bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Duration of parturition and frequency of abdominal contractions in primiparous, 2-year-old Angus heifers and the relevance of body dimensions of calves to dystocia
Authors: Hickson R. E. , Lopez-Villalobos N. , Kenyon P. R. , Morris S. T.
Published: June 2008

The predominant cause of dystocia in 2-year-old heifers is feto–maternal disproportion, and consequently, birthweight of the calf explains much variation in dystocia. This experiment was carried out to identify other factors in addition to birthweight that contribute to the probability of dystocia. Seventy-three primiparous, 2-year-old Angus heifers were observed continuously during the calving period and record was made of the time at which various events occurred during parturition. Frequency of abdominal contractions was lower 30 min after onset of parturition than at 60–180 min after onset of parturition (P < 0.05). The longest stage of parturition was the time from the first abdominal contraction until the appearance of amnion, while the time from the appearance of the head until delivery of the calf was the shortest stage. Frequency of abdominal contractions was negatively correlated with duration of parturition. Duration of parturition was less than 135 min for 75% of the non-assisted heifers. Body dimensions of calves did not explain any additional variation in dystocia beyond that explained by birthweight and sex of calf and postpartum liveweight of the heifer. Calves that had an assisted birth took longer to attempt to stand, to stand and to suckle after birth than non-assisted calves. Within the non-assisted calves, there was no impact of duration of parturition on these behaviours of the newborn calf. In conclusion, body dimensions of the calf did not contribute to the probability of dystocia, but more frequent abdominal contractions contributed to a shorter duration of parturition. Behaviour of newborn calves was adversely affected by dystocia.
Faecal near infrared reflectance spectroscopy estimates of diet quality and responses to nitrogen supplements by cattle grazing Bothriochloa pertusa pastures
Authors: Coates D. B. , Dixon R. M.
Published: June 2008

A grazing experiment in the seasonally dry tropics of north Queensland examined the diet selected and the growth responses of Bos indicus steers to urea supplement over two dry seasons and one wet season, from August 2001 to January 2003. There were two groups of 10 steers (control and urea-supplemented) and each group comprised two age cohorts, A and B, of five steers each with an age difference of ~1 year. In June 2002, cohort A steers were replaced with steers 2 years younger (cohort C). The steers grazed Bothriochloa pertusa pastures on a low fertility Red Chromosol soil. The groups were switched between two adjoining paddocks at fortnightly intervals when they were weighed and faecal samples were collected for faecal near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (F.NIRS) estimates of diet quality and growth rate. Rainfall and diet quality followed the expected seasonal pattern, but the 2001–02 wet season was very short (November–January) with only 65% of the long-term average rainfall. There was no rain during the 2001 dry season (DS-1) from August to mid November, and no effective rain (17 mm) between February and December 2002. Non-grass (i.e. herbaceous dicot plants) made only a small contribution to the diet, averaging 13%. In DS-1 and in the dry season of 2002 (DS-2) diet crude protein (CP) averaged 2.5% and 2.9%, and DMD/CP (ratio of dry matter digestibility to CP) averaged 18.6 and 17.1, respectively. Liveweight (LW) loss in control steers during DS-1 averaged 32 kg. Urea supplement reduced LW loss by 18 kg (P < 0.001), but most of the benefit was lost during the following growing season. During the extended dry period in 2002, average LW losses of control steers were 85 and 47 kg in the older and younger cohorts, respectively, and supplementation with urea reduced weight losses by 53 and 31 kg, respectively (P < 0.001). F.NIRS predicted the cumulative LW of the unsupplemented steers in cohorts A and B with acceptable accuracy, the difference between the observed and predicted final LW being 6 kg for cohort A after 10 months, 12 kg for cohort B after 17 months, and 27 kg for cohort C after 7 months. The results demonstrated that F.NIRS can be effectively used to monitor dietary CP and DMD levels in grazing cattle, to help develop an understanding of cattle responses to urea supplement relative to the quality of the basal forage diet, and to provide useful decision support information for the nutritional management of grazing cattle.
Methodologies by which to study and evaluate welfare issues facing livestock systems of production
Authors: Matthews Lindsay R.
Published: June 2008

