bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gay Saunas and the Risks of HIV and Syphilis Transmissions in China—Results of a Meta-Analysis
Authors: Lau JosephT. F. , Zhao Jin-Kou , Wu Xiao-Bing , Gu Jing , Hao Chun 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Previous studies suggest the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM) is associated with characteristics of venues. However, very few studies have systematically compared HIV/sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevalence among MSM according to key venue type for sourcing sex partners.

Aims
The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between HIV/syphilis prevalence and the types of venues, namely saunas, parks, gay bars, and the Internet, which are mostly used for sourcing male sex partners by MSM in China.

Methods
Meta-analyses using fixed-effect and random-effect methods were conducted. Secondary data were obtained from 10 concurrent surveys conducted in 10 cities basing on a common protocol. Pairwise comparisons (e.g., “saunas” vs. “parks”) were made.

Main Outcomes Measures
Odds ratios (OR) for HIV/syphilis infection in relations to venue type for partner sourcing.

Results
The distribution of the most commonly used source to recruit male sex partner was 59.32% (Internet), 18.47% (gay bars), 14.18% (gay saunas), and 8.02% (parks). The median prevalence of HIV/syphilis was 10.49% and 19.38% (gay saunas), 2.12% and 16.25% (parks), 6.06% and 15.45% (Internet), and 4.41% and 11.90% (gay bars). We found significant between-group differences when comparing “sauna” against “Internet” (HIV: OR = 2.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.65–3.12; syphilis: OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.07–2.41), “sauna” against “bars” (HIV: OR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.14–2.39; syphilis: OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.02–1.78), and “parks” against “Internet” (syphilis: OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.12–2.15) as the main source to recruit male sex partners. Other pairwise comparisons were not statistically significant.

Conclusions
The results of this study suggest that those sourcing partners mainly from gay saunas have higher prevalence of HIV/syphilis when compared with those doing so via the Internet or gay bars. Venue based (sauna-based) interventions using socio-ecological approaches are greatly warranted in order to reduce HIV and syphilis prevalence among MSM in China.
A novel design of bioartificial kidneys with improved cell performance and haemocompatibility
Authors: Oo Zay Yar , Kandasamy Karthikeyan , Tasnim Farah , Zink Daniele 
Published: March 2013

