bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Good helping relationships in child welfare: learning from stories of success
Authors: De Boer Catherine , Coady Nick 
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACTThis study involved in‐depth exploration of good helping relationships in child welfare. A select sample of six child welfare worker–client dyads was interviewed to determine worker attributes and actions that were key to the development of good working relationships. Innovative features of the research design, such as a multiple interview format with two individual and one joint interview for each worker and client (five interviews per dyad) and opportunities for the worker and client in each dyad to reflect on and respond to the other’s interview transcripts, produced rich data and revealed high levels of congruency among workers, clients and researchers about worker relationship competencies. Two categories of themes that emerged from the qualitative analysis are discussed: (1) soft, mindful and judicious use of power; and (2) humanistic attitude and style that stretches traditional professional ways‐of‐being. Implications for the hiring, education and training, and supervision of child welfare workers are presented.
Subclinical thyroid dysfunction and blood pressure: a community‐based study
Authors: Walsh John P. , Bremner Alexandra P. , Bulsara Max K. , O’Leary Peter , Leedman Peter J. , Feddema Peter , Michelangeli Valdo 
Published: July 2006

AbstractObjective  Overt hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are associated with hypertension, but it is uncertain whether the same is true of subclinical hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.Design, subjects and measurements  Cross‐sectional study of 2033 participants (aged 17–89 years) in the Busselton Thyroid Study who did not have a history of thyroid disease. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and the prevalence of hypertension (defined as SBP 140 mmHg, DBP 90 mmHg or on treatment for hypertension) in subjects with thyroid dysfunction and euthyroid subjects were compared using linear regression models. Subjects with treated hypertension (N = 299) were excluded from analyses of SBP and DBP but included in analyses of hypertension prevalence.Results  Mean SBP, DBP and the prevalence of hypertension did not differ significantly between subjects with subclinical hypothyroidism (N = 105) and euthyroid subjects (N = 1859), nor did they differ between subjects with serum TSH concentrations in the upper reference range (2·0–4·0 mU/l; N = 418) and those with TSH concentrations in the lower reference range (0·4–2·0 mU/l; N = 1441). The prevalence of hypertension was higher in subjects with subclinical hyperthyroidism than euthyroid subjects (prevalence odds ratio 2·8, 95% confidence interval 1·3–6·0 adjusted for age, age2 and sex), but this was based on a small number of subjects with subclinical hyperthyroidism (N = 35).Conclusions  Subclinical hypothyroidism is not associated with hypertension. The observed association between subclinical hyperthyroidism and hypertension requires confirmation in a larger sample.
Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizae on biomass and nutrients in the aquatic plant Littorella uniflora
Authors: ANDERSEN FREDE Ø. , ANDERSEN TROELS 
Published: July 2006

Summary1. It has been hypothesised that the symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) leads to a higher uptake of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) in aquatic plants, but it has never been shown experimentally without the use of fungicides. In particular, the symbiosis may be important for nutrient uptake by isoetids in oligotrophic lakes, where low concentrations of inorganic N and P both in the water and in the sediment limit the growth of plants and where symbiosis facilitates the uptake of nutrients from the sediment.2. Plants of the isoetid Littorella uniflora were propagated under the sterile conditions without an AMF infection. The plants were then grown for 60 days with and without re‐infection by AMF, and with either high (150 μm) or low (ambient concentration approximately 15 μm) CO2 concentration.3. The study proved that the symbiosis between AMF and L. uniflora had a positive impact on the retention of N and P in the plants at very low nutrient concentrations in the water and on biomass development. Shoot biomass and standing stocks of both P and N were significantly higher in re‐infected plants.4. Raised CO2 concentration resulted in a fivefold increase in hyphal infection, but had no impact on the number of arbuscules and vesicles in the cross sections. There were significantly higher biomass and lower tissue P and N concentrations in the plants from high CO2 treatments. This resulted in similar standing stocks of P and N in plants from low and high CO2 treatments.5. The results from this study showed that the symbiosis between AMF and L. uniflora is an important adaptation enabling isoetids to grow on nutrient‐poor sediments in oligotrophic lakes.
Hymenopteran parasitoids synthesize ‘honeydew‐specific’ oligosaccharides
Authors: WÄCKERS F. L. , LEE J. C. , HEIMPEL G. E. , WINKLER K. , WAGENAAR R. 
Published: July 2006

