bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of submerged macrophytes on fish‐zooplanl phytoplankton interactions: large‐scale enclosure experiments in a shallow eutrophic lake
Authors: SCHRIVER PER , BØGESTRAND JENS , JEPPESEN ERIK , SøNDERGAARD MARTIN 
Published: May 2006

SUMMARY1. The impact of changes in submerged macrophyte abundance on fish‐zooplankton‐phytoplankton interactions was studied in eighteen large‐scale (100 m2) enclosures in a shallow eutrophic take. The submerged macrophytes comprised Potamategon pectinatus L., P. pusillus L. and Callitriche hermaphroditica L. while the fish fry stock comprised three‐spined sticklebacks, Gasterosteus acuteatus L., and roach, Rutilus rutilus L.2. In the absence of macrophytes zooplankton biomass was low and dominated by cyclopoid copepods regardless of fish density, while the phytoplankton biovolume was high (up to 38 mm31) and dominated by small pennate diatoms and chlorococcales. When the lake volume infested by submerged macrophytes (PVI) exceeded 15–20% and the fish density was below a catch per unit effort (CPUE) of 10 (approx. 2 fry m−2), planktonic cladoceran biomass was high and dominated by relatively large‐sized specimens, while the phytoplankton biovolume was low and dominated by small fast‐growing flagellates. At higher fish densities, zooplankton biomass and average biomass of cladocerans decreased and a shift to cyclopoids occurred, while phytoplankton biovolume increased markedly and became dominated by cyanophytes and dinoflagellates.3. Stepwise multiple linear regressions on log‐transformed data revealed that the biomass of Daphnia, Bosmina, Ceriodaphmia and Chydorus were all significantly positively related to PVI and negatively to the abundance of fish or PVI x fish. The average individual biomass of cladocerans was negatively related to fish, but unrelated to PVI. Calculated zooplankton grazing pressure on phytoplankton was positively related to PVI and negatively to PVI x fish. Accordingly the phytoplankton biovolume was negatively related to PVI and to PVI x zooplankton biomass. Cyanophytes and chryptophytes (% of biomass) were positively and Chlorococcales and diatoms negatively related to PVI, while cyanophytes and Chlorococcales were negatively related to PVI x zooplankton biomass. In contrast diatoms and cryptophytes were positively related to the zooplankton biomass or PVI x zooplankton.4. The results suggest that fish predation has less impact on the zooplankton community in the more structured environment of macrophyte beds, particularly when the PVI exceeds 15–20%. They further suggest that the refuge capacity of macrophytes decreases markedly with increasing fish density (in our study above approximately 10 CPUE). Provided that the density of planktivorous fish is not high, even small improvements in submerged macrophyte abundance may have a substantial positive impact on the zooplankton, leading to a lower phytoplankton biovolume and higher water transparency. However, at high fish densities the refuge effect seems low and no major zooplankton mediated effects of enhanced growth of macrophytes are to be expected.
Perspectives and experiences of homeless young people
Authors: Josephine Ensign B. 
Published: May 2006

Aim.  This paper reports a study describing the experiences and perspectives of homeless young people as research participants.Background.  Worldwide, homeless young people are an especially vulnerable group due to their age, socio‐economic disadvantage, and stigmatized status, and can suffer from human rights abuses. Researchers and advocates have noted that we know relatively little about the effects of research participation on adolescents in general, and much less about marginalized adolescents such as homeless young people; nor do we know about their perceptions and experiences as research participants. There is a lack of studies reported to help guide the ethical conduct of research with homeless young people.Methods.  Individual interviews with 30 street and clinic‐based homeless young people aged 15–23 years and two focus groups with a total of 13 additional homeless young people were conducted in a large West‐coast city in the United States of America. The study took place between January and June 2003. Interviews and focus groups were tape‐recorded, transcribed, preliminarily coded, with final coding crosschecked and verified with a second researcher.Findings.  The majority of young people reported positive experiences as research participants in the past. None reported coercive research experiences; however, many stated that they would have liked more information about how the data they provided would be used by the researchers. All participants reported that it was important to be provided with research incentives, and thought that small monetary or pre‐paid phone cards were appropriate incentives. They did express concerns that larger research incentives could be coercive and harmful for some homeless young people.Conclusion.  Researchers working with homeless young people should seek greater input from them on the overall design of the study, especially concerning the appropriate use of research incentives.
