bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Aged care nursing in Queensland – the nurses’ view
Authors: Eley Robert , Hegney Desley , Buikstra Elizabeth , Fallon Tony , Plank Ashley , Parker Victoria 
Published: May 2007

Aims and objectives.  Through comparison of two studies undertaken three years apart the opinions of nurses working in aged care facilities in Queensland were determined. Results will support policy planning for the Queensland Nurses Union.Background.  An ageing population in Australia is placing increased demands on residential aged care facilities. In Queensland, the national situation is exacerbated by an influx of retirees from other states and territories. The ongoing problem of shortages of nurses in the workforce may be addressed by gaining further insight into the nurses’ own views of their conditions and experiences.Methods.  One thousand nurses working in public and privately owned residential aged care facilities were surveyed by postal questionnaire in 2004. Results were compared with data collected in an identical study in 2001.Results.  Respondents offered their opinions on working hours and conditions, professional development and experiences in nursing. The predominately female aged care nursing workforce is ageing. Reported workplace violence has increased substantially since 2001. Some improvements are reported in staff numbers, skill mix and workplace policies. Nurses expressed very serious concerns about pay, workload, stress, physical and emotional demands and staff morale.Conclusion.  Working conditions for nurses in the residential aged care sector in Queensland must be addressed to retain the current nurses and to encourage new nurses to replace those that retire.Relevance to clinical practice.  The findings of this study provide information not only for the Queensland Nurses Union but also policy makers and nurse managers both nationally and internationally on areas that need to be addressed to maintain the required workforce within the aged care sector.
Maintaining the integrity of older patients in long‐term institutions: relatives’ perceptions
Authors: Teeri Sari , Välimäki Maritta , Katajisto Jouko , Leino‐Kilpi Helena 
Published: May 2007

Aim.  To study relatives’ views on how the integrity of older patients is maintained in long‐term institutions in Finland.Background.  Maintaining patient integrity is considered a key prerequisite for good quality care and treatment and a characteristic of ethical care. Institutionalization, dependence on others and vulnerability may all threaten the integrity of the older patient and, in this sense, pose ethical problems.Design/methods.  The data for this descriptive and explorative survey were collected by questionnaires from 213 relatives of older patients in four long‐term institutions in Finland. The response rate was 78%. Data were analysed using statistical methods.Results.  Relatives rated the maintenance of patient integrity quite highly. The highest ratings were recorded for the maintenance of physical integrity and the lowest to the maintenance of psychological integrity. The main source of problems were patients’ and/or relatives’ wishes concerning elimination. There were also shortcomings in the provision of intimacy. Relatives who thought that admission to the long‐term institution had been problematic, either for the patient or for themselves, felt that patient integrity was poorly maintained.Conclusion.  The findings highlight the importance of nurses’ efforts in long‐term care facilities to preserve the integrity of patients and to maintain close contact and cooperation with relatives. Although relatives generally were quite pleased with how patient integrity was maintained, the results also provide evidence on problems that may threaten patient integrity.Relevance to clinical practice.  Greater emphasis should be placed on the need for cooperation between older patients, their relatives and nursing staff, especially before admission to long‐term care. Furthermore, increased efforts are needed in maintaining the integrity of older patients and in reducing ethically problematic situations.
Changing needs of Chinese family caregivers of stroke survivors
Authors: Mak Annie KM , Mackenzie Ann , Lui May HL 
Published: May 2007

Aim.  To examine the changing needs of Chinese family caregivers before and after stroke survivors’ discharge from hospital.Background.  Stroke ranks third as the most common cause of death in Hong Kong and is the leading cause of adult disability. Community care has been adopted as the major source of care for older people in Hong Kong and this has impacted on family caregivers.Design and methods.  This is a descriptive‐correlational design using a within‐subjects design. The needs of 40 Chinese family caregivers who met the inclusion criteria were assessed before discharge and two weeks later using the Carer Assessment Scale, Cost of Care Index and one open‐ended question. Modified Barthel Index measured the functional ability of stroke survivors.Results.  Family caregivers are able to anticipate most of their needs and to make provision to meet the basic practical needs before discharge. Although needs changed after discharge the four most important needs persisted. These were associated with emotional and psychological problems and financial difficulties. Discharge destinations made no difference to the total scores obtained using the above scales.Conclusions.  This study provides information about need at a time of transition in an under‐researched population of Chinese caregivers. Assessment of need is important with Chinese family carers in order to identify focused interventions in a population, i.e. reluctant to make their needs known to professional services. More research about caregiving problems for Chinese family caregivers at the transition from hospital to community is required.Relevance to clinical practice.  Ongoing need assessment by nurses who are in regular contact with caregivers in hospital and community will enable appropriate interventions such as providing education and emotional support both before and after discharge to be offered to Chinese communities.
Exploring the facets of continence care: a continence survey of care homes for older people in Birmingham
Authors: Rodriguez Natalie A , Sackley Cath M , Badger Frances J 
Published: May 2007

