bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Production of Lexical Stress in Non-Native Speakers of American English: Kinematic Correlates of Stress and Transfer
Authors: Chakraborty Rahul , Goffman Lisa
Published: November 2010

Purpose

To assess the influence of second language (L2) proficiency on production characteristics of rhythmic sequences in the L1 (Bengali) and L2 (English), with emphasis on linguistic transfer. One goal was to examine, using kinematic evidence, how L2 proficiency influences the production of iambic and trochaic words, focusing on temporal and spatial aspects of prosody. A second goal was to assess whether prosodic structure influences judgment of foreign accent.

Method

Twenty Bengali–English bilingual individuals, 10 with low proficiency in English and 10 with high proficiency in English, and 10 monolingual English speakers, participated. Lip and jaw movements were recorded while the bilingual participants produced Bengali and English words embedded in sentences. Lower lip movement amplitude and duration were measured in trochaic and iambic words. Six native English listeners judged the nativeness of the bilingual speakers.

Results

Evidence of L1–L2 transfer was observed through duration but not amplitude cues. More proficient L2 speakers varied duration to mark iambic stress. Perceptually, the high-proficiency group received relatively higher native-like accent ratings. Trochees were judged as more native than iambs.

Conclusions

Even in the face of L1–L2 lexical stress transfer, nonnative speakers demonstrated knowledge of prosodic contrasts. Movement duration appears to be more amenable than amplitude to modifications.
Aboriginal cultural awareness training: policy v. accountability - failure in reality
Authors: Westwood Barbara , Westwood Geoff
Published: November 2010

Despite 42 years progress since the 1967 referendum enabling laws to be made covering Aboriginal Australians their poor health status remains and is extensively documented. This paper presents results of a study into Cultural Awareness Training (CAT) in New South Wales and specifically South West Sydney Area Health Service (SWSAHS) with the aim of improving long-term health gains. The evidence demonstrates poor definition and coordination of CAT with a lack of clear policy direction and accountability for improving cultural awareness at government level. In SWSAHS staff attendance at training is poor and training is fragmented across the Area. The paper proposes actions to improve Aboriginal cultural awareness for health professionals including incorporating Aboriginal CAT into broader based Cross Cultural Training (CCT). What is known about the topic? Cross-cultural education programs for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health industry staff are poorly coordinated, delivered and evaluated. There is recognition that improvements in this area could bring real enhancements in service delivery and health outcomes. What does this paper add? The deficiencies in Aboriginal CAT programs in general are explored and specifically identified in one large NSW health area with a major urban Aboriginal population. This paper reviews CAT themes in the literature and evaluates the effectiveness of known programs. What are the implications for practitioners? The authors list a series of recommendations that have the potential to improve awareness of Aboriginal cultural issues to provide a basis for development of effective and comprehensive CAT programs to bring real improvements in service delivery.
Efficient funding: a path to improving Aboriginal healthcare in Australia?
Authors: Lloyd Jane E. , Wise Marilyn J.
Published: November 2010

Objectives. To identify the factors that contribute to the under-resourcing of Aboriginal health and to explore the impact that funding arrangements have on the implementation of Aboriginal health policy. Design, settings and participants. Qualitative study based on 35 in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of frontline health professionals involved in health policy and service provision in the Northern Territory. Results. Participants described three factors that contributed to the under-resourcing of Aboriginal health: inefficient funding arrangements, mainstream programs being inappropriate for Aboriginal Australians, and competing interests determining the allocation of resources. Insufficient capacity within the healthcare system undermines the multilevel implementation process whereby organisations need to have the capacity to recognise new policy ideas, assess their relevance to their existing work and strategic plan and to be able to incorporate the relevant new ideas into day-to-day practice. Conclusion. Insufficient resources for Aboriginal health were found to be a barrier to implementing Aboriginal health policy. Inadequate resources result from the cumbersome allocation of funding rather than simply the amount of funding provided to Aboriginal healthcare. Monitoring government performance and ensuring the efficient allocation of funds would allow us to develop the delivery system for Aboriginal healthcare and therefore provide greater opportunities to capitalise on current interventions and future efforts. What is known about the topic? The extent to which Aboriginal health interventions are funded is variable, and the funding of the Aboriginal healthcare system is an important and topical issue. What does this paper add? The argument surrounding funding for Aboriginal health can be understood in several ways. Firstly, there is insufficient money being invested to address the need. By need we are referring to addressing community illness and injury as well as the need for a quality and accessible primary healthcare system. Secondly, there may be enough money being invested, but because of complicated and inflexible funding arrangements it is not being spent efficiently. Thirdly, there may be enough money invested, but not in effective interventions, and not in building the healthcare system, for example the local workforce. Finally, there may be enough money invested, but decisions about its distribution at the community level are not sufficiently in the control of communities. What are the implications for practitioners? To implement Aboriginal health policy, an effective delivery system is needed. Funding alone can be of limited value in achieving this aim over the long term unless it is used to build the capacity of a sustained delivery system for Aboriginal health care. Monitoring and facilitating government performance on how funds are invested, as well as the amount spent, is an important step towards the more effective implementation of Aboriginal health policy.
An adolescent injury intervention: selecting targeted behaviours with implications for program design and evaluation
Authors: Buckley Lisa D. , Sheehan Mary C.
Published: November 2010

