bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Influence of Groundwater Hydraulic Gradient on Bank Storage Metrics
Authors: Welch Chani , Harrington Glenn A. , Cook Peter G. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractThe hydraulic gradient between aquifers and rivers is one of the most variable properties in a river/aquifer system. Detailed process understanding of bank storage under hydraulic gradients is obtained from a two‐dimensional numerical model of a variably saturated aquifer slice perpendicular to a river. Exchange between the river and the aquifer occurs first at the interface with the unsaturated zone. The proportion of total water exchanged through the river bank compared to the river bed is a function of aquifer hydraulic conductivity, partial penetration, and hydraulic gradient. Total exchange may be estimated to within 50% using existing analytical solutions provided that unsaturated zone processes do not strongly influence exchange. Model‐calculated bank storage is at a maximum when no hydraulic gradient is present and increases as the hydraulic conductivity increases. However, in the presence of a hydraulic gradient, the largest exchange flux or distance of penetration does not necessarily correspond to the highest hydraulic conductivity, as high hydraulic conductivity increases the components of exchange both into and out of an aquifer. Flood wave characteristics do not influence ambient groundwater discharge, and so in large floods, hydraulic gradients must be high to reduce the volume of bank storage. Practical measurement of bank storage metrics is problematic due to the limitations of available measurement technologies and the nested processes of exchange that occur at the river‐aquifer interface. Proxies, such as time series concentration data in rivers and groundwater, require further development to be representative and quantitative.
Is nicotine replacement therapy overvalued in smoking cessation? Analysis of smokers' and quitters' communication in social media
Authors: Kurko Terhi , Linden Kari , Kolstela Maija , Pietilä Kirsi , Airaksinen Marja 
Published: October 2014

AbstractBackgroundInternet discussion forums provide new, albeit less used data sources for exploring personal experiences of illness and treatment strategies.ObjectiveTo gain an understanding of how discussion forum participants value nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in smoking cessation (SC).SettingFinnish national Internet‐based discussion forum, STUMPPI, supporting SC and consisting of ten free discussion areas, each with a different focus. The analysis was based on STUMPPI forum participants’ postings (n = 24 481) in five discussion areas during January 2007–January 2012.DesignInductive content analysis of the postings concerning NRT use or comparing NRT to other SC methods.ResultsThree major themes related to NRT in SC emerged from the discussions. These were as follows: (I) distrust and negative attitude towards NRT; (II) neutral acceptance of NRT as a useful SC method; and (III) trust on the crucial role of NRT and other SC medicines. The negative attitude was related to following perceptions: NRT use maintains tobacco dependence, fear of NRT dependence or experience of not gaining help from NRT use. NRT was perceived to be useful particularly in the initiation of SC attempts and in dealing with physiological dependence. The most highlighted factors of successful quitting were quitters’ own psychological empowerment and peer support from the discussion community.ConclusionsThe majority of STUMPPI forum participants had low or balanced expectations towards the role of NRT in SC. More research from the smokers’ and quitters’ perspective is needed to assess the real value of NRT compared to other methods in SC.
To pay or not to pay? A multicountry study on informal payments for health‐care services and consumers’ perceptions
Authors: Stepurko Tetiana , Pavlova Milena , Gryga Irena , Groot Wim 
Published: October 2014

