bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Survey of injury sources for a trampoline with equipment hazards designed out
Authors: Eager David , Scarrott Carl , Nixon Jim , Alexander Keith 
Published: March 2012

Aim:  In Australia, trampolines contribute approximately one‐quarter of all childhood play‐equipment injuries. The purpose of this study was to gather and evaluate injury data from a nontraditional, ‘soft‐edged’, consumer trampoline in which the equipment injury sources have been designed out.Methods:  A survey was undertaken in Queensland and New South Wales. The manufacturer of the nontraditional trampoline provided the University of Technology, Sydney, with their Australian customer database. Injury data were gathered in a pilot study by phone interview, then in a full study through an email survey. Results from 3817 respondents were compared with earlier Australian and US data from traditional trampolines gathered from emergency departments.Results:  A significantly lower proportion of the injuries caused by falling off or striking the equipment was found for this new design when compared with traditional trampolines both in Australia and in the USA. The age of children being injured on trampolines in Australia was found to be markedly lower than in North America.Conclusions:  This research indicates that with appropriate design the more severe injuries on traditional trampolines can be significantly reduced.
Evaluation of the North Star Ambulatory Assessment scale and cardiac abnormalities in ambulant boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Authors: Ergul Yakup , Ekici Baris , Nisli Kemal , Tatli Burak , Binboga Fatih , Acar Gonul , Ozmen Meral , Omeroglu Rukiye Eker 
Published: March 2012

Aim  We evaluated ambulatory patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy from the cardiovascular standpoint and studied the correlation between the results of electrocardiographic (ECG) findings, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), troponin T and N‐terminal pro‐brain natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) levels and patients' North Star Ambulatory Assessment scores.Methods:  Fifty patients of ages 6–12 (8.9 ± 2.8) were enrolled in this cross‐sectional study. Cardiac evaluation included electrocardiography, echocardiography and cardiac enzyme tests.Results  North Star scores ranged from 6/34 to 34/34. Twenty‐eight patients (56%) had ECG changes. The most frequently seen ECG abnormalities were short PR interval (14%, n= 7), right ventricular hypertrophy (16%, n= 8), prolonged QTc interval (10%, n= 5), prominent Q wave (10%, n= 5) and T wave inversion (44%, n= 22). In 10 patients (20%), LVEF was below 55%, troponin T and NT‐proBNP levels were significantly elevated (P= 0.003 and P < 0.001, respectively). When North Star scores were compared to patients' age, enzyme levels, ECG and echocardiographic results, we discovered negative correlation with age (P < 0.001) and troponin T levels (P= 0.02) and positive correlation with LVEF (P= 0.02).Conclusion  Patients with North Star scores of ≤16 are more at risk of developing cardiomyopathies. Troponin T is a cardiac index that can be used for evaluating myopathic patients and it seems to be correlated with the proBNP levels and LVEF values.
Incidence, aetiology and resistance of late‐onset neonatal sepsis: A five‐year prospective study
Authors: Hammoud Majeda S , Al‐Taiar Abdullah , Thalib Lukman , Al‐Sweih Noura , Pathan Seema , Isaacs David 
Published: March 2012

