bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Informing the elderly
Authors: Epstein Joyce
Published: November 2010

This paper reports an investigation into the provision of information on social benefits and sevices to the elderly. It was found that most agencies rely heavily on leaflets. A selection of these were evaluated and most were found to be difficult, dull and confusing; a survey of elderly people revealed that few could recall seeing them, and few professionals used them. The survey also showed that the most house-bound were the least well-informed and contact with family, friends, doctors and social workers did not improve matters. One conclusion was that much money is spent on information which is seen by just a few.
ISLA — An experimental local information system for the general public
Authors: Maguire Martin
Published: November 2010

This article reports on an experiment carried out to study the usage of a computer based local information system for the general public. A number of sources of feedback were employed, each revealing different problems faced by users and aspects of the interactive process. A series of guidelines are presented for the design of similar systems in the future.
A framework for the inclusion of human factors in the design of videotex systems
Authors: Simcox William A.
Published: November 2010

A structured approach for proper inclusion of Human Factors in the design of videotex systems is presented. The framework describes the process of information communication by videotex in terms of user tasks and functions. Behavioral descriptions of each task serve to delineate the equipment requirements necessary for their proper execution. These requirements are of two types—physical and operational. For each task, design issues arising from these requirements are discussed and empirical support for resolving these issues is presented.
Videotex—glimpses of some facets
Authors: McLaren Ian
Published: November 2010

The European and North American videotex systems are introduced and their graphic capabilities contrasted. It is suggested that the public's perception of videotex is fragmented and that the inadequacy of the graphic capability of the present European systems is a contributory factor in this. Recent innovations within the UK are touched upon. An example is demonstrated of the type of reassessment required of a publisher's material when presenting this in videotex.
Design in Pakistan
Authors: Zimmer Fred
Published: November 2010

This article reports a recent visit of the author to Pakistan, where he taught graphic design, a subject barely established and under threat. The author regrets the tendency to borrow Western styles of graphic design and emphasises the importance of appreciating and developing the local visual culture, a particularly rich and ancient one in the case of Pakistan.
Being seen to read the signs
Authors: McHoul Alec
Published: November 2010

This paper argues that Sharrock and Anderson's work on hospital directional signs can be extended to encompass the function of the sign in the micropolitics of everyday life. One consequence of this fractional shift is that 'reading signs' is deemphasised as a study topic and partially replaced by the question of 'being seen to read signs'. Some conclusions are drawn which cast light on how the 'model of the actor' in sign-studies can be widened without moving beyond the sphere of 'the practical' demarcated by Sharrock and Anderson.
Reading semiotics
Authors: Sless David
Published: November 2010

This paper presents a general and non-technical overview of semiotics and its recent history. The importance of Peirce and Saussure as founding fathers of contemporary semiotics is discussed and the debate they precipitated is mapped out including some of the peculiar characteristics of semiotics as a field of study. Some advice is given on how to read semiotic research, emphasising its contribution as an art rather than as a science. Some emphasis is placed on the specific contribution of semiotics to our understanding of the political nature of all communication.
An experimental study of some effects of figure-ground contrast on the use of street maps
Authors: Barker Penny , Hailstone Max , Simmonds Murray
Published: November 2010

Nine different formats of a street map were designed to test effects of contrast between city blocks, streets and street names. The position of the streets and their names remained constant. The contrast between city blocks, streets and names was varied by using combinations of black, white and grey in the designs. Four different map reading tasks were used to test each of the nine formats: 288 undergraduate students were tested on the 36 combinations of format and task. Λ two-way analysis of variance was conducted. The means were analysed using Tukey's HSD test. Both factors were found to be significant at the 0.01 level, indicating that variations in the formats significantly influenced performance on the various map-reading tasks.
Getting there
Authors: Home Mike , Roberts Jonathan , Rose Douglas
Published: November 2010

This paper discusses the problems of putting across information about bus travel in London. In Part 1 the authors describe the basic needs of bus users, referring to the development of the conventional bus map over recent years. The steps by which various redesigns were proposed and tested are recounted, leading to a proposal by Roger Graef and Andrew Holmes for a radical rethink of the whole concept of bus route cartography. The development of a new bus map for central London, launched in 1981, is described in detail. Part 2 will appear in IDJ 5/
Information management by design
Authors: Orna Elizabeth
Published: November 2010

This article discusses work undertaken to improve the management of information on Prestel It describes the development of improved indexing and information retrieval systems, leading to the recently introduced new subject index, backed up by a thesaurus and associated software. The work was linked with the development by British Telecom Research and Development Laboratories of the new Keyword system of access, which Prestel plans to introduce shortly.
Getting there
Authors: Horne Mike , Roberts Jonathan , Rose Douglas
Published: November 2010

