bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Attitudes and practices of school‐aged girls towards menstruation
Authors: Jarrah Samiha Suhail , Kamel Andaleeb Abu 
Published: May 2012

Jarrah SS, Kamel AA. International Journal of Nursing Practice 2012; 18: 308–315Attitudes and practices of school‐aged girls towards menstruationThe purpose of this study was to (i) investigate attitude and menstruation‐related practices in Jordanian school‐aged girls; (ii) identify the influence of premenstrual preparation on girls' attitude and menstruation‐related practices. A descriptive cross‐sectional design was used. Data was collected from a convenience sample of 490 school‐age girls (12–18 years) from different districts in Jordan. Self‐report instruments [Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire (MAQ), and Menstrual Practices Questionnaires (MPQ)] were used to assess the study variables. Descriptive statistics, correlation and chi‐square tests were used to analyze the data. It was found that menstrual attitude and practices were positively correlated. Poor attitude toward menstruation and low menstrual practices were significantly associated with inadequate premenstrual preparation. There is a need to prepare girls for menstruation before menarche. The role of the schools and teachers should be reinforced through formal and well planned reproductive health educators for girls and their mothers.
Care plans using concept maps and their effects on the critical thinking dispositions of nursing students
Authors: Atay Selma , Karabacak Ükke 
Published: May 2012

Atay S, Karabacak Ü. International Journal of Nursing Practice 2012; 18: 233–239Care plans using concept maps and their effects on the critical thinking dispositions of nursing studentsIt is expected that nursing education improves abilities of students in solving problems, decision making and critical thinking in different circumstances. This study was performed to analyse the effects of care plans prepared using concept maps on the critical thinking dispositions of students. An experimental group and a control group were made up of a total of 80 freshman and sophomore students from the nursing department of a health school. The study used a pre‐test post‐test control group design. The critical thinking dispositions of the groups were measured using the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory. In addition, the care plans prepared by the experimental group students were evaluated using the criteria for evaluating care plans with concept maps. T‐test was used in analysing the data.The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the total and sub‐scale pre‐test scores between the experimental group and control group students. There were also significant differences in the total and sub‐scale post‐test scores between the experimental group and control group students. There were significant differences between concept map care plan evaluation criteria mean scores of the experimental students. In the light of these findings, it could be argued that the concept mapping strategy improves critical thinking skills of students.
Privatization in a Small Open Economy with Imperfect Competition
Authors: GHOSH ARGHYA , SEN PARTHA 
Published: May 2012

AbstractWe look at privatization in a general equilibrium model of a small, tariff‐distorted, open economy. There is a differentiated good produced by both private and public sector enterprises. A reduction in government production in order to cut losses from such production raises the returns to capital and increases the tariff revenue, which are welfare‐improving. However, privatization also leads to lower wages and possibly fewer private brands. This lowers workers’ welfare, which may make privatization politically infeasible. Privatization can improve workers’ welfare with complementary reforms, e.g., attracting foreign investment or trade liberalization.
A Tax Paradox for Investment Decisions under Uncertainty
Authors: GRIES THOMAS , PRIOR ULRICH , SURETH CAREN 
Published: May 2012

AbstractIn this paper we use a real option model for assessing uncertain investment projects and we show that—due to a flexibility premium—taxes asymmetrically affect the option value of projects that differ in their riskiness. Hence, this may generate distortions. We analytically identify a set of neutral tax rates (a tax regime) that preserve the post‐tax investment threshold if taxes change, and determine normal and paradoxical settings for investments. Unlike other tax paradoxes neither depreciation rules nor loss offset restrictions cause these paradoxical reactions. Taxes affect each project individually, depending on the project risks involved. This implies that, for a variety of uncertain projects, taxes cannot be neutral on aggregate.
Pricing Knowledge and Funding Research of New Technology Sectors in a Growth Model
Authors: CHANTREL ÉTIENNE , GRIMAUD ANDRE , TOURNEMAINE FREDERIC 
Published: May 2012