The viability of livestock farming requires practices that are not only productive and profitable but fit with society’s expectations on ethical dimensions such as animal welfare. Scientific methodologies for the evaluation of welfare issues and welfare status that reflect the diversity of ethical views about animal welfare are required. Unfortunately, there is no comprehensive, fully validated system for evaluating the welfare standards of livestock in New Zealand, Australia or elsewhere. Development of appropriate welfare assessment methodologies that are credible to all stakeholders will require a better understanding of: (i) changes in physical health and functioning that correspond with different levels of welfare; (ii) the capacities of livestock to experience negative and positive mental states and associated levels of welfare; (iii) the ways that separate measures and welfare attributes can be weighted and integrated to give an overall index of welfare; and (iv) validated, practical measurement tools for use in the production environment. It is argued that an animal-centric approach is required to achieve these aims, particularly the use of measures that reflect not just the responses of animals, but their perceptions as well. Further, there is a need to extend the perceptions approach from the current focus on measurement of resources that animals need (or need to avoid), to measurement of perceptions about health states. Existing and novel techniques based on behavioural economics offer the most promise for achieving these aims. A similar animal-centric, perception approach offers a novel method for developing an overall index of welfare that allows integration of welfare status across welfare domains and reflects the animals’ views (rather than human judgement, as at present). Conventional wisdom has it that animal welfare is high in pastoral production systems typical for Australasia. The reality of this perception awaits the further development and application of comprehensive practical, validated welfare monitoring methodologies.
Development and integration of animal welfare standards into company quality assurance programs in the Australian livestock (meat) processing industry
Authors: Edge M. K. , Barnett J. L.
Published: June 2008

A collaborative project between the Australian Meat Industry Council and the Animal Welfare Science Centre, a Centre partnered by the University of Melbourne, Department of Primary Industries (Victoria) and Monash University, that commenced in 2005, resulted in the development of a series of industry animal welfare standards designed to complement existing regulatory and commercial requirements. The project was the fourth in a series of similar projects conducted since 1998 for the poultry, pork and dairy industries, that was aimed at developing industry-wide animal welfare audit material. This concept was further developed to result in national industry animal welfare standards with accompanying audit material that could be integrated with existing industry, commercial and regulatory quality assurance documentation to demonstrate animal welfare practices. The resultant animal welfare standards were accompanied by additional implementation and reference information to enable integration and uptake within the industries and for the delivery of assurance on animal welfare to Governments, customers, trading partners and the consumer.
Verifying legislative and customer requirements utilising animal welfare quality assurance
Authors: Edge M. K. , Hemsworth P. H. , Barnett J. L.
Published: June 2008

The development of animal welfare in quality assurance (QA) programs and audits for several of the livestock industries is briefly described, with emphasis on the ability of these programs to provide a framework to manage and demonstrate compliance with the various legislative and commercial animal welfare requirements in Australia. There is a clear role for these programs to provide the framework for compliance with legislative standards in a similar manner to the commercial standards set by customers of the livestock industries. However, options for implementing legislation in this manner in Australia are still under consideration. QA programs need to be acceptable to the community, be able to meet all customers’ requirements and demonstrate to government authorities that animal welfare standards have been met. QA programs that include animal welfare will be better accepted when their ability to deliver comprehensive benefits and continual improvements in animal welfare have been formally evaluated. Additionally, the impact of animal welfare QA programs will only be fully realised by better demonstrating their ability to deliver verification of legislative and commercial standards, benefits to industry in terms of efficiency and production and consequent acceptability by customers and the broad community. To date, such QA programs have only begun to meet all these needs.
Linking rumen function to animal response by application of metagenomics techniques
Authors: Firkins J. L. , Karnati S. K. R. , Yu Z.
Published: June 2008

Metagenomics techniques applied to the rumen microbiota have demonstrated tremendous diversity originally among populations of bacteria and, more recently, among the methanogenic archaea, including those associated with protozoa. Although with some potential limitations, cluster analyses of sequences recovered from clone libraries have revealed differences in populations among animals fed forage v. grain, including amylolytic ruminococci and novel groups of clostridia adhering to the rumen particulates. Rapid profiling procedures, such as denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), can be used to infer likely differences in community structure of bacteria and archaea among numerous replicates of animals and times after feeding diets that are more representative of intense ruminant animal production. Metagenomics procedures also are being applied to issues related to ruminal output of fatty acid isomers influencing milk fat composition and consumer acceptance, the environmental impact of nitrogen in animal waste and methane emissions, and future potential approaches to improve ruminal fibre digestibility. If varying concentrations of ruminal metabolites and fluxes quantified from microbial processes can be combined with results from metagenomics applied to rumen microbiota, then we should reduce the unexplained variability in models in which the prediction of nutrient supply to the intestine is synchronised with nutritional guidelines for more efficient feed conversion by ruminants.
Contemporary livestock carrying capacities for pastoral properties in Northern Australia: a methodology for integrating objective data on pasture growth and condition
Authors: Hamilton J. S. , Chilcott C. R. , Savage D. B.
Published: June 2008

