bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Jordanian health care providers' perceptions of post‐partum health care
Authors: Khalaf I.A. , Abu‐Moghli F.A. , Callister L.C. , Mahadeen A.I. , Kaawa K. , Zomot A.F. 
Published: November 2009

Purpose:  This qualitative descriptive study explored Jordanian health care providers' perceptions of the health care that they provide for post‐partum mothers.Methods:  Thirty Jordanian health care providers (physicians, nurses and midwives) participated in three focus group discussions. A content analysis approach was used to analyse the data as appropriate for descriptive qualitative inquiry.Findings:  Health care providers indicated that the care they deliver includes breastfeeding, family planning, childcare and laboratory tests. Health care providers reflected confidence in the care given but indicated the need for continuing education, more resources and expressions of appreciation.Conclusions:  Findings provide insights into Jordanian health care providers' perspectives on post‐partum health care and emphasized the importance of enhancing utilization of such care in Jordan. It is suggested that the Jordanian Ministry of Health develop a comprehensive plan of educational offerings for providers, with a standardized educational programme for post‐partum women. It is essential that all health care facilities provide high‐quality post‐partum health care that meets the needs of the maternal/infant dyad. Like all qualitative descriptive studies, generalizability of the results may be limited to similar situations and cultures.
Attitudes of nurse professionals and nursing students towards children with disabilities. Do nurses really overcome children's physical and mental handicaps?
Authors: Matziou V. , Galanis P. , Tsoumakas C. , Gymnopoulou E. , Perdikaris P. , Brokalaki H. 
Published: November 2009

Background:  Many health professionals and nurses, who are involved in the care of disabled children, do not exhibit the essential sensitivity and appropriate attitudes towards them, resulting in a poor quality of nursing care.Aim:  The objective of this study was to investigate the attitudes of nurse professionals (paediatric nurses) and nursing students towards disabled children.Patients and methods:  The present study is a comparative study. The sample consisted of 228 first‐year nursing students, 90 post‐diploma nurses attending MSc degree course and 123 nurse professionals who are employed in paediatric hospitals. After obtaining permission from the hospitals and the educational settings and informing about the subjects of the study, data were collected using the paediatric Attitude Towards Disabled Person Scale (ATDP).Results:  Overall nurses' attitudes appeared to be poor (mean ATDP score 61.7 ± 14.2). However, the post‐diploma nurses had significantly higher ATDP scores than first‐year students and paediatric nurses (P < 0.001). In addition, first‐year students had significantly higher scores than paediatric nurses (P = 0.047). Across the sample, females hold significantly more positive attitudes than males (F = 9.5, P = 0.002), while age did not have any significant effect.Conclusions:  Carefully designed curricula can influence the attitudes of nursing students towards children with disabilities. Special courses for treating disabled children should be integrated to the basic nursing studies. Moreover, continuing hospital education can change paediatric nurses' attitudes towards children with disabilities.
Young Syrian adults' knowledge, perceptions and attitudes to premarital testing
Authors: Gharaibeh H. , Mater F. K. 
Published: November 2009

Background:  The issue of premarital testing is a controversial and complex issue. Syria is an Islamic country that is moving towards modernization that involves changes in social structures and urbanization of attitudes, beliefs, views and values.Purpose:  The purpose of this study was to identify young Syrian adults' knowledge, perceptions and attitudes about premarital testing.Methods:  Descriptive, cross‐sectional design was utilized. The study was conducted at a mid‐sized university in Syria. A stratified simple random sampling was used to recruit the university students in the last 2 years of their graduation. A total of 942 students participated in the study using a questionnaire developed to measure the participants' knowledge, attitudes and perception of premarital testing.Results:  Although university students had a considerable knowledge of premarital testing, they had a limited knowledge about certain aspects. Moreover, although they had some positive attitudes, they still had negative attitudes and perceptions towards other aspects of premarital testing.Conclusion and implication:  The study results could assist in the development of health education programmes in Syria and other Arab countries to increase their awareness and influence their attitudes towards premarital testing. The study limitation was that the sample was chosen from one part of Syria.
Bullying among nurses and its effects
Authors: Yıldırım D. 
Published: November 2009

