bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Secondary cytomegalovirus infection can cause severe fetal sequelae despite maternal preconceptional immunity
Authors: Zalel Y. , Gilboa Y. , Berkenshtat M. , Yoeli R. , Auslander R. , Achiron R. , Goldberg Y.
Published: March 2008

Objectives

To describe our experience in cases with sonographic signs of fetal infection and with maternal serological ‘immunity’ to cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection.

Methods

This was a bicenter study of six pregnant women referred for evaluation of suspected fetal infection. All cases had confirmed maternal serology for past exposure to CMV but no evidence of recent secondary CMV infection. All underwent sonographic evaluation as well as complete investigation for CMV infection.

Results

The mean age of the women was 29 (range, 23–35) years and the mean gestational age at diagnosis was 23.5 weeks (range, 20–31) weeks. Sonographic findings included microcephaly, ventriculomegaly, periventricular calcifications and cystic lesions, echogenic bowel, hydrops and hepatosplenomegaly. Amniocentesis was performed in all cases for fetal karyotyping and viral assessment, and all were found by polymerase chain reaction to be positive for CMV infection. Four pregnancies were terminated following the parents' request. One pregnancy continued until intrauterine fetal death occurred 2 weeks after diagnosis. Postmortem was denied in all cases but one. One infant was delivered with evidence of severe cerebral palsy.

Conclusion

In the presence of sonographic findings suggestive of fetal CMV infection, prompt investigation of amniotic fluid should follow even if maternal serology does not support recent maternal seroconversion. Copyright © 2008 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sonographic examination of uteroplacental separation during the third stage of labor
Authors: Mo A. , Rogers M. S.
Published: March 2008

Objectives

To characterize patterns of uteroplacental separation during the third stage of labor, and to investigate their association with previous history of Cesarean section (CS), delays in placental separation and blood loss.

Methods

In this cohort observational study, continuous ultrasound imaging of uteroplacental separation was performed during the third stage of labor in 78 vaginal deliveries. All women were primiparous and were divided into two groups: those with a previous vaginal delivery (n = 62) and those who had undergone CS (n = 16).

Results

Three patterns of separation were observed: ‘down–up’ (n = 64), ‘up–down’ (n = 12) and ‘bipolar’ (n = 2). Bipolar separation was observed only with fundal placentae. Up–down separation was significantly associated with a history of CS (P < 0.001; odds ratio 14.0; 95% CI, 3.4–57.4) and a longer second stage of labor (P = 0.02).

Conclusions

In most cases, uteroplacental separation begins at the lower placental pole and proceeds upwards. Women with a history of CS have a higher rate of up–down separation, possibly owing to impaired lower uterine segment contractility. Copyright © 2008 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Specific weight formula for fetuses with abdominal wall defects
Authors: Siemer J. , Hilbert A. , Hart N. , Hoopmann M. , Schneider U. , Girschick G. , Müller A. , Schild R. L.
Published: March 2008

Objectives

To develop and to evaluate a specific sonographic weight formula for fetuses with abdominal wall defects.

Methods

For formula finding, 380 preterm singleton pregnancies without fetal anomalies were included. Ultrasound examinations with complete biometric parameters were performed within 7 days before delivery. Stepwise regression analysis was carried out with birth weight as the dependent variable and sonographic parameters (abdominal measurements not included) as independent variables to obtain the best‐fit formula. The new equation was evaluated in a group of 97 fetuses with either gastroschisis or omphalocele.

Results

In the evaluation group, the mean (SD) percentage error of the new equation was −0.84 (12.03), showing no systematic bias. The mean absolute percentage error was 9.29. The new specific method provided significantly greater accuracy than commonly used formulae.

Conclusions

This specific weight formula for fetuses with abdominal wall defects is an accurate method of estimating fetal weight. Copyright © 2008 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Criss‐cross heart: report of three cases with double‐inlet ventricles diagnosed in utero
Authors: Ngeh N. , Api O. , Iasci A. , Ho S. Y. , Carvalho J. S.
Published: March 2008

Criss‐cross heart is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly characterized by crossing of the inflow streams of the two ventricles, due to an apparent twisting of the heart about its long axis and when the axes of the openings of the atrioventricular (AV) valves are not parallel. If unrecognized, this leads to incorrect sequential segmental analysis. We report three cases of double‐inlet ventricle with a criss‐cross spatial relationship of the AV valves detected on prenatal ultrasound examination at 19–23 weeks' gestation. The sequential diagnosis was confirmed at postmortem examination in two cases and by neonatal echocardiography in the other. Antenatal diagnosis of criss‐cross effect of the AV valves is feasible, allowing correct fetal diagnosis and appropriate counseling for this rare form of congenital cardiac disease. Copyright © 2008 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Wireless sensor networks in intelligent transportation systems
Authors: Tubaishat Malik , Zhuang Peng , Qi Qi , Shang Yi
Published: March 2008

