bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Life events, social support and depression in childbirth: perspectives from a rural community in the developing world
Authors: RAHMAN A. , IQBAL Z. , HARRINGTON R. 
Published: October 2003

Background. High rates of depression associated with childbirth have been reported in many parts of the developing world. However, the prevalence and associations of antenatal and post-natal depression in the rural population remain unknown. Disability associated with depression and its impact on infant health and development could have important public health implications for many developing countries where large proportions of the population are rural.Method. All women living in southern Kahuta, Pakistan, in their third trimester of pregnancy were interviewed at 6 weeks before delivery (N=632) and again at 10–12 weeks after delivery (N=541), using WHO Schedule for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN), Personal Information Questionnaire (PIQ) and Brief Disability Questionnaire (BDQ).Results. The point prevalence of ICD-10 depressive disorder was 25% in the antenatal period and 28% in the post-natal period. Depressed mothers were significantly more disabled, had more threatening life events, and poorer social and family support than non-depressed mothers. Vulnerable mothers were more likely to be depressed during pregnancy, rather than have an onset in the post-natal period.Conclusion. Over one-quarter of mothers in a rural sub-district of Pakistan suffer from depression shortly before and after childbirth. Rapidly changing traditional family structures and practices may be increasing the risk of depression in many women. Recognizing and treating depression should be initiated during the antenatal, rather than post-natal period.
Personality and the experience of environmental adversity
Authors: KENDLER K. S. , GARDNER C. O. , PRESCOTT C. A. 
Published: October 2003

Background. While psychiatric epidemiology often focuses on the causal relationship between environmental adversity and the individual (e.g. environment to person), individuals probably make important contributions to the quality of their environments (person to environment).Method. In a population based sample of >7000 male and female adult twins, we examined the relationship between the personality trait of neuroticism (N) and the occurrence of stressful life events (SLEs) and the quality of interpersonal relationships (IPR). We compared the magnitude of the prediction of twin 1's self-reported SLEs and IPR from: (i) twin 1's self-reported N; (ii) twin 2's report of twin 1's N; and (iii) twin 2's report of twin 2's N in monozygotic pairs.Results. In our entire sample, self-report N significantly predicted the occurrence of most SLEs and all dimensions of IPR. Using the co-twin's report of N produced associations that were of the same magnitude for SLEs and modestly weaker for IPR. In monozygotic pairs, the level of N in one twin predicted SLEs and IPR in the co-twin at levels similar to those found for the co-twin's report of N. Repeating these analyses with a prospective subsample produced similar results.Conclusion. An individual's personality in adulthood plays a significant role in influencing exposure to some forms of environmental adversity and this association is not the result of reporting bias. Furthermore, this relationship is largely mediated by a common set of familial factors that predispose both to a ‘difficult’ temperament and to environmental adversity. Developmental models of psychiatric illness should adopt an interactionist view of individuals and their environment (person and environment).
How often do patients with psychosis fail to adhere to treatment programmes? A systematic review
Authors: NOSÉ M. , BARBUI C. , TANSELLA M. 
Published: October 2003

Background. Studies that assess the rates of psychotic patients who fail to adhere to treatment programmes have generated heterogeneous results, with estimates ranging from 24 to 90%. This paper presents findings from a systematic review on adherence to treatment by patients with psychosis. Its purpose is to provide an overall estimate of treatment non-adherence in community psychiatric services, and to analyse and study patient characteristics explaining the between-study heterogeneity in rates of non-adherence.Method. A systematic review of published studies that report rates of non-adherence with medication and scheduled appointments by psychotic patients in community settings has been undertaken.Results. A total of 103 studies were included in this systematic review. Eighty-six of these studies were suitable for data re-analysis. The overall weighted mean rate of non-adherence, calculated in a sample of 23796 patients, was 25·78%. A linear regression analysis of non-adherence rates on background characteristics showed that sample size was negatively associated with non-adherence rates, while first-contact cases and low-adherence cases, in comparison with ongoing cases, were associated with higher non-adherence rates. Factors associated with poor compliance included: lack of insight; positive symptoms; younger age; male gender; history of substance abuse; unemployment; and low social functioning.Conclusions. Approximately one in four patients with psychosis fails to adhere with treatment programmes. Preventive evidence-based clinical interventions should be routinely implemented in community settings to reduce patient non-adherence.
Humiliation, loss and other types of life events and difficulties: a comparison of depressed subjects, healthy controls and their siblings
Authors: FARMER ANNE E. , McGUFFIN PETER 
Published: October 2003