Aims.  This study aimed to explore continence prevalence, knowledge and care in Birmingham care homes, UK.Background.  There is an increasing need to respond to rising numbers of care home residents suffering from incontinence in the UK. A lack of staff knowledge, training and treatment options can make this problematic.Method.  A survey was developed and sent to 186 care homes in Birmingham catering for those 65 years old and over. A freepost envelope was provided for return of the completed form.Results.  Sixty‐six (35%) surveys were returned providing a representative sample. Eighty per cent of nursing home residents and 49% of residential home residents were reported incontinent. Half of the staff (53%) had some form of qualification in caring/nursing. Absorbent products were used to manage incontinence in over 50% of homes. Advanced age was cited as the main cause of incontinence. Sixty‐eight per cent of homes used the continence advisory service and/or district nursing services.Conclusions.  While results proved encouraging in relation to numbers of qualified staff there is a need for improved continence awareness. Focus on aetiology, assessment procedures and treatment options are needed. While external service use levels were encouraging there appeared to be a need for an exchange of knowledge between services to optimize care.Relevance to clinical practice.  While there is an existing body of knowledge relating to continence prevalence and management in nursing homes this research base is lacking for residential care settings. This survey addresses this imbalance by combining information from both settings. This paper also provides an insight into the components that have an impact upon continence promotion, prevention and management. By establishing a picture of current practice an indication of areas for improvement can be exposed.
Weight increase in patients with dementia, and alteration in meal routines and meal environment after integrity promoting care
Authors: Mamhidir Anna‐Greta , Karlsson Ingvar , Norberg Astrid , Mona Kihlgren 
Published: May 2007

Aims.  To follow weight changes in patients with moderate and severe dementia and analyse how these changes related to biological and psychological parameters after staff education and support in integrity promoting care. A further aim was to describe meal environment and routines relative to the intervention.Background.  Weight loss in patients with dementia and in particular Alzheimer's disease is common. The aetiology appears multifactorial with the meal environment and a decreased independence while eating among the factors.Method.  Over a three‐month intervention period, an integrity‐promoting care training programme was conducted with the staff of a long‐term ward. Alzheimer's disease patients, 18 from an intervention ward and 15 from a control ward were included and possible effects were evaluated. Weighing was conducted at the start and after completion of the intervention. Weight changes were analysed in relation to psychological and biochemical parameters. In addition, the staff wrote diaries about, for example changes made in the environment and in their work.Results.  The most prominent difference observed was weight increases in 13 of 18 patients compared with two of 15 patients in the control ward. No weight changes were related to the type of dementia. The individual weight changes correlated significantly to changes in the intellectual functions. Relationships between weight change, increased motor function and increased appetite were non‐significant. There was no significant relationship between weight changes and changes in biochemical parameters. According to the staff, increased contact with the patients and a more pleasant atmosphere resulted when the meal environment and routines were changed.Relevance to clinical practice.  Weight gain in patients with moderate and severe dementia was achieved by adjusting the meal environment to the individual's needs. Staff education was profitable, as increased competence seemed to promote individually adapted feeding situations. Ensuring good meal situations need to be given high priority.
The sterilisation of people with intellectual disabilities in England and Wales during the period 1988 to 1999
Authors: Stansfield A. J. , Holland A. J. , Clare I. C. H. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractBackground  In England and Wales, if a person is thought to lack capacity to make a decision to undergo a sterilisation operation, a specific process occurs. A Judge sitting in the Family Division of the High Court receives evidence from relevant parties including psychiatric and gynaecological experts and subsequently decides on the lawfulness of the sterilisation operation. We have investigated who was referred and by whom, the reasons given, and the outcomes of the legal process during an 11‐year period.Methods  A retrospective case note study was undertaken of all referrals to the Official Solicitor’s Office for sterilisation between 1988 and 1999. Using an established protocol, information was obtained from legal and clinical notes relating to the initial referral to the Official Solicitor, the opinions of experts, the court proceedings and the outcome.Results  Seventy‐three people, only three (5%) of whom were men, were referred over the 11 years. They were aged between 12 and 41 years. All but one had an intellectual disability (ID). Seventy‐five per cent were living at home and did not have partners. Full applications were made for 50 of the 73 (68.5%), 39 proceeding to a court hearing. For 31 of the 39 (79.5%) cases, the court ruled that sterilisation would be in the person’s ‘best interests’. An additional six women probably had operations resulting in sterilisation without court authorization.Conclusions  Referrals for sterilisation are almost always for people with IDs. In the case of the majority, it was thought that it was unlikely that they had had or will have in the future a sexual relationship. Care needs to be taken in interpreting the results in this case note study. We hypothesize that the request for sterilisation is the consequence of a complex process reflecting concerns about the future, but in the context of other family issues. The relationship between lacking the capacity to consent to sterilisation and the capacity to consent to sexual intercourse needs further exploration. Future studies including interviews with those involved are required.
Recent demographic bottlenecks are not accompanied by a genetic signature in banner‐tailed kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis)
Authors: BUSCH JOSEPH D. , WASER PETER M. , DeWOODY J. ANDREW 
Published: May 2007