Summary

Many arthropods depend on carbohydrate‐rich food sources such as nectar or honeydew. Nevertheless, we often know little about the extent to which various sugar sources contribute to the diet of arthropods.
One way to study food use in the field is to analyse guts of collected insects for source‐specific compounds. Sugar sources often show distinct differences in their carbohydrate composition. This applies especially to honeydew, the excretion product of phloem‐feeding ‘Sternorrhynchae’, which often features a broad range of phloem‐feeder synthesized di‐ and oligosaccharides.
Out of these oligosaccharides, melezitose, has been widely used as an indicator of honeydew consumption. The use of melezitose or other honeydew saccharides as ‘signature sugars’ hinges on the assumption that the production of these sugars is unique to honeydew‐secreting insects.
Here we show that the hymenopteran parasitoids Diadegma semiclausum and D. insulare synthesize the trisaccharides melezitose and erlose as well as the disaccharide maltose when fed sucrose, but not when feeding on an equimolar glucose–fructose mixture.
The presence of melezitose, erlose and maltose was confined to the parasitoid's digestive tract, indicating that enzyme activity is restricted to this area. D. semiclausum excrement contained low overall sugar concentrations and low relative levels of melezitose, erlose and maltose.
Possible functions of sugar synthesis in these nectar‐feeding insects are discussed.
Osmoregulation and adaptive radiation in the ovenbird genusCinclodes(Passeriformes: Furnariidae)
Authors: SABAT P. , MALDONADO K. , CANALS M. , DEL RIO C. MARTINEZ 
Published: July 2006

SummaryThe genusCinclodesis unique among passerines because it includes two species that can be considered marine/coastal and also includes several species that inhabit freshwater streams or that shift habitats between terrestrial/fresh water and marine habitats. TheCinclodesclade satisfies two criteria of an adaptive radiation: it is monophyletic and it experienced recent speciation accompanied by rapid phenotypic diversification.We focused on the osmoregulatory traits of fiveCinclodesspecies to determine if the clade also satisfies the criterion of adaptive phenotype–environment correlation that characterizes adaptive radiations. We used the δ13C of tissuesto estimate reliance on a marine diet. We predicted that δ13C would be positively correlated with the renal traits responsible for urine concentration (relative kidney size, fraction of the kidney comprising medulla, and number of medullary cones per unit of kidney mass).Our analyses confirmed these hypotheses. We concluded thatCinclodessatisfies the adaptive phenotype–environment correlation criterion.Cinclodesseems to represents an example of an avian adaptive radiation in osmoregulatory function.
Turkish nurses’ information about, and administration of, chemotherapeutic drugs
Authors: Kosgeroglu Nedime , Ayranci Unal , Ozerdogan Nebahat , Demirustu Canan 
Published: July 2006

Aim.  The aim of this study was to determine both the level of information that nurses possessed and the method of administration nurses used during chemotherapeutic drug preparation and administration.Background.  While compliance with the regulations related to chemotherapeutic drug preparation and administration seems to be very difficult, it is at the same time vital.Methods.  This descriptive study was conducted between 1 May 2002 and 1 May 2003 in the chemotherapy administration units of all hospitals in Eskisehir, west Turkey. The sample consisted of 121 nurses. Data were obtained first via questionnaire forms developed by the researchers to learn the level of awareness concerning exposure to chemotherapy. This was then followed up by the completion of observation forms during drug administrations.Results.  The average score for information levels pertaining to nurses’ protection of the environment was 7·82 ± 0·38 of a total of 14 points, and that of self‐protection was 7·94 ± 0·24 of a total of 11 points. Nurses showed that their actual administration method was insufficient according to their level of information, with average administration evaluations of 5·46 for protection of the environment and 6·59 for self‐protection. The ratio for nurses’ usage of the safety cabinet during the preparation of chemotherapeutic drugs was very low at 14·2%. Only 7·4% of nurses had received in‐service education about chemotherapeutics.Conclusion.  In order to ensure the taking of sufficient preventive precautions during the preparation and administration of chemotherapeutic agents, hospitals should be required to provide sufficient equipment and to give this precedence in hospital politics.Relevance to clinical practice.  Healthcare workers who prepare and administer chemotherapeutic drugs may experience the cytotoxic effects of the drugs through direct skin contact, respiratory and digestive system exposure, and these effects are vital to human life. Thus, it has been recognized that nurses’ information and administrations during preparation and administration of chemotherapeutic drugs are of utmost vital importance in removing the harmful effects of chemotherapeutic agents.
Nursing the clinic vs. nursing the patient: nurses’ experience of a day hospital chemotherapy service
Authors: Mcilfatrick Sonja , Sullivan Kate , McKenna Hugh 
Published: July 2006