Aim:  Investigate the incidence, etiological pattern and the antimicrobial resistance of late‐onset neonatal infections over a period of 5 years.Methods:  Longitudinal audit of neonatal sepsis from January 2005 to December 2009, in the main maternity hospital in Kuwait. Late‐onset neonatal infection was defined as the culture of a single potentially pathogenic organism from blood or cerebrospinal fluid from an infant older than 6 days in association with clinical or laboratory findings consistent with infection.Results:  The overall incidence was 16.9 (95% confidence interval: 15.8–18.0) episodes per 1000 live births. The commonest pathogen was coagulase‐negative Staphylococcus, 339 (35.7%), while Klebsiella was the most common gram‐negative infection, 178 (18.8%). Escherichia coli, Enterococcus and Enterobacter spp were each responsible for 6% of all infections. Candida caused 104 (11.0%) infections. The general pattern of infection remained unchanged over the study period. Case fatality was 11.7% (95% confidence interval: 9.7–13.9%) and was high for Pseudomonas (18.4%) and Candida (22.1%) infections. Approximately 24 and 20% of Klebsiella infections were resistant to cefotaxime and gentamicin, respectively, while 28 and 24% of Escherichia coli infections were resistant to cefotaxime and gentamicin, respectively.Conclusion:  The incidence of late‐onset infection in Kuwait is high, resembling that in resource‐poor countries. The high incidence coupled with low case fatality provides an example for settings where tertiary care is introduced without strict measures against nosocomial infections. Prevention against nosocomial infections in neonatal units has the potential to further reduce neonatal mortality in these settings.
What paediatricians should know about eating disorders in children and young people
Authors: Hudson Lee D , Court Andrew J 
Published: March 2012

AbstractAny health professional working with children and young people may become involved in the care of a child or young person with an eating disorder. Morbidity and mortality can be high, and paediatricians have an important role to play. There are broadly two aspects of underweight that the paediatrician may face – acute medical instability and a more chronic underweight which can impact greatly upon growth and development. Ultimate weight restoration means an adequate nutritional status to allow appropriate growth and development. Key to success is a team approach with paediatric and mental health and dietetic expertise combined. This paper provides an overview of eating disorders and explores current best practice, written in collaboration by a paediatrician and child and adolescent psychiatrist.
Comparison of optic nerve head parameters using Heidelberg Retina Tomograph 3 and spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography
Authors: Sato Shino , Hirooka Kazuyuki , Baba Tetsuya , Shiraga Fumio 
Published: March 2012

AbstractBackground:  To assess the agreement between the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph and Cirrus spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography (Cirrus HD‐OCT [Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA, USA]) when measuring optic disc parameters.Design:  Prospective, cross‐sectional study.Participants:  A total of 96 glaucoma patients and 21 normal subjects were analysed.Methods:  Optic nerve head measurements, including disc area, rim area, cup‐to‐disc ratio and cup volume were obtained using both the Cirrus HD‐OCT and Heidelberg Retina Tomograph 3 (Heidelberg Engineering GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany).Main Outcome Measurements:  Bland–Altman plots were used to evaluate the agreement between each of the optic disc parameters.Results:  Although Cirrus HD‐OCT values were smaller than Heidelberg Retina Tomograph 3 values for the disc and rim areas, overall the Cirrus HD‐OCT and Heidelberg Retina Tomograph 3 measurements were highly correlated (r = 0.657 to 0.821). As compared with Heidelberg Retina Tomograph 3, disc and rim areas tended to be minimized by Cirrus HD‐OCT, especially when there were large disc and rim areas, although there was no relationship between the discrepancy and the level of measurement of the cup‐to‐disc ratio. The optical coherence tomography overestimated the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph‐determined cup volume, especially when there were large cup volumes.Conclusions:  Bland–Altman analyses revealed that with the exception of the cup‐to‐disc ratio, there was poor agreement between the Cirrus HD‐OCT and Heidelberg Retina Tomograph 3 morphometric measurements. In addition, with the exception of the cup‐to‐disc ratio, the optic nerve head measurements could not be directly compared between the Cirrus HD‐OCT and Heidelberg Retina Tomograph 3.
Enhanced extinction of cocaine seeking in brain‐derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met knock‐in mice
Authors: Briand Lisa. A. , Lee Francis S. , Blendy Julie A. , Pierce R. Christopher 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThe Val66Met polymorphism in the brain‐derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) gene results in alterations in fear extinction behavior in both human populations and mouse models. However, it is not clear whether this polymorphism plays a similar role in extinction of appetitive behaviors. Therefore, we examined operant learning and extinction of both food and cocaine self‐administration behavior in an inbred genetic knock‐in mouse strain expressing the variant Bdnf. These mice provide a unique opportunity to relate alterations in aversive and appetitive extinction learning as well as provide insight into how human genetic variation can lead to differences in behavior. BDNFMet/Met mice exhibited a severe deficit in operant learning as demonstrated by an inability to learn the food self‐administration task. Therefore, extinction experiments were performed comparing wildtype (BDNFVal/Val) animals to mice heterozygous for the Met allele (BDNFVal/Met), which did not differ in food or cocaine self‐administration behavior. In contrast to the deficit in fear extinction previously demonstrated in these mice, we found that BDNFVal/Met mice exhibited more rapid extinction of cocaine responding compared to wildtype mice. No differences were found between the genotypes in the extinction of food self‐administration behavior or the reinstatement of cocaine seeking, indicating that the effect is specific to extinction of cocaine responding. These results suggest that the molecular mechanisms underlying aversive and appetitive extinction are distinct from one another and BDNF may play opposing roles in the two phenomena.
Increasing antagonistic interactions cause bacterial communities to collapse at high diversity
Authors: Becker Joachim , Eisenhauer Nico , Scheu Stefan , Jousset Alexandre 
Published: March 2012