This the second part of a paper discussing the problems of putting across information about bus travel in London. Part 1, published in ID J 5/1, described the basic needs of bus users and the development of a new bus map for central London. In Part 2, reactions to the new map are described and the new design is analysed, with an examination of cartographic problems such as complex routeing, road naming, railway station location and one-way streets.
From bureaucratic language to instructional texts
Authors: Steehouder Michaël F. , Jansen Carel
Published: November 2010

This paper proposes that bureaucratic texts (texts which explain government schemes and regulations) should benefit from principles developed for instructional text. Some principles f or instructional bureaucratic texts are proposed, and a design procedure is suggested that aims to determine the most efficient ordering of information.
An ergonomical approach to Berlin's method of graphically displaying multivariate data
Authors: Adams Wim
Published: November 2010

This paper, first presented at the Information design conference in December 1986, discusses Bertin's method of displaying numerical data by means of an interactive graphical matrix. In the study the need for empirical verification of theoretical statements is stressed. The ergonomical approach that is chosen for this purpose is subdivided into three major stages: visual perception, motor operations and cognitive information processing. The subject of this paper is mainly restricted to the first stage of visual perception, which is elaborated through some psychophysical experiments concerning the shape and size of symbols that are suited to be used as matrix elements.
The importance of iterative prrocedures in the design of location maps for the built environment
Authors: Wright Patricia , Lickorish Ann , Hull Audrey
Published: November 2010

This paper reports the development of a hand-held sketch map intended to help people find clinics and other facilities in a hospital Outpatients Department. The map illustrated the whereabouts of more than 50 locations which were divided between two floors, Considerable thought and consultation went into the design of the map. Empirical evaluation was carried out by asking members of the public to use the map to find specific locations in the building. This showed that some of the information on the map was not understood at all, some was misinterpreted and some was ignored. Analysis of people's difficulties suggested that over 20 revisions were needed and that these fell into six broad categories, which included readers' presuppositions about the labelling of the built environment, their interpretation of iconic information on the map, and their use of way-finding information both on and off the map. This led to a revised map, which further testing showed overcame the previous problems. However, subsequent requests for extra details on the map showed that the design solutions did not necessarily remain adequate when new information was introduced. Numerous subtle factors could cause ambiguities for readers and undermine the map's effectiveness. Although the error analysis pointed to general design principles for this kind of location diagram, these principles were goals rather than procedures which could guarantee the success of such maps. Empirical evaluation provides the only certain way of knowing that a location map is adequate for its purpose,
Advances in the international standardisation of public information symbols
Authors: Brugger Christof
Published: November 2010

Two main issues in developing and standardizing public information symbols on an international basis are covered in this paper: the procedures for the development and testing of public information symbols as applied by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) committee working on public information symbols; and the results of the 19S5/6 test series conducted under the sponsorship of ISO.
Paragraphy
Authors: Coleman Edwin
Published: November 2010

Paragraphy, the use of signs such as footnotes, layout, format, advance organisers and other marginalia of written text, has not been conceptualised as a system with specific semiotic functions. It is one of four interacting sign-systems at work in the constitution and use of mathematical text, where its importance has been overlooked. The main functions of paragraphy in any kind of text are text articulation and grounding. In the case of mathematics, these make essential contributions to the objective and certain character of its truths.
How much to write
Authors: Rennie David
Published: November 2010

Readers complain that documents are too long. But people also complain when documents are not comprehensive. We have used an analogy with travel to develop a flexible approach to length called 10/100/1000. This means arranging information so that people can easily find the more important things - 10 words on a topic, then 100, then 1000 and so on. The 10/100/1000 approach provides a rationale for many familiar features of documents and a means of measuring and developing them. The paper explains how the approach should improve information retrieval. It also illustrates some ways of using typography and layout to apply the approach within documents.
On situating documents
Authors: Overmyer Dwayne
Published: November 2010

As a means of understanding and evaluating typographic documents as objects of design and instances of language in use, a descriptive and analytical framework is put forth. Identified as 'constructive factors' are formal characteristics of text and format, requirements of production and use, and contextual variables. The ways in which these factors might interrelate is examined briefly, and it is suggested that the most typical dynamic is that in which the stylistic requirement of idiomatically appropriate form is largely determined by a document's situational context. Typographic competency is then defined as the ability to match formal idiom to situation and to further model the idiom in response to situational specifics.
Compendia of confusion
Authors: Cleaver Philip
Published: November 2010

