bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Implementação da estratégia Atenção Integrada às Doenças Prevalentes na Infância no Nordeste, Brasil
Authors: Amaral João Joaquim Freitas do , Victora Cesar Gomes , Leite Álvaro Jorge Madeiro , Cunha Antonio José Ledo Alves da
Published: January 2009

OBJETIVO: A maioria das mortes em crianças é evitável. A estratégia Atenção Integrada às Doenças Prevalentes na Infância, desenvolvida pela Organização Mundial da Saúde e Fundo das Nações Unidas para a Infância, pretende reduzir a mortalidade infantil por meio de ações para melhorar o desempenho dos profissionais de saúde, a organização do sistema de saúde e as práticas da família e da comunidade. O artigo teve por objetivo descrever fatores associados à implementação dessa estratégia em três estados do Nordeste do Brasil. MÉTODOS: Estudo ecológico realizado em 443 municípios do Ceará, Paraíba e Pernambuco, em 2006. A distribuição de variáveis independentes econômicas, geográficas, ambientais, nutricionais, organização do serviço de saúde e mortalidade infantil foram comparadas entre os municípios com e sem a estratégia. Esses fatores foram avaliados por meio de modelo hierárquico utilizando regressão de Poisson para o cálculo de razões de prevalências após ajuste para fatores de confusão. RESULTADOS: Dos municípios estudados, 54% possuíam a estratégia: Ceará (65 com e 43 sem), Paraíba (27 com e 21 sem) e Pernambuco (147 com e 140 sem). Após controle para fatores de confusão, os fatores significativamente associados com a ausência da estratégia, foram: menor índice de desenvolvimento humano, menor população e maior distância da capital. CONCLUSÕES: Houve iniqüidade no desenvolvimento da estratégia, pois municípios de maior risco para a saúde infantil apresentaram menores taxas de aplicação de suas ações. São necessárias políticas de saúde que reforcem sua consolidação nos municípios de maior risco de mortalidade infantil.
Pessoas com deficiência e políticas de saúde no Brasil: reflexões bioéticas
Authors: Bernardes Liliane Cristina Gonçalves , Maior Izabel Maria Madeira de Loureiro , Spezia Carlos Humberto , Araujo Tereza Cristina Cavalcanti Ferreira de
Published: January 2009

O artigo propõe reflexões, à luz da bioética, acerca do dilema da alocação de recursos públicos para a assistência à saúde das pessoas com deficiência no Brasil. Para tanto, o conceito de deficiência e o marco legal brasileiro de assistência às pessoas com deficiência são apresentados; faz-se uma análise sobre a escassez de recursos; discutem-se referenciais teóricos atinentes e destaca-se o aporte da bioética de proteção e da bioética de intervenção. Conclui-se que, em razão de sua vulnerabilidade, as pessoas com deficiência devem ser protegidas pelo Estado e recursos devem ser empregados para garantir seu acesso aos serviços de saúde. Enfatiza-se, também, que apesar da previsão legal já existente, a efetiva destinação de recursos depende de outros fatores, tais como a participação sociopolítica das pessoas com deficiência na " pactuação" das políticas de saúde.
Intergenerational Family Support following Infant Death
Authors: White Diana L. , Walker Alexis J. , Richards Leslie N.
Published: January 2009

The death of a child is a traumatic, nonnormative family life event. Although parental bereavement has received substantial attention, little research has focused on extended family members affected by a child's death, and still less on how multiple family members perceive and respond to one another following the loss. Guided by a life course perspective, this article examines social support between grandparents and their adult children in the aftermath of infant death. Through structured, open-ended interviews, 21 grandparents and 19 parents from 10 families described how they provided support to and received support from their intergenerational partners. Data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Six categories of support were identified: being present, acknowledgment, performing immediate tasks, information, unskilled support, and no support. Most support was provided by grandparents to adult children rather than from adult children to grandparents. All families reported significant support from at least one grandparent and nearly all families described ambivalent relationships that complicated support. Gender, family lineage, and family history were major influences. Multiple family perspectives about a significant life event contribute to our understanding about the intersection between individual and family life.
The Role of Informal and Formal Leisure Activities in the Disablement Process
Authors: Janke Megan C. , Payne Laura L. , Van Puymbroeck Marieke
Published: January 2009

The disablement process model has been used as a framework to investigate factors that accelerate or decelerate disablement among older adults. Although very little is known about the direct and moderating effects of involvement in leisure activities on the disablement process, research has suggested that participation in leisure activities may serve as a factor affecting the disablement pathways. Using longitudinal data from individuals aged 65 and older ( N = 535) in the Americans' Changing Lives study, we examined the influence of leisure involvement on the disablement process model. Through regression analyses, we found that involvement in informal and formal leisure activities was significantly associated with the disablement process in this sample of older adults, and that the effect of informal and formal leisure on disablement changed across time points and at different phases of the pathway. Results suggest that leisure activities may be protective of cognitive health and mitigate the effect of functional limitations, perceptions of disability, and depressive symptoms among older adults.
Esterification of Butyl Cellosolve with Acetic Acid using Ion Exchange Resin in Fixed Bed Chromatographic Reactors
Authors: Deshmukh Kalpana S , Gyani Vivek Chandra , Mahajani Sanjay M.
Published: January 2009

