Some problems with a behavioristic account of early group pretense

In normal child development, both individual and group pretense first emerges at approximately two years of age. The metarepresentational account of pretense holds that children already have the concept PRETEND when they first engage in early group pretense. A behavioristic account suggests that early group pretense is analogous to early beliefs or desires and thus require no mental state concepts. I argue that a behavioral account does not explain the actual behavior observed in children and it cannot explain how children come to understand that a specific action is one of pretense versus one of belief. I conclude that a mentalistic explanation of pretense best explains the behavior under consideration.

Interruption and Uncooperativeness in Academic ELF Group Work : An Application of Linear Unit Grammar

This study addresses the challenge of analyzing interruption in spoken interaction. It begins with my observation of eight hours of academic group work among speakers of English as a lingua franca (ELF) in a university course. Unlike the common findings of ELF research which underscore the cooperative orientation of ELF users, this particular group gave strong impressions of interruption and uncooperativeness as they prepared a scientific group presentation. In the effort to investigate these impressions, I found that no satisfactory method exists for systematically identifying and analyzing interruptions. A useful tool was found in Linear Unit Grammar or LUG (Sinclair & Mauranen 2006), which analyzes spoken interaction prospectively as linear text. In the course of transcribing one of the early group work meetings, I developed a model of LUG-based criteria for identifying individual instances of interruption. With this system in place, I was then able to evaluate the aggregate occurrences of interruption in the group work and identify co-occurring interactive features which further influenced the perception of uncooperativeness. Finally, these aggregate statistics directed a return to the data and a contextually sensitive, qualitative analysis. This research cycle illuminates the interactive features which contributed to my own impressions of uncooperativeness, as well as the group members orientations to their own interruptive practice.

Functional and morphometric differences between the early and delayed use of phototherapy in crushed median nerves of rats

This study evaluated the functional and quantitative differences between the early and delayed use of phototherapy in crushed median nerves. After a crush injury, low-level laser therapy (GaAs) was applied transcutaneously at the injury site, 3 min daily, with a frequency of five treatments per week for 2 weeks. In the early group, the first laser treatment started immediately after surgery, and in the delayed group, after 7 days. The grasping test was used for functional evaluation of the median nerve, before, 10, and 21 days after surgery, when the rats were killed. Three segments of the median nerve were analyzed histomorphometrically by light microscopy and computer analysis. The following features were observed: myelinated fiber and axon diameters, myelin sheath area, g-ratio, density and number of myelinated fibers, and area and number of capillaries. In the proximal segment (site of crush), the nerves of animals submitted to early and delayed treatment showed myelinated fiber diameter and myelin sheath area significantly larger compared to the untreated group. In the distal segment, the myelin sheath area was significantly smaller in the untreated animals compared to the delayed group. The untreated, early, and delayed groups presented a 50, 57, and 81% degree of functional recovery, respectively, at 21 days after injury, with a significant difference between the untreated and delayed groups. The results suggest that the nerves irradiated with low-power laser exhibit myelinated fibers of greater diameter and a better recovery of function.

Immediate and early non-occlusal loading of Straumann implants with a chemically modified surface (SLActive) in the posterior mandible and maxilla: interim results from a prospective multicenter randomized-controlled study

OBJECTIVE: Immediate and early loading of dental implants can simplify treatment and increase overall patient satisfaction. The purpose of this 3-year prospective randomized-controlled multicenter study was to assess the differences in survival rates and bone level changes between immediately and early-loaded implants with a new chemically modified surface (SLActive). This investigation shows interim results obtained after 5 months. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients > or =18 years of age missing at least one tooth in the posterior maxilla or mandible were enrolled in the study. Following implant placement, patients received a temporary restoration either on the day of surgery (immediate loading) or 28-34 days after surgery (early loading); restorations consisted of single crowns or two to four unit fixed dental prostheses. Permanent restorations were placed 20-23 weeks following surgery. The primary efficacy variable was change in bone level (assessed by standardized radiographs) from baseline to 5 months; secondary variables included implant survival and success rates. RESULTS: A total of 266 patients were enrolled (118 males and 148 females), and a total of 383 implants were placed (197 and 186 in the immediate and early loading groups, respectively). Mean patient age was 46.3+/-12.8 years. After 5 months, implant survival rates were 98% in the immediate group and 97% in the early group. Mean bone level change from baseline was 0.81+/-0.89 mm in the immediate group and 0.56+/-0.73 mm in the early group (P<0.05). Statistical analysis revealed a significant center effect (P<0.0001) and a significant treatment x center interaction (P=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that Straumann implants with an SLActive can be used predictably in time-critical (early or immediate) loading treatment protocols when appropriate patient selection criteria are observed. The mean bone level changes observed from baseline to 5 months (0.56 and 0.81 mm) corresponded to physiological observations from other studies, i.e., were not clinically significant. The presence of a significant center effect and treatment x center interaction indicated that the differences in bone level changes between the two groups were center dependent.

