bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Improving attitudes towards children with disabilities in a school context: a cluster randomized intervention study
Authors: GODEAU EMMANUELLE , VIGNES CÉLINE , SENTENAC MARIANE , EHLINGER VIRGINIE , NAVARRO FÉLIX , GRANDJEAN HÉLÈNE , ARNAUD CATHERINE 
Published: July 2010

Aim  Although inclusive education of disabled children is now an accepted practice, it is often challenged by negative peer attitudes. We undertook an interventional study aimed at improving students’ attitudes towards their disabled peers.Method  The participants were students from the 7th grade of twelve paired schools (1509 students from 62 classes; age 12–13y), randomly allocated to an intervention group (205 males, 285 females) or a control group (132 males, 165 females). The intervention consisted of a mandatory comprehensive educational project on disability. The Chedoke‐McMaster Attitudes Towards Children with Handicaps Scale (CATCH) was used to assess children’s attitudes before (T0) and after (T1) intervention. The hierarchical structure of the data was taken into account by adjusting standard deviations and using linear multilevel models.Results  Seven hundred and eighty‐four students had at least one score on the three domains (cognitive, affective, behavioural) of the CATCH at T0 and T1. The final scores were higher than baseline scores (total scores, intervention group: baseline score 25.6 (SD=5.4), final score 26.8 (5.9), p<0.001; Control group: baseline 25.2 (5.4), final 26.0 (5.7), p<0.009) with no significant difference between the intervention and control groups. Individual score changes over time were associated with baseline score (p<0.001 for total and all sub‐scores). Lower improvement in attitudes was found in students from schools with special units for their peers with cognitive impairment for total (p=0.013), affective (p<0.001), and behavioural (p=0.001) scores, while higher improvement existed for the cognitive domain (p=0.029).Interpretation  Although we found no effect of our intervention, we found an improvement in attitudes in the intervention and control groups that could be a result of the nature of the scales and questionnaires the students had to complete before the intervention.
Has publication of the results of the ORACLE Children Study changed practice in the UK?
Authors: Kenyon S , Pike K , Jones D , Brocklehurst P , Marlow N , Salt A , Taylor D 
Published: July 2010

Please cite this paper as: Kenyon S, Pike K, Jones D, Brocklehurst P, Marlow N, Salt A, Taylor D. Has publication of the results of the ORACLE Children Study changed practice in the UK? BJOG 2010;117:1344–1349.Objective  To investigate whether publication of the results of the ORACLE Children’s Study, a 7‐year follow‐up of the ORACLE trial, changed practice with regard to the routine prescription of antibiotics to women with preterm rupture of membranes or spontaneous preterm labour (intact membranes).Design  A comparative questionnaire survey of clinical practice in November 2007 (before publication) and March 2009 (after publication).Population  Lead obstetricians for labour wards of all maternity units in the UK.Methods  Self‐administered questionnaires requested information about the routine prescription of antibiotics to women with either preterm rupture of membranes or spontaneous preterm labour (intact membranes).Main outcome measures  Change in practice for prescription of antibiotics.Results  The response rate was 166/214 (78%) in 2007 and 158/209 (76%) in 2009. In total, 120 maternity units responded on both occasions. For women with preterm rupture of membranes, 162/214 (98%) in 2007 and 151/158 (96%) in 2009 maternity units reported that they prescribed antibiotics, with the majority using erythromycin (98%). For women with spontaneous preterm labour (intact membranes), 35/166 (21%) in 2007 and 25/158 (16%) in 2009 maternity units reported that they routinely prescribed antibiotics. The findings from units who responded on both occasions are similar.Conclusions  There has been little change in the reported prescription of antibiotics to women with either preterm rupture of membranes or spontaneous preterm labour following publication of the ORACLE Children’s Study. This suggests that current practice may require updated guidance.
The effect of aminosulfonate buffers on the light responses and intracellular pH of goldfish retinal horizontal cells
Authors: Trenholm Stuart , Baldridge William H. 
