bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reproductive toxic potential of panmasala in male Swiss albino mice
Authors: Kumari A. , Mojidra BN , Gautam AK , Verma Y. , Kumar Sunil
Published: February 2011

Some ingredients of panmasala have the ability to penetrate the blood-testis barrier but the reproductive toxic potential of panmasala has not been studied. This study is aimed to assess the possible damage caused by panmasala to male reproductive system in mice. Swiss albino male mice were randomly divided into 7 groups receiving either standard control diet or panmasala-containing diet. Three doses (0.5%, 1.5% and 3%) of panmasala plain (PMP) as well as panmasala with tobacco (PMT)—gutkha were given for a period of 6 months. Assessment of organ weight, sperm count and morphology, spermatid count, sperm production, testicular 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β-HSD) activity and histology were conducted. A nonsignificant decrease in absolute and relative weight of testis and epididymis was observed. Spermatid count, sperm count and production were significantly decreased and 17β-HSD activity was found considerably declined at 3% of both PMP- and PMT-treated groups as compared to control. The histological observations revealed panmasala induced testicular damage. Abnormal morphology of sperm head shape was significantly elevated in higher doses of both types of panmasala-treated groups than control. The results suggests that panmasala has reproductive toxic potential and more alteration is seen with gutkha as compared to panmasala plain, indicating that similar effects might also be possible in humans.
Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension in Childhood: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Chan Eunice K. , Yan Bernard , Ryan Monique M.
Published: February 2011

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension results from 1 or more spontaneous spinal cerebrospinal fluid leaks, and generally presents with severe and persisting orthostatic headache. Diagnosis can be difficult as spontaneous intracranial hypotension is very rare in childhood and has a wide spectrum of clinical features and neuroimaging findings. Lumbar autologous epidural blood patch can be helpful for confirmation of diagnosis and symptom relief. We report a 15-year-old female with spontaneous intracranial hypotension who experienced immediate resolution of her symptoms following lumbar autologous epidural blood patch on 2 occasions, and review the literature on this well-recognized but probably underdiagnosed headache syndrome in childhood.
Other Impairment Associated With Developmental Language Delay in Preschool-Aged Children
Authors: Chuang Yao-Chia , Hsu Chia-Yu , Chiu Nan-Chang , Lin Shuan-Pei , Tzang Ruu-Fen , Yang Cheng-Chien
Published: February 2011

The aim of this study was to investigate developmental impairment in several domains that might be associated with developmental language delay. The records of 56 preschool children with developmental language delay and 31 nonimpaired children were reviewed. Children with language delay were more likely than those in the nonimpaired group to have cognitive developmental delay (Mental Development Index < 70) (P < .001) and gross and fine motor delay (gross: 28 [50%] versus 5 [16%], P = .002; fine: 34 [62%] versus 11 [35%], P = .02). Children with language delay were significantly more likely to have impairment than were nonimpaired children in gross motor, fine motor, comprehension-conceptual and personal-social (P = .01, P = .02, P = .01, P = .02, respectively) functional domains. Our findings indicate that preschool children with language delay have wide-ranging difficulties in development and function.
Preparation of combined β-TCP/α-CSH artificial bone graft and its performance in a spinal fusion model
Authors: Mao Keya , Cui Fuzai , Li Jiangtao , Hao Libo , Tang Peifu , Wang Zheng , Wen Ning , Liang Maohua , Wang Jifang , Wang Yan
Published: February 2011

To evaluate α-calcium sulfate hemihydrate (α-CSH)/β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) combined artificial bone graft (COB) in an animal model of posterolateral spinal fusion, α-CSH and β-TCP were combined in a 3 : 7 weight ratio. A rabbit model of posterolateral spinal fusion was produced ( N = 36); one side was implanted with the COB, and the other with local autogenous bone. Rabbits were killed on the 4th, 8th, or 12th week after surgery and fusion, COB degradation, mineralization, and new bone formation were evaluated. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the COB retained the porous spatial structure of β-TCP and α-CSH crystals were adhered to the surface and pores of β-TCP. At the 12th week after surgery, the fusion rate was 75.0% on the 12th week after the operation, which was higher than the fusion rate of 54.4% the autogenous bone side ( p = 0.073). Bone volume fraction of the COB was 0.49 ± 0.08 for the 4th week and 0.16 ± 0.05 for the 12th week after surgery. The mineralization rate of the new bone was greater on the side implanted with autogenous bone than on the side implanted with COB at all the three time points after surgery. At each time point after surgery, the difference in mineralization rate between the autogenous bone side and the COB side was statistically significant ( p < 0.001); α-CSH/β-TCP in a 3 : 7 weight ratio was as effective as local autogenous bone in producing spinal fusion in a rabbit model. Used in this ratio, the speed of material degradation and new bone formation are relatively equivalent, and the rate of new bone mineralization is similar to that of autogenous bone graft.
Increase of BM-MSC proliferation using L-DOPA on titanium surface in vitro
Authors: Kim Sung-Hyun , Park Jung-Keug , Hong Joo-Hee , Jung Hyun-Suk , Hong Kug-Sun , Lee Jong-Ho , Park Kwang-Bum , Choi Seok-Kyu , Seo Young-Kwon
Published: February 2011

