bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Young children's use of range‐of‐reference information in word learning
Authors: Hall D. Geoffrey , Bélanger Julie 
Published: December 2004

AbstractAn important source of information about a new word's meaning (and its associated lexical class) is its range of reference: the number of objects to which it is extended. Ninety toddlers (mean age = 37 months) participated in a study to determine whether young children can use this information in word learning. When a novel word was presented with unambiguous lexical class cues as either a proper name (i.e. ‘His name is DAXY’) or an adjective (i.e. ‘He is very DAXY’), toddlers interpreted it appropriately, regardless of whether it was applied to one or both members of a pair of identical‐looking stuffed animals. They restricted a proper name to the designated animal(s); but they generalized an adjective from the labeled animal(s) to a new animal bearing the same property. However, when the word was presented with no specific lexical class cues (i.e. ‘DAXY’), toddlers made significantly different interpretations, depending on the number of referents. When the word was applied to one animal, they restricted it to that animal (consistent with a proper name interpretation); when the word was applied to two animals, they generalized it to a new animal with the property (consistent with an adjective or a restricted count noun interpretation). Range‐of‐reference information thus provided toddlers with a default cue to the meaning (and associated lexical class) of a novel word.
Maladaptive conflict monitoring as evidence for executive dysfunction in children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome
Authors: Bish Joel P. , Ferrante Samantha M. , McDonald‐McGinn Donna , Zackai Elaine , Simon Tony J. 
Published: December 2004

Abstract Using an adaptation of the Attentional Networks Test, we investigated aspects of executive control in children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (DS22q11.2), a common but not well understood disorder that produces non‐verbal cognitive deficits and a marked incidence of psychopathology. The data revealed that children with DS22q11.2 demonstrated greater difficulty than controls in locating and processing target items in the presence of distracters. Importantly, children with DS22q11.2 showed a deficit in the ability to monitor and adapt to stimulus conflict. These data provide evidence of inadequate conflict adaptation in children with DS22q11.2, a problem that is also present in schizophrenia. The findings of specific executive dysfunction in this group may provide a linkage between particular genetic abnormalities and the development of psychopathology.
Disentangling dimensions in the dimensional change card‐sorting task
Authors: Kloo Daniela , Perner Josef 
Published: December 2004

Abstract The dimensional change card‐sorting task (DCCS task) is frequently used to assess young children's executive abilities. However, the source of children's difficulty with this task is still under debate. In the standard DCCS task, children have to sort, for example, test cards with a red cherry or a blue banana into two boxes marked with target cards showing a blue cherry and a red banana. Typically, 3‐year‐olds have severe problems switching from sorting by one dimension (e.g. color) to sorting by the other dimension (e.g. shape). Three experiments with 3‐ to 4‐year‐olds showed that separating the two dimensions as properties of a single object, and having them characterize two different objects (e.g. by displaying an outline of a cherry next to a red filled circle on the card) improves performance considerably. Results are discussed in relation to a number of alternative explanations for 3‐year‐olds’ difficulty with the DCCS task.
Animal assisted therapy for people with dementia
Authors: MOTOMURA Naoyasu , YAGI Takayoshi , OHYAMA Hitomi 
Published: December 2004

AbstractBackground: The effects of animal assisted therapy on patients with dementia were investigated through the use of mental state batteries.Methods: The subjects were eight patients admitted in a local nursing home. Their mean age was 84.8 years ±7.0; four were dementia of Alzheimer's type patients, and the others were vascular dementia patients. Mental state tests included the apathy scale, the irritability scale, the depression scale, the activities of daily living and mini‐mental state examination. Dog therapy with two dogs from the Japanese Rescue Association took place for 1 h over four consecutive days.Results: The patients could communicate with and observe the dogs, and the dogs could interact with the humans. The results indicated no significant difference in the irritability scale, the depression scale, activity of daily living and mini‐mental state examination. However, most patients had a good impression of dog therapy, and all improved their apathetic state.Conclusions: These results might imply that animal assisted therapy has the possibility to influence the mental state of patients with dementia.
Physiology in daily hemodialysis in terms of the time average concentration/time average deviation concept
Authors: Lopot Frantisek , Nejedlý Bohdan , Sulková Sylvie 
Published: December 2004

