bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
First Report of Pilidium concavum Causing Tan-Brown Leaf Spot on Strawberry in China
Authors: Geng W. L. , Hu P. , Ma Z. , Zhao X. Y. , Wei Y. M.
Published: May 2012

In April 2011, a survey of diseases was conducted on strawberry plants grown in greenhouses in the town of Xingshou, Changping District, Beijing, China. A tan-brown leaf spot with the presence of pink spore masses was observed on older leaves of strawberry plants. In general, the leaf spots began as small, round, water-soaked lesions in the middle or on the margin of leaves, which enlarged gradually up to 1 to 3 cm in diameter and were circular or irregular and brown to dark brown. Occasionally, the center of some spots cracked in the middle lesion under dry conditions. Eventually, black sporodochia were produced on the upper surface of spots and exuded pink conidial masses under humid conditions. Fungal structures were taken directly from the diseased leaves and examined microscopically for morphological characteristics. Sporodochia, 172 to 451 × 138 to 343 μm, were dark and suborbicular. Conidiophores, 8.4 to 48.3 × 0.8 to 2.1 μm, were hyaline, unicellular, and cylindrical. Conidia, 3.1 to 10.2 × 1.5 to 3.0 μm, were hyaline, aseptate, and canoe-shaped to allantoid, forming singly. For further study, the fungus was isolated in pure culture on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium from symptomatic leaf tissue. In culture, the mycelium was white at first and then changed to brownish. The sporodochia were light colored at first and turned brownish or almost black in older cultures. To identify the fungus, the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rDNA region of the isolate was amplified by PCR with primers ITS1 (5′-TCCGTAGGTGAACCTGCGG-3′) and ITS4 (5′-TCCTCCGCTTATTGATATGC-3′) and sequenced. The 462-nt sequence (GenBank Accession No. JQ995228) was identical to that of Pilidium concavum (1). To validate Koch's postulates, pathogenicity was tested by inoculating 20 leaves on 10 healthy strawberry plants with a mycelial plug from a 15-day-old colony (0.5 cm in diameter). Controls were treated with plugs of PDA medium. The inoculated and control plants were then maintained in growth chambers at 25°C (12 h of light per day, 80% humidity). After 12 days, 100% of the inoculated leaves showed symptoms identical to those observed on leaves in the field while the control leaves remained healthy. The original fungus was reisolated from inoculated leaves showing the symptoms. Thus, it was concluded that the fungus was the causal organism of the leaf spot. On the basis of morphological characteristics, molecular features, and pathogenicity tests, the pathogen of tan-brown leaf spot on strawberry was identified as P. concavum. To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. concavum causing tan-brown leaf spot on strawberry in China. This fungus was reported to cause leaf spot on Paeonia suffruticosa in China (2). It also caused tan-brown rot on strawberry fruit in our pathogenicity test.

References: (1) L. Cardin et al. Plant Dis. 93:548, 2009. (2) Y. B. Duan et al. Plant Dis. 94:271, 2010.
Interobserver Agreement in Case History Evaluation in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Authors: Westerman Dewa , Kerkhoff Henk , Visser Gerhard H. , Kleyweg Rudolf P.
Published: May 2012

Objectives:

The case history is the cornerstone for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The value of neurological examination in CTS seems limited. In this study, we investigated the interobserver agreement in case history of CTS and the potential additional value of neurological examination.

Methods:

Case history was taken and neurological examination was done in all patients referred for a possible CTS during a 6-month period. This was done independently by 2 senior neurologists.

Results:

We studied 119 patients. The interobserver agreement for the conclusion of CTS after history was high (k = 0.79). Neurological examination rarely changed the diagnosis based on the case history.

Conclusions:

This study shows a high interobserver agreement in the diagnosis of CTS based on patient history alone. Neurological examination rarely changed this diagnosis, suggesting a prominent role for the case history and a limited role for neurological examination. This may have practical implications.
A Case of Monomelic Amyotrophy of the Upper Limb
Authors: Li Yuebing , Remmel Krista
Published: May 2012

Monomelic amyotrophy of the upper limb or Hirayama disease is mostly considered as an anterior horn disorder resulting from local ischemia, triggered by arterial compression from an anterior shifting of the posterior cervical dura upon neck flexion. However, such a dural shifting is not universally seen. We report on a Caucasian male patient who developed a slowly progressive unilateral distal hand weakness in his teens. His clinical and electromyographic findings were consistent with Hirayama disease. Local anterior cervical cord atrophy was observed without dural shifting on the dynamic magnetic resonance imaging. Axial magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated signal changes of “snake-eye” appearance in the cervical anterior horn region, similar to ischemic myelopathies caused by various etiologies. This case illustrated that even without dural shifting, a mechanism of anterior spinal cord ischemia could still be responsible for the pathogenesis of Hirayama disease.
Diversity–disturbance relationships: frequency and intensity interact
Authors: Hall Alex R. , Miller Adam D. , Leggett Helen C. , Roxburgh Stephen H. , Buckling Angus , Shea Katriona
Published: May 2012

