bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding early communication signals in autism: a study of the perception of infants' cry
Authors: Esposito G. , Venuti P.
Published: February 2010

Background  Previous studies have highlighted that episodes of crying of children with autistic disorder (AD) were perceived as inexplicable from their parents who could not identify causative factors. These results supported the view of AD as related to a problem of expressing and sharing emotions. Moreover, no evidence has been presented on which characteristics of a cry episode influence the adult perception. Aim of our research is to investigate how acoustical features of crying episodes modulate their perception of infants with ASD compared with infants with typical development (TD) and infants with developmental delay (DD).

Methods  Two studies were employed. In study 1, we artificially modified structural parameters (fundamental frequency, duration of the pauses, waveform modulation) of a cry episode, and then 50 adults (parents and non‐parents) were asked to judge the level of distress elicited. In study 2, acoustic analysis was applied to episodes of crying selected from retrospective home videos of 42 children with AD, TD and DD at 18 months.

Results  The results showed that (1) differences in the fundamental frequency and in other structural parameters of the cry lead parents and non‐parents to perceive an episode of crying as more aversive and (2) at 18 months of age, AD episodes of crying have higher fundamental frequency (f0).

Conclusion  Our findings offer support for the hypothesis that acoustic characteristics of episodes of crying of children with autism, especially higher fundamental frequencies, may account for mental states of uneasiness in the listener.
Water use efficiency and associated physiological traits of nine naturalized white clover populations in Chile
Authors: Inostroza L. , Acuña H.
Published: February 2010

With 1 figure and 4 tables

Water use efficiency (WUE) of nine naturalized white clover (Trifolium repens L.) populations was evaluated to select parental genotypes for future breeding programmes and to identify associated physiological traits that could be used as selection criteria. A greenhouse experiment was carried out during the spring of 2007 in Chillán, Chile (36º03′S, 72º07′W). The nine naturalized populations plus two controls were planted in pots containing soil as substrate. The plants were grown under two soil water treatments: with water stress (−1 MPa) and without water stress (−0.01 MPa). The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. Transpirated water (T) was recorded daily by weighing the pots, shoot DM (leaves + petioles + stolons) production was measured and WUE was calculated (shoot DM/T). Stomatal conductance (gs), chlorophyll content, relative water content, leaf 13C isotopic discrimination, canopy temperature and stolon water potential were also evaluated. The WUE varied significantly (P = 0.05) among populations and increased under drought conditions because of gs reduction. A high WUE was associated with populations that had a low leaf area DM investment and high stolon DM investment.
Changes in the Management of Doctoral Education
Authors: BASCHUNG LUKAS
Published: February 2010

This article deals with the current reform of European doctoral education. It is argued that the concrete results of the reform can be better understood by analysing changes in the management of doctoral programmes. This rests on the case study of a Norwegian PhD programme in finance and is based on an analytical framework composed of three public management narratives: New Public Management (NPM), Network Governance (NG) and Neo‐Weberian‐State (NWS). The latter allows for a particular focus on the instruments, actors and objectives of governance. The article concludes that the examined doctoral programme's management story can be divided into two episodes. The first — the ‘internationalisation’ episode — is shaped by the academic profession in finance which uses a wide range of constraining NPM instruments and applies them in a comprehensive manner to doctoral education in order to achieve its overall objective, namely to implement an internationally competitive PhD programme. The second — the ‘integration’ episode — is about a recently developed policy instrument with relatively non‐constraining NWS elements, used by the State to establish National Research Schools. The latter are principally aimed at the better development and coordination of doctoral training between small and large higher education institutions. Due to those differences between the two episodes in terms of constraining character and scope, the reform of the examined doctoral programme is strongly shaped by the first episode. Hence, the reform essentially consists in a doctoral programme with an international and academic character.
An analysis of the reasons for the asymmetries surrounding earnings benchmarks
Authors: Bennett Bruce K. , Bradbury Michael E.
Published: February 2010

Several studies report an asymmetry in the distribution of earnings around specified benchmarks. However, doubt has arisen over whether the observed ‘kink’ in the distribution of earnings is solely caused by earnings management. We use a ratio analysis approach to examine a range of specific accruals for evidence of earnings management. We find little evidence that firms immediately above the benchmark have abnormal receivables, inventories or provisions. However, they do increase cash‐from‐customers and reduce inventory. Thus, our results support the recent research that suggests that firms engage in real actions to meet earnings benchmarks.
Ritual dynamics in humanitarian assistance
Authors: Richards Paul
Published: February 2010

Those who intervene in crises must take care to ensure that assistance does not undermine the processes through which social cohesion is generated or restored. From a neo‐Durkheimian analytical perspective, feeding creates social loyalties as well as saves lives. Humanitarian agencies provide practical assistance to livelihoods, but they need also to create space for the ritual agency on which social cohesion depends. Attention to the rituals of food distribution helps humanitarian actors to address a potentially damaging dissociation between social and material facts. A post‐war food security project in Sierra Leone is used to illustrate the point. The lessons of this intervention have implications for the organisation of humanitarian assistance at all levels, both international and local. The paper argues that establishing space for ritualisation within humanitarian programmes is an obligation for those who wish to do no harm.
Social and linguistic perspectives on variability in world Englishes
Authors: VAN ROOY BERTUS
Published: February 2010

