bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Using a dual‐task paradigm to investigate motor and cognitive performance in children with intellectual disability
Authors: Kachouri Hiba , Laatar Rabeb , Borji Rihab , Rebai Haithem , Sahli Sonia 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBackgroundThe purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of dual‐task (DT) constraints on walking performance in children with intellectual disability (ID).MethodsFifteen children with intellectual disability and fifteen age‐matched typically developed children were asked to walk at a preferred speed: along a path (baseline condition), while carrying a glass of water and while quoting animal names.ResultsThe present study findings showed that DTs affect walking performance of both typically developed children and those with intellectual disability. In children with intellectual disability, DT walking decrements were significantly higher when performing a concurrent motor task than cognitive one.ConclusionsDT constraints with a secondary motor or cognitive tasks seemed challenging for children with intellectual disability suggesting that future treatments or assessments should consider using DT constraints to manipulate the difficulty of tasks.
Inquiry‐based learning and retrospective action: Problematizing student work in a computer‐supported learning environment
Authors: Xenofontos Nikoletta A. , Hovardas Tasos , Zacharia Zacharias C. , de Jong Ton 
Published: August 2019

AbstractWe examined student performance in a computer‐supported learning environment after students undertook, among others, a graphing task within an inquiry context. Students were assigned in two conditions: (a) Students were given one variable, and they had to select the second one to construct their graph; (b) students were given four variables, and they had to select two to construct their graph. Both conditions problematized student work by triggering retrospective action, where students returned to previous stages of the learning activity sequence. Retrospective action correlated positively to knowledge gains in Condition 2, where students were more likely to revisit earlier stages of their inquiry. Time‐on‐task, when students passed through learning tasks for the first time, correlated negatively with retrospective action (second pass), which indicated that there was a minimum amount of time needed to effectively execute tasks. Trade‐offs between time‐on‐task (first pass) and retrospective action demarcate a novel field of research.
Too Effective for Europe? The UK, Norm Advocacy and the Case of EU International Cooperation
Authors: Steingass Sebastian 
Published: August 2019

AbstractDespite being an 'awkward partner' in the EU, Britain has significantly shaped international cooperation in it. The size of Britain's development sector and its accumulated skills have given it a strong voice in the EU, particularly in terms of aid and development cooperation. In the years before the Brexit referendum of 2016, EU development cooperation shifted towards meeting the priorities of subsequent UK governments and against competing priorities. This article traces British participation in EU norm advocacy in development cooperation. The analysis shows how politico‐administrative actors have engaged beyond inter‐state power brokering and across levels of governance to shape EU policy, especially in transnational societal networks and capacity‐building in EU institutions. The article places this case into the wider context of EU norm advocacy to show how actors seek to push EU policy towards their politico‐administrative interests and identities, and it makes suggestions about what this implies for EU–UK relations.
Political Parties in Deeply Multilingual Polities: Institutional Conditions and Lessons for the EU
Authors: Stojanović Nenad , Bonotti Matteo 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe EU has long been suffering a legitimacy crisis. In this article we argue that multilingual Europarties, that is, European political parties operating in all the various languages spoken by their members via interpreting and translation, rather than resorting to a lingua franca, could contribute to providing an effective democratic linkage between EU citizens and EU institutions. Moreover, by drawing inspiration from an analysis of Belgium, Canada and Switzerland, we argue that centripetal institutions such as an EU‐wide electoral district, presidentialism, and direct democracy could provide favourable institutional conditions for the development of such multilingual Europarties.
