bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of three protocols for superovulation of brown brocket deer (Mazama gouazoubira)
Authors: Zanetti Eveline dos Santos , Duarte José Maurício Barbanti
Published: November 2011

This study aims to evaluate the ovulation rate and the presence of functional corpora lutea after treatment by three different protocols designed to cause superovulation in brown brocket deer. Six female received an intravaginal device containing 0.33 g of progesterone (CIDR®) for 8 days, followed by 0.5 mg injection of estradiol benzoate at the time of insertion and 265 µg of cloprostenol at the time of removal. Afterwards, the hinds were divided into three groups (n = 2): Treatment A received injection of 600 IU eCG on Day 4 after CIDR® insertion; Treatment B received injection of 300 IU eCG at the same time; and Treatment C received injection of 250 IU FSH dissolved in PVP, also on Day 4 post‐insertion. The treatments were crossed over with 44–48 day intervals after CIDR® removal, such that all the deer were submitted to all three treatments. The mean ovulation rate (Treatment A = 3.40 ± 0.68, Treatment B = 1.40 ± 0.24, Treatment C = 0.80 ± 0.49), total ovarian stimulation (Treatment A = 4.80 ± 1.02, Treatment B = 1.80 ± 0.37, Treatment C = 1.40 ± 0.60), and mean CL diameter (Treatment A = 7.33 ± 0.76 mm, Treatment B = 3.94 ± 0.19 mm, Treatment C = 2.18 ± 0.49 mm) in Treatment A were significantly higher than the mean ovulation rates, total ovarian stimulation, and mean CL diameter in Treatments B and C. The mean fecal progesterone metabolites at the luteal phase in Treatment A (6,277.94±2,232.47 ng/g feces) was significantly different from Treatment C (1,374.82±401.77 ng/g feces). Thus, although fertility was not evaluated directly, Treatment A proved capable of induce superovulation in the species Mazama gouazoubira, presenting the greatest mean ovulation rates, with the formation of functional corpora lutea. lutea. Zoo Biol 31:642‐655, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Comparison of Karoubi's regulator and the p-adic Borel regulator
Authors: Tamme Georg
Published: November 2011

In this paper we prove the p-adic analogue of a result of Hamida [11], namely that the p-adic Borel regulator introduced by Huber and Kings for the K-theory of a p-adic number field equals Karoubi's p-adic regulator up to an explicit rational factor.
“From This Far Place”: On Justice and Absence
Authors: BOOTH W. JAMES
Published: November 2011

Addressing historic injustice involves a struggle against absence. This article reflects on the foundations of that challenge, on absence and justice. I ask what it means to address the absent victims of deadly injustice given the distance of time and death that separates us from them. This topic embraces a wide swath of events of interest to students of politics. Some are as recent as the Rwandan genocide; others are by now historical: the Holocaust or slavery in antebellum America. All have in common that they and their victims are distant from us, a separation that makes doing them justice deeply perplexing. In response, I sketch an argument that the absent victims of injustice are not nullities but retain a status, a presence as claimants on justice that defines our efforts to address the wrongs done them.
Growth, clinical chemistry and immune function in domestic piglets fed varying ratios of arachidonic acid and DHA
Authors: Tyburczy Cynthia , Kothapalli Kumar S. D. , Park Woo Jung , Blank Bryant S. , Liu Ying-Chun , Nauroth Julie M. , Paul Zimmer J. , Salem Norman , Thomas Brenna J.
Published: November 2011