Published: July 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 115, 102–111.AbstractRetinal horizontal cell feedback acts as a gain control at the first synapse in the visual system and generates center‐surround receptive fields in the outer retina. One model of feedback proposes that elevation of protons in the photoreceptor synaptic cleft produces feedback. Most evidence supporting the proton model has depended on the effect of proton buffers, in particular aminosulfonates, but these agents could potentially have effects other than external pH regulation. We therefore determined if the effects of aminosulfonates on horizontal cell rollback, an indicator of feedback, were consistent with external proton buffering. Intracellular recording from horizontal cells in isolated goldfish retina revealed that rollback was blocked only by aminosulfonates with an acid dissociation constant suited for buffering at the pH (7.5) of the Ringer’s solution. In isolated goldfish horizontal cells, aminosulfonates, even those that did not block rollback, altered intracellular pH. This suggests that the effect of aminosulfonates on rollback is not because of changing intracellular pH. Measures of both intracellular and extracellular pH revealed that treatment with either glutamate or kainate resulted in acidification. As glutamate produced both internal and external acidification, intracellular and extracellular horizontal cell pH would be expected to increase in response to light, a change consistent with the proton model of feedback.
BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH: When is a species really extinct? Testing extinction inference from a sighting record to inform conservation assessment
Authors: Collen Ben , Purvis Andy , Mace Georgina M. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractAim The global extinction of a species typically represents the end point in a series of population extinctions, during which unique evolutionary history is lost at every stage. Insight into the process of extinction can provide the means to identify species at high risk, but the number of extinctions being identified languishes far behind true totals. More proactive ways of inferring extinction from limited data are required.Location Historic sightings, collections and specimen data from Australia and Asia.Method We used a technique called optimal linear estimation to analyse the sightings record of mammal and bird species of varying ecology, life history and population demography. The mammal species chosen were all considered regionally extinct in the literature, while the bird species chosen had all been highlighted as candidates for the new IUCN Red List category flag: Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct).Results Nine of the ten mammal species were predicted to be probably extinct, but only two with 95% certainty. Seven of the ten bird species were predicted to be probably extinct, four with 95% certainty.Main conclusions Superficially, determining whether a species is extinct might seem a simple task, whereby we either find a species extant, or it is extinct. In reality, however, the task is much more complex. Techniques such as optimal linear estimation, in combination with other data sources, and knowledge of recording effort, may prove useful in inferring extinction across a variety of taxa but should not be used in isolation.
A comparison of the foreign language learning motivation of Hungarian dyslexic and non‐dyslexic students
Authors: Kormos Judit , Csizér Kata 
Published: July 2010

In this research we surveyed the language learning motivation of Hungarian learners of English and German with and without dyslexia. The results of the questionnaire study that altogether involved 1,182 participants indicate that for most learner groups the best direct predictor of how much effort they were willing to invest in language learning was their image of themselves as language learners. Dyslexic language learners were found to have significantly less favorable motivational characteristics than their non‐dyslexic peers, which was apparent in language learning self‐concepts, attitudes, and motivated behavior. The pedagogical implications of these findings are also discussed.In dieser Studie untersuchten wir die Fremdsprachlernmotivation von 1182 ungarischen Deutsch‐ und Englischlernern, von denen ein Teil an Dyslexie leidet. Die Ergebnisse der Fragebogenstudie zeigen, dass das Selbstbild der Teilnehmer als Sprachlerner fuer die Mehrzahl der Forschungsteilnehmergruppen die beste Vorhersage ueber das Mass der Anstregungen, die sie fuer das Erlernen der Fremdsprache auf sich nehmen wuerden, zuliess. Die Studie ergab, dass an Dyslexie leidende Sprachlerner signifikant weniger positive Motivationscharakteristiken haben als gleichaltrige Teilnehmer, die nicht an Dyslexie leiden. Dies zeigte sich im Sprachenlernen hinsichtlich des Selbstkonzepts, der Einstellungen und des motivierten Verhaltens. Die paedagogischen Implikationen dieser Ergebnisse werden auch diskutiert.