ABSTRACT: Linguistic variability is a peripheral concern to many linguistic approaches. This paper argues that much is gained by taking variability seriously. An examination of the views of Trudgill and Schneider leads to a number of insights into new varieties of English, which may have wider implications for a general understanding of variability in language. Trudgill's claim that the stabilisation of colonial varieties of English is achieved deterministically, without the mediating role of social forces is considered, but not accepted. However, Trudgill draws attention to the important influence of the distribution of variants in the input to the eventual outcome. Schneider's model is accepted as far as the social processes are concerned, but has to be supplemented with a more thorough consideration of the input to language contact settings. The examination of the two views lead to two insights into social and psycholinguistic aspects of English language acquisition and the formation of new varieties in Outer Circle contexts. On the social side, learners are exposed to more variability, but simultaneously receive less input. Conventions and stabilisation are therefore likely to take longer. On the psycholinguistic side, learners are cognitively more mature when language acquisition starts, leading to general schemas that are less instance‐based than those acquired by young children whose cognitive and linguistic development are aligned. On the basis of a deeper appreciation of variability in new varieties of English, it is concluded that standardisation is unlikely to have a significant effect on new varieties, and that they will develop conventions grounded in actual language use.
“Still, she didn't see what I was trying to say”:Towards a history of framing Navajo English in Navajo written poetry
Authors: WEBSTER ANTHONY K.
Published: February 2010

ABSTRACT:  This paper outlines the ways that Navajo poetry was framed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, as “unsophisticated” and non‐literary by the introductory materials written by non‐Native Americans for collections of Native American poetry. At issue was a view that saw the use of Navajo English, a distinctive vernacular dialect, as a deficient form of language use and the ways this was iconically read as an exemplar of the “inarticulate” Indian stereotype. I analyse the way that T.D. Allen presents Navajo poet Blackhorse Mitchell's first written poem and I contrast that with the ways that Mitchell described the motivations for the writing of the poem, the meaning of the poem, and the ways that in performing the poem in 2008 he changes the tense system that was imposed by Allen onto the poem back to a Navajo English aspectual system. Mitchell reasserts his authorship over this poem and the expressive potential of that poem.
Increasing HIV transmission through male homosexual and heterosexual contact in Australia: results from an extended back‐projection approach
Authors: Wand H , Yan P , Wilson D , McDonald A , Middleton M , Kaldor J , Law M
Published: February 2010

Objectives

The aim of the study was to reconstruct the HIV epidemic in Australia for selected populations categorized by exposure route; namely, transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM), transmission among injecting drug users (IDUs), and transmission among heterosexual men and women in Australia.

Design

Statistical back‐projection techniques were extended to reconstruct the historical HIV infection curve using surveillance data.

Methods

We developed and used a novel modified back‐projection modelling technique that makes maximal use of all available surveillance data sources in Australia, namely, (1) newly diagnosed HIV infections, (2) newly acquired HIV infections and (3) AIDS diagnoses.

Results

The analyses suggest a peak HIV incidence in Australian MSM of ∼2000 new infections per year in the late 1980s, followed by a rapid decline to a low of <500 in the early 1990s. We estimate that, by 2007, cumulatively ∼20  000 MSM were infected with HIV, of whom 13% were not diagnosed with HIV infection. Similarly, a total of ∼1050 and ∼2600 individuals were infected through sharing needles and heterosexual contact, respectively, and in 12% and 23% of these individuals, respectively, the infection remained undetected.

Discussion

Male homosexual contact accounts for the majority of new HIV infections in Australia. However, the transmission route distribution of new HIV infections has changed over time. The number of HIV infections is increasing substantially among MSM, increasing moderately in those infected via heterosexual exposure, and decreasing in IDUs.
HIV and people over 50 years old in Europe
Authors: Lazarus JV , Nielsen KK
Published: February 2010

Objective
The aim of the study was to report on HIV and older people in the European Region, including new data stratified by subregion and year.

Methods
Data were collected from the 2008 World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, Communicable Diseases Unit survey on HIV/AIDS and health systems.

Results
It was found that 12.9% of newly reported cases of HIV infection in Western Europe in 2007 were in people aged 50 years or older. In Central Europe, almost one‐in‐10 newly reported cases of HIV infection were in older people, while the proportion in Eastern Europe was 3.7% in 2007.

