bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pitting binding against selection – electrophysiological measures of feature‐based attention are attenuated by Gestalt object grouping
Authors: Snyder Adam C. , Fiebelkorn Ian C. , Foxe John J. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractHumans have limited cognitive resources to process the nearly limitless information available in the environment. Endogenous, or ‘top‐down’, selective attention to basic visual features such as color or motion is a common strategy for biasing resources in favor of the most relevant information sources in a given context. Opposing this top‐down separation of features is a ‘bottom‐up’ tendency to integrate, or bind, the various features that constitute objects. We pitted these two processes against each other in an electrophysiological experiment to test if top‐down selective attention can overcome constitutive binding processes. Our results demonstrate that bottom‐up binding processes can dominate top‐down feature‐based attention even when explicitly detrimental to task performance.
Plasticity of cortical inhibition in dystonia is impaired after motor learning and paired‐associative stimulation
Authors: Meunier Sabine , Russmann Heike , Shamim Ejaz , Lamy Jean‐Charles , Hallett Mark 
Published: March 2012

AbstractArtificial induction of plasticity by paired associative stimulation (PAS) in healthy volunteers (HV) demonstrates Hebbian‐like plasticity in selected inhibitory networks as well as excitatory networks. In a group of 17 patients with focal hand dystonia and a group of 19 HV, we evaluated how PAS and the learning of a simple motor task influence the circuits supporting long‐interval intracortical inhibition (LICI, reflecting activity of GABAB interneurons) and long‐latency afferent inhibition (LAI, reflecting activity of somatosensory inputs to the motor cortex). In HV, PAS and motor learning induced long‐term potentiation (LTP)‐like plasticity of excitatory networks and a lasting decrease of LAI and LICI in the motor representation of the targeted or trained muscle. The better the motor performance, the larger was the decrease of LAI. Although motor performance in the patient group was similar to that of the control group, LAI did not decrease during the motor learning as it did in the control group. In contrast, LICI was normally modulated. In patients the results after PAS did not match those obtained after motor learning: LAI was paradoxically increased and LICI did not exhibit any change. In the normal situation, decreased excitability in inhibitory circuits after induction of LTP‐like plasticity may help to shape the cortical maps according to the new sensorimotor task. In patients, the abnormal or absent modulation of afferent and intracortical long‐interval inhibition might indicate maladaptive plasticity that possibly contributes to the difficulty that they have to learn a new sensorimotor task.
Exploration and modulation of brain network interactions with noninvasive brain stimulation in combination with neuroimaging
Authors: Shafi Mouhsin M. , Westover M. Brandon , Fox Michael D. , Pascual‐Leone Alvaro 
Published: March 2012

AbstractMuch recent work in systems neuroscience has focused on how dynamic interactions between different cortical regions underlie complex brain functions such as motor coordination, language and emotional regulation. Various studies using neuroimaging and neurophysiologic techniques have suggested that in many neuropsychiatric disorders, these dynamic brain networks are dysregulated. Here we review the utility of combined noninvasive brain stimulation and neuroimaging approaches towards greater understanding of dynamic brain networks in health and disease. Brain stimulation techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation, use electromagnetic principles to alter brain activity noninvasively, and induce focal but also network effects beyond the stimulation site. When combined with brain imaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography and electroencephalography, these brain stimulation techniques enable a causal assessment of the interaction between different network components, and their respective functional roles. The same techniques can also be applied to explore hypotheses regarding the changes in functional connectivity that occur during task performance and in various disease states such as stroke, depression and schizophrenia. Finally, in diseases characterized by pathologic alterations in either the excitability within a single region or in the activity of distributed networks, such techniques provide a potential mechanism to alter cortical network function and architectures in a beneficial manner.
