bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An analysis of medical synonyms
Authors: Tsuji Keita , Kageura Kyo
Published: November 2010

This paper attempts to clarify the types of terms which are likely to be preferred among synonyms. We regard the term referred to by the other synonyms in a dictionary as the dominant term among synonyms. More than 2,000 pairs of Japanese synonymous terms for diseases are extracted from a standard medical dictionary, and their word-structures are analysed in relation with the preferred and non-preferred terms. It was found that the terms which include person names or virus names are likely to be dominant and that the terms which include place names or suffixes are not likely to be dominant. The relation between the concept which should be conveyed by the term and the one which is actually conveyed through the word-structure is discussed.
Literate Design in the Discourses of Revolution, Reform, and Transition
Authors: Scollon Ron , Sgollon Suzanne Wong
Published: November 2010

In contemporary China, including Hong Kong, literate design from the choice of writing system or romanization to presentational formats articulates an inter-discursivity among three major discourses: the language reforms of the post-Liberation revolutionary discourse, the Dengist reform discourse, and the discourse of the transition of sovereignty of Hong Kong from Britain to China. Thus literate design represents the polyvocality of utterance in the public discourse of signs, announcements, and advertisements, symbolizing the new wine of reform by placing it in the old bottle of the symbols of the revolutionary discourse. There is also a smaller contrasting trend of re-symbolizing the revolutionary discourse with the designs of the reform discourse.
Definitional and Methodological Problems in the Cross-National Measurement of Adult Literacy
Authors: Levine Kenneth
Published: November 2010

The International Adult Literacy Survey (MLS) offers researchers comparative data on levels of literacy in seven industrial societies, based on an instrument reflecting the "cognitivist" approach to measurement adapted from the work of Kirsch & Mosenthai. 'The use of nationally representative samples and systematically conducted household interviews represents a great advance on previous census and school-based studies, but the research embodies some serious conceptual problems. Some of these derive from the initial adoption of a definition of literacy that is not subsequently operationalized in the study. Others spring from the use of test items originating in North American research which were not demonstrably familiar to the non-Anglophone participants in the study. As a consequence, some of the occupational and international differences detected are likely to be an artifact of the scales used.
This paper also examines the survey's findings, explanations, and predictions relating to the role of literacy in the labor markets for lower-skill jobs. It is argued that the single-snapshot design of the MLS study does not support predictions about future labor market developments, and that some of the explanations are not supported by relevant British research. The IALS approach is criticized for adopting a conception of literacy that is over-individualistic and which is too exclusively tied to a partisan view of labor market processes.
Another Hmong Messianic Script and Its Texts
Authors: Smalley William , Wimuttikosol Nina
Published: November 2010

Among several writing systems devised by native speakers of Hmong, the Sayaboury script is of interest because it is the only one in which a body of apparently original mythic religio-political text material has been recorded. It also has an unusually ingenious, elegant, and economical set of vowel symbols, and a convention of doubling all initial consonant symbols in formal writing. Of secondary interest is the fact that this system was produced (and revealed to one of the authors) west of the Mekong River — not in the more focal Hmong areas which funneled refugees through Ban Vinai, Thailand, into the United States. The authors present here their limited joint knowledge about these texts and the system with which they are written, describing how they became known, their messianic nature, the structure of the writing system, its possible origins, and the fit between the writing and the Hmong language.
Through the Looking Glass
Authors: Danziger Eve , Pederson Eric
Published: November 2010

A part/whole judgment task was administered to adults in ten different language communities around the world. Participants were instructed to treat two-dimensional abstract line figures differently from the left/right mirror-image reflections of the same figures. The data support the proposal that sensitivity to this kind of mirror-image contrast is acquired: Literate individuals generally were better able to operate in terms of this distinction than were non-literate participants in the study. Contrary to this general pattern, however, Tamil literates as well as non-literates often treated the left/right mirror-image reflections as non-reflected figures, despite the training to treat them differently. The difference between the Tamil literates and the literate individuals in the other language communities sampled may reflect the fact that mirror-image contrasts are used to different degrees in their respective scripts.
Authority and Discourse
Authors: Eira Christina
Published: November 2010

On the surface, orthography selection and development are linguistic issues; but in practice they are loaded with imperatives arising from a number of sources. An orthography is constructed as a cultural semiotic, frequently holding sacred status at various levels, and representing the perceived political or technological advancement of one culture over another. This paper proposes a model for understanding the motivations which characterise the orthography selection process. At base, the authority which directs this process reflects a configuration of cultural discourses. Disagreement and imposed change can be explained in terms of conflict within or between discourses; choices which appear inexpedient according to the framework of one discourse become comprehensible from the perspective of the discourse that motivates them.
A Hmong orthography project currently in progress in Coolaroo (Melbourne, Australia) can be seen as highlighting issues common to orthography establishment worldwide. Community representatives are working on the establishment of an orthography originating with the messianic figure Shong Lue Tang, on grounds including national identity, politico-religious allegiance, and linguistic suitability. The image of Shong Lue Tang arises from the hope, expressed throughout Hmong oral tradition, for a Messiah who brings political, spiritual, and literary autonomy to the Hmong. This project and its immediate and historical contexts serve as a case study for the model here proposed.
Writing in Two Scripts
Authors: Hak-Khiam Tiu
Published: November 2010

