bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Molecular analysis of fungal communities and laccase genes in decomposing litter reveals differences among forest types but no impact of nitrogen deposition
Authors: Blackwood Christopher B. , Waldrop Mark P. , Zak Donald R. , Sinsabaugh Robert L. 
Published: February 2007

SummaryThe fungal community of the forest floor was examined as the cause of previously reported increases in soil organic matter due to experimental N deposition in ecosystems producing predominantly high‐lignin litter, and the opposite response in ecosystems producing low‐lignin litter. The mechanism proposed to explain this phenomenon was that white‐rot basidiomycetes are more important in the degradation of high‐lignin litter than of low‐lignin litter, and that their activity is suppressed by N deposition. We found that forest floor mass in the low‐lignin sugar‐maple dominated system decreased in October due to experimental N deposition, whereas forest floor mass of high‐lignin oak‐dominated ecosystems was unaffected by N deposition. Increased relative abundance of basidiomycetes in high‐lignin forest floor was confirmed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and sequencing. Abundance of basidiomycete laccase genes, encoding an enzyme used by white‐rot basidiomycetes in the degradation of lignin, was 5–10 times greater in high‐lignin forest floor than in low‐lignin forest floor. While the differences between the fungal communities in different ecosystems were consistent with the proposed mechanism, no significant effects of N deposition were detected on DGGE profiles, laccase gene abundance, laccase length heterogeneity profiles, or phenol oxidase activity. Our observations indicate that the previously detected accumulation of soil organic matter in the high‐lignin system may be driven by effects of N deposition on organisms in the mineral soil, rather than on organisms residing in the forest floor. However, studies of in situ gene expression and temporal and spatial variability within forest floor communities will be necessary to further relate the ecosystem dynamics of organic carbon to microbial communities and atmospheric N deposition.
Daily administration of the GIP‐R antagonist (Pro3)GIP in streptozotocin‐induced diabetes suggests that insulin‐dependent mechanisms are critical to anti–obesity‐diabetes actions of (Pro3)GIP
Authors: McClean P. L. , Gault V. A. , Irwin N. , McCluskey J. T. , Flatt P. R. 
Published: February 2007

Aim:  Glucose‐dependent insulinotropic polypeptide‐receptor (GIP‐R) antagonism using (Pro3)GIP improves glucose tolerance and ameliorates insulin resistance and abnormalities of islet structure and function in a commonly used model of obesity‐diabetes, namely ob/ob mice. The effect of GIP‐R antagonism in a streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced model of insulin deficiency has not been evaluated. The present study has investigated the effects of daily administration of (Pro3)GIP to STZ‐treated mice.Methods:  Swiss TO mice received once‐daily injection of (Pro3)GIP (25 nmol/kg body weight) or saline 4 days prior to and 16 days after injection of STZ, and effects on metabolic parameters and islet architecture were assessed.Results:  (Pro3)GIP treatment had no significant effect on hyperphagia or body weight loss. However, hyperglycaemia and glycated haemoglobin were worsened, glucose tolerance further decreased and insulin sensitivity was impaired by (Pro3)GIP. These effects were observed on an STZ‐induced background characterized by severe reductions of circulating insulin, beta‐cell mass and pancreatic insulin stores.Conclusions:  These data indicate that the beneficial actions of the GIP‐R antagonist, (Pro3)GIP, in obesity‐diabetes appear to be largely mediated through insulin‐dependent mechanisms that merit further investigation.
Homology: a synthetic concept of evolutionary robustness of patterns
Authors: Szucsich Nikolaus U. , Wirkner Christian S. 
Published: February 2007

