bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Change for children? The challenges and opportunities for the children’s social work workforce
Authors: Gupta Anna , Blewett James 
Published: January 2007

ABSTRACTChildren’s services are currently undergoing their biggest changes in a generation. The government is seeking to create a more coherent, seamless configuration of services, with a view to securing improved outcomes for all children. However, there is a current crisis in the recruitment and retention of a range of child welfare professionals, including children’s social workers, which must be addressed in order for this ambitious agenda to be achieved. This paper discusses the findings of a series of focus group discussions with social workers undertaking the London Post Qualifying Child Care Award in response to the Children’s Workforce Strategyconsultation process. These findings are then analysed within the context of the wider literature on social work practice and workforce development. It is argued that central to the debate on how to sustain a competent and stable social work workforce should be consideration of the consequences of initiatives to audit and assess performance; the promotion of relationship‐based social work; and the wider role of social work in preventative and protective services for children.
Inter‐ and intraobserver reproducibility of thyroid fine needle aspiration cytology: an analysis of discrepant cases
Authors: Gerhard R. , Da Cunha Santos G. 
Published: January 2007

Objective:  To determine the inter‐ and intraobserver reproducibility and analyse the discrepant cases of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the thyroid.Methods:  Cases of thyroid FNAC with a corresponding histological diagnosis were reviewed regarding the original cytological diagnoses by two observers. The final cytological diagnoses (FCD) included both concordant and consensus diagnoses. The inter‐ and intraobserver reproducibility and efficacy of thyroid FNAC were calculated based on the FCD.Results:  A total of 97 FNAC cases with corresponding histopathological specimens were analysed. Although inter‐ and intraobserver disagreement in the cytological diagnoses occurred in about one‐quarter of the cases analysed (24.7% and 23.7%, respectively), a substantial level of diagnostic interobserver (kappa = 0.71) and intraobserver (kappa = 0.66) reproducibility was observed. The efficacy of the method was 94.4%. Disagreement in the diagnosis was detected in 24 cases (24.7%), most of them (41.7%) for follicular lesions. Discordant cytological diagnoses between the two observers were represented by six (16.2%) of the 37 cases with an FCD of colloid nodule, five (41.7%) of the 12 cases of cellular follicular lesion, all three cases of follicular neoplasm, in two (6.3%) of the 32 cases of PTC, one (16.7%) of six cases of follicular neoplasm with a predominance of Hürthle cells and in one case of poorly differentiated neoplasia. Similarly, major disagreement in intraobserver cytological diagnoses was observed for the diagnosis of follicular lesions: 18 (78.3%) of a total of 23 discordant cases.Conclusion:  As discrepancies in the cytopathological diagnosis can have repercussions in the management of patients, all cases with a cytological diagnosis of follicular lesions/neoplams should be reviewed in multidisciplinary meetings thus minimizing interobserver variability.
Anchovy (Engraulis ringens) and sardine (Sardinops sagax) spatial dynamics and aggregation patterns in the Humboldt Current ecosystem, Peru, from 1983–2003
Authors: GUTIÉRREZ MARIANO , SWARTZMAN GORDON , BERTRAND ARNAUD , BERTRAND SOPHIE 
Published: January 2007

AbstractThree indexes of spatial aggregation are developed and used to examine the aggregation pattern of sardine (Sardinops sagax) and anchovy (Engraulis ringens) in the Peruvian Humboldt Current System, determined from 36 acoustic surveys conducted from 1983 through 2003 by the Peruvian Marine Institute (IMARPE). Each index assesses a different aspect of aggregation: the concentration, the percent occupancy of space and the clustering of high‐fish abundance. Both time‐series correlation and tree‐based clustering‐regression method, classification and regression trees (CART), were used to relate each of the indexes to environmental variables (season, temperature anomaly and year). Additionally, a measure of onshore–offshore distribution, the average distance from the coast, and abundance variables (the average acoustic backscatter per occupied sampling unit, and the acoustically estimated total abundance of sardine and anchovy from IMARPE) were related to environmental factors by using CART. We show that the 1983–2003 time series can be divided into three different periods: with shifts in 1992 and in 1997–98. Sardine and anchovy showed large differences in both abundance and aggregation among these periods. Although upwelling ecosystems support dramatic and sudden changes in environmental conditions, fish responses are sometimes smoother than usually suggested and there are transition periods with concomitant high biomasses of anchovy and sardine, but with different spatial aggregation patterns. Observed relationships between environmental proxies and aggregation patterns support the habitat‐based hypothesis that environmentally mediated alterations in range lead to population changes.
The significance of VEGF‐C/VEGFR‐2 interaction in the neovascularization and prognosis of nephroblastoma (Wilms' tumour)
Authors: Nowicki M , Ostalska‐Nowicka D , Kaczmarek M , Miskowiak B , Witt M 
Published: January 2007

