bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On Minimizing Guessing Effects on Multiple‐Choice Items: Superiority of a two solutions and three distractors item format to a one solution and five distractors item format
Authors: Kubinger Klaus D. , Holocher‐Ertl Stefana , Reif Manuel , Hohensinn Christine , Frebort Martina
Published: February 2010

Multiple‐choice response formats are troublesome, as an item is often scored as solved simply because the examinee may be lucky at guessing the correct option. Instead of pertinent Item Response Theory models, which take guessing effects into account, this paper considers a psycho‐technological approach to re‐conceptualizing multiple‐choice response formats. The free‐response format is compared with two different multiple‐choice formats: a traditional format with a single correct response option and five distractors (‘1 of 6’), and another with five response options, three of them being distractors and two of them being correct (‘2 of 5’). For the latter format, an item is scored as mastered only if both correct response options and none of the distractors are marked. After the exclusion of a few items, the Rasch model analyses revealed appropriate fit for 188 items altogether. The resulting item‐difficulty parameters were used for comparison. The multiple‐choice format ‘1 of 6’ differs significantly from the multiple‐choice format ‘2 of 5’, while the latter does not differ significantly from the free‐response format. The lower difficulty of items ‘1 of 6’ suggests guessing effects.
From the December Youth Uprising to the Rebirth of Urban Social Movements: A Space–Time Approach
Authors: PETROPOULOU CHRYSSANTHI
Published: February 2010

The December youth uprising in Greece took on a new form, one that has generated in its turn other uprisings and new kinds of social and radical urban movements. Led by a broad spectrum of people of different ages and socio‐economic backgrounds, it became the call for the ‘right to the city’, conceived as the right to free space and free expression, especially for the young who live in cities that have been designed to accommodate neoliberal capitalist expansion. This essay discusses the manifestations of globalization that the uprising attacked. It shows that the targets of the uprising were the symbols of neoliberal consumption and consumerism, especially in the rich city centres. It then discusses the novelty of this uprising in terms of its organization, networking, composition and resources, and the means it used to further its goals. It further describes how it differs from, and has transcended, previous social movements and has influenced, and will continue to influence, subsequent ones. It concludes that the new urban movements go beyond simple rejection and confrontation in order to enter into the collective creation and radical changes of space and of everyday life in the city.

En Grèce, le soulèvement des jeunes de décembre a pris une forme nouvelle, celle‐ci ayant généréà son tour d’autres émeutes et des types nouveaux de mouvements urbains radicaux et sociaux. Mené par un large éventail de personnes d’âges et de milieux socio‐économiques différents, il s’est transformé en appel au ‘droit à la ville’, en tant que droit à la liberté d’espace et d’expression, notamment au profit des jeunes qui vivent dans des villes conçues pour répondre à un essor capitaliste néolibéral. Ce travail analyse les manifestations de la mondialisation visées par le soulèvement. Il montre que les cibles de celui‐ci étaient les symboles de la consommation néolibérale et du consumérisme, en particulier dans les centres‐villes aisés. Il analyse ensuite le caractère nouveau de cette insurrection en termes d’organisation, de construction de réseau, de composition et de ressources, ainsi que les moyens employés pour atteindre les objectifs. Il décrit également la façon dont le soulèvement s’écarte, et va au‐delà, des mouvements sociaux antérieurs, et dont il influencera les suivants. La conclusion affirme que les nouveaux mouvements urbains dépassent le rejet et la confrontation purs et simples pour passer à la création collective et à des transformations radicales de l’espace et de la vie quotidienne dans la ville.
Research Review: Genetic vulnerability or differential susceptibility in child development: the case of attachment
Authors: Bakermans‐Kranenburg Marian J. , Van IJzendoorn Marinus H.
Published: February 2010

Gene–environment interactions interpreted in terms of differential susceptibility may play a large part in the explanation of individual differences in human development. Reviewing studies on the behavioral and molecular genetics of attachment, we present evidence for interactions between genetic and environmental factors explaining individual differences in attachment security and disorganization. In particular, the DRD4 7‐repeat polymorphism seems associated with an increased risk for disorganized attachment, but only when combined with environmental risk. Gene–environment (G × E) interactions may be interpreted as genetic vulnerabilityordifferential susceptibility. We found support for the differential susceptibility hypothesis predicting not only morenegativeoutcomes for susceptible children in unfavorable environments, but alsopositiveoutcomes for susceptible children infavorableenvironments.
What do childhood anxiety disorders predict?
Authors: Bittner Antje , Egger Helen L. , Erkanli Alaattin , Jane Costello E. , Foley Debra L. , Angold Adrian
Published: February 2010

Background:  Few longitudinal studies of child and adolescent psychopathology have examined the links between specific childhood anxiety disorders and adolescent psychiatric disorder. In this paper we test the predictive specificity of separation anxiety disorder (SAD), overanxious disorder (OAD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and social phobia.

Methods:  Data come from the Great Smoky Mountains Study (GSMS). A representative population sample of children – ages 9, 11, and 13 years at intake – was followed to age 19. Diagnoses of both childhood (before age 13 years) and adolescent psychiatric disorders (age 13 to 19 years) were available from 906 participants.