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) offer the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of existing transportation systems. Currently, collecting traffic data for traffic planning and management is achieved mostly through wired sensors. The equipment and maintenance cost and time‐consuming installations of existing sensing systems prevent large‐scale deployment of real‐time traffic monitoring and control. Small wireless sensors with integrated sensing, computing, and wireless communication capabilities offer tremendous advantages in low cost and easy installation. In this paper, we first survey existing WSN technologies for intelligent transportation systems (ITSs), including sensor technologies, energy‐efficient networking protocols, and applications of sensor networks for parking lot monitoring, traffic monitoring, and traffic control. Then, we present new methods on applying WSNs in traffic modeling and estimation and traffic control, and show their improved performance over existing solutions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Intraoperative Application of Fibrin Sealant does not Reduce the Duration of Closed Suction Drainage Following Radical Axillary Lymph Node Dissection in Melanoma Patients: A Prospective Randomized Trial in 58 Patients
Authors: Neuss Heiko , Raue Wieland , Koplin Gerold , Schwenk Wolfgang , Reetz Christian , Mall Julian W.
Published: March 2008

Background

Patients suffering from malignant melanoma often require radical lymph node dissection of the axillary nodal basin. The effects of intraoperative application of fibrin sealant following radical axillary lymph node dissection (RALND) on the incidence of postoperative lymphatic secretion are discussed. To study the effect of intraoperatively applied fibrin sealant following RALND a randomized patient‐blinded trial was carried out.

Methods

Fifty‐eight patients with axillary lymph node metastases of malignant melanoma underwent therapeutic RALND and were randomized into two groups: 29 patients received 2 cc of fibrin glue intraoperatively and 29 patients were only irrigated with 0.9% saline. The amount of drainage was recorded every 24 h. The main outcome criterion was the duration of drain placement in the wound. Minor criteria were the total amount of fluid and the length of hospital stay. Statistical analysis was performed using Spearman’s log–rank correlation and paired t‐test.

Results

There was no significant difference between the nonfibrin group 5 days (range = 3.6–5.7 days) and the fibrin group 5 days (range = 4.1–8.5 days) (p = 0.701). The total amount of fluid for the nonfibrin group (410 cc, range = 362–727 cc) and that for the fibrin group (503 cc, range = 369–1098 cc) (p = 0.605) and the length of postoperative hospital stay of 6 days (range = 5.4–7) vs. 7 days (range = 5.9–10.7), respectively, were not different between both groups (p = 0.387).

Conclusion

Considering our study results, we cannot recommend the use of 2 cc of fibrin glue intraoperatively in the prevention of lymphatic secretion in patients undergoing RALND for metastatic melanoma.
Minimally Invasive Thyroid Surgery for Single Nodules: An Evidence‐based Review of the Lateral Mini‐incision Technique
Authors: Alvarado Raul , McMullen Todd , Sidhu Stan B. , Delbridge Leigh W. , Sywak Mark S.
Published: March 2008

Background

Minimally invasive thyroidectomy techniques are being developed in an effort to minimize pain, shorten the length of hospital stay, and improve cosmesis. Various minimally invasive thyroid surgery (MITS) techniques have been shown to be safe and feasible with some benefits in terms of cosmesis and pain outcomes; however, no single technique has been broadly accepted. This study was designed to review the evidence in relation to MITS and our experience with the direct lateral mini‐incision technique.

Methods

A review of literature published until December 2007 on minimally invasive thyroidectomy techniques was undertaken. Three issues were addressed: 1) Does MITS provide any benefit compared with conventional open thyroidectomy? 2) Is there any advantage to the use of endoscopic or video‐assisted techniques compared with the direct mini‐incision technique? 3) Is the lateral mini‐incision technique safe and efficacious? Additional data in relation to the above issues was derived from a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing mini‐incision thyroid surgery within our unit.

Results

Issue 1: Five prospective randomized studies and eight studies at a lower level of evidence have demonstrated consistent advantages of MITS compared with open thyroid surgery in terms of reduced pain and improved cosmesis with equivalent operative safety. Issue 2: In compiling four level III and IV studies that compared open and video‐assisted minimally invasive surgery, there do not seem to be significant differences in patient satisfaction with the incision. The video‐assisted approaches require significantly longer operative times but also seem to be less painful. Issue 3: Three cohort studies (level IV) have demonstrated that the lateral mini‐incision technique is both safe and efficacious compared with open surgery for hemi‐thyroidectomy. Data from our cohort study of 1281 patients (open hemi‐thyroidectomy 1054 vs. MITS 227) confirmed MITS to be a safe and effective procedure. The rate of postoperative hematoma formation and wound infection was equivalent between groups. The rate of permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve injury was 0.4% for MITS and 0.3% for CHT and not significantly different (p = 0.7).

