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Increased hurricane frequency and intensity and residential and commercial development are contributing to loss of maritime forests, coastal hammocks, and scrub dunes. Barriers to natural regeneration necessitate active restoration. We evaluated the survival of woody species planted in ephem-eral barrier island swales on Santa Rosa Island, Florida, in an effort to restore barrier island scrub and pine forest lost in recent hurricanes. Contractors planted sand live oak (Quercus gemínala) on swale ridges, inkberry (Ilex glabra) on swale mid-slopes, and slash pine (Pinus elliottii) in swale depressions. Polyacrylamide gels are often used to increase transplant survival in the drought-prone, sandy environ-ments. To assist us in evaluating the efficacy of these gels, contractors planted 10 plants with gel and 10 without for each swale, position, and woody species. We followed plant survival for 21 months and measured changes in plant height after one year. Polyacrylamide gel did not significantly affect survival of slash pine or sand live oak. Less than 25% of slash pine and sand live oak survived after 21 months. We found initial survival of inkberry was greater with than without gel, but plant death continued; and after eight weeks, we found no difference in survival for inkberry planted with and without gel. Ink-berry survival declined to < 5% at the last evaluation. Changes in plant height were also not affected by Polyacrylamide gel. We do not recommend the use of Polyacrylamide gel to replace supplemental water or to replace the planting of deeply rooted plants on barrier islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compared the sleep quantity and quality of healthy subjects when sleeping in a bed or in a hammock using an actigraphy and questionnaires. The study was initiated as part of biology lessons at a high school. Participants in the study were five female and five male pupils of a high school with an average age of 18.0 ± 1.8 years and a body mass index of 21.3 ±3 kg/m. To exclude chronic sleep disturbances all participants completed the Pittsburgh sleep quality questionnaire and all had a value below 5 (3.4 ± 0.5). A significant restless legs syndrome was excluded by using a standardized questionnaire. The pupils slept in a random order in the usual bed or in a hammock which was installed in the bedroom. All measurements were done on week days. Sleep data were calculated using an actigraph (SOMNOwatch, SOMNOmedics, Randersacker, Germany) worn on the non-dominant arm. There were no significant differences in sleep data between a bed or a hammock. Total sleeping time in bed was 5:57 ± 1:04 (h:min) and in a hammock 6:01 ± 1:12 (h:min), the sleep efficiency in bed was 79.2% ± 10.5% in a hammock 80.7% ± 9.8%, sleep latency in bed 3:26 ± 7:56 (min:s) and in a hammock 6:47 ± 9:11 (min:s). There were no first night effects and the data were similar during both nights. Subjective sleep data were similar under both conditions. Sleep in a hammock was not worse than in the usual bed. Sleep efficiency was much lower than expected for this age group perhaps due to the fact that this was the first self-performed scientific investigation for the participants but as the measurements were done in a randomized order this should have no effect on the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additive functions on translation quivers have played an important role in the representation theory of finite-dimensional algebras, the most prominent ones are the hammock functions introduced by S. Brenner. When dealing with cluster categories (and cluster-tilted algebras), one should look at a corresponding class of functions defined on stable translation quivers, namely the cluster-additive ones. We conjecture that the cluster-additive functions on a stable translation quiver of Dynkin type $\mathbb{A}_{n}, \mathbb{D}_{n}, \mathbb{E}_{6}, \mathbb {E}_{7}, \mathbb{E}_{8}$ are non-negative linear combinations of cluster-hammock functions (with index set a tilting set). The present paper provides a first study of cluster-additive functions and gives a proof of the conjecture in the case $\mathbb{A}_{n}$. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TNFα stimulates both pro- and anti-apoptotic signalling in hepatocytes. Anti-apoptotic signalling depends on a cascade of ubiquitylation steps leading to NFκB activation. Using Sharpin-deficient mice, we show that the ubiquitin binding protein Sharpin interacts with Hoip, an E3 ligase which generates linear ubiquitin chains. Sharpin-deficiency sensitized hepatocytes to induction of apoptosis by TNFα even in the absence of transcriptional inhibition. TNFα induced activation of NFκB was strongly reduced in hepatocytes from Sharpin-deficient mice, due to reduced and delayed phosphorylation and degradation of IκBα. Injection of TNFα-inducing lipopolysaccharides led to strongly exacerbated liver damage and premature death in Sharpin-deficient mice. Our findings point to an essential role of Sharpin in linear ubiquitin chain formation, NFκB activation, and protection of the liver against inflammatory damaging signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long-lasting insecticidal hammocks (LLIHs) are being evaluated as an additional malaria prevention tool in settings where standard control strategies have a limited impact. This is the case among the Ra-glai ethnic minority communities of Ninh Thuan, one of the forested and mountainous provinces of Central Vietnam where malaria morbidity persist due to the sylvatic nature of the main malaria vector An. dirus and the dependence of the population on the forest for subsistence - as is the case for many impoverished ethnic minorities in Southeast Asia. Methods: A social science study was carried out ancillary to a community-based cluster randomized trial on the effectiveness of LLIHs to control forest malaria. The social science research strategy consisted of a mixed methods study triangulating qualitative data from focused ethnography and quantitative data collected during a malariometric crosssectional survey on a random sample of 2,045 study participants. Results: To meet work requirements during the labor intensive malaria transmission and rainy season, Ra-glai slash and burn farmers combine living in government supported villages along the road with a second home at their fields located in the forest. LLIH use was evaluated in both locations. During daytime, LLIH use at village level was reported by 69.3% of all respondents, and in forest fields this was 73.2%. In the evening, 54.1% used the LLIHs in the villages, while at the fields this was 20.7%. At night, LLIH use was minimal, regardless of the location (village 4.4%; forest 6.4%). Discussion: Despite the free distribution of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and LLIHs, around half the local population remains largely unprotected when sleeping in their forest plot huts. In order to tackle forest malaria more effectively, control policies should explicitly target forest fields where ethnic minority farmers are more vulnerable to malaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the intraoperative and immediate postoperative results achieved with the tension-free vaginal tape Secur (TVT-S) hammock procedure performed under local anesthesia (LA) versus general anesthesia (GA).Methods: Prospective randomized trial involving patients with symptomatic stress urinary incontinence grades 1 or 2 who underwent TVT-S under either LA or GA. Postoperative pain intensity, duration of hospitalization, rate of complications, duration of operating and recovery times, and number of additional procedures required were recorded.Results: Each group included 40 patients. The operative times were identical in the 2 groups, but the time spent in the recovery room was significantly longer in the GA group. Patients undergoing LA experienced less pain than did those undergoing GA. Most patients in the LA group had day surgery, whereas most patients in the GA group went home 1day after the surgery. No significant differences were observed for the rates of complications.Conclusion: Performing the TVT-S hammock technique under LA rather than GA reduces postoperative pain and shortens the duration of hospitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To assess the efficacy and complications associated with use of the TVT SECUR System device with placement of the tape in either a “hammock” or “U” position for management of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Methods: A prospective study of patients with SUI allocated into one of two groups: “hammock” or “U” tape placement. Preoperative urodynamic results were compared with results at the 6-month and 1-year follow up. Outcome measures were objective cough test assessment and subjective patient responses to a questionnaire at follow up. Results: Of 82 patients included in the study, 43 comprised the “hammock” group and 39 comprised the “U” group. The objective cure rate at 1-year follow up was 62.8% (n=27) in the “hammock” group and 71.8% (n=28) in the “U” group. At 1-year follow up, the subjective cure, improvement, and failure rates for the “hammock” group were 60.5%, 13.9%, and 25.7% respectively, and 69.2%, 12.8%, and 17.9% respectively, for the “U” group. Conclusion: The efficacy of the TVT SECUR System was lower (<72%) than the cure rates reported for other TVT procedures; further studies are required. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) have undergone a dramatic range expansion within the last 150 years, yet few quantitative data are available describing their habitat selection patterns, and only a single population has received the vast majority of research attention in general. Because armadillos may negatively impact native fauna, improved knowledge of their habitat selection patterns is needed to better understand their ecology and improve estimates of their future distribution. We used radiotelemetry to monitor 31 armadillos at a site in southwestern Georgia during 2005-2006. Males and females selected habitats similarly. Armadillos were located farther than expected from mature pine habitats within their home ranges, but individual variation in this measure was high, which we suspect may be a fire-dependent response. Armadillos did not prefer hardwood hammocks, as has been reported for other populations, and we suspect this surprising result may have gone undetected had we not used radiotelemetry. Overall, armadillos did not exhibit much evidence of habitat selection at all. It therefore appears that factors other than habitat type, such as temperature and precipitation, may be more important in determining future armadillo distributions and negative impacts may be more widespread than previously thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the study that collects Anastrepha edentata Stone with McPhail traps in native hammock forest of Key Largo, Florida. It states that the phenology of the fly is illustrated and indicated that the fly is at least bivoltine and probably multivoltine. It shows that fruit obtained from 22 different potential host plants failed to produce adults of A. edentata. Moreover, it traps Anastrepha suspensa and Toxotrypana curvicauda Gerstaecker, while A. suspensa was reared from Ximenia americana L. for the first time.

