites, increased upwelling persistence could have indirect negative impacts on mussel populations. Overall, our results indicate that changes in coastal upwelling that are consistent with climate change predictions are altering the tempo and the mode of environmental forcing in near‐shore ecosystems, with potentially severe and discontinuous ramifications for ecosystem structure and functioning.
Testes size, testosterone production and reproductive behaviour in a natural mammalian mating system
Authors: Preston Brian T. , Stevenson Ian R. , Lincoln Gerald A. , Monfort Steven L. , Pilkington Jill G. , Wilson Kenneth 
Published: September 2011

Summary1. Testosterone (T) is a key mediator in the expression of numerous morphological and behavioural traits in mammals, but the factors underlying individual variation in circulating T levels are poorly understood.2. The intimate structural integration of sperm and T production within the testes, alongside the dependency of sperm production on high levels of T, suggests that T requirements for spermatogenesis could be an important driver of individual differences in T.3. To test this hypothesis, we examine how male capacity for sperm production (as indicated by their testes size) is associated with T levels in a feral population of Soay sheep, resident on St. Kilda, Scotland, during their rutting season.4. We found a strong positive relationship between an individual’s testes size (as measured before their seasonal enlargement) and the levels of circulating T during their rut, suggesting that T requirements for spermatogenesis has a prominent influence on the production of this androgen.5. In contrast, body condition and competitive ability did not independently predict T levels, findings that are inconsistent with conventional ‘condition‐dependent’ and ‘challenge’ hypotheses of T production.6. This influence of male’s capacity for sperm production on T appeared to be substantial enough to be biologically relevant, as testes size also predicted male aggression and mate‐seeking behaviour.7. Our results suggest that a male’s inherent capacity for sperm and T production is tightly phenotypically integrated, with potential consequences for a wide range of other T‐mediated reproductive traits.
Patient characteristics and behaviours associated with self‐harm and attempted suicide in acute psychiatric wards
Authors: Stewart Duncan , Ross Jamie , Watson Charlotte , James Karen , Bowers Len 
Published: October 2011

Aims and objectives.  The study examined events before and after incidents of self‐harm and attempted suicide and the characteristics of patients who engage in these behaviours.Background.  Psychiatric inpatient populations have an elevated risk of self‐harm and suicide, but relatively little is known about the circumstances of these events during an admission.Design.  Retrospective case note analysis.Method.  Data were collected on conflict (aggression, rule breaking, etc.) and containment (coerced medication, restraint, etc.) during the first two weeks of admission for a sample of 522 acute psychiatric inpatients.Results.  One in 10 patients self‐harmed, and 4% attempted suicide. Aggression, attempting to leave the ward without permission and medication refusal were frequent precursors to incidents. Pro re nata medication and de‐escalation were the most frequent interventions to follow an incident. Self‐harm and attempted suicides during the current admission were significantly associated with younger age and a history of self‐harm.Conclusions.  A minority of the sample were involved in these behaviours, but incidents occurred soon after admission and sometimes repeatedly during the course of a day. Assessment of risk should be completed as early as possible.Relevance to clinical practice.  At‐risk patients should be monitored for signs of withdrawal from ward activity, wanting to leave the ward without permission or non‐compliance with medication to enable early intervention.
Further psychometric testing of an instrument to measure emotional care in hospital
Authors: Williams Anne M , Pienaar Catherine , Toye Christine , Joske David , Lester Leanne 
Published: October 2011

Aims and objectives.  This paper describes further testing of the instrument Patient Evaluation of Emotional Care during Hospitalisation.Background.  In 2005, a questionnaire was developed that could be completed by patients to evaluate the quality of emotional care received during their time in hospital. This questionnaire was tested at an acute care private hospital in Perth, Western Australia, with encouraging estimates of reliability and validity. The purpose of this study was to further test this questionnaire in a larger sample of inpatients at a public hospital in the same state.Design.  Psychometric evaluation.Method.  A hospital‐wide survey of 13 wards of a public hospital was conducted. Two hundred and fifty‐one patients completed the questionnaire.Results.  Psychometric testing of the Patient Evaluation of Emotional Care during Hospitalisation demonstrated acceptable internal consistency reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis substantiated the four sub‐scales as follows: Level of Security, Level of Knowing, Level of Personal Value and Level of Connection. The Level of Connection sub‐scale was assessed for the first time in this study. This sub‐scale had the lowest mean score of all the sub‐scales across the hospital as well as in each of the wards surveyed. Qualitative data substantiated, from the patients’ perspective, a lack of connection with hospital staff.Conclusions.  Further psychometric testing of the Patient Evaluation of Emotional Care during Hospitalisation instrument has confirmed its psychometric properties and usefulness as an instrument to measure emotional care during hospitalisation.Relevance to clinical practice.  The Patient Evaluation of Emotional Care during Hospitalisation is a reliable and valid tool with which the emotional care of patients in hospital can be measured and the effectiveness of interventions assessed.
A hybrid approach for continuous detection of sleep‐wakefulness fluctuations: validation in patients with Cheyne–Stokes respiration
Authors: PINNA GIAN D. , ROBBI ELENA , LA ROVERE MARIA T. , MAESTRI ROBERTO 
Published: October 2011

