bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Early bilingualism enhances mechanisms of false‐belief reasoning
Authors: Kovács Ágnes Melinda 
Published: August 2008

Abstract In their first years, children's understanding of mental states seems to improve dramatically, but the mechanisms underlying these changes are still unclear. Such ‘theory of mind’ (ToM) abilities may arise during development, or have an innate basis, developmental changes reflecting limitations of other abilities involved in ToM tasks (e.g. inhibition). Special circumstances such as early bilingualism may enhance ToM development or other capacities required by ToM tasks. Here we compare 3‐year‐old bilinguals and monolinguals on a standard ToM task, a modified ToM task and a control task involving physical reasoning. The modified ToM task mimicked a language‐switch situation that bilinguals often encounter and that could influence their ToM abilities. If such experience contributes to an early consolidation of ToM in bilinguals, they should be selectively enhanced in the modified task. In contrast, if bilinguals have an advantage due to better executive inhibitory abilities involved in ToM tasks, they should outperform monolinguals on both ToM tasks, inhibitory demands being similar. Bilingual children showed an advantage on the two ToM tasks but not on the control task. The precocious success of bilinguals may be associated with their well‐developed control functions formed during monitoring and selecting languages.
Developmental changes in visual object recognition between 18 and 24 months of age
Authors: Pereira Alfredo F. , Smith Linda B. 
Published: August 2008

Abstract Two experiments examined developmental changes in children's visual recognition of common objects during the period of 18 to 24 months. Experiment 1 examined children's ability to recognize common category instances that presented three different kinds of information: (1) richly detailed and prototypical instances that presented both local and global shape information, color, textural and featural information, (2) the same rich and prototypical shapes but no color, texture or surface featural information, or (3) that presented only abstract and global representations of object shape in terms of geometric volumes. Significant developmental differences were observed only for the abstract shape representations in terms of geometric volumes, the kind of shape representation that has been hypothesized to underlie mature object recognition. Further, these differences were strongly linked in individual children to the number of object names in their productive vocabulary. Experiment 2 replicated these results and showed further that the less advanced children's object recognition was based on the piecemeal use of individual features and parts, rather than overall shape. The results provide further evidence for significant and rapid developmental changes in object recognition during the same period children first learn object names. The implications of the results for theories of visual object recognition, the relation of object recognition to category learning, and underlying developmental processes are discussed.
Mobile technology in the village: ICTs, culture, and social logistics in India
Authors: Tenhunen Sirpa 
Published: August 2008

Mobile technology is currently emerging as the first extensive form of electronic communication system in many regions of Africa and Asia. This article analyses the appropriation of mobile phones in rural India by exploring what new social alternatives mobile phones enable and how these new social constellations relate to culture and cultural change. The ethnographic description relates phone usage to other communication patterns and ongoing processes of transformation. The article shows how the appropriation of phones draws from the local cultural and social context, but also that phones facilitate new patterns that show great similarity with social processes in other places where phones have been introduced as the first form of communication technology, such as the increased multiplicity of social contacts and the greater efficiency of market relationships. I argue that mobile technology amplifies ongoing processes of cultural change but does so selectively, so that it brings about the homogenization of ‘social logistics’.RésuméDans de nombreuses régions d'Asie et d'Afrique, la technologie mobile apparaît aujourd'hui comme la première forme étendue de communications électroniques. L'auteur analyse ici l'appropriation de la téléphonie mobile en Inde, en explorant les nouvelles alternatives sociales que le téléphone portable rend possibles et les liens entre ces nouvelles constellations sociales, d'une part, et d'autre part la culture et le changement culturel. La description ethnographique fait le lien entre l'utilisation du téléphone et les autres modes de communication et avec les processus actuels de transformation. L'article montre comment l'appropriation du téléphone s'inscrit dans le contexte culturel et social local, tout en mettant en lumière la similarité entre la façon dont le téléphone facilite de nouveaux schémas de communication et les processus sociaux qui se déploient dans d'autres lieux où la téléphonie a été introduite comme première forme de technologie de communication : multiplication des contacts sociaux, efficacité accrue des relations de marché. L'auteur affirme que la technologie mobile amplifie les processus actuels de changement culturel, mais quelle le fait de manière sélective, en induisant ainsi une homogénéisation de la « logistique sociale ».
The people of solitude: recalling and reinventing essuf (the wild) in traditional and emergent Tuareg cultural spaces
Authors: Rasmussen Susan J. 
Published: August 2008

