bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pericardiectomy in children <15 years of age
Authors: Talwar Sachin , Nair Vinitha Viswambharan , Choudhary Shiv Kumar , Sreeniwas Vishnubhatla , Saxena Anita , Juneja Rajnish , Kothari Shyam Sunder , Airan Balram 
Published: July 2013

AbstractBetween January, 2002 and December, 2011, 27 patients (19 boys) underwent pericardiectomy. The mean age was 9.3 ± 4.96 years (range 0.4 to 15 years) and the mean duration of symptoms was 16.9 ± 22.15 months. In all, 25 patients had dyspnoea; eight were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IV; six had bacterial pericarditis; and 18 were on anti-tuberculosis treatment, although only nine had records suggesting tuberculosis. There were nine patients who underwent pre-operative pigtail catheter drainage of pericardial fluid. Surgical procedures were complete pericardiectomy (n = 20), partial pericardiectomy (n = 6), and pleuropericardial window (n = 1).The mean pre-operative right atrial pressure was 20.4 ± 4.93 mmHg. There were six hospital deaths due to low cardiac output (n = 5) and arrhythmia (n = 1). The mean intensive care unit stay was 2.7 ± 1.2 days and mean post-operative stay was 9.9 days. The mean right atrial pressure dropped to 8.7 ± 1.15 mmHg. Adverse outcomes defined as death/prolonged intensive care unit stay, prolonged post-operative stay were not associated with sex, diagnosis of tuberculosis or pyopericardium, or the duration of symptoms or pre-operative right atrial pressure. Younger patients had prolonged intensive care unit stay (p = 0.03) but not increased mortality. Advanced NYHA class predicted death (p = 0.02). The mean follow-up was 23.1 ± 23.8 months. All except one survivor are in NYHA class I and off all cardiac medications. Despite adequate surgery, pericardiectomy in children is associated with a high mortality, which is related to delayed surgery and poor pre-operative general condition. No specific pre-operative variable other than worse pre-operative NYHA class is a predictor of survival. Therefore, early pericardiectomy should be undertaken in such patients.
The Appreciation of Electroacoustic Music: The prototype of the pedagogical ElectroAcoustic Resource Site
Authors: Wolf Motje 
Published: July 2013

This article introduces research on the influence of teaching on the change of inexperienced listeners’ appreciation of electroacoustic music. A curriculum was developed to make Key Stage 3 students (11–14 years old)1 familiar with electroacoustic music. The curriculum introduced music using concepts, such as music with real-world sounds and music with generated sounds. Presented in an online environment and accompanied with a teachers’ handbook, the curriculum can be used online or as classroom-based teaching resource.The online environment was developed with the help of user-centred design. Following this, the curriculum was tested in a large-scale study including four Key Stage 3 classes within three schools in Leicester, UK. Data were collected using questionnaires, a listening response test and a summary of the teaching (letter written by participants). Qualitative content analysis was used for the data analysis.Results include the change of the participants’ appreciation of electroacoustic music during the study. Successful learning and a decrease in alienation towards electroacoustic music could be measured. The study shows that the appreciation of electroacoustic music can be enhanced through the acquirement of conceptual knowledge. Especially important was the enhancing of listening skills following a listening training as well as the broadening of the participants’ vocabulary that enabled them to describe their listening experience.
Oligomers Modulate Interfibril Branching and Mass Transport Properties of Collagen Matrices
Authors: Whittington Catherine F. , Brandner Eric , Teo Ka Yaw , Han Bumsoo , Nauman Eric , Voytik-Harbin Sherry L. 
Published: July 2013