Aims and objectives. This study sought to explore the nurses’ experience of a day hospital chemotherapy service in an acute general hospital in Northern Ireland and how this compared with their experience of working in an inpatient setting.Background. Despite the many changes taking place in cancer care delivery, little research has been conducted on nurses’ experience of working in more acute cancer treatment settings. Research conducted to date has tended to focus on the role of nurses in wards, hospices and palliative care settings.Design. This Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenological study explored nurses’ lived experience of day hospital chemotherapy service.Method. Face‐to‐face focused in‐depth interviews were conducted with the total population of nurses who worked in the day hospital at the time of data collection (n = 10). Data analysis involved a two‐staged approach, the analysis of narratives and narrative analysis, based on the work ofPolkinghorne (1995).Conclusions. The nurses’ viewed their experience of the chemotherapy day hospital as having both positive and negative dimensions. The positive dimensions included an increased sense of autonomy and the challenge of developing new skills, while the negative dimension included a perceived decrease in their caring role:(i) The individual characteristics of the nurse were seen to have a key influence on caring experience;(ii) Role changes led to a perceived dichotomy between their actual and aspired role and their caring and clinical role.Relevance to clinical practice. There is a need to achieve a balance between delivering a clinical role (administering chemotherapy) while maintaining the centrality of the nurse–patient relationship. This can be likened to achieving a balance between ‘nursing the clinic’ alongside ‘nursing the patient’. These findings have implications for the discourse on caring within other outpatient type clinics and discourse on cancer nursing as therapy and the culture of the cancer clinic.
Interactions between insect herbivores and a plant architectural dimorphism
Authors: RUDGERS JENNIFER A. , WHITNEY KENNETH D. 
Published: July 2006

Summary

Plants possess many traits that influence their resistance to insect herbivores and thus can shape the structure of herbivore assemblages. While plant chemistry and structural defences have received the most attention, plant architecture may also be important. We examined patterns and consequences of insect herbivory for two distinct architectural morphs (prostrate or erect) of the perennial shrub, Baccharis pilularis (Asteraceae, coyote bush) in coastal California, USA.
For B. pilularis, differences in plant height, branch architecture and leaf size persisted in a common garden, consistent with previous evidence suggesting a genetic basis for dimorphism in plant architecture.
In both naturally occurring plants and in a common garden experiment, the composition of the herbivore assemblage varied strongly with plant architectural morph. Prostrate plants attracted higher densities of a gall‐forming midge (Rhopalomyia californica, Diptera), whereas erect plants supported more moth galls (Gnorimoschema baccharisella, Lepidoptera) and experienced greater folivory. Furthermore, architectural traits were correlated with herbivory levels both across and within architectural morphs.
Prostrate plants had greater reproductive output (flowers or seeds) than erect plants in the presence of herbivores. However, under experimental reductions of herbivory spanning 40 months, the morphs had similar reproductive output, demonstrating that herbivores have the potential to act as agents of selection on the dimorphism in plant architecture.
These results confirm that intraspecific variation in plant traits can shape the composition of herbivore assemblages. Furthermore, in this system, herbivores alter the performance of the architectural morphs, suggesting a dynamic system of feedbacks between the population genetic and community levels.
External validity: the neglected dimension in evidence ranking
Authors: Persaud Navindra , Mamdani Muhammad M. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractEvidence that is both accurate (internally valid) and relevant (externally valid) is needed to decide which treatment is best for a particular patient. Evidence rankings facilitate the marshalling of evidence on clinical decisions in the common context of an overwhelming number of studies, some with conflicting results. Evidence from randomized control trials is typically ranked above evidence from non‐experimental studies since rankings are based primarily, if not exclusively, on considerations of internal validity. We propose that evidence rankings should consider equally both internal and external validity. External validity includes how closely the study population, the institution types in the study, the types of physicians in the study, the role of clinician decision‐making (e.g. dose adjustment) in the study, and the role of patient preferences in the study resemble those in actual practice. The example of spironolactone use in heart failure illustrates the danger in using evidence that is internally but not externally valid. Ideally, a treatment should only be used when both internally and externally valid evidence indicates that it will be useful for the particular patient.
Phylogeography and genetic structure ofHibiscus tiliaceus— speciation of a pantropical plant with sea‐drifted seeds
Authors: TAKAYAMA KOJI , KAJITA TADASHI , MURATA JIN , TATEISHI YOICHI 
Published: July 2006