Conclusions
The issue of HIV infection among older people is of increasing concern as more people age with HIV infection as a result of the availability of combination antiretroviral therapy.
Families promote emotional and behavioural resilience to bullying: evidence of an environmental effect
Authors: Bowes Lucy , Maughan Barbara , Caspi Avshalom , Moffitt Terrie E. , Arseneault Louise
Published: February 2010

Background:  Bullied children are at risk for later emotional and behavioural problems. ‘Resilient’ children function better than would be expected given their experience of bullying victimisation. This study examined the role of families in promoting resilience following bullying victimisation in primary school.

Method:  Data were from the Environmental Risk (E‐Risk) Study which describes a nationally representative sample of 1,116 twin pairs and their families. We used mothers’ and children’s reports to examine bullying victimisation during primary school and mothers’ and teachers’ reports to measure children’s emotional and behavioural adjustment at ages 10 and 12. We used mothers’ and interviewers’ reports to derive measures of protective factors in the home including maternal warmth, sibling warmth and positive atmosphere at home.

Results:  Results from linear regression models showed that family factors were associated with children’s resilience to bullying victimisation. Maternal warmth, sibling warmth and a positive atmosphere at home were particularly important in bullied children compared to non‐bullied children in promoting emotional and behavioural adjustment. We used a twin differences design to separate out environmental protective factors in twins who are genetically identical. Differences in maternal warmth between twins from genetically identical monozygotic pairs concordant for bullying victimisation were correlated with twin differences in behavioural problems (r = –.23) such that the twin who received the most warmth had fewer behavioural problems. This shows that maternal warmth has an environmental effect in protecting children from the negative outcomes associated with being bullied.

Conclusions:  Warm family relationships and positive home environments help to buffer children from the negative outcomes associated with bullying victimisation. Warm parent–child relationships can exert an environmentally mediated effect on children’s behavioural adjustment following bullying victimisation. Identifying protective factors that promote resilience to bullying victimisation could lead to improved intervention strategies targeting the home environment.
Safety profile of oxcarbazepine: Results from a prescription‐event monitoring study
Authors: Buggy Yvonne , Layton Deborah , Fogg Carole , Shakir Saad A.W.
Published: February 2010

Purpose:  To monitor safety of oxcarbazepine, prescribed in primary care in England, using prescription‐event monitoring (PEM).

Methods:  Postmarketing surveillance using observational cohort technique of PEM. Exposure data were obtained from dispensed British National Health Service prescriptions issued by general practitioners (GPs) March 2000–July 2003. Demographic, drug utilization, and clinical event data were collected from questionnaires posted to GPs at least 6 months after first prescription date for each patient. Incidence densities (IDs) (number of first reports per 1,000 patient‐months of treatment) were calculated and differences for events reported in month 1 (ID1) and months 2–6 (ID2–6) (99% confidence intervals) were examined for changes in event rates. Follow‐up and causality assessment of medically significant events were undertaken.

Results:  The cohort comprised 2,243 patients [mean age 40.4 years; range 2–99 years; standard deviation (SD) 18.8; 46.3% (n = 1,038) male]. Most frequently reported primary indications were epilepsy, convulsion (n = 1,111; 49.5%, n = 209; 9.3%, respectively). GPs recorded 932 reasons for stopping medication in 698 (31.1%) patients; most frequent clinical reason “drowsiness/sedation” (n = 57; 2.5% of cohort). Clinical events (excluding indication) associated with starting treatment (lower 99% CI > 0) included: “drowsiness/sedation” (ID1‐ID2–6 = 14.2), “nausea/vomiting” (ID1‐ID2–6 = 13.0), and dizziness (ID1‐ID2–6 = 11.6). Events followed up and assessed as probably related to oxcarbazepine use included rash (7 of 11) and hyponatremia (15 of 38).

Discussion:  There were no serious adverse drug reactions reported during this study. Results of the study should be taken in context with other epidemiologic studies.
Sociocultural and psychological features of perceived stigma reported by people with epilepsy in Benin
Authors: Rafael Florentina , Houinato Dismand , Nubukpo Philippe , Dubreuil Catherine‐Marie , Tran Duc Si , Odermatt Peter , Clément Jean‐Pierre , Weiss Mitchell G. , Preux Pierre‐Marie
Published: February 2010

Purpose:  Stigma is a major burden of epilepsy. In sub‐Saharan Africa the few studies that addressed epilepsy stigma emphasize enacted, rather than perceived, stigma. This inattention may compromise clinical management and delay help seeking, thereby contributing to the treatment gap. We assessed perceived stigma and identified sociocultural and psychological factors explaining greater stigma among people with epilepsy (PWE) in Benin.

Methods:  PWE included in this study were ascertained using a door‐to‐door survey in the general population in a Beninese rural area. We applied both qualitative and quantitative research methods to assess stigma and patient’s experience and beliefs. An Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue (EMIC) and verbally administered questionnaires provided data for demographic, clinical, and sociocultural features. Sociocultural features were evaluated in terms of illness‐related experience and sociocultural representations of epilepsy. Depression and anxiety were also screened.

Results:  Eighty PWE were included. About 68.7% reported feeling stigmatized. Multivariate regression revealed that factors independently associated with perceived stigma were experience of social isolation (p < 0.001), experience of marital problems (p < 0.01), and presence of anxiety disorder (p < 0.01).

