bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Disrespect and abuse during facility‐based childbirth in a low‐income country
Authors: Okafor Innocent I. , Ugwu Emmanuel O. , Obi Samuel N. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractObjectiveTo determine the prevalence and pattern of disrespectful and abusive care during facility‐based childbirth in Enugu, southeastern Nigeria.MethodsA questionnaire‐based, cross‐sectional study was undertaken at Enugu State University Teaching Hospital between May 1 and August 31, 2012. Women accessing immunization services for their newborns were eligible when they had delivered in the previous 6 weeks and had received prenatal care and delivery services at the hospital. The main outcome was the proportion of women who had experienced disrespectful and abusive care during their last childbirth.ResultsIn total, 437 (98.0%) of 446 respondents reported at least one form of disrespectful and abusive care during their last childbirth. Non‐consented services and physical abuse were the most common types of disrespectful and abusive care during facility‐based childbirth, affecting 243 (54.5%) and 159 (35.7%) respondents, respectively. Non‐dignified care was reported by 132 (29.6%) women, abandonment/neglect during childbirth by 130 (29.1%), non‐confidential care by 116 (26.0%), detention in the health facility by 98 (22.0%), and discrimination by 89 (20.0%).ConclusionDisrespect and abuse during childbirth are highly prevalent in Enugu. The findings indicate the size of the issue of disrespectful and abusive care during childbirth in low‐income countries.
The metabolic syndrome and risk of coronary artery disease in patients with chronic schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder in a chronic mental institute
Authors: Tseng Ping‐Tao , Wang Hung‐Yu , Cheng Yu‐Shian , Shen Feng‐Chih , Lin Pao‐Yen , Wu Ching‐Kuan 
Published: October 2014

AbstractThe prevalence rate of metabolic syndrome (MS) and coronary artery disease (CAD) has been found to be high in patients with chronic schizophrenia. Current evidence shows that CAD is underdiagnosed in this group. Our study evaluated the prevalence of MS and the risk of CAD in patients with chronic schizophrenia in a chronic care mental hospital in southern Taiwan. We included all patients with the diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. We collected all laboratory, physical examination, psychiatric interview, and chart review data. We also evaluated the risk of CAD in these patients using the Framingham point system. There was no significant age difference in the MS prevalence rate in these patients. The young patients with schizophrenia in our study tended to have a higher prevalence of MS than the general population. In addition, female patients had a higher prevalence rate of MS than males. Based on the Framingham point system, we found the 10‐year risk of CAD to be higher among the patients with schizophrenia than in the general population. Our study highlights the importance of the high risk of MS in both younger and older patients with schizophrenia, without a significant relationship to the use of antipsychotics. More complete cohort studies are needed to confirm these findings. Psychiatrists may want to establish more specific and detailed clinical guidelines for patients with chronic schizophrenia with comorbid physical diseases, especially MS and CAD.
Standards of prescription writing in a long-term psychogeriatric unit: a series of clinical audits
Authors: Wilson L. S. , Devitt P. , Hally O. 
Published: October 2014

