bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Alternative approaches to onion-like icosahedral fullerenes
Authors: Janner A.
Published: February 2014

The fullerenes of the C60series (C60, C240, C540, C960, C1500, C2160etc.) form onion-like shells with icosahedralIhsymmetry. Up to C2160, their geometry has been optimized by Dunlap & Zope from computations according to the analytic density-functional theory and shown by Wardman to obey structural constraints derived from an affine-extendedIhgroup. In this paper, these approaches are compared with models based on crystallographic scaling transformations. To start with, it is shown that the 56 symmetry-inequivalent computed carbon positions, approximated by the corresponding ones in the models, are mutually related by crystallographic scalings. This result is consistent with Wardman's remark that the affine-extension approach simultaneously models different shells of a carbon onion. From the regularities observed in the fullerene models derived from scaling, an icosahedral infinite C60onion molecule is defined, with shells consisting of all successive fullerenes of the C60series. The structural relations between the C60onion and graphite lead to a one-parameter model with the same Euclidean symmetryP63mcas graphite and having ac/a= τ2ratio, where τ = 1.618… is the golden number. This ratio approximates (up to a 4% discrepancy) the value observed in graphite. A number of tables and figures illustrate successive steps of the present investigation.
Predicting successful intended vaginal delivery after previous caesarean section: external validation of two predictive models in a Dutch nationwide registration‐based cohort with a high intended vaginal delivery rate
Authors: Schoorel ENC , Melman S , van Kuijk SMJ , Grobman WA , Kwee A , Mol BWJ , Nijhuis JG , Smits LJM , Aardenburg R , de Boer K , Delemarre FMC , van Dooren IM , Franssen MTM , Kleiverda G , Kaplan M , Kuppens SMI , Lim FTH , Sikkema JM , Smid‐Koopman E , Visser H , Vrouenraets FPJM , Woiski M , Hermens RPMG , Scheepers HCJ
Published: February 2014

Objective

To externally validate two models from the USA (entry‐to‐care [ETC] and close‐to‐delivery [CTD]) that predict successful intended vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) for the Dutch population.

Design

A nationwide registration‐based cohort study.

Setting

Seventeen hospitals in the Netherlands.

Population

Seven hundred and sixty‐three pregnant women, each with one previous caesarean section and a viable singleton cephalic pregnancy without a contraindication for an intended VBAC.

Methods

The ETC model comprises the variables maternal age, prepregnancy body mass index (BMI), ethnicity, previous vaginal delivery, previous VBAC and previous nonprogressive labour. The CTD model replaces prepregnancy BMI with third‐trimester BMI and adds estimated gestational age at delivery, hypertensive disease of pregnancy, cervical examination and induction of labour. We included consecutive medical records of eligible women who delivered in 2010. For validation, individual probabilities of women who had an intended VBAC were calculated.

Main outcome measures

Discriminative performance was assessed with the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic and predictive performance was assessed with calibration plots and the Hosmer–Lemeshow (H‐L) statistic.

Results

Five hundred and fifteen (67%) of the 763 women had an intended VBAC; 72% of these (371) had an actual VBAC. The AUCs of the ETC and CTD models were 68% (95% CI 63–72%) and 72% (95% CI 67–76%), respectively. The H‐L statistic showed a P‐value of 0.167 for the ETC model and P = 0.356 for the CTD model, indicating no lack of fit.

Conclusion

External validation of two predictive models developed in the USA revealed an adequate performance within the Dutch population.
Genetic variants and risk of cervical cancer: epidemiological evidence, meta‐analysis and research review
Authors: Zhang X , Zhang L , Tian C , Yang L , Wang Z
Published: February 2014

Background

More than 200 articles have been published in the past 20 years on associations between genetic variants and risk of cervical cancer but the results have generally been inconsistent.

Objective

To provide a synopsis of the current understanding of the genetic architecture of the risk of cervical cancer by conducting a systematic review and meta‐analysis.

Search strategy

We conducted a systematic literature search by a two‐stage strategy using PubMed and other databases on or before 31 March 2012.

Selection criteria

Cross‐sectional, case–control or cohort studies about the relationship between genetic variants and cervical cancer were included.

Data collection and analysis

Study outcomes were presented as odds ratios (ORs) with a 95% confidence interval.We did the meta‐analysis for genetic variants which had at least three data sources and for which the significant associations were assessed using the Venice criteria.

Main results

A total of 5605 publications were screened, of which 286 were eligible. Meta‐analysis was conducted for 58 variants in 25 genes or loci. Fourteen variants in 11 genes or loci could increase the risk of cervical cancer and five variants in three genes or loci could decrease the risk. The epidemiological evidence of the association was graded as strong for four variants in CTLA4 and HLA DQB1, moderate for five variants in IL‐1B, IL‐10, XRCC3 and HLA DQA1, and weak for 10 variants.

