bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Importance of climatic and environmental change in the demography of a multi‐brooded passerine, the woodlark Lullula arborea
Authors: Wright Lucy J. , Hoblyn Ron A. , Green Rhys E. , Bowden Christopher G. R. , Mallord John W. , Sutherland William J. , Dolman Paul M. 
Published: July 2009

Summary 1.
We examined the influence of local weather conditions on reproductive success, timing of breeding and survival in a population of a multi‐brooded ground nesting passerine (woodlark Lullula arborea) over 35 years. 2.  Woodlarks laid larger clutches when rainfall was low and temperature high during the egg‐laying and pre‐laying period. Nest success increased with higher temperatures during the nesting period. In successful nests, the number of chicks fledged per egg laid was greater when weather was drier during the brood stage. 3.  Although woodlarks bred earlier in years with warmer early spring temperatures, with the onset of breeding varying by 25 days, there was no significant advance in the onset of breeding over the 35 years of study, due to considerable inter‐annual variability, and no overall trend, in weather. 4.  Simulation modelling of annual reproductive output demonstrated that earlier breeding could increase productivity by 23·5% in the warmest compared to the coldest year, due to birds having more nesting attempts. Other effects of weather on productivity affected breeding output to a lesser extent. 5.  Effects of weather on productivity were minor compared to an increased rate of nest predation through the period of study, which reduced productivity by 49·8% by 2004 compared to 1971. 6.  Turning points analysis identified three distinct demographic periods: from1971 to 1988 the population grew slowly, during 1988–1999 the population grew rapidly, but after 1999 the population declined. Increased population growth after 1988 was associated with higher first‐year survival rates (estimated using a population model). Population decline after 1999 was caused by a combination of reduced productivity (resulting from increased nest failure rates attributed to predation) and lower first‐year survival rates, that appear unrelated to winter temperature. 7.  Climate change (long‐term changes in weather) did not explain the marked changes observed in the population trajectory over 35 years. We suggest that understanding effects of both climate and habitat change on populations is essential in predictive population modelling.
Spatial scale and opportunities for choice influence browsing and associational refuges of focal plants
Authors: Miller Alison M. , McArthur Clare , Smethurst Philip J. 
Published: July 2009

Summary 1. Foraging decisions by herbivores depend on variation in food types, the scale(s) at which this variation occurs and the opportunity and capacity for herbivores to respond to such variation. These decisions affect not only the herbivores themselves, but also the vulnerability of individual plants to being eaten. Associational plant refuges, in which neighbouring plants alter focal plant vulnerability, are an emergent property of foraging decisions. 2. Using the red‐bellied pademelon (Thylogale billardierii) as a model generalist mammalian herbivore, we investigated the spatial scale(s) at which animals made foraging decisions and the resultant effect on focal plant vulnerability. In a replicated design, we varied vegetation at the individual plant scale, generating intraspecific differences in Eucalyptus nitens seedlings by altering their nutrient status (high, low). We varied vegetation at the patch scale, in which seedlings were planted, using high‐ (grass) and low‐ (herbicided) quality patches. Animals were allowed to choose where they fed and what they ate. Animal behaviour was recorded and intake of seedlings measured. 3. We found that animals made foraging decisions first at the patch scale then at the scale of individual plants; both patch and focal seedling characteristics influenced browsing. Pademelons spent most of their time in high‐quality patches, and seedlings were consequently more vulnerable there than in low‐quality patches. Pademelons also ate more foliage from high‐ than from low‐nutrient status seedlings. This behaviour concentrated resources, increasing foraging efficiency and making focal plants more vulnerable to browsing. 4. The opportunity and capacity to choose at both plant and patch scales resulted in a pattern of focal plant vulnerability consistent with the repellent‐plant hypothesis. This contrasts with our previous study, in which animals were only provided with choice at the plant level and plant vulnerability followed the attractant‐decoy hypothesis. These combined results demonstrate that the influence of neighbouring vegetation on consumption of a focal plant depends on the spatial scale of selection and on opportunities (and capacity) for herbivores to choose.
The biogeography of avian extinctions on oceanic islands revisited
Authors: Blackburn Tim M. , Cassey Phillip , Evans Karl L. , Gaston Kevin J. , Duncan Richard P. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractA recent paper by Karels et al., ‘The biogeography of avian extinctions on oceanic islands’ (Journal of Biogeography, 2008, 35, 1106–1111), uses structural equation modelling to assess the causes of the number of island bird species driven extinct in the historical period. Here, we critically assess the conclusions of the paper and argue that it does not provide the new insights into the causes of extinction in island birds that its authors claim.
Effects of Meridian acupressure for stroke patients in Korea
Authors: Kang Hyun Sook , Sok Sohyune R , Kang Ji Soon 
Published: July 2009