An influential ecological theory, the intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH), predicts that intermediate levels of disturbance will maximize species diversity. Empirical studies, however, have described a wide variety of diversity–disturbance relationships (DDRs). Using experimental populations of microbes, we show that the form of the DDR depends on an interaction between disturbance frequency and intensity. We find that diversity shows a monotonically increasing, unimodal or flat relationship with disturbance, depending on the values of the disturbance aspects considered. These results confirm recent theoretical predictions, and potentially reconcile the conflicting body of empirical evidence on DDRs.
Testing models of dental development in the earliest bony vertebrates,AndreolepisandLophosteus
Authors: Cunningham John A. , Rücklin Martin , Blom Henning , Botella Hector , Donoghue Philip C. J.
Published: May 2012

Theories on the development and evolution of teeth have long been biased by the fallacy that chondrichthyans reflect the ancestral condition for jawed vertebrates. However, correctly resolving the nature of the primitive vertebrate dentition is challenged by a dearth of evidence on dental development in primitive osteichthyans. Jaw elements from the Silurian–Devonian stem-osteichthyansLophosteusandAndreolepishave been described to bear a dentition arranged in longitudinal rows and vertical files, reminiscent of a pattern of successional development. We tested this inference, using synchrotron radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM) to reveal the pattern of skeletal development preserved in the sclerochronology of the mineralized tissues. The tooth-like tubercles represent focal elaborations of dentine within otherwise continuous sheets of the dermal skeleton, present in at least three stacked generations. Thus, the tubercles are not discrete modular teeth and their arrangement into rows and files is a feature of the dermal ornamentation that does not reflect a polarity of development or linear succession. These fossil remains have no bearing on the nature of the dentition in osteichthyans and, indeed, our results raise questions concerning the homologies of these bones and the phylogenetic classification ofAndreolepisandLophosteus.
New crosslinkers for electrospun chitosan fibre mats. I. Chemical analysis
Authors: Austero Marjorie S. , Donius Amalie E. , Wegst Ulrike G. K. , Schauer Caroline L.
Published: May 2012

Chitosan (CS), the deacetylated form of chitin, the second most abundant, natural polysaccharide, is attractive for applications in the biomedical field because of its biocompatibility and resorption rates, which are higher than chitin. Crosslinking improves chemical and mechanical stability of CS. Here, we report the successful utilization of a new set of crosslinkers for electrospun CS. Genipin, hexamethylene-1,6-diaminocarboxysulphonate (HDACS) and epichlorohydrin (ECH) have not been previously explored for crosslinking of electrospun CS. In this first part of a two-part publication, we report the morphology, determined by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and chemical interactions, determined by Fourier transform infrared microscopy, respectively. FESEM revealed that CS could successfully be electrospun from trifluoroacetic acid with genipin, HDACS and ECH added to the solution. Diameters were 267 ± 199 nm, 644 ± 359 nm and 896 ± 435 nm for CS–genipin, CS–HDACS and CS–ECH, respectively. Short- (15 min) and long-term (72 h) dissolution tests (T
600
) were performed in acidic, neutral and basic pHs (3, 7 and 12). Post-spinning activation by heat and base to enhance crosslinking of CS–HDACS and CS–ECH decreased the fibre diameters and improved the stability. In the second part of this publication, we report the mechanical properties of the fibres.
Modes of growth in dynamic systems
Authors: Garrett Timothy J.
Published: May 2012

Regardless of a system's complexity or scale, its growth can be considered to be a spontaneous thermodynamic response to a local convergence of down-gradient material flows. Here it is shown how system growth can be constrained to a few distinct modes that depend on the time integral of past flows and the current availability of material and energetic resources. These modes include a law of diminishing returns, logistic behaviour and, if resources are expanding very rapidly, super-exponential growth. For a case where a system has a resolved sink as well as a source, growth and decay can be characterized in terms of a slightly modified form of the predator–prey equations commonly employed in ecology, where the perturbation formulation of these equations is equivalent to a damped simple harmonic oscillator. Thus, the framework presented here suggests a common theoretical under-pinning for emergent behaviours in the physical and life sciences. Specific examples are described for phenomena as seemingly dissimilar as the development of rain and the evolution of fish stocks.
Pharmacokinetics and tolerability of SRT2104, a first‐in‐class small molecule activator of SIRT1, after single and repeated oral administration in man
Authors: Hoffmann Ethan , Wald Jeff , Lavu Siva , Roberts John , Beaumont Claire , Haddad Jon , Elliott Peter , Westphal Christoph , Jacobson Eric
Published: May 2012

Aim

SRT2104 is a novel, first‐in‐class, highly selective small molecule activator of the NAD + dependent deacetylase SIRT1. SRT2104 was dosed to healthy male and female volunteers in a series of phase 1 clinical studies that were designed to elucidate tolerability and pharmacokinetics associated with oral dosing to aid in dose selection for subsequent clinical trials.

Methods

In the first‐in‐human study, there was both a single dose phase and 7 day repeat dose phase. Doses used ranged from 0.03 to 3.0 g. A radioactive microtracer study was subsequently conducted to determine systemic clearance, bioavailability and preliminary metabolism, and a crossover study was conducted to determine the effect of gender, formulation and feeding state on SRT2104 pharmacokinetics.

