bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Re‐centring Geography: A School‐based Perspective on the Nature of the Discipline
Authors: MAUDE ALARIC 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe Australian Government is currently developing a national geography curriculum for Australian schools. The paper discusses the question of how to describe the nature of geography as a school subject, and the implications of this description for the curriculum. Geography is defined as the study of places, and its distinctiveness is identified by the main questions that geographers use to gain new knowledge and understanding. These questions are inclusive of the human‐environment interactions and spatial analysis traditions of the discipline that are often proposed as alternative ways of defining the subject, and also of the different philosophical approaches adopted by geographers to the gaining of knowledge. The discipline is further defined and described through its concepts and skills. Based on recent research on student learning, a national geography curriculum should have a balance of substantive knowledge (facts, principles and explanations) and procedural knowledge (concepts, methods, skills and ways of gaining new knowledge), and enable students to learn geography by doing it and by applying their knowledge. The content could be chosen by combining professional judgements on what topics are important for students to study, and an assessment of what topics are likely to be seen as interesting to young Australians and relevant to the adult world they are about to enter. The resulting curriculum would be integrative and eclectic, focused on the study of places and the variety of ways they can be understood, and would produce students better able to analyse and understand a range of current and future local and global issues. Such a curriculum would require adjustments in university topics, especially in first year.
Hypolithic Plants from Carruthers Peak, Snowy Mountains, New South Wales, Australia
Authors: MÜLLER GREGG 
Published: June 2009

AbstractHypolithic plants, plants growing under rocks, have been found from a number of climatically extreme, mostly arid sites from the poles to the equator, but there are limited reports from temperate zones. A brief survey in the Kosciuszko Alpine Area of New South Wales, Australia, revealed four species of moss and one liverwort growing beneath diaphanous quartz pebbles in feldmark vegetation communities. The probable restricted nature of this phenomenon and the likely impact of global warming, tourists and recreation management activities raise concerns for its conservation.
What is Waste that We Should Account for it? A Look Inside Queensland's Ecological Rucksack
Authors: KNIGHT LAURENCE 
Published: June 2009

AbstractWhile most Australians are conscious of the amount of waste that they place in garbage bins, relatively few would be aware of the waste that is generated in the course of producing the goods and services that they consume. This ‘embodied waste’ makes up a large part of the ‘ecological rucksack’ of those goods and services.This study develops a waste account for Queensland, using the ecological rucksack framework to illustrate patterns of waste production in the Australian economy. It classifies wastes both by type and broad sector of production.The study finds that the Queensland economy generated more than four billion tonnes of waste during the 2006–2007 financial year. The largest waste streams are produced at the resource extraction and distribution stages, and are predominantly materials that are disposed of without being used or are lost through inefficient use. The majority of the waste is produced upstream of the point of consumption and a large part is associated with materials produced for export.
The Evolution of Peat‐Swamp Channels and Organic Floodplains, Barrington Tops, New South Wales, Australia
Authors: NANSON R.A. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractGeomorphology, geochronology and palynology are used to assess the development and stability of two channelled swamps on the Barrington Tops plateau. While both swamps commenced peat accumulation prior to about 4000 cal BP, new stratigraphic data indicate incision between 700 and 1000 cal BP, in response to regional climate change. Two broad stratigraphic units are identified in each swamp: the upper floodplain, comprised entirely of peat, and the inset floodplain, underlain by interbedded peat and fluvial sediments. Following incision, rapid vertical growth of the inset floodplain occurred on the Barrington River between 690 and 620 cal BP, and palynological data indicate a change from more saturated pre‐incision swamp flora to less saturated post‐incision swamp flora. Bankfull stage‐height, achieved many times in a year, is remarkably consistent along the length of each swamp channel. Its elevation controls the overall elevation of the swamps by controlling the height of the water‐table and hence the growth of swamp vegetation and formation of peat. In particular, contemporary channel dimensions control the growth and height of the inset floodplain, a process that results in the formation of an organic floodplain not previously described in the geomorphic literature.
International ranking of law journals – can it be done and at what cost?
Authors: Svantesson Dan Jerker B. 
Published: June 2009

This paper discusses issues associated with international ranking of law journals. Some catalysts for the development of international journal ranking are highlighted, reasons for ranking are discussed and a range of ranking methodologies are analysed. The paper illustrates the problems associated with international journal rankings and the negative consequences that inevitably flow from such exercises.The paper was prompted by the Australian Research Council's (ARC)'s recent Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) scheme which, as one of its components, requires international journal ranking. While examples are drawn from the ERA scheme, the paper's discussion is general and much broader in scope. That is because schemes like the ERA will come and go, but the issues of international journal rankings will remain.
Facilitating best practice in aged care: exploring influential factors through critical incident technique
Authors: Janes Nadine , Fox Mary , Lowe Mandy , McGilton Kathy , Schindel‐Martin Lori 
Published: June 2009

