bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sex differences in fetal habituation
Authors: Hepper Peter G. , Dornan James C. , Lynch Catherine 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThere is some evidence for sex differences in habituation in the human fetus, but it is unknown whether this is due to differences in central processing (habituation) or in more peripheral processes, sensory or motor, involved in the response. This study examined whether the sex of the fetus influenced auditory habituation at 33 weeks of gestation, and whether this was due to differences in habituation or in the sensory or motor components using a set of four experiments. The first experiment found that female fetuses required significantly fewer stimulus presentations to habituate than males. The second experiment revealed no difference in the spontaneous motor behaviour of male and female fetuses. The third experiment examined auditory intensity thresholds for the stimuli used to habituate the fetus. No differences in thresholds were found between males and females, although there was inter‐individual variability in thresholds. A final experiment, using stimuli individualized for that particular fetus’ auditory intensity threshold, found that female fetuses habituated faster than males. In combination, the studies reveal that habituation in the human fetus is affected by sex and this is due to a difference in central ‘information processing’ of the stimuli rather than peripheral aspects of the response. It is argued that male and female fetuses present different neurobehavioural developmental trajectories, with females more advanced at 33 weeks than males. This study suggests that research examining prenatal behaviour should consider the factor of fetal sex. This may be particularly pertinent where there is an intention to use the results diagnostically.
Epistemic trust: modeling children’s reasoning about others’ knowledge and intent
Authors: Shafto Patrick , Eaves Baxter , Navarro Daniel J. , Perfors Andrew 
Published: February 2012

AbstractA core assumption of many theories of development is that children can learn indirectly from other people. However, indirect experience (or testimony) is not constrained to provide veridical information. As a result, if children are to capitalize on this source of knowledge, they must be able to infer who is trustworthy and who is not. How might a learner make such inferences while at the same time learning about the world? What biases, if any, might children bring to this problem? We address these questions with a computational model of epistemic trust in which learners reason about the helpfulness and knowledgeability of an informant. We show that the model captures the competencies shown by young children in four areas: (1) using informants’ accuracy to infer how much to trust them; (2) using informants’ recent accuracy to overcome effects of familiarity; (3) inferring trust based on consensus among informants; and (4) using information about mal‐intent to decide not to trust. The model also explains developmental changes in performance between 3 and 4 years of age as a result of changing default assumptions about the helpfulness of other people.
The effect of collaborative annotation on Chinese reading level in primary schools in China
Authors: Yang Xianmin , Yu Shengquan , Sun Zhong 
Published: March 2012