A meta‐analysis on the influence of partial biopsy of primary melanoma on disease recurrence and patient survival
Authors: Moscarella E. , Pampena R. , Palmiotti G. , Bonamonte D. , Brancaccio G. , Piccolo V. , Longo C. , Argenziano G. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBackgroundComplete surgical excision is the preferred biopsy type for suspicious melanocytic lesions. However, partial biopsy is sometimes used in special situations. Previous studies have explored the effect of partial biopsy of a primary melanoma on patient outcome with controversial results.ObjectiveWe performed a meta‐analysis on the influence of the type of biopsy of a primary melanoma on recurrence‐free survival (RFS) and melanoma‐related survival (MRS).MethodsClinical trials, observational cohort studies and case–control studies reporting absolute number of recurrences and/or melanoma‐related deaths in patients undergoing a partial or excisional biopsy of melanoma were included in the meta‐analysis.ResultsIn all, the five included studies reported 3249 patients, 1121 (34.5%) of them in the partial biopsy group and 2128 (65.5%) in the excisional biopsy group. Despite a trend in favour of excisional biopsy in reducing the risk for recurrences, the forest plot related to RFS failed to demonstrate significant differences among groups (RR: 1.27; 95% CI 0.97–1.67; P: 0.09; random effects; I2: 55%). The forest plot showed no difference in the risk of dying for melanoma‐related causes for patients undergoing partial biopsy vs. excisions biopsy (RR: 1.50; 95% CI 0.98–2.30; P: 0.06; random effects; I2: 60%).LimitationsThe majority of the studies were retrospective, and follow‐up time was not uniform among studies and not always reported.ConclusionIn conclusion, a partial biopsy can be performed in special situations, such as large primary tumours located in surgically sensitive areas, without altering MRS and RFS.
Bimanual Gesture Imitation Links to Cognition and Olfaction
Authors: Tian Qu , Chastan Nathalie , Thambisetty Madhav , Resnick Susan M. , Ferrucci Luigi , Studenski Stephanie A. 
Published: August 2019

OBJECTIVESGiven the need to detect subclinical changes in brain health that sometimes occur with aging in apparently healthy older adults, we assessed whether bimanual gesture imitation performance, simple to assess clinically, can detect age effects and alterations in cognition, olfaction, and movement.DESIGNCross‐sectional study.SETTINGBaltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.PARTICIPANTSMen and women, aged 22 to 101 years, without cognitive impairment, dementia, stroke, Parkinson disease, resting tremor, abnormal muscle tone, or abnormal coordination (N = 507).MEASUREMENTSBimanual gesture imitation was measured using a test validated in older adults. We assessed (1) cognition, including verbal memory, executive function, attention, visuospatial ability, visuoperceptual speed, and language; (2) manual dexterity with the Purdue Pegboard Test; (3) olfaction, using the 16‐item Sniffin' Sticks Identification Test; (4) upper extremity motor function, using a computer‐based finger tapping test; and (5) lower extremity motor function, including 6‐meter usual and rapid gait speeds, 400‐meter walk time, Health ABC Physical Performance Battery, and total standing balance time. Cross‐sectional associations between bimanual gesture imitation performance and each measure were examined using linear regression after adjustment for age, sex, race, education, and body mass index. Models with mobility measures also adjusted for height.RESULTSHigher gesture imitation performance was associated with younger age. After adjustment, a worse score was associated with worse olfaction, executive function, and visuospatial ability. Gesture imitation score was not associated with other cognitive measures or motor function.CONCLUSIONIn persons without clinically detectable neurological conditions, poor bimanual gesture imitation is associated with other indicators of brain health, including olfaction and selected cognitive function domains. Bimanual gesture imitation may be useful clinically to detect subtle brain changes in apparently healthy older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:2581–2586, 2019
Diurnal cortisol and obesity in adolescents with and without Down syndrome
