bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Workers’ compensation insurance agents’ satisfaction with occupational therapy activities of daily living assessments
Authors: Mason Rachael , Darzins Susan , Cromie Jean 
Published: August 2005

Background and Aim: Little is known about insurance agents’ (insurers) satisfaction with the services provided by occupational therapists when they assess injured workers’ activities of daily living (ADL). Demonstration of accountability and provision of high‐quality services are important to the occupational therapy profession. The aim of this study was to evaluate insurers’ overall satisfaction with occupational therapy ADL assessments for injured workers, including communication, timeliness of reports, equipment provision, knowledge of insurers’ requirements and the workers’ compensation process, and provision of a professional opinion. Relationships between insurers’ overall satisfaction with ADL assessments, degree of experience in their job, formal qualifications and roles within their organisation were also investigated.Method: A telephone survey was developed and administered to a sample of 40 claims officers and injury management advisors from 10 Victorian Work Cover Authority authorised agents.Results: Insurers were generally satisfied with occupational therapy ADL assessments. They were less satisfied with occupational therapists’ knowledge of workers’ compensation system requirements and how occupational therapists made decisions when recommending household services.Conclusion: To improve services to the insurance industry, occupational therapists need to better understand relevant legislative frameworks.
Improving handwriting without teaching handwriting: The consultative clinical reasoning process
Authors: Erhardt Rhoda P. , Meade Vickie 
Published: August 2005

Background and Aim: Children who have difficulty with handwriting are often referred for occupational therapy. This case report describes a dynamic intervention process and consultative relationship between an occupational therapist and physiotherapist, meeting the needs of an adolescent with handwriting problems.Methods and Results: Examples are given of the collaborative clinical reasoning process, problem‐solving strategies, and ongoing adaptation of activities, materials, and equipment, leading to moderate improvement in handwriting and significant improvements in school reports and athletic competence, maintained for 6 years.Conclusion: Clinical decisions for selecting and modifying intervention techniques can be derived from assessment of occupational performance areas and performance components (underlying motor, sensory, and perceptual deficits interfering with the production of legible handwriting), within relevant performance contexts.
Intradialytic serum protein concentrations differ between nightly nocturnal and conventional haemodialysis
Authors: WIGGINS KATHRYN J , SOMERVILLE CHRISTINE A , KNIGHT RICHARD , SIMMONDS ROSEMARY , BODDINGTON JANEANE , AGAR JOHN WM 
Published: August 2005

SUMMARY:Aim:  Nocturnal haemodialysis (NHD) is a new haemodialysis (HD) modality that has been shown to have many benefits when compared with conventional haemodialysis (CHD). Previous results from our NHD programme have demonstrated a 7% fall in the postdialysis serum albumin concentration when compared with the pre‐HD levels. A similar, physiological, 9% haemodilution of albumin is seen in normal individuals on assuming a supine posture.Method:  In this observational study, the intradialytic change in the concentration of 11 serum proteins (total protein, albumin, alkaline phosphatase, gamma glutamyl transferase, alanine transaminase, amylase, transferrin, complement factors 3 and 4, free thyroxine and C‐reactive protein (CRP)) was measured in 10 patients on NHD and in 10 age‐ and sex‐matched controls on CHD. The ultrafiltration rate (UFR) was also recorded.Results:  We demonstrated an intradialytic fall in the total protein (0.63%), albumin (2.40%), alkaline phosphatase (1.84%), amylase (8.82%), complement factor 3 (2.73%) and CRP (8.19%) in patients on NHD. This was of a lesser magnitude than that occurring in the pilot study but still approximated the physiological fall in serum proteins occurring with overnight recumbency in normal individuals. In contrast, all serum proteins measured rose during CHD, reflecting intravascular volume contraction and haemoconcentration. The UFR was significantly lower in NHD than CHD (234.52 ± 20.90 mL/h vs 435.38 ± 38.44 mL/h, P < 0.001).Conclusion:  We concluded that NHD is a modality that facilitates the use of a low UFR and hence the slow removal of volume which, in turn, results in a minimal perturbation of the normal recumbent volume distribution mechanism and the partial preservation of the normal physiological response to recumbency of the serum protein concentration.
A shared document‐based annotation tool to support learner‐centred collaborative learning
Authors: Nokelainen Petri , Miettinen Miikka , Kurhila Jaakko , Floréen Patrik , Tirri Henry 
Published: August 2005

