bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cardiac surgery in the Pacific Islands
Authors: Davis Philip John , Wainer Zoe , O'Keefe Michael , Nand Parma 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBackground:  Rheumatic heart disease constitutes a significant disease burden in under‐resourced communities. Recognition of the devastating impact of rheumatic heart disease has resulted in volunteer cardiac teams from Australasia providing surgical services to regions of need. The primary objective of this study was to compare New Zealand hospitals' volunteer cardiac surgical operative results in Samoa and Fiji with the accepted surgical mortality and morbidity rates for Australasia.Methods:  A retrospective review from seven volunteer cardiac surgical trips to Samoa and Fiji from 2003 to 2009 was conducted. Patient data were retrospectively and prospectively collected. Preoperative morbidity and mortality risk were calculated using the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (euroSCORE). Audit data were collated in line with the Australasian Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons guidelines.Results:  One hundred and three operations were performed over 6 years. EuroSCORE predicted an operative mortality of 3.32%. In‐hospital mortality was 0.97% and post‐discharge mortality was 2.91%, resulting in a 30‐day mortality of 3.88%.Conclusion:  This study demonstrated that performing cardiac surgery in Fiji and Samoa is viable and safe. However, the mortality was slightly higher than predicted by euroSCORE. Difficulties exist in predicting mortality rates in patients with rheumatic heart disease from Pacific Island nations as known risk scoring models fail to be disease, ethnically or culturally inclusive. Audit processes and risk model development and assessment are an essential part of this complex surgical charity work and will result in improved patient selection and outcomes.
Enhancing ascorbate in fruits and tubers through over‐expression of the l‐galactose pathway gene GDP‐l‐galactose phosphorylase
Authors: Bulley Sean , Wright Michele , Rommens Caius , Yan Hua , Rassam Maysoon , Lin‐Wang Kui , Andre Christelle , Brewster Di , Karunairetnam Sakuntala , Allan Andrew C. , Laing William A 
Published: December 2011

SummaryAscorbate, or vitamin C, is obtained by humans mostly from plant sources. Various approaches have been made to increase ascorbate in plants by transgenic means. Most of these attempts have involved leaf material from model plants, with little success reported using genes from the generally accepted l‐galactose pathway of ascorbate biosynthesis. We focused on increasing ascorbate in commercially significant edible plant organs using a gene, GDP‐l‐galactose phosphorylase (GGP or VTC2), that we had previously shown to increase ascorbate concentration in tobacco and Arabidopsis thaliana. The coding sequence of Actinidia chinensis GGP, under the control of the 35S promoter, was expressed in tomato and strawberry. Potato was transformed with potato or Arabidopsis GGP genes under the control of the 35S promoter or a polyubiquitin promoter (potato only). Five lines of tomato, up to nine lines of potato, and eight lines of strawberry were regenerated for each construct. Three lines of tomato had a threefold to sixfold increase in fruit ascorbate, and all lines of strawberry showed a twofold increase. All but one line of each potato construct also showed an increase in tuber ascorbate of up to threefold. Interestingly, in tomato fruit, increased ascorbate was associated with loss of seed and the jelly of locular tissue surrounding the seed which was not seen in strawberry. In both strawberry and tomato, an increase in polyphenolic content was associated with increased ascorbate. These results show that GGP can be used to raise significantly ascorbate concentration in commercially significant edible crops.
Do UK Higher Education Students Overestimate Their Starting Salary?*
Authors: Jerrim John 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThe wage expectations of university students have relevance for human capital theory, models of student enrolment, and public policy on the provision of higher education. However, these expectations have been the subject of relatively little research in European countries, with no contemporary evidence available in the UK. There has also been little consideration in the literature thus far of how much estimates may be biased by non‐response and sample selection. This paper thus makes an original contribution to the literature by comparing UK undergraduate students' wage expectations with the actual wages earned by the same cohort on graduation, after attempting to correct for the aforementioned statistical issues in terms of observable characteristics. In contrast to other European studies, I conclude that, on average, full‐time students overestimate their starting salary. Yet I also find substantial variation in the extent of overestimation between different subgroups.
Glass‐Ceramics with Embedded Gallium/Aluminum Nanoalloys Formed by Heat Treatment and Femtosecond Laser Irradiation
Authors: Lin Geng , Pan Huaihai , Luo Fangfang , Chen Qingxi , Chen Danping , Qiu Jianrong , Zhao Quanzhong 
Published: December 2011