Stocking rate is often the most important and manageable factor influencing the profitability and environmental sustainability of pastoral properties. Methods for determining carrying capacity, and therefore stocking rate, include subjective approaches based on land manager experience, long-term ‘benchmark’ stocking rates and techniques using computer-aided predictions of pasture growth. This paper presents a new approach for objectively calculating short-term livestock carrying capacities of pastoral properties by integrating remotely sensed ground cover assessments as a proxy for land condition. The study region was three commercial pastoral properties in the north Australian pastoral region (above 26°S). Two properties were situated in the Victoria River District of the Northern Territory and a third in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
Annual pasture growth was estimated using GRASP, a deterministic, point-based, native pasture model developed for semiarid and tropical grasslands, which was calibrated for the different land types in the study region. Carrying capacity estimates were further refined by investigating trends in landscape cover change between years using data from satellite imagery assessment. These tools have been shown to be useful for inferring land condition and pasture growth within these regions of northern Australia but had not been integrated before this study. This study developed an approach for inferring rangeland pasture condition and applying it to refine short-term carrying capacities, thus aiding decision making. The approach developed in this study is considered to be more applicable for commercial land management than currently available methods for determining carrying capacities on pastoral properties in northern Australia.
Reduced space allowance for adult sheep in lairage for 24hours limits lying behaviour but not drinking behaviour
Authors: Jongman E. C. , Edge M. K. , Butler K. L. , Cronin G. M.
Published: June 2008

The key lairage requirements for livestock include sufficient space to lie down, sufficient time to allow recovery from travel, and access to water to allow recovery from dehydration. Current recommendations for lairage of adult sheep include that holding pens should provide no less space than 0.6 m2 per sheep. Particularly during periods when large numbers of sheep are culled, space allowances may be limited to 0.3 m2 or less, which may reduce the ability of individual sheep to lie down or access water. Adult Merino-cross sheep were allocated to one of four space allowance treatments during unloading from commercial transport vehicles at a commercial abattoir after an average transport time of 3 h. The treatments were 0.3, 0.45, 0.6 and 1.0 m2/sheep and each pen measured 18 m2. Differences in space allowance were achieved by varying the number of sheep per pen, with pens holding 18 (1 m2), 30 (0.6 m2), 40 (0.45 m2) and 60 (0.3 m2) animals. In each pen, eight focal sheep were randomly selected and marked on the back for identification on video records. The sheep remained in the lairage treatments for 24 h and were continuously recorded on video using low light cameras. The data were subsequently analysed for both lying and drinking behaviours after 8 and 24 h in lairage. There were five replicates of all treatments over a 3-week period. A space allowance of 0.3 m2/sheep reduced the time sheep spent lying and the proportion of sheep that lay down at least once, compared with greater space allowances. Space allowances between 0.3 and 1 m2/sheep showed a linear relationship with the time sheep spent lying during the first 24 h. Optimal space allowance may be greater than 1 m2, based on lying behaviour. Drinking behaviour was not affected by space allowance in a 24 h period in lairage although overall 20% of sheep were not observed to drink after 24 h in lairage.
Effectiveness of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and epidural anaesthesia in reducing the pain and stress responses to a surgical husbandry procedure (mulesing) in sheep
Authors: Paull D. R. , Colditz I. G. , Lee C. , Atkinson S. J. , Fisher A. D.
Published: June 2008

In this study, we examined the potential of several widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and other analgesics to reduce pain and stress in sheep after surgery. Because mulesing involves a greater degree of tissue trauma than other surgical husbandry procedures such as castration or tail-docking, it provides a more rigorous and conservative test to identify potentially useful analgesic strategies in sheep. Merino lambs (5 weeks of age) were randomised into eight treatment groups: (1) carprofen; (2) flunixin; (3) ketoprofen; (4) buprenorphine; (5) xylazine; (6) lignocaine epidural; (7) saline control; (8) sham control. The NSAIDs were administered 1.5 h before mulesing, buprenorphine 0.75 h and xylazine and lignocaine 0.25 h before mulesing. Pain- and discomfort-related behaviours were recorded for 12 h after mulesing, and plasma cortisol concentrations were measured before mulesing and 0.5, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h after mulesing. The results indicated that no single analgesic treatment provided satisfactory analgesia during both the surgical mulesing procedure and the ensuing period of pain associated with the inflammatory phase. However, there were indications that two NSAIDs (carprofen and flunixin) showed good potential as analgesics during the inflammatory phase. A combination of short- and long-acting analgesics may be needed to provide more complete pain relief. In conclusion, the administration of some NSAIDs offers the potential for good analgesia in sheep for the inflammatory phase following the tissue trauma of surgical husbandry procedures. Other analgesic options need to be considered if the acute stress response to the procedure is to be reduced.
Heifer fertility on commercial cattle properties in the Northern Territory
Authors: Schatz T. J. , Hearnden M. N.
Published: June 2008

The performance of heifers at their first (maiden heifers) and second matings (first lactation heifers) was recorded between 2003 and 2008 to establish current heifer fertility levels on 14 commercial cattle properties in the Northern Territory (NT). Pregnancy rates in maiden heifers (joined first at ~2 years of age) were generally adequate (>75%) to produce enough pregnant replacement breeders. Pregnancy rates in first lactation heifers were often very low (<20%) due to the low liveweight of heifers between calving and weaning. However on properties where first lactation heifers were in good condition at this time, pregnancy rates were high (>70%). Calf loss between pregnancy diagnosis and weaning in first lactation heifers was often high (>30%). The average of the calf loss figures from all the herds studied was 22%.
Effect of nutrition on testicular traits of tropically adapted yearling beef bulls
Authors: Swanepoel F. J. C. , Taylor G. J. , Webb E. C. , Stroebel A.
Published: June 2008