Authors: Pitchford E. A. , Hasson R. E. , Hornyak J. E. , Lumeng J. C. , Peterson K. E. , Ulrich D. A. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBackgroundThe prevalence of obesity in adolescents with Down syndrome (DS) far exceeds that in the general population. Cortisol, an adrenal hormone, can be obesogenic when dysregulated. However, the diurnal patterns of this hormone have not been examined among individuals with DS. Variations in adiposity may also mediate cortisol regulation. This study sought to examine diurnal cortisol patterns in adolescents with DS as well as associations between cortisol function and obesity.MethodA total of 32 adolescents, including 16 with DS and 16 controls with typical development (TD) of similar sex, age and Tanner pubertal stage (P > 0.05), participated in this preliminary study. Participants completed a dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry scan to measure body composition and collected saliva samples for cortisol measurements in the morning, afternoon and night. Linear mixed models with random intercepts and repeated measures were used to examine the daily trajectory of log‐transformed cortisol concentrations between adolescents with and without DS. A second model examined the interaction between DS and presence of elevated body fatness.ResultsAdolescents with DS had higher morning cortisol concentrations (intercept = 0.37 μg/dL), but this was not significantly different than in TD (0.35 μg/dL, P = 0.16). Cortisol significantly declined across hours (b = −0.026 μg/dL/h, P < 0.001), but this decline also did not differ from that observed in TD (b = −0.024 μg/dL/h, P = 0.43). While cortisol levels were slightly higher among adolescents with elevated body fatness, this difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05; d = 0.30).ConclusionsThis study is the first to examine diurnal cortisol in DS but is limited in sample size. These preliminary findings suggest that diurnal cortisol patterns are not significantly different between adolescents with DS and TD and that cortisol levels are not associated with adiposity in this population. Despite these non‐significant differences, youth with DS continue to be an ‘at‐risk' population for paediatric obesity in need of clinical intervention.
Lactoferrin protects against iron dysregulation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)‐induced Parkinson’s disease in mice
Authors: Liu Huiying , Wu Hao , Zhu Ning , Xu Zijie , Wang Yue , Qu Yan , Wang Jun 
Published: August 2019

AbstractParkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease. Its pathological features are dopaminergic neuronal death in the substantia nigra (SN), and significant reduction in dopamine (DA) content in the striatum. A large number of studies have found an increase in iron levels in PD patients and animal models, which suggested that brain iron metabolism dysfunction played a key role in the pathogenesis of PD. Lactoferrin (Lf) is a non‐heme iron‐binding glycoprotein belonging to the transferrin family, entering the cell membrane via a lactoferrin receptor‐mediated pathway. Lf exists mainly in two forms: iron‐free‐lactoferrin (apo‐Lf) and iron‐saturated‐lactoferrin (holo‐Lf). Our previous studies found thatapo‐Lf and holo‐Lf exert neuroprotective effects against 1‐methyl‐4‐phenylpyridinium toxicity in ventral mesencephalon neurons in vitro. This study aimed to further investigate whether two different forms of Lf have neuroprotective effects in vivo, and to examine their mechanisms, so as to provide an experimental basis for finding new therapeutic strategies against PD. In the central nervous system, Lf antagonized 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)‐induced DA depletion in the striatum, iron deposition, oxidative, and apoptotic processes in the SN. Lf treatment down‐regulated iron import protein divalent metal transporter1 and up‐regulated iron export protein ferroportin1, attenuating MPTP‐induced accumulation of nigral iron level. In the peripheral system, Lf alleviated MPTP‐induced increases in serum iron and ferritin, and decreases in serum total iron‐binding capacity, loss of spleen weight, and reduction in spleen iron content. The results indicate that Lf has a neuroprotective effect on MPTP‐induced PD model mice, and its mechanism may be related to anti‐iron dysregulation, anti‐oxidative stress, and anti‐apoptosis, with apo‐Lf showing greater efficacy. Therefore, Lf might be a promising therapeutic substance for PD.