In the USA, infant formulas contain long-chain PUFA arachidonic acid (ARA) and DHA in a ratio of 2:1 and comprise roughly 0·66 g/100 g and 0·33 g/100 g total fatty acids (FA). Higher levels of dietary DHA appear to provide some advantages in visual or cognitive performance. The present study evaluated the effect of physiologically high dietary ARA on growth, clinical chemistry, haematology and immune function when DHA is 1·0 g/100 g total FA. On day 3 of age, formula-reared (FR) piglets were matched for weight and assigned to one of six milk replacer formulas. Diets varied in the ratio of ARA:DHA as follows (g/100 g FA/FA): A1, 0·1/1·0; A2, 0·53/1·0; A3-D3, 0·69/1·0; A4, 1·1/1·0; D2, 0·67/0·62; D1, 0·66/0·33. A seventh group was maternal-reared (MR) and remained with the dam during the study. Blood collection and body weight measurements were performed weekly, and piglets were killed on day 28 of age. No significant differences were found among any of the FR groups for formula intake, growth, clinical chemistry, haematology or immune status measurements. A few differences in clinical chemistry, haematology and immune function parameters between the MR pigs and the FR groups probably reflected a difference in growth rate. We conclude that the dietary ARA level up to 1·0 g/100 g total FA is safe and has no adverse effect on any of the safety outcomes measured, and confirm that DHA has no adverse effect when ARA is at 0·66 g/100 g FA.
Comparison of standardised dietary folate intake across ten countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition
Authors: Park Jin Young , Nicolas Genevieve , Freisling Heinz , Biessy Carine , Scalbert Augustin , Romieu Isabelle , Chajès Véronique , Chuang Shu-Chun , Ericson Ulrika , Wallström Peter , Ros Martine M. , Peeters Petra H. M. , Mattiello Amalia , Palli Domenico , María Huerta José , Amiano Pilar , Halkjær Jytte , Dahm Christina C. , Trichopoulou Antonia , Orfanos Philippos , Teucher Birgit , Feller Silke , Skeie Guri , Engeset Dagrun , Boutron-Ruault Marie-Christine , Clavel-Chapelon Françoise , Crowe Francesca , Khaw Kay-Tee , Vineis Paolo , Slimani Nadia
Published: November 2011

Folate plays an important role in the synthesis and methylation of DNA as a cofactor in one-carbon metabolism. Inadequate folate intake has been linked to adverse health events. However, comparable information on dietary folate intake across European countries has never been reported. The objective of the present study was to describe the dietary folate intake and its food sources in ten countries in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted in 36 034 participants (aged 35–74 years) who completed a single 24 h dietary recall using a computerised interview software program, EPIC-Soft®(International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon). Dietary folate intake was estimated using the standardised EPIC Nutrient DataBase, adjusted for age, energy intake, weight and height and weighted by season and day of recall. Adjusted mean dietary folate intake in most centres ranged from 250 to 350 μg/d in men and 200 to 300 μg/d in women. Folate intake tended to be lower among current smokers and heavier alcohol drinkers and to increase with educational level, especially in women. Supplement users (any types) were likely to report higher dietary folate intake in most centres. Vegetables, cereals and fruits, nuts and seeds were the main contributors to folate intake. Nonetheless, the type and pattern of consumption of these main food items varied across the centres. These first comparisons of standardised dietary folate intakes across different European populations show moderate regional differences (except the UK health conscious group), and variation by sex, educational level, smoking and alcohol-drinking status, and supplement use.
Algebraic integers as special values of modular units
Authors: Koo Ja Kyung , Shin Dong Hwa , Yoon Dong Sung
Published: November 2011

Let $\varphi(\tau)=\eta(\tfrac12(\tau+1))^2/\sqrt{2\pi}\exp\{\tfrac14\pi\ri\}\eta(\tau+1)$, where η(τ) is the Dedekind eta function. We show that if τ0 is an imaginary quadratic argument and m is an odd integer, then $\sqrt{m}\varphi(m\tau_0)/\varphi(\tau_0)$ is an algebraic integer dividing $\sqrt{m}$ This is a generalization of a result of Berndt, Chan and Zhang. On the other hand, when K is an imaginary quadratic field and θK is an element of K with Im(θK) > 0 which generates the ring of integers of K over ℤ, we find a sufficient condition on m which ensures that $\sqrt{m}\varphi(m\theta_K)/\varphi(\theta_K)$ is a unit.
East Timor Ten Years On: Legacies of Violence
Authors: Robinson Geoffrey
Published: November 2011

On August 30, 2009, East Timor's Prime Minister, the former resistance leader Xanana Gusmão, quietly authorized the release of a man directly implicated in one of the country's most notorious massacres. Maternus Bere, a commander of the pro-Indonesian Laksaur militia group, had been indicted for his role in the September 1999 killing of as many as 200 unarmed supporters of independence who had taken refuge in the Catholic Church in Suai. Of the 40 victims whose identities could be determined, three were priests, ten were under the age of 18, and more than a dozen were women. The Suai Church massacre was part of a shocking campaign of violence that followed a United Nations-organized referendum in which Timorese had voted overwhelmingly for independence from Indonesia.
Efficacy of albendazole combined with a marine fungal extract (m2-9) against Angiostrongylus cantonensis-induced meningitis in mice
Authors: Li Z.-Y. , Sun R. , Li J. , Song Y.-X. , Lin Y.-C. , Zeng X. , He H.-J. , Wei J. , Yang F. , Zheng H.-Q. , Lv Z.-Y. , Wu Z.-D.
Published: November 2011