Three writing systems are currently available for writing Taiwanese, the variety of Southern Min Chinese which is spoken in Taiwan. Traditionally, it is written either in choan-han 'all character writing' or choan-lo 'all Roman script'; however, a mixture of these two scripts, called han-lo, has been developed in recent decades. This article evaluates these three writing systems from linguistic and socio linguistic perspectives. It is argued that han-lo can efficiently achieve the goals of corpus planning: graphization, standardization, and modernization. The educational implications of a mixed writing system are also discussed.
Strategies for Representing Tone in African Writing Systems
Authors: Bird Steven
Published: November 2010

Tone languages provide some interesting challenges for the designers of new orthographies. One approach is to omit tone marks, just as stress is not marked in English (zero marking). Another approach is to do phonemic tone analysis, and then make heavy use of diacritic symbols to distinguish the "tonemes" (shallow marking). While orthographies based on either system have been successful, this may be thanks to our ability to manage inadequate orthographies, rather than to any intrinsic advantage which is afforded by one or the other approach. In many cases, practical experience with both kinds of orthography in sub-Saharan Africa has shown that people have not been able to attain the level of reading and writing fluency that we know to be possible for the orthographies of non-tonal languages. In some cases this can be attributed to a socio linguistic setting which does not favour vernacular literacy. In other cases, the orthography itself may be to blame. If the orthography of a tone language is difficult to use or to learn, then a good part of the reason may be that the designer either has not paid enough attention to the FUNCTION of tone in the language, or has not ensured that the information encoded in the orthography is ACCESSIBLE to the ordinary (non-linguist) user of the language. If the writing of tone is not going to continue to be a stumbling block to literacy efforts, then a fresh approach to tone orthography is required — one which assigns high priority to these two factors.
This article describes the problems with orthographies that use too few or too many tone marks, and critically evaluates a wide range of creative intermediate solutions. I review the contributions made by phonology and reading theory, and provide some broad methodological principles to guide those who are seeking to represent tone in a writing system. The tone orthographies of several languages from sub-Saharan Africa are presented throughout the article, with particular emphasis on some tone languages of Cameroon.
A Matter of Typology
Authors: Bright William
Published: November 2010

The typology of writing systems includes such well known categories as the alphabet (e.g. that of English), the syllabary (e.g. Japanese kana), and the logosyllabary (such as Chinese characters). An additional type, exemplified by writing systems of India and Ethiopia, shows features of both the alphabet and the syllabary; it has sometimes been called an alphasyllabary, sometimes an abugida (borrowing an Ethiopic term). These terms can be distinguished in several Asian writing systems, depending on whether priority is given to the presence of an inherent vowel or to the graphic arrangement of symbols.
Some Semitic Phonological Considerations on the Sibilants of the Greek Alphabet
Authors: Daniels Peter T.
Published: November 2010

A recent reinterpretation of the phonetics of the sibilant phonemes in Semitic makes it unnecessary to hunt for "explanations" of the apparent failure of Greek sibilant letters to correspond in value with their Phoenician counterparts.
Register Aspects of Literacy in Spanish
Authors: Gibbons John
Published: November 2010

Spanish academic register is here explored in terms of M. A. K. Halliday's concepts of Mode, Field, and Tenor. It is found that striking differences between everyday Spanish and academic Spanish are related to the intrinsic nature of literacy and to academic uses of language. Important aspects of these differences are explored, and consequences for minority language maintenance are discussed.
Myths of Illiteracy
Authors: Gregory Eve
Published: November 2010

In late 20th century Britain, a paradigm of early literacy prevails within which the home "story-reading" experience — providing "enjoyment", "pleasure, " or "fun" to parent and child — is seen as an essential prerequisite for later school success. When children's reading expeňences do not fall within this paradigm, their knowledge about literacy remains invisible in the classroom. However, the findings in this paper belie the popular image that equates economic poverty with low literacy interests and achievement. The paper shows that, throughout the 20th century, the East London neighbourhood of Spitalfields has maintained a rich literacy on family and community levels. It argues that these literacy activities, although unrecognised by the school, act as important supports for the achievement of school literacy. The paper thus contributes to the theoretical debate on the role played by "unofficial" home and community literacy practices on children's reading development in school.
Literacy and Children's Conception of Words
Authors: Homer Bruce , Olson David R.
Published: November 2010