Aim:  To investigate the immunohistochemical expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)‐C and VEGFR‐2 in nephroblastoma tissue and correlate their presence with the survival rate of children diagnosed with stage III Wilms' tumour.Methods and results:  The material included nephroblastoma tissue obtained from 25 children hospitalized in the Department of Paediatric Oncology, Haematology and Transplantology between 1997 and 2003. VEGF‐C and VEGFR‐2 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemical assay. VEGF‐C was expressed in all cells of the blastemal component and in 30% of tumour cells in the stromal part. It was absent from epithelial elements. VEGFR‐2 expression was spread over the surface of numerous stromal cells as well as all the epithelial cells forming dysplastic tubules. The blastemal component of Wilms' tumour was VEGFR‐2‐negative. VEGF‐C‐immunopositive stromal cells were situated in the closest proximity to VEGF‐C‐immunonegative but VEGFR‐2‐immunoreactive tubules. VEGF‐C expression was of prognostic value for both clinical progression (P = 0.0005) and tumour‐related death (P = 0.0365).Conclusions:  VEGF‐C expression in Wilms' tumour constitutes a potent unfavourable risk factor and may direct future antiangiogenic treatment strategies. The proximity of VEGF‐C and VEGFR‐2 in the stromal and epithelial components of nephroblastoma could be the neoplastic equivalent of the binary VEGF‐C function observed in epithelial and endothelial morphogenesis.
Location‐specific sympatric morphological divergence as a possible response to species interactions in West VirginiaPlethodonsalamander communities
Authors: ADAMS DEAN C. , WEST MARY E. , COLLYER MICHAEL L. 
Published: January 2007

SummaryThe competitive interactions of closely related species have long been considered important determinants of community composition and a major cause of phenotypic diversification. However, while patterns such as character displacement are well documented, less is known about how local adaptation influences diversifying selection from interspecific competition.We examined body size and head shape variation among allopatric and sympatric populations of two salamander species, the widespreadPlethodon cinereusand the geographically restrictedP. nettingi. We quantified morphology from 724 individuals from 20 geographical localities throughout the range ofP. nettingi.Plethodon nettingiwas more robust in cranial morphology relative toP. cinereus, and sympatric localities were more robust relative to allopatric localities. Additionally, there was significantly greater sympatric head shape divergence between species relative to allopatric communities, and sympatric localities ofP. cinereusexhibited greater morphological variation than sympatricP. nettingi.The sympatric morphological divergence and increase in cranial robustness of one species (P. nettingi) were similar to observations in otherPlethodoncommunities, and were consistent with the hypothesis of interspecific competition. These findings suggest that interspecific competition inPlethodonmay play an important role in phenotypic diversification in this group.The increase in among‐population variance in sympatricP. cinereussuggests a species‐specific response to divergent natural selection that is influenced in part by other factors. We hypothesize that enhanced morphological flexibility and ecological tolerance allowP. cinereusto more rapidly adapt to local environmental conditions, and initial differences among populations have allowed the evolutionary response ofP. cinereusto vary across replicate sympatric locations, resulting in distinct evolutionary trajectories of morphological change.
Should biomass be considered more frequently as a currency in terrestrial arthropod community analyses?
Authors: SAINT‐GERMAIN MICHEL , BUDDLE CHRISTOPHER M. , LARRIVÉE MAXIM , MERCADO ALIDA , MOTCHULA TANIA , REICHERT ELISABETH , SACKETT TARA E. , SYLVAIN ZACHARY , WEBB ANNIE 
Published: January 2007

SummaryCommunity structure involving large taxonomical groups is frequently used to assess changes in ecosystems along environmental gradients or in response to disturbance. For terrestrial arthropods, abundance is generally used as the response variable in community data analyses; biomass, however, is generally a better indicator of the functionality of a species within a community, as it is strongly correlated with metabolism.In this study, we considered whether biomass should be used more often in community analyses with terrestrial arthropod biodiversity data, particularly when asking questions involving strong functional components. We selected 10 previously published and five unpublished Coleoptera abundance data sets, and produced biomass species‐by‐sample matrices using body length to body mass conversion equations, and then compared the results obtained using commonly used ecological analyses.Correlations between species abundance and biomass varied from strong to poor, depending on the taxa considered and on the sampling method used. We show that abundance and biomass can produce different results in community data analysis and lead to alternative interpretations for data sets with poor abundance to biomass correlations.Synthesis and applications. When dealing with databases showing poor abundance to biomass relationships, the question of the relevance of using biomass instead of abundance emerges, and the choice of the response variable to be used in analyses should be considered carefully. At the very least, when studying terrestrial arthropod biodiversity, one should consider the use of biomass with simple conversion equations that do not require obtaining the mass of individual specimens. This approach may lead to different interpretations. For research questions in which trophic interactions may play an important role, biomass may provide a broader and more accurate picture of the processes driving changes in community structure.
How landscape structure, land‐use intensity and habitat diversity affect components of total arthropod diversity in agricultural landscapes
Authors: HENDRICKX FREDERIK , MAELFAIT JEAN‐PIERRE , VAN WINGERDEN WALTER , SCHWEIGER OLIVER , SPEELMANS MARJAN , AVIRON STÉPHANIE , AUGENSTEIN ISABEL , BILLETER REGULA , BAILEY DEBRA , BUKACEK ROMAN , BUREL FRANÇOISE , DIEKÖTTER TIM , DIRKSEN JOLANDA , HERZOG FELIX , LIIRA JAAN , ROUBALOVA MARTINA , VANDOMME VIKI , BUGTER ROB 
Published: January 2007