The effects of different management practices on testicular development of young Bonsmara bulls fed a high energy (HE), medium energy (ME) and low energy (LE) diet after weaning were determined. Testicular histology and seminal traits were examined together with scrotal circumference (SC) development over an 84-day performance test trial period. The SC differed significantly (P < 0.001) between HE-, ME- and LE-fed bulls. Seminal traits, such as semen concentration were significantly (P < 0.001) lower in bulls fed the HE diet (1.3 ± 0.134) compared with those fed the ME diet (2.4 ± 0.18) and LE diet (2.6 ± 0.16). Similarly, linear movement of sperm was also affected by diet and movement was slower (P < 0.05) in bulls fed the HE diet (1.7 ± 0.30) compared with bulls fed the ME diet (2.2 ± 0.31) and LE diet (3.1 ± 0.23). The percentage total major (P < 0.001) and total minor (P < 0.05) sperm defects were also greater in the HE-fed bulls (27.1 ± 6.82 and 7.4 ± 0.91) compared with the ME-fed bulls (9.7 ± 1.45 and 5.5 ± 0.87) and for the LE-fed bulls (5.4 ± 1.26 and 3.9 ± 0.58). Dietary energy level (P < 0.05) influenced the percentage inactive seminiferous tubuli, with bulls fed the HE diet having 35% more seminiferous tubules classified as inactive compared with those bulls fed ME and LE diets. Scrotal fat deposits were higher (P < 0.05) in bulls fed the HE diet (243.4 ± 21.59 g) compared with those fed the ME (110.0 ± 12.1 g) and LE (88.4 ± 9.65 g) diets. Feeding HE diets to young bulls probably reduces their reproductive potential.
Modern management of uterine fibroids
Authors: LEVY BARBARA S.
Published: June 2008

Uterine fibroids are the most common tumor of the reproductive tract in women of reproductive age. Although they are benign tumors that are often asymptomatic, uterine fibroids may cause debilitating symptoms in many women, such as abnormal uterine bleeding, abdominal pain, increased abdominal girth, urinary frequency, constipation, pregnancy loss, dyspareunia, and in some cases infertility. Several approaches are available for the treatment of uterine fibroids. These include pharmacologic options, such as hormonal therapies and gonadotropin‐releasing hormone agonists; surgical approaches, such as hysterectomy, myomectomy, myolysis, laparoscopic uterine artery occlusion, magnetic resonance imaging‐guided focused ultrasound surgery, and uterine artery embolization. The choice of approach may be dictated by factors such as the patient's desire to become pregnant in the future, the importance of uterine preservation, symptom severity, and tumor characteristics. New treatment options for uterine fibroids would be minimally invasive, have long‐term data demonstrating efficacy and safety, have minimal or no incidence of fibroid recurrence, be easy to perform, preserve fertility, and be cost effective. New treatment approaches are under investigation, with the goals of being effective, safe, and less invasive.
Is serum‐soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor‐1 of importance in unexplained infertility?
Authors: WATHÉN KATJA‐ANNELI , UNKILA‐KALLIO LEILA , ISAKSSON RITA , TIITINEN AILA , STENMAN ULF‐HÅKAN , VUORELA PIIA
Published: June 2008

Objective. To analyze the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its naturally occurring circulating antagonist, soluble VEGF receptor‐1 (sVEGFR‐1), in infertility. VEGF is a key angiogenic factor in the endometrial and ovarian cyclic processes that are crucial for fertility and sVEGFR‐1 impairs its function and fertility in animals – less is known as regards human fertility. Design. Case–control study. Setting. University Central Hospital, a tertiary referral center. Population. Women with unexplained infertility (n = 15) and fertile controls (n = 10) had serial blood samples collected during their natural cycles, and the infertile women during a subsequent in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle. Methods. Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay was used for this study. Main outcome measures. Concentrations of VEGF and sVEGFR‐1 in the natural cycles and of sVEGFR‐1 during a subsequent IVF cycle. Results. Plasma VEGF concentrations showed no cyclicity in fertile women, but were higher in the infertile group at the midluteal phase. Serum sVEGFR‐1 concentrations were similar between the groups and between natural and IVF cycles. However, in infertile women, concentrations of sVEGFR‐1 increased from the follicular phase to the luteal phase. In the follicular phase infertile women had a high ratio of VEGF/sVEGFR‐1, which was decreased in the luteal phase. Both findings were associated with failure to achieve pregnancy in subsequent IVF cycles. Conclusions. One cause of unexplained infertility may be unbalanced secretion of sVEGFR‐1 with concomitant changes in free VEGF during the transition from the follicular to the luteal phase. This aberration may be related to impaired implantation.
Alcohol use before and during pregnancy and factors influencing change among Swedish women
Authors: NILSEN PER , HOLMQVIST MARIKA , HULTGREN EVA , BENDTSEN PREBEN , CEDERGREN MARIE
Published: June 2008