Discussion:  Perceived stigma is an important issue in epilepsy in Benin. Social factors seem to be more influential than sociocultural representation of epilepsy. Insofar as research is needed in other African countries to determine the nature and relevant features of stigma to improve treatment and control.
Can BIS monitoring be used to assess the depth of propofol anesthesia in the treatment of refractory status epilepticus?
Authors: Musialowicz Tadeusz , Mervaala Esa , Kälviäinen Reetta , Uusaro Ari , Ruokonen Esko , Parviainen Ilkka
Published: February 2010

Purpose:  Appropriate treatment of generalized convulsive refractory status epilepticus (RSE) requires general anesthesia in the intensive care unit (ICU) with continuous electroencephalography (cEEG) monitoring. During out of office hours and weekends, cEEG monitoring is not always available. The Bispectral Index (BIS) monitor can be used to assess the hypnotic component of general anesthesia. We conducted a study to evaluate the feasibility of using the BIS monitoring to assess the burst suppression (BS) pattern during propofol anesthesia in RSE.

Methods:  Ten adult patients with RSE admitted to the ICU were monitored simultaneously with cEEG and BIS monitoring. We compared the BIS and suppression ratio (SR) values with the EEG burst suppression pattern when the depth of anesthesia was titrated to the BS level monitoring by cEEG.

Results:  We found an excellent correlation between the cEEG burst rate per minute and the BIS (r2 = −0.9; p < 0.001) and SR (r2 = −0.88; p < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of BIS score of 30 to detect BS in electroencephalography were 99% and 98%, respectively. The BIS monitor was not able to recognize regional epileptic activity and epileptic bursts during the BS pattern.

Discussion:  The cEEG can be considered as the primary monitoring technique in the assessment of the depth of anesthesia in the treatment of RSE. If cEEG is not available, the BIS monitor can be used to guide the level of anesthesia, targeting BS in patients with RSE.
Effects of Posture on Newborn Crying
Authors: Lin Hung‐Chu , Green James A.
Published: February 2010

Acoustic properties of the cries of 14 infants were evaluated at both 2 and 4 weeks of age when the infants were lying in a supine position and when they were sitting upright in a car seat. In the upright position, infants' breathing was more rapid and showed less individual variability. The fundamental frequency of their cries increased in the upright position, but this increase was likely attributable to increased arousal or distress, not to posture per se. There were no differences in acoustic measures related to vocal tract shape in the supine versus upright positions. Across age, there was a decline in fundamental frequency. Individual difference stability of most acoustic measures was moderate to high. The importance of postural effects on the acoustic features of cries was discussed.
Differences in How 12‐ and 24‐Month‐Olds Interpret the Gaze of Adults
Authors: Moore Chris , Povinelli Daniel J.
Published: February 2010

This study examined the hypothesis that toddlers interpret an adult's head turn as evidence that the adult was looking at something, whereas younger infants interpret gaze based on an expectancy that an interesting object will be present on the side to which the adult has turned. Infants of 12 months and toddlers of 24 months were first shown that an adult head turn to the side predicted the activation of a remote‐controlled toy on that side of the room. After this connection had been demonstrated, participants were assigned to 2 conditions. In the head turn condition the toys were removed but the adult continued to produce head turns to the side. In the toy condition the adult stopped turning but the toys continued to be activated when the participant turned toward them. Results showed that, compared to 12‐month‐olds, 24‐month‐olds were more likely to continue to turn to the side when the adult continued to turn even though there was no longer anything of interest to see. In contrast, compared to 24‐month‐olds, 12‐month‐olds were, if anything, more likely to continue to turn to the side in the condition in which the adult stopped turning. The latter result was replicated in a condition in which the activation of the toy was not contingent on the child's own head turn. These results imply that the meaning of gaze following may change significantly over the 2nd year of life. For 12‐month‐olds, gaze is a useful predictor of where interesting sights may occur. In contrast, for 24‐month‐olds, gaze may be a signal that the adult is looking at something.
Mechanisms of Visual Object Recognition in Infancy: Five‐Month‐Olds Generalize Beyond the Interpolation of Familiar Views
Authors: Mash Clay , Arterberry Martha E. , Bornstein Marc H.
Published: February 2010

This work examined predictions of the interpolation of familiar views (IFV) account of object recognition performance in 5‐month‐olds. Infants were familiarized to an object either from a single viewpoint or from multiple viewpoints varying in rotation around a single axis. Object recognition was then tested in both conditions with the same object rotated around a novel axis. Infants in the multiple‐views condition recognized the object, whereas infants in the single‐view condition provided no evidence for recognition. Under the same 2 familiarization conditions, infants in a 2nd experiment treated as novel an object that differed in only 1 component from the familiar object. Infants' object recognition is enhanced by experience with multiple views, even when that experience is around an orthogonal axis of rotation, and infants are sensitive to even subtle shape differences between components of similar objects. In general, infants' performance does not accord with the predictions of the IFV model of object recognition. These findings motivate the extension of future research and theory beyond the limits of strictly interpolative mechanisms.
Infants' Reactions to Object Collision on Hit and Miss Trajectories
Authors: Schmuckler Mark. A. , Collimore Lisa M. , Dannemiller James L.
Published: February 2010

