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Bumblebees are a key taxon contributing to the provision of crop pollination and ecosystem functioning. However, land use and climate change are two of the main factors causing bee decline across the world. In this study, we investigated how the flight period of bumblebee spring queens has shifted over the last century in Sweden, and to what extent such shifts depended on climate change, landscape context, latitude, and the phenology of bumblebee species. We studied ten species of bumblebees and used observations from museum specimens covering 117 years from the southernmost region in Sweden (Scania), combined with citizen-reported observations during the past 20 years across Sweden. We found that the flight period of bumblebees has advanced by 5 days on average during the last 20 years across Sweden. In the agriculture-dominated region of Scania, we found that in the late 2010s bumblebee spring queen activity in simplified landscapes had advanced by on average 14 days, compared to 100 years ago. In addition, in simplified landscapes the flight period of early species was significantly earlier compared to in complex landscapes. Our results provide knowledge on the intraspecific variation of phenological traits, indicating that early species (often common species) exhibit a higher plastic response to the environment, which may facilitate adaptation to both climate and landscape changes, compared to the late species of which many are declining.

Urbanisation drives overall declines in insect pollinators. Although urban green spaces can provide suitable habitat for pollinators much remains to be learned about how urban landscapes either promote or negatively impact pollinators. We investigated how backyard design, local (100 m) and landscape (500 m) scale vegetation cover and human population density were associated with non-eusocial native bee species, eusocial bees (Apis melliferaandTetragonula spp.), and hoverflies, in residential green spaces of the subtropical city Brisbane, Australia. We found that associations between bee abundance and vegetation cover were moderated by human density, but the direction of this effect differed for non-eusocial and eusocial species. Non-eusocial bee abundance was positively associated with tree cover at local and landscape scales when human densities were low, but negatively so at high human population densities. We suggest this may be because the quality of vegetation for non-eusocial bees deteriorates as human density increases. In contrast, abundance of eusocial bees was negatively associated with increasing local cover of grass and shrubs at low levels of human density, but positively associated at high densities. This affinity to humans could partly be explained by domesticated “kept” hives. We found no effect of urban gradients on bee species richness. Hoverfly abundance was negatively related to human density and positively related to vegetation cover at local and landscape scales. At the backyard scale, both bee species richness and bee and hoverfly abundances were positively associated to flower abundance. Backyards with more vegetation cover had higher densities of non-eusocial bees. Our results thus support the idea that urban greening in densely populated areas at multiple spatial scales can benefit a range of insect pollinators.

Background The aim of the study was to review a local treatment protocol for sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) focusing on triple modality treatment (TMT), that is, neoadjuvant concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and surgery. Methods In a retrospective design, data on clinical presentation, treatment, and survival were retrieved for 22 consecutive patients from a tertiary referral center. Results The mean overall survival (OS) for all patients (3 stage III, 16 stage IVA, and 3 stage IVB) was 62 months, and the 5-year OS rate 50%. Four of the 22 patients received treatment with palliative intention. Of the 18 patients who received treatment with curative intention, patients with stage IVA disease who received TMT (n = 10) had a 5-year OS of 70% and 10-year OS of 20%. The median disease-free survival for these patients was 51 months compared with 9 months for stage IVA not receiving TMT (n = 4). Conclusion A seemingly favorable survival outcome for a disease with characteristically poor prognosis was observed. The lead finding was a high survival rate (70% 5-year OS) for stage IVA patients who received neoadjuvant TMT. The observations suggest the possibility that patients with advanced SNMM (stage IVA) might benefit from concomitant CRT before surgery by delaying the onset of local recurrences and distant metastases. Level of evidence Level 4, case series (with or without comparison).

Biodiversity is the basis of several important ecosystem functions, which guarantee the provision of irreplaceable Nature’s contribution to people, for example food production. Long-term maintenance of such functions and services in agricultural ecosystems thus depend on the maintenance of the biodiversity of agro-ecosystems (Foley et al., 2005; Tomlinson, 2013). Biodiversity loss is therefore a major global environmental problem, with habitat deterioration being one of the main drivers (Tilman, 2001; Brook et al., 2008). As habitat loss is one consequence of agricultural intensification (Benton et al., 2003), and agricultural ecosystems comprise 40% of Earth’s land ecosystems (FAO, 2021), agriculture plays a critical role for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning at large. However, the influence of habitat loss, fragmentation and modifications in agricultural ecosystems on biodiversity and ecosystem functions is still hard to disentangle from that of other mechanisms. For some taxa or ecosystem services (e.g., pollinators and pollination), landscape and habitat modification have been shown to be important, e.g., as increasing habitat fragmentation or crop isolation from natural areas decrease pollination services (Ricketts et al., 2008; Farwig et al., 2009; Garibaldi et al., 2009, 2011).