The pathogenesis of angiostrongyliasis, resulting from Angiostrongylus cantonensis invasion of the human central nervous system, remains elusive. Anthelmintics are usually used to kill worms, although dead worms in the brain may cause severe inflammation which will lead to central nervous system damage. Therefore, combination therapy with anthelmintics and anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of human angiostrongyliasis needs further study. To evaluate the efficacy of albendazole combined with a marine fungal extract (m2-9) in A. cantonensis infection, BALB/c mice infected by the third-stage larvae of A. cantonensis were divided into three groups: mice treated with albendazole or m2-9 alone or in combination from day 5 post-inoculation (PI). Several efficacy parameters were recorded, including weight change, worm recovery, neurological function, behavioural analysis, eosinophil and leucocyte counts. The results showed that combination therapy increased body weight, reduced worm burden, improved learning ability, memory and action, decreased neurological dysfunction and leucocyte response in these mice. The combination of albendazole and m2-9 treatment significantly decreased leucocyte response and increased the frequency of rearing, compared to infected mice treated with either drug alone. Therefore, m2-9 is a natural product with potentially significant therapeutic value for angiostrongyliasis and is worthy of further study.
Stabilization of magnetic curvature-driven Rayleigh–Taylor instabilities
Authors: ONISHCHENKO O. G. , POKHOTELOV O. A. , STENFLO L. , SHUKLA P. K.
Published: November 2011

The finite ion Larmor radius (FLR) stabilization of the magnetic curvature-driven Rayleigh–Taylor (MCD RT) instability in a low beta plasma with nonzero ion temperature gradient is investigated. Finite electron temperature effects and ion temperature perturbations are incorporated. A new set of nonlinear equations for flute waves with arbitrary wavelengths as compared with the ion Larmor radius in a plasma with curved magnetic field lines is derived. Particular attention is paid to the waves with spatial scales of the order of the ion Larmor radius. In the linear limit, a Fourier transform of these equations yields an improved dispersion relation for flute waves. The dependence of the MCD RT instability growth rate on the equilibrium plasma parameters and the wavelengths is studied. The condition for which the instability cannot be stabilized by the FLR effects is found.
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and muscle atrophy in the elderly
Authors: Dawson-Hughes Bess
Published: November 2011

The objective of this review is to consider the mechanisms by which vitamin D affects muscle and the evidence that vitamin D status is important for muscle performance and fall prevention in older adults. Vitamin D receptors have been identified in human skeletal-muscle cells. Activation of these receptors by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D is involved in the action of vitamin D on the myocyte. Several studies have examined the effect of supplemental vitamin D on muscle strength, balance and falls. Among those examining muscle strength, results have been either positive for vitamin D or null. A recent meta-analysis of seventeen such trials revealed no significant effect of vitamin D overall, but a significant improvement in strength was observed in the trials in which the mean starting level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D was 25 nmol/l or below. Evidence for an effect of vitamin D on balance, measured as sway, is less abundant but more consistently positive. Many trials have evaluated the effect of supplemental vitamin D on falls. Overall, there is about a 20% lower risk of falling with supplementation. One meta-analysis considered the vitamin D dose administered and concluded that doses up through 15 μg (600 IU) were ineffective and doses of 17·5–25 μg/d (700–1000 IU/d) significantly lowered fall risk. The minimal 25-hydroxyvitamin D level needed for benefit was 60 nmol/l.
An ideal combination for marine turtle conservation: exceptional nesting season, with low nest predation resulting from effective low-cost predator management
Authors: Engeman Richard , Martin R. Erik , Woolard John , Stahl Margo , Pelizza Charles , Duffiney Anthony , Constantin Bernice
Published: November 2011