Results

SRT2104 was well tolerated in all of these studies, with no serious adverse reactions observed. SRT2104 displayed a dose‐dependent, but sub‐proportional increase in exposure following single dose and repeated dose administration. Accumulation of three‐fold or less occurs after 7 days of repeat dosing. The mean bioavailability was circa 14% and the mean clearance was circa 400 ml min−1. Although there were no substantial effects on exposure resulting from gender or formulation differences, a notable food effect was observed, manifested as up to four‐fold increase in exposure parameters.

Conclusions

In the absence of an optimized formulation of SRT2104, the food effect can be used to maximize exposure in future clinical studies. Combined with the good tolerability of all doses demonstrated in these studies, the favourable selectivity profile of SRT2104 allows for the use of this SIRT1 modulator for target validation in the clinic.
Stress amongst nurses working in a healthcare telephone‐advice service: relationship with job satisfaction, intention to leave, sickness absence, and performance
Authors: Farquharson Barbara , Allan Julia , Johnston Derek , Johnston Marie , Choudhary Carolyn , Jones Martyn
Published: May 2012

farquharson b., allan j., johnston d., johnston m., choudhary c. & jones m. (2012) Stress amongst nurses working in a healthcare telephone‐advice service: relationship with job satisfaction, intention to leave, sickness absence, and performance. Journal of Advanced Nursing68(7), 1624–1635.

Aims.  This paper is a report of a study, which assessed levels of stress amongst nurses working in a healthcare telephone‐advice service. We explored whether stress related to performance, sickness absence, and intention to leave.

Background.  Nurses report high levels of stress, as do call‐centre workers. The emergence of telephone health advice services means many nurses now work in call‐centres, doing work that differs markedly from traditional nursing roles. Stress associated with these roles could have implications for nurses, patients, and service provision.

Design.  This paper reports cross‐sectional survey results. The design of the overall study included longitudinal elements.

Method.  A comprehensive study of stress was conducted amongst nurses working for a telephone‐advice service in Scotland (2008–2010). All nurse‐advisors were approached by letter and invited to participate. A total of 152 participants (33%) completed a questionnaire including General Health Questionnaire‐12, Work Family Conflict Questionnaire, Job Satisfaction Scale and a measure of intention to leave the telephone‐advice service and rated the perceived stress of 2 working shifts. Nurses’ employers provided data on sickness absence and performance.

Results.  Overall levels of psychological distress were similar to those found amongst Scottish women generally. In multiple regression, work–family conflict was identified as a significant predictor of job satisfaction and intention to leave, and significantly related to sickness absence. There were significant correlations between General Health Questionnaire scores and perceived stress of shifts and some performance measures.

Conclusions.  Work–family conflict is a significant predictor of job satisfaction, intention to leave, and sickness absence amongst telephone helpline nurses. Minimizing the impact of nurses’ work on their home lives might reduce turnover and sickness absence.
Susceptibility to dysphagia after fundoplication revealed by novel automated impedance manometry analysis
Authors: Myers J. C. , Nguyen N. Q. , Jamieson G. G. , Van’t Hek J. E. , Ching K. , Holloway R. H. , Dent J. , Omari T. I.
Published: May 2012

Background  Conventional measures of esophageal pressures or bolus transport fail to identify patients at risk of dysphagia after laparoscopic fundoplication.

Methods  Liquid and viscous swallows were evaluated with impedance/manometry in 19 patients with reflux disease before and after surgery. A new method of automated impedance manometry (AIM) analysis correlated esophageal pressure with impedance data and automatically calculated a range of pressure and bolus movement variables. An iterative analysis determined whether any variables were altered in relation to dysphagia. Standard measures of esophago–gastric junction pressure, bolus presence time, and total bolus transit time were also evaluated.

Key Results  At 5 months postop, 15 patients reported some dysphagia, including 7 with new‐onset dysphagia. For viscous boluses, three AIM‐derived pressure–flow variables recorded preoperatively varied significantly in relation to postoperative dysphagia. These were: time from nadir esophageal impedance to peak esophageal pressure (TNadImp–PeakP), median intra‐bolus pressure (IBP, mmHg), and the rate of bolus pressure rise (IBP slope, mmHg s−1). These variables were combined to form a dysphagia risk index (DRI = IBP × IBP_slope/TNadImp–PeakP). DRI values derived from preoperative measurements were significantly elevated in those with postoperative dysphagia (DRI = 58, IQR = 21–408 vs no dysphagia DRI = 9, IQR = 2–19, P < 0.02). A DRI >14 was optimally predictive of dysphagia (sensitivity 75% and specificity 93%).

Conclusions & Inferences  Before surgery, a greater and faster compression of a swallowed viscous bolus with less bolus flow time relates to postoperative dysphagia. Thus, susceptibility to postfundoplication dysphagia is related to a pre‐existing sub‐clinical variation of esophageal function.
Cold stress selectively unsilences tandem repeats in heterochromatin associated with accumulation of H3K9ac
Authors: HU YONG , ZHANG LU , HE SHIBIN , HUANG MIN , TAN JUNJUN , ZHAO LIN , YAN SHIHAN , LI HUI , ZHOU KUN , LIANG YANAN , LI LIJIA
Published: May 2012

