PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Richness mapping and prediction of amphibians in Southern and Central China

2013-09-23
(Press-News.org) Systematic conservation planning is a multiple-objective process. Identification of important areas and species with high conservation priority is two of the research objectives. China is one of mega-biodiversity countries of the world. Along with rapid economic development and environmental degeneration, native and endemic species of China are confronting growing threats in the last two decades. It is an urgent agenda to set up relevant conservation policies, researches and decision supports so as to better reduce extinction risks of vertebrate animals of China. Amphibians are an important vertebrate taxonomy for ecologists and conservationists because they are highly sensitive to global change and habitat fragmentation. There are a series of researches working on identifying conservation priorities of amphibians through geographic information system. Sampling and recording of species' distribution requires extensive and continuous field works, which seems not applicable due to limited research resources. Further, historical records of species distribution might be inaccurate to reflect true distribution of amphibian species given the current climatic and habitat conditions. To cope with these above issues, in a recent work on habitat suitability modeling of amphibians on Southern and Central China, the author is aiming to quantify and predict richness hotspots of amphibians for China using a multivariate statistical method, called ecological niche factor analysis (ENFA). The advantage of ENFA is that it can compute suitable habitat ranges of species based on known distribution records of species and the associated environmental variables. To overcome the limited sampling issue as mentioned above, by employing ENFA method, the author estimated amphibian diversity over many spatial quadrates by incorporating climatic and geophysical information of areas. In this study, totally eleven environmental variables are included for the modeling. The research may offer some insights into the potential conservation strategies, which might allocate corresponding conservation supports to those potentially richness hotspots being less focused currently.

### See the article: CHEN YouHua. Habitat suitability modeling of amphibian species in southern and central China: environmental correlates and potential richness mapping. SCIENCE CHINA Life Sciences, 2013, 56(5): 476-484. http://life.scichina.com:8082/sciCe/EN/abstract/abstract510782.shtml

Science China Press Co., Ltd. (SCP) is a scientific journal publishing company of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). For 50 years, SCP takes its mission to present to the world the best achievements by Chinese scientists on various fields of natural sciences researches.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Encouraging outcomes for pediatric brain tumor patients treated with proton therapy

2013-09-23
Atlanta, September 22, 2013—When used to treat pediatric patients with intracranial malignant tumors, proton therapy may limit the toxicity of radiation therapy while preserving tumor control, according to research presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO's) 55th Annual Meeting. Typically, central nervous system malignancies are treated with surgical resection and post-operative radiation therapy. Proton therapy, an external beam radiation therapy in which protons deliver precise radiation doses to a tumor, offers significant sparing of ...

Sulfasalazine does not reduce diarrhea for patients receiving pelvic radiation therapy

2013-09-23
Atlanta, September 22, 2013—Patients receiving radiotherapy (RT) for cancers in the pelvic region can experience diarrhea, a negative side effect of radiation treatment. Sulfasalazine, an oral tablet used to treat inflammation of the bowels, had been shown in a past trial of 31 patients to decrease diarrhea during pelvic RT (Killic 2001). Sulfasalazine does not reduce diarrhea, according to research presented today at the American Society of Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO's) 55th Annual Meeting. The study also determined that the medication may be associated with a higher ...

Cisplatin combined with high-dose brachytherapy for advanced cervical cancer may be more beneficial

2013-09-23
Atlanta, September 22, 2013 — Adding the chemotherapy drug cisplatin to a treatment plan of radiation therapy (RT) and high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDRB) for stage IIIB cervical cancer is beneficial, according to research presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO's) 55th Annual Meeting. The study also indicated that the combined treatments produced acceptable levels of toxicity. The randomized, controlled trial studied a total of 147 women in Brazil with stage IIIB squamous cell cervical cancer. A stage IIIB classification indicates that ...