AbstractMass transport within collagen-based matrices is critical to tissue development, repair, and pathogenesis, as well as the design of next-generation tissue engineering strategies. This work shows how collagen precursors, specified by intermolecular cross-link composition, provide independent control of collagen matrix mechanical and transport properties. Collagen matrices were prepared from tissue-extracted monomers or oligomers. Viscoelastic behavior was measured in oscillatory shear and unconfined compression. Matrix permeability and diffusivity were measured using gravity-driven permeametry and integrated optical imaging, respectively. Both collagen types showed an increase in stiffness and permeability hindrance with increasing collagen concentration (fibril density); however, different physical property–concentration relationships were noted. Diffusivity was not affected by concentration for either collagen type over the range tested. In general, oligomer matrices exhibited a substantial increase in stiffness and only a modest decrease in transport properties when compared with monomer matrices prepared at the same concentration. The observed differences in viscoelastic and transport properties were largely attributed to increased levels of interfibril branching within oligomer matrices. The ability to relate physical properties to relevant microstructure parameters, including fibril density and interfibril branching, is expected to advance the understanding of cell–matrix signaling, as well as facilitate model-based prediction and design of matrix-based therapeutic strategies.
Assessment of on-farm conservation of dryland agrobiodiversity and its impact on rural livelihoods in the Fertile Crescent
Authors: Mazid Ahmed , Shideed Kamil , Amri Ahmed 
Published: July 2013

AbstractThe Fertile Crescent encompasses a mega-center of diversity of crops and livestock of global importance. The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) coordinated a 5-year regional project funded by the Global Environment Facility to promotein situconservation of dryland agrobiodiversity in Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority and Syria. The project focused on conserving landraces and wild relatives ofAllium, Vicia, Trifolium, MedicagoandLathyrusspp. and barley, wheat, lentil and dryland fruit trees (olive, prune, pear, pistachio, almond, cherry and apricot). ICARDA and national programs assessed the status and importance of local agrobiodiversity by surveying 570 farm households in the project target areas including the characterization of their livelihood strategies, agrobiodiversity use and household income sources. A wealth index was created considering human, natural, financial, physical and social assets and was used to classify households into four wealth quartiles. The results indicated that agriculture and agrobiodiversity continue to be important for supporting the livelihoods of poor communities in dry and mountainous regions. The poorest households obtained their income from diverse sources including crop production, off-farm labor and government employment. However, households in the highest wealth grouping are mainly dependent on income from selling livestock products and live animals. They also practiced crop production, worked off-farm and took advantage of government employment. Off-farm income was important for livelihoods in all areas, representing 43–68% of household incomes. For all groups, fruit trees were generally more important than field crops for income generation, mainly in mountainous areas. The finding of this study showed that all farmers’ groups contribute greatly to on-farm conservation of landraces, with a bigger role for poor farmers in conserving the landraces of fruit trees. Diversification of income and farming systems to include livestock, field crops and fruit trees along with off-farm activities are contributing to the conservation of agrobiodiversity in these marginal environments. Several opportunities for income increase and diversification through add-value activities and alternative sources of income are demonstrated to the custodians of dryland agrobiodiversity. Their benefits can contribute to the sustainability of agrobiodiversity conservation, provided that marketing of local products can be enhanced.
Students' Production of Narrative and AAE Features During an Emergent Literacy Task
Authors: Schachter Rachel E. , Craig Holly K. 
Published: July 2013

Purpose
This study examined child production of narrative features and of African American English (AAE) during a wordless storybook oral narrative task.

Method
Participants were 30 AAE-speaking African American kindergarten and 1st grade students from low- and mid-socioeconomic status homes. Story grammar (SG), story literary technique (SLT), and AAE features were examined.

Results
Young AAE-speaking students used a variety of SG narrative features to develop the plot in their oral stories. Students also used multiple SLT elaborative features, though some techniques were used more frequently than others. The total SLT score positively predicted the total SG score, and the individual SLTs of adverbs or adjectives, references to the main theme, and character interactions were positively correlated with the total SG score. AAE-feature production rates did not predict the total SG score. However, several individual AAE features served specific narrative functions, with the preterite had, zero past tense, zero preposition, fitna/sposeta/bouta, and double marking features often being used to relay complicating actions within the narratives.