SummaryFluctuations in sleep/wake state have been proposed as an important mechanism contributing to the development of oscillatory breathing patterns, including Cheyne–Stokes respiration in patients with heart failure. In order to properly assess the interactions between changes in state and changes in ventilatory parameters, a methodology capable of continuously and reliably detecting state transitions is needed. Traditional fixed‐epoch analysis of polysomnographic recordings is not suitable for this purpose. Moreover, visual identification of changes in the dominant electroencephalogram activity at the transition from wakefulness to sleep and vice versa is often very subjective. We have therefore developed a hybrid approach – including both visual scoring and computer‐based procedures – for continuous analysis of state transitions from polysomnographic recordings, specifically tailored for fluctuations between wakefulness and non‐rapid eye movement‐1 and ‐2 sleep. The overall analysis process comprises three major phases: (1) manual identification of relevant electroencephalogram/electrooculogram features and events, including a sample of unequivocal alpha and theta‐delta activity; (2) automatic statistical discrimination of dominant electroencephalogram activity; and (3) state classification (wakefulness, non‐rapid eye movement‐1 and ‐2). The latter is carried out by merging information from visual scoring with the output of the discriminator. Validation has been carried out in 16 patients with heart failure during daytime Cheyne–Stokes respiration, using a training and testing set of electroencephalogram polysomnograms. The statistical discriminator correctly classified 99.1 ± 1.4% and 99.2 ± 1.1% of unequivocal alpha and theta‐delta activity. This approach has therefore the potential to be used to reliably measure the incidence and location of sleep–wake transitions during abnormal breathing patterns, as well as their temporal relationship with major ventilatory events.
Sleep disorders in children after treatment for a CNS tumour
Authors: VERBERNE LISA M. , MAURICE‐STAM HELEEN , GROOTENHUIS MARTHA A. , VAN SANTEN HANNEKE M. , SCHOUTEN‐VAN MEETEREN ANTOINETTE Y. N. 
Published: October 2011

SummaryThe long‐term survival of children with a central nervous system (CNS) tumour is improving. However, they experience late effects, including altered habits and patterns of sleep. We evaluated the presence and type of sleep disorders and daytime sleepiness in these children, and its associations with clinical characteristics and daily performance (fatigue and psychosocial functioning). In a cross‐sectional study at the outpatient clinic of the Emma Children’s Hospital AMC (February–June 2010), sleep, fatigue and psychosocial functioning were analysed in 31 CNS tumour patients (mean age: 11.8 years; 20 boys) and compared with 78 patients treated for a non‐CNS malignancy (mean age: 9.7 years; 41 boys) and norm data. Questionnaires applied were the Sleep Disorder Scale for Children, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Sleeping habits and endocrine deficiencies were assessed with a self‐developed questionnaire. Increased somnolence was found in CNS tumour patients compared with those with a non‐CNS malignancy (8.8 ± 2.8 versus 7.5 ± 2.7; P < 0.05). Both patient groups reported more problems (P < 0.01) than the norm with initiating and maintaining sleep. No specific risk factors were identified for a sleep disorder in CNS tumour patients, but their excessive somnolence was correlated with lower fatigue related quality of life (QoL) (r = −0.78, P < 0.001) and worse psychosocial functioning (r = 0.63, P < 0.001). In conclusion, children treated for a CNS tumour have increased somnolence, significantly increasing fatigue and worsening daily functioning. Further investigation should focus on possibilities to improve sleep quality and diminish fatigue.
A comparative study of ancient sedimentary DNA, pollen and macrofossils from permafrost sediments of northern Siberia reveals long‐term vegetational stability
Authors: JØRGENSEN TINA , HAILE JAMES , MÖLLER PER , ANDREEV ANDREI , BOESSENKOOL SANNE , RASMUSSEN MORTEN , KIENAST FRANK , COISSAC ERIC , TABERLET PIERRE , BROCHMANN CHRISTIAN , BIGELOW NANCY H. , ANDERSEN KENNETH , ORLANDO LUDOVIC , GILBERT M. THOMAS P. , WILLERSLEV ESKE 
Published: October 2011