AbstractA radical evolution in intellectual property law and practices has followed the rise in importance of new technology industries. Nowadays, many patents directly protect knowledge. To account for this evolution, we construct a simple R&D‐based growth model where pieces of knowledge are directly protected by patents. To deal with the nonconvexity property of technologies in which knowledge is an input and show how research can be funded privately, we construct a dynamic general equilibrium with Cournot competition and free entry where knowledge is exchanged on markets that can be subject to imperfect exclusion. Under the assumption of perfect exclusion, we show that research is funded optimally as the distortion caused by the knowledge spillover vanishes when markets are complete. We then argue and demonstrate that insufficient research investments leading to an insufficient level of growth can be explained by the public good nature of knowledge itself, i.e., the problem of imperfect exclusion faced by the sellers of knowledge.
On the Growth and Welfare Effects of Defense R&D
Authors: CHU ANGUS C. , LAI CHING‐CHONG 
Published: May 2012

AbstractIn the United States, defense R&D share of GDP has decreased significantly since 1960. To analyze the implications on growth and welfare, we develop an R&D‐based growth model that features the commonly discussed crowding‐out and spillover effects of defense R&D on civilian R&D. The model also captures the effects of defense technology on (a) national security resembling consumption‐type public goods and (b) aggregate productivity via the spin‐off effect resembling productive public goods. In this framework, economic growth is driven by market‐based civilian R&D as in standard R&D‐based growth models and government‐financed public goods (i.e., defense R&D) as in Barro (1990). We find that defense R&D has an inverted‐U effect on growth, and the growth‐maximizing level of defense R&D is increasing in the spillover and spin‐off effects. As for the welfare‐maximizing level of defense R&D, it is increasing in the security‐enhancing effect of defense technology, and there exists a critical degree of this security‐enhancing effect below (above) which the welfare‐maximizing level is below (above) the growth‐maximizing level.
Communication and Early Contributions
Authors: BARBIERI STEFANO 
Published: May 2012