Aim.  To examine the effects of Meridian acupressure on the functions of affected upper extremities, activity of daily living and depression for stroke patients.Background.  The handicaps of stroke patients necessitate multidisciplinary rehabilitation, which is aimed at decreasing the consequences of the illness in daily functions. In traditional Chinese medicine, Meridian acupressure has been used for rehabilitation of affected upper extremities of hemiplegia stroke patients in clinical practice.Design.  Randomised clinical trial.Method.  Sample was 56 consecutive stroke patients in K Oriental hospital. Meridian acupressure was applied every day for 10 min per time in the experimental group (28 subjects) for two weeks. Routine care only was applied in the control group (28 subjects). Measures were a hand dynamometer for grip power, a 15‐point graphic rating scale for pain, the distance round the index finger for oedema, electrogoniometry for the passive ROM of the upper extremities, the activity of daily living scale for activity of daily living and the six‐face rating scale for depression. Data were collected from March 2003–September 2004.Results.  There were significant differences in functions of affected upper extremities, activity of daily living and depression between experimental and control group.Conclusions.  Meridian acupressure was an effective intervention for improving the movement of the affected upper extremities, increasing activity of daily living and decreasing depression of hemiplegia stroke patients.Relevance to clinical practice.  Health professionals need to consider an array of methods including Meridian acupressure for the rehabilitation of stroke patients. Meridian acupressure has the potential as an alternative nursing intervention for multidisciplinary rehabilitation of stroke patients in practice.
Experiences of counselling in the emergency department during the waiting period: importance of family participation
Authors: Paavilainen Eija , Salminen‐Tuomaala Mari , Kurikka Sirpa , Paussu Paula 
Published: July 2009

Aim.  To describe patients’ experiences of counselling, defined as information giving and advice by nursing staff, in the emergency department. A particular focus was on the waiting period and on the importance of family participation in counselling.Background.  Counselling is a widely studied topic in nursing. Too little is known about counselling in emergency departments and especially about participation of family members and suitability of counselling for the patient’s life situation.Design.  Descriptive quantitative study.Methods.  Data were collected by questionnaires from patients (n = 107) visiting a hospital emergency department. The data were subjected to statistical analysis.Results.  Forty‐two per cent of patients arrived at the emergency department with a family member: spouse or cohabiting partner, mother, father or daughter. Patients were fairly satisfied with the counselling. The presence of a family member was important to the majority of patients (75%). About half of the patients wanted information concerning their illness, condition and treatment to be given to their family members. Those visiting the department with a family member were more satisfied with counselling and felt that it promoted their participation in care.Conclusion.  It is to encourage patients’ family members to participate in counselling situations in emergency departments. However, the type of information passed on to family members should be carefully discussed and prepared.Relevance to clinical practice.  Patients’ family members seem to be important partners in counselling situations. The presence of family members supports patients in the emergency department during the waiting period and helps them orientate in their situation. When family members are present, issues which patients wish to discuss should be carefully planned. Family presence should be encouraged in emergency departments.
Efficacy of progressive muscle relaxation training in reducing anxiety in patients with acute schizophrenia
Authors: Chen Wen‐Chun , Chu Hsin , Lu Ru‐Band , Chou Yuan‐Hwa , Chen Chung‐Hua , Chang Yue‐Cune , O’Brien Anthony Paul , Chou Kuei‐Ru 
Published: July 2009

