bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Insulin resistance indices and coronary risk in adults from Maracaibo city, Venezuela: A cross sectional study
Authors: Salazar Juan , Bermúdez Valmore , Olivar Luis Carlos , Torres Wheeler , Palmar Jim , Añez Roberto , Ordoñez Maria Gratzia , Rivas José Ramón , Martínez María Sofía , Hernández Juan Diego , Graterol Modesto , Rojas Joselyn 
Published: January 2018

Background: Insulin resistance (IR) is a metabolic disorder related to atherosclerosis. Its measurement is of great importance not only as a marker of diabetes but also for cardiovascular disease. The aim of this research study was to evaluate the relationship between various IR indices and coronary risk in an adult population from Maracaibo city, Venezuela. Methods: The Maracaibo City Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence Study is a descriptive, cross-sectional study with random and multi-stage sampling. In this sub study, 1272 individuals of both genders were selected with the measurement of basal insulin and coronary risk according to the Framingham-Wilson formula calibrated for our population. The insulin resistance indices evaluated were HOMA2-IR, triglycerides and glucose index (TyG) and triglycerides/HDL ratio (TG/HDL). The predictive capacity and association between each index and the coronary risk event in 10 years were determined. Results: Of the evaluated population, 55.2% were female, 34.8% had a coronary risk ≥5% in 10 years, with the TG/HDL and TyG indices showing the highest AUC 0.712 (0.681-0.743) and 0.707 (0.675-0.739), respectively; compared to HOMA2-IR. Both were also the indices most associated with increased coronary risk, especially TG/HDL ≥3 with a higher association [OR = 2.83 (1.74-4.61); p<0.01] after multivariable adjustment. Conclusions: TyG (≥4.5) and TG/HDL (≥3) indices showed a great predictive capacity of higher coronary risk, with being TG/HDL more associated even after adjusting for abdominal obesity and hs-CRP. Therefore, these represent useful tools for determining IR.
Changing Childbirth: Encouraging debate
Authors: Jackson Kate 
Published: January 2018

In the January edition of this journal Mary Stewart (‘Do you have to know your midwife’ Vol3, No 1, 1995: 19–20) challenged one of the basic concepts within Changing Childbirth (Department of Health, 1993): that services should be designed to try and ensure that 75% of women are looked after by a known carer while in labour. She argued that the recommendation was not based on sound evidence and questioned whether: ‘we could really justify a system that results in exhausted and disillusioned midwives?’
Ventilator-associated pneumonia and suction: a review of the literature
Authors: Letchford Emma , Bench Suzanne 
Published: January 2018

Aim: to identify the most effective suctioning technique for the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Background: ventilator-associated pneumonia is an important hospital-acquired infection associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Method: a rapid review included an electronic database search of articles published between January 2009 and March 2016. The quality of the seven included studies was appraised and data were subjected to tabular and narrative syntheses. Results: closed suction systems have no clear advantage over open suction, but may better prevent late-onset ventilator-associated pneumonia. Subglottic secretion drainage reduces ventilator-associated pneumonia incidence. Conclusion: open versus closed suction combined with subglottic secretion drainage requires ongoing research. Alongside this, policy guidance, education, behavioural and managerial strategies must be implemented.
Correspondence
Authors: Clelland Lorna , McPherson Kath , Muir Sheena , Norby Elizabeth , Fokke Chris , Alexander Caroline , Lenanne Anne-Marie , Marsland Fiona , Lloyd-Smith Walter 
Published: January 2018

The nurse’s role in the rehabilitation of head injuriesI support the letter of Clelland et al regarding my article, and I feel that they highlight some important perspectives that I would like to address.Encouragement of postgraduate physiotherapistsBenefits of shared learning
Comments welcoming the launch of the International Journal of Palliative Nursing.
Authors: Castledine George 
Published: January 2018