Objectives. This paper sought to identify the behaviour change targets for an injury prevention program; Skills for Preventing Injury in Youth (SPIY). The aim was to explore how such behaviours could subsequently be implemented and evaluated in the program. Methods and design. The quantitative procedure involved a survey with 267 Year 8 and 9 students (mean age 13.23 years) regarding their engagement in risk-taking behaviours that may lead to injury. The qualitative study involved 30 students aged 14 to 17 years reporting their experiences of injury and risk-taking. Results. Injury risk behaviours co-occurred among three-quarters of those who reported engaging in any alcohol use or transport or violence related risk behaviour. Students described in detail some of these experiences. Conclusions. The selection process of identifying target behaviours for change for an injury prevention program is described. Adolescents’ description of such risk behaviours can inform the process of operationalising and contextualising program content and deciding on evaluation methodology. The design of an effective injury prevention program involves considerable preparatory work and this paper was able to describe the process of identifying the behavioural targets for change that can be operationalised and evaluated in the injury prevention program, SPIY. What is known about the topic? Injury is a significant health concern for young people with multiple risk behaviours leading to injury. The context of such behaviour and injury is not well understood from the perspective of young people. Further, the clustering of such risky behaviours is often not examined. What does this paper add? This paper reports on a study that examines self-reported behaviours associated with injury among early adolescents and provides a qualitative perspective from the adolescents themselves about their injury and risk behaviour experiences. What are the implications for practitioners? School-based curriculum programs have the potential to deliver health promotion messages. However there are competing demands on curriculum time. Findings from this study suggest a curriculum program could effectively target change in alcohol, transport and violence risk behaviours as the behaviours co-occur and adolescents understood such behaviour and injury experiences are from the same context. School-based health promotion strategies that target many behaviours might thus provide a more efficient and accepted approach.
'I don't know why they don't come': barriers to participation in cardiac rehabilitation
Authors: DiGiacomo Michelle L. , Thompson Sandra C. , Smith Julie S. , Taylor Kate P. , Dimer Lynette A. , Ali Mohammed A. , Wood Marianne M. , Leahy Timothy G. , Davidson Patricia M.
Published: November 2010

Objectives. To describe health professionals’ perceptions of Aboriginal people’s access to cardiac rehabilitation (CR) services and the role of institutional barriers in implementing the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines Strengthening Cardiac Rehabilitation and Secondary Prevention for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Design. Qualitative study. Setting. Metropolitan and rural tertiary and community-based public CR services and Aboriginal health services in WA. Participants. Thirty-eight health professionals working in the CR setting. Method. Semistructured interviews were undertaken with 28 health professionals at public CR services and 10 health professionals from Aboriginal Medical Services in WA. The participants represented 17 services (10 rural, 7 metropolitan) listed in the WA Directory of CR services. Results. Emergent themes included (1) a lack of awareness of Aboriginal CR patients’ needs; (2) needs related to cultural awareness training for health professionals; and (3) Aboriginal health staff facilitate access for Aboriginal patients. Conclusions. Understanding the institutional barriers to Aboriginal participation in CR is necessary to recommend viable solutions. Promoting cultural awareness training, recruiting Aboriginal health workers and monitoring participation rates are important in improving health outcomes. What is already known about this subject? Significant health and social inequity exists for Aboriginal Australians. Despite the persisting high rates of morbidity and mortality related to cardiovascular disease in Aboriginal Australians, participation rates in cardiac rehabilitation remain low. What does this paper add? Despite widespread dissemination of NHMRC guidelines, there remains a disconnect between CR health professionals’ understandings and practices and the needs of Aboriginal people in WA. Increasing the volume and quality of cultural awareness training as well as access to Aboriginal health professionals are crucial in addressing this disparity. What are the implications for practitioners? Increasing the number and support of Aboriginal people trained as health professionals will assist the system to respond better to the needs of communities. Collaborative partnership models where Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health professionals work together to increase mutual understanding are warranted.
A strategy for real time improvement (RTI) in communication during the H1N1 emergency response
Authors: Seidl Isaac A. , Johnson Andrew J. , Mantel Peta , Aitken Peter
Published: November 2010