Aim and objectives.  The objective of this study was to examine the efficacy of progressive muscle relaxation training on anxiety in patients with acute schizophrenia.Background.  Many empirical studies have found progressive muscle relaxation training beneficial in reducing the psychological effects of anxiety. Progressive muscle relaxation training is also effective in reducing the distress symptoms associated with the symptomatology of schizophrenia.Design.  An experimental randomised controlled trial using repeated measures.Method.  The study was designed to examine the effects of progressive muscle relaxation training on patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Study participants were acute psychiatric inpatients in Taiwan. Eighteen patients were block randomised and then assigned to an experimental or control group. The experimental group received progressive muscle relaxation training and the control group received a placebo intervention. Results from the Beck anxiety inventory were compared between groups as a pretest before intervention, on day 11 of intervention and one week post‐test after the intervention was completed. Changes in finger temperature were measured throughout the experiment.Results.  The degree of anxiety improvement was significantly higher in the progressive muscle relaxation training group than in the control group after progressive muscle relaxation training intervention (p < 0·0001) and at follow‐up (p = 0·0446; the mean BAI score fell from 16·4 pretest to −5·8 post‐test. After adjusting for the change in patient finger temperature, the mean change in temperature was significantly different between the two patient groups. The average body temperature increased significantly after applying the progressive muscle relaxation training to patients with schizophrenia.Conclusion.  This study demonstrated that progressive muscle relaxation training can effectively alleviate anxiety in patients with schizophrenia.Relevance to clinical practice.  Progressive muscle relaxation training is potentially an effective nursing intervention in the reduction of anxiety in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, depending on the quality of their mental status at the time of intervention. Progressive muscle relaxation training is a useful intervention as it is proven to reduce anxiety levels across a spectrum of psychiatric disorders.
Effectiveness of applying progressive muscle relaxation technique on quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Ghafari Somayeh , Ahmadi Fazlolah , Nabavi Masoud , Anoshirvan Kazemnejad , Memarian Robabe , Rafatbakhsh Mohamad 
Published: July 2009

Aims and objectives.  To identify the effects of applying Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique on Quality of Life of patients with multiple Sclerosis.Background.  In view of the growing caring options in Multiple Sclerosis, improvement of quality of life has become increasingly relevant as a caring intervention. Complementary therapies are widely used by multiple sclerosis patients and Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique is a form of complementary therapies.Design.  Quasi‐experimental study.Method.  Multiple Sclerosis patients (n = 66) were selected with no probability sampling then assigned to experimental and control groups (33 patients in each group). Means of data collection included: Individual Information Questionnaire, SF‐8 Health Survey, Self‐reported checklist. PMRT performed for 63 sessions by experimental group during two months but no intervention was done for control group. Statistical analysis was done by SPSS software.Results.  Student t‐test showed that there was no significant difference between two groups in mean scores of health‐related quality of life before the study but this test showed a significant difference between two groups, one and two months after intervention (p < 0·05). anova test with repeated measurements showed that there is a significant difference in mean score of whole and dimensions of health‐related quality of life between two groups in three times (p < 0·05).Conclusions.  Although this study provides modest support for the effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique on quality of life of multiple sclerosis patients, further research is required to determine better methods to promote quality of life of patients suffer multiple sclerosis and other chronic disease.Relevance to clinical practice.  Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique is practically feasible and is associated with increase of life quality of multiple sclerosis patients; so that health professionals need to update their knowledge about complementary therapies.
Living with hepatitis C and treatment: the personal experiences of patients
Authors: Sgorbini Myra , O’Brien Louise , Jackson Debra 
Published: July 2009

