bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The provision of weight management advice: An investigation into occupational therapy practice
Authors: Lang Jessica , James Carole , Ashby Samantha , Plotnifkoff Ronald , Guest Maya , Kable Ashley , Collins Clare , Snodgrass Suzanne 
Published: October 2013

Background/aimObesity affects more than half the Australian population and has become epidemic throughout the world. Little is known regarding occupational therapy interventions with clients who are overweight or obese. This study aimed to identify occupational therapy practice in relation to the provision of weight management. This was part of a larger study investigating health professional practice.MethodsA cross‐sectional study design using a self‐administered, purpose‐designed survey was employed to identify the current practices of occupational therapists working in a regional area of New South Wales, Australia. Participants were recruited via email or mail as publically available.ResultsFifty‐one occupational therapists anonymously completed the survey. Results revealed that 53% (n = 26) of respondents did not consider weight management to be within their scope of practice or their workplace role description. The most common intervention was the provision of physical activity advice (65.2%; n = 30). Dietary advice was provided by 20.8% (n = 10), while 77% (n = 32) referred onto dietitian services. During entry‐level occupational therapy education, only 7.8% (n = 4) had received weight management advice education. Completion of postgraduate professional development training in this area was reported by 14% (n = 7) of respondents.ConclusionThis study provides insight into the current practices of Australian occupational therapists in relation to the provision of weight management advice. This research displays a need to acknowledge both a generic and a discipline‐specific role for the provision of healthy lifestyle interventions. This may be achieved through better access to education during entry‐level programmes and in the workplace.
Aberrant Rac1–mineralocorticoid receptor pathways in salt‐sensitive hypertension
Authors: Kawarazaki Wakako , Fujita Toshiro 
Published: October 2013

Summary

According to Guyton's model, impaired renal sodium excretion plays a key role in the increased salt sensitivity of blood pressure (BP). Several factors contribute to impaired renal sodium excretion, including the sympathetic nervous system, the renin–angiotensin system and aldosterone. Accumulating evidence suggests that abnormalities in aldosterone and its receptor (i.e. the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR)) are involved in the development of salt‐sensitive (SS) hypertension.

Patients with metabolic syndrome often exhibit hyperaldosteronism and are susceptible to SS hypertension. Aldosterone secretion from the adrenal glands is not suppressed in obese hypertensive rats fed a high‐salt diet because of the abundant production of adipocyte‐derived aldosterone‐releasing factors, which are independent of the negative feedback regulation of aldosterone secretion by the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system. Increased plasma aldosterone levels lead to SS hypertension via MR activation in the kidney.

Renal MR activity is increased in Dahl salt‐sensitive rats fed a high‐salt diet, despite the appropriate suppression of plasma aldosterone levels. In this rat strain, activation of MR in the distal nephron causes salt‐induced hypertension. This paradoxical response of the MR to salt loading can be attributed to activation of Rac1, a small GTPase. In the presence of aldosterone, activated Rac1 synergistically and directly activates MR in a ligand‐independent manner. Thus, Rac1 activation in the kidney determines the salt sensitivity of BP. Together, the available evidence suggests that the aberrant Rac1–MR pathway plays a key role in the development of SS hypertension.
Measuring up to speech intelligibility
Authors: Miller Nick 
Published: October 2013

AbstractImprovement or maintenance of speech intelligibility is a central aim in a whole range of conditions in speech–language therapy, both developmental and acquired. Best clinical practice and pursuance of the evidence base for interventions would suggest measurement of intelligibility forms a vital role in clinical decision‐making and monitoring. However, what should be measured to gauge intelligibility and how this is achieved and relates to clinical planning continues to be a topic of debate. This review considers the strengths and weaknesses of selected clinical approaches to intelligibility assessment, stressing the importance of explanatory, diagnostic testing as both a more sensitive and a clinically informative method. The worth of this, and any approach, is predicated, though, on awareness and control of key design, elicitation, transcription and listening/listener variables to maximize validity and reliability of assessments. These are discussed. A distinction is drawn between signal‐dependent and ‐independent factors in intelligibility evaluation. Discussion broaches how these different perspectives might be reconciled to deliver comprehensive insights into intelligibility levels and their clinical/educational significance. The paper ends with a call for wider implementation of best practice around intelligibility assessment.
Secreted single‐stranded DNA is involved in the initial phase of biofilm formation by Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Authors: Zweig Maria , Schork Sabine , Koerdt Andrea , Siewering Katja , Sternberg Claus , Thormann Kai , Albers Sonja‐Verena , Molin Søren , van der Does Chris 
Published: October 2013

