bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Wound care practices: a survey of acute care nurses
Authors: Gillespie Brigid M , Chaboyer Wendy , Allen Pamela , Morely Nicola , Nieuwenhoven Paul 
Published: December 2013

Aims and objectivesTo describe the self‐reported wound care practices of acute care nurses practising in a large metropolitan hospital in Queensland, Australia.BackgroundWound infections occur in up to 30% of surgical procedures and are the third most commonly reported hospital‐acquired infection. The growing complexity and cost of wound care demand that nurses use wound care knowledge based on best practice guidelines.DesignDescriptive cross‐sectional survey design.MethodsA convenience sample of 250 medical and surgical nurses working in an acute care facility was invited to complete a 42‐item survey. The survey was based on an extensive literature review and an environmental scan of wound care issues in major hospitals, Australia.ResultsThe survey was completed by 120 acute care nurses with a response rate of 48%. Ninety (75·6%) respondents reported that ‘wound appearance’ was the most important factor guiding their choice of dressing product. Only 6 (5·0%) respondents considered the cost of a dressing product ‘highly important’. Fifty‐nine (50·4%) respondents reported being ‘unaware’ of the national standards pertaining to wound management, and only 41 (34·7%) respondents reported that their knowledge of wound products was ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. The majority (n = 89, 75·4%) of respondents used the hospital's wound care specialist nurses as the primary source of information in regard to managing acute wounds.ConclusionsAlthough acute care nurses have a sound knowledge of wound healing processes, it appears that many do not use the recommended clinical guideline pertaining to wound care.Relevance to clinical practiceWhile it is important for nurses to detect early wound complications, treatment plans based on wound assessments need to be informed by current clinical guidelines. In implementing the guideline, it is essential to first identify barriers and facilitators to knowledge transfer.
Managing medications: the role of informal caregivers of older adults and people living with dementia. A review of the literature
Authors: Gillespie Robyn , Mullan Judy , Harrison Lindsey 
Published: December 2013

Aims and objectivesTo explore published literature that describes what is known about the role of informal caregivers as they manage medications for older adults and/or people living with dementia residing in the community.BackgroundThe number of informal caregivers of older adults, including people living with dementia, is growing worldwide. Good medication management by informal caregivers contributes to improved health outcomes and reduced institutionalisations for the care recipient; however, little is known about this domain of care.DesignNarrative review.MethodsA literature search was conducted to identify relevant research articles written in English between January 2000–April 2013, sourced from online database searches using multiple keywords, reviewing reference lists and citations of key articles and Internet searches. Articles were included if they described informal caregiver medication management for older adults and/or people living with dementia.ResultsTen articles were found that described this role from the perspective of the informal caregiver. The evidence suggests that this role is complex and is often made more difficult because of increasing medication regimen complexities, aspects of the relationship between the caregiver and the care recipient, healthcare system practices and a lack of information and/or training available to the informal caregiver, especially when caring for people living with dementia.ConclusionResponsibility for managing medications for older adults and/or people living with dementia in the community often falls to informal caregivers. More information resources are required for this role, which requires specific medication management skills and knowledge and is further complicated by the cognitive decline of the care recipient.Relevance to clinical practiceInformal caregivers are often expected to manage medications in a safe and effective manner for their older care recipient, who may also have cognitive impairment. Nurses, who may be in frequent contact with community‐living older adults/people living with dementia, can be an important source of information, training and support for informal caregivers.
DOES EDUCATION REDUCE INCOME INEQUALITY? A META‐REGRESSION ANALYSIS
Authors: Abdullah Abdul , Doucouliagos Hristos , Manning Elizabeth 
Published: December 2013