Conclusion
Young children used both AAE and elaborative features in their narratives. Particular AAE features facilitated plot development, and the use of more elaborative features positively predicted higher narrative development scores.
Oral Narrative Performance of African American Prekindergartners Who Speak Nonmainstream American English
Authors: Terry Nicole Patton , Mills Monique T. , Bingham Gary E. , Mansour Souraya , Marencin Nancy 
Published: July 2013

Purpose
This study had 4 primary purposes: (a) to describe the oral narrative performance of typically developing African American prekindergarten children with commonly used macro- and microstructure measures; (b) to examine the concurrent and (c) predictive relations between narrative performance, spoken dialect use, vocabulary, and story comprehension; and (d) to explore change in narrative performance during the school year.

Method

Children provided story retells of
Frog Where Are You?
(Mayer, 1969) at the beginning (
n
= 76) and end (
n
= 146) of the school year. Retells were analyzed using the narrative assessment protocol (Pence, Justice, & Gosse, 2007), the narrative scoring scheme (Heilmann, Miller, & Nockerts, 2010; Heilmann, Miller, Nockerts, & Dunaway, 2010), high point analysis (McCabe, Bliss, Barra, & Bennett, 2008), and other common indices of narrative ability (e.g., number of different words). Children also completed spoken dialect use, oral vocabulary, and story comprehension measures.

Results
Comparisons with data reported in the literature suggest that, on average, the children in this study performed within age-appropriate expectations on each narrative measure. In general, narrative performance was correlated with and predicted by complex syntax and vocabulary skills and was not associated with spoken dialect use. Finally, the children's narrative assessment protocol and high point analysis scores changed significantly during the school year.

Conclusion
The results are useful in interpreting the performance of African American children during the prekindergarten school year.
Evidence-Based Speech-Language Pathology Practices in Schools: Findings From a National Survey
Authors: Hoffman LaVae M. , Ireland Marie , Hall-Mills Shannon , Flynn Perry 
Published: July 2013

Purpose
This study documented evidence-based practice (EBP) patterns as reported by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) employed in public schools during 2010–2011.

Method
Using an online survey, practioners reported their EBP training experiences, resources available in their workplaces, and the frequency with which they engage in specific EBP activities, as well as their resource needs and future training format preferences.

Results
A total of 2,762 SLPs in 28 states participated in the online survey, 85% of whom reported holding the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology credential. Results revealed that one quarter of survey respondents had no formal training in EBP, 11% of SLPs worked in school districts with official EBP procedural guidelines, and 91% had no scheduled time to support EBP activities. The majority of SLPs posed and researched 0 to 2 EBP questions per year and read 0 to 4 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) journal articles per year on either assessment or intervention topics.

Conclusion
Use of ASHA online resources and engagement in EBP activities were documented to be low. However, results also revealed that school-based SLPs have high interest in additional training and resources to support scientifically based practices. Suggestions for enhancing EBP support in public schools and augmenting knowledge transfer are provided.
The Effects of Dual-Language Support on the Language Skills of Bilingual Children With Hearing Loss Who Use Listening Devices Relative to Their Monolingual Peers
Authors: Bunta Ferenc , Douglas Michael 
Published: July 2013

Purpose
The present study investigated the effects of supporting both English and Spanish on language outcomes in bilingual children with hearing loss (HL) who used listening devices (cochlear implants and hearing aids). The English language skills of bilingual children with HL were compared to those of their monolingual English-speaking peers' with HL. The Spanish and English language skills of the bilingual participants were also compared.

Method
The language skills of 40 children with HL (20 bilingual Spanish–English-speaking and 20 monolingual English-speaking) were examined using the Auditory Comprehension, Expressive Communication, and total language scores from the Preschool Language Scale, Fourth Edition (Zimmerman, Steiner, & Pond, 2002a, 2002b).

Results
The English language skills of the bilingual participants were commensurate with those of their monolingual English-speaking peers on all 3 measures. The Spanish and English total language scores of the bilingual group were also comparable and highly correlated.