Background:  The victims of bullying are subjected to being terrorized, annoyed, excluded, belittled, deprived of resources, isolated and prevented from claiming rights. The victims of bullying have decreased job satisfaction, work performance, motivation and productivity. Bullying also negatively affects victims' social relationships inside and outside the institution.Objectives:  This study was conducted as a cross‐sectional and descriptive study for the purpose of assessing the workplace, bullying of nurses in Turkey and the effects it has on nursing practices.Method:  The sample was composed of 286 nurses, and all of the respondents were female. The research instrument was a questionnaire in five parts. The first section included the participants' demographic information; the other variables were measured in four categories: psychologically violent behaviours, workload, organizational effects and depression.Findings:  Thirty‐seven per cent of the nurses participating in the research had never or almost never encountered workplace bullying behaviour in the last 12 months, 21% of the nurses had been exposed to these behaviours. There were no differences between position and educational level in workplace bullying. Workplace bullying leads to depression, lowered work motivation, decreased ability to concentrate, poor productivity, lack of commitment to work, and poor relationships with patients, managers and colleagues.Conclusion:  Workplace bullying is a measurable problem that negatively affects the psychology and performance of the nurses in this study.
Self‐reported gastrointestinal and cardiovascular symptoms in female Turkish nurses
Authors: Yıldız F.A. , Esin M.N. 
Published: November 2009

Aim:  This study aimed to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal and cardiovascular symptoms and to compare working conditions and lifestyle characteristics among nurses.Background:  Gastrointestinal and cardiovascular disorders are important health problems in nurses. Although many epidemiologic studies have researched nurses' health problems, few have focused on their cardiovascular and gastrointestinal symptoms.Methods:  A cross‐sectional design was used with a sample of 400 nurses from a medical faculty hospital in northwestern Turkey. Data were collected using the Physical Health Questionnaire of the Standard Shift Work Index.Results:  The nurses worked different shifts and provided direct patient care in four different clinical areas in the hospital. There were statistically significant differences in age, educational status, marital status, work years, weekly working hours and type of work shift among nurses in different units. The mean gastrointestinal symptoms subscale score was 17.7 [standard deviation (SD) = 3.2] and the mean cardiovascular symptoms subscale score was 14.4 (SD = 3.7). Compared with results in similar studies, the nurses' gastrointestinal and cardiovascular symptoms scores in our study are quite high. The regression model shows that gastrointestinal symptoms are most prevalent in the 20–30‐year‐old age group [odds ratio (OR) = 13.90] and the cigarette‐smoking group (OR = 8.52). The most important factors affecting the prevalence of cardiovascular symptoms are marital status (OR = 2.41) and smoking (OR = 2.31).Conclusion:  The findings might help occupational health nurses and other occupational health‐care personnel in assessing high‐risk nurses who could benefit from interventions aimed at minimizing gastrointestinal and cardiovascular disorders.
Plant genome sequencing: applications for crop improvement
Authors: Edwards David , Batley Jacqueline 
Published: November 2009

SummaryDNA sequencing technology is undergoing a revolution with the commercialization of second generation technologies capable of sequencing thousands of millions of nucleotide bases in each run. The data explosion resulting from this technology is likely to continue to increase with the further development of second generation sequencing and the introduction of third generation single‐molecule sequencing methods over the coming years. The question is no longer whether we can sequence crop genomes which are often large and complex, but how soon can we sequence them? Even cereal genomes such as wheat and barley which were once considered intractable are coming under the spotlight of the new sequencing technologies and an array of new projects and approaches are being established. The increasing availability of DNA sequence information enables the discovery of genes and molecular markers associated with diverse agronomic traits creating new opportunities for crop improvement. However, the challenge remains to convert this mass of data into knowledge that can be applied in crop breeding programs.
New Labour and Pensions Reform: Security in Retirement?
Authors: Waine Barbara 
Published: November 2009

