bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Learner‐Generated Attention to Form
Authors: Williams Jessica 
Published: July 2005

Results of recent studies, some of which appear in this volume, suggest that the incorporation of some degree of focus on form (FonF) into meaning‐centered instruction can lead to improved performance in processing input and increased accuracy in production. Long (1983) originally defined FonF as a brief turning of attention to some formal feature while the overriding focus of the interaction remains on meaning. Ideally, this focus should arise incidentally, in response to some problem in comprehension or production. The incidental nature of the interaction would be more likely to result in focus on a form to which the learner is attending and is ready to notice.However, to ascertain the effect of such a focus in an experimental setting, it becomes necessary to manipulate the situation somewhat, in particular, to predetermine the formal focus and to ensure that it will occur. As a result, in most studies the focus is provided by the researcher and delivered intentionally, and usually extensively, through the teacher or special materials. Thus, the focus no longer arises incidentally, potentially vitiating the effectiveness of the intervention.This study differs from previous studies in two ways. First, it is set in intact classrooms, so all episodes involving focus on form arise incidentally. Second, it examines only such episodes as are initiated by learners. The justification for this is an extension of the argument for incidental FonF. If the effectiveness of FonF is ultimately determined by learner need, then it is essential to examine the episodes in which the learners themselves choose to focus on formal aspects of language.The study addresses the following research questions: Do learners initiate attention to form, as requests for assistance, feedback on error, modeling, or fine tuning, that is, repetitions, recasts, and requests for clarification? If so, on what kinds of forms do they choose to focus? The results suggest that learners can and do attend to form, though relatively infrequently. The most frequent way that they do this is t o request assistance from their teachers. Learner‐generated attention to form increases considerably with rising proficiency and during specific activities. In general, the likelihood of learner‐generated attention to form seems to be linked to learners' perception of the goals of the activity. In addition, as learners' proficiency increases, they are less likely to rely on their teachers for help. Finally, episodes that involve learners‐generated attention to form revolve largely around lexis. More than anything else, learners want to know about words.
The evolutionary ecology of myco‐heterotrophy
Authors: Bidartondo Martin I. 
Published: July 2005

SummaryNonphotosynthetic mycorrhizal plants have long attracted the curiosity of botanists and mycologists, and they have been a target for unabated controversy and speculation. In fact, these puzzling plants dominated the very beginnings of the field of mycorrhizal biology. However, only recently has the mycorrhizal biology of this diverse group of plants begun to be systematically unravelled, largely following a landmark Tansley review a decade ago and crucial developments in the field of molecular ecology. Here I explore our knowledge of these evolutionarily and ecologically diverse plant–fungal symbioses, highlighting areas where there has been significant progress. The focus is on what is arguably the best understood example, the monotropoid mycorrhizal symbiosis, and the overarching goal is to lay out the questions that remain to be answered about the biology of myco‐heterotrophy and epiparasitism.

Contents

Summary
335

I.
Introduction
335

II.
Monotropa: over 180 years of controversy
337

III.
Do all epiparasites evolve from photosynthetic mycorrhizal ancestors?
339

IV.
What is unique about the monotrope radiation?
342

V.
Potential sources of exceptional myco‐heterotrophy
344

VI.
What form of carbon moves from fungus to plant?
344

VII.
Mycorrhizas vs reproduction?
345

VIII.
What fungal signal triggers symbiotic seed germination?
346

IX.
Conclusions
348

Acknowledgements
348

References
348
The effect of the Term Breech Trial on medical intervention behaviour and neonatal outcome in The Netherlands: an analysis of 35,453 term breech infants
Authors: Rietberg Christine C.Th. , Elferink‐Stinkens Patty M. , Visser Gerard H.A. 
Published: July 2005