Conclusion
Both languages of bilingual children with HL can be supported without having adverse effects on the children's language development. Moreover, supporting both languages in bilingual children with HL may have multifarious positive ramifications.
Using Ratings to Gain Insight Into Conceptual Development
Authors: Alt Mary , Meyers Christina , Alt Paul M. 
Published: July 2013

PurposeThe authors explored a novel technique with potential for assessing conceptual development. Participants rated how “normal” to “really weird” an image was in order to determine whether (a) participants would rate images by amount of variation (slight/significant) from the standard image, (b) participants would treat variation related to different concepts equally, or (c) there would be developmental differences in these ratings. Then, authors asked whether children with specific language impairment (SLI) would demonstrate weaker conceptual skills based on their ratings.MethodAdults and school-age children (with and without SLI) used a 9-point equal-appearing interval scale to rate photographic images of animals. These included standard images and images that altered the animals' shape, pattern, color, and facial morphometry.ResultsSignificant differences in ratings were obtained for adults compared with typically developing children and children with SLI compared with their age-matched peers. This is in line with the expectation that adults have stronger representations than children, as do typical children compared with those with SLI. Participants differentially rated images that varied from the standard image (slight/significant) for all parameters except shape.ConclusionProbing conceptual representations without the need for verbal response has the potential for exploring conceptual deficits in SLI.
Comparison of Nasal Acceleration and Nasalance Across Vowels
Authors: Thorp Elias B. , Virnik Boris T. , Stepp Cara E. 
Published: July 2013

Purpose
The purpose of this study was to determine the performance of normalized nasal acceleration (NNA) relative to nasalance as estimates of nasalized versus nonnasalized vowel and sentence productions.

Method
Participants were 18 healthy speakers of American English. NNA was measured using a custom sensor, and nasalance was measured using the KayPentax Nasometer II. Speech stimuli consisted of CVC syllables with the vowels (/ɑ/, /æ/, /i/, /u/) and sentences loaded with high front, high back, low front, and low back vowels in both nasal and nonnasal contexts.

Results
NNA showed a small but significant effect of the vowel produced during syllable stimuli but no significant effect of vowel loading during sentence stimuli. Nasalance was significantly affected by the vowel being produced during both syllables and sentences with large effect sizes. Both NNA and nasalance were highly sensitive and specific to nasalization.

Conclusions
NNA was less affected by vowel than nasalance. Discrimination of nasal versus nonnasal stimuli using NNA and nasalance was comparable, suggesting potential for use of NNA for biofeedback applications. Future work to improve calibration of NNA is needed to lower intersubject variability.
Vowel Acoustics in Parkinson's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis: Comparison of Clear, Loud, and Slow Speaking Conditions
Authors: Tjaden Kris , Lam Jennifer , Wilding Greg 
Published: July 2013

Purpose
The impact of clear speech, increased vocal intensity, and rate reduction on acoustic characteristics of vowels was compared in speakers with Parkinson's disease (PD), speakers with multiple sclerosis (MS), and healthy controls.

Method
Speakers read sentences in habitual, clear, loud, and slow conditions. Variations in clarity, intensity, and rate were stimulated using magnitude production. Formant frequency values for peripheral and nonperipheral vowels were obtained at 20%, 50%, and 80% of vowel duration to derive static and dynamic acoustic measures. Intensity and duration measures were obtained.

Results
Rate was maximally reduced in the slow condition, and vocal intensity was maximized in the loud condition. The clear condition also yielded a reduced articulatory rate and increased intensity, although less than for the slow or loud conditions. Overall, the clear condition had the most consistent impact on vowel spectral characteristics. Spectral and temporal distinctiveness for peripheral–nonperipheral vowel pairs was largely similar across conditions.

Conclusions
Clear speech maximized peripheral and nonperipheral vowel space areas for speakers with PD and MS while also reducing rate and increasing vocal intensity. These results suggest that a speech style focused on increasing articulatory amplitude yields the most robust changes in vowel segmental articulation.
Cognitive Abilities Relate to Self-Reported Hearing Disability
Authors: Zekveld Adriana A. , George Erwin L. J. , Houtgast Tammo , Kramer Sophia E. 
Published: July 2013

Purpose
In this explorative study, the authors investigated the relationship between auditory and cognitive abilities and self-reported hearing disability.