AbstractQuotidian or “daily" hemodialysis (DHD) is practiced in widely differing schedules. Yet all those schedules are reported to significantly ameliorate clinical outcome of patients. It is, however, not clear what is the actual cause of this amelioration. Rational possibilities include increased overall dialysis dose and increased weekly time. Conventional mathematical approaches (Kt/Vurea concept, equivalent renal clearance) cannot be used to study those issues because they do not consider number of dialysis per week and thus ignore the issue of treatment schedule “unphysiology.” The time average concentration/time average deviation (TAC/TAD) concept may well be used to visualize impact of treatment schedule on both plasma urea profile statics (TAC) and dynamics (TAD). The concept may further help to stratify studies for elucidation of the key factors of clinical outcome improvement seen on DHD. Actual physiologic mechanisms responsible for this improvement are to be sought among those with having derivative component (i.e., reacting to the rate of a change rather than to the magnitude of the change). It should, however, be kept in mind that the TAC/TAD concept is able to assess unphysiology of a treatment schedule, not unphysiology of a single treatment session.
Blood access in daily hemodialysis
Authors: Twardowski Zbylut J. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractFrequent dialyses are sometimes perceived as increasing the risk of blood access malfunction and decreased longevity. This review of the literature, however, indicates that the failure rates and overall fistula survival appear to be better with more frequent dialyses than with routine dialysis frequency, although the reasons for this phenomenon are not clear. One of the possible explanations is that frequent dialyses are associated with fewer intradialytic hypotensive episodes, which are very detrimental to the blood access. Another possible explanation is the generally lower blood flow used with more frequent hemodialyses, particularly long nocturnal hemodialysis. Finally, a decreased clotting tendency and decreased rates of hematoma formation at the puncture sites are additional possible explanations. Complication rates with bridge grafts are not higher with more frequent compared to routine thrice‐weekly hemodialysis sessions. No such comparative data are available, however, for central‐vein catheters. This lack of comparisons seems to stem from the intuitive assumption by nephrologists that hemodialyses that are more frequent should not adversely impact catheter complication rates and survival. No data at all are available on the use of the Dialock® hemodialysis system (Biolink Corp., Norwell, MA, USA) and LifeSite® hemodialysis access system (Vasca, Inc., Tewksbury, MA, USA), two newer forms of hybrid access in patients undergoing frequent hemodialyses. Current evidence shows that the perceived risk of blood access malfunction and decreased longevity when patients undergo more frequent hemodialysis is not supported by the current literature.
Nephrology Ethics: “No Dialysis” As a Treatment Option
Authors: Vachharajani T.J. , Atray N.K. 
Published: December 2004

Background:  Renal failure in elderly patients often generates an ethical question “should dialysis be initiated?” The nephrologists are faced with the dilemma of conveying the prognosis of renal failure in elderly patients and also explain the pros and cons of offering a renal replacement therapy (RRT).Methods:  We report a retrospective study conducted between 6/2001 and 6/2003 to evaluate the clinical situations where initiating RRT was considered inappropriate. All patients who opted for not initiating/withdrawal of RRT were included in the study.Results:  Twenty‐four patients were included in the study. All patients were males with average age 70.7 years. 17/24 were in the intensive care unit. Complex medical illnesses with poor quality of life were the major reasons for opting out of RRT. 20/24 patients opted for not initiating RRT and 3/24 patients opted for withdrawal. 1/24 opted for a trial of RRT before taking long‐term decisions. 3/20 who opted against initiating RRT had advanced directives. 18/20 who opted for not initiating RRT died within 3 days of the need for RRT, 2/20 are alive without RRT after 6 and 4 months with estimated GFR of 14 and 12 mL/min, respectively. Patient who opted for a trial of RRT died eventually, 4 months after a prolonged bedridden stay in a nursing home. 3/3 ESRD patients died within a week after withdrawing dialysis.Conclusion:  The decision to initiate RRT should be made considering the overall prognosis. A decision to not initiate or withdraw RRT is possible in critically ill patients and if taken judiciously can reduce physical and mental stress of both patient and their family members.
The Effect of Increasing Blood Flow Rate on Dialysis Adequacy in Hemodialysis Patients with Low Kt/V
Authors: Kim Y.o. , Song W.j. , Yoon S.a. , Shin M.j. , Song H.c. , Kim Y.s. , Kim S.y , Chang Y.s. , Bang B.k. 
Published: December 2004

