bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Promoting a healthy childcare environment: A focus group study of childcare providers' perspectives
Authors: Park So Hyun , Min Haeyoung 
Published: December 2019

AbstractEstablishing healthy habits in the childcare setting for children aged 2–5 is pivotal for their healthy development and obesity prevention. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions and practices that childcare providers demonstrate when they promote healthy eating and physical activity among preschoolers. Four focus group interviews with 16 childcare providers were conducted in northwest Florida. A semistructured focus group guide was used. Discussions were audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim. Content analysis was performed to analyze the data with the use of ATLAS.ti software. This study followed the COREQ guidelines. Three major themes emerged from the data: (i) efforts to encourage children to eat healthfully and engage in physical activity; (ii) challenges in promoting healthy behaviors among children; and (iii) the need for more childcare provider training and parental involvement to encourage healthy eating. Regular childcare provider training and parental involvement are needed to establish a healthy environment for preschoolers.
Illuminating the gendered nature of health‐promoting activities among nursing staff in forensic psychiatric care
Authors: Kumpula Esa , Gustafsson Lena‐Karin , Ekstrand Per 
Published: December 2019

AbstractWhen people in Sweden are sentenced and handed over to forensic psychiatric care (FPC), the authorities have overall responsibility for their health recovery. How nursing staff construct gender through their relations in this context affects their understanding of health promotion activities. The aim of this study was to illuminate, using a gender perspective, the understanding of nursing staff with respect to health promotion activities for patients. Four focus group interviews were conducted with nursing staff in two FPC clinics in Sweden. The study has a qualitative inductive design with an ethnographic approach. This study sheds new light on FPC in which its dual goals of protecting society and providing care are viewed from a gender perspective. When relationships within the nursing staff group and the nurse–patient relationship are justified by the goal of protecting society, gender becomes invisible. This might cause patients' individual conditions and needs for certain types of activities to go unnoticed. One of the implications of ignoring gender relations in nursing staff health promotion activities is that it risks contributing to gender stereotypes which impact on the nurse–patient relationship and the quality of care.
Forecasting semi‐arid biome shifts in the Anthropocene
Authors: Kulmatiski Andrew , Yu Kailiang , Mackay D. Scott , Holdrege Martin C. , Staver Ann Carla , Parolari Anthony J. , Liu Yanlan , Majumder Sabiha , Trugman Anna T. 
Published: December 2019

SummaryShrub encroachment, forest decline and wildfires have caused large‐scale changes in semi‐arid vegetation over the past 50 years. Climate is a primary determinant of plant growth in semi‐arid ecosystems, yet it remains difficult to forecast large‐scale vegetation shifts (i.e. biome shifts) in response to climate change. We highlight recent advances from four conceptual perspectives that are improving forecasts of semi‐arid biome shifts. Moving from small to large scales, first, tree‐level models that simulate the carbon costs of drought‐induced plant hydraulic failure are improving predictions of delayed‐mortality responses to drought. Second, tracer‐informed water flow models are improving predictions of species coexistence as a function of climate. Third, new applications of ecohydrological models are beginning to simulate small‐scale water movement processes at large scales. Fourth, remotely‐sensed measurements of plant traits such as relative canopy moisture are providing early‐warning signals that predict forest mortality more than a year in advance. We suggest that a community of researchers using modeling approaches (e.g. machine learning) that can integrate these perspectives will rapidly improve forecasts of semi‐arid biome shifts. Better forecasts can be expected to help prevent catastrophic changes in vegetation states by identifying improved monitoring approaches and by prioritizing high‐risk areas for management.
Staging International Environmental Justice: The International Monsanto Tribunal
Authors: Prete Giovanni , Cournil Christel 
Published: December 2019

AbstractOpinions tribunals dealing with environmental issues have multiplied over the last several years as a consequence of the rise of international environmental law and its promotion by international networks. Drawing on an ethnographic investigation of one of those tribunals—the International Monsanto Tribunal— this article reflects on the many objectives they often pursue: strengthening political positions, publicizing environmental and health social struggles, and promoting legal theories. In our case, we show that articulating those objectives involved intense work to stage the tribunal's legitimacy. We analyze this work and how it was put to the test during and after the sessions of the tribunal. Our article broadly suggests that environmental opinion tribunals are political arenas where rights and identities are not only asserted but also negotiated and legitimized.
Representing Religious Discrimination at the Margins: Temporalities and “Appropriate” Identities of the State in Turkey
Authors: Özkan Nazlı 
Published: December 2019

