Opportunities to reduce pollination deficits and address production shortfalls in an important insect-pollinated crop.

Pollinators face multiple pressures and there is evidence of populations in decline. As demand for insect-pollinated crops increases, crop production is threatened by shortfalls in pollination services. Understanding the extent of current yield deficits due to pollination and identifying opportunities to protect or improve crop yield and quality through pollination management is therefore of international importance.

Pollinator restoration in Brazilian ecosystems relies on a small but phylogenetically-diverse set of plant families.

The alarming rate of global pollinator decline has made habitat restoration for pollinators a conservation priority. At the same time, empirical and theoretical studies on plant-pollinator networks have demonstrated that plant species are not equally important for pollinator community persistence and restoration. However, the scarcity of comprehensive datasets on plant-pollinator networks in tropical ecosystems constrains their practical value for pollinator restoration.

α-adrenoceptors mediate contraction of human erectile tissue.

α-adrenoceptor antagonists can impact upon sexual function and have potential in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Human erectile tissue contains predominantly α-adrenoceptors, and here we examined whether contractions of this tissue are mediated by the functional phenotype, the α-adrenoceptor. Functional experiments using subtype selective agonists and antagonists, along with radioligand ([H]tamsulosin) binding assays, were used to determine the α-adrenoceptor population.

Getting More Power from Your Flowers: Multi-Functional Flower Strips Enhance Pollinators and Pest Control Agents in Apple Orchards.

Flower strips are commonly recommended to boost biodiversity and multiple ecosystem services (e.g., pollination and pest control) on farmland.

Comparison of the effects of using the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool versus informal appraisal in assessing health research: a randomised trial.

In systematic reviews, evidence-based practice and journal clubs critical appraisal tools are used to rate research papers. However, little evidence exists on whether the critical appraisal tool, subject matter knowledge or research design knowledge affect the appraisal of research papers. A match paired randomised trial was conducted in August/September 2010 in the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Molecular Science, James Cook University, Australia.

Reliability analysis for a proposed critical appraisal tool demonstrated value for diverse research designs.

Objective: To examine the reliability of scores obtained from a proposed critical appraisal tool (CAT).

Study Design And Setting: Based on a random sample of 24 health-related research papers, the scores from the proposed CAT were examined using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), generalizability theory, and participants' feedback.

Results: The ICC for all research papers was 0.

Examining the factor structure and discriminant validity of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) among Spanish postpartum women.

In this study, the authors tested alternative factor models of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) in a sample of Spanish postpartum women, using confirmatory factor analysis. The authors report the results of modeling three different methods for scoring the GHQ-12 using estimation methods recommended for categorical and binary data. A discriminant function analysis was also performed to test the utility of a multiple factor model.

Benefit finding after cancer: the role of optimism, intrusive thinking and social environment.

Purpose: Benefit finding after cancer is common. The mechanism for this may include cognitive processing of the cancer trauma within a supportive social context.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey of 439 cancer patients assessing optimism, intrusion, avoidance, social support and constraints, anxiety, depression, QOL, benefit finding.

The interface of mental and emotional health and pregnancy in urban indigenous women: Research in progress.

Research among indigenous women in Australia has shown that a number of lifestyle factors are associated with poor obstetric outcomes; however, little evidence appears in the literature about the role of social stressors and mental health among indigenous women. The not-for-profit organization beyondblue established a "Depression Initiative" in Australia. As part of this they provided funding to the Townsville Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Service in the "Mums and Babies" clinic.

Differential sensitivity to administration format of measures of attitudes toward older adults.

Purpose: Reluctance to reveal sensitive or socially undesirable attitudes has posed a problem for measurement of personal attributes such as attitudes toward older people. These have long been documented to be negative and likely arise both from fears of one's own aging and the modern societal emphasis on youth. In order to increase our knowledge about the measurement of attitudes toward older people, we compared the administration of attitude measures toward older people by computer and conventional paper-and-pencil methods.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women's experience when interacting with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale: a brief note.

Background: The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is one of the most widely used screening instruments for maternal perinatal anxiety and depression. It has maintained its robust performance when translated into multiple languages, when used prenatally and when used with perinatal fathers; thus the tool is also known as the Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS). However, there have been no published psychometric data on versions of the EPDS adapted for screening Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.

Socio-demographic, psychosocial and attitudinal predictors of help seeking after cancer diagnosis.

Objective: The objective is to describe cancer patients' patterns of use of psychosocial support services and identify socio-demographic, psychosocial, and attitudinal predictors of service utilization.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 439 cancer patients (61.2% response) at a regional tertiary cancer center assessed patterns of support service utilization, cancer-specific distress, social support and constraints, and attitudes to help seeking.

Laminin, VEGF, and bone matrix protein expression in uroepithelial bone induction--a canine model.

A biological and embryological bone induction from epithelial-mesenchymal cell interactions has been noticed in some developing tissues. However, the mechanism for bone formation induced by the epithelial-mesenchymal cell interactions is not clear. The aim of our study was to reveal the role of laminin, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and bone matrix proteins in mesenchymal cell differentiation during uroepithelial bone induction using a well-established canine model.

Reconstructive surgery in penile trauma and cancer.

This article provides an overview of the current concepts in reconstructive surgery following penile trauma, penile fracture and penile cancer. It covers the initial management of penile trauma, with the aim of preservation of as much viable tissue as is practical, and also provides advice on dealing with penile avulsion and amputation injuries. The best treatment for penile fracture-immediate surgical exploration and repair-is outlined and discussed.

The evaluation of a model of primary mental health care in rural Tasmania.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a primary care mental health service.

Design: The study used a naturalistic longitudinal design to follow groups of participants who received intervention from a rural mental health worker, or 'usual' mental health service, or no treatment, over a period of 12 months.

Setting: The service was evaluated in a rural primary care setting.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the GHQ-12: can I see that again?

Objective: This paper reviews research relating to the factor analysis of the GHQ-12. We explore the question of whether there is a consistent replicable structure to the GHQ-12 using: (i) a comparative analysis of fit between identified factor models; and (ii) a confirmatory factor analysis of GHQ-12 data from our own study.

Method: The factor models proposed from the literature were reviewed.

Mental health of adolescents in custody: the use of the "Adolescent Psychopathology Scale" in a Tasmanian context.

Objective: To investigate the incidence of mental health problems based on the DSM-IV [1] among adolescents in custody in Tasmania, using the Adolescent Psychopathology Scale (APS) [2].

Methods: The APS was administered to 50 adolescents admitted consecutively to a youth detention centre in Tasmania, Australia, using a structured interview format.

Results: In this sample 46% scored positively for a mood disorder, 36% for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and 32% for an anxiety disorder excluding PTSD.