This article explores continuities and discontinuities in conventional and changing meanings and uses of essuf, a term which denotes approximately the ‘wild’, ‘solitude’, or ‘nostalgia’ in dialects of the Tamajaq language spoken by Tuareg peoples in Mali and Niger. In this analysis of creative reinventions of essuf in both local and ‘borderlands’ spaces of psycho‐social crises, oral art performances, and ‘modern’ literature, the wider goal is to produce more nuanced anthropological understandings of local/global and structure/agency connections. The data illustrate the connections between sacred spaces – literal, imagined, and remembered – in African philosophical modes of thought and socio‐political power and agency. The Tuareg case opens up perspectives on how cultural spaces of varying scale are affected by selective remembering, and creative re‐enacting of key philosophical notions. The data caution anthropologists against reifications and binaries of global and local, and structure and agency.RésuméL'article explore les continuités et discontinuités dans les significations et usages conventionnels et changeants de l'essouf, qui désigne approximativement le monde sauvage, la nostalgie ou la solitude dans les dialectes du langage tamajaq parlé par les Touareg du Mali et du Niger. Dans cette analyse des réinventions créatives de l'essouf dans les espaces locaux et « frontaliers » des crises psychosociales, des performances d'art oral et de la littérature « moderne », le but plus large est de parvenir à une compréhension anthropologique plus nuancée des liens entre local et global, entre structure et agency. Les données illustrent les liens entre les espaces sacrés, littéraux, imaginés et remémorés, dans les modes de pensée et de pouvoir sociopolitique africains. Le cas des Touareg ouvre de nouvelles perspectives sur la manière dont les espaces culturels d'échelles variables sont affectés par la remémoration sélective et la réincarnation créative de notions philosophiques essentielles. Ces données sont aussi une mise en garde aux anthropologues contre les réifications et les concepts binaires de global et local, de structure et d'agency.
Indigeneity, ferality, and what ‘belongs’ in the Australian bush: Aboriginal responses to ‘introduced’ animals and plants in a settler‐descendant society
Authors: Trigger David S. 
Published: August 2008

This article investigates responses among Aboriginal people in Australia to animals and plants introduced through the process of British colonization. While there is some rejection of exotic species as emblematic of European dispossession, the article explores cases where certain fauna and flora have been embraced intellectually within Aboriginal cultural traditions. The broader discussion canvasses links in Australia between ideas of ‘nativeness’ in society and nature. If Indigenous people have incorporated non‐native species, what are the implications for an Australian identity defined substantially in terms of ‘native’ landscapes? The article considers the significance of non‐native nature for flexible constructions of cultural belonging among Aboriginal people in a post‐colonial society. The concept of ‘emergent autochthony’ is proposed.RésuméL'auteur étudie l'attitude des peuples aborigènes d'Australie face aux animaux et végétaux introduits au cours de la colonisation britannique. Bien qu'un certain rejet se manifeste vis‐à‐vis des espèces exotiques perçues comme emblématiques de la dépossession par les Européens, l'article explore des situations dans lesquelles certains éléments de la faune et de la flore ont été adoptés intellectuellement dans les traditions culturelles aborigènes. Le champ élargi de la discussion tisse des liens entre les notions d' « autochtonie » dans la société et la nature en Australie. Si les Aborigènes ont intégré des espèces non natives, quelles en sont les implications pour l'identité australienne, définie pour une bonne part en termes de paysages natifs ? L'auteur examine la signification de la nature non autochtone dans les constructions flexibles de l'appartenance culturelle chez les peuples aborigènes dans une société postcoloniale, et propose le concept d' « autochtonie émergente ».
The Impact of Corporate Governance on Executive Compensation
Authors: Sapp Stephen G. 
Published: August 2008

Abstract This paper examines the relationship between the compensation of the top five executives at a set of over 400 publicly listed Canadian firms and various internal and external corporate governance‐related factors. The media is full of stories suggesting a relationship between large executive compensation packages and failures in governance at various levels within organisations, but there exists little formal analysis of many of these relationships. Our analysis provides empirical evidence supporting some of these assertions, refuting others and documenting new relationships. We find that variances in internal governance related to differences across firms in the characteristics of the CEO, compensation committee and board of directors do influence both the level and composition of executive compensation, especially for the CEO. Considering external measures of corporate governance, we find that different types of shareholders and competitive environments impact executive compensation. We do not find that either the internal or external governance characteristics dominate.
Assessment and Characteristics of Older Adults with Intellectual Disabilities Who are not Accessing Specialist Intellectual Disability Services
Authors: Dodd Philip , Guerin Suzanne , Mulvany Fiona , Tyrrell Janette , Hillery John 
Published: August 2008