Some DTP users want typographic tuition not only to improve design skills but also to help them deal with 'clients' who now want to control layout and design decisions. Other users may lack motivation to study because they feel they can achieve results that satisfy themselves and their 'clients' without typographic knowledge. Selected type tutorial books are examined and judged to ignore the motivated learner's particular need for methods of working that synthesize the elements of typography with the tasks they have to perform. For other potential learners, they do not provide the missing motivation. Two recent tutorial books use, respectively, a graphically motivating approach and a synthetic, systematic approach. The latter is judged not only to meet motivated learners' needs but also to provide the elements of an approach through which 'clients', including writers, could begin to realise DTP'S potential for integrating the composition of text and its display on the page.
Diagrammatic information
Authors: Lowe Richard K.
Published: November 2010

Diagrams are increasingly used to present complex and abstract information. Their ultimate success as tools for communication depends largely upon how effectively they can be processed in the mind of the viewer. The application of established principles of graphic design is a vital part of developing effective diagrams, but tends to focus upon external aspects of representation that apply at a general level across a wide range of subject domains. However, the internal (mental) representation of a specific set of subject matter is also important in influencing what sense viewers make of a diagram. The task of characterising relationships between the way a diagram is represented mentally and the effectiveness with which that diagram is processed poses novel challenges to researchers. This paper decribes some of these challenges and discusses methodologies that have been developed to explore the mental representation and processing of explanatory diagrams.
Use trails for information graphics
Authors: Suri Jane Fulton
Published: November 2010

This paper illustrates lessons we learned from user trials. Our brief was to design product graphics to encourage fast and accurate use of a new point-of-sale laser scanner.
Our early intuitions were proved wrong. We had thought that the most effective design would explain how the scanner works. But our tests showed that this confused users. So instead we concentrated on guiding people to successful behaviour, without concern for the way the scanner works.
Tests with typical users indicated the best graphic - simple, familiar, conspicuous, and easy to name. It significantly increased the acceptability of the product and improved the speed and accuracy with which people used it, even though it encouraged an incorrect model of the way the scanner works. This finding has implications for the design of graphics and metaphors for all kinds of user interfaces. Additionally, user trials proved invaluable in challenging our mistaken assumptions and in guiding us to an effective solution.
Testing warning signs
Authors: Adams Austin , Montague Mary
Published: November 2010

When there are conflicting views within a client body on the merits of an information-design product, judicious testing may provide a way out of a difficult situation. The process of discussing and agreeing upon that testing may itself provide useful clarification of the brief. This article discusses the testing of how well some warning signs stand out and how well they can be discriminated from each other. A railway authority wanted to replace remote area signalmen with stationary warning boards, but the union objected to the original design.
Laboratory-based testing was used to answer questions about conspicuity and discriminability and to evaluate a proposed solution.
Unjustified text and the zero hour
Authors: Kinross Robin
Published: November 2010

This is the text of a lecture given at the conference on 'Design & reconstruction in postwar Europe', held at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, in January 1994. It is an attempt to locate a general principle of design - unjustified setting of text - in a precise historical context. The discussion focusses on experiments and debates over unjustified text in the years around 1945, by designers in Switzerland, Britain, and the Netherlands.
Design methods, cutural diversity, and the limits of designing
Authors: Stiff Paul
Published: November 2010

This article begins by describing a recent argument in print about interface design in human-computer interaction. The argument was provoked by published illustrations of some prototypes of dialogue boxes. It was about the methods used in designing for 'culturally diverse' users, about testing and intuition, usability and style, and about the undeclared assumptions and biases of designers. The account of the argument is followed by a commentary which raises questions about the positions taken by both sides; some of these questions have already arisen in the design of print 'interfaces'. The article concludes by pointing to wider questions which arise in designing for cultural diversity - questions which come up against the limits of designing.
The Alphabet Highway
Authors: Poggenpohl Sharon , Venezky Richard L. , Blevis Eli , Cargile Andrew , Friedman Alon , Melican Jay
Published: November 2010

Strengthening literacy amongst school children is a national educational priority in the US. The 'Alphabet Highway' moves reading and writing onto the Internet and Worldwide Web with its program of mentor-assisted writing and electronic publication. Its focus is the coordination of interesting and intelligible online sites - for children created by children. In this way, reading and writing become part of a dynamic useful communication context. The development process and information structure for this project are discussed.
Corpus Work at HCRC
Authors: Thompson Henry S.
Published: November 2010

An overview is given of work on the creation, collection, preparation, and publication of electronic corpora of written and spoken language undertaken at the Human Communication Research Centre at the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Four major efforts are described: the HCRC Map Task Corpus, the ECI/MC1, the MLCC project and work on document architectures and processing regimes for SGML-encoded corpora.
The Borrowing of Classical and Romance Words into English
Authors: Culpeper Jonathan , Clapham Phoebe
Published: November 2010