Knobs are cytologically observable major interstitial heterochromatin present on maize nuclei, which consist of highly tandem‐repetitive elements that are always silenced. Here we investigated the genome‐wide change of H3K9ac, an active chromatin mark, during cold stress using chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP‐Seq) and identified differential cold‐induced H3K9ac enrichment at repetitive sequences in maize. More detailed analysis of two knob‐associated tandem‐repetitive sequences, 180‐bp and TR‐1, demonstrated that cold activated their transcription and this cold‐induced transcriptional activation of repetitive sequences is selective, transient, and associated with an increase in H3K9ac and a reduction in DNA methylation and H3K9me2. Furthermore, knob sequence expression is accompanied by localized chromatin remodelling and silencing is recovered upon prolonged treatment. In addition, no evidence of copy number change and rearrangement of these repetitive elements are found in plants subjected to cold stress. These results suggest that cold‐mediated unsilencing of heterochromatic tandem‐repeated sequences, accompanied with epigenetic regulation, might play an important role in the adaptation of plants to cold stimuli.
Structure and temporal shifts in virulence of Pseudoperonospora cubensis populations in the Czech Republic
Authors: Lebeda A. , Pavelková J. , Sedláková B. , Urban J.
Published: May 2012

The structure and temporal dynamics of the virulence of Pseudoperonospora cubensis (causal agent of cucurbit downy mildew) were studied in pathogen populations in the Czech Republic from 2001 to 2010. A total of 398 P. cubensis isolates collected from Cucumis (Cm.) sativus, Cm. melo, Cucurbita (Cr.) maxima, Cr. pepo, Cr. moschata and Citrullus lanatus were analysed for variation in virulence (pathotypes). Virulence was evaluated on a differential set of 12 genotypes of cucurbitaceous plants. All isolates of P. cubensis were characterized by their level of virulence (classified according the number of virulence factors, VF; low VF = 1–4, medium VF = 5–8, high VF = 9–12): high (75%), medium (24%) and low (1%). The structure and dynamics of virulence in the pathogen populations were expressed by pathotypes using tetrad numerical codes and a total of 67 different pathotypes of P. cubensis were determined. The most susceptible group of differentials was Cucumis spp., while the lowest frequency of virulence was recorded on Cr. pepo ssp. pepo, Ci. lanatus and Luffa cylindrica. A high proportion (c. 90%) of isolates was able to infect cucurbit species Benincasa hispida and Lagenaria siceraria, which are not commonly cultivated in the Czech Republic or elsewhere in central Europe. In the recent pathogen populations (2008–2010) there was prevailing frequency (70–100%) of isolates with high numbers (9–12) of virulence factors. ‘Super pathotype’ 15.15.15 was often observed in the study within the pathogen populations and was one of the four most frequently recorded pathotypes. Pseudoperonospora cubensis populations shifted to a higher virulence over time. From 2009 the pathogen population changed dramatically and new pathotypes appeared able to establish natural and serious infection of Cucurbita spp. and Ci. lanatus, which was not observed in 2001–2008. Generally, virulence structure and dynamics of P. cubensis populations are extremely variable in the Czech Republic.
First reported use of the heartware HVAD in the US as bridge to transplant in an adolescent
Authors: D’Alessandro David , Forest Stephen J. , Lamour Jacqueline , Hsu Daphne , Weinstein Samuel , Goldstein Daniel
Published: May 2012

D’Alessandro D, Forest SJ, Lamour J, Hsu D, Weinstein S, Goldstein D. First reported use of the heartware HVAD in the US as bridge to transplant in an adolescent.

Abstract:  Limited options exist for mechanical circulatory support as a bridge to transplantation in pediatric patients with advanced heart failure. This is particularly true when it comes to intracorporeal technologies. We describe the first reported experience with the use of the HVAD in the US as a successful bridge to transplantation in a 13‐yr‐old patient.
Positive fluid balance is associated with reduced survival in critically ill patients with cancer
Authors: DE ALMEIDA J. P. , PALOMBA H. , GALAS F. R. B. G. , FUKUSHIMA J. T. , DUARTE F. A. , NAGAOKA D. , TORRES V. , YU L. , VINCENT J.‐L. , AULER J. O. C. , HAJJAR L. A.
Published: May 2012

Background

There are no studies that describe the impact of the cumulative fluid balance on the outcomes of cancer patients admitted to intensive care units ICUs. The aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship between fluid balance and clinical outcomes in these patients.

Method

One hundred twenty‐two cancer patients were prospectively evaluated for survival during a 30‐day period. Univariate (Chi‐square, t‐test, Mann–Whitney) and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to identify the admission parameters associated with mortality.

Results

The mean cumulative fluid balance was significantly higher in non‐survivors than in survivors [1675 ml/24 h (471–2921) vs. 887 ml/24 h (104–557), P = 0.017]. We used the area under the curve and the intersection of the sensibility and specificity curves to define a cumulative fluid balance value of 1100 ml/24 h. This value was used in the univariate model. In the multivariate model, the following variables were significantly associated with mortality in cancer patients: the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score at admission [Odds ratio (OR) 1.15; 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.05–1.26), P = 0.003], the Lung Injury Score at admission [OR 2.23; 95% CI (1.29–3.87), P = 0.004] and a positive fluid balance higher than 1100 ml/24 h at ICU [OR 5.14; 95% CI (1.45–18.24), P = 0.011].

