bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Susceptibility of bacterial isolates from community‐acquired infections in sub‐Saharan Africa and Asia to macrolide antibiotics
Authors: Lubell Yoel , Turner Paul , Ashley Elizabeth A. , White Nicholas J. 
Published: July 2011

SummaryObjective To review the literature on the susceptibility of common community pathogens in sub‐Saharan Africa and Asia to the macrolide antibiotics.Methods Inclusion criteria required that isolates were collected since 2004 to ensure results were of contemporary relevance. The data were aggregated by region, age group and sterility of site of culture sample.Results A total of 51 studies were identified, which reported the macrolide antimicrobial susceptibilities of common bacterial pathogens isolated since 2004. In general, there was less macrolide resistance in African than in Asian isolates. Most African studies reported high levels of macrolide susceptibility inStreptococcus pneumoniae, whereas most Chinese studies reported high levels of resistance. There was very little information available for Gram‐negative organisms.Conclusions Susceptibility of the pneumococcus to macrolides in SSA remains high in many areas, and good activity of azithromycin has been shown against Salmonellae spp. in Asia. In urban areas where high antibiotic consumption is prevalent, there was evidence of increased resistance to macrolides. However, there is no information on susceptibility from large areas in both continents.
Antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius isolates from healthy dogs and dogs affected with pyoderma in Japan
Authors: Onuma Kenta , Tanabe Taishi , Sato Hisaaki 
Published: July 2011

AbstractStaphylococcus pseudintermedius strains were isolated from healthy dogs and dogs with pyoderma in 2000–2002 and 2009. All the isolates from dogs with pyoderma in 1999–2000 and from healthy dogs in 2000–2002 and 2009 were susceptible to cefalexin and/or other cephalosporins and oxacillin. However, 7.1–12.5 and 11.4% of S. pseudintermedius isolates from dogs with pyoderma in 2009 were resistant to cephalosporins and oxacillin, respectively. All S. pseudintermedius isolates from dogs with pyoderma in 1999–2000 and those from healthy dogs in 2000–2002 were susceptible to fluoroquinolones; however, 50% of the S. pseudintermedius strains isolated from dogs with pyoderma in 2009 and 30% of the S. pseudintermedius strains isolated from healthy dogs in 2009 were resistant to fluoroquinolones. Of the 21 oxacillin‐resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP) isolates, 11 carried SCCmec type V and 10 carried hybrid SCCmec types II–III. Staphylococcus pseudintermedius strains that were resistant to only one of three fluoroquinolones had a mutation in the quinolone resistance determination region of grlA, whereas S. pseudintermedius strains that were resistant to two or more fluoroquinolones had mutations in the quinolone resistance determination regions of both grlA and gyrA.
Effects of wounding and fungal infection with Armillaria ostoyae in three conifer species. II. Host response to the pathogen
Authors: Cleary M. R. , van der Kamp B. J. , Morrison D. J. 
Published: July 2011

SummaryStructural responses in the bark and wood were described following penetration by Armillaria ostoyae in the roots of 20‐ to 30‐year‐old Douglas‐fir, western hemlock and western redcedar trees. Tissue necrosis presumably caused by fungal exudates was commonly observed at inoculum contact. In Douglas‐fir and western hemlock, A. ostoyae interfered with the initiation of active defence mechanisms involving the development of a lignified zone of impervious tissue (IT), necrophylactic periderm (NP) formation and compartmentalization of infected woody tissue. Breaching of IT and NP barriers was frequent, particularly around the clusters of sclereid cells in western hemlock. In western redcedar, the IT zone was inconspicuous. Induced rhytidome formation occurred in western redcedar either simultaneously with or after completion of NP development. The formation of this tissue facilitated en masse sloughing of infected tissue from the surface of roots. In western redcedar, traumatic phloem resin ducts formed in tangential bands surrounding the margin of expanded lesions. Effective compartmentalization in western redcedar was achieved by a barrier zone comprised of a higher‐than‐average number of axial parenchyma that accumulated polyphenolic deposits. A combination of host‐mediated defence mechanisms in western redcedar resulted in a significantly higher frequency of effective resistance reactions than in western hemlock or Douglas‐fir.
Gender, sexuality and the participatory dimensions of a comparative life history policy study
Authors: MacDonnell Judith A 
Published: July 2011

