bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Detection of Viable but Nonculturable Cells of Listeria monocytogenes with the Use of Direct Epifluorescent Filter Technique
Authors: Olszewska Magdalena A. , Panfil‐Kuncewicz Helena , Łaniewska‐Trokenheim Łucja 
Published: November 2014

AbstractDirect epifluorescent filter technique was studied as a method to enumerate Listeria monocytogenes in artificially contaminated cheese. Occurrences of viable but nonculturable (VBNC) cells of L. monocytogenes prompted us to investigate the viability of this pathogen in hard cheese during refrigerated storage under different packaging conditions. This study compared the results of two enumeration methods: epifluorescent microscopic counting and plating. The microscopic enumeration was based on fluorescent staining with carboxyfluorescein diacetate (CFDA) for tracing cells that display metabolic activity. In this study, the L. monocytogenes persisted well throughout a prolonged storage of cheese, regardless of the packaging conditions. Based on a discrepancy between CFDA and plate count results, a dormant fraction of VBNC cells was distinguished, thus greater quantities of VBNC cells were estimated along with storage time. We conclude that direct epifluorescent filter technique may be an attractive approach for assessing bacterial viability, especially for pathogens with the ability to enter a dormant state.Practical ApplicationsListeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen with a remarkable long‐term ability to persist in a variety of ready‐to‐eat foods. The plating method for enumeration of L. monocytogenes in food is well established, but it is time consuming and relies only on cell reproduction, so that injured and nonculturable cells have no chance to be counted. As a solution, we describe a rapid method for the enumeration of L. monocytogenes in cheese using the direct epifluorescent filter technique. This method is based on fluorescent staining of cells with a metabolic activity indicator and cell counting with the help of epifluorescence microscopy. The method presented in this study allows the rapid enumeration of both active and nonculturable cells of L. monocytogenes and could be used by predictive microbiologists for precise estimation of the safety of dairy products with respect to pathogenic bacteria.
First experiences of high‐fidelity simulation training in junior nursing students in Korea
Authors: Lee Suk Jeong , Kim Sang Suk , Park Young‐Mi 
Published: November 2014

AbstractAimThis study was conducted to explore first experiences of high‐fidelity simulation training in Korean nursing students, in order to develop and establish more effective guidelines for future simulation training in Korea.MethodsThirty‐three junior nursing students participated in high‐fidelity simulation training for the first time. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, data were collected from reflective journals and questionnaires of simulation effectiveness after simulation training. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze simulation effectiveness and content analysis was performed with the reflective journal data.ResultsFive dimensions and 31 domains, both positive and negative experiences, emerged from qualitative analysis: (i) machine–human interaction in a safe environment; (ii) perceived learning capability; (iii) observational learning; (iv) reconciling practice with theory; and (v) follow‐up debriefing effect. More than 70% of students scored high on increased ability to identify changes in the patient's condition, critical thinking, decision‐making, effectiveness of peer observation, and debriefing in effectiveness of simulation.ConclusionThis study reported both positive and negative experiences of simulation. The results of this study could be used to set the level of task difficulty in simulation. Future simulation programs can be designed by reinforcing the positive experiences and modifying the negative results.
People who are transgender: mental health concerns
Authors: McCann E. 
Published: November 2014

Accessible summary
The aim of the study was to elicit the views and opinions of transgender people in relation to mental health concerns.
Four people who identified as transgender participated in semi‐structured interviews.
The main results showed that challenges existed for people around mental health issues.
Mental health nurses can play a key role in the provision of psychosocial supports to transgender people and their families.
AbstractGovernment policy makers are becoming increasingly interested in the views and experiences of people who utilize mental health services to inform rights‐based and socially inclusive health and social care initiatives. However, very little information exists in the available literature about transgender people in this regard. The current research was part of a larger mixed methods study that used surveys and in‐depth semi‐structured interviews. This paper reports on the findings from the interview data that relate to the unique mental health experiences of the people whom identified as transgender (n = 4). The data were subject to thematic analysis, and the main themes that emerged included service experiences, treatment issues, other supports, and hopes and aspirations. Participants identified challenges and opportunities for enhancing mental health service provision for transgender people and their families. Some of the highlighted concerns related to practitioner attributes and relevant psychosocial supports. Mental health nurses are well placed to use their knowledge and therapeutic skills to support people who identify as transgender and significant people in their lives.
Consulting with children in the development of self‐efficacy and recall tools related to nutrition and physical activity
Authors: Lassetter Jane H. , Ray Gaye , Driessnack Martha , Williams Mary 
Published: November 2014