This paper describes a study designed to investigate the effect of Classical and Romance vocabulary on the English lexicon. The study involved a series of computer searches, using the CD-ROM version of the Oxford English Dictionary (1989). Our aim was to discover how many and at what point in time words were borrowed into English from Greek, Latin, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. The paper describes the general obstacles and limitations — both with the Oxford English Dictionary and the computer searches — that circumscribe our results. We then present our findings, relating them to extant research.
Making Sense of Corpus Data
Authors: Levin Beth , Song Grace
Published: November 2010

This paper demonstrates the essential role of corpus data in the development of a theory that explains and predicts word behavior. We make this point through a case study of verbs of sound, drawing our evidence primarily from the British National Corpus. We begin by considering pretheoretic notions of the verbs of sound as presented in corpus-based dictionaries and then contrast them with the predictions made by a theory of syntax, as represented by Chomsky's Government-Binding framework. We identify and classify the transitive uses of sixteen representative verbs of sound found in the corpus data. Finally, we consider what a linguistic account with both syntactic and lexical semantic components has to offer as an explanation of observed differences in the behavior of the sample verbs.
Detecting the Organization of Semantic Subclasses of Japanese Verbs
Authors: Oishi Akira , Matsumoto Yuji
Published: November 2010

This paper describes an approach to detect the organization of semantic subclasses of Japanese verbs. First, we classify verbs along two dimensions: thematic and aspectual. In the thematic dimension, we exploit the pattern of case marking particles which are attached to arguments of verbs. In the aspectual dimension, we exploit the classification of adverbs which modify verbs in a corpus. By combining the results of two classifications, we obtain an elaborate classification of verbs. We can incorporate the prototypicality of the members which constitute each semantic subclass by taking account of the frequency of case particles patterns and cooccurring adverbs. Moreover, the existence of close relationships among them enable us to detect the organization of these subclasses.
Predictability of Word Forms (Types) and Lemmas in Linguistic Corpora. A Case Study Based on the Analysis of the CUMBRE Corpus
Authors: Sánchez Aquilino , Cantos-Gomez Pascual
Published: November 2010

Various research centres and publishing companies all around the world have been developing corpus resources for many years, and there has been a growing awareness throughout the eighties of their importance to linguistic and lexicographic work. To give some idea of scale, the British National Corpus contains 100 million words, and its counterpart for Spanish—compiled by the Spanish Real Academia de la Lengua—will reach 100 million words at first and 200 million words in a second stage. However, little convincing research has been done in the direction of sample size—directly connected to a further topic: representativeness. We shall investigate here a related issue: Is it possible to predict the different word forms and lemmas of a given corpus? And if so, how? A positive answer to this question may contribute to decision making regarding some aspects of representativeness in given fields. We shall attempt further to find a reliable procedure to predict the total number of word forms (types) and lemmas in a specific corpus.
Partial Parsing
Authors: Coniam David
Published: November 2010

This paper describes a computer program which performs a particular type of grammatical/syntactic analysis—the assigning of structural boundaries between orthographic words in written English text. The Boundary Marker has been designed, in principle, as an analyser of unrestricted text and has been developed by using, as far as possible, authentic text as data for analysis. This paper first presents a brief overview of boundary marking as a method of syntactic analysis. It then describes how the program processes text and reports on the analysis of 10 000 words of text from the media. The paper concludes with a discussion of the advantages of a tightly focused analytic tool such as the Boundary Marker.
A LOB-Corpus-based Semantic Profile of the Adjective in English Supplementive Clauses
Authors: Valera Salvador , Rizo Rodriguez Alfonso
Published: November 2010

One of the various forms that the expression of attribution may take in English is through a supplementive clause, a reduced structure realized by an adjective phrase hypotactically connected with a superordinate clause. The construction under study exhibits an attributive character in that the adjective predicates about the NP subject, but also possesses an adverbial import in so far as it expresses diverse circumstances relating to the main clause.
This kind of structure is, however, not entirely free of constraints; in fact, not every adjective may combine with a matrix verb, and certain semantic patterns can be observed to occur recurrently in these constructions. This paper surveys a substantial number of adjectives from the LOB corpus for the identification of the semantic profile proper to supplementive adjectives.
Exploiting a Large Spoken Corpus
Authors: Berglund Ylva
Published: November 2010

The British National Corpus (BNC) contains a spoken component of about 10 million words, consisting of spoken language of various kinds produced by different speakers in a variety of situations. Starting from an end-user s perspective, this paper surveys the potential of this resource and some possible problems one might encounter if not fully versed in the details of the compilation and coding plans. Among the issues touched upon are questions relating to the composition of the component, the transcription principles employed, and points relating to the nature and coverage of the mark-up. By way of illustration, examples are drawn from a case study of the variant forms gonna and going to.
MonoConc 1.5 and ParaConc
Authors: Barlow Michael
Published: November 2010