MACDONNELL JA. Nursing Inquiry 2011; 18: 313–324 Gender, sexuality and the participatory dimensions of a comparative life history policy studyIn this paper, I explore how a critical feminist lens was a crucial element in creating a participatory policy study which used a qualitative design and comparative life history methodology. This study focused on Canadian nurses’ political practice related to advocacy for lesbian health. Findings show that the combination of the gender lens and life history approach offers potential to create knowledge in ways aligned with health‐promoting and emancipatory outcomes. However, the nature of participation and interaction by researcher and participants is contexualized and contested given complex dynamics of power that shape all aspects of this doctoral study process. The critical feminist lens with its focus on reflexivity informed the content and process of knowledge production in this study and shaped key turning points: the ways in which this policy study was conceptualized, the choice of comparative life history methodology, ethical considerations, data collection and analysis and representation of findings. Life history is unlikely to be the methodology that first comes to mind when undertaking a policy study. Its historical roots are associated with biographical, oral history and narrative approaches, which typically aim to elicit understanding of lived experience. Yet, it was this very aspect, this focus on lived experience, which rendered life history methodology fitting as I contemplated how to examine the relationship between nurses and policy. I was interested in understanding nurses’ political practice, how policy influenced nurses’ capacity to advocate in their everyday lives, as well as nurses’ impacts on policy processes and their larger social worlds.
A discursive exploration of the practices that shape and discipline nurses’ responses to postoperative delirium
Authors: Kjorven Mary , Rush Kathy , Hole Rachelle 
Published: July 2011

KJORVEN M, RUSH K and HOLE R. Nursing Inquiry 2011; 18: 325–335 A discursive exploration of the practices that shape and discipline nurses’ responses to postoperative deliriumAlthough delirium is classified as a medical emergency, it is often not treated as such by health care providers. The aim of this study was to critically examine, through a poststructural, Foucauldian concept of discourse, the language practices and discourses that shape and discipline nurses' care of older adults with postoperative delirium (POD) with a purpose to question accepted nursing practice. The study was based on data collected from face‐to‐face, in‐depth, personal interviews with six nurses who work on an acute postoperative patient care unit. Five analytic readings of the data identified two prominent discourses at work in nursing practice which influenced the care of patients with POD. These were identified as discourses of legitimacy/illegitimacy and discourses of nursing work. Through the process of poststructural analysis it became evident that one overriding discourse – the biomedical/scientific discourse – served to direct, legitimize and govern all other discourses. The findings of this study have implications for nursing knowledge and practice, length of hospital stay and improved patient outcomes. This study builds on previous work and is the first study to conduct a discourse analysis illuminating nurses’ responses to POD through comparison with other acute medical emergencies from a poststructural perspective.
Understanding medication safety in healthcare settings: a critical review of conceptual models
Authors: Liu Wei , Manias Elizabeth , Gerdtz Marie 
Published: July 2011