Conclusions

Many genetic variants were associated with the risk of cervical cancer as supported by the epidemiological evidence in this meta‐analysis.
Rapid Localization of Bone Fragments on Surfaces using Back‐Projection and Hyperspectral Imaging
Authors: Alsberg Bjørn K. , Rosvold Jørgen
Published: February 2014

Manual localization of bone fragments on the ground or on complex surfaces in relation to accidents or criminal activity may be time‐consuming and challenging. It is here investigated whether combining a near‐infrared hyperspectral camera and chemometric modeling with false color back‐projection can be used for rapid localization of bone fragments. The approach is noninvasive and highlights the spatial distribution of various compounds/properties to facilitate manual inspection of surfaces. Discriminant partial least squares regression is used to classify between bone and nonbone spectra from the hyperspectral camera. A predictive model (>95% prediction ability) is constructed from raw chicken bones mixed with stone, sand, leaves, moss, and wood. The model uses features in the near‐infrared spectrum which may be selective for bones in general and is able to identify a wide variety of bones from different animals and contexts, including aged and weathered bone.
Politically Engaged Geographical Research with the Community Sector: Is It Encouraged by Australia's Higher Education and Research Institutions?
Authors: JACKSON SUE , CRABTREE LOUISE
Published: February 2014

With the application of neoliberal thinking to the higher education sector, measures of research quality and utility have proliferated in efforts to increase academic accountability, innovation, and contributions to public policy. We intend to reignite discussion about community activism and the role of the academic in response to trends in higher education policy and recent debate in Australia about research quality assessment and policy relevance. We challenge the common portrayal of the public sector as the sole locus of policy‐making and argue the case for greater recognition of the role of the community sector and its research partners in policy development and implementation – one that is not given due attention in the discourse on or in measures of research value and impact. Informed by recent literature on governance and interpretative approaches to policy analysis, we draw on our combined experience conducting research with two Australian movements at the forefront of reforms to property rights institutions, legal standards, and norms relating to social and economic equity to outline the institutional tensions and structural impediments facing researchers working with the non‐government sector. The paper documents the progressive roles the academic can play in such work, arguing that institutional change is required within the tertiary sector to support researchers to build closer, more trusting research partnerships in which due attention is given to social impact and relevance.
Effects of rosiglitazone (PPAR γ agonist) on the myocardium in non‐hypertensive diabetic rats 罗格列酮（PPAR γ 激动剂）对非高血压糖尿病大鼠的心肌的影响
Authors: Abou Daya Khodor , Abu Daya Hussein , Nasser Eddine Mohamad , Nahhas Georges , Nuwayri‐Salti Nuha
Published: February 2014

Background

There is ongoing controversy regarding the safety of rosiglitazone and its effects on the myocardium, in some cases causing severe cardiac pathology and even in some instances mortality. In this study we aimed at examining the effects of pharmacologic doses of rosiglitazone on cardiomyocytes in diabetic non‐cardiac rats receiving sub‐optimal doses of insulin.

Methods

Animals were distributed into six groups: normal, diabetic, and diabetic receiving insulin, each subdivided into a control group and an experimental group receiving pharmacologic doses of rosiglitazone. Cardiomyocyte hypertrophy was assessed using heart to body weight index and microscopic examination using the number of cardiomyocytes per quadrant of high power field and intercalated disks in a sector of 100 × field. Fibrosis was assessed using Masson Trichrome staining. A number of sections of each group were stained with periodic acid Shiff and others with Sudan III for glycogen and fat accumulation, respectively. One way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis as appropriate.

Results

Diffuse cardiomyopathic changes in diabetic control animals were observed consisting of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, loss of striations and widespread vacuolation. These changes were reduced and even prevented by treatment with insulin and rosiglitazone. Masson staining showed that all rat groups had no more than +1 fibrosis that is equal to what was present in the normal controls.

Conclusion

Rosiglitazone, in combination with even sub‐optimal doses of insulin therapy, has protective effects on cardiac muscle in diabetic animals especially those expressed as muscle hypertrophy, muscle cell death, and fibrosis.
Relationships among male Coleophora deauratella (Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae) pheromone‐baited trap capture, larval abundance, damage and flight phenology
Authors: Mori Boyd A. , Yoder Calvin , Otani Jennifer , Evenden Maya L.
Published: February 2014

The red clover casebearer Coleophora deauratella Leinig and Zeller is an invasive pest of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) grown for seed production in Canada. Drastic yield losses (80–99.5%) have been reported in several growing regions over the last 30 years as a result of larval feeding damage.

Field trials conducted in red clover seed production fields in Alberta, Canada, during the summers of 2010–2012 tested the efficacy of pheromone‐baited traps to predict population density and assess male flight phenology of C. deauratella.

Male moth pheromone‐trap capture was positively related to larval abundance and proportion seed damage at both moderate and high population densities.

Phenological models based on degree days (DD11.7) were better at describing median (50%) male flight compared with ordinal date models. Median C. deauratella male flight occurs at 258.39 DD11.7, starting from 1 January each year in the Peace River region of Alberta.