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to improve the quality of prescription writing in a long-term psychogeriatric inpatient unit by a combination of serial audits and interventions designed to address the identified deficiencies.MethodsWe undertook three clinical audits of the prescription sheets used in an inpatient unit providing continuing care for residents with severe and enduring mental illness and dementia. Based on the findings of the first audit a set of prescribing guidelines was implemented into the ward. Following the second audit a new prescription sheet was developed. The format of the new prescription sheet was designed to account for the needs of the unit and to adhere to Irish and UK best practise guidelines. Two months after its introduction we undertook a third audit.ResultsCompletion of the drug sensitivity box increased from 25% at audit one to 100% at audit three. Other specific aspects of prescription writing that had been poor at the beginning of the audit cycle also showed improvement: prescribing of generic psychotropic drugs increased by 69% and inclusion of the prescribers Medical Council Registration Number increased by 78%. However, some basic aspects of prescription writing remained weak such as frequency of drug administration and documentation of the stop/review date for ‘as required’ medication.ConclusionThe results of this study suggest that clinical audit and feedback can improve the quality of prescriptions in an in-patient setting.
Dietary gamma-linolenic acid supports arachidonic acid accretion and associated Δ-5 desaturase activity in feline uterine but not ovarian tissues
Authors: Chamberlin Amy J. , Bauer John E. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractArachidonic acid (ARA) is essential in felines because conversion of dietary linoleic acid (LA) to ARA is rate-limited by low Δ6-desaturase. Dietary γ-linolenic acid (GLA) may serve as an ARA precursor by-passing this initial rate-limiting step. This possibility was investigated using twenty-six adult female domestic shorthair cats divided into three groups and fed on complete and balanced diets containing high GLA (GL), high LA (HL) or low LA (LL, control) diets, for 300 d prior to ovariohysterectomy. Plasma was obtained 1–2 d before surgery and uterine, ovarian and associated adipose tissues were reserved for lipid analysis. Fatty acid profiles of the plasma phospholipid (PL) fractions and adipose lipids were performed. In the GL group, plasma and uterine tissue PL were significantly enriched in GLA, di-homo GLA (DGLA) and ARA compared with control. However, ovarian and adipose tissue PL were only enriched in DGLA. Enrichment of uterine tissues with DGLA and ARA probably supplies the essential eicosanoid precursors for reproduction when GLA is fed consistently with an active Δ5-desaturase in uterus. By contrast, this enzyme appears less active in ovary because ARA was not higher compared with control. Earlier reports concluded that ARA was not necessary for fertilisation (an ovarian function), but required for successful pregnancy and reproduction (a uterine function). Adipose tissue DGLA may be a reservoir for ARA synthesis by other tissues upon mobilisation. Dietary GLA may meet feline ARA requirements in the absence of an animal-based preformed source of ARA.
A study on allergen sensitivity in patients with allergic rhinitis in Bangalore, India
Authors: Gowda G , Lakshmi S , Parasuramalu B G , Nagaraj C , Gowda B V C , Somashekara K G 
Published: October 2014

AbstractBackground:Allergic rhinitis is the most common form of non-infectious rhinitis, affecting 500 million people worldwide, with one-fifth of those affected living in the Indian subcontinent. The skin prick test is the most valuable test for detecting offending allergens, and can be helpful for patient education, allergen avoidance and immunotherapy planning.Method:The skin prick test was performed with 49 allergens in 486 patients who presented with symptoms of allergic rhinitis, and the allergen profile was studied.Results:Of the 486 allergic rhinitis patients, 335 (68.93 per cent) showed allergen positivity to the skin prick test. Dust mite was the most common allergen, with positive results in 44.65 per cent of cases.Conclusion:The most common offending allergen in our study was the dust mite. Identification of specific allergens for a particular geographical area aids patient education and enables allergen-specific immunotherapy.
Placing ethnicity at the centre of studies of later life: theoretical perspectives and empirical challenges
Authors: PHILLIPSON CHRIS 
Published: October 2014

ABSTRACTResearch on minority ethnic ageing remains a neglected area within mainstream race and ethnicity studies as well as that of social gerontology. This paper examines the background and reasons for this, arguing that a focus on minority ethnic issues provides a reminder of the complexity of the lifecourse, and of the diversity of ageing as a cultural, economic and social construction. The discussion reviews definitions of ethnicity and their relevance to work in social gerontology. The paper provides an account of early studies of minority ethnic ageing, identifying the strengths and limitations of this research. Later work is then considered, notably that focusing on issues connected with the rise of transnational communities and the changing character of neighbourhoods in urban environments. The paper argues that developing research on minority ethnic ageing has become especially important for understanding the impact of globalisation on re-defining communities, relationships and identities, within and beyond nation states. Globalisation, it is suggested, can be seen as a product of the movement of ethnic groups; equally, ethnic groups are themselves transformed by the possibilities created by global change. The paper concludes with a number of suggestions for embedding work on ethnicity within research in social gerontology.
Digging deep: how organisational culture affects care home residents' experiences
Authors: KILLETT ANNE , BURNS DIANE , KELLY FIONA , BROOKER DAWN , BOWES ALISON , LA FONTAINE JENNY , LATHAM ISABELLE , WILSON MICHAEL , O'NEILL MARTIN 
Published: October 2014