Background. It has been proposed that adverse life events involving loss or humiliation are particularly potent in provoking depressive episodes. We have also previously suggested that experiencing high rates of non-severe events may play a role in the development of resilience to the impact of severe threatening events when these occur.Method. The Life Events and Difficulties Schedule (LEDS) (Brown & Harris, 1978) was used to record the life events experienced by 108 depressed probands and their nearest aged siblings as well as 105 healthy control subjects and their nearest aged siblings. All subjects were interviewed using the Schedule for the Clinical Assessment of Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) (Wing et al. 1990).Results. Depressed probands were significantly more likely to have experienced a severe threatening event, loss event, or a humiliation event compared to the other subjects. These events also made up a greater proportion of the total number of events, in the depressed probands. Humiliation events were more frequent in depressed men than depressed women. There were no differences between the four groups for experiencing a non-severe event, although depressed probands also experienced more difficulties than the other three groups. Fifty-six healthy subjects who had not become depressed despite having experienced at least one severe and threatening event, had significantly more non-severe events, than the 116 subjects who were depressed at the time of interview.Conclusions. The findings support the hypothesis that loss and humiliation events are particularly depressogenic. Experiencing a high rate of non-severe events may be associated with resilience to becoming depressed in the face of a threatening event.
Life events and early onset depression: cause or consequence?
Authors: PATTON G. C. , COFFEY C. , POSTERINO M. , CARLIN J. B. , BOWES G. 
Published: October 2003

Background. Adverse life events prior to episodes of depression are assumed to play a causal role. Earlier studies have, however, not adequately controlled for the potential confounding effects of previous depression.Method. A two-phase study was nested within a six-wave population based cohort study of 1947 adolescents. Interviews at two assessment phases with the CIS-R and CIDI were used to generate ICD-10 diagnoses of depressive disorder. Life events with longer-term contextual threat were reported for the 6 months before first diagnosis and categorized on the basis of participant appraisal as negative and neutral/positive in effects. Previous depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured 6 months earlier.Results. Pre-existing depressive and anxiety symptoms predicted later events, increasing three-fold the risks for both neutral/positive and negative events in females and increased seven-fold the risk of negative events in males. Life events in turn predicted the onset of depressive disorder independently of previous symptoms. Single negative events held an over five-fold elevated risk and multiple events an almost eight-fold higher risk. Personal threat and loss were associated with disorder in females but not males.Conclusions. The findings are consistent with a causal role for life events in early episodes of depression. The association also reflects a reciprocal relationship in which earlier symptoms predict later events, perhaps as a result of an individual's attempts to change unfavourable social circumstances.
A school outbreak of Norwalk-like virus: evidence for airborne transmission
Authors: MARKS P. J. , VIPOND I. B. , REGAN F. M. , WEDGWOOD K. , FEY R. E. , CAUL E. O. 
Published: October 2003