AbstractTreatment with bioartificial kidneys had beneficial effects in animal experiments and improved survival of critically ill patients with acute kidney injury in a Phase II clinical trial. However, a Phase II b clinical trial failed. This and other results suggested various problems with the current design of bioartificial kidneys. We propose a novel design to improve various properties of device, including haemocompatibility and cell performance. An important feature of the novel design is confinement of the blood to the lumina of the hollow fibre membranes. This avoids exposure of the blood to the non‐haemocompatible outer surfaces of hollow fibre membranes, which usually occurs in bioartificial kidneys. We use these outer surfaces as substrate for cell growth. Our results show that commercial hollow fibre membranes can be directly applied in the bioreactor when human primary renal proximal tubular cells are grown in this configuration, and no coatings are required for the formation of robust and functional renal epithelia. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the bioreactor unit produces significant amounts of interleukins. This result helps to understand the immunomodulatory effects of bioartificial kidneys, which have been observed previously. The novel bioartificial kidney design outlined here and the results obtained would be expected to improve the safety and performance of bioartificial kidneys and to contribute to a better understanding of their effects.
Evaluation of pre‐ and post‐zygotic mating barriers, hybrid fitness and phylogenetic relationship between Cyprinodon variegatus variegatus and Cyprinodon variegatus hubbsi (Cyprinodontiformes, Teleostei)
Authors: Brix K.V. , Grosell M. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractThe euryhaline fish Cyprinodon variegatus variegatus (Cvv) is capable of tolerating ambient salinities ranging from 0.3 to 167 g l−1, but incapable of long‐term survival in freshwater (< 2 mM Na+). However, a population of this species, now designated as a subspecies (Cyprinodon variegatus hubbsi; Cvh), has been isolated in several freshwater (0.4–1 mM Na+) lakes in central Florida for the past ~150 ky. We previously demonstrated that Cvh has a significantly higher affinity for Na+ uptake suggesting that it has adapted to its dilute freshwater environment. We here evaluate whether Cvh should be considered a separate species by characterizing pre‐ and post‐zygotic isolation, Na+ transport characteristics of the two populations and their hybrids, and developing a molecular phylogeny of Cvv and Cvh populations in Florida using mtDNA sequence data. We found evidence of partial prezygotic isolation with Cvv females mating almost exclusively (89%) with con‐specific males in choice mating experiments. Partial post‐zygotic isolation was also observed with significant (59–89%) reductions in hatching success of hybrid embryos compared with con‐specific embryos. Na+ uptake kinetics in hybrids (both Cvv x Cvh and Cvh x Cvv) bred and raised under common garden conditions were intermediate to Cvh (high affinity) and Cvv (low affinity) indicating that observed differences are genetically based. Similar observations were made with respect to short‐term (96 h) survival of juveniles acutely transferred from 7 mM Na+ to a range of more dilute (0.1–2 mM Na+) freshwater. Finally, although phylogenetic analysis of Cvv and Cvh populations using mtDNA sequence for ND2 were unable to fully resolve a polytomy between Cvh and Cvv populations from northeastern Florida, these data do not falsify the hypothesis that Cvh is of monophyletic origin. Overall, the available data suggest that Cvh should be considered a separate species or at a minimum an evolutionarily significant unit.
Morphology, Morphogenesis and Small Subunit rRNA Gene Sequence of a Soil Hypotrichous Ciliate, Perisincirra paucicirrata (Ciliophora, Kahliellidae), from the Shoreline of the Yellow River, North China
Authors: Li Fengchao , Xing Yi , Li Jiamei , Al‐Rasheid Khaled A. S. , He Songke , Shao Chen 
Published: March 2013

AbstractThe morphology, morphogenesis, and 18S rRNA gene sequence of a soil hypotrichous ciliate Perisincirra paucicirrata, isolated from north China, were investigated. Perisincirra paucicirrata differs from its congeners in: (1) having a body length to width ratio in vivo of 4:1, (2) its adoral zone occupying between 15% and 25% of the total body length, and (3) the presence of two parabuccal cirri, three left (with 10–16 cirri each) and two right marginal rows (with 14–24 cirri each), and three dorsal kineties. Our study offers a first attempt to begin to map the morphogenetic processes of the genus, which are mainly characterised by the following: the formation of four frontal ventral transverse anlagens for each daughter cell, with the proter's anlage I originating from the reorganised anterior part of the parental paroral; the paroral and endoral anlage developed from the reorganised old endoral and do not contribute the first frontal cirrus; the frontoventral transverse anlage I contributing the left frontal cirrus; anlage II generating the middle frontal and the buccal cirri; anlage III developing the right frontal cirrus and the anterior parabuccal cirrus; and anlage IV contributing the posterior parabuccal cirrus. As an additional contribution, we judge that the inner one or the two right rows of P. kahli and P. longicirrata are marginal rows. Phylogenetic analysis based on SSU rDNA sequences suggests that Perisincirra is related to sporadotrichids, but provides no credible evidence for its taxonomic position.
PHOSPHATIDYLSERINE SYNTHASE1 is Required for Inflorescence Meristem and Organ Development in Arabidopsis
Authors: Liu Chengwu , Yin Hengfu , Gao Peng , Hu Xiaohe , Yang Jun , Liu Zhongchi , Fu Xiangdong , Luo Da 
Published: March 2013