The review describes the design and features associated with two Windows text analysis programs: a concordancer MonoConc and a parallel concordance program ParaConc. The general operation and potential uses of the two programs are briefly explored.
LINDA BL 1.0. A Linguistic Digital Assistant for the Analysis of Block Language
Authors: Lopez Maestre Maria D.
Published: November 2010

In this paper, we present and discuss a computer programme designed for the linguistic annotation and processing of corpora of Block Language (headlines, proverbs, graffiti, advertising headlines, cinema titles, etc.) in English. LINDA BL 1.0 (LINGUISTIC DIGITAL ASSISTANT FOR THE ANALYSIS OF BLOCK LANGUAGE version 1.0) was designed at the University of Murcia (Spain) to enable the user to study linguistic variation in the sentence structure of Block Language texts from a stylistic point of view and with reference to the social-semiotic environment of the context of situation of these varieties of language.
Modeling cognition in SI
Authors: Lonsdale Deryle
Published: November 2010

In this paper we discuss methodological issues pertaining to cognitive modeling of simultaneous interpretation. We briefly introduce the notion of cognition and efforts to model aspects of language-related processing. Previous work identifying cognitive processes in SI is sampled, and empirical SI studies are also mentioned. A rationale for modeling SI cognition follows, and relevant issues are sketched: whom to model, system dynamics, applicable technologies, and various possible processing scenarios. A discussion of evaluation considerations and requisite data resources follows. Throughout, we raise questions that must be addressed by the SI community, among both researchers and practitioners, if modeling SI is to be successfully realized in the future.
Psychophysiological stress research
Authors: Zeier Hans
Published: November 2010

This paper gives an overview of physiological stress responses and shows methods for measuring such responses in field studies. It discusses the available techniques for assessing endocrinological and immune functions, cardiovascular functions, physical activity, electrodermal activity, muscle activity, respiration, and, the size of the eye pupil. Furthermore, methods for collecting psychological data are depicted. As examples for psychophysiological stress research under natural conditions, a showmaster's heart rate responses during a TV show are reported, as well as psychophysiological effects of work demands in air traffic controllers and in simultaneous interpreting. The latter example shows that mental overload in simultaneous interpreting may change the attitude to the job: It is taken less seriously and a certain carelessness sets in. This might be an effective self-defense mechanism against mental overload caused by situations such as increased time on task, extremely fast speakers, unintelligible speakers, and long working hours. It seems to occur rather automatically, without being noticed by the performing interpreter. Especially with increased time on task, interpreters' own judgement of output quality, whether they are novices or experts, seems to become extremely unreliable.
Simultaneous interpreters and the effect of concurrent articulation on immediate memory
Authors: Chincotta Dino , Underwood Geoffrey
Published: November 2010

According to working memory theory (e.g., Baddeley, 1990), bilingual digit span is mediated by a variation in speech rate between the languages. This view is supported by findings that demonstrate the elimination of the bilingual digit span effect under concurrent articulation. The present study addressed the question as to how experienced simultaneous interpreters, experts in processing information whilst articulating a translation in a target language, cope with the deleterious effects of articulatory. suppression. Bilingual digit span with and without articulatory suppression was compared between experienced simultaneous interpreters fluent in Finnish and English and a control group consisting of Finnish undergraduates majoring in English. The results showed that articulatory suppression occasioned a decrement in digit span for both groups. Articulatory suppression eliminated the bilingual digit span effect for controls, whereas the language difference was preserved for the simultaneous interpreters. The present findings highlighted the potential for further research that examines memory performance by simultaneous interpreters under secondary task loadings as a means of extending current models of human information processing.
Chimpanzees and bonobos distinguish between risk and ambiguity
Authors: Rosati Alexandra G. , Hare Brian
Published: November 2010

Although recent research has investigated animal decision-making under risk, little is known about how animals choose under conditions of ambiguity when they lack information about the available alternatives. Many models of choice behaviour assume that ambiguity does not impact decision-makers, but studies of humans suggest that people tend to be more averse to choosing ambiguous options than risky options with known probabilities. To illuminate the evolutionary roots of human economic behaviour, we examined whether our closest living relatives, chimpanzees (
Pan troglodytes
) and bonobos (
Pan paniscus
), share this bias against ambiguity. Apes chose between a certain option that reliably provided an intermediately preferred food type, and a variable option that could vary in the probability that it provided a highly preferred food type. To examine the impact of ambiguity on ape decision-making, we interspersed trials in which chimpanzees and bonobos had no knowledge about the probabilities. Both species avoided the ambiguous option compared with their choices for a risky option, indicating that ambiguity aversion is shared by humans, bonobos and chimpanzees.
The bigger they come, the harder they fall: body size and prey abundance influence predator–prey ratios
Authors: Carbone Chris , Pettorelli Nathalie , Stephens Philip A.
Published: November 2010