This experiment investigated the impact of the path of approach of an object, from head on versus from the side, and the type of imminent contact with that object, a hit versus a miss, on young infants' perceptions of object looming. Consistent with earlier studies, we found that 4‐ to 5‐month‐old infants do indeed discriminate hits versus misses. We also found a novel result regarding the path of the approaching object. The discrimination of hits from misses was modified by whether or not the approaching objects passed in front of the infants' faces; objects crossing the line of sight evoked more frequent defensive reactions than objects that did not cross the line of sight, regardless of whether or not such objects were on a collision course. These findings are discussed within the context of the development of visually guided locomotion and linear versus nonlinear paths of translation through the world.
Assessing Speech Discrimination in Individual Infants
Authors: Houston Derek M. , Horn David L. , Qi Rong , Ting Jonathan Y. , Gao Sujuan
Published: February 2010

Assessing speech discrimination skills in individual infants from clinical populations (e.g., infants with hearing impairment) has important diagnostic value. However, most infant speech discrimination paradigms have been designed to test group effects rather than individual differences. Other procedures suffer from high attrition rates. In this study, we developed 4 variants of the Visual Habituation Procedure (VHP) and assessed their robustness in detecting individual 9‐month‐old infants' ability to discriminate highly contrastive nonwords. In each variant, infants were first habituated to audiovisual repetitions of a nonword (seepug) before entering the test phase. The test phase in Experiment 1 (extended variant) consisted of 7 old trials (seepug) and 7 novel trials (boodup) in alternating order. In Experiment 2, we tested 3 novel variants that incorporated methodological features of other behavioral paradigms. For the oddity variant, only 4 novel trials and 10 old trials were used. The stimulus alternation variant was identical to the extended variant except that novel trials were replaced with “alternating” trials—trials that contained repetitions of both the old and novel nonwords. The hybrid variant incorporated elements from both the oddity and the stimulus alternation variants. The hybrid variant proved to be the most successful in detecting statistically significant discrimination in individual infants (8 out of 10), suggesting that both the oddity and the stimulus alternation features contribute to providing a robust methodology for assessing discrimination in individual infants. In Experiment 3, we found that the hybrid variant had good test‐retest reliability. Implications of these results for future infant speech perception work with clinical populations are discussed.
Perceptual Organization Based on Common Region in Infancy
Authors: Bhatt Ramesh S. , Hayden Angela , Quinn Paul C.
Published: February 2010

We examined whether infants organize information according to the newly proposed principle of common region, which states that elements within a region are grouped together and separated from those of other regions. In Experiment 1, 6‐ to 7‐month‐olds exhibited sensitivity to regions by discriminating between the displacement of an element within a region versus across regions. In Experiments 2 (6‐ to 7‐month‐olds) and 3 (3‐ to 4‐month‐olds), infants who were habituated to 2 elements in each of 2 regions subsequently discriminated between a familiar and novel grouping in familiar and novel regions. Thus, infants as young as 3 to 4 months of age are not only sensitive to regions in visual images, but also use these regions to group elements in accord with the principle of common region. Because common region analysis is critical to such basic visual functions as figure‐ground and object segregation, these results suggest that the organizational mechanism that underlies many vital visual functions is already operational by 3 to 4 months of age.
Infant Auditory Sensitivity to Pure Tones and Frequency‐Modulated Tones
Authors: Leibold Lori J. , Werner Lynne A.
Published: February 2010

It has been suggested that infants respond preferentially to infant‐directed speech because their auditory sensitivity to sounds with extensive frequency modulation (FM) is better than their sensitivity to less modulated sounds. In this experiment, auditory thresholds for FM tones and for unmodulated, or pure, tones in a background of noise were measured for 4‐month‐old infants using a conditioned response procedure. The FM tones swept from 150 to 275 Hz or from 150 to 550 Hz. The frequency of the pure tone was either 275 or 550 Hz. The results showed that infants were slightly, but significantly, more sensitive to the sounds that included 550 Hz than they were to the lower frequency sounds, whether or not the sound was frequency modulated. It appears that infants could be somewhat more sensitive to infant‐directed than to adult‐directed speech, not because of FM per se, but because the fundamental frequency excursions in infant‐directed speech extend into a higher frequency range than those in adult‐directed speech.
Neurobehavioral Consequences of Prenatal Exposure to Smoking at 6 to 8 Months of Age
Authors: Willoughby Michael , Greenberg Mark , Blair Clancy , Stifter Cynthia ,   The Family Life Investigative Group
Published: February 2010