AbstractPhosphatidylserine (PS), a quantitatively minor membrane phospholipid, is involved in many biological processes besides its role in membrane structure. One PS synthesis gene, PHOSPHATIDYLSERINE SYNTHASE1 (PSS1), has been discovered to be required for microspore development in Arabidopsis thaliana L. but how PSS1 affects postembryonic development is still largely unknown. Here, we show that PSS1 is also required for inflorescence meristem and organ development in Arabidopsis. Disruption of PSS1 causes severe dwarfism, smaller lateral organs and reduced size of inflorescence meristem. Morphological and molecular studies suggest that both cell division and cell elongation are affected in the pss1‐1 mutant. RNA in situ hybridization and promoter GUS analysis show that expression of both WUSCHEL (WUS) and CLAVATA3 (CLV3) depend on PSS1. Moreover, the defect in meristem maintenance is recovered and the expression of WUS and CLV3 are restored in the pss1‐1 clv1‐1 double mutant. Both SHOOTSTEMLESS (STM) and BREVIPEDICELLUS (BP) are upregulated, and auxin distribution is disrupted in rosette leaves of pss1‐1. However, expression of BP, which is also a regulator of internode development, is lost in the pss1‐1 inflorescence stem. Our data suggest that PSS1 plays essential roles in inflorescence meristem maintenance through the WUS‐CLV pathway, and in leaf and internode development by differentially regulating the class I KNOX genes.
Care and compassion: the experiences of newly qualified staff nurses
Authors: Horsburgh Dorothy , Ross Janis 
Published: March 2013

Aims and objectivesTo explore newly qualified staff nurses' perceptions of compassionate care and factors that facilitate and inhibit its delivery.BackgroundIt is known that the transition from student to staff nurse is challenging due to a variety of factors including increased expectations of competence, inadequate staffing levels and eclectic support.MethodsA qualitative approach was taken. Data from newly qualified staff nurses (within first year post registration) were collected by focus groups (n = 6, total participants = 42), using a flexible agenda to guide discussion. Data were analysed to locate codes and themes.ResultsSupport for newly qualified staff was eclectic rather than systematic. Participants felt they were ‘flung in at the deep end’ and ‘left to sink or swim’. Some staff were perceived as ‘ingrained in the woodwork’ and resistant to change of even a minor nature, creating an environment of ‘institutionalised negativity’. Clinical supervision was considered a support when available. Compassionate care was a tautology for most participants, that is, care would not be care in the absence of compassion. Compassion as a concept was described frequently with reference to situations in which it was absent. Nursing was ‘more than just a job’, but an occupation in which ‘emotional engagement’ is not only desirable but a prerequisite for provision of high‐quality care.ConclusionFindings indicated a tension between ‘agency’ (the ability of individuals to act) and ‘structure’ (physical, social, managerial and cultural environments within which care takes place). Supportive environments facilitate provision of compassionate care although individuals remain accountable for their own practice. This study adds depth to existing literature about newly qualified staff nurses, with specific reference to compassionate care.Relevance to clinical practiceUndergraduate nursing programmes should prepare students for the reality of delivering compassionate care despite competing commitments. Managers of care settings should ensure that a formalised supportive framework is in place for registered nurses throughout their first year of practice.
Relationships between Nonlinear Viscoelastic Behavior and Rheological, Sensory and Oral Processing Behavior of Commercial Cheese
Authors: Melito H.S. , Daubert C.R. , Foegeding E.A. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractCheese texture is primarily determined by its structure. Structural differences can significantly alter rheological, sensory and oral processing behaviors. Large amplitude oscillatory testing (LAOS) has been used to study nonlinear viscoelastic properties of gels, which were related to sensory and oral processing characteristics. Therefore, nonlinear viscoelastic properties of several types of commercial cheese were measured and correlated with rheological, sensory and oral processing characteristics to determine the relationships among these characteristics for more complex food systems. Cheddar, Mozzarella and American cheese were selected for evaluation. Cheddar displayed the greatest degree of nonlinear behavior under LAOS; American cheese displayed the least. Rheological, sensory and oral processing evaluation revealed significant (α = 0.05) differences in behavior of the different cheese. Correlations were found between nonlinear viscoelastic, rheological, sensory and oral processing behaviors. Thus, LAOS testing may be used to gain insight into solid food structure and structural breakdown, yielding additional information on textural properties.Practical ApplicationsThis work extends the use of large amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) to real food systems, showing the applicability of this technique to a variety of materials. In addition, LAOS may be used to test foods with a range of textures, from liquids to semisolids to soft solids. Using LAOS to measure the nonlinear viscoelastic properties of foods allows nonlinear behavior to be quantified in foods that cannot be tested with traditional large‐strain rheology due to sample limitations. The nonlinear viscoelastic properties may be used to make inferences on texture and breakdown of food during mastication.
Student perceptions of assessment and feedback in longitudinal integrated clerkships
Authors: Bates Joanna , Konkin Jill , Suddards Carol , Dobson Sarah , Pratt Dan 
Published: March 2013

