405 research outputs found
Alternative Routes for a Proposed Nigerian Superhighway to Limit Damage to Rare Ecosystems and Wildlife
The Cross River State Government in Nigeria is proposing to construct a ‘‘Cross River Superhighway’’ that would bisect
critical remaining areas of tropical rainforest in south eastern Nigeria. We offer and evaluate two alternative routes to the
superhighway that would be less damaging to forests, protected areas, and biological diversity. The first alternative we
identified avoids intact forests entirely while seeking to benefit agriculture and existing settlements. The second alternative
also avoids intact forests while incorporating existing paved and unpaved roads to limit construction costs. As currently
proposed, the superhighway would be 260 km long, would intersect 115 km of intact forests or protected areas, and would
cost an estimated ~US0.92 billion). Furthermore, the alternative routes
would have negligible impacts on forests and protected areas and would be better aligned to benefit local communities and
agriculture. We argue that alternative routings such as those we examined here could markedly reduce the economic and
environmental costs, and potentially increase the socioeconomic benefits, for the proposed Cross River Superhighway
Temporal trend, clinicopathologic and sociodemographic characterization of age at diagnosis of breast cancer among US women diagnosed from 1990 to 2009
Technical advances in flow cytometry-based diagnosis and monitoring of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria
Working Inside for Smoking Elimination (Project W.I.S.E.) study design and rationale to prevent return to smoking after release from a smoke free prison
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Incarcerated individuals suffer disproportionately from the health effects of tobacco smoking due to the high smoking prevalence in this population. In addition there is an over-representation of ethnic and racial minorities, impoverished individuals, and those with mental health and drug addictions in prisons. Increasingly, prisons across the U.S. are becoming smoke free. However, relapse to smoking is common upon release from prison, approaching 90% within a few weeks. No evidence based treatments currently exist to assist individuals to remain abstinent after a period of prolonged, forced abstinence.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>This paper describes the design and rationale of a randomized clinical trial to enhance smoking abstinence rates among individuals following release from a tobacco free prison. The intervention is six weekly sessions of motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy initiated approximately six weeks prior to release from prison. The control group views six time matched videos weekly starting about six weeks prior to release. Assessments take place in-person 3 weeks after release and then for non-smokers every 3 months up to 12 months. Smoking status is confirmed by urine cotinine.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Effective interventions are greatly needed to assist these individuals to remain smoke free and reduce health disparities among this socially and economically challenged group.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p><a href="http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=01122589">NCT01122589</a></p
An early Cambrian agglutinated tubular lophophorate with brachiopod characters.
The morphological disparity of lophotrochozoan phyla makes it difficult to predict the morphology of the last common ancestor. Only fossils of stem groups can help discover the morphological transitions that occurred along the roots of these phyla. Here, we describe a tubular fossil Yuganotheca elegans gen. et sp. nov. from the Cambrian (Stage 3) Chengjiang Lagerstätte (Yunnan, China) that exhibits an unusual combination of phoronid, brachiopod and tommotiid (Cambrian problematica) characters, notably a pair of agglutinated valves, enclosing a horseshoe-shaped lophophore, supported by a lower bipartite tubular attachment structure with a long pedicle with coelomic space. The terminal bulb of the pedicle provided anchorage in soft sediment. The discovery has important implications for the early evolution of lophotrochozoans, suggesting rooting of brachiopods into the sessile lophotrochozoans and the origination of their bivalved bauplan preceding the biomineralization of shell valves in crown brachiopods
Talking Less during Social Interactions Predicts Enjoyment: A Mobile Sensing Pilot Study
Can we predict which conversations are enjoyable without hearing the words that are spoken? A total of 36 participants used a mobile app, My Social Ties, which collected data about 473 conversations that the participants engaged in as they went about their daily lives. We tested whether conversational properties (conversation length, rate of turn taking, proportion of speaking time) and acoustical properties (volume, pitch) could predict enjoyment of a conversation. Surprisingly, people enjoyed their conversations more when they spoke a smaller proportion of the time. This pilot study demonstrates how conversational properties of social interactions can predict psychologically meaningful outcomes, such as how much a person enjoys the conversation. It also illustrates how mobile phones can provide a window into everyday social experiences and well-being
Analysis of the microtensile bond strength to enamel of two adhesive systems polymerized by halogen light or LED
Single posterior approach for circumferential decompression and anterior reconstruction using cervical trabecular metal mesh cage in patients with metastatic spinal tumour
Androgen receptor signalling in the male adrenal facilitates X-zone regression, cell turnover and protects against adrenal degeneration during ageing
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