AbstractIn the context of the voluntary provision of a public good, I study the interaction of communication and dynamics in contributions. I modify the cheap talk, joint‐project framework of Agastya, Menezes, and Sengupta (2007) by considering early contributions that precede communication and by assuming partially funded projects are not completely worthless. First, I show environments in which, without early contributions, parties cannot be trusted to communicate sincerely, so that the joint endeavor always fails. Then, for the same environments, I demonstrate that early contributions can create the conditions for mutual trust, improve the outcome of subsequent communication, and eventually increase welfare. This trust‐building role of early contributions matches well with the aims that negotiation scholars attribute to preconditions for negotiations and to preliminary concessions.
Inter‐ and intraspecific comparisons of retention time in insectivorous bat species (Vespertilionidae)
Authors: Roswag A. , Becker N. I. , Encarnação J. A. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractLike other small terrestrial mammals, bats have a high mass‐specific energetic demand because of the fact that they have an unfavorable surface area to volume ratio. Furthermore, bats have a very energy‐expensive mode of locomotion: flight. This high energetic demand has to be covered by food intake. The retention time of the digestive tract is one factor affecting the energy intake of bat species. Factors like energy demand, gut volume and dietary specialization influence retention time in mammals. However, maximum retention time for only Myotis myotis and transit time only for M. lucifugus, Nyctophilius gloudi and Nyctalus noctula is known. This study investigated the maximum retention times and transit times of 10 Central European bat species. It was hypothesized that the level of specialization of the digestive tract, energy‐demanding processes and intestine length would affect the retention time of bats. Fluorescence‐marked mealworms Tenebrio molitor were used to measure the time between the first ingested mealworm and the first appearance of the marker or the last fluorescing feces, respectively. For the first time, the retention time of 10 insectivorous bat species was measured to determine interspecific differences. Additionally, we measured the retention time of post‐lactating female and spermatogenically active male Pipistrellus pipistrellus to determine intraspecific differences. The retention time of bats differed significantly between species and is probably influenced by the level of specialization of the digestive tract. High‐level specialization of the digestive tract resulted in short retention times. Furthermore, significant intraspecific differences between post‐lactating and spermatogenically active individuals of P. pipistrellus showed that the retention time within a single species might be influenced by energy‐demanding processes (e.g. reproduction).
The influence of daily temperature fluctuations during incubation upon the phenotype of a freshwater turtle
Authors: Micheli‐Campbell M. A. , Gordos M. A. , Campbell H. A. , Booth D. T. , Franklin C. E. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractIncubation temperature influences the phenotype of the hatchling turtles. The aims of the present study were to investigate the daily fluctuations in temperature to which eggs of the freshwater turtle Elusor macrurus are exposed to in the wild and examine how these fluctuations may affect the phenotype and performance of the hatchlings. Eggs in the wild experienced an overall mean daily fluctuation of 5.7°C throughout the incubation period, but on particular days, the variation was as low as 2°C and as high as 22°C. Fifty‐four eggs were collected from the wild and incubated in the laboratory at one constant (28°C) and two fluctuating (28 ± 3 and 28 ± 6°C) thermal regimes. Egg mass, incubation length and hatching success (89%) were similar for the 28 and 28 ± 3°C groups, whereas the 28 ± 6°C group only had a 5% hatching success, and the incubation length was 10 days longer. Upon hatching, there was no significant difference in body mass or straight carapace length between the 28 and 28 ± 3°C groups, and within the first 8 weeks of hatching, there was no significant difference in growth rate, self‐righting time, crawling speed and swimming performance. A single survivor from the 28 ± 6°C group had a body mass that was 27% less compared with the other two groups and it did considerably poorer in all the performance tests. The study findings illustrated that daily fluctuations in incubation temperature up to 6°C had no effect upon hatchling E. macrurus phenotype, but there was a limit (12°C) by which the extent and recurrence of these fluctuations became detrimental. These thermal regimes are not yet apparent in the wild but will occur within the geographical range of this species according to climate change predictions.
Processes of enhanced self‐understanding during a counselling programme for parents of children with disabilities
Authors: Haugstvedt Karen Therese Sulheim , Graff‐Iversen Sidsel , Bukholm Ida Rashida Khan , Haugli Liv , Hallberg Ulrika 
Published: May 2012

Scand J Caring Sci; 2013; 27; 108–116

Processes of enhanced self‐understanding during a counselling programme for parents of children with disabilities
Background:  The stress and burden on parents of children with disabilities are well documented, and the parents’ way of handling the situation is crucial to the health and well‐being of all family members, including the child with special needs. We conducted a group‐based counselling programme for parents, based mainly on Gestalt education and personal construct theories, aiming at increasing the parents’ ability to handle the situation.Aims:  To explore the parents’ experiences from processes of change after the counselling programme.Method design:  This qualitative study is based on modified grounded theory.Method:  The study conducted in Norway examines the experiences of 67 parents (of whom 29 fathers) of children with disabilities. Information was collected through focus group discussions after finishing their sessions of the counselling programme.Findings:  From the parents’ experiences, the following categories were developed: feeling motivated to communicate, describing oneself in new words, being inspired to experience one’s own emotions, being more present and in charge and making a difference by taking new steps. The core category in our analysis turned out to be Improved handling of the situation by enhanced self‐understanding. The parents seemed to redevelop their self‐understanding through new experiences of themselves. They emphasized the importance of a secure setting of peers with similar experiences and skilled counsellors to feel free to explore one’s own emotions with connecting thoughts and bodily reactions. Discussion of existential issues as one’s own values also contributed to enhanced self‐understanding, which strengthened the parents to find new possibilities and priorities in handling the situation.Conclusions:  The parents described subjective processes of awareness and self‐reflection as important for being able to start a process towards enhanced self‐understanding, which helped to detect one’s own values and new ways of acting. These experiences may be relevant for the parents and for the conduction of future counselling.
Effects of tear hyperosmolarity on conjunctival cells in mild to moderate dry eye
Authors: Julio Gemma , Lluch Sara , Pujol Pere , Merindano María Dolores 
Published: May 2012