AbstractPhylogenetic relationships and the spatial genetic structure of a pantropical plant with sea‐drifted seeds,Hibiscus tiliaceusL., and its allied species were investigated. The combined distribution range of these species is over almost the entire littoral area of the tropics worldwide, which might result from the dispersal of their sea‐drifted seeds and from recurrent speciation in local populations. A phylogenetic tree constructed using the nucleotide sequences of ac. 7500‐bp portion of chloroplast DNA suggested the possibility that recurrent speciation fromH. tiliaceushas given rise to all of its allied species. Three major sequence haplotypes ofH. tiliaceushad wide and overlapping distributions throughout the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions. This distribution pattern was also confirmed by PCR‐SSCP (polymerase chain reaction amplification with single‐strand conformation polymorphism) and PCR‐SSP (PCR amplification with sequence specific primers) analyses performed on more than 1100 samples from 65 populations worldwide. Statistical analysis usingFSTand analysis of molecular variance did not show significant genetic differentiation among theH. tiliaceuspopulations in the three oceanic regions. The results reported here suggested substantial gene flow occurred between populations in the different oceanic regions due to sea‐drifted seeds. A strong genetic difference between the Pacific and Atlantic populations ofHibiscus pernambucensisArruda was observed, which indicates that gene flow in this species between the two regions has been prevented. The wide and dominant distribution of a haplotype shared byH. pernambucensisandH. tiliaceusin the Atlantic region suggests significant introgression between the two species in this region.
Decoupled mitochondrial and chloroplast DNA population structure reveals Holocene collapse and population isolation in a threatened Mexican‐endemic conifer
Authors: JARAMILLO‐CORREA JUAN P. , BEAULIEU JEAN , LEDIG F. THOMAS , BOUSQUET JEAN 
Published: July 2006

AbstractChihuahua spruce (Picea chihuahuana Martínez) is a montane subtropical conifer endemic to the Sierra Madre Occidental in northwestern México. Range‐wide variation was investigated using maternally inherited mitochondrial (mtDNA) and paternally inherited chloroplast (cpDNA) DNA markers. Among the 16 mtDNA regions analysed, only two mitotypes were detected, while the study of six cpDNA microsatellite markers revealed eight different chlorotypes. The average cpDNA diversity (H = 0.415) was low but much higher than that for mtDNA (H = 0). The distribution of mitotypes revealed two clear nonoverlapping areas (GST = NST = 1), one including northern populations and the second one including the southern and central stands, suggesting that these two regions may represent different ancestral populations. The cpDNA markers showed lower population differentiation (GST = 0.362; RST = 0.230), implying that the two ancestral populations continued to exchange pollen after their initial geographic separation. A lack of a phylogeographic structure was revealed by different spatial analyses of cpDNA (GST > RST; and samova), and reduced cpDNA gene flow was noted among populations (Nm = 0.873). Some stands deviated significantly from the mutation–drift equilibrium, suggesting recent bottlenecks. Altogether, these various trends are consistent with the hypothesis of a population collapse during the Holocene warming and suggest that most of the modern P. chihuahuana populations are now effectively isolated with their genetic diversity essentially modelled by genetic drift. The conservation efforts should focus on most southern populations and on the northern and central stands exhibiting high levels of genetic diversity. Additional mtDNA sequence analysis confirmed that P. martinezii (Patterson) is not conspecific with P. chihuahuana, and thus deserves separate conservation efforts.
Diversity of microcystin genotypes among populations of the filamentous cyanobacteria Planktothrix rubescens and Planktothrix agardhii
Authors: KURMAYER RAINER , GUMPENBERGER MARLIES 
Published: July 2006