Madam, It was with great delight that I learnt of your new journal. I am sure that other nurses will be just as enthusiastic. Palliative nursing needs a scholarly vehicle to encourage research-based practice and to im prove care. Researchers also need a journal in which to publish the ever increasing number of studies in this area. May you be overwhelmed with manuscripts!
Building the pyramids: palliative care patients' perceptions of making art
Authors: Shaw Rebecca , Wilkinson Susie 
Published: January 2018

Throughout history artists have spoken of the inherent value of art to humanity. This paper describes a study which was undertaken to ascertain the value of making sculpture, as opposed to diversional activity, for people with advanced cancer. Day-patients at a palliative care centre were invited to participate in the making of a sculpture and their reactions were gathered via semi-structured interviews. From the qualitative data generated it is apparent that the activity was valuable to the participants for a variety of reasons. The metaphor of ‘building the pyramids’, supplied by a patient, to describe the art-making, provided a useful framework in which to explore the patients' reasons for valuing the activity. Notions of scale, ambition, achievement, longevity and transcendence were also recorded.
Beyond Hippocrates: ethics in palliative care
Authors: Grealish Laurie 
Published: January 2018

Doctors and nurses work together in the care of patients but the practice of nursing has a different emphasis from that of medicine. Because of the close working relationship, nursing has historically adopted a traditional biomedical view to understand practice and assist in decision making. In this article, the author argues that the traditional biomedical perspective does not provide a framework to explain the unique relationships that develop between nurses and their patients. In particular, the wholehearted adoption of bioethics creates a foundation for collaboration with doctors but does not allow nurses to articulate their unique ethical practice. An argument is presented for the nursing discipline to explore the ethic of care as a framework for the ethical analysis of clinical nursing practice. Palliative care nurses are well placed to promote and research the ethic of care.
Staying ahead by moving forward
Authors: Webber Jeanette 
Published: January 2018

The International Journal of Palliative Nursing was established in 1995. It is a peer reviewed Journal and has a strong international Editorial Board. The primary aims of the Journal are to disseminate research findings through the publication of academic papers, to explore the relationship between theory and practice and to stimulate the cross fertilisation of ideas between nurses involved in palliative care worldwide. The scope of the Journal reflects the development and expansion of the speciality of palliative care in general, and palliative nursing in particular. Consequently it carries papers which address the needs of people who are facing any life threatening illness, at any stage of the disease continuum, and who are cared for and supported in any care setting. The Journal is concerned with all aspects of palliative nursing practice, education, management and research. It endorses and values interprofessional working and welcomes papers and correspondence from all professional groups.
What the practice nurse needs to know about safeguarding against female genital mutilation
Authors: Bourne Jennifer 
Published: January 2018

