bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characteristics of an Open Coast Tidal Flat: Example from Daman, West Coast of India
Authors: Saha Sourav , Ghosh Anupam , Banerjee Santanu , Saraswati Pratul K , Burley Stuart D
Published: June 2011

This study highlights lithofacies and biofacies characteristics of the open coast tidal flat near Daman on the eastern flank of Gulf of Khambhat. Sedimentological and biological observation record six facies within the tidal flat area including older beach, beach face, sand flat, mud flat/mixed flat, sand bar and beach rock. Distinct sedimentary structures, foraminiferal assemblage and bioturbation intensity characterize each facies. A wide variety of wave and current generated sedimentary features characterize the sand flat facies. Semiconsolidated sands of older beach running parallel the coastline at a level higher than the present beach face possibly records the latest sea level highstand. The beach rock reflects early cementation of sands in tropical environments. Foraminifera are widely distributed in sand flats, mixed flats and mud flats and grouped into two biofacies – Ammonia-Elphidium-Quinqueloculina biofacies (sand flat and mixed flat) and Trochammina-Miliammina biofacies (mud flats). The beach face and sand bar facies contain forminifera reworked from sand flat and mud/mixed flat. Seasonal variation in depositional style is marked by deposition of fresh mud deposited over large areas of the intertidal flat during monsoon time, most of which is washed away by waves and current actions well before the onset of the next monsoon.
Propagation of wrinkled turbulent flames in the context of hydrodynamic theory
Authors: CRETA F. , MATALON M.
Published: June 2011

We study the propagation of premixed flames in two-dimensional homogeneous isotropic turbulence using a Navier–Stokes/front-capturing methodology within the context of hydrodynamic theory. The flame is treated as a thin layer separating burnt and unburnt gases, of vanishingly small thickness, smaller than the smallest fluid scales. The method is thus suitable to investigate the flame propagation in the wrinkled flamelet regime of turbulent combustion. A flow-control system regulates the mean position of the flame and the incident turbulence intensity. In this context we study the individual effects of turbulence intensity, turbulence scale, thermal expansion, hydrodynamic strain and hydrodynamic instability on the propagation characteristics of the flame. Results are obtained assuming positive Markstein length, corresponding to lean hydrocarbon–air or rich hydrogen–air mixtures. For stable planar flames we find a quadratic dependence of turbulent speed on turbulence intensity. Upon onset of hydrodynamic instability, corrugated structures replace the planar conformation and we observe a greater resilience to turbulence, the quadratic scaling being replaced by scaling exponents less than one. Such resilience is also confirmed by the observation of a threshold turbulence intensity below which the propagation speed of corrugated flames is indistinguishable from the laminar speed. Turbulent speed is found to increase and later plateau with increasing thermal expansion, this affecting the average flame displacement but not the mean flame curvature. In addition, turbulence integral scale is also observed to affect the propagation of the flame with the existence of an intermediate scale maximizing the turbulent speed. This maximizing scale is smaller for corrugated flames than it is for planar flames, implying that small eddies that will be unable to significantly perturb a planar front could be rather effective in perturbing a corrugated flame. Turbulent planar flames, and more so corrugated flames, were observed to experience a positive mean hydrodynamic strain, which was explained in terms of the overwhelming mean contribution of the normal component of strain. The positive straining causes a decrease in the mean laminar propagation speed which in turn can decrease the turbulent speed. The effect of the flame on the incident turbulent field was examined in terms of loss of isotropy and vorticity destruction by thermal expansion. The latter can be mitigated by a baroclinic vorticity generation which is enhanced for corrugated flames.
Habitual sugar intake and cognitive function among middle-aged and older Puerto Ricans without diabetes
Authors: Ye Xingwang , Gao Xiang , Scott Tammy , Tucker Katherine L.
Published: June 2011

Intake of added sugars, mainly fructose and sucrose, has been associated with risk factors for cognitive impairment, such as obesity, the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. The objective of this analysis was to examine whether habitual intakes of total sugars, added sugars, sugar-sweetened beverages or sweetened solid foods are associated with cognitive function. The present study included 737 participants without diabetes, aged 45–75 years, from the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study, 2004–9. Cognitive function was measured with a battery of seven tests: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), word list learning, digit span, clock drawing, figure copying, and Stroop and verbal fluency tests. Usual dietary intake was assessed with a validated FFQ. Greater intakes of total sugars, added sugars and sugar-sweetened beverages, but not of sugar-sweetened solid foods, were significantly associated with lower MMSE score, after adjusting for covariates. Adjusted OR for cognitive impairment (MMSE score < 24) were 2·23 (95 % CI 1·24, 3·99) for total sugars and 2·28 (95 % CI 1·26, 4·14) for added sugars, comparing the highest with lowest intake quintiles. Greater intake of total sugars was also significantly associated with lower word list learning score. In conclusion, higher sugar intake appears to be associated with lower cognitive function, but longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the direction of causality.
Association of dietary energy density in childhood with age and body fatness at the onset of the pubertal growth spurt
Authors: Günther Anke L. B. , Stahl Lisa J. , Buyken Anette E. , Kroke Anja
Published: June 2011