AbstractPurposeThis article chronicles our efforts to develop an instrument with and for children—complete with insights, multiple iterations, and missteps along the way. The instruments we developed assess children's self‐efficacy and recall related to healthy eating and physical activity.Design and MethodsFive focus groups were held with 39 children to discuss the evolving instrument.ResultsA nine‐item self‐efficacy instrument and a 10‐item recall instrument were developed with Flesch–Kincaid grade levels of 1.8 and 4.0, respectively, which fifth graders can complete in less than 5 min.Practice ImplicationsWhen assessing children in clinical practice or research, we should use instruments that have been developed with children's feedback and are child‐centered. Without that assurance, assessment results can be questionable.
Robust Optimization Strategy for the Shortest Path Problem under Uncertain Link Travel Cost Distribution
Authors: Shahabi Mehrdad , Unnikrishnan* Avinash , Boyles Stephen D. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractThis article employs a robust optimization approach for the shortest path problem where travel cost is uncertain and exact information on the distribution function is unavailable. We show that under such conditions the robust shortest path problem can be formulated as a binary nonlinear integer program, which can then be reformulated as a mixed integer conic quadratic program. Based on this reformulation, we present an outer approximation algorithm as a solution algorithm which is shown to be highly efficient for this class of programs. Numerical experiments conducted on small to large networks further compare the robust optimization‐based strategy to the classical deterministic shortest path in terms of the uncertainty in the network.
Baccalaureate nursing students' perceptions of learning and supervision in the clinical environment
Authors: Dimitriadou Maria , Papastavrou Evridiki , Efstathiou Georgios , Theodorou Mamas 
Published: November 2014

AbstractThis study is an exploration of nursing students' experiences within the clinical learning environment (CLE) and supervision provided in hospital settings. A total of 357 second‐year nurse students from all universities in Cyprus participated in the study. Data were collected using the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher instrument. The dimension “supervisory relationship (mentor)”, as well as the frequency of individualized supervision meetings, were found to be important variables in the students' clinical learning. However, no statistically‐significant connection was established between successful mentor relationship and team supervision. The majority of students valued their mentor's supervision more highly than a nurse teacher's supervision toward the fulfillment of learning outcomes. The dimensions “premises of nursing care” and “premises of learning” were highly correlated, indicating that a key component of a quality clinical learning environment is the quality of care delivered. The results suggest the need to modify educational strategies that foster desirable learning for students in response to workplace demands.
Determination of the clinical egg allergy phenotypes using component‐resolved diagnostics
Authors: Dang Thanh D. , Mills Clare E. N. , Allen Katrina J. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractIgE‐mediated egg allergy presents as one of the most common food allergies in children and is a food which is widely consumed all over the world. Measurement of egg white‐specific IgE levels has been shown to be a poor predictor of clinical phenotypes of egg allergy, including to raw egg white, but particularly to baked or cooked egg. Egg white and yolk contain more than 20 different glycoproteins, including ovomucoid, ovalbumin, ovotransferrin, alpha‐livetin, and the newly identified Gal d 6. Recent developments in component‐resolved diagnostic technology, including microarrays, have enabled us to improve the way in which we diagnose food allergy. This technology allows us to measure specific IgE antibodies to individual egg allergens which have been highly purified. Characterization of the major egg allergens could help profile the relevant binding epitopes to each region and may also help diagnose the different clinical phenotypes of egg allergy.
Reduced neonatal regulatory T cell response to microbial stimuli associates with subsequent eczema in high‐risk infants
Authors: Ismail Intan H. , Boyle Robert J. , Mah Li‐Jeen , Licciardi Paul V. , Tang Mimi L. K. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractBackgroundRegulatory T cells (Treg) play an essential role in early immune programming and shaping the immune response towards a pro‐allergic or tolerant state. We evaluated cord blood Treg and cytokine responses to microbial and non‐microbial stimuli in infants at high risk of allergic disease and their associations with development of allergic disease in the first year.MethodsCord blood mononuclear cells from 72 neonates were cultured with toll‐like receptors (TLR2) ligands: lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and heat‐killed Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (HKL); TLR4 ligand: lipopolysaccharide (LPS); ovalbumin (OVA); anti‐CD3; or media for 48 h. Treg numbers and Treg cytokines were assessed in relation to allergic disease outcomes during the first year of life (eczema and atopic sensitization).ResultsInfants with eczema (n = 24) had reduced percentages of FoxP3hiCD25hi Treg in LTA (p = 0.01, adj p = 0.005) and HKL (p = 0.04, adj p = 0.02) stimulated cultures as well as reduced IL‐10 (p = 0.01) production following HKL stimulation compared to those without eczema (n = 48). No differences in Treg or cytokine responses to LPS, OVA or anti‐CD3 were seen. Infants who developed sensitization had lower percentages of Treg following TLR2 stimulation (but not other stimuli) compared to non‐sensitized infants.ConclusionsHigh‐risk children who develop allergic disease in the first year of life have deficient Treg responses to microbial stimuli but not allergen from the time of birth, which may contribute to failure of immune tolerance development in infancy.
Narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy starting and incremental dose in patients with psoriasis: comparison of percentage dose and fixed dose protocols
Authors: Parlak Nehir , Kundakci Nihal , Parlak Adem , Akay Bengu Nisa 
Published: November 2014