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Open Science: This manuscript was awarded with the Open Materials BadgeFor more information see: https://cos.io/our-services/open-science-badges/
Effects of stage II transport and food bolus sampling methods on the properties of food particles
Authors: Tanaka Yuki , Sugimoto Hikaru , Kodama Naoki , Minagi Shogo 
Published: August 2019

AbstractDuring mastication, some portion of the food bolus is gradually transported to the oropharynx before deglutition, which is known as stage II transport (STII). Although the importance of STII in mastication and deglutition has been widely acknowledged, food particle properties that are transported into the oropharynx by STII have not yet been fully specified. To reveal the food particle properties that are transported into the oropharynx by STII and to assess the usefulness of new food bolus sampling methods for the evaluation of masticatory efficiency. Twenty‐two healthy volunteers participated in this study. Four different bolus sampling conditions were adopted: (a) the whole food particles were expectorated when the subject was aware of the first deglutition, (b) the last bolus to be swallowed at the end of unrestrained food intake was expectorated (aftermost bolus sample), (3) the whole food particles were expectorated when the subject felt ready to swallow after swallow‐inhibited mastication (swallow‐inhibited sample), (4) the particles were regurgitated from the oropharynx after the first STII (stage II‐transported sample). Food particles were analysed using the homogeneity index and particle size index. There was no significant difference between food particles in the aftermost bolus sample and swallow‐inhibited sample. The particles in the stage II‐transported sample showed significantly more homogeneous and smaller sizes than other sampling conditions (P < .05). The food particles transferred to the oropharynx in the stage II‐transported sample were smaller than those broken down by natural mastication.
The association between Extraversion and well‐being is limited to one facet
Authors: Margolis Seth , Stapley Ashley L. , Lyubomirsky Sonja 
Published: August 2019

AbstractObjectiveMõttus argues that effects should not be attributed to traits if they are driven by particular facets or items. We apply this reasoning to investigate the relationship between facets and items of Extraversion and well‐being.MethodWe analyzed five cross‐sectional datasets (total N = 1,879), with facet‐ and item‐level correlations and SEM.ResultsWe found that the correlation between the energy level facet and well‐being was solely responsible for the association between Extraversion and well‐being. Neither sociability nor assertiveness were uniquely related to well‐being when energy level was included as a predictor. Thus, the correlations between well‐being and sociability and between well‐being and assertiveness can be almost fully explained by these constructs' relationships with energy level.ConclusionsWe conclude that the link between Extraversion and well‐being should be attributed to the energy level facet rather than generalized to the trait level.
Mothers never retire: Contextual priming of working models of mother affects adults' representations of self and romantic partners
Authors: Lahat Eileen , Mikulincer Mario , Lifshin Uri , Shaver Phillip R. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractObjectivesThe main goal of these studies is to provide an experimental test of a core hypothesis based on attachment theory: Working models of mother are active in adults' minds and can bias their views of self and romantic partners.MethodIn two studies, we conducted clinical interviews to identify positive and negative core traits that participants used to describe their mothers. We then implicitly primed either positive or negative traits extracted from the interviews and compared this priming condition to control conditions in which we primed either positive or negative control traits (traits that described the mother of another study participant). Following this manipulation, we assessed participants' self‐appraisals (Study 1) and explanations of their romantic partner's hurtful behaviors (Study 2).ResultsPriming with one's mother's positive traits led to more positive views of self and romantic partner (compared with the effects of priming with positive control traits). In contrast, as compared to negative control traits, the priming of one's mother's negative traits led to less positive views of self and romantic partner.ConclusionsFindings support the hypothesis that working models of mother play a causal role in shaping adults' representations of self and romantic partners.
Melatonin receptor structures shed new light on melatonin research
Authors: Cecon Erika , Liu Lei , Jockers Ralf 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe tryptophan derivative melatonin is an evolutionary old molecule that is involved in a pleiotropy of physiological functions. In humans, age‐related decline of circulating melatonin levels and/or dysregulation of its circadian synthesis pattern have been associated with several disorders and disease states. Several molecular targets have been proposed for melatonin since its discovery, in 1959. Among them, melatonin MT1 and MT2 receptors are the best characterized melatonin targets, mediating melatonin effects in a variety of tissues. They belong to the superfamily of G protein‐coupled receptors. Two back‐to‐back articles published in the “Nature” Journal earlier this year present the first crystal structures of the human MT1 and MT2 in its inactive states. Here, we will briefly outline the discovery path of melatonin receptors until their structural elucidation and discuss how these new findings will guide future research toward a better understanding of their function and rational drug design.
