bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The image of nursing, as perceived by Iranian male nurses
Authors: Valizadeh Leila , Zamanzadeh Vahid , Fooladi Marjaneh M. , Azadi Arman , Negarandeh Reza , Monadi Morteza 
Published: March 2014

AbstractThe stereotypical public image of nursing is a major concern for male nurses around the world. In this study, we explored how Iranian male nurses perceived the public view of nurses, and their perceptions of themselves. A qualitative descriptive design and content analysis were used to obtain data from 18 purposely‐selected male hospital nurses with a baccalaureate nursing degree in Tabriz, Iran. Semistructured interviews were conducted and analyzed. Two main themes emerged: (i) the outsider's view of nursing, which referred to the participants' perceptions of their public image; and (ii) the insider's view, which related to the male nurses' perceptions of themselves. Results included personal transition into a positive professional self‐image through the educational process, and continued public perception of nursing as a female profession ill‐suited for a man. Strategies to improve the insider's and outsider's views of nursing are listed to help recruit and retain more Iranian male nurses.
Effect of behavioural techniques and delivery mode on effectiveness of weight management: systematic review, meta‐analysis and meta‐regression
Authors: Hartmann‐Boyce J. , Johns D. J. , Jebb S. A. , Aveyard P. ,   Behavioural Weight Management Review Group
Published: March 2014

SummaryA systematic review, meta‐analysis and meta‐regression were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioural weight management programmes and examine how programme characteristics affect mean weight loss. Randomized controlled trials of multicomponent behavioural weight management programmes in overweight and obese adults were included. References were obtained through systematic searches of electronic databases (conducted November 2012), screening reference lists and contacting experts. Two reviewers extracted data and evaluated risk of bias. Thirty‐seven studies, representing over 16,000 participants, were included. The pooled mean difference in weight loss at 12 months was −2.8 kg (95% confidence interval [CI] −3.6 to −2.1, P < 0.001). I2 indicated that 93% of the variability in outcome was due to differences in programme effectiveness. Meta‐analysis showed no evidence that supervised physical activity sessions (mean difference 1.1 kg, 95% CI −2.65 to 4.79, P = 0.08), more frequent contact (mean difference −0.3 kg, 95% CI −0.7 to 0.2, P = 0.25) or in‐person contact (mean difference 0.0 kg, 95% CI −1.8 to 1.8, P = 0.06) were related to programme effectiveness at 12 months. In meta‐regression, calorie counting (−3.3 kg, 95% CI −4.6 to −2.0, P = 0.027), contact with a dietitian (−1.5 kg, 95% CI −2.9 to −0.2, P < 0.001) and use of behaviour change techniques that compare participants' behaviour with others (−1.5 kg, 95% CI −2.9 to −0.1, P = 0.032) were associated with greater weight loss. There was no evidence that other programme characteristics were associated with programme effectiveness. Most but not all behavioural weight management programmes are effective. Programmes that support participants to count calories or include a dietitian may be more effective, but the programme characteristics explaining success are mainly unknown.
Evaluation of a rapid colorimetric assay for detection of bacterial contamination in apheresis and pooled random‐donor platelet units
Authors: Heaton W. Andrew , Good Caryn E. , Galloway‐Haskins Rakijah , Yomtovian Roslyn A. , Jacobs Michael R. 
Published: March 2014