Objective. To develop and implement a strategy that would enable the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to assess the effectiveness of communication strategies and guide real time improvements within the life cycle of the emergency. Design, setting and participants. An anonymous internet-based questionnaire featuring multiple choice and open text questions was administered to stakeholders of the EOC of a regional tertiary hospital. Main outcome measures. The outcomes were perceptions of sufficiency and relative usefulness of various sources of information on Pandemic (H1N1) 2009, including differences between local, state-wide and authoritative worldwide information sources. Results. A total of 328 responses were received over two rounds of questionnaires. Email communication from the Health Incident Controller (HIC) was the most useful source of information (74% found it very useful, compared with authoritative international websites at 21% (Centers of Disease Control) and 29% (World Health Organization)). A total of 94% felt this strategy contributed to improvements. Free text responses also helped the EOC and HIC to tailor communication methods, style, content and tone during the response. Conclusions. Real time improvement is a useful strategy for implementing change to practice during the life cycle of the current emergency and has broader applicability than Pandemic (H1N1) 2009. Local stakeholders demand local content for their information feed and messages from a trusted local leader are the most superior forms of communication. What is known about the topic? Communication is crucial in the successful response to an emergency situation, with a link to the quality of the response. What does this paper add? The use of online surveys, in particular the ability to make improvements immediately during the collection of responses, has not been previously reported in the literature. The key component of this is the ability to implement improvements during the life cycle of the current, rather than the next emergency. What are the implications for practitioners? Those managing an emergency response, whether in relation to Pandemic (H1N1) 2009, or indeed any other emergency or disaster, should consider internet-based questionnaires as a method for obtaining rapid feedback and making real time improvements to their communication tone, style and methods.
Sampling requirements for predicting cattle diet quality using faecal near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (F.NIRS) in heterogeneous tropical rangeland pastures
Authors: White I. A. , Hunt L. P. , Poppi D. P. , Petty S. R.
Published: November 2010

Faecal near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (F.NIRS) provides predictive information on cattle diets and nutritional levels, useful for livestock management or for research purposes. Potential errors exist throughout the entire F.NIRS process, including the collection method. The accepted collection method involves aggregating equal amounts of faecal material from 5 to 15 animals, mixing and removing a single sample for analysis. The adequacy of this method was tested by collecting and analysing up to 70 samples from individual cattle in different paddocks. Two methods were used to determine sample size based on observed variability in dietary attributes. Variability of dietary non-grass material and crude protein content increased with paddock size, so required sample size also increased. For dietary F.NIRS predictions to be used for research, our results suggest from 20 to 51 samples are needed in small to large paddocks to accurately predict the proportion of dietary non-grass material, from 12 to 50 samples for crude protein content and from 6 to 34 samples for dry matter digestibility. Composite samples from 15 cattle provided representative means in less than 50% of the situations investigated using biologically significant precision levels, but would be adequate for management of animal nutrition. Analysis of individual samples provided additional measures of range and variability which were also informative.
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)–regulated DNA methylation alters CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF)/cohesin binding and transcription at the BDNF locus
Authors: Chang Jufang , Zhang Bin , Heath Helen , Galjart Niels , Wang Xinyu , Milbrandt Jeffrey
Published: November 2010

Cellular metabolism alters patterns of gene expression through a variety of mechanisms, including alterations in histone modifications and transcription factor activity. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)–dependent proteins such as poly(ADP ribose) polymerases (PARPs) and sirtuin deacetylases play important roles in this regulation, thus NAD provides a crucial link between metabolism and these cellular signaling processes. Here, we found that lowering NAD levels in mouse primary cortical neurons led to decreased activity-dependent BDNF expression. The altered BDNF transcription occurred independently of Sirt or Parp activities; instead, low NAD levels promoted increased DNA methylation of the activity-dependent BDNF promoter. Increased methylation at this promoter triggered the dissociation of the insulator protein CTCF as well as the accompanying cohesin from the BDNF locus. The loss of these proteins resulted in histone acetylation and methylation changes at this locus consistent with chromatin compaction and gene silencing. Because BDNF is critical for neuronal function, these results suggest that age- or nutrition-associated declines in NAD levels as well as deficits in cohesin function associated with disease modulate BDNF expression and could contribute to cognitive impairment.
Cost-effectiveness of dryland forest restoration evaluated by spatial analysis of ecosystem services
Authors: Birch Jennifer C. , Newton Adrian C. , Aquino Claudia Alvarez , Cantarello Elena , Echeverría Cristian , Kitzberger Thomas , Schiappacasse Ignacio , Garavito Natalia Tejedor
Published: November 2010