Method
Thirty-two adults with mild to moderate hearing loss completed the Amsterdam Inventory for Auditory Disability and Handicap (AIADH; Kramer, Kapteyn, Festen, & Tobi, 1996) and performed the Text Reception Threshold (TRT; Zekveld, George, Kramer, Goverts, & Houtgast, 2007) test as well as tests of spatial working memory (SWM) and visual sustained attention. Regression analyses examined the predictive value of age, hearing thresholds (pure-tone averages [PTAs]), speech perception in noise (speech reception thresholds in noise [SRTNs]), and the cognitive tests for the 5 AIADH factors.

Results
Besides the variance explained by age, PTA, and SRTN, cognitive abilities were related to each hearing factor. The reported difficulties with sound detection and speech perception in quiet were less severe for participants with higher age, lower PTAs, and better TRTs. Fewer sound localization and speech perception in noise problems were reported by participants with better SRTNs and smaller SWM. Fewer sound discrimination difficulties were reported by subjects with better SRTNs and TRTs and smaller SWM.

Conclusions
The results suggest a general role of the ability to read partly masked text in subjective hearing. Large working memory was associated with more reported hearing difficulties. This study shows that besides auditory variables and age, cognitive abilities are related to self-reported hearing disability.
BioSmalltalk: a pure object system and library for bioinformatics
Authors: Morales Hernán F. , Giovambattista Guillermo 
Published: July 2013

Abstract
Summary: We have developed BioSmalltalk, a new environment system for pure object-oriented bioinformatics programming. Adaptive end-user programming systems tend to become more important for discovering biological knowledge, as is demonstrated by the emergence of open-source programming toolkits for bioinformatics in the past years. Our software is intended to bridge the gap between bioscientists and rapid software prototyping while preserving the possibility of scaling to whole-system biology applications. BioSmalltalk performs better in terms of execution time and memory usage than Biopython and BioPerl for some classical situations.
Availability: BioSmalltalk is cross-platform and freely available (MIT license) through the Google Project Hosting at http://code.google.com/p/biosmalltalk
Contact: hernan.morales@gmail.com
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Dabigatran compared with warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation and symptomatic heart failure: a subgroup analysis of the RE‐LY trial
Authors: Ferreira Jorge , Ezekowitz Michael D. , Connolly Stuart J. , Brueckmann Martina , Fraessdorf Mandy , Reilly Paul A. , Yusuf Salim , Wallentin Lars ,   on behalf of the RE‐LY Investigators
Published: July 2013

AimsWe evaluated the effects of dabigatran compared with warfarin in the subgroup of patients with previous symptomatic heart failure (HF) in the RE‐LY trial.Methods and resultsRE‐LY compared two fixed and blinded doses of dabigatran (110 and 150 mg twice daily) with open‐label warfarin in 18 113 patients with AF at increased risk for stroke. Among 4904 patients with HF, annual rates of stroke or systemic embolism (SE) were 1.92% for patients on warfarin compared with 1.90% for dabigatran 110 mg [hazard ratio (HR) 0.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.69–1.42] and 1.44% for dabigatran 150 mg (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.51–1.10). Annual rates of major bleeding were 3.90% for the group on warfarin, compared with 3.26% for dabigatran 110 mg (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.64–1.09) and 3.10% for dabigatran 150 mg (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.60–1.03). Rates of intracranial bleeding were significantly lower for both dabigatran dosages compared with warfarin in patients with HF (dabigatran 110 mg vs. warfarin, HR 0.34, 95% CI 0.14–0.80; dabigatran 150 mg vs. warfarin, HR 0.39, 95% CI 0.17–0.89). The relative effects of dabigatran vs. warfarin on the occurrence of stroke or SE and major bleeding were consistent among those with and without HF and those with low (≤40%) or preserved (>40%) LVEF (P interaction not significant).ConclusionsThe overall benefits of dabigatran for stroke/SE prevention, and major and intracranial bleeding, relative to warfarin in the RE‐LY trial were consistent in patients with and without HF.