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Sharp boundaries typically separate the salinity tolerant mangroves from the salinity intolerant hardwood hammock species, which occupy the similar geographical areas of southern Florida. Evidence of strong feedback between tree community-type and the salinity of the unsaturated (vadose) zone of the soil suggests that a severe disturbance that significantly tilts the salinity in the vadose zone might cause a shift from one vegetation type to the other. In this study, a model based upon the feedback dynamics between vegetation and salinity of the vadose zone of the soil was used to take account of storm surge events to investigate the mechanisms that by which this large-scale disturbance could affect the spatial pattern of hardwood hammocks and mangroves. Model simulation results indicated that a heavy storm surge that completely saturated the vadose zone at 30ppt for 1 day could lead to a regime shift in which there is domination by mangroves of areas previously dominated by hardwood hammocks. Lighter storm surges that saturated the vadose zone at less than 7ppt did not cause vegetation shifts. Investigations of model sensitivity analysis indicated that the thickness of the vadose zone, coupled with precipitation, influenced the residence time of high salinity in the vadose zone and therefore determined the rate of mangrove domination. The model was developed for a southern Florida coastal ecosystem, but its applicability may be much broader. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Potential risk factors for lymphatic filariasis (LF), including the failure to use insecticide-treated bednets (ITN), were studied in four north–eastern provinces of Cambodia, using 43 cases of LF and 248 apparently healthy controls who were matched with the cases in terms of age (±5 years), gender and village. The results of a univariate matched analysis indicated that lack of ITN [odds ratio (OR)=20.1; 95% confidence interval (CI)=2.2–182.4; P=0.008] and frequent overnight stays in forests or paddy fields outside the village (OR=3.6; CI=1.3–10.0; P=0.012) were the most important risk factors. In a multivariate matched analysis, frequent overnight stays outside the village combined with bednet use showed a clear dose–response relationship, with untreated nets offering significant protection during such stays but ITN offering significantly better protection. Even if villagers used ITN during such stays, they were significantly more likely to develop LF than villagers who did not travel (OR=5.0; CI=1.5–16.3; P=0.008), and if they used untreated or no nets while away they were even more likely than the non-travellers to develop the disease (OR=1413; CI=28.0–71,189; P<0.001). Taken together, these results provide further evidence for the importance of bednet use and their impregnation in the prevention of LF. At least in north–eastern Cambodia, the use of bednets and, preferably, ITN is particularly important during overnight stays outside the home village. In areas where LF is endemic, the sustained distribution of insecticide-treated bednets or hammock nets appears to be a very good idea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The boundaries between mangroves and freshwater hammocks in coastal ecotones of South Florida are sharp. Further, previous studies indicate that there is a discontinuity in plant predawn water potentials, with woody plants either showing predawn water potentials reflecting exposure to saline water or exposure to freshwater. This abrupt concurrent change in community type and plant water status suggests that there might be feedback dynamics between vegetation and salinity. A model examining the salinity of the aerated zone of soil overlying a saline body of water, known as the vadose layer, as a function of precipitation, evaporation and plant water uptake is presented here. The model predicts that mixtures of saline and freshwater vegetative species represent unstable states. Depending on the initial vegetation composition, subsequent vegetative change will lead either to patches of mangrove coverage having a high salinity vadose zone or to freshwater hammock coverage having a low salinity vadose zone. Complete or nearly complete coverage by either freshwater or saltwater vegetation represents two stable steady-state points. This model can explain many of the previous observations of vegetation patterns in coastal South Florida as well as observations on the dynamics of vegetation shifts caused by sea level rise and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose . To investigate the effects of the cushion covers on interface pressure measurements using pressure mapping technology. Methods . Sixty-one healthy participants were recruited for a laboratory-based study using a single group design. Participants were pressure mapped on a visco-elastic foam cushion and a foam and fluid pack cushion with their covers on and with their covers removed. An air-filled cushion was tested with two different types of covers, an incontinence cover and a ‘Comfair’ cover. Average and maximum pressures recorded at 6 mins by the Force Sensing Array pressure mapping system were used for statistical analysis. Results . There were no significant differences in maximum pressures for the three cushions tested with their covers on or with their covers removed. The cushion with the foam base and fluid pack did not demonstrate any significant differences in