The history of the homology concept is a history of attempts to conceive the basis of sameness in biology. Since it was formulated in the middle of the 19th century, the concept has had to fit an ever growing number of scientific fields and purposes. These different demands have resulted in diverging, sometimes, incompatible definitions. The inconsistencies are mostly due to the lack of a clear separation of hypotheses of maintenance from hypotheses of transformation.A synthetic approach to define homology thus has to consider the following pivotal points: (i) hypotheses of evolutionary maintenance should be kept separate from hypotheses of evolutionary transformation; (ii) the definition of homology should provide the foundation for exact specifications of what is hypothesised to be homologous and (iii) restrictions to particular levels of observation or specific scientific purposes, and the exclusion of iterative homology should be avoided.We suggest that patterns should be delineated by characterizing components of traits, and by describing connections and interactions between these components. A shared pattern of compared traits where the characterization shows 1 : 1 correspondence may then be homologised. Homology is equivalent to a hypothesis that the pattern, starting from a single starting point, was transmitted robustly along diverging branches of a genealogical tree, that is, the homologised pattern was never changed by any transformation.The proposed definition of homology is thus, ‘A pattern corresponding in a set of compared traits is homologous, if after a common evolutionary origin, the pattern was maintained along diverging lineages by robust pattern transmission’.After justifying the terminological use in our definition, we discuss the interplay of our definition with the pivotal points mentioned above in comparison to other definitions.Since our homology definition is a concept of pattern maintenance, it is clearly demarcated from transformation hypotheses, which are covered by the character concept. Robustness is understood as evolutionary maintenance of correspondence in objects linked by genealogical relations. The characterization of the pattern suffices to provide the necessary conditional phrase by specifying what is hypothesised to be homologous. Allowing development to be conceptualised as a pattern formation process makes it easier to deal with traits that are transmitted indirectly to the next generation. Patterns can be characterized on all observational levels, but the components and the quality of connections and interactions used for the characterization may differ. The replacement of the reference to an ancestor–descendant relationship by a reference to robust pattern transmission allows for the inclusion of iterative homology into the concept.In the final part of the paper, detailed reformulations of the ‘criteria’ for the corroboration of homology hypotheses as proposed byRemane (1952) are given.
An international approach to Problem Solving for Better Health Nursing™ (PSBHN)
Authors: Hoyt P. 
Published: February 2007

Purpose:  This paper describes the Problem Solving for Better Health Nursing™ (PSBHN) model, launched by the Dreyfus Health Foundation in 2002, and now operational in 14 countries at varying stages of development.Process:  Through a training workshop, participants are introduced to the model’s five‐step process of identifying local health problems and applying a systematic methodology for project design.Results:  Since the inception of PSBHN, 80 nursing workshops have been held, with more than 3000 participants (nurses and nursing students). Nurse participants have designed more than 2000 projects, and more than 1000 of these projects have been sustained beyond the initial start‐up period. Examples of both recently implemented and successfully completed projects are included for the purpose of illustrating the PSBHN process.Evaluation:  Workshop evaluation results are included for 151 nurse participants, indicating a positive impact of the workshop training.Future Plans:  Plans for the future are described. These include a focus on additional evaluations, particularly of the long‐term benefits of the projects implemented; enhanced sustainability of projects; dissemination of the project activities and results; and creation of key partnerships with global nursing and healthcare organizations.
Job satisfaction: a survey of nurses in the Republic of Ireland
Authors: Curtis E. A. 
Published: February 2007

Aim:  To determine the current level of job satisfaction among nurses in the Republic of Ireland. To identify the factors that make the greatest contribution to nurses’ current level of job satisfaction. To establish the difference between (a) the factors that nurses regard as being important to their job satisfaction, and (b) those factors that actually contribute to nurses’ current level of job satisfaction. To enter the findings into a database maintained by Market Street Research in the USA.Background:  A review of the literature suggests that (a) job satisfaction among nurses is low, and (b) job satisfaction research in nursing is growing.Methods:  This paper represents the descriptive findings of a study that used a mixed‐method design. Data collection involved the use of a postal questionnaire survey and the sample was selected using stratified random sampling.Findings:  The findings confirmed low to moderate levels of job satisfaction among nurses. Factors such as professional status, interaction and autonomy made the greatest contribution to nurses’ job satisfaction.Conclusion:  Overall, the findings are consistent with those of previous research on nurses’ job satisfaction. The implications are that health service administrators and nursing managers need to design and implement initiatives that will promote professional status, interaction and autonomy among nurses within their organizations and address the reasons why task requirements, organizational policies and pay make less of a contribution to the current level of job satisfaction.
Predictors of physical and mental health in hospital nurses within the People’s Republic of China
Authors: Lambert V. A. , Lambert C. E. , Petrini M. , Li X. M. , Zhang Y. J. 
Published: February 2007