AbstractAs school networks get more available, reading instruction in a computer classroom has become more and more popular in China. Although information and communication technology (ICT) has brought about some improvements in classroom teaching, it must be admitted that the phenomenon of fast reading with low‐level cognitions is threatening school children's reading literacy. In order to address this problem, a collaborative annotation tool called Sharing Unique Reading Feeling (SURF) was developed for creating and sharing annotations. This study explored SURF‐based collaborative reading instruction, and investigated the effect of collaborative annotation supported by SURF on primary school students' Chinese reading levels with methods of equal group experiment, interview and comparative analysis. Finally, some suggestions were proposed for the development of instructional annotation tools and the implementation of current reading instruction especially in computer classrooms. Results showed that the collaborative annotation supported by SURF could promote students' reading performance, enhance their Chinese reading levels in primary schools, and it was also helpful to develop the higher‐level cognitive abilities such as analyzing, summarizing and evaluating.Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topic
Annotation could improve students' reading and writing.
Annotation could enhance reading comprehension.
Full annotation sharing could improve learning outcome.
Reading passages with hypermedia annotations significantly benefited passage comprehension and vocabulary.
What this paper adds
Collaborative annotation could enhance Chinese reading levels in primary schools of China, and is very helpful in addressing the issue of surface reading in Chinese class.
Collaborative annotation is also helpful to develop higher‐level cognitive abilities such as analyzing, summarizing and evaluating.
Implications for practice and/or policy
Collaborative reading assisted by annotation tool should be given profound attention and be applied more generally.
Collaboration is rather significant in developing students' reading literacy, but abuse of collaboration will be a waste of time and will not get good effect.
Do not lose the dominant role of teachers, because excessive freedom for students will result in failure in achieving teaching objectives.
Some competition activities (eg, setting up Reading Stars, giving little and red flowers) should be provided to inspire students to do annotating passionately and seriously.
The Ministry of Education in China should actively encourage Chinese teachers in primary and secondary schools to implement annotation reading instruction in computer classrooms.
Some wonderful annotation tools just like SURF should be developed and generalized in a larger scope supported by the government.
The Impact of Seed Policy Reforms and Intellectual Property Rights on Crop Productivity in India
Authors: Kolady Deepthi Elizabeth , Spielman David J. , Cavalieri Anthony 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThe growth of private investment in developing‐country agriculture, new advances in the biological sciences, and rapid integration of developing countries into the global trading system has heightened interest in the topic of seed market and intellectual property rights’ (IPRs) policies among public policy‐makers, corporate decision‐makers and other actors in the agricultural sector. But there are still unanswered questions about whether emerging and evolving seed policy reforms and IPR regimes in developing countries will contribute to increasing crop productivity and improving food security. This paper attempts to answer some of these questions by focusing specifically on the case of India, the regional leader in implementing seed policy reforms and IPRs in agriculture. Findings indicate that maize and pearl millet yields grew significantly during the last two decades due partly to the combination of (1) public policies that encouraged private investment in India’s seed industry during the 1980s, and (2) biological IPRs conferred by hybridisation that conveniently married the private sector’s need for appropriability with the nation’s need for productivity growth. Although past lessons are not an indication of future success, this convergence of policy solutions and technology opportunities can be replicated for other crops that are vital to India’s food security.
A comparative study of efficacy and outcomes of large loop excision of the transformation zone procedure performed under general anaesthesia versus local anaesthesia
Authors: Borbolla Foster Ailsa , Symonds Ian 
Published: February 2012

BackgroundAlthough Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines do not specify targets for mode of anaesthesia for large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ) procedures, UK NHS Cervical Screening Programme (NHSCSP) guidelines recommend that >80% of LLETZ procedures be performed under local anaesthesia. There is a paucity of clinical data regarding both the proportion of women receiving general anaesthesia for treatment, factors underpinning this choice and the impact of mode of anaesthesia on treatment outcomes.AimsTo identify the proportion of women who have a LLETZ under general anaesthesia and to establish the impact of mode of anaesthesia on outcomes including treatment efficacy, overtreatment (negative histology), short‐term morbidity and attendance for follow‐up.MethodsSingle‐centre retrospective analysis of all women treated with LLETZ for suspected cervical dysplasia between 1, May 2005 and 1, May 2009.ResultsThirty‐three percent of a total 465 LLETZ procedures were carried out under general anaesthesia, although the reason for anaesthesia choice was not recorded in 52% of cases. There were no significant differences in the primary outcomes of unclear LLETZ margins or negative LLETZ histology, or in the secondary outcomes of depth and surface area of LLETZ specimen, short‐term morbidity or rates of incomplete follow‐up.ConclusionsAlthough reasons underpinning selection of anaesthesia mode remain elusive, at this centre, outcomes following LLETZ procedure for the management of suspected cervical dysplasia are not affected by the mode of anaesthesia used.
Long‐term safety and efficacy in patients with uncontrolled partial‐onset seizures treated with adjunctive lacosamide: Results from a phase III open‐label extension trial
Authors: Husain Aatif , Chung Steve , Faught Edward , Isojarvi Jouko , McShea Cindy , Doty Pamela 
Published: February 2012