Results:  Childhood SAD predicted adolescent SAD, whereas OAD was associated with later OAD, panic attacks, depression and conduct disorder (CD). GAD was related only to CD. Social phobia in childhood was associated with adolescent OAD, social phobia, and attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Conclusions:  Anxiety disorders in childhood are predictors of a range of psychiatric disorders in adolescence. It appears that children meriting a well‐defined diagnosis are missed by the current rules for the diagnosis of GAD. Future studies should examine whether OAD deserves reconsideration as a nosological entity.
Feeling anxious: a twin study of panic/somatic ratings, anxiety sensitivity and heartbeat perception in children
Authors: Eley Thalia C. , Gregory Alice M. , Clark David M. , Ehlers Anke
Published: February 2010

Background:  Little is known about mechanisms of genetic influence on panic, particularly in childhood. Cognitive theories of panic disorder highlight threatening interpretations of physical sensations, and increased awareness of such sensations. Specifically, anxiety sensitivity (AS) and heartbeat perception (HBP) have been associated with panic in adults and children. We examined genetic and environmental influences on childhood AS, HBP, panic/somatic ratings, and their associations.

Methods:  Self‐ratings of AS and DSM‐based anxiety (including panic/somatic items) were obtained from 300 eight‐year‐old twin pairs (600 individuals), selected for mother‐rated child anxiety at age 7. HBP was also assessed.

Results:  Panic/somatic ratings were significantly correlated with both AS (r = .55) and continuous HBP error scores (r = −.13). AS and HBP scores showed significantly greater correlations with panic/somatic ratings than with all other anxiety scales, except for HBP and school anxiety. Genetic influences on panic/somatic ratings were modest (15%), and moderate for both AS (37%), and HBP (30%). Non‐shared environmental influences were substantial. The genetic correlations between panic/somatic ratings and both AS and HBP error scores were .98 (95% CI: .74–1.00) and −.46 (95% CI: −1.00–1.00) respectively.

Conclusions:  Self‐ratings of panic and AS overlap genetically. Future research should consider whether AS mediates genetic risk for panic disorder.
Walking ability and predictors of performance on the 6‐minute walk test in adults with spastic cerebral palsy
Authors: MAANUM GRETHE , JAHNSEN REIDUN , FRøSLIE KATHRINE F , LARSEN KERSTIN L , KELLER ANNE
Published: February 2010

Aim To describe walking ability and identify factors predicting walking capacity in adults with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) assessed with the 6‐minute walk test (6MWT).

Method A cross‐sectional clinical study as part of the recruitment process for a randomized controlled trial on the effects of botulinum toxin A. Data analysed were the 6MWT, Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, Borg Scale, spasticity, muscle strength, popliteal angle, pain, fatigue, type of CP, foot deformity, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels, Functional Mobility Scale (FMS) scores, a gait questionnaire, interview, and demographic data.

Results In total, 126 persons were included (53 males, 73 females; mean age 39y [SD 12y]; 59 with unilateral and 67 with bilateral spastic CP; GMFCS level I,n=12; level II,n=94; level III,n=20). Mean distance on the 6MWT was 485m (SD 95m) with FMS scores reflecting independent walking performance in daily life. Multiple regression analysis identified sex, type of CP, popliteal angle, pain, and TUG values as significant predictors, with TUG values as the strongest predictor (standardized regression coefficient =−0.57,p<0.001).

Interpretation Our results demonstrate that 39% of the participants had declined one GMFCS level from adolescence to their present age, and that the TUG was the strongest predictor for the 6MWT. This implicates the importance of focusing specifically on the different elements of functional mobility in further studies.
DILP‐producing median neurosecretory cells in the Drosophila brain mediate the response of lifespan to nutrition
Authors: Broughton Susan J. , Slack Cathy , Alic Nazif , Metaxakis Athanasios , Bass Timothy M. , Driege Yasmine , Partridge Linda
Published: February 2010

Dietary restriction extends lifespan in diverse organisms, but the gene regulatory mechanisms and tissues mediating the increased survival are still unclear. Studies in worms and flies have revealed a number of candidate mechanisms, including the target of rapamycin and insulin/IGF‐like signalling (IIS) pathways and suggested a specific role for the nervous system in mediating the response. A pair of sensory neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans has been found to specifically mediate DR lifespan extension, but a neuronal focus in the Drosophila nervous system has not yet been identified. We have previously shown that reducing IIS via the partial ablation of median neurosecretory cells in the Drosophila adult brain, which produce three of the seven fly insulin‐like peptides, extends lifespan. Here, we show that these cells are required to mediate the response of lifespan to full feeding in a yeast dilution DR regime and that they appear to do so by mechanisms that involve both altered IIS and other endocrine effects. We also present evidence of an interaction between these mNSCs, nutrition and sleep, further emphasising the functional homology between the DILP‐producing neurosecretory cells in the Drosophila brain and the hypothalamus of mammals in their roles as integration sites of many inputs for the control of lifespan and behaviour.
Declining expression of a single epithelial cell‐autonomous gene accelerates age‐related thymic involution
Authors: Sun Liguang , Guo Jianfei , Brown Robert , Amagai Takashi , Zhao Yong , Su Dong‐Ming
Published: February 2010