Aim.  The purpose of the study was to explore the issues surrounding chronic hepatitis C, combination therapy and its impact on personal relationships to enhance understanding of the experiences of patients living with hepatitis C. This paper focuses on the experiences of the patients and their partners’ experiences will be published separately.Background.  Patients with chronic hepatitis C who have active inflammatory changes on liver biopsy may undergo combination therapy with interferon and ribavirin. For some patients, the adverse effects of combination therapy are so severe that it can potentially place an enormous stress on personal relationships.Design.  The study was informed by Heideggerian phenomenology.Methods.  Purposive sampling and semi‐structured interviews of five patients and their partners were conducted between 2004–2006 in Sydney Australia, to obtain a rich description of their experiences.Results.  The findings from this study revealed that chronic hepatitis C and combination therapy had an enormous impact on the lives of the patients, their partners and families. The illness and treatment had significant physiological effects that had an impact on quality of life; however, the social and psychological consequences of living with a highly stigmatised disease with an unknown course and outcome cannot be underestimated.Conclusion.  The results of this study lend support to the effectiveness of providing equitable services to persons diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C. However, additional research is needed to explore gender, socioeconomic, sexual‐orientation, transmission, cultural, religious and genotype differences in this group to address their needs better.Relevance to clinical practice.  Nurses play a significant role in educating patients with chronic hepatitis C, advocating for them and helping them to achieve a reasonable state of well being. Through deeper understanding of their experiences of illness and treatment, nurses can move beyond the medical oriented approach to care.
Regulatory T Cells in children with intestinal parasite infection
Authors: GARCÍA‐HERNÁNDEZ M. H. , ALVARADO‐SÁNCHEZ B. , CALVO‐TURRUBIARTES M. Z. , SALGADO‐BUSTAMANTE M. , RODRÍGUEZ‐PINAL C. Y. , GÁMEZ‐LÓPEZ L. R. , GONZÁLEZ‐AMARO R. , PORTALES‐PÉREZ D. P. 
Published: July 2009

SummaryChronic intestinal parasite infection can induce both persistent immune activation and defective responsiveness of T cells. This study aimed to assess the number and function of T regulatory (Treg) cells in children with intestinal parasite infection. We have studied the peripheral blood from 93 children, 53 of them parasitized with protozoa, helminths, or both; the remainder were non parasitized, healthy controls. The number and function of CD4+ CD25high and CD4+ Foxp3+ cells were similar in parasitized and control children. In contrast, there was a significant increase in the levels of CD3+ CD69+, CD4+ CTLA‐4+, and CD8+ CD28− T cells in helminth infected children. Moreover, some of these patients showed a diminished response to CD3/CD28 stimulation in comparison with the control children. Our data strongly suggest that whilst Treg cells are not affected by intestinal parasite infection, CD3+ CD69+, CD4+ CTLA‐4+ and CD8+ CD28− lymphocytes may play an important, but as yet undetermined role in the diminished immune competence observed in parasitized children.
IL‐4−/− mice with lethal Mesocestoides corti infections – reduced Th2 cytokines and alternatively activated macrophages
Authors: O’CONNELL A. E. , KEREPESI L. A. , VANDERGRIFT G. L. , HERBERT D. R. , VAN WINKLE T. J. , HOOPER D. C. , PEARCE E. J. , ABRAHAM D. 
Published: July 2009

SummaryProtection against Mesocestoides corti, a cestode that invades vital organs, is dependent on the production of IL‐4, as IL‐4−/− mice were found to have higher parasite burdens when compared with wild‐type mice. The goal of this study was to investigate the role of IL‐4 in immunity to M. corti, focusing on the immunological profile and on potential mediators of pathology. IL‐4−/− mice infected with M. corti showed 100% mortality by 32 days, whereas wild‐type mice survived for approximately 1 year. Parasite burdens were significantly increased in the liver, peritoneal, and thoracic cavities of IL‐4−/− mice, associated with impaired recruitment of inflammatory cells and a reduction in monocytes and macrophages. IL‐5 production by splenocytes and expression in liver tissue was decreased in infected IL‐4−/− mice compared with wild‐type mice. In contrast, IL‐4−/− mice produced increased amounts of IFNγ and TNFα. Alternatively activated macrophages were a major feature of liver granulomas in wild‐type mice evidenced by Arginase I expression, while livers from infected IL‐4−/− mice showed impaired alternative macrophage activation without increased classical macrophage activation. Thus, lethality during M. corti infection of IL‐4−/− mice is associated with decreased Th2 cytokines, increased Th1 cytokines and impairment of alternatively activated macrophages.
Perineural invasion is a prognostic factor for biochemical failure after radical prostatectomy
Authors: Jeon Hwang Gyun , Bae Jungbum , Yi Jun‐Seok , Hwang In Sik , Lee Sang Eun , Lee Eunsik 
Published: July 2009