Chromatographic reactor is an attractive mode of operation that combines chemical reaction and product separation in the same unit. In this work, esterification of butyl cellosolve with acetic acid using cation exchange resin Amberlyst-15 is investigated in a chromatographic reactor. The study involves determining the appropriate kinetic model for the reaction by performing experiments at different temperatures, mole ratios of the reactants, catalyst loadings and stirring speeds. Characterization of the adsorption capacity of the resin for different components involved in the reaction is performed through adsorption experiments for the nonreactive binaries. The combined separation-reaction process is experimentally investigated using a fixed bed chromatographic column. A mathematical model is developed and the experimental data is compared with the model predictions. It is shown that the experimental and predicted data closely follow each other and that the high conversion can be obtained with a relatively high purity of the product.
Is Trillion the New Billion?
Authors: Hahn Robert , Passell Peter
Published: January 2009

Robert Hahn and Peter Passell ponder the current financial situation.
Gender Differences and Pain Medication
Authors: Richardson Jen , Holdcroft Anita
Published: January 2009

Subtle genetic and psychological variations are Increasingly recognized to contribute to pain and analgesic efficacy and safety. The influence of sex on this relationship remains poorly understood, particularly in humans. The issue is complicated by the overlay of gender onto physical sex, and its associated stereotypes and expectations. Women appear to use more pain-relieving medications than men; however, it remains unclear whether these observations represent true differences in analgesic usage patterns, or reporting bias. Differences in analgesic efficacy relating to body composition, metabolism and hormonal profiles have been demonstrated. Psychological and social elements of gender have also been associated with altered pain experiences and analgesic use profiles, albeit with significant individual variations. Intra-group differences may ultimately prove more important than sex differences. Further research may unravel the various threads linking gender and sex effects on analgesia with the aim of individualizing analgesia to optimize pain relief.
Musical Expressions in Kindergarten: An Inter-Cultural Study?
Authors: Gluschankof Claudia
Published: January 2009

In a study conducted in kindergartens in Israel, three ‘cultures' converge: the kindergarten, the community, and the home. The differences among the two kindergartens in this study do not reside solely in the urban vs. non-urban and Jewish vs. Arab. They also reside in the contexts created by the adults as a result of their beliefs about childhood, music, play, and education, and how these beliefs are expressed in their behaviours. This account draws on a larger ethnographic study conducted in a number of kindergarten settings. The aim of this larger study was to describe and understand the self-initiated musical expressions of children aged four to five years, who bring various cultural identities to the early years setting. The sites under scrutiny in this article were two kindergartens in Israel: a non-urban state-sponsored Jewish kindergarten, and an urban Arab kindergarten in a church-operated school. The evidence showed that the musical expressions of the children in the study shared many characteristics. It also showed that differences reside, not only in the culture of the community they belong to, but also in the culture of the kindergarten. This included the physical environment, the degree of structure in the timetable, and the attitudes and rationale of the staff. This article suggests that each kindergarten develops a particular style of musical play, and that inter-cultural issues can include those that are idiosyncratic to specific peer cultures.
Representing Space: Katie's Horse and the Recalcitrant Object
Authors: MacRae Christina
Published: January 2009

This article is a practitioner's attempt to resist habitual ways of interpreting and responding to young children's drawings. Early art education as a discipline is shot through with complexities, including wider shifting social discourses. This article specifically explores the continuing and powerful effect that Piaget's developmental approach has had on ways that teachers expect children to represent the world. The critique of Piaget examines how his stages of cognitive development intersect with an account of perspective that naturalises the claims it makes to represent the world. Critical analysis of responses to a child's drawing draws attention to the ways that this normative and perspectival approach frames readings of the drawing. In order to create new ways of thinking about the drawing, the article offers a material critique of the logic of representation. In this alternative account the object that has been drawn stubbornly refuses to stand in for the real. Difference rather than resemblance is introduced into the reading of children's drawings.
Children's Improvised Vocalisations: Learning, Communication and Technology of the Self
Authors: Knudsen Jan Sverre
Published: January 2009

The intention of this article is to explore, challenge and expand our understandings of children's improvised vocalisations, a fundamentally human form of expression. Based on selected examples from observation and recording in non-institutional settings, the article outlines how this phenomenon can be understood as learning and as communication. This is supplemented by suggesting a third possible approach which places these vocal forms within the frame of understanding implied by Foucault's term ‘technology of the self’. This theoretical perspective entails recognising improvised vocalisations as tools used to ‘act upon the self’ in order to attain or reinforce a certain mental state or mood — happiness, satisfaction, anger or longing — in short, as a way in which children learn to know the self as a self. In line with a Foucauldian perspective is also a focus on the negotiation of power and how music serves as an empowering agent in children's everyday social interaction. Finally, informed by Vygotsky's approach to understanding the relationship between language and mental development, the author discusses the gradual disappearance of improvised vocalisations.
Conversation as a Work of Art: Will it Hang in a Museum?
Authors: Iorio Jeanne Marie
Published: January 2009