In order to increase biocompatibility, many dental implants have been studied by immobilization of biomolecules on biomaterials. We used l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) as a biomolecule for surface-modified titanium. Water contact angles of nontreated titanium discs (negative control), etched titanium discs (positive control), and titanium discs treated with L-DOPA following the etching process (experimental group) were 82.4 ± 5.7°, 67.1 ± 0.56°, and 44.15 ± 0.91°, respectively. Using atomic force microscopy images, we were able to find L-DOPA, which adhered to the titanium surface. The number of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) in the experimental group was much higher than that of cells in any other group. Quantification values of amine groups in the positive control and experimental groups were approximately 3 and 7.5 µg, respectively. Therefore, findings from our research suggested the possibility of a causal link between increased L-DOPA content and cell proliferation in BM-MSCs. Moreover, coating of the discs with L-DOPA can result in greater hydrophilicity of the titanium surface and enhancement of cell adhesion and mitochondrial activity .
The Relationships Among Health Behaviors in Older Persons
Authors: Cohen-Mansfield Jiska , Kivity Yogev
Published: February 2011

Objective: To examine the relationships among health behaviors in older persons and whether they form related groups of behaviors. Method: Health behaviors (physical activity, alcohol use, nutrition, weight stability, and smoking) were analyzed using factor analysis in two representative samples of two cohorts of Israeli older persons aged 75 to 94. Data collection was conducted during 1989-1992 for the first cohort ( N = 1,200) and during 2000-2002 for the second ( N = 421). Results: Four factors of health behaviors were found mostly unrelated: (a) physical activity and weight stability, (b) alcohol use, (c) smoking, and (d) nutrition. Discussion: The analysis enables identification of underlying health-behavior dimensions in an understudied population. Furthermore, the findings have important implications for health-promotion policy, indicating that prevention and health-promotion programs for older persons should target each health behavior, and not assume that the practice of any health behavior implies a healthy overall lifestyle in this population.
A Holocene record of snow-avalanche and flood activity reconstructed from a lacustrine sedimentary sequence in Oldevatnet, western Norway
Authors: Vasskog Kristian , Nesje Atle , Støren Eivind Nagel , Waldmann Nicolas , Chapron Emmanuel , Ariztegui Daniel
Published: February 2011

Two lacustrine sediment cores from Oldevatnet in western Norway have been studied in order to produce a record of floods, mass-wasting events and glacier fluctuations during the last 7300 years. River floods, density currents and snow-avalanches have deposited distinct ‘event layers’ at the lake floor throughout this time interval. In this study, a novel approach has been applied to distinguish event layers from the continuous background sedimentation, using Rb/Sr-ratios from X-Ray Fluorescence data. Grain-size distribution and the sedimentological parameters ‘mean’ and ‘sorting’ were used to further infer the depositional processes behind each layer. Our data suggest a record dominated by snow-avalanches, with the largest activity occurring during the ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA). This increase in snow-avalanche activity observed during the LIA was probably caused by a combination of generally increasing winter precipitation and the advance of local glaciers towards the steep valley sides. Several fluctuations in snow-avalanche activity are also recognized prior to the LIA. Proxies of glacial activity from the background sediments indicate a similar development as earlier palaeoclimatic reconstructions from the area. It differs from previous reconstructions, however, by suggesting a lower glacial activity in the period from 2200 to 1000 cal. yr BP.
A ‘War in a Region beyond State Control’? The German-Soviet War, 1941-1944
Authors: Kay Alex J.
Published: February 2011

In recent years the German historian of Eastern Europe Jörg Baberowski has applied the tag ‘wars in regions beyond state control’ ( Kriege in staatsfernen Räumen ), ‘over which the central state power has no control and where the claim of the state to enforce its monopoly on violence collapses under the resistance of armed competitors’, to ‘all armed conflicts that occurred between 1914 and 1950 on the territory of the Tsarist and the Soviet multi-nation empire’. This piece examines the soundness of the thesis in the case of the German-Soviet War of 1941 to 1944, the conflict to which Baberowski has applied his thesis most often. In doing so, it demonstrates that the thesis is fundamentally flawed and unpersuasive with regard to this specific conflict.
Penetrating Hitler’s High Command: Anglo-Polish HUMINT, 1939-1945
Authors: Winter P.R.J.
Published: February 2011