Although ecological restoration is widely used to combat environmental degradation, very few studies have evaluated the cost-effectiveness of this approach. We examine the potential impact of forest restoration on the value of multiple ecosystem services across four dryland areas in Latin America, by estimating the net value of ecosystem service benefits under different reforestation scenarios. The values of selected ecosystem services were mapped under each scenario, supported by the use of a spatially explicit model of forest dynamics. We explored the economic potential of a change in land use from livestock grazing to restored native forest using different discount rates and performed a cost–benefit analysis of three restoration scenarios. Results show that passive restoration is cost-effective for all study areas on the basis of the services analyzed, whereas the benefits from active restoration are generally outweighed by the relatively high costs involved. These findings were found to be relatively insensitive to discount rate but were sensitive to the market value of carbon. Substantial variation in values was recorded between study areas, demonstrating that ecosystem service values are strongly context specific. However, spatial analysis enabled localized areas of net benefits to be identified, indicating the value of this approach for identifying the relative costs and benefits of restoration interventions across a landscape.
Female genomic response to mate information
Authors: Desjardins Julie K. , Klausner Jill Q. , Fernald Russell D.
Published: November 2010

Females should be choosier than males about prospective mates because of the high costs of inappropriate mating decisions. Both theoretical and empirical studies have identified factors likely to influence female mate choices. However, male–male social interactions also can affect mating decisions, because information about a potential mate can trigger changes in female reproductive physiology. We asked how social information about a preferred male influenced neural activity in females, using immediate early gene (IEG) expression as a proxy for brain activity. A gravid female cichlid fish (
Astatotilapia burtoni
) chose between two socially equivalent males and then saw fights between these two males in which her preferred male either won or lost. We measured IEG expression levels in several brain nuclei including those in the vertebrate social behavior network (SBN), a collection of brain nuclei known to be important in social behavior. When the female saw her preferred male win a fight, SBN nuclei associated with reproduction were activated, but when she saw her preferred male lose a fight, the lateral septum, a nucleus associated with anxiety, was activated instead. Thus social information alone, independent of actual social interactions, activates specific brain regions that differ significantly depending on what the female sees. In female brains, reproductive centers are activated when she chooses a winner, and anxiety-like response centers are activated when she chooses a loser. These experiments assessing the role of mate-choice information on the brain using a paradigm of successive presentations of mate information suggest ways to understand the consequences of social information on animals using IEG expression.
PGC-1α regulates a HIF2α-dependent switch in skeletal muscle fiber types
Authors: Rasbach Kyle A. , Gupta Rana K. , Ruas Jorge L. , Wu Jun , Naseri Elnaz , Estall Jennifer L. , Spiegelman Bruce M.
Published: November 2010

The coactivator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1 α (PGC-1α) coordinates a broad set of transcriptional programs that regulate the response of skeletal muscle to exercise. However, the complete transcriptional network controlled by PGC-1α has not been described. In this study, we used a qPCR-based screen of all known transcriptional components (Quanttrx) to identify transcription factors that are quantitatively regulated by PGC-1α in cultured skeletal muscle cells. This analysis identified hypoxia-inducible factor 2 α (HIF2α) as a major PGC-1α target in skeletal muscle that is positively regulated by both exercise and β-adrenergic signaling. This transcriptional regulation of HIF2α is completely dependent on the PGC-1α/ERRα complex and is further modulated by the action of SIRT1. Transcriptional profiling of HIF2α target genes in primary myotubes suggested an unexpected role for HIF2α in the regulation of muscle fiber types, specifically enhancing the expression of a slow twitch gene program. The PGC-1α–mediated switch to slow, oxidative fibers in vitro is dependent on HIF2α, and mice with a muscle-specific knockout of HIF2α increase the expression of genes and proteins characteristic of a fast-twitch fiber-type switch. These data indicate that HIF2α acts downstream of PGC-1α as a key regulator of a muscle fiber-type program and the adaptive response to exercise.
Target-seeking antifibrotic compound enhances wound healing and suppresses scar formation in mice
Authors: Järvinen Tero A. H. , Ruoslahti Erkki
Published: November 2010

Permanent scars form upon healing of tissue injuries such as those caused by ischemia (myocardial infarction, stroke), trauma, surgery, and inflammation. Current options in reducing scar formation are limited to local intervention. We have designed a systemically administered, target-seeking biotherapeutic for scar prevention. It consists of a vascular targeting peptide that specifically recognizes angiogenic blood vessels and extravasates into sites of injury, fused with a therapeutic molecule, decorin. Decorin prevents tissue fibrosis and promotes tissue regeneration by inhibiting TGF-β activity and by other regulatory activities. The decorin-targeting peptide fusion protein had substantially increased neutralizing activity against TGF-β1 in vitro compared with untargeted decorin. In vivo, the fusion protein selectively accumulated in wounds, and promoted wound healing and suppressed scar formation at doses where nontargeted decorin was inactive. These results show that selective targeting yields a tissue-healing and scar-reducing compound with enhanced specificity and potency. This approach may help make reducing scar formation by systemic drug delivery a feasible option for surgery and for the treatment of pathological processes in which scar formation is a problem.
Spreading everwhere?
Authors: Collins Beverley , Mees Inger M.
Published: November 2010