Citation information: Julio G, Lluch S, Pujol P & Merindano MD. Effects of tear hyperosmolarity on conjunctival cells in mild to moderate dry eye. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2012, 32, 317–323. doi: 10.1111/j.1475‐1313.2012.00915.xAbstractPurpose:  To analyze the effects of tear hyperosmolarity on conjunctival cells in mild to moderate dry eye.Methods:  Sixty‐eight subjects (35 females and 33 males, mean age 43, S.D. 20.3, range 18–87 years) with symptoms of dry eye were enrolled in the study. Patients with severe dry eye or any other condition that induces ocular inflammation were excluded. The sample was divided into two groups according to the tear osmolarity cut‐off value of 308 mOsmol L−1 measured in the right eye of each patient. Impression cytology of the temporal interpalpebral conjunctiva was performed and goblet cell density, nucleus diameter, cytoplasm diameter and nucleus/cytoplasm ratio of epithelial cells quantitatively assessed. A battery of tear tests (ferning test, tear break‐up time and Schirmer I test) was also carried out in order to more completely describe the groups and understand the process. Analysis of variance (anova) was applied to establish cytological and tear differences between hyperosmolar and normal tear osmolarity eyes. Pearson’s correlation was calculated between the cytological variables and tear osmolarity.Results:  The normal tear osmolarity group included patients with symptoms of dry eye, grade 1–2 of squamous metaplasia, and a number of positive tear signs of dry eye ranging between 0 and 3. The hyperosmolar tear group included patients with symptoms of dry eye, grade 1–2 of squamous metaplasia with significantly lower values of nucleus diameter (F1,66 = 4.3, p = 0.040), and a number of positive tear signs of dry eye ranging between 1 (hyperosmolar tear) and 4. Mean reflex secretion of tears was clearly normal in both groups but significantly lower (F1,66 = 7.2, p = 0.009) in the hyperosmolar tear group. Significant correlations were established for tear osmolarity and goblet cell density (r33 = 0.45, p = 0.006) and nucleus/cytoplasm ratio (r33 = −0.44, p = 0.009) in the normal tear osmolarity group but not in the hyperosmolar tear group.Conclusions:  Mild to moderate hyperosmolar tear conditions seem to lead to an initial reduction of the conjunctival cell nucleus before the cytoplasm diameter showed a clear tendency to enlarge. The relationship between tear osmolarity and conjunctival cell characteristics seems to be linear only in the normal tear osmolarity group. These results also provide a plausible link between lower reflex secretion of tears and hyperosmolarity.
Inhibition of human recombinant T‐type calcium channels by N‐arachidonoyl 5‐HT
Authors: Gilmore Andrew J , Heblinski Marika , Reynolds Aaron , Kassiou Michael , Connor Mark 
Published: May 2012