Objective  To examine the effects of the Term Breech Trial on the medical behaviour of Dutch obstetricians and on neonatal outcomes.Design  Retrospective observational study.Setting  The Netherlands.Population  Infants born at term in breech presentation in the Netherlands between 1998 and 2002, with birthweights ≤4000 g (n= 33,024) and >4000 g (n= 2429), respectively. Multiple pregnancies, antenatal death and major congenital malformations were excluded.Methods  Data derived from the Dutch Perinatal Database were used to compare modes of delivery and neonatal outcome of infants born in breech position in the 33 months preceding publication of the Term Breech Trial and in the 25 months thereafter.Main outcome measures  Incidence of planned and emergency caesarean section, vaginal breech delivery, perinatal death, 5‐minute Apgar score and birth trauma.Results  Within two months after publication of the Term Breech Trial, the overall caesarean rate increased from 50% to 80% and has remained stable thereafter. In the group of infants ≤4000 g, this was associated with a significant decrease of perinatal mortality from 0.35% to 0.18%, a decrease of the incidence of a 5‐minute Apgar score <7 from 2.4% to 1.1% and a decrease of birth trauma from 0.29% to 0.08%. In the (small) group of infants >4000 g, a similar trend was observed.Conclusions  The Term Breech Trial has resulted in an exceptionally rapid change in medical behaviour by Dutch obstetricians. This change was followed by improved neonatal outcome.
The effectiveness of live lactobacilli in combination with low dose oestriol (Gynoflor) to restore the vaginal flora after treatment of vaginal infections
Authors: Ozkinay Erdinc , Terek Mustafa Cosan , Yayci Murat , Kaiser Renato , Grob Philipp , Tuncay Gungor 
Published: July 2005

Objective  To evaluate the effectiveness of live lactobacilli in combination with low dose oestriol for restoration of the vaginal flora after anti‐infective treatment.Design  The study was designed as a single centre, randomised, placebo‐controlled, double‐blind clinical trial.Setting  University Hospital.Sample  Three hundred and sixty women out of 1750 were randomised.Methods  Three hundred and sixty women with the complaints of vaginal infections (bacterial vaginosis, candidiasis, trichomoniasis or fluor vaginalis) were randomly assigned two to seven days after the end of the anti‐infective therapy, to therapy with live lactobacilli in combination with low dose oestriol (study group, n= 240) or placebo (n= 120). The follow up visits occurred three to seven days and four to six weeks after the end of the restoration therapy.Main outcome measures  The Normal Flora Index (NFI), which consists of numbers of lactobacilli, pathogenic microorganisms, leucocytes and vaginal pH, was used as the primary outcome of the study. Secondary outcomes included the total symptoms score, the degree of purity of the vaginal flora and the global assessment of the treatment by the investigator and the women.Results  During restoration therapy, the NFI increased significantly more in the study group than in the control group in both first and second control visits (P= 0.002 and P= 0.006, respectively). The degree of purity of the vaginal flora also increased significantly more in the study group compared with the control group (P < 0.0001 and P= 0.001, respectively). No serious adverse event was reported during restoration therapy.Conclusion  Restoration of the vaginal flora can be significantly enhanced by the administration of live lactobacilli in combination with low dose oestriol.
Targeted genomic detection of biosynthetic pathways: anaerobic production of hopanoid biomarkers by a common sedimentary microbe
Authors: FISCHER W. W. , SUMMONS R. E. , PEARSON A. 
Published: July 2005

ABSTRACTThe lipid biomarker principle requires that preservable molecules (molecular fossils) carry specific taxonomic, metabolic, or environmental information. Historically, an empirical approach was used to link specific taxa with the compounds they produce. The lipids extracted from numerous, but randomly cultured species provided the basis for the interpretation of biomarkers in both modern environments and in the geological record. Now, with the rapid sequencing of hundreds of microbial genomes, a more focused genomic approach can be taken to test phylogenetic patterns and hypotheses about the origins of biomarkers. Candidate organisms can be selected for study on the basis of genes that encode proteins fundamental to the synthesis of biomarker compounds. Hopanoids, a class of pentacyclic triterpenoid lipid biomarkers, provide an illustrative example. For many years, interpretations of biomarker data were made with the assumption that hopanoids are produced only by aerobic organisms. However, the recent discovery of 13C‐depleted hopanoids in environments undergoing anaerobic methane oxidation and in enrichment cultures of anammox planctomycetes indicates that some hopanoids are produced anaerobically. To further examine the potential distribution of hopanoid biosynthesis by anaerobes, we searched publicly available genomic databases for the presence of squalene‐hopene cyclase genes in known obligate or facultative anaerobes. Here we present evidence that Geobacter sulfurreducens, Geobacter metallireducens, and Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum, all bacteria common in anoxic environments, have the appropriate genes for hopanoid biosynthesis. We further show that these data accurately predict that G. sulfurreducens does produce a variety of complex hopanoids under strictly anaerobic conditions in pure culture.
The experimental silicification of Aquificales and their role in hot spring sinter formation
Authors: LALONDE STEFAN V. , KONHAUSER KURT O. , REYSENBACH ANNA‐LOUISE , FERRIS F. GRANT 
Published: July 2005

