bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Assistance to Participate Scale to measure play and leisure support for children with developmental disability: update following Rasch analysis
Authors: Bourke‐Taylor H. , Pallant J. F. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractBackgroundThe Assistance to Participate Scale (APS) was designed to measure the primary carer's estimate of the amount of assistance that their school‐aged child with a disability requires to participate in play and leisure activities. Previous research suggests that the 8‐item APS has good internal consistency. The construct validity of the scale is supported by strong correlations with instruments measuring similar constructs and discrimination between groups of children with developmental disability, based on extent of need for caregiver assistance.AimThe aim of this current study was to undertake further evaluation of the psychometric properties of the APS using Rasch analysis.MethodRasch analysis was conducted using the RUMM2030 program to assess the APS items in terms of their overall fit to the Rasch model, individual item fit, response format, targeting and dimensionality.ResultsRasch analysis showed good fit to the model, with no misfitting items and good internal consistency (PSI = 0.85). There was no differential item functioning across mothers' age, education level or child's age. Dimensionality testing supported the combination of all items to create a total score. Most items showed disordered thresholds, suggesting some inconsistencies in the way respondents used the response scale options.ConclusionsThe APS has been subjected to substantial psychometric testing during development and evaluation, revealing a sound, brief and easy‐to‐use scale. The APS has a number of potential clinical and research uses measuring the amount of additional assistance that children require from their primary care giver to participate in play activities.
The youth report version of the Child and Adolescent Scale of Participation (CASP): assessment of psychometric properties and comparison with parent report
Authors: McDougall J. , Bedell G. , Wright V. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractObjectiveThe Child and Adolescent Scale of Participation (CASP) parent report is a brief and valid measure for use with children and youth with chronic conditions/disabilities that has been shown to have good coverage at the chapter level of the ‘Activities and Participation’ component of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. The purpose of this research was to assess the psychometric properties of a CASP youth self‐report version, to further validate the parent report, and to compare parent and youth reports of youths' activity and participation.MethodsBaseline data from a longitudinal study examining predictors of changes in quality of life for youth with chronic conditions/disabilities were used. CASP data were collected on 409 youth aged 11–17 with various conditions/disabilities using youth and parent reports. Internal consistency and factor structure were examined for both versions using Cronbach's alpha and exploratory factor analyses. Inter‐rater agreement and magnitude of differences between youth and parent report were evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients and paired t‐tests respectively. Gender, age and condition/disability group differences in youth report CASP scores were examined using independent t‐tests or analyses of variance.ResultsStrong internal consistency and internal structure validity was demonstrated for the CASP youth and parent report. The youth report factor structure was similar to the parent report in this and other studies. Youth reported their activity/participation to be significantly higher than did their parents. Significant differences in CASP scores were found among condition/disability groups.ConclusionsFindings show that, from a psychometric standpoint, the youth version of the CASP is a promising new self‐report measure of activity and participation. As youth perceive their activity and participation levels differently than their parents, it is important to collect data from both sources to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of this aspect of youths' lives.
A Collaborative Digital Pathology System for Multi‐Touch Mobile and Desktop Computing Platforms
Authors: Jeong W. , Schneider J. , Hansen A. , Lee M. , Turney S. G. , Faulkner‐Jones B. E. , Hecht J. L. , Najarian R. , Yee E. , Lichtman J. W. , Pfister H. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractCollaborative slide image viewing systems are becoming increasingly important in pathology applications such as telepathology and E‐learning. Despite rapid advances in computing and imaging technology, current digital pathology systems have limited performance with respect to remote viewing of whole slide images on desktop or mobile computing devices. In this paper we present a novel digital pathology client–server system that supports collaborative viewing of multi‐plane whole slide images over standard networks using multi‐touch‐enabled clients. Our system is built upon a standard HTTP web server and a MySQL database to allow multiple clients to exchange image and metadata concurrently. We introduce a domain‐specific image‐stack compression method that leverages real‐time hardware decoding on mobile devices. It adaptively encodes image stacks in a decorrelated colour space to achieve extremely low bitrates (0.8 bpp) with very low loss of image quality. We evaluate the image quality of our compression method and the performance of our system for diagnosis with an in‐depth user study.