Since the end of the Second World War, historians have assumed that the greatest secrets of the German war machine were divined through ‘signals intelligence’ (SIGINT), the decryption at Bletchley Park of the Wehrmacht’s enciphered messages, and not through ‘human intelligence’ (HUMINT) supplied by high-level agents situated at the very heart of Hitler’s high command. The discovery that Anglo-Polish intelligence possessed at least two penetration agents within the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht and Oberkommando des Heeres , ‘Warlock’ and ‘Knopf ’, not only challenges this idée fixe, but corrects the historical record by overturning sixty years’ worth of received wisdom on the subject. This study aims, therefore, to demonstrate that by means of high-grade HUMINT, Whitehall gained a unique entrée into German strategic and operational thinking during some of the most critical stages of the war.
Identifying Students With Specific Learning Disabilities: School Psychologists’ Acceptability of the Discrepancy Model Versus Response to Intervention
Authors: O'Donnell Patrick S. , Miller David N.
Published: February 2011

A national sample of 496 practicing school psychologists and members of the National Association of School Psychologists were surveyed to assess levels of acceptability for the IQ-achievement (IQ-A) discrepancy model and the Response to Intervention (RTI) model as part of the identification process for students with specific learning disabilities. Significantly higher levels of acceptability were found for the RTI model. As levels of exposure to the RTI model increased, acceptability ratings for the RTI model increased and ratings for the IQ-A discrepancy model decreased. Variations in acceptability ratings for the RTI model were also found to occur in relation to school psychologists’ school setting. Specifically, school psychologists employed at middle and high schools demonstrated lower levels of acceptability for the RTI model compared with those employed at elementary and multiple settings. Implications of the study for practice and future research, as well as limitations, are discussed.
“Reasonable Accommodations” or Education for All? The Case of Children Living With Disabilities in Cambodia
Authors: Mak Michelle , Nordtveit Bjorn H.
Published: February 2011

The authors examine the various challenges and barriers to education for children living with disabilities, primarily those living with deafness and blindness in Cambodia. Poverty and economic instability of families are key hindrances to educational opportunities for these children. Other barriers include lack of government ownership of educational programs for people with disabilities, poor governance and low accountability of the government, lack of funding and finances, limited human capacity and resources, and social discrimination and stigma. This poses the question as to what is reasonable accommodation to ensure that children living with disabilities can access schooling.
Magnetic Fluid Actuator Based on Passive Levitation Phenomenon
Authors: Lee Ji-Hoon , Nam Yun-Joo , Park Myeong-Kwan
Published: February 2011

This article is concerned with the practical design and dynamic characteristics of a magnetic fluid actuator for which the working principle is based on the passive levitation of a non-magnetic body immersed in magnetic fluid subjected to magnetic field. This magnetic fluid actuator is composed of kerosene-based magnetic fluid HC-50, a pair of hollow solenoids whose north poles are placed face-to-face with each other, and a non-magnetic (paramagnetic) body made of aluminum. First of all, the design methodology for the magnetic fluid actuator is proposed based on the ferrohydrostatic relation including the gravitational force, the buoyancy force, and magnetic body force acting on magnetic fluid by magnetic field. After manufacturing the magnetic fluid actuator based on the proposed design criteria, its dynamic characteristics are experimentally investigated with the step and frequency responses of the displacement of the non-magnetic object to input coil currents. Through the comparison study between simulation analyses and experimental results, the effectiveness of the proposed magnetic fluid actuator is verified.
Beyond Guided Listening: Exploring World Musics With Classroom Instruments
Authors: Bartolome Sarah J.
Published: February 2011

This article explores issues of authenticity related to adapting world music examples for classroom instruments and suggests ways to engage students in active, participatory music-making activities derived from diverse musical cultures. Several lesson plan segments are provided to aid general music specialists in implementing “play along” activities and performance-based recreations of listening examples.
Training in Structured Diagnostic Assessment Using DSM-IV Criteria
Authors: Ponniah Kathryn , Weissman Myrna M. , Bledsoe Sarah E. , Verdeli Helen , Gameroff Marc J. , Mufson Laura , Fitterling Heidi , Wickramaratne Priya
Published: February 2011

Objectives: Determining a patient’s psychiatric diagnosis is an important first step for the selection of empirically supported treatments and a critical component of evidence-based practice. Structured diagnostic assessment covers the range of psychiatric diagnoses and is usually more complete and accurate than unstructured assessment. Method: We conducted a national survey of training in empirically supported psychotherapy in which information on teaching of structured diagnostic assessment using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria was collected from a probability sample of accredited social work, psychiatry residency, and clinical psychology programs in the United States. Results: A minority of programs required both a didactic and clinical supervision in structured diagnostic assessment. Conclusions: Gaps in the training of clinicians have implications for the appropriate care of patients.
The Impact of an E-Portfolio Program in a Music Education Curriculum
Authors: Thornton Linda , Ferris Norene , Johnson Glenn , Kidwai Khusro , Ching Yu-Hui
Published: February 2011