Ecology Letters (2012) 15: 468–474AbstractBiodiversity is a major determinant of ecosystem functioning. Species‐rich communities often use resources more efficiently thereby improving community performance. However, high competition within diverse communities may also reduce community functioning. We manipulated the genotypic diversity of Pseudomonas fluorescens communities, a plant mutualistic species inhibiting pathogens. We measured antagonistic interactions in vitro, and related these interactions to bacterial community productivity (root colonisation) and ecosystem service (host plant protection). Antagonistic interactions increased disproportionally with species richness. Mutual poisoning between competitors lead to a ‘negative complementarity effect’, causing a decrease in bacterial density by up to 98% in diverse communities and a complete loss of plant protection. The results emphasize that antagonistic interactions may determine community functioning and cause negative biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships. Interference competition may thus be an additional key for predicting the dynamics and performance of natural assemblages and needs to be implemented in future biodiversity models.
Microfoundations of Routines and Capabilities: Individuals, Processes, and Structure
Authors: Felin Teppo , Foss Nicolai J. , Heimeriks Koen H. , Madsen Tammy L. 
Published: March 2012

abstractThis article introduces the Special Issue and discusses the microfoundations of routines and capabilities, including why a microfoundations view is needed and how it may inform work on organizational and competitive heterogeneity. Building on extant research, we identify three primary categories of micro‐level components underlying routines and capabilities: individuals, social processes, and structure. We discuss how these components, and their interactions, may affect routines and capabilities. In doing so, we outline a research agenda for advancing the field's understanding of the microfoundations of routines and capabilities.
The Effect of Managerial Bias on Employees' Specific Human Capital Investments
Authors: Wang Heli , Wong Kin Fai Ellick 
Published: March 2012

abstractContrary to the conventional belief that escalation of commitment by managers is detrimental, this study argues for its potential benefits. While firm‐specific human capital is considered a critical element of knowledge‐based resources that have the potential for superior firm performance, factors affecting the incentives for employees to make such investments are often overlooked. In the case of firms taking on risky projects, fear of project termination often reduces employees' incentives to make specific human capital investments. We argue that in this situation, the firms may find it desirable to commit to a lower probability of project termination in order to encourage the development of specific human capital by employees. Managers' escalation of commitment tendency may function as such a commitment mechanism. We find support for the key argument from the results of two experimental studies.
Active music classes in infancy enhance musical, communicative and social development
Authors: Gerry David , Unrau Andrea , Trainor Laurel J. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractPrevious studies suggest that musical training in children can positively affect various aspects of development. However, it remains unknown as to how early in development musical experience can have an effect, the nature of any such effects, and whether different types of music experience affect development differently. We found that random assignment to 6 months of active participatory musical experience beginning at 6 months of age accelerates acquisition of culture‐specific knowledge of Western tonality in comparison to a similar amount of passive exposure to music. Furthermore, infants assigned to the active musical experience showed superior development of prelinguistic communicative gestures and social behaviour compared to infants assigned to the passive musical experience. These results indicate that (1) infants can engage in meaningful musical training when appropriate pedagogical approaches are used, (2) active musical participation in infancy enhances culture‐specific musical acquisition, and (3) active musical participation in infancy impacts social and communication development.
Evaluating the Effects of University Grants by Using Regression Discontinuity Designs
Authors: Mealli Fabrizia , Rampichini Carla 
Published: March 2012