Practice nurses are well placed to protect those at risk of FGM and support those who have undergone the practice. Jennifer Bourne explains. Nurses in general practice play an essential role in the health of the practice population, seeing family members at different stages of their lives and at major health events. They therefore have an important role to play in identifying and supporting women who have undergone female genital mutilation and protecting girls at potential risk of the practice.
Current status, challenges, and prospects of biopesticide utilization in Nigeria
Authors: Ivase Tertsegha John-Paul , Nyakuma Bemgba Bevan , Ogenyi Blessing Uwere , Balogun Adinoyi David , Hassan Muhammed Nuraddeen 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
The toxicity, persistence, and non-biodegradability of chemical pesticides have increased calls for the adoption of sustainable and cost-effective pest control measures. Biopesticides present a sustainable alternative to synthetic pesticides. However, the biopesticide utilization in agrarian countries like Nigeria remains low, resulting in increased chemical pesticide utilization. Therefore, this paper seeks to examine the current status, challenges, and prospects of biopesticides in Nigeria. The findings revealed that biopesticide utilization in Nigeria is low due to high costs, poor infrastructure, skilled manpower alongside inconsistent field performance and government policies. The solution to these challenges will significantly boost crop protection, food security, and sustainable agriculture in Nigeria.
Effects of Minimum Wages on Absence from Work Due to Illness
Authors: Du Juan , Leigh J. Paul 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
Using longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics for 1997–2013 and difference-in-differences (DD) and difference-in-difference-in-differences (DDD) techniques, we estimate the effects of minimum wages on absence from work due to own and others’ (such as children’s) illnesses. We use person fixed effects within both linear and two-part models, the latter to explore changes at extensive and intensive margins. A lower educated group (likely affected by minimum wages) is compared with higher educated groups (likely unaffected). Within the lower educated group, we find higher minimum wages are associated with lower rates of absence due to own and others’ illness combined and due to own illness alone, but not associated with absence due to others’ illness. A $1 increase in the real minimum wage results in 19 % (in DD model) and 32 % (DDD) decreases in the absence rate due to own illness evaluated at the mean. These findings are strongest for persons who are not employed year-round and among the lowest wage earners. In additional analysis, we show that these effects are likely not due to changes in labor supply or job-related attributes. Instead, we find a possible mechanism: higher minimum wages improve self-reported health for lower educated workers.
Occurrence of Ips typographus (L.) after wind damage in the Kościeliska Valley of the Tatra National Park
Authors: Grodzki Wojciech , Fronek Wojciech Gąsienica 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
At the end of 2013, Norway spruce stands in the area of the Tatra National Park were severely damaged by strong storms especially in the Kościeliska Valley region. In the following spring of 2014, a survey recording the occurrence of the spruce bark beetle Ips typographus (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae) was initiated in order to describe the dynamics of beetle reproduction in relation to protection measures executed in wind-damaged stands. Ten research plots with 20 trees each were established in a socalled active protection zone, where the broken and fallen trees had been processed and removed in 2014, and in a passive protection zone, where no actions were taken, and the dynamics of Norway spruce mortality due to bark beetle infestation including quantitative parameters (infestation density, sex ratio of beetle populations) were examined. The entomological analyses were performed on 25 × 25 cm large bark samples taken from four (active zone) or two (passive zone) tree sections. In the first year of the survey, no infested standing trees were recorded on the plots and the colonisation of fallen and broken trees was very weak. In the second year (2015), infestations appeared in larger numbers on the plots with passive compared to active protection but the infestation density was 0.89 mating chambers per 1 dm2 regardless of the protection status. In the third year (2016), most of the remaining living spruces had been infested with a mean density of 0.82 m.ch. per 1 dm2. In 2015, the proportion of females in the beetle population was 65.8% being higher in the active (68.4%) than the passive (64.0%) protection zone, while in 2016 the proportion was 63.5% and in this case slightly higher in the passive protection zone (63.9% as compared to 63.2%). These results are in accordance with patterns observed in wind-damaged Norway spruce stands of other areas in Poland and Europe and demonstrate the usefulness of forest management procedures in mitigating I. typographus outbreaks.
Variability of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) called Tabórz pine (Forest District Miłomłyn) expressed in analysis of morphology of needle traits and polymorphism of microsatellite DNA
Authors: Lesiczka Paulina , Pawlaczyk Ewa M. , Łabiszak Bartosz , Urbaniak Lech 
Published: January 2018

