Clonal propagation of Eucheuma denticulatum and Kappaphycus alvarezii for Philippine seaweed farms

Technique improvement and cost reduction of branch culture, micropropagation, and callus production of carrageenan-yielding seaweeds Kappaphycus alvarezii and Eucheuma denticulatum is presented. Low cost branch culture is possible by enriching seawater with 0.1% coconut water with 1 mg l^–1 indole-3-butyric acid for 24 h wk^–1 or continuous culture with 0.01% Algafer, a Philippine fertilizer. Micropropagation of 0.5 cm explants had almost 100% new branch production demonstrating the viability of callus regenerated plants. The use of carrageenan as a media for callus production was not effective when compared to agar. Propagules of both species, transferred from the University of the Philippine Marine Science Institute (UPMSI) culture facility to the field, showed daily percent growth rates of 5 to 5.5% d^–1 over 84 days. Based on the costs of the UPMSI laboratory, a culture facility in the seaweed farming area is estimated to cost about U. S. $22000 during the initial year and 58% less the second year.     

Perception of residential crowding,classroom experiences,and student health

The present research is based on a typology of crowding experiences incorporating two main dimensions: neutral-personal thwartings and primary-secondary environments. The thwarting dimension concerns the degree to which crowding experiences are associated with spatial inconveniences, alone, or with spatial as well as social constraints. The environmental dimension relates to the type of setting in which crowding experiences occur. A major assumption of this typology is that crowding experiences involving social conflict will be more intense and disruptive to the individual than those in which interpersonal conflict is minimal. The reported study examined the relationship between college students' evaluations of the physical amenity, social climate, and crowdedness of their residential environments, on the one hand, and their sensitivity to crowding in a classroom situation, their academic performance, and the frequency of their visits to the campus health center, on the other. Results indicated that perceived residential crowding and negative perceptions of residential social climate were strongly associated with increased sensitivity to crowding in a classroom situation, impaired course performance, and visits to the student health center. The implications of these correlational findings for future field-experimental research are discussed.     

Radiotherapy facilities,equipment, and staffing in Poland: 2005–2011

Background and purpose

To evaluate the current status of radiotherapy facilities, staffing, and equipment, treatment and patients in Poland for the years 2005–2011 following implementation of the National Cancer Programme.

Methods

A survey was sent to the radiotherapy centres in Poland to collect data on available equipment, staffing, and treatments in the years 2005–2011.

Results

In 2011, 76,000 patients were treated with radiotherapy at 32 centres vs. 63,000 patients at 23 centres in 2005. Number of patients increased by 21%. In 2011, there were 453 radiation oncologists – specialists (1 in 168 patients), 325 medical physicists (1 in 215 patients), and 883 radiotherapy technicians (1 in 86 patients) vs. 320, 188, and 652, respectively, in 2005. The number of linear accelerators increased by 60%, from 70 units in 2005 to 112 in 2011. The current linac/patient ratio in Poland is 1 linac per 678 patients. Waiting times from diagnosis to the start of treatment has decreased.

Conclusion

Compared to 2005, there are more treatment facilities, more and better equipment (linacs), and more cancer care specialists. There are still large differences between the 16 Polish provinces in terms of equipment availability and ease of access to treatment. However, radiotherapy services in Poland have improved dramatically since the year 2005.     

Transferability of Material Composition Indicators for Residential Buildings: A Conceptual Approach Based on a German‐Japanese Comparison

Most anthropogenic material stocks and flows are associated with the building sector. Several recent studies have developed material composition indicators (MCIs) suitable for calculating material stocks and flows of the building sector using bottom‐up approaches, which hold great potential to provide information to support resource efficiency policies. A major limitation is the lack of country‐specific MCIs. This study aims to introduce a concept for a better transferability of MCI across different contexts by proposing requirements for defining MCIs and to discuss options and limits of the transferability. We take existing MCIs for residential buildings in Germany and Japan as case studies and make them comparable by applying harmonization methods. Based on that, similarities and differences are systematically identified and discussed, considering their socioeconomic, cultural, technical, and environmental factors. Our results indicate significant limitations to the transferability of MCIs for detached houses, while bigger apartment complexes show greater homogeneity despite the very different environments in which they are constructed. This indicates that while it is possible to assume foreign MCIs as plausible for large constructions, local coefficients need to be estimated for smaller single‐family homes.     