ABSTRACTArchean microfossils provide some of the earliest physical evidence for life on Earth, yet there remains a great deal of uncertainty regarding which micro‐organisms were actually preserved. Because of the limited cellular detail remaining, interpretation of those microfossils has been based solely on size and morphology. This has led to significant controversy surrounding the presence or absence of cyanobacteria as early as 3.5 billion years. Accordingly, there has been an experimental bias towards studying their silicification. Here we report the very first findings on thermophilic bacteria–silica interactions, and investigate how Sulfurihydrogenibium azorense, a representative of the Aquificales often found as prominent members of modern hot spring vent communities, interacts with highly siliceous hydrothermal fluids. We show that adsorption of silica is limited to silica polymers and colloids, and that the magnitude of silica adsorption is dependent on its chemolithoautotrophic pathway. Intriguingly, when S. azorense is grown as a H2‐oxidizer, it responds to increasing silica concentrations by producing a protein‐rich biofilm that may afford the cells protection against cell wall silicification. Although the biofilms of Aquificales could potentially contribute to or accelerate siliceous sinter formation under certain growth conditions, the cells themselves show a low preservation potential and are unlikely to have been preserved in the ancient rock record, despite phylogenetic analyses suggesting that they represent one of the most primordial life forms.
The Effects of Price Competition and Reduced Subsidies for Uncompensated Care on Hospital Mortality
Authors: Volpp Kevin G. M. , Ketcham Jonathan D. , Epstein Andrew J. , Williams Sankey V. 
Published: July 2005

Objective. To determine whether hospital mortality rates changed in New Jersey after implementation of a law that changed hospital payment from a regulated system based on hospital cost to price competition with reduced subsidies for uncompensated care and whether changes in mortality rates were affected by hospital market conditions.Data Sources/Study Setting. State discharge data for New Jersey and New York from 1990 to 1996.Study Design. We used an interrupted time series design to compare risk‐adjusted in‐hospital mortality rates between states over time. We compared the effect sizes in markets with different levels of health maintenance organization penetration and hospital market concentration and tested the sensitivity of our results to different approaches to defining hospital markets.Data Collection/Extraction Methods. The study sample included all patients under age 65 admitted to New Jersey or New York hospitals with stroke, hip fracture, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, congestive heart failure, hip fracture, or acute myocardial infarction (AMI).Principal Findings. Mortality among patients in New Jersey improved less than in New York by 0.4 percentage points among the insured (p=.07) and 0.5 percentage points among the uninsured (p=.37). There was a relative increase in mortality for patients with AMI, congestive heart failure, and stroke, especially for uninsured patients with these conditions, but not for patients with the other four conditions we studied. Less competitive hospital markets were significantly associated with a relative decrease in mortality among insured patients.Conclusions. Market‐based reforms may adversely affect mortality for some conditions but it appears the effects are not universal. Insured patients in less competitive markets fared better in the transition to price competition.
Neighborhood Effects on Posthospitalization Mortality: A Population‐based Cohort Study of the Elderly in Chicago
Authors: Wen Ming , Christakis Nicholas A. 
Published: July 2005

