Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Commentary on McCance T, Slater P & McCormack B (2009) Using the caring dimensions inventory as an indicator of person-centred nursing. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 18, 409-417.

I was very pleased to see this paper for two reasons: first it makes generous reference to my own work along with Hoogbruin, Deary and others in the development of the caring dimensions inventory (CDI) and applies this to a phenomenon we never envisaged it being applied to; second, the paper uses Mokken scaling. In addition this must be among the first papers, if not the first, to try to investigate person-centred nursing quantitatively. However, I can hear the broadside coming across the water already: one ill-defined phenomenon has been correlated with another and I guess that McCance et al. (2008) may have to be ready for that attack as will those of us who worked on developing the CDI. Indeed, McCance and me, along with others, have already been allies in this cause (Deary et al. 2002). The data from the present study demonstrate that patients’ perceptions of person-centred care, in terms of the CDI counterpart for patients – the nursing dimensions inventory (NDI) – were different and this has been demonstrated before when the CDI and he NDI have been administered to nurses and patients. This is invaluable information which adds to the practical utility of such studies but also adds to our understanding of how nurses and patients interact and how, frequently, they do not have the same priorities. Care can be administered easily from the nurse’s perspective but patient centred care can only be administered by taking the patient’s perspective into account. The use of the Mokken Scaling Procedure in this study was a bonus as this method, whereby hierarchical scales may be identified, is proving increasingly useful in some of my own work. Recently, the hierarchical properties of a commonly used personality inventory have been demonstrated (Watson et al. 2007) and of the commonly used General Health Questionnaire (Watson et al. 2008). The value of Mokken scaling is explained in these papers but, suffice to say here, it gives an additional dimension to the development and psychometric testing of questionnaires and, as exemplified in the study by McCance et al. and some of my other previous work on caring and feeding in dementia, referred to by McCance et al., it has utility in nursing research.
Reliability and Typical Isokinetic Trunk Values as Measured by the Biodex

-----------------. ----------------The reliability of the trunk Biodex unit (Shirley, NY) was assessed in asymptomatic men (n = 30) and women (n = 29) 20 to 35 years of age. Flexion peak torque (FPn and extension peak torque (EPn and maximal repetition work (MRW) were evaluated at 60, 120, and 150 deg/sec. Variables were measured on two occasions on each of 3 days. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance with repeated measures (p < 0.01). Reliability was estimated by intraclass correlation coefficients. For men, EPT at 60 deg/sec on day 1 was significantly lower than on days 2 and 3. For women, values on day 1 were significantly lower than on days 2 and 3 for all parameters measured except EPT at 60 deg/sec, FPT at 60 and 150 deg/sec, and FMRW at 60 and 120 deg/sec. The occasion effect was nonsignificant for women. For men, values for FPT at 60 and 120 deg/sec were significantly lower on occasion 2, suggesting a fatigue effect. Reliability coefficients ranged from 0.81 to 0.98 for men and women, with the exception of EMRW at 150 deg/sec for men (R = 0.54) and 60 deg/sec for women (R = 0.57). Reliable Biodex trunk strength values can be obtained using 1 day of testing for men, except for EPT at 60 deg/sec, which requires 1 day of practice. Women require 1 day of practice for most of the parameters tested. It is not necessary to test men or women twice on the same day. Reliable EMRW at 150 deg/sec for men and 60 deg/sec for women was not achieved.
An international hospital outcomes research agenda focused on nursing: lessons from a decade of collaboration.

AIMS To describe the origins, design and outcomes of an international hospital outcomes collaboration focused on nursing issues. BACKGROUND Across countries with different cultures and histories, nursing and healthcare leaders face similar issues with respect to workforce supply, quality and safety of care and financial constraints. Until researchers began using common research protocols to investigate structure, and outcomes variables in hospital nursing across countries, studying the aspects of work environments most important to patients and nurses in large numbers of hospitals was very difficult, if not impossible. METHOD Review/essay. CONCLUSIONS The international collaborations discussed in this article led by the University of Pennsylvania have found remarkable similarities in the experiences of hospital nurses across countries in terms of positive and negative aspects of their work, sizeable differences across hospitals within countries in working conditions and investments in high-quality practice environments, and consistent evidence of connections between modifiable features of nurses' work environments and both patient well-being and factors influencing workforce stability. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE International research collaborations allow benchmarking of countries and facilities within countries on work environment factors that are important to the provision of high quality nursing care. Results of this ongoing research initiative have helped strengthen the case that optimal management of practice environments for nurses in hospitals and other settings are a key strategy for optimising patient outcomes.
Macroevolution of Specificity in Cyanolichens of the Genus Peltigera Section Polydactylon (Lecanoromycetes, Ascomycota)