Arts are an expectation in early childhood classrooms — traditionally, visual art, music, drama, and movement. The variety of understandings of art and aesthetic experiences shape approaches to arts education, particularly with young children. Attempts to define the aesthetic experience refer to the presence of an object, most commonly a work of art. The object becomes central to the human response within the aesthetic experience. Through the analysis of data documenting conversations between a child and an adult, the author have previously proposed child — adult conversations as aesthetic experiences. In this article, she re-examines excerpts from child—adult conversations from her research, negotiating the possibility of naming child—adult conversation as art, in order to recognise child—adult conversation as an aesthetic experience. This article continues the conversation around thinking of conversation as art, and the art of conversation — an integral component of pedagogy with young children.
Communication and Transformation through Collaboration: Rethinking Drawing Activities in Early Childhood
Authors: Knight Linda
Published: January 2009

This article is a study of the arts in early childhood as a way of learning, for both children and their teachers. The author suggests that drawing can be a powerful tool for collaborative approaches to pedagogy. When teachers draw with children, pathways of communication can be opened, and the collaborative exercise can trigger processes of transformation for both adult and child. In order to present challenges to more traditional, hands-off pedagogical practices in arts education, this article is an account of reflexive arts pedagogies, and how they can work to improve communication and understandings between adults and children. Within the educational contexts of Australian preschooling and primary schooling, the author examines the process of collaborative drawing, and how this can enable a process of transformation. Her analysis, and the accompanying examples of reflexive practices, combine complementary lenses, socio-cultural and postmodern, that she sees as working in harmony to produce new possibilities, in arts education in particular, and, more broadly, in early childhood education.
Pre-Service Teachers' Critical Reflections of Arts and Education Discourse: Reconstructions of Experiences in Early Childhood and Higher Education
Authors: Miller Melinda G. , Nicholas Ellen L. , Lambeth Meaghan L.
Published: January 2009

This layered account of arts education is produced through the three authors' critical reflections of experiences in their own early childhood education, and their pre-service teacher education. The first layer establishes links between the arts, learning in the arts and critically reflective practices through an account of teaching and learning in Unit X — a compulsory arts unit in a four-year teacher education course. The second layer is a recall of early childhood arts experiences and how these informed our identities as artists, students of the arts and critically reflective teachers. Possibilities for promoting critically reflective practices in teacher education are recommended, alongside a call for more systematic modes of reflective inquiry in a teacher degree program.
The Arts and Staying Cool
Authors: McArdle Felicity
Published: January 2009

Art can be messy. Teaching art can be messy. Teaching can be a messy process. The art of making a space for the playfulness and messiness of teaching requires courage and letting go. This article develops the verandah metaphor for re-thinking the place of the arts in education, in order to make space for some of the institutionalised ambivalence in arts education. Four sites of practice are examined, where contingencies come into play, and where current practices act to both enable and constrain our ways of working with young children. The article concludes with some new (messy) possibilities for seeing and thinking about arts education.
Early Childhood Education in Nigeria: A Reality or a Mirage?
Authors: Ajayi Hannah O.
Published: January 2009

Education is the right of every child and must not be denied it for any reason. This has been the assertion of the World Summit on the state of global children, which has led to the inclusion and expansion of early childhood care and education in the global Education for All programme (EFA). As Nigeria has pledged its commitment to this, with the recent inauguration of the policy on this educational arm, this article therefore examines the situation on the ground, on the prospects, and on the problems, and gives recommendations that could make the educational programme a reality in the nation in the interest of the children.
Conditions for Implementation of the Science Curriculum in Early Childhood Development and Education Centres in Kenya
Authors: Shaji Milimu Gladys , Indoshi Francis C.
Published: January 2009

Cognitive development and teaching have highlighted the importance of learning based on the relationship among individuals and the learning environment. Teaching and learning of science in early childhood development and education (ECDE) can only be effective if adequate facilities, materials, equipment and activities are put in place. Teaching of science in ECDE centres in Kenya is faced with numerous challenges, hence the negative influence on children's learning of the subject. This raised the question of whether we have appropriate conditions for implementation of the science curriculum in ECDE centres. This study investigated conditions for implementation of science in 115 ECDE centres managed by 230 teachers in Kakamega Municipality, Kenya. It used the ECDE facilities checklist, the ECDE classroom science materials/equipment checklist, the ECDE classroom science activities checklist, and the ECDE teacher classroom science questionnaire to analyse the availability of science materials, equipment, class size and activities for ECDE children in the classroom. Each teacher was videotaped for two consecutive days during science activities. Their attitude towards science curriculum was measured by the use of an attitude scale. The findings of the study indicated that three-quarters of the ECDE centres had appropriate general facilities. However, a majority (91.2%) of ECDE centres lacked adequate and quality classroom science materials/equipment. The activities that the ECDE teachers engaged in were mostly unrelated to science activities (85.7%), even though they had a favourable attitude towards the science curriculum. This study is significant because the resulting findings will influence practice in early childhood education by informing policy makers on prevailing conditions for implementation of the science curriculum. On the theoretical side, the findings will contribute to the development of teaching and learning science materials, science equipment and a children's science curriculum tool kit.
Development of Early Years Policy and Practice in Ghana: Can Outcomes Be Improved for Marginalised Children?
Authors: Agbenyega Joseph
Published: January 2009

