bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Diabetes in care homes: current care standards and residents’ experience
Authors: Yarnall A. J. , Hayes L , Hawthorne G. C. , Candlish C. A. , Aspray T. J. 
Published: July 2011

Diabet. Med. 29, 132–135 (2012)AbstractAims  The Diabetes UK good clinical practice guidelines for care home residents were revised in 2010. In this study, we examined current care against these standards and sought the views of residents on their diabetes.Methods  Mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative), including interviews with residents, carers and staff, participant record reviews and focus group discussions were used to gather data in care homes in Newcastle upon Tyne.Results  Thirty‐one residents from seven care homes participated. Eighty‐seven per cent of residents had probable dementia (based on abbreviated mental test score or clock‐drawing test). Weight, body mass index and blood pressure were satisfactorily monitored. Glucose monitoring took place in all residents who received insulin, but was monitored unnecessarily in those with diet‐controlled diabetes (63%). The majority of residents (90%) had seen a chiropodist and had received eye screening (> 80%) recently. Only one of the care homes had staff that had diabetes training. Residents reported little knowledge of diabetes management. However, when asked what they knew about diabetes, comments included ‘It’s a common thing… like cancer’; ‘[I would have liked a] plain language explanation of diabetes’ and ‘They told me they could control it by diet, and then it was tablets, then insulin. They didn’t explain why.’Conclusions  In Newcastle upon Tyne care homes there is good care provided but also evidence of inadequacies. Despite high levels of dementia, many patients have strong and valid opinions about their disease and the care they receive. Despite the challenges, we believe that residents must be included in discussions about service development.
The Flip Side of Organized Decentralization: Company‐Level Bargaining in Denmark
Authors: Ilsøe Anna 
Published: July 2011

AbstractThe Danish collective bargaining system is often considered a good example of organized decentralization. It has been characterized as a centralized decentralization suggesting a reproduction of sector‐level bargaining relations at company level. A recent survey on company‐level bargaining in the Danish industrial sector confirms this hypothesis with regard to the experiences of local managers and shop stewards. However, part of the survey also questions whether the reproduction will continue in the future. Small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises and their employees tend to miss out on the mutual benefits obtained through company‐level agreements. Furthermore, shop stewards often find it difficult to gain employee support during negotiations, which jeopardizes their bargaining relations with management.
Cantharidin–podophylotoxin–salicylic acid versus cryotherapy in the treatment of plantar warts: a randomized prospective study
Authors: Kaçar N. , Taşlı L. , Korkmaz S. , Ergin Ş. , Erdoğan B.Ş. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractBackground  Plantar warts are refractory to any form of treatment. High cure rates have been reported with a topical proprietary formulation consisting of 1% cantharidin, 5% podophyllotoxin and 30% salicylic acid (CPS). However, no data exists comparing the efficacy of this formulation with another treatment. Cryotherapy is a method that is also widely used in the treatment of plantar warts. Likewise, there is no evidence that it is more effective than any topical treatment.Objective  We aim to compare the efficacy of topical CPS and cryotherapy in the treatment of plantar warts.Methods  Patients with plantar warts were consecutively treated with either cryotherapy or topical CPS. Both treatments were performed every 2 weeks for up to five sessions. In patients without complete clearance, the therapy was switched to the other treatment option.Results  Twenty‐six patients with a total of 134 warts were included. Fourteen patients were completely cleared of their warts with topical CPS, whereas only in five of 12 patients (41.7%) warts were completely cleared with cryotherapy (P = 0.001). In seven patients without complete clearance, the therapy was switched to CPS. Four of these patients missed the follow‐up. While the two of the remaining three patients were cleared of their warts, one patient’s warts still failed to clear.Conclusion  Topical CPS is more effective than cryotherapy in the treatment of plantar warts.