AbstractIn Turkey during Ramadan in the 2000s, a group of Sunni Muslims attacked a Kurdish Alevi family that was not fasting. The Alevis, Turkey's second‐largest religious group, do not fast during Ramadan, creating tensions in mixed neighborhoods in which Sunni Islam is the reigning religion. This article analyzes how an Alevi‐run television station covered this event, from its location in a provincial town to related protests in Istanbul, to show how minority media may partake in the reproduction of the dominant norms that perpetuate such discriminatory acts. They do so by producing a “presentist” temporal perspective on discrimination that prioritizes more contemporary problems of the minoritized community at the expense of a longer history of structural violence. In this case, this temporalization portrayed Alevis as exclusively Turks, neglecting, therefore, Kurdish Alevis, and it disguised the state's long‐term involvement in Alevis’ marginalization. This article presents an alternative perspective on minority media in anthropology, which often interprets state alignments as strategic leverage to defend community rights. The article argues that minority media producers can also be strategic in their alignments with their communities and may use this alignment as a façade when securing their ties with states.
Prevalence and impact of cholecystitis on outcome in dogs with gallbladder mucocele
Authors: Rogers Erin , Jaffey Jared A. , Graham Amber , Hostnik Eric T. , Jacobs Casandra , Fox‐Alvarez William , Van Eerde Eric , Arango John , Williams Fred , DeClue Amy E. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractBackgroundGallbladder mucocele is a potentially life‐threatening extrahepatic biliary disease in dogs. The primary aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of cholecystitis in dogs with gross and histopathologically confirmed gallbladder mucocele and to investigate if there is an association between cholecystitis, including its subtypes (eg, acute, acute on chronic, with necrosis, chronic), and survival. Our secondary objective was to evaluate if there is an association between cholecystitis and intraoperative bacteriological culture positivity.Key FindingsTwo hundred nineteen dogs with gallbladder mucocele were included in this multi‐institutional retrospective study, of which 63 (28.8%) dogs had histopathological evidence of cholecystitis. The most common forms of cholecystitis were acute on chronic (n = 22/63, 34.9%) and with necrosis (n = 20, 31.7%). Thirty‐one (14.1%) dogs had growth of at least 1 bacterial isolate; however, 88.7% had antimicrobials administered within the 48 hours before surgery or intraoperatively. There was not an association between cholecystitis or its subtypes and survival. Furthermore, there was not an association between cholecystitis and intraoperative bacteriological culture positivity. A total of 38 (17.4%) dogs either died or were euthanized during hospitalization.SignificanceCholecystitis is a common comorbidity in dogs with gallbladder mucocele but was not associated with decreased survival.
Adults Want to Play Too: Feasibility of an Adult Physical Activity Program Designed to Maximize Enjoyment
Authors: Upham Kent , Auer Brandon J. , Sciamanna Christopher N. , Mowen Andrew J. , Smyth Joshua M. , Conroy David E. , Silvis Matthew , Kraschnewski Jennifer L. , Rovniak Liza S. , Lehman Erik , Kearcher Kalen , Vizzini Maggie , Cesarone Louis 
Published: December 2019