AbstractNew Labour has defined the problem of security in retirement as one of undersaving and has sought to resolve it both by measures which encourage saving and by improving financial literacy. The article discusses both of these approaches, arguing that each is flawed and that, in addition, New Labour's pension policy exhibits several tensions which threaten to undermine the objective of providing a secure income in retirement.
Modernization of Tax Administrations and Optimal Fiscal Policies
Authors: BESFAMILLE MARTIN , SIRITTO CECILIA PARLATORE 
Published: November 2009

AbstractSince Sandmo (1981), many articles have analyzed optimal fiscal policies in economies with tax evasion. All share a feature: they assume that the cost of enforcing the tax law is exogenous. However, governments often invest resources to reduce these enforcement costs. In a very simple model, we incorporate such investments in the analysis of an optimal fiscal policy. We characterize their optimal level and we show numerically how they interact with the other dimensions of the optimal fiscal policy. Finally, we highlight the differences between our results and those obtained in a model without investment in the tax administration.
Bargaining over Public Goods
Authors: DÁVILA JULIO , EECKHOUT JAN , MARTINELLI CÉSAR 
Published: November 2009

AbstractIn a simple public good economy, we propose a natural bargaining procedure, the equilibria of which converge to Lindahl allocations as the cost of bargaining vanishes. The procedure splits the decision over the allocation in a decision about personalized prices and a decision about output levels for the public good. Since this procedure does not assume price‐taking behavior, it provides a strategic foundation for the personalized taxes inherent in the Lindahl solution to the public goods problem.
MONETARY POLICY WITH INVESTMENT–SAVING IMBALANCES
Authors: Tamborini Roberto 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACTFinancial instability is the new challenge for monetary policy. Most studies indicate that financial crises follow prolonged unwinding of investment–saving imbalances (ISI). These phenomena are not contemplated by the standard theoretical framework of continuous intertemporal equilibrium. This paper's aim is to take a first step into the analysis of monetary policy in the context of ISI. First, a dynamic model of a flex‐price, competitive economy is presented where ISI are allowed to develop. Second, upon introducing different types of Taylor rules, some indications for the conduct of monetary policy emerge, which are at variance with the standard view.
Self‐learning digital modules in Dermatology: a pilot study
Authors: Kaliyadan F , Manoj J , Dharmaratnam AD , Sreekanth G 
Published: November 2009

AbstractBackground  Dermatological diseases are one of the most common problems in outpatient departments. Dermatology teaching unfortunately is facing two major issues: (i) a shortage of trained faculty and (ii) inadequate teaching time. Various methods utilizing modern information technology have been studied to overcome these problems.Objectives  We attempted to evaluate the use of a digital self‐learning module in the teaching of dermatology.Methods  We created digital modules of dermatology topics, which included power‐point presentations, instructive videos demonstrating signs in dermatological examination, interactive quizzes and images. The module was pilot tested on 48 third semester students, each posted for 2 weeks in dermatology. Evaluation was performed using a 5‐point Likert scale questionnaire for the students. Actual knowledge acquisition was evaluated using a post‐test with two components: section A comprising questions from the sections covered by the digital module and a section B comprising questions from topics taught only in the conventional method.Results  The questionnaire analysis revealed that a majority of the students were comfortable using the module and felt that it encouraged them towards further in‐depth self‐learning on the concerned topics. The results from the post‐test were compared between the test and control sections, using the Student’s t‐test, which gave a P‐value of 0.084 (5% significance level) suggesting that the difference was not significant.Conclusion  To conclude, we would like to suggest that the use of a ‘play area’ like concept coupled with an interactive information technology‐based self‐learning module might improve dermatology teaching.
CHILD syndrome: the NSDHL gene and its role in CHILD syndrome, a rare hereditary disorder
Authors: Avgerinou GP , Asvesti AP , Katsambas AD , Nikolaou VA , Christofidou EC , Grzeschik KH , Happle R 
Published: November 2009