Context. Place of residence is associated with health outcomes.Objective. To examine neighborhood effects on mortality after the onset of serious disease and to assess whether these effects vary for different sociodemographic or diagnostic subgroups.Design, Setting, Patients. Our sample consists of a complete cohort of 10,557 elderly Medicare beneficiaries throughout the city of Chicago newly diagnosed and hospitalized for the first time with one of five common serious diseases in 1993 (stroke, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, hip fracture, and lung cancer) followed until 1999. Attributes of 51 zip code neighborhoods were obtained both from census data (1990) and from a comprehensive social survey of neighborhood residents (1994–1995). Cox proportional hazards models with robust standard errors were specified.Main Outcome Measure. Survival after hospitalization.Results. People who lived in neighborhoods with higher socioeconomic status (SES) or with a better social environment had significantly longer survival after disease onset. We evaluated the differential impact of neighborhood attributes on survival depending on gender, race, and poverty using interaction terms. Only the interaction terms between neighborhood social‐structural factors and individual poverty were significant, suggesting that neighborhood SES and social environment were especially helpful for people with higher income. Neighborhood attributes did not differ in their impact depending on the race or sex of the subjects. Analyses of cause‐specific mortality showed that myocardial infarction was the primary force driving the associations between neighborhood attributes and mortality.Conclusions. Where people live matters with respect to posthospitalization mortality, but how neighborhoods affect this outcome depends on individual demographic and diagnostic characteristics. Myocardial infarction in particular may be a “neighborhood sensitive” condition. Individuals' health may depend not just on individuals' characteristics but also on their neighborhoods'.
New York's Statistical Model Accurately Predicts Mortality Risk for Veterans Who Obtain Private Sector CABG
Authors: Weeks William B. , Bazos Dorothy A. , Bott David M. , Lombardo Rosemary , Racz Michael J. , Hannan Edward L. , Fisher Elliott S. 
Published: July 2005

Objective.To determine whether patients' use of the Veterans Health Administration health care system (VHA) is an independent risk factor for mortality following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in the private sector in New York.Data Sources.VHA administrative and New York Department of Health Cardiac Surgery Reporting System (CSRS) databases for surgeries performed in 1999 and 2000.Study Design.Prospective cohort study comparing observed, expected, and risk‐adjusted mortality rates following private sector CABG for 2,326 male New York State residents aged 45 years and older who used the VHA (VHA users) and 21,607 who did not (non‐VHA users).Data Collection Methods.We linked VHA administrative databases to New York's CSRS to identify VHA users who obtained CABG in the private sector in New York in 1999 and 2000. Using CSRS risk factors and previously validated risk‐adjustment model, we compared patient characteristics and expected and risk‐adjusted mortality rates of VHA users to non‐VHA users.Principal Findings.Compared with non‐VHA users, patients undergoing private sector CABG who had used the VHA were older, had more severe cardiac disease, and were more likely to have the following comorbidities associated with increased risk of mortality: diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease, and history of stroke (p<.001 for all); a calcified aorta (p=.009); and a high creatinine level (p=.003). Observed (2.28 versus 1.80 percent) and expected (2.48 versus 1.78 percent) mortality rates were higher for VHA users than for non‐VHA users. The risk‐adjusted mortality rate for VHA users (1.70 percent; 95 percent confidence interval [CI]: 1.27–2.22) was not statistically different than that for the non‐VHA users (1.87 percent; 95 percent CI: 1.69–2.06). Use of the VHA was not an independent risk factor for mortality in the risk‐adjustment model.Conclusions.Although VHA users had a greater illness burden, use of the VHA was not found to be an independent risk factor for mortality following private sector CABG in New York. The New York Department of Health risk adjustment model adequately applies to veterans who obtain CABG in the private sector in New York.
Predicting Mortality and Healthcare Utilization with a Single Question
Authors: DeSalvo Karen B. , Fan Vincent S. , McDonell Mary B. , Fihn Stephan D. 
Published: July 2005