An outbreak of gastroenteritis affected a school attended by children aged 4–11 years. Epidemiological features suggested this was due to Norwalk-like virus (NLV) and this was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Nucleotide sequence analysis of the PCR amplicons revealed identical strains in all five positive stool samples. Pupils were significantly more likely to become ill following an episode of vomiting within their classroom (adjusted odds ratio 4·1, 95% CI 1·8–9·3). The times from exposure to illness were consistent with direct infection from aerosolized viral particles where exposure to vomiting was high.Cleaning with quaternary ammonium preparations made no impact on the course of the outbreak. However, the outbreak stopped after the school closed for 4 days and was cleaned using chlorine-based agents. This study confirms the importance of vomiting in the transmission of NLV and provides evidence that direct infection with aerosolized viral particles occurs.
The Persians in the Roman Near East (602–630 AD)
Authors: Foss Clive 
Published: October 2003

AbstractWhen the decisive battle of the Yarmuk in 636 AD gave the Muslim Arabs control of Syria, they gained a land that had been Roman for 700 years. Yet in the memory of most of its inhabitants, their recent subjection to the Sassanian Persians would have been fresh and even dominant. The forces of Chosroes II, which had controlled Syria for a generation, had only been withdrawn in 630. Anyone who had reached adulthood by the time the Arabs arrived had already experienced the Persian occupation; many were born or raised during it. This period of Persian rule, which lasted twenty years or more in Syria, Mesopotamia and Armenia, fifteen in Palestine and ten in Egypt, may have played a major role in accustoming the locals to non-Roman rule, or may have had violently disruptive effects that facilitated the subsequent Arab conquest. So far, the period has been poorly known and never studied as a whole, allowing many theories to be projected upon it. For the most part, historians and especially archaeologists have assigned to the Persians a highly negative and destructive role.
“The Islamization of Yoga in the Amrtakunda Translations”
Authors: Ernst Carl W. 
Published: October 2003

AbstractFrom the beginning of Orientalist studies of the Muslim world, it was axiomatic to define certain religious phenomena in terms of their origins. Because of the tendency to view all Eastern doctrines as essentially alike, Orientalist scholars of the Romantic period invariably defined Sufism as a mysticism that was Indian in origin; from the first appearance of the term in European languages, “Sufism” was characterised as essentially Looking back at this early scholarship today, it is surprising that this unanimous belief in the Indian origin of Sufism was almost entirely unconnected to any historical evidence. From the days of Sir William Jones and Sir John Malcolm to relatively recent times, this opinion has had a remarkable longevity, despite the ludicrous appearance of some of these claims today. As an example one may consider the outrageous claim of Max Horten, in a 1928 study that sought to explain Sufism as a pure expression of Vedanta: “No doubt can any longer remain that the teaching of Hallaj (d. 922) and his circle Another pertinent example is found in an observation of William James in his 1902 Gifford Lectures, published as The Varieties of Religious Experience:In the Mohammedan world the Sufi sect and various dervish bodies are the possessors of the mystical tradition. The Sufis have existed in Persia from the earliest times, and as their pantheism is so at variance with the hot and rigid monotheism of the Arab mind, it has been suggested that Sufism must haveJames's remark illustrates, innocently enough, how widely this opinion was shared at the time by the academic world in Europe and America. It is easier to see from the perspective of the later twentieth century that this opinion was conditioned by nineteenth-century racial attitudes as well as assumptions about the unchanging nature of religions.
Which abiotic factors limit vegetative growth in a vascular epiphyte?
Authors: Laube S. , Zotz G. 
Published: October 2003

Summary

Vegetative growth in vascular epiphytes is assumed to be severely limited by intermittent supply of water and nutrients, but experimental evidence for this notion is meagre. The effects of water, nutrient supply and light on growth were studied in an epiphytic bromeliad, Vriesea sanguinolenta Cogn. & Marchal (syn. Werauhia sanguinolenta) in a large forest gap in a lowland forest of Panama, in a full‐factorial design. To investigate ontogenetic drift, three plant‐size classes (≈5, 15 and 35 cm leaf length) were included in the experiment.
Water supply had the strongest influence on growth, but the magnitude of this effect differed considerably among size classes. Nutrient supply affected growth only in small and intermediate‐sized plants. More light (60% of direct irradiation) tended to decrease growth rates compared to 30% irradiation.
Small plants showed by far the highest potential to adjust their relative growth rate (RGR) in response to favourable growing conditions.
Despite these size‐related differences, absolute RGRs were extremely low compared to studies with other plant groups, confirming the notion that vascular epiphytes are inherently slow‐growing plants.
Environmental, genetic, and seed mass effects on winged seed production in the heteromorphic Spergularia marina (Caryophyllaceae)
Authors: Mazer S. J. , Lowry D. E. 
Published: October 2003