BackgroundDespite existing strategies, bacterial contamination of platelets (PLTs) remains a problem, and reliable testing near the time of use is needed. We evaluated the BacTx assay (Immunetics, Inc.), a rapid colorimetric assay for detection of bacterial peptidoglycan, for this purpose.Study Design and MethodsApheresis‐ and whole blood–derived PLT units, the latter tested in 6‐unit pools, inoculated with 10 representative bacterial species (eight aerobic, two anaerobic), were tested with the BacTx assay at two sites to determine analytic sensitivity and time to detection. Specificity on sterile PLTs and reproducibility across different PLT units and assay kit lots was also determined.ResultsAnalytical sensitivity for the 10 bacterial species ranged from 6.3 × 102 to 7.6 × 104 colony‐forming units (CFUs)/mL. In time‐to‐detection studies after inoculation of PLTs with 0.7 to 5.3 CFUs/mL, 10 replicates of all eight aerobic species were positive when bacterial titers were above the analytic sensitivity detection limit, which occurred at 48 hours for 60 PLT units and at 72 hours for the remaining 4 units, as well as at 7 days for all units. Specificity was 99.8% and reproducibility was 100%.ConclusionsThe BacTx assay had an analytical sensitivity below the 105 CFUs/mL threshold of clinical significance, detected all eight aerobic bacterial species 48 to 72 hours after inoculation as well as at 7 days, and had high specificity and reproducibility. These findings suggest that the BacTx assay will be a valuable test for detection of clinically relevant levels of bacterial contaminants in PLT units and pools near time of use.
Evaluation of the spline reconstruction technique for PET
Authors: Kastis George A. , Kyriakopoulou Dimitra , Gaitanis Anastasios , Fernández Yolanda , Hutton Brian F. , Fokas Athanasios S. 
Published: March 2014

Purpose:The spline reconstruction technique (SRT), based on the analytic formula for the inverse Radon transform, has been presented earlier in the literature. In this study, the authors present an improved formulation and numerical implementation of this algorithm and evaluate it in comparison to filtered backprojection (FBP).Methods:The SRT is based on the numerical evaluation of the Hilbert transform of the sinogram via an approximation in terms of “custom made” cubic splines. By restricting reconstruction only within object pixels and by utilizing certain mathematical symmetries, the authors achieve a reconstruction time comparable to that of FBP. The authors have implemented SRT in STIR and have evaluated this technique using simulated data from a clinical positron emission tomography (PET) system, as well as real data obtained from clinical and preclinical PET scanners. For the simulation studies, the authors have simulated sinograms of a point‐source and three digital phantoms. Using these sinograms, the authors have created realizations of Poisson noise at five noise levels. In addition to visual comparisons of the reconstructed images, the authors have determined contrast and bias for different regions of the phantoms as a function of noise level. For the real‐data studies, sinograms of an18F‐FDG injected mouse, a NEMA NU 4‐2008 image quality phantom, and a Derenzo phantom have been acquired from a commercial PET system. The authors have determined: (a) coefficient of variations (COV) and contrast from the NEMA phantom, (b) contrast for the various sections of the Derenzo phantom, and (c) line profiles for the Derenzo phantom. Furthermore, the authors have acquired sinograms from a whole‐body PET scan of an 18F‐FDG injected cancer patient, using the GE Discovery ST PET/CT system. SRT and FBP reconstructions of the thorax have been visually evaluated.Results:The results indicate an improvement in FWHM and FWTM in both simulated and real point‐source studies. In all simulated phantoms, the SRT exhibits higher contrast and lower bias than FBP at all noise levels, by increasing the COV in the reconstructed images. Finally, in real studies, whereas the contrast of the cold chambers are similar for both algorithms, the SRT reconstructed images of the NEMA phantom exhibit slightly higher COV values than those of FBP. In the Derenzo phantom, SRT resolves the 2‐mm separated holes slightly better than FBP. The small‐animal and human reconstructions via SRT exhibit slightly higher resolution and contrast than the FBP reconstructions.Conclusions:The SRT provides images of higher resolution, higher contrast, and lower bias than FBP, by increasing slightly the noise in the reconstructed images. Furthermore, it eliminates streak artifacts outside the object boundary. Unlike other analytic algorithms, the reconstruction time of SRT is comparable with that of FBP. The source code for SRT will become available in a future release of STIR.
Therapeutic Potential of the Antimicrobial Peptide OH-CATH30 for Antibiotic-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Keratitis
Authors: Li Sheng-An , Liu Jie , Xiang Yang , Wang Yan-Jie , Lee Wen-Hui , Zhang Yun 
Published: March 2014