We examined impacts from effective predator management on nesting success of marine turtles in an exceptional nesting year at Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, USA, a beach with a high density of nesting marine turtles that has a history of severe nest predation. Historically up to 95% of nests were predated, primarily by raccoonsProcyon lotorand, more recently, armadillosDasypus novemcinctus. Predator control was identified as the most important conservation tool for marine turtle reproduction. Predator management by refuge staff as ancillary duties typically only held predation levels to c. 50%. However, when experts in predator control were employed predation was substantially reduced. An extraordinary opportunity to evaluate the biological and economic benefits of this management approach occurred in 2008, a year with exceptionally heavy nesting. Loggerhead turtleCaretta carettanesting resurged, greenChelonia mydasand leatherbackDermochelys coriaceaturtles nested in record numbers, producing twice or more than their median number of nests, and the first Kemp’s ridleyLepidochelys kempiinest was observed. Overall predation was 14.7%, resulting in an estimated > 128,000 additional hatchlings emerging compared to estimates had no predator management been in place and historical predation rates occurred, and > 56,000 hatchlings more than expected had predator management been conducted as ancillary duties rather than by experts. The USD 12,000 investment for expert predator management equated to only USD 0.09 spent for each additional hatchling produced compared to the scenario of no predator control and only USD 0.21 compared to the scenario of predator control as ancillary duties.
TheLIEDERTHEATEROF WENZEL & MENSCHING: A CREATIVE USE OF THE AGITPROP TRADITION IN THE GDR
Authors: Robb David
Published: November 2011

The East German poet-clowns Hans-Eckardt Wenzel and Steffen Mensching rose to prominence during the GDR's (German Democratic Republic; Deutsche Demokratische Republik, DDR) Peaceful Revolution of autumn 1989 with their cabaret productionLetztes aus der Da Da eR. A film adaptation of the production was made by Jörg Foth in 1990, which was finally released on DVD with English subtitles in the United Kingdom and North America in 2009 (Latest from the Da-Da-R). In light of this long-overdue interest in Wenzel & Mensching, this article will attempt to put the work of the duo in historical and aesthetic context. Their use of character, masks, music, and philosophy combined to create the distinctly grotesque world that constituted theirLiedertheaterperformances.
LOOKING FOR RICHARD III IN ROMANTIC TIMES: THOMAS BRIDGMAN'S AND WILLIAM CHARLES MACREADY'S ABORTIVE STAGE ADAPTATIONS
Authors: Caputo Nicoletta
Published: November 2011

In his commendatory poem from the First Folio, Ben Jonson asserted that Shakespeare “was not of an age, but for all time.” This has proved true, and Shakespeare has been able to speak to many succeeding generations of readers and theatregoers. This, however, is not because essential, unchangeable, and universal truths about human nature, the world, and experience lay hidden in his plays or his characters but (quite the opposite) because succeeding generations, over the centuries, have been able to appropriate, exploit, and reuse Shakespeare to make sense of their world and their lives. Shakespeare is for all time precisely because he has relentlessly changed over time. The author and his texts have been unceasingly reinvented, and a virtually infinite number of “alternative Shakespeares” has come to embody specific contemporary issues and conflicts. As Jean Marsden put it in 1991, Shakespeare is the object of “an ongoing process of literary and cultural appropriation in which each new generation attempts to redefine Shakespeare's genius in contemporary terms, projecting its desires and anxieties onto his work.” This is true for both the “dramatic” Shakespeare and the “theatrical” Shakespeare: Shakespeare's plays have been as tirelessly reinterpreted on the page by scholars (and others) as they have been reinvented on the stage by actors and directors. The fate ofKing Richard III, however, is peculiar from this point of view, insofar as an often-denigrated Restoration revision of Shakespeare's play totally replaced the “original” one in the theatre and held the stage for nearly 200 years. This peculiarity acquires interesting overtones when we look at the treatment the staged play received at the hands of the Romantics, who, in spite of the bardolatry prevailing at the time and their often-vented disesteem for the adapted version, apparently missed their opportunity to make Shakespeare's original play speak for their own time.
CONCEPTUALIZING SPACE: THE GEOGRAPHIC DIMENSION OF WORLD THEATRE
Authors: Tillis Steve
Published: November 2011

Geography has been accorded surprisingly little attention in the study of world theatre history. Maps are by no means the sum total of geographic knowledge, but their existence (or the lack thereof) provides a handy indicator of an author's interest in the subject. Oscar G. Brockett and Franklin J. Hildy'sHistory of Theatrehas numerous pictures of actors and diagrams of theatres but only one map that directly pertains to theatre. All the rest of its maps (of which there are fewer than two dozen) are standard-issue political maps.Theatre Histories: An Introduction, by Phillip B. Zarrilli and others, is groundbreaking in many ways, but it includes only six maps, and none of these directly concerns theatre. Each of the six volumes ofThe World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatreincludes only one map, a basic political one. Other standard reference works on the history of theatre contain no maps; these includeThe Cambridge Guide to Theatre,The Oxford Companion to the Theatre, andThe Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance.Numerous types of map might be relevant for a study of theatre, but aside from the occasional political map, the basic overviews of theatre history do not include such resources.
THE PLEASURES OF RECESSION
Authors: Johnson Odai
Published: November 2011

