bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Designing asynchronous online discussion environments: Recent progress and possible future directions
Authors: Gao Fei , Zhang Tianyi , Franklin Teresa 
Published: June 2012

AbstractAsynchronous online discussion environments are important platforms to support learning. Research suggests, however, threaded forums, one of the most popular asynchronous discussion environments, do not often foster productive online discussions naturally. This paper explores how certain properties of threaded forums have affected or constrained the quality of discussions, and argues that developing alternative discussion environments is highly needed to offer better support for asynchronous online communication. Using the Productive Online Discussion Model developed by Gao, Wang and Sun, we analyzed current work on four types of asynchronous discussion environments that have been developed and researched: constrained environments, visualized environments, anchored environments and combined environments. The paper has implications for developing future asynchronous online discussion environments. More specifically, future work should aim at (1) exploring new environments that support varied goals of learning, (2) integrating emerging technologies to address the constraints of current environments, (3) designing multifunctional environments to facilitate complex learning and (4) developing appropriate instructional activities and strategies for these environments.Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topic
Asynchronous online discussion plays an important role in facilitating learning.
It is hard to foster a focused, interactive and in‐depth asynchronous discussion in traditional threaded forums.
Researchers have investigated multiple ways of structuring or facilitating asynchronous online discussions.
What this paper adds
The paper analyzes how existing features of threaded forums constrain the quality of online discussion.
The paper identifies the progress made in designing alternative asynchronous discussion environments and discusses four major types of asynchronous discussion environments that have been developed and researched.
The paper provides suggestions for developing future asynchronous discussion environments.
Implications for practice and/or policy
Designing alternative asynchronous discussion environments is necessary to improve the quality of online discussion and communication.
New asynchronous discussion environments need to be designed to meet varied learning goals and facilitate complex learning.
Appropriate instructional strategies need to be developed for both existing and new online discussion environments.
Cultural Heritage Predictive Rendering
Authors: Happa Jassim , Bashford‐Rogers Tom , Wilkie Alexander , Artusi Alessandro , Debattista Kurt , Chalmers Alan 
Published: June 2012

AbstractHigh‐fidelity rendering can be used to investigate Cultural Heritage (CH) sites in a scientifically rigorous manner. However, a high degree of realism in the reconstruction of a CH site can be misleading insofar as it can be seen to imply a high degree of certainty about the displayed scene—which is frequently not the case, especially when investigating the past. So far, little effort has gone into adapting and formulating a Predictive Rendering pipeline for CH research applications. In this paper, we first discuss the goals and the workflow of CH reconstructions in general, as well as those of traditional Predictive Rendering. Based on this, we then propose a research framework for CH research, which we refer to as ‘Cultural Heritage Predictive Rendering’ (CHPR). This is an extension to Predictive Rendering that introduces a temporal component and addresses uncertainty that is important for the scene’s historical interpretation. To demonstrate these concepts, two example case studies are detailed.
Compositional Standards, Import Permits and Market Structure: The Case of Canadian Cheese Imports
Authors: Felt Marie‐Hélène , Larue Bruno , Gervais Jean‐Philippe 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThe imposition of cheese compositional standards by the Canadian authorities has created divisions within the Canadian dairy industry and has motivated criticisms from several of Canada’s trade partners. The standards impose minimum limits on the percentage of casein coming from fluid milk. We develop a theoretical model to investigate the implications of Canada’s compositional cheese standards while accounting for Canada’s trade policy. We illustrate why a type of cheese that is not directly impacted by the standards might be the most affected. We show that the standards can decrease the domestic demand for milk or the value of imports. Our empirical investigation identified breaks in the processes determining import unit values shortly before or shortly after the beginning of the implementation of the standards.
‘Nobody wants to sound like a provinciano’: The recession of unstressed vowel devoicing in the Spanish of Cusco, Perú1
Authors: Delforge Ann Marie 
Published: June 2012