ABSTRACTOrganisational culture of institutions providing care for older people is increasingly recognised as influential in the quality of care provided. There is little research, however, that specifically examines the processes of care home culture and how these may be associated with quality of care. In this paper we draw from an empirical study carried out in the United Kingdom (UK) investigating the relationship between care home culture and residents' experience of care. Eleven UK care homes were included in an in-depth comparative case study design using extensive observation and interviews. Our analysis indicates how organisational cultures of care homes impact on the quality of care residents receive. Seven inter-related cultural elements were of key importance to quality of care. Applying Schein's conceptualisation of organisational culture, we examine the dynamic relationship between these elements to show how organisational culture is locally produced and shifting. A particular organisational culture in a care home cannot be achieved simply by importing a set of organisational values or the ‘right’ leader or staff. Rather, it is necessary to find ways of resolving the everyday demands of practice in ways that are consistent with espoused values. It is through this everyday practice that assumptions continuously evolve, either consistent with or divergent from, espoused values. Implications for policy makers, providers and practitioners are discussed.
Stabilization of overweight prevalence and improvement of dietary habits in French children between 2004 and 2008
Authors: Carriere Caroline , Langevin Coralie , Déti Eduoard Kossi , Barberger-Gateau Pascale , Maurice Sylvie , Thibault Hélène 
Published: October 2014

AbstractObjectiveThe objective of the present study was to describe changes in overweight and obesity prevalence and eating habits among 7·5–10·5-year-old children in Aquitaine (France) between 2004 and 2008, and to assess how the programme ‘Nutrition, Prevention and Health of children and teenagers in Aquitaine’ implemented in 2004 may have impacted these changes.DesignTwo cross-sectional studies were conducted in two samples of children: the ‘before programme’ sample during the school year 2004/2005 and the ‘after programme’ sample during the school year 2008/2009.SettingsData were collected on gender, age, weight, height, area of residence (rural/urban) and socio-economic status of the school (non-low socio-economic/low socio-economic). Multivariate analyses were used to assess the effect of the regional programme intervention on the evolution of overweight and obesity prevalence and eating habits independently.SubjectsThe ‘before programme’ sample included 1836 children from 163 schools during the school year 2004/2005 and the ‘after programme’ sample included 3483 children from 210 schools during the school year 2008/2009.ResultsAfter adjustment of the model for age, residential area and socio-economic status of the area of residence, the prevalence of overweight including obesity (OR=1·05; 95 % CI 0·89, 1·23, P=0·56) and of obesity (OR=0·99; 95 % CI 0·71, 1·39, P=0·96) was found to have stabilized and eating habits had improved: intake of light afternoon meals had increased (OR=1·38; 95 % CI 1·13, 1·69, P=0·002) while snacking in the morning (OR=0·50; 95 % CI 0·45, 0·57, P<0·001) and nibbling (OR=0·81; 95 % CI 0·70, 0·93, P<0·001) had decreased.ConclusionsThese results encourage the promotion and implementation of regional and national interventions among children regarding their eating habits in order to stabilize or decrease the prevalence of overweight.
Practical Implementation, Characterization and Applications of a Multi-Colour Time-Gated Luminescence Microscope
Authors: Zhang Lixin , Zheng Xianlin , Deng Wei , Lu Yiqing , Lechevallier Severine , Ye Zhiqiang , Goldys Ewa M. , Dawes Judith M. , Piper James A. , Yuan Jingli , Verelst Marc , Jin Dayong 
Published: October 2014

