bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Land cover change 2002–2005 in Borneo and the role of fire derived from MODIS imagery
Authors: LANGNER ANDREAS , MIETTINEN JUKKA , SIEGERT FLORIAN 
Published: September 2007

AbstractBorneo has experienced heavy deforestation and forest degradation during the past two decades. In this study the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer was used to monitor land cover change in Borneo between 2002 and 2005 in order to assess the current extent of the forest cover, the deforestation rate and the role of fire. Using Landsat and ground observation for validation it was possible to discriminate 11 land cover classes. In 2002 57% of the land surface of Borneo was covered with forest of which 74% was dipterocarp and more than 23% peat swamp forest. The average deforestation rate between 2002 and 2005 was 1.7% yr− 1. The carbon‐rich ecosystem of peat swamp forests showed a deforestation rate of 2.2%. Almost 98% of all deforestation occurred within a range of 5 km to the forest edge. Fire is highly correlated with land cover changes. Most fires were detected in degraded forests. Ninety‐eight per cent of all forest fires were detected in the 5 km buffer zone, underlining that fire is the major driver for forest degradation and deforestation.
Microsatellite abnormalities and somatic down‐regulation of mismatch repair characterize nodular‐trabecular muscle‐invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder
Authors: Rubio J , Blanes A , Sanchez‐Carrillo J J , Diaz‐Cano S J 
Published: September 2007

Aims:  To correlate histological infiltration patterns with genetic and mismatch repair (MMR) profiles in muscle‐invasive bladder urothelial carcinomas (UroC).Methods and results:  Infiltration patterns were assessed in the deep compartment of muscle‐invasive UroC (nodular‐trabecular, 45 cases; infiltrative, 27 cases). Tumour compartment (superficial and deep to muscularis mucosa) analysis included: microsatellite pattern of TP53, RB1, WT1 and NF1 by polymerase chain reaction/denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis; mitotic, Ki67, in situ end labelling (ISEL) indices and DNA ploidy. MMR was assessed by MLH1 and MSH2 sequencing and immunohistochemistry in UroC with two or more abnormal microsatellite loci. Statistical differences were tested using anova and Fisher's exact tests. Infiltrative UroC showed lower Ki67 index 14.94 ± 4.28, ISEL index 14.1 ± 10.0 and shorter median survival (20 months) than nodular‐trabecular UroC (Ki67 index 20.65 ± 4.94, ISEL 20.2 ± 22.7, 37‐month survival, respectively). The genetic profile was significantly different for RB1 (P = 0.0003) and NF1 (P = 0.0023) only, being more frequently abnormal in nodular‐trabecular UroC. A significant decrease in MLH1 or MSH2 protein expression with no gene mutations was identified in UroC with microsatellite abnormalities and a nodular‐trabecular growth pattern.Conclusions:  Somatic down‐regulation of MMR proteins in nodular‐trabecular muscle‐invasive UroC results in RB1/NF1 microsatellite abnormalities, correlating with higher cellular turnover and longer survival.
Intentional replantation for the management of maxillary sinusitis
Authors: Peñarrocha M. , García B. , Martí E. , Palop M. , Von Arx T. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractAim  To present a case that emphasizes the importance of the use of intentional replantation as a technique to successfully treat a periapical lesion and an odontogenic maxillary sinusitis through the alveolus at the same time.Summary  This case report presents a patient with odontogenic maxillary sinusitis secondary to periapical disease of a maxillary molar that had previously received root canal treatment. The molar was extracted, with drainage and rinsing of the maxillary sinus. The apices were resected extra‐orally, the retrograde cavities prepared with ultrasound and retrograde fillings of silver amalgam placed. The tooth was then replanted. After 2 years, the patient was asymptomatic, periapical radiography showed no evidence of root resorption and computed tomography scanning demonstrated the resolution of maxillary sinusitis.Key learning points

When root canal treatment or periapical surgery cannot be undertaken or has failed, intentional replantation may be considered.
This alternative treatment may be predictable in certain cases.
Type 2 diabetes‐associated androgen alteration in patients with erectile dysfunction
Authors: El‐Sakka A. I. , Sayed H. M. , Tayeb K. A. 
Published: September 2007