Objectives:  To identify the prognostic significance of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and perineural invasion (PNI) in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer.Methods:  Overall, 237 patients who had undergone radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer between 1995 and 2004 were analyzed for all clinical and pathological factors. The influence of these two pathological features on biochemical failure‐free survival was evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis.Results:  Lymphovascular and perineural invasion were identified in 41 (17.2%) and 100 (42.0%) patients, respectively. LVI and PNI were significantly associated with the preoperative prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level, a higher PSA density, a higher pathological stage, a higher Gleason score, a higher frequency of extracapsular extension, a higher frequency of seminal vesicle invasion, and a higher frequency of a positive resection margin. Positive resection margins (P = 0.001) and perineural invasion (P = 0.011) were identified as independent factors associated with biochemical failure‐free survival by the multivariate analysis.Conclusions:  In this series, PNI was associated with established parameters of biologically aggressive disease, and was an important prognostic factor for biochemical failure‐free survival in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy. This finding supports routine evaluation of the PNI status in radical prostatectomy specimens and suggests that patients with PNI should be more closely followed after surgery.
Ammonia‐oxidizing Archaea in the Arctic Ocean and Antarctic coastal waters
Authors: Kalanetra Karen M. , Bano Nasreen , Hollibaugh James T. 
Published: July 2009

SummaryWe compared abundance, distributions and phylogenetic composition of Crenarchaeota and ammonia‐oxidizing Archaea (AOA) in samples collected from coastal waters west of the Antarctic Peninsula during the summers of 2005 and 2006, with samples from the central Arctic Ocean collected during the summer of 1997. Ammonia‐oxidizing Archaea and Crenarchaeota abundances were estimated from quantitative PCR measurements of amoA and 16S rRNA gene abundances. Crenarchaeota and AOA were approximately fivefold more abundant at comparable depths in the Antarctic versus the Arctic Ocean. Crenarchaeota and AOA were essentially absent from the Antarctic Summer Surface Water (SSW) water mass (0–45 m depth). The ratio of Crenarchaeota 16S rRNA to archaeal amoA gene abundance in the Winter Water (WW) water mass (45–105 m depth) of the Southern Ocean was much lower (0.15) than expected and in sharp contrast to the ratio (2.0) in the Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) water mass (105–3500 m depth) immediately below it. We did not observe comparable segregation of this ratio by depth or water mass in Arctic Ocean samples. A ubiquitous, abundant and polar‐specific crenarchaeote was the dominant ribotype in the WW and important in the upper halocline of the Arctic Ocean. Our data suggest that this organism does not contain an ammonia monooxygenase gene. In contrast to other studies where Crenarchaeota populations apparently lacking amoA genes are found in bathypelagic waters, this organism appears to dominate in well‐defined, ammonium‐rich, near‐surface water masses in polar oceans.
Metastatic intraocular chondrosarcoma in a dog
Authors: Rodrigues Jr Emilio F. , Ribeiro Alexandre P. , Perlmann Eduardo , Brooks Dennis E. , Laus José Luiz 
Published: July 2009

AbstractChondrosarcoma accounts for about 10% of all canine bone tumors and is the second most common primary bone tumor in dogs. In veterinary medicine, chondrosarcomas are classified as skeletal and extraskeletal. Extraskeletal chondrosarcomas are mesenchymal neoplasms of soft tissues and visceral organs that produce neoplastic chondrocytes in a fibrillary matrix. There is no involvement of bone or periosteal tissues in extraskeletal chondrosarcomas. The aim of this report is to describe the first case of a metastatic intraocular extraskeletal chondrosarcoma in a dog.