bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Non‐infant adoption from care: lessons for safeguarding children
Authors: Rees C. A. , Selwyn J. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractAim  To explore use of adoption in remedying abuse and neglect, to inform child protection practice and to identify professional responsibilities to adoptive families.Method  A cohort of 130 children was identified for whom adoption was recommended in 1991–1996 at a mean age of 5.7 years (range 3–11). All were in local authority care for child protection reasons. Background information was gathered from social work records. The children were traced between 6 and 11 years later and their adopters interviewed. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Parent–Child Communication Scale were completed.Results  All but three birth parents had traumatic childhoods involving abuse, neglect and/or time in care. Eighty‐six per cent had violent adult relationships. Mental illness, learning difficulties and substance abuse were prominent. Sixty‐seven per cent of families were known to social services when children were born, but 98% experienced abuse or neglect. Most adopters found the first year challenging, though rewarding. Depression, anxiety and marital problems were common. Children's learning difficulties, conduct problems, emotional ‘phoniness’ and rejection affected closeness. At follow‐up 28% described rewarding, happy placements, and 62% described continuing difficulties tempered by rewards. However, 10% reported no rewards. Hyperactivity and inattention frequently persisted despite stable adoption and were associated with conduct and attachment difficulties. Use of professional services was substantial. Thirty‐eight per cent of children failed to achieve stable adoption. Later entry to care correlated with poorer outcome.Conclusions  This study highlights the importance in safeguarding children of considering the implications of parental childhood experiences, and indicates the risk of delay. The high prevalence of domestic violence in birth families indicates the need for better resources for managing emotional dysregulation. Adoption is a valuable therapeutic tool, but professional responsibilities in supporting it need to be acknowledged and adequately resourced. Dysfunctional hypothalamus‐pituitary‐adrenal axis programming may contribute to persisting difficulties. Supporting substitute care should be considered integral to safeguarding children.
Brood development into sexual females depends on the presence of a queen but not on temperature in an ant dispersing by colony fission, Aphaenogaster senilis
Authors: BOULAY RAPHAËL , CERDÁ XIM , FERTIN ARNOLD , ICHINOSE KATSYUA , LENOIR ALAIN 
Published: June 2009

Abstract. 1. In eusocial insects, colony fission is a mode of dispersal by which a young queen leaves her nest with some workers to found a new colony. In these species, adult females (workers and the queen) should allocate most resources to increasing their colony size, which constrains the possibility of fission. In contrast, developing diploid larvae should have a preference for becoming a queen and having their own offspring, rather than becoming workers and rearing the offspring of other females.2. In the ant Aphaenogaster senilis, queens are produced in very small numbers, suggesting that adult females control larval development. We used a 6‐year series of data on more than 300 nests to determine the annual cycle of worker and queen production. Although both overlapped, the latter mostly occurred in the second half of the summer, after a major peak of worker emergence. Young queens were also often produced in nests whose reproductive queen had died, thus allowing her replacement. Overall, we estimate that only 0.07% of diploid larvae actually develop into gynes.3. Laboratory experiments indicated that brood is bipotent until the second larval instar. Diploid larval development into queen was favoured by the removal of the mother queen, but was not affected by rearing temperature.4. Our data suggest that most diploid broods are forced by the adults to develop into workers rather than into gynes. However, when the queen is not present due to death or after a fission event, a few larvae are allowed to develop into gynes. One way for workers to limit the development of larvae might be by controlling the amount of food they receive.
Non‐invasive foetal RHD genotyping via real‐time PCR of foetal DNA from Chinese RhD‐negative maternal plasma
Authors: Wang X. D. , Wang B. L. , Ye S. L. , Liao Y. Q. , Wang L. F. , He Z. M. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractBackground  A majority of studies predicting the foetal RhD blood group in free foetal DNA from RhD‐negative maternal plasma have been conducted in Caucasian populations, whereas limited data have been accumulated for Asian populations. In this study, we assessed the feasibility of prenatal genotyping of RHD in RhD‐negative Chinese pregnant women.Materials and methods  Cell‐free plasma DNA was extracted from 78 RhD‐negative Chinese women carrying a singleton foetus (gestation between 14 and 40 weeks). Foetal DNA was confirmed by testing SRY or nine different polymorphic STR loci in the maternal plasma and buffy coat. Foetal RHD exons 5, 7 and 10 and intron 4 were successfully amplified with RQ‐PCR. The RHD1227A allele was examined in all RhD‐positive individuals. The foetal RHD genotyping results were compared with the infant cord blood serological analysis.Results  Among the 78 specimens, RHD genotyping results of 70 cases were in complete concordance with serological results from foetal umbilical cord blood. Sixty of these cases were identified as RhD‐positive, and 10 cases were typed as RhD‐negative. In addition, five cases were ‘false‐positives’, while three cases were considered inconclusive. The detection rate was 89·7% (70/78). In four of the five ‘false‐positive’ cases, the RhDel phenotype was assessed by detecting the RHD1227A allele. Thus, this method yielded a 94·9% (74/78) accuracy rate.Conclusions  The correct foetal RhD phenotype may be accurately predicted from RhD‐negative maternal plasma in Chinese subjects. The RHD1227A allele proved to be an important genetic marker in the RhDel Chinese population.
A single amino acid defines cross‐species reactivity of tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri) CD1d to human invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells
Authors: Zhang Ping , Li Demin , Stewart‐Jones Guillaume , Shao Xiaoli , Zhang Yuanxu , Chen Qiongyu , Li Yijiang , He You‐Wen , Xu Xiao‐Ning , Zhang Hua‐Tang 
Published: June 2009