Age‐related thymic involution may be triggered by gene expression changes in lymphohematopoietic and/or nonhematopoietic thymic epithelial cells (TECs). The role of epithelial cell‐autonomous gene FoxN1 may be involved in the process, but it is still a puzzle because of the shortage of evidence from gradual loss‐of‐function and exogenous gain‐of‐function studies. Using our recently generated loxP‐floxed‐FoxN1(fx) mouse carrying the ubiquitous CreERT (uCreERT) transgene with a low dose of spontaneous activation, which causes gradual FoxN1 deletion with age, we found that the uCreERT‐fx/fx mice showed an accelerated age‐related thymic involution owing to progressive loss of FoxN1+ TECs. The thymic aging phenotypes were clearly observable as early as at 3–6 months of age, resembling the naturally aged (18–22‐month‐old) murine thymus. By intrathymically supplying aged wild‐type mice with exogenous FoxN1‐cDNA, thymic involution and defective peripheral CD4+ T‐cell function could be partially rescued. The results support the notion that decline of a single epithelial cell‐autonomous gene FoxN1 levels with age causes primary deterioration in TECs followed by impairment of the total postnatal thymic microenvironment, and potentially triggers age‐related thymic involution in mice.
Influence of duration of sexual cohabitation on the risk of hypertension in nulliparous parturients in Ibadan: A cohort study
Authors: OLAYEMI Oladapo , STROBINO Donna , AIMAKHU Christopher , ADEDAPO Kayode , KEHINDE Aderemi , ODUKOGBE Akin‐Tunde , SALAKO Babatunde
Published: February 2010

Background:  Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are an important cause of maternal mortality in this environment, it accounts for about 20% of all maternal deaths in pregnancy in Nigeria.

Aim:  This study aims to determine the effect of the length of sexual cohabitation on the development of hypertension in pregnancy in a Nigerian population.

Materials and methods:  The study was a prospective cohort study; three centres were involved in the study between July 2006 and February 2009. For this study, the main outcome variable was the development of Hypertension in pregnancy. The main explanatory variable was the length of preconception sexual cohabitation. Univariate analysis was by t test, chi‐squared test and Fisher’s exact test for continuous and categorical variables. Multivariate analysis was by Cox hazard regression

Results:  In the study population, the incidence of gestational hypertension and pre‐eclampsia were 28.93% and 4.13% respectively, 29.64% had previous abortions and same paternity abortion rate was 25.92%. Length of sexual cohabitation before index pregnancy was protective against hypertension in pregnancy but not for pre‐eclampsia; there was a 4% decrease in the risk of developing hypertension for every month increase in cohabitation (hazard ratio, HR 0.96 (95% CI 0.93–0.99)). Also protective in this model was same paternity abortion with a HR of 0.71 (95% CI 0.55–0.93). A previous abortion was not protective (HR 1.05 (95% CI 0.82–1.35)).

Conclusion:  It was concluded that increased length of sexual cohabitation prior to conception reduces the risk of gestational hypertension.
A review of maternal deaths at Goroka General Hospital, Papua New Guinea 2005–2008
Authors: SANGA Karen , De COSTA Caroline , MOLA Glen
Published: February 2010

Background:  Papua New Guinea is a developing country with a population of six million, facing significant geographical, cultural and economic barriers to the provision of antenatal and intrapartum care. The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is an internationally regarded index of the quality of a country’s maternity services; the most recently reported MMR for Papua New Guinea of 773 deaths per 100 000 births is one of the highest in the world.

Aims:  To review information about women who died from pregnancy‐related causes, both direct and indirect, in the Goroka General Hospital (GGH) during the period 1st January 2005 to 31st May 2008.

Methods:  A retrospective review was undertaken of the charts of women recorded as dying in the Obstetrics and Gynecology (O&G) ward of GGH in the study period.

Results:  The charts of 21 women who died from pregnancy‐related causes were reviewed and information collated. Puerperal sepsis and sepsis complicating unsafe abortion were the most common causes of maternal death accounting for 48% deaths. Other causes included ectopic pregnancy and postpartum haemorrhage. Contributing factors included residence in a rural area, geographical and transport difficulties accessing care, non‐use of family planning services, non‐booking for antenatal care and late presentation in pregnancy or labour, and under‐resourcing of services at GGH. The socio‐economic status of most of the women was low, and where educational attainments were recorded these were also low. 71% of women identified themselves as practising Christians.