SummaryNeisseria gonorrhoeae is an obligate human pathogen that colonizes the genital tract and causes gonorrhoea. Neisseria gonorrhoeae can form biofilms during natural cervical infections, on glass and in continuous flow‐chamber systems. These biofilms contain large amounts of extracellular DNA, which plays an important role in biofilm formation. Many clinical isolates contain a gonococcal genetic island that encodes a type IV secretion system (T4SS). The T4SS of N. gonorrhoeae strain MS11 secretes ssDNA directly into the medium. Biofilm formation, studied in continuous flow‐chamber systems by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), was strongly reduced, especially in the initial phases of biofilm formation, in the presence of Exonuclease I, which specifically degrades ssDNA or in a ΔtraB strain that does not secrete ssDNA. To specifically detect ssDNA in biofilms using CLSM, a novel method was developed in which thermostable fluorescently labelled ssDNA‐ and ss/dsDNA‐binding proteins were used to visualize ssDNA and total DNA in biofilms and planktonic cultures. Remarkably, mainly dsDNA was detected in biofilms of the ssDNA secreting strain. We conclude that the secreted ssDNA facilitates initial biofilm formation, but that the secreted ssDNA is not retained in mature biofilms.
Clustering, persistence and control of a pollinator brood disease: epidemiology ofAmerican foulbrood
Authors: Mill Aileen C. , Rushton Steven P , Shirley Mark D. F. , Smith Graham C. , Mason Phil , Brown Mike A. , Budge Giles E. 
Published: October 2013

SummaryAmerican foulbrood (AFB), caused byPaenibacillus larvae, is the most damaging bacterial brood disease of the honeybee (Apis mellifera), causing colony deaths on all continents where honeybees are managed.AFBhas been a persistent problem in theUKfor over 70 years, with a fluctuating number of cases discovered annually. Once diseased colonies are identified, they are destroyed to reduce pathogen spread. We investigated the pattern ofAFBcases recorded over the period 1994 to 2012 using spatial‐statistical approaches, with a view to identifying the nature of spread acrossEngland andWales. Our results indicated thatAFBexhibits significant spatial aggregation at distances from 10 to 30 km, with aggregations lasting between 1 and 5 years. Kernel smoothing indicated areas of elevated relative risk in different years, and these were further detailed by spatial‐scan statistics. We identified disease clusters and successfully estimated their size, location and duration. The majority of clusters did not persist in all years, indicating that management measures may lead to localized extinction of the disease. Whilst less common, persistent clusters likely indicate potential endemic or exotic risk points. The application of robust epidemiological approaches to improve the control ofAFBis discussed.
Black truffle‐associated bacterial communities during the development and maturation of Tuber melanosporum ascocarps and putative functional roles
Authors: Antony‐Babu Sanjay , Deveau Aurélie , Van Nostrand Joy D. , Zhou Jizhong , Le Tacon François , Robin Christophe , Frey‐Klett Pascale , Uroz Stéphane 
Published: October 2013

