Efficacy of a cognitive and behavioural psychotherapy applied by primary care psychologists in patients with mixed anxiety-depressive disorder: a research protocol

Background: In contrast with the recommendations of clinical practice guidelines, the most common treatment for anxiety and depressive disorders in primary care is pharmacological. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioural psychological intervention, delivered by primary care psychologists in patients with mixed anxiety-depressive disorder compared to usual care. Methods/Design: This is an open-label, multicentre, randomized, and controlled study with two parallel groups. A random sample of 246 patients will be recruited with mild-to-moderate mixed anxiety-depressive disorder, from the target population on the lists of 41 primary care doctors. Patients will be randomly assigned to the intervention group, who will receive standardised cognitive-behavioural therapy delivered by psychologists together with usual care, or to a control group, who will receive usual care alone. The cognitive-behavioural therapy intervention is composed of eight individual 60-minute face-to face sessions conducted in eight consecutive weeks. A follow-up session will be conducted over the telephone, for reinforcement or referral as appropriate, 6 months after the intervention, as required. The primary outcome variable will be the change in scores on the Short Form-36 General Health Survey. We will also measure the change in the frequency and intensity of anxiety symptoms (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory) at baseline, and 3, 6 and 12 months later. Additionally, we will collect information on the use of drugs and health care services. Discussion: The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of a primary care-based cognitive-behavioural psychological intervention in patients with mixed anxiety-depressive disorder. The international scientific evidence has demonstrated the need for psychologists in primary care. However, given the differences between health policies and health services, it is important to test the effect of these psychological interventions in our geographical setting.

A survey of ichthyofauna of Lake Kanyaboli and other small waterbodies in Kenya: alternative refugia for endangered fish species

In 1988, the World Conservation Union (WCU) Red Book of Endangered Species listed hundreds of endemic fishes of Lake Victoria under a single heading - "ENDANGERED". Most of the endemic native food fishes are either endangered or extinct. However, a survey of the fauna of Lake Kanyaboli, revealed that a few remaining samples of these native fishes are actually thriving. These include several unidentified Haplochromis spp., Oreochromis esculentus and Oreochromis variabilis. As a result, a stock rehabilitation and management strategy has been designed to use Lake Kanyaboli and other small waterbodies as conservation 'Refugia' for endangered fish species of the larger Lake Victoria.

Survey- and fishery-derived estimates of Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) biomass: implications for strategies to reduce interactions between groundfish fisheries and Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus)

Survey- and fishery-derived biomass estimates have indicated that the harvest indices for Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) within a portion of Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) critical habitat in February and March 2001 were five to 16 times greater than the annual rate for the entire Bering Sea-Aleutian Islands stock. A bottom trawl survey yielded a cod biomass estimate of 49,032 metric tons (t) for the entire area surveyed, of which less than half (23,329 t) was located within the area used primarily by the commercial fishery, which caught 11,631 t of Pacific cod. Leslie depletion analyses of fishery data yielded biomass estimates of approximately 14,500 t (95% confidence intervals of approximately 9,000–25,000 t), which are within the 95% confidence interval on the fished area survey estimate (12,846–33,812 t). These data indicate that Leslie analyses may be useful in estimating local fish biomass and harvest indices for certain marine fisheries that are well constrained spatially and relatively short in duration (weeks). In addition, fishery effects on prey availability within the time and space scales relevant to foraging sea lions may be much greater than the effects indicated by annual harvest rates estimated from stock assessments averaged across the range of the target spec

A Survey of Brazil (1970-2010): o país nas páginas da The Economist

Esta dissertação analisa as diferentes imagens do Brasil construídas pela revista britânica The Economist, de forma a evidenciar como essas imagens forjaram o mito do Brasil como País do Futuro, contribuindo para a construção de uma identidade internacional do País. O marco cronológico desta pesquisa, 1970 a 2010, corresponde a uma longa curva que demonstra a gangorra de interesse e desinteresse da qual o Brasil foi objeto. Para a consecução dos objetivos desta dissertação foram analisadas as publicações editadas entre os anos mencionados. Dessa forma, a dissertação também demonstra que os debates sobre o posicionamento do Brasil na ordem econômica internacional e sobre as perspectivas de alteração nesta ordem são travados entre as elites político-econômicas que, por sua vez, são os segmentos preferenciais dos leitores da The Economist.

