63 research outputs found
Female partners of patients after surgical prostate cancer treatment: interactions with physicians and support needs
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Few studies have explored the women's experiences as a result of a partners' diagnosis of prostate cancer. This study begins to explore women's interactions with physicians (primary care and urologist) and the support needs associated with the diagnosis and treatment of their partners' prostate cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two focus groups (n = 14) of women whose partners were diagnosed with prostate cancer (diagnoses' 1 - 18 months). A trained facilitator used open-ended questions to explore ideas. The framework approach was used to analyze the transcripts.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Three main themes emerged: 1. <b>More support</b>. Validation and information is needed for women including emotional support and opportunities to share experiences. 2. <b>Role of the physician</b>. The transfer of care once specialized treatment is no longer needed remained poorly defined, which increased confusion and feelings of abandonment related to the role of the primary physician. 3. <b>Partners' relationship changes</b>. Men became more dependent on their partners for support and to act as the primary communicator and caregiver.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Additional research is needed in this field to confirm the importance of training primary care physicians to consider holistic treatment approaches that recognize the partner and family needs as important in the complete physical and emotional healing of their patients.</p
Photoprotection in sequestered plastids of sea slugs and respective algal sources
Some sea slugs are capable of retaining functional sequestered chloroplasts (kleptoplasts) for variable
periods of time. The mechanisms supporting the maintenance of these organelles in animal hosts are still
largely unknown. Non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) and the occurrence of a xanthophyll cycle were
investigated in the sea slugs Elysia viridis and E. chlorotica using chlorophyll fluorescence measurements
and pigment analysis. The photoprotective capacity of kleptoplasts was compared to that observed in their
respective algal source, Codium tomentosum and Vaucheria litorea. A functional xanthophyll cycle and a
rapidly reversible NPQ component were found in V. litorea and E. chlorotica but not in C. tomentosum and
E. viridis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the absence of a functional xanthophyll cycle in a green
macroalgae. The absence of a functional xanthophyll cycle in C. tomentosum could contribute to the
premature loss of photosynthetic activity and relatively short-term retention of kleptoplasts in E. viridis. On
the contrary, E. chlorotica displays one of the longest functional examples of kleptoplasty known so far. We
speculate that different efficiencies of photoprotection and repair mechanisms of algal food sources play a
role in the longevity of photosynthetic activity in kleptoplasts retained by sea slugs
Sitka Spruce Quality Estimation using Neural Networks
This paper describes an automated classifier for the
identification of good wood and knotty wood from
computer tomography (CT) images of logs. Such a
system is intended to allow better assessment of saw
logs before being cut into timber. We describe a new empirical model for the growth of Sitka Spruce (Picea
Stichensis (Bong, Carr)) whose operation is adapted to
Irish conditions. The use of Hopfield networks for 2D
cross-section image reconstruction from CT data
obtained from the model is investigated. We also used
a multi-layer feedforward neural network trained with
fast-backpropagation to identify good wood from
knotty wood. The Hopfield approach to image
reconstruction was seen as being unsuitable for
application with the wood industry. However, the use
of a feedforward neural network for wood classification produced very promising results when trained on our tree model. It is expected that results from real wood data would be even more accurate
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