Children's development of metalinguistic awareness has typically been portrayed as a product of more general development processes, or else as a natural consequence of speaking a language. In contrast, we suggest that, at least for certain properties of speech, literacy plays an essential role in the development of metalinguistic awareness by providing a model of the linguistic categories which are used to reflect on spoken language. This hypothesis was tested in two studies that examined the development of children's understanding of the concept of WORD. The first study investigated young children's understanding of the representational nature of writing. It was found that, even before they are functionally literate, children understand that writing represents the spoken word. The second study investigated the relationship of this early understanding of literacy to children's metalinguistic concept of word. It was found that children's understanding of word as a unit of speech was predicted by their awareness of word as a piece of written text. The results are discussed in relation to the MODEL hypothesis of literacy (Olson 1994), and are related to previous findings on children's metalinguistic understanding.
Commentary
Authors: Maksymiuk Jan
Published: November 2010

EDITORIAL NOTE: Belarusian, a Slavic language, is the distinctive tongue of the Republic of Belarus, formerly a part of the USSR. It is written in a version of the Cyrillic alphabet, fast standardized around 1906; this version is referred to below as the "traditional orthography. " A revised standard, bringing Belarusian script closer to that of Russian, was promulgated under the Soviet regime in 1933. As the following report explains, a recent attempt to revive the earlier system has recently met with official disapproval.
This report was made available on the Internet by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Prague, Czech Republic, in RFE/RL Newsline vol. 2, no. 152, part II, 10 August 1998, with the title "A language on trial"; it is printed here by permission. Copyright © 1998 RFE/RL, Inc. All rights reserved. The report was drawn to the editor's attention by Luisa Maffi of Northwestern University. The "Postscript" at the end was made available by Jan Maksymiuk.
Table of Old and New Indic Alphabets
Authors: Holle K.F.
Published: November 2010

Editor's note: Although the general policy of this journal is to publish only new research, an exception is being made in the present case, in order to publish a work of unusual value which has been inaccessible to most scholars for a century or more, and which has now been translated into English for the first time. In 1877, K. F. Holle published his Tabel van oud en nieuw-indische alphabetten, with the support of the Batavia Society of Arts and Letters (the Batavia of that period is the Jakarta of today); it was printed by C. Lang at Buitenzorg, Java. Hoik's "Table" is spread over 49 pages followed by four pages of appendices). In 81 rows, arranged in the Indic canonical order, it displays the symbols of 198 scripts, one per column, which are native to areas reaching from the Indian subcontinent to insular Southeast Asia. These are the writing systems of the Indic tradition that begins with the Brahmi script, used in the Buddhist inscriptions of the Emperor Asoka, in the 3rd century BCE. From that starting point, Holle's display moves forward in time and eastward from India, following the Brahmi-descended scripts through Tibet and Southeast Asia, then extending over the length of the Netherlands Indies, and finally ending with a sample from the Philippines. Neither before Hoik's time nor since has a comparable display been published, showing the multiple historical developments of a script over such an extension of time and space. For scholars interested in the myriad ways that scripts can change through history, Holle's "Table" is a unique source of data. It is reprinted here unchanged; readers will find that they need only know something of the Sanskrit phonological system in order to grasp the organization by rows, and a minimum of Dutch in order to understand the labeling of the columns.
In 1882, Holle published a commentary on his "Table", with the added subtitle Bijdrage tot de palaeographie van Nederlandsch-Indie 'Contribution to the paleography of the Netherlands Indies'. This work, of just 20 pages, was again published by the Batavia Society of Arts and Letters; it was distributed by W. Bruining & Co., Batavia, and by M. Njhoff in The Hague. It is published here, preceding the "Table" proper, in an English translation by Carol Molony and Henk Pechler. A unified bibliographical listing, giving fuller citations than those provided by Holle, is a great desideratum; unfortunately, resources were not available for preparing such a listing. Also to be desired is a reconsideration and evaluation of Holle's materials in terms of scholarship since his time; I hope that the publication of this reprint will stimulate scholars to undertake such work.
The editor is indebted to Elly Amade — a linguist, speaker of Dutch, and native of Indonesia —for help in preparing the translation for publication.
Another Language, Another Literacy?
Authors: Herbert Pat , Robinson Clinton
Published: November 2010

Recent concern about the nature of different literacies points to the need to examine the place of language in differentiating literacies, as a factor which shapes the nature of literacy acquisition and practices. This paper looks at evidence for the relationship between languages and literacies, their purposes, and social meanings, in the multilingual context of Northern Ghana. After describing the characteristics of this multilingualism, the paper reports observed literacy practices in the religious, economic, personal, and "meetings" domains, in an attempt to understand how multilingual usage by individuals and communities affects such practices. The paper concludes by asking in what ways languages, in this context, are determinants of different literacies.
Review of Macri & Ford (1997): The language of Maya hieroglyphs
Authors: Looper Matthew G.
Published: November 2010

