bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Managerial support of community mental health nurses
Authors: Funakoshi Akiko , Miyamoto Yuki , Kayama Mami 
Published: May 2007

Abstract Title. Managerial support of community mental health nurses. Aims.  This paper is a report of a study to describe the support behaviours practised by managers of community mental health nurses (CMHNs) who provide homecare for people with mental illness, and to identify factors related to those behaviours.Background.  Homecare of mentally ill clients can prevent hospital readmission, provide rehabilitation, and include support for medication adherence, personal relationships, mental health, activities of daily living, as well as supporting informal caregivers. However, this work is stressful for CMHNs, who can themselves develop mental health problems and suffer burnout. Therefore support for these nurses is essential.Method.  Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 10 nurse managers in 2004. A constant comparative data collection and analysis process was used, and a core category identified.Findings.  Four categories of managerial support behaviour were identified: (1) ‘modifying client–nurse relationships’; (2) ‘ensuring community mental health nurse safety’; (3) ‘providing emotional support’; (4) ‘providing opportunities for skill development’. ‘To continue homecare for clients in need’ emerged as a core category, representing the ultimate purpose of managerial support behaviours. Moreover, the timing of managerial support behaviours was influenced by the quality and length of the client–nurse relationship.Conclusion.  The managerial support behaviours reported in the present study may be useful in other cultural contexts. Further research is needed to evaluate their effectiveness for CMHNs in other settings in Japan and other countries.
A model of job satisfaction of nurses: a reflection of nurses’ working lives in Mainland China
Authors: Lu Hong , While Alison E. , Louise Barriball K. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractTitle.  A model of job satisfaction of nurses: a reflection of nurses’ working lives in Mainland China Aim.  This paper is a report of a study exploring nurses’ views and experience regarding their working lives in Mainland China.Background.  The widespread nursing shortage and high turnover has become a global issue. Job satisfaction among nurses is a key factor in nurse turnover. Although several models of job satisfaction have been suggested in Western countries, these require further development and testing in Mainland China, where the social context of the labour market is different.Method.  A survey design using questionnaires was adopted. A total of 512 hospital nurses in Beijing participated in the study in 2004, representing a response rate of 81%.Findings.  There was a negative relationship between nurses’ job satisfaction and intention to leave their current hospitals, which was mediated by age (P < 0·05). About 40% of the variance in job satisfaction could be explained by the set of independent variables including organizational commitment, occupational stress, professional commitment, role conflict, role ambiguity, educational level, age and working years (R2 = 0·396). Organizational commitment had the strongest impact on job satisfaction, which explained 31·3% of the variance in this, followed by occupational stress and role conflict (5·5% and 1·9% respectively). In addition, both nurses’ role perception and actual role content influenced job satisfaction as well as occupational stress, role conflict and role ambiguity (P < 0·05). Nurses’ educational level was also a factor related to role perception, professional commitment and role conflict (P < 0·05).Conclusion.  Nurses’ job satisfaction could be increased through promoting organizational and professional commitment and reducing occupational stress, role conflict and role ambiguity.
Perspectives of homeless people on their health and health needs priorities
Authors: Daiski Isolde 
Published: May 2007

AbstractTitle. Perspectives of homeless people on their health and health needs prioritiesAim. This paper is a report of a study of the perspectives of homeless individuals on their health and healthcare needs.Background. Many studies show the high incidence and severity of diseases, physical and mental, amongst the homeless populations. However, the views of homeless people themselves are usually omitted. In order to provide appropriate care, healthcare professionals need to be aware of these perspectives.Method. A descriptive, exploratory design, using semi‐structured interviews and observational field notes, was chosen for this qualitative study. A convenience sample of 24 participants experiencing homelessness was recruited in one Canadian city in 2005.Findings. Participants described their health and healthcare needs in a holistic sense. They reported concerns about physical illnesses, mental health, addictions and stress. Shelter life promoted spread of diseases and lacked privacy. Violence was rampant in shelters and on the streets, leading to constant fear. There was emotional distress over social exclusion and depersonalization. Participants wanted to work and to be housed, yet felt trapped in a dehumanizing system.Conclusion. The recommendations are (a) elimination or mitigation of most health problems of the homeless through safe, affordable housing; (b) reintegration into the community through job counselling, treatment of addictions and employment. Negative societal attitudes towards these clients need to change. Healthcare professionals, particularly community nurses, have opportunities to collaborate respectfully with these clients and work for changes in public policies, such as national housing and addiction treatment policies, and for streamlined, humanized services to smooth the processes of social reintegration.
Against the odds: experiences of nurse leaders in Clinical Development Units (Nursing) in Australia
Authors: Atsalos Christine , O'Brien Louise , Jackson Debra 
Published: May 2007