Living with early‐stage dementia: a review of qualitative studies
Authors: Steeman Els , De Casterlé Bernadette Dierckx , Godderis Jan , Grypdonck Mieke 
Published: May 2006

Aim. This paper presents a literature review whose aim was to provide better understanding of living with early‐stage dementia.Background. Even in the early stages, dementia may challenge quality of life. Research on early‐stage dementia is mainly in the domain of biomedical aetiology and pathology, providing little understanding of what it means to live with dementia. Knowledge of the lived experience of having dementia is important in order to focus pro‐active care towards enhancing quality of life. Qualitative research is fundamentally well suited to obtaining an insider's view of living with early‐stage dementia.Method. We performed a meta‐synthesis of qualitative research findings. We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO and reviewed the papers cited in the references of pertinent articles, the references cited in a recently published book on the subjective experience of dementia, one thesis, and the journalDementia. Thirty‐three pertinent articles were identified, representing 28 separate studies and 21 different research samples. Findings were coded, grouped, compared and integrated.Findings. Living with dementia is described from the stage a person discovers the memory impairment, through the stage of being diagnosed with dementia, to that of the person's attempts to integrate the impairment into everyday life. Memory loss often threatens perceptions of security, autonomy and being a meaningful member of society. At early stages of memory loss, individuals use self‐protecting and self‐adjusting strategies to deal with perceived changes and threats. However, the memory impairment itself may make it difficult for an individual to deal with these changes, thereby causing frustration, uncertainty and fear.Conclusions. Our analysis supports the integration of proactive care into the diagnostic process, because even early‐stage dementia may challenge quality of life. Moreover, this care should actively involve both the individual with dementia and their family so that both parties can adjust positively to living with dementia.
Heart‐ and skeletal muscle‐specific antigens recognized by trichinellosis patient sera
Authors: PRATESI F. , BONGIORNI F. , KOCIECKA W. , MIGLIORINI P. , BRUSCHI F. 
Published: May 2006

SUMMARY The heart can be seriously affected in human trichinellosis, and cardiac involvement can cause death. Experimental infections in rats have suggested the possible participation of immunopathological processes. The aim of the present paper was to investigate the possible presence in trichinellosis patient sera of antibodies recognizing host tissues and particularly the myocardium. Nineteen sera from late period trichinellosis patients, who acquired infection in the Poznan region (Poland), were tested by immunoblot on extracts from normal rat or human heart ventricle wall, spleen, placenta, kidney and skeletal muscle. Patients’ sera recognized several antigens that were not recognized by normal sera. On rat and human heart ventricle wall, a high proportion of sera (42%) reacted with a protein of 68 kDa (P < 0·05 compared to normal sera). The reactivity with this antigen, however, was not significantly different in patients with or without cardiac involvement. When sera were tested on skeletal muscle we found that 47% reacted with a protein of 27 kDa and 53% reacted with a protein of 41 kDa (P < 0·05 for both proteins, compared with normal sera). The reactivity against the 68 kDa antigen and against the 27 and 41 kDa skeletal muscle antigens was not observed on kidney, placenta and spleen extracts. Moreover, very few bands were observed on these tissues as compared to heart and skeletal muscle tissues, thus suggesting a high tissue specificity of the reactivity of trichinellosis sera. In conclusion, this study identifies organ‐specific autoantibodies in trichinellosis patient sera, their role in the pathogenesis of cardiac involvement being still unclear.
Effects of temperature on germination and hyphal growth from conidia of Ramularia rhei and Ascochyta rhei, causing spot diseases of rhubarb (Rheum rhaponticum)
Authors: Zhao Y. , Grout B. W. , Xu X. 