Dialysis adequacy indexed by Kt/V in hemodialysis (HD) patients is recommended as a single‐pool Kt/V of at least 1.2 per session thrice weekly. But many patients cannot achieve this adequacy target. Although dialysis time is the most important as a factor influencing Kt/V, it is difficult to prolong dialysis time in practice because of its economic impact and poor patient compliance.Objective:  The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of increasing blood flow rate on dialysis adequacy in HD patients with low Kt/V.Methods:  This study enrolled 36 HD patients with single‐pool Kt/V <1.2 per session thrice weekly, which was measured in dialyzer blood flow rate of 230 mL/min. We increased 15% of blood flow rate in patients <65 kg of body weight and 20% in patients >65 kg. And then we compared Kt/V and urea reduction ratio (URR) between before and after increasing blood flow rate.Results:  The mean age was 48 ± 11 years (23–73 years), and the number of males was 25. Of the total patients, 24 patients had dry weight <65 kg. Mean dialysis duration was 52 ± 50 months (3–216 months). Mean Kt/V before increasing blood flow rate was 1.02 ± 0.09. It increased to 1.14 ± 0.12 after increasing blood flow rate (p < 0.001). Of the total 36 patients, 13 patients (36.1%) achieved adequacy target (Kt/V ≤ 1.2). Mean URR before increasing blood flow rate was 56.9 ± 4.0%. It also increased to 60.8 ± 4.1% (p < 0.001).Conclusion:  Our data suggest that increasing blood flow rate by 15–20% of previous flow rate is effective in achieving dialysis adequacy in HD patients with low Kt/V.
News and Traditional Indications from Short Daily Dialysis: Different Schemes to Optimized ESF Response
Authors: Barril G. , Besada E. , Caro P. , Dapena F. , Sanz P. , Cigarran S. , Selgas R. 
Published: December 2004

Interest in quotidian (daily) hemodialysis (DHD) seems to be growing. DHD improves quality of life, blood pressure control, and nutrition, and decreases the need of medications, including erythropoiesis stimulating factors (ESF). We evaluate the short daily dialysis (SDHD) efficacy in 14 patients in conventional hemodialysis (HD) (3 weekly sessions/4 h), mean age 52.1 years, range 25–75, 10 males and 4 females, and found that they needed to increase dialysis efficiency by different medical indications: in 11 cases traditional indications – 5 cases with hypertensive myocardiopathy and severe LVH (2 of them with low left ventricle ejection fraction), 2 cases with symptomatic, ischemic cardiopathy 2 patient with big body‐surface area and elevated phosphorus levels, and 2 patients by inadequate dialysis (infradialysis conditioning malnutrition status) secondary to HD with permanent catheter. In one female (25 yr old), SDHD was prescribed to improve cardiac toxicity secondary to chemotherapy for acute promyelocytic leukemia. The index resistance of ESF decreased since the first month, and the Aranesp doses decreased by more than 40%. 1 male (49 years) with nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy showed skin lesions with osteoblastic transformation. The skin lesions were improving since the first week, obtaining a decrease of the index resistance ESF higher than 60% in the first month. 1 male with symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic myocardiopathy showed improvement of symptoms and quality of life since the first weeks, as well as echocardiograpic signs and improvement in Hb levels and decreasing dose of ESF. The schedule in all of them was 5–6 days/week sessions between 2.15 h and 3 h, depending on body‐surface area. To obtain a weekly Kt/V nearest to 4, HD sessions were realized in the hospital (7 pts) or in satellite unit (7 pts). The time remaining in this schedule was between 1 and 42 months. All the patients showed clinical improvement, subjective and objective, since the first week of start of SDHD. 3 patients could be included in Tx waiting list again. Anemia improved, decreasing index resistance of ESF. In relation with this, the time necessary to improve the response to ESF was different, showing a decrease in the first month higher than 40% in two cases dialyzing with a membrane high‐flux with pore size 100 A, appearing high Hb levels also in a polycystic patient always without ESF. We observed by analyzing the results in 12 stable patients; the patients with high‐flux dialyzers showed better response to ESF. Perhaps it could offer a better clearance of large molecules (inhibitor erythropoiesis factor and high molecular weight toxins) that participate to respond to ESF.Conclusion:  Our experience shows new indications for SDHD with very good results. Anemia was improved in relation with SDHD, when synthetic high‐flux membranes and high pore size were used.
Chronic Hemodialysis in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital
Authors: Agaba E.I. , Lopez A. , Ma I. , Martinez R. , Tzamaloukas R.A. , Vanderjagt D.J. , Glew R.H. , Tzamaloukas A.H. 
Published: December 2004

The Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) has dialyzed >320 patients with ESRD since 1993.Objective:  To identify differences, and their causes, in the practice of dialysis between Nigerian state‐owned dialysis units and U.S.A.Methods:  We analyzed the characteristics of chronic dialysis at JUTH.Results:  At JUTH, chronic dialysis is started at development of frank uremia (K/DOQI standard: creatinine clearance >10 mL/min, no overt uremia). Frequency of hemodialysis was 3 times weekly in 2 patients, twice weekly in 1 and once weekly or longer in 7 patients. Breakdowns in the dialysis machinery, which is outdated, forced additional decreases in the frequency of dialysis. Duration of a dialysis session was 4 h by prescription, but much longer in several sessions because of dialysis machine breakdown during the session (US standard: 4 h). 2 patients were dialyzed through arterio‐venous fistulas and 8 patients were dialyzed though temporary femoral vein dialysis catheters removed after each dialysis session. A vascular surgeon was unavailable. The urea reduction ratio was 45.38.6% (U.S.A target: 65%). The cost of the first dialysis session at JUTH is $160. With reuse of dialysis supplies, including dialyzers, dialysis tubing, femoral catheters, and guide wires, the cost of each subsequent dialysis session is $33. The minimal cost of dialysis with 3 dialysis sessions weekly and a new dialyzer every week is $501 per month. The cost of dialysis is borne exclusively by the patient. For comparison, average monthly income is $74 for unskilled laborers, $222 for dialysis technicians, $296 for dialysis nurses, and $889 for academic nephrologists. The low dose of dialysis has adverse effects on patient quality of life (frequent admissions with uremia). Despite notable exceptions (2 patients on dialysis for 12 and 9 years, respectively), survival of dialysis patients at JUTH appears to be poor.Conclusions:  Underdialysis is frequent in Nigeria and is the consequence of socioeconomic conditions and technologic deficits. Removal of the economic burden of dialysis from the patients with ESRD is the first logical step toward correction of underdialysis.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi benefit from 7 years of free air CO2 enrichment in well‐fertilized grass and legume monocultures
Authors: Gamper Hannes , Peter Markus , Jansa Jan , Lüscher Andreas , Hartwig Ueli A. , Leuchtmann Adrian 
Published: December 2004