Even though several attempts have been made by the government of Ghana towards its goal of eradicating child labour, poverty, and marginalisation in educational outcomes for all children, the condition of disadvantaged children remain terribly devastating compared with those of more advantaged children. This article discusses the extent to which two new major Ghanaian education policy initiatives impact on this situation — namely, the introduction of early childhood care and development (ECCD) and the capitation grant (CG) policies. The article raises concerns regarding corruption, mismanagement and lack of proper monitoring of the policy implementation process and argues that the current trend seems unlikely to deliver the type of outcomes necessary to end marginalisation and suffering of children in Ghana. It proposes inclusion of parents and community participation in all aspects of the policy production and implementation processes.
Learning and Collaborating in the Adult Literacy Education Wiki
Authors: Jacobson Erik
Published: January 2009

This article presents the results of a mixed-methods study of the Adult Literacy Education Wiki. Two research questions framed the study: (1) What do participants report they have learned by contributing to the wiki? and (2) What is the nature of participation and collaboration in the wiki? A key finding of the study is that the wiki does not achieve the levels of participation and collaboration that its founders hope for, and that contributors' own perspectives on literacy may be a contributing factor. The article includes suggestions for ways wiki organizers can address the issue of limited participation.
High School Teachers' Beliefs about Learner-Centred E-Learning
Authors: Murphy Elizabeth , Rodríguez-Manzanares María A.
Published: January 2009

This article reports on a study conducted to gain insight into teachers' beliefs about e-learning. Data collection relied on discussions conducted with 16 teachers from six high schools in two adjacent municipalities of one Canadian province. Data collection and analysis were guided by a framework of research-validated, learner-centred principles. Teachers' beliefs portrayed learners as digital natives who actively consume information and knowledge, engage emotionally with technology, and devote themselves to it. Beliefs about teaching referred to teachers as guides and mediators in the knowledge process who can give creative control of the technology, engage learners, and promote higher-order thinking skills. Beliefs about the Internet highlighted its potential to provide unlimited, authentic, purposeful, relevant, participatory, and individualized learning that can take place outside the classroom.
Three Dialogs: A Framework for the Analysis and Assessment of Twenty-First-Century Literacy Practices, and its Use in the Context of Game Design within Gamestar Mechanic
Authors: Games Ivan Alex
Published: January 2009

This article discusses a framework for the analysis and assessment of twenty-first-century language and literacy practices in game and design-based contexts. It presents the framework in the context of game design within Gamestar Mechanic, an innovative game-based learning environment where children learn the Discourse of game design. It identifies three dialogic interactions (the material, the ideal player and the real player dialog) that a student must participate in in order to effectively learn the meaning production and interpretation practices germane to good game designs. These dialogs provide the syntactic, semantic and pragmatic components necessary for students to gain fluency in the game designer Discourse. The article illustrates the framework in practice by analyzing two language samples collected in an after-school game design workshop structured around Gamestar Mechanic. Its implications for the research and assessment of game-based learning environments are discussed.
Students' Perceptions of E-Learning in Arab Society: Kuwait University as a Case Study
Authors: Al-Fadhli Salah
Published: January 2009

For generations, the primary educational delivery model for university faculty members was essentially the traditional lecture. Due to revolutionary changes in information and communication technologies, knowledge delivery modules have been changed to include e-learning (education access through the Internet). The growth of the use of the Internet has contributed to various types of e-learning in tertiary institutions. E-learning is considered as being a new trend in education in general, and in higher education in particular. The success of this new model depends on the perception of faculty members and students in the educational institution. This article examines the factors that might affect student perception of e-learning courses at Kuwait University as a representative of an Arab society.
The Dialectics Informing Identity in an Urban Youth Digital Storytelling Workshop
Authors: DeGennaro Donna
Published: January 2009

This article examines an after-school program entitled Silk City Media Workshop. Briefly, the workshop engages youth in digital storytelling as a means of enhancing both their technology and literacy skills. Transcending these goals, this workshop also provides opportunities for youth to reveal multiple aspects of their unfolding identities as well as the employment of their agency in the process. The article draws on aspects of cultural sociology and concepts of identity and agency to explore one student's digital story. The study of this student's digital story suggests how it both reveals and embodies her identity and agency. Analysis illuminates connections to her histories and interactions between herself and others. Examining the digital story through the explicated framework assists educators in understanding the ways in which students identify themselves and how those identities relate to a set of organized actions that form and re-form over lifetimes, and through collective histories.
On ‘Becoming’ Technologically Literate: A Multiple Literacies Theory Perspective
Authors: Bangou Francis , Waterhouse Monica
Published: January 2009