AbstractAlthough ancient DNA from sediments (sedaDNA) has been used to investigate past ecosystems, the approach has never been directly compared with the traditional methods of pollen and macrofossil analysis. We conducted a comparative survey of 18 ancient permafrost samples spanning the Late Pleistocene (46–12.5 thousand years ago), from the Taymyr Peninsula in northern Siberia. The results show that pollen, macrofossils and sedaDNA are complementary rather than overlapping and, in combination, reveal more detailed information on plant palaeocommunities than can be achieved by each individual approach. SedaDNA and macrofossils share greater overlap in plant identifications than with pollen, suggesting that sedaDNA is local in origin. These two proxies also permit identification to lower taxonomic levels than pollen, enabling investigation into temporal changes in species composition and the determination of indicator species to describe environmental changes. Combining data from all three proxies reveals an area continually dominated by a mosaic vegetation of tundra‐steppe, pioneer and wet‐indicator plants. Such vegetational stability is unexpected, given the severe climate changes taking place in the Northern Hemisphere during this time, with changes in average annual temperatures of >22 °C. This may explain the abundance of ice‐age mammals such as horse and bison in Taymyr Peninsula during the Pleistocene and why it acted as a refugium for the last mainland woolly mammoth. Our finding reveals the benefits of combining sedaDNA, pollen and macrofossil for palaeovegetational reconstruction and adds to the increasing evidence suggesting large areas of the Northern Hemisphere remained ecologically stable during the Late Pleistocene.
Environmental and physiological controls on the carbon isotope composition of CO2 respired by leaves and roots of a C3 woody legume (Prosopis velutina) and a C4 perennial grass (Sporobolus wrightii)
Authors: SUN WEI , RESCO VÍCTOR , WILLIAMS DAVID G. 
Published: September 2011

ABSTRACTAccurate estimates of the δ13C value of CO2 respired from roots (δ13CR_root) and leaves (δ13CR_leaf) are important for tracing and understanding changes in C fluxes at the ecosystem scale. Yet the mechanisms underlying temporal variation in these isotopic signals are not fully resolved. We measured δ13CR_leaf, δ13CR_root, and the δ13C values and concentrations of glucose and sucrose in leaves and roots in the C4 grass Sporobolus wrightii and the C3 tree Prosopis velutina in a savanna ecosystem in southeastern Arizona, USA. Night‐time variation in δ13CR_leaf of up to 4.6 ± 0.6‰ in S. wrightii and 3.0 ± 0.6‰ in P. velutina were correlated with shifts in leaf sucrose concentration, but not with changes in δ13C values of these respiratory substrates. Strong positive correlations between δ13CR_root and root glucose δ13C values in P. velutina suggest large diel changes in δ13CR_root (were up to 3.9‰) influenced by short‐term changes in δ13C of leaf‐derived phloem C. No diel variation in δ13CR_root was observed in S. wrightii. Our findings show that short‐term changes in δ13CR_leaf and δ13CR_root were both related to substrate isotope composition and concentration. Changes in substrate limitation or demand for biosynthesis may largely control short‐term variation in the δ13C of respired CO2 in these species.
Epidemiologic survey of patients with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome in Japan
Authors: Hasegawa Hisaya , Kawasaki Kazuteru , Inoue Hisashige , Umehara Minoru , Takase Masato ,   Japanese Society of Pediatric Pulmonology Working Group (JSPPWG)
Published: September 2011