SummaryOur objective was to assess the pattern of type‐2 diabetes‐associated androgen alteration in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED). A total of 127 diabetic male patients with ED were enrolled in this study. Erectile function was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). At the time of assessment, patients were also interviewed and assessed for socio‐demographic and medical history that includes duration and severity of diabetes mellitus (DM). Patients underwent routine laboratory investigations, in addition to total testosterone (T), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA‐S) and insulin assessment. The mean age ± SD was 53.8 ± 9.3 years. Of patients 25.2% (n = 32/127), 6.3% (n = 8/127) and 31.5% (n = 40/127) had low total T, low DHEA‐S and hyperinsulinaemia respectively. There were significant association between the increase in age and body mass index and the presence of low T level. Of the patients 37.5% (n = 12/32) with low T level had glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) >7% while, 22.1% (n = 21/95) of the patients with normal T level had HbA1c >7% (p < 0.05). There were significant associations between the number of patients with low level of total T or DHEA‐S and poor control of DM. Patients with low T level were two times more likely (56.3%, n = 18/32) to have severe ED than patients with normal T level (27.4%, n = 26/95) (p < 0.01). There were significant differences between the mean levels of total T or DHEA‐S and poor control of DM. No significant associations were detected between hyperinsulinaemia and the level of fasting blood sugar, duration of DM, metabolic control of DM or ED severity. Patients with low T level were three times as likely to have hyperinsulinaemia as those patients with normal T level (p < 0.05). The current study clearly demonstrated that there were significant associations between low level of total T or DHEA‐S and poor control of DM.
Demographic variation and population viability in a threatened Himalayan medicinal and aromatic herb Nardostachys grandiflora: matrix modelling of harvesting effects in two contrasting habitats
Authors: Ghimire Suresh Kumar , Gimenez Olivier , Pradel Roger , McKey Doyle , Aumeeruddy‐Thomas Yildiz 
Published: September 2007

Summary

Despite significant interest in the sustainable use of medicinal plants, the population ecology of many medicinal plant species remains unstudied. Also, few demographic studies have compared effects of harvesting across habitats. We studied the demography of a highly threatened perennial Himalayan medicinal herb, Nardostachys grandiflora, in two habitats and examined effects of indigenous harvesting regimes on its population dynamics.
In a rocky‐outcrop population in 1998, different levels of rhizome harvesting were applied directly by the local users. In meadows, we sampled an unharvested population and another population that was commercially harvested. Data on recruitment, growth and survival of individuals classified by size were gathered over 4 years.
Population growth rate (λ) was significantly higher in the unharvested meadow population than in control subplots of the outcrop population. Harvesting significantly reduced λ. Matrix model projections revealed that the size of outcrop populations would return to initial values within ≈5 years, only after 10% rhizome harvesting. In other treatments, recovery time varied from 17 (25% harvesting) to 33 (75%) years. In contrast, in the commercially harvested meadow population (with harvesting levels >25%), projected recovery time was 6 years.
Higher growth rates and faster recovery in meadow populations appear to be due to higher recruitment and faster vegetative growth. In outcrops, slow growth and low fecundity slow down recovery after harvesting.
Synthesis and application. Nardostachys grandiflora is extremely sensitive to harvesting of rhizomes, but this sensitivity is higher in outcrop than in meadow habitats. Given the constraints on its population growth and its high sensitivity to harvesting, N. grandiflora should be strictly managed, with low harvest rates (<10% in outcrop and <25% in meadow) and fairly long rotations (at least 5 years) between successive harvests. This work shows the importance of considering demographic variation across habitats when formulating specific management plans for threatened medicinal plants. It also demonstrates the importance of integrating local harvesting practices in ecological research for informing management. A large proportion of high‐altitude perennial medicinal plants may be expected to be similarly sensitive to exploitation, requiring careful management to achieve sustainable harvesting.
A systematic review and meta‐synthesis: evaluating the effectiveness of nurse, midwife/allied health professional consultants
Authors: Humphreys Ann , Johnson Sarah , Richardson Janet , Stenhouse Elizabeth , Watkins Mary 
Published: September 2007

