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The Pacific-Asia Biodiversity Transect (PABITRA) studies are based on a network of high-island biodiversity sites. These sites are structurally and historically complex. The majority of Pacific islands, in contrast, are low atolls with a common and simple flora and structure. As a result, atolls may serve as "controls" that may provide a way to assess impact of the upland high-island ecosystems on coastal regions of Pacific islands. Atoll studies can complement the PABITRA network because the gateway sites are near each other or separated from one another by one or more atolls. Such an addition will enhance interpretation of high-island ecosystems and their coastal zones because ecosystem surveys can be conducted quickly and accurately in atoll environments. We present results from quantitative studies of plant diversity from seven islets at Ailinginae Atoll in the northern Marshall Islands and discuss the value of this methodology as a way to enhance interpretation of the PABITRA data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The routine use of screening instruments for psychiatric and cognitive impairment in hospital in-patients has been recommended in the United States. The validity of the scaled version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and the clinical utility of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were therefore evaluated in a consecutive series of neurological in-patients (N = 102). Using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis, the discriminating power of the GHQ was very good, and best when using a threshold score of 11/12. The patient sample turned out not to contain any with generalised cortical damage, which casts some doubt on whether the MMSE should be used routinely in all neurological in-patients units in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reflects on the significance of technology to the publication "Ethnobotany Research & Applications: A Journal of Plants, People, and Applied Research" in the U.S. Due to the emergence of new technology, the periodical adapted a new opportunity in publishing its on-line journal. Instead of printing on paper, it distributed its issues through the Internet.

A class exercise to introduce plant taxonomy to non-science majors was conducted as part of the botany segue (introduction to botanical sciences) of our introductory ethnobotany course at the University of Hawai'i in fall 2007. Students were given the opportunity to name and develop their own classification schemes for forty plant materials. This paper discusses the results of the class exercise. Binomials were used more often than monomials for plant names and the pattern was reversed for category names. Students used many adjectives and terms related to plant parts to name plants and categories. Of all the adjectives used, color and texture were used most often by students to name plants and categories respectively. In general, students were well aware of the different functional roles of plant and category names and illustrated this frequently by using binomials consisting of noun-adjective combinations to name plants and monomial nouns to name categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nel contesto di una esercitazione in classe, è stato chiesto agli studenti iscritti al corso "Introductory Ethnobotany" dell'University of Hawai'i at Manoa di dare un nome a 40 esemplari di piante fresche evitando di utilizzare nomi comuni. Uno degli scopi di questo esercizio è stato quello di raccogliere informazioni riguardanti la reazione visiva degli studenti. Gli studenti hanno inventato nomi correlati a forma, colore ed altre caratteristiche morfologiche delle piante campione. Un modo significativo ed esplicativo per comprendere i risultati raccolti con questo esperimento è quello di raffigurare quello che effettivamente gli studenti hanno fatto in classe. Poiché le immagini sono uno strumento potente per esprimere informazioni, il metodo utilizzato in questo esperimento è presentato qui come documento fotografico con la speranza che ricercatori e insegnanti di altre parti del mondo possano condurre simili esercitazioni in classe con i propri studenti. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of a class exercise, students enrolled in the Introductory Ethnobotany course at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa were asked to make up names for 40 fresh plant specimens avoiding the use of any previously known common names. One of the aims of this exercise was to collect data regarding the visual reaction of these students. The students came up with names that were related to shape, color and other morphological features of the plant specimens. An effective and meaningful way to understand the results collected from this exercise is to picture what these students actually did in class. Since images are a powerful way to express information, the method used in this exercise is presented here as a photo essay in the hope that researchers and instructors from other parts of the world can conduct similar class exercises with their students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a study assessing the correlates and possible determinants of 'somatisation' by patients consulting their family doctor with a new illness. Operational criteria of 'somatisation' are given and the relationship between DSM III psychiatric disorders and physical illness are described. The epidemiological findings that are presented illustrate that 'somatisation' is a common phenomenon and accounts for a substantial proportion of 'hidden psychiatric morbidity' in primary care.