The electronic portfolio (e-portfolio) program at the Pennsylvania State University, initiated to assist students find employment upon graduation, quickly evolved into a 4-year sequential process for the documentation of, and reflection on, becoming a music educator. After 6 years of development, it seemed decision making for the program would benefit by being data driven. Six stakeholder groups were identified and surveyed as to their perceptions of the e-portfolio program (current students, student teachers, alumni, mentor teachers, employers, and music education faculty). Based on the questionnaire responses, a prevalent theme among undergraduate students was the importance of the ease of using technology. Alumni in general seemed to perceive greater value in the e-portfolios than current students, whereas mentor teachers and employers had minimal awareness, interest, and/or involvement in the e-portfolio process or outcomes. Questions about the possibilities, impact, and future of e-portfolios in the curriculum are raised based on the results.
Using Mixed Methods to Evaluate a Community Intervention for Sexual Assault Survivors: A Methodological Tale
Authors: Campbell Rebecca , Patterson Debra , Bybee Deborah
Published: February 2011

This article reviews current epistemological and design issues in the mixed methods literature and then examines the application of one specific design, a sequential explanatory mixed methods design, in an evaluation of a community-based intervention to improve postassault care for sexual assault survivors. Guided by a pragmatist epistemological framework, this study collected quantitative and qualitative data to understand how the implementation of a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program affected prosecution rates of adult sexual assault cases in a large midwestern community. Quantitative results indicated that the program was successful in affecting legal systems change and the qualitative data revealed the mediating mechanisms of the intervention’s effectiveness. Challenges of implementing this design are discussed, including epistemological and practical difficulties that developed from blending methodologies into a single project.
Optimizing Millennials’ Communication Styles
Authors: Hartman Jackie L. , McCambridge Jim
Published: February 2011

Millennials, those individuals born between 1980 and 2000, compose the largest cohort of college students in the United States. Stereotypical views of millennials characterize them as technologically sophisticated multitaskers, capable of significant contributions to tomorrow’s organizations, yet deficient in communication skills. This article offers insights for business educators to help millennials understand the influence of communication styles when optimizing communication effectiveness. Developing style-typing and style-flexing skills can serve as building blocks for millennials’ subsequent interpersonal skill development in key areas such as audience analysis, active listening, conflict management and negotiation, and effective team building. An in-class exercise highlighting communication style-typing and style-flexing is included.
Scalability studies and large grid computations for surface combatant using CFDShip-Iowa
Authors: Bhushan Shanti , Carrica Pablo , Yang Jianming , Stern Frederick
Published: February 2011

Scalability studies and computations using the largest grids to date for free-surface flows are performed using message-passing interface (MPI)-based CFDShip-Iowa toolbox curvilinear (V4) and Cartesian (V6) grid solvers on Navy high-performance computing systems. Both solvers show good strong scalability up to 2048 processors, with V6 showing somewhat better performance than V4. V6 also outperforms V4 in terms of the memory requirements and central processing unit (CPU) time per time-step per grid point. The explicit solvers show better scalability than the implicit solvers, but the latter allows larger time-step sizes, resulting in a lower total CPU time. The multi-grid HYPRE solver shows better scalability than the portable, extensible toolkit for scientific computation solver. The main scalability bottleneck is identified to be the pressure Poisson solver. The memory bandwidth test suggests that further scalability improvements could be obtained by using hybrid MPI/open multi-processing (OpenMP) parallelization. V4-detached eddy simulation (DES) on a 300 M grid for the surface combatant model DTMB 5415 in the straight-ahead condition provides a plausible description of the vortical structures and mean flow patterns observed in the experiments. However, the vortex strengths are over predicted and the turbulence is not resolved. V4-DESs on up to 250 M grids for DTMB 5415 at 20° static drift angle significantly improve the forces and moment predictions compared to the coarse grid unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes, due to the improved resolved turbulence predictions. The simulations provide detailed resolution of the free-surface and breaking pattern and vortical and turbulent structures, which will guide planned experiments. V6 simulations on up to 276 M grids for DTMB 5415 in the straight-ahead condition predict diffused vortical structures due to poor wall-layer predictions. This could be due to the limitations of the wall-function implementation for the immersed boundary method.
Evaluating Methods for Estimating Program Effects
Authors: Reichardt Charles S.
Published: February 2011