Aim.  This paper presents the findings of a systematic review and meta‐synthesis, which was undertaken to identify and assess studies that evaluated the nurse/midwife/allied health professional consultant role.Background.  As part of the modernization agenda in the National Health Service the United Kingdom government proposed ‘Consultant’ posts for nurses/midwives and allied health professionals as an opportunity for experienced practitioners to extend their roles. Four key functions were identified as being significant to this role development: expert practice, leadership, education and research. Explicit within the proposal was a requirement of these new roles to be evaluated.Method.  Inclusion criteria focussed on studies where an aspect of the role had been evaluated or where the consultant carried out the research. A total of 1931 citations was filtered to reveal 107 studies that possibly met the inclusion criteria. Of these 107, 14 studies were critically appraised and subjected to thematic analysis. Study methodology varied but of the 14 studies, 10 involved some form of measurement. The others adopted a literature review or descriptive approach.Conclusions.  The extent to which consultants were involved in all aspects of the ‘four pillars’ was assessed in only a small number of studies. However, a number of studies implicitly implied active engagement in expert practice and leadership by focussing on specific service developments.Relevance to clinical practice.  To date, a number of studies evaluating service developments, education, expert practice and leadership have been carried out. However although a number of studies have assessed perceived impact of the consultant role, no measure of actual benefit has been published to date. Studies that evaluate the cost benefit/outcomes of these roles in relation to both activity and quality of service are required.
Plugging a hole and lightening the burden: a process evaluation of a practice education team
Authors: Mallik Maggie , Hunt Jane A 
Published: September 2007

Aim.  To investigate the perceptions of clinical and senior managers about the role of practice educators (PEs) employed in one acute hospital in the UK.Background.  Producing nurses who are fit for practice, purpose and academic award is a key issue for nurse education partnership providers in the UK. Various new models for practice learning support structures and new roles within health care institutions have been established. To sustain funding and policy support for these models, there is a need for evaluation research.Design.  A process evaluation methodology was employed to determine the current value of a practice education team and to provide information to guide future direction.Methods.  Data were collected through semi‐structured telephone interviews using a previously designed schedule. All senior nurse managers (n = 5) and a purposive sample of Clinical Managers (n = 13) who had personal experience of and perceptions about the role of PEs provided the data. Interview notes were transcribed, coded and a thematic framework devised to present the results.Results.  A number of key themes emerged including: qualities needed for being a successful practice educator; visibility and presence of PEs; providing a link with the university; ‘plugging a hole’ in supporting learning needs; providing relief to practitioners in dealing with ‘the burden of students;’ alleviating the ‘plight of students;’ and effects on student attrition.Conclusions.  Findings provided evidence for the continued funding of the practice educator role with improvements to be made in dealing with stakeholder expectations and outcomes.Relevance to clinical practice.  In the UK, there still remain concerns about the fitness for practice of newly Registered Nurses, prompting a recent national consultation by the professional regulating body. Despite fiscal pressures, recommendations for further strengthening of all systems that will support the quality of practice learning may continue to sustain practice learning support roles.
Preliminary study to investigate the normal range of Ankle Brachial Pressure Index in young adults
Authors: Male Stuart , Coull Alison , Murphy‐Black Tricia 
Published: September 2007