AbstractThis paper reexamines the effects of education on inequality through a comprehensive meta‐regression analysis of the extant empirical literature. We find that education affects the two tails of the distribution of income: Education reduces the income share of top earners and increases the share of the bottom earners. Education has been particularly effective in reducing inequality in Africa. Some of the results suggest that secondary schooling appears to have a stronger effect than primary schooling, though this finding is not always robust. The heterogeneity in reported estimates can be largely explained by differences in the specification of the econometric model and measure of inequality and education.
The influence of resilient liner and clip attachments for bar‐implant‐retained mandibular overdentures on opposing maxillary ridge. A 5‐year randomised clinical trial
Authors: ELsyad M. A. , Ashmawy T. M. , Faramawy A. G. 
Published: December 2013

SummaryThis study aimed to compare the influence of resilient liner and clip attachments for bar‐implant‐retained mandibular overdentures on opposing maxillary ridge after 5 years of denture wearing. Thirty edentulous male patients (mean age 62·5 years) received two implants in the anterior mandible after being allocated into two equal groups using balanced randomisation. After 3 months, implants were connected with resilient bars. New maxillary complete dentures were then constructed, and mandibular overdentures were retained to the bars with either clips (group I, GI) or silicone resilient liners (group II, GII). The prosthetic and soft tissue complications of the maxillary dentures were recorded 6 months (T6 m), 1 year (T1), 3 years (T3) and 5 years (T5) after overdenture insertion. Traced rotational tomograms were used for measurements of maxillary alveolar bone loss. The proportional value between bone areas and areas of reference not subject to resorption was expressed as a ratio (R). Change in R immediately before (T0) and after 5 years (T5) of overdenture insertion was calculated. Maxillary denture relining times and frequency of flabby anterior maxillary ridge occurred significantly more often in GI compared with GII. The change of R in anterior part of maxilla was significantly higher than change of R in posterior part in both groups. GI showed significant resorption of anterior residual ridge compared with GII. Relining times and frequencies of flabby ridge were significantly correlated with change in R. Within the limitations of this study, resilient liner attachments for bar‐implant‐retained mandibular overdentures are associated with decreased resorption and flabbiness of maxillary anterior residual ridge and fewer maxillary denture relining times when compared with clip attachments.
Detection of Grapevine Viruses in Poland
Authors: Komorowska Beata , Berniak Hanna , Golis Tomasz 
Published: December 2013

AbstractDuring a 3‐year study, grapevines from 23 vineyards in Poland were surveyed for virus diseases and tested to determine the prevalence of the most economically important viruses by RT‐PCR. The rate of positive samples was 2.2% for grapevine leafroll‐associated virus 1 (GLRaV‐1), 1.9% for grapevine leafroll‐associated virus 2 (GLRaV‐2), 1.5% grapevine leafroll‐associated virus 3 (GLRaV‐3), 1.9% for grapevine virus A (GVA), 0.2% for grapevine virus B (GVB), 0.2% for grapevine virus E (GVE), 0.65% for grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV), 20.4% for grapevine fleck virus (GFkV) and 71.9% for grapevine rupestris stem pitting‐associated virus (GRSPaV). These viruses were found to occur as single or mixed infections of different combinations in individual grapevines. The overall viral infection rate in the surveyed grapevines was 82.6%. GRSPaV is the most widely distributed virus of all the viruses currently detected in the region. DNA sequencing confirmed the identification of the viruses in selected samples, and analysis indicated that the Polish isolates shared a close molecular identity with the corresponding isolates in GenBank. To our knowledge, this is the first detection of GLRaV‐1, ‐2, ‐3, GVA, GVB, GVE, GFLV, GFkV and GRSPaV in Poland.
Chronic Stress Influences Sexual Motivation and Causes Damage to Testicular Cells in Male Rats
Authors: Hou Gonglin , Xiong Wei , Wang Mingming , Chen Xiangming , Yuan Ti-Fei 
Published: December 2013

Abstract

Introduction
The suppressing effects of chronic stress on sexual desire have long been noted. Yet the biological mechanisms underlying such effects, especially at the level of cellular biology of testicular cells, have not been fully investigated.

Aim
In the present study, we used a chronic unpredictable mild stress model to examine the association between chronic stress and structural alterations in the male reproductive system.