Summary

Spergularia marina (L.) Grieseb. is a cosmopolitan, autogamous herb that produces winged and unwinged seeds. In Europe, large‐seeded populations tend to produce a higher proportion of winged seeds than small‐seeded populations.
This pattern has prompted speculation that winged seeds evolved because they increase the dispersability of large‐seeded genotypes. Alternatively, winged seed production may be an adaptive plastic response to stress, resulting in increased dispersal. A third hypothesis is that wing production is favoured among maternal plants with high fecundity because it reduces postdispersal sibling competition.
We present the results of a greenhouse experiment conducted to test these hypotheses using California genotypes of S. marina. Twenty‐four maternal families (N = 230 plants) were replicated across three nutrient treatments. Within treatments, large‐seeded fruits, individuals and families tended to produce a higher proportion of winged seeds than small‐seeded ones. We found no evidence that winged seeds are induced by stress or high fecundity.
These results are consistent with evidence that winged seed production in S. marina is positively associated with the evolution of mean seed mass, representing an adaptation that enhances the dispersability of large seeds. The low frequency of winged seeds in the population sampled here suggests that the heteromorphism may not be an important current adaptation in small‐seeded populations of S. marina.
Hydraulic lift in a neotropical savanna
Authors: Moreira M. Z. , Scholz F. G. , Bucci S. J. , Sternberg L. S. , Goldstein G. , Meinzer F. C. , Franco A. C. 
Published: October 2003

Summary

We report hydraulic lift in the savanna vegetation of central Brazil (Cerrado). Both heat‐pulse measurements and isotopic (deuterium) labelling were used to determine whether hydraulic lift occurred in two common species, and whether neighbouring small shrubs and trees were utilizing this water.
Both techniques showed water uptake by tap‐roots and reverse flow of water in lateral roots. Roots transferred hydraulically lifted water to the soil, and small shrubs and trees neighbouring the labelled individuals were labelled by deuterated water.
Isotopic mass‐balance equations and sap‐flow measurements showed that water taken up by the central tap‐root in each individual constituted only a small percentage of total flux of water through the treated plants. Mass‐balance equations also indicated that small shrubs and trees neighbouring the treated plants utilized only a few thousandths of a per cent of the label.
The small proportion of water uptake by the tap‐root of these two species may be limiting hydraulic lift in this system, unless sinker roots descending from lateral roots contribute to hydraulic lift.
Parental foraging effort and offspring growth in Adélie Penguins: does working hard improve reproductive success?
Authors: Takahashi A. , Watanuki Y. , Sato K. , Kato A. , Arai N. , Nishikawa J. , Naito Y. 
Published: October 2003

SummaryStudying variability of parental foraging and provisioning behaviour in relation to reproductive success is fundamental to improving understanding of regulation of reproductive effort in animals. The hypothesis that parents with higher foraging effort have higher offspring growth rates was tested in chick‐provisioning Adélie Penguins in Antarctica over five consecutive years.Time spent diving per day, an index of foraging effort, varied among male and female parents, and among pairs. These daily interindividual or interpair differences in time spent diving appeared to be consistent over the 2‐week study period within each breeding season.Frequency of meals delivered by parents was positively correlated with their brood growth rate. Meal frequency was, however, independent of the amount of time spent diving per day by parents and the time spent diving did not affect brood growth rates.Rates of body mass loss of breeding pairs were positively correlated with brood growth rates.Our results did not support the hypothesis that parents with higher foraging effort have higher offspring growth rates. It is suggested that parental allocation of resources obtained during foraging, rather than the degree of foraging effort, is the more important process determining offspring growth rates in Adélie Penguins.
Cross‐generation effects due to cold exposure in Drosophila serrata
Authors: Magiafoglou A. , Hoffmann A. A. 
Published: October 2003