AbstractBackgroundAlthough the literature offers various theoretical explanations for the existence of informal patient payments, empirical research has mostly focused on socio‐demographic features as determinants of these payments. The role of health‐care users’ perceptions on informal payments are rarely taken into account especially in multicountry surveys.ObjectiveOur aim is to examine the association between informal payments for health‐care services and perceptions of health‐care consumers about paying informally as well as socio‐demographic characteristics.DesignWe use data from a multicountry quantitative empirical research conducted in 2010.Setting and participantsA national representative sample is drawn in six Central and Eastern European countries – Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Ukraine. In each country, about 1000 respondents are interviewed.Main variables studiedData related to informal payments for health‐care services consumed during the preceding 12 months are analysed in addition to data on respondents’ perceptions about paying informally and socio‐demographic data.ResultsHealth‐care users in Bulgaria and Poland are less inclined to make informal payments, while health‐care users in Romania and Ukraine most often report such payments. The informal payment rates for Hungary and Lithuania fall between these two groups. In all six countries, individuals who feel uncomfortable when leaving the physician's office without a gratuity and who feel unable to refuse the request of medical staff to pay informally, more often make informal payments.ConclusionsSuch consumers’ perceptions can undermine policy efforts to eradicate these payments; therefore, health policy measures should reinforce social resistance to informal payments.
Interventions aimed at reducing obesity in early childhood: a meta‐analysis of programs that involve parents
Authors: Yavuz H. Melis , van Ijzendoorn Marinus H. , Mesman Judi , van der Veek Shelley 
Published: October 2014

BackgroundObesity is a growing problem even in very young childhood, resulting in high costs for individuals and society. As a response, numerous obesity prevention and intervention programs have been developed. Previous research has shown that early intervention programs are more effective when parents are involved, but the effectiveness of specific aspects of programs with parental involvement has not been investigated. This meta‐analysis aims to investigate the features related to the effectiveness of different types of obesity intervention programs involving parents and targeting young children (0–6‐year‐olds).MethodsThe Web of Science, PubMed, PsycInfo, CINAHL, and ERIC databases were searched for childhood obesity prevention and intervention programs involving parents. Data were analyzed using the Comprehensive Meta‐analysis (CMA) software.ResultsFifty studies with effect sizes measured at short‐term follow‐up (within 3 months from the end of the intervention) and 26 studies with effect sizes measured at long‐term follow‐up (all reported in a total of 49 publications) were identified. The combined effect size of interventions was small but significant at short‐term follow‐up (d = .08, p < .01). The results suggested the presence of a potential publication bias in studies providing results at long‐term follow‐up, with a nonsignificant adjusted effect size (d = .02), which indicated that obesity interventions were not effective at long‐term follow‐up. Multivariate meta‐regression analyses showed that interventions were more effective when including either interactive sessions or educational materials as opposed to those including both interactive sessions and noninteractive educational materials. No other moderators regarding sample characteristics, study design, or methodological quality were significant.ConclusionInterventions targeting young children that require parental involvement are effective at short‐term follow‐up, specifically when interventions include one mode of intervention rather than two. However, results were not retained in the long run.
Sexual selection on female ornaments in the sex‐role‐reversed Gulf pipefish (Syngnathus scovelli)
Authors: Flanagan S. P. , Johnson J. B. , Rose E. , Jones A. G. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractUnderstanding how selection acts on traits individually and in combination is an important step in deciphering the mechanisms driving evolutionary change, but for most species, and especially those in which sexual selection acts more strongly on females than on males, we have no estimates of selection coefficients pertaining to the multivariate sexually selected phenotype. Here, we use a laboratory‐based mesocosm experiment to quantify pre‐ and post‐mating selection on female secondary sexual traits in the Gulf pipefish (Syngnathus scovelli), a sexually dimorphic, sex‐role‐reversed species in which ornamented females compete for access to choosy males. We calculate selection differentials and gradients on female traits, including ornament area, ornament number and body size for three episodes of selection related to female reproductive success (number of mates, number of eggs transferred and number of surviving embryos). Selection is strong on both ornament area and ornament size, and the majority of selection occurs during the premating episode of selection. Interestingly, selection on female body size, which has been detected in previous studies of Gulf pipefish, appears to be indirect, as evidenced by a multivariate analysis of selection gradients. Our results show that sexual selection favours either many bands or larger bands in female Gulf pipefish.
Meiotic drive influences the outcome of sexually antagonistic selection at a linked locus
Authors: Patten M. M. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractMost meiotic drivers, such as the t‐haplotype in Mus and the segregation distorter (SD) in Drosophila, act in a sex‐specific manner, gaining a transmission advantage through one sex although suffering only the fitness costs associated with the driver in the other. Their inheritance is thus more likely through one of the two sexes, a property they share with sexually antagonistic alleles. Previous theory has shown that pairs of linked loci segregating for sexually antagonistic alleles are more likely to remain polymorphic and that linkage disequilibrium accrues between them. I probe this similarity between drive and sexual antagonism and examine the evolution of chromosomes experiencing these selection pressures simultaneously. Reminiscent of previous theory, I find that: the opportunity for polymorphism increases for a sexually antagonistic locus that is physically linked to a driving locus; the opportunity for polymorphism at a driving locus also increases when linked to a sexually antagonistic locus; and stable linkage disequilibrium accompanies any polymorphic equilibrium. Additionally, I find that drive at a linked locus favours the fixation of sexually antagonistic alleles that benefit the sex in which drive occurs. Further, I show that under certain conditions reduced recombination between these two loci is selectively favoured. These theoretical results provide clear, testable predictions about the nature of sexually antagonistic variation on driving chromosomes and have implications for the evolution of genomic architecture.
Plant villins: Versatile actin regulatory proteins
Authors: Huang Shanjin , Qu Xiaolu , Zhang Ruihui 
Published: October 2014

