bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Randomized controlled trial on the relaxation effects of back massages for puerperants on the first post‐partum day
Authors: (Nakakita) Kenyon Michiko 
Published: June 2014

AbstractAimThe purpose of this study was to investigate relaxation effects of back massage for puerperants on the first post‐partum day using physiological and subjective indicators.MethodsThis randomized controlled trial included both primiparous and multiparous groups, each of which was divided into intervention and control groups. The intervention group was given a back massage for 20 min, while the control group maintained a sitting position for 20 min. Physiological measurements included heart rate variability, parasympathetic nerve activity (high frequency, HF), sympathetic nerve activity (low frequency, LF/HF), and blood pressure. The subjective indicator was an assessment of the feeling of relaxation.ResultsThe intervention group included 27 primiparous and 26 multiparous women, and the control group included 23 primiparous and 25 multiparous women. In both primiparous and multiparous women, there were significant differences in heart rate variability and sense of relaxation between the intervention and control groups, and a partial reduction of physical symptoms was found in the intervention groups. In the multiparous women, a significant difference in HF was also observed, and beneficial effects were found in the intervention group.ConclusionA back massage is considered to be one of the effective nursing care methods with which psychological relaxation can be given to puerperants in the early part of the puerperium. The multiparous group demonstrated the relaxation effects because a significant effect was observed in heart rate, HF, and diastolic blood pressure. However, no significant difference was seen in LF/HF; therefore, further investigation of this relaxation effect using physiological indicators is warranted.
Financial Protectionism? First Evidence
Authors: ROSE ANDREW K. , WIELADEK TOMASZ 
Published: June 2014

ABSTRACTWe examine large public interventions in the financial sector, such as bank nationalizations and search for “financial protectionism,” a decrease in the quantity and/or an increase in the price of loans that banks from one country make to borrowers resident in another. We use a bank‐level panel data set spanning all U.K.‐resident banks between 1997Q3 and 2010Q1. After nationalization, foreign banks reduced their fraction of British loans by about 11% and increased their effective interest rates by about 70 basis points. In contrast, nationalized British banks did not significantly change either their loan mix or effective interest rates.
Rise of the Machines: Algorithmic Trading in the Foreign Exchange Market
Authors: CHABOUD ALAIN P. , CHIQUOINE BENJAMIN , HJALMARSSON ERIK , VEGA CLARA 
Published: June 2014

ABSTRACTWe study the impact of algorithmic trading (AT) in the foreign exchange market using a long time series of high‐frequency data that identify computer‐generated trading activity. We find that AT causes an improvement in two measures of price efficiency: the frequency of triangular arbitrage opportunities and the autocorrelation of high‐frequency returns. We show that the reduction in arbitrage opportunities is associated primarily with computers taking liquidity. This result is consistent with the view that AT improves informational efficiency by speeding up price discovery, but that it may also impose higher adverse selection costs on slower traders. In contrast, the reduction in the autocorrelation of returns owes more to the algorithmic provision of liquidity. We also find evidence consistent with the strategies of algorithmic traders being highly correlated. This correlation, however, does not appear to cause a degradation in market quality, at least not on average.
The Quality of Written Instructions for Dental Prostheses in China
Authors: Sui Lei , Wu Xueying , Wu Shuhong , Gao Ping , Li Rui 
Published: June 2014