Characterization of an asymmetric add‐on collimator used with a hand‐held gamma probe for radioguided surgery and sentinel node detection: a demonstration of an alternative collimation method
Authors: Johnsrud Kjersti , Skretting Arne , Naum Alexandru G. , Bogsrud Trond V. , Bach‐Gansmo Tore 
Published: June 2013

SummaryObjectiveThe aim of the study was to investigate a new principle for collimation of gamma probes for radioguided surgery and sentinel node detection: the use of asymmetric lateral shielding. The intension was to maintain the sensitivity in the lateral and forward directions on the unshielded side while at the same time to shield the probe against high activity sources that could mask the signal from the object to be detected.MethodsThe device was constructed to shield only against photons that come from a region in space that spans approximately 180° sideways and forwards relative to the detector. The intension of the study was to demonstrate the principle rather than to document its use in the clinic. Sensitivity profiles were derived from measurements obtained while stepwise moving the probe relatively to a point source of known activity surrounded by water. The measurements were taken in the symmetry plane of the collimator where the shielding effects were expected to be most pronounced.ResultsThe asymmetric collimator led to nearly unchanged sensitivity in the lateral and forward directions. At the same time, the field of view was effectively shrunk on the shielded side. Contributions from sources lateral and close to the shield were reduced by factors up to 45.ConclusionBy rotating the probe around its longitudinal axis, an asymmetric add‐on shield collimator could potentially make it easier to detect a sentinel node when this is located close to a neighbouring high activity region like the urinary bladder or the injection site.
Reliability of rehabilitative ultrasound imaging for the medial gastrocnemius muscle in poststroke patients
Authors: Cho Ki Hun , Lee Hwang Jae , Lee Wan Hee 
Published: June 2013

SummaryObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the suitability of rehabilitative ultrasound imaging for quantification of medial gastrocnemius muscle in poststroke patients.ParticipantsThirty stroke patients (15 men and 15 women; age 64·7 ± 5·66 years; stroke duration 437·40 ± 168·24 days) participated in this study.MethodsReal‐time B‐mode ultrasonography with a 7·5‐MHz linear transducer was used to measure pennation angle and muscle thickness of the medial gastrocnemius muscles with ankle joint 90° and maximal plantar flexion. Two examiners acquired images from all participants during three separate testing sessions. After the first measurement was performed, the second measurement was performed one hour later, and the third measurement was performed 1 week later. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs(3,1)) were used for estimation of reliability.ResultsThe ICC (95% CI) for all intra‐examiner reliability was good to very good, ranging from 0·69 to 0·99 (0·51–0·99), and the ICC for all interexaminer reliability was good to very good, ranging from 0·70 to 0·99 (0·46–0·99).ConclusionIn this study, the intra‐ and interexaminer reliability of the pennation angle and muscle thickness measurements of the medial gastrocnemius muscle was good to very good. Therefore, we suggest that the pennation angle and muscle thickness measurements of the medial gastrocnemius muscle obtained from rehabilitative ultrasound imaging would be useful for clinical assessment in poststroke patients.