This study documents changes in the prevalence and evaluation of unstressed vowel devoicing, a salient characteristic of Andean Spanish, in the city of Cusco, Perú following an earthquake in 1950. This event brought city residents into contact with other dialects of Spanish that lack vowel devoicing and also intensified their exposure to the Quechua‐accented Spanish of rural migrants, or provincianos, which is characterized by this pronunciation. Results of an attitude‐perception study indicate that younger Cusqueñans are aware of devoicing and identify it primarily with the speech of provincianos rather than the Spanish of their city. However, acoustic analysis of interviews conducted with Cusqueñans and provincianos shows that, while the pronunciation is receding from Cusco Spanish, many city natives actually exhibit rates of devoicing similar to those of rural migrants. Cusqueñans’ nearly exclusive association of devoicing with provincianos is attributed to local ideology, including negative attitudes toward rural Andean identity.La presente investigación describe cambios en Ia incidencia y evaluación del ensordecimiento de las vocales átonas, una peculiaridad notable del español andino en Cusco, Perú, durante las décadas posteriores al terremoto que devastó Ia ciudad en 1950. Debido a este acontecimiento, los cusqueños aumentaron su contacto con otros dialectos del español que no exhiben el ensordecimiento vocálico así como con el español de los inmigrantes de zonas rurales, o provincianos, que se caracteriza por este fenómeno fonético. Los resultados de un estudio de actitudes indican que los cusqueños jóvenes son conscientes del ensordecimiento vocálico y lo identifican con el acento de los provincianos pero no lo relacionan con el habla de su propia ciudad. Sin embargo, según el análisis acústico de las entrevistas realizadas a cusqueños y a provincianos, muchos residentes de Ia ciudad siguen empleando esta pronunciación con básicamente Ia misma frecuencia que los provincianos. La asociación del ensordecimiento vocálico con los provincianos, casi exclusiva por parte de los cusqueños jóvenes, es atribuida a actitudes negativas hacia Ia identidad rural andina. [Spanish]
Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Children With Intellectual Disabilities in Korea
Authors: Choi Eunsook , Park HyunJu , Ha Yeongmi , Hwang Won Ju 
Published: June 2012

Background  Overweight and obesity in children with intellectual disabilities may be a major health threat. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Korean children with intellectual disabilities aged 7–18 years who did not have specific genetic syndromes or physical disabilities.Materials and methods  Participants were 2,404 children with intellectual disabilities aged 7–18 years attending thirteen special schools in Korea. Data from school health records were analysed using SAS (version 9.2). The differences between boys and girls were assessed for children’s height and weight using t‐tests and for children’s age and weight status, such as using Chi‐Square (χ2) test. The relationships between children’s weight status, age and gender were reassessed using Chi‐Square (χ2) test, and strengths of the relationships were measured using Gamma coefficient.Results  Approximately one‐quarter of children with intellectual disabilities were either overweight or obese. Children’s gender was significantly associated with their weight status, such that overweight and obesity were more prevalent in girls than in boys, specifically girls aged 15–18 years. There was a positive relationship between age and the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children for both boys and girls.Conclusions  The high rates of overweight and obesity in children with intellectual disabilities highlight the need for interventions to help children achieve healthy weight. Before conducting weight management interventions, identifying risk factors that influence weight status in children with intellectual disabilities is an important step.
Nationalism chezGellner
Authors: Meadwell Hudson 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThe central distinguishing feature ofErnestGellner's most important treatment of nationalism is the proposition that nationalism is necessary for industrial society. Relatively little attention has been paid to the philosophical dimension of this proposition. The question of necessity in social explanation, however, is a complicated philosophical problem and must be dealt with directly if this proposition is to be endorsed. I argue thatGellner's argument is philosophically flawed. The ‘ordinary prose’ ofNations andNationalismfails to deliver whatGellner claims to have delivered: the demonstration of a necessary connection between nationalism and industrial society. This result is of particular relevance givenGellner's philosophical interests.
Visual functional magnetic resonance imaging of preterm infants
Authors: LEE WAYNE , DONNER ELIZABETH J , NOSSIN‐MANOR REVITAL , WHYTE HILARY EA , SLED JOHN G , TAYLOR MARGOT J 
Published: June 2012