Background  Individuals with intellectual disabilities (I.D.) who are not accessing any specialist services are a vulnerable group, especially with advancing age. In Ireland, the National Intellectual Disability Database (N.I.D.D.) records the current and future service needs of people with intellectual disabilities, as well as those individuals who are not in receipt of services.Methods  This two‐part study firstly used the N.I.D.D. to look at the number and characteristics of those older individuals outside services. Following this, a questionnaire was developed to examine the contact and assessment procedures practised with people who are listed on the N.I.D.D. as not requiring any specialist service.Results  Analysis of the database showed that 7.5% of people on the N.I.D.D. with moderate, severe or profound I.D., over the age of thirty and living at home with family were awaiting, or were not in receipt of specialist services. For these people not accessing any services, the questionnaire responses highlighted poor assessment practices including significant periods of time passing between contacts with the individual and limited contact regarding service planning.Conclusions  Specialist services need to be more pro‐active in engaging vulnerable older individuals in services. A standardised approach needs to be developed in the assessment and monitoring of individuals and families refusing services.
Assessing the demand for value‐based organic meats in Canada: a combined retail and household scanner‐data approach
Authors: Anders Sven , Moeser Anke 
Published: August 2008

AbstractWe apply sets of weekly retail and household scanner data to estimate consumer demand of selected organic and conventional fresh beef products in the Canadian retail market. The main contribution of our study stems from the application of a two‐stage procedure that provides new and deeper insight into consumers' responses to changing retail environment and pricing for organic and conventional meat products. Combined knowledge of point‐of‐sale consumer behaviour for value‐based products, such as organic products, and distinct socio‐demographic profiles of buyers vs. non‐buyers of meat is especially interesting for retail managers and meat industry stakeholders. First, household meat consumption patterns are investigated based on household scanner data that track household's meat purchases in the period 2006–2007. The second step of analysis then involves the estimation of an almost ideal demand system for selected organic and conventional fresh beef products using retail scanner data for the period 2000–2007. The introduction of greater selections in organic product lines across mainstream supermarkets in Canada in response to consumer health concerns is expected to spur retail competition in an otherwise saturated Canadian retail market. The analysis of socio‐demographic profiles in beef consumption using individual household's purchase data reveals that besides regional differences in preferences, household size and resource characteristics are major determinants of point‐of‐sale beef purchase decisions. Our demand system results indicate that organic beef is highly dependent on price and expenditures, whereas demand for conventional beef is mostly driven by income, habits and ‘typical’ Canadian seasonal beef consumption patterns. Altogether, our conclusions on organic beef vs. conventional beef buyers may have further implications for institutional regulations.
Do consumers care about food miles? An empirical analysis in France
Authors: Sirieix Lucie , Grolleau Gilles. , Schaer Burkhard 
Published: August 2008

AbstractWe conducted two qualitative surveys to identify whether food miles, defined as the distance that foodstuff travels between the production location and the consumption marketplace, matter for French consumers. First, two focus groups with ‘conventional’ consumers show that distance is a multidimensional concept, both positively and negatively perceived, and that most consumers are not concerned by food miles and their subsequent environmental impact. Second, 10 face‐to‐face interviews with consumers of locally grown organic food demonstrate that these consumers purchase local food for other reasons than reducing ‘food miles’ and buy imported organic food in spite of increased food miles. We shed light on this situation using theoretical concepts from economics and psychology. Some implications for policymakers and marketers are stressed.
Identifying the effective evidence sources to use in developing Clinical Guidelines for Acute Stroke Management: lived experiences of the search specialist and project manager
Authors: Parkhill Anne , Hill Kelvin 
Published: August 2008

AbstractBackground:  The Australian National Stroke Foundation appointed a search specialist to find the best available evidence for the second edition of its Clinical Guidelines for Acute Stroke Management.Objective:  To identify the relative effectiveness of differing evidence sources for the guideline update.Methods:  We searched and reviewed references from five valid evidence sources for clinical and economic questions: (i) electronic databases; (ii) reference lists of relevant systematic reviews, guidelines, and/or primary studies; (iii) table of contents of a number of key journals for the last 6 months; (iv) internet/grey literature; and (v) experts. Reference sources were recorded, quantified, and analysed.Results:  In the clinical portion of the guidelines document, there was a greater use of previous knowledge and sources other than electronic databases for evidence, while there was a greater use of electronic databases for the economic section.Conclusions:  The results confirmed that searchers need to be aware of the context and range of sources for evidence searches. For best available evidence, searchers cannot rely solely on electronic databases and need to encompass many different media and sources.
LIM‐only protein 4 interacts directly with the repulsive guidance molecule A receptor Neogenin
Authors: Schaffar Gregor , Taniguchi Junko , Brodbeck Tanja , Meyer Axel H. , Schmidt Martin , Yamashita Toshihide , Mueller Bernhard K. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractRepulsive guidance molecule A (RGM A) was recently described as a potent inhibitor of neuroregeneration in a rat spinal cord injury model. The receptor mediating RGM A’s repulsive activity was shown to be Neogenin, a member of the Deleted in Colorectal Cancer (DCC) family of netrin receptors. Binding of RGM A to Neogenin induces activation of the small GTPase RhoA and of its effector Rho‐kinase by an unknown mechanism. Here we show, that the cytoplasmic tail of Neogenin interacts directly with the transcriptional coactivator LIM domain only 4 (LMO4) in human SH‐SY5Y cells, human Ntera neurons, and in embryonic rat cortical neurons. RGM A binding to Neogenin but not binding of Netrin‐1, induces release of LMO4 from Neogenin. Down‐regulation of LMO4 neutralizes the repulsive activity of RGM A in neuronal cell lines and embryonic rat cortical neurons and prevents RhoA activation. These results show for the first time that an interaction of Neogenin with LMO4 is involved in the RGM A – Neogenin signal transduction pathway for RhoA activation.
Reduction of Helicobacter Infection in IL‐10−/– Mice is Dependent On CD4+ T Cells but not on Mast Cells
Authors: Velin Dominique , Bachmann Daniel , Bouzourene Hanifa , Michetti Pierre 
Published: August 2008