AbstractRising atmospheric carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO2) and nitrogen (N) deposition are important components of global environmental change. In the Swiss free air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) experiment, the effect of altered atmospheric pCO2 (35 vs. 60 Pa) and the influence of two different N‐fertilization regimes (14 vs. 56 g N m−2 a−1) on root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and other fungi (non‐AMF) of Lolium perenne and Trifolium repens were studied. Plants were grown in permanent monoculture plots, and fumigated during the growth period for 7 years. At elevated pCO2 AMF and non‐AMF root colonization was generally increased in both plant species, with significant effects on colonization intensity and on hyphal and non‐AMF colonization. The CO2 effect on arbuscules was marginally significant (P=0.076). Moreover, the number of small AMF spores (≤100 μm) in the soils of monocultures (at low‐N fertilization) of both plant species was significantly increased, whereas that of large spores (>100 μm) was increased only in L. perenne plots. N fertilization resulted in a significant decrease of root colonization in L. perenne, including the AMF parameters, hyphae, arbuscules, vesicles and intensity, but not in T. repens. This phenomenon was probably caused by different C‐sink limitations of grass and legume. Lacking effects of CO2 fumigation on intraradical AMF structures (under high‐N fertilization) and no response to N fertilization of arbuscules, vesicles and colonization intensity suggest that the function of AMF in T. repens was non‐nutritional. In L. perenne, however, AM symbiosis may have amended N nutrition, because all root colonization parameters were significantly increased under low‐N fertilization, whereas under high‐N fertilization only vesicle colonization was increased. Commonly observed P‐nutritional benefits from AMF appeared to be absent under the phosphorus‐rich soil conditions of our field experiment. We hypothesize that in well‐fertilized agricultural ecosystems, grasses benefit from improved N nutrition and legumes benefit from increased protection against pathogens and/or herbivores. This is different from what is expected in nutritionally limited plant communities.
Elevated UV‐B radiation has no effect on litter quality and decomposition of two dune grassland species: evidence from a long‐term field experiment
Authors: Hoorens Bart , Aerts Rien , Stroetenga Martin 
Published: December 2004

AbstractFrom studies on living plant tissues it has been inferred that elevated UV‐B radiation could negatively affect litter quality and subsequent decomposition. However, in general, the effects of UV‐B radiation on litter chemistry and decomposition reported in the literature are variable and are often only marginally (if at all) significant. This might be due to the ecologically unrealistic conditions under which these experiments were performed.We investigated the effects of elevated UV‐B radiation on litter quality and subsequent decomposition on initial litter chemistry and long‐term (2 years) decomposition of freshly senescedCarex arenariaandCalamagrostis epigejosleaf litter under ecologically realistic conditions. This material was collected from a dune grassland that had received UV‐B radiation treatments for three growing seasons. It was then used in a 2‐year decomposition study using litter bags.We found no significant effects of elevated UV‐B radiation on any of the litter chemistry parameters in either of the two species, nor did we find significant effects on litter decomposition. However, we did find significant differences in litter decomposition between the species. These differences were related to the interspecific differences in litter chemistry, particularly the litter phenolics concentration. These results show that litter quality and decomposition in dune grasslands are, also under ecologically realistic conditions, not affected by UV‐B radiation. Instead, litter decomposition is determined by constitutive interspecific differences in litter chemistry.In conclusion, with our results added to the already existing literature, the preponderance of evidence now clearly suggests that elevated UV‐B radiation has very little, if any, impact on litter quality and subsequent decomposition in real ecosystems.
The seasonal temperature dependency of photosynthesis and respiration in two deciduous forests
Authors: Jarvis Andrew J. , Stauch Vanessa J. , Schulz Karsten , Young Peter C. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractNovel nonstationary and nonlinear dynamic time series analysis tools are applied to multiyear eddy covariance CO2flux and micrometeorological data from the Harvard Forest and University of Michigan Biological Station field study sites. Firstly, the utility of these tools for partitioning the gross photosynthesis and bulk respiration signals within these series is demonstrated when employed within a simple model framework. This same framework offers a promising new method for gap filling missing CO2flux data. Analysing the dominant seasonal components extracted from the CO2flux data using these tools, models are inferred for daily gross photosynthesis and bulk respiration. Despite their simplicity, these models fit the data well and yet are characterized by well‐defined parameter estimates when the models are optimized against calibration data. Predictive validation of the models also demonstrates faithful forecasts of annual net cumulative CO2fluxes for these sites.