Biochemical and strain properties of CJD prions: complexity versus simplicity
Authors: Haïk Stéphane , Brandel Jean‐Philippe 
Published: July 2011

J. Neurochem. (2011) 119, 251–261.AbstractPrions, the agents responsible for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, are infectious proteins consisting primarily of scrapie prion protein (PrPSc), a misfolded, β‐sheet enriched and aggregated form of the host‐encoded cellular prion protein (PrPC). Their propagation is based on an autocatalytic PrP conversion process. Despite the lack of a nucleic acid genome, different prion strains have been isolated from animal diseases. Increasing evidence supports the view that strain‐specific properties may be enciphered within conformational variations of PrPSc. In humans, sporadic Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease (sCJD) is the most frequent form of prion diseases and has demonstrated a wide phenotypic and molecular spectrum. In contrast, variant Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease (vCJD), which results from oral exposure to the agent of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is a highly stereotyped disease, that, until now, has only occurred in patients who are methionine homozygous at codon 129 of the PrP gene. Recent research has provided consistent evidence of strain diversity in sCJD and also, unexpectedly enough, in vCJD. Here, we discuss the puzzling biochemical/pathological diversity of human prion disorders and the relationship of that diversity to the biological properties of the agent as demonstrated by strain typing in experimental models.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE BRAIN DRAIN (?)
Authors: BRASSINGTON IAIN 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTOne of the characteristics of the relationship between the developed and developing worlds is the ‘brain drain’– the phenomenon by which expertise moves towards richer countries, thereby condemning poorer countries to continued comparative and absolute poverty. It is tempting to see the phenomenon as a moral problem in its own right, such that there is a moral imperative to end it, that is separate from (and additional to) any moral imperative to relieve the burden of poverty. However, it is not clear why this should be so – why, that is, there is a moral reason to stem the flow of expertise in addition to seeking to improve welfare. In this paper, I examine three explanations of the putative moral aspect of the brain drain.
THE REPORTING OF IRB REVIEW IN JOURNAL ARTICLES PRESENTING HIV RESEARCH CONDUCTED IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD
Authors: KLITZMAN ROBERT L. , KLEINERT KELLY , RIFAI‐BASHJAWISH HODA , LEU CHENG SHIUNG 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTObjectives:  We investigated how often journal articles reporting on human HIV research in four developing world countries mention any institutional review boards (IRBs) or research ethics committees (RECs), and what factors are involved.Methods:  We examined all such articles published in 2007 from India, Nigeria, Thailand and Uganda, and coded these for several ethical and other characteristics.Results:  Of 221 articles meeting inclusion criteria, 32.1% did not mention IRB approval. Mention of IRB approval was associated with: biomedical (versus psychosocial) research (P = 0.001), more sponsor‐country authors (P = 0.003), sponsor‐country corresponding author (P = 0.047), mention of funding (P < 0.001), particular host‐country involved (P = 0.002), journals having sponsor‐country editors (P < 0.001), and journal stated compliance with International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) guidelines (P = 0.003). Logistic regression identified 3 significant factors: mention of funding, journal having sponsor‐country editors and research being biomedical.Conclusions:  One‐third of articles still do not mention IRB approval. Mention varied by country, and was associated with biomedical research, and more sponsor country involvement. Recently, some journals have required mention of IRB approval, but allow authors to do so in cover letters to editors, not in the article itself. Instead, these data suggest, journals should require that articles document adherence to ethical standards.
Strategies for transitioning to adult care for youth with Lennox‐Gastaut syndrome and related disorders
Authors: Camfield Peter R. , Gibson Patricia A. , Douglass Laurie M. 