Cognitive outcome in childhood after unilateral perinatal brain injury
Authors: van Buuren Lenny M , van der Aa Niek E , Dekker Harmke C , Vermeulen R Jeroen , van Nieuwenhuizen Onno , van Schooneveld Monique M J , de Vries Linda S 
Published: June 2013

AimThe aim of the study was to assess cognitive outcome in children with periventricular haemorrhagic infarction (PVHI) or perinatal arterial ischaemic stroke (PAIS) and relate these findings to early developmental outcome and neonatal magnetic resonance imaging findings.MethodA neuropsychological assessment was performed in 50 children (26 males, 24 females) with unilateral PVHI (n=21) or PAIS (n=29) at a median age of 11 years 9 months (range 6–20y). This included tests for intelligence, verbal memory, visual–motor integration, word comprehension, attention, reaction times, and executive function. The Griffiths Mental Development Scale was used for early developmental assessment at 24 months (range 18–32mo).ResultsIn children with PVHI, both the early Griffiths scores (mean 87; 95% CI 83–92) and the Full‐scale IQ (FSIQ) scores at school age (mean 86; 95% CI 78–94) were below the test mean of 100. In the PAIS group, early Griffiths scores were within the normal range (mean 98; 95% CI 93–104), but at school age FSIQ scores were below average (mean 87; 95% CI 80–94). In children with PVHI, FSIQ scores correlated with the level of maternal education and were lower after ventricular dilatation, whereas both involvement of the basal ganglia and thalami and development of postneonatal epilepsy were associated with lower cognitive outcome in children who had experienced PAIS.InterpretationCognitive outcome after PVHI or PAIS is below average, but still within 1SD for most children. Prediction of cognitive outcome remains challenging, but some early predictors can be recognized.
Helicobacter pylori infection associated with high HbA1c and type 2 diabetes
Authors: Hsieh Ming‐Chia , Wang Sophie S. W. , Hsieh Yi‐Ting , Kuo Fu‐Chen , Soon Maw‐Soan , Wu Deng‐Chyang 
Published: June 2013

AbstractBackgroundAlthough the association between chronic Helicobacter pylori infection and type 2 diabetes has been suggested, findings have been inconsistent. This study evaluated the association between chronic H. pylori infection and glucose regulation.Materials and MethodsWe evaluated H. pylori infection status of participants recruited from the gastroenterology clinic at our hospital. At baseline, we performed blood tests including fasting plasma glucose, insulin, glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and other biochemical measurements. Insulin resistance and beta‐cell function were assessed by homoeostasis model assessment (HOMA‐IR and HOMA‐B, respectively).ResultsA total of 2070 participants were recruited. Those who had H. pylori infections had higher serum HbA1c levels and lower HOMA‐B than those who did not (5·78% vs. 5·69%, P = 0·01 and 53·85 + 38·43 vs. 60·64 + 43·40, P = 0·009, respectively). They also had a significantly higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes (8·97% vs. 5·57%, P = 0·02). Chronic H. pylori infection was significantly associated with high levels of HbA1c and type 2 diabetes in participants above 65 years old (P = 0·001) and decreased insulin secretion and sensitivity in those under 45 years (P = 0·05).ConclusionsLong‐term H. pylori infection is significantly associated with high levels of HbA1c and decreased insulin secretion in this Chinese population. Proper screening for H. pylori infection combined with regular monitoring of blood glucose and HbA1c levels might be effective for the early detection of glucose dysregulation and prevention of type 2 diabetes.
Biotic interaction strength and the intensity of selection
Authors: Benkman Craig W. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractAlthough the ecological and evolutionary impacts of species interactions have been the foci of much research, the relationship between the strength of species interactions and the intensity of selection has been investigated only rarely. I develop a simple model demonstrating how the opportunity for selection varies with interaction strength, and then use the relationship between the maximum value of the selection differential and the opportunity for selection (Arnold & Wade 1984) to evaluate how selection differentials vary in relation to species interaction strength. This model predicts an initial deceleration and then an accelerating increase in the intensity of selection with increasing strength of antagonistic interactions and with decreasing strength of mutualistic interactions. Empirical data from several studies provide support for this model. These results further support an evolutionary mechanism for some striking patterns of evolutionary diversification including the latitudinal species gradient, and should be relevant to studies of eco‐evolutionary dynamics.