Conclusion

A cumulative positive fluid balance higher than 1100 ml/24 h was independently associated with mortality in patients with cancer. These findings highlight the importance of improving the evaluation of these patients' volemic state and indicate that defined goals should be used to guide fluid therapy.
Inhibition of Armillaria and Heterobasidion growth by Penicillium adametzii isolated from Pinus sylvestris forest soil
Authors: Szwajkowska‐Michałek L. , Kwaśna H. , Łakomy P. , Perkowski J.
Published: May 2012

Penicillium adametzii significantly inhibited the growth of
Heterobasidium annosum sensu stricto on 2% potato dextrose agar after 10 days at 20–25°C. Chloroform extracts from
P. adametzii culture filtrate and from culture grown on rice often decreased the dry weight of
Armillaria colony and diameter of
Heterobasidion colony in vitro. The effect depended on species and isolate of
Armillaria, Heterobasidion and
P. adametzii and concentration of the extract. Higher concentration of chloroform extract increased the dry weight of stems and roots of
Pinus sylvestris plants inoculated with either of two isolates of
Armillaria ostoyae and one isolate of
Armillaria gallica. Lower concentrations of chloroform extract increased the dry weight of stems and roots of
P. sylvestris inoculated with another isolate of
A. gallica. Culture filtrate of
P. adametzii decreased the length of necrosis on
P. sylvestris stem inoculated with either of two of four isolates of
H. annosum s.s., but if applied 1 month before inoculation, it increased the length of necrosis caused by another
H. annosum s.s. isolate. Twenty fractions from the
P. adametzii chloroform extract were separated by thin layer chromatography. Carboxylic acids, flavonoids and glycosides were detected in chloroform extract of
P. adametzii by high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometer analysis. This is the first report of interactions between
P. adametzii and either
Armillaria or
Heterobasidion with
P. sylvestris.
Seed Priming with Ascorbic Acid Improves Drought Resistance of Wheat
Authors: Farooq M. , Irfan M. , Aziz T. , Ahmad I. , Cheema S. A.
Published: May 2012

The study, consisting of two independent experiments, was conducted to evaluate the role of seed priming with ascorbic acid (AsA) in drought resistance of wheat. In the first experiment, seeds of wheat cultivars Mairaj‐2008 and Lasani‐2008 were either soaked in aerated water (hydropriming) for 10 h or not soaked (control). In the second experiment, seeds of same wheat cultivars were soaked in aerated (2 mm) AsA solution (osmopriming) or water (hydropriming) for 10 h. In both experiments, seeds were sown in plastic pots (10 kg) maintained at 70 % and 35 % of water‐holding capacity designated as well watered and drought stressed, respectively. Both experiments were laid out in a completely randomized design with six replications. Drought caused delayed and erratic emergence and disturbed the plant water relations, chlorophyll contents and membranes because of oxidative damage; however, root length in cultivar Lasani‐2008 was increased under drought. Hydropriming significantly improved the seedling emergence and early growth under drought and well‐watered conditions; however, improvement was substantially higher from osmopriming with AsA. Similarly, osmopriming with AsA significantly improved the leaf emergence and elongation, leaf area, specific leaf area, chlorophyll contents, root length and seedling dry weight. Owing to increase in proline accumulation, phenolics and AsA, by seed priming with AsA, plant water status was improved with simultaneous decrease in oxidative damages. These improved the leaf emergence and elongation, and shoot and root growth under drought. However, there was no difference between the cultivars in this regard. In conclusion, osmopriming with AsA improved the drought resistance of wheat owing to proline accumulation and antioxidant action of AsA and phenolics, leading to tissue water maintenance, membrane stability, and better and uniform seedling stand and growth.
Influence of Type D personality on health‐related quality of life among Korean patients with end‐stage renal disease
Authors: Son Youn‐Jung , You Mi‐Ae , Song Eun Kyeung
Published: May 2012

Son Y‐J, You M‐A, Song E‐K. International Journal of Nursing Practice 2012; 18: 260–267

Influence of Type D personality on health‐related quality of life among Korean patients with end‐stage renal disease

The purposes of this study were to explore the prevalence of Type D personality and the impact of Type D personality (the combination of negative affectivity and social inhibition) on health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) in end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and to determine whether this link of Type D personality to HRQOL is mediated by depressive symptoms. Patients (n = 144) from an outpatient nephrology clinic of a university hospital participated in this cross‐sectional study. The prevalence of Type D personality using Type D Personality Scale‐14 was 26%. After adjustment for patients' characteristics and depressive symptoms in multivariate analysis, Type D personality was an independent predictor of HRQOL. This relation of Type D personality to HRQOL was mediated by depressive symptoms. Our findings underline that intervention should be directed towards reducing depressive symptoms in patients with Type D personality in order to improve HRQOL of ESRD patients.
Non‐infectious hyperthermia in acute brain injury patients: Relationships to mortality, blood pressure, intracranial pressure and cerebral perfusion pressure
Authors: Oh Hyun Soo , Jeong Hye Sun , Seo Wha Sook
Published: May 2012

Oh HS, Jeong HS, Seo WS. International Journal of Nursing Practice 2012; 18: 295–302

Non‐infectious hyperthermia in acute brain injury patients: Relationships to mortality, blood pressure, intracranial pressure and cerebral perfusion pressure