AbstractA shared document‐based annotation tool was presented, and its usefulness in two different real‐life web‐based university‐level courses (adult learners, n= 27 and adolescent learners, n= 23) was empirically investigated. The study design embodied three data collection phases: (1) a pretest measuring self‐rated motivation, learning strategies, and social ability; (2) log file data analysis showing actual use of the system features; and (3) a posttest in a form of an email survey. For both groups, the results showed that the level of motivation has a positive effect on activity in the system and the final grade. The learners, who reported to have good time‐management strategies, were the most active users of the system. The level of social ability predicted both the number of consecutive comments in the documents and the threads in document‐related newsgroup discussions. Log file data analysis showed that user activity in the system was positively related to the final grade in both samples. Results of the posttest showed that all the respondents agreed when asked: (1) if the system brought added value to the learning process; (2) if the use of the system changed their studying habits favourably; and (3) if they would like to use the system in other courses.
Prompting conceptual understanding with computer‐mediated peer discourse and knowledge acquisition techniques
Authors: Liu Chen‐Chung , Lee Jia‐Hsung 
Published: August 2005

AbstractNumerous computer‐mediated communication (CMC) tools have been designed to facilitate group discourses on the Web. However, previous studies noted that participants did not value online conferencing as a method for conducting in‐depth discussions, and instead considered this method as merely scratching the surface of the issues involved. Therefore, the teachers must moderate the online discourse to add value to the success of CMC. This study presents a methodology that uses knowledge acquisition techniques during online discourses to increase student conceptual understanding and evaluation skills. The methodology explains the conceptual frameworks of individuals and the conceptual relationships between student peers. Active database triggers then are applied to automatically monitor the conceptual relationships and to moderate online discourses between student peers. Student reactions demonstrated that discourses mediated by the repertory grid analysis technique helped group members not only promote common conceptual understandings but also to approach the level of conceptual understanding of the teacher.
Design criteria for work‐based learning: Merrill's First Principles of Instruction expanded
Authors: Collis Betty , Margaryan Anoush 
Published: August 2005

AbstractIn multinational corporations, new models of learning are developing. A particular model with direct applications for challenges facing distributed workforces is one that combines the strengths of formal and informal learning while focusing on participants’ work‐based tasks. An operationalisation of this model in the context of the ongoing professional development of the engineers, geologists, and other technical specialists in a multinational oil company (Shell EP) is described. Important for the quality control and continual improvement of the implementation of the model is a set of criteria for the design and evaluation of courses reflecting its work‐based learning approach.Merrill's First Principles of Instruction (2002)form a starting point for such a model, but need to be expanded to reflect the particular needs of the Shell EP context. This article presents the expansion of Merrill's First Principles as theMerrill+design and evaluation criteriafor courses with work‐based activities for technical professionals and demonstrates how the criteria can be applied through a selection of some results of evaluations of more than 60 of the Shell EP courses using a course‐scan methodology based on the Merrill+ criteria. Implications of use of the Merrill+ criteria for design and evaluation are discussed.
Checklist and context‐bound evaluations of online learning in higher education
Authors: Hosie Peter , Schibeci Renato 
Published: August 2005