Main Outcome Measures
The main outcome measures were the structural changes in sperm cells and Leydig cells of male rats. We used Agmo and Ellingsen's procedure to study partner preference behavior and observed the morphology of Leydig cells and germ cells in the control and stress groups.

Methods
Our methods included histology, electron microscopy, and animal behavior tests.

Results
The results showed that after 5 weeks of chronic stress exposure, partner preference behavior was impaired, the total surface area of Leydig cells and the number and diameter of seminiferous tubules decreased significantly, and the number and size of Leydig cells, as well as the number and the short-axis diameter of spermatogenic cells, also decreased. At the ultrastructural level, transmission electron microscopy revealed that the basement membranes of seminiferous tubules in stressed rats was far thinner, had a low density, and was uneven in thickness compared with the normal group, with enhanced apoptosis in germ cells.

Conclusion
We conclude that chronic stress can trigger organic damage to testicular cells in male rats.
Evaluation of the safety of a combination of oral administration of phenylbutazone and firocoxib in horses
Authors: Kivett L. , Taintor J. , Wright J. 
Published: December 2013

Simultaneous administration of a nonselectiveCOXinhibitor and aCOX‐2 specificNSAIDhas not been previously reported in horses. The goal of this study was to determine the safety of a 10‐day dosage regimen of phenylbutazone and firocoxib, both at their standard dosages, in horses. Six horses were administered 2.2 mg/kg of phenylbutazone and 0.1 mg/kg of firocoxib by mouth, daily for 10 days. Horses were assessed daily for changes in behavior, appetite, fecal consistency, signs of abdominal pain, and oral mucous membrane ulceration. Horses were assessed prior to and on the last day of treatment for changes in serum creatinine, albumin, total protein, and urine‐specific gravity. Horses underwent endoscopic examination of the esophagus, stomach, and pylorus prior to and 24 hours after the last treatment. A significant change in serum creatinine and total protein was observed on day 10 of treatment. No other significant findings were noted during the experiment. Results indicated that co‐administration of phenylbutazone and firocoxib may cause renal disease.
A novel siderophore‐independent strategy of iron uptake in the genus Burkholderia
Authors: Mathew Anugraha , Eberl Leo , Carlier Aurelien L. 
Published: December 2013

SummaryLike many other bacteria, Burkholderia sp. take up iron in its ferric form via siderophore‐dependent transporters. We observed that mutant strains of B. cenocepacia H111 unable to synthesize siderophores did not exhibit any growth defect under iron limited conditions. This finding suggested that this opportunistic pathogen can adopt an alternative iron uptake strategy to compensate for the loss of siderophores. We identified a putative iron uptake locus, ftrBccABCD, in the genome of B. cenocepacia H111, which is also conserved in other members of the genus Burkholderia. Mutants deficient in both siderophore‐dependent and FtrBccABCD systems failed to grow under iron‐limited conditions and radiolabelled iron transport assays showed that these mutants were impaired in iron uptake. In addition, expression of ftrBccABCD can restore growth of an E. coli strain lacking all known high‐affinity iron transport systems under iron‐limited conditions. We show that all four proteins encoded by ftrBccABCD are essential for iron uptake. Furthermore, our results indicate that the expression of ftrBccABCD is regulated at the transcriptional level by iron concentration. This study provides evidence of an alternative, siderophore‐independent, iron uptake system in Burkholderia species.
Regulation of Salmonella enterica pathogenicity island 1 (SPI‐1) by the LysR‐type regulator LeuO
Authors: Espinosa Elena , Casadesús Josep 
Published: December 2013