There is no doubt that glottalisation of syllable-final stops in Received Pronunciation is on the increase, but this has sometimes been taken to imply that the feature has mushroomed as a late 20th-century phenomenon. This paper sets out to show that glottalisation is actually of some antiquity. Explicit references (by reputable linguists) to glottalisation in the standard language date from the early 1920s, while audio recordings going back even further provide us with direct proof. If apparent time is taken into account, such data could indicate that glottalisation was quite common from at least the mid-19th century onwards.
Extraposition in English
Authors: Collins Peter
Published: November 2010

This paper, which is based on a corpus of contemporary Australian English, investigates the structural and communicative properties of extraposed clause constructions. Such constructions will often be superficially similar to right-dislocated constructions, but are generally distinguishable from these on structural, communicative and prosodie grounds. If there are no grammatical factors impeding extraposition (such as a matrix predicate containing a subordinate clause or an identified complement), then finite and infinitival clauses may be freely extraposed. Present-participials, which are more highly nominalised, extrapose less freely. The matrix predicate, which typically expresses an 'objectified epistemic or moral judgement, exhibits a variety of structural patterns. Dominant among these is the 'Subject~Predicator~Predicative Complement' pattern, with the complement most commonly realised as an adjectival phrase.
Three communicative factors which influence extraposition may be identified: 'weight*, information, and theme. The data suggest that there is strong pressure in English to avoid sentences with a clause as subject in initial position and a comparatively light matrix predicate in final position. Non-extraposed sentences with a clausal subject in fact require special rhetorical and/or cohesive motivation, their infrequent occurrence reflecting the preferred 'given - before -new' ordering found in English. Just as important as the end-positioning of material in extraposition is the initialisation of an expression of the speaker's angle, enabling it to serve as the theme.
Functional information design
Authors: Waller Robert
Published: November 2010

Although functional objectives have concerned designers for many years, and psychologists have published research on issues related to graphic design, fruitful cooperation between the two specialisms has only rarely been achieved. In this paper it is suggested that the traditional objectives and methods of neither group are sufficiently oriented towards the communication o f information in a complex society, and that it would be unrealistic to expect the design and evaluation of information to lead to opportunities for either personal expression or the discovery of permanent truths. A user-centred approach is urged, drawing from both the intuitive problem-solving skills of designers and the methodologies of psychologists.
Writing to inform
Authors: Klare George R.
Published: November 2010

Persons who write to inform others need to consider how readable their writing will be. The issue breaks down into two sub-questions; predicting how readable an existing piece of writing will be, and producing a readable piece of writing. Exact answers to these complex questions cannot be given, but research has begun to provide some useful suggestions which can help to make writing more efficient to read, easier to understand, and more likely to be accepted.
Information and design — the essential relation
Authors: Doblin Jay
Published: November 2010

The author has been examining for the last ten years the essential relationship between information and design. His article aims to explain his assertion that the purpose of all design is to produce information which is used to controla product's performance and appearance.
An introduction to design methods
Authors: Cross Nigel
Published: November 2010

'Design methods' emerged as a subject of study and intended practical application in the early nineteen-sixties. It is therefore still a young, immature and rather precocious subject; although according to some commentators its short life is already over. My purpose here is not to undertake an autopsy, nor even a vivisection, but to review the subject for the benefit of students and others who might want to catch up on a major aspect of design theory of the last twenty years. Whether the 'movement' is now alive or dead there are many still-relevant outcomes from it. As well as reviewing the history of the 'movement', I shall include some examples of the use and application of design methods.
Understanding sign
Authors: Nickerson Raymond S.
Published: November 2010

The fact that we easily understand signs, some of which are extremely cryptic apart from the contexts in which they are encountered, is used to illustrate the importance of situation-specific knowledge in language processing.
On the influence of Isotype
Authors: Kinross Robin
Published: November 2010

Isotype has been a purely historical phenomenon for about ten years. It proposed a system for presenting information in visual form; but how can designers now learn from this work ? It is argued that Isotype cannot be fully articulated as method, and that it should be understood rather as approach. Such an understanding must come from 'authentic ' historical presentation, which avoids imposing current concepts. Some inappropriate treatments are cited. But, as the revival of the 'transformer7 suggests, Isotype can still be a fruitful influence. To help further study, the documentation of the subject is surveyed.
Readability indices
Authors: Klare George R.
Published: November 2010