SummaryPurpose:  To evaluate the long‐term (up to 5 years exposure) safety and efficacy of lacosamide as adjunctive therapy in patients with uncontrolled partial‐onset seizures taking one to three concomitant antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in open‐label extension trial SP756 (NCT00522275).Methods:  Patients who completed the double‐blind trial SP754 (NCT00136019) were eligible to participate in this open‐label extension trial (SP756). At the conclusion of trial SP754, patients had transitioned to lacosamide 200 mg/day. Subsequent dosage adjustments of lacosamide (100–800 mg/day) and/or concomitant AEDs were allowed to optimize tolerability and seizure reduction. Treatment‐emergent adverse events (TEAEs), vital signs, body weight, clinical laboratory data, electrocardiography studies, and seizure frequency were evaluated.Key Findings:  A total of 308 patients received open‐label lacosamide and 138 patients (44.8%) completed the long‐term trial. The median modal dose (defined as the daily lacosamide dose a patient received for the longest duration during the treatment period) was 500 mg/day. The percentages of patients with lacosamide exposure >1, >2, >3, or >4 years were 75%, 63%, 54%, and 29%, respectively. Primary reasons for discontinuation were lack of efficacy (26%) and adverse events (11%). Common TEAEs (≥15%) were dizziness, headache, contusion, nausea, convulsion, nasopharyngitis, fall, vomiting, and diplopia. TEAEs that led to discontinuation in ≥1.0% of patients were dizziness (1.6%) and convulsion (1.0%). The median percent reductions from baseline of trial SP754 in 28‐day seizure frequency were 53.4%, 55.2%, 58.1%, and 62.5%, respectively, for 1‐, 2‐, 3‐, and 4‐year completers. The ≥50% responder rates were 52.8%, 56.5%, 58.7%, and 62.5% for 1‐, 2‐, 3‐, and 4‐year completers, respectively. Seven of eight patients on lacosamide monotherapy for ≥12 months were deemed 50% responders. Of patients exposed to lacosamide ≥2 years, 3.1% remained seizure‐free for a period ≥2 years.Significance:  Long‐term (up to 5 years) lacosamide treatment was generally well tolerated. The safety profile of lacosamide observed in this trial is consistent with that established in previous double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trials. Although the open‐label trial design limits the analysis of efficacy, long‐term reduction in seizure frequency and maintenance of efficacy was observed.
A meta‐analysis of white matter changes in temporal lobe epilepsy as studied with diffusion tensor imaging
Authors: Otte Willem M. , van Eijsden Pieter , Sander Josemir W. , Duncan John S. , Dijkhuizen Rick M. , Braun Kees P. J. 
Published: March 2012

SummaryPurpose:  Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is used increasingly to study white matter integrity in people with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Most studies report fractional anisotropy (FA) decrease and mean diffusivity (MD) increase in multiple white matter regions. The disturbance of white matter integrity varies across studies and between regions. We aimed to obtain a more consistent estimate of white matter diffusion characteristics and relate these to the distance from the seizure focus.Methods:  Studies comparing diffusion characteristics of people with epilepsy with those of healthy controls were systematically reviewed and quantified using random and mixed effects meta analysis. In addition to the overall meta‐analysis, pooled FA and MD differences were determined per hemisphere and white matter category separately.Key Findings:  We included 13 cross‐sectional studies. The pooled FA difference for all white matter was −0.026 (95% confidence interval [CI] −0.033 to −0.019) and MD difference was 0.028 × 10−3 mm2/s (95% CI 0.015–0.04). FA was reduced significantly in people with TLE compared with healthy controls in both ipsilateral (mean difference −0.03) and contralateral white matter (−0.02). MD was significantly increased ipsilaterally and contralaterally. MD differed significantly between white matter connected to the affected temporal lobe and remote white matter.Significance:  The meta‐analysis provides a better estimation of the true diffusion characteristics. White matter structural integrity in TLE is disturbed more severely in the ipsilateral than in the contralateral hemisphere, and tracts closely connected with the affected temporal lobe are most disturbed. The exact underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated.
Smile Esthetics: The Influence of Posterior Maxillary Gingival Margin Position
Authors: Crawford Robert W. I. , Tredwin Christopher , Moles David , Gill Daljit 
Published: February 2012

