bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Symmetry and precision of control of strength in limb bones of birds
Authors: Alexander R. McN. , Brandwood A. , Currey J. D. , Jayes A. S. 
Published: August 2009

The symmetry of the mechanical properties of paired long bones gives an idea of the precision of formation of animal skeletons. We report results of tests on gulls (Larus fuscus), pigeons (Columba livia), and battery hens (Gallus gallus). The gulls show much greater symmetry than the other birds, and indeed greater symmetry than any of the animals reported in the literature, which are all domesticated.The implications of these findings for Alexander's (1981) theory of safety factors are discussed. We conclude that, in the wild, variability of load is much more important in the evolution of strength than variability of strength due to imprecise control of growth.
Consensus research priorities for cerebral palsy: a Delphi survey of consumers, researchers, and clinicians
Authors: MCINTYRE SARAH , NOVAK IONA , CUSICK ANNE 
Published: August 2009

Aim  Research funds for cerebral palsy are scarce and competition for them is strong. This study aimed to identify questions for future research that were agreed to be a high priority.Method  An expert panel of consumers, researchers, and clinicians was assembled (n=127) and surveyed using a Delphi survey comprising three rounds. In round I, participants identified three important research topics. Three parallel surveys were constructed: (1) consumers; (2) intervention researchers and clinicians; and (3) aetiology and prevention researchers. In rounds II and III, participants rated priorities using a seven‐point Likert scale. Questions reaching consensus were itemized and those not reaching consensus were discarded.Results  Consumers identified questions in the themes of prevention/cure, quality of life/community participation, and service provision/intervention. Intervention researchers/clinicians identified questions in the themes of effective outcomes and effective research/services. Aetiology and prevention researchers identified questions in the themes of infection/inflammation, focus on timing, haematology, research tools, neuroregeneration, and genetics. Fifty per cent of the consumers’ priorities were also identified by professionals.Interpretation  Research priorities change as evidence is established. Phase II of this project is to develop a web portal with international collaboration. As evidence builds for one research question, it will be added to the web portal and unanswered questions will become the priority.
Does preterm birth affect global and configural processing differently?
Authors: SANTOS ANDREIA , DURET MARIE , MANCINI JOSETTE , BUSUTTIL MURIEL , DERUELLE CHRISTINE 
Published: August 2009

Aim  We investigated whether preterm birth affects later visuocognitive function and, in particular, whether it affects global and configural perceptual processing differently.Method  We compared the performance of 21 healthy preterm children (8 females, 13 males; mean age 7y 8mo, SD 8mo; mean gestational age 29.3wks, SD 1.9; mean birthweight 1186.5g, SD 377.2) with that of a matched term comparison group (8 females, 13 males; mean age 7y 11mo, SD 1y 1mo; mean gestational age >37wks; mean birthweight >2500g) in two perceptual tasks pinpointing differences between local and global and between local and configural processing.Results  There was no difference between preterm and term children’s global processing, as both groups showed a bias towards global information (preterm: t[1,20]=2.6, p=0.01; comparison group: t[1,20]=3.0, p=0.01). By contrast, no such typical pattern of performance was found for configural processing as, unlike the comparison group (t[1,20]=7.1, p<0.001), preterm children preferentially relied on local rather than on configural information (t[1,20]=−15.4, p<0.001).Interpretation  These findings suggest that preterm birth may have a greater influence on the development of later perceptual skills than originally envisaged. We discuss the results according to the current and dominant view of the visual system.
Cognitive outcome following unilateral arterial ischaemic stroke in childhood: effects of age at stroke and lesion location
Authors: WESTMACOTT ROBYN , ASKALAN RAND , MACGREGOR DAUNE , ANDERSON PETER , DEVEBER GABRIELLE 
Published: August 2009