Intracoronary injection of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells early or late after acute myocardial infarction: effects on global left ventricular function

BACKGROUND Intracoronary administration of autologous bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (BM-MNC) may improve remodeling of the left ventricle (LV) after acute myocardial infarction. The optimal time point of administration of BM-MNC is still uncertain and has rarely been addressed prospectively in randomized clinical trials. METHODS AND RESULTS In a multicenter study, we randomized 200 patients with large, successfully reperfused ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in a 1:1:1 pattern into an open-labeled control and 2 BM-MNC treatment groups. In the BM-MNC groups, cells were administered either early (i.e., 5 to 7 days) or late (i.e., 3 to 4 weeks) after acute myocardial infarction. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed at baseline and after 4 months. The primary end point was the change from baseline to 4 months in global LV ejection fraction between the 2 treatment groups and the control group. The absolute change in LV ejection fraction from baseline to 4 months was -0.4±8.8% (mean±SD; P=0.74 versus baseline) in the control group, 1.8±8.4% (P=0.12 versus baseline) in the early group, and 0.8±7.6% (P=0.45 versus baseline) in the late group. The treatment effect of BM-MNC as estimated by ANCOVA was 1.25 (95% confidence interval, -1.83 to 4.32; P=0.42) for the early therapy group and 0.55 (95% confidence interval, -2.61 to 3.71; P=0.73) for the late therapy group. CONCLUSIONS Among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and LV dysfunction after successful reperfusion, intracoronary infusion of BM-MNC at either 5 to 7 days or 3 to 4 weeks after acute myocardial infarction did not improve LV function at 4-month follow-up.

Home and group-based implementation of the "Growing Up Happily in the Family" program in at-risk psychosocial contexts

"Growing Up Happily in the Family" is a program to prevent child maltreatment targeted at parents of children aged 0-5 years old in at-risk psychosocial contexts. The program is delivered via either a group-based or a home-visit format. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of various implementation components in the home and group versions on changes in parental attitudes about child development and education. At-risk and non at-risk parents participated in the group-based (196 participants in 26 groups) and home-visit (95 participants) versions of the program delivered through local social services. We analyzed program adherence, adaptations, participant responsiveness, quality of delivery, and implementation barriers as predictors of changes in parental attitudes. The results showed that greater program adherence, better quality of delivery and participant responsiveness, and positive climate predicted changes in parental attitudes in both formats. Therefore, it is important to take into account the quality of the implementation process when testing the effectiveness of early group-based and home-visit interventions in at-risk families.

Breathing, swallowing and voice in laryngeal disorsers

The aim of this work was to examine how breathing, swallowing and voicing are affected in different laryngeal disorders. For this purpose, we examined four different patient groups: patients who had undergone total laryngectomy, anterior cervical decompression (ACD), or injection laryngoplasty with autologous fascia (ILAF), and patients with dyspnea during exercise. We studied the problems and benefits related to the automatic speech valve used for the rehabilitation of speech in laryngectomized patients. The device was given to 14 total laryngectomized patients who used the traditional valve especially well. The usefulness of voice and intelligibility of speech were assessed by speech pathologists. The results demonstrated better performance with the traditional valve in both dimensions. Most of the patients considered the automatic valve a helpful additional device but because of heavier breathing and the greater work needed for speech production, it was not suitable as a sole device in speech rehabilitation. Dysphonia and dysphagia are known complications of ACD. These symptoms are caused due to the stretching of tissue needed during the surgery, but the extent and the recovery from them was not well known before our study. We studied two patient groups, an early group with 50 patients who were examined immediately before and after the surgery and a late group with 64 patients who were examined 3 9 months postoperatively. Altogether, 60% reported dysphonia and 69% dysphagia immediately after the operation. Even though dysphagia and dysphonia often appeared after surgery, permanent problems seldom occurred. Six (12 %) cases of transient and two (3 %) permanent vocal cord paresis were detected. In our third study, the long-term results of ILAF in 43 patients with unilateral vocal cord paralysis were examined. The mean follow-up was 5.8 years (range 3 10). Perceptual evaluation demonstrated improved results for voice quality, and videostroboscopy revealed complete or partial glottal closure in 83% of the patients. Fascia showed to be a stable injection material with good vocal results. In our final study we developed a new diagnostic method for exertional laryngeal dyspnea by combining a cardiovascular exercise test with simultaneous fiberoptic observation of the larynx. With this method, it is possible to visualize paradoxal closure of the vocal cords during inspiration, which is a diagnostic criterion for vocal cord dysfunction (VCD). We examined 30 patients referred to our hospital because of suspicion of exercise-induced vocal cord dysfunction (EIVCD). Twenty seven out of thirty patients were able to perform the test. Dyspnea was induced in 15 patients, and of them five had EIVCD and four high suspicion of EIVCD. With our test it is possible to set an accurate diagnosis for exertional laryngeal dyspnea. Moreover, the often seen unnecessary use of asthma drugs among these patients can be avoided.

