The grassland steppe of Inner Mongolia is traditionally used for sheep grazing. However, overgrazing reduced vegetation cover in winter, thereby increasing soil erosion and consequently, degradation ...of the steppe vegetation. Grazing intensity (GI) is still the most important factor in pasture management. Hence, the aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of GI on grassland and sheep performance. A grazing experiment was conducted from July until September in 2005, 2006 and 2007 in which six different GI ranging from very light (GI 1), light (GI 2), light-moderate (GI 3), moderate (GI 4) and heavy (GI 5) to very heavy (GI 6) were tested. Each GI treatment comprised two adjacent plots that were alternately used for grazing or hay-making each year. Variables measured included herbage mass (HM) and chemical composition, digestibility of ingested organic matter (dOM), organic matter intake (OMI) and live weight gain (LWG) of sheep. The HM decreased significantly with increasing GI from 1·01 t (GI 1) to 0·45 t dry matter (DM)/ha (GI 6). There were only minor effects of GI on chemical composition and digestibility of standing herbage. Moreover, dOM, OMI and hence, digestible OMI did not differ between GI. Across all study years, LWG of sheep was not influenced by GI so that LWG per hectare increased with increasing GI, reaching a maximum of 730 g/d at GI 6 compared with 181 g/d at GI 1. However, a strong decrease in LWG per sheep with increasing stocking rate was found in 2005 when annual rainfall was less than half of the long-term average, resulting in a similar LWG per hectare across the range of tested stocking rates. The results therefore show that intensive grazing does not reduce growth of individual animals in most years, but increases LWG per unit of land area and thus, income of farmers. The alternating use of pastures for grazing or hay-making might have mitigated the negative effects of heavy grazing on herbage and animal performance. Nevertheless, high GI may negatively affect grassland productivity in the long term and the lack of HM on offer on heavy grazed pastures in dry years will require supplement feeding at the end of the vegetation period or the untimely sale of animals.
Internet Gaming Disorder has been included as a preliminary diagnosis in DSM-5. The question remains, if there are additional internet activities related to addictive use. Especially, use of social ...networking sites has been discussed to be related to excessive use, but only few empirical studies are available. We wanted to explore, if use of social networking sites is related to addiction symptoms and psychosocial distress and which variables (demography, personality) predict addictive use. A representative sample of n = 9173 adolescents (12–19 years) was enrolled. Self-report questionnaires assessed demography, frequency of social networking sites use, internet addiction, personality, and psychosocial distress. Gender-specific associations were found between frequency of use of social networking sites and addiction criteria, especially regarding preoccupation and loss of control. Adolescents using social networking sites intensely were more often classified with internet addiction (4.1% boys, 3.6% girls) and displayed higher psychosocial distress. Frequency of social networking sites use and its addictive use were predicted by similar variables except for extraversion that was only related to frequency of use. Since the intense use of social networking sites can be related to addictive symptoms and is accompanied by psychosocial distress it might be considered as another form of addictive online behavior.
•Intense use of social networking is correlated with criteria for internet addiction.•The prevalence amounted to 4.1% (boys) and 3.6% (girls).•Addictive use was related to higher psychosocial distress.•Extraversion predicted frequency of SNS-use but not addictive SNS-use.
Several studies show that the application of oral glucocorticoids in patients with active RA leads to fast resolution of disease activity
1
. Treatment strategies that include the initial ...application of glucocorticoids seem to have a favourable outcome in terms of long-term control of disease activity
2
. Moreover, when tapered down to low doses, glucocorticoids show disease-modifying actions such as the inhibition of progression of structural damage to the inflamed joints
3
. The goal of this study was to examine the predictors of short-term response to intermediate-dose glucocorticoids in patients with active RA.
Aim
To gather epidemiologic data on post‐dural puncture headache (PDPH) after diagnostic or therapeutic lumbar puncture (LP) in children and adolescents with SMA as well as in a cohort of paediatric ...patients without SMA.
Methods
We performed a retrospective, single‐centre analysis via chart review and questionnaire. Patients were identified using the German procedure classification. Respective charts and SMArtCARE documentation forms (SMA patients) were reviewed concerning documentation of headaches fulfilling criteria of the IHS‐classification for PDPH of 2004. Non‐SMA patients received additional questionnaires.