Purpose Sinonasal malignancies (SNM) represent a rare and complex group of cancers that includes a wide range of histopathological subtypes. Data from population-based cohorts are scarce but warranted as a basis for randomized controlled treatment trials (RCTs). Our aim was to assess overall and histology subset-specific outcomes for SNM patients treated at a tertiary referral centre. Methods A retrospective, population-based, consecutive cohort of patients with SNMs diagnosed from 2001 through 2019 was examined. Outcome was analysed in relation to age, gender, site, stage, histopathology, and treatment. Results Two-hundred and twenty-six patients were identified, whereof 61% presented with stage IV disease. 80% completed treatment with curative intent, which comprised surgery with neoadjuvant (29%) or adjuvant (37%) radiotherapy, monotherapy with surgery (22%), definitive chemoradiotherapy (7%), or radiotherapy (5%). Median follow-up was 106 months. The 5- and 10-year overall survival rates were 57% and 35%, respectively. Median overall survival was 76 months (esthesioneuroblastoma: 147 months; adenocarcinoma: 117; salivary carcinoma: 88; mucosal melanoma: 69; squamous cell carcinoma: 51, undifferentiated carcinoma: 42; neuroendocrine carcinoma: 9; and NUT-carcinoma 5). The 5- and 10-year disease-free survival rates were 63% and 54%, respectively, and disease-specific survival 83% and 66%. Increasing age, stage IVB, melanoma histopathology, and treatment with definitive chemoradiotherapy emerged as significant independent prognostic risk factors for disease-specific mortality (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion The results indicate a seemingly good outcome in comparison to previous reports, particularly for mucosal melanoma, adenocarcinoma, and undifferentiated carcinoma. The study provides additional background for future RCTs focusing on histology subset-specific treatment for SNM.

Norm enforcement may be important for resolving conflicts and promoting cooperation. However, little is known about how preferred responses to norm violations vary across cultures and across domains. In a preregistered study of 57 countries (using convenience samples of 22,863 students and non-students), we measured perceptions of the appropriateness of various responses to a violation of a cooperative norm and to atypical social behaviors. Our findings highlight both cultural universals and cultural variation. We find a universal negative relation between appropriateness ratings of norm violations and appropriateness ratings of responses in the form of confrontation, social ostracism and gossip. Moreover, we find the country variation in the appropriateness of sanctions to be consistent across different norm violations but not across different sanctions. Specifically, in those countries where use of physical confrontation and social ostracism is rated as less appropriate, gossip is rated as more appropriate. Little is known about people's preferred responses to norm violations across countries. Here, in a study of 57 countries, the authors highlight cultural similarities and differences in people's perception of the appropriateness of norm violations., Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences; Riksbankens Jubileumsfond; Czech Science Foundation; Czech Academy of Sciences; Institute of Psychology; Stockholm University

The number of theories and conceptions endeavoring to understand gifted and talented behavior are surprisingly numerous because of different scholarly convictions, practices impacted by culture, and motives to study and further the achievement potential of this relatively small but extraordinary group of individuals. In spite of intense study all over the world, we do not seem to be much closer to a common understanding of what giftedness and talent are in the scholarly community. This chapter does not present yet another theory, but it does propose a framework of important issues to consider in trying to forge all current theories and conceptions together motivating scholars to seek consensus on the basis of well-established knowledge in biology and evolutionary theory. These offer fundamental and scientifically uncontroversial knowledge shedding important light on the subject matter of education, psychology, and other social sciences and their derived practices. An evolutionary understanding offers new perspectives and will inevitably create a more sustainable knowledge base for understanding the social significance of giftedness, talent, and its education in a collective society by setting boundaries to what is likely to be possible, and perhaps of greater importance, to also suggest what is, in fact, impossible. The latter is likely to limit the impact of cultural and ideological biases on scholarship and educational practices.