Aim  Plasticity in the developing brain is a controversial issue. Although language and motor function often recover remarkably well following early brain injury, recent evidence suggests that damage to the developing brain results in significant long‐term neuropsychological impairment. Our aim was to investigate the relationship among age at injury, lesion location and intellectual outcome.Method  Using age‐appropriate Wechsler scales of intellectual ability, we explored this issue by evaluating a large group (n=145) of children (89 males, 56 females) who experienced unilateral arterial ischaemic stroke during the perinatal period (diagnosed mean 73d, SD 29d), between the ages of 1 month and 5 years (mean 2y 10mo, SD 1y 9mo), or between the ages of 6 and 16 years (mean 11y 1mo SD 3y 6mo). The mean age at assessment was 8 years (SD 3y 10mo) in the perinatal group, 7 years 5 months (SD 2y 9mo) in the 1 month to 5 years group, and 12 years 5 months (SD 3y 9mo) in the 6 to 16 years group. The mean time interval between stroke and assessment was 8 years (SD 18d) for perinatal, 4 years 6 months (SD 1y 5mo) for 1 month to 5 years, and 1 year 4 months (SD 2y 9mo) for 6 to 16 years. The relationship between age at stroke and lesion location (subcortical, cortical, or combined) as it pertains to cognitive outcome was also examined.Results  Measures of overall intelligence, verbal ability, working memory, and processing speed were significantly lower in children who had had a stroke than in the normative sample (all z>2.5, all p<0.01). The perinatal group performed more poorly than the other two groups on most cognitive measures, regardless of lesion location. The combined lesion location group performed more poorly than those with damage to either cortical or subcortical areas alone. Further investigation revealed different periods of peak vulnerability for subcortical lesions (perinatal) and cortical lesions (1mo–5y).Interpretation  Lesion location modulates the relationship between age at stroke and cognitive outcome.
A study of cross‐border outshopping determinants: mediating effect of outshopping enjoyment
Authors: Guo Chiquan , Wang Yong Jian 
Published: August 2009

AbstractOutshopping has been studied in the marketing literature for years, and research has identified some compelling reasons for people to shop out of their home country. Outshoppers literally go extra miles to outshop for better quality and assortment of merchandise, higher quality of personal service, more pleasant shopping atmospherics, and more competitive prices. In this study, we propose that outshopping enjoyment is not only directly related to outshopping, as are the earlier outshopping determinants, but mediate the relationships between those cognitive determinants and outshopping behaviour. In addition, we explore how patriotism and terror would affect people's outshopping frequency. Managerial and research implications are also discussed.
Absence of nigral degeneration in aged parkin/DJ‐1/PINK1 triple knockout mice
Authors: Kitada Tohru , Tong Youren , Gautier Clement A. , Shen Jie 
Published: August 2009

AbstractRecessively inherited loss‐of‐function mutations in the parkin, DJ‐1, or PINK1 gene are linked to familial cases of early‐onset Parkinson’s diseases (PD), and heterozygous mutations are associated with increased incidence of late‐onset PD. We previously reported that single knockout mice lacking Parkin, DJ‐1, or PINK1 exhibited no nigral degeneration, even though evoked dopamine release from nigrostriatal terminals was reduced and striatal synaptic plasticity was impaired. In this study, we tested whether inactivation of all three recessive PD genes, each of which was required for nigral neuron survival in the aging human brain, resulted in nigral degeneration during the lifespan of mice. Surprisingly, we found that triple knockout mice lacking Parkin, DJ‐1, and PINK1 have normal morphology and numbers of dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurons in the substantia nigra and locus coeruleus, respectively, at the ages of 3, 16, and 24 months. Interestingly, levels of striatal dopamine in triple knockout mice were normal at 16 months of age but increased at 24 months. These results demonstrate that inactivation of all three recessive PD genes is insufficient to cause significant nigral degeneration within the lifespan of mice, suggesting that these genes may be protective rather than essential for the survival of dopaminergic neurons during the aging process. These findings also support the notion that mammalian Parkin and PINK1 may function in the same genetic pathway as in Drosophila.
The Diagnostic Utility of Executive Function Assessments in the Identification of ADHD in Children
Authors: Holmes Joni , Gathercole Susan E. , Place Maurice , Alloway Tracy P. , Elliott Julian G. , Hilton Kerry A. 
Published: August 2009