ABSTRACT

The therapeutic potential of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) has been evaluated in many infectious diseases. However, the topical application of AMPs for ocular bacterial infection has not been well investigated. The AMP OH-CATH30, which was identified in the king cobra, exhibits potent antimicrobial activity. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic potential of OH-CATH30 for
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
keratitis. Ten isolates of
P. aeruginosa
from individuals with keratitis were susceptible to OH-CATH30 but not to cefoperazone, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and levofloxacin. The microdilution checkerboard assay showed that OH-CATH30 exhibited synergistic activity with ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin against antibiotic-resistant
P. aeruginosa
. Meanwhile,
P. aeruginosa
did not develop resistance to OH-CATH30, even after exposure at 0.5× the MIC for up to 25 subcultures. Furthermore, treatment with OH-CATH30, alone or in combination with levofloxacin, significantly improved the clinical outcomes of rabbit keratitis induced by antibiotic-resistant
P. aeruginosa
. Taken together, our data indicate that the topical application of OH-CATH30 is efficacious against drug-resistant
P. aeruginosa
keratitis. In addition, our study highlights the potential application of AMPs in treating ocular bacterial infections.
What influences attitudes towards clinically assisted hydration in the care of dying patients? A review of the literature
Authors: Gent Miriam J , Fradsham Sarah , Whyte Graham M , Mayland Catriona R 
Published: March 2014

BackgroundAn equivocal evidence base on the use of Clinically Assisted Hydration (CAH) in the last days of life presents a challenge for clinicians. In an attempt to provide clarity, the General Medical Council (GMC) has produced reasoned guidelines which identify that clinical vigilance is paramount, but that healthcare professionals should consider patient and family beliefs, values and wishes when making a decision to commence, withhold or withdraw CAH.AimsTo describe the attitudes and knowledge of patients, families, healthcare professionals and the general public regarding CAH in the care of dying patients.MethodsFour electronic databases were searched for empirical studies relating to attitudes and knowledge regarding CAH in the care of dying patients or end-of-life care (1985 and 2010). Selected studies were independently reviewed and data collaboratively synthesised into core themes.ResultsFrom 202 identified articles, 18 papers met inclusion criteria. Three core themes emerged: (1) the symbolic value of hydration; (2) beliefs and misconceptions and (3) cultural, ethical and legal ideas about hydration.ConclusionsDeveloping international evidence suggests that cultural norms and ethical principles of a family, population or healthcare environment influence attitudes towards CAH, particularly where CAH has symbolic meaning; representing care, hope and trust. However, there is surprisingly little robust evidence regarding dying patients, or the wider general public's views, on the perceived value of CAH in the last days and hours of life. Accordingly, a need for greater understanding of the perceptions regarding CAH, and their effects, is required.
Uptake of the HPV vaccination programme in England: a cross-sectional survey of young women attending sexual health services
Authors: Sacks Rachel J , Copas Andrew J , Wilkinson Dawn M , Robinson Angela J 
Published: March 2014

ObjectivesThe UK human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination programme requires 80% uptake to have a significant impact on cervical cancer rates. Uptake in the first three years of the programme was 66%. We report the results of a cross-sectional survey of young women attending sexual health services (SHS) in England, reviewing HPV vaccination uptake and prevalence of HPV-related risk factors.MethodsAn anonymous questionnaire surveyed women aged 13–19 attending 19 hospital-based and 13 community-based SHS across England, March–August 2011. Data were analysed using multiple logistic regression.Results2247 questionnaires were completed. Compared with national data, respondents had higher smoking rates (48% vs 14% of 15 year olds), coitarche under-16 (52% vs 38%), previous sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (25% vs 4%) and a higher proportion not in education, employment or training (NEETs) (8% vs 2% of 16 year olds).Seventy-four per cent had been offered the vaccination, with significantly lower offer rates in London, non-white ethnicities, 17–19 year olds, NEETs, smokers and those with previous STIs (all p<0.05 in multivariate analysis). Sixty-five per cent of those offered, completed, with significantly lower completion rates in London, non-white ethnicities, 17–19 year olds, NEETs, smokers and those with previous STIs (all p<0.05 in multivariate analysis). Overall completion rate was 47%.ConclusionsWe observed lower vaccination offer and completion rates and higher prevalence of HPV-related risk factors compared with national data. The highest risk individuals were the least likely to have been offered or to have completed the course. This survey highlights an opportunity for primary prevention by routinely offering the HPV vaccine to eligible women attending SHS.
SIMULTANEOUS FOUR FINGER METACARPOPHALANGEAL JOINT FUSIONS – INDICATIONS AND RESULTS
Authors: Ledgard James P. , Tonkin Michael A. 
Published: March 2014