AbstractSingle‐sample methods of bottleneck detection are now routine analyses in studies of wild populations and conservation genetics. Three common approaches to bottleneck detection are the heterozygosity excess, mode‐shift, and M‐ratio tests. Empirical groundtruthing of these methods is difficult, but their performances are critical for the accurate reconstruction of population demography. We use two banner‐tailed kangaroo rat (Dipodomys spectabilis) populations from southeastern Arizona (USA) that are known to have experienced recent demographic reductions to search for genetic bottleneck signals with eight microsatellite loci. Over eight total sample‐years, neither population showed a genetic bottleneck signature. M‐ratios in both populations were large, stable, and never fell below a critical significance value (Mc). The mode shift test did not detect any distortion of allele frequencies, and tests of heterozygosity excess were not significant in postbottleneck samples when we used standard microsatellite mutation models. The genetic effects of bottlenecks like those experienced by our study populations should be strongly influenced by rates of mutation and migration. We used genetic parentage data to estimate a relatively high mutation rate in D. spectabilis (0.0081 mutants/generation/locus), but mutation alone is unlikely to explain the temporal distribution of rare alleles that we observed. Migration (gene flow) is a more likely explanation, despite prior mark–recapture analysis that estimated very low rates of interpopulation dispersal. We interpret our kangaroo rat data in light of the broader literature and conclude that in natural populations connected by dispersal, demographic bottlenecks may prove difficult to detect using molecular genetic data.
Phylogeography of the pine processionary mothThaumetopoea wilkinsoniin the Near East
Authors: SIMONATO M. , MENDEL Z. , KERDELHUÉ C. , ROUSSELET J. , MAGNOUX E. , SALVATO P. , ROQUES A. , BATTISTI A. , ZANE L. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractPhylogeographic structure of the eastern pine processionary mothThaumetopoea wilkinsoniwas explored in this study by means of nested clade phylogeographic analyses of COI and COII sequences of mitochondrial DNA and Bayesian estimates of divergence times. Intraspecific relationships were inferred and hypotheses tested to understand historical spread patterns and spatial distribution of genetic variation. Analyses revealed that allT. wilkinsonisequences were structured in three clades, which were associated with two major biogeographic events, the colonization of the island of Cyprus and the separation of southwestern and southeastern Anatolia during the Pleistocene. Genetic variation in populations ofT. wilkinsoniwas also investigated using amplified fragment length polymorphisms and four microsatellite loci. Contrasting nuclear with mitochondrial data revealed recurrent gene flow between Cyprus and the mainland, related to the long‐distance male dispersal. In addition, a reduction in genetic variability was observed at both mitochondrial and nuclear markers at the expanding boundary of the range, consistent with a recent origin of these populations, founded by few individuals expanding from nearby localities. In contrast, several populations fixed for one single mitochondrial haplotype showed no reduction in nuclear variability, a pattern that can be explained by recurrent male gene flow or selective sweeps at the mitochondrial level. The use of both mitochondrial and nuclear markers was essential in understanding the spread patterns and the population genetic structure ofT. wilkinsoni, and is recommended to study colonizing species characterized by sex‐biased dispersal.
Patterns and processes underlying evolutionary significant units in the Platypleura stridula L. species complex (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa
Authors: PRICE B. W. , BARKER N. P. , VILLET M. H. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractCicadas have been shown to be useful organisms for examining the effects of distribution, plant association and geographical barriers on gene flow between populations. The cicadas of the Platypleura stridula species complex are restricted to the biologically diverse Cape Floristic Region (CFR) of South Africa. They are thus an excellent study group for elucidating the mechanisms by which hemipteran diversity is generated and maintained in the CFR. Phylogeographical analysis of this species complex using mitochondrial DNA Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) and ribosomal 16S sequence data, coupled with preliminary morphological and acoustic data, resolves six clades, each of which has specific host‐plant associations and distinct geographical ranges. The phylogeographical structure implies simultaneous or near‐simultaneous radiation events, coupled with shifts in host‐plant associations. When calibrated using published COI and 16S substitution rates typical for related insects, these lineages date back to the late Pliocene – early Pleistocene, coincident with vegetation change, altered drainage patterns and accelerated erosion in response to neotectonic crustal uplift and cyclic Pleistocene climate change, and glaciation‐associated changes in climate and sea level.
Isolation by distance and Pleistocene expansion of the lowland populations of the white piranha Serrasalmus rhombeus
Authors: HUBERT NICOLAS , DUPONCHELLE FABRICE , NUÑEZ JESUS , RIVERA ROSARIO , BONHOMME FRANÇOIS , RENNO JEAN‐FRANÇOIS 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThe genetic variability and distribution of Amazonian fish species have likely been influenced by major disturbance events in recent geological times. Alternatively, the great diversity of aquatic habitat in the Amazon is likely to shape ongoing gene flow and genetic diversity. In this context, complex patterns of genetic structure originating from a joint influence of historical and contemporary gene flow are to be expected. We explored the relative influence of Pleistocene climatic fluctuations and current water chemistry on the genetic structure of a piranha, Serrasalmus rhombeus, in the Upper Amazon by the simultaneous analysis of intron length polymorphism and mitochondrial DNA sequences. The Madeira river is well suited for that purpose as it is characterized by a great diversity of water types, the presence of one of the largest floodplain of the Amazon and the potential occurrence of two Pleistocene refuges. We found evidence of genetic structure even at a small geographical scale (less than 10 km), indicating that the floodplain is not a homogenizing factor promoting interdrainage dispersal in S. rhombeus. Likewise, the hierarchical genetic structure inferred was correlated to geographical distance instead of habitat characteristic. Our results also support the hypothesis that the area underwent population expansion during the last 800 000 years. In addition, a higher level of genetic diversity was found in the samples from the putative Aripuanã refuge. The present findings suggest that Pleistocene refuges contributed significantly to the colonization of the lowlands in the Upper Amazon valley during the Pleistocene.
ExoR is genetically coupled to the ExoS–ChvI two‐component system and located in the periplasm of Sinorhizobium meliloti
Authors: Wells Derek H. , Chen Esther J. , Fisher Robert F. , Long Sharon R. 
Published: May 2007