The results obtained in the present study demonstrate that pheromone‐baited traps can be used to detect the spread of this invasive species. Future work could incorporate pheromone‐based monitoring into assessment for the need and timing of control measures to target this invasive pest.
Research Gaps in Defining the Biological Link between HIV Risk and Hormonal Contraception
Authors: Murphy Kerry , Irvin Susan C. , Herold Betsy C.
Published: February 2014

Epidemiologic data suggest an association between depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), a progesterone‐based hormonal contraceptive, and increased risk of HIV acquisition and transmission. DMPA is highly effective and is among the most commonly used form of hormonal contraception in areas of high HIV prevalence. Thus, defining the biological mechanisms that contribute to the potential negative synergy between DMPA and HIV is key and may facilitate the identification of alternative contraceptive strategies. Proposed mechanisms include thinning or disruption of the cervicovaginal epithelial barrier, induction of mucosal inflammation, interference with innate and adaptive soluble and cellular immune responses, and/or alterations in the vaginal microbiome. DMPA may also indirectly increase the risk of HIV by promoting genital herpes or other sexually transmitted infections. However, there is a paucity of rigorous in vitro, animal model and clinical data to support these potential mechanisms highlighting the need for future research.
HIV, vascular surgery and cardiovascular outcomes: a South African cohort study
Authors: Redman L. A. , Naidoo P. , Biccard B. M.
Published: February 2014

Risk factors for peri‐operative cardiac morbidity are poorly described in HIV‐positive patients. This prospective observational study describes cardiovascular risk factors in a cohort of vascular surgical patients of known HIV status. We recruited 225 patients with 73 (32%) being HIV‐positive. When compared with HIV‐negative patients, the HIV‐positive patients were younger (mean (SD) 56.4 (13.3) vs 40.5 (10.4) years, respectively, p < 0.01). They had fewer Revised Cardiac Risk Index cardiovascular risk factors (median (range [IQR]) 1 (0–5 [0–2]) vs 0 (0–2 [0–0]), respectively, p < 0.001), with the exception of congestive cardiac failure (p = 0.23) and renal dysfunction (p = 0.32), and so were of a significantly lower Revised Cardiac Risk Index risk category (p < 0.01). HIV‐positive and ‐negative patients had similar outcomes in: 30‐day mortality (p = 0.78); three‐day postoperative troponin leak (p = 0.66); and a composite outcome of mortality and troponin release (p = 0.69). We conclude that although HIV‐positive patients have fewer cardiovascular risk factors, they have similar peri‐operative major adverse cardiac events to HIV‐negative patients. Research should focus on why this is the case, and if alternative clinical risk predictors can be developed for HIV patients.
The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of denosumab in patients with advanced solid tumours and bone metastases: a systematic review
Authors: Sohn Winnie , Simiens Mary Ann , Jaeger Kelly , Hutton Shauna , Jang Graham
Published: February 2014

Aim

The objective of this systematic review was to characterize the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of denosumab (XGEVA®), a fully human IgG2 monoclonal antibody which binds to receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa‐B ligand (RANKL), for the treatment of skeletal‐related events (SREs) in patients with advanced cancer and bone metastases.

Methods

A total of 708 patients (116 healthy patients and 592 patients with solid tumours or multiple myeloma and bone metastases) included in seven clinical studies were evaluated for denosumab pharmacokinetics. Denosumab was administered as a single subcutaneous (s.c.) dose or multiple s.c. doses, ranging from 0.1 to 3.0 mg kg−1 or 30 mg to 180 mg fixed dosing, every 1 or 3 months for up to 45 months.

Results

Consistent with the results in healthy adults, single s.c. doses of denosumab demonstrated dose‐dependent, non‐linear pharmacokinetics in advanced cancer patients with bone metastases across a wide dose range (0.1–3.0 mg kg−1). Reductions in levels of the bone turnover marker, uNTx/Cr, were observed within 1 day. The duration of reductions generally increased with dose and dosing frequency. In patients with solid tumours and bone metastases, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic comparisons across tumour types and concomitant cancer therapies (chemotherapies and/or hormone therapies) suggest that neither tumour type nor type of concomitant therapy markedly affects denosumab pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics.