Conclusions:  Better outreach services to provide health information and antenatal care, with specific counselling about the need for supervised delivery, are urgently required in the Eastern Highlands Province that GGH serves if numbers of maternal deaths are to be reduced. Working through churches in the region may be the most appropriate way to provide information and services to women because a majority of women adhere to Christianity and can be reached in this way.
Quantitative Assessment of a Tanzanian Integrated Conservation and Development Project Involving Butterfly Farming
Authors: MORGAN‐BROWN THERON , JACOBSON SUSAN K. , WALD KENNETH , CHILD BRIAN
Published: February 2010

Abstract:  Scientific understanding of the role of development in conservation has been hindered by the quality of evaluations of integrated conservation and development projects. We used a quasi‐experimental design to quantitatively assess a conservation and development project involving commercial butterfly farming in the East Usambara Mountains of Tanzania. Using a survey of conservation attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and behavior, we compared 150 butterfly farmers with a control group of 170 fellow community members. Due to the nonrandom assignment of individuals to the two groups, we used propensity‐score matching and weighting in our analyses to control for observed bias. Eighty percent of the farmers believed butterfly farming would be impossible if local forests were cleared, and butterfly farmers reported significantly more participation in forest conservation behaviors and were more likely to believe that conservation behaviors were effective. The two groups did not differ in terms of their general conservation attitudes, attitudes toward conservation officials, or knowledge of conservation‐friendly building techniques. The relationship between butterfly farming and conservation behavior was mediated by dependency on butterfly farming income. Assuming unobserved bias played a limited role, our findings suggest that participation in butterfly farming increased participation in conservation behaviors among project participants because farmers perceive a link between earnings from butterfly farming and forest conservation.
Geography and Recovery under the U.S. Endangered Species Act
Authors: CARROLL CARLOS , VUCETICH JOHN A. , NELSON MICHAEL P. , ROHLF DANIEL J. , PHILLIPS MICHAEL K.
Published: February 2010

Abstract:  The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) defines an endangered species as one “at risk of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” The prevailing interpretation of this phrase, which focuses exclusively on the overall viability of listed species without regard to their geographic distribution, has led to development of listing and recovery criteria with fundamental conceptual, legal, and practical shortcomings. The ESA's concept of endangerment is broader than the biological concept of extinction risk in that the “esthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational, and scientific” values provided by species are not necessarily furthered by a species mere existence, but rather by a species presence across much of its former range. The concept of “significant portion of range” thus implies an additional geographic component to recovery that may enhance viability, but also offers independent benefits that Congress intended the act to achieve. Although the ESA differs from other major endangered‐species protection laws because it acknowledges the distinct contribution of geography to recovery, it resembles the “representation, resiliency, and redundancy” conservation‐planning framework commonly referenced in recovery plans. To address representation, listing and recovery standards should consider not only what proportion of its former range a species inhabits, but the types of habitats a species occupies and the ecological role it plays there. Recovery planning for formerly widely distributed species (e.g., the gray wolf [Canis lupus]) exemplifies how the geographic component implicit in the ESA's definition of endangerment should be considered in determining recovery goals through identification of ecologically significant types or niche variation within the extent of listed species, subspecies, or “distinct population segments.” By linking listing and recovery standards to niche and ecosystem concepts, the concept of ecologically significant type offers a scientific framework that promotes more coherent dialogue concerning the societal decisions surrounding recovery of endangered species.
Key Features and Context‐Dependence of Fishery‐Induced Trophic Cascades
Authors: SALOMON ANNE K. , GAICHAS SARAH K. , SHEARS NICK T. , SMITH JENNIFER E. , MADIN ELIZABETH M. P. , GAINES STEVEN D.
Published: February 2010

Abstract:  Trophic cascades triggered by fishing have profound implications for marine ecosystems and the socioeconomic systems that depend on them. With the number of reported cases quickly growing, key features and commonalities have emerged. Fishery‐induced trophic cascades often display differential response times and nonlinear trajectories among trophic levels and can be accompanied by shifts in alternative states. Furthermore, their magnitude appears to be context dependent, varying as a function of species diversity, regional oceanography, local physical disturbance, habitat complexity, and the nature of the fishery itself. To conserve and manage exploited marine ecosystems, there is a pressing need for an improved understanding of the conditions that promote or inhibit the cascading consequences of fishing. Future research should investigate how the trophic effects of fishing interact with other human disturbances, identify strongly interacting species and ecosystem features that confer resilience to exploitation, determine ranges of predator depletion that elicit trophic cascades, pinpoint antecedents that signal ecosystem state shifts, and quantify variation in trophic rates across oceanographic conditions. This information will advance predictive models designed to forecast the trophic effects of fishing and will allow managers to better anticipate and avoid fishery‐induced trophic cascades.
Chronic Headache and Comorbibities: A Two‐Phase, Population‐Based, Cross‐Sectional Study
Authors: Da Silva Jr Ariovaldo , Costa Esther Coelho , Gomes João Bosco , Leite Frederico Motta , Gomez Rodrigo Santiago , Vasconcelos Luiz Paulo , Krymchantowski Abouch , Moreira Pedro , Teixeira Antonio Lucio
Published: February 2010

Background.— Studies using resources of a public family health program to estimate the prevalence of chronic daily headaches (CDH) are lacking.

Objectives.— To estimate the 1‐year prevalence of CDH, as well as the presence of associated psychiatric and temporomandibular disorders (TMD) comorbidities, on the entire population of a city representative of the rural area of Brazil.