I define a treatment effect in terms of a comparison of outcomes and provide a typology of all possible comparisons that can be used to estimate treatment effects, including comparisons that are relatively unknown in both the literature and practice. I then assess the relative merit, worth, and value of all possible comparisons based on the criteria of bias, precision, generalizability, ease of implementation, and cost. Which comparison is best depends on how these criteria are weighted and on the constraints of the specific research setting. I hope readers come to recognize a wider range of comparisons than they had previously, appreciate the value of considering all possible comparisons, and see how my typology of comparisons provides the basis for making fair appraisals of the relative strengths and weaknesses of different types of comparisons in the presence of the contingencies that are most likely to arise in practice.
Visual-cognitive processing deficits in pediatric multiple sclerosis
Authors: Smerbeck AM , Parrish J , Serafin D , Yeh EA , Weinstock-Guttman B , Hoogs M , Krupp LB , Benedict RHB
Published: February 2011

Background: Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) can suffer significant cognitive deficits. This study investigates the sensitivity and validity in pediatric MS of two visual processing tests borrowed from the adult literature, the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMTR) and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT).

Objective: To test the hypothesis that visual processing is disproportionately impacted in pediatric MS by comparing performance with that of healthy controls on the BVMTR and SDMT.

Methods: We studied 88 participants (43 MS, 45 controls) using a neuropsychological assessment battery including measures of intelligence, language, visual memory, and processing speed. Patients and demographically matched controls were compared to determine which tests are most sensitive in pediatric MS.

Results: Statistically significant differences were found between the MS and control groups on BVMTR Total Learning ( t (84) = 4.04, p < 0.001, d = 0.87), BVMTR Delayed Recall ( t (84) = 4.45, p < 0.001, d = 0.96), and SDMT ( t (38) = 2.19, p = 0.035, d = 0.69). No significant differences were found between groups on confrontation naming or general intellectual ability. Validity coefficients exploring correlation between BVMTR, SDMT, and disease characteristics were consistent with the adult literature.

Conclusions: This study found that BVMTR and SDMT may be useful in assessing children and adolescents with MS.
Risk of MS is not associated with exposure to crude oil, but increases with low level of education
Authors: Riise Trond , Kirkeleit Jorunn , Harald Aarseth Jan , Farbu Elisabeth , Midgard Rune , Mygland Åse , Eikeland Randi , Jørgen Mørland Tore , Telstad Wenche , Tore Førland Per , Kjell-Morten Myhr
Published: February 2011

Background: Offshore workers in the Norwegian upstream petroleum industry are exposed to a number of chemicals such as organic solvents, mineral oils and other hydrocarbons, possibly contributing to an increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Objective: To estimate the risk of MS in this population compared with the general working population in Norway, adjusting for education.

Methods: Using the Norwegian Registry of Employers and Employees we included all 27,900 offshore workers registered from 1981 to 2003 and 366,805 referents from the general working population matched by gender, age and community of residence. The cohort was linked to the Norwegian MS Registry and the Norwegian Education Registry.

Results: There was no increased risk of MS among the offshore workers. We found a marked and linear inverse relationship between level of education and the risk of MS in the total study population, with a rate ratio of 0.48 (95% CI, 0.53 to 0.88) for workers with a graduate degree compared to workers with elementary school only.

Conclusions: These findings do not support a major aetiological role of petroleum-based products, but rather point to smoking and other lifestyle factors related to the level of education as being important for the risk of MS.
Upper extremity deep venous thrombosis
Authors: Czihal Michael , Hoffmann Ulrich
Published: February 2011

Upper extremity deep venous thrombosis is a serious disease entity which, based on the pathogenesis and in view of the individual patient’s prognosis, must be divided into a primary and a secondary form. Primary upper extremity deep venous thrombosis is, when related to effort, a rather benign disease with excellent prognosis quoad vitam, carrying only a minor potential of developing disabling post-thrombotic syndrome. If primary upper extremity deep venous thrombosis occurs without any obvious cause, screening for underlying malignancy is recommended. Secondary upper extremity deep venous thrombosis typically occurs in older patients with severe comorbidities, mainly related to indwelling central venous catheters and cancer. As a consequence of the underlying diseases, prognosis of secondary upper extremity deep venous thrombosis is poor. Despite a lack of high-quality validation data, ultrasonography is regarded the first-line imaging technique, since it is a non-invasive method without exposure to radiation. In case of a non-diagnostic result of ultrasonography, other imaging modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography may be applied. Regardless of the etiology, the cornerstone of therapy is anticoagulant treatment with low molecular weight heparin or unfractionated heparin and vitamin K antagonists in order to prevent thrombus progression and pulmonary embolism. Owing to a lack of evidence, the optimal duration of anticoagulant treatment remains unclear. The additional benefit of compression therapy as well as of more aggressive therapeutic approaches such as thrombolysis, angioplasty and surgical decompression of the thoracic outlet needs to be investigated in randomized trials.
Childhood social circumstances and body mass index in adult life: The Metropolit 1953 Danish male birth cohort
Authors: Larsen Anne-Mette , Lund Rikke , Kriegbaum Margit , Avlund Kirsten , Osler Merete
Published: February 2011