SummaryThe paper evaluates the effects of Italian university grants on student dropout. Eligible applicants receive a grant if their family economic indicator is below a specified threshold, so the grant assignment rule appeals to a regression discontinuity design. After a brief introduction to regression discontinuity designs, the particular setting that is considered in the paper is formalized. Difference-in-difference type assumptions are introduced to identify and estimate the effect away from the threshold. Empirical results show that, at the threshold, the grant is an effective tool to prevent students from low income families from dropping out of higher education. However, there is some evidence that the effect of the grant becomes smaller and not significant for poorer students who are further from the threshold.
The Group Size and Loyalty of Football Fans: A Two-Stage Estimation Procedure to Compare Customer Potentials Across Teams
Authors: Brandes Leif , Franck Egon , Theiler Philipp 
Published: March 2012

SummaryThe paper presents estimation results on the size and loyalty of sport teams’ supporter groups in professional German football. Based on a novel two-stage estimation procedure, we find clear evidence for heterogeneity across teams. In the first stage, a random-utility model for a representative consumer is modelled and fitted to more than 1700 matches over the seasons 1996–2001. In the second step, attendance probabilities are predicted for the seasons 2002–2003 to estimate group sizes. A team’s group size is positively correlated with its memberships (ρ^.61; p&lt;0.01), fan clubs (ρ^.59; p&lt;0.01) and merchandizing revenues (ρ^.49; p&lt;0.05). Noteworthy is that no similar correlations can be found for a team’s home town population which has been the standard measure for market size in applied work so far.
Efficient Redistribution of Lifetime Income through Welfare Accounts*
Authors: Bovenberg A. Lans , Hansen Martin Ino , Sørensen Peter Birch 
Published: March 2012

AbstractCompared with a conventional tax–transfer system, individual welfare accounts can redistribute lifetime incomes at a lower efficiency cost. These welfare accounts employ mandatory contributions rather than taxes to finance social transfers to people of working age. We describe a design for welfare accounts that guarantees a Pareto improvement if behavioural responses to the accounts improve the public budget. We also develop a formula for quantifying the impact of welfare accounts on the government budget and economic efficiency. Applying the formula to Danish data, we find that the proposed welfare accounts would generate a Pareto improvement, thus improving the trade‐off between equity and efficiency. We discuss how the gains from welfare accounts can be distributed in an equitable manner.
Universal Credit: A Preliminary Analysis of Its Impact on Incomes and Work Incentives*
Authors: Brewer Mike , Browne James , Jin Wenchao 
Published: March 2012