I want to preface this brief piece by declaring from the outset that the title is not ironic and does not intend to sport with our or another's misfortune. In spite of its brutality, it has proved, in the end, a pleasant recession. By the time this article goes to press, we will be advertising two new faculty lines in the Ph.D. program at the University of Washington. When this edition of Theatre Survey comes out, we will be interviewing candidates. Two years after the budget crisis first hit and we lost half of our doctoral faculty in one month, we will have emerged stronger than ever, with a wider, deeper, more rigorous program with far more partners and opportunities than we ever could have imagined. By the time this issue arrives, the hard times will not likely have ended, but they most certainly will have improved us.
Circle diffeomorphisms forced by expanding circle maps
Authors: HOMBURG ALE JAN
Published: November 2011

We discuss the dynamics of skew product maps defined by circle diffeomorphisms forced by expanding circle maps. We construct an open class of such systems that are robustly topologically mixing and for which almost all points in the same fiber converge under iteration. This property follows from the construction of an invariant attracting graph in the natural extension, a skew product of circle diffeomorphisms forced by a solenoid homeomorphism.
A diagram of the minimum necessary internal force required to resist external forces on two-point-grasped objects in two-dimensional space
Authors: Ito Satoshi , Tanaka Kohta , Sasaki Minoru
Published: November 2011

This paper considers the magnitude of the gripping power, i.e., the internal force that depends on the grasping posture or object orientation in a two-dimensional grasp by two contact points with friction. Expressing the effect of variations in the object posture as the direction of an external force, we propose an “internal force diagram.” The internal force necessary to create a statically stable grasp is depicted in the object coordinate frame. Then, a polar coordinate system is introduced in which the orientation represents the direction of the external force, while the distance from the origin represents the minimum necessary internal force. We demonstrate a method based on friction cone configurations to manually draw the internal force diagram, using only a ruler and a compass. The validity of this drawing method is confirmed by a comparison with computer-generated plots. Finally, the characteristics of the internal force diagram are discussed.
Bacterial aetiology of diarrhoeal diseases and antimicrobial resistance in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2005–2008
Authors: AHMED D. , HOQUE A. , ELAHI M. S. B. , ENDTZ H. P. , HOSSAIN M. A.
Published: November 2011

Infectious diarrhoea caused by bacterial pathogens contributes to the high level of mortality in developing countries like Bangladesh. Following standard bacteriological procedures, a total of 14 428 bacterial pathogens were isolated from 56 132 stool samples and rectal swabs collected from diarrhoeal patients between 2005 and 2008. The rate of isolation and antimicrobial susceptibility data were retrospectively analysed for these isolates and among themVibriospp. (42·9%) were the most predominant, followed byShigellaspp. (20·3%),Aeromonasspp. (12·8%) andSalmonellaspp. (6·4%). A decreasing trend in isolation ofVibriospp. (P<0·001) andSalmonellaspp. (P<0·001) was observed. WhileVibrio choleraeisolates remained susceptible to ciprofloxacin, an increase in resistance was observed inCampylobacterspp. andShigella flexneri. Variations in susceptibility to other tested antibiotics were observed among the isolated pathogens. Access to this current data will help in understanding the local burden of diarrhoeal disease and contribute to better design of prevention programmes.
DOES FISCAL POLICY MATTER? BLINDER AND SOLOW REVISITED
Authors: Farmer Roger E. A. , Plotnikov Dmitry
Published: November 2011

This paper uses the old Keynesian representative agent model developed by Roger E. A. Farmer [Expectations, Employment and Prices. New York: Oxford University Press (2010)] to answer two questions: (1) Do increased government purchases crowd out private consumption? (2) Do increased government purchases reduce unemployment? Farmer compared permanent tax-financed expenditure paths and showed that the answer to (1) was yes and the answer to (2) was no. We generalize his result to temporary bond-financed paths of government purchases that are similar to the actual path that occurred during WWII. We find that a temporary increase in government purchases does crowd out private consumption expenditure as in Farmer. However, in contrast to Farmer's experiment, we find that a temporary increase in government purchases can also reduce unemployment.
An investigation of amino-acid neurotransmitters as potential predictors of clinical improvement to ketamine in depression
Authors: Salvadore Giacomo , van der Veen Jan Willem , Zhang Yan , Marenco Stefano , Machado-Vieira Rodrigo , Baumann Jacqueline , Ibrahim Lobna A. , Luckenbaugh David A. , Shen Jun , Drevets Wayne C. , Zarate Carlos A.
Published: November 2011