Identity construction in ELF contexts: a case study of Finnish engineering students working in Germany
Authors: Virkkula Tiina , Nikula Tarja 
Published: July 2010

This paper explores connections between identity and language use in lingua franca contexts by investigating identity construction among Finnish users of English as revealed in interviews conducted both before and after a period spent in Germany. The focus is on the users' own stories of their language use and learning, and on the discursive construction of identities. The study draws on poststructuralist theories of identity construction, combining them with research that focuses on language learners' identity construction or on identity issues in contexts with English as a lingua franca. This paper illustrates how language users actively draw on different discourses in constructing their identities as foreign language users.Artikkelissa tarkastellaan identiteetin ja kielen käytön suhdetta tilanteissa, joissa englantia käytetään lingua francana. Identiteetin rakentumista tutkitaan haastattelemalla suomalaisia englannin kielen käyttäjiä sekä ennen heidän muutaman kuukauden mittaista oleskeluaan Saksassa että sen jälkeen. Tavoitteena on tarkastella kielenkäyttäjien omia käsityksiä kielenkäytöstä ja kielen oppimisesta sekä diskursiivista identiteettien rakentumista. Tutkimus pohjautuu poststrukturalistisiin teorioihin identiteettien rakentumisesta. Niitä yhdistetään tutkimuksiin, joissa käsitellään kielenoppijoiden identiteettityötä tai englannin kieltä lingua francana. Artikkeli osoittaa, että kielen käyttäjät ammentavat aktiivisesti erilaisista diskursseista rakentaessaan identiteettejään vieraan kielen käyttäjinä.
Relationships between contraction properties of knee extensor muscles and fasting IGF‐1 and adipocytokines in physically active postmenopausal women
Authors: Jürimäe Toivo , Pääsuke Mati , Kums Tatjana , Gapeyeva Helena , Ereline Jaan , Saar Meeli , Jürimäe Jaak 
Published: July 2010

SummaryThe aim of this cross‐sectional study was to find possible relationships between insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1), adipocytokines (leptin and adiponectin) and twitch contraction (TC) characteristics of the knee extensor (KE) muscles in healthy physically active postmenopausal women (n = 28, 64–78 years old). We hypothesized that IGF‐1 is related at least to isometric TC peak torque (Pt) as the highest value of isometric torque production and maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) torque, and there will not be any relationships between TC characteristics and leptin and adiponectin. During the measurement of MVC torque and twitch contractile properties of KE muscles, the subjects sat in a custom‐made dynamometric chair with the knee and hip angles equal to 90° and 100°, respectively. To assess the contractile properties of the KE muscles, electrically evoked isometric twitch was elicited by percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. Serum leptin, adiponectin, IGF‐1, insulin‐like growth factor–binding protein‐3 (IGFBP‐3) and insulin were determined. There were a very few significant relationships between the measured muscle contractile parameters and fasting blood hormones. TC Pt correlated significantly with IGFBP‐3 (r = 0·652, P = 0·001) and insulin (r = 0·495, P = 0·007). In conclusion, this study suggests that only TC peak torque correlated positively with serum fasting IGFBP‐3 and insulin concentration. Adipocytokines leptin and adiponectin not correlated significantly with measured strength parameters in physically active postmenopausal women.
Shoulder function after latissimus dorsi transfer in breast reconstruction
Authors: Forthomme B. , Heymans O. , Jacquemin D. , Klinkenberg S. , Hoffmann S. , Grandjean F. X. , Crielaard J. M. , Croisier J. L. 
Published: July 2010

SummaryBackground/Aims:  Latissimus dorsi (LD) transfer in the case of breast reconstruction remains frequently used because this muscle provides a good size source of tissue in reconstructive surgery. Given that, the consequences of the LD removal on shoulder function and the actual loss of maximal strength developed must be investigated.Methods:  Twenty women (50 ± 7·5 years old) were evaluated before surgery, 3 and 6 months after an unilateral transfer of a pedicle flap of LD muscle used for breast reconstruction. Women performed a bilateral shoulder isokinetic assessment [for the internal rotators (IRs) and external rotators and for the abductor and adductor (ADD) muscles] allowing the establishment of bilateral muscular deficit status and the study of agonist/antagonist muscle ratios. The algofunctional and clinical status of the shoulders was analysed by the means of Constant score and specific shoulder clinical tests. The women did not perform any specific strengthening of muscle shoulder after surgery.Results:  The isokinetic assessment showed a muscle weakness 3 and 6 months after LD transfer, mainly on the ADDs (33 ± 9% at 6 months) and on the IRs (16 ± 11% at 6 months). The Constant score significantly decreased after surgery on the operated shoulder. Women with a Constant score impairment showed pain during specific shoulder clinical tests. We also found a correlation between Constant score impairment and internal rotators weakness or rotator muscle imbalance.Conclusion:  Given those results, we could advocate a specific shoulder strengthening after LD transfer, focused mainly on the IRs and ADDs.