AbstractBackground:  In contrast to wild type, interleukin‐10‐deficient (IL‐10−/–) mice are able to clear Helicobacter infection. In this study, we investigated the immune response of IL‐10−/– mice leading to the reduction of Helicobacter infection.Materials and Methods:  We characterized the immune responses of Helicobacter felis‐infected IL‐10−/– mice by studying the systemic antibody and cellular responses toward Helicobacter. We investigated the role of CD4+ T cells in the Helicobacter clearance by injecting H. felis‐infected IL‐10−/– mice with anti‐CD4 depleting antibodies. To examine the role of mast cells in Helicobacter clearance, we constructed and infected mast cells and IL‐10 double‐deficient mice.Results:  Reduction of Helicobacter infection in IL‐10−/– mice is associated with strong humoral (fivefold higher serum antiurease antibody titers were measured in IL‐10−/– in comparison to wild‐type mice, p < .008) and cellular (urease‐stimulated splenic CD4+ T cells isolated from infected IL‐10−/– mice produce 150‐fold more interferon‐γ in comparison to wild‐type counterparts, p < .008) immune responses directed toward Helicobacter. Depletion of CD4+ cells from Helicobacter‐infected IL‐10−/– mice lead to the loss of bacterial clearance (rapid urease tests are threefold higher in CD4+ depleted IL‐10−/– in comparison to nondepleted IL‐10−/– mice, p < .02). Mast cell IL‐10−/– double‐deficient mice clear H. felis infection, indicating that mast cells are unnecessary for the bacterial eradication in IL‐10−/– mice.Conclusion:  Taken together, these results suggest that CD4+ cells are required for Helicobacter clearance in IL‐10−/– mice. This reduction of Helicobacter infection is, however, not dependent on the mast cell population.
Helicobacter pylori and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: A Case–Control Study
Authors: Corley Douglas A. , Kubo Ai , Levin T. R. , Block Gladys , Habel Laurel , Rumore Gregory , Quesenberry Charles , Buffler Patricia , Parsonnet Julie 
Published: August 2008

AbstractBackground:  Gastric colonization with Helicobacter pylori is a proposed protective factor against gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), but little population‐based data exist and other data conflict.Methods:  We conducted a case–control study within the membership of a large integrated health‐care system that compared GERD‐free subjects with two groups: subjects with a physician‐assigned GERD diagnosis and randomly selected members with self‐described weekly GERD symptoms. Subjects completed interviews, GERD questionnaires, and antibody testing for H. pylori and its cagA protein.Results:  Serologic data were available for 301 physician‐assigned GERD patients, 81 general membership subjects with GERD symptoms, and 175 general membership subjects without GERD symptoms. Physician‐assigned GERD patients were less likely to have H. pylori antibodies than GERD‐free member controls (odds ratio (OR) = 0.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.15–0.47); there was also an inverse association between H. pylori and GERD symptom severity (OR = 0.18, 95% CI 0.08–0.41; severe or very severe symptoms) and GERD frequency (OR = 0.18, 95% CI 0.09–0.38; for symptoms at least weekly). The association was stronger among persons with erosive GERD and was similar between H. pylori‐positive subjects with and without cagA. There was no association among persons who were cagA positive, but H. pylori negative. Similar findings were found in analyses of the general membership with self‐described GERD symptoms.Conclusions:  H. pylori antibody status was inversely associated with a GERD diagnosis and GERD symptoms compared with a general membership population.