SummaryAlthough truffles are cultivated since decades, their life cycle and the conditions stimulating ascocarp formation still remain mysterious. A role for bacteria in the development of several truffle species has been suggested but few is known regarding the natural bacterial communities of Périgord Black truffle. Thus, the aim of this study was to decipher the structure and the functional potential of the bacterial communities associated to the Black truffle in the course of its life cycle and along truffle maturation. A polyphasic approach combining 454‐pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene, TTGE, in situ hybridization and functional GeoChip 3.0 revealed that Black truffle ascocarps provide a habitat to complex bacterial communities that are clearly differentiated from those of the surrounding soil and the ectomycorrhizosphere. The composition of these communities is dynamic and evolves during the maturation of the ascocarps with an enrichment of specific taxa and a differentiation of the gleba and peridium‐associated bacterial communities. Genes related to nitrogen and sulphur cycling were enriched in the ascocarps. Together, these data paint a new picture of the interactions existing between truffle and bacteria and of the potential role of these bacteria in truffle maturation.
Soil water flow is a source of the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae in subalpine headwaters
Authors: Monteil Caroline L. , Lafolie François , Laurent Jimmy , Clement Jean‐Christophe , Simler Roland , Travi Yves , Morris Cindy E. 
Published: October 2013

SummaryThe airborne plant pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae is ubiquitous in headwaters, snowpack and precipitation where its populations are genetically and phenotypically diverse. Here, we assessed its population dynamics during snowmelt in headwaters of the French Alps. We revealed a continuous and significant transport of P. syringae by these waters in which the population density is correlated with water chemistry. Via in situ observations and laboratory experiments, we validated that P. syringae is effectively transported with the snow melt and rain water infiltrating through the soil of subalpine grasslands, leading to the same range of concentrations as measured in headwaters (102–105 CFU l−1). A population structure analysis confirmed the relatedness between populations in percolated water and those above the ground (i.e. rain, leaf litter and snowpack). However, the transport study in porous media suggested that water percolation could have different efficiencies for different strains of P. syringae. Finally, leaching of soil cores incubated for up to 4 months at 8°C showed that indigenous populations of P. syringae were able to survive in subalpine soil under cold temperature. This study brings to light the underestimated role of hydrological processes involved in the long distance dissemination of P. syringae.
Becoming a Slum: From Municipal Colony to Illegal Settlement in Liberalization‐Era Mumbai
Authors: Björkman Lisa 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThis article argues that the transformation of a Mumbai neighborhood from municipal housing colony into illegal slum has been facilitated by the politically mediated deterioration and criminalization of its water infrastructure in the context of liberalization‐era policy shifts. These policy shifts hinge upon a conceptual binary that posits the unplanned, illegal and informal ‘slum’ as the self‐evident conceptual counterpoint to a planned, formal, ‘world‐class’ city. The story of Shivajinagar‐Bainganwadi problematizes this assumption by evidencing the deeply political and highly unstable nature of this binary — and thus insists upon an account of the shifting political and economic stakes imbued in these categories. The case of Shivajinagar‐Bainganwadi reveals that the neighborhood's emergence as an illegal slum has been mediated by the liberalization‐era politics that have come to infuse the neighborhood's water pipes — dynamics that have produced the illegality/informality of the neighborhood as a discursive effect.
Diversification by Urbanization: Tracing the Property‐Finance Nexus in Dubai and the Gulf
Authors: Buckley Michelle , Hanieh Adam 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThis article explores the role of liberalized real estate markets in shaping financial‐sector development in the Arab Gulf region. Since 2001, record oil revenues and the inflow of repatriated wealth into the region have generated immense demand for new, productive destinations for surplus capital. Gulf Cooperation Council states have subsequently undergone rapid growth that is intimately tied to the regulatory transformation of urban real estate markets and the circulation of surplus capital from oil rents to the ‘secondary circuit’ of the built environment. With an emphasis on the city of Dubai, we employ the notion of diversification by urbanization to trace the re‐regulation of real estate markets and highlight how these strategies have subsequently shaped Gulf financial markets. Through an examination of the impacts of real estate mega‐project development on local banking credit, equities and Islamic financial markets, we reframe recent urbanization in the region as a process of financial re‐engineering, and identify the emergence of capital groups whose accumulation activities are tightly connected to both the real estate and financial circuit.
Effect of concentrated plum juice on physicochemical and sensory properties of yoghurt made at bench top scale
Authors: Hernández‐Herrero José A , Frutos María J 
Published: October 2013