AbstractPurpose: Successful replacement of posterior teeth using contemporary prosthodontic techniques in esthetically demanding cases relies upon visual replication of the natural posterior dentition and surrounding gingival architecture. There is currently little in the way of guidance for creating ideal or acceptable gingival relationships for posterior teeth.Materials and Methods: A cross‐sectional study was conducted comparing perceptions of four groups of individuals to six digitally manipulated images with various posterior teeth gingival margin position configurations. A total of 120 volunteers aged 12 years to 80 years, comprising 30 patients diagnosed with hypodontia, 30 patients diagnosed with periodontal disease, 30 patients without either condition, and 30 qualified dentists were recruited from the Eastman Dental Institute & Hospital, London. A ranked order of preference for each set was obtained, and this was repeated after a minimum time interval of 10 minutes.Results: Posterior gingival margin configurations from 0 mm to 2 mm (measured at the first premolar) were deemed most esthetic by the majority of the patient groups; dentists had a strong preference for the 1 mm configuration. Dentists appeared to be more perceptive to the alterations in gingival positions.Conclusions: Posterior gingival margin configurations where the first premolar margins were 1 mm lower than the canine margins were deemed the most esthetically pleasing; however, it is likely that a range of acceptability of 1 mm deviations from this ideal exists.
Cell‐to‐Cell Communication and Vascular Dementia
Authors: DIETRICH HANS H. 
Published: February 2012

Please cite this paper as Dietrich HH. Cell‐to‐cell communication and vascular dementia. Microcirculation 19: 461–467, 2012.AbstractObjective: VaD is the second‐most common form of dementia, second only to that caused by AD. As the name indicates, VaD is predominantly considered a disease caused by vascular phenomena.Methods: In this invited review, we introduce the reader to recent developments in defining VaD as a unique form of dementia by reviewing the current pertinent literature. We discuss the clinical and experimental evidence that supports the notion that the microcirculation, specifically cell‐to‐cell communication, likely contributes to the development of VaD. Through exploration of the concept of the NVU, we elucidate the extensive cerebrovascular communication that exists and highlight models that may help test the contribution(s) of cell‐to‐cell communication at the microvascular level to the development and progression of VaD. Lastly, we explore the possibility that some dementia, generally considered to be purely neurodegenerative, may actually have a vascular component at the neurovascular level.Conclusion: This latter recognition potentially broadens the critical involvement of microvascular events that contribute to the numerous dementias affecting an increasingly larger sector of the adult population.
Fetal growth and later maternal death, cardiovascular disease and diabetes
Authors: LYKKE JACOB A. , PAIDAS MICHAEL J. , TRICHE ELIZABETH W. , LANGHOFF‐ROOS JENS 
Published: February 2012