Review of literature:  Prior research has suggested that nurses contend with a variety of workplace stressors and personal factors that can contribute either positively or negatively to their physical and mental health. However, limited research in this area has been conducted on nurses within China.Aim:  The study sought to determine in Chinese hospital nurses: (a) the most common workplace stressors, (b) the most frequently used ways of coping with stress, and (c) which combination of variables (workplace stressors, ways of coping, psychological hardiness and demographic characteristics) was the best predictor of both physical health and mental health.Methods:  The subjects were 480 nurses working in a variety of clinical settings, within five hospitals, located in three major mainland Chinese cities. A survey design was implemented using five self‐report instruments.Results:  Workplace stressors most frequently identified were workload and dealing with death and dying. Ways of coping most often cited were positive reappraisal, self‐control and planful problem solving. The best predictors of physical health were psychological hardiness, conflict with other nurses, uncertainty about patient treatment, seeking social support and confrontive coping. The best predictors of mental health were psychological hardiness, conflict with other nurses, workload, seeking social support, age, likelihood to leave nursing within the next 12 months and escape–avoidance coping.Discussion:  These findings suggest areas of concern that need to be addressed, by both hospital and nursing administration, in order to establish a positive and productive work environment for Chinese nurses.
Comparative trend analysis of characteristics of internationally educated nurses and U.S. educated nurses in the United States
Authors: Xu Y. , Kwak C. 
Published: February 2007

Aim:  This study compares characteristics of internationally educated nurses (IENs) and US educated nurses in the USA and examines trends and implications.Background:  Internationally educated nurses have been an integral part of the US nurse workforce since the end of the Second World War, especially since the immigration reform in 1965. With the worsening nurse shortage, US employers are intensifying their recruitment efforts by targeting IENs.Methods:  Secondary analysis using datasets from the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses conducted during 1977–2000 in the USA.Results:  Findings indicated that there were important differences between IENs and US educated nurses in their trends of demographical, educational and employment characteristics over time. As a group, IENs were younger but more experienced as nurses and better prepared educationally; worked more hours in both primary and secondary nursing positions; and were primarily employed in urban hospitals as staff nurses in direct care roles, with an increasing proportion working in extended care facilities.Conclusions:  Inter‐group and intra‐group comparisons suggest that (a) IENs were likely to have longer, more productive nursing careers, (b) because of their demographical and employment characteristics, IENs had a greater impact on relieving the US nurse shortage per capita during 1977–2000, and (c) IENs were making increasingly important contributions to the care of Americans, particularly older Americans and those cared for in inner city hospitals.
Journal impact factors: implications for the nursing profession
Authors: Johnstone M.‐J. 
Published: February 2007

Background:  The journal impact factor (IF) has become widely used as an absolute measure of the quality of professional journals. It is also increasingly used as a tool for measuring the academic performance of researchers and to inform decisions concerning the appointment and tenure of academic staff as well as the viability of their departments/schools. In keeping with these IF‐related trends, nurse researchers and faculty the world over are being increasingly expected to publish only in journals that have a high IF and to abandon all other forms of publishing (including books and book chapters) that do not attract IF rankings.Issues:  The IF obsession is placing in jeopardy the sustainability and hence viability of nursing journals and academic nursing publication lists (academic texts). If nurse authors abandon their publishing agenda and publish only in ‘elite’ journals (many of which may be outside nursing), the capacity of the nursing profession to develop and control the cutting edge of its disciplinary knowledge could be placed at risk.Actions:  Other means for assessing the quality and impact of nursing journals need to be devised. In addition, other works (such as books and book chapters) need also to be included in quality metrics. Nurse authors and journal editors must work together and devise ways to ensure the sustainability and viability of nursing publications.
Impact of stimulus signal‐to‐noise ratio on prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle
Authors: Franklin Joseph C. , Moretti Nicole A. , Blumenthal Terry D. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractPrepulse inhibition (PPI) of the human acoustic startle response is reduced in the presence of background noise of a sufficient intensity, possibly due to a reduction in signal‐to‐noise ratio (prepulse intensity relative to background noise). We examined this hypothesis by varying prepulse intensity and background noise intensity in order to hold three different signal‐to‐noise ratios constant (5, 15, and 25 dB(A) above background noise intensity). The results showed that signal‐to‐noise ratio proved to be a more important factor than absolute stimulus intensity in determining the degree of PPI of startle eyeblink response magnitude. Therefore, the effectiveness of a prepulse is determined by prepulse salience, not intensity, and this effectiveness is equivalent across a range of physical intensities.
Reliability of cardiovascular reactivity to stress: Internal consistency
Authors: Kelsey Robert M. , Ornduff Sidney R. , Alpert Bruce S. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractResearch on the reliability of cardiovascular reactivity has focused on temporal stability and intertask consistency with only modest results. The present study evaluated the internal consistency reliability of cardiovascular reactivity in three large samples of adolescents and young adults (N=326, 136, and 142). Impedance cardiographic and blood pressure measures were recorded at rest and during standard laboratory stress tasks (math, video game, cold pressor). The reliability of cardiovascular reactivity within tasks, as assessed by Cronbach's α coefficient of internal consistency, ranged from α=.83 to .96 for 4‐min to 5‐min math tasks, and α=.65 to .94 for 3‐min video game and cold pressor tasks. Although highly reliable within tasks, cardiovascular reactivity was less reliable across tasks, even within a single testing session. Possible reasons for the discrepancy between internal consistency and intertask consistency are discussed.
Localization of temporal preparation effects via trisected reaction time
Authors: Hackley Steven A. , Schankin Andrea , Wohlschlaeger Andreas , Wascher Edmund 
Published: February 2007