This paper discusses recent criticism of readability formulas, in this issue of IDJ and elsewhere; the author points to evidence in their favor and focuses on three aspects of their application: when, how and why. He distinguishes between the valid use of formulas to predict reading difficulty and the invalid use to produce clear writing. Finally he points to recent research which explores new and more subtle variables.
Organising and utilizing document design options
Authors: Duffy Thomas M.
Published: November 2010

In this discussion paper, the author concentrates on the problems of modeling the design process as a means of closing the gap between research and practice in information design. He proposes a new document design model but notes that competing objectives, in particular cost constraints, may prevent the implementation of good design procedures in practice.
The graphic presentation of language
Authors: Twyman Michael
Published: November 2010

This paper draws attention to the 'language element' of graphic communication. It is argued that we need better tools for thinking about this and related matters; models are proposed which draw attention to general issues and aim to help break down barriers between different means of production. It is proposed that such general issues should be discussed at all levels of education because designers of graphic messages in the future are increasingly likely to be non-specialists. Finally, it is suggested that only in the light of a serious study of graphic language requirements will we be in a position to design satisfactory new systems and make good use of them.
Text', 'book', 'writing', and the medial aspect of language
Authors: Mountford John
Published: November 2010

Compared to the narrower linguistics of the recent past, the rounded-out linguistics of the 1980s, deepened by semantics/pragmatics/discourse and broadened by sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics, offers (and should seek) much closer collaboration with typographers. In particular, linguistics no longer ignores writing, but is beginning to address itself to the existence of more than one medium of language (the medial aspect); it must develop a graphology which goes beyond the analysis of the linear features of writing-systems to embrace the non-linear resources of writing, so different from those of speech. The linguist's distinctive conceptual approach is illustrated by his use of the key term 'text'.
A preliminary taxonomy of ways of displaying text on screens
Authors: Bork Alfred
Published: November 2010

This paper considers the computer screen as a spacetime arena. It develops a taxonomy of the various variables associated with the display of textual material.
Designing a government form
Authors: Waller Robert
Published: November 2010

This paper describes a case history of the design of a government form. In particular, three kinds of problem are identified and discussed: contextual problems of relevance and interpretation; problems of reading sequence and conditional branching instructions; and a range of typographic problems. Typography is seen as a particularly important way of signalling the information structure of forms, and typographic techniques are discussed in some detail.
Using graphic organizers in instruction
Authors: Jonassen David H. , Hawk Parmalee
Published: November 2010

Following a brief rationale and description of the technology of advance organizers, a visual adaptation, graphic organizers, is set forth. The procedure for constructing graphic organizers, as well as numerous examples, is provided. Three classroom-based validation studies support the use of graphic organizers for facilitation of recall.
On the organisation of form-filling behaviour
Authors: Frohlich David M.
Published: November 2010

Given the ubiquity of transactional forms it is surprising that so little is known about the dynamics of the form-filling activity itself This paper reports a detailed observational study of the reading and routing activities of subjects as they filled in a DHSS postal claim form. The results of this study suggest a number of broad principles which appear to govern the interaction of subjects with the written material of the form. The local application of these principles in the context of a form-filling history can account for idiosyncrasies in form-filling behaviour. This interpretation is consistent with the view that form-fillers employ a conversational model of form-filling, despite the static nature of the paper medium through which it is conducted.
On the re-organisation of form-filling behaviour in an electronic medium
Authors: Frohlich David M.
Published: November 2010

This paper explores the potential f or computerising written transactions between individuals and organisations. It reports a study of electronic form-filling on a computer system called the Forms Helper, which replicates a study of paper form-filling by Frohlich (1986). Data from observational notes, verbal protocols, completed forms and (additionally) interaction logs are combined in an analysis of the reading and routing activities of subjects on the Forms Helper. A modification of Frohlich’s (1986) paper form-filling principles is suggested as a basis for understanding the observed organisation of electronic form-filling behaviour. The implications of the findings for electronic from design are discussed.
Information design methods and productivity in the insurance industry
Authors: Fisher Phil , Sless David
Published: November 2010

This paper discusses the management and execution of an information design project, undertaken in Australia, for a large insurance company. The project provided the opportunity to use well developed principles of information design, project planning and management, and methods for dealing with organisational politics - a ubiquitous feature of all information design. The paper gives an account of a technique for measuring errors and their cost, practical iterative testing methods, and user consultation processes which can be applied to design decision making.
The results of the project, particularlythe significant reduction in errors and processing costs, illustrates the importance of the human interface in improving productivity, and the dangers of thinking about information system design simply in terms of hardware and software.
Persistence in memory of the surface organization of simple maps as performance aids
Authors: Rothkopf Ernst Z. , Koether Mary E. , Billington Marjorie J.
Published: November 2010