Aim.  The focus of this study is on the perspective of facilitators of evidence‐based aged care in long‐term care (LTC) homes about the factors that influence the outcome of their efforts to encourage nursing staff use of best practice knowledge.Design.  Critical incident technique was used to examine facilitators’ experiences.Methods.  Thirty‐four participants submitted critical incident stories about their facilitation experiences through face‐to‐face interviews, telephone interviews, and/or a web‐based written questionnaire. The resultant 123 stories were analysed using an inductive qualitative approach.Results.  Factors at individual and contextual levels impacted the success of facilitators’ work. The approaches and traits of facilitators as well as the emotionality and intellectual capacity of nursing staff were the individual factors of influence. On a contextual level, the inherent leadership, culture, and workload demands within LTC homes, as well as externally imposed standards were influential.Conclusions.  Primary factors influencing the facilitation of best aged care in LTC homes appear to be largely relational in nature and intimately connected to the emotionality of those who work within these settings. Enhancing the interactional patterns amongst staff and leaders as well as promoting a positive emotional climate may be particularly effective in promoting better aged care nursing practice.
Validated RealTime reverse transcriptase PCR methods for the diagnosis and pathotyping of Eurasian H7 avian influenza viruses
Authors: Slomka Marek J. , Pavlidis Theo , Coward Vivien J. , Voermans John , Koch Guus , Hanna Amanda , Banks Jill , Brown Ian H. 
Published: June 2009

Background  Avian influenza (AI) caused by H7 AI viruses (AIVs) of both low pathogenicity (LP) and high pathogenicity (HP) are notifiable poultry diseases.Objectives  Design and validate two RealTime reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reactions (RRT PCRs) for Eurasian H7 AIV detection and pathotyping.Methods  The H7 RRT PCRs amplified within the (i) HA2 and (ii) cleavage site CS regions of the haemagglutinin gene. Both were validated against 65 H7 AIVs, 57 non‐H7 AIVs and 259 poultry swabs in comparison to M gene (AI generic) RRT PCR and virus isolation (VI). An additional 38 swabs and 20 tissue specimens extended validation against M gene RRT PCR.Results  Both H7 RRT PCRs amplified all 61 Eurasian lineage H7 AIVs and none of 57 non‐H7 AIVs. A total of 297 poultry swabs were used to determine diagnostic sensitivity and specificity relative to M gene RRT PCR, sensitivity was 95·4% and 64·6% for the HA2 and CS RRT PCRs respectively, and specificity 97·9% and 99·6% respectively. The H7 HA2 RRT PCR was more sensitive than VI. This was emphasized by analysis of 37 swabs from turkeys infected experimentally with HPAI H7N1 virus sampled at 24 hours post‐inoculation and LPAI H7N1 chicken infections sampled at 40–64 hours. Although less sensitive, usefulness of the H7 CS RRT PCR was confirmed by the correct molecular pathotyping for all 61 Eurasian lineage H7 AIVs tested.Conclusions  The high sensitivity of H7 HA2 RRT PCR confirms its suitability for use in poultry surveillance and disease diagnosis. H7 CS RRT PCR provides an opportunity for rapid pathotyping of H7 AIVs.
Association Between Lifetime Cigarette Smoking and Lewy Body Accumulation
Authors: Tsuang Debby , Larson Eric B. , Li Ge , Shofer Jane B. , Montine Kathleen S. , Thompson Mary Lou , Sonnen Joshua A. , Crane Paul K. , Leverenz James B. , Montine Thomas J. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractCigarette smoking has been associated repeatedly in observational studies with decreased risk of Parkinson's disease (PD), but its relationship to the risk of dementia or Alzheimer's disease (AD) is inconsistent. All of these studies have used clinical diagnoses of disease. We tested the hypothesis that lifetime cigarette use might be associated with reduced risk of neuropathologic changes of Lewy‐related pathology (LRP) in multiple brain regions or with reduced risk of consensus neuropathologic changes of AD in a prospective community‐based study of brain aging and dementia, the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) study. We observed that heavy lifetime cigarette smoking (>50 pack years) was associated with significantly reduced relative risk (RR) for LRP, but not AD‐type pathologic changes, after correcting for selection bias, and with significantly reduced frequency of LRP in the substantia nigra. These findings are the first of which we are aware to associate reduced LRP in human brain with any exposure, and substantiate observational studies that have associated cigarette smoking with reduced risk of PD. Although cigarette smoking is too toxic to suggest as a treatment, if confirmed, these findings may guide future therapeutic strategies that attempt to suppress LRP in human brain by other means.
Procyanidin Content of Grape Seed and Pomace, and Total Anthocyanin Content of Grape Pomace as Affected by Extrusion Processing
Authors: Khanal R.C. , Howard L.R. , Prior R.L. 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACT:  Grape juice processing by‐products, grape seed and pomace are a rich source of procyanidins, compounds that may afford protection against chronic disease. This study was undertaken to identify optimal extrusion conditions to enhance the contents of monomers and dimers at the expense of large molecular weight procyanidin oligomers and polymers in grape seed and pomace. Extrusion variables, temperature (160, 170, and 180 °C in grape seed, and 160, 170, 180, and 190 °C in pomace) and screw speed (100, 150, and 200 rpm in both) were tested using mixtures of grape seed as well as pomace with decorticated white sorghum flour at a ratio of 30 : 70 and moisture content of 45%. Samples of grape seed and pomace were analyzed for procyanidin composition before and after extrusion, and total anthocyanins were determined in pomace. Additionally, chromatograms from diol and normal phase high‐performance liquid chromatography were compared for the separation of procyanidins. Extrusion of both grape by‐products increased the biologically important monomer and dimers considerably across all temperature and screw speeds. Highest monomer content resulted when extruded at a temperature of 170 °C and screw speed of 200 rpm, which were 120% and 80% higher than the unextruded grape seed and pomace, respectively. Increases in monomer and dimer contents were apparently the result of reduced polymer contents, which declined by 27% to 54%, or enhanced extraction facilitated by disruption of the food matrix during extrusion. Extrusion processing reduced total anthocyanins in pomace by 18% to 53%.Practical Applications: Extrusion processing can be used to increase procyanidin monomer and dimer contents in grape seed and pomace. Procyanidins in grape by‐products have many health benefits, but most are present as large molecular weight compounds, which are poorly absorbed. Extrusion processing appears to be a promising technology to increase levels of the bioactive low molecular weight procyanidins.
Using taxonomic revision data to estimate the geographic and taxonomic distribution of undescribed species richness in the Braconidae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonoidea)
Authors: JONES OWEN R. , PURVIS ANDY , BAUMGART ELIGIUSZ , QUICKE DONALD L.J. 
Published: June 2009