AbstractPrevious research using nonchronometric measures in humans and animals has shown that warning signals can influence stages of processing throughout the reaction time (RT) interval. However, latency measures indicate that warning effects on RT are not due to the speeding of motor processes, at least not late ones. To better isolate the chronometric effects of temporal preparation, we used lateralized event‐related potentials to divide mean RT into three time segments. Foreperiod duration had only a small, nonsignificant influence on the first and last segments (early visual and late motor processes, respectively). The chronometric effect was mainly restricted to the middle interval, which extended from onset of the N2pc component to onset of the lateralized readiness potential. The results imply that temporal preparation primarily speeds late perception, response selection or early motor processes.
Memory‐related ERP components for experimentally learned faces and names: Characteristics and parallel‐test reliabilities
Authors: Herzmann Grit , Sommer Werner 
Published: February 2007

AbstractPrevious research with preexperimentally familiar faces and names has identified several memory‐related components in the event‐related potential (ERP). Here we aimed to characterize these components while controlling the quality of long‐term memory with a standardized learning procedure for unfamiliar faces and names. After 1 week, recognition was tested in a repetition priming paradigm. Both early repetition effects (ERE/N250r) and old/new effects had very similar time course and domain‐related scalp topographies as has been reported for preexperimentally familiar stimuli. The late repetition effects (LRE/N400) showed domain‐specific scalp topographies, possibly reflecting the greater ease of deriving semantic codes from faces. Importantly, parallel‐test reliabilities of performance and memory‐related ERP components were high, thus demonstrating the utility of face learning for formal assessment procedures in person recognition.
Microsatellite loci for the southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis) and cross‐species amplification in Dendroctonus
Authors: SCHREY NATALIE M. , SCHREY AARON W. , HEIST EDWARD J. , REEVE JOHN D. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractWe developed microsatellite loci for the southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis). Twelve microsatellite loci were identified. Eight loci were polymorphic and sufficiently variable in 62 individuals (expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.707 to 0.880) to investigate population structure. All loci conformed to HWE except Dfr‐14, which showed heterozygote excess, and no two loci deviated from linkage equilibrium. The loci were tested for cross‐species amplification in four species of Dendroctonus (D. valens, D. terebrans, D. brevicomis, and D. ponderosae). Seven loci were polymorphic in at least one of the species tested.
Medicaid Markets and Pediatric Patient Safety in Hospitals
Authors: Smith Richard B. , Cheung Robyn , Owens Pamela , Wilson R. Mark , Simpson Lisa 
Published: February 2007

Objective. To examine the association of Medicaid market characteristics to potentially preventable adverse medical events for hospitalized children, controlling for patient‐ and hospital‐level factors.Data Sources/Study Setting. Two carefully selected Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) pediatric patient safety indicators (decubitus ulcers and laceration) are analyzed using the new pediatric‐specific, risk‐adjusting, patient safety algorithm from the AHRQ. All pediatric hospital discharges for patients age 0–17 in Florida, New York, and Wisconsin, and at risk of any of these two patient safety events, are examined for the years 1999–2001 (N=859,922).Study Design. Logistic regression on the relevant pool of discharges estimates the probability an individual patient experiences one of the two PSI events.Data Extraction Methods. Pediatric discharges from the 1999 to 2001 State Inpatient Databases (SIDs) from the AHRQ Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, merged with hospital‐level data from the American Hospital Association's Annual Survey, Medicaid data obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and state Medicaid offices, and private and Medicaid managed care enrollment data obtained from InterStudy, are used in the estimations.Principal Findings. At the market level, patients in markets in which Medicaid payers face relatively little competition are more likely to experience a patient safety event (odds ratio [OR]=1.602), while patients in markets in which hospitals face relatively little competition are less likely to experience an adverse event (OR=0.686). At the patient‐discharge and hospital levels, Medicaid characteristics are not significantly associated with the incidence of a pediatric patient safety event.Conclusions. Our analysis offers additional insights to previous work and suggests a new factor—the Medicaid‐payer market—as relevant to the issue of pediatric patient safety.