The aim of the present study was to examine the association of pre-pubertal dietary energy density (ED) with both age and body fatness at the start of the pubertal growth spurt (age at take-off, ATO). Analyses included 219 DOrtmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed Study participants with sufficient height measurements to estimate ATO who provided 3 d weighed dietary records at baseline, i.e. 2 and 3 years before ATO (mean age 6·9 (sd 1·2) years). Mean energy intakes and amounts of foods/drinks consumed at baseline were derived from the records. ED (kJ/g) was calculated based on (1) all foods and drinks (ED_all), (2) foods and energy-containing drinks (ED_energy), (3) foods and milk as a drink, but no other beverages (ED_milk) and (4) foods only, solid or liquid (ED_food). Using multiple regression analyses, the association between the ED variables and ATO was investigated. Furthermore, Z-scores of BMI and fat mass index (FMI) at ATO were considered as outcomes to reflect body fatness at puberty onset. The results showed that ED at baseline was not associated with ATO, regardless of the ED method used. For example, mean ATO in the lowest v. highest tertile of ED_food was 9·3 (95 % CI 9·0, 9·5) v. 9·4 (95 % CI 9·1, 9·7) years, Ptrend = 0·8 (adjusted for sex, maternal age, birth weight, dietary protein, dietary fibre, baseline BMI Z-score). Similarly, ED was not independently associated with BMI or FMI Z-score at ATO (Ptrend = 0·3–0·9). In conclusion, dietary ED in childhood did not influence timing or body fatness at ATO in this cohort of healthy, free-living children.
THE PARADOX OF LIMITED MAIZE STOVER USE IN INDIA'S SMALLHOLDER CROP-LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS
Authors: ERENSTEIN OLAF , SAMADDAR ARINDAM , TEUFEL NILS , BLÜMMEL MICHAEL
Published: June 2011

Cereal residues are an important feed source for ruminants in smallholder crop-livestock systems in the (sub)tropics. In many areas of India maize is a relatively new cash crop where farmers and development agents alike generally perceive maize stover to have limited utility, in contrast with the intensive feeding of other cereal residues in India and the intensive use of maize stover in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. A comparative assessment of maize stover quality (based on a brief review and a feeding trial) indeed confirms its potential as a ruminant feed according to its relative nutritive value. The paper then explores the apparent paradox through a scoping study of maize stover use (based on village surveys) in three contrasting maize-growing districts in India – including both traditional and non-traditional maize producers. The limited maize stover use appears to alleviate seasonal shortages, with tradition and technology helping explain the preferential use of other cereal residues. The paper thereby provides further impetus to India's apparent food-feed paradigm – whereby farmers’ staple food preferences coincide with crop residue feed preferences. The paper argues the case for investing in maize stover R&D in India and thus reigniting earlier feed research in general. Indeed, maize stover use is a relatively neglected area by India's agricultural R&D and merits more attention so as to exploit its potential contribution and alleviate eventual tradeoffs.
Neogene sediments and modern depositional environments of the Zagros foreland basin system
Authors: PIROUZ MORTAZA , SIMPSON GUY , BAHROUDI ABBAS , AZHDARI ALI
Published: June 2011

A sedimentological investigation of the Neogene deposits of the Zagros foreland basin in SW Iran reveals a continuous and largely gradational passage from supratidal and sabkha sediments at the base (represented by the Gachsaran Formation) to carbonates and marine marls (Mishan Formation with basal Guri carbonate member) followed by coastal plain and meandering river deposits (Agha Jari Formation) and finally to braided river gravel sheets (Bakhtyari Formation). This vertical succession is interpreted to represent the southward migration of foreland basin depozones (from distal foredeep and foredeep to distal wedge-top and proximal wedge-top, respectively) as the Zagros fold–thrust belt migrated progressively southward towards the Arabian foreland. This vertical succession bears a striking similarity to modern depositional environments and sedimentary deposits observed in the Zagros region today, where one passes from mainly braided rivers in the Zagros Mountains to meandering rivers close to the coast, to shallow marine clastic sediments along the northern part of the Persian Gulf and finally to carbonate ramp and sabkha deposits along the southeastern coast of the Persian Gulf. This link between the Neogene succession and the modern-day depositional environments strongly suggests that the major Neogene formations of the Zagros foreland basin are strongly diachronous (as shown recently by others) and have active modern-day equivalents.
Firm Innovation in Emerging Markets: The Role of Finance, Governance, and Competition
Authors: Ayyagari Meghana , Demirgüç-Kunt Asli , Maksimovic Vojislav
Published: June 2011