Conclusions

MITS has demonstrated advantages over conventional open approaches for both hemi‐ and total thyroidectomy and the benefits do not depend on the open or video‐assisted approach. For thyroid lobectomies, the lateral mini‐incision approach can be performed with an operative time and postoperative complication profile equivalent to conventional hemi‐thyroidectomy while providing excellent cosmesis with a 2–3 cm scar.
Laparoscopic Revisional Fundoplication with Circular Hiatal Mesh Prosthesis: The Long‐term Results
Authors: Granderath F. A. , Granderath U. M. , Pointner R.
Published: March 2008

Background

Failure of hiatal closure has proven to be the most frequent complication leading to revisional surgery after primary failed open or laparoscopic antireflux surgery. To prevent hiatal hernia recurrence some authors recommend the use of prosthetic meshes for reinforcement of the hiatal crura. The aim of the present prospective study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a circular hiatal onlay mesh prosthesis applied during laparoscopic refundoplication after primary failed antireflux surgery with intrathoracic wrap migration. The follow‐up period was 5 years.

Methods

A total of 33 patients underwent laparoscopic refundoplication for recurrent symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease after primary failed laparoscopic or open antireflux surgery. The underlying morphological complication for symptom recurrence in all patients was hiatal hernia recurrence with intrathoracic migration of the fundoplication. During revisional surgery, after breakdown of the former fundoplication, the esophageal hiatus was thoroughly revised and a circular polypropylene mesh was used to buttress the primarily simple sutured hiatal crura. Additionally, in all patients a refundoplication was performed. Recurrences, complications, functional data, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, and cinematographic X‐ray results, as well as quality of life data, were evaluated for the 60‐month follow‐up period.

Results

All reoperations were successfully completed laparoscopically. Twenty‐one patients underwent laparoscopic 360° “floppy” Nissen refundoplication, and 12 patients underwent laparoscopic 270° Toupet refundoplication. Hiatal closure was performed by placing a circular polypropylene sheet that had a 3–4 cm keyhole for the esophageal body. Of 24 patients who underwent redo‐surgery before May 2000, no patient developed a recurrent hiatal hernia during the first 12 postoperative months. All 33 patients were re‐evaluated and underwent complete diagnostic work‐up over a follow‐up period of 60 months postoperatively. During the long‐term follow‐up, a new recurrent hiatal hernia with intrathoracic wrap migration developed in 2 patients (6%). In both cases, slippage occurred anteriorly to the esophagus. Both patients were scheduled for repeat refundoplication. In all other patients no recurrence occurred for the complete follow‐up period, and no mesh‐related complications developed.

Conclusions

Laparoscopic refundoplication for primary failed hiatal closure with the use of a circular mesh prosthesis is a safe and effective procedure to prevent hiatal hernia recurrence for short‐ and mid‐term follow‐up. However, for long‐term follow‐up, even with the placement of prosthetic mesh, re‐recurrence occurs in some patients, leading to repeated surgery.
Radiological and Pathological Assessment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Response to Radiofrequency. A Study on Removed Liver after Transplantation
Authors: Rodríguez‐Sanjuán Juan C. , González Francisco , Juanco Carlos , Herrera Luis A. , López‐Bautista Mercedes , González‐Noriega Mónica , García‐Somacarrera Elena , Figols Javier , Gómez‐Fleitas Manuel , Silván Martín
Published: March 2008

Background

The real efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in destroying hepatocellular carcinoma is not completely known, nor is the ability of computed tomography (CT) to precisely assess response. Our aims were to analyze pathological response, tumor size influence, and CT response evaluation.

Materials and methods

This was a retrospective study of 30 hepatocellular carcinoma nodules treated by RFA before liver transplant (LT) in 28 patients. Pathological study of the whole removed liver was then performed and the tumor response was classified as complete, incomplete, or absent. The biggest nodule diameter was estimated by CT or ultrasound. The procedure was carried out percutaneously in all but 3 patients, and in those 3 it was done surgically.

Results

The pathological response was complete in 14 nodules (46.7%) and incomplete in 16 (53.3%). The differences in mean preoperative diameter between cases with complete and incomplete response were not significant (p = 0.3). We found that small tumors were not always completely destroyed, whereas bigger tumors could be successfully deleted. There was no clear association between any location and better or poorer response. The detection of RFA incomplete response by means of CT scan had 50% sensitivity and 100% specificity.