Purpose: To review the results and indications of simultaneous four finger metacarpophalangeal joint fusions. Methods: The clinical records and X-rays of nine patients undergoing the above procedure were reviewed. The indication for surgery was to reverse severe metacarpophalangeal joint flexion deformities in eight patients, and following a traumatic four finger amputation in one. Seven patients returned for follow-up assessment. The fusions were performed with a tension band wire technique, aiming for 20 degrees of flexion for index and middle fingers and 40 degrees in the ring and little fingers. Time to radiological fusion and position of fusion, and improvement in function and appearance were assessed. Results: All joints were radiologically fused between six and 12 weeks. The average position of fusion of index and middle fingers was 20 degrees (range: 15–30) and ring and little fingers was 40 degrees (range: 35–50). Appearance was improved in all patients. Improved function was reported by four patients, and improved ease of hygiene and general care in four patients with non-functioning or poorly functioning hands. Discussion: Simultaneous fusion of all four finger metacarpophalangeal joints may be considered as a primary procedure to reconstruct destroyed metacarpophalangeal joints due to inflammatory arthropathy or trauma, and for inability to correct deformity or maintain the correction with soft tissue procedures for patients with cerebral palsy, adult brain injury and arthrogryposis.
A unified treatment for Tikhonov regularization using a general stabilizing operator
Authors: Nair M. T. 
Published: March 2014

While dealing with the problem of solving an ill-posed operator equation Tx = y, where T : X → Y is a bounded linear operator between Hilbert spaces X and Y, one looks for a stable method for approximating [Formula: see text], a least-residual norm solution which minimizes a seminorm x ↦ ‖Lx‖, where L : D(L) ⊆ X → X is a (possibly unbounded) closed densely defined operator in X. If the operators T and L satisfy a completion condition ‖Tx‖2 + ‖Lx‖2 ≥ γ‖x‖2 for all x ∈ D(L*L) for some constant γ > 0, then Tikhonov regularization is one of the simple and widely used of such procedures in which the regularized solution is obtained by solving a well-posed equation [Formula: see text] where yδ is a noisy data and α > 0 is the regularization parameter to be chosen appropriately. We prescribe a condition on (T, L) which unifies the analysis for ordinary Tikhonov regularization, that is, L = I, and also the case of L = Bs with B being a strictly positive closed densely defined unbounded operator which generates a Hilbert scale {Xt}t>0. Under the new framework, we provide estimates for the best possible worst error and order optimal error estimates for the regularized solutions under certain general source condition which incorporates in its fold many existing results as special cases, by choosing regularization parameter using a Morozov-type discrepancy principle.
BPM/BPM+
Authors: Liu Lei , Cui Zehan , Li Yong , Bao Yungang , Chen Mingyu , Wu Chengyong 
Published: March 2014

The main memory system is a shared resource in modern multicore machines that can result in serious interference leading to reduced throughput and unfairness. Many new memory scheduling mechanisms have been proposed to address the interference problem. However, these mechanisms usually employ relative complex scheduling logic and need modifications to Memory Controllers (MCs), which incur expensive hardware design and manufacturing overheads.
This article presents a practical software approach to effectively eliminate the interference without any hardware modifications. The key idea is to modify the OS memory management system and adopt a page-coloring-based Bank-level Partitioning Mechanism (BPM) that allocates dedicated DRAM banks to each core (or thread). By using BPM, memory requests from distinct programs are segregated across multiple memory banks to promote locality/fairness and reduce interference. We further extend BPM to BPM+ by incorporating channel-level partitioning, on which we demonstrate additional gain over BPM in many cases. To achieve benefits in the presence of diverse application memory needs and avoid performance degradation due to resource underutilization, we propose a dynamic mechanism upon BPM/BPM+ that assigns appropriate bank/channel resources based on application memory/bandwidth demands monitored through PMU (performance-monitoring unit) and a low-overhead OS page table scanning process.
We implement BPM/BPM+ in Linux 2.6.32.15 kernel and evaluate the technique on four-core and eight-core real machines by running a large amount of randomly generated multiprogrammed and multithreaded workloads. Experimental results show that BPM/BPM+ can improve the overall system throughput by 4.7%/5.9%, on average, (up to 8.6%/9.5%) and reduce the unfairness by an average of 4.2%/6.1% (up to 15.8%/13.9%).
Obesity and Cancer: A Gut Microbial Connection
Authors: Ohtani Naoko , Yoshimoto Shin , Hara Eiji 
Published: March 2014