The surface organization of performance aids such as maps or diagrams can affect decisions even when the relevant information has been mastered and decisions are made from memory. We tested this conjecture by providing three different types of maps as performance aids for routing decisions. The maps were realistic, straightened, or diagrammatic. Through extensive practice, very accurate performance was achieved even when the performance aid was no longer available. After 200 decisions made from memory, decision time was nearly stable (asymptotic), but diagrammatic map subjects were still about 500 msecs faster than those who used more realistic maps. The observed aftereffects of the structure of performance aids are congruent with the usual conceptions of mental models in that they reflect productive memorial structures. Our findings suggest that inappropriately organized informative materials may exact a toll even after their content is mastered.
Public graphies
Authors: Stiff Paul
Published: November 2010

The symposium 'Public graphics: visual information for everyday use' (at Lunteren, The Netherlands, 26-30 September 1994 ) was organized by Harm Zwaga and Henriëtte . Hoonhout of Utrecht University's Department of Psychonomics, and Theo Boersema and Wim Nijhuis of the Delft University of Technology's Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering. Talks were in seven sessions: User instructions, Warnings; Forms; Practical and theoretical approaches to information presentation; Maps and plans; Wayfinding, signs, and sign systems; and Graphic symbols. The symposium's Proceedings are now out of print, but the editors plan a book, and abstracts of the 26 talks appear on pages 72-82. So these notes arise mainly from the discussions which weaved between the speakers' talks. Some participants later sent me their informal reflections and answered questions; for letting me quote from these, my thanks to Austin Adams, Theo Boersema, Fred Brigham, Bob Dewar, Janice Leong, Romedi Passini, Peter Simlinger, and Pat Wright (whose observations appear separately on page 82).
Making solid user interfaces work
Authors: Black Alison , Buur Jacob
Published: November 2010

Solid user interfaces are the key to many of the electronic products which people use in their everyday personal and working lives: domestic and consumer equipment, telephones, ticket machines, measuring and metering devices and so on. Despite their prevalence they have received relatively little research attention compared to the graphical user interfaces of computing systems, and are rarely considered as a class. This paper identifies the characteristics of SU Is that can help or constrain peoples' interactions with products. It highlights techniques for analysis, design and testing required to ensure that solid user interfaces are informative and easy to use.
The functional use of colour on visual display units
Authors: Reynolds Linda
Published: November 2010

Where full-colour monitors are used for information displays, the use of colour must take into account ergonomic, perceptual, cognitive and aesthetic factors. Air traffic control displays are a safety-critical application where it is essential that colour should not be used inappropriately. This paper describes an approach to the use of colour for  displays whereby the objects on the display are assigned to a series of conceptual layers which are in turn represented as visual layers. Background map features are shown as opaque infills, overlaid with transparent infills for overlapping areas; alphanumeric labels in the foreground are shown in black, each with an attached infill to ensure good legibility and effective colour coding. Colour palettes are provided for each layer so that the display designer has flexibility but can be confident that the display will be free of colour illusions and ambiguities. The resulting displays can be used in normal office lighting. (The work was undertaken for the Chief Scientist's Division of the National Air Traffic Services, part of the UK Civil Aviation Authority.)
The nuts of'em
Authors: Kinross Robin
Published: November 2010

The typographer Anthony Froshaug worked intermittently as a teacher in Britain and Germany, from the late 1940s through to the 1980s. He was unusual in bringing the experience of typesetting and printing to design teaching, and in his wide set of intellectual interests. Froshaug's contribution was a notable if somewhat subterranean element in the development of education in typography in Britain, especially in the steps towards its modernization that were made in the 1960s and 1970s.
Corpora for Theory and Practice
Authors: Barlow Michael
Published: November 2010

In this paper intuition-based studies of reflexive forms such as myself are contrasted with a corpus-based investigation of actual usage of reflexives. The examination of reflexives in English in several corpora reveals a variety of patterns, which are analysed within a schema-based approach to grammar (Barlow and Kemmer 1994). This approach follows the cognitive/functional tradition of grammatical analysis in viewing all grammatical units as composed of form-meaning pairings.
The paper demonstrates that a schema-based approach is well-suited to the task of describing the major and minor patterns of use revealed by corpus analysis. The importance of text analysis in language teaching is highlighted and connections between the schema-based grammatical formalism and data-driven approaches to second language learning (Johns 1991b) are briefly explored.
Analysis of Temporal Changes in Corpora
Authors: Belica Cyril
Published: November 2010