Conclusions

Denosumab displayed non‐linear pharmacokinetics at doses below 60 mg but at higher doses, denosumab exposure increased approximately dose‐proportionally in advanced cancer patients with bone metastases. Following a 120 mg, every 4 weeks dosing schedule, similar denosumab pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics were observed across tumour types and were independent of concomitant cancer therapies.
Does levosimendan act as a Ca2+ sensitizer or PDE3 inhibitor?: Commentary on Orstavik et al., Br J Pharmacol 171: 5169–5181
Authors: Endoh Masao
Published: February 2014

Linked Article

This article is a Commentary on Orstavik O, Ata SH, Riise J, Dahl CP, Andersen GO, Levy FO, Skomedal T, Osnes J‐B, and Qvigstad E (2014). PDE3‐inhibition by levosimendan is sufficient to account for its inotropic effect in failing human heart . Br J Pharmacol 171: 5169–5181. doi: 10.1111/bph.12647
Mortality risk with sulphonylureas compared to metformin
Authors: Holden S. E. , Currie C. J.
Published: February 2014

Current clinical guidelines in the USA and the UK recommend first‐line glucose‐lowering treatment with metformin monotherapy for glucose control in type 2 diabetes, where not contraindicated. Consequently, the proportion of people treated with sulphonylureas is decreasing. The purpose of this commentary is to discuss the risks and benefits associated with sulphonylurea monotherapy versus metformin monotherapy and the evidence that, in comparison with metformin, sulphonylureas cause increased harm to people with type 2 diabetes.
The Role of Social Science in Australian Family Law: Collaborator, Usurper or Infiltrator?
Authors: Rathus Zoe
Published: February 2014

This article explores the somewhat ambiguous relationship between family law decision making and social science research in contemporary Australian family law. It follows the history of social scientists and social science research in the current family law system since its commencement in 1976 and sets this against the changing socio‐legal climate of the four decades covered. It demonstrates that, while social science research has been of critical importance to the progress of family law, its use by judicial decision makers raises questions about the contested, shifting, and selective nature of the content and the absence of any legal basis by which these extrinsic materials could be received. Extensive referencing of social science research by some judicial officers in recent years has triggered appellate authority disapproving its use. It is argued that there is growing uncertainty in the relationship between the disciplines of social science and law in the family law system and that steps should be taken to begin resolving this.

Keypoints

Role of social science in family law

Analysis of Australian family law cases that use social science research

Use of extrinsic materials by judges

Fathers' rights' groups

Shared parenting debate

Use of attachment theory in courts
Plasticity of the mate choice mind: courtship evokes choice‐like brain responses in females from a coercive mating system
Authors: Wang S. M. T. , Ramsey M. E. , Cummings M. E.
Published: February 2014

Female mate choice is fundamental to sexual selection, and determining molecular underpinnings of female preference variation is important for understanding mating character evolution. Previously it was shown that whole‐brain expression of a synaptic plasticity marker, neuroserpin, positively correlates with mating bias in the female choice poeciliid, Xiphophorus nigrensis, when exposed to conspecific courting males, whereas this relationship is reversed in Gambusia affinis, a mate coercive poeciliid with no courting males. Here we explore whether species‐level differences in female behavioral and brain molecular responses represent ‘canalized’ or ‘plastic’ traits. We expose female G. affinis to conspecific males and females, as well as coercive and courting male Poecilia latipinna, for preference assays followed by whole‐brain gene expression analyses of neuroserpin, egr‐1 and early B. We find positive correlations between gene expression and female preference strength during exposure to courting heterospecific males, but a reversed pattern following exposure to coercive heterospecific males. This suggests that the neuromolecular processes associated with female preference behavior are plastic and responsive to different male phenotypes (courting or coercive) rather than a canalized response linked to mating system. Further, we propose that female behavioral plasticity may involve learning because female association patterns shifted with experience. Compared to younger females, we found larger, more experienced females spend less time near coercive males but associate more with males in the presence of courters. We thus suggest a conserved learning‐based neuromolecular process underlying the diversity of female mate preference across the mate choice and coercion‐driven mating systems.
Severe and moderate haemophilia A and B in US females
Authors: Di Michele D. M. , Gibb C. , Lefkowitz J. M. , Ni Q. , Gerber L. M. , Ganguly A.
Published: February 2014

Haemophilia A and B are rare X‐lined hemorrhagic disorders that typically affect men. Women are usually asymptomatic carriers, but may be symptomatic and, rarely, also express severe (factor VIII (FVIII) or factor IX (FIX) <0.01 U mL−1) or moderately severe (FVIII/FIX 0.01–0.05 U mL−1) phenotypes. However, data on clinical manifestations, genotype and the psychosocial ramifications of illness in severely affected females remain anecdotal. A national multi‐centre retrospective study was conducted to collect a comprehensive data set on affected US girls and women, and to compare clinical observations to previously published information on haemophilic males of comparable severity and mildly affected haemophilic females. Twenty‐two severe/moderate haemophilia A/B subjects were characterized with respect to clinical manifestations and disease complications; genetic determinants of phenotypic severity; and health‐related quality of life (HR‐QoL). Clinical data were compared as previously indicated. Female patients were older than male patients at diagnosis, but similarly experienced joint haemorrhage, disease‐ and treatment‐related complications and access to treatment. Gynaecological and obstetrical bleeding was unexpectedly infrequent. F8 or F9 mutations, accompanied by extremely skewed X‐chromosome inactivation pattern (XIP), were primary determinants of severity. HR‐QoL was diminished by arthropathy and viral infection. Using systematic case verification of participants in a national surveillance registry, this study elucidated the genetics, clinical phenotype and quality of life issues in female patients with severe/moderate haemophilia. An ongoing international case‐controlled study will further evaluate these observations. Novel mechanistic questions are raised about the relationship between XIP and both age and tissue‐specific FVIII and FIX expression.
Oxidative stability of butter with added phenolics from Lamiaceae herbs and in vitro evaluation of potential cytotoxicity of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) extract
Authors: Santos Renata D. , Shetty Kalidas , da Silva Miglioranza Lúcia H.
Published: February 2014