Published: May 2006

Rhubarb leaf and petiole spot disease, caused by Ramularia rhei and Ascochyta rhei, has gradually become more noticeable in the UK field crop. Conidial germination and subsequent colony growth of R. rhei and A. rhei were investigated under in vitro conditions on potato dextrose agar and in vivo on leaf discs. Results indicated that the two fungi responded differently to temperature. Ramularia rhei was better adapted to temperatures ≤ 25°C, with an optimum around 20°C, whereas A. rhei was more adapted to temperatures ≥ 15°C, with an optimum > 25°C. Overall, conidia of R. rhei germinated and subsequent colonies grew at greater rates than those of A. rhei on leaf discs at temperatures ≤ 25°C. These results indicated that it is important to identify the causal agent of leaf and petiole spot diseases in rhubarb field crops in order to estimate disease risks accurately.
The prevalence of skin diseases in the elderly: analysis of 4099 geriatric patients
Authors: Yalçın Başak , Tamer Emine , Toy Güneş Gür , Öztaş Pınar , Hayran Mutlu , Allı Nuran 
Published: May 2006

AbstractBackground  The geriatric population is composed of persons over 65 years of age, and few studies are available on the dermatologic diseases in this group.Methods  Data on a total of 4099 geriatric patients admitted between the years 1999–2003 were analyzed. Hospital‐based patient registry records were used for data collection. The data were analyzed according to age, sex, and time of admittance.Results  The five most frequently encountered diseases in elderly patients were eczematous dermatitis, fungal infections, pruritus, and bacterial and viral infections. The most common disorders in males were fungal, bacterial, and viral infections, disorders of the feet, cutaneous ulcers, and vesiculo‐bullous diseases, whereas, in females, they were immune‐rheumatologic diseases and disorders of the mucous membranes. The five most frequently encountered diseases were significantly different in geriatric age subgroups. In the younger age group, pruritus, disorders due to sun exposure, and precancerous lesions and skin carcinomas were less common, whereas eczematous dermatitis was more common. The frequencies of some diseases showed significant seasonal variations. Infestations were more common in spring and summer, fungal infections were more common in summer but less so in winter, pruritus was more common in autumn but less so in spring, disorders due to sun exposure were more common in spring, and benign neoplasia were more common in autumn. In 2003, benign neoplasia, precancerous lesions and skin carcinomas, and immune‐rheumatic disorders were more common, but vesicular and bullous diseases, fungal infections, and cutaneous lymphomas were less common when compared with the year 1999.Conclusions  This study provides important data on the frequency of dermatologic diseases in elderly patients, and shows variations in the frequency depending on age, gender, and season. We believe that this study will create awareness about the extent and patterns of dermatologic problems in geriatric patients.
Determination of survival and hazard functions for pemphigus patients in Kerman, a southern province of Iran
Authors: Shamsadini Sadollah , Fekri Alireya R. , Esfandiarpoor Iraj , Saryazdi Simin , Rahnama Zahra , Zandi Soodabeh , Farajzadeh Saeideh 
Published: May 2006

AbstractBackground Pemphigus has in the past been associated with a high mortality rate. However, with the discovery of corticosteroids, patient median survival has improved. Our purpose was to assess median survival after confirmed diagnosis of pemphigus in patients in Kerman, a southern province of Iran.Methods All patients who were either admitted to the hospital or treated as outpatients in Kerman from 22 September 1987 to 22 September 1999 and who had confirmed pemphigus were included in the study. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method, and the following variables were evaluated in a univariate analysis for an association with survival: age, sex, type of pemphigus, and type of therapy.Results A total of 55 patients (38 female and 17 male) were identified. No significant differences were found between genders. The mean age at the time of diagnosis was 46.0 years. Older groups had a lower survival rate than younger groups (P < 0.001). The majority (82%) of cases were vulgaris/vegetans, and no significant differences were found in 10‐year survival for type of pemphigus (P > 0.05). The patients who had been treated with corticosteroids alone had longer median survival times than those who had been treated with corticosteroids plus azathioprine (P < 0.001). A total of 11 patients died; the median follow‐up time for those still alive was 5.9 years (range 2–12 years). Estimated survival at 2, 6 and 10 years was 92.7, 86.8 and 61.5%, respectively.Conclusion Overall median survival rate in patients with pemphigus was 10 years, regardless of gender or subtype of pemphigus. Survival was adversely affected by late onset. Those patients treated with immunosuppressives and corticosteroids also appeared to have reduced survival times when compared to those treated with corticosteroids alone.