AbstractA review is undertaken of what different commentators have written about the evaluation of educational courseware in higher education. Speculation is made on the reasons for the lack of such evaluations. The role of checklists for evaluating online courseware is discussed despite the acknowledged limitations. Checklists have been developed at Edith Cowan University specifically for assessing aspects of online pedagogical learning materials in higher education. These checklists are intended to be useful indicators of the areas where online learning materials are strong and identify areas that may be deficient rather than to arrive at a numeric score. The form of checklist proposed is a valuable screening device to use before undertaking a context‐bound evaluation of courseware.Contextual evaluations are a complementary and valuable alternative to traditional forms of evaluation of educational courseware, such as checklists. A case is also made in this article for using a checklist developed for assessing aspects of online pedagogical learning materials in higher education. It is argued that, when used in conjunction with a context‐bound approach, such checklists may be more useful in indicating the pedagogical quality of online learning materials.Quality of the instructional design remains an important consideration in evaluating courseware. Continuing comments and dissent are invited on the value of contextual evaluations of educational courseware to reinvigorate the debate over appropriate ways of evaluating online courseware that will provide helpful information for higher education.
Reforms of Environmental Policies in the Presence of Cross‐border Pollution and Public–Private Clean‐up*
Authors: Hatzipanayotou Panos , Lahiri Sajal , Michael Michael S. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractWe construct a two‐country model where pollution from production is transmitted across borders. Pollution abatement is undertaken by both private producers and the public sector. We characterize Nash optimal levels of the policy instruments in the two countries: emission taxes and funds allocated for public abatement activities. We examine the implications of a number of multilateral policy reforms. One of our findings is that the magnitude of the beneficial effect of a reform depends on the scope of the reform; if it is restricted to a subset of policy instruments, then the efficacy of environmental policy reform can be greatly undermined.
A randomised controlled pilot study of the management of gestational impaired glucose tolerance
Authors: Bancroft K. , Tuffnell D. J. , Mason G. C. , Rogerson L. J. , Mansfield M. 
Published: August 2005

Objective To determine whether a study of a less intensive form of management for impaired glucose tolerance in pregnancy is feasible and whether women would accept randomisation.Design Prospective randomised controlled study.Setting A large district general hospital and a large teaching hospital in West Yorkshire.Sample
Seventy women with impaired glucose tolerance in pregnancy.Methods One group monitored plasma glucose up to four times daily. The other group did not monitor plasma glucose at all.Main outcome measures
The number of women recruited of those approached and neonatal admissions to special care baby units in each group.Results Sixty‐eight of 70 women approached entered the study. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in neonatal outcome measures. The median number of plasma glucose measurements in the monitored group was 118 (range 0–500), and 19% of women in the monitored group were treated with insulin.Conclusions This study fails to demonstrate any benefit from intensive management of impaired glucose tolerance in pregnancy with additional maternal inconvenience. This pilot study has shown that a large randomised controlled study of the management of impaired glucose tolerance in pregnancy is not only feasible but necessary.
Lipid peroxidation in umbilical arterial blood at birth: the effects of breech delivery
Authors: Kaya Hakan , Oral Baha , Dittrich Ralf , Özkaya Okan 
Published: August 2005

Objective
To determine oxygen free radical activity in breech presentation at birth and relate it to umbilical cord blood acid‐base status.Design
A series of 63 singleton deliveries (28 cephalic deliveries as controls), 23 breech deliveries with normoacidemia, and 12 breech deliveries with mild acidaemia) had determination of malondialdehyde and acid‐base parameters.Setting
The delivery suite in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Süleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey.Participants
Sixty‐three singleton infants born at term with spontaneous or induced labour and initially normal fetal heart rate tracing.Methods
After delivery, umbilical cord arterial and venous blood samples were collected for the determination of malondialdehyde concentrations. Oxygen saturation, pO2, pCO2, pH, and base excess were also measured.Main outcome measures
Umbilical cord arterial and venous blood gases and malondialdehyde levels.Results
There was a significant correlation between umbilical arterial and venous levels of malondialdehyde and all acid‐base parameters (P < 0.001). There were negative correlations between malondialdehyde levels and pH, pO2 and bicarbonate, while there was a positive correlation between malondialdehyde concentrations and pCO2. A positive correlation between malondialdehyde levels and base excess was present in the control group and total breech group (n= 35). The malondialdehyde levels in the total breech group, nonacidaemic breech group (n= 23) and the mildly acidaemic breech group (n= 12) were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.0001). However, acid‐base parameters in the nonacidaemic breech group were not statistically different from those in the control group.Conclusion
Lipid peroxidation products (malondialdehyde) existed to some extent in the umbilical cords of newborns with normal acid‐base parameters in breech delivery. Our data support the contention that lipid peroxide may be a more sensitive measure for metabolic dysfunctions due to fetal hypoxia than acid‐base balance.
Maternal serum total activin A and follistatin in pregnancy and parturition
Authors: Schneider‐Kolsky Michal , D'Antona Donato , Evans Lee W. , Taylor Nancy , O'Connor Anne , Groome Nigel P. , de Kretser David , Wallace Euan M. 
Published: August 2005