买麻藤目的化石记录及其与 被子植物起源关系的探讨

二十世纪初，前人在中国的东北地区发现了大量保存完好的动物化石，其中以狼鳍鱼最具代表性，科学家将在该地区发现的化石生物群命名为“热河生物群”。“热河”这一名称得名于该化石群的经典产地，即当时的热河省东部地区。建国后，热河省被撤消，其西部划归河北省，东部划归辽宁省。原热河生物群的经典产地因此落在了今天辽宁省的西部，即辽西地区。但是，“热河生物群”这一在地质古生物学界具有深刻影响的名称仍然保留着，而且近几年来在该地区又有大量的鸟类以及恐龙的化石被发现。该地区现在已经成为世界级的古生物宝库。通过不同的方法对该地区进行时代测定的结果认为该地区的时代为白垩纪早期。 与发现众多、研究深入的动物群相比，在该地区开展的植物学研究起步较晚，但在最近几年取得了很大的进展。目前为止，已经发现的植物类群就有苔藓、蕨类、银杏、苏铁、松柏类和被子植物。其中，银杏、苏铁、松柏类尤为丰富。理论上，被子植物也正是从该生物群所代表的白垩纪早期开始出现并逐步走向繁荣的。近年来在热河生物群中就有不少关于被子植物早期类群的报道，如古果属A rchaefructus和里海果属Hyrcantha等。传统上认为，买麻藤目植物与被子植物起源的关系非常密切，但是最近的分子系统学研究却将该类群推离了被子植物，而作为裸子植物高等类群松柏类的姐妹群对待。但是，在热河生物群中的一些新买麻藤目植物的化石标本与被子植物早期类型化石标本的发现却提供了新的思路或证据。如近年来，我国学者已经在该生物群中报道的麻黄科下的2属4种。这些发现的类群都与买麻藤植物的基部类群麻黄属密切相关。这种新发现带来的证据或许可以为被子植物起源这一世界难题的解决提供新的思路。 在对前人关于买麻藤目植物化石标本的研究进行整理的时候，我们发现我们的部分化石与前人发表的一个种Ephedrites chenii在标本的形态学特征方面完全相同。但是在对该类群及其所在的属与麻黄的现代类群作对比研究后发现，该种植物的繁殖器官的特征完全符合麻黄属的特征，因此将该类群转移到麻黄属中作为新组合对待。另外，根据前人对该种在种加词的命名上的修改，我们将该新组合命名为Ephedra cheniae。 在调查该生物群中的买麻藤植物时，我们发现在部分化石类群中出现了前人没有记载过的新性状，比如在麻黄科类植物中发现了互生的分枝方式，并据此命名一个新的单种属Alloephedra xingxuei。为了探讨互生分枝这一性状对于麻黄科的分类意义，我们调查了国内外不少标本馆中的标本，并在野外做了取样统计。结果发现，在不少现代麻黄的枝条上都出现了不同程度的分枝发育不均衡，表现为在同一节上对生的两个分枝中一侧分枝能够正常发育而另一侧发育迟缓甚至不发育，这种不均衡的发育造成了在现代麻黄中出现了类似互生的分枝状况。在整理前人对麻黄分枝方式研究的基础上，结合我们对野外类群形态学性状的调查，我们认为由于在同一节上对生的两个分枝中一侧延迟或不发育而引起的类似互生的性状是较为广泛存在的，它不应该成为属一级的分类依据，而只能作为种一级的分类依据对待。因此我们将AHoephedra xingxuei转移到麻黄属中作为新组合Ephedra xingxuei处理。 除此之外，我们也发现了不少其他的买麻藤目化石标本，在对买麻藤目以往的化石记录了解以及对这些标本形态学性状把握的基础上，我们将这些新发现的化石标本放置在麻黄科麻黄属中作为新种对待，并根据其叶片以及苞片的特征分别将他们命名为披针叶麻黄（Ephedra lanceoleta）、裂叶麻黄（Ephedra divisa），卵叶麻黄（Ephedra ovata）以及双苞麻黄（Ephedra bibracta）。 与此同时，我们也发现了保存完好的被子植物的化石标本。该标本中具有5个离生的心皮、分枝方式兼具侧生和二叉分枝两种、并具有多裂的叶片。在辽西地区同时代发现的被子植物早期类型共有两个，分别是Archaefructus和Hyrcantha。其中前者具有许多个离生的螺旋状排列在可育枝的顶端1cm内的子房／心皮，而后者只有2-4个子房／心皮。在对我们新发现的化石标本与这两个被子植物的早期类型在叶片形态、分枝式样、果实大小、果实构成、果实排布、心 皮数目等形态学特征对比的基础上，我们认为新的化石标本描述了一个被子植物早期类群的新形态，并根据其具有五个心皮以及多裂的叶片的特征，命名为裂叶文采果Wentsaia divisa gen.＆sp. nov。 由于我们有幸能在辽西同时发现了买麻藤植物的化石标本和被子植物早期类型的标本，这就给了我们一个讨论二者在起源关系方面的机会。在对二者的营养器官特征、繁殖器官结构组成、繁殖器官性别构成以及对二者生活环境理解进行对比的基础上，我们认为，买麻藤目植物的早期类型与被子植物的早期类型之间存在相关性。但是就目前的证据而言，尚无法推测二者之间是否存在性状上的演化关系，而该问题的解决需要更多的化石证据的积累。