LIU W, MANIAS E and GERDTZ M. Nursing Inquiry 2011; 18: 290–302 Understanding medication safety in healthcare settings: a critical review of conceptual modelsCommunication can impact on the way in which medications are managed across healthcare settings. Organisational cultures and the environmental context provide an added complexity to how communication occurs in practice. The aims of this paper are: to examine six models relating to medication safety in various hospital and community settings, to consider the strengths and limitations of each model and to explore their applications to medication safety practices. The models examined for their ability to address the complexity of the medication communication process include causal models, such as the Human Error Model and the System Analysis to Clinical Incidents Model, and exploratory models, such as the Shared Decision‐Making Model, the Medication Decision‐Making and Management Model, the Partnership Model and the Medication Communication Model. The Medication Communication Model provides particular insights into possible interactions between aspects that influence medication safety practices. The implications of all six models for healthcare practice and future research are also discussed.
Owning solutions: a collaborative model to improve quality in hospital care for Aboriginal Australians
Authors: Durey Angela , Wynaden Dianne , Thompson Sandra C , Davidson Patricia M , Bessarab Dawn , Katzenellenbogen Judith M 
Published: July 2011

DUREY A, WYNADEN D, THOMPSON SC, DAVIDSON PM, BESSARAB D and KATZENELLENBOGEN JM. Nursing Inquiry 2012; 19: 144–152 [Epub ahead of print]Owning solutions: a collaborative model to improve quality in hospital care for Aboriginal AustraliansWell‐documented health disparities between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (hereafter referred to as Aboriginal) and non‐Aboriginal Australians are underpinned by complex historical and social factors. The effects of colonisation including racism continue to impact negatively on Aboriginal health outcomes, despite being under‐recognised and under‐reported. Many Aboriginal people find hospitals unwelcoming and are reluctant to attend for diagnosis and treatment, particularly with few Aboriginal health professionals employed on these facilities. In this paper, scientific literature and reports on Aboriginal health‐care, methodology and cross‐cultural education are reviewed to inform a collaborative model of hospital‐based organisational change. The paper proposes a collaborative model of care to improve health service delivery by building capacity in Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal personnel by recruiting more Aboriginal health professionals, increasing knowledge and skills to establish good relationships between non‐Aboriginal care providers and Aboriginal patients and their families, delivering quality care that is respectful of culture and improving Aboriginal health outcomes. A key element of model design, implementation and evaluation is critical reflection on barriers and facilitators to providing respectful and culturally safe quality care at systemic, interpersonal and patient/family‐centred levels. Nurses are central to addressing the current state of inequity and are pivotal change agents within the proposed model.
The use and limitation of realistic evaluation as a tool for evidence‐based practice: a critical realist perspective
Authors: Porter Sam , O’Halloran Peter 
Published: July 2011

PORTER S and O’HALLORAN P. Nursing Inquiry 2012; 19: 18–28 The use and limitation of realistic evaluation as a tool for evidence‐based practice: a critical realist perspectiveIn this paper, we assess realistic evaluation’s articulation with evidence‐based practice (EBP) from the perspective of critical realism. We argue that the adoption by realistic evaluation of a realist causal ontology means that it is better placed to explain complex healthcare interventions than the traditional method used by EBP, the randomized controlled trial (RCT). However, we do not conclude from this that the use of RCTs is without merit, arguing that it is possible to use both methods in combination under the rubric of realist theory. More negatively, we contend that the rejection of critical theory and utopianism by realistic evaluation in favour of the pragmatism of piecemeal social engineering means that it is vulnerable to accusations that it promotes technocratic interpretations of human problems. We conclude that, insofar as realistic evaluation adheres to the ontology of critical realism, it provides a sound contribution to EBP, but insofar as it rejects the critical turn of Bhaskar’s realism, it replicates the technocratic tendencies inherent in EBP.
Unmasking the predicament of cultural voyeurism: a postcolonial analysis of international nursing placements
Authors: Racine Louise , Perron Amélie 
Published: July 2011