Amino-acid neurotransmitter system dysfunction plays a major role in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). We used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to investigate whether prefrontal levels of amino-acid neurotransmitters predict antidepressant response to a single intravenous infusion of the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist ketamine in MDD patients. Fourteen drug-free patients with MDD were scanned 1–3 d before receiving a single intravenous infusion of ketamine (0.5 mg/kg). We measured gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate, and Glx/glutamate ratio (a surrogate marker of glutamine) in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VM-PFC) and the dorsomedial/dorsal anterolateral prefrontal cortex (DM/DA-PFC). Correlation analyses were conducted to determine whether pretreatment GABA, glutamate, or Glx/glutamate ratio predicted change in depressive and anxiety symptoms 230 min after ketamine administration. Pretreatment GABA or glutamate did not correlate with improved depressive symptoms in either of the two regions of interest (p>0.1); pretreatment Glx/glutamate ratio in the DM/DA-PFC was negatively correlated with improvement in depressive symptoms [rs(11)=−0.57, p<0.05]. Pretreatment glutamate levels in the VM-PFC were positively correlated with improvement in anxiety symptoms [rs(11)=0.57, p<0.05]. The findings suggest an association between lower Glx/glutamate ratio and greater improvement in response to ketamine treatment. Because glutamine is mainly contained in glia, the decreased Glx/glutamate ratio observed in this study may reflect the reduction in glial cells found in the same regions in post-mortem studies of individuals with MDD, and suggests that the presence of this neuropathological construct may be associated with antidepressant responsiveness to ketamine.
Expressiveness of communication in answer set programming
Authors: BAUTERS KIM , SCHOCKAERT STEVEN , JANSSEN JEROEN , VERMEIR DIRK , DE COCK MARTINE
Published: November 2011

Answer set programming (ASP) is a form of declarative programming that allows to succinctly formulate and efficiently solve complex problems. An intuitive extension of this formalism is communicating ASP, in which multiple ASP programs collaborate to solve the problem at hand. However, the expressiveness of communicating ASP has not been thoroughly studied. In this paper, we present a systematic study of the additional expressiveness offered by allowing ASP programs to communicate. First, we consider a simple form of communication where programs are only allowed to ask questions to each other. For the most part, we deliberately consider only simple programs, i.e. programs for which computing the answer sets is in P. We find that the problem of deciding whether a literal is in some answer set of a communicating ASP program using simple communication is NP-hard. In other words, due to the ability of these simple ASP programs to communicate and collaborate, we move up a step in the polynomial hierarchy. Second, we modify the communication mechanism to also allow us to focus on a sequence of communicating programs, where each program in the sequence may successively remove some of the remaining models. This mimics a network of leaders, where the first leader has the first say and may remove models that he or she finds unsatisfactory. Using this particular communication mechanism allows us to capture the entire polynomial hierarchy. This means, in particular, that communicating ASP could be used to solve problems that are above the second level of polynomial hierarchy, such as some forms of abductive reasoning as well as PSPACE-complete problems such as STRIPS planning.
Perspectives Against Interests: Sketch of a Feminist Political Theory of “Women”
Authors: Weldon Laurel
Published: November 2011

Do women share interests? Seeking interests that women share is theoretically problematic and politically undesirable for feminists. Efforts to redefine interests as subjective, contingent and/or context sensitive are unsatisfying for those who want to link women's representation to the fact of their oppression, exploitation, and discrimination. Fortunately, we need not posit shared interests to make strong claims about the importance of women's representation. Nor do we need such a concept to explain why women work together across significant institutional barriers and social differences. Overlapping, entwined sets of global and local social structures define “women” as a social collectivity. Women in diverse organizational, social, and national contexts organize to alter this complex configuration, forging relations of solidarity and shared identities in the process. But this is not reducible to shared interests. Moreover, focusing on things that women have in common de-emphasizes issues that mainly confront marginalized groups of women and/or that are group or context specific but critical to achieving gender justice. Fortunately, feminist theorists have identified bases for political representation and mobilization that offer more useful accounts of social group politics (e.g., Mansbridge 1995; Mohanty 2003; Young 1997, 2000;). The idea of social perspective is one such concept.
Interests, Issues, and Preferences: Women's Interests and Epiphenomena of Activism
Authors: Beckwith Karen
Published: November 2011