We report on the preparation of Ga/Al nanoalloys embedded glass‐ceramic by heat treatment as well as femtosecond laser irradiation. The Ga/Al nanoalloys embedded glass‐ceramic exhibits intense extinction in the visible region, as well as superior optical nonlinearities. The third‐order nonlinear optical properties of the glass‐ceramics were investigated by employing Z‐scan technique. The maximum nonlinear extinction coefficient β and nonlinear refraction γ value reached 1.14 × 10−11 m/W and 2.01 × 10−17 m2/W, respectively. Three‐dimensional Ga/Al nanoalloys embedded structures were also achieved in glass by scanning the focused femtosecond laser beam. These results may find applications for the fabrication of ultrafast optical switches and diffractive optical elements.
Meta‐analysis on anxiety and depression in adult celiac disease
Authors: Smith D. F. , Gerdes L. U. 
Published: December 2011

Smith DF, Gerdes LU. Meta‐analysis on anxiety and depression in adult celiac disease.Objective:  We used meta‐analysis to test hypotheses concerning whether adult celiac disease is reliably linked with anxiety and/or depression.Method:  We examined published reports on anxiety and depression in adult celiac disease.Results:  Eighteen studies on depression and eleven studies on anxiety in adult celiac disease met selection criteria. They show that depression is reliably more common and/or more severe in adults with celiac disease than in healthy adults (overall meta‐analysis effect size: 0.97). The fail‐safe margin of unpublished reports that would be required to negate the finding exceeds 8000. Adults with celiac disease do not, however, differ reliably in terms of depression from adults with other physical illnesses, nor do they differ reliably from healthy adults or adults with other physical illnesses in terms of anxiety.Conclusion:  Depression is common in adult celiac disease and resembles the condition in other physical illnesses. We view the findings as support for the notion that non‐specific mechanisms mediate emotional disorders in adult celiac disease.
Historical perspectives on theories of periodontal disease etiology
Authors: Hujoel Philippe , Zina Lívia Guimarães , Cunha‐Cruz Joana , Lopez Rodrigo 
Published: December 2011

AbstractOur understanding of the causes of periodontal disease have two major competing paradigms: one that focuses on ‘local’ etiologic factors and one that focuses on remote ‘host‐level’ factors. We provide a historical overview of local and remote cause hypotheses and discuss some key reasons why the local cause hypothesis has become dominant.
Perceived deficiencies in the provision of climate and weather information for tourism: A New Zealand media analysis
Authors: Wilson Jude , Becken Susanne 
Published: December 2011