Objectives  This study was conducted to elucidate how the learning environment and the student–preceptor relationship influence student experiences of being assessed and receiving feedback on performance. Thus, we examined how long‐term clinical clerkship placements influence students’ experiences of and views about assessment and feedback.Methods  We took a constructivist grounded approach, using authentic assessment and communities of practice as sensitising concepts. We recruited and interviewed 13 students studying in longitudinal integrated clerkships across two medical schools and six settings, using a semi‐structured interview framework. We used an iterative coding process to code the data and arrive at a coding framework and themes.Results  Students valued the unstructured assessment and informal feedback that arose from clinical supervision, and the sense of progress derived from their increasing responsibility for patients and acceptance into the health care community. Three themes emerged from the data. Firstly, students characterised their assessment and feedback as integrated, developmental and longitudinal. They reported authenticity in the monitoring and feedback that arose from the day‐to‐day delivery of patient care with their preceptors. Secondly, students described supportive and caring relationships and a sense of safety. These enabled them to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses and to interpret critical feedback as supportive. Students developed similar relationships across the health care team. Thirdly, the long‐term placement provided for multiple indicators of progress for students. Patient outcomes were perceived as representing direct feedback about students’ development as doctors. Taking increasing responsibility for patients over time is an indicator to students of their increasing competence and contributes to the developing of a doctor identity.Conclusions  Clerkship students studying for extended periods in one environment with one preceptor perceive assessment and feedback as authentic because they are embedded in daily patient care, useful because they are developmental and longitudinal, and constructive because they occur in the context of a supportive learning environment and relationship.
Teaching for understanding in medical classrooms using multimedia design principles
Authors: Issa Nabil , Mayer Richard E. , Schuller Mary , Wang Edward , Shapiro Michael B. , DaRosa Debra A. 
Published: March 2013

Objectives  In line with a recent report entitled Effective Use of Educational Technology in Medical Education from the Association of American Medical Colleges Institute for Improving Medical Education (AAMC‐IME), this study examined whether revising a medical lecture based on evidence‐based principles of multimedia design would lead to improved long‐term transfer and retention in Year 3 medical students. A previous study yielded positive effects on an immediate retention test, but did not investigate long‐term effects.Methods  In a pre‐test/post‐test control design, a cohort of 37 Year 3 medical students at a private, midwestern medical school received a bullet point‐based PowerPoint™ lecture on shock developed by the instructor as part of their core curriculum (the traditional condition group). Another cohort of 43 similar medical students received a lecture covering identical content using slides redesigned according to Mayer’s evidence‐based principles of multimedia design (the modified condition group).Results  Findings showed that the modified condition group significantly outscored the traditional condition group on delayed tests of transfer given 1 week (d = 0.83) and 4 weeks (d = 1.17) after instruction, and on delayed tests of retention given 1 week (d = 0.83) and 4 weeks (d = 0.79) after instruction. The modified condition group also significantly outperformed the traditional condition group on immediate tests of retention (d = 1.49) and transfer (d = 0.76).Conclusions  This study provides the first evidence that applying multimedia design principles to an actual medical lecture has significant effects on measures of learner understanding (i.e. long‐term transfer and long‐term retention). This work reinforces the need to apply the science of learning and instruction in medical education.
New consultants mastering the role of on‐call supervisor: a longitudinal qualitative study
Authors: Westerman Michiel , Teunissen Pim W , Fokkema Joanne P I , Siegert Carl E H , van der Vleuten Cees P M , Scherpbier Albert J J A , Scheele Fedde 
Published: March 2013