What do we mean by “women's interests?” To consider interests requires us to consider the “real interests” of women, which “[rest] on empirically supportable and refutable hypotheses” and to examine women, “exercising choice under conditions of relative autonomy and, in particular, independently of [the constraining] power [of others] – e.g. through democratic participation” (Lukes 1984, 25, 33). Identification of interests is always a normative concern, resting on an appreciation of citizens' autonomy and deliberation—or lack thereof.
An Endogenous Approach to Women's Interests: When Interests Are Interesting in and of Themselves
Authors: Reingold Beth , Swers Michele
Published: November 2011

As Sapiro (1981) pointed out many years ago, recognizing that women's interests are interesting is the vital first step in establishing the significance of women's political representation (or the lack thereof)—both in the “real” world and in the scholarly world. Indeed, the assumption that women's interests exist, that women have political interests that can be defined and measured, is central to much of the subsequent research and discussion of women in politics. It is central to our own research on the relationship between women's descriptive and substantive representation (e.g., Reingold 2000; Swers 2002), and it is central to this symposium. Yet we come together in this symposium not simply because we share this assumption, but more tellingly because we all grapple with this assumption. Defining and measuring women's political interests pose a number of very difficult questions or dilemmas, which we elaborate in the following. We highlight these challenges not to dismiss such endeavors as futile or necessarily misguided. Rather, we argue that the very uncertainty surrounding women's interests is what makes them so interesting.
Women Have Found Respect: Gender Quotas, Symbolic Representation, and Female Empowerment in Rwanda
Authors: Burnet Jennie E.
Published: November 2011

Building on previous studies of women's formal, descriptive, and substantive representation in Rwanda, this article examines women's symbolic representation, defined as the broader social and cultural impact of the greater representation of women in the Rwandan political system. It explores the cultural meanings of gender quotas by analyzing popular perceptions of women, of women's roles in politics and society more broadly, and of changing cultural practices vis-à-vis gender. Data were gathered over 24 months of ethnographic research conducted between 1997 and 2009 and by ongoing documentary research. The study finds that although Rwandan women have made few legislative gains, they have reaped other benefits, including increased respect from family and community members, enhanced capacity to speak and be heard in public forums, greater autonomy in decision making in the family, and increased access to education. Yet there have also been some unexpected negative consequences, such as increased friction with male siblings, male withdrawal from politics, increased marital discord, and a perception that marriage as an institution has been disrupted by the so-called upheaval of gender roles. Most significantly, increased formal representation of women has not led to increased democratic legitimacy for the government.
Fisheries Co-operation in the South China Sea and the (Ir)relevance of the Sovereignty Question
Authors: NGUYEN DANG Thang
Published: November 2011

Joint petroleum development has often been considered as a viable solution to the seemingly intractable Spratly Islands dispute in the South China Sea (SCS). This is, however, more easily said than done. On the other hand, little attention is paid to fisheries co-operation in the SCS despite the fact that fisheries constitute an important part in the economies of coastal states. The present laissez-faire approach to fisheries in the disputed area gives rise to friction and tension. By highlighting the salient features of existing fisheries’ co-operative arrangements in the world, this article demonstrates the merits of a fisheries arrangement in the SCS. It also argues that fisheries co-operation, as a low-profile undertaking, is probably easier to achieve than joint petroleum development. A fisheries arrangement would serve the immediate interests of parties to the Spratly Islands dispute and may pave the way for their future high-profile co-operation, i.e. joint petroleum development.
Where Is Scientific Evidence in Support of Refuge Size Reduction for Pyramided Bt Crops?
Authors: Alyokhin Andrei
Published: November 2011

Genetically modified plants expressing insecticidal Cry proteins originating from a soil-dwelling bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) provide a powerful tool for managing insect pests. Unfortunately, insect ability to develop resistance to insecticidal proteins potentially jeopardizes its long-term efficiency. Review of registration materials submitted by plant biotech industry to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the existing scientific literature shows that currently available evidence in support of reducing refuge for the pyramided genetically modified corn plants to 5% of the total crop area is essentially limited to predictions of a single unpublished mathematical model developed “in-house” by the industry scientists. Additional research and a more extensive (and open) scientific discussion will be of great benefit for ensuring sustainable use of this technology.
Risk for Poor Performance on a Language Screening Measure for Bilingual Preschoolers and Kindergarteners
Authors: Peña Elizabeth D. , Gillam Ronald B. , Bedore Lisa M. , Bohman Thomas M.
Published: November 2011

Purpose

This study documents the risk for language impairment in Latino children who had different levels of exposure to English and Spanish.