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Sea Turtles in the Western North Atlantic and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico from Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey (MRFSS)

Systematic surveys, along with opportunistic sightings, have provided important information on sea turtle (Cheloniidae and Dermochelydae) distributions, knowledge which can help reduce the risk of harmful human interaction. In 1991 and 1992, the Marine Recreational Fishery Sta- tistics Survey (MRFSS) of the National Ma- rine Fisheries Service, NOAA, provided a unique opportunity to gain additional, synoptic information on the spatial and temporal distribution of sea turtles along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts by asking recreational anglers if they had observed a sea turtle on their fishing trip. During the spring and summer months of those years, as water temperatures warmed, the MRFSS documented an increase in sea turtle sightings in inshore waters and in a northward direction along the U.S. Atlantic Coast and in a westward direction along the northern Gulf of Mexico. This pattern reversed in the late summer and fall months as water temperatures cooled, with sea turtles concentrating along Georgia and both coasts of Florida. Although the MRFSS did not provide species or size composition of sea turtles sighted, and effort varied depending upon location of fishing activity and time of year anglers were queried, it did provide an additional and useful means of ascertaining spatial and temporal distributions of sea turtles along these coasts.

Beluga, Delphinapterus leucas, Distribution and Survey Effort in the Gulf of Alaska

Beluga, Delphinapterus leucas, distribution in the Gulf of Alaska and adjacent inside waters was examined through a review of surveys conducted as far back as 1936. Although beluga sightings have occurred on almost every marine mammal survey in northern Cook Inlet (over 20 surveys reported here), beluga sightings have been rare outside the inlet in the Gulf of Alaska. More than 150,000 km of dedicated survey effort in the Gulf of Alaska resulted in sightings of over 23,000 individual cetaceans, of which only 4 beluga sightings (5 individuals) occurred. In addition, nearly 100,000 individual cetaceans were reported in the Platforms of Opportunity database; yet, of these, only 5 sightings (39 individuals) were belugas. Furthermore, approximately 19 beluga sightings (>260 individuals), possibly including resightings, have been reported without information on effort or other cetacean sightings. Of the 28 sightings of belugas outside of Cook Inlet, 9 were near Kodiak Island, 10 were in or near Prince William Sound, 8 were in Yakutat Bay, and 1 anomalous sighting was well south of the Gulf. These sightings support archaeological and commercial harvest evidence indicating the only persistent group of belugas in the Gulf of Alaska occurs in Cook Inlet.

Effects of Gear Modifications on the Trawl Performance and Catching Efficiency of the West Coast Upper Continental Slope Groundfish Survey Trawl

Since 1984, annual bottom trawl surveys of the west coast (California–Washington) upper continental slope (WCUCS) have provided information on the abundance, distribution, and biological characteristics of groundfish resources. Slope species of the deep-water complex (DWC) are of particular importance and include Dover sole, Microstomus pacificus; sablefish, Anoplopoma fimbria; shortspine thornyhead, Sebastolobus alascanus; and longspine thornyhead, S. altivelis. In the fall of 1994, we conducted an experimental gear research cruise in lieu of our normal survey because of concerns about the performance of the survey trawl. The experiment was conducted on a soft mud bottom at depths of 460–490 m off the central Oregon coast. Treatments included different combinations of door-bridle rigging, groundgear weight, and scope length. The experimental design was a 2 ´ 2 ´ 2 factorial within a randomized complete-block. Analysis of variance was used to examine the effects of gear modifications on the engineering performance of the trawl (i.e. trawl dimensions, variation in trawl dimensions, and door attitude) and to determine if catch rates in terms of weight and number of DWC species and invertebrates were affected by the gear modifications. Trawl performance was highly variable for the historically used standard trawl configuration. Improvements were observed with the addition of either a 2-bridle door or lighter ground gear. Changes in scope length had relatively little effect on trawl performance. The interaction of door bridle and ground gear weight had the most effect on trawl performance. In spite of the standard trawl’s erratic performance, catch rates of all four DWC species and invertebrates were not significantly different than the 2-bridle/heavy combination, which did the best in terms of engineering performance. The most important factor affecting DWC catch rates was ground gear. Scope length and the type of door bridle had little effect on DWC catch rates. Subsequent revisions to survey gear and towing protocol and their impact on the continuity of the slope survey time series are discussed.