Aim.  The aim of this study was to find the normal range of Ankle Brachial Pressure Index (ABPI) for healthy adults in the 20–40‐year age group. The hypothesis was: there is no difference between the accepted normal value of ABPI (1·00) and the observed value of ABPI in healthy adults in the 20–40‐year age group.Background.  Doppler ultrasound and ABPI calculations are used in the assessment of lower limb vascularity. Ankle Brachial Pressure Index is used as an indicator for the choice of nursing options for the treatment of chronic leg ulcers. Little research has been done to establish what the normal range of ABPI is in young healthy adults. This information has practical significance to the treatment of young adults who are prone to present with leg ulcers such as i.v. drug users.Method.  An observational survey was conducted with 24 healthy adults in the 20–40‐year age range (who did not have a history of i.v. drug use).Results.  The study found that the ABPI ranged from 1·05 to 1·25 (mean = 1·14; SD 0·06). In addition, the study also found that there was a negative correlation between ABPI and observed brachial systolic pressure.Conclusion.  A ‘normal’ ABPI should not be considered a fixed figure (1·00) and that ABPI may be dependant on an individual's blood pressure and possibly other factors.Relevance to clinical practice.  Ankle Brachial Pressure Index is a routine procedure undertaken when assessing the vascular supply to the lower legs. The results summarized in this paper will be useful to clinicians attempting to interpret ABPI results in young people.
Absorbent products for incontinence: ‘treatment effects’ and impact on quality of life
Authors: Getliffe Kathryn , Fader Mandy , Cottenden Alan , Jamieson Katharine , Green Nicholas 
Published: September 2007

Abstract  Aim.  This study aimed to determine how the use and characteristics of absorbent products for incontinence impact on women's quality of life, and to examine the concept of ‘treatment effects’ in the context of pad use.Method.  Key pad performance characteristics were identified from the literature and focus group work. Semi‐structured interviews with 99 women with light incontinence were used to investigate the impact of pad use on women's quality of life, including both positive and negative ‘treatment effects’, and to rank pad characteristics by their importance.Results.  Achieving effective and discrete containment of urine was the dominant factor impacting on women's lives. Sub‐themes embraced physical effects, psychological impact and social functioning. The five pad characteristics ranked most important for day time use were: ‘to hold urine, to contain smell, to stay in place, discreteness, and comfort when wet. For night use discreteness was replaced by to keep skin dry’. High levels of reported anxiety were associated with perceived risk of poor pad performance, lack of discreteness and need for complex regimes for pad management.Conclusion.  Insufficient attention has been paid to the balance between the beneficial and negative treatment effects of absorbent pads to date. Existing continence‐related quality of life measures are not designed for conditions where change in symptoms is not an outcome measure. The study findings provide the basis for developing a more sensitive, patient‐oriented, quality of life measure for pad‐users which can aid product selection, new product development and inform future evaluative comparisons between products/products and treatments.Relevance to clinical practice.  This paper illustrates the complex influence on quality of life caused by using absorbent pads to contain incontinence. It raises awareness of the importance of careful selection of the most appropriate pad for each individual to minimize unfavourable side effects, and the need for a new quality of life measure designed for pad‐users.
Consultant nurse–consultant physician: a new partnership for patient‐centred care?
Authors: Graham Iain W 
Published: September 2007

Aims and objectives.  The aim was to describe the process of role transition by an individual who has assumed the position of a consultant nurse in cardiovascular health care. The objective was to explain the ‘gestalt’ of being a consultant nurse and how the ‘gestalt’ has evolved.Background.  The development of the consultant nurse role is new, research has described the value and potential contribution of the role. The literature suggests that the role still requires further evaluation and description to be understood better.Design.  A free‐association narrative interview method was chosen as the research design.Method.  An in depth interview, tape‐recorded and analysed along with field note analysis was the method for eliciting the narrative.Results.  The analysis of the narrative reveals an emerging ‘gestalt’ for being a consultant nurse. Various concepts and phenomena attributable to the role are identified from the experience described. The gestalt explains the journey of the individual through an ‘apprenticeship’ to role attainment, whereby a new sense of professional self or ‘Me’ is realized.Conclusion.  The significance of the paper lies in the analysis of the narrative and the insights it gives to help other aspirant consultant nurses. It is through the understanding of these insights that individuals could plan their own learning and development to be achieved in the role of consultant nurse.Relevance to clinical practice.  To be effective and provide effective patient care, one can argue that appropriate learning needs to take place. Those that have been appointed to the role have battled to find achievement and acceptance. These battles may be made easier to win if the role is better understood and appropriate preparation provided. Only then will the real potential of the role be realized in improved patient care outcomes.
The core role of the nurse practitioner: practice, professionalism and clinical leadership
Authors: Carryer Jenny , Gardner Glenn , Dunn Sandra , Gardner Anne 
Published: September 2007