We investigate the firm characteristics associated with innovation in over 19,000 firms across 47 developing economies. While existing finance literature on innovation is limited to large public firms in developed markets such as the United States, our database includes public and private firms, and small and medium-sized enterprises. We define innovation broadly to include introduction of new products and technologies, knowledge transfers, and new production processes. We find that access to external financing is associated with greater firm innovation. Further, having highly educated managers, ownership by families, individuals, or managers, and exposure to foreign competition is associated with greater firm innovation.
P-glycoproteins of Haemonchus contortus: development of real-time PCR assays for gene expression studies
Authors: Williamson S.M. , Wolstenholme A.J.
Published: June 2011

P-glycoproteins (P-gps) are proteins that function as efflux pumps, removing lipophilic xenobiotic compounds from cells. There is evidence that P-gps play a role in the resistance of parasitic nematodes to anthelmintic drugs such as benzimidazoles and macrocyclic lactones. As anthelmintic resistance becomes more common, it is important to identify candidate resistance genes with the aim of understanding the molecular basis of resistance, and of developing assays to detect these resistance-associated changes. We identified several sequences from the genome of the parasite Haemonchus contortus with convincing homology to the known P-gp coding genes of the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Nine of these sequences were successfully amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and shown to be most similar to the C. elegans sequences for pgp-1, pgp-2, pgp-3, pgp-4, pgp-9, pgp-10, pgp-11, pgp-12 and pgp-14. These partial P-gp sequences from H. contortus were used to design and optimize a quantitative real-time PCR assay to investigate potential changes in the expression levels of P-gp transcripts associated with drug resistance. No significant changes in P-gp mRNA expression levels were found in a rapidly selected ivermectin-resistant parasite isolate compared to its drug-sensitive parent, but the assay has the potential to be used on other isolates in the future to further investigate resistance-associated changes in P-gp gene expression.
Effect of relativistic self-focusing on plasma wave excitation by a hollow Gaussian beam
Authors: GUPTA RUCHIKA , RAFAT M. , SHARMA R. P.
Published: June 2011

A paraxial-like approach has been invoked to understand the nature of propagation of a hollow Gaussian beam (HGB) propagating in plasma under the influence of relativistic non-linearity. In this approach, the parameters are expanded in terms of the radial distance from the maximum of irradiance rather than that from the axis. This paper investigates the excitation of plasma wave in a hot collision less plasma by HGB. On account of the × force, a plasma wave at 2ω0 (here, ω0 is the pump laser frequency) is generated. The solution of the HGB has been obtained within the paraxial ray approximation. Filamentary structures of the laser beam are observed due to relativistic non-linearity.
The structure of mental health research: networks of influence among psychiatry and clinical psychology journals
Authors: Haslam N. , Lusher D.
Published: June 2011

Background

Psychiatry and clinical psychology are the two dominant disciplines in mental health research, but the structure of scientific influence and information flow within and between them has never been mapped.

Method

Citations among 96 of the highest impact psychiatry and clinical psychology journals were examined, based on 10 052 articles published in 2008. Network analysis explored patterns of influence between journal clusters.

Results

Psychiatry journals tended to have greater influence than clinical psychology journals, and their influence was asymmetrical: clinical psychology journals cited psychiatry journals at a much higher rate than the reverse. Eight journal clusters were found, most dominated by a single discipline. Their citation network revealed an influential central cluster of ‘core psychiatry’ journals that had close affinities with a ‘psychopharmacology’ cluster. A group of ‘core clinical psychology’ journals was linked to a ‘behavior therapy’ cluster but both were subordinate to psychiatry journals. Clinical psychology journals were less integrated than psychiatry journals, and ‘health psychology/behavioral medicine’ and ‘neuropsychology’ clusters were relatively peripheral to the network.

Conclusions

Scientific publication in the mental health field is largely organized along disciplinary lines, and is to some degree hierarchical, with clinical psychology journals tending to be structurally subordinate to psychiatry journals.
Functional improvement and correlations with symptomatic improvement in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder receiving long-acting methylphenidate
Authors: Buitelaar J. K. , Casas M. , Philipsen A. , Kooij J. J. S. , Ramos-Quiroga J. A. , Dejonckheere J. , van Oene J. C. , Schäuble B.
Published: June 2011

Background

Data on the relationship between core symptoms and daily functioning in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are limited. Daily functioning was assessed as part of an open-label extension, and associations with symptom scores were evaluated.

Method

After a 5-week double-blind study with adults with ADHD receiving osmotic-controlled release oral delivery system (OROS) methylphenidate (MPH) 18, 36 or 72 mg/day, or placebo, participants were eligible for a 7-week open-label extension in which all patients received OROS MPH. Data for the Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale – Observer: Screening Version (CAARS-O:SV) (primary endpoint) have been presented previously. Secondary endpoints included the observer self-reported short version of the CAARS (CAARS-S:S) and the Clinical Global Impressions – Severity Scale (CGI-S). Daily functioning and quality of life were assessed using the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) and the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q) respectively. In post-hoc analyses, changes in CAARS-O:SV were evaluated in subgroups. Relationships between symptom and functional outcomes were evaluated in a multivariate regression analysis.