Context  The supervision of specialty registrars during on‐call shifts is essential to ensure the quality of both health care and medical education, but has been identified as a major novelty and stressor for new consultants in the transition from specialty training. There is a paucity of research on how consultants deal with their new supervisory roles and which factors influence this process. These issues are addressed in a prospective study designed to gather insights that can inform measures to ensure the provision of high‐quality supervision and specialty training.Methods  A longitudinal qualitative study was performed in the Netherlands. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with new consultants. The study was guided by an interpretative phenomenological approach until saturation was reached. At 3‐month intervals between July 2011 and March 2012, eight novice consultants in internal medicine were interviewed three times each about their supervisory role while on call. Interviews focused on their preparation for the role in training, the actions they took to master the role, and their progression over time.Results  Three interrelated domains of relevant factors emerged from the data: preparedness; personal characteristics, and contextual characteristics. Preparedness referred to the extent to which new consultants were prepared by training to take full responsibility for registrars’ actions while supervising them from a distance. Personal characteristics, such as coping strategies and views on supervision, guided consultants’ development as supervisors. Essential to this process were contextual characteristics, especially those concerning the extent to which the consultant knew the registrar, was familiar with departmental procedures, and had access to support from colleagues.Conclusions  New consultants should be prepared for their supervisory role by training and by being given a proper introduction to their workplace. The former requires progressive independence and exposure to supervisory tasks during specialty training; the latter requires an induction programme to enable new consultants to familiarise themselves with the departmental environment and the registrars they will be supervising.
Potato virus Y: a major crop pathogen that has provided major insights into the evolution of viral pathogenicity
Authors: Quenouille Julie , Vassilakos Nikon , Moury Benoît 
Published: March 2013

SummaryTaxonomyPotato virus Y (PVY) is the type member of the genus Potyvirus in the family Potyviridae.Virion and genome propertiesPVY virions have a filamentous, flexuous form, with a length of 730 nm and a diameter of 12 nm. The genomic RNA is single stranded, messenger sense, with a length of 9.7 kb, covalently linked to a viral‐encoded protein (VPg) at the 5’ end and to a 3’ polyadenylated tail. The genome is expressed as a polyprotein of approximately 3062 amino acid residues, processed by three virus‐specific proteases into 11 mature proteins.HostsPVY is distributed worldwide and has a broad host range, consisting of cultivated solanaceous species and many solanaceous and nonsolanaceous weeds. It is one of the most economically important plant pathogens and causes severe diseases in cultivated hosts, such as potato, tobacco, tomato and pepper, as well as in ornamental plants.TransmissionPVY is transmitted from plant to plant by more than 40 aphid species in a nonpersistent manner and, in potato, by planting contaminated seed tubers.DiversityFive major clades, named C1, C2, Chile, N and O, have been described within the PVY species. In recent decades, a strong increase in prevalence of N × O recombinant isolates has been observed worldwide. A correlation has been observed between PVY phylogeny and certain pathogenicity traits.Genetic control of PVYResistance genes against PVY have been used widely in breeding programmes and deployed in the field. These resistance genes show a large diversity of spectrum of action, durability and genetic determinism. Notably, recessive and dominant major resistance genes show highly contrasting patterns of interaction with PVY populations, displaying rapid co‐evolution or stable relationships, respectively.