Yoghurt with 9% (v/v) of plum juice concentrate (PJC) was stored for 24 days in darkness at 6 °C. Titratable acidity and pH were similar in all samples during storage. The firmness was in the range of 1.7–2.3 N and correlated with total solids of the mixes (R2 = 0.982). The sample with PJC and 5.33% (w/v) nonfat dry milk had the highest firmness and the weakest creaminess. The colour in PJC yoghurt was stable during the first seven days of storage. In the ranking test for acceptability, there were no significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) between the yoghurts.
Accountable Care Organizations in the United States: Market and Demographic Factors Associated with Formation
Authors: Lewis Valerie A. , Colla Carrie H. , Carluzzo Kathleen L. , Kler Sarah E. , Fisher Elliott S. 
Published: October 2013

BackgroundThe Accountable Care Organization (ACO) model is rapidly being implemented by Medicare, private payers, and states, but little is known about the scope of ACO implementation.ObjectiveTo determine the number of accountable care organizations in the United States, where they are located, and characteristics associated with ACO formation.Study Design, Methods, and DataCross‐sectional study of all ACOs in the United States as of August 2012. We identified ACOs from multiple sources; documented service locations (practices, clinics, hospitals); and linked service locations to local areas, defined as Dartmouth Atlas hospital service areas. We used multivariate analysis to assess what characteristics were associated with local ACO presence. We examined demographic characteristics (2010 American Community Survey) and health care system characteristics (2010 Medicare fee‐for‐service claims data).Principal FindingsWe identified 227 ACOs located in 27 percent of local areas. Fifty‐five percent of the US population resides in these areas. HSA‐level characteristics associated with ACO presence include higher performance on quality, higher Medicare per capita spending, fewer primary care physician groups, greater managed care penetration, lower poverty rates, and urban location.ConclusionsMuch of the US population resides in areas where ACOs have been established. ACO formation has taken place where it may be easier to meet quality and cost targets. Wider adoption of the ACO model may require tailoring to local context.
Massachusetts Coverage Expansion Associated with Reduction in Primary Care Utilization among Medicare Beneficiaries
Authors: Bond Amelia M. , White Chapin 
Published: October 2013

ObjectiveTo examine whether expanding coverage for the nonelderly affects primary care utilization among Medicare beneficiaries.Data SourceZip code–level files from Dartmouth Atlas for Massachusetts and surrounding states, including Medicare utilization for 2005 (pre expansion) and 2007 (post expansion), and health insurance coverage for 2005.Study DesignWe use two zip code–level outcomes: arc percent change in primary care visits per Medicare beneficiary per year, and percentage point change in the share of beneficiaries with one or more primary care visits. We use a regression‐based difference‐in‐difference analysis that compares Massachusetts with surrounding states, and zip codes with high, medium, and low uninsurance rates in 2005. The 2005 uninsurance rates correspond to the size of Massachusetts' coverage expansion. We use propensity scores for identification of comparable zip codes and for weighting.Principal FindingsIn areas of Massachusetts with the highest uninsurance rates—where insurance expansion had the largest impact—visits per beneficiary fell 6.9 percent (p < .001) relative to areas of Massachusetts with the smallest uninsurance rates.ConclusionsThe expansion of coverage for the nonelderly reduced primary care visits, but it did not reduce the percent of beneficiaries with at least one visit. These results could imply restricted access, increased efficiency, or some blend.
Community Health Center Efficiency: The Role of Grant Revenues in Health Center Efficiency
Authors: Amico Peter R. , Chilingerian Jon A. , van Hasselt Martijn 
Published: October 2013

ObjectiveTo test the relationship between external environments, organizational characteristics, and technical efficiency in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). We tested the relationship between grant revenue and technical efficiency in FQHCs.Data Sources/Study DesignSecondary data were collected in each year from the Uniform Data System (UDS) on 644 eligible U.S.‐based FQHCs between 2005 and 2007. The study employs a retrospective longitudinal cohort design with instrumental variables.Principal FindingsIncreased grant revenues did not increase the probability that a health center would be on the efficiency frontier. However, increased grant revenues had a negative association with technical efficiency for health centers that were not fully efficient.ConclusionIf all health centers were operating efficiently, anywhere from 39 to 45 million patient encounters could have been delivered instead of the actual total of 29 million in 2007. Policy makers should consider tying grant revenues to performance indicators, and future work is needed to understand the mechanisms through which diseconomies of scale are present in FQHCs.
Breast Cancer Screening, Area Deprivation, and Later‐Stage Breast Cancer in Appalachia: Does Geography Matter?
Authors: Anderson Roger T. , Yang Tse‐Chang , Matthews Stephen A. , Camacho Fabian , Kern Teresa , Mackley Heath B. , Kimmick Gretchen , Louis Christopher , Lengerich Eugene , Yao Nengliang 
Published: October 2013