Background:  Deficits in executive functions have been widely reported to characterise individuals with ADHD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of a range of executive function measures for identifying children with ADHD.Method:  Eighty‐three children with ADHD and 50 normally‐developing children without ADHD were assessed on measures of inhibition, set‐shifting, planning, problem‐solving, response inhibition, sustained attention and working memory. Measures of sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios and diagnostic odds ratios were calculated.Results:  Executive function tasks effectively discriminated between children with and without ADHD. Measures of response inhibition and working memory contributed the most to the discriminant function.Conclusions:  Cognitive measures of executive function can be used to help identify children with ADHD and could be useful as additional diagnostic tools for clinical practitioners.
Crowd‐Out in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP): Incidence, Enrollee Characteristics and Experiences, and Potential Impact on New York's SCHIP
Authors: Shone Laura P. , Lantz Paula M. , Dick Andrew W. , Chernew Michael E. , Szilagyi Peter G. 
Published: August 2009

Background. The extent to which the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) crowds our private insurance is poorly understood.Objective. To assess the incidence of crowd‐out and enrollee characteristics associated with crowd‐out.Data. Parent telephone survey for 2,644 children after enrollment in NY SCHIP.Measures and Analyses. Crowd‐out is measured based on enrollee reports of coverage (and loss of coverage) before SCHIP. Multivariate logistic regression is used to relate crowd‐out to enrollee characteristics.Principal Findings. Only 7.1 percent of SCHIP enrollees dropped private coverage ≤6 months before SCHIP, suggesting relatively modest crowd‐out. Crowd‐out was associated with some enrollee traits including income, but not with health status.Implications. Most movement from private to public insurance in NY was not crowd‐out. Under current program structure in NY, crowd‐out concerns should not dampen enthusiasm for SCHIP.
Intermolecular cross‐talk between the prostaglandin E2receptor (EP)3subtype and thromboxane A2receptor signalling in human erythroleukaemic cells
Authors: Reid Helen M , Kinsella B Therese 
Published: August 2009

Background and purpose: In previous studies investigating cross‐talk of signalling between prostaglandin (PG)E2receptor (EP) and the TPα and TPβ isoforms of the human thromboxane (TX)A2receptor (TP), 17‐phenyl trinor PGE2‐induced desensitization of TP receptor signalling through activation of the AH6809 and SC19220‐sensitive EP1subtype of the EP receptor family, in a cell‐specific manner. Here, we sought to further investigate that cross‐talk in human erythroleukaemic (HEL) 92.1.7 cells.Experimental approach: Specificity of 17‐phenyl trinor PGE2signalling and its possible cross‐talk with signalling by TPα/TPβ receptors endogenously expressed in HEL cells was examined through assessment of agonist‐induced inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate (IP)3generation and intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) mobilization.Key results: While 17‐Phenyl trinor PGE2led to activation of phospholipase (PL)Cβ to yield increases in IP3generation and [Ca2+]i, it did not desensitize but rather augmented that signalling in response to subsequent stimulation with the TXA2mimetic U46619. Furthermore, the augmentation was reciprocal. Signalling by 17‐phenyl trinor PGE2was found to occur through AH6809‐ and SC19920‐insensitive,Pertussistoxin‐sensitive, Gi/Gβγ‐dependent activation of PLCβ. Further pharmacological investigation using selective EP receptor subtype agonists and antagonists confirmed that 17‐phenyl trinor PGE2‐mediated signalling and reciprocal cross‐talk with the TP receptors occurred through the EP3, rather than the EP1, EP2or EP4receptor subtype in HEL cells.Conclusions and Implications: The EP1and EP3subtypes of the EP receptor family mediated intermolecular cross‐talk to differentially regulate TP receptor‐mediated signalling whereby activation of EP1receptors impaired or desensitized, while that of EP3receptors augmented signalling through TPα/TPβ receptors, in a cell type‐specific manner.
Corruption in Africa – Part 1
Authors: Mbaku John Mukum 
Published: August 2009