Results

A total of 370 patients entered the open-label extension. Significant improvements from baseline in CAARS-O:SV were similar regardless of sex, ADHD subtype, prior treatment or psychiatric co-morbidity. Significant improvements from double-blind baseline were also seen for the CAARS-S:S, CGI-S, SDS and Q-LES-Q. Improvements in the CAARS-O:SV Hyperactivity/Impulsivity subscale were associated with improvements in SDS total and subscale scores, and in the Q-LES-Q score at open-label endpoint. Improvements in CAARS-O:SV Inattention subscale and CGI-S scores were not significantly associated with functional changes.

Conclusions

Improvements in ADHD symptoms relating to hyperactivity and impulsivity in adults receiving OROS MPH are associated with improvements in daily functioning and quality of life.
Cool and hot executive functions in medication-naive attention deficit hyperactivity disorder children
Authors: Yang B.-R. , Chan R. C. K. , Gracia N. , Cao X.-Y. , Zou X.-B. , Jing J. , Mai J.-N. , Li J. , Shum D.
Published: June 2011

Background

This study aimed to compare ‘cool’ [working memory (WM) and response inhibition] and ‘hot’ (delay aversion) executive functions (EFs) in children with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Method

A total of 100 ADHD children (45 with family history of ADHD and 55 with no family history) and 100 healthy controls, all medication free, were tested on tasks related to the ‘hot’ (i.e. two choice-delay tasks) and ‘cool’ domains of EF (i.e. Digits backward, Corsi Block Task backward, Go/No-Go Task, Stop-Signal Task, and the Stroop).

Results

Compared with the controls, children with ADHD were found to perform significantly worse on one or more measures of response inhibition, WM, and delay aversion after controlling for co-morbidities and estimated IQ. In addition, comparisons between ADHD children with family history of ADHD and those with no family history found significant differences on measures of response inhibition and WM but not delay aversion. These results are largely supported by results of two logistic regressions.

Conclusions

ADHD was found to be associated with deficits on both cool and hot EFs. There is also evidence to suggest that cool EFs impairment is related to a family history of ADHD. Findings of this study have helped to elucidate the nature and extent of EF deficits in children with ADHD.
Morphological processing in reading acquisition: A cross-linguistic perspective
Authors: VERHOEVEN LUDO , PERFETTI CHARLES A.
Published: June 2011

Word identification, which is the retrieval of the linguistic constituents (phonological, semantic) of a word, plays a central role in children's reading development. This development includes the automatization of word decoding and the attainment of fluent reading levels, both essential for skilled reading with comprehension (Perfetti, 1992; Stanovich, 2000; Verhoeven & van Leeuwe, 2009). In learning to read, children first acquire elementary decoding skills, and then gradually apply these skills with greater accuracy and speed, leading to an increasingly automated process of that recognizes multiletter units (consonant clusters, syllables, and morphemes) and whole words (Ehri, 2005). Automatic word recognition enables the devotion of mental resources to the meaning of a text and thus allows readers to use reading as a tool for the acquisition of new information and knowledge (Perfetti, 1998; Stanovich, 2000).
Specific language impairment at adolescence: Avoiding complexity
Authors: TULLER LAURICE , HENRY CÉLIA , SIZARET EVA , BARTHEZ MARIE-ANNE
Published: June 2011

This study explores complex language in adolescents with specific language impairment (SLI) with the aim of finding out how aspects of language characteristic of typical syntactic development after childhood fare and, in particular, whether there is evidence that individuals with SLI avoid using structures whose syntactic derivation involves greater computational complexity. An analysis of spontaneous language samples of 18 French-speaking adolescents with SLI, compared to groups of typically developing speakers, showed that whereas complexity increases with age in the latter, behaviors of avoidance are clear in the former, in the form of low frequencies of complex structures, but also frequency of failed attempts and alternative strategies. Whereas increasing complexity is the hallmark of syntactic development after childhood, avoidance of complexity appears to characterize SLI after childhood.
Tense and aspect in childhood language impairment: Contributions from Hungarian
Authors: LEONARD LAURENCE B. , LUKÁCS ÁGNES , KAS BENCE
Published: June 2011

Previous studies of children with language impairment (LI) reveal an insensitivity to aspect that may constitute part of the children's deficit. In this study, we examine aspect as well as tense in Hungarian-speaking children with LI. Twenty-one children with LI, 21 TD children matched for age, and 21 TD children matched for receptive vocabulary scores were tested on their comprehension and production of both imperfective and perfective verb forms in past tense contexts. Although the groups did not differ in their comprehension performance, the children with LI were less accurate than both comparison groups in producing both imperfective and perfective forms. Based on these results, it appears that children with LI have difficulties selecting the appropriate aspectual marking in past tense contexts.
Point to a referent, and say, “what is this?” Gesture as a potential cue to identify referents in a discourse
Authors: SO WING CHEE , LIM JIA YI
Published: June 2011