Conclusions

In our experience, RFA can achieve some degree of tumor destruction in every treated case of hepatocellular carcinoma, the complete response rate being slightly lower than half. We have not found any association of response with tumor size or interval RFA‐transplant. Second, CT had not enough sensitivity to assess RFA response of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Outcome and Quality of Life in Patients Treated for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: A Single Center Experience
Authors: Dick Florian , Grobéty Véronique , Immer Franz F. , Do Dai Do , Savolainen Hannu , Carrel Thierry P. , Schmidli Jürg
Published: March 2008

Background

Durability of protection and long‐term quality of life (QoL) are critical outcome parameters of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. The aim of the present study was to compare results of endovascular and open aneurysm repair (EVAR and OR) with adjusted standard populations, including stratification for urgency of presentation.

Methods

Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data of 401 consecutive patients presenting with AAA between January 1998 and December 2002. Cross‐sectional follow up was 58 ± 29 months. Patients were grouped into three cohorts: elective EVAR (n = 68), elective OR (n = 244), and emergency OR (including symptomatic and ruptured AAA, n = 89). Endpoints were perioperative (i.e., 30 days or in‐hospital) and late mortality rates, as well as long‐term QoL as assessed by the Short Form health survey questionnaire (SF‐36).

Results

Mean age was lower in the elective OR cohort (66 ± 10 years) than in the EVAR cohort (72 ± 7 years; p <. 05). Perioperative mortality rates were 4.4%, 0.4%, and 10.1%, for the EVAR, elective OR, and emergency OR cohorts, respectively (p <. 05). Corresponding cumulative survival rates after 4 years were 67%, 89%, and 69%, respectively. Long‐term QoL SF‐36 scores were in all cohorts similar to age‐ and gender‐adjusted standard populations, which score between 85 and 115: 99.6 ± 35.8 (EVAR), 101.3 ± 32.4 (elective OR), and 100.4 ± 36.5 (emergency OR).

Conclusions

Long‐term QoL is not permanently impaired after AAA repair, but returns in long‐term survivors to what would be expected in a standard population. In this respect, differences were found neither between EVAR and OR, nor between elective and emergency repair. Perioperative mortality rates were highest in patients undergoing emergency OR. The outlook for such patients after the perioperative period, however, was similar to that for patients undergoing elective repair.
An experimental design and a statistical analysis separating interference from exploitation competition
Authors: Scharf Inon , Filin Ido , Ovadia Ofer
Published: March 2008

Previous experimental studies of competition among foragers rarely distinguished between exploitation and interference competition. In many systems this separation is experimentally impossible without interfering with the natural behavior of the animals. Consequently, these studies can only demonstrate the combined effect of interference and exploitation on the forager's feeding rate, namely, it usually decreases in a decelerating rate as a function of density. We suggest here a simple experimental and statistical procedure that facilitates the separation of the effects of interference from those of exploitation. This procedure includes manipulation of both predator density and the foraging experiment duration. The statistical analysis is based on multiple linear regression. The working assumption is that exploitation can be neglected at the beginning of the foraging experiment because, initially, predators do not experience diminishing returns in prey capture rates. Using both the results of an individual‐based simulation and a field experiment dataset of gerbils foraging for seeds in an artificial food patch located in the field, we demonstrate that our procedure can successfully detect and separate the effect of interference from the combined overall effect of competition (i.e., interference plus exploitation).
Effects of body size, age and maturity stage on diet in a large shark: ecological and applied implications
Authors: Lucifora Luis O. , García Verónica B. , Menni Roberto C. , Escalante Alicia H. , Hozbor Natalia M.
Published: March 2008

Ontogenetic diet shifts are a widespread phenomenon among vertebrates, although their relationships with life history traits are poorly known. We analyzed the relative importance of body size, age and maturity stage as determinants of the diet of a marine top predator, the copper shark, Carcharhinus brachyurus, by examining stomach contents using a multiple‐hypothesis modeling approach. Copper sharks shifted their diet as size and age increased and as they became sexually mature, incorporated larger prey as they grew, and had a discrete shift in diet with body size, with only individuals larger than ≈200 cm total length able to prey on chondrichthyans. Body size was the most important trait explaining the consumption of chondrichthyans, while age determined the consumption of pelagic teleosts. Pelagic teleosts were consumed mostly by medium‐aged sharks, a result, probably, of a risk‐reducing feeding strategy at young ages coupled with either a senescence‐related decline in performance or a change in sensory capabilities as sharks age. Copper sharks of all sizes were able to cut prey in pieces, implying that gape limitation (i.e., the impossibility of eating prey larger than a predator's mouth) did not play a role in producing the diet shift. Our results suggest that, contrary to the current practice of setting minimum but not maximum size limits in catches, any plan to conserve or restore the ecological function of sharks, through their predatory control of large prey, should aim to maintain the largest individuals.
Psychological Differences between Patients that Elect Operative or Nonoperative Treatment for Trapeziometacarpal Joint Arthrosis
Authors: Lozano-Calderon Santiago A. , Souer J. Sebastiaan , Jupiter Jesse B. , Ring David
Published: March 2008