The present study was conducted to investigate the frequency of hyperthermia during the first 72 h after acute brain injury, and to compare subjects that developed hyperthermia with those that did not with respect to blood pressure, intracranial pressure (ICP), cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score and mortality. This study was conducted by performing a retrospective medical record review of 126 brain injury patients admitted to the neurological intensive care unit of a university hospital located in Incheon, South Korea. Our results showed that 25.4% of the subjects had hyperthermia for at least 1 day during the first 3 days of hospitalization. Hyperthermic subjects demonstrated higher mortality and ICP, and lower CPP and GCS scores than non‐hyperthermic subjects, indicating a reduced cerebral blood flow. The findings may provide a possible explanation for poor clinical outcome and offer justification for the careful monitoring of body temperature in patients with acute brain injury.
Tobacco smoke exposure and allergic sensitization in children: A propensity score analysis
Authors: HAVSTAD SUZANNE L. , JOHNSON CHRISTINE COLE , ZORATTI EDWARD M. , EZELL JEREL M. , WOODCROFT KIMBERLY , OWNBY DENNIS R. , WEGIENKA GANESA
Published: May 2012

Background and objective: There is conflicting evidence of the effect of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on the development of allergic diseases in children. Studies have shown that this relationship differs depending on maternal history of the disease. We employed the rigour of propensity score methods to assess this relationship using data from a birth cohort.

Methods: Usingn = 662 children from the Wayne County Health, Environment, Allergy and Asthma Longitudinal Study, we assessed the relationship between early‐life ETS and subsequent allergic sensitization via a positive skin prick test (SPT+) or at least one specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) ≥ 0.35 (sIgE+) in children aged 2–3 years. Propensity score estimation followed by full and nearest neighbour matching was compared with standard multivariable regression models.

Results: Among children without a maternal history of allergic disease, ETS was positively associated with allergic sensitization in children with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for SPT+ of 2.32 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28–4.22) and the aOR for sIgE+ was 2.53 (95% CI: 1.43–4.48). Contrarily, for children with a positive maternal history, the aOR for SPT+ and sIgE+ was 0.56 (95% CI: 0.24–1.32) and 0.43 (95% CI: 0.20–0.91), respectively.

Conclusions: Using propensity score methods to rigorously control for confounding factors, ETS exposure was found to reduce the risk of allergic sensitization in children with a positive maternal history. There is a strong association between early‐life ETS and the development of allergic sensitization for children aged 2–3 years without maternal history.
Preoperative six‐min walking distance does not predict pulmonary complications in upper abdominal surgery
Authors: PAISANI DENISE M , FIORE Jr JULIO F. , LUNARDI ADRIANA C. , COLLUCI DANIELA B.B. , SANTORO ILKA LOPES , CARVALHO CELSO R.F. , CHIAVEGATO LUCIANA DIAS , FARESIN SONIA MARIA
Published: May 2012

Background and objective:  Field exercise tests have been increasingly used for pulmonary risk assessment. The six‐min walking distance (6MWD) is a field test commonly employed in clinical practice; however, there is limited evidence supporting its use as a risk assessment method in abdominal surgery. The aim was to assess if the 6MWD can predict the development of post‐operative pulmonary complications (PPCs) in patients having upper abdominal surgery (UAS).

Methods:  This prospective cohort study included 137 consecutive subjects undergoing elective UAS. Subjects performed the 6MWD on the day prior to surgery, and their performance were compared with predicted values of 6MWD (p6MWD) using a previously validated formula. PPCs (including pneumonia, tracheobronchitis, atelectasis with clinical repercussions, bronchospasm and acute respiratory failure) were assessed daily by a pulmonologist blinded to the 6MWD results. 6MWD and p6MWD were compared between subjects who developed PPC (PPC group) and those who did not (no PPC group) using Student's t‐test.

Results:  Ten subjects experienced PPC (7.2%) and no significant difference was observed between the 6MWD obtained in the PPC group and no PPC group (466.0 ± 97.0 m vs 485.3 ± 107.1 m; P = 0.57, respectively). There was also no significant difference observed between groups for the p6MWD (100.7 ± 29.1% vs 90.6 ± 20.9%; P > 0.05).

Conclusions:  The results of the present study suggest that the six‐min walking test is not a useful tool to identify subjects with increased risk of developing PPC following UAS.
Combined renin angiotensin blockade in childhood steroid‐resistant nephrotic syndrome
Authors: Supavekin Suroj , Surapaitoolkorn Wantanee , Tancharoen Worrarut , Pattaragarn Anirut , Sumboonnanonda Achra
Published: May 2012

Background:  Reduced proteinuria results in delayed deterioration of renal function and remission of proteinuria predicts a good long‐term prognosis in steroid‐resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS). The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of the combined angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin II receptor blocker in reducing proteinuria in SRNS.

Methods:  A prospective study of eight patients with SRNS was conducted at the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University from September 2003 to December 2007. Enalapril was given at 0.1 mg/kg/day and was increased by 0.1 mg/kg/day every 4 weeks up to 0.6 mg/kg/day (maximum 40 mg/day) and 1 mg/kg/day of losartan was added for 4 weeks and stepped up to 2 mg/kg/day (maximum 100 mg/day) for another 4 weeks.