SummaryLeuO is a quiescent LysR‐type regulator belonging to the H‐NS regulon. Activation of leuO transcription represses expression of pathogenicity island 1 (SPI‐1) in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and inhibits invasion of epithelial cells. Loss of HilE suppresses LeuO‐mediated downregulation of SPI‐1. Activation of leuO transcription reduces the level of HilD protein, and loss of HilE restores the wild type HilD level. Hence, LeuO‐mediated downregulation of SPI‐1 may involve inhibition of HilD activity by HilE, a view consistent with the fact that HilE is a HilD inhibitor. In vivo analyses using β‐galactosidase fusions indicate that LeuO activates hilE transcription. In vitro analyses by slot blotting, electrophoretic mobility shift analysis and DNase I footprinting show that LeuO binds the hilE promoter region. Although residual SPI‐1 repression by LeuO is observed in the absence of HilE, the LeuO‐HilE‐HilD ‘pathway’ appears to be the major mechanism. Because both leuO and SPI‐1 are repressed by H‐NS, activation of leuO transcription may provide a backup mechanism for SPI‐1 repression under conditions that impair H‐NS‐mediated silencing.
Preferential secretion of inducible HSP70 by vitiligo melanocytes under stress
Authors: Mosenson Jeffrey A. , Flood Kelsey , Klarquist Jared , Eby Jonathan M. , Koshoffer Amy , Boissy Raymond E. , Overbeck Andreas , Tung Rebecca C. , Le Poole I. Caroline 
Published: December 2013

SummaryInducible HSP70 (HSP70i) chaperones peptides from stressed cells, protecting them from apoptosis. Upon extracellular release, HSP70i serves an adjuvant function, enhancing immune responses to bound peptides. We questioned whether HSP70i differentially protects control and vitiligo melanocytes from stress and subsequent immune responses. We compared expression of HSP70i in skin samples, evaluated the viability of primary vitiligo and control melanocytes exposed to bleaching phenols, and measured secreted HSP70i. We determined whether HSP70i traffics to melanosomes to contact immunogenic proteins by cell fractionation, western blotting, electron microscopy, and confocal microscopy. Viability of vitiligo and control melanocytes was equally affected under stress. However, vitiligo melanocytes secreted increased amounts of HSP70i in response to MBEH, corroborating with aberrant HSP70i expression in patient skin. Intracellular HSP70i colocalized with melanosomes, and more so in response to MBEH in vitiligo melanocytes. Thus, whereas either agent is cytotoxic to melanocytes, MBEH preferentially induces immune responses to melanocytes.
Speaking under pressure: Low linguistic complexity is linked to high physiological and emotional stress reactivity
Authors: Saslow Laura R. , McCoy Shannon , van der Löwe Ilmo , Cosley Brandon , Vartan Arbi , Oveis Christopher , Keltner Dacher , Moskowitz Judith T. , Epel Elissa S. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractWhat can a speech reveal about someone's state? We tested the idea that greater stress reactivity would relate to lower linguistic cognitive complexity while speaking. In Study 1, we tested whether heart rate and emotional stress reactivity to a stressful discussion would relate to lower linguistic complexity. In Studies 2 and 3, we tested whether a greater cortisol response to a standardized stressful task including a speech (Trier Social Stress Test) would be linked to speaking with less linguistic complexity during the task. We found evidence that measures of stress responsivity (emotional and physiological) and chronic stress are tied to variability in the cognitive complexity of speech. Taken together, these results provide evidence that our individual experiences of stress or “stress signatures”—how our body and mind react to stress both in the moment and over the longer term—are linked to how complex our speech under stress.
Berberine Ameliorates Experimental Autoimmune Neuritis by Suppressing both Cellular and Humoral Immunity
Authors: Li H. , Li X.‐L. , Zhang M. , Xu H. , Wang C.‐C. , Wang S. , Duan R.‐S. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractBerberine (BBR), an isoquinoline derivative alkaloid, has been extensively used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of diarrhoea, rheumatic diseases, diabetes, etc. Recent studies have demonstrated new biological properties of BBR and suggested the possibility of BBR to be a therapeutic agent for some autoimmune diseases. To explore the effect of BBR on the development of experimental autoimmune neuritis (EAN), BBR was administered intragastrically daily to Lewis rats immunized with P0 peptide 180–199 in Freund's complete adjuvant. We found BBR treatment resulted in amelioration of EAN, accompanied by suppressed lymphocyte (in particular CD4+ T cell) proliferation, downregulated Th1 (TNF‐α) and Th2 (IL‐10) cytokines and reduced anti‐P0 peptide 180–199 IgG1 and IgG2a. In brief, BBR played a role in ameliorating EAN by suppressing both cellular and humoral immunity. Thus, our study suggests that BBR may be a potential therapeutic agent for the autoimmune disease in the peripheral nervous system, such as Guillain–Barré syndrome.
A Fast Coupled Solver for Phonon Transport in Composites
Authors: Loy James M. , Vadakkepatt Ajay , Mathur Sanjay R. , Murthy Jayathi Y. 
Published: December 2013