This article uses a multiple literacies theory framework to explore the processes of ‘becoming’ technologically literate through a year-long ethnographic study of two Master of Education pre-service second language teachers, a Latina woman and an African American woman, who learned how to use computer technology to teach Spanish at a large Midwestern university. The case studies of these two women are analyzed to gain insights into how teacher education programs can support racial minority pre-service teachers in ‘becoming’ technologically literate. First, the authors provide an overview of the multiple literacies theory developed by Masny. Second, the stories of the two pre-service teachers are presented. Finally, curricular and pedagogical recommendations for second language education Master of Education programs are provided.
Model-Based Software Testing for Object-Oriented Software
Authors: Biju Soly Mathew
Published: January 2009

Model-based testing is one of the best solutions for testing object-oriented software. It has a better test coverage than other testing styles. Model-based testing takes into consideration behavioural aspects of a class, which are usually unchecked in other testing methods. An increase in the complexity of software has forced the software industry to look into other reliable models of software testing like model-based testing. This article provides an introduction to various existing methods of testing and compares them with model-based testing.
Access to Creativity: Position of Technology in the Ontario Curriculum for English Language Learners
Authors: Takeuchi Miwa
Published: January 2009

In this policy research note, the author examines how Ontario curriculum documents for English language learners (ELLs) address information and communication technology (ICT). Upon analysis, three characteristics were identified, as follows: the superiority of standardized English, technology as an ambiguous tool, and under-representation of students' home literacy practices. ICT in the curriculum for ELLs was, at best, described as a tool for English language acquisition or for functional computer literacy. By examining these characteristics from the perspective of critical theory, ELLs still have difficulty in gaining access to creative uses of ICT. Consequently, the current state of the curriculum will result in sustaining or increasing the literacy divide between ELLs and non-ELLs.
Solitary Pulmonary Infantile Hemangioma in an Infant with Atrial Septal Defect
Authors: Melegh Zsombor , Patel Yatin , Ramani Pramila
Published: January 2009

Pulmonary infantile hemangiomas are extremely rare in infancy and childhood. We describe a case of a 22-month-old infant who presented with repeated chest infections. Imaging studies revealed a solitary parenchymal lung lesion in the left upper lobe, an atrial septal defect, and mild right ventricular dilatation. Various investigations failed to delineate the precise nature of the lung lesion and it was resected. Histological examination of the lung lesion showed an infantile hemangioma, which expressed glucose transporter-1 protein, GLUT-1, a marker of infantile hemangiomas. This case represents a unique coexistence of 2 lesions, both of which resulted in right-sided overload, contributed to mainly by the atrial septal defect causing increased volume and, to a lesser extent, by the pulmonary hemangioma resulting in increased pressure. This case also emphasizes the fact that infantile hemangioma, although rare, should be considered as a differential diagnosis of solitary lung lesions.
Common (“Classical”) and Covered Cloacal Exstrophy: A Histopathological Study and a Reconstruction of the Pathogenesis
Authors: van der Putte S.C.J. , Spliet W.G.M. , Nikkels P.G.J.
Published: January 2009

Current opinion about structure and pathogenesis of cloacal exstrophy was challenged by histopathological findings and new insights into the normal development. Autopsy specimens of common ( n = 3) and covered cloacal exstrophy ( n = 4) with single intraexstrophic and -perineal phallic structures and perineo-exstrophic canals have been analyzed histopathologically. The findings were correlated to normal development to reconstruct the pathogenesis. By identifying a specific cloaca-derived urethra field as distinct from allantois-derived bladder fields, the exstrophic area is found to reflect the original hindgut configuration in embryos of approximately 26–29 postovulatory days gestational age (2–4 mm). Correlation to normal development suggests malfunctioning of the primitive streak/caudal eminence as a primary fault that leads to a defective cloacal region in the hindgut disturbing cloacal-intestinal-allantoic dissociation and also causes lengthening of the intestinal region into a blind-ending colon, teratoma-like lesions, and vertebral and muscular anomalies. The current idea that membranes in “covered cloacal exstrophy” represent persisting cloacal membranes is dismissed by finding an amnion-like structure, which suggests dysfunction of an umbilical ring placode as a simultaneous 2nd fault. This malfunctioning may cause omphalocele by defective demarcation of the umbilical cord and may replace midline stroma of the infraumbilical abdominal wall by extraembryonic tissue that stretches into a weak temporary membrane, may leave a perineo-extrophic canal, and may allow the formation of a single perineal or intraexstrophic phallus. Malfunctioning without replacement may result in a purely epithelial “allantoic” membrane, which by disintegrating in combination with the cloacal membrane will expose common cloacal exstrophy.
Ganglioglioma Associated with Cerebral Cortical Dysplasia: An Unusual Case with Extensive Leptomeningeal Involvement
Authors: Saad Ali G. , Jayarao Mayur , Chin Lawrence S. , Delalle Ivana
Published: January 2009