Objective. To investigate alcohol intake during pregnancy among women, to assess health cares providers’ advice to the women and the relative importance of different factors on changes in the women's drinking. Design. Questionnaire study. Setting. Linköping, Sweden. Population. A total number of 1,533 women registered at a maternity health care center in Linköping during a one‐year period, from 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006. Methods. Mailed anonymous questionnaire with a response rate of 61%. Main outcome measures. Drinking behavior and information sources. Results. During pregnancy, 94% (n = 869) of the responding women abstained from alcohol, including 13% (n = 117) who were already abstainers. Six percent (n = 55) continued drinking during the pregnancy. Those who continued drinking during pregnancy were older, had more often given birth and drank more frequently before pregnancy than the women who abstained. Half of the respondents (n = 428) believed that decreases in alcohol intake during pregnancy reported in previous studies could be due to inaccurate self‐reporting. The main message from maternity health care providers was perceived to be complete abstinence from alcohol during pregnancy (85%; n = 777), although 8% (n = 76) claimed that they had not received any advice regarding this. Media attention concerning risks associated with drinking during pregnancy was seen as slightly more important to achieve reduced alcohol intake during pregnancy than advice from maternity health care providers. Conclusions. A majority of women in this study reported abstaining from alcohol during pregnancy.
Acidemia at birth, related to obstetric characteristics and to oxytocin use, during the last two hours of labor
Authors: JONSSON MARIA , NORDÉN‐LINDEBERG SOLVEIG , ÖSTLUND INGRID , HANSON ULF
Published: June 2008

Objective. Evaluate obstetric characteristics during the last two hours of labor in neonates born with acidemia. Design. Case‐control study. Setting. Delivery units at two university hospitals in Sweden. Study population. Out of 28,486 deliveries during 1994–2004, 305 neonates had an umbilical artery pH value <7.05 at birth. Methods. Cases: neonates with an umbilical artery pH < 7.05. Controls were neonates with pH ≥ 7.05 and an Apgar score ≥7 at 5 minutes. Obstetric characteristics, cardiotocographic patterns and oxytocin treatment during the last two hours of labor were recorded. Results. In the univariate analysis, ≥6 contractions/10 minutes (odds ratio (OR) 4.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.25–7.49), oxytocin use (OR 2.20, 95% CI 1.66–2.92), bearing down ≥45 minutes (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.31–2.38) and occipito‐posterior position (OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.19–3.98) were associated with acidemia at birth. In the multivariate analysis, only ≥6 contractions/10 minutes (OR 5.36, 95% CI 3.32–8.65) and oxytocin use (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.21–2.97) were associated with acidemia at birth. Among cases with ≥6 contractions/10 minutes, 75% had been treated with oxytocin. Pathological cardiotocographic patterns occurred in 68.8% of cases and in 26.1% of controls (p<0.001). Conclusion. A hyperactive uterine contraction pattern and oxytocin use are the most important risk factors for acidemia at birth. The increased uterine activity was related to overstimulation in the majority of cases. The duration of bearing down is less important when uterine contraction frequency has been considered.
Suitable work for women? Roles, relationships and changing identities of ‘other adults’ in the early years classroom
Authors: Barkham Jo
Published: June 2008

This article explores some of the issues around the agenda for workforce reform as it applies to professionals who work in early years classrooms (4–7 year olds), who work alongside class teachers in supporting learning. Their changing roles, responsibilities and professional identities are examined through a small scale case study of four women, two nursery nurses and two teaching assistants, from an infants school in a suburb of Bristol. Their close professional and personal relationships with the six female class teachers with whom thery work are considered. Their stories are analysed for their significance as women whose levels of skill and dedication are undervalued in terms of career structure, salary and job security. Whilst contributing to the debates around the changing roles and the valuable work of teaching assistants, this research endorses the view that these professionals' voices are too often silenced in educational debates and in strategic decision making.
Academic self‐concept, gender and single‐sex schooling
Authors: Sullivan Alice
Published: June 2008

This article assesses gender differences in academic self‐concept for a cohort of children born in 1958 (the National Child Development Study). It addresses the question of whether attending single‐sex or co‐educational schools affected students' perceptions of their own academic abilities (academic self‐concept). Academic self‐concept was found to be highly gendered, even controlling for prior test scores. Boys had higher self‐concepts in mathematics and science, and girls in English. Single‐sex schooling reduced the gender gap in self‐concept, while selective schooling was linked to lower academic self‐concept overall.
Rolling out ‘good’, ‘best’ and ‘excellent’ practice. What next? Perfect practice?
Authors: Coffield Frank , Edward Sheila
Published: June 2008