Aim  The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of undertaking visual functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in very preterm children.Method  Forty‐seven infants born at less than 32 weeks gestational age (25 males, 22 females; mean (SD) age at birth 28.8wks [1.9]) were scanned using 1.5T MRI as part of a longitudinal neuroimaging study. These infants were scanned at preterm age (within 2wks of birth) and at term‐equivalent age. Quantitative T2* data and fMRI in response to visual stimuli (flashing strobe) were acquired in this population. T2* values were compared at preterm age and at term‐equivalent age using a two‐tailed t‐test. A general linear model was used to evaluate occipital lobe response to visual stimuli.Results  T2* values were significantly higher at preterm age than at term‐equivalent age in both the medial and lateral occipital lobes (preterm infants: 187.2ms and 198.4ms respectively; term infants: 110.9ms and 133.2ms respectively; p<0.002). Significant positive occipital lobe activation (q<0.01) was found in 3 out of 65 (5%) fMRIs carried out at preterm age and in 19 out of 26 (73%) scans carried out at term‐equivalent age.Interpretation  Visual stimuli do not elicit a reliable blood oxygen level‐dependent (BOLD) response in very preterm infants during the preterm period. This suggests that BOLD fMRI may not be the appropriate modality for investigating occipital lobe function in very preterm infants.
Cognitive depressive symptoms associated with delayed heart rate recovery following interpersonal stress in healthy men and women
Authors: Gordon Jennifer L. , Ditto Blaine , D'Antono Bianca 
Published: June 2012

AbstractAmong cardiac patients, research suggests that somatic depressive symptoms are more strongly associated with altered cardiovascular responses to stress than cognitive depressive symptoms. This study sought to determine whether this was also the case in healthy individuals. One hundred and ninety‐nine adults from the community completed the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI‐II) and underwent psychological laboratory stressors while their blood pressure, heart rate, and heart rate variability were monitored. A cognitive‐affective factor and somatic‐affective factor were identified within the BDI‐II, but only the cognitive factor was associated with reduced heart rate recovery following the stressors in multivariate analyses examining both factors simultaneously. This suggests that cognitive depressive symptoms may be more strongly related to altered stress physiology following psychological stressors.
Acquired fears reflected in cortical sensory processing: A review of electrophysiological studies of human classical conditioning
Authors: Miskovic Vladimir , Keil Andreas 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThe capacity to associate neutral stimuli with affective value is an important survival strategy that can be accomplished by cell assemblies obeying Hebbian learning principles. In the neuroscience laboratory, classical fear conditioning has been extensively used as a model to study learning‐related changes in neural structure and function. Here, we review the effects of classical fear conditioning on electromagnetic brain activity in humans, focusing on how sensory systems adapt to changing fear‐related contingencies. By considering spatiotemporal patterns of mass neuronal activity, we illustrate a range of cortical changes related to a retuning of neuronal sensitivity to amplify signals consistent with fear‐associated stimuli at the cost of other sensory information. Putative mechanisms that may underlie fear‐associated plasticity at the level of the sensory cortices are briefly considered, and several avenues for future work are outlined.
STIM1 is necessary for store‐operated calcium entry in turning growth cones
Authors: Mitchell Camilla B. , Gasperini Robert J. , Small David H. , Foa Lisa 
Published: June 2012