AbstractBackground:  Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) is a rare disease characterized by hypoventilation during sleep. This study discusses the first epidemiologic survey of patients with CCHS in Japan.Methods:  The first survey was conducted between September and December 2006 and involved 507 registered institutes for pediatric training in Japan. The second survey was conducted between January and April 2007 and involved only those institutes that confirmed diagnosis of CCHS in the first survey or reported on CCHS at a conference during the preceding decade.Results:  Thirty‐seven patients with CCHS were reported from 23 hospitals. Patient characteristics were as follows: 18 were male, 19 were female; and age range 4 months to 34 years. Diagnosis was based on clinical symptoms in 37/37 patients; blood gas analysis in 25/37; ventilatory response to inhaled CO2 in 14/37; and genetic analysis (paired‐like homeobox gene 2B) in 11/37. Complications included Hirschsprung's disease in 13/37 and central nervous system disorders in 15/37. Prognoses were as follows: 3/37 died in hospital, 1/37 remained in hospital, 33/37 were on home mechanical ventilation (died 4/33, survived 29/33), and 0/37 were cured. Ventilation methods included tracheostomy (21/37), use of a nasal mask (9/37), use of a facemask (5/37), and diaphragmatic pacing (1/37).Conclusions:  There is currently no consensus on the most appropriate methods for diagnosing and treating patients with CCHS in Japan. More CCHS‐related data need to be collected in the near future in order to enable appropriate diagnosis and management of patients with CCHS.
Pilot study on reflectance confocal microscopy imaging of lichen planus: a real‐time, non‐invasive aid for clinical diagnosis
Authors: Moscarella E. , González S. , Agozzino M. , Sánchez‐Mateos J.L.S. , Panetta C. , Contaldo M. , Ardigò M. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractBackground  Lichen planus (LP) represents a relatively common skin inflammatory entity included in the major group of interface dermatitis. In recent years, reflectance confocal microscopy has demonstrated to be a valuable tool for the ‘in vivo’ characterization of various skin diseases with cellular level resolution. No data are currently available that uses reflectance confocal microscopy to study LP.Observations  In this study, we have investigated the clinical and confocal features of five cases of histopathologically proven LP, and we have correlated the observed features with histopathological findings. The most characteristic criterion was the presence of interface dermatitis. Papillary rims, usually visible in normal skin, were obscured by the presence of a diffuse inflammatory cells infiltrate, arranged in sheet‐like structures that surrounded the junction almost completely. There was an almost total obliteration of the ring‐like structures around DP, which appeared non‐edged and non‐rimmed. Granular cells appeared as very large, polygonal structures, with an evident grainy cytoplasm, with the transition between spinous and granular cells being clearly recognizable, and this feature corresponded to hypergranulosis in histology. The presence of inflammatory cells at the level of the epidermis was seen as round‐to‐polygonal bright structures in the context of a variable degree of epidermal disarray and spongiosis. Melanophages in dermis were visible as brightly refractile, plump, oval to stellate‐shaped cells. Prominent round or linear dark canalicular structures corresponded to dilated blood vessels in the superficial dermis on histopathology and appeared horizontally oriented in confocal sections.Conclusions  Reflectance confocal microscopy may represent a real‐time, non‐invasive aid to clinical diagnosis of LP. However, it might be difficult to distinguish between different subtypes of interface dermatitis. Further research, including larger case series, will better define a possible differential diagnosis of these diseases using confocal microscopy.
Introduction and evaluation of computer‐assisted education in an undergraduate dental hygiene course
Authors: Yoshida N , Aso T , Asaga T , Okawa Y , Sakamaki H , Masumoto T , Matsui K , Kinoshita A 
Published: October 2011

To cite this article:

Int J Dent Hygiene
10, 2012; 61–66  DOI: 10.1111/j.1601‐5037.2011.00528.x  Yoshida N, Aso T, Asaga T, Okawa Y, Sakamaki H, Masumoto T, Matsui, K, Kinoshita A. Introduction and evaluation of computer‐assisted education in an undergraduate dental hygieneAbstract:  Objective:  This paper introduced newly developed computer‐assisted learning materials and reports of a survey of junior college dental hygiene students who have used them. Methods:  We authored new educational material to promote students’ basic dental hygiene practice skills using a simulation software generator. A set of five developed materials were tested by 43 female second‐year dental hygiene students during the second semester at a college in Chiba, Japan. The evaluation was conducted in the form of a questionnaire including open‐ended questions. Students’ opinions were analysed using characteristic diagrams, a troubleshooting tool that can be used to visually illustrate the causes and effects of a problem. Result:  The overall results of the evaluation were positive. The students were given five sets of simulation learning materials (SLMs). Eighty‐three percent of the students felt that they could carry out independent study of clinical practice better after the virtual practice. Ninety‐three percent of them felt that the exercises should be continued in the future, and eighty‐eight percent of them felt that this virtual practice deepened their interest in other classes and training sessions. All of the students found the virtual practice beneficial for their learning. Discussion:  The present results suggest that the students became conscious of their lack of knowledge through SLMs. These findings indicate that SLMs for practicing basic clinical procedures is beneficial.