Thousands of refugees have immigrated to Turkey because of the current Civil War in neighboring Syria. This is causing tensions between refugees and locals. These increasingly negative attitudes towards the incoming victims of conflict are of particular interest. The present study, therefore, aimed at determining the premises of the emergence of such negative attitudes. The research sample consisted of university students who all studied at various faculties at Cumhuriyet University in the Turkish province of Sivas. Data were collected by the Attitude Scale Towards Refugees, the Patriotism Attitude Scale, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and the Cirhinlioğlu Religiosity Scale. Data were analyzed by Independent Samplet-tests as well as using Stepwise Regression Analyses. Results showed that the feeling of empathy correlated negatively with negative attitudes towards refugees, while blind patriotism, religiosity, and having nationalist/conservative orientations, correlated positively. Men were found to be more negative than women. The feeling of empathy was the most prominent factor in predicting the nature of attitudes towards refugees. Religious doctrine and distancing oneself from conservative and patriotic perspectives appeared to be effective in potentially preventing the development of negative attitudes. In conclusion, research results are discussed in the light of relevant literature.

Norm enforcement may be important for resolving conflicts and promoting cooperation. However, little is known about how preferred responses to norm violations vary across cultures and across domains. In a preregistered study of 57 countries (using convenience samples of 22,863 students and non-students), we measured perceptions of the appropriateness of various responses to a violation of a cooperative norm and to atypical social behaviors. Our findings highlight both cultural universals and cultural variation. We find a universal negative relation between appropriateness ratings of norm violations and appropriateness ratings of responses in the form of confrontation, social ostracism and gossip. Moreover, we find the country variation in the appropriateness of sanctions to be consistent across different norm violations but not across different sanctions. Specifically, in those countries where use of physical confrontation and social ostracism is rated as less appropriate, gossip is rated as more appropriate.

BACKGROUND: The value of CT at the time of diagnosis for patients with cutaneous head and neck melanoma clinically asymptomatic for metastatic disease is unclear.METHODS: A retrospective medical chart review was performed on 198 consecutive patients identified with primary T1b-T4b head and neck melanoma clinically asymptomatic for metastatic disease referred for sentinel lymph node biopsy procedures between 2004 and 2014.RESULTS: Initial CTs identified clinically occult melanoma metastases in 8.1% and advanced second primary tumors in 3.5% of patients. CT findings were false-negative in 1% and false-positive in 6% of patients. Overall survival (OS) for patients with true-positive CT findings was lower than for the other patients (P < .001).CONCLUSION: CT imaging when staging patients with head and neck melanoma seems to identify more metastases than has been reported for melanoma at other sites. Preoperative CTs decreased the number of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNBs), thus avoiding the stress and cost of this surgical procedure in 12% of patients. (Less)

An international, multi-centre trial was carried out to test the haemorheological effects of ketanserin, a serotonin antagonist, after treatment of intermittent claudicants for 1 year. Ha ...

The chapter questions the use of ‘personality tests’ for recruitment. There is an exaggerated belief that a person’s suitability for a job lies in their personality, and that people who possess the ...

Silicone rubber is often used to obtain replica of surfaces which are hard to study directly. Here we discuss under what conditions engineering stylus measurements can be used to obtain the correct surface roughness from the replica. We also show how thin vertical slices of the silicone rubber can be used to obtain the surface roughness power spectra for the long-wavelength roughness on even very rough surfaces, such as road surfaces, which may be hard to probe directly with standard optical or stylus instruments.

Glăveanu’s target article is indeed timely and thought provoking. This commentary argues that Glăveanu needs not to be criticised in regard to stances taken, but rather be encouraged to expand his scope further. I suggest that this should be done by addressing the need for inter-disciplinary knowledge synthesis and also by recognising and exploring the social dynamics (and politics) of the academic world. Researchers need to be knowledgeable with regard to both in order to further an understanding of creativity and also to apply research findings responsibly.

This article is a theoretical commentary to Robert J. Sternberg’s Active Concerned Citizenship and Ethical Leadership (ACCEL) model as published in the Roeper Review. Though the proposed model is attractive and a formidable attempt to reform education in a politically and economically turbulent world that all too often ignores ethics and wisdom and increasingly shuns critical thinking, this article focuses on the two equally formidable obstacles to implementing the model, namely, systems inertia and evolutionary dynamics, neither of which is addressed by Sternberg (2017). In conclusion, a suggestion is made for the reevaluation of ambitions and position in the light of what the ACCEL model is proposed to potentially achieve. The article is part of a special issue on 'Wisdom and Ethics in a Changing World' featuring Robert J Sternbergs lead article 'ACCEL - A new way of identifying the gifted'

Does gifted education affect societal inequality, and does societal inequality suppress and/ordistort the development of high ability? Drawing from several academic disciplines and current politica ...