Ganglioglioma is a tumor occurring in children and young adults and characterized by a superficial cortical location and biphasic histologic differentiation encompassing neuronal and glial elements. Ganglioglioma may arise anywhere throughout the neuraxis, including the optic nerve, brain stem, pineal gland, cerebellum, cerebrum, and spinal cord; however, the majority of glioneuronal neoplasms involve the temporal lobe. Gangliogliomas may show focal leptomeningeal involvement, but predominant leptomeningeal involvement by gangliogliomas is extremely rare; only 2 cases of ganglioglioma extensively involving the leptomeninges have been reported. In this report, we present an unusual case of a ganglioglioma predominantly present within the leptomeninges of a 15-year-old boy with a history of seizures. Furthermore, the cerebral cortex beneath the tumor showed dysplastic changes. We report a very unusual case of ganglioglioma involving predominantly the cerebral leptomeninges and associated with adjacent cerebral cortical dysplasia. Histologic characteristics and diagnostic pitfalls are discussed.
Placental Cryptococcus Neoformans Infection without Neonatal Disease: Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Darko Angela D. , Dim Daniel C. , Taylor Gregory , Watson Douglas C. , Sun Chen-Chih
Published: January 2009

We report placental cryptococcosis in a woman with multi-drug resistant human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. She received antifungal therapy for cryptococcal meningitis prior to delivery. Cesarean section was performed with delivery of a single full-term male infant. There was no evidence of HIV or cryptococcal infection in the infant. The placenta grossly showed multiple white nodules. Microscopically, numerous encapsulated budding yeasts, morphologically consistent with cryptococci, were identified in the intervillous space and, to a lesser extent, in the chorionic villi. Cryptococcal infections are not uncommon, but only 2 cases of placental cryptococcosis have been reported. Our case is the 1st account documenting cryptococcal organisms within the chorionic villi, and yet there was no evidence of infection in the infant. Mother-to-fetal transmission of cryptococcal infection is not well defined. We review the literature and discuss its possible mechanisms.
Acquisition of Word-Formation Categories by Children with Hearing Loss
Authors: Muzyka Ewa
Published: January 2009

Acquisition of Word-Formation Categories by Children with Hearing Loss

The article describes the competence of children with hearing loss in comprehending and producing derivational (word-formation constructions) belonging to various categories. The skills of children with hearing loss are compared with the skills of hearing children. The extensive field of observation - the object of study were all word-formation categories (productive in contemporary Polish) - caused this article to focus exclusively on quantitative analyses. The conclusions that follow from them allow us to determine the hierarchy of word-formation categories, ordered according to the degree of difficulty, and to compare the level of their acquisition by hearing children, hard-of-hearing children (using the hearing sense) and by deaf ones (not using the hearing sense). This hierarchy is different in the area of interpreting than in the area of producing derivational (word-formation) constructions. The degree of complication of the semantic structure of the categories investigated has a distinct effect on the level of their acquisition. If we adopt the view that the categorization of the world by the learning mind is reflected in derivational constructions, analyses of the abilities of children with hearing loss in this sphere of linguistic functions allow us to access the available subjective ways of how they perceive and interpret the phenomena of treality. The analyses proper are preceded by a description of the investigation instrument employed: a word-formation questionnaire, which is a methodological proposal for studying word formation in school-age children.
Lexical Skills in Alzheimer's Dementia (Based on the Material of Dialogue Utterances)
Authors: Domagała Aneta
Published: January 2009

Lexical Skills in Alzheimer's Dementia (Based on the Material of Dialogue Utterances)

The paper discusses the lexical skills of adults with Alzheimer's dementia, assessed on the material of dialogue utterances. The paper presents a proposal for a way of describing lexical disorders in dementia and illustrates the problems commonly occurring in this group of patients. The linguistic analysis covered 1000 pages of transcripts of conversations with patients with moderate and severe intensity of dementia. In the discussion of the results, the most common symptoms of lexical disorders were presented that characterize functional behaviors in dementia: quasi-nomination with the use of the pronoun, transfer of a name, and delexicalization (dephraseologization). At the same time, the behaviors and reactions of patients were shown that appear in the situation of experiencing communication failures due to a decreased lexical skills.
Effects of Various Doses of Cholecystokinin Octapeptide and Cerulein on Antral Slow-Wave Frequency and Amplitude in Conscious Sheep
Authors: Romański K. W.
Published: January 2009