This paper describes an experiment in statistical analysis of corpora with respect to the temporal changes in language use. The technique approximates the notion of temporal relevance of usage evolution by analysing and evaluating the frequency distribution of a set of indicators over time and by isolating string configurations with unlikely temporal distribution.
Investigating Language Use Through Corpusbased Analyses of Association Patterns
Authors: Biber Douglas
Published: November 2010

The present paper argues that analyses of language use provide an important complementary perspective to traditional linguistic descriptions, and that empirical approaches are required for such investigations. Corpus-based techniques are particularly well suited to these research purposes, enabling investigation of research questions that were previously disregarded. Specifically, the paper discusses the use of corpus-based techniques to identify and analyze complex "association patterns": the systematic ways in which linguistic features are used in association with other linguistic and non-linguistic features. Several illustrative analyses are discussed, investigating the use of lexical features, grammatical features, and the overall patterns of variability among texts and registers.
Unsupervised Learning of Linguistic Structure
Authors: Powers David
Published: November 2010

Computational Linguistics and Natural Language have long been targets for Machine Learning, and a variety of learning paradigms and techniques have been employed with varying degrees of success. In this paper, we review approaches which have adopted an unsupervised learning paradigm, explore the assumptions which underlie the techniques used, and develop an approach to empirical evaluation. We concentrate on a statistical framework based on N-grams, although we seek to maintain neurolinguistic plausibility.
The model we adopt places putative linguistic units in focus and associates them with a characteristic vector of statistics derived from occurrence frequency. These vectors are treated as defining a hyperspace, within which we demonstrate a technique for examining the empirical utility of the various metrics and normalization, visualization, and clustering techniques proposed in the literature. We conclude with an evaluation of the relative utility of a large array of different metrics and processing techniques in relation to our defined performance criteria.
Czech National Corpus
Authors: Čermák František
Published: November 2010

Against the background of some of the major linguistic problems which demand our attention and which should point to some badly-needed criteria, the brief history and structure of the Czech National Corpus is outlined. The points seen as open include differences between various languages in their degree of ex-plicitness, form-function relation, ellipsis, etc. It is argued that a more general and language-independent approach is necessary to handle, among other things, the multi-word units of the text; a general corpus maintenance and query system available to the increasing number of would-be users is required, too. The particular Czech solution, still being worked out and gradually implemented, is described in some detail.
A Recurrent Word Combination Approachto the Study of Formulae in the Speech of Native and Non-Native Speakers of English
Authors: De Cock Sylvie
Published: November 2010

This article reports on a pilot study into how corpus methods can be applied to the study of one type of phraseological unit, formulae, in native speaker and learner speech. Formulae, or formulaic expressions, are multi-word units performing a pragmatic and/or discourse-structuring function and have been characterised as being typically native-like. The methodology presented here is contrastive and involves the use of computerised corpora of both native and non-native speaker speech. It consists of two steps: (1) the automatic extraction of all recurrent word combinations to produce lists of potential formulae, and (2) a carefully specified manual filtering process designed to reduce these lists to lists of actual formulaic usage. The results of this process allow for the first genuine quantitative comparison of formulae in the speech of native and non-native speakers, which in turn has significant implications for SLA research. This paper focuses on methodology and does not present a full discussion of the results. However, selected example findings are presented to support the approach adopted.
A Corpus-based Analysis of Extended Multiple Themes in PresE
Authors: Gomes Gonsalez Maria Angeles
Published: November 2010

This corpus-based study reformulates Halliday's (1994: 55) notion of Multiple Theme, i.e., textual and/or interpersonal items occurring before a simple Topical Theme (or clause initial transitivity/mood element) (e.g., Well, but then, Ann, surely, wouldn't the best idea be to join the group?) (cf. Berry 1982, 1995; Lautamatti 1978; Young 1980; Vasconcellos 1992). Firstly, the label Extended Multiple Theme is here proposed as a cover-term for Topical Themes co-occurring with pre-topical and/or post-topical textual and/or interpersonal elements. And secondly, Extended Multiple Themes are suggested to: (i) allow for recursiveness within the three functional slots; (ii) tend to abide by Dik's (1989: 342) Principle of Centripetal Organisation; and (iii) substantiate the layering hypothesis posited for example in Dik 's Functional Grammar or in Role and Reference Grammar (cf. Hengeveld 1989; Van Valin Jr. 1993). These claims were deduced from the application of three multivariate statistical tests, namely, the Logistic Regression Technique, the Fisher's Exact Test, and the x2 Test, to the tokens of Extended Multiple Themes found in real Present-day English texts, that is to say, in the Lancaster Spoken English Corpus.