Aims: To examine whether father’s social class was associated with body mass index (BMI) at age 20 and 50 years in a cohort of men born in 1953 and to explore the role of birth weight, cognitive function (IQ), and educational status in these relationships. Methods: We used data from the Metropolit cohort which includes 11,532 Danish men born in 1953 with information on father’s socioeconomic position (SEP) at participant’s birth and assessments of height, weight, cognitive performance, and education at age 20. In 2004, 6292 of these men participated in a follow-up survey on health and behaviour. Linear and logistic regression were used to investigate the association of father’s social class with BMI among the 5117 men with complete information on all variables. Results: Between age 20 and 50, mean BMI increased from 21.4 to 26.1 kg/m2, while the prevalence of overweight (BMI ≥25 kg/m2) increased from 8.1 to 57.8%. Men of fathers who were skilled or unskilled workers had higher odds of being overweight (OR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.13—1.53) or often obese (OR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.03—1.60) at age 50 years compared to those with fathers being self-employed, employee, or civil servants when adjusted for the other socially correlated indicators of impaired childhood development. In the linear regression analyses, mean BMI at both age 20 and 50 were around 0.3 kg/m2 higher in men with fathers from working class compared to those self-employed, employee, or civil servants. Conclusions: This study supports that among men, father’s SEP influences the development of obesity later in adult life.
Description of functioning in sickness certificates
Authors: Nilsing Emma , Söderberg Elsy , Normelli Helena , Öberg Birgitta
Published: February 2011

Aims: Sickness certificates are to provide information on a disease and its consequences on the patient’s functioning. This information has implications for the patient’s rights to sickness benefits and return-to-work measures. The objective of this study was to investigate the description of functioning in sickness certificates according to WHO’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF), and to describe the influence of patients’ age, gender, diagnostic group, and affiliation of certifying physician. Method: A content analysis of written statements regarding how the disease limits the patient’s functioning with ICF as a framework was performed in 475 sickness certificates, consecutively collected in Östergötland County, Sweden. Results: Musculoskeletal diseases (MSD) were the largest diagnostic group, followed by mental disorders (MD). Certificates were mainly issued from physicians at hospitals and in primary health care (PHC). ICF was applicable for classifying statements regarding functioning in 311 certificates (65%). The distribution of components was 58% body functions, 26% activity, and 7% participation. The descriptions were primarily restricted to the use of at least one component; namely, body functions. Subgroup analysis showed that descriptions of activity and participation were more common in certificates for MD and MSD, or those issued by PHC physicians. A multiple regression analysis with the activity component as dependent variable confirmed the results by showing that activity was related to both diagnosis and affiliation. Conclusions: In a consecutive sample of sickness certificates, it was shown that information on functioning is scarce. When functioning was described, it was mainly body oriented.
Exchange, interaction, and change in local ceramic production in the Niumi commercial center on the Gambia River
Authors: Gijanto Liza
Published: February 2011

This article addresses changes in local ceramic production resulting from contact and interaction through a detailed examination of pottery manufacture immediately before, during, and through the decline of the Atlantic trade. Increased socio-economic interactions are directly correlated with changes in local ceramic production, including increased variation in the former Niumi commercial center on the Gambia River. The Atlantic trade period in Niumi is characterized by increased settlement, interaction, and wealth. In this light, I characterize the changes in local ceramic production as a locally circumscribed reaction to regional and global events. Specifically, through an examination of the visible shifts in temporally sensitive attributes such as temper, paste color, firing practices, and to a lesser extent decorative grammars, it is possible to discern connections between changes in local ceramic production and broader social processes. These include population fluctuations and increased variety in diet reminiscent of public display. These shifts are inextricably tied to the Atlantic trade and are best understood by examining the growth and decline of the Niumi commercial center at four sites, each of which represents different levels of involvement in commerce — Lamin Conco, San Domingo, Juffure Factory, and Juffure Village.
Justice as mutual advantage and the vulnerable
Authors: Vanderschraaf Peter
Published: February 2011

Since at least as long ago as Plato’s time, philosophers have considered the possibility that justice is at bottom a system of rules that members of society follow for mutual advantage. Some maintain that justice as mutual advantage is a fatally flawed theory of justice because it is too exclusive. Proponents of a Vulnerability Objection argue that justice as mutual advantage would deny the most vulnerable members of society any of the protections and other benefits of justice. I argue that the Vulnerability Objection presupposes that in a justice-as-mutual-advantage society only those who can and do contribute to the cooperative surplus of benefits that compliance with justice creates are owed any share of these benefits. I argue that justice as mutual advantage need not include such a Contribution Requirement. I show by example that a justice-as-mutual-advantage society can extend the benefits of justice to all its members, including the vulnerable who cannot contribute. I close by arguing that if one does not presuppose a Contribution Requirement, then a justice-as-mutual-advantage society might require its members to extend the benefits of justice to humans that some maintain are not persons (for example, embryos) and to certain nonhuman creatures. I conclude that the real problem for defenders of justice as mutual advantage is that this theory of justice threatens to be too inclusive.
Intermittent institutions
Authors: Vermeule Adrian
Published: February 2011