Abstract Title. Against the odds: experiences of nurse leaders in Clinical Development Units (Nursing) in Australia Aim.  This paper is a report of a longitudinal study to develop an understanding of the phenomena of Clinical Development Unit (Nursing) leadership by exploring the experiences of the nurse leaders of nine Australian units as they attempted to develop their existing wards or units into recognized centres of nursing excellence.Background.  The concept of Clinical Development Unit (Nursing) in Australia originated in the British Nursing Development Unit movement, which has been widely credited with introducing innovative approaches to developing nurses and nursing. A network of nine Clinical Development Units (Nursing) was set up in a suburban area health service in Australia. The aim was to develop existing wards or units into centres of excellence by disseminating a new vision for Australian nurses that was based on the pioneering work of the British Nursing Development Unit movement.Methodology.  Principles of Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenology provided a framework for the study. Nine Clinical Development Unit (Nursing) leaders participated in qualitative interviews from 1998 to 2002. These interviews were transcribed into text and thematically analysed.Findings.  Despite attempts to implement a variety of measures to nurture these Clinical Development Units (Nursing) until they had become well established, the new Clinical Development Unit (Nursing) leaders were unable to maintain the Clinical Development Unit (Nursing) vision with which they had been entrusted. This paper discusses their reactions to the problems they faced and the new understandings they developed of their Clinical Development Unit (Nursing) role over time.Conclusion.  The findings illuminate the difficulties involved in maintaining the commitment of all levels of staff and management when attempting to introduce new nursing projects.
Factors facilitating and inhibiting evidence‐based nursing in Iran
Authors: Adib‐Hajbaghery Mohsen 
Published: May 2007

Abstract Title. Factors facilitating and inhibiting evidence‐based nursing in Iran Aim.  This paper is a presentation of a study to clarify the concept of evidence‐based nursing and to explore the factors that influence evidence‐based nursing by Iranian nurses.Background.  Evidence‐based practice was introduced as an approach to high‐quality care intended to improve results for patients. Several nurse researchers have studied factors affecting implementation of evidence‐based nursing in western countries. However, there is little or no research on the perceptions of evidence‐based nursing and its barriers in eastern countries, especially Iran.Methodology.  Grounded theory method was used. Interviews with 21 participants and 30 hours of observation were conducted in hospitals in Iran during 2005. Constant comparative analysis was used to analyse the data.Findings.  Two main categories, ‘the meaning of evidence‐based nursing’, and ‘factors affecting it’, emerged from the data. From participants’ perspectives, evidence‐based nursing was defined as ‘caring for patients based on the nurse's professional knowledge in meeting patients’ needs’. The second category, factors affecting evidence‐based care, had six subcategories: possessing professional knowledge and experience; having time and opportunity; becoming accustomed; self‐confidence; the process of nursing education; and the work environment and its expectations.Conclusion.  Managers and educators need to be committed to the principles of EBP, provide resources and create a supportive environment for its implementation. Individual nurses also have a responsibility to carry out evidence‐based nursing, and researchers should work with practitioners to generate high quality evidence to support nursing practice.
Dietary acculturation and diet quality of hypertensive Korean Americans
Authors: Kim Mi Ja , Lee Suk Jeong , Ahn Yang‐Heui , Bowen Phyllis , Lee Hyeonkyeong 
Published: May 2007