The identification and dissemination of ‘good practice’ has for years been a central part of the Government's strategy for radical change of the education system. ‘Good practice’, however, is no longer good enough, nor is ‘best practice’. The requirement now for post‐compulsory education and training (from which all our examples are taken) is nothing less than ‘excellent practice for all’. This article critically examines these highly significant shifts in the rhetoric of policy, finds them wanting and argues that we need to face up to the complexities involved in deciding not only what is ‘excellent practice’ but also in working through all the stages which would be needed to transmit it throughout the sector. In particular, recent documents from the Quality Improvement Agency and the Learning and Skills Council on the pursuit of excellence are critically appraised. The views of those practitioners who are part of the authors' project in the Economic and Social Research Council's Teaching and Learning Research Programme are also explained in relation to ‘good practice’. The authors attempt to explain the frenetic activity of politicians and policy makers in this sector, and end by moving from critique to construction by considering what can be rescued from the inherently contestable notion of ‘good practice’, and, in doing so, draw heavily on the work of Robin Alexander.
Rate of ventricular enlargement in multiple sclerosis: a nine-year magnetic resonance imaging follow-up study
Authors: Martola J. , Stawiarz L. , Fredrikson S. , Hillert J. , Bergström J. , Flodmark O. , Aspelin P. , Kristoffersen Wiberg M.
Published: June 2008

Background: In multiple sclerosis (MS), brain atrophy assessed by linear measurements of ventricular widths has been reported to be well correlated with three-dimensional (3D) measurements. Therefore, serial linear measurements with no need for advanced 3D evaluation may be proven to be robust markers of irreversible, destructive changes.

Purpose: To evaluate the rate of supratentorial ventricular enlargement representing four decades of disease span.

Material and Methods: 37 MS patients with disease duration at baseline ranging from 1 to 33 years were included. The mean time of the individual magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) follow-up was 9.25 years (range 7.3–10 years). Enlargement rate of the third and lateral ventricles was studied over time by applying three linear measurements on axial 5-mm T1-weighted MRI images.

Results: Progression of supratentorial ventricular widths during 9 years’ follow-up was found. The mean annual width increase of the third ventricle was 0.20 mm ( P<0.001, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.15–0.25), for the frontal horn width 0.32 mm ( P<0.001, 95% CI 0.23–0.40), and increase of the intercaudate distance was 0.26 mm ( P<0.001, 95% CI 0.19–0.33). The association between these three measurements and disability status persisted at the time of follow-up.

Conclusion: We found uniform ventricular enlargement progression during four decades of disease span, suggesting unchanging total brain atrophy progression over time.
Shoulder magnetic resonance arthrography: a prospective randomized study of anterior and posterior ultrasonography-guided contrast injections
Authors: Koivikko M. P. , Mustonen A. O. T.
Published: June 2008

Background: Magnetic resonance (MR) arthrography is an accurate imaging method for internal shoulder derangements and rotator cuff pathologies. Both anterior and posterior contrast injection techniques, under palpatory, fluoroscopic, or ultrasonographic guidance have been described in the literature. However, clinical comparisons of the injection techniques remain few.

Purpose: To compare the performance of anterior and posterior ultrasonography (US)-guided arthrography injections of the shoulder regarding patient discomfort and influence on diagnostic MR reading, and to illustrate the typical artifacts resulting from contrast leakage in the respective techniques.

Material and Methods: 43 MR arthrographies were prospectively randomized into anterior and posterior US-guided contrast injections and performed by two radiologists, with the study of artifacts from contrast leakage. Pain from the injections was assessed by a survey utilizing a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS).

Results: Of the 23 anterior injections, nine caused contrast artifacts in the subscapular tendon, and in three the leakage extended further anteriorly. Of the 20 posterior injections, 12 showed injection artifacts of the rotator cuff, extending outside the cuff in seven. Two of the anterior and none of the posterior artifacts compromised diagnostic quality. In posterior injections, the leakage regularly occurred at the caudal edge of the infraspinatus muscle and was easily distinguishable from rotator cuff tears. All patients completed the pain survey. Mean VAS scores were 25.0 (median 18, SD 22) for anterior, and 25.4 (median 16, SD 25) for posterior injections. The two radiologists achieved different mean VAS scores but closely agreed as to anterior and posterior VAS scores.

Conclusion: Arthrography injections were fairly simple to perform under US guidance. Patient discomfort for anterior and posterior injections was equally minor. A tailored approach utilizing anterior or posterior injections, depending on anticipated shoulder pathology, is recommended. Because in posterior injections all artifacts were posterior and readily recognizable, it seems especially suitable for suspected anterior rotator cuff, joint capsule, and labral pathologies.
Real‐Time Investigation of Referential Domains in Unscripted Conversation: A Targeted Language Game Approach
Authors: Brown‐Schmidt Sarah , Tanenhaus Michael K.
Published: June 2008