J. Neurochem. (2012)122, 1155–1166.AbstractCoordinated calcium signalling is vital for neuronal growth cone function and axon pathfinding. Although store‐operated calcium entry (SOCE) has been suggested to be an important source of calcium in growth cone navigation, the mechanisms that regulate calcium signalling, particularly the regulation of internal calcium stores within growth cones, are yet to be fully determined. Stromal Interaction Molecule 1 (STIM1) is a calcium‐sensing protein localized in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane that interacts with Orai proteins in the plasma membrane to initiate SOCE and refilling of intracellular calcium stores. We hypothesize that STIM1‐ and Orai1/2‐mediated SOCE are necessary for growth cone turning responses to extracellular guidance cues. We show that STIM1 and Orai reorganize into puncta upon store depletion and during growth cone turning with STIM1 localization biased towards the turning side (high calcium side) of the growth cone. Importantly, STIM1 knock‐down perturbed growth cone turning responses to the guidance cues brain‐derived neurotrophic factor and semaphorin‐3a (Sema‐3a), as well as abolishing Sema‐3a‐induced growth cone collapse. Furthermore, STIM1 knock‐down abolished SOCE induced by brain‐derived neurotrophic factor, but not Sema‐3a. Our data suggest that STIM1 is essential for correct growth cone navigation, playing multiple roles in growth cone motility, including the activation of SOCE.
Shrinkage Estimators for a Composite Measure of Quality Conceptualized as a Formative Construct
Authors: Shwartz Michael , Peköz Erol A. , Christiansen Cindy L. , Burgess James F. , Berlowitz Dan 
Published: June 2012

ObjectiveTo demonstrate the value of shrinkage estimators when calculating a composite quality measure as the weighted average of a set of individual quality indicators.Data SourcesRates of 28 quality indicators (QIs) calculated from the minimum dataset from residents of 112 Veterans Health Administration nursing homes in fiscal years 2005–2008.Study DesignWe compared composite scores calculated from the 28 QIs using both observed rates and shrunken rates derived from a Bayesian multivariate normal‐binomial model.Principal FindingsShrunken‐rate composite scores, because they take into account unreliability of estimates from small samples and the correlation among QIs, have more intuitive appeal than observed‐rate composite scores. Facilities can be profiled based on more policy‐relevant measures than point estimates of composite scores, and interval estimates can be calculated without assuming the QIs are independent. Usually, shrunken‐rate composite scores in 1 year are better able to predict the observed total number of QI events or the observed‐rate composite scores in the following year than the initial year observed‐rate composite scores.ConclusionShrinkage estimators can be useful when a composite measure is conceptualized as a formative construct.
GPU‐Based Volumetric Reconstruction and Rendering of Trees From Multiple Images
Authors: Vock Dominik M. M. , Gumhold Stefan , Spehr Marcel , Staib Joachim , Westfeld Patrick , Maas Hans‐Gerd 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThis paper presents a new hardware‐accelerated approach to the volumetric reconstruction of trees from photographs, based on the methods introduced by Reche‐Martinez et al. The system applies an adapted computed tomography (CT) procedure that uses a set of oriented photographs with known interior and exterior camera parameters for creating a 3D model of a tree, while requiring considerably fewer images than standard CT. As tomographic reconstructions are complex tasks that result in time‐consuming processes for high‐resolution volumes, the hitherto existing methods are improved and modified to allow an ideal parallelisation of the computations on graphics hardware. The paper delivers a detailed insight into the complete process of the reconstruction, from the acquisition and preparation of the input data to the implementation of the final system on graphics processing hardware.
Cautious notification and continual monitoring of patients with mild cognitive impairment
Authors: ODAWARA Toshinari 
Published: June 2012