This study evaluated the oxidative stability of butter with added phenolics from Lamiaceae herbs. Initially antioxidant activity of crude rosemary, oregano, sage, thyme and marjoram extracts were screened through methods of inhibition of the 1,1‐Diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, malondialdehyde (MDA) quantification and ferric reducing antioxidant power test. The alcoholic extract of rosemary showed the highest antioxidant activity in both assays for DPPH radical inhibition and MDA quantification. The alcoholic rosemary extract showed no cytotoxicity when assayed using MTT [3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide] reduction method and had dose‐dependent cytoprotective activity at 50 and 250 μg mL−1. These results suggest that the use of rosemary as natural antioxidant is safe in the concentrations tested. The highest oxidative stability of butter with added alcoholic rosemary extract at temperatures of 60 and 110 °C was obtained with the concentration of 400 mg of phenolic compounds per kg of butter and was reflected at the lowest formation of degraded peroxides from lipids.
In‐basket Validity: A systematic review
Authors: Whetzel Deborah L. , Rotenberry Paul F. , McDaniel Michael A.
Published: February 2014

In‐baskets are high‐fidelity simulations often used to predict performance in a variety of jobs including law enforcement, clerical, and managerial occupations. They measure constructs not typically assessed by other simulations (e.g., administrative and managerial skills, and procedural and declarative job knowledge). We compiled the largest known database (k = 31; N = 3,958) to address the criterion‐related validity of in‐baskets and possible moderators. Moderators included features of the in‐basket: content (generic vs. job specific) and scoring approach (objective vs. subjective) and features of the validity studies: design (concurrent vs. predictive) and source (published vs. unpublished). Sensitivity analyses assessed how robust the results were to the influence of various biases. Results showed that the operational criterion‐related validity of in‐baskets was sufficiently high to justify their use in high‐stakes settings. Moderator analyses provided useful guidance for developers and users regarding content and scoring.
Spousal Choice among the Children of Turkish and Moroccan Immigrants in Six European Countries: Transnational Spouse or Co-ethnic Migrant?
Authors: Carol Sarah , Ersanilli Evelyn , Wagner Mareike
Published: February 2014

Transnational marriages of migrants in Western Europe tend to be seen as hampering integration. In response, policies have been tightened, despite little knowledge on transnational marriages and the effects of such measures. This paper investigates the role of individual preferences and contextual factors such as family reunification policies, group size and development levels of the regions of origin in partner choice of the children of Turkish and Moroccan immigrants. We draw on a novel dataset collected in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Our findings suggest that transnational marriages are partly associated with contextual factors such as a rural origin and family reunification policies. The analysis indicates higher rates of transnational marriages under open family reunification policies, providing tentative evidence of policy effects. On the individual level, the choice of a partner from the parents’ origin country is associated with religiosity.
Clinical responsibility, accountability, and risk aversion in mental health nursing: A descriptive, qualitative study
Authors: Manuel Jenni , Crowe Marie
Published: February 2014

A number of recent, highly‐publicized, perceived health‐care service failures have raised concerns about health professionals' accountabilities. Relevant to these concerns, the present study sought to examine how mental health nurses understood clinical responsibility and its impact on their practice. A descriptive, qualitative design was used, and a convenience sample of 10 mental health nurses was recruited from specialist inpatient and outpatient mental health settings in Canterbury, New Zealand. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, and the transcriptions were analysed using an inductive, descriptive approach. Three major themes were identified: being accountable, fostering patient responsibility, and shifting responsibility. Being accountable involved weighing up patients' therapeutic needs against the potential for blame in an organizational culture of risk management. Fostering patient responsibility described the process of deciding in what situations patients could take responsibility for their behaviour. Shifting responsibility described the culture of defensive practice fostered by the organizational culture of risk aversion. The present study highlighted the challenges mental health nurses experience in relation to clinical responsibility in practice, including the balancing required between the needs of patients, the needs of the organization, and the perceived need for self‐protection.
HIV virological suppression influences response to the AS03‐adjuvanted monovalent pandemic influenza A H1N1 vaccine in HIV‐infected children
Authors: Leahy Timothy R. , Goode Michelle , Lynam Paul , Gavin Patrick J. , Butler Karina M.
Published: February 2014

Design

Children with HIV are especially susceptible to complications from influenza infection, and effective vaccines are central to reducing disease burden in this population. We undertook a prospective, observational study to investigate the safety and immunogenicity of the inactivated split‐virion AS03‐adjuvanted pandemic H1N1(2009) vaccine in children with HIV.