Background: Few adults in the United States obtain sufficient physical activity (PA) despite knowledge of the associated health benefits. The current feasibility study examined the feasibility of a novel modified sports intervention designed to promote enjoyment and sustained PA in sedentary adults. Methods: The US adults (N = 22, mean age 39.2 y, male/female percentage 54.5/45.5) in Central Pennsylvania participated in the PlayFit sports program for 60-minute sessions, 2 to 3 times per week, over the course of 10 weeks and 24 game sessions; completing 198 person sessions collectively. Primary outcomes were PA (accelerometry) and intervention satisfaction. Results: Percentage of time in moderate to vigorous activity ranged from 35.0% (volleyball) to 91.2% (ultimate frisbee). Percentage of time spent in vigorous activity ranged from 0.0% (volleyball) to 29.5% (team handball). Satisfaction, based on a 10-point scale with 10 being the most satisfied, ranged from 7.7 (kickball) to 8.7 (floor hockey and soccer). On average, all sports were rated highly, with the majority rated >8.5 and one rated <8.0. Percentage of time spent in the moderate to vigorous range was lower in men than in women (73.2% vs 80.0%, P = .01), but did not differ by age or body mass index. Conclusions: PlayFit is a promising first step in exploring the potential of modified sports programs to enhance population PA levels.
Elemental Sulfur and Thiosulfate Disproportionation by
Desulfocapsa sulfoexigens
sp. nov., a New Anaerobic Bacterium Isolated from Marine Surface Sediment
Authors: Finster Kai , Liesack Werner , Thamdrup Bo 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

A mesophilic, anaerobic, gram-negative bacterium, strain SB164P1, was enriched and isolated from oxidized marine surface sediment with elemental sulfur as the sole energy substrate in the presence of ferrihydrite. Elemental sulfur was disproportionated to hydrogen sulfide and sulfate. Growth was observed exclusively in the presence of a hydrogen sulfide scavenger, e.g., ferrihydrite. In the absence of a scavenger, sulfide and sulfate production were observed but no growth occurred. Strain SB164P1 grew also by disproportionation of thiosulfate and sulfite. With thiosulfate, the growth efficiency was higher in ferrihydrite-supplemented media than in media without ferrihydrite. Growth coupled to sulfate reduction was not observed. However, a slight sulfide production occurred in cultures incubated with formate and sulfate. Strain SB164P1 is the first bacterium described that grows chemolithoautotrophically exclusively by the disproportionation of inorganic sulfur compounds. Comparative 16S rDNA sequencing analysis placed strain SB164P1 into the delta subclass of the class
Proteobacteria
. Its closest relative is
Desulfocapsa thiozymogenes
, and slightly more distantly related are
Desulfofustis glycolicus
and
Desulforhopalus vacuolatus
. This phylogenetic cluster of organisms, together with members of the genus
Desulfobulbus
, forms one of the main lines of descent within the delta subclass of the
Proteobacteria
. Due to the common phenotypic characteristics and the phylogenetic relatedness to
Desulfocapsa thiozymogenes
, we propose that strain SB164P1 be designated the type strain of
Desulfocapsa sulfoexigens
sp. nov.
Effect of Inoculation Techniques and Relative Humidity on the Growth of Molds on the Surfaces of Yellow Layer Cakes
Authors: Fustier Patrick , Lafond Alain , Champagne Claude P. , Lamarche François 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

Four inoculation techniques were compared for initiation of growth on cake surfaces: spot, air cabinet, spray (atomizer), and talc addition methods. Molds were isolated from commercial cakes and were identified as
Aspergillus sydowii
,
Aspergillus ochraceus
,
Penicillium funiculosum
, and
Eurotium herbariorum
. Cake surfaces were inoculated with mold spores and incubated under three equilibrium relative humidity (ERH) levels: 97, 85, and 75%. Random contamination by spores in a ventilated air cabinet was the simplest method of inoculation, but standard deviations in the inoculation rates (20% on a relative scale) were almost twice those observed with the other methods. The spot method was the most reproducible. Cake samples inoculated in the air cabinet had colony counts 10 times lower than those obtained for potato dextrose agar plates at 97% ERH, which was not the case with the spray and talc methods. Growth of molds was much slower in the samples incubated in 75% relative humidity, with all methods. Colony counts were generally similar in systems adjusted at 85 to 97% ERH but were lower for samples incubated at 75% ERH. In comparisons of the shelf life estimates obtained by the various inoculation methods, a correlation coefficient (
r
2
) of 0.70 was obtained between the spot method and the other methods of inoculation, while talc, air cabinet, and spray shelf life data were correlated better (
r
2
≈ 0.97). The spot method appeared to be the method of choice in consideration of ease of use, precision, and the ability to enable the study of the effects of the environment on mold-free shelf life as well as on the rate of growth of molds on cakes.
The
TRI11
Gene of
Fusarium sporotrichioides
Encodes a Cytochrome P-450 Monooxygenase Required for C-15 Hydroxylation in Trichothecene Biosynthesis
Authors: Alexander Nancy J. , Hohn Thomas M. , McCormick Susan P. 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