Effect of vaginal delivery and ageing on the anatomy of the female anal canal assessed by three‐dimensional anorectal ultrasound
Authors: Murad‐Regadas S. M. , Regadas F. S. P. , Rodrigues L. V. , Kenmoti V. T. , Fernandes G. O. da S. , Buchen G. , Regadas Filho F. S. P. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractAim  The effect of vaginal delivery and ageing on the anatomy of the anal canal was assessed using three‐dimensional anorectal ultrasound to determine the interobserver reliability.Method  One‐hundred and eighteen asymptomatic women without sphincter damage were grouped according to parity and mode of delivery. They were then stratified by age (≤50 years vs >50 years). Group I consisted of 35 nulliparous women, of mean ages 36 years (n = 20) and 62 years (n = 15), Group II consisted of multiparous women, having one or more vaginal deliveries (n = 43), of mean ages 43 years (n = 20) and 60 years (n = 23) and Group III consisted of women who had a Caesarean section (n = 40) of mean ages 41 years (n = 20) and 56 years (n = 20). The groups were compared with regard to the length and the thickness of the external anal sphincter, the internal anal sphincter, the posterior external sphincter and the puborectalis in all quadrants and the anterior gap. Interobserver variability was assessed.Results  In women having vaginal delivery the length of the anterior external sphincter was shorter (P = 0.0004) and the gap was longer (P = 0.0306). The external sphincter tended to be thinner in individuals having vaginal delivery (P = 0.0677) and in those subjects over 50 years of age having had a vaginal delivery (P = 0.0164). In nulliparous women, the internal sphincter was thicker in subjects over 50 years of age (P = 0.0229). The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.755–0.916 for sphincter muscle and gap length and 0.446–0.769 for muscle thickness.Conclusion  Vaginal delivery was associated with a shorter anterior external sphincter, a longer gap and a thinner anterior external sphincter in asymptomatic women. Age was correlated with sphincter thickness, and nulliparous women >50 years of age had a thicker internal sphincter. Three‐dimensional ultrasound was found to be a reliable method for measuring anal structures.
Microvascular blood flow responses to muscle contraction are not altered by high‐fat feeding in rats
Authors: St‐Pierre P. , Keith L. J. , Richards S. M. , Rattigan S. , Keske M. A. 
Published: March 2012

Aim: Exercise and insulin each increase microvascular blood flow and enhance glucose disposal in skeletal muscle. We have reported that insulin‐mediated microvascular recruitment in a diet‐induced model of insulin resistance (high‐fat feeding for 4 weeks) is markedly impaired; however, the effect of muscle contraction in this model has not been previously explored.Methods: We fed rats either normal (ND, 10% calories from fat) or high‐fat (HFD, 60% calories from fat) diets ad libitum for 4–8 weeks. Animals were then anaesthetized and one hindlimb electrically stimulated to contract at 0.05, 0.1 and 2 Hz (field stimulation, 30 V, 0.1 ms duration) in 15 min stepwise increments. Femoral artery blood flow (Transonic flow probe), muscle microvascular blood flow (hindleg metabolism of 1‐methylxanthine and contrast‐enhanced ultrasound) and muscle glucose disposal (uptake of radiolabelled 2‐deoxy‐d‐glucose and hindleg glucose disappearance) were measured.Results: Both ND and HFD rats received the same voltage across the leg and consequently developed the same muscle tension. Femoral artery blood flow in the contracting leg increased during 2 Hz contraction, but not during the lower frequencies and these effects were similar between ND and HFD rats. Muscle microvascular blood flow significantly increased in a contraction frequency‐dependent manner, and preceded increases in total limb blood flow and these effects were similar between ND and HFD rats. Muscle glucose disposal was markedly elevated during 2 Hz contraction and was comparable between ND and HFD rats.Conclusion: Contraction‐mediated muscle microvascular recruitment and glucose uptake are not impaired in the HFD insulin resistant rat.