AbstractMicrocystins (MCs) are toxic heptapeptides that are produced by filamentous cyanobacteria Planktothrix rubescens and Planktothrix agardhii via nonribosomal peptide synthesis. MCs share a common structure cyclo (‐D‐Alanine1‐L‐X2‐ D‐erythro‐ß‐iso‐aspartic acid3‐L‐Z4‐Adda5‐D‐Glutamate6‐ N‐methyl‐dehydroalanine7) where X2 and Z2 are variable L‐amino acids in positions 2, 4 of the molecule. Part of the mcyB gene (1,451 bp) that is involved in the activation of the X2 amino acid during MC synthesis was sequenced in 49 strains containing different proportions of arginine, homotyrosine, and leucine in position 2 of the MC molecule. Twenty‐five genotypes were found that consisted of eight genotype groups (A‐H, comprising 2‐11 strains) and 17 unique genotypes. P. rubescens and P. agardhii partly consisted of the same mcyB genotypes. The occurrence of numerous putative recombination events that affected all of the genotypes can explain the conflict between taxonomy and mcyB genotype distribution. Genotypes B (homotyrosine and leucine in X2) and C (arginine in X2) showed higher nonsynonymous/synonymous (dN/dS) substitution ratios implying a relaxation of selective constraints. In contrast, other genotypes (arginine, leucine, homotyrosine) showed lowest dN/dS ratios implying purifying selection. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) revealed the unambiguous identification of mcyB genotypes, which are indicative of variable X2 amino acids in eight populations of P. rubescens in the Alps (Austria, Germany, and Switzerland). The populations were found to differ significantly in the proportion of specific genotypes and the number of genotypes that occurred over several years. It is concluded that spatial isolation might favour the genetic divergence of microcystin synthesis in Planktothrix spp.
The phenazine pyocyanin is a terminal signalling factor in the quorum sensing network of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Dietrich Lars E. P. , Price‐Whelan Alexa , Petersen Ashley , Whiteley Marvin , Newman Dianne K. 
Published: July 2006

SummaryCertain members of the fluorescent pseudomonads produce and secrete phenazines. These heterocyclic, redox‐active compounds are toxic to competing organisms, and the cause of these antibiotic effects has been the focus of intense research efforts. It is largely unknown, however, how pseudomonads themselves respond to – and survive in the presence of – these compounds. Using Pseudomonas aeruginosa DNA microarrays and quantitative RT‐PCR, we demonstrate that the phenazine pyocyanin elicits the upregulation of genes/operons that function in transport [such as the resistance‐nodulation‐cell division (RND) efflux pump MexGHI‐OpmD] and possibly in redox control (such as PA2274, a putative flavin‐dependant monooxygenase), and downregulates genes involved in ferric iron acquisition. Strikingly, mexGHI‐opmD and PA2274 were previously shown to be regulated by the PA14 quorum sensing network that controls the production of virulence factors (including phenazines). Through mutational analysis, we show that pyocyanin is the physiological signal for the upregulation of these quorum sensing‐controlled genes during stationary phase and that the response is mediated by the transcription factor SoxR. Our results implicate phenazines as signalling molecules in both P. aeruginosa PA14 and PAO1.