Setting

National referral centre for Paediatric HIV in Ireland.

Sample

Twenty four children with HIV were recruited consecutively and received two doses of the vaccine. The serological response was measured before each vaccine dose (Day 0 and Day 28) and 2 months after the booster dose. Antibody titres were measured using a haemagglutination inhibition (HAI) assay. Seroprotection was defined as a HAI titre ≥ 1:40; seroconversion was defined as a ≥ fourfold increase in antibody titre and a postvaccination titre ≥ 1:40.

Main outcome measures

The seroconversion rates after prime and booster doses were 75% and 71%, respectively. HIV virological suppression at the time of immunization was associated with a significantly increased seroconversion rate (P = 0·009), magnitude of serological response (P = 0·02) and presence of seroprotective HAI titres (P = 0·017) two months after the booster dose. No other factor was significantly associated with the seroconversion/seroprotection rate. No serious adverse effects were reported. Vaccination had no impact on HIV disease progression. The AS03‐adjuvanted pandemic H1N1 vaccine appears to be safe and immunogenic among HIV‐infected children. A robust serological response appears to be optimized by adherence to a HAART regimen delivering virological suppression.
Adjuvant spinal cord stimulation improves wound healing of peripheral tissue loss due to steal syndrome of the hand: clinical challenge treating a difficult case
Authors: De Caridi Giovanni , Massara Mafalda , Benedetto Filippo , Tripodi Paolo , Spinelli Francesco , David Antonio , Grande Raffaele , Butrico Lucia , Serra Raffaele , de Franciscis Stefano
Published: February 2014

Hand ischaemia due to arterial steal syndrome is an infrequent, but potentially serious complication of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) for haemodialysis.

We present a case of hand ischaemia caused by steal syndrome in a 69‐year‐old haemodialysis patient, 10 months after a brachiobasilic fistula creation. The patient underwent multiple operations without resolution of hand pain and tissue loss. The implantation of an adjuvant cervical spinal cord stimulator allowed the patient to obtain complete hand pain relief and wound healing.

Probably, the diffuse microangiopathy typical of haemodialysis patients could be responsible for the persistence of ischaemic signs and symptoms after a surgical revascularisation. The effect of sympathetic blockade and the subsequent improvement of the arterial blood flow and tissue oxygenation because of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) can be useful to achieve complete ischaemic pain relief in order to enhance wound healing and to limit the tissue loss. In conclusion, the association of cervical spinal cord stimulation and surgical revascularisation could represent a valid option to treat a critical upper limb ischaemia following steal syndrome due to AVF.
An Enquiry into Primary Student Teachers' Confidence, Feelings and Attitudes towards Teaching Arts and Crafts in Finland and Malta during Initial Teacher Training
Authors: Gatt Isabelle , Karppinen Seija
Published: February 2014

Arts and crafts are connected with a variety of emotions, and the prospect of teaching these subjects could be a source of other emotions, not necessarily positive. This study explores the feelings and attitudes of student teachers towards arts and crafts prior to any training within their degree course and examines any changes that occur following the courses. Theories of emotion and confidence are used to outline the approach of the study. This article describes the results of a survey performed in two countries, Malta and Finland, and highlights how student teachers feel degree courses in arts in Malta and in textile crafts in Finland, designed to include a strong experiential element, affect their perceptions of their own competence and confidence to teach the subjects. The method of content analysis was used to identify categories related to emotions and confidence. Altogether 53 student teachers from the University of Helsinki and the University of Malta participated in the survey in academic year 2010–11. Our findings support previous research showing positive effects on attitudes and confidence when training provides authentic artistic processes and experiences even though learners bring with them diverse experiences, and consequently experience diverse emotions, attitudes and perceptions towards arts and crafts as well as diverse levels of confidence to teach the subjects.
Historical data reveal power‐law dispersal patterns of invasive aquatic species
Authors: Kelly Ruth , Lundy Mathieu G. , Mineur Frédéric , Harrod Chris , Maggs Christine A. , Humphries Nicolas E. , Sims David W. , Reid Neil
Published: February 2014