This study explored whether caregivers' gestures followed the discourse-pragmatic principle of information status of referents (given vs. new) and how their children responded to those gestures when identifying referents. Ten Chinese-speaking and eight English-speaking caregivers were videotaped while interacting spontaneously with their children. Their speech and gestures were coded for referential expressions. Our findings showed that the Chinese-speaking caregivers gestured more often than the English-speaking caregivers but both of the groups gestured more often when asking their children to identify the new referents than the given referents (e.g., pointed to a puzzle while asking “What is this”?). The children were also sensitive to the information status of referents and they relied on the gestures to identify the new referents (but not the given referents). Overall, gesture serves as a potential cue for referential identification in both the caregivers and their children.
An Informant Questionnaire for Detecting Alzheimer's Disease: Are Some Items Better Than Others?
Authors: Sikkes Sietske A.M. , Knol Dirk L. , van den Berg Mark T. , de Lange-de Klerk Elly S.M. , Scheltens Philip , Klein Martin , Pijnenburg Yolande A.L. , Uitdehaag Bernard M.J.
Published: June 2011

A decline in everyday cognitive functioning is important for diagnosing dementia. Informant questionnaires, such as the informant questionnaire on cognitive decline in the elderly (IQCODE), are used to measure this. Previously, conflicting results on the IQCODEs ability to discriminate between Alzheimer's disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and cognitively healthy elderly were found. We aim to investigate whether specific groups of items are more useful than others in discriminating between these patient groups. Informants of 180 AD, 59 MCI, and 89 patients with subjective memory complaints (SMC) completed the IQCODE. To investigate the grouping of questionnaire items, we used a two-dimensional graded response model (GRM).The association between IQCODE, age, gender, education, and diagnosis was modeled using structural equation modeling. The GRM with two groups of items fitted better than the unidimensional model. However, the high correlation between the dimensions (r=.90) suggested unidimensionality. The structural model showed that the IQCODE was able to differentiate between all patient groups. The IQCODE can be considered as unidimensional and as a useful addition to diagnostic screening in a memory clinic setting, as it was able to distinguish between AD, MCI, and SMC and was not influenced by gender or education. (JINS, 2011, 17, 674–681)
Dietary interventions for weight loss and cardiovascular risk reduction in people of African ancestry (blacks): a systematic review
Authors: Osei-Assibey G , Boachie C
Published: June 2011

Objective

To systematically review weight and cardiovascular risk reduction in blacks by diet and lifestyle changes.

Design

Randomised and non-randomised controlled trials of diet with/without lifestyle changes with duration of intervention ≥3 months, and published between January 1990 and December 2009, were searched in electronic databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and CCTR (Cochrane Controlled Trials Register). Studies were included if they reported weight/BMI changes with changes in at least one of the following: systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting plasma lipids and glucose, and glycated haemoglobin.

Setting

Clinical, community and church-based interventions.

Subjects

Study participants were of African ancestry (blacks).

Results

Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Average mean difference in weight loss was −2·66 kg, with improvements in all outcomes except total cholesterol. No significant difference was observed in outcome measures between all studies and studies that recruited only healthy participants or patients with type 2 diabetes.

Conclusions

Diet and lifestyle changes result in weight loss with improvements in cardiovascular risk factors in blacks. However, more culturally tailored programmes have been suggested to motivate and encourage blacks to participate in intervention trials.
Nutritional policies and standards for snacks served in after-school programmes: a review
Authors: Beets Michael W , Tilley Falon , Kim YoungWon , Webster Collin
Published: June 2011

Objective

To review and synthesize existing national and state organizations’ policies related to the nutritional quality of snacks served in after-school programmes (ASP; 15.00–18.00 hours) in the USA.

Design

Systematic review of websites and corresponding documentation describing national and state-level ASP organizations’ policies, standards, guidelines and/or recommendations for the nutritional quality of snacks served within the ASP setting.

Setting

ASP can play a critical role in a child's daily dietary intake. State and national organizations have developed policies to assist ASP in selecting nutritionally appropriate snacks, yet no widely accepted standards exist. By reviewing the extent of existing policies, recommendations for uniform policies can be made.

Subjects

Policy documentation.

Results

A total of seventeen organizations representing five unique snack policies comprised of thirteen different food items were identified. The most widely recognized snack policy, which the majority of state and national ASP organizations endorsed and upon which other snack policies were modelled, was the US Department of Agriculture reimbursement programmes. Consistently, policies endorsed serving fruits/vegetables, whole grains and milk/dairy products, and limiting foods high in fats/sugar/energy (calories). Two policies focused predominantly on total energy and macronutrient composition of snacks, a single policy suggested limits on sugar-sweetened beverages, and three endorsed serving water daily. A proposed set of general guidelines for ASP was developed based on uniformity in recommendations across policies.