Summary

Agricultural intensification poses a serious threat to biodiversity as a consequence of increased land‐use intensity, decreased landscape heterogeneity and reduced habitat diversity. Although there is interest in the preservation of total species richness of an agricultural landscape (γ diversity), the effects of intensification have been assessed primarily by species richness at a local scale (α diversity). This ignores species richness between local communities (β diversity), which is an important component of total species richness.
In this study, measures of land‐use intensity, landscape structure and habitat diversity were related to γ, α and β diversity of wild bees (Apoidea), carabid beetles (Carabidae), hoverflies (Syrphidae), true bugs (Heteroptera) and spiders (Araneae) within 16 local communities in 24 temperate European agricultural landscapes.
The total landscape species richness of all groups was most strongly affected by increased proximity of semi‐natural habitat patches. Bees also decreased in landscapes with a high intensity of farmland management, demonstrating additive effects of both factors.
Separating total species diversity into components, the decrease in total species richness could be attributed primarily to a decrease in species diversity between local communities. Species richness of the local communities of all investigated groups decreased with increasing land‐use intensity and, in the case of spiders, decreasing proximity of the semi‐natural habitat patches.
The effect of increased habitat diversity appeared to be of secondary importance to total species richness but caused a shift in the relative contribution of α and β diversity towards the latter.
Synthesis and applications. This study demonstrates that the effects of agricultural change operate at a landscape level and that examining species diversity at a local level fails to explain the total species richness of an agricultural landscape. The coincidence of patterns of β diversity with those of γ diversity emphasizes that such information is of crucial importance for the implementation and evaluation of restoration programmes aiming to restore sustainable countryside diversity. As local extinction processes in highly fragmented landscapes shape biodiversity, priority should be given to the conservation of diverse agricultural landscape remnants in Europe.
Using potential distributions to explore determinants of Western Palaearctic migratory songbird species richness in sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Wisz M. S. , Walther B. A. , Rahbek C. 
Published: January 2007

AbstractAim  Although the breeding ranges of most Western Palaearctic migratory passerines are well documented in Europe, their overwintering ranges and patterns of species richness in Africa remain poorly understood. To illustrate potential patterns of species richness despite severely limited data, we extrapolated species ranges from a new and unique data bank of locality records that documents overwintering locations of these birds in Africa.Location  Sub‐Saharan Africa.Methods  We predicted potential geographical distributions of 60 species of passerine birds based on overwintering records using bioclimatic models. We then combined these predictions to estimate potential species richness and explored response shapes using spatial linear regression. We also evaluated the evidence for a mid‐domain effect using a one‐dimensional null model.Results  Spatial linear regression analyses of the species richness pattern revealed non‐linear relationships to seasonality in precipitation, minimum net primary productivity, minimum average temperature, habitat heterogeneity, percentage of tree cover, distance from the Sahara Desert and inter‐annual variability in net primary productivity. The explanatory power of these variables decreased with geographic range size. The one‐dimensional null model of species richness based on distance from the Sahara Desert did not show evidence of a mid‐domain effect.Main conclusions  Distributions of migrants seem generally strongly determined by distance from the Sahara Desert working in concert with climatic effects, but this cannot adequately explain richness patterns of species with small ranges in Africa, many of which are of substantial conservation concern.
An operational, additive framework for species diversity partitioning and beta‐diversity analysis
Authors: PÉLISSIER RAPHAËL , COUTERON PIERRE 
Published: January 2007

