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The authors consider three-dimensional (3-D) target construction from SAR data collected on multiple complete circular apertures at different elevation angles. The 3-D resolution of circular SAR systems is constrained by two factors: the sparse sampling in elevation and the limited azimuthal persistence of the reflectors in the scene. Three-dimensional target reconstruction with multipass circular SAR data is further complicated by non-uniform elevation spacing in real flight paths and non-constant elevation angle throughout the circular passes. The authors first study parametric spectral estimation methods that extend standard IFSAR method of height estimation to apertures at more than two elevation angles. Next, they show that linear interpolation of the phase history data leads to unsatisfactory performance in 3-D reconstruction from non-uniformly sampled elevation passes. The authors then present a new sparsity regularised interpolation algorithm to preprocess non-uniform elevation samples to create a virtual uniformly spaced array. The authors illustrate the performance of the proposed method using data from EM simulations and data collected from a wideband X-band airborne sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. This paper is a report of a study to explore the experiences of women with polycystic ovary syndrome attending a nurse-led support group. Background. Polycystic ovary syndrome is a common chronic endocrine disorder associated with high levels of psychological distress. It has been argued that healthcare providers should regularly review the psychological health of women with polycystic ovary syndrome, and that nurses can help women to adjust to the condition by providing education and support. Little is known about the means of providing social support for women with the syndrome, or of any benefits for patients. Method. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 13 female patients in 2006. The patients attended a support group at a public hospital in the United Kingdom. The data were analysed using deductive and inductive thematic analysis. Findings. The group provided both socio-emotional and informational social support. Participants reported that attending the group helped to reduce isolation, and provided an opportunity for social comparison and accessible and personally relevant information. Participants described the group as having had a major personal impact for them. They reported feeling empowered and direct positive effects on their self-management behaviours. Conclusion. Social support appears to be a key factor mediating the psychosocial impact in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Healthcare providers should consider running such support groups or referring patients to them. Providing social support may alleviate distress and improve self-management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Mental health professionals are at greater risk than the general population of being stalked, particularly by patients. AIMS: To assess the prevalence of stalking behaviour by patients towards psychiatrists and ascertain patient characteristics. METHOD: Semi-structured questionnaire to all psychiatrists (n = 324) working in a large mental health organization. RESULTS: The response rate was 61% (n = 198). Forty-one doctors (21%) reported having been stalked by patients, the majority being consultants (n = 31; 76%). No sub-speciality was over-represented. Most stalkers (n = 24; 59%) were male with a diagnosis of personality disorder (39%) or major mental illness (34%). Duration of stalking ranged from several weeks to 16 years, and most commonly occurred at work. On average, victims experienced two types of inappropriate contact. Physical threats were made against 14 psychiatrists (34%). CONCLUSIONS: Stalking by patients towards psychiatrists is common and represents an important occupational risk. Formal training programmes and policy development within healthcare organizations may help manage risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two decades into the age of high-cost biotechnology medications, health care organizations are challenged to provide safe, effective treatment while managing costs. In a market lacking generic biotech drugs, health care organizations have few opportunities to negotiate reduced pricing; other strategies must be devised to manage use. Kaiser Permanente leverages its integrated health care delivery system to deploy management tools for costly therapies: evidence analysis, usage measurements, and multidisciplinary planning. Evidence-based medicine and realization of value provided by new therapies will depend on data capture and outcomes measurement, tools that are crucial to Kaiser Permanente's management of biotechnologies and effective use of members' financial resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hopelessness is associated with suicide. Hopelessness has been associated with life experiences, social-environmental, and biological factors. Racial differences exist in these factors and in coping behaviors. Better understanding racial differences in hopelessness and suicide may result in more effective interventions to slow the increasing Black American suicide rate. Data from