Abstract Patterns of specificity among symbiotic partners are key to a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of symbiotic systems. Specificity of mutualistic partners, within a widespread monophyletic group for which all species are sampled has rarely been explored. Here, we assess the level of specificity between the cosmopolitan lichen‐forming fungus (mycobiont) from the genus Peltigera, section Polydactylon, and its cyanobacterial partner Nostoc (cyanobiont). The mycobiont and cyanobiont phylogenies are inferred from five nuclear loci and the rbcLX region, respectively. These sequences were obtained from 206 lichen thalli, representing ca. 40 closely related Peltigera species sampled worldwide, doubling the number of known species in this group. We found a broad spectrum of specificity for both partners ranging from strict specialists to generalists. Overall, mycobionts are more specialized than cyanobionts by associating mostly with one or a few Nostoc phylogroups, whereas most cyanobionts associate frequently with several Peltigera species. Specialist mycobionts are older than generalists, supporting the hypothesis that specialization of mycobionts to one or few cyanobionts, is favored through time in geographic areas where species have been established for long periods of time. The relatively recent colonization of a new geographic area (Central and South America) by members of section Polydactylon is associated with a switch to a generalist pattern of association and an increased diversification rate by the fungal partner, suggesting that switches to generalism are rare events that are advantageous in new environments. We detected higher genetic diversity in generalist mycobionts. We also found that Peltigera species specialized on a single Nostoc phylogroup have narrower geographical distributions compared with generalist species.
Rarefaction and Extrapolation: Making Fair Comparison of Abundance‐Sensitive Phylogenetic Diversity among Multiple Assemblages

Abstract Measures of phylogenetic diversity are basic tools in many studies of systematic biology. Faith's PD (sum of branch lengths of a phylogenetic tree connecting all focal species) is the most widely used phylogenetic measure. Like species richness, Faith's PD based on sampling data is highly dependent on sample size and sample completeness. The sample‐size‐ and sample‐coverage‐based integration of rarefaction and extrapolation of Faith's PD was recently developed to make fair comparison across multiple assemblages. However, species abundances are not considered in Faith's PD. Based on the framework of Hill numbers, Faith's PD was generalized to a class of phylogenetic diversity measures that incorporates species abundances. In this article, we develop both theoretical formulae and analytic estimators for seamless rarefaction and extrapolation for this class of abundance‐sensitive phylogenetic measures, which includes simple transformations of phylogenetic entropy and of quadratic entropy. This work generalizes the previous rarefaction/extrapolation model of Faith's PD to incorporate species abundance, and also extends the previous rarefaction/extrapolation model of Hill numbers to include phylogenetic differences among species. Thus a unified approach to assessing and comparing species/taxonomic diversity and phylogenetic diversity can be established. A bootstrap method is suggested for constructing confidence intervals around the phylogenetic diversity, facilitating the comparison of multiple assemblages. Our formulation and estimators can be extended to incidence data collected from multiple sampling units. We also illustrate the formulae and estimators using bacterial sequence data from the human distal esophagus and phyllostomid bat data from three habitats.
Psychometric evaluation of Chinese version of Violence Scale for objective rating among inpatients with schizophrenia.

AIM The psychometric properties of the Chinese version of Violence Scale in clinical service setting were examined. BACKGROUND Psychiatric inpatient's aggressive act is a significant clinical issue in psychiatric service. A useful objective rating scale for prospective study and clinical application was mandatory. DESIGN A prospective panel study. METHODS The Chinese version of Violence Scale developed from Morrison's Violence Scale. Sampled patients (n = 107) with schizophrenia spectrum, fulfilling the DSM-IV criteria, were recruited consecutively in a psychiatric acute ward of a university hospital over a period of one-year. The patients' counts of the aggressive acts measured by the Chinese version of Violence Scale occurred in the past one-month prior to admission and in the prospective initial-week after admission were collected during their hospitalisation. The prospective occurrence was observed daily and summed at a fixed weekly point. The internal consistency, content validity and predictive validity of the Chinese version of Violence Scale were examined. Also, a confirmatory factors analysis by LISREL was conducted to examine its measurement structure. RESULTS The Chinese version of Violence Scale follows a Poisson distribution of a fair quality (Cronbach's alpha = 0.67). The Chinese version of Violence Scale with panel's content validity has good predictive validity (r = 0.51, p < 0.001). Those correlated to one latent variable with six items, which constructs a core meaning of 'threatening aggression toward others'. CONCLUSIONS This panel study provides evidence for fair reliability and satisfactory validity of the Chinese version of Violence Scale. Internal consistency of the Chinese version of Violence Scale is limited and it may be because of the time-varying characteristic and hierarchical pattern of the behaviour items. To further investigate the count scale of the Chinese version of Violence Scale follows a Poisson distribution, the over-dispersion and weighting issues of aggressive acts were suggested to approach. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE This study highlights the measurement issues and implications of the Chinese version of Violence Scale for objectively rating psychiatric patients' aggressive acts to further develop fitted nursing care and prevention program.
Childhood attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms and the development of adolescent alcohol problems: A prospective, population‐based study of Swedish twins