Non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug use and the risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia‐related outcomes and nocturia in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial
Authors: Sutcliffe Siobhan , Grubb III Robert L. , Platz Elizabeth A. , Ragard Lawrence R. , Riley Thomas L. , Kazin Sally S. , Hayes Richard B. , Hsing Ann W. , Andriole Gerald L. ,   on behalf of the Urologic Diseases in America Project
Published: March 2012

Study Type – Therapy (cohort)Level of Evidence 4What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?Accumulating evidence suggests that inflammation may contribute to the development of BPH and LUTS. Therefore, it is plausible that anti‐inflammatory agents, such as aspirin and other NSAIDs, may reduce the risk of BPH/LUTS, as was observed in a recent analysis of daily aspirin use and BPH/LUTS risk in the Olmsted County Study of Urinary Symptoms and Health Status in Men.The present study, conducted in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial, found no association for recent aspirin or ibuprofen use with the risk of BPH/LUTS.OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID) use and the incidence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)‐related outcomes and nocturia, a lower urinary tract symptom (LUTS) of BPH, in light of accumulating evidence suggesting a role for inflammation in BPH/LUTS development.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
At baseline, participants in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial completed questions on recent, regular aspirin and ibuprofen use, BPH surgery, diagnosis of an enlarged prostate/BPH, and nocturia. Participants in the intervention arm also underwent a digital rectal examination (DRE), from which prostate dimensions were estimated, as well as a prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) test. Only participants in the intervention arm without BPH/LUTS at baseline were included in the analysis (n= 4771).
During follow‐up, participants underwent annual DREs and PSA tests, provided annual information on finasteride use, and completed a supplemental questionnaire in 2006–2008 that included additional questions on diagnosis of an enlarged prostate/BPH and nocturia.
Information collected was used to investigate regular aspirin or ibuprofen use in relation to the incidence of six BPH/LUTS definitions: diagnosis of an enlarged prostate/BPH, nocturia (waking two or more times per night to urinate), finasteride use, any self‐reported BPH/LUTS, prostate enlargement (estimated prostate volume ≥30 mL on any follow‐up DRE) and elevation in PSA level (>1.4 ng/mL on any follow‐up PSA test).
RESULTS
Generally, null results were observed for any recent, regular aspirin or ibuprofen use (risk ratio = 0.92–1.21, P= 0.043–0.91) and frequency of use (risk ratios for one category increase in NSAID use = 0.98–1.11, P‐trends = 0.10–0.99) with incident BPH/LUTS.
CONCLUSION
The findings obtained in the present study do not support a protective role for recent NSAID use in BPH/LUTS development.
Comparison of health‐related quality‐of‐life outcomes for African‐American and Caucasian‐American men after radical prostatectomy
Authors: Lee Eugene W. , Marien Tracy , Laze Juliana , Agalliu Ilir , Lepor Herbert 
Published: March 2012

Study Type – Therapy (outcomes)Level of Evidence 2cWhat's known on the subject? and What does the study add?In addition to a higher prevalence and biological aggressiveness of prostate cancer, African‐Americans tend towards narrower pelvises than Caucasians resulting in a potentially more difficult surgical dissection doing radical prostatectomy and increased positive surgical margins. In this study, there was no difference in urinary or sexual HRQL or overall satisfaction between African‐Americans and Caucasians 2 years after radical prostatectomy, suggesting that the potential technical challenges of a narrower pelvis do not translate into poorer outcomes for African‐Americans.OBJECTIVE
To determine if any differences exist in postoperative health‐related quality‐of‐life (HRQL) outcomes, e.g. erectile function and continence, after radical prostatectomy (RP) in African‐American (AA) vs Caucasian‐American (CA) men.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
Between October 2000 and July 2008, 1338 CA and 56 AA men underwent open RP by a single surgeon and signed informed consent to participate in a prospective longitudinal outcomes study.
The American Urological Association Symptom Score (AUA‐SS) and University of California, Los Angeles, Prostate Cancer Index (UCLA‐PCI) and a global assessment of satisfaction were self‐administered at baseline and after RP 24 months.
Urinary, sexual, and satisfaction outcomes were compared at 24 months.
RESULTS
AA men had significantly higher rates of hypertension and diabetes.
There were no other significant baseline differences in age, co‐morbidities, body mass index, phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor use, preoperative prostate‐specific antigen level, AUA‐SS, and UCLA‐PCI scores.