SummaryBackground/PurposeIt was aimed to investigate the ideal narrowband ultraviolet B (NB UVB) phototherapy protocol that has the maximal efficacy, minimal side effect profile, minimal cumulative UVB dose, and a shorter duration of therapy.MethodsFifty‐one patients with psoriasis vulgaris were included in the study. The patients were divided into the percentage dose (group 1) and the fixed dose groups (group 2). In group 1, the initial NB UVB dose was 50% of the minimal erythema dose and 20% of the previous dose increase made in the next sessions, and in group 2, the starting dose and the dose increases were determined based on the skin types and applied with fixed doses.ResultsPsoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 90 was achieved in 22 out of 27 (81.5%) patients in group 1, and in 19 out of 24 (79.2%) patients in group 2. The difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.82). No statistically significant difference was found between the two regimens in the cumulative NB UVB dose, side effect profile, and the number of sessions with improvement of the initial PASI score by 90% (for all data, P > 0.05).ConclusionThese two treatment protocols were not superior to each other in terms of cumulative NB UVB dose, efficacy, total number of treatment sessions, and side effect profiles.
Regression Analysis of Sparse Asynchronous Longitudinal Data
Authors: Cao Hongyuan , Zeng Donglin , Fine Jason P. 
Published: November 2014

SummaryWe consider estimation of regression models for sparse asynchronous longitudinal observations, where time-dependent responses and covariates are observed intermittently within subjects. Unlike with synchronous data, where the response and covariates are observed at the same time point, with asynchronous data, the observation times are mismatched. Simple kernel-weighted estimating equations are proposed for generalized linear models with either time invariant or time-dependent coefficients under smoothness assumptions for the covariate processes which are similar to those for synchronous data. For models with either time invariant or time-dependent coefficients, the estimators are consistent and asymptotically normal but converge at slower rates than those achieved with synchronous data. Simulation studies evidence that the methods perform well with realistic sample sizes and may be superior to a naive application of methods for synchronous data based on an ad hoc last value carried forward approach. The practical utility of the methods is illustrated on data from a study on human immunodeficiency virus.
A New Non-Parametric Stationarity Test of Time Series in the Time Domain
Authors: Jin Lei , Wang Suojin , Wang Haiyan 
Published: November 2014

SummaryWe propose a new double-order selection test for checking second-order stationarity of a time series. To develop the test, a sequence of systematic samples is defined via Walsh functions. Then the deviations of the autocovariances based on these systematic samples from the corresponding autocovariances of the whole time series are calculated and the uniform asymptotic joint normality of these deviations over different systematic samples is obtained. With a double-order selection scheme, our test statistic is constructed by combining the deviations at different lags in the systematic samples. The null asymptotic distribution of the statistic proposed is derived and the consistency of the test is shown under fixed and local alternatives. Simulation studies demonstrate well-behaved finite sample properties of the method proposed. Comparisons with some existing tests in terms of power are given both analytically and empirically. In addition, the method proposed is applied to check the stationarity assumption of a chemical process viscosity readings data set.
Sparsifying the Fisher Linear Discriminant by Rotation
Authors: Hao Ning , Dong Bin , Fan Jianqing 
Published: November 2014

Summary
Many high dimensional classification techniques have been proposed in the literature based on sparse linear discriminant analysis. To use them efficiently, sparsity of linear classifiers is a prerequisite. However, this might not be readily available in many applications, and rotations of data are required to create the sparsity needed. We propose a family of rotations to create the sparsity required. The basic idea is to use the principal components of the sample covariance matrix of the pooled samples and its variants to rotate the data first and then to apply an existing high dimensional classifier. This rotate-and-solve procedure can be combined with any existing classifiers and is robust against the level of sparsity of the true model. We show that these rotations do create the sparsity that is needed for high dimensional classifications and we provide theoretical understanding why such a rotation works empirically. The effectiveness of the method proposed is demonstrated by several simulated and real data examples, and the improvements of our method over some popular high dimensional classification rules are clearly shown.
Diabetes empowerment and needs for self‐management support among people with type 2 diabetes in a rural inland community in northern Sweden
Authors: Isaksson Ulf , Hajdarevic Senada , Abramsson MaiGreth , Stenvall Jessica , Hörnsten Åsa 
Published: November 2014