Among 44 consecutive patients electing operative treatment of trapeziometacarpal arthrosis, three age- and gender-matched controls that presented during the same time period but had not yet requested operative treatment were selected from billing records. Each patient and control was mailed a survey that included an upper extremity-specific health status measure (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire; DASH) and a set of questionnaires evaluating psychological factors including the Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale (PASS), the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and the Center for the Epidemiological Study of Depression (CES-D) instrument. Seventy-two patients (45%; 31 that elected operative and 41 nonoperative care) returned a completed questionnaire with usable data. Older age was the only significant predictor of choice for nonoperative treatment among survey responders. Arm-specific disability (DASH) correlated with the CES-D, PASS, and PCS scores, and the influence of radiographic severity was near significant ( p=0.06). Stepwise multiple linear regression resulted in a model including the CES-D and PCS scores and accounting for 51% of the variability in DASH scores for patients from both cohorts. For both the operative and nonoperative cohorts, a model including CES-D alone accounted for 50% of the variability in DASH scores ( p<0.01). This study suggests that depression, pain anxiety, and pain catastrophizing are strong correlates of arm-specific disability but do not predict election of operative treatment in patients with trapeziometacarpal arthrosis.
NPC1L1 and SR‐BI are Involved in Intestinal Cholesterol Absorption from Small‐Size Lipid Donors
Authors: Haikal Ziad , Play Barbara , Landrier Jean‐François , Giraud Annie , Ghiringhelli Odette , Lairon Denis , Jourdheuil‐Rahmani Dominique
Published: March 2008

In the human intestinal content after a meal, cholesterol is dispersed in a complex mixture of emulsified droplets, vesicles, mixed micelles and precipitated material. The aim of this study was to determine the contribution of the main intestinal cholesterol transporters (NPC1L1, SR‐BI) to the absorption processes, using different cholesterol‐solubilizing donors. Cholesterol donors prepared with different taurocholate concentrations were added to an apical medium of differentiated TC7/Caco‐2 cells. As the taurocholate concentrations increased, cholesterol donor size decreased (from 712 to 7 nm in diameter), which enhanced cholesterol absorption in a dose‐dependent manner (38‐fold). Two transport processes were observed: (1) absorption from large donors exhibited low‐capacity transport with no noticeable transporter contribution; (2) efficient cholesterol absorption occurs from small lipid donors (≤23 nm diameter), mainly due to NPC1L1 and SR‐BI involvement. In addition, bile acids significantly increased mRNA and protein expression of NPC1L1, but not of SR‐BI. In conclusion, bile acids present in the intestinal lumen and the micelles enhance intestinal cholesterol transport into the cell by two different regulatory processes: by reducing the lipid donor size, so that small‐size mixed micelles can more easily access brush‐border membrane transporters, and by increasing the expression level of the enterocyte NPC1L1. These mechanisms could account for the important inter‐individual variations observed in cholesterol intestinal absorption.
Shepherding in Colonial Australia
Authors: PICKARD JOHN
Published: March 2008

Shepherds were a critical component of the early wool industry in colonial Australia and persisted even after fencing was adopted and rapidly spread in the later nineteenth century. Initially shepherds were convicts, but after transportation ceased in the late 1840s, emancipists and free men were employed. Their duty was the same as in England: look after the flock during the day, and pen them nightly in folds made of hurdles. Analysis of wages and flock sizes indicates that pastoralists achieved good productivity gains with larger flocks but inflation of wages reduced the gains to modest levels. The gold rushes and labour shortages of the 1850s played a minor role in increasing both wages and flock sizes. Living conditions in huts were primitive, and the diet monotonous. Shepherds were exposed to a range of diseases, especially in Queensland. Flock-masters employed non-whites, usually at lower wages, and women and children. Fences only replaced shepherds when pastoralists realised that the new technology of fences, combined with other changes, would give them higher profits. The sheep were left to fend for themselves in the open paddocks, a system used to this day.
A Radical Historian's Pursuit of Rural History: The Political Career and Contribution of Reverend Dr. John Charles Cox, c. 1844 to 1919
Authors: HURREN ELIZABETH T.
Published: March 2008

How to Write the History of a Parish(1905) by John Charles Cox is a famous early modern history of the parish-state. Yet its author had an eclectic and radical political career in Midlands' life long before he became famous as an historian of English rural life. Today, Cox's radical activities are in fact an important historical prism. His neglected career demonstrates how a strong personality could bring about genuine political change in agricultural life. Cox always focused on the need to fight for the socio-economic and political rights of the labouring poor. At the same time, he was committed to historical research and record collecting, especially that of the vestry in which the poor found a voice. In so doing, he personifies how the boundaries between private interest and public service, the domestic and the political, were sometimes navigated with personal intensity in rural England during the later nineteenth century.
Uncovering the Lives of Women in Post-War Oxfordshire: An Oral History Approach
Authors: DAVIS ANGELA
Published: March 2008