AbstractClimate and weather are important for tourism and leisure as they impact on destination attractiveness and subsequent visitation. Through an archive analysis of media articles and a content analysis of Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO) websites, this paper explores perceived deficiencies in the currently available climate and weather information for tourists in New Zealand. While media reports focused on concern by many RTOs over the poor regional images generated by inaccurate and poorly presented climate and weather data, the RTO websites were found to contain limited climate and weather information. There is considerable potential for RTOs to improve in this respect.
Liberating learning: Thinking beyond ‘the grade’ in field‐based approaches to teaching
Authors: Malam Linda , Grundy‐Warr Carl 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThis paper is positioned within current debates on education development and the value of fieldwork as a pathway to fostering a nuanced, sophisticated and empathetic world view among students. Here, we focus on one form of field‐based teaching within geography, that is, intensive field studies courses taught abroad. We draw on our experience as cofacilitators of a six‐week intensive field course conducted in various parts of Thailand. The course we discuss in this paper was focused on teaching students both applied research skills (critical engagement, ethnographic research methods and ethical research practice) and substantive content (the social, cultural, political and economic aspects of Thailand from a geographer's perspective). We argue that the value of field studies lies in the ability of such a course to help students enhance and deepen broad, generalisable skills such as problem solving; ethical research practice; critical engagement with complex social issues; and independent research skills.
Avoiding bio‐perversity from carbon sequestration solutions
Authors: Lindenmayer David B. , Hulvey Kristin B. , Hobbs Richard J. , Colyvan Mark , Felton Adam , Possingham Hugh , Steffen Will , Wilson Kerrie , Youngentob Kara , Gibbons Philip 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThe development of a new carbon economy has the potential to offer win–win outcomes for environments and economies. Large‐scale tree plantations are expected to play a major role in carbon economies but could have negative ecological and economic consequences when key environmental values such as biodiversity conservation are not considered. We discuss three potential “bio‐perversities”—negative outcomes for biodiversity—that could result from inappropriate plantation tree programs aimed solely at reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide and mitigating rapid climate change effects. These are: (1) clearing native vegetation to establish tree plantations, (2) planting trees that become invasive taxa, and (3) tree plantations negatively affecting key ecosystem processes such as fire and hydrological regimes. These bio‐perversities may result from common mistakes in environmental management: (1) too narrow a focus on a single environmental value, (2) failing to adequately quantify ecological uncertainty, and (3) failing to anticipate how different groups of people respond to an environmental problem. We highlight ways to prevent possible bio‐perverse outcomes in large‐scale plantation programs. These include requiring that risk assessments precede project establishment, full carbon accounting is undertaken, incentives used to stimulate tree plantation establishment are rigorously examined, and rigorous compliance and ecological monitoring is undertaken.
Admissible Evidence in the Court of Development Evaluation? The Impact of CARE's SHOUHARDO Project on Child Stunting in Bangladesh
Authors: Smith Lisa C. , Kahn Faheem , Frankenberger Timothy R. , Wadud Abdul 
Published: December 2011

SummaryAlong with the rise of the development effectiveness movement of the last few decades, experimental impact evaluation methods – randomised controlled trials and quasi‐experimental techniques – have emerged as a dominant force. While the increased use of these methods has contributed to improved understanding of what works and whether specific projects have been successful, their ‘gold standard’ status threatens to exclude a large body of evidence from the development effectiveness dialogue.In this paper we conduct an evaluation of the impact on child stunting of CARE's SHOUHARDO project in Bangladesh, the first large‐scale project to use the rights‐based, livelihoods approach to address malnutrition. In line with calls for a more balanced view of what constitutes rigor and scientific evidence, and for the use of more diversified and holistic methods in impact evaluations, we employ a mixed‐methods approach. The results from multiple data sources and methods, including both non‐experimental and quasi‐experimental, are triangulated to arrive at the conclusions. We find that the project had an extraordinarily large impact on stunting among children 6–24 months old – on the order of a 4.5 percentage point reduction per year. We demonstrate that one reason the project reduced stunting by so much was because, consistent with the rights‐based, livelihoods approach, it relied on both direct nutrition interventions and those that addressed underlying structural causes including poor sanitation, poverty, and deeply‐entrenched inequalities in power between women and men. These findings have important policy implications given the slow progress in reducing malnutrition globally and that the widely‐supported Scaling Up Nutrition initiative aimed at stepping up efforts to do so is in urgent need of guidance on how to integrate structural cause interventions with the direct nutrition interventions that are the initiative's main focus. The evaluation also adds to the evidence that targeting the poor, rather than employing universal coverage, can help to accelerate reductions in child malnutrition. The paper concludes that, given the valuable policy lessons generated, the experience of the SHOUHARDO project merits solid standing in the knowledge bank of development effectiveness. More broadly, it illustrates how rigorous and informative evaluation of complex, multi‐intervention projects can be undertaken even in the absence of the randomisation, non‐project control groups and/or panel data required by the experimental methods.
Understanding the ‘guide’ in guided self‐help for disordered eating: A qualitative process study
Authors: Traviss Gemma D. , Heywood‐Everett Suzanne , Hill Andrew J. 
Published: December 2011