AbstractPurposeTo investigate the quality of written instructions for dental prostheses in China, including metal‐ceramic fixed restorations and removable partial dentures (RPDs).Materials and MethodsA total of 1600 prepiloted questionnaires were distributed to five major commercial dental laboratories in different regions in China. The opinions of dental technicians on the written instructions provided by dentists were investigated. In addition, this study also revealed the technicians’ responses to poorly written instructions.ResultsSeven percent of the written instructions clarified the disinfection status of the impressions or casts, while 32% of the instructions provided general patient information (e.g., gender and age). In cases of metal‐ceramic fixed restorations, percentages of written instructions specifying shade, ceramic veneering area, and margin design were 72%, 20%, and 9%, respectively. In fixed partial denture cases, 60% of written instructions provided the number of pontics, while 22% specified the pontic design. In the case of RPDs, 90% of instructions showed the type and position of clasps, 88% provided connector design, while 68% mentioned information regarding the artificial teeth. Dental technicians claimed that 78% of the written instructions involved were inadequately prescribed to some extent, but only about one‐third of them would contact dentists for clarification.ConclusionsWritten instructions are not well prescribed in many cases. This situation may jeopardize the quality of prosthodontic treatment. It is necessary to shape responsible policy and mandatory professional guidelines for prosthodontic treatment procedures including dental laboratory services.
The Importance of Perceived Care and Connectedness with Friends and Parents for Adolescent Social Anxiety
Authors: Van Zalk Nejra , Van Zalk Maarten 
Published: June 2014

AbstractNonclinical social anxiety in adolescence can be highly problematic, as it likely affects current and especially new social interactions. Relationships with significant others, such as close friends, mothers, and fathers, could aid socially anxious adolescents’ participation in social situations, thereby helping reduce feelings of social anxiety. We examined whether making friends as well as high friendship quality help reduce social anxiety over time, and whether friends’, mothers’, and fathers’ care interact in reducing social anxiety. Using longitudinal data from 2,194 participants in a social network (48% girls; Mage = 13.58) followed for 3 years, we estimated friendship selection and influence processes via a continuous time‐modeling approach using SIENA. We controlled for the effects of depressive symptoms, self‐esteem, gender, age, and family structure. Our findings suggest that perceived care by friends mediated the effect of making friends on social anxiety. Perceptions of mother and father, as well as friend care and connectedness, respectively, did not interact in decreasing social anxiety. Nonetheless, care and connectedness with mothers, fathers, and friends jointly predicted decreases in social anxiety. Caring relationships with friends and parents each play a role in mutually protecting early adolescents against increasing in social anxiety over time.
Reappraising Past and Future Transitional Events: The Effects of Mental Focus on Present Perceptions of Personal Impact and Self‐Relevance
Authors: Boucher Chantal M. , Scoboria Alan 
Published: June 2014

AbstractThis research examined how instructions to focus on the concrete details (experience focus) versus broader life significance (coherence focus) influence present perceptions of transitional impact and self‐relevance for past and future transitional events.Participants (Study 1,N = 119; Study 2,N = 251) selected a past or future transition and wrote about it using either an experiential or coherence focus. Participants then rated the event on transitional impact, self‐relevance, and other phenomenological characteristics.Individuals instructed to use a coherence focus on a past transition reported higher levels of material and psychological impact and rated the event as more self‐relevant, compared to those instructed to use an experiential focus. The manipulation did not influence ratings for future events. Controlling for temporal distance and emotional valence did not alter the findings. Future transitions were regarded as more personally important than past transitions.Appraisals of the impact and self‐relevance of transformative past events (but not future events) are affected by the mental focus adopted at retrieval. The findings are considered in light of essential differences between remembering and forecasting and support the notion that a coherence focus promotes adaptive self‐reflection by affording people the cognitive means with which to reconcile transitional experiences.
Invasive group A streptococcal infection in the Northern Territory, Australia: Case report and review of the literature
Authors: Middleton Bianca , Morris Peter , Carapetis Jonathan 
Published: June 2014

AbstractThe increasing incidence of invasive group A streptococcus has been well documented in the temperate climates of North America, Europe and the United Kingdom. Studies also suggest that there are high rates of invasive group A streptococcus infection within the indigenous population of Northern Australia. This review article presents the case of infant Aboriginal twins with invasive group A streptococcal infection complicated by streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, highlighting both the severity and high transmissibility of invasive group A streptococcal disease. We review the epidemiology of group A streptococcal infection and suggest a potential role for chemoprophylaxis of household contacts to reduce the burden of disease within the indigenous population of Northern Australia.
Effectiveness of nurse home visiting for families in rural South Australia
Authors: Sawyer Michael G , Pfeiffer Sara , Sawyer Alyssa , Bowering Kerrie , Jeffs Debra , Lynch John 
Published: June 2014