Social networks in elasmobranchs and teleost fishes
Authors: Wilson A D M , Croft D P , Krause J 
Published: June 2013

AbstractOver the last decade, there has been an exponential increase in studies using social network analysis to describe the structure of animal societies. In this synthesis, we examine the contribution of social network analysis towards developing our understanding of the social organization of elasmobranchs and teleost fishes. We review and discuss the current state of knowledge of the mechanisms and functions underpinning social network structure in fishes with particular emphasis on cooperation, familiarity, site fidelity, population structure and the welfare of captive populations. We also discuss important methodological issues (e.g. how to identify and mark fish) and highlight new developments in this area of research and their implications for the study of fish behaviour. Finally, we outline promising future research areas for the application of social network analysis to teleost fishes and elasmobranchs.
Choosing vs. allocating: discrete choice experiments and constant‐sum paired comparisons for the elicitation of societal preferences
Authors: Skedgel Chris D. , Wailoo Allan J. , Akehurst Ron L. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractBackgroundThere is growing evidence of a reluctance to allocate health care solely on the basis of maximizing quality‐adjusted life years (QALYs). Stated preference methods can be used to elicit preferences for efficiency vs. equity in the allocation of health‐care resources.ObjectiveTo compare discrete choice experiment (DCE) and constant‐sum paired comparison (CSPC) methods for eliciting societal preferences.MethodsOver a series of choice pairs, DCE respondents allocated a fixed budget to one preferred group and CSPC respondents allocated budget percentages between the groups. Questionnaires were compared in terms of completion rates, preference consistency, dominant preferences and derived attribute importance.ResultsThere was no significant difference in the proportions that rated the questionnaires somewhat or extremely difficult, but a significantly greater proportion completed the DCE compared to the CSPC. Preference consistency was also higher in the DCE. The incidence of dominant preferences, including for aggregate QALYs, was low and not significantly different between questionnaires. Similarly, no CSCP respondents equalized budgets or outcomes in every task. Final health state was the most important attribute in both questionnaires, but the rankings diverged for the other attributes. Notably, the total patients' treated attribute was important in the CSPC but insignificant in the DCE, perhaps reflecting a ‘prominence effect’.ConclusionsDespite lower completion rates and preference consistency, CSPC may offer advantages over DCE in eliciting preferences over the distribution of resources and/or outcomes as well as attribute levels, avoiding extreme ‘all‐or‐nothing’ distributions and possibly aligning respondent attention more closely with a societal perspective.
Indian Students and the Evolution of the Study‐Migration Pathway in Australia
Authors: Hawthorne Lesleyanne 
Published: June 2013

AbstractIn the past two years Australia's reputation as a safe high quality education destination has suffered devastating damage in India – a process exacerbated by 2010–12 changes to the study‐migration pathway. Within this context Indian enrolments dropped 27 per cent from 2010 to 2011 and 25 per cent from 2011 to 2012. This article examines the complex interplay of migration and education policies in relation to Indian students in the past decade. It assesses the quantitative evidence available concerning former Indian students’ study choices, engagement in two‐step migration, and employment outcomes relative to other international students and offshore Indian migrants to date. The likely impacts of the latest skilled migration policy trends are then explored, in a context where India remains Australia's second ranked export education market.
Gender difference in interactions between MAOA promoter uVNTR polymorphism and negative familial stressors on body mass index among Chinese adolescents
Authors: Xie B. , Li D. , London S. J. , Palmer P. H. , Johnshon C. A. , Li Y. , Shih J. , Bergen A. W. , Nishita D. , Swan G. E. , Ahn R. , Conti D. V. 
Published: June 2013

What is already known about this subject
Initial evidence from recent studies indicated a relationship between the high‐activity MAOA uVNTR polymorphism and lower risk of obesity even though findings were varied across populations, and hence replication studies with population‐based samples are clearly warranted.
What this study adds
Our findings confirmed the genetic effects of MAOA uVNTR polymorphism on body mass index in a Chinese adolescent population.
This study demonstrated a significant gene–environment interaction with negative familial stressors in girls only, which provides a new insight on the causes of obesity, and thus, potential avenues of prevention.