Editor's note: Readers will note that all the book reviews in the present issue are concerned with Maya studies. This is by way of an appetizer, anticipating the following issue of the journal: a special issue on Maya decipherment, guest-edited by Martha Macri and Gabrielle Vail. The issue will include revised versions of papers given at a symposium on Mayan glyphs held at the 1998 Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Seattle, as well as obituaries of several recently deceased Mayanists.
Light Quantity and Photosystem Function Mediate Host Susceptibility to Turnip mosaic virus Via a Salicylic Acid–Independent Mechanism
Authors: Manfre A. , Glenn M. , Nuñez A. , Moreau R. A. , Dardick C.
Published: November 2010

Evidence going as far back as the early part of the 20th century suggests that both light and chloroplast function may play key roles in host susceptibility to viruses. Despite the long history of such work, confirmation of these phenomena and a determination of the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we revisited these questions using modern imaging technologies to study the susceptibility of Nicotiana benthamiana to Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV). We found that both light deficiency and photosystem impairment increased the susceptibility of N. benthamiana to TuMV infection. Time-lapse photography studies indicated that, under these conditions, rub-inoculated plants exhibited greater numbers of infection foci and more rapid foci development. The rate of systemic movement was also accelerated though cell-to-cell movement appeared unchanged. Inhibition of salicylic acid (SA)-mediated defense responses is not likely responsible for changes in susceptibility because SA and pathogen response-1 gene induction were not affected by light deficiency or chloroplast impairment and treatment of plants with SA had no measureable impact on TuMV infection. Taken together, these data suggest that both light and optimal chloroplast function influence virus infection either by limiting the cellular resources needed by TuMV to establish replication complexes or the host's ability to activate SA-independent defenses.
Identification and Validation of Reference Genes for Normalization of Transcripts from Virus-InfectedArabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Lilly S. T. , Drummond R. S. M. , Pearson M. N. , MacDiarmid R. M.
Published: November 2010

Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) of complementary DNA is now a standard method for studies of gene expression. However, qPCR can identify genuine variation only when transcript quantities are accurately normalized to an appropriate reference. To identify the most reliable reference genes for transcript quantification by qPCR, we describe a systematic evaluation of candidate reference genes of Arabidopsis thaliana ecotype Columbia-0 (Col-0). Twelve genes were selected for transcript stability studies by qPCR of complementary DNA prepared from Arabidopsis leaf tissue infected with one of five plant viruses (Cauliflower mosaic virus, Tobacco mosaic virus, Tomato spotted wilt virus, Turnip mosaic virus, and Turnip yellow mosaic virus). The F-box family protein, elongation factor 1-α, sand family protein, and protodermal factor 2 gene transcripts showed the most stable accumulation, whereas a traditionally used reference gene, Actin8, showed the least stable accumulation as measured by the geNorm algorithm. The data furnish plant virologists with reference genes for normalization of qPCR-derived gene expression in virus-infected Arabidopsis and will be beneficial to the selection and design of primers targeting orthologous genes in other plant species.
First Report of Bituminaria Witches'-Broom in Australia Caused by a 16SrII Phytoplasma
Authors: Aryamanesh N. , Al-Subhi A. M. , Snowball R. , Yan G. , Siddique K. H. M.
Published: November 2010

Bituminaria bituminosa (L.) Stirt. is a perennial legume known as Arabian pea that is used as a forage in arid areas and for stabilization of degraded soils. It is widely distributed in the Mediterranean Basin with wider adaptation across the Canary Islands (4). In July 2010, during a survey for phytoplasma, some Canary Island B. bituminosa plants with typical phytoplasma symptoms, including stunted growth with small leaves, shortened internodes, and bushy growth, were found in seed multiplication nurseries at Medina, Perth, Western Australia (115°48.5′E; 32°13.2′S). Two samples from plants with clear disease symptoms and two visibly healthy plants were collected and total DNA was extracted with the Illustra DNA extraction kit Phytopure (GE Healthcare) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Direct and nested PCR were used to test the presence of phytoplasma 16S rDNA in samples with universal primers P1/P7 and R16F2n/R16R2, respectively (1,3). The PCR amplifications from all diseased samples yielded an expected product of 1.8 kb by direct and 1.2 kb by nested PCR, but not from the healthy plant samples. The direct PCR product was used as a template DNA in sequencing and the DNA sequence was deposited in the NCBI GenBank (Accession No. HQ404357). Sequence homology analysis indicated there was a perfect match between the two isolates. BLAST search of the NCBI GenBank revealed that B. bituminosa phytoplasma shares >99% sequence identity with Crotalaria witches'-broom phytoplasma (Accession No. EU650181.1), pear decline phytoplasma (Accession No. EF656453.1), and Scaevola witches'-broom phytoplasma (Accession No. AB257291.1). On the basis of BLAST analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences, B. bituminosa phytoplasma in Western Australia appears to belong to the peanut witches'-broom group (16SrII-D) of phytoplasma. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was also performed on nested PCR products of two samples of B. bituminosa phytoplasma by separate digestion with HaeIII, Hind6I, HpaII, MboI, RsaI, Tru9I, and T-HB8I restriction enzymes. Samples yielded patterns similar to alfalfa witches'-broom phytoplasma (Accession No. AF438413) belonging to subgroup 16SrII-D (2). To our knowledge, this is the first report of a phytoplasma of the 16SrII-D group infecting B. bituminosa in Australia and should be referred to as “Bituminaria witches'-broom phytoplasma” (BiWB). This report also indicates that the occurrence of the phytoplasma in B. bituminosa may be widespread in the Canary Islands and other species of Bituminaria might be susceptible to infection by Bituminaria witches'-broom phytoplasma.