SummaryThe non‐classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecule CD1d presents lipid antigens to invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, which are an important part of the innate immune system. CD1d/iNKT systems are highly conserved in evolution, and cross‐species reactivity has been suggested to be a common feature of different animals based on research in humans and mice. However, we found that CD1d from the tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri), a close evolutionary relative of primates, failed to stimulate human iNKT cells, despite being more homologous to human CD1d than that of mouse. Sequence comparison and molecular modelling showed that two of the key amino acid residues in human CD1d proposed to be in direct contact with T‐cell receptors were mutated in tree shrew CD1d. Substitution of one of the residues, but not the other, with the human residue enabled tree shrew CD1d to regain the ability to present lipid antigen to human iNKT cells. These results indicate that CD1d/iNKT recognition is species‐specific, and that cross‐species reactivity may be less common than currently proposed. Also, a naturally occurring CD1d mutation(s) that confers inability to stimulate iNKT cell function may have implications for future studies on CD1d/iNKT‐associated diseases.
Conservation value of cacao agroforestry for amphibians and reptiles in South‐East Asia: combining correlative models with follow‐up field experiments
Authors: Wanger Thomas C. , Saro Akbar , Iskandar Djoko T. , Brook Barry W. , Sodhi Navjot S. , Clough Yann , Tscharntke Teja 
Published: June 2009

Summary 1. Although agricultural expansion is a primary threat to tropical biodiversity, experimental studies evaluating the conservation value of tropical agricultural habitats are scarce. In particular, little is known about the sensitivity of amphibians and reptiles to habitat disturbance in areas of very high diversity such as South‐East Asia. 2. We used a two‐step approach to determine the relationship between habitat complexity and conservation value of cacao agroforestry for herpetological diversity in Sulawesi (Indonesia). Indonesia is the third largest cacao‐exporting country globally and forest conversion to cacao plantations is a major threat to its biodiversity. We first sampled 43 cacao plantations six times to determine the environmental variables that best explained herpetofaunal diversity patterns using a Bayesian model selection approach. Based on these results, we experimentally manipulated leaf litter thickness (LLT), number of branch piles (LOGS) and LLT + LOGS combinations in the cacao plots. The experimental data were analysed using Bayesian hierarchical regression. 3. The best supported correlative models incorporated LLT, LOGS, air temperature and the ratio between leaf litter and shrub cover, showing the importance of habitat heterogeneity and suggesting climate change sensitivity. The subsequent structural manipulation of these attributes changed amphibian and reptile species richness, and reptile abundance, but only addition of leaf litter did so in a biologically meaningful way, providing microhabitat resources. However, the main beneficiaries were common disturbance‐tolerant reptiles. 4.
Synthesis and applications. The different results from the correlative model and the independent manipulative experiments showed how important such a combined approach is to derive adequate conservation management recommendations. Increasing leaf litter in cacao agroforestry will work best if implemented on a landscape scale to incorporate sufficient environmental variation and species life histories. This will mainly enhance the richness and abundance of disturbance‐tolerant species, which still may maintain ecosystem functions such as pest removal. Particularly for rare species, native forests remain critical for herpetological richness. The direct temperature sensitivity suggests that future climate change impacts may be severe for herpetological diversity in plantation habitats and, hence, demand further research.
Mental health and creating safety: the participation of relatives in psychiatric treatment and its significance
Authors: Piippo Jukka , Aaltonen Jukka 
Published: June 2009