Results:  There were five boys (62.5%) and three girls (37.5%). The mean age at diagnosis was 8.3 ± 4.1 years (range 2.05–13 years) and age at enrollment was 11.7 ± 3.8 years (range 6–16 years). Renal histology revealed seven focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and one immunoglobulin M nephropathy. The results showed significant reduction on mean spot urine protein : creatinine ratio from 9.6 ± 2.3 to 3.6 ± 1.6 (P < 0.05) and 24‐h urine protein from 182.8 ± 59.6 to 28.7 ± 8.2 mg/m2/h (P < 0.05). Urine protein reduction ratio at the end of the study was 50% (P= 0.08). Serum cholesterol, albumin, potassium, blood pressure and renal function had no significant change. No clinical and laboratory side‐effects were reported.

Conclusion:  Combined high‐dose angiotensin II receptor blocker to high‐dose angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor therapy is safe and effective in reducing proteinuria in childhood SRNS. However a large‐scale study should be conducted to validate this result.
Reducing the perversion of diversion: Applying world‐standard fish screening practices to the Murray–Darling Basin
Authors: Baumgartner Lee J. , Boys Craig
Published: May 2012

Summary The impact of water diversion on fish populations is a global issue. Many countries have invested substantial funding into research and implementation strategies to ensure fish are protected at diversions that take water out of rivers for agriculture and other human uses. The most common management action is the installation of fish screens, and a wide range of designs are presently available that suit a large range of diversions. The Murray–Darling Basin is the largest catchment in Australia and has been substantially developed over the past 100 years to store and divert water for that protect fish from escaping into the irrigation systems. Recent studies have determined that water diversions have substantial impacts on native fish populations, but there are presently no coordinated efforts for mitigation strategies. The purpose of this review is to highlight aspects of successful screening programmes worldwide and identify those that could be directly applied to the Murray–Darling Basin. The development of similar programmes in the United States, New Zealand and the United Kingdom has identified that sufficient information and technology exists to inform the development of fish screening programmes. There is no need to commence implementation from first principles, and substantial progress can be achieved by applying successful aspects of other programmes. By identifying existing designs, defining ecological targets, developing generalised guidelines appropriate for local conditions and engaging the community, a co‐ordinated and successful fish screening programme could be directly applied to the Murray–Darling Basin. This would have substantial benefits for the long‐term sustainability of native fish without compromising water supply requirements.
Unintended consequences of performance measurement in healthcare: 20 salutary lessons from the English National Health Service
Authors: Mannion R. , Braithwaite J.
Published: May 2012

The objective of the study is to review the evidence on the consequences associated with the introduction of national performance measurement systems in the National Health Service (NHS), with the aim of informing the development of similar national performance measurement programmes proposed for Australia. Narrative review of the published evidence on the unintended and adverse consequences of performance measurement systems in the NHS is the data source. We identified 20 different dysfunctional consequences of national performance measurement systems in the NHS in four headings. These are poor measurement (measurement fixation, tunnel vision, myopia, ossification, anachronism and quantification privileging), misplaced incentives and sanctions (complacency, silo‐creation, overcompensation, undercompensation, insensitivity and increased inequality), breach of trust (misrepresentation, gaming, misinterpretation, bullying, erosion of trust and reduced staff morale), and politicisation of performance systems (political grandstanding and creating a diversion). Performance measurement programmes can contribute to systems improvement, delivering benefits to health services and patients, as evidenced by the dramatic reduction in waiting times in the NHS following the incorporation of targets and indicators for waiting times. Nevertheless, experience from the NHS shows that in addition to generating desired improvements, performance measures can induce a range of unintended and dysfunctional consequences. We recommend Australia to heed the lessons of the NHS, and strive to balance effective performance measurement and management against the potential drawbacks and adverse consequences. Any national performance measures need to be piloted and carefully evaluated to assess potential benefits and pitfalls.
Examining the Stability and Variability of Routine Performances: The Effects of Experience and Context Change
Authors: Turner Scott F. , Fern Michael J.
Published: May 2012

abstract

This study examines how the performance experience of actors shapes the stability and variability of routine performances. We argue that experience in performing a routine provides actors with greater understandings of the routine and its context, which provides an overall stabilizing effect on routine performances, but experience also heightens actors' capacity to adjust performances in response to changes in contextual constraints. Our analyses of routine performances in the waste collection sector are generally consistent with the arguments. Our findings also highlight differences in how actors' experience affects responsiveness to different forms of change in contextual constraints. These findings help to extend our understanding of the micro‐foundations of routines.
Intentions, Intermediaries, and Interaction: Examining the Emergence of Routines
Authors: Bapuji Hari , Hora Manpreet , Saeed Akbar M.
Published: May 2012

abstract

A thorough understanding of how routines emerge is necessary to derive the performance benefits they yield for organizations. In this paper, we suggest that a routine emerges from interactions between actors, interactions that are enabled by the exchange of intermediaries. Specifically, intermediaries transmit the intentions of one actor to another and thus potentially align the actions and responses of those actors. If, however, the intermediaries that are exchanged do not clearly transmit the intentions of one actor to another, then a weak routine emerges. Conversely, if intermediaries clearly transmit the intentions, a strong routine emerges in which a given action more often meets with the expected response across iterations. We substantiate our arguments with a field experiment on the towel‐changing routine in a hotel where we manipulated the procedure to exchange towels, which resulted in the emergence of a stronger routine. Our study offers several implications for theoretical and empirical research on routines, including to the burgeoning research on micro‐foundations.
Dynamics of Organizational Routines: A Generative Model
Authors: Pentland Brian T. , Feldman Martha S. , Becker Markus C. , Liu Peng
Published: May 2012