Large carnivores are highly threatened, yet the processes underlying their population declines are still poorly understood and widely debated. We explored how body mass and prey abundance influence carnivore density using data on 199 populations obtained across multiple sites for 11 carnivore species. We found that relative decreases in prey abundance resulted in a five- to sixfold greater decrease in the largest carnivores compared with the smallest species. We discuss a number of possible causes for this inherent vulnerability, but also explore a possible mechanistic link between predator size, energetics and population processes. Our results have important implications for carnivore ecology and conservation, demonstrating that larger species are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic threats to their environment, especially those which have an adverse affect on the abundance of their prey.
Numerical study of shearing of a microfibre during friction testing of a microfibre array
Authors: Kumar Ajeet , Hui Chung-Yuen
Published: November 2010

Friction testing of microfibre arrays is typically conducted under displacement boundary conditions. For example, after the application of a compressive preload, the translation stage is fixed in the vertical direction while a shear displacement is applied by translating the stage laterally. A nonlinear rod model is used to compute the normal and shear forces acting on a typical microfibre during such a test. The normal load acting on a typical fibre is found to switch from compression to tension as the shear displacement increases. The critical shear force to detach a fibre is found to depend linearly on the compressive preload. The fibre is also found to become more stable as it is sheared, hence it never buckles. On the other hand, instead of fixing the vertical displacement, when a fibre is subjected to constant normal load, it becomes unstable upon shearing. We show that the buckling load (the applied normal load to make a fibre unstable) of a microfibril is reduced by the application of a shear displacement.
Global analysis of thermal tolerance and latitude in ectotherms
Authors: Sunday Jennifer M. , Bates Amanda E. , Dulvy Nicholas K.
Published: November 2010

A tenet of macroecology is that physiological processes of organisms are linked to large-scale geographical patterns in environmental conditions. Species at higher latitudes experience greater seasonal temperature variation and are consequently predicted to withstand greater temperature extremes. We tested for relationships between breadths of thermal tolerance in ectothermic animals and the latitude of specimen location using all available data, while accounting for habitat, hemisphere, methodological differences and taxonomic affinity. We found that thermal tolerance breadths generally increase with latitude, and do so at a greater rate in the Northern Hemisphere. In terrestrial ectotherms, upper thermal limits vary little while lower thermal limits decrease with latitude. By contrast, marine species display a coherent poleward decrease in both upper and lower thermal limits. Our findings provide comprehensive global support for hypotheses generated from studies at smaller taxonomic subsets and geographical scales. Our results further indicate differences between terrestrial and marine ectotherms in how thermal physiology varies with latitude that may relate to the degree of temperature variability experienced on land and in the ocean.
Specificity in the symbiotic association between fungus-growing ants and protective
Pseudonocardia
bacteria
Authors: Cafaro Matías J. , Poulsen Michael , Little Ainslie E. F. , Price Shauna L. , Gerardo Nicole M. , Wong Bess , Stuart Alison E. , Larget Bret , Abbot Patrick , Currie Cameron R.
Published: November 2010

Fungus-growing ants (tribe Attini) engage in a mutualism with a fungus that serves as the ants' primary food source, but successful fungus cultivation is threatened by microfungal parasites (genus
Escovopsis
). Actinobacteria (genus
Pseudonocardia
) associate with most of the phylogenetic diversity of fungus-growing ants; are typically maintained on the cuticle of workers; and infection experiments, bioassay challenges and chemical analyses support a role of
Pseudonocardia
in defence against
Escovopsis
through antibiotic production. Here we generate a two-gene phylogeny for
Pseudonocardia
associated with 124 fungus-growing ant colonies, evaluate patterns of ant–
Pseudonocardia
specificity and test
Pseudonocardia
antibiotic activity towards
Escovopsis
. We show that
Pseudonocardia
associated with fungus-growing ants are not monophyletic: the ants have acquired free-living strains over the evolutionary history of the association. Nevertheless, our analysis reveals a significant pattern of specificity between clades of
Pseudonocardia
and groups of related fungus-growing ants. Furthermore, antibiotic assays suggest that despite
Escovopsis
being generally susceptible to inhibition by diverse Actinobacteria, the ant-derived
Pseudonocardia
inhibit
Escovopsis
more strongly than they inhibit other fungi, and are better at inhibiting this pathogen than most environmental
Pseudonocardia
strains tested. Our findings support a model that many fungus-growing ants maintain specialized
Pseudonocardia
symbionts that help with garden defence.
Natural variation in learning rate and memory dynamics in parasitoid wasps: opportunities for converging ecology and neuroscience
Authors: Hoedjes Katja M. , Kruidhof H. Marjolein , Huigens Martinus E. , Dicke Marcel , Vet Louise E. M. , Smid Hans M.
Published: November 2010