Significant upgrading affects a third of men diagnosed with prostate cancer: predictive nomogram and internal validation
Authors: CHUN FELIX K.‐H. , BRIGANTI ALBERTO , SHARIAT SHAhROKH F. , GRAEFEN MARKUS , MONTORSI FRANCESCO , ERBERSDOBLER ANDREAS , STEUBER THOMAS , SALONIA ANDREA , CURRLIN EIKE , SCATTONI VINCENZO , FRIEDRICH MARTIN G. , SCHLOMM THORSTEN , HAESE ALEXANDER , MICHL UWE , COLOMBO RENZO , HEINZER HANS , VALIQUETTE LUC , RIGATTI PATRIZIO , ROEHRBORN CLAUS G. , HULAND HARTWIG , KARAKIEWICZ PIERRE I. 
Published: May 2006

OBJECTIVETo explore the rate of significant upgrading from biopsy to radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens in a contemporary cohort, and to develop a prognostic model capable of predicting the probability of significant upgrading, as previous reports indicate that up to 43% of men with low‐grade prostate cancer at biopsy will be diagnosed with high‐grade cancer at RP.PATIENTS AND METHODSThe study cohort comprised 4789 men (median age 63 years, range 39–82) treated with RP, with available clinical stage, prostate‐specific antigen levels, biopsy and RP Gleason sum values. These variables were used as predictors in multivariate logistic regression models (LRMs) addressing the rate of significant Gleason sum upgrading, defined as a Gleason sum increase either from ≤ 6 to ≥ 7 or from 7 to ≥ 8 between the biopsy and RP specimens. Regression coefficients were used to develop and validate (200 bootstrap re‐samples) a nomogram predicting significant biopsy Gleason sum upgrading.RESULTSSignificant biopsy Gleason sum upgrading was recorded in 1349 (28.2%) patients. In multivariate LRMs, all predictors were highly significant (all P < 0.001). The bootstrap‐corrected accuracy of the nomogram predicting the probability of significant Gleason sum upgrading between biopsy and RP specimens was 75.7%.CONCLUSIONOur nomogram might prove highly useful when the possibility of a more aggressive Gleason variant could change the treatment options.
THRESHOLDS AND PAYOFFS IN LIST SYSTEMS OF PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION *
Authors: LIJPHART AREND , GIBBERD ROBERT W. 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTBuilding on to the earlier work by Stein Rokkan and by Douglas Rae, Victor Hanby, and John Loosemore on the relationship of parties' vote shares and seat shares at the district level in list proportional representation (P.R.) systems, we propose sets of formulas for (1) the thresholds of representation and exclusion that a party has to cross to win its first seat, and (2) the minimum and maximum proportions of the vote required to obtain a given number of seats. The electoral systems on which we focus our analysis are the main variants of list P.R. that have been used in practice: the d'Hondt, modified Saint‐Laguë, and largest remainder systems. The thresholds of representation and the minimum vote shares tend to show greater differences among systems than the thresholds of exclusion and the maximum vote shares. These differences, however, may be outweighed by two other factors: the number of seats in a district, and the number of parties presenting lists.
THE SOVIET POLITICAL SYSTEM: THREE MODELS
Authors: TARSCHYS DANIEL 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTWho sets the agenda in Soviet politics? Three answers to that question are considered in this review article. According to thetotalitarianmodel, the selection of action goals is the privilege of a relatively autonomous supreme leadership in control of hierarchically structured sub‐systems. Thepluralistmodel, by contrast, is based on the assumption that issues acquire significance through efficient pressures by mobilized group interests. While the totalitarian interpretation emphasizes the active element in the conduct of the supreme leadership, the pluralist model stresses the reactive and reflective ingredients. Thebureaucraticmodel similarly assumes that vertical information flows can to a large extent be controlled from below, but it differs from the pluralist model in that it defines the key political conflicts as tensions among various bureaus. As a theory of fragmentation in large organizations, the bureaucratic model of the Soviet political system may have considerable relevance for the study of Western European government as well.