Published: July 2011

SummaryTransition is the process of preparing children with chronic illness and their families for the adult health care system. In patients with Lennox‐Gastaut syndrome (LGS) and related disorders, the process of transition is complicated by the presence of intellectual handicap, treatment‐resistant epilepsy, and behavioral issues. Patients who are not successfully transitioned to adult care may end up without specialty care, may not receive satisfactory adult services, may lack adequate follow‐up and access to newer therapies, and may lack appropriate management of comorbid conditions. Several family related and clinician‐related barriers can inhibit the transition process. Transition strategies that maximize each patient’s ability to achieve his or her potential and optimize self‐sufficiency may lead to better social outcomes. Adolescent clinics that include members of the pediatric and adult neurology teams may help ensure a smooth transition to adult care, although studies are needed to objectively establish the best model. Results are reported from a survey of 133 symposium attendees on the topic of practice characteristics and issues related to transitioning care. Results suggested a great deal of dissatisfaction about the process of transition, especially for patients with intellectual handicap. We provide suggestions for developing a transition program, including identifying a willing adult service, adapting a multidisciplinary approach, addressing legal and psychosocial issues, and celebrating rites of passage.
Institutional Ownership Stability and Risk Taking: Evidence From the Life–Health Insurance Industry
Authors: Cheng Jiang , Elyasiani Elyas , Jia Jingyi (Jane) 
Published: July 2011

AbstractWe investigate the relationship between risk taking of life–health (LH) insurers and stability of their institutional ownership within a simultaneous equation system model. Three main results are obtained. First, stable institutional ownership of is associated with lower total risk of LH insurers, supporting the prudent‐man law hypothesis. Second, when investors are sorted in terms of stringency of the prudent‐man restrictions, their negative effect on risk holds for all, except insurance companies, as owners of LH insurers. Third, large institutional owners do not raise the riskiness of the investee‐firms, as proposed by the large shareholder hypothesis. Regulatory implications are drawn.
An Empirical Examination of Stakeholder Groups as Monitoring Sources in Corporate Governance
Authors: Cole Cassandra R. , He Enya , McCullough Kathleen A. , Semykina Anastasia , Sommer David W. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractInsurers are formally and informally monitored by a variety of stakeholders, including reinsurers, agents, outside board members, and regulators. While other studies have generally examined these stakeholders separately, they have not accounted for the fact that there is some relation among the stakeholder groups, and the presence of these groups is likely to be jointly determined. By empirically controlling for these potential interrelations, we create a more complete assessment of the impact of these stakeholders/monitors on insurers’ risk taking. Specifically, we find that the presence of some stakeholders offsets the degree or presence of others, and that most stakeholders/monitors are associated with a reduction of overall firm risk.
Corporate Governance and Issues From the Insurance Industry
Authors: Boubakri Narjess 
Published: July 2011

AbstractIn this article, we review the literature and empirical research on the nature and consequences of corporate governance. We particularly assess the impact of corporate governance on firm performance and risk taking. While the article analyzes the general literature on corporate governance in publicly listed firms, we also discuss issues pertaining to the insurance industry. The article identifies avenues for future research.
Barack Obama's “American” Problem: Unhyphenated Americans in the 2008 Elections*
Authors: Arbour Brian K. , Teigen Jeremy M. 
Published: July 2011

Objectives.The largest increase of any ancestry group between the 1990 and 2000 Census in the United States were “unhyphenated Americans,” those whites who claimed an “American” or no ancestry. This article measures this group's voting habits in the 2008 elections.Methods.With individual‐level attitudinal data and county‐level voting data from the 2008 primary and 2000–2008 general elections, the analyses use quantitative methods to estimate unhyphenated Americans' voting behavior.Results.Evidence indicates a strong rejection of Obama among counties with high proportions of unhyphenated Americans in both the 2008 primary and general elections.Conclusion.While spatially concentrated in and near Appalachia, unhyphenated Americans' politics are distinctive irrespective of socioeconomic status, religion, and geography, being one of the few groups in which Barack Obama lost votes compared to previous Democratic nominees. Variation in the share of unhyphenated Americans explains more of the difference between 2008 and past elections than variation in the share of African Americans per county.
Can mobile skin conductance assessments be helpful in signalling imminent inpatient aggression?