Summary

An important goal of community ecology is the assessment of factors that are likely to influence the spatio‐temporal distribution of species assemblages and diversity. Surprisingly, most statistical methods devoted to this have remained poorly interconnected, as well as poorly connected with the popular metrics of diversity estimation. In the present paper we show that important questions related to determinants of species diversity can be specified through a simple multivariate linear model and explored, in common diversity metrics, using standard methods and routines of variance/covariance decomposition.
Thanks to an unusual form of presentation of taxonomic data into a table of species occurrences, which considers the individuals as data units, Shannon and Simpson indices as well as species richness can all be expressed as a (weighted) sum of squares. Subsequent apportionments into explained and residual sum of squares provide direct estimates of the beta‐ and alpha‐diversity components with respect to either categorical habitat types or continuous gradient variables. Appropriate statistics and non‐parametric tests are available to assess the significance of these components.
Explicit analytical relationships exist between the linear approximation of the table of species occurrences by sampling sites, and the more classical table of species abundances by sites. Therefore, direct links with methods of ordination in reduced space, such as correspondence analysis and canonical correspondence analysis, provide opportunities for partitions that preserve consistency with usual diversity indices. The sum of squares of the approximated occurrence table provides measures of intersites beta‐diversity, from which measures of dissimilarity with explicit references to diversity indices can be derived. Such measures are amenable to distance‐based apportionments through multivariate variograms and multiscale ordination.
What are the relative effects of the biological, environmental and anthropogenic factors and of their potential interactions on species diversity? Are these effects stable across scales, from landscape to region, between regions and across ecosystems? The methodological integration proposed in our analytical framework enables one to address these questions using standard statistical tools, and opens new prospects for quantitative biodiversity studies. This also paves the way towards refined models for predicting species diversity at unsampled locations.
Rosiglitazone and carotid IMT progression rate in a mixed cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes and the insulin resistance syndrome: main results from the Rosiglitazone Atherosclerosis Study
Authors: Hedblad B. , Zambanini A. , Nilsson P. , Janzon L. , Berglund G. 
Published: January 2007

Abstract.Objective.  Insulin resistance is associated with progression of atherosclerosis. We assessed the effect of 12 months of treatment with rosiglitazone (RSG) on the progression of carotid intima–media thickness (IMT) in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) or the insulin resistance syndrome (IRS).Design.  Randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial.Setting.  Malmö University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden.Subjects.  555 subjects (200 with T2DM and 355 nondiabetics with IRS according to EGIR criteria), aged 35–80 years. 447 subjects (165 T2DM and 282 IRS) completed the study.Intervention.  Participants were allocated to placebo or RSG 4 mg for 2 months and then 8 mg daily.Main outcome measure.  Change in composite IMT [mean IMT in the common carotid artery (CCA) and maximal IMT in the bulb] was the primary and various other IMT measures were secondary outcome variables.Results.  There was no effect of RSG treatment in the mixed population. In T2DM patients there was a reduced progression of the composite IMT (mean change: 0.041 vs. 0.070 mm, P = 0.07), and of the mean IMT CCA (mean change: −0.005 mm vs. 0.021 mm, P = 0.007). RSG treatment led to significant reductions of HOMA‐IR, fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, PAI‐1 activity, fibrinogen, C‐reactive protein and matrix metalloproteinase‐9.Conclusions.  In a mixed study population of patients with T2DM and IRS RSG treatment was not associated with a statistically significant reduction of carotid IMT progression rate. Separate analyses of these two patient groups indicated, however, a significant beneficial effect on CCA IMT in T2DM patients but no similar effect in subjects with IRS.
The fluorouridine insensitive 1 (fur1) mutant is defective in equilibrative nucleoside transporter 3 (ENT3), and thus represents an important pyrimidine nucleoside uptake system in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Traub Michaela , Flörchinger Martin , Piecuch Jennifer , Kunz Hans‐Henning , Weise‐Steinmetz Alexandra , Deitmer Joachim W. , Ekkehard Neuhaus H. , Möhlmann Torsten 
Published: January 2007

SummaryThe fluorouridine insensitive 1 (fur1) locus in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. has previously been identified in a screen for growth resistance towards the toxic compound fluorouridine. Mutation of this locus by ethylmethane sulfonate (EMS) allows mutants to grow on this uridine analogue. We identified that the A. thaliana equilibrative nucleoside transporter (AtENT3) was encoded by the fur1 locus. T‐DNA insertional mutant plants for AtENT3 resemble the fur1 mutant phenotype: i.e. they grow on fluorouridine, and seedlings as well as leaf discs exhibit a markedly reduced uptake capacity for uridine and cytidine, but a less pronounced reduced uptake for adenosine and guanosine. These results indicate that AtENT3 is an important pyrimidine nucleoside transporter in Arabidopsis. In addition, we identified the mutation in fur1 as a single base‐pair exchange, guanine → adenine, leading to an amino acid exchange G → R at position 281. Furthermore, we showed that this mutation is indeed responsible for the observed alterations in nucleoside transport in the fur1‐1 line, because the introduction of this mutation in AtENT3 promoted fluorouridine resistance in yeast cells expressing this mutated protein. The biochemical characterization of AtENT3 expressed in Xenopus oocytes identified a proton‐coupled concentrative mode of nucleoside transport, although this carrier possesses structural features characteristic for equilibrative nucleoside carriers.