AbstractMild cognitive impairment (MCI) is defined as ‘a condition between a normal state and dementia indicated by a cognitive decline in comparison to previous results’. MCI groups as a whole are not necessarily in the prodromal stage of dementia. However, when patients are notified of their condition, communication must be cautious and account for the patient's personality, mental status, and examination findings. Hurriedly notifying patients may give the incorrect impression that they will certainly have dementia in the future and cause worry or emotional tension. The efficacy of pharmacotherapy and non‐pharmacotherapy, such as cognitive function training, in preventing dementia in MCI patients has not yet been confirmed. As no particular types of intervention are currently shown to be effective for MCI, it is believed that periodically monitoring patients and providing lifestyle guidance, while also treating lifestyle‐related diseases, is an appropriate treatment strategy for those with MCI.
Implementing the Objective Structured Clinical Examination in a Geriatrics Fellowship Program—A 3‐Year Experience
Authors: Avelino‐Silva Thiago J. , Gil Luiz A. , Suemoto Claudia K. , Kikuchi Elina L. , Lin Sumika M. , Farias Luciana L. , Jacob‐Filho Wilson 
Published: June 2012

The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) appears to be an effective alternative for assessing not only medical knowledge, but also clinical skills, including effective communication and physical examination skills. The purpose of the current study was to implement an OSCE model in a geriatrics fellowship program and to compare the instrument with traditional essay examination. Seventy first‐ and second‐year geriatric fellows were initially submitted to a traditional essay examination and scored from 0 to 10 by a faculty member. The same fellows subsequently underwent an OSCE with eight 10‐minute stations covering a wide range of essential aspects of geriatric knowledge. Each OSCE station had an examiner responsible for its evaluation according to a predefined checklist. Checklist items were classified for analysis purposes as clinical knowledge items (CKI) and communication skills items (CSI); fellow responses were scored from 0 to 10.Although essay examinations took from 30 to 45 minutes to complete, 180–200 minutes were required to evaluate fellows using the proposed OSCE method. Fellows scored an average of 6.2 ± 1.2 on the traditional essay examination and 6.6 ± 1.0 on the OSCE (P < .001). Subanalyses of OSCE scores indicated that average performance on CKI was lower than the average on CSI (6.4 ± 1.1 vs. 8.4 ± 1.1; P < .001). Fellow performance on the essay examination was similar to their performance on CKI (P = .13). Second‐year fellows performed better than first‐year fellows on the essay examination (P < .001) and CKI (P = .05), but not on CSI (P = .25).The OSCE was successfully implemented as an educational strategy during a geriatrics fellowship program. Combining different testing modalities may provide the best assessment of competence for various domains of knowledge, skills, and behavior.
Self‐Reported Hearing Loss in Older Adults Is Associated with Future Decline in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living but Not in Social Participation
Authors: Yamada Mutsuko , Nishiwaki Yuji , Michikawa Takehiro , Takebayashi Toru 
Published: June 2012

ObjectivesTo investigate whether self‐reported hearing loss in older adults is associated with a decline in their ability to perform instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) or a decline in social participation.DesignProspective follow‐up.SettingCommunity.ParticipantsOne thousand two hundred fifty‐four adults aged 65 to 98.MeasurementsSelf‐reported hearing loss, IADL, and social participation were evaluated through home‐visit surveys. Self‐reported hearing loss was measured according to responses to the question, “Do you have difficulty hearing and understanding what a person says to you in a quiet room if they speak normally to you, even when wearing your hearing aid?” Levels of IADL and social participation were measured using the subscales of the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence (TMIG‐IC).ResultsOf the 921 participants with a perfect baseline IADL score and valid follow‐up scores, 105 also self‐reported hearing loss at baseline. Of this group, 44.8% (total n = 105) reported a decline in their IADL score over the 3‐year follow‐up period. After adjusting for major confounders, a statistically significant difference in experiencing an IADL decline over the 3‐year period was found between those with hearing loss at baseline and those without (odds ratio (OR) = 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.12–2.87). Self‐reported hearing loss at baseline did not have a statistically significant effect on decline in social participation (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.63–1.76) over the 3‐year follow‐up period.ConclusionSelf‐reported hearing loss was associated with a decline in IADL, but not with social participation.