Between 400,000 and 800,000 infants are born in the United States each year to women who smoked cigarettes during their pregnancy. Whereas the physical health consequences to infants of prenatal exposure to smoking are well established, the early neurobehavioral consequences are less well understood. This study investigated the neurobehavioral consequences of prenatal exposure to smoking using an epidemiologically derived sample of 454 infants who were drawn from a larger sample of 1,292 infants whose families were recruited at birth. Results indicated that, on average, infants who were exposed to higher levels of prenatal smoking exhibited less positive affect and greater irritability. Moreover, among male infants, elevated levels of prenatal exposure to smoking were associated with lower levels of approach, gross motor movement, reactivity, and attention. There was no evidence that the effects of prenatal exposure to smoking on infant neurobehavioral functioning were mediated by physical growth parameters (infant weight and head circumference) that are also known to be affected by prenatal exposure to smoking.
Object Representation in Infants' Coordination of Manipulative Force
Authors: Mash Clay
Published: February 2010

This study examined infants' use of object knowledge for scaling the manipulative force of object‐directed actions. Infants 9, 12, and 15 months of age were outfitted with motion‐analysis sensors on their arms and then presented with stimulus objects to examine individually over a series of familiarization trials. Two stimulus objects were used in the familiarization phase, and were identical in size, shape, and material, but different in color and weight. Following familiarization, two test objects that had been hidden from view were presented. The test objects were identical in appearance to the familiarization objects, but their color‐weight correspondence was reversed. Infants' actions on the test objects revealed selective, differential preparation for the specific weights experienced during familiarization. Because the objects were equivalent in their visual affordances for action, the differential preparation and coordination of manipulative force was based on knowledge acquired during the familiarization phase. Infants are capable of utilizing object representations to coordinate manipulative force in object‐directed actions.
Academic Achievement Through FLES: A Case for Promoting Greater Access to Foreign Language Study Among Young Learners
Authors: TAYLOR CAROLYN , LAFAYETTE ROBERT
Published: February 2010

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 established foreign languages as a core curricular content area; however, instructional emphasis continues to be placed on curricular areas that factor into state educational accountability programs. The present study explored whether foreign language study of first‐year Grade 3 foreign language students who continued their foreign language study through Grade 5 in Louisiana public schools contributed to their academic achievement in curricular areas tested on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) and the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program for the 21st Century (LEAP 21) test. Notable findings emerged. First, foreign language (FL) students significantly outperformed their non‐FL peers on every test (English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies) of the Grade 4 LEAP 21. Second, the present research suggested that regardless of the test, whether the Grade 4 criterion‐referenced LEAP 21 or the Grade 5 norm‐referenced ITBS, at each grade level FL students significantly outperformed their non‐FL counterparts on language achievement tests.
A comparison of implant stability quotients measured using magnetic resonance frequency analysis from two directions: a prospective clinical study during the initial healing period
Authors: Park Jong‐Chul , Kim Hyun‐Duck , Kim Soung‐Min , Kim Myung‐Jin , Lee Jong‐Ho
Published: February 2010

Objectives: Given that the orientation of the transducer (mesiodistal or buccolingual) affects the data obtained from a piezoelectric resonance frequency analysis (RFA), this study evaluated whether it is necessary to use measurements taken in two different directions (mesiodistal and buccolingual) when using magnetic RFA to assess changes in the stiffness of dental implants.

Materials and methods: A prospective clinical trial was completed, in a total of 53 patients, on 71 non‐submerged dental implants that were inserted to replace the unilateral loss of mandibular molars. All of the implants were of the same diameter (4.1 mm), length (10 mm), and collar height (2.8 mm). The implant stability quotient (ISQ) was measured during the surgical procedure, and at 4 and 10 weeks after surgery. Measurements were taken twice in each direction: in the buccolingual direction from the buccal side and in the mesiodistal direction from the mesial side. The average of two measurements in each direction was regarded as the representative ISQ of that direction. The higher and lower values of the two ISQs (buccolingual and mesiodistal) were also classified separately. In addition, the variation in ISQ was quantified by subtracting the lower value from the higher value, and the implants were classified into two groups according to this variation: one with ISQ variation of 3 or more and the other with a variation of <3.

Results: There were no differences between the two ISQs when measured from different directions, but there were significant differences between the higher and lower values of the ISQs at each measurement point. A significant difference was also observed between the two ISQ variation groups in the pattern of change of the lower value for the period from immediately after surgery to 10 weeks after surgery.

Conclusion: Acquisition of two directional measurements and classification of the higher and lower values of the two directional ISQs may allow clinicians to detect patterns of change in ISQ that would not be identified if only one directional measurement were made.