Land-use change and intensification threaten bee populations worldwide, imperilling pollination services. Global models are needed to better characterise, project, and mitigate bees' responses to these human impacts. The available data are, however, geographically and taxonomically unrepresentative; most data are from North America and Western Europe, overrepresenting bumblebees and raising concerns that model results may not be generalizable to other regions and taxa. To assess whether the geographic and taxonomic biases of data could undermine effectiveness of models for conservation policy, we have collated from the published literature a global dataset of bee diversity at sites facing land-use change and intensification, and assess whether bee responses to these pressures vary across 11 regions (Western, Northern, Eastern and Southern Europe; North, Central and South America; Australia and New Zealand; South East Asia; Middle and Southern Africa) and between bumblebees and other bees. Our analyses highlight strong regionally-based responses of total abundance, species richness and Simpson's diversity to land use, caused by variation in the sensitivity of species and potentially in the nature of threats. These results suggest that global extrapolation of models based on geographically and taxonomically restricted data may underestimate the true uncertainty, increasing the risk of ecological surprises. Fil: De Palma, Adriana. Natural History Museum; Reino Unido. Imperial College London; Reino Unido Fil: Abrahamczyk, Stefan. Universitat Bonn; Alemania Fil: Aizen, Marcelo Adrian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina Fil: Albrecht, Matthias. Institute for Sustainability Sciences; Suiza Fil: Basset, Yves. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Panamá Fil: Bates, Adam. Nottingham Trent University; Reino Unido Fil: Blake, Robin J.. University of Reading; Reino Unido Fil: Boutin, Céline. Carleton University; Canadá Fil: Bugter, Rob. Wageningen University and Research; Países Bajos Fil: Connop, Stuart. University of East London; Reino Unido Fil: Cruz López, Leopoldo. El Colegio de la Frontera del Sur; México Fil: Cunningham, Saul A.. CSIRO Exploration and Mining; Australia Fil: Darvill, Ben. University of Stirling; Reino Unido Fil: Diekötter, Tim. Geomar-Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel; Alemania. University Marburg; Alemania. Institute of Integrative Biology; Suiza Fil: Dorn, Silvia. ETH Zurich; Suiza Fil: Downing, Nicola. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; Reino Unido Fil: Entling, Martin H.. Universitat Koblenz; Alemania Fil: Farwig, Nina. Universitat Phillips; Alemania Fil: Felicioli, Antonio. Università degli Studi di Pisa; Italia Fil: Fonte, Steven J.. State University of Colorado - Fort Collins; Estados Unidos Fil: Fowler, Robert. University of Sussex; Reino Unido Fil: Franzén, Markus. Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research; Alemania Fil: Goulson, Dave. Universität Göttingen; Alemania Fil: Grass, Ingo. Universität Göttingen; Alemania Fil: Hanley, Mick E.. University of Iowa; Estados Unidos Fil: Hendrix, Stephen D.. University of Iowa; Estados Unidos Fil: Herrmann, Farina. Universität Würzburg; Alemania Fil: Herzog, Felix. Institut for Sustainability Sciences; Suiza Fil: Holzschuh, Andrea. Universität Würzburg; Alemania Fil: Jauker, Birgit. Justus-Liebig University; Alemania Fil: Kessler, Michael. Institut für Systematische und Evolutionäre Botanik; Suiza Fil: Knight, M.E.. Plymouth University; Reino Unido Fil: Kruess, Andreas. Federal Agency for Nature Conservation; Alemania Fil: Lavelle, Patrick. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Institut de Recherche pour le Développement; Francia. Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical; Colombia Fil: Le Féon, Violette Alice Marie. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; Francia Fil: Lentini, Pia. University of Melbourne; Australia Fil: Malone, Louise A.. New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd; Nueva Zelanda Fil: Marshall, Jon. Marshall Agroecology Ltd; Reino Unido Fil: Pachón, Eliana Martínez. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; Colombia Fil: McFrederick, Quinn S.. University of California; Estados Unidos Fil: Morales, Carolina Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina Fil: Mudri Stojnic, Sonja. University of Novi Sad; Serbia Fil: Nates Parra, Guiomar. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; Colombia Fil: Nilsson, Sven G.. Lund University; Suecia Fil: Öckinger, Erik. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences; Suecia Fil: Osgathorpe, Lynne. RSPB; Reino Unido Fil: Parra-H, Alejandro. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; Colombia. Corporación para la Gestión de Servicios Ecosistémicos, Polinización y Abejas; Colombia Fil: Peres, Carlos A.. University of East Anglia; Reino Unido Fil: Persson, Anna S.. Lund University; Suecia Fil: Petanidou, Theodora. University of the Aegean; Grecia Fil: Poveda, Katja. Cornell University; Estados Unidos Fil: Power, Eileen F.. Trinity College Dublin; Irlanda Fil: Quaranta, Marino. Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l'Analisi del l'Economía Agraria; Italia Fil: Quintero, Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina Fil: Rader, Romina. University of New England; Australia Fil: Richards, Miriam H.. Brock University; Canadá Fil: Roulston, Tai. University of Virginia; Estados Unidos Fil: Rousseau, Laurent. Université du Québec a Montreal; Canadá Fil: Sadler, Jonathan P.. University of Birmingham; Reino Unido Fil: Samnegård, Ulrika. University of Birmingham; Reino Unido Fil: Schellhorn, Nancy A.. CSIRO Exploration and Mining; Australia Fil: Schüepp, Christof. University of Bern; Suiza Fil: Schweiger, Oliver. Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research; Alemania Fil: Smith Pardo, Allan H.. United States Department of Agriculture; Estados Unidos. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; Colombia Fil: Steffan Dewenter, Ingolf. Universität Würzburg; Alemania Fil: Stout, Jane C.. Trinity College Dublin; Irlanda Fil: Tonietto, Rebecca K.. Northwestern University; Estados Unidos. Chicago Botanic Garden; Estados Unidos Fil: Teja, Tscharntke. Universität Göttingen; Alemania Fil: Tylianakis, Jason M.. Imperial College London; Reino Unido. University of Canterbury; Nueva Zelanda Fil: Verboven, Hans A. F.. Katholikie Universiteit Leuven; Bélgica Fil: Vergara, Carlos H.. Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; México Fil: Verhulst, Jort. No especifíca; Fil: Westphal, Catrin. Universität Göttingen; Alemania Fil: Yoon, Hyung Joo. National Institute of Agricultural Science; Corea del Sur Fil: Purvis, Andy. Natural History Museum; Reino Unido. Imperial College London; Reino Unido