abstract

This paper introduces a generative model of organizational routines and their change over time. The model demonstrates that variation and selective retention of patterns of action are necessary and sufficient to explain the features of organizational routines that are most relevant in relation to dynamic capabilities, such as formation, inertia, endogenous change, and learning. The model directly links micro‐level actions to the macro‐level dynamics of routines. The results suggest that focusing on action provides a useful and parsimonious foundation for a theory of organizational routines and capabilities.
Addressing Ethnicity in Social Care Research
Authors: Vickers Tom , Craig Gary , Atkin Karl
Published: May 2012

This article surveys recent developments in relation to the dimensions of ethnicity and ethnic disadvantage in social policy research and practice, with a focus on social care. While there has been limited increase in attention to ethnicity within general policy discussion and increasing sophistication within specialist debates, advances in theory and methodology have largely failed to penetrate the research mainstream, let alone policy or practice. This is a long‐standing problem. We advocate more focused consideration of ethnicity and ethnic disadvantage at all levels. Failure to do so creates the risk of social policy research being left behind in understanding rapid changes in ethnic minority demographics and patterns of migration, with increasing disadvantage to minorities.
Variation and Change in Sark Norman French1
Authors: Jones Mari C.
Published: May 2012

With fewer than twenty remaining speakers, Sark Norman French (Sercquais) is the most vulnerable extant variety of insular Norman. It is therefore essential that the dialect is analysed and documented while native speakers remain. By comparing recent new data with forms recorded in previous decades by two linguistic atlases, this study examines variation and change in the phonology of Sercquais and sketches some areas of interest in the dialect’s lexis. Following Dorian (1994), the study further suggests that not all cases of widespread variation in dying languages should be automatically attributed to the process of obsolescence.
AD HOMINEM ARGUMENTS AND INTELLIGENT DESIGN: REPLY TO KOPERSKI
Authors: Pynes Christopher A.
Published: May 2012

Abstract Jeffrey Koperski claims in Zygon (2008) that critics of Intelligent Design engage in fallacious ad hominem attacks on ID proponents and that this is a “bad way” to engage them. I show that Koperski has made several errors in his evaluation of the ID critics. He does not distinguish legitimate, relevant ad hominem arguments from fallacious ad hominem attacks. He conflates (or equates) the logical use of valid with the colloquial use of valid. Moreover, Koperski doesn't take seriously the legitimate concerns of the ID critics, and in doing so, commits the straw man fallacy. In the end, I show that no one disagrees with the criticism of improper use of fallacies as methods of evaluation. But what constitutes proper, relevant evaluation of the ID theorists and their motivation is a matter of dispute. And sometimes attacking a person as a method of evaluation is justified, and thus is not fallacious. The definition of ad hominem arguments as either a “good way” or a “bad way” rests on justification, which I argue ID opponents have. The basis for these good objections relies on the motivation many Christians have to share their faith with non‐Christians, which they call the “great commission.”
TAKING EXCEPTION TO THE GRENZFALL'S RECEPTION: REVISITING KARL BARTH'S ETHICS OF WAR
Authors: PUFFER MATTHEW
Published: May 2012

This article investigates Karl Barth's ethics of war and its reception by placing the discussion within the larger framework of the general ethics of Church Dogmatics II/2 and the special ethics of Church Dogmatics III/4. It gives careful attention to the infamously problematic “exceptional case” to illumine what sort of “exception,” if any, the provocative passages on war entail. The outlines of Barth's ethical framework and the Grenzfall, or borderline case, provide the background for the re‐evaluation of three common interpretations of his views on war.
Immigrant Fertility: A Comparative Study between Italy and Russia
Authors: Mussino Eleonora , Van Raalte Alyson A.
Published: May 2012

In this paper, we contribute to the analysis of fertility differentials between female migrants and the native‐born by examining the transition to first child using event history analysis. We use event history as a quantitative translation of the life‐course approach. The data examined are the Italian Families and Social Subjects (FSS) survey, conducted in 2003, and the Russian Parents and Children, Men and Women in Family and Society survey, conducted in 2004. We examine the data sets separately and contrast the results. The objective of the study is twofold. First, we seek to determine whether differences exist in the decision and timing of childbearing between native and immigrant women in Italy and in Russia. Second, we aim to compare the experiences of immigrants in the two countries, to determine whether there may be any commonalities inherent to the immigrant populations despite moving into widely different contexts. Our results suggest that the age profiles and marital status similarly affect the immigrant regardless of whether she is migrating to Russia or to Italy. In Italy, educational attainment is positively correlated with first‐birth intensities for immigrants – the opposite of what is observed for the native‐born. In Russia, education is not a significant determinant for immigrants. This leads us to the following conclusion: the similarity in the risk profiles of our immigrants into vastly different country contexts is more suggestive of immigrants following a distinct life course, with common risk profiles for bearing their first child, than assimilating or conforming to the native fertility patterns. Social capital in particular may play a different role in determining fertility patterns for immigrants, as it does for the native‐born.