Methods.— This was a cross‐sectional, population‐based, 2‐phase study. In the first phase, health agents interviewed all individuals older than 10 years, in a rural area of Brazil. In the second stage, all individuals who reported headaches on 4 or more days per week were then evaluated by a multidisciplinary team. CDH were classified according to the second edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD‐2). Medication overuse headache was diagnosed, as per the ICHD‐2, after detoxification trials. Psychiatric comorbidities and TMD were diagnosed based on the DSM‐IV and on the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders criteria, respectively.

Results.— A total of 1631 subjects participated in the direct interviews. Of them, 57 (3.6%) had CDH. Chronic migraine was the most common of the CDH (21, 36.8%). Chronic tension‐type headache (10, 17.5%), medication overuse headache (13, 22.8%) and probable medication overuse headache (10, 17.5%) were also common. Psychiatric disorders were observed in 38 (67.3%) of the CDH subjects. TMD were seen in 33 (58.1)% of them.

Conclusions.— The prevalence of CDH in the rural area of Brazil is similar to what has been reported in previous studies. A significant proportion of them have psychiatric comorbidities and/or TMD. In this sample, comorbidities were as frequent as reported in convenience samples from tertiary headache centers.

(Headache 2010;50:1306‐1312)
Etomidate accurately localizes the epileptic area in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy
Authors: Pastor Jesús , Wix Rybel , Meilán María Luisa , Martínez‐Chacón José Luís , De Dios Eva , Domínguez‐Gadea Luis , Herrera‐Peco Iván , Sola Rafael G.
Published: February 2010

Purpose:  A variety of drugs have been used to activate and identify the epileptogenic area in patients during presurgical evaluation. We have evaluated the safety and usefulness of etomidate in identifying the epileptic zone by measuring bioelectrical brain activity and cerebral blood flow (CBF).

Methods:  We studied 13 men and 9 women under presurgical evaluation for temporal lobe epilepsy. We applied etomidate (0.1 mg/kg) while patients were monitored by video‐electroencephalography (VEEG) with foramen ovale electrodes. In a subset of 15 patients, we also measured CBF with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).

Results:  (1) Etomidate induced seizures in 2 of 22 patients. (2) The main side‐effects observed were myoclonus (14 of 20) and moderate pain (3 of 20). (3) No changes in capillary oxygen saturation, respiration, or heart rate were observed. (4) Irritative activity specifically increased in the temporal mesial and lateral areas. No spikes were observed in other areas, aside from those observed under baseline conditions. (5) Irritative activity induced by etomidate correctly lateralized the ictal onset zone in 19 of 20 patients. In addition, the two etomidate‐induced seizures appeared in the same regions as spontaneous ones. (6) The kinetics of pharmacologically induced activity was higher in the region of the ictal‐onset zone. (7) Etomidate increased the CBF in the basal ganglia and especially in the posterior hippocampus of the temporal mesial region contralateral to the ictal‐onset zone.

Discussion:  Etomidate activation is a safe, specific, and quick test that can be used to identify the epileptic region in patients evaluated as candidates for temporal lobe epilepsy surgery.
Long‐term employment of adults with childhood‐onset epilepsy: A prospective population‐based study
Authors: Sillanpää Matti , Schmidt Dieter
Published: February 2010

Purpose: Our aim was to determine the long‐term employment and predictive factors in adults with childhood‐onset epilepsy living in the community.

Methods: A population‐based incidence cohort of 144 children prospectively followed since their first unprovoked seizure before the age of 16 years up to a mean age of 48.

Results: At a mean age of 23 years (range 18–35 years) 85 (71%) of 119 patients living in the community were employed. Predictive of employment at a mean age of 23 were normal intelligence [odds ratio (OR) 14.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.5–46.8, p < 0.01], vocational education (OR 15.2, 95% CI 2.9–79.9, p < 0.01), and age at onset of epilepsy older than 6 years (OR 4.9, 95% CI 1.3–19.2, p = 0.02). At the mean age of 48 years (range 43–59 years), 45 (59%) of 76 patients living in the community were employed, as were 63 (78%) of 81 controls (patients vs. controls, p = 0.01). In 40 (53%) of 76 surviving patients employed between age 23 and 48, four factors were found to predict employment: normal intelligence (OR 15.8; 95% CI 2.4–102.4, p < 0.01), having offspring (OR 6.1; 1.5–25.0, p = 0.01), uninterrupted 5‐year terminal remission (5YTR) from age 23 to age 48 (OR 4.8; 1.1–19.9, p = 0.03), and no history of status epilepticus (OR 12.8; 1.8–90.9, p = 0.01).

Conclusions: Normal intelligence, onset of epilepsy at age older than 6, and good vocational education appear to predict employment in early adulthood. Normal intelligence, having offspring, uninterrupted remission, and no history of status epilepticus appear to predict lasting employment into middle age.
Extrahippocampal gray matter loss and hippocampal deafferentation in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy
Authors: Bonilha Leonardo , Edwards Jonathan C. , Kinsman Stephen L. , Morgan Paul S. , Fridriksson Julius , Rorden Chris , Rumboldt Zoran , Roberts Donna R. , Eckert Mark A. , Halford Jonathan J.
Published: February 2010

Purpose: Medial temporal epilepsy (MTLE) is associated with extrahippocampal brain atrophy. The mechanisms underlying brain damage in MTLE are unknown. Seizures may lead to neuronal damage, but another possible explanation is deafferentation from loss of hippocampal connections. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between hippocampal deafferentation and brain atrophy in MTLE.