It is suspected that cholecystokinin (CCK) might affect antral slow-wave frequency and amplitude, but in sheep this problem is virtually unknown. Therefore the myoelectric activity was continuously recorded before and after intravenous administration of 0.15 M NaCl or CCK peptides in adult rams, equipped with platinum bipolar electrodes in the abomasal antrum, duodenum, and jejunum. CCK octapeptide (CCK-OP) was given to five rams at doses of 17.5, 175, or 1750 pmol/ kg and cerulein was administered to six rams at doses of 0.735, 7.35, or 73.5 pmol/kg of body weight. Each dose was infused to fasted or non-fasted animals for 30, 60, 120, or 300 s during phase 1, 2a or 2b (the less or more intense) of the migrating myoelectric complex (MMC). The 300-sec infusion of the moderate CCK-OP dose during the less intense or more intense phase 2b of the MMC increased the antral slow-wave amplitude from 79 ± 7 to 124 ± 26 μV (p < 0.01) and from 82 ± 8 to 175 ± 40 μV (p < 0.001), respectively. The 300-sec infusion of the highest CCK-OP dose under the same conditions increased antral slow-wave amplitude from 79 ± 6 to 121 ± 24 μV (p < 0.05) and from 84 ± 9 to 138 ± 27 μV (p < 0.01), respectively. Administration of the moderate dose of CCK for 120 s in the course of the less or more intense phase 2b of the MMC increased antral slow-wave frequency from 6.1 ± 0.2 to 6.6 ± 0.4 cpm (N.S.) and from 6.1 ± 0.3 to 6.8 ± 0.4 cpm (p < 0.05), respectively. Administration of the highest dose of CCK-OP for 120 s in the course of the less or more intense phase 2b of the MMC increased the antral slow-wave frequency from 6.2 ± 0.3 to 7.2 ± 0.4 (p < 0.05) and from 6.0 ± 0.3 to 7.8 ± 0.6 cpm (p < 0.001), respectively. It is concluded that CCK in physiological and putatively pharmacological doses can affect the slow-wave frequency and amplitude in sheep related in part to the small-intestinal MMC phase and the intensity of the antral motor activity.
Influence of Chromium and Cadmium Addition on Quality of Japanese Quail Eggs
Authors: Skalická M. , Koréneková B. , Naď P. , Šály J.
Published: January 2009

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of chromium (Cr) and cadmium (Cd) on the quality of Japanese quail eggs. The birds (n = 60) were divided into 3 groups of 20 animals each. Group 1 was the control group. Group 2 was administered 0.12 mg Cr/day (Cr group) per quail in drinking water, whereas Group 3 was given a combination of 0.12 mg Cd and 0.12 mg Cr/ day (Cd-Cr group). The distribution of Cd in eggs, the egg mass, and the strength and thickness of shells was determined after after Day 35 and 58 of administration. Addition of Cr had a positive effect on the weight of eggs. A significant decrease of eggshell strength (p < 0.05) and thickness was found after Day 35 and 58 of the experiment in the Cd-Cr group (3) in comparison to the Cr-only group (2) and the control group (1). The content of Cd was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in eggshells and in the egg yolk from the Cr-only group (2) in comparison to the Cd-Cr group (3) and the control group (1). The data show that addition of Cr can improve quality indicators of quail eggs and eliminate the negative effect of Cd.
Efficacy of Organic Selenium from Se-Enriched Yeast on Selenium Transfer from Sows to Piglets
Authors: Svoboda M. , Ficek R. , Drábek J.
Published: January 2009

The aim of the trial was to determine the efficacy of organic Se from Se-enriched yeast in placental transfer to piglets in the conditions of a Czech pig farm. In group I (n = 8) the sows were fed during gestation and lactation a diet supplemented with inorganic Se (sodium selenite, 0.3 mg/kg of Se for the gestation and 0.38 mg/kg of Se for the lactation diet). In group II (n = 8) the diet of the sows was supplemented with organic Se from Se-enriched yeast (0.3 mg/kg of Se for the gestation and 0.38 mg/kg of Se for the lactation diet). Se concentrations in the whole blood, colostrum and milk were higher (P < 0.01) in the group of sows fed with the organic Se form. No differences in GSH-Px activities in the whole blood were found between the two groups of sows. The concentrations of Se in piglet tissues (heart P < 0.05, liver P > 0.01, muscle P > 0.01) were also higher when the organic form was provided. It is concluded that the use of the organic Se from Se-enriched yeast in sows resulted in greater transfer of Se to their progeny, however it did not have a positive effect on the antioxidant system of the organism.
Contents of Zn, Cu, Mn and Se in Milk in Relation to their Concentrations in Blood, Milk Yield and Stage of Lactation in Dairy Cattle
Authors: Pechová A. , Pavlata L. , Dvořák R. , Lokajová E.
Published: January 2009

The objective of the study was to assess the effect of actual daily milk production and lactation stage on concentrations of Zn, Mn, Cu and Se in milk, and monitor correlations between milk and blood concentrations of these microelements. The study was performed in a herd of Holstein cattle with the average milk yield of 8,562 kg. Thirty-five dairy cows housed in one group were included in the study. Blood and milk samples were taken during two separate milk yield checks done 4 weeks apart. Actual milk production of monitored cows ranged from 19.6 to 62.6 l daily. For lactation stages we evaluated results of examinations performed from 7 to 188 days of lactation. Blood examinations showed that the cows included in our study had good supplementation with the microelements in question. Milk concentrations of individual microelements were as follows: 3855.2 ± 814.7 μg/l of Zn; 36.3 ± 14.4 μg/l of Cu; 20.1 ± 8.3 μg/l of Mn, and 28.6 ± 7.1 μg/l of Se. The effect of daily milk production on milk concentrations of the microelements was identified only for copper (r = -0.302, p ⪬ 0.05). The variable of days of lactation (not considering days of the colostrum period) showed a positive correlation in manganese (r = 0.419, p ⪬ 0.01); copper and selenium showed negative correlations (Cu: r = -0.258, p ⪬ 0.05; Se: r = -0.277, p ⪬ 0.05). The daily milk production influenced negatively only Cu concentration in milk, but Se, Zn and Mn was not influenced.With advancing lactation after colostrum period the concentration of Mn in milk raised, the concentration of Cu and Se declined and the concentration of Zn was unchanged.
Influence of Live Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on Milk Production and Composition, and Blood Biochemistry of Grazing Dairy Ewes during the Milking Period
Authors: Mašek T. , Mikulec Ž. , Valpotić H. , Antunac N. , Mikulec N. , Stojević Z. , Filipović N. , Pahović S.
Published: January 2009