Children with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk of problematic alcohol and other substance use in adolescence. This study used data from an ongoing, prospective, population‐based twin study of Swedish children and adolescents to evaluate the extent to which the association between ADHD symptoms and alcohol problems reflects a unique source of genetic or environmental risk related to ADHD versus a broader predisposition to youth externalizing behavior. We used all available data from same‐sex monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins on ADHD symptoms in childhood (age 9/12; N = 15,549) and alcohol problems in late adolescence (age 18; N = 2,564). Consistent with prior longitudinal studies, the phenotypic association between hyperactive/impulsive ADHD symptoms and alcohol problems was small in magnitude, whereas the association for inattentive symptoms was even weaker. Additive genetic influences explained 99.8% of the association between hyperactive/impulsive symptoms and alcohol problems. Furthermore, we found that the genetic risk specifically associated with hyperactive/impulsive symptoms was attenuated when estimated in the context of externalizing behavior liability during childhood, of which ADHD symptoms were specific expressions. In sensitivity analyses exploring hyperactivity in mid‐adolescence, we found a similar pattern of genetic associations. These results are consistent with previous findings of genetically driven overlap in the etiology of ADHD and problematic alcohol use. At least some of this co‐occurrence may result from a general predisposition to externalizing behaviors in youth. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effects of a postdischarge transitional care programme for patients with coronary heart disease in China: a randomised controlled trial.

AIM To test the effects of a postdischarge transitional care programme among patients with coronary heart disease. BACKGROUND . Coronary heart disease is a leading cause of death worldwide. Effective postdischarge care can help patients maintain a healthy lifestyle and thereby control the risk factors. Transitional care is under-developed in mainland China. DESIGN A randomised controlled trial. METHOD The control group (n = 100) received routine care and the study group (n = 100) received the postdischarge transitional care programme, which consisted of predischarge assessment, structured home visits and telephone follow-ups within four weeks after discharge. Subjects were recruited in 2002-2003, with data collected at baseline before discharge, two days and four and 12 weeks after discharge. RESULTS Participants in the study group had significantly better understanding in diet, medications and health-related lifestyle behaviour at day 2 and in weeks 4 and 12 and better understanding in exercise at weeks 4 and 12. There were significant differences between the control and study groups in diet and health-related lifestyle at day 2 and weeks 4 and 12, in medication at weeks 4 and 12 and exercise at week 12. There was no difference in hospital readmission between the two groups. The study group was very satisfied with the care. There was no difference in willingness to pay for nurse follow-up services between groups. CONCLUSION This study is an original effort to establish and test a nurse-led transitional care model in China. Results demonstrate that transitional care is effective in mainland China, concurring with studies done elsewhere. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE This study has constructed a transitional care model for patients with coronary heart disease in the context of the Chinese population which is effective in enhancing healthy lifestyle among these patients.
The use of electronic health records for psychiatric phenotyping and genomics

The widespread adoption of electronic health record (EHRs) in healthcare systems has created a vast and continuously growing resource of clinical data and provides new opportunities for population‐based research. In particular, the linking of EHRs to biospecimens and genomic data in biobanks may help address what has become a rate‐limiting study for genetic research: the need for large sample sizes. The principal roadblock to capitalizing on these resources is the need to establish the validity of phenotypes extracted from the EHR. For psychiatric genetic research, this represents a particular challenge given that diagnosis is based on patient reports and clinician observations that may not be well‐captured in billing codes or narrative records. This review addresses the opportunities and pitfalls in EHR‐based phenotyping with a focus on their application to psychiatric genetic research. A growing number of studies have demonstrated that diagnostic algorithms with high positive predictive value can be derived from EHRs, especially when structured data are supplemented by text mining approaches. Such algorithms enable semi‐automated phenotyping for large‐scale case‐control studies. In addition, the scale and scope of EHR databases have been used successfully to identify phenotypic subgroups and derive algorithms for longitudinal risk prediction. EHR‐based genomics are particularly well‐suited to rapid look‐up replication of putative risk genes, studies of pleiotropy (phenomewide association studies or PheWAS), investigations of genetic networks and overlap across the phenome, and pharmacogenomic research. EHR phenotyping has been relatively under‐utilized in psychiatric genomic research but may become a key component of efforts to advance precision psychiatry.
Travel Patterns of Women Giving Birth in the Southern District Health Board