Abstract.  1. Knowledge of global diversity patterns is important for research into the factors that shape them, and for systematic conservation planning. However, most species inventories are incomplete and biased towards conspicuous, charismatic, geographically widespread, and temperate species. These biases hamper attempts to gain a clear view of underlying diversity patterns, and compromise conservation plans that are based upon what is known.2. Here we investigate this problem using two methods to estimate species diversity in the parasitic wasp family Braconidae. The first quantifies the effect of taxonomic revisions on species numbers within genera to estimate the present level of underdescription. The second additionally considers the numbers of specimens referred to in descriptions and revisions.3. Modelling underdescription as a function of region and body size shows that research carried out thus far displays significant geographical and taxonomic biases.4. Correcting for these biases affects the distribution of inferred undiscovered diversity among braconid subfamilies and among regions, as well as the total diversity estimates for the family.5. The geographic distribution of levels of underdescription also has implications for latitudinal diversity gradients. Weak or non‐existent gradients in some taxa may be caused simply by differences in the number of undescribed species between tropical and temperate regions.6. Such analyses can enlighten researchers as to where, taxonomically and geographically, research should be directed to economically improve species richness estimates. In the case of braconid wasps the greatest gains are to be made in Africa and southern America, and for the Braconinae and Microgastrinae.
Why should clinicians understand epidemiology?
Authors: McAllister D , Wild S 
Published: June 2009

Abstract
This article summarises the importance of epidemiology to clinicians and aims to show how an understanding of epidemiological concepts can make an important contribution to optimum clinical practice in its broadest sense. Epidemiological principles can be applied to clinical practice in interpreting the results of diagnostic tests, assessing and communicating risk and prognosis, and in identifying appropriate treatment for individual patients. They are also of value to clinicians involved in planning, monitoring and improving services, teaching medical students and postgraduates, critically appraising medical literature, and undertaking or supervising research.
Chronic atrial fibrillation: a systematic review of medical heart rate control management
Authors: Nikolaidou T , Channer K S 
Published: June 2009

Abstract

Objective
Recent guidelines by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association/European Society of Cardiology (ACC/AHA/ESC) on rate control management for chronic atrial fibrillation have relegated digoxin to second line treatment, recommending instead the use of β-blockers or rate limiting calcium antagonists as first line treatment. The objective of this review is to assess the efficacy of these drugs in controlling heart rate, and in improving symptoms and exercise tolerance.

Data sources
We electronically searched the Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases, hand searched journals and relevant bibliographies for articles.

Selection of studies
We included all study designs evaluating or comparing oral digoxin, β-blockers and calcium antagonists, alone or in combination, for rate control in chronic atrial fibrillation. 46 studies satisfied our inclusion and quality criteria.