AimTo evaluate the effectiveness of a 2‐year post‐natal home‐visiting programme delivered by nurses to socially disadvantaged mothers in rural regions of South Australia.MethodsThe intervention group consisted of 225 mothers who lived in rural regions and enrolled in the programme between 2010 and 2012. The comparison group consisted of 239 mothers who lived in rural areas between 2008 and 2009 when the programme was not yet available. All participants were eligible for enrolment in the home‐visiting programme. Participants in both groups were assessed at baseline (mean child age = 15.2 weeks, SD = 2.4), prior to programme enrolment, and again when children were aged 9, 18 and 24 months. Outcomes were evaluated using the Parent Stress Index, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Child Behaviour Checklist, and MacArthur Communicative Developmental Inventory.ResultsDuring the follow‐up period, there was little difference in the pattern of scores across the two groups. Mixed models adjusting for baseline differences between the groups did not identify any significant Group × Time interactions. This suggests that the linear trajectories of scores on outcomes did not differ significantly between the two groups.ConclusionsFindings suggest that the home‐visiting programme did not have a measurable effect on maternal or child outcomes. However, the programme was relatively early in its rollout, and the greater challenges of recruitment, training and support, along with rural nurses’ broader responsibilities for delivering other maternal and child health services, may explain why effects seen in the metropolitan area were not evident in rural regions.
Ramularia coleosporii, a Hyperparasite on Coleosporium plumeriae in India
Authors: Baiswar Pankaj , Ngachan Shishomvanao , Chandra Satish 
Published: June 2014

AbstractDuring a survey of fungal plant diseases, parasitized uredinial pustules of Coleosporium plumeriae were observed in Umiam, Meghalaya, India. Microscopic examination was conducted using light and scanning electron microscopy which revealed the occurrence of the hyperparasitic hyphomycete Ramularia coleosporii. Molecular characterization using the ITS1‐5.8S‐ITS2 region of nrDNA also confirmed our results. This is the first record of R. coleosporii on C. plumeriae from India.
Direct access to midlevel dental providers: an evidence synthesis
Authors: Brocklehurst Paul , Mertz Beth , Jerković‐Ćosić Katarina , Littlewood Anne , Tickle Martin 
Published: June 2014

AbstractObjectivesDirect access is a term that describes the ability of patients to seek health care from midlevel dental providers (MLDPs) without first seeing a dentist. The objective of this study was to synthesize the evidence for the effects and costs of direct access to MLDPs in a primary dental care environment and assess the attitudes of various stakeholders to this method of care delivery.MethodsThe literature was examined for descriptive, observational, and experimental study designs to examine the evidence for direct access in dentistry. Electronic searches were undertaken of the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness, bibliographic subscription databases, open access databases, and the gray literature.ResultsThe search identified 371 records, although the extent of experimental evidence was limited. The majority of included studies were descriptive and recorded the subjective views of different stakeholders, following the introduction of the policy.ConclusionsThe limited extent of experimental evidence regarding direct access to MLDPs contrasts with their widespread use across Europe, the United States, and the southern hemisphere. Suggestions are made for a research program to improve the evidence base for direct access.
Da-Chaihu-Tang alters the pharmacokinetics of nifedipine in rats and a treatment regimen to avoid this
Authors: He Ju-Xiu , Ohno Kenji , Tang Jun , Hattori Masao , Tani Tadato , Akao Teruaki 
Published: June 2014

Abstract

Objectives
To investigate the influence of co-administrated Da-Chaihu-Tang (DCT; a traditional Chinese formulation) on the pharmacokinetics of nifedipine, as well as the safe optimal dosing interval to avoid the adverse interactions.