AbstractRegulation of actin dynamics is a central theme in cell biology that is important for different aspects of cell physiology. Villin, a member of the villin/gelsolin/fragmin superfamily of proteins, is an important regulator of actin. Villins contain six gelsolin homology domains (G1–G6) and an extra headpiece domain. In contrast to their mammalian counterparts, plant villins are expressed widely, implying that plant villins play a more general role in regulating actin dynamics. Some plant villins have a defined role in modifying actin dynamics in the pollen tube; most of their in vivo activities remain to be ascertained. Recently, our understanding of the functions and mechanisms of action for plant villins has progressed rapidly, primarily due to the advent of Arabidopsis thaliana genetic approaches and imaging capabilities that can visualize actin dynamics at the single filament level in vitro and in living plant cells. In this review, we focus on discussing the biochemical activities and modes of regulation of plant villins. Here, we present current understanding of the functions of plant villins. Finally, we highlight some of the key unanswered questions regarding the functions and regulation of plant villins for future research.Shanjin Huang
Men in Midwifery: A National Survey
Authors: Kantrowitz‐Gordon Ira , Adriane Ellis Simon , McFarlane Ann 
Published: October 2014

IntroductionMidwifery in the United States suffers from a lack of diversity. More than 91% of midwives are white, and more than 98% are women. Little research has explored the experiences of midwives who are men or transgender.MethodsInvitation to an Internet survey was sent to the membership of the American College of Nurse‐Midwives. Thirty‐one participants who identified as men or transgender completed the survey, which included quantitative and open‐ended questions about the impact of gender on education and practice. Data analysis of qualitative responses used qualitative description methodology to identify common themes.ResultsFour themes described participating men's experiences of education and practice of midwifery. Challenges included feeling singled out as different and being excluded. Supportive factors came from the social support of family, friends, colleagues, and patients, as well as from taking pride in one's work as a midwife. Midwives who identify as transgender described the challenges of others’ confusion about their gender, having to hide their true gender identity, and struggling with the resulting loneliness.DiscussionThis survey highlights the challenges faced by midwives who are men or transgender in education and practice. Midwifery values of respect and acceptance for all women and families need to be applied internally to all members of the profession. This will support increased diversity and openness in midwifery.
Acupuncture for the Treatment of Vulvodynia
Authors: Schlaeger Judith , Nenngui Xu , Mejta Cheryl , Wilkie Diana J. 
Published: October 2014