AbstractBackground  CHILD syndrome, a rare hereditary disorder of keratinization (MIM 308050, 300275), is the acronym proposed by Happle to name a rare entity, characterized by congenital hemidysplasia, icthyosiform nevus and limb defects, ranging from digital hypoplasia to icthyosiform nevus and ipsilateral limb defects, ranging from digital hypoplasia to complete amelia.Patients and methods  A 9‐month‐old female infant presented with skin and limb defects involving the right side of her body. Clinical and laboratory evaluation was performed, including DNA sequence analysis of the NSDHL gene.Results  Our patient presented with some of the typical clinical characteristics of CHILD syndrome, i.e. two large erythematous plaques with sharp borders, covered with yellow, wax‐like scaling, on the right axilla and on the right groin, dysplastic right hand and alopecia of the right occipital area. The diagnosis was confirmed by DNA screening analysis, that detected a missense mutation c.314C→T;p‐A105V, in the coding region of the NSDHL gene (exon4) of our patient.Conclusions  This is the first report of CHILD syndrome ever reported in Greece. We suggest that the diagnosis of the syndrome is important for patient information and genetic counselling.
Non‐competitive interaction between raclopride and spiperone on human D2L‐receptors in intact Chinese hamster ovary cells
Authors: Packeu Ann , De Backer Jean‐Paul , Vauquelin Georges 
Published: November 2009

AbstractWe recently investigated the binding properties of the antagonists [3H]‐raclopride and [3H]‐spiperone to intact Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing recombinant human D2long‐dopamine receptors (CHO‐D2Lcells). Compared with saturation binding with [3H]‐raclopride, raclopride reduced [3H]‐spiperone binding with to low potency in competition binding experiments. The present findings illustrate the ability of spiperone to inhibit [3H]‐raclopride binding non‐competitively. While raclopride only decreases the apparentKDof [3H]‐raclopride in saturation binding experiments, spiperone only decreases the number of sites to which [3H]‐raclopride binds with high affinity. Also, while the IC50of raclopride depends on the concentration of [3H]‐raclopride in competition experiments, this is not the case for spiperone. Kinetic studies reveal that the binding of raclopride at its high affinity sites does not affect the association of subsequently added [3H]‐spiperone nor the rebinding of freshly dissociated [3H]‐spiperone to the same or surrounding receptors. Yet, spiperone does not affect the dissociation rate of [3H]‐raclopride and raclopride does not affect the (genuine) dissociation rate of [3H]‐spiperone. The easiest way to interpret the present findings in molecular terms is to assume that D2L‐receptors or their dimeric complexes possess two distinct binding sites: one with high affinity/accessibility for [3H]‐raclopride and the other one with high affinity/accessibility for [3H]‐spiperone. The ability of bound spiperone to inhibit high affinity raclopride binding while the reverse is not the case suggests for the occurrence of non‐reciprocal allosteric interactions. These new findings could point at the occurrence of allosteric interactions between different classes of D2‐receptor antagonists.
Diagnostic performance of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in coronary artery disease
Authors: Pärkkä Jussi P. , Koskenvuo Juha W. , Kervinen Helena , Poutanen Veli‐Pekka , Lohela Pentti , Järvinen Vesa 
Published: November 2009

SummaryBackground:  Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is a promising method for detecting coronary artery disease (CAD). The first reports of new diagnostic techniques indicated generally unrealistic diagnostic performance relying on retrospectively observed cut‐off values of quantitative parameters. Although visual analysis of CMR is the most applicable method for clinical work, its diagnostic performance is not fully elucidated for study components such as wall motion, perfusion and late enhancement in patients with different severity of CAD.Methods:  A total of 30 subjects including 20 patients with CAD and 10 healthy volunteers were selected for the study. Of the patients, ten had stable CAD, five confirmed myocardial infarction (MI) without Q‐waves in electrocardiogram (ECG) and five confirmed MI with Q‐waves in ECG. All patients underwent coronary angiography and CMR for evaluating resting wall motion, rest and stress perfusion and late enhancement.Results:  Combining the data from the three CMR techniques, 12 out of 20 patients were correctly identified as having CAD, and all controls were found to be healthy. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive values were 60·0%, 100·0%, 73·0%, 100·0% and 55·6%, respectively. Of the CMR components, resting wall motion and late enhancement gave the most diagnostic yield.Conclusions:  We conclude that evaluation of CAD is feasible in patients with different severity of CAD using visually analysed CMR, especially when available CMR methodologies are combined together.
Measuring Food Product Differentiation by Quality Ratings: A Cross‐Entropy Analysis of Specialty Coffee e‐Auctions
Authors: Donnet M. Laura , Weatherspoon Dave D. , Moss Charles B. 
Published: November 2009