Authors: Kuijpers Eric , Nijman Henk , Bongers Inge M.B. , Lubberding Matty , Ouwerkerk Martin 
Published: July 2011

Background: A well-known technique to assess (psychological) arousal is to measure the skin conductance level (SCL). Although widely used in experimental psychological research, this technique has not been used often in (locked) psychiatric admission settings on patients who are at a high risk of engaging in aggressive behaviour. One of the obvious reasons for this is that measuring skin conductance, until recently, required a substantial amount of equipment.Methods: As technology developed, it became possible to develop small wearable devices in the form of regular watches to measure the SCL as well as other psycho-physiological parameters. To illustrate the potential this may have for the prevention of aggressive behaviour, a case description is provided of a patient in crisis who became physically aggressive while wearing a skin conductance measurement device.Results: Interestingly, the SCL of the patient had been rising sharply before the first signs of aggressive behaviour were visible.Conclusion: Although it concerns an anecdotal case study, this finding suggests that measuring SCL on a continuous basis in patients who are at a high risk of becoming violent, without this procedure having to interfere with their daily life, may open new avenues for preventing aggression at an earlier stage. A large-scale empirical study in a substantial number of (potentially aggressive) patients is needed, however, to investigate the predictive validity of mobile skin conductance assessments on imminent inpatient aggression in a reliable way.
Population structure of pigs determined by single nucleotide polymorphisms observed in assembled expressed sequence tags
Authors: MATSUMOTO Toshimi , OKUMURA Naohiko , UENISHI Hirohide , HAYASHI Takeshi , HAMASIMA Noriyuki , AWATA Takashi 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTWe have collected more than 190 000 porcine expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from full‐length complementary DNA (cDNA) libraries and identified more than 2800 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). In this study, we tentatively chose 222 SNPs observed in assembled ESTs to study pigs of different breeds; 104 were selected by comparing the cDNA sequences of a Meishan pig and samples of three‐way cross pigs (Landrace, Large White, and Duroc: LWD), and 118 were selected from LWD samples. To evaluate the genetic variation between the chosen SNPs from pig breeds, we determined the genotypes for 192 pig samples (11 pig groups) from our DNA reference panel with matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. Of the 222 reference SNPs, 186 were successfully genotyped. A neighbor‐joining tree showed that the pig groups were classified into two large clusters, namely, Euro‐American and East Asian pig populations. F‐statistics and the analysis of molecular variance of Euro‐American pig groups revealed that approximately 25% of the genetic variations occurred because of intergroup differences. As the FIS values were less than the FST values, the clustering, based on the Bayesian inference, implied that there was strong genetic differentiation among pig groups and less divergence within the groups in our samples.
Effect of feeding non‐fibrous carbohydrate before grazing on intake and nitrogen utilization in dairy cows throughout the grazing season
Authors: MITANI Tomohiro , UEDA Koichiro , ENDO Tetsushiro , TAKAHASHI Makoto , NAKATSUJI Hiroki , KONDO Seiji 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTTen lactating cows were used to determine the effect of feeding non‐fibrous carbohydrate (NFC) supplement before grazing on feed intake and nitrogen (N) utilization throughout a grazing season. The experiment was conducted from June to September. Cows grazed twice a day (2.5 h × 2) under a set stocking system and were fed NFC supplement (1 kg/4 kg of milk yield) 2 h before grazing (PRE) or immediately after grazing (POST). Cows were also fed a grass and corn silage mixture ad libitum. Herbage dry matter intake (DMI) was greater for PRE than for POST throughout the experiment and decreased from June to September. Conversely, silage DMI was less for PRE than for POST throughout the experiment and increased over the grazing season. Consequently, total DMI for PRE did not differ from that for POST. Milk urea‐N concentration and urinary urea‐N excretion in June did not differ between the treatments, whereas that after July was higher for PRE than for POST. Proportion of urinary N excretion to absorbed N intake in June was lower for PRE than for POST, but that after July was higher for PRE than for POST. Feeding NFC supplement before grazing would improve N utilization when cows eat large amounts of herbage high in N.