Proton therapy is a cost-effective treatment for pediatric brain tumor patients

2013-09-23
Atlanta, September 22, 2013—Proton therapy, an external beam radiotherapy in which protons deliver precise radiation doses to a tumor and spare healthy organs and tissues, is cost-effective in treating medulloblastomas, fast-growing brain tumors that mainly affect children, when compared to standard photon radiation therapy, according to research presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO's) 55th Annual Meeting. The study used a first-order Monte Carlo simulation model to examine a population of 18-year old survivors of medulloblastoma brain ...

Adult cancer patients younger than 50 with limited brain mets have improved OS after SRS alone

2013-09-23
Atlanta, September 22, 2013—When treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), that is not combined with whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT), adult brain cancer patients who were 50 years old and younger were found to have improved survival, according to research presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO's) 55th Annual Meeting. Younger patients (under 50 years old) were also found to be at no greater risk of new brain metastases developing despite omission of WBRT. A highly advanced brain cancer treatment, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) utilizes ...

ASTRO/AUA joint guideline for RT after prostatectomy highlighted at ASTRO Annual Meeting

2013-09-23
Atlanta, September 22, 2013 – The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) will highlight the recently published Adjuvant and Salvage Radiotherapy After Prostatectomy: ASTRO/AUA Guideline during ASTRO's 55th Annual Meeting, September 22-25, 2013, in Atlanta. The guideline focuses on radiation therapy after prostatectomy for patients with and without evidence of prostate cancer recurrence, and is a joint effort between ASTRO and the American Urological Association (AUA). The 81-page document represents an intensive collaboration among experts in the radiation oncology ...

'Green future' development: Top 10 priorities for emerging economy countries

2013-09-23
Investments in green energy, education, networking opportunities and research top a list of 10 priorities for countries looking to move up the world's financial ranks, according to a leading US expert in innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship and economic growth. Jerry Hultin, Senior Presidential Fellow of New York University, and President Emeritus of the Polytechnic Institute of NYU, says investments in life-long education and entrepreneurial spirit are the primary keys to a country's economic breakthrough. Mr. Hultin, also a former US Secretary of the Navy, who ...

Booster dose of new meningitis vaccine may be beneficial

2013-09-23
A study of 4CMenB, a new vaccine to protect against meningitis B bacteria (which can cause potentially fatal bacterial meningitis in children), shows that waning immunity induced by infant vaccination can be overcome by a booster dose at 40 months of age, according to a clinical trial published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). The 4CMenB vaccine, an important breakthrough in the fight against childhood meningitis, was recently licensed in Europe and is being considered for approval in Canada and elsewhere. However, although it is known that immunizing infants ...

Simple, 2-question survery accurately screens cancer patients for depression

2013-09-23
MAYWOOD, Il. -- Cancer patients can be accurately screened for major depression with a simple two-question survey, according to a study presented Sept. 23 at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's 55th Annual Meeting. The two-question screening test proved to be as accurate as a longer nine-question screening test. The study was presented at plenary session by William Small, Jr., MD, FASTRO, chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology of Loyola University Medical Center. "We found that a two-question survey can effectively screen for depression," Small said. ...

Hunger pains

2013-09-23
Binge-eating disorder, designated only months ago by the American Psychiatric Association as a diagnosis in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, is associated with substantial lifelong impairments comparable to those of bulimia nervosa, according to a World Health Organization study based on community epidemiological surveys conducted in 12 nations worldwide. The publication of the results online today in Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences is timed to coincide with the beginning of Weight Stigma Awareness Week (September 23-27). Although both ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Printed skin to replace animal testing

Precision medicine could be possible in the fight against antibiotic resistance

Researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University identify new targeted approach to protect neurons against degeneration

Western diet causes inflammation, traditional African food protects

Electrochemical method supports nitrogen circular economy

How researchers are shining a light on kidney disease

Some gut bacteria could make certain drugs less effective

PEPITEM sequence shows effects in psoriasis, comparable to steroid cream

Older teens who start vaping post-high school risk rapid progress to frequent use

Corpse flowers are threatened by spotty recordkeeping

Riding the AI wave toward rapid, precise ocean simulations

Are lifetimes of big appliances really shrinking?

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition

Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy

Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

[Press-News.org] Richness mapping and prediction of amphibians in Southern and Central China