Methods: Three different MRI studies were performed involving 23 patients with unilateral MTLE (8 left and 15 right) and 34 healthy controls: (1) voxel‐based morphometry (VBM), (2) diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and (3) probabilistic tractography (PT). VBM was employed to define differences in regional gray matter volume (GMV) between controls and patients. Voxel‐wise analyses of DTI evaluated differences in fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD) and hippocampal PT. Z‐scores were computed for regions‐of‐interest (ROI) GMV and peri‐hippocampal FA and MD (to quantify hippocampal fiber integrity). The relationship between hippocampal deafferentation and regional GMV was investigated through the association between ROI Z scores and hippocampal fiber integrity.

Results: Patients with MTLE exhibited a significant reduction in GMV and FA in perihippocampal and limbic areas. There was a decrease in hippocampal PT in patients with MTLE in limbic areas. A significant relationship between loss of hippocampal connections and regional GMV atrophy was found involving the putamen, pallidum, middle and inferior temporal areas, amygdala and ceberellar hemisphere.

Discussion: There is a relationship between hippocampal disconnection and regional brain atrophy in MTLE. These results indicate that hippocampal deafferentation plays a contributory role in extrahippocampal brain damage in MTLE.
The prevalence of seizures in comatose children in the pediatric intensive care unit: A prospective video‐EEG study
Authors: Shahwan Amre , Bailey Catherine , Shekerdemian Lara , Harvey A. Simon
Published: February 2010

Purpose:  Studies in adult and neonatal intensive care units (ICUs) report a high prevalence of epileptic seizures in comatose patients. The prevalence of seizures in pediatric ICUs is variably reported in a few retrospective studies using different electroencephalography (EEG) methods. We aimed to determine prospectively the prevalence of epileptic seizures (clinical and subclinical) in comatose children in the pediatric ICU using continuous video‐EEG (v‐EEG) monitoring.

Methods:  We performed v‐EEG in consecutive children aged 2 months to 17 years admitted to the pediatric ICU with sustained depressed consciousness over a period of 15 months.

Results:  We monitored 100 comatose children, 69% within 24 h of ICU admission. Median length of ICU stay was 5 days. Median duration of v‐EEG was 20 h. Epileptic seizures were identified in only seven patients, of whom six had a history of epilepsy with witnessed seizures immediately prior to v‐EEG. All epileptic seizures were recorded in the first 3 h of v‐EEG. Seizures were suspected by ICU staff in 18 monitored patients, only four of whom had confirmed epileptic seizures.

Discussion:  The lower prevalence of epileptic seizures and the shorter length of ICU stay in children compared to adults and neonates suggest a different spectrum of disease and neurologic response. Short‐duration v‐EEG in patients with a history of prior seizures, epilepsy, or clinical events suspected to be seizures seems more appropriate than routine v‐EEG in all comatose children in the pediatric ICU.
Brenda Bryant: There Is Nothing More Practical than a Good Theory
Authors: Radin Beryl A.
Published: February 2010

Public administration values the relationship between theory and practice. Regrettably, theory and practice are regarded more often than not as separate purviews of two different groups—academics and practitioners—resulting in a perceived gap between the two. The doctorate of public administration program at the University of Southern California's Washington Public Affairs Center sought to span both worlds. This article by Beryl A. Radin of American University profiles one of its graduates, Brenda L. Bryant. The author traces her career development, experience in the doctoral program, as well as subsequent professional activities, ultimately highlighting why “there is nothing more practical than a good theory.”
Effect of timing of dialysis on mortality in critically ill, septic patients with acute renal failure
Authors: CARL Daniel E. , GROSSMAN Catherine , BEHNKE Martha , SESSLER Curtis N. , GEHR Todd W. B.
Published: February 2010

Acute renal failure with concomitant sepsis in the intensive care unit is associated with significant mortality. The purpose of this study was to determine if the timing of initiation of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in septic patients had an effect on the 28‐day mortality. Retrospective data on medical intensive care unit patients with sepsis and acute renal failure requiring RRT were included. Renal replacement therapy started with a blood urea nitrogen (BUN) of <100 mg/dL was defined as “early” initiation, and initiation with a BUN ≥100 mg/dL was defined as “late.” Multivariate logistic regression analysis with the primary outcome of death at 14, 28, and 365 days following the initiation of RRT was performed. One hundred thirty patients were studied. The early dialysis (mean BUN 66 mg/dL) group had 85 patients; the late group (mean BUN 137 mg/dL) had 62 patients. The mean acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II score was 24.5 in both groups. The overall 14, 28, and 365‐day survival rates were 58.1%, 41.9%, and 23.6%. Survival rates for the early group were 67%, 47.7%, and 30.7% at 14, 28, and 365 days. Survival rates for the late group were 46.7%, 31.7%, and 13.3% at 14, 28, and 365 days. Upon logistic regression analysis, initiating dialysis with a BUN >100 mg/dL predicted death at 14 days (odds ratio [OR] 3.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7–7.6, P=0.001), 28 days (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.2–5.7, P=0.01), and 365 days (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.2–10, P=0.02). Septic patients who started dialysis with a BUN <100 mg/dL had improved mortality rates up to 1 year after initiation of dialysis in this single‐center, retrospective analysis.
Quality of life and alternate nightly nocturnal home hemodialysis
Authors: VAN EPS Carolyn L. , JEFFRIES Janine K. , JOHNSON David W. , CAMPBELL Scott B. , ISBEL Nicole M. , MUDGE David W. , HAWLEY Carmel M.
Published: February 2010