Results
Published studies are small and too heterogeneous to be quantitatively combined. Descriptive synthesis of the data shows little evidence that monotherapy with β-blockers or calcium antagonists improves symptoms or exercise capacity in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation. Instead it is associated with dose related side effects.

Conclusion
Based on the limited data available, we conclude that the combination of digoxin with either a β-blocker or calcium antagonist should be first line management in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation.
Role of cementoplasty in the management of compression vertebral body fractures
Authors: Hamady M , Sheard S 
Published: June 2009

Abstract
Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures cause pain, reduced mobility and consequently poor quality of life, and as such have a significant impact on health resources. Their prevalence can be expected to increase with the ageing population. Until recently, only conservative management has been available to alleviate pain and improve mobility. Originally developed in the 1980s to treat vascular malformation in the spine, vertebroplasty offers an interventional method for improving symptoms of vertebral compression fractures. Percutaneous vertebroplasty involves stabilisation of the fractured vertebral body using cement which is introduced via a needle under image guidance. Kyphoplasty is a more recent development in which a balloon is inflated within the fractured vertebral body in order to correct any loss of height before cement stabilisation. There is a lack of major randomised controlled trials on either procedure at present, but evidence of their safety and efficacy is increasing, suggesting that both are more effective than conservative management, with low risk of complications.
Knowledge and attitudes of breast self examination in a group of women in Shiraz, southern Iran
Authors: Simi A , Yadollahie M , Habibzadeh F 
Published: June 2009

Abstract

Background
Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer related deaths among women worldwide. The disease in women occurs at a younger age in Iran than in western communities.

Objective
To determine the practice of breast self examination (BSE) among 25–54-year-old women in Shiraz, southern Iran.

Methods
Using a stratified convenient sampling method, a total of 300 women aged 25–54 years who attended our health care centre between September 2006 and May 2007 were invited for an interview on BSE. All invited women accepted and were interviewed. The questions included demographic information, level of education, whether the participant performed BSE and, if yes, how and when. They were also asked about their source of information.

Results
The median (interquartile range (IQR)) age of participants was 38.5 (14) years. Of the 300 studied women, 283 (94.3%) were married; 160 (53.3%) performed BSE—9 (5.6%) of whom did BSE using a correct method and at an appropriate time. Of 140 non-performers, 74 (52.9%) did not know how to do BSE; the remaining women did not do BSE for fear of being found positive for cancer or did not care about it. Those who performed BSE learned it from medical personnel (n = 72, 49.4%), their relatives, and TV, radio, books, journals and pamphlets. Of those who performed BSE, 9 (5.6%) found an abnormal examination; 6 (3.8%) were found positive after further evaluation. The likelihood of performing BSE was not associated with educational level, marital status, age of participant, or how the participant learned about BSE.

Conclusions
Considering that 46.7% of participants did not perform BSE, and that almost all of those who did perform BSE did it incorrectly—and taking into account that a lack of knowledge on how to perform BSE was the main reason why most non-performers did not examine themselves—establishing educational programmes to teach women at risk may help in the early diagnosis of breast cancer.
Drug induced parkinsonism: a common cause of parkinsonism in older people
Authors: Thanvi B , Treadwell S 
Published: June 2009

Abstract
Drug induced parkinsonism is the second most common cause of parkinsonism in older people after idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD). Risk factors for developing drug induced parkinsonism include: older age; female gender; dose and duration of treatment; type of agent used; cognitive impairment; acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS); tardive dyskinesia; and pre-existing extrapyramidal disorder. In most patients parkinsonism is reversible upon stopping the offending drug, though it may take several months to resolve fully and in some patients it may even persist. In this case, one needs to consider the possibility of PD which has been unmasked by the offending drug, and treatment with dopaminergic agents may be warranted. Drug induced parkinsonism adversely affects the quality of life in older patients and is potentially reversible, highlighting the importance of early recognition of this condition. This article discusses the drugs implicated, as well as the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical features, and management of drug induced parkinsonism.
Natriuretic peptides and heart failure in the patient with chronic kidney disease: a review of current evidence
Authors: Dhar S , Pressman G S , Subramanian S , Kaul S , Gollamudi S , Bloom E J , Figueredo V M 
Published: June 2009

Abstract
Natriuretic peptides such as brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal pro-BNP (NT-proBNP) are commonly used in the diagnosis and evaluation of heart failure. However, their utility in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is less clear as renal dysfunction itself can be associated with elevated concentrations of these biomarkers. Given the high prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy and left ventricular systolic dysfunction in patients with CKD, diagnosis or exclusion of heart failure becomes important in this population. Most studies to date indicate that upward adjustment of diagnostic cut points preserves the usefulness of both BNP and NT-proBNP in the CKD patient, with similar clinical performance of each biomarker. We review the role of natriuretic peptide in heart failure in the setting of chronic renal disease.