BackgroundSelf‐management among people with T2D includes being responsible for attaining a blood sugar level within the normal range, eating healthy food, exercising and following prescriptions for medication, something that may need support. In rural areas, access to health care may be limited, and support from family members becomes important.AimThe aim of this study was to describe perceptions and associations of diabetes empowerment, self‐management ability and needs of self‐management support among people with T2D in a northern rural community of Sweden.MethodPeople with T2D (n = 159) living a rural municipality in northern Sweden answered the SWE‐DES‐23 questionnaire and additional questions concerning self‐management and needs for self‐management support.ResultsA higher diabetes empowerment was associated with longer diabetes duration and support from healthcare professionals and relatives. Women rated a need for self‐management support significantly higher than men did. Nonretired persons rated a significantly higher need for self‐management support and a lower perception of support from healthcare professionals compared to retired persons. Cohabitant persons had a significantly higher perception of support from relatives and also estimated a higher need for relatives’ involvement in clinical visits compared to persons living alone. Both the newly diagnosed and also those people with a diabetes duration of 10–15 years rated a higher need for group support. Higher self‐awareness and readiness to change were apparent among people with short and long diabetes duration. Furthermore, self‐management ability, support from healthcare professionals and from relatives and lastly diabetes duration was associated with diabetes empowerment.ConclusionNot only people newly diagnosed with T2D should be offered patient‐centred group support, strengthening patient empowerment. For future, family‐focused care and education and training in person‐centred care among diabetes specialist nurses is recommended.
The Partial Linear Model in High Dimensions
Authors: Müller Patric , van de Geer Sara 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACTPartial linear models have been widely used as flexible method for modelling linear components in conjunction with non‐parametric ones. Despite the presence of the non‐parametric part, the linear, parametric part can under certain conditions be estimated with parametric rate. In this paper, we consider a high‐dimensional linear part. We show that it can be estimated with oracle rates, using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator penalty for the linear part and a smoothness penalty for the nonparametric part.
Fast Image‐Space Silhouette Extraction for Non‐Photorealistic Landscape Rendering
Authors: Mower James E. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractLandscape illustration, a core visualization technique for field geologists and geomorphologists, employs the parsimonious use of linework to represent surface structure in a straightforward and intuitive manner. Under the rubric of non‐photorealistic rendering (NPR), automated procedures in this vein render silhouettes and creases to represent, respectively, view‐dependent and view‐independent landscape features. This article presents two algorithms and implementations for rendering silhouettes from adaptive tessellations of point‐normal (PN) triangles at speeds approaching those suitable for animation. PN triangles use cubic polynomial models to provide a surface that appears smooth at any required resolution. The first algorithm, drawing on standard silhouette detection techniques in surface meshes, builds object space facet adjacencies and image space pixel adjacencies in the graphics pipeline following adaptive tessellation. The second makes exclusive use of image space analysis without referencing the underlying scene world geometry. Other than initial pre‐processing operations, recent advances in the OpenGL API allow implementations for both algorithms to be hosted entirely on the graphics processing unit (GPU), eliminating slowdowns through data transfer across the system memory bus. We show that both algorithms provide viable paths to real‐time animation of pen and ink style landscape illustrations but that the second demonstrates superior performance over the first.
Respective contributions of Arabidopsis DCL2 and DCL4 to RNA silencing
Authors: Parent Jean‐Sébastien , Bouteiller Nathalie , Elmayan Taline , Vaucheret Hervé 
Published: November 2014

SummaryDicer proteins are central to the different mechanisms involving RNA interference. Plants have evolved multiple DICER‐LIKE (DCL) copies, thus enabling functional diversification. In Arabidopsis, DCL2 and DCL4 process double‐stranded RNA into 22 and 21 nucleotide small interfering (si)RNAs, respectively, and have overlapping functions with regards to virus and transgene silencing. Nonetheless, some studies have reported that dcl2 or dcl4 single mutations are sometimes sufficient to hinder silencing. To better dissect the role of DCL2 and DCL4, we analyzed silencing kinetics and efficiencies using different transgenic systems in single and double mutant backgrounds. The results indicate that DCL2 stimulates transitivity and secondary siRNA production through DCL4 while being sufficient for silencing on its own. Notably, silencing of 35S‐driven transgenes functions more efficiently in dcl4 mutants, indicating that DCL4 mostly obscures DCL2 in wild‐type plants. Nonetheless, in a dcl4 mutant compromised in phloem‐originating silencing, ectopically expressed DCL2 allows restoration of silencing, suggesting that DCL2 is not, or poorly, expressed in phloem. Remarkably, this ectopic DCL2 contribution to phloem‐originating silencing is dependent on the activity of RNA‐DEPENDENT RNA POLYMERASE6. These results indicate that, despite differences in the silencing activity of their small RNA products, DCL2 and DCL4 mostly act redundantly yet hierarchically when present simultaneously.