Although the neural and genetic pathways underlying learning and memory formation seem strikingly similar among species of distant animal phyla, several more subtle inter- and intraspecific differences become evident from studies on model organisms. The true significance of such variation can only be understood when integrating this with information on the ecological relevance. Here, we argue that parasitoid wasps provide an excellent opportunity for multi-disciplinary studies that integrate ultimate and proximate approaches. These insects display interspecific variation in learning rate and memory dynamics that reflects natural variation in a daunting foraging task that largely determines their fitness: finding the inconspicuous hosts to which they will assign their offspring to develop. We review bioassays used for oviposition learning, the ecological factors that are considered to underlie the observed differences in learning rate and memory dynamics, and the opportunities for convergence of ecology and neuroscience that are offered by using parasitoid wasps as model species. We advocate that variation in learning and memory traits has evolved to suit an insect's lifestyle within its ecological niche.
Heat and moisture exchangers and breathing system filters: their use in anaesthesia and intensive care. Part 1 – history, principles and efficiency
Authors: Wilkes A. R.
Published: November 2010

Heat and moisture exchangers and breathing system filters are intended to replace the normal warming, humidifying and filtering functions of the upper airways when these structures are bypassed during anaesthesia and intensive care. Guidance on their use continues to evolve. The aim of this part of the review is to describe the principles of their action and efficiency and to summarise the findings from clinical and laboratory studies. Based on previous studies, an appropriate minimum target for moisture output is 30 and 20 g.m−3 for long‐duration use in intensive care and short‐duration use in anaesthesia, respectively. The practice of reusing a breathing system in anaesthesia, provided it is protected by a filter, assumes that the filter is effective. However, there is wide variation in the gas‐borne filtration performance, and contaminated condensate can potentially pass through some filters under typical pressures encountered during mechanical ventilation.
Immunizing pigs with Ascaris suum haemoglobin increases the inflammatory response in the liver but fails to induce a protective immunity
Authors: VLAMINCK J. , MARTINEZ‐VALLADARES M. , DEWILDE S. , MOENS L. , TILLEMAN K. , DEFORCE D. , URBAN J. , CLAEREBOUT E. , VERCRUYSSE J. , GELDHOF P.
Published: November 2010

To determine whether purified Ascaris suum haemoglobin (AsHb) is a suitable vaccine candidate for the control of Ascaris infections, pigs were vaccinated with AsHb in combination with QuilA adjuvant and challenged with A. suum eggs. The number of liver lesions and worms in the intestine was assessed on day 14, 28 and 56 post‐infection (p.i.). No significant differences were found in the number of worms recovered between vaccinated and control pigs on any of these days. However, significantly more white spots were counted on the livers of vaccinated pigs on day 14 (+86%) and day 28 (+118%) p.i. compared with nonvaccinated controls. To investigate whether the increased immunoreactivity against the liver stage L3s in vaccinated pigs was triggered by and directed against AsHb, the transcription and expression of AsHb in this larval life stage was analysed by RT‐PCR and immunoblotting. The results showed that neither the AsHb transcript nor protein was detectable in freshly hatched L3. However, the immunoblot analysis showed that vaccination with AsHb resulted in the production of antibodies binding to several other antigens of the L3, suggesting that these might be involved in the increased white spot development.
A Case of Unilateral Pelvic Limb Adactyly in a Puppy Dog
Authors: Macrì F. , Marino F. , Rapisarda G. , Lanteri G. , Mazzullo G.
Published: November 2010

With 2 figures

A case of unilateral hindlimb adactyly is described in a 3‐month‐old female Pointer dog. Clinical and radiographic findings are described. Adactyly or transverse hemimelia is a rare condition in most animal species. In dogs, this condition has been reported only three times as a deformity of the forelimb. To the authors’ knowledge, the congenital pelvic limb deformity described here is the first case documented in a dog.
Development of a potato seedling assay to screen for resistance to Verticillium dahliae
Authors: Bae J. J. , Neu K. , Halterman D. , Jansky S.
Published: November 2010

With 2 figures and 4 tables

A seedling assay was developed for Verticillium wilt (VW) resistance in potato to provide efficient and rapid screening to identify resistant clones in segregating populations. The method provides uniform inoculum, which may reduce false negatives and the confounding effect of late maturity in field‐grown plants. Seedlings of two cultivated varieties, five wild potato families and five families of complex hybrids were tested for VW symptoms after exposure to fungal suspensions and exudate from liquid cultures. The seedlings of the resistant cultivar and two resistant wild species exhibited fewer symptoms in response to fungal suspensions than the susceptible controls, indicating that seedlings can be scored for VW resistance or tolerance. Furthermore, exposure of seedlings to filter‐sterilized exudates lacking the fungus elicited symptoms very similar to treatment with cultures containing VW condia. This result suggests that Vd (Verticillium dahliae Kleb.) liquid culture exudates may contain phytotoxins that can cause visible effects on the growth of certain genotypes. Overall, our results indicate that a greenhouse‐based seedling assay can be used effectively to identify resistant or tolerant clones.
Correlations between obstetric complications and neurological soft signs in Tunisian patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Mrad Amel , Mechri Anwar , Slama Hela , Mokni Sana , Letaief Mondher , Gha Lotfi
Published: November 2010