Several genes in the trichothecene biosynthetic pathway of
Fusarium sporotrichioides
have been shown to reside in a gene cluster. Sequence analysis of a cloned DNA fragment located 3.8 kb downstream from
TRI5
has led to the identification of the
TRI11
gene. The nucleotide sequence of
TRI11
predicts a polypeptide of 492 residues (
M
r
= 55,579) with significant similarity to members of the cytochrome P-450 superfamily. TRI11 is most similar to several fungal cytochromes P-450 (23 to 27% identity) but is sufficiently distinct to define a new cytochrome P-450 gene family, designated
CYP65A1
. Disruption of
TRI11
results in an altered trichothecene production phenotype characterized by the accumulation of isotrichodermin, a trichothecene pathway intermediate. The evidence suggests that
TRI11
encodes a C-15 hydroxylase involved in trichothecene biosynthesis.
Fingerprinting of Cyanobacteria Based on PCR with Primers Derived from Short and Long Tandemly Repeated Repetitive Sequences
Authors: Rasmussen Ulla , Svenning Mette M. 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

The presence of repeated DNA (short tandemly repeated repetitive [STRR] and long tandemly repeated repetitive [LTRR]) sequences in the genome of cyanobacteria was used to generate a fingerprint method for symbiotic and free-living isolates. Primers corresponding to the STRR and LTRR sequences were used in the PCR, resulting in a method which generate specific fingerprints for individual isolates. The method was useful both with purified DNA and with intact cyanobacterial filaments or cells as templates for the PCR. Twenty-three
Nostoc
isolates from a total of 35 were symbiotic isolates from the angiosperm
Gunnera
species, including isolates from the same
Gunnera
species as well as from different species. The results show a genetic similarity among isolates from different
Gunnera
species as well as a genetic heterogeneity among isolates from the same
Gunnera
species. Isolates which have been postulated to be closely related or identical revealed similar results by the PCR method, indicating that the technique is useful for clustering of even closely related strains. The method was applied to nonheterocystus cyanobacteria from which a fingerprint pattern was obtained.
Detection of Toxin-Producing Cyanobacteria by Use of Paramagnetic Beads for Cell Concentration and DNA Purification
Authors: Rudi Knut , Larsen Frank , Jakobsen Kjetill S. 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT
Early detection of water blooms caused by potential toxin-producing cyanobacteria is important in environmental monitoring. We present a new nucleic acid-based method for detection of cyanobacteria in water that utilizes the same paramagnetic solid phase (beads) for both bacterial cell concentration and subsequent DNA purification. In the cell concentration step, the beads were attracted to a magnet after cell adsorption (in an alcohol- and salt-containing solution), and the supernatant was removed. For DNA purification, a buffer containing guanidine thiocyanate and Sarkosyl lysed the concentrated cells. The addition of alcohol precipitated the released DNA onto the same solid phase as was used for the cell concentration. Finally, to remove PCR inhibitors, the DNA was washed twice in alcohol while bound to the beads. All of the bead-DNA complex was used in the subsequent PCR amplification. The detection limit, as measured by 16S rDNA PCR amplification, was 50 cells in a 0.5-ml water sample, which is considerably lower than the limit (500 cells/ml) of toxic cyanobacteria tolerated in drinking water (New South Wales Blue-Green Algae Task Force, 1992). Testing of water from natural habitats showed a detection limit in the same range as that for the defined samples. The detection limits and the simplicity of the method (paramagnetic beads can be handled in automated systems) suggest that our method is suitable for routine environmental monitoring.
Comparison of Energy and Growth Yields for
Desulfitobacterium dehalogenans
during Utilization of Chlorophenol and Various Traditional Electron Acceptors
Authors: Mackiewicz M. , Wiegel J. 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