To cite this article:
 Park J‐C, Kim H‐D, Kim S‐M, Kim M‐J, Lee J‐H. A comparison of implant stability quotients measured using magnetic resonance frequency analysis from two directions: a prospective clinical study during the initial healing period. Clin. Oral Impl. Res. 21, 2010; 591–597. doi: 10.1111/j.1600‐0501.2009.01868.x
N‐Desmethylclozapine exerts dual and opposite effects on salivary secretion in the rat
Authors: Ekström Jörgen , Godoy Tania , Riva Alessandro
Published: February 2010

Ekström J, Godoy T, Riva A.N‐Desmethylclozapine exerts dual and opposite effects on salivary secretion in the rat. Eur J Oral Sci 2010; 118: 1–8. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation© 2010 Eur J Oral Sci

N‐Desmethylclozapine is a major metabolite of the atypical antipsychotic drug clozapine, used in the treatment of therapy‐resistant schizophrenia. Patients under clozapine treatment report a troublesome sialorrhea. Recent experiments show clozapine to exert mixed agonist/antagonist actions on salivary secretion in rats. The present study was performed to define the secretory role ofN‐desmethylclozapine and to compare it with that of its parent compound.N‐Desmethylclozapine evoked secretion by acting directly on the muscarinic acetylcholine M1‐receptors of ‘silent’ duct‐cannulated parotid and submandibular glands of the anaesthetized rat. In chronic surgically denervated glands, the secretory response was enlarged. The methacholine‐evoked secretion, as well as the parasympathetic nerve‐evoked secretion, were reduced byN‐desmethylclozapine and involved blockade of M3‐receptors, while the sympathetic nerve‐evoked response was reduced, involving blockade of α(1)‐adrenergic receptors. Synergistic interactions betweenN‐desmethylclozapine and the β‐adrenergic receptor agonist, isoprenaline, occurred. Compared with clozapine, the excitatory efficacy ofN‐desmethylclozapine was higher and the inhibitory efficacy was lower (parasympathetic activity) or about the same (sympathetic activity). Theoretically, in humans treated with clozapine, an increase in theN‐desmethylclozapine : clozapine ratio would contribute to salivation during the night and at rest, and, furthermore, the magnitude of the reduction in the reflexly elicited secretion is likely to diminish.
Measurements of volatile compound contents in resins using a moisture analyzer
Authors: Hashimoto Masanori , Nagano Futami , Endo Kazuhiko , Ohno Hiroki
Published: February 2010

Hashimoto M, Nagano F, Endo K, Ohno H. Measurements of volatile compound contents in resins using a moisture analyzer. Eur J Oral Sci 2010; 118: 94–99. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation© 2010 Eur J Oral Sci

The contents of volatile adhesive compounds, such as water, solvents, and residual unpolymerized monomers, affect the integrity and durability of adhesive bonding. However, there is no method available that can be used to rapidly assess the residual solvent or water contents of adhesive resins. This study examined the effectiveness of a digital moisture analyzer to measure the volatile compound contents of resins. Five self‐etching adhesives and seven experimental light‐cured resins prepared with different contents (0, 10, and 20% by weight) of water or solvents (acetone and ethanol) were examined in this study. The resins were prepared using different methods (with and without air blast or light‐curing) to simulate the clinical conditions of adhesive application. Resin weight changes (% of weight loss) were determined as the residual volatile compound contents, using the moisture analyzer. After the measurements, the resin films were examined using a scanning electron microscope. The weight changes of the resins were found to depend on the amount of water or solvents evaporating from the resin. Water and solvents were evaporated by air blast or light‐curing, but some of the water and solvents remained in the cured resin. The moisture analyzer is easy to operate and is a useful instrument for using to measure the residual volatile compound contents of adhesive resin.
Regenerative Treatment of Peri‐Implantitis Bone Defects with a Combination of Autologous Bone and a Demineralized Xenogenic Bone Graft: A Series of 36 Defects
Authors: Wiltfang Jörg , Zernial Oliver , Behrens Eleonore , Schlegel Andreas , Warnke Patrick H. , Becker Stephan T.
Published: February 2010

Aim: As the treatment of peri‐implantitis–induced bone loss is still a problem, we studied the regenerative treatment of these defects with a mix of autologous bone and a new type of bone graft substitute (demineralized xenogenic bone graft) including growth factors.

Material and Methods: In a prospective manner, 36 cases of peri‐implantitis–induced bone loss (depth >4 mm) in 22 patients were followed for 1 year. After resolving the acute infection by local rinsing, granulation tissue was removed. The implants were decontaminated with etching gel and the defects were filled with autologous bone mixed 1:1 with a xenogenic bone graft. The prosthetic reconstructions did not have to be removed. Values of probing depths as well as bone defects were analyzed.

Results: The radiologic evaluation of the bone defects after regenerative treatment revealed a mean reduction of 3.5 mm comparing the values from 5.1 mm prior to surgery to 1.6 mm 1 year after treatment. Average reduction of the probing depth was 4 mm. The remaining bone defects were larger than 3 mm in 4 out of 36 implants 1 year after treatment. Probing depths of more than 4 mm were present in seven implants.

