bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Schistosoma mansoni: signal transduction processes during the development of the reproductive organs
Authors: BECKMANN S. , QUACK T. , BURMEISTER C. , BURO C. , LONG T. , DISSOUS C. , GREVELDING C. G. 
Published: February 2010

SUMMARYAmong the topics of considerable interest concerning our understanding of the unusual biology of schistosomes is the sexual maturation of the female. The identification of genes coding for signal transduction proteins controlling essential steps of the pairing-dependent differentiation of the reproductive organs, vitellarium and ovary will help to substantiate our knowledge about this unique parasite. Furthermore, such signalling proteins could be potential targets to interfere with the development of this parasite to combat schistosomiasis since its pathology is caused by the eggs. This review summarises first post-genomic steps to elucidate the function of gonad-specific signalling molecules which were identified by homology-based cloning strategies, byin silicoidentification or by yeast two-hybrid interaction analyses, using a combination of novel techniques. These include thein vitroculture of adult schistosomes, their treatment with chemical inhibitors to block enzyme activity, the use of RNAi to silence gene function post-transcriptionally, and confocal laser scanning microscopy to study the morphological consequences of these experimental approaches. Finally, we propose a first model of protein networks that are active in the ovary regulating mitogenic activity and differentiation. Some of these molecules are also active in the testes of males, probably fulfilling similar roles as in the ovary.
Exploring perspectives of environmental best management practices in Thai agriculture: an application of Q-methodology
Authors: BUMBUDSANPHAROKE WIMOLPAT , MORAN DOMINIC , HALL CLARE 
Published: February 2010

SUMMARYIn Thailand, horticultural practices are a significant source of non-point source (NPS) pollution, and the government is considering best management practices (BMPs) as control measures for reducing agricultural NPS pollution to water. A prevailing assumption that farmers’ reactions to regulations will be homogenous is not based on underlying insights into attitudinal positions that may explain alternative behavioural responses. This paper uses Q-methodology to identify attitudinal discourses relating to BMP uptake. The approach combines the strengths of qualitative and quantitative research in order to explore subjectivity. The study is conducted with citrus growers in the Ping river basin, where farmers are facing increasing competition from alternative water uses. Four ‘discourses’ or viewpoints are identified, namely conservationist, traditionalist, disinterested and risk-averse. The different attitudes of these four groups are likely to be associated with distinctive behavioural reactions to the adoption of alternative policy instruments for pollution control. These discourses could usefully inform targeted policies for the control of NPS pollution from agriculture.
Deforestation and forest degradation as measures of Popa Mountain Park (Myanmar) effectiveness
Authors: HTUN NAING ZAW , MIZOUE NOBUYA , KAJISA TSUYOSHI , YOSHIDA SHIGEJIRO 
Published: February 2010

SUMMARYThe effectiveness of protected areas (PAs) has often been measured by comparing deforestation or land cover loss before and after PA establishment or within and outside the PA. Such evaluations ignore forest degradation or the decline in quality of the ecological values of the forest. Landsat image processing and geographical information systems were used to study forest cover changes in and around Popa Mountain Park (central Myanmar). Deforestation inside the Park was lower than outside the Park, but forest degradation, namely the net area that changed from dense forest to open forest, within the Park had grown at rates exceeding those outside the Park. The effectiveness of the PA was overestimated by adopting deforestation as the only indicator of conservation effectiveness. Forest degradation studies can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of PAs.
Multivalued action languages with constraints in CLP(FD)
Authors: DOVIER AGOSTINO , FORMISANO ANDREA , PONTELLI ENRICO 
Published: February 2010

AbstractAction description languages, such asand ℬ (Gelfond and Lifschitz,Electronic Transactions on Artificial Intelligence, 1998, vol. 2, pp. 193—210), are expressive instruments introduced for formalizing planning domains and planning problem instances. The paper starts by proposing a methodology to encode an action language (with conditional effects and static causal laws), a slight variation of ℬ, usingConstraint Logic Programming over Finite Domains. The approach is then generalized to raise the use of constraints to the level of the action language itself. A prototype implementation has been developed, and the preliminary results are presented and discussed.
Structural results for free Araki–Woods factors and their continuous cores
Authors: Houdayer Cyril 
Published: February 2010