Writing in 1960 Margaret Stacey asserted that, ‘Women, compared with men, tend to show group characteristics regardless of other social factors like class. Their training from childhood sets them apart from boys and together as potential wives and mothers.’ This article will question whether Oxfordshire women did indeed believe that there was a commonality in their experiences at this time, irrespective of the locality in which they lived or the class to which they belonged, or whether these differences were more significant than their shared gender. The first objective of this article is therefore to analyse the role class played in determining women's experiences of life in Oxfordshire at this time. Leading on from this, the second objective is to investigate the importance of locality upon lived experience, and to engage, in Charles Phythian-Adams' words, in the process of ‘unravelling localized identities’ (1987). Using Oxfordshire as a case study it is possible to examine a range of communities: rural, urban and suburban. This article will demonstrate how the nature of these different communities affected women's experiences of living within them. The third objective is to discuss the ways in which the women I interviewed expressed their experiences of rural living through the oral history interview, and how their accounts relate to contemporary debates and existing historical interpretations.
The unreasonable effectivness of CALL: What have we learned in two decades of research?
Authors: Felix Uschi
Published: March 2008

This paper presents a comprehensive picture of what has been investigated in terms of CALL effectiveness over the period 1981–2005 throwing light on why this question is still such a difficult one to answer unequivocally. The author looks at both strengths and weaknesses in this body of work, highlighting pitfalls and paradoxes in research procedures and providing valid design models. This includes the contribution of dedicated meta-analyses to this controversial field and a discussion of the benefits and limitations associated with this type of research. Substantial data, drawn from three extensive studies (Felix, 2005a, b; Felix, 2006a), allows the author to present for the first time synthesized findings relating to the impact of technologies on language learning. The paper concludes with strategies for future work in the context of a proposed research agenda.
Developing online multimodal verbal communication to enhance the writing process in an audio-graphic conferencing environment
Authors: Ciekanski Maud , Chanier Thierry
Published: March 2008

Over the last decade, most studies in Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) have highlighted how online synchronous learning environments implement a new literacy related to multimodal communication. The environment used in our experiment is based on a synchronous audio-graphic conferencing tool. This study concerns false beginners in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course, presenting a high degree of heterogeneity in their proficiency levels. A coding scheme was developed to translate the video data into user actions and speech acts that occurred in the various modalities of the system (aural, textchat, text editing, websites). The paper intends to shed further light on and increase our understanding of multimodal communication structures through learner participation and learning practices. On the basis of evidence from an ongoing research investigation into online CALL literacy, we identify how learners use different modalities to produce collectively a writing task, and how the multimodal learning interaction affects the learners' focus and engagement within the learning process. The adopted methodology combines a quantitative analysis of the learners' participation in a writing task with regard to the use of multimodal tools, and a qualitative analysis focusing on how the multimodal dimension of communication enhances language and learning strategies. By looking at the relationship between how the learning tasks are designed by tutors and how they are implemented by learners, that is to say taking into account the whole perception of multimodal communication for language learning purposes, we provide a framework for evaluating the potential of such an environment for language learning.
Blending classroom instruction with online homework: A study of student perceptions of computer-assisted L2 learning
Authors: Sagarra Nuria , Zapata Gabriela C.
Published: March 2008

This study investigates the impact of an online workbook on the attitudes of 245 second language (L2) Spanish learners toward this pedagogical tool over two consecutive semesters. The treatment consisted of four hours of classroom instruction and one set of online homework per week, during two consecutive semesters. Students' attitudes toward the electronic workbook were measured by means of a survey administered after eight months of exposure to the workbook. The qualitative data of the survey was compared to quantitative data from two different language assessment tests. The results of these tests indicated a significant increase in grammar scores. These results are consonant with the positive findings of student perceptions about the online workbook obtained in this and previous studies, emphasizing its benefits in terms of accessibility to the material, user-friendliness, and instant error feedback. More importantly, most students praised the usefulness of the online workbook for language learning, particularly in the areas of grammar and vocabulary acquisition. Despite participants' mostly positive attitudes, the survey also revealed some negative aspects of the use of the online workbook, such as the amount of time needed to complete the online exercises. This paper addresses these issues, and provides suggestions to overcome this type of problem.
The effectiveness of computer-based speech corrective feedback for improving segmental quality in L2 Dutch
Authors: Neri Ambra , Cucchiarini Catia , Strik Helmer
Published: March 2008