A common approach to the conservation of farmland biodiversity and the promotion of multifunctional landscapes, particularly in landscapes containing only small remnants of non-crop habitats, has been to maintain landscape heterogeneity and reduce land-use intensity. In contrast, it has recently been shown that devoting specific areas of non-crop habitats to conservation, segregated from high-yielding farmland (?land sparing?), can more effectively conserve biodiversity than promoting low-yielding, less intensively managed farmland occupying larger areas (?land sharing?). In the present paper we suggest that the debate over the relative merits of land sparing or land sharing is partly blurred by the differing spatial scales at which it is suggested that land sparing should be applied. We argue that there is no single correct spatial scale for segregating biodiversity protection and commodity production in multifunctional landscA common approach to the conservation of farmland biodiversity and the promotion of multifunctional landscapes, particularly in landscapes containing only small remnants of non-crop habitats, has been to maintain landscape heterogeneity and reduce land-use intensity. In contrast, it has recently been shown that devoting specific areas of non-crop habitats to conservation, segregated from high-yielding farmland (?land sparing?), can more effectively conserve biodiversity than promoting low-yielding, less intensively managed farmland occupying larger areas (?land sharing?). In the present paper we suggest that the debate over the relative merits of land sparing or land sharing is partly blurred by the differing spatial scales at which it is suggested that land sparing should be applied. We argue that there is no single correct spatial scale for segregating biodiversity protection and commodity production in multifunctional landscapes. Instead we propose an alternative conceptual construct, which we call ?multiple-scale land sparing,? targeting biodiversity and ecosystem services in transformed landscapes. We discuss how multiple-scale land sparing may overcome the apparent dichotomy between land sharing and land sparing and help to find acceptable compromises that conserve biodiversity and landscape multifunctionality.apes. Instead we propose an alternative conceptual construct, which we call ?multiple-scale land sparing,? targeting biodiversity and ecosystem services in transformed landscapes. We discuss how multiple-scale land sparing may overcome the apparent dichotomy between land sharing and land sparing and help to find acceptable compromises that conserve biodiversity and landscape multifunctionality. Fil: Ekroos, Johan. Lund University; Suecia Fil: Ödman, Anja M.. Lund University; Suecia Fil: Andersson, Karl Georg Sixten. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Lund University; Suecia Fil: Birkhofer, Klaus. Lund University; Suecia Fil: Herbertsson, Lina. Lund University; Suecia Fil: Klatt, Björn K.. Lund University; Suecia Fil: Olsson, Ola. Lund University; Suecia Fil: Olsson, Pål Axel. Lund University; Suecia Fil: Persson, Anna S.. Lund University; Suecia Fil: Prentice, Honor C.. Lund University; Suecia Fil: Rundlöf, Maj. Lund University; Suecia Fil: Smith, Henrik G.. Lund University; Suecia