AbstractScots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is one of the most widespread forest trees in the world, ranging from southern Mediterranean mountains to eastern Siberia. 30 trees of Scots pine from the Miłomłyn Forest District were analyzed in terms of 7 nuclear and 8 chloroplast microsatellite DNA loci as well as 7 morphological needle traits. Nuclear microsatellites (Simple Sequence Repeats) have proved to be useful in studying phylogeographic and gene flow patterns in conifers and are being used to infer the demographic history of tree species. A population’s genetic diversity, in fact, represents an important criterion which could be applied in planning future forest management and breeding. Additionally, many elements of Scots pine morphology, including needle traits, are subject to environmental modification. However, the adaptability of those traits remains, to some extent, under genetic control. The trees we investigated here are called Tabórz pine located in the northeast of Poland. This population is described as one of the best in Poland and even in Europe regarding bio mass production, ductility and wood quality. The aim of the study was to determine variation and genetic structure within this population. An analysis of phenotypic differentiation showed that the traits which differed the most between individuals were needle length, the number of serrations per 2 mm of needle length along the right edge and the number of stomatal rows on the convex side of the needles. In Tabórz pine, we detected 30 different genotypes with 87 alleles as well as 28 haplotypes with 30 alleles. We also revealed a slight excess of homozygotes, but the population is still in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The Scots pine population from Tabórz furthermore showed a higher level of genetic diversity compared to stands from other Polish and European regions. This diversity may be the main factor impacting on the population’s wood quality and its breeding value.
A prognosis for the impact of climate change on beech stand dynamics in the Polish and Ukrainian Roztoche region
Authors: Kozak Ihor , Typiak Barbara , Parpan Taras , Kozak Hanna 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThis study has been carried out in the Polish Roztoczański National Park and the Ukrainian Ravs’ke Roztochia Regional Landscape Park, both of which are part of the Roztoche region. In each of these two locations, representative study plots were established in beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) stands occupying sites with similar environmental conditions. A longterm prognosis for the dynamics of the chosen beech stands were generated using the computer model FORKOME. The model was used to forecast stand developments for four climatic scenarios (warm-humid, warm-dry, cold-humid, cold-dry) covering a time span of 500 years. Our simulation results indicate that in the control scenario, beech stands were dominating and cyclical changes between beech and Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) may occur. In the scenarios with assumed climate warming, a decline of fir biomass and an increase of beech biomass, as compared to the control conditions, was noticed. In the scenario with assumed climate cooling, fir biomass increased for the duration of the investigated time span. To conclude, the application of the FORKOME model was found to be a useful tool for analyzing potential scenarios of long-term dynamics of beech stands in the Roztoche region in Poland and Ukraine.
The relationship between height and crown characteristics of four-year-old common birch (Betula pendula Roth)
Authors: Klepacki Adam 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
This paper presents the results of an analysis on characteristics of birch crowns (Betula pendula Roth) in relation to measures of the growth space occupied by a single tree at a young age. It also presents the relationships between the seedling height and certain crown characteristics. The study focused on four-year-old common birches growing in four different areas in the Elk Forest District in either fresh mixed coniferous or broadleaved forest. The measurements conducted on the chosen trees were used to calculate their crown characteristics such as crown diameter, length, height to the crown base, relative length and spread. They were also used to determine the growth characteristics of a single tree’s growth space, such as the crown area projected onto the ground, single tree space and the percentage use of unit area. Furthermore, fresh and dry leaf mass was determined. The birches growing in the fresh mixed coniferous forest reached an average height of 1.30 m, whereas in the fresh mixed broadleaved forest, the height of the trees was lower and amounted to 0.67 m. 95% of the trees had crown diameters of 0.57 m to 0.74 m in the fresh mixed coniferous forest, but only 0.19 m to 0.25 m in the fresh mixed broadleaved forest. The average lengths of the crowns in the fresh mixed coniferous and broadleaved forests amounted to 0.97 m and 0.37 m respectively. The author shows that there is a statistically significant correlation between the seedling height and the other examined characteristics. The best correlation was found between the height and the length of the crown (r = 0.9858) for birches growing in the fresh mixed coniferous forest and between the height and single tree space (r = 0.8468) for birches growing in the fresh mixed broadleaved forest.
Majorana algebras generated by a 2⁢A{2A} algebra and one further axis
Authors: Whybrow Madeleine L. 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
We consider Majorana algebras generated by three Majorana axes

a
0

{a_{0}}

,

a
1

{a_{1}}

and

a
2

{a_{2}}

such that

a
0

{a_{0}}

and

a
1

{a_{1}}

generate a dihedral algebra of type

2
⁢
A

{2A}

. We show that such an algebra must occur as a Majorana representation of one of 27 groups. These 27 groups coincide with the subgroups of the Monster that are generated by three