Summary Sinorhizobium meliloti enters into a symbiotic relationship with legume host plants, providing fixed nitrogen in exchange for carbon and amino acids. In S. meliloti, exoR and the exoS–chvI two‐component system regulate the biosynthesis of succinoglycan, an exopolysaccharide important for host invasion. It was previously reported that a loss‐of‐function mutation in exoR and a gain‐of‐function mutation in exoS cause overproduction of succinoglycan and loss of motility, indicating that ExoR negatively regulates and ExoS–ChvI positively regulates downstream genes. However, a relationship between exoR and exoS–chvI has never been clearly established. By identification and detailed characterization of suppressor strains, we provide genetic evidence that exoR and exoS–chvI control many similar phenotypes. These include succinoglycan production, symbiosis, motility, and previously uncharacterized prototrophy and biofilm formation, all of which are co‐ordinately restored by suppressors. We further demonstrate that ExoR is located in the periplasm, suggesting that it functions to regulate downstream genes in a novel manner. In pathogenic bacteria closely related to S. meliloti, exoS–chvI homologues are required for virulence and the regulation of cell envelope composition. Our data suggest that periplasmically localized ExoR and ExoS–ChvI function together in a unique and critical regulatory system associated with both free‐living and symbiotic states of S. meliloti.
Molecular analysis of the cercosporin biosynthetic gene cluster in Cercospora nicotianae
Authors: Chen Huiqin , Lee Miin‐Huey , Daub Margret E. , Chung Kuang‐Ren 
Published: May 2007

SummaryWe describe a core gene cluster, comprised of eight genes (designated CTB1–8), and associated with cercosporin toxin production in Cercospora nicotianae. Sequence analysis identified 10 putative open reading frames (ORFs) flanking the previously characterized CTB1 and CTB3 genes that encode, respectively, the polyketide synthase and a dual methyltransferase/monooxygenase required for cercosporin production. Expression of eight of the genes was co‐ordinately induced under cercosporin‐producing conditions and was regulated by the Zn(II)Cys6 transcriptional activator, CTB8. Expression of the genes, affected by nitrogen and carbon sources and pH, was also controlled by another transcription activator, CRG1, previously shown to regulate cercosporin production and resistance. Disruption of the CTB2 gene encoding a methyltransferase or the CTB8 gene yielded mutants that were completely defective in cercosporin production and inhibitory expression of the other CTB cluster genes. Similar ‘feedback’ transcriptional inhibition was observed when the CTB1, or CTB3 but not CTB4 gene was inactivated. Expression of four ORFs located on the two distal ends of the cluster did not correlate with cercosporin biosynthesis and did not show regulation by CTB8, suggesting that the biosynthetic cluster was limited to CTB1–8. A biosynthetic pathway and a regulatory network leading to cercosporin formation are proposed.