Regular replacement therapy (prophylaxis) for haemophilia has been shown to prevent development of disabling arthropathy and to provide a better quality of life compared to treatment on demand; however, at a substantially higher cost. Calculations based on pharmacokinetic principles have shown that shortening dose intervals may reduce cost. The aim of this prospective, randomized, crossover pilot study was to address whether daily dosing is feasible, if it reduces concentrate consumption and is as effective in preventing bleeding as the standard prophylactic dosing regimen. In a 12 + 12 month crossover study, 13 patients were randomized to start either their own previously prescribed standard dose, or daily dosing adjusted to maintain at least the same trough levels as obtained with the standard dose. Ten patients completed the study. A 30% reduction in cost of factor concentrates was achieved with daily prophylaxis. However, the number of bleeding events increased in some patients in the daily dosing arm and patients reported decreased quality of life during daily prophylaxis. Daily treatment had a greater impact on daily life, and the patients found it more stressful.Prophylaxis with daily dosing may be feasible and efficacious in some patients. A substantial reduction of factor consumption and costs can be realized, but larger studies are needed before the introduction of daily prophylaxis into clinical routine can be recommended.

The author recognises the fact that knowledge of cultural diversity and its implications is growing in the field of giftedness research and practice. In some ways, the target article could therefor ...

The objective of this target article is to chart the potential threat to research validity in the field of giftedness research, and by implication also the study and practice of gifted education, i ...

The low frequency noise performance of strained Si heterojunction bipolar transistors (sSi HBTs) is presented for the first time. Conventional SiGe HBTs and Si bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), processed with strained Si devices, were also measured as a reference. It is found that a lower noise level is obtained in sSi HBTs for a given collector current, which is important for circuit applications, compared with either SiGe HBTs or Si BJTs. However, sSi HBTs exhibit greater low frequency noise compared with other devices at fixed base current. This is due to the presence of defects that are caused by the integration of the strain-relaxed buffer in the fabrication of sSi HBTs. The relationship between low frequency noise and defects is supported by material characterization.

A study was launched in an educational setting where giftedness is not officially rec- ognized to explore intellectually gifted students’ experience of family background and support, their age and means of identification, the degree of support received in school, and the understanding they experienced from a primary to a tertiary education level. In all, 287 members of the Swedish branch of Mensa (216 men and 71 women), all with IQ scores equal to or higher than the 98th percentile, constituted the research group. A survey design was used and provided as an Internet-based questionnaire. Quantitative data were analyzed as within-group dispersions, whereas qualitative data were subjected to a straightforward content analysis. Results show cause for con- cern. In particular, primary school appeared to be a hostile environment. However, conditions improved somewhat as participants moved from primary to secondary school and again from secondary to tertiary education. However, the participants remained far from satisfied at any level of the education system. Four problem areas were identified in the study as constituting the gifted students’ compounded dilemma in an egalitarian, regular, and inclusive school system SESUFOS (The Socio-Emotional Function Study)

Experimental and modeling results are reported for high-performance strained-silicon heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs), comprising a tensile strained-Si emitter and a compressively strained Si0.7Ge0.3 base on top of a relaxed Si0.85Ge0.15 collector. By using a Si0.85Ge0.15 virtual substrate strain platform, it is possible to utilize a greater difference in energy band gaps between the base and the emitter without strain relaxation of the base layer. This leads to much higher gain, which can be traded off against lower base resistance. There is an improvement in the current gain β of 27 × over a conventional silicon bipolar transistor and 11× over a conventional SiGe HBT, which were processed as reference devices. The gain improvement is largely attributed to the difference in energy band gap between the emitter and the base, but the conduction band offset between the base and the collector is also important for the collector current level.