References: (1) D. E. Gundersen and I.-M. Lee. Phytopathol. Mediterr. 35:144, 1996. (2) A. J. Khan et al. Phytopathology 92:1038, 2002. (3) I.-M. Lee et al. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 54:337, 2004. (4) P. Mendez et al. Grassland Sci. Eur. 11:300, 2006.
Explaining Loss Caused by Tomato spotted wilt virus on Tobacco with Boreal Winter Weather: A Bayesian Approach
Authors: Mila A. L.
Published: November 2010

In North Carolina, Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) has regularly been reported since 1997, with incidence being the highest in 2002. At the end of each season, a questionnaire is sent to the county agents to report disease losses. TSWV reported losses in 1993 to 2007 from 58 counties were available. A county–year combination was considered a case and, in total, 494 cases were analyzed. The winter months' temperature and precipitation significantly explained the reported TSWV loss (R2 = 0.82). Specifically, the monthly average air temperature for December to February had a positive association with TSWV loss (P < 0.0001) whereas the total precipitation for the same months had a negative effect (P < 0.0001). Bayesian hierarchical models were implemented to include spatial and nonspatial random effects to investigate if there were significant spatial correlations or unexplained variability, respectively, and, thus, other significant variables that were ignored in the model development. The spatial random effects were not significant but the nonspatial random effects were significant in 36 cases. The importance of spring weather to dispersal of thrips and TSWV has been previously identified. Winter weather also may be a good indicator of potential available TSWV inoculum for the upcoming season.
Superficial cutaneous leiomyosarcoma of the face: Report of three cases
Authors: TORRES Tiago , OLIVEIRA Ana , SANCHES Madalena , SELORES Manuela
Published: November 2010

Leiomyosarcomas are rare malignant tumors of smooth muscles. Superficial leiomyosarcomas are classified into two subtypes depending on their location: cutaneous forms arise from the arrector pili muscles of hair follicles or dartos muscles of genital skin; subcutaneous forms arise from the smooth muscle lining of arterioles and veins in subcutaneous tissue. Superficial cutaneous leiomyosarcomas on the head are very rare. We report three cases of superficial cutaneous leiomyosarcoma, one localized on the face and two on the forehead.
Forkhead box P3+ T cells express interleukin-17 in nasal mucosa of patients with both allergic rhinitis and polyposis
Authors: Liu T , Song C-H , Liu A-M , Xie C , Zhao F , Chen X , Cheng L , Yang P-C
Published: November 2010

The pathogenesis of nasal polyposis remains unclear; it severely affects patients' quality of life and complicates inflammation in adjacent organs such as sinusitis and asthma. Aberrant immune regulatory function in these patients is proposed. The present study aims to examine the regulatory T cells (Treg) in nasal mucosa of patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) and nasal polyposis (NP). Patients with AR or AR/NP were treated with inferior turbinectomy for their inferior turbinate hyperplasia. Surgically removed nasal mucosa was collected to examine the Treg by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. The results showed that more forkhead box P3 (FoxP3)+ cells were found in AR with polyps than in those with AR alone. Further studies revealed that these FoxP3+ T cells from AR/NP group also expressed interleukin (IL)-17. In vitro study showed that staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) induced CD4+ FoxP3+ T cells to become FoxP3+ IL-17+ cells via facilitating the expression of IL-6, that in synergy with transforming growth factor-beta, induce the expression of IL-17 in FoxP3+ cells. We conclude that FoxP3+ IL-17+ T cells were localized in the nasal mucosa of patients with AR and NP. SEB may play a role in converting FoxP3+ Treg to FoxP3+ IL-17+ T cells. The presence of IL-17+ FoxP3+ T cells may play a role in the remodelling of the nasal airways in certain people who develop polyps, irrespective of whether or not they are atopic.
Comparative study of subcutaneous tissue responses to a novel root‐end filling material and white and grey mineral trioxide aggregate
Authors: Parirokh M. , Mirsoltani B. , Raoof M. , Tabrizchi H. , Haghdoost A.A.
Published: November 2010

Parirokh M, Mirsoltani B, Raoof M, Tabrizchi H, Haghdoost A‐A. Comparative study of subcutaneous tissue responses to a novel root‐end filling material and white and grey mineral trioxide aggregate. International Endodontic Journal.