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE N‐arachidonoyl 5‐HT (NA‐5HT) has anti‐nociceptive effects reported to be mediated by inhibitory actions at the transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor 1 (TRPV1) and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). Anandamide and N‐arachidonoyl dopamine (NA‐DA), endocannabinoids that activate TRPV1 or are metabolized by FAAH, also inhibit T‐type calcium channels (ICa). T‐type ICa are expressed by many excitable cells, including neurons involved in pain detection and processing. We sought to determine whether NA‐5HT also modulates T‐type ICa.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Human recombinant T‐type ICa (CaV3 channels) expressed in HEK 293 cells were examined using standard whole‐cell voltage‐clamp electrophysiology techniques.KEY RESULTS NA‐5HT completely inhibited CaV3 channels with a rank order of potency (pEC50) of CaV3.1 (7.4) > CaV3.3 (6.8) ≥ CaV3.2 (6.6). The effects of NA‐5HT were voltage‐dependent, and it produced significant hyperpolarizing shifts in CaV3 steady‐state inactivation relationships. NA‐5HT selectively affected CaV3.3 channel kinetics.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS NA‐5HT increases the steady‐state inactivation of CaV3 channels, reducing the number of channels available to open during depolarization. These effects occur at NA‐5HT concentrations at or below those at which NA‐5HT affects TRPV1 receptors and FAAH. NA‐5HT is one of the most potent inhibitors of T‐type ICa described to date, and it is likely to exert some of its biological effects, including anti‐nociception, via inhibition of these channels.
Impact of peri‐transplant heart failure & left‐ventricular diastolic dysfunction on outcomes following liver transplantation
Authors: Josefsson Axel , Fu Michael , Allayhari Pari , Björnsson Einar , Castedal Maria , Olausson Michael , Kalaitzakis Evangelos 
Published: May 2012

AbstractBackground & AimsAssess the prevalence of peri‐transplant heart failure and its potential relation to post‐transplant morbidity and mortality.MethodsA retrospective study was performed on 234 consecutive cirrhotic patients undergoing liver transplantation in a single European center from 1999 to 2007 (mean age 52, 30% women, 36% with alcoholic liver disease, 24% with viral hepatitis, 18% cholestatic liver disease). Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction was defined as E/A ratio ≤ 1. We used the Boston classification for heart failure to assess the prevalence of peri‐transplant heart failure. Patients were followed up for a mean of 4 years post‐transplant (0.5–9 years).ResultsEighteen per cent of patients demonstrated diastolic dysfunction pretransplant. During the peri‐transplantation period highly possible heart failure occurred in 27%. In logistic regression analysis, heart failure was independently related to lower mean arterial blood pressure (OR 0.94, 95% CR 0.91–0.98) and prolonged corrected QT time on ECG (OR 9.10, 95% CI 3.77–21.93) pretransplant. Peri‐transplant mortality amounted to 5%, and was independently related to heart failure (OR 15.11, 95% CI 1.76–129.62) and the peri‐transplant need of dialysis (OR 14.18, 95% CI 1.65–121.89). Heart failure was also associated with longer stay in the intensive care unit and peri‐transplant cardiac events (P < 0.05). Long‐term transplant‐free mortality was independently related to diastolic dysfunction at baseline (Hazard ratio 4.82, 95% CI 1.78–13.06).ConclusionHeart failure occurs in approximately a quarter of patients with cirrhosis following liver transplantation and it is an independent predictor of mortality and morbidity.
Recruitment and Dynamics of Proteasome Association with rhTRIM5α Cytoplasmic Complexes During HIV‐1 Infection
Authors: Danielson Cindy M. , Cianci Gianguido C. , Hope Thomas J. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractA variety of proteins have been identified that restrict infection by different viruses. One such restriction factor is the rhesus macaque variant of TRIM5α (rhTRIM5α), which potently blocks infection by HIV‐1. The block to infection mediated by rhTRIM5α occurs early after entry into the host cell, generally prior to reverse transcription. However, proteasome inhibitors reveal an intermediate step of restriction in which virus can complete reverse transcription, but still fails to infect the cell. While proteasome inhibitors have been a useful tool in understanding how restriction takes place, the role of the proteasome itself during restriction has not yet been examined. Here, we characterize the interaction of rhTRIM5α and incoming virions with the proteasome. We show that proteasomes localize to rhTRIM5α cytoplasmic bodies, and this localization is more evident when the activity of the proteasome is inhibited pharmacologically. We also show that restricted virus associates with complexes of proteasomes and rhTRIM5α, suggesting that rhTRIM5α utilizes the proteasome during restriction. Finally, live cell imaging experiments reveal that virus associates with proteasomes, and proteasome inhibition affects the duration of association. Taken together, these studies implicate the proteasome as playing a functional role during rhTRIM5α restriction of incoming virions.