A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the influence of live yeast culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on milk production, composition, and blood biochemistry of dairy ewes during the machine milking period. The control group (CD) was fed a concentrate mixture and hay and grazed twice daily, while the second (YS3) and third (YS6) groups were fed the same diet supplemented with 3 or 6 g of live yeast culture (Yea Sacc1026), respectively. The treated groups had significantly higher values (p < 0.05) for fat corrected milk (FCM) (1221, 1116 and 940 g/day, for YS6, YS3 and CD group, respectively) and fat-protein corrected milk (FPCM) (1204, 1103 and 931 g/day, for YS6, YS3 and CD group, respectively), while the values for milk yield, fat yield and lactose yield were higher (p < 0.05) only in the YS6 group compared to the CD group. Milk yield values were constantly higher in the YS6 group than in the control group while the values for the YS3 group were more variable during milking. Milk composition was not significantly affected by yeast supplementation with the exception of urea values which were lower (p < 0.05) in the YC6 group. Yeast administration influenced β-hydroxy-butyrate (BHB) values, which were higher (p < 0.05) in the treated groups; and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) values, which were higher (p < 0.05) only in the YS6 group compared to the control group. Other blood biochemistry values were not influenced by the treatments. We conclude that supplementation with live yeast culture, under the conditions of our experiment, had a significant effect on the performance and metabolism of grazing dairy ewes during the machine milking period. Based on more constant results, we could recommend the inclusion of live yeast culture (Yea Sacc1026) at 6g/animal/day as appropriate for field conditions.
Feeding Fish Oil and Linseed Oil to Laying Hens to Increase the n-3 PUFA in Egg Yolk
Authors: Kralik G. , Škrtić Z. , Suchý P. , Straková E. , Gajčević Z.
Published: January 2009

The research was carried out to assess the possibility of egg yolk enrichment with n-3 PUFA through supplementation of fish oil (FO) and linseed oil (LO) to layer diet. A total of 84 ISA Brown laying hens were divided into three groups. Each group consisted of seven cages with four hens per cage. Groups received diets differing in combinations of oils. The diet fed to group E1 contained 1.50% LO and 3.5% FO, group E2 had diets with 2.5% LO and 2.5% FO, and group E3 was fed diets with 3.5% LO and 1.5% FO. Contents of fatty acids in oils, diets and egg yolks were analyzed. The egg yolk content of α-linolenic acid (α-LNA) and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) in total fatty acids was increased (P < 0.001) due to the increased content of linseed oil in hen diet and it was the most favourable in group E3. In groups E1, E2 and E3, the α-LNA content was 3.25%, 4.33% and 5.18%, respectively, and the n-3 PUFA content was 6.80%, 7.22% and 8.50%, respectively. The content of eicosapentaenoic acid was higher (P < 0.05) in egg yolks of group E1 than that of groups E2 and E3. No significant differences (P > 0.05) were found among groups in the docosahexaenoic acid content. The omega-6/omega-3 PUFA ratio in groups E1, E2 and E3 was 2.96, 2.93 and 2.49, respectively. Increased concentration of linseed oil and reduced concentration of rapeseed oil in diets resulted in less SFA (P < 0.001) and more n-3 PUFA in egg yolks. It was determined that laying hens have the ability to synthesize EPA and DHA from α-LNA if they receive enough α-LNA through their diets.
Lipolytic Activity of Potential Probiotic Enterococci and Additive Staphylococci
Authors: Simonová M. , Sirotek K. , Marounek M. , Lauková A.
Published: January 2009

The ability to produce lipolytic enzymes by enterococci and staphylococci isolated from rabbit faeces and traditional Slovak sausages was examined. Seven strains (3 by genopypization allotted to the species Enterococcus faecium and 1 Enterococcus species of rabbit origin, 2 rabbit staphylococci and 1 Staphylococcus xylosus SX SO1/1M/1´/2 strain - sausage isolate) were lipolytic activity free, whereas lipolytic activity of remaining isolates varied in the range from 61.4 ± 0.0 to 470.7 ± 0.0 mmol/h/mg of protein. In general, enterococci isolated from sausages showed higher lipolytic activity compared to rabbit enterococci; on the other hand, rabbit staphylococci produced more lipase than was measured in staphylococci from fermented meat products. The predominance of staphylococcal lipolytic activity of both origins was detected; the selected strains could be recommended as starter culture in sausage production, e.g. by improving meat quality due to their lipid content.