Aim  To compare the subcutaneous tissue response to grey mineral trioxide aggregate (GMTA), white mineral trioxide aggregate (WMTA) and a new experimental cement (calcium enriched cement, CEM).

Methodology  Thirty‐six Wistar male albino rats each received three implants, containing one of the tested materials, and an empty tube as a control. Seven, 30 and 60 days after implantation, the animals were sacrificed. After histological preparation and H&E staining, the specimens were evaluated for capsule thickness, necrosis, and for the type, the severity, and the extent of inflammation. Kruskal Wallis and Chi‐square tests were used for data analysis.

Results  After 1 week, CEM produced no necrosis compared to both types of WMTA and GMTA (P = 0.007). After 30 days, GMTA specimens had significantly less inflammation compared with WMTA and CEM (P = 0.011). After 60 days, less inflammation was associated with CEM specimens (P = 0.0001) compared to the other materials. Dystrophic calcifications in the connective tissue adjacent to all experimental material were detected.

Conclusion  Histological observation illustrated that all materials were well tolerated by the subcutaneous tissues.
Is rapid evolution common in introduced plant species?
Authors: Buswell Joanna M. , Moles Angela T. , Hartley Stephen
Published: November 2010

1. While previous studies have demonstrated rapid evolution in introduced plants and animals, most focus on single species. They are therefore unable to show whether these are special cases, or if rapid evolution is a common phenomenon in introduced species.

2. We used over 1900 herbarium specimens to determine whether morphological traits [plant height, leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf area or leaf shape] have shown significant change during the last ∼150 years in 23 plant species introduced to New South Wales, Australia.

3. Seventy per cent of our study species showed a change in at least one trait through time. The most common change was in plant height (eight out of 21 species). Six of these showed a decrease in height through time. Decreases in height mainly occurred in western New South Wales where dry, low nutrient conditions may favour shorter plants. We also found changes in leaf traits, including one decrease in LMA, five changes in leaf shape, and three changes in leaf area. The magnitude of these changes was surprisingly large, up to 125% in 100 years.

4. We used specimens of both native Australian species, and of the introduced species taken from their native range to investigate the possibility that the morphological changes were a response to temporal environmental change rather than to the species’ introduction to Australia. These control species showed significantly (P < 0.05) fewer changes than the introduced species. We included in our analyses information on the region in which each specimen was collected, to account for the possibility that changes through time might be caused by populations radiating in to new environments where a different phenotype might be expressed. Overall, rapid evolution seems the most likely explanation for the changes we observed.

5. Synthesis. The majority of our study species showed morphological change through time. While common garden experiments will be required to rule out phenotypic plasticity as an alternative explanation for these patterns, our results suggest that rapid evolution in introduced plant species could be much more common, and of a much greater magnitude than previously thought.
Measurement of geometrical parameters in cocontinuous polymer blends: 3D versus 2D image analysis
Authors: LÓPEZ‐BARRÓN CARLOS R. , MACOSKO CHRISTOPHER W.
Published: November 2010

Formulae of stereology are used to estimate 3D geometrical parameters of cocontinuous structures measured from 2D micrographs of polymer blends. 3D images of symmetric and nonsymmetric polymer blends made of fluorescently labelled polystyrene and styrene‐ran‐acrylonitrile copolymer were obtained with laser scanning confocal microscopy. Geometrical parameters of the blend interface, specifically volume fraction, surface area per unit volume (S V) and average of local mean curvature were measured directly from the 3D images and compared to the values estimated from analysis of a number of 2D slices combined with stereological relations. When the total length of phase boundary considered in the analysis of the 2D slices (LTot) was at least 6000 times bigger than the characteristic length of the microstructure (S−1V), the standard deviation for all the parameters measured became negligible. However, considerable discrepancies between the average values computed from 3D and 2D images were observed for any value of LTot. The mean curvature distribution was also measured from both the 3D images and the 2D slices. The distribution was estimated from the 2D slices but with a width about 2.4 times that of the true value obtained from the 3D images.
Awareness, possession and use of insecticide‐treated nets for prevention of malaria in children under five in Abeokuta, Nigeria
Authors: Idowu Olufunmilayo A , Sam‐Wobo Sammy O , Oluwole Akinola S , Adediran Adekunle S
Published: November 2010

Aim:  A survey was carried out to assess awareness, possession and use of insecticide‐treated nets (ITN) by mothers in preventing malaria among children under 5 years old.