AbstractTime-gated luminescence microscopy using long-lifetime molecular probes can effectively eliminate autofluorescence to enable high contrast imaging. Here we investigate a new strategy of time-gated imaging for simultaneous visualisation of multiple species of microorganisms stained with long-lived complexes under low-background conditions. This is realized by imaging two pathogenic organisms (Giardia lamblia stained with a red europium probe and Cryptosporidium parvum with a green terbium probe) at UV wavelengths (320–400 nm) through synchronization of a flash lamp with high repetition rate (1 kHz) to a robust time-gating detection unit. This approach provides four times enhancement in signal-to-background ratio over non-time-gated imaging, while the average signal intensity also increases six-fold compared with that under UV LED excitation. The high sensitivity is further confirmed by imaging the single europium-doped Y2O2S nanocrystals (150 nm). We report technical details regarding the time-gating detection unit and demonstrate its compatibility with commercial epi-fluorescence microscopes, providing a valuable and convenient addition to standard laboratory equipment.
Adiabatic Quantum Simulation of Quantum Chemistry
Authors: Babbush Ryan , Love Peter J. , Aspuru-Guzik Alán 
Published: October 2014

AbstractWe show how to apply the quantum adiabatic algorithm directly to the quantum computation of molecular properties. We describe a procedure to map electronic structure Hamiltonians to 2-body qubit Hamiltonians with a small set of physically realizable couplings. By combining the Bravyi-Kitaev construction to map fermions to qubits with perturbative gadgets to reduce the Hamiltonian to 2-body, we obtain precision requirements on the coupling strengths and a number of ancilla qubits that scale polynomially in the problem size. Hence our mapping is efficient. The required set of controllable interactions includes only two types of interaction beyond the Ising interactions required to apply the quantum adiabatic algorithm to combinatorial optimization problems. Our mapping may also be of interest to chemists directly as it defines a dictionary from electronic structure to spin Hamiltonians with physical interactions.
Increased Energy Drink use as a Predictor of Illicit Prescription Stimulant Use
Authors: Woolsey Conrad L. , Williams Ronald D. , Jacobson Bert H. , Housman Jeff M. , McDonald Jason D. , Swartz Julie H. , Evans Marion W. , Sather Thomas E. , Barry Adam E. , Davidson Robert T. 
Published: October 2014

Background The purpose of this study was to examine energy drink usage patterns and to investigate the relationship between energy drink use and illicit use of prescription stimulants among college students. Methods A sample of 605 undergraduate and graduate students (mean age ± SD: 21.96 ± 4.216) from a large midwestern university voluntarily participated in the study. Results Of the participants, 48.9% ( n = 296) reported using energy drinks in the past 30 days, whereas 25.3% ( n = 153) reported using prescription stimulant drugs in the past 30 days. Among prescription stimulant users without a valid medical prescription, Mann-Whitney U tests and logistic regression analysis revealed that the frequency of energy drink consumption was a significant predictor of illicit prescription stimulant use, with the odds for use increasing by 14% with each additional day of energy drink use (odds ratio for using = 1.143, P ≤ .001). Analyses revealed statistically significant differences ( P < .05) between prescription stimulant users and nonusers for all energy drink use variables, with the strongest predictors of prescription stimulant use being the number of days using energy drinks in the past 30 days and number of energy drink binges in the past 30 days. Conclusions Results indicate that the frequency of energy drink use was a significant predictor of the illicit use of prescription stimulants.
Accurate estimation of haplotype frequency from pooled sequencing data and cost-effective identification of rare haplotype carriers by overlapping pool sequencing
Authors: Cao Chang-Chang , Sun Xiao 
Published: October 2014

Motivation: A variety of hypotheses have been proposed for finding the missing heritability of complex diseases in genome-wide association studies. Studies have focused on the value of haplotype to improve the power of detecting associations with disease. To facilitate haplotype-based association analysis, it is necessary to accurately estimate haplotype frequencies of pooled samples.
Results: Taking advantage of databases that contain prior haplotypes, we present Ehapp based on the algorithm for solving the system of linear equations to estimate the frequencies of haplotypes from pooled sequencing data. Effects of various factors in sequencing on the performance are evaluated using simulated data. Our method could estimate the frequencies of haplotypes with only about 3% average relative difference for pooled sequencing of the mixture of 10 haplotypes with total coverage of 50×. When unknown haplotypes exist, our method maintains excellent performance for haplotypes with actual frequencies &gt;0.05. Comparisons with present method on simulated data in conjunction with publicly available Illumina sequencing data indicate that our method is state of the art for many sequencing study designs. We also demonstrate the feasibility of applying overlapping pool sequencing to identify rare haplotype carriers cost-effectively.
Availability and implementation: Ehapp (in Perl) for the Linux platforms is available online (http://bioinfo.seu.edu.cn/Ehapp/).
Contact: xsun@seu.edu.cn
Supplementary information: Supplementary Data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Ceftobiprole and ampicillin increase daptomycin susceptibility of daptomycin-susceptible and -resistant VRE
Authors: Werth Brian J , Barber Katie E , Tran Nikki , Nonejuie P , Sakoulas G , Pogliano J , Rybak Michael J 
Published: October 2014