Understanding how invasive species spread is of particular concern in the current era of globalisation and rapid environmental change. The occurrence of super‐diffusive movements within the context of Lévy flights has been discussed with respect to particle physics, human movements, microzooplankton, disease spread in global epidemiology and animal foraging behaviour. Super‐diffusive movements provide a theoretical explanation for the rapid spread of organisms and disease, but their applicability to empirical data on the historic spread of organisms has rarely been tested. This study focuses on the role of long‐distance dispersal in the invasion dynamics of aquatic invasive species across three contrasting areas and spatial scales: open ocean (north‐east Atlantic), enclosed sea (Mediterranean) and an island environment (Ireland). Study species included five freshwater plant species, Azolla filiculoides, Elodea canadensis, Lagarosiphon major, Elodea nuttallii and Lemna minuta; and ten species of marine algae, Asparagopsis armata, Antithamnionella elegans, Antithamnionella ternifolia, Codium fragile, Colpomenia peregrina, Caulerpa taxifolia, Dasysiphonia sp., Sargassum muticum, Undaria pinnatifida and Womersleyella setacea. A simulation model is constructed to show the validity of using historical data to reconstruct dispersal kernels. Lévy movement patterns similar to those previously observed in humans and wild animals are evident in the re‐constructed dispersal pattern of invasive aquatic species. Such patterns may be widespread among invasive species and could be exacerbated by further development of trade networks, human travel and environmental change. These findings have implications for our ability to predict and manage future invasions, and improve our understanding of the potential for spread of organisms including infectious diseases, plant pests and genetically modified organisms.
Latitudinal variation in clutch size–lay date regressions in Tachycineta swallows: effects of food supply or demography?
Authors: Winkler David W. , Ringelman Kevin M. , Dunn Peter O. , Whittingham Linda , Hussell David J. T. , Clark Robert G. , Dawson Russell D. , Johnson L. Scott , Rose Alexandra , Austin Suzanne H. , Robinson W. Douglas , Lombardo Michael P. , Thorpe Patrick A. , Shutler Dave , Robertson Raleigh J. , Stager Maria , Leonard Marty , Horn Andrew G. , Dickinson Janis , Ferretti Valentina , Massoni Viviana , Bulit Florencia , Reboreda Juan C. , Liljesthröm Marcela , Quiroga Martín , Rakhimberdiev Eldar , Ardia Daniel R.
Published: February 2014

In a study of almost 16 000 nest records from seven swallow species across the entire Western Hemisphere, clutch sizes decline with relative laying date in each population, but the slope of this decline grows steeper with increasing distance from the equator. Late‐laying birds at all latitudes lay clutches of similar sizes, suggesting that latitudinal differences may be driven primarily by earlier‐laying birds. Focused comparisons of site‐years in North America with qualitatively different food availability indicate that food supply significantly affects mean clutch size but not the clutch size–lay date regression. Other studies on the seasonality of swallow food also indicate that steeper clutch size–lay date declines in the North are not caused by steeper earlier food peaks there. The distribution of lay dates grows increasingly right‐skewed with increasing latitude. This variation in lay‐date distributions could be due to the predominance of higher quality, early‐laying (and large‐clutched) individuals among populations at higher latitudes, resulting from latitudinal variation in mortality rates and the intensity of sexual selection. Our results underscore the importance of studying clutch size and lay date in tandem and suggest new research into the causes of their joint geographic variation.
Klasea serratuloidessubsp.karamanicasubsp. nov. (Asteraceae), from the central and south Anatolia transition zone, Turkey
Authors: Dogan Bekir , Duran Ahmet , Coşkun Fatih
Published: February 2014

A new subspecies,Klasea serratuloides(DC.) Greuter & Wagenitz subsp.karamanicaB. Dogan & A. Duran (Asteraceae), is described and illustrated from Anatolia, Turkey. The subspecies grows on stony places in the Ayrancı and Ermenek district (C4 Karaman Province), Ereğli district (C5 Konya province) and Ulukışla (C5 Niğde province) in the central and south Anatolia transition zone. It is morphologically similar toK. serratuloidessubsp.serratuloides. Diagnostic morphological characters from closely similar taxa are discussed and arranged in a key. Ecology and conservation status of the subspecies is also presented. In addition, the geographical distribution of the new subspecies and other related species is mapped. The pollen morphology and achene surface ofK. serratuloidessubsp.karamanicaandK. serratuloidessubsp.serratuloideswere examined by SEM.
Methodological challenges in utilizing miRNAs as circulating biomarkers
Authors: Moldovan Leni , Batte Kara E. , Trgovcich Joanne , Wisler Jon , Marsh Clay B. , Piper Melissa
Published: February 2014

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as important regulators in the post‐transcriptional control of gene expression. The discovery of their presence not only in tissues but also in extratissular fluids, including blood, urine and cerebro‐spinal fluid, together with their changes in expression in various pathological conditions, has implicated these extracellular miRNAs as informative biomarkers of disease. However, exploiting miRNAs in this capacity requires methodological rigour. Here, we report several key procedural aspects of miRNA isolation from plasma and serum, as exemplified by research in cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. We also highlight the advantages and disadvantages of various profiling methods to determine the expression levels of plasma‐ and serum‐derived miRNAs. Attention to such methodological details is critical, as circulating miRNAs become diagnostic tools for various human diseases.
A review of staffing levels and activity in paediatric dietetics
Authors: Ward Fiona , O'Riordan Joanna
Published: February 2014

Background

The present study was undertaken to review how much time paediatric dietitians spend in direct contact with patients and to determine what levels of staffing are available throughout paediatric dietetic departments in Ireland and the UK.