Methods
A single dose of DCT was administered with nifedipine simultaneously, 2 h before, 30 min before or 30 min after nifedipine administration. Pharmacokinetics of nifedipine with or without DCT were compared. The influences of DCT on nifedipine intestinal mucosal and hepatic metabolism were studied by using rat in-vitro everted jejunal sac model and hepatic microsomes.

Key findings
A simultaneous co-administration of DCT significantly increased the area under concentration-time curve from time zero to infinity (AUC0-inf) of nifedipine. In-vitro mechanism investigations revealed that DCT inhibited both the intestinal and the hepatic metabolism of nifedipine. Further study on the optimal dosing interval for nifedipine and DCT revealed that administration of DCT 30 min before or after nifedipine did not significantly change the AUC of nifedipine.

Conclusions
The bioavailability of nifedipine is significantly increased by a simultaneous oral co-administration of DCT. This increase is caused by the inhibitory effect of DCT on both the intestinal mucosal and the hepatic metabolism of nifedipine. The dose interval between DCT and nifedipine needs to be set for over 30 min to avoid such drug–drug interactions.
In vitro and in vivo evaluations of the performance of an indirubin derivative, formulated in four different self-emulsifying drug delivery systems
Authors: Heshmati Nasim , Cheng Xinlai , Dapat Else , Sassene Philip , Eisenbrand Gerhard , Fricker Gert , Müllertz Anette 
Published: June 2014

Abstract

Objectives
Anticancer indirubins are poorly soluble in water. Here, digestion of four self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) containing E804 (indirubin-3′-oxime 2,3-dihydroxypropyl ether) was compared by dynamic lipolysis and bioavailability studies. Used lipids were either medium-chain or long-chain glycerides.

Methods
SEDDS E804 were developed. In-vitro lipolysis was carried out at pH 6.5 (37°C) by adding pancreatic lipase (800 U/ml) and controlling by CaCl2 and NaOH addition. E804 content was quantified in the aqueous micellar phase and precipitate using HPLC. Oral bioavailability was determined in rats. Plasma drug content was determined by liquid chromatography (LC)–mass spectrometry.

Key findings
All formulations reserved E804 in the aqueous micellar phase up to 60 min. Precipitation proceeded towards the end of lipolysis up to 45%. Lowest level of precipitation (21%) occurred with long-chain lipids (LC-SEDDS). However, lipolysis was not really discriminative between formulations as the drug mainly stayed in solution. Oral administration of formulations resulted in similar bioavailability of E804 with no significantly different area under the concentration curve. Only medium-chain self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems revealed shorter Tmax compared with the other formulations.

Conclusion
E804 had a similar performance in four lipid/surfactant systems. All formulations increased the bioavailability of E804 with no significant difference.
Different speciation for bromine in brown and red algae, revealed by in vivo X‐ray absorption spectroscopic studies
Authors: Küpper Frithjof C. , Leblanc Catherine , Meyer‐Klaucke Wolfram , Potin Philippe , Feiters Martin C. 
Published: June 2014

Members of various algal lineages are known to be strong producers of atmospherically relevant halogen emissions, that is a consequence of their capability to store and metabolize halogens. This study uses a noninvasive, synchrotron‐based technique, X‐ray absorption spectroscopy, for addressing in vivo bromine speciation in the brown algae Ectocarpus siliculosus, Ascophyllum nodosum, and Fucus serratus, the red algae Gracilaria dura, G. gracilis, Chondrus crispus, Osmundea pinnatifida, Asparagopsis armata, Polysiphonia elongata, and Corallina officinalis, the diatom Thalassiosira rotula, the dinoflagellate Lingulodinium polyedrum and a natural phytoplankton sample. The results highlight a diversity of fundamentally different bromine storage modes: while most of the stramenopile representatives and the dinoflagellate store mostly bromide, there is evidence for Br incorporated in nonaromatic hydrocarbons in Thalassiosira. Red algae operate various organic bromine stores – including a possible precursor (by the haloform reaction) for bromoform in Asparagopsis and aromatically bound Br in Polysiphonia and Corallina. Large fractions of the bromine in the red algae G. dura and C. crispus and the brown alga F. serratus are present as Br− defects in solid KCl, similar to what was reported earlier for Laminaria parts. These results are discussed according to different defensive strategies that are used within algal taxa to cope with biotic or abiotic stresses.
The rich and the sensitive: diverse fungal communities change functionally with the warming Arctic
Authors: Jumpponen Ari , Brown Shawn P. 
Published: June 2014