There were no differences in the percentage of men undergoing nerve‐sparing procedures, estimated blood loss, transfusion rates, or complication rates between the groups.
At 24 months after RP the mean UCLA‐PCI urinary and sexual function and bother scores and global satisfaction scores were similar between the groups.
CONCLUSION
AA and CA men experience no significant differences in urinary and sexual HRQL or overall satisfaction after open RP when performed by a single experienced surgeon.
The role of virtual learning environments in a primary school context: An analysis of inscription of assessment practices
Authors: Johannesen Monica 
Published: March 2012

AbstractVirtual Learning Environments (VLEs) appear to be one of the most widely used computer‐based technologies for teaching and learning, and may emerge as a potential tool for e‐assessment. However, little is known about how VLE tools are used in various forms of assessment and what kinds of teaching practice the use of such technologies brings about. Based on interviews and personal diaries, actor‐network theory is applied to describe and understand emerging teaching practices with VLE tools, such as multiple‐choice tests, portfolios and collaborative writing tools. A tight relationship is found between the documentation of student attainment, the teacher‐student‐parent conference and the use of VLE tools, all constituting a network of aligned interests in assessment.Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topicThe use of educational technology (e‐assessment) brings about new assessment practices such as peer‐ and self‐assessment.Most studies in e‐assessment are related to higher education and further education.There is a growing interest in how e‐assessment can foster new educational goals, such as metacognition, creativity, project work and communication skills.What this paper addsA primary school perspective on e‐assessment, in particular the implementation of e‐assessment in a school system where traditional grading is not applied.An insight into how the virtual learning environment plays a part in establishing a new assessment practice.Deeper knowledge about the usefulness of actor‐network theory in empirical educational research.Implications for practice and/or policyThere is a need for a critical perspective on virtual learning environments as tools for assessment and what kinds of pedagogical philosophies they can support.The use of a virtual learning environment can foster certain assessment practices, and has the potential to influence assessment policies at all levels of education.
Evaluation of an adaptive online learning system
Authors: Griff Edwin R. , Matter Stephen F. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractWe assessed the effectiveness of an adaptive online learning system for student learning and outcomes in undergraduate anatomy and physiology courses. Across six institutions of higher education, we compared improvement on posttests relative to pretests, grade distributions and retention between treatment sections using LearnSmart, an adaptive learning system developed by McGraw Hill Higher Education (MHHE), and control sections given questions online from an MHHE test bank. Overall, we found no significant improvement in any metric between sections using LearnSmart and those given online questions. There were significant differences among schools, with two of the six schools showing consistently better results in the treatment sections relative to the controls. We could not identify any particular differences between these schools and those not showing improvement. We speculate that this adaptive learning system may perform best when course goals are closely aligned with texts and the adaptive learning system.Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topic
Computer‐assisted learning has been successful in many fields.
Computer‐assisted leaning has been generally successful in anatomy and physiology.
We are the first to test the effects of adaptive learning in anatomy and physiology.
What this paper adds
We find no general improvement of adaptive learning versus extra quiz questions.
Any improvement appears to be institution/course specific.
Implications for practice and/or policy
We found no specific factors related to improvement or not when using an adaptive learning system.
We speculate that benefits of the system tested only accrue when the course learning objectives closely match those of the textbook and adaptive learning system.
Metropolitan Fragmentation and Health Disparities: Is There a Link?
Authors: ANDRÉ HUTSON MALO , KAPLAN GEORGE A. , RANJIT NALINI , MUJAHID MAHASIN S. 