Conclusion: Within the limits of the study, we conclude that for bone defects larger than 4 mm in case of peri‐implantitis, this single surgical intervention provided a reliable method to reduce bone defects.
CD‐ROM‐based program for breastfeeding mothers
Authors: Labarère José , Gelbert‐Baudino Nathalie , Laborde Laurent , Arragain Domitille , Schelstraete Camille , François Patrice
Published: February 2010

The vast majority of breastfeeding mothers in Western countries have routine access to multimedia and Internet resources at home. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a CD‐ROM‐based intervention in increasing the rates of breastfeeding. We conducted a pre‐ and post‐intervention study involving four control and four intervention maternity units in France. All breastfeeding mothers in intervention units were given a CD‐ROM‐based program addressing various breastfeeding topics. The primary outcome was any breastfeeding at 4 weeks assessed by follow‐up telephone interview. The secondary outcomes included breastfeeding duration, breastfeeding difficulties after discharge and satisfaction with the breastfeeding experience. The rates of any breastfeeding at 4 weeks varied from 88.6% (209/236) to 87.9% (211/240) and from 86.0% (222/258) to 88.0% (228/259) for mothers enrolled in intervention and control maternity units, respectively (P for interaction = 0.54). The hazard of breastfeeding discontinuation for mothers enrolled in intervention units did not vary significantly across study periods after adjusting for education level, epidural anaesthesia, breastfeeding assessment score and return to work (P for interaction = 0.18). The rates of breastfeeding at 4 weeks remained unchanged when restricting the analysis to the mothers who actually received (87.8% [173/197]) or used [88.2% (105/119)] the CD‐ROM during the post‐intervention period. No significant differences were found in secondary outcomes between the two study groups. A CD‐ROM‐based intervention for breastfeeding mothers provides no additional benefit to usual post‐natal care. Further study is needed to assess the effectiveness of multimedia packages as part of more intensive multifaceted interventions.
Developmental consequences of alternative Bcl‐x splicing during preimplantation embryo development
Authors: Perumalsamy Alagammal , Fernandes Roxanne , Lai Ingrid , Detmar Jacqui , Varmuza Sue , Casper Robert F. , Jurisicova Andrea
Published: February 2010

Elevated cell death in human preimplantation embryos is one of the cellular events compromising pregnancy rates after assisted reproductive technology treatments. We therefore explored the molecular pathways regulating cell death at the blastocyst stage in human embryos cultured in vitro. Owing to limited availability of human embryos, these pathways were further characterized in mouse blastocysts. Gene expression studies revealed a positive correlation between the cell death index and the expression of Bcl‐x transcript. Cell death activation in human blastocysts was accompanied by changes in Bcl‐x splicing, favoring production of Bcl‐xS, an activator of cell death. Expression of Bcl‐xS was detected in a subset of human blastocysts that show particular clustering in dying and/or dead cells. Altering the Bcl‐xL/Bcl‐xS ratio in mouse embryos, in antisense experiments, confirmed that upregulation of Bcl‐xS, with concomitant downregulation of Bcl‐xL, compromised developmental potential and committed a subset of cells to undergoing cell death. This was accompanied by increased accumulation of reactive oxygen species levels without any impact on mtDNA content. In addition, altered Bcl‐x splicing in favor of Bcl‐xS was stimulated by culture in HTF medium or by addition of excessive glucose, leading to compromised embryo development. Thus, we conclude that inappropriate culture conditions affect Bcl‐x isoform expression, contributing to compromised preimplantation embryo development.
Crystal structure of Klebsiella sp. ASR1 phytase suggests substrate binding to a preformed active site that meets the requirements of a plant rhizosphere enzyme
Authors: Böhm Kerstin , Herter Thomas , Müller Jürgen J. , Borriss Rainer , Heinemann Udo
Published: February 2010

The extracellular phytase of the plant‐associated Klebsiella sp. ASR1 is a member of the histidine‐acid‐phosphatase family and acts primarily as a scavenger of phosphate groups locked in the phytic acid molecule. The Klebsiella enzyme is distinguished from the Escherichia coli phytase AppA by its sequence and phytate degradation pathway. The crystal structure of the phytase from Klebsiella sp. ASR1 has been determined to 1.7 Å resolution using single‐wavelength anomalous‐diffraction phasing. Despite low sequence similarity, the overall structure of Klebsiella phytase bears similarity to other histidine‐acid phosphatases, such as E. coli phytase, glucose‐1‐phosphatase and human prostatic‐acid phosphatase. The polypeptide chain is organized into an α and an α/β domain, and the active site is located in a positively charged cleft between the domains. Three sulfate ions bound to the catalytic pocket of an inactive mutant suggest a unique binding mode for its substrate phytate. Even in the absence of substrate, the Klebsiella phytase is closer in structure to the E. coli phytase AppA in its substrate‐bound form than to phytate‐free AppA. This is taken to suggest a preformed substrate‐binding site in Klebsiella phytase. Differences in habitat and substrate availability thus gave rise to enzymes with different substrate‐binding modes, specificities and kinetics.