Conclusions

The proposed set of nutritional guidelines will assist policy makers and ASP providers in selecting and serving nutritionally appropriate snacks that contribute to a child's overall healthful daily dietary intake.
Discourses of Children's Participation: Professionals, Policies and Practices
Authors: Pinkney Sharon
Published: June 2011

This article explores the dynamic field of children's participation and provides fresh insight into its construction within professional frameworks as well as within the social policy process. Protectionism, developmentalism, rights and managerialism are identified as significant discourses and this article explores their articulation and negotiation through policies. The argument is that the settlement reached represents a new configuration within policy frameworks relating to children where a version of children's rights is appropriated and mainstreamed. The interaction between children's rights, managerialism and professional discourses are illustrated with reference to policy and legislation.
Extending Working Lives? Employability, Work Ability and Better Quality Working Lives
Authors: Maltby Tony
Published: June 2011

Faced with a changing economic and demographic outlook, this article will suggest the adoption of a proactive and preventative approach to the quality of work and ‘worklife’ for the UK's ‘older workers’. Ultimately, it seeks to explore the possibilities for the implementation of the Finnish concept of Work Ability (Illmarinen, 2005) in the context of the UK policy agenda. It will be suggest that this approach provides a policy framework that addresses recessionary pressures whilst maximising quality of life and the active ageing of individuals.
Introduction: Remixing the Economy of Welfare? Changing Roles and Relationships between the State and the Voluntary and Community Sector
Authors: Baines Susan , Hardill Irene , Wilson Rob
Published: June 2011

Social and caring services are provided in developed economies by statutory bodies, the market, the household and the voluntary sector in combinations that vary across time and place. This themed section is about the enrolment of the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) to achieve government agenda, including improved public services, community empowerment and building social capital. Mainstreaming of the VCS has profound implications for individuals (service users, volunteers and paid workers), and for organisations and communities. These articles are based on contributions to an ESRC seminar series ‘Re-mixing the economy of welfare: what is emerging beyond the market and the state?’ Individual seminars explored aspects of this reform, including variations across the nations of the UK, implications for volunteers and the concept of social value. Articles in this section address some of the diversity of VCS roles in communities and relationships with welfare policies, as well as direct public service delivery. Authors focus specifically on England, Scotland and France, while recognising international debates and developments.
Scotland's Civic Society v. England's Big Society? Diverging Roles of the VCS in Public Service Delivery
Authors: Danson Mike , Whittam Geoffrey
Published: June 2011

The devolved governments and parliaments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland increasingly have been adopting different approaches from England to the delivery of public services. With more powers and responsibilities, Scotland has initiated these moves to divergence, not least with respect to the roles of volunteering, the Voluntary and Community Sectors (VCS) in the context of the ‘Big Society’. This article explores how the environment and institutions in Scotland increasingly are generating moves for different relations between the public, private and VCS. With key powers reserved for the Westminster parliament, differences are demonstrated in the position and development of the VCS.
Socio-Spatial Variations in Community Self-Help: A Total Social Organisation of Labour Perspective
Authors: Williams Colin C.
Published: June 2011

Previous studies have suggested that community self-help in affluent populations revolves around engagement in formal community-based groups, whilst the participatory culture of deprived populations is more orientated towards informal (one-to-one) community participation. Reporting the findings of 861 face-to-face interviews conducted in affluent and deprived urban and rural English communities, and reading participation in community self-help through the lens of a ‘total social organisation of labour’ perspective, this article transcends this dichotomous depiction and provides a finer-grained more multi-layered mapping of the multifarious varieties of community self-help and its socio-spatial variations. The article concludes by exploring the implications for theory, practice and policy.
Faith-Based Voluntary Action: A Case Study of a French Charity+
Authors: Montagné-Villette Solange , Hardill Irene , Lebeau Boris
Published: June 2011

Following legal changes in the 1980s, the Voluntary and Community sector/économie sociale in France has become culturally diverse as faith-based organisations serving minority ethnic communities have developed, including charities inspired by religious and cultural principles of charitable giving. In this article, we use a case study of a social welfare charity established in a Parisian suburb with a culturally diverse population. Worldwide social welfare work is a priority; the charity responds to disasters, but it prioritises long-term development actions, encouraging the direct involvement of local communities. In recent years, its work has also embraced distressed communities within France.
Between State and Market: The Non-Profit Workforce in a Changing Local Environment
Authors: Bowlby Sophie , Lloyd Evans Sally
Published: June 2011

This article explores some impacts of relationships between the third sector, the state and the market on the non-profit sector workforce in Reading, England. We argue that: the growth of state influence has brought forth paid and unpaid workers to represent the sector to the state; in most non-profit organisations paid workers create the conditions for unpaid work. For a minority the opposite is true; labour in the non-profit sector is influenced by competition from the private sector for workers and ‘clients’; workers’ paid work, family commitments and market services limit volunteering, especially for what we term ‘lifestage’ volunteers.
Editorial Statement
Authors: Bochel Catherine , Bochel Hugh
Published: June 2011