An exceptional case of water-clear cell hyperplasia (WCCH) of the parathyroid glands is presented. Parathyroid tissue was excised at three operations during a period of twenty years before the patient eventually became normocalcemic. Microscopic evaluation of the parathyroids from the first operation showed typical WCCH-findings. However, the parathyroid tissue excised at the last operation was composed of chief cells. There were calcifications and even bone formation. A pigment with the staining and electron-microscopic characteristics of lipofuscin was found in abundance. There were also a few oxyphils. This case shows that clear cells, originally derived from chief cells, can transform into chief cells again.

The effect of a new adrenergic β-receptor blocking agent H 56/28 has been studied in fourteen patients with nervous heart complaints, mainly palpitations. Organic heart disease and hyperthyroidism were excluded. The investigation was performed as a double blind test. During a first treatment period half of the patients received H 56/28 and the other half placebo-tablets; during the second period the treatment was reversed. The patients were also studied during repeated exercise tests. The heart rate during exercise was significantly reduced by H 56/28 and there was also a slight, though not significant, decrease of the systolic blood pressure. In addition to the immediate effect, H 56/28 treatment seemed to have a more prolonged lowering effect on the heart rate. No side effects of the drug worth mentioning were seen. All but three patients preferred H 56/28 to placebo. The β-blocker was especially effective in relieving palpitations. It is concluded that β-blocking agents might be of value in treating patients with nervous heart complaints.

This study set out to investigate which career path a group of intellectually gifted individuals chose, if any. How did they actually like their work, and what were the reasons for satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their chosen career? In all, 287 Mensa members (216 men and 71 women) constituted the research group. Their average age was 34.4 years (SD = 8.8) and all had obtained IQ scores equal to or higher than the 98th percentile. The study was designed as a survey operationalized as an Internet-based questionnaire using the SPSS Dimensions software. A shortened version of the Work and Life Attitudes Survey (Warr, Cook & Wall, 1979) was included as part of the questionnaire. Quantitative data were analyzed as dispersions within the research group whereas qualitative data were content-analyzed using the so-called VSAIEEDC Model. Results show that participants tended to pursue careers mainly in Technology, Science and Social Work and to a lesser degree in Practical and Aesthetic work. Work satisfaction for all these fields was shown to be average. However, for individuals choosing to start their own company and, or assume leading managerial positions, satisfaction with work and career is very high. This article focuses on possible reasons for differences between subgroups in the sample and discusses a possible way forward to improve work satisfaction for intellectually gifted individuals at work, where needed.

The research on the social and socio-emotional aspects of intellectual giftedness is relatively scarce and somewhat conflicting in results. The current study therefore addressed some of these issues exploring personality traits, societal involvement, crime rates, empathy and personal relationships comparing these over different levels of intelligence (IQ). In all, 287 Mensa members (216 men, 71 women), constituting one research population, volunteered to participate (100 scoring at the 98th percentile, 167 at the 99th percentile and 20 at 100th percentile) in a survey-designed study operationalized as an Internet-based questionnaire using the SPSS Dimensions software. Data were mainly dealt with as average frequencies in the absence of normally distributed norms for comparison. Results deflate the myths of particularly the extremely gifted as psychiatrically morbid. Participants were highly empathic, tended to be responsible citizens with a flair for societal involvement and were very interested in societal development. They also share most of the personality characteristics generally ascribed to a gifted population. However, some concerns are raised about the wellbeing of the extremely gifted. Their frequent social exclusion at all levels of society is bound to have a negative affect over time, which would indeed be the case for anyone—gifted or not.

We present results and an overview of studies on 129I in precipitation over Europe during the last decade, covering latitudes 37–70°N. The data show about three orders of magnitude variability in concentrations but without specific correlation to latitude when all Europe is considered. The total amount of 129I provided annually by precipitation over Europe composes only a tiny portion of the annual marine discharge but a significant portion of the gaseous discharges from the nuclear reprocessing facilities. Contribution of gaseous releases seems to be significant, although difficult to estimate. As shown by this study, a unified sampling procedure and systematic measurements of 129I in precipitation throughout Europe are needed to achieve a coherent picture about the loading and sources of 129I in precipitation and the atmosphere.