Although the success of automatic speech recognition (ASR)-based Computer Assisted Pronunciation Training (CAPT) systems is increasing, little is known about the pedagogical effectiveness of these systems. This is particularly regrettable because ASR technology still suffers from limitations that may result in the provision of erroneous feedback, possibly leading to learning breakdowns. To study the effectiveness of ASR-based feedback for improving pronunciation, we developed and tested a CAPT system providing automatic feedback on Dutch phonemes that are problematic for adult learners of Dutch. Thirty immigrants who were studying Dutch were assigned to three groups using either the ASR-based CAPT system with automatic feedback, a CAPT system without feedback, or no CAPT system. Pronunciation quality was assessed for each participant before and after the training by human experts who evaluated overall segmental quality and the quality of the phonemes addressed in the training. The participants' impressions of the CAPT system used were also studied through anonymous questionnaires. The results on global segmental quality show that the group receiving ASR-based feedback made the largest mean improvement, but the groups' mean improvements did not differ significantly. The group receiving ASR-based feedback showed a significantly larger improvement than the no-feedback group in the segmental quality of the problematic phonemes targeted.
Academic Double-Dipping: Professional Profit or
Loss?
Authors: Dometrius Nelson C.
Published: March 2008

In my three decades in the profession I have served on an uncountable
number of search committees. In recent years I increasingly
encountered an annoying (to me) practice among applicants, multiple
vita entries for identically titled, and thus presumably identically
written, conference papers. I originally dismissed such practices as
vita padding, a not well socialized, nor particularly well
accomplished, applicant seeking to make his or her research
performance look more impressive than it actually is.
Reassessing Conference Goals and Outcomes: A Defense of
Presenting Similar Papers at Multiple Conferences
Authors: Cooper Christopher A.
Published: March 2008

As Nelson Dometrius's opening essay suggests, academic standards,
like other occupational standards and practices, change over time.
These changes may draw fire from both established and younger
scholars trained in the classical tradition. Shifting norms in
political science range from different publication standards over
time (few would doubt that the number of publications required for
tenure has increased in most schools), to changing ideas about
journal quality, to different conference practices. In this essay, I
argue that the increasingly common practice of presenting identical
papers at multiple conferences is not a negative influence on the
discipline and does not conflict with any of the commonly offered
rationales for conference attendance and participation. In fact, I
suggest that making changes to existing papers—presenting future
versions of a paper—may produce a more focused research agenda and
may battle some potentially negative trends in political science. I
also argue that this practice is a rational and predictable
outgrowth of the shifting academic incentive structure. Thanks to Nelson Dometrius, Todd
Collins, Gibbs Knotts, and Niall Michelsen for helpful comments
on an earlier draft of this paper.
Attack of the Clones: A Pragmatic Guide to Maintaining a
Research Agenda
Authors: Harrelson-Stephens Julie , Galatas Steven
Published: March 2008

For many faculty members, particularly those at research
institutions, presenting a paper more than once at a conference has
long been taboo. Peers evaluating tenure requirements or merit
rankings may credit a second presentation less, or not at all. On
the other hand, norms in the discipline vary dramatically across
institution types. We argue that at universities with considerable
teaching loads and substantial service expectations, duplicate
research presentations can be an effective way to maintain an active
research agenda, absent other institutional incentives to do so. We
currently teach international relations and comparative politics
courses at an institution where the incentives to research remain
modest, and the incentives to teach and spend a considerable amount
of time in service related activities are substantial. Our comments
are particularly geared toward this environment. We begin by
defining what we mean by duplicate research presentations. Next, we
outline how the incentive structure at a teaching institution
creates different priorities, allowing different norms to develop.
We then examine how duplicate research presentations can be an
effective tool for overcoming traps common to untenured faculty. We
end with an unabashed defense of the increasingly common practice of
duplicate research presentations, particularly at teaching and
service oriented universities.
Multiple Presentations of “the Same” Paper: A Skeptical
View
Authors: Sigelman Lee
Published: March 2008

An increase in the number of political science papers that are
presented at multiple academic conferences does not, as Nelson
Dometrius recognizes, constitute one of the major existential crises
of the twenty-first century. Indeed, I doubt that it would even make
it onto anyone's list of the top hundred issues currently
confronting the discipline of political science. Nonetheless, it
does warrant more attention than it has received in the past (which,
insofar as I am aware, is approximately none at all).
Are Repeated Conference Papers Really a
Problem?
Authors: Schneider Saundra K. , Jacoby William G.
Published: March 2008

Like everyone else in the discipline, we have seen multiple
appearances of a single paper title on conference programs, within
vitas of job applicants, and in tenure/promotion files. Depending
upon the context, our reactions have either been amusement,
irritation, or (most frequently) indifference. To bring the entire
situation home, consider the following: About three weeks ago, both
of us submitted (separate) paper proposals to the 2008 Annual
Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association. And, sometime
within the next five weeks, one of us intends to submit a proposal
to the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science
Association, while the other plans to submit a proposal to the 2008
State Politics and Policy Meeting. In each case, these will be the
same proposals that we sent off earlier to the Midwest Political
Science Association.
On the Limits to Inequality in Representation
Authors: Soroka Stuart N. , Wlezien Christopher
Published: March 2008