Methods:  Pretested questionnaires were administered by trained research assistants to women that have had a child in the last 59 months, irrespective of place of child delivery.

Results:  Malaria was considered dangerous by almost all respondents (98.5%); the level of awareness of ITN as a malaria preventive tool was 75.1% while possession was 45%. Awareness and possession of ITN were positively and significantly influenced by high educational qualification of mothers and attendance of a public hospital for antenatal care. Hospitals were identified as the major source of awareness among respondents; women that delivered their babies in traditional birth home displayed least awareness (38.6%) and recorded low possession (10%). There was no significant relationship between ITN usage, birth order and age of child. Heat experienced while sleeping under ITN and problem of how to hang the net were major limitations identified in the use of ITN.

Conclusion:  The need to involve women receiving antenatal care outside the hospital in malaria control intervention is hereby recommended. Methods of bridging ITN possession and use needs to de developed.
Health of Australian children in out‐of‐home care: Needs and carer recognition
Authors: Kaltner Melissa , Rissel Karin
Published: November 2010

Aim:  Following research highlighting high levels of health need in New South Wales children in out‐of‐home care, this study aimed to quantify health need in a sample of Queensland children in care based on multidisciplinary child health assessments. The study also sought to examine the concordance between foster carers' health concerns for children for whom they are providing care and health need as established through referrals made as a result of health assessment.

Methods:  Children entering out‐of‐home care in the north Brisbane area within the previous month were referred for baseline child health assessment. Child health was assessed by paediatricians and clinical nurses utilising a pro forma‐based methodology. Analysis of initial carer concerns, health referrals and immunisation status in the sample was undertaken.

Results:  Of the 63 children assessed, 70% were found to require multiple referrals to various health services. The most frequently made referrals included paediatrician follow‐up (41% of children), counselling services (30%) and audiology (26%). Only 68% of the sample was found to be fully immunised. A discrepancy was noted between foster carers' child health concerns and level of referral need established during assessment.

Conclusions:  Queensland children in care have high health needs similar to those evidenced by children in care in other areas of Australia. Foster carers appear to underestimate the health needs of children in their care, demonstrating the necessity of multidisciplinary health screens and foster carer training in order to detect child health problems in this population.
DO THE BEST GRADUATES LEAVE THE PERIPHERAL AREAS OF THE NETHERLANDS?
Authors: VENHORST VIKTOR , VAN DIJK JOUKE , VAN WISSEN LEO
Published: November 2010

There is more and more empirical evidence to show that highly skilled people are an important determinant of economic growth. Consequently, policy‐makers are eager to keep their graduates in the region or attract graduates from elsewhere. It is also well known that people with a higher level of education exhibit high rates of spatial mobility. Much less is known about mobility patterns according to discipline and academic grade. Do the best people stay or leave, and does this vary according to discipline and type of region? This paper investigates the relationship between ability, field of study and spatial mobility using a micro‐dataset on Dutch university and college graduates. The findings indicate that there are substantial net flows mainly towards the economic centre of the Netherlands, but that there are also flows between peripheral regions and to other countries. The paper finds that university graduates are more spatially mobile than vocational college level graduates and that when one looks at spatial behaviour according to discipline, there are also striking differences between graduates. This, however, does not necessarily mean that peripheral regions also lose their best graduates. For several disciplines, employers in the peripheral areas are able to retain the graduates with the highest grades, contrary to what the standard human capital framework predicts. However, the study finds that if graduates leave the region, those with the highest grades are more likely to move abroad.
Do sectoral training funds stimulate training?
Authors: Kamphuis Pascal , Glebbeek Arie C. , Van Lieshout Harm
Published: November 2010

Sectoral levelling funds are an arrangement aimed at alleviating a well‐known theoretical problem of underinvestment in worker training because of free‐rider behaviour of firms. In the Netherlands, collective agreements require firms to participate in such funds in a number of sectors. Using a comprehensive dataset of Dutch firms, we attempt to determine the extent to which these levelling funds have a stimulating effect on the level of training investments of firms. Surprisingly, no indications are found for the existence of such an effect. Training levels are not higher in sectors with a fund than in sectors without a fund. Several explanations are discussed to account for these findings.
The provision of winter bird food by the English Environmental Stewardship scheme
Authors: FIELD ROB H. , MORRIS ANTHONY J. , GRICE PHIL V. , COOKE ANDREW
Published: November 2010