Standing institutions have a continuous existence: examples include the United Nations, the British Parliament, the US presidency, the standing committees of the US Congress, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Intermittent institutions have a discontinuous existence: examples include the Roman dictatorship, the Estates-General of France, constitutional conventions, citizens' assemblies, the Electoral College, grand and petit juries, special prosecutors, various types of temporary courts and military tribunals, ad hoc congressional committees, and ad hoc panels such as the 9/11 Commission and base-closing commissions. Within the class of intermittent institutions, one may distinguish periodic from episodic institutions. The former come into being on a schedule set down in advance, while the latter come into being at unpredictable intervals. The Electoral College is a periodic institution, while the Roman dictatorship is an episodic one. This article attempts to identify the benefits and costs of intermittent institutions, both as a class and in their periodic and episodic varieties. The largest goals are to state some general conditions under which intermittent institutions prove superior or inferior to standing institutions, and to illuminate the temporal dimension of institutional design.
Temperament and maternal discourse about internal states as predictors of toddler empathy- and aggression-related behavior
Authors: Garner Pamela W. , Dunsmore Julie C.
Published: February 2011

Sixty-five mothers reported on their toddlers’ attention regulation and negative emotional intensity and provided information about the toddlers’ empathy and aggression. Toddler concerned attention was also observed during a laboratory session as was mothers’ discourse about mental states. Toddlers reported to have better attention regulation and lower negative emotional intensity were reported to be less physically aggressive. Mothers who made more references to needs, intentions, and desires had toddlers who were lower in both aggression- and empathy-related behavior as assessed with maternal report and observation.
Exploring young children’s understanding of risks associated with Internet usage and their concepts of management strategies
Authors: Ey Lesley-Anne , Glenn Cupit C.
Published: February 2011

The Internet provides remarkable opportunities for children’s learning and development. Nevertheless, it is unregulated and hard to control, which potentially places children at risk of exploitation. This study examined five—eight-year-old children’s understanding of dangers associated with the Internet, management strategies and sources of their understanding. Children in small groups answered questions relating to what they consider dangerous interactions or materials connected with the Internet, management strategies they would employ if confronted with these, and who taught them what they knew. Many children reported prior negative experiences on the Internet. Although they identified several risk categories, when presented with potentially dangerous Internet interactions almost half were not able to identify the associated risks. Most children identified appropriate management strategies; however, it was evident that children could not safely employ these because they were unable to recognize potential dangers. Just under half of the children indicated they had not been taught Internet safety. Internet risks for children can be reduced through education in their recognition of potential dangers, recall and management strategies, indicating a need for schools to incorporate Internet safety into curricula.
Strengthening family capacity to provide young children everyday natural learning opportunities
Authors: Swanson Jennifer , Raab Melinda , Dunst Carl J
Published: February 2011

A capacity-building approach to natural learning environment intervention practices was the focus of the study. Capacity-building early childhood intervention promotes parents’ or other caregivers’ skills, abilities, and confidence to provide children development-enhancing learning opportunities. Natural environment practices use everyday experiences, events, and places as sources of child learning opportunities that promote child competencies. The manner in which the capacity-building intervention approach enhanced caregivers’ abilities to provide their young children everyday natural learning opportunities was examined in this study. The participants were four adult caregivers (three mothers, one grandmother) and four preschool children with developmental delays. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to assess the effects of the intervention on different caregiver capacity-building behaviors. Findings showed discernable improvements in caregiver competence and confidence as evidenced by the patterns of results and the percent of nonoverlapping baseline—intervention phase dependent measure scores. Implications for understanding both the characteristics of family capacity building and the use of capacity-building practices as part of parent involvement in early childhood intervention and education programs are described.
Testing a provisional model of scene brightness with and without objects of different colours
Authors: Bullough JD , Radetsky LC , Rea MS
Published: February 2011

A provisional model of brightness perception for illuminated outdoor scenes was recently proposed based upon a combination of photopic and short-wavelength cone spectral sensitivities, where short-wavelength cone sensitivity increases with radiance. An experiment was undertaken to determine whether coloured objects within the illuminated scenes affected overall scene brightness perception and, in so doing, to provide a test of the provisional model. The results suggest that overall scene brightness perceptions are, for the range of light sources and light levels selected, consistent with the provisional model and that scene brightness perception is independent of object colours within the illuminated scenes.
A new type of daylight passive collector: The shaped refractor
Authors: Ferrón L. , Pattini A. , Lara MA
Published: February 2011