Survey Assessment of Semi-pelagic Gadoids: The Example of Walleye Pollock, Theragra chalcogramma, in the Eastern Bering Sea

Assessment of walleye pollock, Theragra chalcogramma, in the eastern Bering Sea is complicated because the species is semi-pelagic in habit. Annual bottom trawl surveys provide estimates of demersal abundance on the eastern Bering Sea shelf. Every third year (starting in 1979), an extended area of the shelf and slope is surveyed and an echo integration-midwater trawl survey provides estimates of pollock abundance in midwater. Overall age-specific population and biomass estimates are obtained by summing the demersal and midwater results, assuming that the bottom trawl samples only pollock inhabiting the lower 3 m of the water column. Total population estimates have ranged from 134 x 109 fish in 1979 to 27 x 109 fish in 1988. The very high abundance observed in 1979 reflects the appearance of the unusually large 1978 year class. Changes in age-specific abundance estimates have documented the passage of strong (1978, 1982, and 1984) and weak year classes through the fishery. In general, older fish are more demersally oriented and younger fish are more abundant in midwater, but this trend was not always evident in the patterns of abundance of 1- and 2-year-old fish. As the average age of the population has increased, so has the relative proportion of pollock estimated by the demersal surveys. Consequently, it is unlikely that either technique can be used independently to monitor changes in abundance and age composition. Midwater assessment depends on pelagic trawl samples for size and age composition estimates, so both surveys are subject to biases resulting from gear performance and interactions between fish and gear. In this review, we discuss survey methodology and evaluate assumptions regarding catchability and availability as they relate to demersal, midwater, and overall assessment.

Remote Camera and Trapping Survey of the Deep-water Shrimps Heterocarpus laevigatus and H. ensifer and the Geryonid Crab Chaceon granulatus in Palau

Time-lapse remote photo-sequences at 73-700 m depth off Palau, Western Caroline Islands, show that the caridean shrimp Heterocarpus laevigatus tends to be a solitary animal, occurring below ~350 m, that gradually accumulates around bait sites over a prolonged period. A smaller speies, H. ensifer, tends to move erratically in swarms, appearing in large numbers in the upper part of its range (<250 m) during the evening crepuscular period and disappearing at dawn. Trapping and photsequence data indicate the depth range of H. ensifer (during daylight) is ~250-550 M, while H. laevigatus ranges from 350 m to at least 800 m, along with the geryonid crab Chaceon granulatus. Combined trapping for Heterocarpus laevigatus and Chaceon granulatus, using a three-chamber box-trap and extended soak times (48-72 hr), may be an appropriate technique for small-scale deep-water fisheries along forereef slopes of Indo-Pacific archipelagoes.

Increasing Creel Interview Efficiency Through Early Survey Termination

Operational modifications based on recreational angler activity patterns can be successfully formulated to increase creel survey efficiency without a significant loss of information. This study was conducted to estimate the amount of Texas marine sport-boat angler interview and retained fish data (bay and Gulf) that would be missed both coastwide and within each bay system if surveys were terminated early when no angler interviews were conducted by a specified time. Using this method, <3 percent of the total interviews and retained fish would be missed coastwide by terminating surveys at 1400 hours on weekends and 1600 hours on weekdays throughout the survey year. This would result in the early termination of 14 percent of the weekend surveys and 23 percent of the weekday surveys, thus allowing an annual redirection of 440 work-hours and $6,063 in operating expenses.