Summary

Environmental variation experienced in the parental and grandparental generation can affect progeny phenotype, performance and response to selection. Here the effects of parental and grandparental exposure to a non‐lethal cold shock are considered in Drosophila serrata Malloch. Development time, viability and early age productivity were measured in flies originating from border and central locations in the distribution of this species that had been held under two separate laboratory maintenance schedules.
Cross‐generation effects were detected for several traits. Development time usually decreased following maternal and/or grandmaternal cold exposure. Parental cold exposure negatively influenced viability while grandparental effects on viability were negligible. Early female productivity showed opposing responses depending on generation; maternal cold exposure increased progeny productivity while grandmaternal exposure decreased it. Male parental and grandparental exposure to cold shock decreased male productivity, although this pattern may have been partly confounded by size effects.
Population effects, reflecting geographical origin, were limited to development time, while selective background effects were demonstrated for most traits. The influence these factors had on the expression of cross‐generation effects was negligible, given interactions with treatment were not evident. These responses suggest that environmental variation experienced in preceding generations can influence progeny phenotype in a manner that is complex and difficult to predict.
The growth strategy of an alpine beetle: maximization or individual growth adjustment in relation to seasonal time horizons?
Authors: Margraf N. , Gotthard K. , Rahier M. 
Published: October 2003

Summary

Life‐history theory typically predicts that juvenile growth rate should be maximized and consequently juvenile period minimized. However, in several examples it has been shown that insect larvae do not always grow as fast as they can and this has been explained by costs of high growth rate, typically higher juvenile mortality rate. Hence, some insect larvae have the ability to adaptively adjust growth rate to catch up if development is delayed.
The presence of such ability was tested for in the alpine beetle Oreina elongata Suffrian. In this species, the favourable period for development is relatively short and of unpredictable length, and individuals are chemically defended against predation; factors that could affect the balance between the benefits and costs of high growth rate.
Here it is shown that when time stressed, O. elongata larvae were able to increase growth rate, accelerate development and reach the normal final weight.
Hence, individual growth rate adjustment was present in a situation where its adaptive value appeared to be relatively weak, which supports the notion that flexible growth strategies are a common phenomenon in temperate insects.
Mortality in seedling populations of Silver Birch: genotypic variation and herbivore effects
Authors: Prittinen K. , Pusenius J. , Koivunoro K. , Rousi M. , Roininen H. 
Published: October 2003

SummaryVariation among mature plants reflects mortality that has occurred during the seedling phase. Our earlier studies have shown variation in resistance to insect and vole herbivory among Silver Birch genotypes that represent variation in a naturally regenerated birch stand. The aim of this study was to examine whether seedling mortality varied among these genotypes, and whether insect and field vole herbivory affected mortality. The 20 genotypes studied competed with each other in dense stands, which were randomly assigned to insect and vole exposure and fertilization treatments.Insect herbivory and fertilization increased mortality significantly (by 98 and 68%, respectively). The fertilization effect was probably due to accelerated self‐thinning among fast‐growing seedlings. Although vole browsing removed considerable biomass, it did not affect seedling mortality.Mortality was context‐dependent. The genotypes differed both in their overall mortality and in their response to insect herbivory. However, the effect of insects on a genotype depended more on its success in competition than on its resistance: even small amounts of feeding were detrimental to short, shaded seedlings, while taller seedlings in the canopy were affected less, although they were eaten more.It is concluded that moderate levels of insect herbivory can increase seedling mortality considerably. Furthermore, herbivory can change the genetic structure of birch populations through selective mortality, which in dense stands is dependent on competitive traits.