AbstractTitle.  Dietary acculturation and diet quality of hypertensive Korean Americans Aim.  This paper is a report of a study to describe the dietary acculturation of hypertensive and normotensive Korean Americans and native Koreans by comparing dietary pattern and diet quality.Background.  Dietary acculturation is a major factor that influences the risks for cardiovascular disease in immigrants. Nurses play a key role in educating immigrants about dietary acculturation. Limited studies have examined dietary acculturation of Korean immigrants with hypertension.Method.  A descriptive study of hypertensive and normotensive Korean Americans and native Koreans (n = 398) was conducted in 2003–04, using the 24‐hour dietary recall method. Dietary pattern was measured by consumption frequency of Korean, American and common food, and eating outside the home. Diet quality was measured by the revised version of the Diet Quality Index.Findings.  Korean Americans showed greater consumption of American food, common food and fast food, and ate away from home more often than native Koreans. Overall Diet Quality Index scores were not statistically significantly different between the two groups after matching. Compared with native Koreans, Korean Americans consumed lower amounts of sodium, potassium, vegetables and fruits, and energy from carbohydrates. Hypertensive Korean Americans consumed fewer vegetables and fruits, and less sodium and potassium than hypertensive native Koreans. No statistically significant differences were found between hypertensive and normotensive Korean Americans in dietary acculturation.Conclusion.  Dietary acculturation of immigrants is a common phenomenon regardless of the country from which they immigrate. Healthcare professionals should consider the advantages and disadvantages of dietary acculturation in health promotion for immigrants.
Phylogeographic patterns of trans‐Amazonian vicariants and Amazonian biogeography: the Neotropical rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus complex) as an example
Authors: Adrian Quijada‐Mascareñas J. , Ferguson Julia E. , Pook Catharine E. , Salomão Maria Da Graça , Thorpe Roger S. , Wüster Wolfgang 
Published: May 2007

AbstractAim  To investigate the phylogeography and execute a historical‐demographic analysis of the Neotropical rattlesnake, Crotalus durissus, thereby testing the hypothesis of a Pleistocene central Amazon corridor of dry forest or savanna that partitioned the Amazonian rain forest into western and eastern portions.Location  South America.Methods  Using sequences of three mitochondrial genes, we estimated the phylogeography, gene and nucleotide diversity across the South American range of C. durissus. Tree topology tests were used to test alternative biogeographical hypotheses, and tests of population genetic structure and statistical parsimony networks and nested clade phylogeographic analysis (NCPA) were used to infer connectivity and historical population processes on both sides of the Amazon basin.Results  Tree topology tests rejected the hypothesis of a coastal dispersal in favour of a central corridor scenario. Gene diversity was similar on both sides of the Amazon basin. Nucleotide diversity indicated that the populations from north of the Amazon basin represented ancestral populations. Analysis of molecular variance (amova) showed that intra‐population molecular variation was greater than between regions. Historical‐demographic statistics showed significant population expansion south of the Amazon, and little differentiation in the north, indicating moderate past gene flow between north and south of the Amazon. The parsimony network connected clades from the Roraima and Guyana populations with Mato Grosso, suggesting an Amazonian central corridor, and NCPA supported allopatric fragmentation between north and south of the Amazon.Main conclusions  The distribution of C. durissus on both sides of the Amazon basin is evidence of changes in the distribution of rain forest vegetation during the Pleistocene. Our results suggest a formerly continuous distribution of this rattlesnake along a central Amazonian corridor during the middle Pleistocene. Allopatric fragmentation inferred from NCPA is consistent with vicariance resulting from a subsequent closure of this habitat corridor. This study emphasizes the potential of trans‐Amazonian open formation species to inform the debate on the past distribution of rain forests in the Amazon Basin.
The assessment of criterion audit cycles by external peer review – when is an audit not an audit?
Authors: Bowie Paul , Cooke Sarah , Lo Penny , McKay John , Lough Murray 
Published: May 2007