RACINE L and PERRON A. Nursing Inquiry 2012; 19: 190–201  Unmasking the predicament of cultural voyeurism: a postcolonial analysis of international nursing placementsThe growing interest in international nursing placements cannot be left unnoticed. After 11 years into this twenty‐first century, violations of human rights and freedom of speech, environmental disasters, and armed conflicts still create dire living conditions for men and women around the world. Nurses have an ethical duty to address issues of social justice and global health as a means to fulfil nursing’s social mandate. However, international placements raise some concerns. Drawing on the works of postcolonial theorists in nursing and social sciences, we examine the risk of replicating colonialist practices and discourses of health in international clinical placements. Referring to Bakhtin’s notions of dialogism and unfinalizability, we envision a culturally safe nursing practice arising from dialogical encounters between the Self as an Other and with the Other as an Other. We suggest that exploring the intricacies of cultural and race relations in everyday nursing practice are the premises upon which nurses can understand the broader historic, racial, gendered, political and economic contexts of global health issues. Finally, we make suggestions for developing culturally safe learning opportunities at the international level without minimizing the impact of dialogical cultural encounters occurring at the local and community levels.
Non‐viral retinal gene therapy: a review
Authors: Issa Peter Charbel , MacLaren Robert E 
Published: July 2011

AbstractIn the developed world, diseases of the retina are common causes of untreatable blindness. In many cases, a genetic component to the aetiology has been identified, making the development of gene‐based treatments a logical long‐term goal. The clinical strategy for retinal gene therapy broadly encompasses two distinct advantages over systemic drug delivery. First is that gene delivery can limit expression of a therapeutic protein to a specific target cell, which is rarely possible even with local drug delivery methods. Second, by delivering DNA that remains stable and non‐degraded, gene expression and hence protein production could in theory be indefinite, obviating the need for repeated tablets or injections. Viruses have evolved distinct mechanisms, such as receptor mediated uptake and genomic integration, which efficiently encompass these two properties. For non‐viral gene therapy approaches, however, nuclear localization and stable long‐term transgene expression remain significant hurdles that need to be overcome. The challenge of non‐viral gene therapy is therefore to harness current laboratory and molecular‐based techniques to develop a man‐made system that can approach the efficiency of a natural biological process. In the unique environment of the retina, this goal may not be insurmountable and would overcome the major limiting factor of adeno‐associated viral vectors, which is the size of gene that can be delivered.
What drives leverage in leveraged buyouts? An analysis of European leveraged buyouts’ capital structure
Authors: De Maeseneire Wouter , Brinkhuis Samantha 
Published: July 2011

AbstractThis paper examines leverage in European private equity‐led leveraged buyouts (LBOs). We use a unique, self‐constructed sample of 126 European private equity (PE)‐sponsored buyouts completed between June 2000 and June 2007. We find that determinants derived from classical capital structure theories do not explain leverage in LBOs, while they do drive leverage in a control group of comparable public firms. Rather, we document that leverage levels in LBOs are related to the prevailing conditions in the debt market. In addition, our results indicate that reputed private equity sponsors use more debt and that secondary buyouts have higher leverage levels.
Present or Absent Farm Heads? A Contemporary Reading of Family Farming in Greece
Authors: Koutsou Stavriani , Partalidou Maria , Petrou Michael 
Published: July 2011

AbstractThe paradoxical picture of Greek agriculture according to which small family farms with fragmented agricultural land remain in the productive system, as well as the increasing feminisation of agriculture and the ageing of farm heads is currently under consideration. Drawing on field research in a rural area of northern Greece, we focus on the official farm heads' cohort and investigate aspects of their involvement in farming, dwelling choices and farmland ownership. The basic aim is to convey an authentic picture of the reality of family farming in modern Greece that often lies concealed behind official figures and myths. In so doing both a quantitative analysis (two‐step cluster analysis) of 1,295 farm heads and interview narratives were used. The fiction created in rural Greece and the heterogeneity of farm heads (absent or present from the village or the farm, or both) is the result of cross‐cutting issues: administrative and policy framework, the proliferation of rural development programmes, the way that ownership of the farmland is conflated with headship of the farm, the spatial mobility of the rural population, multiple dwelling‐places and the struggle of the family farm to preserve its agricultural identity and survive through times of rural restructuring and socioeconomic instability.
Economic Fluctuations and Retirement of Older Employees
Authors: Hallberg Daniel 
Published: July 2011