Maple phylogeny and biogeography inferred from phylogenomic data
Authors: Li Jianhua , Stukel Mark , Bussies Parker , Skinner Kaleb , Lemmon Alan R. , Lemmon Emily Moriarty , Brown Kenneth , Bekmetjev Airat , Swenson Nathan G. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractAcer (the maple genus) is one of the diverse tree genera in the Northern Hemisphere with about 152 species, most of which are in eastern Asia. There are roughly a dozen species in Europe/western Asia and a dozen in North America. Several phylogenetic studies of Acer have been conducted since 1998, but none have provided a satisfactory resolution for basal relationships among sections of Acer. Here we report the first well‐resolved phylogeny of Acer based on DNA sequences of over 500 nuclear loci generated using the anchored hybrid enrichment method and explore the implications of the robust phylogeny for Acer systematics and biogeography. Our phylogenetic results support the most recent taxonomic treatment of Acer by de Jong with some modifications; section Pentaphylla may be expanded to include section Trifoliata, and A. yangbiense may be included in section Lithocarpa. Sections Spicata, Negundo, Arguta, and Palmata form a clade sister to the rest of the genus where sections Glabra and Parviflora comprise the first clade followed by section Macrantha, sections Ginnala, Lithocarpa, Indivisa, sections Platanoidea and Macrophylla, section Rubra, section Acer, and section Pentaphylla. Monotypic sections Glabra and Macrophylla in North America are sister to the Japanese section Parviflora and Eurasian section Platanoidea, respectively. Ancestral area inferences using statistical dispersal and vicariance analysis (S‐DIVA) and dispersal and extinction cladogenesis (DEC) methods suggest that Asia might be the most likely ancestral area of Acer as proposed by Wolfe and Tanai and molecular dating using Bayesian evolutionary analysis by sampling trees (BEAST) indicate that section diversifications of Acer might have completed largely in the late Eocene and the intercontinental disjunctions of Acer between eastern Asia and eastern North America formed mostly in the Miocene.
The giant that makes do with little: small and easy‐to‐leave home ranges found in the giant root‐rat
Authors: Šklíba J. , Vlasatá T. , Lövy M. , Hrouzková E. , Meheretu Y. , Sillero‐Zubiri C. , Šumbera R. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractMammalian space‐use patterns are largely determined by the resources utilized as well as by given habitat characteristics, as can be illustrated by rodents displaying predominantly subterranean activity. These rodents are largely limited in their use of space by their burrow systems. This results in smaller home ranges than is usual for rodents of a similar size. However, there is little information regarding how stable these home ranges are over time. We studied space use in the giant root‐rat,Tachyoryctes macrocephalus, a large fossorial rodent endemic to the Bale Mountains of southern Ethiopia where it is the principal prey of the Ethiopian wolfCanis simensis. We radio‐tracked 22 root‐rats during a period of 36 days in the early dry season and 17 of them once again during a period of 37 days in the late dry season. The root‐rats occupied very small (around 100 m2) home ranges which were often tightly packed, especially on a wetland shore that was a part of the study locality, but displayed little overlap. Almost 30% of the radio‐collared root‐rats of either sex dispersed (80–428 m from their original home range) during the 5 months of the study, mostly in a period between the early and late dry season characterized by a decreasing food supply and the soil becoming dry and hard. Individuals who did not disperse during this time usually shifted their home range. Root‐rats living on the wetland shore, which were the largest and therefore likely competitively strongest individuals, shifted their home ranges into the wetland, likely for the purpose of increasing their food supply.