AbstractIntroduction  Clinical audit has failed to fully deliver the rewards initially envisaged. Contributory factors include: an ill‐defined approach to audit; the assumption that health care professionals can intuitively apply audit methods; and the lack of a system to ‘quality assure’ the process. A method of criterion audit was defined and developed in conjunction with an instrument to facilitate trained General Practitioner (GP) assessors in the review of colleagues’ audit projects. Given the potential for improving audit practice, this study aimed to define the methodological factors that contributed to ‘unsatisfactory’ audits as judged by peer assessors.Methods  West of Scotland GPs voluntarily submitted a criterion audit in a standard format for review by two trained colleagues using an assessment instrument. Audits judged unsatisfactory and associated educational feedback were subjected to content analysis.Results  Between 1999 and 2004, 336 audits were submitted, of which 132 (39%) were judged to be unsatisfactory. Of these, 118 audits (89%) had a methodological issue identified in the initial project design (e.g. defining criteria) that effectively invalidated the audit. 119 projects (90%) were also judged to have at least one deficiency in the data analysis or change management stages of the audit (e.g. implementing inadequate change).Conclusion  A range of audit method issues was found. The proportion of unsatisfactory audits may point to a larger problem beyond this sample, which may have implications for health care quality. If audit practise is to be consistent and rigorous, consideration should be given to assessing the standard of this activity.
Effects of a behaviour independent financial incentive on prescribing behaviour of general practitioners
Authors: Martens Jody D. , Werkhoven Mirjam J. , Severens Johan L. , Winkens Ron A. G. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractRationale and objectives  It is difficult to keep control over prescribing behaviour in general practice. The purpose of this study was to assess the initial effects of a behaviour independent financial incentive on the volume of drug prescribing of general practitioners (GPs).Design  2‐Year Controlled Before After study with an intervention region and a concurrent control region.Setting and participants  GPs in two regions in the Netherlands (n = 119 and n = 118).Intervention  A financial incentive for prescribing according to local guidelines on specific drugs or drug categories. The financial incentive consisted of a non‐recurrent, behaviour‐independent allowance.Main outcome measure  Change in the number of prescriptions for 10 targeted drugs or drug groups.Results  Significant changes were seen only in three types of antibiotics and in recommended gastric medicines. In almost all cases, effects were temporary.Conclusion  Behaviour independent financial incentives can be a help in changing prescription behaviour of GPs, but effects are small‐scale and temporary.
New models for old questions: generalized linear models for cost prediction
Authors: Moran John L. , Solomon Patricia J. , Peisach Aaron R. , Martin Jeffrey 
Published: May 2007