Aims and objectives.  We aimed to discover the significance of the participation of relatives in the treatment process using the principles of the Need‐Adapted Approach. The study is based on joint interviews with 10 psychiatric patients, their relatives and a multiprofessional treatment team.Background.  The Need‐Adapted Approach was developed in Finland for difficult psychiatric problems in public sector psychiatry. The central feature of the approach is the active participation of patients and their relatives in planning the treatment and in the treatment process. It emphasises horizontal expertise and open discussions between the patient, relatives and professionals.Design.  A qualitative method based on the grounded theory approach was used.Method.  The main focus in the analysis was on how the informants experienced the significance of the participation of their relatives in the treatment process.Results.  Seven categories and one core category were identified. Primary categories which increased safety were: (1) shared understanding, (2) a new kind of relationship opens up and (3) being able to cope with life. Secondary categories were: (4) exclusion and (5) need for a one‐to‐one relationship. Ambivalent categories were: (6) whom or what one can believe and (7) keeping the illness secret. One core category, safety, was identified among the categories. A theoretical model was created for clinical purposes.Conclusions.  When practiced correctly, the Need‐Adapted Approach makes it possible to create circumstances in psychiatric treatment where the patient and his/her relatives can experience increased safety in spite of the anxiety connected to the psychiatric difficulties.Relevance to clinical practice.  Clinical workers and nursing personnel can use our findings in their practical work with psychiatric patients and their relatives. Our findings support further theoretical considerations concerning safety and can be used as guidelines for nursing personnel in their work.
Nursing home care for older people in Taiwan: a process of forced choice
Authors: Wu Shu‐Chen , White Alan , Cash Keith , Foster Sally 
Published: June 2009

Aim.  To generate a substantive theory for understanding the phenomenon of nursing home care for older people in Taiwan.Background.  Taiwanese culture shows great respect for older people and older people are traditionally cared for at home by their families. However, the older population in Taiwan is rapidly increasing and this demographic shift, together with various socio‐economic changes, has resulted in nursing homes becoming a new and significant care option.Design.  A grounded theory approach was used to study the residents and relatives from three nursing homes in Taiwan.Methods.  Formal and informal interviews and participant observation data were collected over two months in each nursing home. Forty nursing home residents and 20 of their relatives were recruited. The data were analysed using the constant comparative method and involved the use of theoretical memos and theoretical sampling procedures.Results.  The study found that nursing home care for older people in Taiwan is understood to be a process of forced choice, involving three stages; namely, ‘becoming a problem’, ‘making a forced choice’ and ‘coping with the forced choice’.Conclusion.  Taiwan is in a state of conflict with regard to providing care for older people, a situation in which the influence of traditional cultural and that of industrialisation exist side by side. The consequence of having to relocate older people into nursing homes means that both parties are the victims of this choice.Relevance to clinical practice.  This conceptual explanation helps us to understand how the Taiwanese respond to the issue of care for older people and how they resolve their main concerns related to it. Subsequently, it is hoped that this will help health care practitioners to provide care more effectively to meet the needs of the Taiwanese with the aim of enhancing the standards of care for older people.
A discourse analysis of difficult clinical situations in relation to nutrition and hydration during end of life care
Authors: Van Der Riet Pamela , Higgins Isabel , Good Phillip , Sneesby Ludmilla 
Published: June 2009

Aim and objectives.  The following discussion builds upon a previous publication that reported on the perceptions and discourses of palliative care nurses and doctors in relation to nutrition and hydration at the end of life. The aim of this paper is to report the discourses of nurses and doctors in relation to the challenges they faced when managing the care of patients with severe brain injury vs. the clearer cut situations when caring for terminally ill patients with cancer. The objectives of the study were to:

explore the tensions in the discourses during end of life care,
explore the challenges regarding nutrition and hydration at the end of life.

Background.  The decision to withdraw life support seems to be made more readily than the decision to withdraw nutrition and hydration at the end of life. The abatement of nutrition and hydration during the terminal phase of life is a controversial issue for a range reasons. Indeed, whilst it is accepted practice in the palliative care setting, nurses and doctors often struggle with the idea.Design.  The design for this study used discourse analysis framed by a post structural framework.Method.  Focus groups were conducted with nurses working in palliative care units. Single interviews were conducted with doctors from a tertiary palliative care unit.Results.  The findings revealed contesting discourses involving quality of life and the prolongation of life.Conclusions.  The provision of food and fluid has profound emotional and social meanings for patients and families. The study reported here examined these issues with health professionals. The findings point to the challenges and tensions faced by health professionals in relation to decision making and medical hydration during end of life care. The concern is that tensions arise when decisions need to be made and how best to make these. The contesting discourses for nurses and doctors when nutrition and hydration is ceased involve maintaining quality of life vs. the prolongation of life.Relevance to clinical practice.  Medical and nursing staff have different attitudes and beliefs towards end of life care. Tensions arise when decisions need to be made based on quality of life or prolongation of life. The successful merging of curative and palliative care is not without challenges. There has been little exploration of this situation.
Frequency of nurses’ smoking cessation interventions: report from a national survey
Authors: Sarna Linda , Bialous Stella A , Wells Marjorie , Kotlerman Jenny , Wewers Mary E , Froelicher Erika S 
Published: June 2009