Predicting mobilization of suspended sediments and phosphorus from soil properties: a case study from the north west Po valley, Piemonte, Italy
Authors: Borda T. , Withers P. J. A. , Sacco D. , Zavattaro L. , Barberis E. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractPedotransfer functions are useful for helping environmental agencies to identify soils vulnerable to both total suspended sediment (TSS) and phosphorus (P) mobilization and transport in storm runoff in order to establish strategies to control eutrophication. The DESPRAL test was applied to 90 different and representative agricultural soils of the Piemonte region in the west Po valley, Italy, to investigate the relationships between soil properties and potential TSS and P mobilization in land runoff. Sixty six percent of the variance in TSS is explained by clay, silt and Olsen P content using a multiple regression. Particulate P (PP) was the dominant fraction [89% of total P (TP)] dispersed by the test. The P enrichment of the dispersed particles is strongly related to the amount of TSS and soil clay content according to an exponential function, with a threshold of 20% clay below which sediment P content and PER (P enrichment ratio) increased. The ratio of PP to TSS is also significantly related to the P concentration of soil clay content (r2 = 0.69). The soluble reactive P (RP) fraction could be estimated by soil Olsen P (r2 = 0.74). Whilst the study suggests some key relationships between soil properties and potential mobilization of sediment and soluble P from cultivated soils of the Piemonte region, soil properties could not be used to estimate the amount of TP or particulate P dispersed by the test. Identification of the risk of TSS, PP and TP transfer within individual fields cannot simply rely on pedotransfer functions but must take account of local site conditions, crop cover and variable management.
Pre‐synaptic nicotinic receptors evoke endogenous glutamate and aspartate release from hippocampal synaptosomes by way of distinct coupling mechanisms
Authors: Zappettini S , Grilli M , Salamone A , Fedele E , Marchi M 
Published: July 2010

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSEThe present work aimed to investigate whether and through which mechanisms selective α7 and α4β2 nicotinic receptor (nAChR) agonists stimulate endogenous glutamate (GLU) and aspartate (ASP) release in rat hippocampus.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHRat hippocampal synaptosomes were purified on Percoll gradients and superfusedin vitroto study endogenous GLU and ASP release. The synaptosomes were superfused with selective α7 and α4β2 nAChR agonists and antagonists. The excitatory amino acid (EAA) content of the samples of superfusate was determined by HPLC after pre‐column derivatization and separation on a chromatographic column coupled with fluorimetric detection.KEY RESULTSCholine (Ch), a selective α7 receptor agonist, elicited a significant release of both GLU and ASP which was blocked by the α7 receptor antagonist methyllycaconitine (MLA), but was unaltered by the α4β2 receptor antagonist dihydro‐β‐erythroidine (DHβE). The stimulant effect of Ch was strongly reduced in a Ca2+‐free medium, was not inhibited by Cd2+and tetrodotoxin (TTX), but was antagonized by dantrolene, xestospongin C and thapsigargin. 5‐Iodo‐A‐85380 dihydrochloride (5IA85380), a selective α4β2 receptor agonist, elicited EAA release in a DHβE‐sensitive, MLA‐insensitive fashion. The 5IA85380‐evoked release was dependent on extracellular Ca2+, blocked by Cd2+and TTX, but unaffected by dantrolene.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONSOur study shows for the first time that rat hippocampal synaptosomes possess α7 and α4β2 nAChR subtypes, which can enhance the release of endogenous GLU and ASP via two distinct mechanisms of action. These results extend our knowledge of the nicotinic modulation of excitatory synaptic transmission in the hippocampus.