Social Policy and Society is now in its tenth year of publication, following the successful editorships, initially of Tony Maltby, and then Pete Dwyer and Sharon Wright. As has been the case since its inception, the journal seeks to publish high-quality original material that makes a contribution to the understanding of social policy in a concise and focused format. It does that through the open section, with articles of up to 5,000 words, and through the guest-edited themed section in each issue. The former allows for the publication of work from any area of social policy, while the latter provides the opportunity for a set of articles around a particular theme.
Diversity, characterization and utilization of ginger: a review
Authors: Kizhakkayil Jaleel , Sasikumar B.
Published: June 2011

Ginger (Zingiber officinaleRosc.), originated in the Indo-Malayan region, is now widely distributed across the tropics of Asia, Africa, America and Australia. It was domesticated in India and China, which represent the centre of origin of the species. Cultivated ginger though sterile, exhibits variations in rhizome and vegetative characters. The crop is gaining importance as a curative agent for a variety of ailments. Yield and quality traits (such as essential oil, fibre and oleoresin contents) along with volatile and non-volatile constituents are important determinants of the commodity's end product. Cultivar diversity for yield and morphological features is well known in ginger with few primitive types having excellent quality. However, the common name(s) of ginger cultivars are confusing and have resulted in geographical bias in itsex situconservation. Most of the molecular/biochemical marker studies reported in ginger show low levels of polymorphism in contrast to plentiful phenotypic variability recorded in the species. The large influence of environmental factors on the content of key compounds, lack of seed set and confusion of the common names are the leading constraints to further varietal improvement of ginger. As tailor-made ginger varieties assume future significance these aspects will have relevance.
Diversity and geographical gaps inCajanus scarabaeoides(L.) Thou. germplasm conserved at the ICRISAT genebank
Authors: Upadhyaya H. D. , Reddy K. N. , Pundir R. P. S. , Singh Sube , Gowda C. L. L. , Ahmed M. Irshad
Published: June 2011

Crop wild relatives are important components of agro-ecosystems as potential gene contributors for crop improvement programmes.Cajanus scarabaeoides(L.) Thou., a pigeonpea wild relative is crossable with cultivated pigeonpea and possesses several beneficial traits. Hundred accessions conserved at the ICRISAT genebank were characterized for 13 quantitative and ten qualitative traits to assess the diversity in the collection. Highly significant genotypic variance for leaflet length, days to 5% maturity, seeds per pod, 100-seed weight, seed protein content and trichome density and length was observed. AllC. scarabaeoidesaccessions used in the present study are the best sources for extra early ( < 80 d to 50% flowering) and early maturity (80–100 d to 50% flowering). Eight accessions (ICP 15692, ICP 15696, ICP 15698, ICP 15699, ICP 15712, ICP 15719, ICP 15732 and ICP 15758) and the control ICP 15695 have produced more than 92% healthy pods per plant and higher number of seed per pod (4–6 seeds). Accessions in cluster 2, 3 and 4 with low mean values for days to 50% flowering were found as the best sources for early flowering and maturity. Accessions in cluster 2 and 3 for seeds per pod and cluster 2 for healthy pods per plant were found as promising sources for use in crop improvement. Mean diversity over all clusters was highest (H= 0.57 ± 0.01) for seeds per pod and lowest for days to 50% flowering (0.48 ± 0.02). Significant negative correlation between pods per raceme and healthy pods per plant ( − 0.213) indicated high pod damage in racemes having more pods. Trichome length had highly significant negative association with healthy pods per plant ( − 0.293). The probability map generated using FloraMap, a GIS tool, revealed the occurrence ofC. scarabaeoidesquite close to the origin and dispersal of pigeonpea. The probability (>75%) map identified a total of 118 provinces covering 790 districts in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam as geographical gaps in the collection. Complete passport data including location coordinates should be collected while collecting the germplasm to analyze the spatial aspects of species distribution.
Anthocyanin indexes, quercetin, kaempferol and myricetin concentration in leaves and fruit ofAbutilon theophrastiMedik. genetic resources
Authors: Morris J. B. , Wang M. L.
Published: June 2011