Abstract Aim. To draw on empirical evidence to illustrate the core role of nurse practitioners in Australia and New Zealand.Background. Enacted legislation provides for mutual recognition of qualifications, including nursing, between New Zealand and Australia. As the nurse practitioner role is relatively new in both countries, there is no consistency in role expectation and hence mutual recognition has not yet been applied to nurse practitioners. A study jointly commissioned by both countries’ Regulatory Boards developed information on the core role of the nurse practitioner, to develop shared competency and educational standards. Reporting on this study's process and outcomes provides insights that are relevant both locally and internationally.Method. This interpretive study used multiple data sources, including published and grey literature, policy documents, nurse practitioner program curricula and interviews with 15 nurse practitioners from the two countries. Data were analysed according to the appropriate standard for each data type and included both deductive and inductive methods. The data were aggregated thematically according to patterns within and across the interview and material data.Findings. The core role of the nurse practitioner was identified as having three components:dynamic practice, professional efficacy and clinical leadership. Nurse practitioner practice is dynamic and involves the application of high level clinical knowledge and skills in a wide range of contexts. The nurse practitioner demonstrates professional efficacy, enhanced by an extended range of autonomy that includes legislated privileges. The nurse practitioner is a clinical leader with a readiness and an obligation to advocate for their client base and their profession at the systems level of health care.Conclusion. A clearly articulated and research informed description of the core role of the nurse practitioner provides the basis for development of educational and practice competency standards. These research findings provide new perspectives to inform the international debate about this extended level of nursing practice.Relevance to clinical practice. The findings from this research have the potential to achieve a standardised approach and internationally consistent nomenclature for the nurse practitioner role.
The cell cycle of Sulfolobus
Authors: Bernander Rolf 
Published: September 2007

SummaryMuch of the current information about the archaeal cell cycle has been generated through studies of the genus Sulfolobus. The overall organization of the cell cycle in these species is well understood, and information about the regulatory principles that govern cell cycle progression is rapidly accumulating. Exciting progress regarding the control and molecular details of the chromosome replication process is evident, and the first insights into the elusive crenarchaeal mitosis and cytokinesis machineries are within reach.
Connecting primary and secondary metabolism: AreB, an IclR‐like protein, binds the AREccaR sequence of S. clavuligerus and modulates leucine biosynthesis and cephamycin C and clavulanic acid production
Authors: Santamarta Irene , López‐García M. Teresa , Pérez‐Redondo Rosario , Koekman Bert , Martín Juan F. , Liras Paloma 
Published: September 2007

SummaryA protein binding to the autoregulatory element (ARE) upstream of the regulatory ccaR gene of Streptomyces clavuligerus was isolated previously by DNA affinity binding. The areB gene, encoding this protein, is located upstream and in opposite orientation to the leuCD operon of S. clavuligerus; it encodes a 239‐amino‐acid protein of the IclR family with a helix–turn–helix motif at the N‐terminal region. An areB‐deleted mutant, S. clavuligerusΔareB, has been constructed by gene replacement. This strain requires leucine for optimal growth in defined media. Expression of the leuCD operon is retarded in S. clavuligerusΔareB, because AreB binds the areB‐leuCD intergenic region acting as a positive modulator. Clavulanic acid and cephamycin C production are improved in the ΔareB mutant although no drastic difference in ccaR expression was observed. Pure recombinant AreB protein does not bind the AREccaR sequence (as shown by EMSA) unless filtered extracts from S. clavuligerus ATCC 27064‐containing molecules of Mr lower than 10 kDa are added to the binding reaction. Restoration of binding to the AREccaR sequence is not observed when filtered extracts are obtained from the ΔareB mutant, suggesting that biosynthesis of the small‐molecular‐weight effector is also controlled by AreB.