Aims and objectives.  To describe the frequency of nurses’ delivery of tobacco cessation interventions (‘Five A’s’: Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, Arrange) and to determine the relationship of interventions to nurses’ awareness of the Tobacco Free Nurses initiative.Background.  Tobacco cessation interventions can be effectively provided by nurses. The delivery of smoking cessation interventions by healthcare providers is mandated by several organisations in the USA and around the world. Lack of education and resources about tobacco cessation may contribute to the minimal level of interventions. The Tobacco Free Nurses initiative was developed to provide nurses with easy access to web‐based resources about tobacco control.Design.  Cross‐sectional survey of nurses (n = 3482) working in 35 Magnet‐designated hospitals in the USA (21% response rate).Method.  A valid and reliable questionnaire used in previous studies to assess the frequency of the nurse’s delivery of smoking cessation interventions (‘Five A’s’) was adapted for use on the web.Results.  The majority of nurses asked (73%) and assisted (73%) with cessation. However, only 24% recommended pharmacotherapy. Only 22% referred to community resources and only 10% recommended use of the quitline. Nurses familiar with TFN (15%) were significantly more likely to report delivery of all aspects of interventions, including assisting with cessation (OR = 1·55, 95% CI 1·27, 1·90) and recommending medications (OR = 1·81, 95% CI 1·45, 2·24).Conclusions.  Nurses’ delivery of comprehensive smoking cessation interventions was suboptimal. Awareness of Tobacco Free Nurses was associated with increased interventions.Relevance to clinical practice.  Further efforts are needed to ensure that nurses incorporate evidence‐based interventions into clinical practice to help smokers quit. These findings support the value of Tobacco Free Nurses in providing nurses with information to support patients’ quit attempts.
Impact of segmental chromosomal duplications on leaf size in the grandifolia‐D mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Horiguchi Gorou , Gonzalez Nathalie , Beemster Gerrit T.S. , Inzé Dirk , Tsukaya Hirokazu 
Published: June 2009

SummaryThe number of cells in an organ is a major factor that specifies its size. However, the genetic basis of cell number determination is not well understood. To obtain insight into this genetic basis, three grandifolia‐D (gra‐D) mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana were characterized that developed huge leaves with two to three times more cells than the wild‐type. Genetic and microarray analyses showed that a large segmental duplication had occurred in all the gra‐D mutants, consisting of the lower part of chromosome 4. In the duplications, genes were found that encode AINTEGUMENTA (ANT), a factor that extends the duration of cell proliferation, and CYCD3;1, a G1/S cyclin. The expression levels of both genes increased and the duration of cell proliferation in the leaf primordia was extended in the gra‐D mutants. Data obtained by RNAi‐mediated knockdown of ANT expression suggested that ANT contributed to the huge‐leaf phenotype, but that it was not the sole factor. Introduction of an extra genomic copy of CYCD3;1 into the wild‐type partially mimicked the gra‐D phenotype. Furthermore, combined elevated expression of ANT and CYCD3;1 enhanced cell proliferation in a cumulative fashion. These results indicate that the duration of cell proliferation in leaves is determined in part by the interaction of ANT and CYCD3;1, and also demonstrate the potential usefulness of duplication mutants in the elucidation of genetic relationships that are difficult to uncover by standard single‐gene mutations or gain‐of‐function analysis. We also discuss the potential effect of chromosomal duplication on evolution of organ size.
Risk factors for SARS infection among hospital healthcare workers in Beijing: a case control study
Authors: Liu Wei , Tang Fang , Fang Li‐Qun , De Vlas Sake J. , Ma Huai‐Jian , Zhou Jie‐Ping , Looman Caspar W. N. , Richardus Jan Hendrik , Cao Wu‐Chun 
Published: June 2009

SummaryObjective  To evaluate possible severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) infection associated risk factors in a SARS affected hospital in Beijing by means of a case control study.Methods  Fifty‐one infected and 426 uninfected staff members were asked about risk behaviours and protective measures when attending to SARS patients. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the major risk and protective factors.Results  Multivariate analysis confirmed the strong role of performing chest compression (or intubation, which is highly correlated), contact with respiratory secretion, and emergency care experience as risk factors to acquire SARS infection. For the studied protective measures, wearing 16‐layer cotton surgical mask, wearing 12‐layer cotton surgical mask, wearing multiple layers of mask, taking prophylactic medicine, taking training and nose washing turned out to be protective against infection.Conclusions  This study highlighted activities associated with increased and decreased risk for SARS infection during close contact with SARS patients. These findings may help to guide recommendations for the protection of high‐risk occupational groups.