AbstractWe show that for any type III1free Araki–Woods factor$\mathcal{M}$=(HR, Ut)″ associated with an orthogonal representation(Ut)ofRon a separable real Hilbert spaceHR, the continuous coreM=$\mathcal{M}$⋊σRis a semisolid II∞factor, i.e. for any non-zero finite projectionq∈M, the II1factorqM qis semisolid. If the representation(Ut)is moreover assumed to be mixing, then we prove that the coreMis solid. As an application, we construct an example of a non-amenable solid II1factorNwith full fundamental group, i.e.$\mathcal{F}$(N) =R*+, which is not isomorphic to any interpolated free group factorL(Ft), for 1 <t≤ = +∞.
The special case of complicated grief in women at high risk for breast cancer
Authors: Wellisch David K. , Cohen Marie M. 
Published: February 2010

AbstractObjective:Exploration of complicated grief focusing on the relationship of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complicated grief in a population of women at high risk for developing breast cancer. Special reference is made to women who have experienced a material death.Method:We reflected on the clinical attributes of the Revlon UCLA High Risk Clinic population in terms of their own perceived risk of developing breast cancer. For part of our population, their perceived risk was coupled with their reactions to the loss of their mothers to breast cancer. We compared and contrasted this pattern of reactions to those described by Licihtenthal et al. (2004) in their developmental review of complicated grief as a distinct disorder.Results:We concluded that our population of women differed from Lichtenthal et al.'s (2004) model for complicated grief. Lichtenthal's group postulated that the key element of complicated grief involves the protracted nature of separation anxiety and distress and excludes PTSD. In our populations, the daughter with complicated grief experiences a combination of separation anxiety and a type of PTSD involving anxiety over the perceived certainty of her own future diagnosis of breast cancer. It was noteworthy that Lichtenthal's model population was composed of individuals caring for terminally ill spouses. Significantly, the spousal caretakers did not have an ongoing genetic link to their partners whereas our population is genetically linked. We postulate that this accounts for the unique presentation of complicated grief and PTSD in our population.Significance of results:We submit that this combination of complicated grief and PTSD requires a cognitive reframing of thier perceived inevitability of developing breast cancer and desensitization techniques to help high risk women pursue preventative health care rather than avoiding it.
Beyond communication: The development of a training program for hospital and hospice staff in the detection and management of psychological distress—Preliminary results
Authors: Jenkins Kate , Alberry Beccy , Daniel Jane , Dixie Laura , North Vivien , Patterson Lawrence , Pestell Sarah , North Nigel 
Published: February 2010

AbstractObjective:In the United Kingdom, a Four-Tier Model of Psychological Support has been recommended for all patients with cancer and their families. This model suggests that staff at Tier 2, such as nurses, doctors, and allied health professionals, should be proficient in screening for psychological distress and intervening with techniques such as psycho-education and problem solving. Research has suggested that although communication skills training is essential for staff working in cancer services, it does not necessarily improve the detection of specific psychological disorder or staff confidence in intervening with highly distressed patients. The objective was therefore to design a training program that addressed this deficit and was easily accessible to hospital staff.Method:. A training package was developed to train staff in the recommended skills. A literature review of teaching modalities and the effectiveness of different formats was conducted. A four-session program was developed, to be administered by staff at Tiers 3 and 4 of the model, such as clinical psychologists and counsellors.Results:Over 3 years, 255 sets of data were collected from staff who attended the course. Precourse, postcourse, and 6-month follow-up data were collected through the use of confidence questionnaires, developed from the literature. The data show a significant improvement in staff confidence across all domains measured, including confidence in the detection and management of psychological distress (p =.0001).Significance of results:Although the results have limitations and the data are subjective, we can conclude that this course significantly improves staff confidence in dealing with psychological distress and that this increased confidence is maintained over a 6-month follow-up period.
Multiple evaluation of a hospital-based palliative care consultation team in a university hospital: Activities, patient outcome, and referring staff's view
Authors: Sasahara Tomoyo , Miyashita Mitsunori , Umeda Megumi , Higuchi Hitomi , Shinoda Junko , Kawa Masako , Kazuma Keiko 
Published: February 2010