AbstractAs Africans struggled against colonial exploitation, there was near universal agreement among the freedom fighters and other nationalists that one of the most important determinants of poverty in the colonies was the control of the instruments of economic and political governance by foreign interlopers, all of whose objectives were in conflict with those of the Africans. Colonial institutional arrangements were primarily instruments for the exploitation of Africans and their resources. Europeans came to Africa to maximize metropolitan objectives and hence, established within each colony, institutional arrangements that enhanced their ability to exploit Africans and their resources for the benefit of the metropolitan economies. With their comparative advantage in the employment of military and police force, the Europeans were able to impose on the African colonies laws and institutions that enhanced their objectives but significantly impoverished Africans. Hence, independence was considered critical not only to the elimination of the psychological effects of foreign occupation but also to the empowerment of Africans and the enhancement of their ability to take full control of their governance systems. First, independence was expected to expel the European interlopers from the continent and allow the in‐coming African leaders to rid their societies of the exploitative, despotic and non‐democratic institutions that had been brought to the colonies by the Europeans. In the post‐independence period, Africans were expected to have full control of their own destiny, allocate their own resources, and generally take responsibility for the design and implementation of policies affecting their own welfare. Second, the new leaders were then expected to engage all relevant stakeholder groups in each country in democratic constitution making to develop and adopt locally focused, participatory, inclusive and politically and economically relevant institutional arrangements. Finally, Africa’s post‐independence leaders were expected to use public policy as an instrument for the effective eradication of mass poverty and deprivation.
Testing the reliability of the JEOL FEGSEM 6500F electron microprobe for quantitative major element analysis of glass shards from rhyolitic tephra
Authors: COULTER SARAH E. , PILCHER JONATHAN R. , HALL VALERIE A. , PLUNKETT GILL , DAVIES SIWAN M. 
Published: August 2009

Coulter, S. E., Pilcher, J. R., Hall, V. A., Plunkett, G. & Davies, S. M. 2009: Testing the reliability of the JEOL FEGSEM 6500F electron microprobe for quantitative major element analysis of glass shards from rhyolitic tephra. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2009.00113.x. ISSN 0300‐9483.Electronprobe microanalysis is now widely adopted in tephra studies as a technique for determining the major element geochemistry of individual glass shards. Accurate geochemical characterization is crucial for enabling robust tephra‐based correlations; such information may also be used to link the tephra to a specific source and often to a particular eruption. In this article, we present major element analyses for rhyolitic natural glass standards analysed on three different microprobes and the new JEOL FEGSEM 6500F microprobe at Queen's University Belfast. Despite the scatter in some elements, good comparability is demonstrated among data yielded from this new system, the previous Belfast JEOL‐733 Superprobe, the JEOL‐8200 Superprobe (Copenhagen) and the existing long‐established microprobe facility in Edinburgh. Importantly, our results show that major elements analysed using different microprobes and variable operating conditions allow two high‐silica glasses to be discriminated accurately.
The Influence of Long‐Term Care Insurance on the Likelihood of Nursing Home Admission
Authors: Gure Tanya R. , Kabeto Mohammed U. , Langa Kenneth M. 
Published: August 2009

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of long‐term care (LTC) insurance on nursing home use.DESIGN: Longitudinal analysis, 1998 to 2006 waves of the Health Retirement Study.SETTING: Community‐dwelling nationally representative sample.PARTICIPANTS: Nineteen thousand one hundred seventy adults aged 50 and older, 1998 wave.METHODS: Two groups of respondents were created at baseline: those with and without an LTC insurance policy. Respondents admitted to the nursing home from 1998 to 2006 were identified. Propensity scores were used to control for known predictors of LTC insurance possession. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to compare the probability of nursing home admission over 8 years of follow‐up for respondents possessing LTC insurance and those without a policy.RESULTS: Of the 19,170 respondents aged 50 and older in 1998, 1,767 (9.2%) possessed LTC insurance. A total of 1,778 (8.5%) were admitted to a nursing home during the 8‐year period: 149 (8.7%) of those with LTC insurance and 1,629 (8.4%) of those without LTC insurance. The hazard ratio, adjusted for propensity score, for those with LTC insurance entering a nursing home compared with those without was 1.07 (95% confidence interval=0.83–1.38). Likelihood of nursing home admission was relatively low because the low‐risk population included in the study, limiting the power to detect small differences in risk of nursing home utilization between groups.CONCLUSION: There was no difference in nursing home utilization between low‐risk older adults who did and did not possess an LTC insurance policy.
Functional Decline and Recovery of Activities of Daily Living in Hospitalized, Disabled Older Women: The Women's Health and Aging Study I
Authors: Boyd Cynthia M. , Ricks Michelle , Fried Linda P. , Guralnik Jack M. , Xue Qian‐Li , Xia Jin , Bandeen‐Roche Karen 
Published: August 2009