average pressure with the cover on or with the cover removed. However, the visco-elastic foam cushion showed significantly lower average pressures with the cover on ( p = 0.019). The air-filled cushion showed lower average pressures with the incontinence cover on, when compared to the Comfair cover ( p = 0.029). Conclusion . Contrary to the belief that the process of hammocking may create surface tension within the cushion covers, which in turn may adversely affect the cushions ability to reduce interface pressure, the cushions tested in the current study did not show significantly lower interface pressure measurements with the covers removed. Therefore the covers did not adversely affect the cushion's ability to reduce interface pressure. The findings of this study require verification with disabled clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the penultimate paper in a series about working with a patient suffering from a psychotic disorder. The paper describes the third year of the work in which ‘John’ had four breakdowns in a period of six months. Much of the time I was unable to think. I was sitting on the edge of my chair either worrying that John was breaking down again or trying to help him recover from a breakdown. My small office became a cramped prison cell in which I felt myself a witness to a disturbing dance into and out of madness. A turning point seemed to happen as I developed a way of thinking about John's breakdowns. I seemed then to become a less persecutory figure in John's mind and more someone to whom John could turn for help. We found a way of thinking and talking about an infant in John. John responded by finding a way of being in my office as though he was reclining in a hammock. His breakdowns ceased. He was able to share in common humanity's concerns following September 11. Finally, I discuss thoughts about containment particularly about the paternal role in containment, drawing on Robert Caper's elaboration of Bion's ideas about containing psychotic aspects of experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The southern Delmarva Peninsula is located along the middle Atlantic Coastal Plain of the United States. The axial highland of the peninsula formed in four stages of Pleistocene spit progradation. The landward shoreline of the peninsula is on the Chesapeake Bay. The seaside shoreline of the peninsula is on the Atlantic Ocean. The coast of the peninsula is composed of five landscape sections described as a headland, a left-hand spit, a right-hand spit, a wave-dominated barrier island, and tide-dominated barrier islands.Fisherman Island is a barrier island located at the southern end of the southern Delmarva Peninsula. The landscape features on Fisherman Island do not illustrate a direct linkage to (1) the sediment dispersion from the Delaware headland or (2) the influence of local antecedent topography. The island has a bipolar progradational history that is normal to the axis of the southerly sediment dispersion pattern from the Delmarva headlands.During the late Holocene, sea-level rise flooded the low-elevation land at the distal end of the southern Delmarva Peninsula. The submerged area formed a shallow platform in the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. Two sediment dispersion tracts affected the development of this area. On the ocean side of the peninsula, sediment moved southward along the lower shoreface to the Chesapeake Bay entrance. On the west side of the peninsula, southerly moving bay currents also dispersed sediment to the entrance of the bay. The two tracts converged on the northern side of the bay entrance forming a broad sand shoal. Wave diffraction and refraction around the margins of the shoal “swept” sediment into linear sand bars that migrated back toward the peninsula.By the middle of the 19th century, the fusion of sand bars on the shoal surface produced a permanent nucleus for island development. Wave refraction caused wave crests to “wrap around” the island core producing separate easterly and westerly components of shore aggradation. The westerly aggradational history is recorded in closely spaced sets of beach ridges. The easterly aggradational history is recorded in broadly spaced hammocks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

I try to unveil, from the study of valorizations and judgements that have shape the story of the Cuban national identity, the processes of the identity construction through which there have been conceived something like the female other of the colonizer male subject. I consider in my investigation the most relevant historical periods (Conquest. Colony. Republic. Revolution), and I use sources of analysis like narrations, articles, conferences, testimony, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Economic Botany is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The use of several indices and theoretical models for the study of floristic diversity, species abundance and species richness is discussed. These descriptive methods are applied to four patches of tropical vegetation known as hammocks or "petenes" in NW Campeche state, Mexico. It is suggested that the Hill index best indicates vegetation diversity. The results show that dominance decreases as island size and diversity increase. The distributions of species abundance conform to Motomura's model, suggesting that these communities represent different successional stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]