Environmental Stewardship (ES) is the main mechanism for reversing the decline in farmland birds in England, and includes a range of options designed to provide winter foraging for seed‐eating species. We estimated granivorous songbird densities on ES options designed to provide winter food, on farms within the Entry Level (ELS) or Higher Level (HLS) strata of ES. ES Wild Bird Mixtures (WBMs) hosted higher densities and a wider range of granivores than non‐ES game covers, although in East Anglia the enhanced HLS WBM was used no more than the basic ELS WBM. In the West Midlands there were low densities of granivores on all WBMs and game covers. The widespread ELS WBM appeared to provide little food for buntings but supported finches, partially through greater weed burdens. There was a weak, non‐significant trend for Skylarks Alauda arvensis to make greater use of ELS cereal stubbles than non‐ES stubbles, possibly because of post‐harvest herbicide restrictions allowing overwinter weed growth. At the field scale, this work demonstrates that although some ES options provide winter food resources for birds, there is limited evidence for additional benefits of Higher Level vs. Entry Level Stewardship to wintering farmland songbirds.
Introduction to “Do Spirits Exist? Ways to Know”
Authors: Koss‐Chioino Joan
Published: November 2010

Given various studies both within and without anthropology that treat spirits and extraordinary beings as products of mind, culture, and physiology, the goal of this special issue is to entertain a different stance and to examine how we might know that spirits exist. This introduction to the special issue focuses on the meaning of encounters with spirits, other extraordinary beings, and hidden views of the world, including the dilemmas these experiences may raise and the kinds of inquiries that can assist our understanding of how we know that spirits or other worlds exist. The issue includes five articles by three anthropologists, a folklorist and scholar of religion, and a psychiatrist. A final discussion about “ways of knowing” and means of inquiry, as well as a critique of the articles, is presented by Edith Turner.
Visionary Spiritual Experiences in an Enchanted World
Authors: Hufford David J.
Published: November 2010

In the “disenchanted” modern world, belief in the existence of spirits came to be seen as a nonrational and nonempirical product of culture. Psychological and anthropological theorizing explained naïve, nonmodern spirit encounter experiences as culturally loaded imaginative events. Among modern populations such experiences were assumed to be pathological and relatively rare. The resulting stigma suppressed the reporting of spirit encounters by modern individuals, bringing appearances into line with theory. Recent research, particularly in medicine, has shown that spirit encounters taken to be real are actually quite common in modern populations without regard to education or religious or other cultural background. This has initiated a slow but dramatic revision of psychiatric diagnosis, and it demands a major reconsideration of social science theories of spirit belief, especially in anthropology.
Meta‐Perceptions of the Coach–Athlete Relationship, Achievement Goals, and Intrinsic Motivation Among Sport Participants
Authors: Adie James W. , Jowett Sophia
Published: November 2010

This study investigated a motivational sequence hypothesizing relationships between athletes' meta‐perceptions of the coach–athlete relationship, achievement goals, and intrinsic motivation. Participants (N = 194) completed a multi‐sectional questionnaire assessing the targeted variables. Structural equation modeling analysis revealed that athletes who viewed their coaches to be more cooperative, committed, and close in their relationships were more likely to endorse a mastery‐approach goal, and less likely to adopt a performance‐avoidance goal. Subsequent findings confirmed the hypothesized positive relationship between a mastery‐approach goal and intrinsic motivation. Finally, a mastery‐approach goal was found to partially mediate the link between athletes' meta‐perceptions of the coach–athlete relationship and intrinsic motivation. The results are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical utility.
The Role of Psychological Distance in the Formation of Fairness Judgments
Authors: Anderson William D. , Patterson Miles
Published: November 2010

The present study examined how communication format, specifically computer‐mediated communication vs. face‐to‐face communication, affected distributive and procedural fairness judgments. Specifically, it was expected that procedural information would have a stronger influence on fairness judgments in face‐to‐face communication than in computer‐mediated communication. This hypothesis was not, however, supported by a significant Mode of Communication × Procedure interaction. We also hypothesized that face‐to‐face communication, compared with computer‐mediated communication, would increase the impact of the distributive information on fairness judgments. As predicted, this hypothesis was supported by a significant Mode of Communication × Outcome interaction. The processes potentially mediating these differences, including psychological distance and evaluation apprehension, are discussed.
The Effects of Collectivistic and Individualistic Values on Conflict and Decision Making: An Experiment in China
Authors: Tjosvold Dean , Wu Peiguan , Chen Yi Feng
Published: November 2010

In an experiment with 80 participants in China, protagonists with opposing views in organizations that valued collectivism, compared to individualism, were found to develop cooperative goals, were confident that they could work, sought to understand, and demonstrated that they understood the opposing arguments, accepted these arguments as reasonable, and combined positions to create an integrated decision. The inductions comparing participants who valued harmony as a goal or a technique in which they pretended to agree were only partially effective and did not yield significant differences on conflict dynamics and outcomes. Findings challenge traditional theorizing that collectivistic values lead to conflict avoidance, and support recent arguments that strong, cooperative relationships promote the productive discussion of opposing views in decision making.