a case-control study of nearly lethal suicide attempters were analyzed. Interaction results from logistic regression suggest that the effect of hopelessness on a nearly lethal suicide attempt may differ for Black and White Americans. Hopelessness was strongly associated with a nearly lethal suicide attempt for Blacks and Whites, but the odds were greater for Blacks than Whites. Interventions may need to be adjusted to address the difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association of Taq 1 and Fok 1 restriction fragment length polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor with occurrence and outcome of malignant melanoma (MM), as predicted by tumour (Breslow) thickness, has been reported previously. We now report a novel adenine-guanine substitution -1012?bp relative to the exon 1a transcription start site (A-1012G), found following screening by single-stranded conformational polymorphism of this promoter region. There was a total of 191 MM cases , which were stratified according to conventional Breslow thickness groups, cases being randomly selected from each group to form a distribution corresponding to the known distribution of Breslow thickness in our area, and this population (n=176) was compared to 80 controls. The A allele was over-represented in MM patients and, with GG as reference, odds ratio (OR) for AG was 2.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-5.7, (P=0.03) and AA 3.3, CI 1.4-8.1, (P=0.007). The outcome was known in 171 of 191 patients and the A allele was related to the development of metastasis, the Kaplan-Meier estimates of the probability of metastasis at 5 years being: GG 0%; AG 9%, CI 4-16%; AA 21%, CI 12-36%; (P=0.008), and to thicker Breslow thickness groups (P=0.04). The effect on metastasis was independent of tumour thickness and A-1012G may have predictive potential, additional to Breslow thickness. Neither the Fok 1 nor Taq 1 variants (f and t) were significantly related to the development of metastasis, although there was a strong relationship of fftt with the thickest Breslow thickness group (P=0.005). There was an interaction between the A-1012G and Fok 1 polymorphisms (P=0.025) and the Fok 1 variant enhanced the effect of the A allele of the A-1012G polymorphism on metastasis, the probability of metastasis for AAff at 5 years follow-up being 57%, CI 24-92%.British Journal of Cancer (2004) 91, 765-770. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6602006 www.bjcancer.com Published online 6 July 2004 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a project that was designed to explore mental health issues arising in primary care, as a basis for understanding primary care professionals' mental health training needs. Whilst recent UK government initiatives, such as the National Service Framework for Mental Health, have emphasized the need to enhance mental healthcare in the general population, the capacity to respond effectively is likely to be dependent upon primary care professionals acquiring the relevant skills. To achieve this, a thorough understanding of the issues inherent in dealing with mental health problems in primary care is required. Given that the mental health issues facing primary care professionals may differ from those that confront mainstream mental health professionals, logic dictates that primary care professionals may require a discrete set of skills and a special approach to mental health training. The principal aim of this project was, hence, to identify mental health issues arising in clinical practice, as a first step towards identifying primary care training needs. A series of focus groups and semi-structured interviews was used to gather information about mental health issues arising in primary care, based on the experiences of primary care professionals and users' representatives. The findings suggest that primary care professionals are confronted by a wide range of mental health issues, many of which lie outside of the scope of the current National Service Framework for Mental Health. The article discusses the implications for mental health training in primary care practice and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although ozone is generally accepted to be an important phytotoxic air pollutant, little is known of its effects on natural and semi-natural vegetation. In this study two bryophyte species, Sphagnum recurvum P. Beauv. and Polytrichum commune Hedw., were exposed to long-term chronic ozone concentrations, i.e. 70-80 ppb (nl l-1), for 6-9 wk in summer conditions (mean 15°C) and in winter conditions (mean 6.4 °C) in open-top chambers (OTC), in the field, and at 15°C and 5°C in controlled-environment chambers, under laboratory conditions. Fumigation with ozone caused a significant reduction in the growth of treated plants in comparison with that of control plants. However, there were differences between species. S. recurvum was more affected than P. commune. In the controlled-environment chambers growth of S. recurvum was reduced under both winter and summer conditions by 21 and 15%, respectively. In the OTCs, S. recurvum growth was reduced (by 17%) only under summer conditions. P. commune growth was only significantly reduced following ozone exposure in the OTCs under winter conditions. Here the growth reduction was