AbstractObjective:Although the number of hospital-based palliative care consultation teams (PCCTs) is rapidly increasing in Japan, there is limited information available concerning the activities and usefulness of PCCT in the country. The aim of this study is to clarify the activities, patient outcome, and referring staff's view of an established PCCT in Japan.Method:This was a prospective study to follow patients referred to a PCCT for 28 days over a 1-year period. Patients were assessed by the Support Team Assessment Schedule–Japanese version (STAS-J) and EORTC QLQ C-30 at the time of referral and on days 7, 14, and 28. A staff survey was implemented using a questionnaire after each observation period.Results:Of 180 patients referred, 53 patients were eligible for the study. Although the median of the number of the reasons for referral was 1, the PCCT provided several kinds of support: pain management, 94%; emotional support for the patient, 49%; and emotional support for the family, 36%. On day 7 after referral, of the items of STAS-J and the EORTC QLQ C-30 subscales, only insomnia improved significant whereas “other physical symptoms” and constipation were significantly exacerbated. In the staff survey, of the 98 respondents, more than 90% considered the effect of the PCCT as “excellent” or “good” and were satisfied with the support provided.Significance of results:This study showed that the PCCT performed comprehensive assessments on referred patients and provided extra support. No patient's QOL 1 week after referral was improved with the exception of insomnia. Referring staff highly evaluated the activities of the PCCT. In the evaluation of PCCTs, further research about the variation of clinical activities of PCCTs, their applicability, and benefit is needed.
Do palliative patients and carers agree about patients' psychological functioning?
Authors: Robinson Julie Ann , Crawford Gregory Brian 
Published: February 2010

AbstractObjective:Palliative care clinicians and researchers often seek information about patients from informants. This research examines the extent of agreement between information from patients and family caregivers who were asked to serve as collateral sources of information about the patient.Method:Sixty-six patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers participated in the study. Two measurement contexts were examined: Direct observation of patients' cognitive performance (Mini-Mental State Examination) was compared with carers' subjective reports about patients' everyday cognition (Cognitive Decline subscale of the Psychogeriatric Assessment Scale), and subjective reports about patient depression were compared between patients and carers who completed parallel forms of the same scale (Geriatric Depression Scale and Geriatric Depression Scale–Collateral Source, respectively). The relationship between patient-completed and carer-completed measures was examined in four ways: the correlation between total scores in the sample, agreement about the prevalence of impaired functioning and of specific symptoms in the sample, agreement concerning whether particular patients showed impaired functioning, and agreement about the presence or absence of a specific symptom for a particular patient.Results:Although most measures of agreement showed that information provided by patients and carers was related, the magnitude of discrepancies was substantial.Significance of results:There was no empirical justification for substituting information from a collateral source for information provided by the patient for any of the measures of agreement for either cognition or depression. The use of information from collateral sources is most appropriate when information from the patient is likely to be incomplete or inaccurate, when insight into caregivers' needs or understanding is sought, and when using a multi-informant approach to assessment.
Acting Locally, Thinking Globally: One Geology?
Authors: Jackson Ian 
Published: February 2010

Geological survey organizations around the world are responsible for geological data for their own countries, but until recently those data had never been made accessible worldwide. This raised the question of whether we really do have a holistic understanding of the geology of our planet—one geology. OneGeology (http://www.onegeology.org) is a global venture created to increase the accessibility of geological map data and make them available on the Web. Geological survey organizations from 113 countries are currently participating in OneGeology, and to date more than 40 of those organizations are serving geological data to a dedicated Web map portal (see Figure 1).Since its inception in February 2006, OneGeology has been extremely successful. A growing number of geological survey organizations are contributing data and through the project have developed the know‐how to do so; the initiative has raised the profile of and moved forward interoperability in the geosciences; scientists and educators around the world have made innovative use of the newly accessible data; and the initiative has received much positive publicity. The reason for the success of OneGeology since its inception lies in its three unifying goals: (1) to make existing geological map data Web accessible; (2) to transfer know‐how to the developing world; and (3) to accelerate the progress of an emerging geoscience data interchange standard. As a result of the publicity and media profile of the initiative, a fourth goal has been added: to use OneGeology to raise the public profile and understanding of geoscience.
Comment on “Developing and Implementing an Effective Public Outreach Program”
Authors: O'Neill Michael , Dobrowslki James , Gold Arthur , Blewett Thomas , Waskom Reagan 
Published: February 2010

We commend and thank J. A. Harrison et al. for the feature article “Developing and implementing an effective public outreach program” (see Eos, 90(38), 333–334, 22 September 2009), which brought attention to a critical component of knowledge development, namely, effective outreach. We strongly support their recommendations. Here we offer additional suggestions and sources of programming resources that may assist young scientists interested in involving stakeholders in research and extension‐outreach programs.Since 2001 the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), in partnership with land grant universities, has developed and implemented a national network of regionally integrated water quality research and outreach programs through the National Integrated Water Quality Program (NIWQP). Engaging young, research‐oriented faculty into these outreach programs has been a challenge and a priority of NIFA programs. Through its regional network, the NIWQP has developed standing teams of extension‐outreach professionals and researchers who can provide logistical support and leveraging funds for young faculty to identify and connect with stakeholders. Standing teams assist young investigators in planning/assessment methods to ensure that outreach activities address stakeholder needs and progress toward a set of defined outcomes or impacts.
Working Toward a Common Strategy for U.K. Sediment Transport Research: U.K. Sediment Initiative 2009: Developing Multidisciplinary Sediment Dynamics Research in a Strategic Context; Liverpool, United Kingdom, 27–29 April 2009
Authors: Souza Alejandro J. , Bell Paul S. , Amoudry Laurent 
Published: February 2010