Objective
To examine changes in maternal serum levels of activin A and follistatin during pregnancy and labourDesign
In three cross sectional and three longitudinal studies venous blood was collected from women during pregnancy, spontaneous labour, labour induction and prior to elective caesarean section for the measurement of activin A and follistatin.Setting
Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.Population
One hundred and twenty‐three women participated in a cross sectional study in pregnancy, 18 women in two longitudinal pregnancy studies, 36 women in a cross sectional labour study, nine women in a longitudinal study of labour induction. Ten women undergoing elective caesarean section were also studied.Methods
Activin A and follistatin were measured using two sensitive and specific enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays.Results
In the cross sectional study of pregnancy, mean (SEM) maternal serum activin A and follistatin levels increased towards term (2.4 ng/mL (0.3) and 1.8 ng/mL (0.3) in first trimester to 18.9 ng/mL (3.8) and 5.3 ng/mL (0.9) at term, respectively), but the longitudinal study revealed that levels plateau in the last three weeks of pregnancy (16.0 ng/mL (2.6) and 6.2 ng/mL (1.4) at 37 weeks and 16.6 ng/mL (3.5) and 6.2 ng/mL (0.5) before labour for activin A and follistatin, respectively). There was no difference in levels of activin A and follistatin between women delivered by caesarean section and labouring women at term (14.9 ng/mL (2.8) vs 11.0 ng/mL (0.93) and 5.95 ng/mL (0.67) vs 5.71 ng/mL (0.63), respectively) and levels of both proteins did not alter throughout spontaneous or induced labour.Conclusions
We believe that these data argue against activin A playing an acute role in the initiation or regulation of human parturition.
Oestradiol‐releasing vaginal ring versus oestriol vaginal pessaries in the treatment of bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms
Authors: Lose G. , Englev E. 
Published: August 2005

Objectives
To assess the efficacy of an oestradiol‐releasing vaginal ring and oestriol pessaries in the alleviation of lower urinary tract symptoms occurring after the menopause.Design
Randomised, parallel group, controlled trial.Setting
Twenty‐six clinics of practising gynaecologists and one outpatient clinic at a department of obstetrics and gynaecology.Population
Two hundred and fifty‐one postmenopausal women, with a mean age of 66 years, reporting at least one bothersome lower urinary tract symptom.Methods
One hundred and thirty‐four women were treated with the oestradiol‐releasing ring for 24 weeks; 117 women were treated with oestriol pessaries 0.5 mg every second day for 24 weeks.Main outcome measures
Subjective scores of urgency, frequency, nocturia, dysuria, stress incontinence and urge incontinence.Results
The two treatments were equally efficacious in alleviating urinary urgency (51%vs 56%), urge incontinence (58%vs 58%), stress incontinence (53%vs 59%) and nocturia (51%vs 54%). Dysuria was alleviated in 76%vs 67%, equivalence was not demonstrated. No statistically significant difference was found for any primary efficacy endpoint. Sixty percent of the participants rated the form of administration via the vaginal ring as excellent, compared with 14% for the pessaries (P < 0.0001).Conclusions
Low dose vaginally administered oestradiol and oestriol are equally efficacious in alleviating lower urinary tract symptoms which appear after the menopause. The form of administration of the vaginal ring, seems to be more acceptable than oestriol pessaries.
p53 and WAF1 polymorphisms in Jewish‐Israeli women with epithelial ovarian cancer and its association with BRCA mutations
Authors: Yair Daniel , Ben Baruch Gilad , Chetrit Angela , Friedman Tal , Yechezkel Galit Hirsh , Gotlieb Walter H. , Fishman Amiram , Belter Uzi , Bar‐Am Amiram , Friedman Eitan 
Published: August 2005