Two experiments examined the restriction of referential domains during unscripted conversation by analyzing the modification and online interpretation of referring expressions. Experiment 1 demonstrated that from the earliest moments of processing, addressees interpreted referring expressions with respect to referential domains constrained by the conversation. Analysis of eye movements during the conversation showed elimination of standard competition effects seen with scripted language. Results from Experiment 2 pinpointed two pragmatic factors responsible for restriction of the referential domains used by speakers to design referential expressions and demonstrated that the same factors predict whether addressees consider local competitors to be potential referents during online interpretation of the same expressions. These experiments demonstrate, for the first time, that online interpretation of referring expressions in conversation is facilitated by referential domains constrained by pragmatic factors that predict when addressees are likely to encounter temporary ambiguity in language processing.
Understanding Mortality and the Life of the Ancestors in Rural Madagascar
Authors: Astuti Rita , Harris Paul L.
Published: June 2008

Across two studies, a wide age range of participants was interviewed about the nature of death. All participants were living in rural Madagascar in a community where ancestral beliefs and practices are widespread. In Study 1, children (8–17 years) and adults (19–71 years) were asked whether bodily and mental processes continue after death. The death in question was presented in the context of a narrative that focused either on the corpse or on the ancestral practices associated with the afterlife. Participants aged 8 years and older claimed that death brings an end to most bodily and mental processes. Nevertheless, particularly in the context of the religious narrative, they claimed that certain mental processes continue even after death. This assertion of an afterlife was more evident among adults than children, especially with respect to cognitive processes, such as knowing and remembering. In Study 2, 5‐ and 7‐year‐olds were asked similar questions in connection with the death of a bird and a person. Seven‐year‐olds consistently claimed that bodily and mental processes cease at death, whereas 5‐year‐olds were unsystematic in their replies. Together, the two studies replicate and extend findings obtained with Western children showing that, in the course of development, different conceptions of death are elaborated—a biological conception in which death terminates living processes and a religious conception in which death marks the beginning of a new form of spiritual existence.
Large‐Scale Modeling of Wordform Learning and Representation
Authors: Sibley Daragh E. , Kello Christopher T. , Plaut David C. , Elman Jeffrey L.
Published: June 2008

The forms of words as they appear in text and speech are central to theories and models of lexical processing. Nonetheless, current methods for simulating their learning and representation fail to approach the scale and heterogeneity of real wordform lexicons. A connectionist architecture termed the sequence encoder is used to learn nearly 75,000 wordform representations through exposure to strings of stress‐marked phonemes or letters. First, the mechanisms and efficacy of the sequence encoder are demonstrated and shown to overcome problems with traditional slot‐based codes. Then, two large‐scale simulations are reported that learned to represent lexicons of either phonological or orthographic wordforms. In doing so, the models learned the statistics of their lexicons as shown by better processing of well‐formed pseudowords as opposed to ill‐formed (scrambled) pseudowords, and by accounting for variance in well‐formedness ratings. It is discussed how the sequence encoder may be integrated into broader models of lexical processing.
Bigrams and the Richness of the Stimulus
Authors: Kam Xuân‐Nga Cao , Stoyneshka Iglika , Tornyova Lidiya , Fodor Janet D. , Sakas William G.
Published: June 2008

Recent challenges to Chomsky's poverty of the stimulus thesis for language acquisition suggest that children's primary data may carry “indirect evidence” about linguistic constructions despite containing no instances of them. Indirect evidence is claimed to suffice for grammar acquisition, without need for innate knowledge. This article reports experiments based on those of , who demonstrated that a simple bigram language model can induce the correct form of auxiliary inversion in certain complex questions. This article investigates the nature of the indirect evidence that supports this learning, and assesses how reliably it is available. Results confirm the original finding for one specific sentence type but show that the model's success is highly circumscribed. It performs poorly on inversion in related constructions in English and Dutch. Because other, more powerful statistical models have so far been shown to succeed only on the same limited subset of cases as the bigram model, it remains to be seen whether stimulus richness can be substantiated more generally.
The Impact of Presentation Format, Task Assignment, and Prior Knowledge on Students' Comprehension of Multiple Online Documents
Authors: Bigot Ludovic Le , Rouet Jean-François
Published: June 2008

This study investigated the impact of prior knowledge, writing task, and hypertext format on university students' comprehension of multisource hypertext. Fifty-two students categorized as having high or low prior knowledge studied hypertext consisting of seven component texts on the topic of social influence. Some students were given a summary writing task; others were asked to write arguments regarding the topic. Also, some students experienced the component texts organized by topic, and others experienced them introduced by source (i.e., author and date). Dependent measures included reading time and scores on a comprehension post-test as well as number and nature of connectives and number and nature of idea units included in students' essays. High knowledge students spent less time than low knowledge students and also did better on the comprehension post-test. Moreover, the argument task led to more causal connectives and more transformed information in students' papers, whereas the summary task resulted in more temporal connectives and paraphrases. Third, presentation of the material by source resulted in better macrostructural comprehension on the post-test, whereas the topic format resulted in better microstructural comprehension. Findings are discussed in terms of development of hypertext materials and task construction, and suggestions are made for further studies.
Spellings of Words: A Neglected Facilitator of Vocabulary Learning
Authors: Ehri Linnea C. , Rosenthal Julie
Published: June 2008