The correspondence between public preferences and public policy is a critical rationale for representative democratic government. This view has been put forward in the theoretical literature on democracy and representation (e.g., Dahl 1971; Pitkin 1967; Birch 1971) and in “functional” theories of democratic politics (Easton 1965; Deutsch 1963), both of which emphasize the importance of popular control of policymaking institutions. Political science research also shows a good amount of correspondence between opinion and policy, though to varying degrees, across a range of policy domains and political institutions in the U.S. and elsewhere. This is of obvious significance. Earlier versions of this paper were presented at the 2006 Annual Meetings of the American Political Science Association, Philadelphia, at the Elections, Public Opinion and Parties specialist group, Nottingham, England, and at the 2007 National Conference of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago. We thank Vinod Menon for assistance with data collection and Kevin Arceneaux, Suzie DeBoef, Harold Clarke, Peter Enns, Mark Franklin, Martin Gilens, John Griffin, Will Jennings, Rich Joslyn, Benjamin Page, David Sanders, David Weakliem, John Zaller, and the anonymous reviewers for comments.
The Dakota Effect
Authors: Young Garry , Sigelman Lee
Published: March 2008

If challenged to do so, relatively few Americans could probably find
North and South Dakota on a map, let alone correctly name, spell,
and pronounce the capitals of the two states. Nor would they be able
to recall anything interesting about the Dakotas, whose main tourist
attractions, besides Mount Rushmore, are a drug store, a civic arena
festooned in corn, and a peace garden. Although one of the Dakotas
bills itself as “The Land of Infinite Variety,” its sociocultural
diversity consists primarily of different synods of Lutherans who
engage in endless disputation with one another because they are so
similar. Dakotans prefer their food bland—they consider ketchup
daringly spicy—and their politicians low-key. When they encounter
something new, they call it “different,” which they rarely mean as a
compliment, and they wait for it to go away—which, because there is
so little to hold it in the Dakotas, it probably will do. They keep
their opinions to themselves (a typical Dakotan being the fellow
from Sioux Falls who loved his wife so much that he almost told
her), and they do not like it when people make a fuss about
themselves or anything else. Thus, when South Dakotans perceived the
previously popular Senator George McGovern as having gotten too big
for his britches by seeking the presidency in 1972, they saw to it
that he would fail to carry his home state, and three decades later
they voted long-time Senator Tom Daschle out of office as soon as he
repeated McGovern's mistake of seeing a president whenever he gazed
into a mirror.
The Supreme Court Appointment Process: Lessons from Filling the Rehnquist and O'Connor Vacancies
Authors: Comiskey Michael
Published: March 2008

The 11 years from 1994 to 2005 comprised the second-longest period without an appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court (Epstein et al. 2003, 353). The nominations of John Roberts in 2005 and Samuel Alito in 2006 were met with enthusiasm by conservatives, foreboding by liberals, and great interest by political scientists concerned with the Court's future and with changes in the appointment process since Stephen Breyer's appointment in 1994.
Reading China: How Do America's China Scholars View
U.S.-China Relations and China's Future?
Authors: Zhong Yang , Shen Che-huan
Published: March 2008

Almost all economic indicators show that the rise of China is all but
inevitable. Many argue that it is already happening. China may rank
as the second, or the third, or the fourth largest world economic
power, depending on how one does the counting, after enjoying an
average annual GDP growth rate of nearly 10% in the past quarter of
a century (1983–2007) (National Bureau of Statistics of China).
China currently has the largest foreign currency reserve in the
world, reaching one trillion U.S. dollars (People's Bank of China)
and China became the second largest trade country after the U.S. in
2007 (Wenweipo2007). In fact, no discussion of world
economy is adequate without talking about China. Even though the
United States is currently embroiled in Iraq and the war on terror,
there is no question that the rise of China is still very much in
back of the minds of American foreign policy makers and political
elites, especially during the current presidential campaigns. For
instance, one survey of American international relations scholars
reveals that while 58% of the scholars believe that the greatest
strategically important region for the United States is the Middle
East right now, 60% of them think it will be China and East Asia in
20 years (Peterson, Tierney, and Maliniak 2005). A public survey shows that a majority of the
citizens in many developing countries think it would be a good thing
if China were to become as large a military power as the United
States (Pew Global Attitudes Project 2005). We would like to
acknowledge the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful
comments on an earlier version of this paper. We also want
express our gratitude to the 132 scholars who participated in
our survey.