Results
We identified a total of 218 LPs in 95 patients. Of those 141 were performed in 22 patients with known SMA (mean age SMA patients 9.2 years; non‐SMA patients 11.4 years). Following chart review, IHS criteria for PDPH were fulfilled in 6.9% of all procedures (3.5% in SMA patients; 13.0% in non‐SMA patients; p = 0.008). Data from questionnaires of non‐SMA patients confirmed this result (position dependent headache within 72 h after intervention in 13.0% of procedures).
Conclusion
The prevalence of PDPH after therapeutic LPs in our cohort of SMA patients was significantly lower than after LPs in the general paediatric cohort. Data of this retrospective analysis show a similar overall prevalence of PDPH in paediatric patients as reported in bigger adult cohorts.
Ethnobotanical studies often assume plant knowledge is shared by all members of an arbitrarily bounded human group. By describing the uses and local categorization of plants in one village in rural ...Panama in a heteroglossic approach, the different knowledges within a village are presented in one article. Plants used in the daily work of women and men, and the work of village specialists are described. Villagers negotiate changing realities by adapting plant use and knowledge; this is reflected in local categorization of plant names into antes and hoy día. Unlike the established ethnobotanical assumption that bounded units of plant knowledge are dying, the younger generations of villagers, who work both within and outside the village, know more plants useful to their changing economic opportunities. Subsistence agriculturalists possess the adaptive plant knowledge skills to be stewards of the environment.
As a preventable disease, skin cancer is a public health issue in Austria. Most sun-safety studies focus on people's activities in summer, but little is known about sun-protective behavior in winter. ...Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study examines psychological perceptions among people who engage in winter sports in Austria. Following a TPB-based belief elicitation study, a consequent survey was conducted among 114 participants (51.8% female; M
age
= 29.54 years) in South Austria. Intention, attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and risk perception showed strong and significant associations with sun-safe behavior among people who engage in winter sports. The TPB framework explained a large portion of variance in sun-safe behavior (75%) and intention (73%). Gender differences have been identified in TPB-variables as well as several beliefs. Based on the utility of the TPB, our findings suggest guidelines for sun-safety in winter sports settings. Gender differences are in line with previous research, highlighting the vulnerability of men to sun damage during winter sports.
In detoxified alcohol‐dependent patients, alcohol‐related stimuli can promote relapse. However, to date, the mechanisms by which contextual stimuli promote relapse have not been elucidated in detail. ...One hypothesis is that such contextual stimuli directly stimulate the motivation to drink via associated brain regions like the ventral striatum and thus promote alcohol seeking, intake and relapse. Pavlovian‐to‐Instrumental‐Transfer (PIT) may be one of those behavioral phenomena contributing to relapse, capturing how Pavlovian conditioned (contextual) cues determine instrumental behavior (e.g. alcohol seeking and intake). We used a PIT paradigm during functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the effects of classically conditioned Pavlovian stimuli on instrumental choices in n = 31 detoxified patients diagnosed with alcohol dependence and n = 24 healthy controls matched for age and gender. Patients were followed up over a period of 3 months. We observed that (1) there was a significant behavioral PIT effect for all participants, which was significantly more pronounced in alcohol‐dependent patients; (2) PIT was significantly associated with blood oxygen level‐dependent (BOLD) signals in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) in subsequent relapsers only; and (3) PIT‐related NAcc activation was associated with, and predictive of, critical outcomes (amount of alcohol intake and relapse during a 3 months follow‐up period) in alcohol‐dependent patients. These observations show for the first time that PIT‐related BOLD signals, as a measure of the influence of Pavlovian cues on instrumental behavior, predict alcohol intake and relapse in alcohol dependence.
To date mechanisms by which contextual stimuli promote relapse in detoxified alcohol‐dependent patients have not been elucidated. One hypothesis is that contextual stimuli stimulate the motivation to drink (Pavlovian‐to‐Instrumental‐Transfer; PIT) via associated brain regions like the ventral striatum and thus promote relapse. Using a PIT paradigm during fMRI, we observed that PIT‐related Nucleus Accumbens activation was associated with and predictive of relapse during a three months follow up period in detoxified alcohol‐dependent patients.