THE AMBIGUOUS POLITICS OF WESTERN GERMANY: POLITICIZATION IN A “STATE” SOCIETY
Authors: DYSON KENNETH 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the problems which are involved in the interpretation of the character of West German politics. Its politics is at once coherent in composing a pattern and preserving a continuity of identity because it is focused upon a particular and traditional idea of political rule, the state; and incoherent as this idea is interpreted to support contrasting views about the proper scope of politicization and depoliticization in the context of different and changing conceptions of interest and need. One such incoherence is between theories which underpin the depoliticized character of the Bundesbank and theories which support party “penetration” of German public institutions. These theories are an interesting indication of how the opportunities and problems which are posed by politicization have been perceived in society and illuminate the standards with reference to which politicization is evaluated.The paper's conclusions are:(1) The idea of the state provides a political language which is flexible enough to encompass a variety of views. At the same time it provides a frame which lends some coherence to German politics and is not to be dismissed as rhetorical decoration. The state is constitutive of political activity.(2) Neither an individual theory of the state nor even the concept itself can offer more than a partial portrayal of German politics, of the complex mixture of normative and utilitarian considerations which enter into political calculation. Adoption of one or the other of these views has authoritarian implications and does not illuminate the political practice of the Federal Republic.
How does Politics Matter?: Structure or Agency in the Determination of Public Policy Outcomes*
Authors: CASTLES FRANCIS G. 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTThe controversy about whether ‘politics matters’ in the determination of public policy outcomes is frequently overlaid by assumptions concerning the role of structure and agency in human affairs. However, although it is usually assumed that the debate is about the rival explanatory claims of economic structure and political choice, the studies undertaken in the public policy field are almost invariably structural in character. Explicit recognition that the debate is about political and economic structures and the linkages between them will strengthen our ability to understand the nature of policy determination in the contemporary state. This view is illustrated by discussion and re‐analysis of Cameron's thesis that the structure of international trade is the major determinant of the expansion of the public economy. What we do is to look at the relationship between the international economy and a wide variety of public expenditure patterns in eighteen capitalist democracies both in the early 1960s and mid‐1970s. The analysis suggests that Cameron mis‐specifies the relationship between political and economic structure, and that an important factor conditioning contemporary expenditure patterns is the way in which the emergence of modern party systems structured the opportunity for lower and middle‐class participation in political life.
Towards an Examination of the General Causes of Coups d'Etat
Authors: O'KANE ROSEMARY H. T. 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTExisting theories about the causes of coups d'état are examined by multiple regression analysis with a dummy dependent variable, using cross‐section data for, in turn, all independent countries and restricted areas. The exercise aims to demonstrate the value of the method in examining general hypotheses in their entirety as opposed to the usual piecemeal correlation analyses. The exercise also suggests the relative strengths and weaknesses of the theories examined. In particular it produces supportive results for Zolberg's theory but finds that it would be better applied generally than limited to the countries of tropical Africa.
The Persistence of Materialist and Post‐Materialist Value Orientations*
Authors: VAN DETH JAN W. 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTThe theory of the Silent Revolution relates value change to the process of population replacement. Materialist and post‐materialist values are seen as reflections of the conditions that prevailed during one's pre‐adult years. This assumption is tested here by analysing a Dutch panel, questioned in 1974 and in 1970. The change actually found at the individual level is not in line with the predictions of the theory and leads to a dilemma. The first option implies a rejection of the socialization hypothesis ‐ one of the cornerstones of the theory. The second option places considerable doubts on the reliability of the instrument. Moreover, the validity of the instrument seems to be questionable too. The remarkably similar marginal distribution of the materialist and post‐materialist value types in both years, accompanied by massive shifts between the types, points into the direction of political attitudes and non‐attitudes instead of basic orientations or basic outlooks.