Objectives. This study aimed to explore how guidance contributes to the outcome of self‐help for disordered eating.Method. A sample of guides and clients with a range of disordered eating was interviewed on completion of a randomized control trial and analysed using thematic framework analysis.Results. Four themes emerged; the necessity of having a guide as a facilitator, features of the therapeutic relationship in clients with positive outcomes, features of the therapeutic relationship in clients with poor outcomes, and client suitability.Conclusions. These findings have implications for the delivery of guided self‐help interventions for disordered eating. They suggest the value of assessing clients’ readiness to change, working with clients with less severe and complex conditions, and the importance of guide qualities and skills.Practitioner Points

Guidance is a necessary adjunct to self‐help approaches for the effective treatment of a range of disordered eating and can be delivered by trained non‐eating disorder specialists.

Guided self‐help appears most appropriate for less severe, binge‐related eating disorders, including eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS), further work is needed for use with anorexic‐type presentations.

While it is important to establish and maintain a strong, open, and collaborative therapeutic relationship, client ‘readiness’ appears fundamental in the relationship and consequent treatment outcome.
Genotypic and Phenotypic Characterization of Carriage and Invasive Disease Isolates of Neisseria meningitidis in Finland
Authors: Jounio Ulla , Saukkoriipi Annika , Bratcher Holly B. , Bloigu Aini , Juvonen Raija , Silvennoinen-Kassinen Sylvi , Peitso Ari , Harju Terttu , Vainio Olli , Kuusi Markku , Maiden Martin C. J. , Leinonen Maija , Käyhty Helena , Toropainen Maija 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT

The relationship between carriage and the development of invasive meningococcal disease is not fully understood. We investigated the changes in meningococcal carriage in 892 military recruits in Finland during a nonepidemic period (July 2004 to January 2006) and characterized all of the oropharyngeal meningococcal isolates obtained (
n
= 215) by using phenotypic (serogrouping and serotyping) and genotypic (
porA
typing and multilocus sequence typing) methods. For comparison, 84 invasive meningococcal disease strains isolated in Finland between January 2004 and February 2006 were also analyzed. The rate of meningococcal carriage was significantly higher at the end of military service than on arrival (18% versus 2.2%;
P
< 0.001). Seventy-four percent of serogroupable carriage isolates belonged to serogroup B, and 24% belonged to serogroup Y. Most carriage isolates belonged to the carriage-associated ST-60 clonal complex. However, 21.5% belonged to the hyperinvasive ST-41/44 clonal complex. Isolates belonging to the ST-23 clonal complex were cultured more often from oropharyngeal samples taken during the acute phase of respiratory infection than from samples taken at health examinations at the beginning and end of military service (odds ratio [OR], 6.7; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 2.7 to 16.4). The ST-32 clonal complex was associated with meningococcal disease (OR, 17.8; 95% CI, 3.8 to 81.2), while the ST-60 clonal complex was associated with carriage (OR, 10.7; 95% CI, 3.3 to 35.2). These findings point to the importance of meningococcal vaccination for military recruits and also to the need for an efficacious vaccine against serogroup B isolates.
Is Vancomycin MIC “Creep” Method Dependent? Analysis of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Susceptibility Trends in Blood Isolates from North East Scotland from 2006 to 2010
Authors: Edwards B. , Milne K. , Lawes T. , Cook I. , Robb A. , Gould I. M. 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT

This study investigated “creep” in vancomycin and daptomycin MICs among methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) isolates from blood cultures over a 5-year period in a hospital in the United Kingdom, using different susceptibility testing methods. Trends in vancomycin and daptomycin susceptibility were evaluated by using Etest performed prospectively on isolates in routine clinical practice from December 2007 to December 2010 (
n
= 102). Comparison was made to results from prospective testing of subcultures at the Scottish MRSA Reference Laboratory, using an automated system (Vitek 2) and retrospective testing (Etest and CLSI reference broth microdilution [BMD] method) of stored isolates from 2006 to 2010 (
n
= 208). Spearman's rank correlations revealed a significant increase in vancomycin MIC (
P
= 0.012) and a significant decrease in daptomycin MIC (
P
= 0.03) by year of study for Etest results from the time of isolation. However, neither trend was replicated in MICs from automated or retrospective testing. The Friedman test revealed a significant difference between vancomycin MICs obtained from the same samples by different testing methods (χ
2
[3 degrees of freedom] = 97;
P
< 0.001). MICs from automated testing and Etest analysis of stored isolates were significantly lower than those from Etest analysis at the time of isolation for both antibiotics (
P
< 0.001). Effects of storage on the MIC appeared within the first 6 months of storage. Inconsistent evidence on vancomycin MIC creep and the relevance of the MIC to clinical outcome may arise from differences in susceptibility testing methods, including storage of isolates. There is a need to standardize and streamline susceptibility testing of vancomycin against MRSA.
The Insulator Protein CTCF Binding Sites in the
orf73
/LANA Promoter Region of Herpesvirus Saimiri Are Involved in Conferring Episomal Stability in Latently Infected Human T Cells
Authors: Zielke Katrin , Full Florian , Teufert Natascha , Schmidt Monika , Müller-Fleckenstein Ingrid , Alberter Barbara , Ensser Armin 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT

Herpesviruses establish latency in suitable cells of the host organism after a primary lytic infection. Subgroup C strains of herpesvirus saimiri (HVS), a primate gamma-2 herpesvirus, are able to transform human and other primate T lymphocytes to stable growth
in vitro
. The viral genomes persist as nonintegrated, circular, and histone-associated episomes in the nuclei of those latently infected T cells. Epigenetic modifications of episomes are essential to restrict the transcription during latency to selected viral genes, such as the viral oncogenes
stpC/tip
and the
orf73
/LANA. In this study, we describe a genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation-on-chip (ChIP-on-chip) analysis to profile the occupancy of CTCF on the latent HVS genome. We then focused on two distinct, conserved CTCF binding sites (CBS) within the
orf73
/LANA promoter region. Analysis of recombinant viruses harboring deletions or mutations within the CBS indicated that the lytic replication of such viruses is not substantially influenced by CTCF. However, T cells latently infected with CBS mutants were impaired in their proliferation abilities and showed a significantly reduced episomal maintenance. We detected a reduced transcription of the
orf73
/LANA gene in the T cells, corresponding to the reduced viral genomes; this might contribute to the loss of HVS episomes, as LANA is central in the maintenance of viral episomes in the dividing T cell populations. These data demonstrate that the episomal stability of HVS genomes in latently infected human T cells is dependent on CTCF.
Exercise is an effective treatment modality for reducing cancer-related fatigue and improving physical capacity in cancer patients and survivors: a meta-analysis
Authors: McMillan Elliott M. , Newhouse Ian J. 
Published: December 2011

The use of exercise interventions to manage cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a rapidly developing field of study. However, results are inconsistent and difficult to interpret across the literature, making it difficult to draw accurate conclusions regarding the true effectiveness of exercise interventions for CRF management. The aims of this study were to apply a meta-analysis to quantitatively assess the effects of exercise intervention strategies on CRF, and to elucidate appropriate exercise prescription guidelines. A systematic search of electronic databases and relevant journals and articles was conducted. Studies were eligible if subjects were over the age of 18 years, if they had been given a diagnosis of or had been treated for cancer, if exercise was used to treat CRF as a primary or secondary endpoint, and if the effects of the intervention were evaluated quantitatively and presented adequate statistical data for analysis. A total of 16 studies, representing 1426 participants (exercise, 759; control, 667) were included in a meta-analysis using a fixed-effects model. The standardized mean difference effect size (SMD) was used to test the effect of exercise on CRF between experimental and control groups. The results indicate a small but significant effect size in favour of the use of exercise interventions for reducing CRF (SMD 0.26, p < 0.001). Furthermore, aerobic exercise programs caused a significant reduction in CRF (SMD 0.21, p < 0.001) and overall, exercise was able to significantly improve aerobic and musculoskeletal fitness compared with control groups (p < 0.01). Further investigation is still required to determine the effects of exercise on potential underlying mechanisms related to the pathophysiology of CRF.