Published: March 2012

Context: This article explores the relationship between metropolitan fragmentation, as defined by the total number of governmental units within a metropolitan statistical area (local municipalities, special service districts, and school districts), and racial disparities in mortality among blacks and whites in the 1990s. The presence of numerous governmental jurisdictions in large metropolitan areas in the United States can shape the geography of opportunity, with adverse consequences for health.Methods: We conducted a regression analysis using U.S. Census of Government data and Compressed Mortality File data for the country's largest 171 metropolitan statistical areas.Findings: We found a link between increased metropolitan area fragmentation and greater racial differences in mortality between blacks and whites for both children and working‐age adults. Although increasing fragmentation is associated with a higher mortality rate for blacks, it is not associated with a higher mortality rate for whites. These findings suggest that research is needed to understand how governance can positively or negatively influence a population's health and create conditions that generate or exacerbate health disparities.Conclusions: We need to understand the extent to which metropolitan fragmentation contributes to racial segregation, whether racism contributes to both, and the role of poverty and antipoverty policies in reducing or exacerbating the consequences of metropolitan fragmentation. The exact pathways by which metropolitan fragmentation contributes to differences between blacks’ and whites’ mortality rates are unknown. Uncovering how institutions influence the social, economic, and environmental conditions, which in turn contribute to the current racial and ethnic health disparities in the largest metropolitan areas, is key. Understanding these “upstream” determinants of a population's health and the disparities in health between subgroups in the overall population must be at the core of any attempt to reduce disparities in health. Building bridges between urban planning and public health can be critical to these efforts.
The role of credit officers in the performance of micro loans
Authors: Agier Isabelle 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThis paper proposes a structural model explicitly considering the role played by credit officers in loan performance. The credit officer's ability is decomposed into the screening and the audit stage. This model is estimated using a rich database from VivaCred – a Brazilian NGO. Results suggest that: (i) there is substantial heterogeneity among credit officers in the sample; (ii) their ability affects more the screening than the audit stage; and (iii) their estimated ability is correlated with their experience at VivaCred but not with their experience before joining the organization. Evidence suggests that a reduction in staff turnover would be beneficial to the institution.
Labour market institutions and labour market performance
Authors: Lehmann Hartmut , Muravyev Alexander 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThis paper studies the relationship between labour market institutions and policies and labour market performance using a new and unique dataset that covers the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, which in the last two decades experienced radical economic and institutional transformations. We document a clear trend towards liberalization of labour markets, especially in the countries of the former Soviet Union, but also substantial differences across the countries studied. Our econometric analysis implies that institutions matter for labour market outcomes, and that deregulation of labour markets improves their performance. The analysis also suggests several significant interactions between different institutions, which are in line with the idea of beneficial effects of reform complementarity and broad reform packages.
ON A SUPPOSED TABOO: FLIGHT AND REFUGEES FROM THE EAST IN GDR FILM AND TELEVISION1
Authors: Niven Bill 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACT This article takes issue with the view that the theme of the flight of Germans from central and eastern Europe at the end of the Second World War was a ‘taboo’ topic in the GDR. It does so by exploring portrayals of this theme in GDR cinema films, and television series. It argues that, because GDR culture developed and retained through the decades an interest in representing the early postwar period, it was almost inevitable that cultural portrayals would feature the theme of the flight and resettlement of Germans, and of the part they played in the construction of socialism. Far from depicting German refugees negatively, GDR films and television series adopted a largely sympathetic perspective. Nevertheless, at the same time they made clear that the flight of Germans needed to be understood as a consequence of the Nazi war of aggression. This inherent ambivalence is the hallmark of one TV series in particular, Wege übers Land.Im folgenden Artikel wird zu der These, die Darstellung von Flucht und Vertreibung sei in der DDR ‘tabuisiert’ worden, kritisch Stellung genommen. Der Artikel untersucht eine Reihe von DEFA‐Filmen und DDR‐Fernsehserien, in denen Flucht als Thema vorkommt. Angesichts der Tatsache, dass das Kriegsende und die frühe Nachkriegszeit mehr oder weniger Dauerthema solcher Produktionen waren, war es nur logisch, dass Flucht angesprochen und dargestellt wurde. Die analysierten Filme and Fernsehproduktionen bieten eine ambivalente Perspektive auf Flucht: auf der einen Seite wird deutlich gemacht, dass Flucht letztendlich eine Konsequenz des deutschen Angriffskrieges war, auf der anderen aber werden die Leiden der Flüchtlinge ernst genommen. Anhand der Fernsehserie Wege übers Land wird auf diese Ambivalenz eingegangen.