Abstract Objectives. Low birthweight of the offspring has been associated with increased risk of early death and ischemic heart disease in the mother. However, other measurements of fetal growth than the basic birthweight are more accurate. We investigated the relation between the standardized birthweight by gestational age and gender and the ponderal index and the mother's subsequent mortality and cardiovascular morbidity. Design. Registry‐based retrospective cohort study. Setting. Women with a first singleton delivery in Denmark from 1978 to 2007. Population. 782 287 women followed for 14.6 years yielding 11 600 945 person‐years. Methods. Cox proportional hazard models. Main outcome measures. The primary exposures were variation in the standardized birthweight and ponderal index. The endpoints were subsequent maternal death, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, stroke, thrombosis, and diabetes mellitus. Results. The risk‐profile for the standardized birthweight and subsequent maternal death had a nadir between –0.5 and –1 SD (HR 0.91; 95%CI 0.83–1.00) and increased with decreasing fetal growth peaking at <−3 SD (HR 2.75; 95%CI 2.37–3.19) compared to the median. The risk‐profile for subsequent diabetes mellitus by standardized ponderal index had a nadir between +0.5 to +1 SD (HR 0.82; 95%CI 0.76–0.89) rising with increasing fetal growth and peaking at >+3 SD (HR 17.8; 95%CI 15.0–21.0). The risk‐profiles for standardized ponderal index paralleled those for birthweight, but with smaller risk estimates. Adjusting for other pregnancy complications diminished the estimates. Conclusion. The fetal growth is a marker of subsequent risk for premature death, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes mellitus in the mother.
The B7 Homologues and their Receptors in Hematologic Malignancies
Authors: Wilcox Ryan A. , Ansell Stephen M. , Lim Megan S. , Zou Weiping , Chen Lieping 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThe B7 homologues and their receptors regulate both peripheral tolerance and adaptive immunity. This field is rapidly evolving as new ligands and receptors are being identified. Much of the work supporting their role in the regulation of host anti‐tumor immunity has been derived from experimental models and clinical trials in solid malignancies. However, a growing body of evidence demonstrates that the B7‐H family has important immunologic and non‐immunologic functions in a variety of hematologic malignancies. Herein, we will review recent evidence that supports the therapeutic targeting of the B7 homologues in hematologic malignancies.
Carbohydrate and preprandial insulin determination in diabetes: a review
Authors: MORGAN Amanda C. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractAim:  This review evaluates the various methods of determining preprandial insulin doses in relation to carbohydrate intake.Methods:  A search was conducted in the Medline and ProQuest databases. Intervention or discussion papers involving insulin requirements and carbohydrate estimation, or the glycaemic response to food were reviewed.Results:  The amount of carbohydrate and the glycaemic index both significantly affect glycaemic response and insulin requirements. Most carbohydrate estimation methods improve glycaemic control and some reduce hypoglycaemia. Carbohydrate ‘counting’ involves more complex processes, has a higher patient burden than qualitative methods and may lead to negative food choices.Conclusions:  No one method of carbohydrate estimation is better at predicting preprandial insulin requirements. Qualitative methods may be preferred due to the ease of execution and adherence issues.
China's Approach to Rebalancing: A Conceptual and Policy Framework
Authors: Deer Luke , Song Ligang 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThis article seeks to develop a conceptual and policy framework for understanding China's role in the global economic imbalances. China's contribution to these imbalances via recurrent trade and financial surpluses corresponds with a phase of deepening structural risks to China's economic growth and development. These structural challenges include: the composition of growth resulting from China's dynamic internal transformation, China's trade orientation, the trajectory of resource use and CO2 emissions, welfare problems relating to distribution and international constraints. This article develops a conceptual framework for examining the relationship between the processes of long‐run structural transformation in China, its economic imbalances, and the role of institutional reform in dealing with these structural challenges. As such, economic policy should extend beyond short‐term macro management to pursue an institutional reform agenda to facilitate broader structural change to mitigate constraints to future growth and to improve economic welfare.
Rebalancing China's Economic Growth: Some Insights from Japan's Experience
Authors: Fukumoto Tomoyuki , Muto Ichiro 
Published: February 2012

AbstractOne of the greatest challenges China faces is reshaping its heavily investment‐driven mode of economic growth. By investigating how the rebalancing of Japan's economic growth mode was realized in the 1970s, we indicate that it is essential in rebalancing to correct the distortions in factor cost (labor cost and capital cost) in a harmonious way. In addition, we refer to Japan's experience to indicate that rebalancing of domestic growth does not necessarily lead to external rebalancing.
Poverty Reduction in China: The Contribution of Popularizing Primary Education
Authors: Song Yang 
Published: February 2012

AbstractUsing the instrumental variable model and the regression discontinuity approach, this paper explores how access to primary education affects the Chinese labor market and helps people to escape poverty. Several important findings are obtained. The popularization of primary education has significantly reduced poverty in China, especially in urban areas. In contrast, the Compulsory Education Law has not been well implemented for older children in rural areas. In addition, the labor market premium for completing primary education is much larger in urban areas than in rural areas. Poor rural school quality might explain this rural–urban disparity. Effort needs to be made to further reduce poverty by ensuring adequate financial resources for primary education in poor areas and improving school quality in rural China.