In order to satisfy the requirements of energy-saving and lighting comfort in places which have no direct access to daylight through windows, it is possible to set up an optical rod daylighting system. However, there is no information as to how efficient such a system might be for the passive collection of daylight. This paper explores the possibility of increasing the passive collection of daylight through modifications to the shape of the acrylic rod at the collection area. As a result, an equation for the calculation of a shape that optimises the passive collection of daylight through refraction into the optical rod is developed. The shape depends on the latitude where the system is installed.
Managing Employees’ Motivation, Cognition, and Performance in Virtual Workplaces: The Blueprint of a Game-based Adaptive Performance Platform (GAPP)
Authors: Huang Wen-Hao David , Han Seung-Hyun , Park Un-Yeong , Seo Jungmin Jamie
Published: February 2011

Organizations have embraced various technologies to facilitate communications, interactions, and collaborations to embody VHRD in recent years. While such integration affords opportunities for relevant HRD practices and research, it neglects crucial considerations on technologies’ potential effects in overloading employees’ affective and cognitive processing capacities. As a result, it could impede employees’ motivation to perform on the job. Furthermore, to validate VHRD as technology-mediated processes that support organizational performance, it is imperative to align technologies with performance measurements. To address these issues, this article proposes an original design for a Game-based Adaptive Performance Platform (GAPP) system based on research on work motivation, digital game-based learning environments, electronic performance support, and cognitive processing. The GAPP system intends to (a) sustain employee performance via game features, (b) prevent processing overload in stimuli-rich virtual environments, (c) monitor and align employee performance with desired organizational outcomes, and (d) foster experience sharing among employees in virtual workplaces.
Systemizing Virtual Learning and Technologies by Managing Organizational Competency and Talents
Authors: Seung Won Yoon  , Doo Hun Lim
Published: February 2011

The article presents promising components and practices of virtual learning and technologies and discusses how systemization can be made through managing organizational competency and talents. The main goal is to suggest how technologies should be incorporated within an organization to improve the effectiveness of employees’ learning, performance, and development. For technology implementation and adoption, we also introduce models for examining organizational maturity levels and integrating technologies.We argue that virtual learning and technologies are fundamentally pressing HRD roles to change from experts of learning and development to work solution partners leading and supporting the creation of a smart organization.
Exploring the Reasons Urban and Rural-Dwelling Older Adults Participate in Memory Research
Authors: Hunsaker Amanda , Sarles C. Elizabeth , Rosen Daniel , Lingler Jennifer H. , Bonacile Johnson Marla , Morrow Lisa , Saxton Judith
Published: February 2011

This study examines how underrepresented older urban and rural-dwelling individuals conceptualize participation in cognitive impairment studies. Nine focus groups were held with urban and rural-dwelling older adults who had participated in a community-based memory screening study. Expected and experienced benefits of research participation were motivators for study participation in all focus groups. Results indicate that participation in memory research was believed to lead to an understanding of memory function. Focus group participants expressed an active interest in research on dementia, and viewed research participation as a way to address memory concerns and provide a benefit to society.
Mechanisms of Short-Term Training-Induced Reaching Improvement in Severely Hemiparetic Stroke Patients
Authors: Harris-Love Michelle L. , Morton Susanne M. , Perez Monica A. , Cohen Leonardo G.
Published: February 2011

Background. The neurophysiological mechanisms underlying improved upper-extremity motor skills have been partially investigated in patients with good motor recovery but are poorly understood in more impaired individuals, the majority of stroke survivors. Objective. The authors studied changes in primary motor cortex (M1) excitability (motor evoked potentials [MEPs], contralateral and ipsilateral silent periods [CSPs and ISPs] using transcranial magnetic stimulation [TMS]) associated with training-induced reaching improvement in stroke patients with severe arm paresis (n = 11; Upper-Extremity Fugl-Meyer score (F-M) = 27 ± 6). Methods. All patients underwent a single session of reaching training focused on moving the affected hand from a resting site to a target placed at 80% of maximum forward reaching amplitude in response to a visual “GO” cue. Triceps contribute primarily as agonist and biceps primarily as antagonist to the trained forward reaching movement. Response times were recorded for each reaching movement. Results. Preceding training (baseline), greater interhemispheric inhibition (measured by ISP) in the affected triceps muscle, reflecting inhibition from the nonlesioned to the lesioned M1, was observed in patients with lower F-M scores (more severe motor impairment). Training-induced improvements in reaching were greater in patients with slower response times at baseline. Increased MEP amplitudes and decreased ISPs and CSPs were observed in the affected triceps but not in the biceps muscle after training. Conclusion. These results indicate that along with training-induced motor improvements, training-specific modulation of intrahemispheric and interhemispheric mechanisms occurs after reaching practice in chronic stroke patients with substantial arm impairment.