Vocabulary learning is central to reading ability and academic achievement. Vocabulary researchers and educators have viewed its essence as a process of associating the pronunciations and meanings of words in memory, and they have paid little attention to the contribution that spellings might make to vocabulary learning. We review theory and evidence showing that this is a serious oversight. Once children become literate, they retain the spellings of words bonded to their pronunciations and meanings in memory. Several studies show that spellings of words are retained in memory and influence phonemic and syllabic segmentation of words, they enhance memory for pseudowords, and they impact the detection of oral rhyming words. Two studies show that exposing second and fifth graders to the spellings of new vocabulary words enhances their memory for pronunciations and meanings of the words. Students with better developed orthographic knowledge benefit more from spellings in learning vocabulary words than students with weaker knowledge. In fact, the detection of a Matthew effect suggests that differences in orthographic knowledge create a difference in vocabulary size that grows increasingly large over time. Findings carry implications for enhancing vocabulary learning and instruction. Teachers need to show the spellings of new vocabulary words when they discuss their meanings. Students need to stop and pronounce unfamiliar words rather than skip them during independent reading. Researchers need to incorporate orthography into their theories explaining vocabulary acquisition, specifically phonological working memory theories, and they need to attend to its influence in studies they conduct.
Warmer and drier climates that make Lake Huron into a terminal lake
Authors: Croley T. E. , Lewis C. F. M.
Published: June 2008

Paleo-hydrologists have adjusted for glacial isostatic uplift and compared the original elevations of paleo-water level indicators and basin outlets for Lake Huron, revealing that Huron lake levels fell tens of meters below its lowest possible outlet (becoming a terminal lake) about 7,900 14C years BP. This corresponds to when the upper Great Lakes stopped receiving glacial melt inflow and became dependent for water supply on precipitation alone, as at present. Since these researchers accounted for differential isostatic effects, they surmised that the upper Great Lakes were impacted by severe dry climate. To understand possible climate changes that led to the closure, the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory applied their Advanced Hydrologic Prediction System to explore deviations from present climates that could force the upper Great Lakes to become terminal. GLERL modeled the steady-state water balance of the present upper Great Lakes with pre-development natural water flow conditions by employing lake outflow-depth rating curves (using estimated sill elevations) reasonable for a natural system and by using dynamic lake areas controlled by observed hypsometric relations for each lake. By using systematic shifts in precipitation and temperature relative to the present base climate, GLERL showed the temperature rises and precipitation drops required for a terminal lake; they may be less extreme if additional effects of past differences in wind speed and insolation are also considered.
Progress of water pollution control in Hong Kong
Authors: Hua F. L. , Tsang Y. F. , Chua H.
Published: June 2008

Hong Kong's wastewater collection and treatment systems did not keep the pace with population growth and economic development in the past. The discharge of wastewater from domestic and industrial sources led to the deterioration of aquatic and marine ecological systems, the closure of beaches, the occurrence of red tides, and the bioaccumulation and contamination of seafood. Similar to other major cities in the world, Hong Kong has been working diligently to improve her water quality. The enactment of the Water Pollution Control Ordinance was a sign of the beginning of the fight on water pollution. In 1986, a flexible environmental management master plan was designed, and implemented over the following two decades. Currently, of the 2.6 million cubic meters of wastewater generated each day in Hong Kong, 98% receives suitable treatment. The deterioration in the quality of aquatic environments in the territory has been effectively controlled.
Gelatinization and Retrogradation Kinetics of High‐Fiber Wheat Flour Blends: A Calorimetric Approach
Authors: Santos E. , Rosell C. M. , Collar C.
Published: June 2008

The impact of dietary fiber (DF) mixtures on dough thermal properties needs to be investigated when designing high‐fiber wheat bread. Effects of flour replacement at different levels (6–34%) by soluble (inuline [FN]), partially soluble (sugar beet [FX], pea cell wall [SW]), and insoluble (pea hull [EX]) DF on wheat dough thermal profiles have been investigated by simulating baking, cooling, and storage in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) pans. In general, DF incorporation into water‐flour systems delayed endothermic transition temperatures for both gelatinization and retrogradation phenomena except for the peak temperature (Tp) of retrogradation. With some exception, the pattern of the enthalpy of amylopectin retrogradation was lower and slower (lower constant of proportion, k) over 10 days of storage in gelatinized hydrated flour‐fiber blends when compared with control without DF. FX, a partially soluble fiber, provided major effects on gelatinization (Tp decrease and ΔH increase) and retrogradation kinetics (the Avrami exponent, n, increase). Single presence of EX allowed a significant reduction in the Avrami exponent n leading to slower kinetics for amylopectin retrogradation when included in the blends.