2
⁢
A

{2A}

-involutions a, b and c such that ab is also a

2
⁢
A

{2A}

-involution, which were classified by S. P. Norton in 1985. Our work relies on that of S. Decelle and consists of showing that certain groups do not admit Majorana representations.
Development of thermotolerant isolates of Beauveria bassiana (Bals.-Criv.) Vuill. with ethyl methanesulfonate
Authors: Wongwanich Yanisa , Cobelli Payorm , Boonchuay Duangkamon , Wangsomboondee Teerada 
Published: January 2018

AbstractBeauveria bassianais an entomopathogenic fungus that is widely used in Thailand to control pest insects. However, the increasing temperature has influenced the insect control efficiency of the fungus. Therefore, determination of thermotolerant isolates ofB. bassianathat can grow and remain pathogenic at higher temperatures than its current optimum temperature may be a better way to control pest insects in a high temperature environment. Three isolates ofB. bassianaobtained from the Rice Department, Thailand were selected for mutagenesis using ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) with subsequent screening at high temperatures (33 and 35°C). In addition, the recovery of fungal growth after exposure to a high temperature for a period of time (5–15 days) and then transferring to 25°C was evaluated. No isolates were found that grew at 35°C but one mutant isolate (BCNT002MT) produced larger diameter colonies and more spores than the corresponding wild type (WT) at 33°C. Growth and spore production of the BCNT002MT isolate were greater than its WT when incubated at 25°C for 14 days following exposure to 33°C for 7 days. In addition, the spore germination level (%) of BCNT002MT was significantly higher than its WT during culture at 25°C after prior exposure to 33°C for 5, 10 and 15 days. The pathogenicity against the brown planthopper,Nilaparvata lugens(Stål), of this mutant isolate was also prominent.
Sustainable biofuel: A question of scale and aims
Authors: Ciervo Margherita , Schmitz Serge 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
Bio-energy (like other renewable energy sources) is proposed as a solution for climate change and other energy-related and economic issues. The predominant production model, however, which is based on first-generation biofuels developed on a global scale, creates ecological impacts throughout the production chain, resulting in a sustainability paradox, as well as social unrest and territorial conflict. Therefore, attention here is focussed on agro-energy and second-generation biofuels, investigating the structural differences, the advantages, the potential problems and the possible solutions of some local biofuel initiatives in North Western Europe. Finally, we propose a regional agrarian model to avoid the impacts and contradictions of the global industrial model, to produce a better ecological balance at both the local and the global levels, and to improve the democratic character of energy governance. In addition, we suggest a paradigmatic reading to better understand the cultural, political and socio-economic implications of the two models.
Multilingualism in literature: A socio-pragmatic reading of Leila Aboulela’s The Translator (1999) and Ahdaf Soueif’s The Map of Love (1999)
Authors: Hassan Dina 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
The turn of the twenty-first century has witnessed a growing preoccupation with multilingual texts across the world. Literary code-switching is becoming significantly valuable as it allows readers access to the trans-lingual and transcultural experiences of bilinguals in monolingual majority societies. More importantly, as the recent surge in the body of contact literature in general, and Anglo-Arab fiction in particular, has witnessed a major shift in its purpose, in this paper I argue that it is high time researchers made a similar shift in scholarly investigations of literary code-switching. The new texts are becoming less concerned with contesting the colonizer. Instead, contact literature is becoming increasingly focused on cross-cultural negotiations. Therefore, I attempt to explore the purposes of code-switching in Ahdaf Soueif’s The Map of Love (1999) and Leila Aboulela’s The Translator (2005), while re-evaluating its assumed direct link to asserting the author’s primary identity – a purpose that has been the focus of scholarly work tackling literary code-switching for decades. Two other main purposes are highlighted in this paper, namely: (i) changing attitudes towards multilingualism; and (ii) adding authenticity to the experiences delineated in a foreign language.