SummaryObjectivesMonoamine oxidase A (MAOA) modulates metabolism of serotonin and dopamine metabolism, neurotransmitters involved in regulation of appetite and food intake. The gene coding for MAOA contains a 30‐bp tandem repeat (uVNTR) polymorphism in its promoter region that has been previously identified to be associated with obesity with mixed findings in the literature. Our goals were to replicate the population effects of this functional polymorphism on obesity risk, and to further explore gender differences and interaction effects with negative stressors.MethodsAnalyses were conducted with data on genotypes, measured weight and height, and self‐reported behavioural characteristics among 1101 Chinese adolescents 11–15 years old living in Wuhan, China.ResultsGirls with the high‐activity allele had significantly lower body mass index (BMI; β = −0.25 ± 0.98, P = 0.011) compared to those with the low activity allele. Experience of negative familial stressors (e.g., death or illness of family members, hit or scolded by parents and increased quarrelling with parents, parents argued frequently) significantly weakened this protective genetic effect on BMI (P for interaction = 0.043). Stratified analyses showed a significant protective genetic effect on BMI only within the stratum of low stress level (β = −0.44 ± 0.14, P = 0.002). No similar effect was observed among boys.ConclusionsOur findings confirm the genetic effects of MAOA uVNTR polymorphism on BMI in a Chinese adolescent population and suggest potential genetic interactions with negative familial stressors.
CC–LR: providing interactive, challenging and attractive Collaborative Complex Learning Resources
Authors: Caballé S. , Mora N. , Feidakis M. , Gañán D. , Conesa J. , Daradoumis T. , Prieto J. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractMany researchers argue that students must be meaningfully engaged in the learning resources for effective learning to occur. However, current online learners still report a problematic lack of attractive and challenging learning resources that engage them in the learning process. This endemic problem is even more evident in online collaborative learning approaches whose resources lack of authentic interactivity, user empowerment, social identity and challenge, thus having a negative effect on learners' self‐motivation and engagement. To overcome these and other limitations and deficiencies, in this paper, a new type of learning resource named Collaborative Complex Learning Resources (CC–LR) is presented based on the virtualization of collaborative learning with the aim of leveraging knowledge elicited during live sessions. During the CC–LR execution, the collaborative sessions are animated so learners can observe how avatars discuss and collaborate, how discussion threads grow and how knowledge is been constructed, refined and consolidated. In addition, complex aspects of the learning process can be incorporated in the CC–LRs during their creation, such as cognitive assessment and emotional awareness. The system produced from this research is tested to evaluate the CC‐LR enriched with complex information and analyze its effects in the discussion process. The research reported in this paper was undertaken within the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) European project called ‘Adaptive Learning via Intuitive/Interactive, Collaborative and Emotional systems’.
Treatment of a simulated child with anaphylaxis: An in situ two‐arm study
Authors: O'Leary Fenton M , Hokin Belinda , Enright Kevin , Campbell Dianne E 
Published: June 2013

AimThis study aims to determine whether junior medical staff correctly identify and treat paediatric anaphylaxis and whether the presence or absence of hypotension influenced the treatment, using a standardised simulated patient encounter.MethodsJunior medical staff from the emergency department of a large paediatric tertiary hospital were invited to participate in a two‐armed cohort study to assess recognition and management of anaphylaxis in a standardised scenario using a simulated patient with and without hypotension. The primary outcome measure was administration of adrenaline. The secondary outcome measures included time to adrenaline administration, ability to seek and identify relevant features of history and clinical examination and use of other medications.ResultsFifty‐six junior medical staff participated (90% participation rate). Only 50% of participants administered adrenaline in scenarios of definite anaphylaxis. Adrenaline was more likely to be administered if the scenario included hypotension, where the junior medical officer had previous formal resuscitation training (Advanced Paediatric Life Support) and by medical officers with more years of training.ConclusionAnaphylaxis is a life‐threatening presentation and requires prompt recognition and appropriate adrenaline administration. Junior medical staff may require more emphasis on recognition and prompt adrenaline administration in both undergraduate and in hospital training and education. Simulated scenarios may provide a platform to deliver this training to ultimately improve patient care.