The objective of this study was to examine the correlations between a history of obstetric complications (OC) and neurological soft signs (NSS) in Tunisian patients with schizophrenia. Forty‐six patients were assessed using the Krebs et al. NSS scale. History of OC was obtained from the patients' mothers using the McNeil–Sjöström scale. Although there was no significant difference in NSS between patients with and without OC, there were negative correlations between OC total score and motor coordination and integration sub‐scores. These negative correlations suggest that OC could enhance the effects of genetic risk factors for schizophrenia.
Chronic repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation failed to change dopamine synthesis rate: Preliminary L‐[β‐11C]DOPA positron emission tomography study in patients with depression
Authors: Kuroda Yuko , Motohashi Nobutaka , Ito Hiroshi , Ito Shigeo , Takano Akihiro , Takahashi Hidehiko , Nishikawa Toru , Suhara Tetsuya
Published: November 2010

We have examined the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on central dopaminergic function in patients with depression using positron emission tomography with L‐[β‐11C]DOPA, a ligand to assess the rate of endogenous dopamine synthesis. Eight patients were treated with 10‐daily sessions of rTMS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Positron emission tomography scanning was performed in each patient twice, before the first session and 1 day after the last session. Although four out of eight patients responded to rTMS, there were no changes in the striatal dopamine synthesis rate (k) following rTMS. These results suggest that chronic rTMS had a limited effect on the dopaminergic system.
Correlations among insomnia symptoms, sleep medication use and depressive symptoms
Authors: Komada Yoko , Nomura Takashi , Kusumi Masayoshi , Nakashima Kenji , Okajima Isa , Sasai Taeko , Inoue Yuichi
Published: November 2010

Aim:  To elucidate the factors associated with insomnia symptoms and the use of sleep medication, and the correlations among insomnia symptoms, sleep medication use and depressive symptoms in the general population.

Methods:  This survey was conducted in a rural community of Japan. Questionnaires consisted of basic information, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and a 12‐item version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale, and were administered to all community members aged 20 years or over. A total of 2822 respondents with valid answers were subjected to analysis.

Results:  Occurrence of insomnia symptoms appeared to be associated with advancing age and existence of depressive symptoms. The extent of sleep medication use in the entire sample was 9%, and the value in the subjects with insomnia symptoms was 26%. Sleep medication use in insomniacs was associated with female sex and advancing age as well as higher scores in subcomponents of both poor subjective sleep quality and prolonged delay of sleep onset. Depressive symptoms were worst in the group with insomnia symptoms using sleep medication, and were significantly lower in the group without insomnia symptoms using sleep medication.

Conclusions:  Our study revealed that female sex, advancing age, depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, and prolonged delay of sleep onset appeared as risk factors for sleep medication use. Insomnia symptoms were suspected to act as an exacerbating factor for depressive symptoms. However, our findings suggested that appropriate use of sleep medication could reduce depressive symptoms in the subjects with insomnia symptoms.
Reserve design for uncertain responses of coral reefs to climate change
Authors: Mumby Peter J. , Elliott Ian A. , Eakin C. Mark , Skirving William , Paris Claire B. , Edwards Helen J. , Enríquez Susana , Iglesias‐Prieto Roberto , Cherubin Laurent M. , Stevens Jamie R.
Published: November 2010

Ecology Letters(2011) 14: 132–140

Rising sea temperatures cause mass coral bleaching and threaten reefs worldwide. We show how maps of variations in thermal stress can be used to help manage reefs for climate change. We map proxies of chronic and acute thermal stress and develop evidence‐based hypotheses for the future response of corals to each stress regime. We then incorporate spatially realistic predictions of larval connectivity among reefs of the Bahamas and apply novel reserve design algorithms to create reserve networks for a changing climate. We show that scales of larval dispersal are large enough to connect reefs from desirable thermal stress regimes into a reserve network. Critically, we find that reserve designs differ according to the anticipated scope for phenotypic and genetic adaptation in corals, which remains uncertain. Attempts to provide a complete reserve design that hedged against different evolutionary outcomes achieved limited success, which emphasises the importance of considering the scope for adaptation explicitly. Nonetheless, 15% of reserve locations were selected under all evolutionary scenarios, making them a high priority for early designation. Our approach allows new insights into coral holobiont adaptation to be integrated directly into an adaptive approach to management.