AbstractFood quality ratings can be used for product differentiation and strategic marketing. This article develops a differentiation measure based on the cross‐entropy of two distributions for speciality coffees. It examines whether quality ratings achieve their objectives for speciality coffee supply chains. The estimation, using e‐auctions data, indicates that the quality rating is more informative in the Cup of Excellence (CofE) relative to the Q auction. To determine significance, a statistical test for comparing the information measure across different e‐auctions and segments of the quality rating was developed. The significant difference between the two auctions is not a surprise as the auctions trade coffee lots of different volumes and the quality evaluation is more important in the case of the CofE, with its jury of renowned coffee experts. The total cross‐entropy measure of product differentiation shows that the 100‐point quality rating does not carry the same information content and meaning in the two different e‐auctions and their respective supply chains. The cross‐entropy measure of product differentiation is shown to be a good indicator of the information and the value created throughout the speciality food supply chain.
Utility of the distal compound muscle action potential duration for diagnosis of demyelinating neuropathies
Authors: Isose Sagiri , Kuwabara Satoshi , Kokubun Norito , Sato Yasunori , Mori Masahiro , Shibuya Kazumoto , Sekiguchi Yukari , Nasu Saiko , Fujimaki Yumi , Noto Yuichi , Sawai Setsu , Kanai Kazuaki , Hirata Koichi , Misawa Sonoko ,   The Tokyo Metropolitan Neuromuscular Electrodiagnosis Study Group
Published: November 2009

AbstractTo assess the significance of distal compound muscle action potential (CMAP) duration for diagnosis of demyelinating neuropathies, electrophysiologic data were reviewed from 471 subjects, including 145 normal controls, 60 patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), 205 with other neuropathy, and 61 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The duration of distally evoked CMAP was measured in the median, ulnar, tibial, and peroneal nerves. Optimal cut‐off values were calculated with receiver‐operating characteristic (ROC) curves. In comparison of normal controls and CIDP patients, ROC analyses showed the sufficient area under the curves (82‐93%). When the cut‐off values in the detection of demyelination were determined as the point with 98% specificity vs. normal on the ROC curves (median, 6.6 ms; ulnar, 6.7 ms; peroneal, 7.6 ms; tibial, 8.8 ms), the sensitivity was 77% for CIDP, with a specificity of 90% vs. ALS and 95% vs. diabetic neuropathy. The distal CMAP duration is a useful index for the detection of distal demyelination. We suggest the above cut‐off values for each nerve as one of the electrodiagnostic criteria for demyelinating neuropathies, preferentially affecting the distal nerve terminals, such as CIDP.
Autonomic skin responses in females with Fabry disease
Authors: Møller Anette T. , Bach Flemming W. , Feldt‐Rasmussen Ulla , Rasmussen Åse K. , Hasholt Lis , Sommer Claudia , Kølvraa Steen , Jensen Troels Staehelin 
Published: November 2009

AbstractFabry disease is a genetic lysosomal disorder with dysfunction of the lysosomal enzyme α‐galactosidase A causing accumulation of glycolipids in multiple organs including the nervous system and with neuropathy as a prominent manifestation. Neurological symptoms include pain and autonomic dysfunction. This study examined peripheral autonomic nerve function in 19 female patients with Fabry disease and 19 sex and age‐matched controls by measuring (1) sweat production following acetylcholine challenge; (2) the sympathetically mediated vasoconstrictor responses to inspiratory gasp, stress, and the cold pressor test; and (3) cutaneous blood flow following capsaicin. The vasoconstrictor response to inspiratory gasp was increased in Fabry patients compared to controls (p = 0.03), while the response to cold and mental stress did not change. Female patients with Fabry disease had a reduced sweat response to iontophoresis of acetylcholine (p = 0.04) and a smaller capsaicin‐induced flare compared to controls. These findings suggest that female patients both have an impaired C‐fiber function and local abnormalities in blood vessels and sweat glands.