PurposeA randomized controlled pilot study was conducted to evaluate the effect of an acupuncture protocol for the treatment of vulvodynia.Hypotheses1) Acupuncture reduces vulvar pain and dyspareunia in women with vulvodynia. 2) Acupuncture increases sexual function in women with vulvodynia.SignificanceThe incidence of vulvodynia in US women has been reported to be as high as 16%. Research suggests that there is no consistently effective standardized treatment for vulvodynia.MethodsThirty‐six women with vulvodynia met inclusion criteria, and 36 women completed the study. The women were randomly assigned either to the acupuncture group or to the wait‐list control group. The 18 participants assigned to the acupuncture group received acupuncture 2 times per week for 5 weeks for a total of 10 sessions.ResultsVulvar pain and dyspareunia showed statistically significant reductions, and sexual function showed a statistically significant increase for women in the acupuncture group as compared to the wait‐list control group. Acupuncture showed a trend for increased vaginal lubrication and reduced affective pain. Acupuncture did not increase sexual desire, sexual arousal, ability to orgasm, or sexual satisfaction in women with vulvodynia.DiscussionThis was the first randomized controlled pilot study to examine the use of acupuncture for the treatment of vulvodynia. The acupuncture protocol was feasible and in this small sample reduced vulvar pain and dyspareunia, and increased sexual function in women with vulvodynia. This study should be replicated in a larger double‐blind randomized controlled trial, and if results indicate, this acupuncture treatment protocol should be considered a valid and important option in the treatment of this incapacitating pain syndrome.
Scheduling Strategy Using Poisson Probability to Ensure 24/7 Scheduling Coverage for Emergency Nurses Caring for Patients that Have Been Sexually Assaulted
Authors: Scannell Meredith 
Published: October 2014

BackgroundSexual assault patients disproportionately experience gaps in health care delivery including delays in referrals, delays in medication administration, and extended lengths of stay in emergency departments. Victims of sexual assault have unique health care needs that require nurses to have extensive knowledge and skills to adequately address them. Training nurses with simulation is one approach to enhancing knowledge and skills. However, with a large number of nurses a burden is created whereby nurses have difficulty maintaining clinical competencies due to the decreased opportunity to gain actual hands‐on experience.PurposeThe purpose is to determine a reliable method for calculating an accurate number of nurses to select for simulation training so that one of the specially trained nurses will most likely be working in the emergency department on any given shift.Research QuestionIs there a reliable method to calculate the number of nurses to train with simulation so that there will be one trained nurse working at all times in the emergency department.MethodsUsing Poisson probability distribution the number of nurses selected for simulation training was calculated by reviewing a 6‐month period of emergency room nurses schedules. A schedule pattern was selected that achieved 24/7 coverage in 8am to 8pm and 8pm to 8am shifts. Nurses working at least six 12‐hour shifts in a 4‐week period were selected for analysis.ResultsTraining 6 nurses working 8am to 8pm results in a 0.143 probability that a nurse would not be working, and training 15 nurses working a shift of 8am to 8pm resulted in a 0.006 probability that one of the nurses would not be working on a given day. Training 6 nurses working 8am to 8pm results in a 0.113 probability that a nurse would not be working, and training 15 nurses results in 0.002 probability that one of the nurses would not be working on a given day.Conclusions and ImplicationsPoisson probability distribution is a reliable method to determine a number of nurses to train for simulation in order to increase the likelihood that one trained nurse is working on any given shift. Additionally, using this scheduling method, Poisson can be applied specifically to other health care specialties where there are no fixed schedules, and the need to have a health care individual with specialized skills is essential.
Continuity, Confidence, Compassion and Culture: Lessons learned from Japanese midwives
Authors: Shorten Allison , Torigoe Ikuyo , Weinstein Lisa , Muto Audrey 
Published: October 2014