Genotypic and phenotypic characterization of lactic acid bacteria isolated from Italian ryegrass silage
Authors: TOHNO Masanori , KOBAYASHI Hisami , NOMURA Masaru , KITAHARA Maki , OHKUMA Moriya , UEGAKI Ryuichi , CAI Yimin 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTTwenty‐three lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from three cultivars (Akiaoba, Nagahahikari and Tachiwase) of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) silage were precisely characterized by a combination of phenotypic tests, genotypic 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing and rapid PCR‐based analyses, focusing on their useful phenotypes for silage preparation as inoculants. We successfully identified both at the species and subspecies levels: phenotypically novel Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus coryniformis subsp. torquens, Lactobacillus curvatus, Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum, Lactobacillus sakei subsp. carnosus, Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. dextranicum and Pediococcus parvulus. This is the first report to elucidate the presence of Lactobacillus coryniformis ssp. torquens and Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. dextranicum in Italian ryegrass silages. Physiological and biochemical tests revealed that phenotypic characteristics are different among the different strains of the same species and subspecies, and that the isolates show unique and diverse phenotypes related to fermentation factors, such as available carbohydrates, optimal growth pH and temperature. These results suggest that, for various well‐preserved silage preparations, the isolates may be useful in producing novel inoculants corresponding to their optimally climatic and ecological niches.
Addition of erythrocytes to in vitro culture medium attenuates the detrimental effects of reactive oxygen species on bovine preimplantation embryo development
Authors: IDETA Atsushi , TSUCHIYA Kanami , AOYAGI Yoshito 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTErythrocytes were recently found to improve the early development of mice embryos by their antioxidant effect. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of erythrocytes on the in vitro development of bovine in vitro fertilized (IVF) embryos in medium supplemented with reactive oxygen species (ROS). IVF embryos were cultured in CR1aa medium supplemented with oxidizing agents, 0.5 mmol/L hypoxanthine and 0.01 U/mL xanthine oxidase (HX/XOD), in the presence and absence of erythrocytes (5 × 104, 5 × 105, 5 × 106 and 5 × 107 erythrocytes/mL). After 8 days, blastocysts were examined with a stereomicroscope. HX/XOD blocked development to the blastocyst stage (HX/XOD: 0%, control: 33%), but in the presence of both erythrocytes and HX/XOD, blastocyst development was restored to about one‐third to two‐thirds the normal rate (5 × 105 to 5 × 107 erythrocytes/mL: 12 to 23%). Furthermore, adding erythrocytes or erythrocyte hemolysate to medium without HX/XOD increased the blastocyst rate. These results suggest that the addition of erythrocytes can attenuate the detrimental effects of ROS on embryo development in bovine species as well as in mice.
Identification of divergently selected regions between Japanese Black and Holstein cattle using bovine 50k SNP array
Authors: HOSOKAWA Daisuke , ISHII Atsushi , YAMAJI Keita , SASAZAKI Shinji , OYAMA Kenji , MANNEN Hideyuki 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTDifferences between average allelic frequencies of genes that relate to traits suggest that it would be evidence of artificial selections. Sliding window approach is a useful method to identify genomic regions that have been differently selected between two breeds. The objective of this study was to identify the divergently selected regions between Japanese Black (JB) and Japanese Holstein (JH) cattle based on genotypic information obtained through a high‐density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) panel. After genotyping of 54 001 SNP markers on 100 animals (50 JB and 50 JH), 40 635 SNPs were suitable for the analysis. For each of these SNPs, the absolute difference between allelic frequencies of JB and JH was calculated. In the current study, 10 consecutive SNPs were defined as components of a window. For each window, the average difference in allelic frequency was calculated. This was termed sliding window average difference (SWAD). Among 40 055 windows, we focused on 39 windows with the largest SWAD. This was equivalent to 0.1% of all windows and the SWAD was more than 0.435. Some of these windows overlapped and were distributed in 11 regions. These regions were in good agreement with reported quantitative trait locus, therefore would be selection signatures and good candidates that harbor the causative mutations.