The objective of this mixed method piece of descriptive research is to analyse travel patterns of New Zealand women relating to their selected place of birth, focusing on residents of the Southern District Health Board. It also explores the motivations of a sample of women in this area regarding their birth place choices. Data extracted from Southern District Health Board 2013 electronic records, were analysed using geographic information system software. Spatial modelling was also conducted using this dataset. The second part of the study involved a questionnaire issued to women in Southern District Health Board maternity facilities during a three month period in 2014. In the analysis of 2013 data that women appeared to be by-passing smaller primary maternity units in preference for larger complex care facilities. Spatial modelling examined some possible geographic reasons for this and improved service placement was also modelled based on 2013 demand. Survey results were congruent with other similar research, in that the main reasons for women choosing birth place were a combination of seeking out a safe place whilst remaining as close to home as possible. These priorities caused a tension of distance for rural women. There was no significant statistical variance in the responses between demographic groups. Women are prioritising safety when they choose their birth place. In a large sparsely-populated District Health Board like Southern, this results in some women making long journeys to their chosen birth place as they select complex care facilities over closer primary maternity units or home.
Genetically contextual effects of smoking on genome wide DNA methylation

Smoking is the leading cause of death in the United States. It exerts its effects by increasing susceptibility to a variety of complex disorders among those who smoke, and if pregnant, to their unborn children. In prior efforts to understand the epigenetic mechanisms through which this increased vulnerability is conveyed, a number of investigators have conducted genome wide methylation analyses. Unfortunately, secondary to methodological limitations, these studies were unable to examine methylation in gene regions with significant amounts of genetic variation. Using genome wide genetic and epigenetic data from the Framingham Heart Study, we re‐examined the relationship of smoking status to genome wide methylation status. When only methylation status is considered, smoking was significantly associated with differential methylation in 310 genes that map to a variety of biological process and cellular differentiation pathways. However, when SNP effects on the magnitude of smoking associated methylation changes are also considered, cis and trans‐interaction effects were noted at a total of 266 and 4353 genes with no marked enrichment for any biological pathways. Furthermore, the SNP variation participating in the significant interaction effects is enriched for loci previously associated with complex medical illnesses. The enlarged scope of the methylome shown to be affected by smoking may better explicate the mediational pathways linking smoking with a myriad of smoking related complex syndromes. Additionally, these results strongly suggest that combined epigenetic and genetic data analyses may be critical for a more complete understanding of the relationship between environmental variables, such as smoking, and pathophysiological outcomes.
Job stress and intention to quit in newly-graduated nurses during the first three months of work in Taiwan.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To identify job stress and intention to quit in newly-graduated nurses during the first three months of their work at two different levels of hospitals and to understand factors that may influence their retention. BACKGROUND Given the current nursing shortage, retention of newly-graduated nurses is crucial. Design. A cross-sectional research design was adopted. METHODS Newly-graduated nurses' perceptions of job stress and intention to quit at different time periods during the first three months in addition to related factors were measured using structured questionnaires in two levels of hospitals in central Taiwan. RESULTS Subjects experienced somewhat stressful conditions (Mean = 2.89, SD 0.62) and 31.5% intended to quit. Job stress was the highest at 0-1 month and the intention to quit was highest at 1-2 months. The intention-to-quit group had significantly higher job stress with regard to roles/interpersonal relationships than the intention-to-stay group [t(144) = 2.65, p = 0.009]. Logistic regressions indicated that higher job stress (odds ratio = 2.26; 95% CI 1.14-4.51), working at a medical centre (odds ratio = 3.61; 95% CI 1.10-10.92) and not having had a clinical practicum in the working hospital (odds ratio = 2.41; 95% CI 1.01-5.77) were significant predictors associated with the intention to quit. CONCLUSIONS Newly-graduated nurses perceived moderate job stress which significantly influenced their intention to quit. Nursing administrators should assist newly-graduated nurses in role adaptation and interpersonal relationships particularly to those who had previously worked only in medical centres and had never done a clinical practicum in the hospital. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Our findings provide concrete directions to nursing administrators in developing a stress-alleviation programme to decrease newly-graduate nurses' job stress, to facilitate them successful entry into practice and to decrease their intention to quit.