PurposeTo explore midwifery practice through the eyes of Japanese midwives and midwifery students, with the aim of identifying traditional childbirth practices and models of midwifery care that lead to higher rates of physiologic birth as experienced by women in Japan.Research QuestionsWhat specific cultural factors influence pregnancy care and childbirth practices in Japan? What factors and practices are associated with physiologic birth in Japan? How could traditional Japanese practices be utilized by midwives in the United States to improve birth outcomes?SignificanceDespite its relationship with Western culture, Japan continues to promote physiologic birth without complications, at lower rates than many other developed nations. With a comparatively low cesarean rate of 18.6% in 2011 and one of the lowest maternal mortality rates in the world, cultural factors are clearly important. Recognition of traditional Japanese midwifery practices and unique models of midwifery care that can increase opportunities for physiologic birth have the potential to reverse the increasing trend for birth intervention in other countries.MethodsMixed methods were used to explore midwifery practices in Japan. A pilot survey, translated into Japanese, was administered to midwives (n = 9) and midwifery students (n = 9) in 2 prefectures in Japan (one urban, one rural). Two focus groups were conducted to further explore culturally specific midwifery attitudes, practices, and future challenges in maintaining low birth‐intervention rates in Japan. Visits to hospital and community settings (Josanin or birthing homes) enhanced understanding of described practices.ResultsThe prominent role of midwives in all low‐risk pregnancies in Japan was felt to increase opportunities for women to achieve physiologic birth. Interventions commonly used in the United States were reserved for complicated pregnancy. Japanese midwives recognized danger in increasing epidural use and the value of midwifery care in preventing unnecessary intervention. Important aspects of care included midwifery presence, compassion, confidence in women, non‐pharmacologic pain relief, movement/upright labor positions, and education provided by midwives.DiscussionGreater access to continuity of midwifery care in the United States could contribute to better birth outcomes. A larger study of Japanese midwives is planned to further explore effective practices that could be used in US settings to improve opportunities for physiologic birth.
Symptomatic carotid near‐occlusion with full collapse might cause a very high risk of stroke
Authors: Johansson E. , Öhman K. , Wester P. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractBackgroundThe risk of early stroke recurrence amongst patients with symptomatic carotid near‐occlusion with and without full collapse is unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse the 90‐day risk of recurrent ipsilateral ischaemic stroke in patients with symptomatic carotid near‐occlusion both with and without full collapse.MethodsThis study was a secondary analysis of the Additional Neurological SYmptoms before Surgery of the Carotid Arteries: a Prospective study (ANSYSCAP). We prospectively analysed 230 consecutive patients with symptomatic 50–99% carotid stenosis or near‐occlusion. Based on the combination of several imaging modalities, 205 (89%) patients were classified as having 50–99% carotid stenosis, and 10 (4%) and 15 (7%) as having near‐occlusion with and without full collapse, respectively. The 90‐day risk of recurrent ipsilateral ischaemic stroke was compared between these three groups. Only events that occurred before carotid endarterectomy were analysed.ResultsThe 90‐day risk of recurrent stroke was 18% [95% confidence interval (CI) 12–25%; n = 29] for patients with 50–99% carotid stenosis, 0% for patients with near‐occlusion without full collapse and 43% (95% CI 25–89%; n = 4) for patients with near‐occlusion with full collapse (P = 0.035, log‐rank test). The increased risk of recurrent ipsilateral ischaemic stroke for patients with symptomatic near‐occlusion with full collapse remained significant after multivariable adjustment for age, sex and type of presenting event.ConclusionsPatients with symptomatic carotid near‐occlusion with full collapse might have a very high risk of stroke recurrence. Carotid endarterectomy could be considered for these patients.
Sleeping like a baby? Infant sleep: Impact on caregivers and current controversies
Authors: Hiscock Harriet , Fisher Jane 
Published: October 2014

AbstractThis annotation discusses definitions of ‘sleep problems’, the impacts of infant sleep on maternal and paternal well‐being, and the evidence behind two areas of current controversy – the role of attachment versus behaviourally based parenting in infant sleep and management strategies for sleep problems in infants aged less than 6 months.