Desulfitobacterium dehalogenans
grew with formate as the electron donor and 3-chloro-4-hydroxyphenylacetate (3-Cl-4-OHPA) as the electron acceptor, yielding
Y

X
/formate

,
Y

X
/2e
−

, and
Y

X
/ATP

ranging from 3.2 to 11.3 g of biomass (dry weight)/mol, thus indicating that energy was conserved through reductive dechlorination. Pyruvate was utilized as the electron donor and acceptor, yielding stoichiometric amounts of acetate and lactate, respectively, and a
Y

X
/reduced acceptor

of 13.0 g of biomass (dry weight)/mol. The supplementation of pyruvate-containing medium with additional electron acceptors, such as 3-Cl-4-OHPA, nitrate, fumarate, or sulfite, caused pyruvate to be replaced as the electron acceptor and nearly doubled the
Y

X
/ATP

(
Y

X
/acetate formed

). A comparison of the yields for 3-Cl-4-OHPA with those for other traditional electron acceptors indicates that the dehalogenation reaction led to the formation of similar amounts of energy equivalents. The various electron acceptors were used concomitantly with 3-Cl-4-OHPA in nonacclimated cultures, but the utilization rates and amounts utilized differed.
Purification and Properties of a Polyester Polyurethane-Degrading Enzyme from
Comamonas acidovorans
TB-35
Authors: Akutsu Yukie , Nakajima-Kambe Toshiaki , Nomura Nobuhiko , Nakahara Tadaatsu 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

A polyester polyurethane (PUR)-degrading enzyme, PUR esterase, derived from
Comamonas acidovorans
TB-35, a bacterium that utilizes polyester PUR as the sole carbon source, was purified until it showed a single band in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). This enzyme was bound to the cell surface and was extracted by addition of 0.2%
N
,
N
-bis(3-
d
-gluconamidopropyl)deoxycholamide (deoxy-BIGCHAP). The results of gel filtration and SDS-PAGE showed that the PUR esterase was a monomer with a molecular mass of about 62,000 Da. This enzyme, which is a kind of esterase, degraded solid polyester PUR, with diethylene glycol and adipic acid released as the degradation products. The optimum pH for this enzyme was 6.5, and the optimum temperature was 45°C. PUR degradation by the PUR esterase was strongly inhibited by the addition of 0.04% deoxy-BIGCHAP. On the other hand, deoxy-BIGCHAP did not inhibit the activity when
p
-nitrophenyl acetate, a water-soluble compound, was used as a substrate. These observations indicated that this enzyme degrades PUR in a two-step reaction: hydrophobic adsorption to the PUR surface and hydrolysis of the ester bond of PUR.
Construction and Characterization of a 1,3-Propanediol Operon
Authors: Skraly Frank A. , Lytle Betsy L. , Cameron Douglas C. 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

The genes for the production of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) in
Klebsiella pneumoniae
,
dhaB
, which encodes glycerol dehydratase, and
dhaT
, which encodes 1,3-PD oxidoreductase, are naturally under the control of two different promoters and are transcribed in different directions. These genes were reconfigured into an operon containing
dhaB
followed by
dhaT
under the control of a single promoter. The operon contains unique restriction sites to facilitate replacement of the promoter and other modifications. In a fed-batch cofermentation of glycerol and glucose,
Escherichia coli
containing the operon consumed 9.3 g of glycerol per liter and produced 6.3 g of 1,3-PD per liter. The fermentation had two distinct phases. In the first phase, significant cell growth occurred and the products were mainly 1,3-PD and acetate. In the second phase, very little growth occurred and the main products were 1,3-PD and pyruvate. The first enzyme in the 1,3-PD pathway, glycerol dehydratase, requires coenzyme B
12
, which must be provided in
E. coli
fermentations. However, the amount of coenzyme B
12
needed was quite small, with 10 nM sufficient for good 1,3-PD production in batch cofermentations. 1,3-PD is a useful intermediate in the production of polyesters. The 1,3-PD operon was designed so that it can be readily modified for expression in other prokaryotic hosts; therefore, it is useful for metabolic engineering of 1,3-PD pathways from glycerol and other substrates such as glucose.