A workshop funded by the U.K. Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) brought together U.K.‐ based researchers, stakeholders, and policy makers with an interest in sediment processes to foster collaborative links and to help NERC theme leaders develop future Theme Action Plans (TAPs). This could be achieved only by identifying gaps in knowledge and prioritizing research needs toward formulating a U.K. sediment transport research strategy. More than 50 participants from NERC research and collaborative centers, U.K. higher education institution researchers, industry consultants, and government departments and agencies attended the workshop.The workshop was divided into three parts. First, in an introduction, guest speakers discussed the importance of sediment transport from different perspectives. The speakers included Darius Campbell (U.K. Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs) on policy drivers, Richard Whitehouse (HR Wallingford, Ltd.) and David Lambkin (ABPMer, Ltd.) on industry needs, John Rees (NERC theme leader) on the NERC TAPs and possible funding opportunities, Alan Davies (University of Bangor) on the academic research perspective, and Chris Sherwood (U.S. Geological Survey) on international insight on large sediment transport projects and on developments of the U.S. National Community Sediment Transport Model project. Second, in a series of breakout sessions, participants considered the stakeholders' needs, the different dynamic areas of the coastal ocean, and the process time scales. Third, the workshop group discussed possible funding streams and ways to better formulate a concerted research plan for presentation to funding bodies.
Effects of Lightning in the Upper Atmosphere: AGU Chapman Conference on Effects of Thunderstorms and Lightning in the Upper Atmosphere; University Park, Pennsylvania, 10–14 May 2009
Authors: Sentman Davis D. , Pasko Victor P. , Morrill Jeff S. 
Published: February 2010

The serendipitous observation in 1989 of electrical discharge in the high atmosphere induced by thundercloud lightning launched a new field of geophysical investigation. From this single unexpected observation sprang a vigorous and fertile new research field that simultaneously encompasses geophysical disciplines that are normally pursued independently, such as meteorology and lightning, plasma and gas discharge physics, atmospheric chemistry, ionospheric physics, and energetic particle physics.Transient electrical discharge in the upper atmosphere spans the full range of altitudes between the tropopause and the ionosphere and takes a variety of forms that carry the whimsical names red sprites, blue jets, gigantic jets, elves (emissions of light and very low frequency perturbations from electromagnetic pulse sources), and sprite halos, collectively known as transient luminous events (TLEs). To date, TLEs have been observed from ground and airborne or space borne platforms above thunderstorm systems worldwide, and radio observations made concomitantly with optical observations have shown that they are produced by the transient far fields of thundercloud lightning. TLEs appear to be large‐scale (tens of kilometers in dimension), upper atmospheric versions of conventional gas discharge akin to weakly ionized, collision‐dominated systems found in laboratory discharge devices (millimeter‐centimeter dimensions), with characteristic energies of a few electron volts. The dominant physical processes have been identified as described by the familiar kinetic theory of the photochemistry of the upper atmosphere, but with electric field—driven electron impact ionization playing the role of photolysis or energetic precipitating particle—induced ionization.
AMD biofilms: using model communities to study microbial evolution and ecological complexity in nature
Authors: Denef Vincent J , Mueller Ryan S , Banfield Jillian F 
Published: February 2010

Abstract
Similar to virtually all components of natural environments, microbial systems are inherently complex and dynamic. Advances in cultivation-independent molecular methods have provided a route to study microbial consortia in their natural surroundings and to begin resolving the community structure, dominant metabolic processes and inter-organism interactions. However, the utility of these methods generally scales inversely with community complexity. By applying genomics-enabled methods to the study of natural microbial communities with reduced levels of species richness, a relatively comprehensive understanding of the metabolic networks and evolutionary processes within these communities can be attained. In such well-defined model systems, it is also possible to link emergent ecological patterns to their molecular and evolutionary underpinnings, facilitating construction of predictive ecosystem models. In this study, we review over a decade of research on one such system—acid mine drainage biofilm communities. We discuss the value and limitations of tractable model microbial communities in developing molecular methods for microbial ecology and in uncovering principles that may explain behavior in more complex systems.