OBJECTIVES: To determine, in disabled, older, community‐dwelling women who were hospitalized, the rates and predictors of functional decline, the probability and time course of subsequent functional recovery, and predictors of functional recovery.DESIGN: Population‐based observational cohort.SETTING: Woman's Health and Aging Study.PARTICIPANTS: A subset of the 1,002 moderately to severely disabled community‐dwelling older women who were hospitalized over 3 years (N=457).MEASUREMENTS: Functional decline and complete and partial recovery were defined using a 0 to 6 scale of dependencies in activities of daily living (ADLs) evaluated every 6 months over 3 years. Complete recovery was defined as returning to baseline function (function at visit immediately preceding hospitalization) after functional decline; partial recovery was defined as any improvement in the ADL scale after functional decline. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine predictors of functional decline. Kaplan‐Meier curves estimate the proportions recovering as a function of time since hospitalization. Discrete‐time proportional hazards models regress the time‐to‐recovery hazards on the predictor variables.RESULTS: Thirty‐three percent of hospitalized women experienced functional decline at the first visit after hospitalization. Frailty, longer length of stay, and higher education were associated with functional decline. Fifty percent fully recovered over the subsequent 30 months, with 33% recovering within 6 months and an additional 14% over the following 6 months. Younger women were more likely to recover (aged 80 to 70, hazard ratio=0.39, 95% confidence interval=0.24–0.64).CONCLUSION: Although most recovery of function occurs by 6 months after the first visit after a hospitalization, a substantial proportion of disabled community‐dwelling women recover over the following 2 years.
Risk factors in the occurrence of enamel defects of the first permanent molars among schoolchildren in Western Australia
Authors: Arrow Peter 
Published: August 2009

Abstract –  Background:  The prevalence of enamel defects in the first permanent molars among children in Western Australia is higher than that reported for some European countries. The cause(s) of the defects, both white diffuse opacities and demarcated opacities, with or without hypoplasia, continue to be investigated. A recent review identified childhood illnesses and exposure to environmental toxins as putative causal factors for the occurrence of demarcated opacities (usually in association with hypoplasia). Diffuse opacities have been reported to be associated with exposure to the antibiotic amoxicillin, adjusted for otitis media and fluoride. The aim of this study was to examine the possible risk factors for enamel defects in the first permanent molars among children in Western Australia.Methods:  Children attending pre‐primary schools (1999–2000 year of birth) in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia, were invited to participate in the study. In 2005, before the child’s first permanent molars had erupted, parents completed a questionnaire about the mother’s health during pregnancy, and their child’s health for the first 3 years. The first permanent molars were classified for type and extent of enamel defects using the modified Developmental Defects of Enamel (DDE) index. Caries experience and the presence of enamel defects on the deciduous molars and canines were also recorded using the WHO criteria. Bivariate, multinomial logistic and logistic regression analyses were used to test the factors for their influence on the occurrence of the enamel defects.Results:  Five hundred and fifty children were examined for the occurrence of enamel defects on the first permanent molars. Multinomial logistic regression indicated that neonatal health conditions, prematurity (OR 2.75) and other health conditions (OR 2.40) were significant risk factors for the occurrence of diffuse enamel defects. Infection during the neonatal period was a strong risk factor for the occurrence of demarcated enamel defects (OR 6.88). Increased deciduous tooth caries experience increased the risk of demarcated enamel defects by 10% (OR 1.10) and living further from a heavy industrial area increased the risk of diffuse enamel defects nearly twofold (OR 1.93).Conclusions:  Neonatal health factors were found to be important risk factors for the occurrence of enamel defects in first permanent molars. The effects of residential location and the association between deciduous tooth caries experience and enamel defects require further investigations.