The aim of this paper is to provide a critical analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of a non-standardised Model Requirements Analysis (MRA) used for the purpose of developing the Sustainability ...Impact Assessment Tool (SIAT). By ‘non-standardised’ we mean not strictly following a published MRA method. The underlying question we are interested in addressing is how non-standardised methods, often employed in research driven projects, compare to defined methods with more standardised structure, with regards their ability to capture model requirements effectively, and with regards their overall usability. Through describing and critically assessing the specific features of the non-standardised MRA employed, the ambition of this paper is to provide insights useful for impact assessment tool (IAT) development. Specifically, the paper will (i) characterise kinds of user requirements relevant to the functionality and design of IATs; (ii) highlight the strengths and weaknesses of non-standardised MRA for user requirements capture, analysis and reflection in the context of IAT; (iii) critically reflect on the process and outcomes of having used a non-standardised MRA in comparison with other more standardised approaches. To accomplish these aims, we first review methods available for IAT development before describing the SIAT development process, including the MRA employed. Major strengths and weaknesses of the MRA method are then discussed in terms of user identification and characterisation, organisational characterisation and embedding, and ability to capture design options for ensuring usability and usefulness. A detailed assessment on the structural differences of MRA with two advanced approaches (Integrated DSS design and goal directed design) and their role in performance of the MRA tool is used to critique the approach employed. The results show that MRA is able to bring thematic integration, establish system performance and technical thresholds as well as detailing quality and transparency guidelines. Nevertheless the discussion points out to a number of deficiencies in application - (i) a need to more effectively characterise potential users, and; (ii) a need to better foster communication among the distinguished roles in the development process. If addressed these deficiencies, SIAT non-standardised MRA could have brought out better outcomes in terms of tool usability and usefulness, and improved embedding of the tool into conditions of targeted end-users.
•Strengths and weaknesses of non-standard Model Requirements Analysis (MRA) analysed.•The exercise revealed insights on user requirements of impact assessment tools.•Major ones are thematic integration, quality assurance, technical performance and transparency.•Offers comparison with goal directed design and Integrated Design and Development approach.•Differentiates the approaches based on user characterisation, communication, usability and organisational embedding.
Alkali metal dodecahydro-closo-dodecaborates M2B12H12 (M = K, Rb, Cs, NH4, N(CH3)4) and the perhalogenated cesium salts Cs2B12X12 (X = Cl, Br, I) are studied by solid-state 11B nuclear magnetic ...resonance (NMR) spectroscopy as well as X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry. The present work addresses the molecular dynamics of the anionic B12X122− icosahedra which is examined by variable-temperature 11B NMR line shape studies between 120 and 370 K. Characteristic line shape effects are observed which strongly depend on the actual substituent X and the counterion M+. All alkali metal dodecahydro-closo-dodecaborates M2 B12H12 exhibit at elevated temperatures 11B NMR spectra with a single isotropic line which proves the presence of an efficient molecular process, resulting in dynamic (rotational) disorder along with vanishing dipolar and quadrupolar interactions. The positional order of the boron clusters, however, remains unaffected, as shown by the XRD data. At lower temperatures, the underlying motions are frozen on the NMR timescale resulting in characteristic 11B NMR spectra with a dominant homonuclear 11B–11B dipolar splitting. The per-halogenated cesium salts Cs2B12X12 behave differently. Hence, from the experimental 11B NMR spectra at room temperature a substantial mobility is only seen for the B12Cl122− anion. Obviously, the degree of anion mobility depends on the size of the substituent X in the B12X122− clusters (X = H, Cl, Br, I). A quantitative analysis of the experimental 11B NMR spectra of the alkali metal dodecahydro-closo-dodecaborates M2 B12H12 is achieved by line shape simulations, considering B12H122− ions undergoing reorientational jumps between icosahedral sites. From the motional correlation times the activation energies are derived. It is found that a correlation exists between the activation energies, the motional correlation times and the lattice constant. Hence, the activation energies and correlation times strongly increase with decreasing size of the cation M+, which reflects an increasing sterical hindrance due to a decreasing crystallo-graphic lattice constant in the same direction.
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