In recent years, computational techniques for solving phonon transport have been developed under the framework of the semiclassical Boltzmann Transport Equation (BTE). Early work addressed gray transport, but more recent work has begun to resolve wave vector and polarization dependence, including that in relaxation times. Because the relaxation time in typical materials of interest spans several orders of magnitude, typical solution techniques must address an enormous range of Knudsen numbers in the same problem. Calculation procedures which solve the BTE in phase space sequentially work well in the ballistic limit, but are slow to converge in the thick limit. Unfortunately, both extremes may be encountered simultaneously in typical wave-number (K) -resolved phonon transport problems. In previous work, we developed the coupled ordinate method (COMET) to address this problem. COMET employs a point-coupled solution to resolve coupling in K-space, and embeds this point solver as a relaxation sweep in a geometric multigrid method to maintain spatial coupling. We have demonstrated speedups of up to 200 over conventional sequential solution procedures using this method. COMET also exhibits excellent scaling on multiprocessor platforms, far beyond those obtained by sequential solvers.
In this paper, we extend COMET to address interface transport in composites. Just as scattering couples phonons of different wave vectors in the bulk, reflection and transmission couple different wave vectors together at interfaces. Again, sequential solution procedures perform poorly because of the poor algorithmic coupling in K space. A computational procedure based on COMET is developed for composites, addressing multigrid agglomeration strategies to promote stronger K-space coupling at interfaces. The technique is applied to canonical superlattice geometries and superior performance over typical sequential solvers is demonstrated. Furthermore, the method is applied to realistic particle composites employing computational meshes developed from x-ray computed tomography (CT) scans of particulate beds. It is demonstrated to yield solutions where sequential solution techniques fail to converge at all.
Detailed Numerical Modeling of a Hybrid PCM-Air Heat Sink
Authors: Kozak Y. , Ziskind G. 
Published: December 2013

The ability of phase-change materials (PCMs) to absorb large amounts of heat without significant rise of their temperature during the melting process may be utilized in thermal energy storage and passive thermal management. This paper deals with numerical modeling of a hybrid PCM-air heat sink, in which heat may be either absorbed by the PCM stored in compartments with conducting walls, or dissipated to the air using fins, or both.
Under the assumptions of perfect insulation (except for the air fins), identity and symmetry between all PCM channels, and negligible 3-D boundary effects, a 2-D model of the problem for half a PCM compartment of the heat sink is solved, saving calculation time and yet taking into account the essential physical phenomena. A commercial program, ANSYS Fluent, is used in order to solve the governing conservation equations. Phase-change is solved using the enthalpy-porosity method. PCM-air interface is modeled using the volume-of-fluid (VOF) approach. The model takes into account natural convection in the liquid PCM and air, volume change, phase- and temperature-dependence of thermal properties, and PCM-air interface interaction.
Various scenarios for the hybrid heat sink operation are simulated and compared. The difference in the melting patterns is analyzed for the cases of heating with and without the fan operating. The solidification process with the fan operating is also simulated. It is shown that the VOF model enables simulating realistic void formation in the solidification process.