Fungi are very abundant and functionally pivotal in Arctic terrestrial ecosystems. Yet, our understanding of their community composition, diversity and particularly their environmental drivers is superficial at the very best. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Timling et al. () describe perhaps one of the most comprehensive and geographically ambitious molecular studies on Arctic fungal communities to date. The results highlight the potential sensitivity of the fungal communities to plant communities, environmental conditions and therefore to environmental change. Thus, these studies lay a foundation to educated speculation on the fungal community migration northwards as a result of predicted climate change.
CarD integrates three functional modules to promote efficient transcription, antibiotic tolerance, and pathogenesis in mycobacteria
Authors: Garner Ashley L. , Weiss Leslie A. , Manzano Ana Ruiz , Galburt Eric A. , Stallings Christina L. 
Published: June 2014

SummaryAlthough the basic mechanisms of prokaryotic transcription are conserved, it has become evident that some bacteria require additional factors to allow for efficient gene transcription. CarD is an RNA polymerase (RNAP)‐binding protein conserved in numerous bacterial species and essential in mycobacteria. Despite the importance of CarD, its function at transcription complexes remains unclear. We have generated a panel of mutations that individually target three independent functional modules of CarD: the RNAP interaction domain, the DNA‐binding domain, and a conserved tryptophan residue. We have dissected the roles of each functional module in CarD activity and built a model where each module contributes to stabilizing RNAP–promoter complexes. Our work highlights the requirement of all three modules of CarD in the obligate pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but not in Mycobacterium smegmatis. We also report divergent use of the CarD functional modules in resisting oxidative stress and pigmentation. These studies provide new information regarding the functional domains involved in transcriptional regulation by CarD while also improving understanding of the physiology of M. tuberculosis.
Evolution of hypervirulence by a MRSA clone through acquisition of a transposable element
Authors: Benson Meredith A. , Ohneck Elizabeth A. , Ryan Chanelle , Alonzo Francis , Smith Hannah , Narechania Apurva , Kolokotronis Sergios‐Orestis , Satola Sarah W. , Uhlemann Anne‐Catrin , Sebra Robert , Deikus Gintaras , Shopsin Bo , Planet Paul J. , Torres Victor J. 
Published: June 2014

SummaryStaphylococcus aureus has evolved as a pathogen that causes a range of diseases in humans. There are two dominant modes of evolution thought to explain most of the virulence differences between strains. First, virulence genes may be acquired from other organisms. Second, mutations may cause changes in the regulation and expression of genes. Here we describe an evolutionary event in which transposition of an IS element has a direct impact on virulence gene regulation resulting in hypervirulence. Whole‐genome analysis of a methicillin‐resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strain USA500 revealed acquisition of a transposable element (IS256) that is absent from close relatives of this strain. Of the multiple copies of IS256 found in the USA500 genome, one was inserted in the promoter sequence of repressor of toxins (Rot), a master transcriptional regulator responsible for the expression of virulence factors in S. aureus. We show that insertion into the rot promoter by IS256 results in the derepression of cytotoxin expression and increased virulence. Taken together, this work provides new insight into evolutionary strategies by which S. aureus is able to modify its virulence properties and demonstrates a novel mechanism by which horizontal gene transfer directly impacts virulence through altering toxin regulation.