Objective. We compared single‐ and multi‐item measures of general self‐rated health (GSRH) to predict mortality and clinical events a large population of veteran patients.Data Source/Study Setting. We analyzed prospective cohort data collected from 21,732 patients as part of the Veterans Affairs Ambulatory Care Quality Improvement Project (ACQUIP), a randomized controlled trial investigating quality‐of‐care interventions.Study Design. We created an age‐adjusted, logistic regression model for each predictor and outcome combination, and estimated the odds of events by response category of the GSRH question and compared the discriminative ability of the predictors by developing receiver operator characteristic curves and comparing the associated area under the curve (AUC)/c‐statistic for the single‐ and multi‐item measures.Data Collection/Extraction Methods. All patients were sent a baseline assessment that included a multi‐item measure of general health, the 36‐item Medical Outcomes Study Short Form (SF‐36), and an inventory of comorbid conditions. We compared the predictive and discriminative ability of the GSRH to the SF‐36 physical component score (PCS), the mental component score (MCS), and the Seattle index of comorbidity (SIC). The GSRH is an item included in the SF‐36, with the wording: “In general, would you say your health is: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor?”Principal Findings. The GSRH, PCS, and SIC had comparable AUC for predicting mortality (AUC 0.74, 0.73, and 0.73, respectively); hospitalization (AUC 0.63, 0.64, and 0.60, respectively); and high outpatient use (AUC 0.61, 0.61, and 0.60, respectively). The MCS had statistically poorer discriminatory performance for mortality and hospitalization than any other other predictors (p<.001).Conclusions. The GSRH response categories can be used to stratify patients with varying risks for adverse outcomes. Patients reporting “poor” health are at significantly greater odds of dying or requiring health care resources compared with their peers. The GSRH, collectable at the point of care, is comparable with longer instruments.
The Effect of Expanded Mental Health Benefits on Treatment Initiation and Specialist Utilization
Authors: Lindrooth Richard C. , Lo Sasso Anthony T. , Lurie Ithai Z. 
Published: July 2005

Objective. To measure the effects of a mental health benefit design change on treatment initiation for psychiatric disorders of employees of a large U.S.‐based company.Data Sources. Mental health treatment administrative claims data plus eligibility information provided by the company for the years 1995–1998.Study Design. We measure the effect of a change in mental health benefits consisting of three major elements: a company‐wide effort to destigmatize mental illness; reduced copayments for mental health treatment; and an effort to increase access to specialty mental health providers.Data Extraction Methods. We identified the subsample of employees that were continuously enrolled in the company's health plan over the period 1995–1998, were between the ages of 18 and 65, and were actively employed.Principal Findings. Our results suggest that the combined effect of destigmatization and reduced copayments led to an 18 percent increase (p<.01) in the probability of initiating mental health treatment. The results suggest that the effort to increase access to specialty providers was effective, but only for nonphysician providers: initiation at nonphysician mental health providers increased nearly 90 percent (p<.01) relative to nonspecialty providers, while use of psychiatrists declined by nearly 40 percent (p<.01).Conclusions. Our results suggest that the benefit change increased initiation for mental health treatment overall and encouraged the use of nonphysician specialty mental health providers.
Lower incidence of hepatic failure than hepatocellular carcinoma in Japanese patients with chronic Hepatitis C
Authors: Imazeki Fumio , Yokosuka Osamu , Fukai Kenichi , Kawai Shigenobu , Kanda Tatsuo , Kojima Hiroshige , Saisho Hiromitsu 
Published: July 2005

Abstract: Background: Previous studies have shown that the development of hepatic failure was found more frequently than that of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic hepatitis C in the United States and European countries. We investigated the status in Japan in a retrospective cohort study.Methods: The incidences of HCC and hepatic failure were accessed in 459 patients with biopsy‐proven C‐viral chronic liver disease with a mean follow‐up period of 8.9±3.2 years and the cause of death was also analyzed in the cohort.Results: HCC developed in 63 patients, 46 of 355 interferon (IFN)‐treated and 17 of 104 untreated patients. In contrast, the development of hepatic failure was found in 18 patients, 12 of 355 IFN‐treated and six of 104 untreated patients. HCC developed in four of 116 with sustained virological response (SVR), and hepatic failure developed in one of them. Thirty‐two of 63 patients developing HCC and eight of 18 patients developing hepatic failure died.Conclusions: Development of hepatic failure was less frequent than that of HCC in Japan. It is important for a favorable prognosis of patients with C viral chronic liver disease to achieve a higher SVR and thus inhibit the development of HCC in Japan.