ObjectiveTo model the relationship of an area‐based measure of a breast cancer screening and geographic area deprivation on the incidence of later stage breast cancer (LSBC) across a diverse region of Appalachia.Data SourceCentral cancer registry data (2006–2008) from three Appalachian states were linked to Medicare claims and census data.Study DesignExploratory spatial analysis preceded the statistical model based on negative binomial regression to model predictors and effect modification by geographic subregions.Principal FindingsExploratory spatial analysis revealed geographically varying effects of area deprivation and screening on LSBC. In the negative binomial regression model, predictors of LSBC included receipt of screening, area deprivation, supply of mammography centers, and female population aged >75 years. The most deprived counties had a 3.31 times greater rate of LSBC compared to the least deprived. Effect of screening on LSBC was significantly stronger in northern Appalachia than elsewhere in the study region, found mostly for high‐population counties.ConclusionsBreast cancer screening and area deprivation are strongly associated with disparity in LBSC in Appalachia. The presence of geographically varying predictors of later stage tumors in Appalachia suggests the importance of place‐based health care access and risk.
Auditor Choice in Politically Connected Firms
Authors: GUEDHAMI OMRANE , PITTMAN JEFFREY A. , SAFFAR WALID 
Published: October 2013

ABSTRACTWe extend recent research on the links between political connections and financial reporting by examining the role of auditor choice. Our evidence that public firms with political connections are more likely to appoint a Big 4 auditor supports the intuition that insiders in these firms are eager to improve accounting transparency to convince outside investors that they refrain from exploiting their connections to divert corporate resources. In evidence consistent with another prediction, we find that this link is stronger for connected firms with ownership structures conducive to insiders seizing private benefits at the expense of minority investors. We also find that the relation between political connections and auditor choice is stronger for firms operating in countries with relatively poor institutional infrastructure, implying that tough external monitoring by Big 4 auditors becomes more valuable for preventing diversion in these situations. Finally, we report that connected firms with Big 4 auditors exhibit less earnings management and enjoy greater transparency, higher valuations, and cheaper equity financing.
Why keep lions instead of livestock? Assessing wildlife tourism‐based payment for ecosystem services involving herders in the Maasai Mara, Kenya
Authors: Osano Philip M. , Said Mohammed Y. , de Leeuw Jan , Ndiwa Nicholas , Kaelo Dickson , Schomers Sarah , Birner Regina , Ogutu Joseph O. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThis paper examines the effects of wildlife tourism‐based payments for ecosystem services (PES) on poverty, wealth inequality and the livelihoods of herders in the Maasai Mara Ecosystem in south‐western Kenya. It uses the case of Olare Orok Conservancy PES programme in which pastoral landowners have agreed to voluntary resettlement and exclusion of livestock grazing from their sub‐divided lands. These lands are set aside for wildlife tourism, in return for direct monetary payments by a coalition of five commercial tourism operators. Results show that, on the positive side, PES is the most equitable income source that promotes income diversification and buffers households from the livestock income declines during periods of severe drought, such as in 2008‐2009. Without accounting for the opportunity costs, the magnitude of the PES cash transfer to households is, on average, sufficient to close the poverty gap. The co‐benefits of PES implementation include the creation of employment opportunities in the conservancy and provision of social services. There is however a need to mitigate the negative effects of PES, including the widening inequality in income between PES and non‐PES households and the leakages resulting from the displacement of settlements and livestock to currently un‐subdivided pastoral commons.