AbstractBackground Generalized linear models (GLMs) have recently been introduced into cost data analysis. GLMs, transformations of the linear regression model, are characterized by a particular response distribution from one of the exponential family of distributions and monotonic link function which relates the response mean to a scale on which additive model effects operate.Objectives This study compared GLMs and ordinary least squares regression (OLS) in predicting individual patient costs in adult intensive care units (ICUs) and sought to define the utility of the inverse Gaussian distribution family within GLMs.Methods A prospective ‘ground‐up’ utilization costing study was performed in three adult university associated ICUs, enrolling consecutive ICU admissions over a 6‐month period in 1991. ICU utilization, patient demographic and ICU admission day data were recorded by dedicated data collectors. Model performance was assessed by prediction error [mean absolute error (MAE), root mean squared error (RMSE)] and residual analysis.Results The cohort, 1098 patients surviving ICU, was of mean (SD) age 56 (19.5) years and 41% female. Patient costs per ICU episode (1991 A$) were A$6311 (9689), with range A$106 to A$95602. Prediction error for mean costs was minimal (MAE 4780; RMSE 8965) with OLS using heteroscedastic retransformation of log costs and GLM with Gaussian family and log link (MAE 4798; RMSE 8907). Residual analysis suggested optimal overall performance for the above two models and a GLM with inverse Gaussian family and log link.Conclusions Traditional cost models of OLS with (log) cost transformation may be supplemented by appropriately specified GLM which more closely model the error structure.
Multiple paternity in a natural population of a wild tobacco fly, Bactrocera cacuminata (Diptera: Tephritidae), assessed by microsatellite DNA markers
Authors: SONG SIMON D. , DREW RICHARD A. I. , HUGHES JANE M. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractMating frequency has important implications for patterns of sexual selection and sexual conflict and hence for issues such as speciation and the maintenance of genetic diversity. Knowledge of natural mating patterns can also lead to more effective control of pest tephritid species, in which suppression programmes, such as the sterile insect technique (SIT) are employed. Multiple mating by females may compromise the success of SIT. We investigated the level of polyandry and sperm utilization in a Brisbane field population of the tropical fruit fly, Bactrocera cacuminata (Hering), using seven polymorphic microsatellite loci. The offspring of 22 wild‐caught gravid females were genotyped to determine the number of males siring each brood and paternity skew, using the programs gerud and scare. Our data showed that 22.7% of females produced offspring sired by at least two males. The mean number of mates per female was 1.72. Paternal contributions of double‐sired broods were skewed with the most successful male having sired between 76.9% and 87.5% of the offspring. These results have implications for SIT, because the level of remating we have identified would indicate that wild females could mate with one or more resident fertile males.
Specific interactions of three proliferating cell nuclear antigens with replication‐related proteins in Aeropyrum pernix
Authors: Imamura Kaori , Fukunaga Kenzo , Kawarabayasi Yutaka , Ishino Yoshizumi 
Published: May 2007

SummaryProliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is a well‐known multifunctional protein involved in eukaryotic and archaeal DNA transactions. The homotrimeric PCNA ring encircles double‐stranded DNA within its central hole and tethers many proteins on DNA. Plural genes encoding PCNA‐like proteins have been found in the genome sequence of crenarchaeal organisms. We describe here the biochemical properties of the three PCNAs, PCNA1, PCNA2 and PCNA3, from the hyperthermophilic archaeon, Aeropyrum pernix. PCNA2 can form a trimeric structure by itself, and it also forms heterotrimeric structures with PCNA1 and PCNA3. However, neither PCNA1 nor PCNA3 can form homotrimers. The DNA synthesis activity of DNA polymerase I and II, the endonuclease activity of FEN1, and the nick‐sealing activity of DNA ligase were stimulated by the complex of PCNA2 and 3 or PCNA1, 2 and 3. These results suggest that the heterotrimeric PCNA at least including PCNA2 and 3 function as the clamp in the replisome. However, PCNA2 is the most abundant in the cells throughout the growth stages among the three PCNAs, and therefore, PCNA2 may perform multitasks by changing complex composition.
A subset of GAF domains are evolutionarily conserved sodium sensors
Authors: Cann Martin 
Published: May 2007

SummaryMost organisms maintain a transmembrane sodium gradient for cell function. Despite the importance of Na+ in physiology, no directly Na+‐responsive signalling molecules are known. The CyaB1 and CyaB2 adenylyl cyclases of the cyanobacterium Anabaena PCC 7120 are inhibited by Na+. A D360A mutation in the GAF‐B domain of CyaB1 ablated cAMP‐mediated autoregulation and Na+ inhibition. Na+ bound the isolated GAF domains of CyaB2. cAMP blocked Na+ binding to GAF domains but Na+ had no effect on cAMP binding. Na+ altered GAF domain structure indicating a mechanism of inhibition independent of cAMP binding. ΔcyaB1 and ΔcyaB2 mutant strains did not grow below 0.6 mM Na+ and ΔcyaB1 cells possessed defects in Na+/H+ antiporter function. Replacement of the CyaB1 GAF domains with those of rat phosphodiesterase type 2 revealed that Na+ inhibition has been conserved since the eukaryotic/bacterial divergence. CyaB1 and CyaB2 are the first identified directly Na+‐responsive signalling molecules that function in sodium homeostasis and we propose a subset of GAF domains underpin an evolutionarily conserved Na+ signalling mechanism.