Hemodialysis has been associated with reduced quality of life (QOL). Small cohort studies of quotidian hemodialysis regimens suggest general QOL and dialysis‐related symptoms may improve compared with conventional regimens. An observational cohort study was conducted on 63 patients (age 51.7 ± 12.9 years; 79.4% male; 33.3% diabetes; duration of renal replacement therapy 1.9 [0.7–6.4] years) converted from conventional home hemodialysis (3–5 sessions weekly, 3–6 h/session) to home nocturnal home hemodialysis (NHD) (3–5 sessions weekly, 6–10 h/session). Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQOL) and Assessment of Quality of Life instruments and 6‐minute–walk tests were applied at baseline and 6 months. Baseline and 6 month surveys were returned by 70% of patients. On KDQOL, significant improvements in general health (P=0.02) and overall health ratings (P=0.0008), physical function (P=0.003), physical role (P=0.018), and energy and fatigue (P=0.027) were documented. There was a trend toward improvement in burden of kidney disease (P=0.05) and emotional role (P=0.066). There was a significant improvement in distance covered in the 6‐minute–walk test from 513 m (420.5–576.4) to 536.5 m (459–609), P=0.007. On Assessment of Quality of Life, there was a trend toward improvement in overall utility score from 0.65 (0.39–0.81) to 0.73 (0.46–0.86), P=0.096. After 86.2 patient‐years of observation, 23 patients have discontinued NHD (12 transplanted, 5 deceased, 4 psychosocial problems, 1 dialysis access problem, 1 medically unsuitable). Nocturnal home hemodialysis is a sustainable therapy. In addition to improving general QOL, alternate nightly NHD can significantly improve physical functioning as measured by KDQOL and 6‐minute–walk tests.
Pulse contour‐derived cardiac output in hemodialysis patients
Authors: CORDTZ Joakim , LADEFOGED Soeren D.
Published: February 2010

Reliable methods for cardiac output determination are essential for studying the pathophysiology of intradialytic hypotension. Use of the current gold standard, the Transonic® monitor, requires an arteriovenous fistula. We wished to verify the accuracy of a method based on finger pulse contour analysis, namely the Finometer® monitor (FNM) for further use on patients dialyzing on a central vascular catheter. Fifty simultaneous cardiac output measurements were obtained during hemodialysis sessions in 25 patients. The internal variability of the FNM measurements was assessed by comparing 24 pairs of immediately successive measurements. The variability of successive FNM measurements was small (bias 0.28%, SD ± 6.1%; NS). The absolute cardiac output values reported by the FNM were unreliable (bias 20.1%, SD ± 35.3%; P<0.001) as were the relative intradialytic changes (r2=0.01). Excluding participants from the analysis due to old age, high dialysis vintage or a suspicion of atherosclerosis did not improve the results. Our findings do not support the use of pulse contour analysis for measuring cardiac output in hemodialysis patients. Uremic vascular disease may be the cause of the observed inaccuracy.
Building Kinship and Community: Relational Processes of Bicultural Identity Among Adult Multiracial Adoptees
Authors: SAMUELS GINA MIRANDA
Published: February 2010

To read this article's abstract in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, please visit the article's full‐text page on Wiley InterScience (http://interscience.wiley.com/journal/famp).

This study uses the case of transracially adopted multiracial adults to highlight an alternative family context and thus process of African American enculturation. Interpretive analyses of interviews with 25 adult multiracial adoptees produced 4 patterns in their bicultural identity formation: (1) claiming whiteness culturally but not racially, (2) learning to “be Black”—peers as agents of enculturation, (3) biological pathways to authentic Black kinship, and (4) bicultural kinship beyond Black and White. Conceptualizing race as an ascribed extended kinship network and using notions of “groundedness” from bicultural identity literature, the relational aspects of participants' identity development are highlighted. Culturally relevant concepts of bicultural identity are proposed for practice with multiracial adoptees who have multiple cultures of origin and for whom White mainstream culture is transmitted intrafamilially as a first culture.
Language Encodes Geographical Information
Authors: Louwerse Max M. , Zwaan Rolf A.
Published: February 2010