Influência do período de início do exercício físico na remodelação ventricular após o infarto do miocárdio

Pós-graduação em Fisiopatologia em Clínica Médica - FMB

Tone entropy analysis of foetal heart rate variability

Development of the foetal autonomic nervous system can be indirectly understood by looking at the changes in beat to beat variability in foetal heart rates. This study presents Tone-Entropy (T-E) analysis of foetal heart rate variability (HRV) at multiple lags (1–8) to understand the influence of gestational ages (early and late) on the development of the foetal autonomic nervous system (ANS). The analysis was based on foetal electrocardiograms (FECGs) of 46 healthy foetuses of 20–32 weeks (early group) and 22 foetuses of 35–41 weeks (late group). Tone represents sympatho-vagal balance and entropy the total autonomic activities. Results show that tone increases and entropy decreases at all lags for the late foetus group. On the other hand, tone decreases and entropy increases at lags 1–4 in the early foetus group. Increasing tone in late foetuses might represent significant maturation of sympathetic nervous systems because foetuses approaching to delivery period need increased sympathetic activity. T-E could be quantitative clinical index to determine the early foetuses from late ones on the basis of maturation of autonomic nervous system.

It’s always a pleasure : exploring productivity and pleasure in a writing group for early career academics

The professional development needs of early career academics (ECAs) are increasingly subject to scrutiny. The literature notes writing groups can be successful in increasing research outputs and improving research track records – a core concern for ECAs. However, the pressure on ECAs to publish takes the pleasure out of writing for many. We argue writing groups, created by and for ECAs, can provide an environment for ECAs to (re)produce pleasure in writing and participation in the processes of academic review and debate. In addition, our experience of a writing group was that it provided a platform of social and emotional support contributing to our personal well-being and professional development.

Technique for evaluating photo sharing interfaces with the early prototypes - group simulation

User evaluations using paper prototypes commonly lack social context. The Group simulation technique described in this paper offers a solution to this problem. The study introduces an early-phase participatory design technique targeted for small groups. The proposed technique is used for evaluating an interface, which enables group work in photo collection creation. Three groups of four users, 12 in total, took part in a simulation session where they tested a low-fidelity design concept that included their own personal photo content from an event that their group attended together. The users’ own content was used to evoke natural experiences. Our results indicate that the technique helped users to naturally engage with the prototype in the session. The technique is suggested to be suitable for evaluating other early-phase concepts and to guide design solutions, especially with the concepts that include users’ personal content and enable content sharing.

Clinical staging versus laparotomy and combined modality with MOPP versus ABVD in early-stage hodgkin's disease: the H6 twin randomized trials from the european organization for research and treatment of cancer lymphoma cooperative group

info:eu-repo/semantics/published