Background: Study aimed to describe the extent and the temporal profile of cardiac remodeling after atrial septal defect closure in the adult. Methods: Prospective and longitudinal echocardiographic assessment of right and left heart size before and after (1 day-1 week/1/4/12 months) surgical or catheter-based atrial septal closure in 39 adults (age 54 15 years). Results: Right ventricular and atrial sizes were markedly reduced, left ventricular size increased and left atrial size remained unchanged after closure. Older age and a history of atrial fibrillation reduced the potential to normalize right and left atrial size after closure. The greater part of the changes occurred very early, in the 1st day/1st week, From then on the speed of change gradually diminished and after 4 months no important changes were observed. The mode of closure did not influence the degree or the pace of the remodeling. Conclusion: Cardiac remodeling after atrial septal closure in the adult is a common and early event that seems by and large completed within the first half year after closure. The ventricles seem to have a higher capacity of remodeling than the atria in this setting. The mode of closure does not seem to significantly impact remodeling. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electrical contacts of NiSi0.82Ge0.18 to p+-Si0.82Ge0.18 were fabricated and characterised. Lateral growth of the NiSi0.82Ge0.18 under SiO2 isolation was observed. A three-dimensional model was employed to extract the contact resistivity by considering both the lateral growth and the presence of a recessed NiSi0.82Ge0.18 step into the Si0.82Ge0.18. The contact resistivity extracted was 5.0 × 10− 8 and 1.4 × 10− 7 Ω cm2 for small contacts of circular geometry and large contacts of square shape, respectively. Possible causes responsible for this 3-fold difference in contact resistivity were discussed. An underestimate of the contact resistivity by 35% was found if a two-dimensional model was used without taking into account the complex interface morphology.

An egalitarian setting; that is, a setting established on an ideological and cultural basis, in which individual differences traditionally is a sensitive and often problematic issue, the counseling of gifted individuals present a particular problem. Sweden provides the setting in which the current study was carried out. This qualitative case study focuses on how one highly gifted individual—a 27-year-old male—has experienced his school years and university training and how successful counselling for him was construed. The case is argued to be fairly typical, and it is also suggested that Received Mentorship might be the only way to counsel a gifted individual in a forbidding egalitarian setting. The article concludes by proposing a number of recommendations for counselors who work in similar settings.

Youssef Chatani, Dissension among Allies: Ernest Bevin's Palestine Policy between Whitehall and the White House, 1945–1947 (London: Saqi Books, 2002), 156 pp., £25.00 (hb), ISBN 0–86356–999.Moshe Gat, Britain and the Conflict in the Middle East, 1964–1967: The Coming of the Six-Day War (London: Praeger, 2003), 216 pp., £39.99 (hb), ISBN 0–27597–514–2.Keith Kyle, Suez: Britain's End of Empire in the Middle East, 2nd edn (London: I. B. Tauris, 2003), 684 pp., £19.95 (pb), ISBN 1–86064–811–8.Robert McNamara, Britain, Nasser and the Balance of Power in the Middle East 1952–1967: From the Egyptian Revolution to the Six Day War (London: Frank Cass, 2003), 308 pp., £65.00 (hb), ISBN 0–71465–397–7.Jonathan Pearson, Sir Anthony Eden and the Suez Crisis: Reluctant Gamble (Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003), 252 pp., £52.50 (hb), ISBN 0–33398–451–X.

An appreciable mobility enhancement up to 35% is found in p-channel MOSFETs with a stramed-Si0.7Ge0.3 surface-channel under an ALD TiN/Al2O3/HfAlOchi/Al2O3 gate stack, as compared to a Si-channel r ...

Reversed-phase HPLC purification of peptides, using n-alkyl modified spherical silica, has become a widely used technique within the pharmaceutical industry. One drawback of these materials is the necessity of having at least 5% organic modifier in the mobile phase, in order to avoid de-wetting of the porous stationary phase. For some preparative reversed-phase separations, it is an advantage if the feed solution can be loaded onto the column under 100% aqueous conditions. This study describes the use of post-column pressure control to avoid de-wetting of regular reversed-phase stationary phases when operated under 100% aqueous conditions. The applicability of post-column pressure control as a means of maintaining the column fully wetted is demonstrated with various buffers and with packing materials having different alkyl-chain lengths. Two peptides, insulin and oxytocin, in overloaded quantities, were loaded under 100% aqueous conditions onto a regular C8 column, and then eluted by a acetonitrile gradient following standard procedures. The retention volume and the peak shape showed that the separation was satisfactory, and proved that post-column pressure control can be used to overcome wettability problems, which are otherwise often observed for reversed-phase packing materials with high ligand density.

The dependence of contact resistivity on the Ge content in Si1-xGex is examined for TiW/p(+) Si1-xGex interfaces. Measurements are made on contacts with epitaxial Si1-xGex layers either at the surf ...