Abstract
Multiple epidemiological studies have revealed that excess bodyweight, such as in people who are overweight or obese (defined by a body mass index higher than 25 kg/m2), is a major risk factor for not only diabetes and cardiovascular diseases but also cancer. Effective strategies for obesity prevention are therefore needed for cancer prevention. However, because the prevalence of excess bodyweight in most developed countries has been increasing markedly over the past several decades, with no signs of abating, alternative approaches are also required to conquer obesity-associated cancer. Therefore, we sought to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying obesity-associated cancer. Although several phenomena have been proposed to explain how obesity increases cancer risk, the exact molecular mechanisms that integrate these phenomena have remained largely obscure. Recently, we have traced the association between obesity and increased cancer risk to gut microbiota communities that produce a DNA-damaging bile acid. The analyses also revealed the role of cellular senescence in cancer, which we have been studying for the past few decades. In this review, we provide an overview of our work and discuss the next steps, focusing on the potential clinical implications of these findings. Cancer Res; 74(7); 1885–9. ©2014 AACR.
Habitat segregation by female humpback whales in Hawaiian waters: avoidance of males?
Authors: Craig Alison S. , Herman Louis M. , Pack Adam A. , Waterman James O. 
Published: March 2014

Humpback whales congregate annually in low-latitude winter breeding and calving grounds. While on these grounds, females with a dependent calf (‘maternal females’) are sometimes closely attended by one or more male escorts. Using data collected from a shore-based observation platform in the Hawaiian Islands, we tested the hypothesis that the spatial distribution of maternal females is driven primarily by avoidance of males. As predicted, we found that (1) pods containing a calf occurred in significantly shallower water than pods that did not contain a calf, (2) unescorted maternal females occurred in significantly shallower water than escorted maternal females, (3) the number of males escorting a female decreased significantly with decreasing water depth, and (4) the swimming speed of maternal females increased as a function of male presence, with escorted females travelling significantly more rapidly than unescorted females and a significant positive correlation between swimming speed and number of escorts. We suggest that maternal females incur increased energetic costs when escorted by males and consequently position themselves in shallow waters to reduce the likelihood of unwanted male attention.
Rapid up- and down-regulation of pheromone signalling due to trail crowding in the ant Lasius niger
Authors: Czaczkes Tomer J. , Grüter Christoph , Ratnieks Francis L.W. 
Published: March 2014

Social insects often respond to signals and cues from nest-mates, and these responses may include changes in the information they, in turn, transmit. During foraging, Lasius niger deposits a pheromone trail to recruit nestmates, and ants that experience trail crowding deposit pheromone less often. Less studied, however, is the time taken for signalling to revert to baseline levels after conditions have returned to baseline levels. In this paper we study the behaviour of L. niger foragers on a trail in which crowding is simulated by using dummy ants — black glass beads coated in nestmate cuticular hydrocarbons. Ants were allowed to make four repeat visits to a feeder with dummy ants, and thus crowding, being present on the trail on all visits (CCCC), none (UUUU) or only the first two (CCUU). If dummy ants were always present (CCCC), pheromone deposition probability was low in the first two visits (54% of ants deposited pheromone) and remained low in visits 3 and 4 (51%). If dummy ants were never present (UUUU) pheromone deposition probability was high in the first two visits (93%) and remained high in visits 3 and 4 (83%). If dummy ants were present on the first two visits but removed on the second two visits (CCUU) pheromone deposition probability was low in the first two visits (61%) but rose in the second two visits (69%). This demonstrates that even after pheromone deposition has been down-regulated due to crowding in the first two visits, it is rapidly up-regulated when crowding is reduced, although it does not immediately return to the base line level.