Expresión sexual y regulación de la sexualidad en residencias de personas mayores

Objectives

The study had three objectives: (a) To determine how staff perceives the frequency of different sexual expressions in long-term care facilities for older people; (2) to quantify policies aimed at guaranteeing residents’ sexual rights in such institutions, and (3) to determine factors influencing the presence of these kind of policies.

Top carnivores increase their kill rates on prey as a response to human-induced fear

The fear induced by predators on their prey is well known to cause behavioural adjustments by prey that can ripple through food webs. Little is known, however, about the analogous impacts of humans as perceived top predators on the foraging behaviour of carnivores. Here, we investigate the influence of human-induced fear on puma foraging behaviour using location and prey consumption data from 30 tagged individuals living along a gradient of human development. We observed strong behavioural responses by female pumas to human development, whereby their fidelity to kill sites and overall consumption time of prey declined with increasing housing density by 36 and 42%, respectively. Females responded to this decline in prey consumption time by increasing the number of deer they killed in high housing density areas by 36% over what they killed in areas with little residential development. The loss of food from declines in prey consumption time paired with increases in energetic costs associated with killing more prey may have consequences for puma populations, particularly with regard to reproductive success. In addition, greater carcass availability is likely to alter community dynamics by augmenting food resources for scavengers. In light of the extensive and growing impact of habitat modification, our study emphasizes that knowledge of the indirect effects of human activity on animal behaviour is a necessary component in understanding anthropogenic impacts on community dynamics and food web function.     

规范实验动物设施管理,提高科研服务质量

实验动物设施是医院科学研究的技术平台。如何利用有限的资源,全面提高实验动物中心科研服务水平是管理者亟待解决的问题。本文通过总结第四军医大学口腔医院实验动物中心的规范化建设及管理,探索提高实验动物中心运行效率和科研服务质量的方法。     

Using demographic data to better interpret pitfall trap catches

The results of pitfall trapping are often interpreted as abundance in a particular habitat. At the same time, there are numerous cases of almost unrealistically high catches of ground beetles in seemingly unsuitable sites. The correlation of catches by pitfall trapping with the true distribution and abundance of Carabidae needs corroboration. During a full year survey in 2006/07 in the Lake Elton region (Volgograd Area, Russia), 175 species of ground beetles were trapped. Considering the differences in demographic structure of the local populations, and not their abundances, three groups of species were recognized: residents, migrants and sporadic. In residents, the demographic structure of local populations is complete, and their habitats can be considered "residential". In migrants and sporadic species, the demographic structure of the local populations is incomplete, and their habitats can be considered "transit". Residents interact both with their prey and with each other in a particular habitat. Sporadic species are hardly important to a carabid community because of their low abundances. The contribution of migrants to the structure of carabid communities is not apparent and requires additional research. Migrants and sporadic species represent a "labile" component in ground beetles communities, as opposed to a "stable" component, represented by residents. The variability of the labile component substantially limits our interpretation of species diversity in carabid communities. Thus, the criteria for determining the most abundant, or dominant species inevitably vary because the abundance of migrants in some cases can be one order of magnitude higher than that of residents. The results of pitfall trapping adequately reflect the state of carabid communities only in zonal habitats, while azonal and disturbed habitats are merely transit ones for many species of ground beetles. A study of the demographic structure of local populations and assessment of the migratory/residential status of particular carabid species are potential ways of increasing the reliability of pitfall trap information.