Anthocyanin indexes, quercetin, kaempferol and myricetin may provide industry with potential new medicines or nutraceuticals. Velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrastiMedik) leaves from 42 plant introductions (PI) were analyzed for anthocyanin indexes while both leaves and fruit were used for quercetin, kaempferol and myricetin concentration analysis by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. Leaf anthocyanin indexes ranged from 6.15 to 11.25 among PI. Leaf quercetin and kaempferol concentrations ranged from 1.50 to 4.79 mg/g and 0.43 to 2.17 mg/g, respectively. Fruit quercetin, kaempferol and myricetin concentrations ranged from 0.061 to 0.266 mg/g, 0.054 to 0.734 mg/g, and 0 to 35.87 μg/g, respectively. Significant differences in leaf weight were also observed. Significant correlations were found between several traits. This information regarding anthocyanin indexes, quercetin, kaempferol and myricetin concentrations will be useful for velvetleaf cultivar development. Breeders and other scientists could use this germplasm that contains high concentrations of anthocyanins, quercetin, kaempferol and myricetin to develop new medicines or nutraceuticals from an extremely useful weedy species.
Tectonomagmatic characteristics of the back‐arc portion of the Calama–Olacapato–El Toro Fault Zone, Central Andes
Authors: Acocella V. , Gioncada A. , Omarini R. , Riller U. , Mazzuoli R. , Vezzoli L.
Published: June 2011

Post–20 Ma magmatism in the Central Andes is either localized in the magmatic arc or distributed east of it, on the Altiplano‐Puna Plateau. Here there is a distinct concentration of magmatic centers on NW–SE trending lineaments, such as the Calama–Olacapato–El Toro (COT), that extends into the Eastern Cordillera to the east of the Puna. Understanding the possible genetic relationship between prominent structures and magmatic centers on these lineaments is important to elucidate the tectonomagmatic evolution of the Central Andes. We investigated the back‐arc area of the COT using remote sensing, geological, structural, and petrochemical data. Our study demonstrates that this portion of the COT consists of NW–SE striking faults, formed under overall left‐lateral transtension that decreases in activity toward the COT termini. Deformation on the COT occurred during and after activity of prominent N–S striking transpressive fault systems and is coeval with magmatism, which is focused on the central COT. The most evolved magmatic rocks, with an upper crustal imprint, are exposed on the central COT, whereas more primitive, mantle‐derived mafic to moderately evolved magmatic rocks, are found toward the COT termini. This points to a genetic relationship between upper crustal deformation and magmatic activity that led to enhanced magma storage in the central COT. COT magmas may result either from slab steepening or episodic delamination of the asthenospheric mantle.
From and to a very grey area
Authors: Jacobs Howy
Published: June 2011

The German Minister of Defence recently resigned after accusations that he plagiarized parts of the doctoral thesis. Howy argues that academia needs to refine and enforce its rules against such practices, in the new world of electronic publication.
How “Proficient” Is Proficient? Subjective Proficiency as a Predictor of Bilingual Listeners’ Recognition of English Words
Authors: Shi Lu-Feng
Published: June 2011

Purpose

English proficiency must be considered when a bilingual individual is to be evaluated clinically with English speech material. This study describes the minimum level of self-reported English proficiency that identifies bilingual individuals who may perform on par with monolingual listeners on an English word recognition test.

Method

A total of 125 normal hearing bilingual listeners rated their English proficiency in listening, speaking, and reading on an 11-point scale. Other related linguistic variables were also obtained. A randomly selected Northwestern University Auditory Test No. 6 (NU-6) list (50 English monosyllabic words) was presented to all participants at 45 dB HL in quiet.

Results

Over 90% of the listeners self-rated to have at least “good” proficiency in English listening, speaking, or reading. Of these participants, more than 30% did not achieve a monolingual normative level in English as delimited by binomial distribution. Composite proficiency ratings across language domains better predicted word recognition performance than self-ratings for listening proficiency only. Combining language dominance and age of English acquisition with proficiency ratings further improved prediction specificity.

Conclusions

Self-rated English proficiency can predict bilingual listeners’ performance on the NU-6 test. For desirable sensitivity and specificity in predicting monolingual-like performance, a minimum rating of 8 out of 10 across all language domains is recommended.
Survey of the Diagnosis and Management of Auditory Processing Disorder
Authors: Emanuel Diana C. , Ficca Kristen N. , Korczak Peggy
Published: June 2011

Purpose

A survey of audiologists’ diagnosis and intervention protocols for auditory processing disorder (APD) was conducted to determine current protocols and compare results with published recommendations.

Method

A survey was distributed by mail to 515 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association audiology members who listed APD as an area of expertise and via e-mail to Educational Audiology Association members. The survey was completed by 195 audiologists.

Results

The majority of respondents reported using auditory processing (AP) test batteries selected based on clinical experience, review of the literature, and attendance at professional conferences. The most popular tests were dichotic, monaural low-redundancy speech, and temporal processing tests. Treatment and management recommendations were usually customized for each patient based on deficits found in behavioral AP testing. The majority of respondents indicated that audiologists are responsible for APD diagnosis (97%) and recommendation of treatment/management (81%); in contrast, only 40% of respondents indicated audiologists were responsible for providing treatment/management.

Conclusions

Audiologists are selecting AP test batteries based on the age and case history of the patient, which is in accordance with recent national guidelines. Audiologists are primarily responsible for APD diagnosis and recommending treatment/management. APD treatment is provided by speech-language pathologists, educators, and audiologists.

Supplemental Material

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14963496