Fodder Resources and Grazing Management in a Savanna Environment: an Ecosystem Approach

The desirability for students of social and natural sciences to pool their abilities and resources in investigations concerned with man and his environment has often been noted, but genuine efforts in this direction are conspicuously less frequent. Admittedly, examples could be quoted of studies which synthetise the findings of individual researchers, many of which have been commissioned by those involved in the planning for and implementation of development. But few cases are known to the present authors of researchers who have tried to im-prove on the relevance, consistency, and coherenoe of their basic investigations into different, though related, aspects by seeking right from the start an interdisciplinary approaoh to a jointly delimited theme. Even among students of strongly interdependent disciplines such as geography and ecology, as represented by the present authors, these 'joint ventures' are believed to be rare. Those who set out on this challenging path therefore not only have to face occasional difficulties due to different frames of reference and jargon, but also and more important, the problem of designing a functionally integrated approach without being able to resort to previous endeavours for guidance

ASTRALogy: Unrealistic Expectations?

Revascularization versus medical therapy for renal-arter

Gender Differences in Psychosocial Determinants of University Students' Intentions to Buy Fair Trade Products

This study examined gender differences in university students’ intentions to buy fair trade (FT) products through the lens of the moral-norm-extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Data were obtained from 782 students at the University of Luxemburg. Results of structural equation analysis indicated that the inclusion of moral norms increased the explained variance in behavioural intentions from 62% to 68%. Compared to men, women reported more favourable attitude, higher moral obligation, and stronger intentions toward buying FT products. Moderating analyses showed that the attitude–intentions relationship was stronger for men, whereas the perceived behavioural control–intentions relationship was stronger for women. The implications of the moderation analysis are that sustainability professionals seeking to encourage university students’ intentions to buy FT products should develop gender-targeted interventions: for men, more emphasis should be placed on attitude toward buying FT products (i.e., the advantages of adopting this behaviour), and for women, more emphasis should be placed on perceived behavioural control (e.g., factors that facilitate the purchase of FT products)

Baroreflex Activation Therapy for the Treatment of Drug-Resistant Hypertension: New Developments

In the past few years, novel accomplishments have been obtained in carotid baroreflex activation therapy (BAT) for the treatment of resistant hypertension. In addition, this field is still evolving with promising results in the reduction of blood pressure and heart rate. This overview addresses the latest developments in BAT for the treatment of drug-resistant hypertension. Although not totally understood considering the working mechanisms of BAT, it appeared to be possible to achieve at least as much efficacy of single-sided as bilateral stimulation. Therefore unlike the first-generation Rheos system, the second-generation Barostim neo operates by unilateral baroreflex activation, using a completely different carotid electrode. Also significant improvements in several cardiac parameters have been shown by BAT in hypertensive patients, which set the basis for further research to evaluate BAT as a therapy for systolic heart failure. Yet important uncertainties need to be clarified to guarantee beneficial effects; hence not all participants seem to respond to BAT

Vasoregulation and renal function in essential hypertension

It is well known from population studies that blood pressure tends to increase with age (Master et al., 1950; Hamilton et al., 1954; Zinner et al., 1971; Kahn et al., 1972; Buck, 1973; Kimura, 1973; Miall and Chinn, 1973), at least in Western society. Any upward deviation from this "normal" trend can thus be considered to represent a development into the hypertensive range. A hypertensive individual distinguishes himself by an earlier or steeper increase in blood pressure. Once a diagnosis of essential hypertension has been established by excluding known causes of elevated blood pressure, the follow-up of these patients is mainly based on repetitive blood pressure readings. Many studies have been carried out with respect to the epidemiology of hypertension. Such investigations provide information about the incidence and end-points of hypertension but this concerns only the easily accessible part of the disorder

Ontological foundations of urban health policy ideas: the case of planning Sydney’s Western Parkland City

This case study examines the ontological backgrounds of urban health policy ideas in planning the Western Parkland City, a large-scale regional development project in Sydney, Australia. Using an empirical approach, the study identifies seven key urban health policy ideas and analyses the nature of these ideas using urban health ontological frameworks. The dominant ontological paradigms appear as the medical-industrial and urban health science paradigms with strong alignment with the sustainable urban development and healthy urban planning research traditions. Additionally, the dominant ideas adopt a view of systems that is complicated more than complex, favour change driven by structure rather than agency, and involve perspectives that transcend across multiple scales. These findings highlight the importance of recognising the influence of paradigms in shaping policies and the need for transdisciplinary approach to policymaking

The applicability of home blood pressure measurement in clinical practice: A review of literature

Willem J Verberk, Abraham A Kroon, Heidi A Jongen-Vancraybex, Peter W de LeeuwUniversity Hospital Maastricht, Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, The NetherlandsPurpose: To review the literature on home blood pressure measurement (HBPM), to examine its validity and applicability for clinical practice and to provide recommendations regarding HBPM assessment.Findings: HBPM can eliminate the white coat effect and offers the possibility to obtain multiple measurements under standardized conditions, which increases knowledge of overall blood pressure value. Although it is not entirely capable of replacing ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM), HBPM correlates better with target organ damage and cardiovascular mortality than office blood pressure measurement (OBPM), it enables prediction of sustained hypertension in patients with borderline hypertension, and proves to be an appropriate tool for assessing drug efficacy. Additional advantages of HBPM are that it may increase drug compliance and patient’s awareness of hypertension. Overall, OBPM yield higher blood pressure values than HBPM. Differences between OBPM and HBPM tend to increase with age and are generally higher in patients without antihypertensive treatment than in patients with antihypertensive treatment.Recommendations: Measurements should be performed according to accepted guidelines and recordings should be performed with a memory equipped automatic validated device. From the data reviewed here, we recommend that HBPM be assessed monthly by taking two measurements in the morning within 1 hour after awakening and two in the evening for three consecutive days, the data from the first day should be dismissed. A subject should be labeled hypertensive if his/her HBPM value is equal to or greater than 137 mmHg systolic and/or 84 mmHg diastolic.Keywords: blood pressure, hypertension, self-measurement, home measurement, ambulatory measurement, adherenc