AbstractThis paper studies the way in which labor market fluctuations affect the transition to early retirement among older employees in Sweden via the practice of negotiated pensions. The results indicate that downturns (upturns) in aggregated industry employment increases (decreases) the probability of early retirement. The results also suggest that the replacement levels immediately after early retirement are higher during declining and expanding industry employment. The results support an interpretation that (1) the employer and employee agreed on special early retirement pensions; and (2) that these were used in order to persuade older employees to quit voluntarily, but also that they worked to reward older employees.
Time Preference and Time Use: Do Smokers Exercise Less?
Authors: Song Younghwan 
Published: July 2011

AbstractUsing matched data from the Tobacco Use Supplements to the Current Population Surveys and the American Time Use Surveys, this paper examines how differences in time preference, as measured by smoking status, affect time spent on various non‐market activities in a day. Even after controlling for a host of variables, the results show that individuals with a higher rate of time preference — current smokers — spend more time on non‐market activities that provide immediate gratification, such as watching television, but less time on non‐market activities that provide long‐term returns, such as exercising and education, compared with those who never smoked.
Rosca Participation in Benin: A Commitment Issue*
Authors: Dagnelie Olivier , Lemay‐Boucher Philippe 
Published: July 2011

AbstractIn the light of first‐hand data from a Beninese urban household survey in Cotonou, we investigate several motives aiming to explain participation in Rotating Savings and Credit Associations. We provide anecdotal pieces of evidence, descriptive statistics, Full Information Maximum Likelihood (FIML) regressions and matching estimates which tend to indicate that most individuals use their participation in a rosca as a device to commit themselves to save money and to deal with self‐control problems.
Local Linear Impulse Responses for a Small Open Economy*
Authors: Haug Alfred A. , Smith Christie 
Published: July 2011

AbstractTraditional vector autoregressions derive impulse responses using iterative techniques that may compound specification errors. Local projection techniques are more robust to this problem, and Monte Carlo evidence has suggested they provide reliable estimates of the true impulse responses. We use local linear projections to investigate the dynamic properties of a model for a small open economy, New Zealand. We compare impulse responses from projections to those from standard techniques, and consider the implications for monetary policy. We pay careful attention to the dimensionality of the model, and focus on effects of policy on gross domestic product, interest rates, prices and exchange rates.
Testing Uncovered Interest Rate Parity and Term Structure Using a Three‐regime Threshold Unit Root VECM: An Application to the Swiss ‘Isle’ of Interest Rates*
Authors: Krishnakumar Jaya , Neto David 
Published: July 2011

AbstractIn this article, a three‐regime multivariate threshold vector error correction model with a ‘band of inaction’ is formulated to examine uncovered interest rate parity (UIRP) and expectation hypothesis of the term structure (EHTS) of interest rates for Switzerland. Combining both UIRP and EHTS in a model that allows for nonlinearities, we investigate whether the Swiss advantage is disappearing with respect to Europe. Our results favour threshold cointegration and show that both hypotheses hold, at least in one of the three regimes of the process for Switzerland/Germany. The same is not true between Switzerland and the United States.
Testing for Fractional Integration Versus Short Memory with Structural Breaks*
Authors: Mayoral Laura 
Published: July 2011

AbstractAlthough it is commonly accepted that most macroeconomic variables are non‐stationary, it is often difficult to identify the source of the non‐stationarity. Integrated processes and short‐memory models with trending components, possibly affected by structural breaks, imply similar features in the data and, accordingly, are hard to distinguish. The goal of this article is to extend the classical testing framework of I(1) versus I(0) + trends and/or breaks by considering a more general class of models under the null hypothesis: fractionally integrated (FI) processes. The asymptotic properties of the proposed tests are derived and it is shown that they are very well‐behaved in finite samples. An illustration using US inflation data is also provided.