by 22%. Net CO2 assimilation of the two species was also significantly reduced by ozone exposure but only in the OTCs under winter conditions. Net CO2 assimilation of S. recurvum and P. commune was reduced by 60 and 80%, respectively. The ratio of variable to maximal fluorescence (Fv/Fm ratio) was the least affected of the parameters measured. Only for P. commune fumigated in the OTCs under winter conditions was the Fv/Fm ratio significantly reduced (by 44%). Bryophytes, by the very nature of their morphology and physiology are, perhaps, more likely to be susceptible to ozone pollution than higher plants; these results are discussed in relation to their possible ecological significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three collections of crown rust (Puccinia coronata), from Czechoslovakia, West Germany and the U.K., were tested for their pathogenicity on sixteen cultivars of perennial ryegrass. The Czechoslovakian collection had the highest level of infection on twelve of the cultivars, although with most cultivars there were no significant differences in infection levels. Three cultivars, Kerem, Loretta and Tando, contained qualitative resistance to crown rust which was overcome by the Czechoslovakian collection, although they retained a moderately high level of background resistance to this collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infection of susceptible cultivars of perennial (Lolium perenne) and Italian (Lolium multiflorum) ryegrasses with crown rust (Puccinia coronata) reduced yield measured 6 weeks after infection and at two regrowth cuts. In perennial, but not Italian, ryegrass, rust infection of mixed swards of a resistant and a susceptible cultivar reduced the contribution to yield made by the susceptible cultivar and increased that of the resistant cultivar. This effect persisted for three regrowth cuts. The trend in effect on the number of tillers, but not plant height, was similar. Infection increased leaf protein in susceptible perennial ryegrass but had little effect in Italian ryegrass. In both species, rust reduced water-soluble carbohydrate and the predicted digestibility of susceptible and resistant cultivars, but had no effect on quality of regrowth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of infection by barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) on host reaction to powdery mildew (Erysiphe graminis DC. f. sp. hordei Marchal) in four barley genotypes with different types of resistance to barley mildew isolate AB3, was studied in pot-grown plants at 7, 12 and 26 days after mildew inoculation. Cv. Engledow India (hypersensitive resistance) showed necrotic spotting only at the third scoring date, but the area showing symptoms was significantly less in BYDV-infected than in control plants. On Vada (intermediately resistant), the reaction type value (a measure of host/pathogen compatibility), the percentage leaf area covered with mildew and the coefficient of infection (C.I., a mathematical combination of the other two characters mentioned) were initially less and subsequently greater on BYDV-infected than on virus-free plants. However, the initial trend was significant only for reaction type and C.I., and the subsequent trend only for percentage mildew cover and C.I. Reaction type values, percentage mildew cover and C.I. on cv. Emir (susceptible with some degree of adult plant resistance) and cv. Golden Promise (very susceptible) were also initially significantly less on BYDV-infected plants, but subsequently all three characters increased to amounts not significantly different from those on virus-free plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiological transition theory suggests that two population existing under disparate socioeconomic conditions would have different life expectancies as the result of cause-of-death differences. The effect of racial socioeconomic differentials on the total racial life expectancy differential are examined as they act through specific cause-of-death differentials. Results suggest that residential isolation of blacks has a strong effect on the total life expectancy differential as it acts through the racial homicide differential. The racial unemployment difference also has a strong effect on the total differential as it acts through the racial heart disease differential. Implications of the findings for reducing life expectancy differentials are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examined the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ), a series of 11 developmental questionnaires designed to be completed by parents and caregivers of young children from 4 to 48 months of age. The ASQ were recently revised and additional psychometric data were gathered. Analyses on over 7,000 questionnaires indicated high test-retest reliability, interobserver reliability, and internal consistency. Concurrent validity using standardized measures yielded on overall agreement of 85%, with a range of 76-91%. Specificity was high across questionnaire intervals while sensitivity was lower and varied across intervals. Use of parent-completed screening tools such as the ASQ is attractive in terms of cost-effectiveness, parental involvement, and flexibility in administration procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]