AbstractAlongside a series of cuts that will reduce welfare spending by £18 billion per year by 2014–15, the UK government announced in November 2010 plans to integrate and simplify means‐tested welfare benefits and in‐work tax credits for working‐age adults into a single programme, to be known as Universal Credit and to be phased in from October 2013. The aims were to make it easier for claimants to claim benefits, to make the gains to work more transparent and to reduce the amount spent on administration and lost in fraud and error. More households will see entitlements rise from the move to Universal Credit considered in isolation than will see entitlements fall; in aggregate, entitlements will rise by nearly £1.1 billion a year. Low‐income families will see their entitlements rise by more than high‐income families, on average, and couples will gain more from the reform, on average, than single‐adult families, especially if there are also children in the family. In general, those facing the weakest incentive to work at all, or the weakest incentive to increase earnings, see their incentives strengthened, including those with very low earnings and hours worked per week and those who at present experience simultaneous withdrawal of multiple means‐tested benefits and tax credits. But a Council Tax Benefit that operates separately from Universal Credit, and that has rules that vary across English local authorities, could easily undermine many of the supposed advantages of Universal Credit.
The Effects of Social Spending on Economic Activity: Empirical Evidence from a Panel of OECD Countries*
Authors: Furceri Davide , Zdzienicka Aleksandra 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to assess the short‐term effects of social spending on economic activity. Using a panel of OECD countries from 1980 to 2005, the results show that social spending has expansionary effects on GDP. In particular, we find that an increase of 1 per cent in social spending increases GDP by about 0.1 percentage points, which, given the share of social spending in GDP, corresponds to a multiplier of about 0.6. The effect is similar to that of total government spending, and it is larger in periods of severe downturns. Among spending subcategories, social spending on health and on unemployment benefits have the greatest effects. Social spending also positively affects private consumption, while it has negligible effects on investment. The empirical results are economically and statistically significant, and robust.
How well is the outcome of patch testing remembered by the patients? A 10‐year follow‐up of testing with the Swedish baseline series at the Department of Dermatology in Örebro, Sweden
Authors: Jamil Wassim N. , Erikssohn Ingalill , Lindberg Magnus 
Published: March 2012

Background. Patch testing is beneficial for patients with contact dermatitis. However, it is not known how well the outcome of patch testing is remembered after a prolonged period.Objectives. To study how well patients remember the outcome of their tests after 1–10 years.Patients/materials/methods. In 2010, a questionnaire was sent to all patients tested with the Swedish baseline series in 2009, 2005, and 2000.Results. The response rate was 53.3% (252/473), and 96% (241/252) of patients reported that they had been submitted for allergy testing. Among those with positive patch test results, 79% (111/141) remembered a positive result and 29% (41/141) reported the correct name of the allergen. We found a wide variation (0–80%) in how well the patients remembered positive test results for different allergens. The ability to recall allergens had no relationship with the localization or extension of eczema lesions, but was negatively correlated with the number of diagnosed allergies, the number of years after patch testing, and being male.Conclusions. Our results indicate that improved information for patients following patch testing is required, in order to improve the prognosis of contact dermatitis.
Impact of tumour necrosis factor‐α polymorphisms on irritant contact dermatitis
Authors: Landeck Lilla , Visser Maaike , Kezic Sanja , John Swen M. 
Published: March 2012

Background. Genetic variations in genes coding for cytokines involved in skin inflammation may alter their expression, thus changing the susceptibility to irritant contact dermatitis (ICD).Objectives. To determine the prevalence of polymorphisms in the cytokine genes TNFA‐238 and TNFA‐308 in patients with occupational ICD, and to compare it with that in controls.Methods. In a case–control study, 478 patients with occupational ICD of the hands were genotyped for TNFA‐238 and TNFA‐308 polymorphisms. The results were compared with those for 393 apprentices from the same high‐risk occupations (controls).Results. For a carrier of a variant TNFA‐238A allele, the odds ratio (OR) of acquiring ICD was 0.57 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.34–0.97], suggesting a protective effect of the A allele. The genotype distributions were 94.4% wild type (G/G), 5.6% heterozygous (G/A) and 0% homozygous for variant allele (A/A) in patients, and 90.9%, 8.5%, and 0.6%, respectively in controls. In contrast, carriers of the variant TNFA‐308A allele had an increased risk of ICD [OR 1.33; 95% CI 1.05–1.74; G/G 66.4%, G/A 31.2%, and A/A 2.4% (patients) versus 73.5%, 24.6%, 1.9% in controls].Conclusions. Individuals with a TNFA‐238 polymorphism are less prone and those with a TNFA‐308 polymorphism are more prone to develop ICD of the hands, suggesting a protective versus a detrimental effect of the A allele respectively.