Conventional and Robust Quantitative Gait Norms in Community‐Dwelling Older Adults
Authors: Oh‐Park Mooyeon , Holtzer Roee , Xue Xiaonan , Verghese Joe 
Published: July 2010

OBJECTIVES: To develop and compare norms for widely used gait parameters in adults aged 70 and older using cross‐sectional (conventional) and longitudinal (robust) approaches accounting for important confounders such as disease effects on gait.DESIGN: Cohort study.SETTING: General community.PARTICIPANTS: Community‐dwelling older adults (>70, N=824) without dementia or disability.MEASUREMENTS: Eight quantitative gait parameters measured using an instrumented walkway.RESULTS: Of the 824 subjects (conventional normal (CN) sample), 304 were included in a “robust normal” (RN) sample after excluding those with prevalent or incident clinical gait abnormalities developing within 1 year of the baseline assessment to account for disease effects on gait performance. Descriptively, the RN sample showed better performance on all selected gait variables than the CN sample. For instance, mean gait velocity ± standard deviation was 105.9 ± 17.9 cm/s in the RN sample, compared with 93.3 ± 23.2 cm/s in the overall CN sample. Applying one standard deviation below the mean (70.1 cm/s) derived from the CN sample to define slow gait, 15.9% (131) in the overall cohort were classified as abnormal, whereas the RN cut‐off (88.0 cm/s) classified 39.7% (327) in the overall cohort as abnormal.CONCLUSION: Cross‐sectional conventional norms may underestimate gait performance in aging. Longitudinal robust norms provide more‐accurate estimates of normal gait performance and thus may improve early detection of gait disorders in older adults.
Methods of Instruction and Learning Outcomes: A Theoretical Analysis of Two Approaches in an Introductory Information Technology Course*
Authors: Pridmore Jeannie L. , Bradley Randy V. , Mehta Nikhil 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACTIn introductory information technology (IT) courses, communicating technical concepts so that they can be comprehended by all students, technical and nontechnical, has been a concern. Another challenge in such courses is to teach the real‐world applicability of technical concepts. In this conceptual article, we focus on a relatively unexplored issue in IT education—which instructional method is more effective in improving the learning outcomes of all students taking introductory IT courses. In doing so, we consider two instructional methods, lecture and multimedia case studies, and argue that either of these instructional methods, adopted singly, will be perceived by students as less effective in accomplishing learning outcomes than adopting a combination of the two instructional methods. Our arguments both augment existing knowledge about the differential influence of lecture and multimedia case studies on students’ learning outcomes and questions the wisdom of adopting either of these methods singly in introductory IT courses. We derive insights from the literature and anecdotal evidence, presented as four propositions, which illustrate the relationship between the two instructional methods and the specific learning outcomes students perceive they affect.
Does the MBA Experience Support Diversity? Demographic Effects on Program Satisfaction*
Authors: Arbaugh J. B. , Bento Regina , Hwang Alvin 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACTUsing data provided by graduates from 128 MBA programs, we examined the extent to which age, gender, and ethnicity predicted student perceptions of the MBA experience. We found that women and minorities were more likely to see program costs and the availability of financial support as significant factors in their program enrollment decisions than were Caucasian males. The most consistent predictor of students’ perceptions of their educational experience was whether the MBA program was full time or part time, with full‐time programs generally perceived more favorably. Our findings suggest that because diversity measures of age, gender, and ethnicity were not consistent predictors across the different perception areas, at minimum, MBA programs presently do not consistently inhibit diversity. However, given the increasing percentage of women and minorities that comprise the undergraduate population, maintaining the present path in program accessibility may create enrollment problems for MBA programs perhaps in the very near future. Therefore, we conclude with a discussion of the changing demographics in higher education and their potential implications for MBA programs and suggestions for how MBA programs might respond.
Embracing the lived memory of genocide: Holocaust survivor and descendant renegade memory work at the House of Being
Authors: KIDRON CAROL A. 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACTThe House of Being is a Holocaust‐survivor geriatric center and memorial museum in Israel, where lifeworlds and deathworlds coexist to create a “lived memory” of the Holocaust past. Its agenda, decor, and provocative commemorative practices engender movement between everyday life in the present and the genocidal past. Humor, for instance—the House genre—allows Holocaust descendants to explore contradictions between their familial lived experience of genocide and the “dead memory” of national commemoration. Sustaining a balance between a departure from and accommodation to mainstream national memory work, ludic memory reinvigorates the commemorative landscape. The activities that take place at the House, as well as its design and ambiance, problematize conceptualizations of commemoration, traumatic loss, serious humor, and the sequestration of death in everyday life.