Population counts and longitude and latitude coordinates were estimated for the 50 largest cities in the United States by computational linguistic techniques and by human participants. The mathematical technique Latent Semantic Analysis applied to newspaper texts produced similarity ratings between the 50 cities that allowed for a multidimensional scaling (MDS) of these cities. MDS coordinates correlated with the actual longitude and latitude of these cities, showing that cities that are located together share similar semantic contexts. This finding was replicated using a first‐order co‐occurrence algorithm. The computational estimates of geographical location as well as population were akin to human estimates. These findings show that language encodes geographical information that language users in turn may use in their understanding of language and the world.
Lexically Restricted Utterances in Russian, German, and English Child‐Directed Speech
Authors: Stoll Sabine , Abbot‐Smith Kirsten , Lieven Elena
Published: February 2010

This study investigates the child‐directed speech (CDS) of four Russian‐, six German, and six English‐speaking mothers to their 2‐year‐old children. Typologically Russian has considerably less restricted word order than either German or English, with German showing more word‐order variants than English. This could lead to the prediction that the lexical restrictiveness previously found in the initial strings of English CDS by Cameron‐Faulkner, Lieven, and Tomasello (2003) would not be found in Russian or German CDS. However, despite differences between the three corpora that clearly derive from typological differences between the languages, the most significant finding of this study is a high degree of lexical restrictiveness at the beginnings of CDS utterances in all three languages.
Exploration and Exploitation During Sequential Search
Authors: Dam Gregory , Körding Konrad
Published: February 2010

When we learn how to throw darts we adjust how we throw based on where the darts stick. Much of skill learning is computationally similar in that we learn using feedback obtained after the completion of individual actions. We can formalize such tasks as a search problem; among the set of all possible actions, find the action that leads to the highest reward. In such cases our actions have two objectives: we want to best utilize what we already know (exploitation), but we also want to learn to be more successful in the future (exploration). Here we tested how participants learn movement trajectories where feedback is provided as a monetary reward that depends on the chosen trajectory. We mathematically derived the optimal search policy for our experiment using decision theory. The search behavior of participants is well predicted by an ideal searcher model that optimally combines exploration and exploitation.
From Exemplar to Grammar: A Probabilistic Analogy‐Based Model of Language Learning
Authors: Bod Rens
Published: February 2010

While rules and exemplars are usually viewed as opposites, this paper argues that they form end points of the same distribution. By representing both rules and exemplars as (partial) trees, we can take into account the fluid middle ground between the two extremes. This insight is the starting point for a new theory of language learning that is based on the following idea: If a language learner does not know which phrase‐structure trees should be assigned to initial sentences, s/he allows (implicitly) for all possible trees and lets linguistic experience decide which is the “best” tree for each sentence. The best tree is obtained by maximizing “structural analogy” between a sentence and previous sentences, which is formalized by the most probable shortest combination of subtrees from all trees of previous sentences. Corpus‐based experiments with this model on the Penn Treebank and the Childes database indicate that it can learn both exemplar‐based and rule‐based aspects of language, ranging from phrasal verbs to auxiliary fronting. By having learned the syntactic structures of sentences, we have also learned the grammar implicit in these structures, which can in turn be used to produce new sentences. We show that our model mimicks children’s language development from item‐based constructions to abstract constructions, and that the model can simulate some of the errors made by children in producing complex questions.
Sleep Deprivation and Sustained Attention Performance: Integrating Mathematical and Cognitive Modeling
Authors: Gunzelmann Glenn , Gross Joshua B. , Gluck Kevin A. , Dinges David F.
Published: February 2010

A long history of research has revealed many neurophysiological changes and concomitant behavioral impacts of sleep deprivation, sleep restriction, and circadian rhythms. Little research, however, has been conducted in the area of computational cognitive modeling to understand the information processing mechanisms through which neurobehavioral factors operate to produce degradations in human performance. Our approach to understanding this relationship is to link predictions of overall cognitive functioning, or alertness, from existing biomathematical models to information processing parameters in a cognitive architecture, leveraging the strengths from each to develop a more comprehensive explanation. The integration of these methodologies is used to account for changes in human performance on a sustained attention task across 88 h of total sleep deprivation. The integrated model captures changes due to time awake and circadian rhythms, and it also provides an account for underlying changes in the cognitive processes that give rise to those effects. The results show the potential for developing mechanistic accounts of how fatigue impacts cognition, and they illustrate the increased explanatory power that is possible by combining theoretical insights from multiple methodologies.
Weighted Constraints in Generative Linguistics
Authors: Pater Joe
Published: February 2010

Harmonic Grammar (HG) and Optimality Theory (OT) are closely related formal frameworks for the study of language. In both, the structure of a given language is determined by the relative strengths of a set of constraints. They differ in how these strengths are represented: as numerical weights (HG) or as ranks (OT). Weighted constraints have advantages for the construction of accounts of language learning and other cognitive processes, partly because they allow for the adaptation of connectionist and statistical models. HG has been little studied in generative linguistics, however, largely due to influential claims that weighted constraints make incorrect predictions about the typology of natural languages, predictions that are not shared by the more popular OT. This paper makes the case that HG is in fact a promising framework for typological research, and reviews and extends the existing arguments for weighted over ranked constraints.