Methods

A work sampling tool was devised to capture paediatric dietetic activity for a period of 1 day. A semi‐structured questionnaire was sent to paediatric dietitian managers to provide demographic information on their facility.

Results

Fourteen questionnaires were returned by paediatric dietitian managers and 86 work sampling tools were returned for analysis by dietitians working in the various departments. Paediatric dietitians spend 23% of the working day in direct patient contact, although up to 58% of the day in direct patient‐related activities, of which communication comprised 25.2%. Staffing levels are below clinical recommendations in four out of five specialties. National activity reports focus on the number of patient contacts but do not include information on the complexity of patient care.

Conclusions

Work sampling is a useful tool in the assessment of activity in healthcare. Inadequate staff levels and limitations in activity reporting in paediatric dietetics will affect estimations for future service developments. Information obtained from the present study could contribute to the supply analysis of a workforce planning exercise in paediatric services in the future.
Knowledge and Skills Retention Among Frontline Health Workers: Community Maternal and Newborn Health Training in Rural Ethiopia
Authors: Gobezayehu Abebe Gebremariam , Mohammed Hajira , Dynes Michelle M. , Desta Binyam Fekadu , Barry Danika , Aklilu Yeshiwork , Tessema Hanna , Tadesse Lelissie , Mikulich Meridith , Buffington Sandra Tebben , Sibley Lynn M.
Published: February 2014

Introduction

We examined the degree to which the skills and knowledge of health workers in Ethiopia were retained 18 months after initial maternal and newborn health training and sought to identify factors associated with 18‐month skills assessment performance.

Methods

A nonexperimental, descriptive design was employed to assess 18‐month skills performance on the topics of Prevent Problems Before Baby Is Born and Prevent Problems After Baby Is Born. Assessment was conducted by project personnel who also received the maternal and newborn health training and additional training to reliably assess health worker performance.

Results

Among the 732 health workers who participated in maternal and newborn health training in 6 rural districts of the Amhara and Oromia regions of Ethiopia (including pretesting before training and a posttraining posttest), 75 health extension workers (78%) and 234 guide team members (37%) participated in 18‐month posttest. Among health extension workers in both regions, strong knowledge retention was noted in 10 of 14 care steps for Prevent Problems Before Baby Is Born and in 14 of 16 care steps of Prevent Problems After Baby Is Born. Lower knowledge retention was observed among guide team members in the Amhara region. Across regions, health workers scored lowest on steps that involved nonaction (eg, do not give oxytocin). Educational attainment and age were among the few variables found to significantly predict test performance, although participants varied substantially by other sociodemographic characteristics.

Discussion

Results demonstrated an overall strong retention of knowledge and skills among health extension workers and highlighted the need for improvement among some guide team members. Refresher training and development of strategies to improve knowledge of retention of low‐performing steps were recommended.
Building District‐Level Capacity for Continuous Improvement in Maternal and Newborn Health
Authors: Stover Kim Ethier , Tesfaye Solomon , Frew Aynalem Hailemichael , Mohammed Hajira , Barry Danika , Alamineh Lamesgin , Teshome Abebe , Hepburn Kenneth , Sibley Lynn M.
Published: February 2014

Introduction

The Maternal and Newborn Health in Ethiopia Partnership (MaNHEP) adapted a collaborative improvement strategy to develop woreda (district) leadership capacity to support and facilitate continuous improvement of community maternal and neonatal health (CMNH) and to provide a model for other woredas, dubbed “lead” woredas. Community‐level quality improvement (QI) teams tested solutions to improve CMNH care supported by monthly coaching and regular meetings to share experiences. This study examines the extent of the capacity built to support continuous improvement in CMNH care.

Methods

Surveys and in‐depth interviews assessed the extent to which MaNHEP developed improvement capacity. A survey questionnaire evaluated woreda culture, leadership support, motivation, and capacity for improvement activities. Interviews focused on respondents’ understanding and perceived value of the MaNHEP improvement approach. Bivariate analyses and multivariate linear regression models were used to analyze the survey data. Interview transcripts were organized by region, cadre, and key themes.

Results

Respondents reported significant positive changes in many areas of woreda culture and leadership, including involving a cross‐section of community stakeholders (increased from 3.0 to 4.6 on 5‐point Likert scale), using improvement data for decision making (2.8‐4.4), using locally developed and tested solutions to improve CMNH care (2.5‐4.3), demonstrating a commitment to improve the health of women and newborns (2.6‐4.2), and creating a supportive environment for coaches and QI teams to improve CMNH (2.6‐4.0). The mean scores for capacity were 3.7 and higher, reflecting respondents’ agreement that they had gained capacity in improvement skills. Interview respondents universally recognized the capacity built in the woredas. The themes of community empowerment and focused improvement emerged strongly from the interviews.

Discussion

MaNHEP was able to build capacity for continuous improvement and develop lead woredas. The multifaceted approach to building capacity was critical for the success in creating lead woredas able to serve as models for other districts.