Objective
To investigate whether polymorphic p53 and WAF1 alleles are associated with clinical, demographic and histopathological features and BRCA mutation in women with ovarian cancer.Design
A cross‐sectional study.Population
Two hundred and twenty‐one nonselected Israeli women with epithelial ovarian cancer.Methods
DNA was analysed for known polymorphisms in intron 3 (a 16 nucleotide single repeat) and intron 6 (a G to A change at nucleotide 13,494) of the p53 gene, the S31R polymorphism in the WAF1 gene, and for three predominant Jewish mutations in the BRCA genes (185delAG and 5382insC in BRCA1, and 6174delT in BRCA2).Main outcome measure
The rate of polymorphic p53 and WAF1 alleles and their association with BRCA mutation, ethnic origin, age and stage at diagnosis, and family history of cancer.Results
Of the tested women, 72 (32.6%) were either BRCA1 (n= 57) or BRCA2 (n= 15) mutation carriers. Sixty‐eight of 213 (31.9%) were heterozygous for intron 3 polymorphism, 67/193 (34.7%) for intron 6 polymorphism, and 22/154 (14.3%) for S31R of the WAF1 gene. The p53 and WAF1 polymorphism rate did not differ between BRCA mutation carriers and noncarriers. No significant association between specific p53 or WAF1 genotypes, and clinical, histopathological or demographic variables was observed.Conclusion
In Jewish‐Israeli women with sporadic and familial ovarian cancer, p53 or WAF1 polymorphisms do not seem to affect the phenotype.
The relationships between antenatal management, the cause of delivery and neonatal outcome in a large cohort of very preterm singleton infants
Authors: Baud O. , Zupan V. , Lacaze‐Masmonteil T. , Audibert F. , Shojaei T. , Thebaud B. , Ville Y. , Frydman R. , Dehan M. 
Published: August 2005

Objective
To determine whether the cause of very preterm delivery influences neonatal outcome.Design
A cohort study of 685 consecutive singletons born before 33 weeks of gestation.Methods
Causes of birth and perinatal outcome variables were correlated for statistical significance by uni‐ and multi‐variate analyses.Results
Intrauterine growth retardation or pre‐eclampsia were associated with a higher rate of respiratory distress syndrome compared with prolonged rupture of membranes, after controlling for gestational age, antenatal corticosteroid therapy, antenatal antibiotic administration, mode of delivery and origin (inborn or outborn) (adjusted OR 3.12; 95% CI 1.55–6.28). The prevalence of grade 3–4 intraventricular haemorrhage or cystic periventricular leukomalacia was 25% in newborn babies born after intrauterine infection or prolonged rupture of membranes. Among infants born after intrauterine growth retardation/pre‐eclampsia, the rate of severe intraventricular haemorrhage was 3.2% and the rate of periventricular leukomalacia was 0.9%. Compared with intrauterine infection and after controlling for potential confounding covariates, intrauterine growth retardation/pre‐eclampsia was associated with a lower rate of periventricular leukomalacia (adjusted OR 0.08; 95% CI 0.02–0.41). In the same multiple logistic regression model, antenatal corticosteroid administration was associated with a lower incidence of periventricular leukomalacia (adjusted OR 0.36; 95% CI 0.16–0.79).Conclusions
The cause of very preterm delivery has an important influence on neonatal outcome.
Dietary folate and the prevalence of neural tube defects in the British Isles: the past two decades
Authors: Murphy Michael , Whiteman David , Stone David , Botting Beverly , Schorah Chris , Wild Jenny 
Published: August 2005

ObjectivesTo measure the changes in folate consumption and the prevalence of neural tube defects in the British and Irish populations during the past two decades.DesignEcological study.Main outcome measuresAverage daily dietary folate consumption for Britain for the period 1980–1996 was estimated from the National Food Survey. Annual neural tube defect prevalences for the same period were obtained from the Oxford Record Linkage Study Neural Tube Defect register, the Glasgow EUROCAT register, and the three Irish EUROCAT registers (Belfast, Dublin and Galway).ResultsDietary folate consumption increased on average by 1.6% per annum in Scotland and 1.4% in England during the study period. The annual rate of decline of neural tube defect prevalence averaged 10.4% in the Irish population, 8.2% in Glasgow, and 5.2% in Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.ConclusionsThe decline in neural tube defect prevalence observed in all British and Irish populations since the early 1970s continued with the introduction of folate fortification of cereals, which produced measurable increases in average daily folate consumption. Further declines in neural tube defect prevalence may be achieved by targeted folate supplementation during the periconceptual period.