AbstractObjectivesThe synergistic combination of daptomycin plus ampicillin has proven to be effective against VRE including daptomycin-non-susceptible strains. Ceftobiprole is a cephalosporin with broad binding affinity for enterococcal PBP subtypes including PBP5. Given the synergy between β-lactams and daptomycin against VRE, it was of interest to determine whether ceftobiprole offered any synergistic advantage with daptomycin compared with ampicillin.MethodsMICs were determined by broth microdilution in the presence and absence of ampicillin or ceftobiprole for 20 ampicillin-resistant VRE. Six strains, including two isogenic pairs of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium and two vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis, were evaluated for synergy using time–kill methods. Synergy was defined as a ≥2 log10 cfu/mL reduction of the combination over the most active single agent. Binding of daptomycin-bodipy in the presence and absence of ceftobiprole was quantified.ResultsDaptomycin MICs ranged from 2 to 256 mg/L. The addition of ceftobiprole and ampicillin reduced daptomycin MICs by a median of 3 and 4 log2 dilutions, respectively. In time–kill studies, daptomycin plus either ceftobiprole or ampicillin was synergistic against four of six strains, but not the same strains. Both combinations were synergistic against the vancomycin-resistant E. faecalis strains. Ceftobiprole exposure increased daptomycin-bodipy binding by 2.8 times (P &lt; 0.0001).ConclusionsCeftobiprole appears to offer a similar degree of synergistic activity to ampicillin when combined with daptomycin against VRE. Further research should explore the genetic and phenotypic qualities of strains that respond preferentially to ceftobiprole as opposed to ampicillin.
Divide-and-conquer quantum mechanical material simulations with exascale supercomputers
Authors: Wang Lin-Wang 
Published: October 2014

Abstract
Recent developments in large-scale materials science simulations, especially under the divide-and-conquer method, are reviewed. The pros and cons of the divide-and-conquer method are discussed. It is argued that the divide-and-conquer method, such as the linear-scaling 3D fragment method, is an ideal approach to take advantage of the heterogeneous architectures of modern-day supercomputers despite their relatively large prefactors among linear-scaling methods. Some developments in graphics processing unit (GPU) electronic structure calculations are also reviewed. The accelerators like GPU could be an essential part for the future exascale supercomputing.
Intracellular Catalytic Domain of Symbiosis Receptor Kinase Hyperactivates Spontaneous Nodulation in Absence of Rhizobia
Authors: Saha Sudip , Dutta Ayan , Bhattacharya Avisek , DasGupta Maitrayee 
Published: October 2014

Abstract
Symbiosis Receptor Kinase (SYMRK), a member of the Nod factor signaling pathway, is indispensible for both nodule organogenesis and intracellular colonization of symbionts in rhizobia-legume symbiosis. Here, we show that the intracellular kinase domain of a SYMRK (SYMRK-kd) but not its inactive or full-length version leads to hyperactivation of the nodule organogenic program in Medicago truncatula TR25 (symrk knockout mutant) in the absence of rhizobia. Spontaneous nodulation in TR25/SYMRK-kd was 6-fold higher than rhizobia-induced nodulation in TR25/SYMRK roots. The merged clusters of spontaneous nodules indicated that TR25 roots in the presence of SYMRK-kd have overcome the control over both nodule numbers and their spatial position. In the presence of rhizobia, SYMRK-kd could rescue the epidermal infection processes in TR25, but colonization of symbionts in the nodule interior was significantly compromised. In summary, ligand-independent deregulated activation of SYMRK hyperactivates nodule organogenesis in the absence of rhizobia, but its ectodomain is required for proper symbiont colonization.