Method

A total of 1,029 preschool- and kindergarten-age children were screened in the domains of semantics and morphosyntax in both Spanish and English. Parent report was used to document current exposure to and use of Spanish and English, as well as year of first exposure to English. Risk for language impairment was compared for language group, year of first English exposure, age, and mother’s education.

Results

While bilingual children’s scores on each subtest were significantly lower compared to their functional monolingual peers, they were no more likely to fall in the at-risk range based on a combination of all 4 subtests. Maternal education and year of first English exposure were weakly associated with risk for language impairment but not with language group (via 5 levels of first and second language exposure).

Conclusions

Prevalence of risk for language impairment when both languages are tested is not related to language group.
Facilitating Children’s Ability to Distinguish Symbols for Emotions: The Effects of Background Color Cues and Spatial Arrangement of Symbols on Accuracy and Speed of Search
Authors: Wilkinson Krista M. , Snell Julie
Published: November 2011

Purpose

Communication about feelings is a core element of human interaction. Aided augmentative and alternative communication systems must therefore include symbols representing these concepts. The symbols must be readily distinguishable in order for users to communicate effectively. However, emotions are represented within most systems by schematic faces in which subtle distinctions are difficult to represent. We examined whether background color cuing and spatial arrangement might help children identify symbols for different emotions.

Method

Thirty nondisabled children searched for symbols representing emotions within an 8-choice array. On some trials, a color cue signaled the valence of the emotion (positive vs. negative). Additionally, the symbols were either (a) organized with the negatively valenced symbols at the top and the positive symbols on the bottom of the display or (b) distributed randomly throughout. Dependent variables were accuracy and speed of responses.

Results

The speed with which children could locate a target was significantly faster for displays in which symbols were clustered by valence, but only when the symbols had white backgrounds. Addition of a background color cue did not facilitate responses.

Conclusions

Rapid search was facilitated by a spatial organization cue, but not by the addition of background color. Further examination of the situations in which color cues may be useful is warranted.
Clinical Experience Using the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability for Identification of Patients at Risk for Aspiration in a Mixed-Disease Population
Authors: González-Fernández Marlís , Sein Michael T. , Palmer Jeffrey B.
Published: November 2011

Purpose

To determine the clinical performance characteristics of the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MASA) for predicting aspiration (determined by videofluoroscopic swallowing study [VFSS]) in a mixed population.

Method

We selected 133 cases clinically evaluated using MASA and VFSS from January through June 2007. Ordinal risk rating (ORR) and total numeric score (TNS) were evaluated as predictors of aspiration on VFSS. To account for missing items, the maximum possible score was determined and a weighted percentage score calculated for each patient. We used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to compare the sensitivity and specificity of ORR and TNS for predicting aspiration.

Results

VFSS identified 51 (38.4%) aspirators, while ORR identified 54 (40.6%) as probable or definite aspiration and TNS 19 (14.3%) as moderate to severe aspiration risk. ROC analysis demonstrated an area under the curve of 0.74, 95% CI [0.66, 0.82], for ORR and 0.51, 95% CI [0.41, 0.61], for TNS. These ROC scores suggest that the MASA ORR is better at predicting aspiration on VFSS than the numeric score.

Conclusion

In this sample, the subjective ORR had good predictive ability, while the percentage TNS failed to predict aspiration on VFSS. The MASA ORR assessment was a better predictor for a patient’s aspiration risk in this population.
The Impact of Teacher Responsivity Education on Preschoolers' Language and Literacy Skills
Authors: Cabell Sonia Q. , Justice Laura M. , Piasta Shayne B. , Curenton Stephanie M. , Wiggins Alice , Turnbull Khara Pence , Petscher Yaacov
Published: November 2011

Purpose

This study examined the extent to which teacher responsivity education affected preschoolers' language and literacy development over an academic year. Additional aims were to determine whether children’s initial language abilities and teachers' use of responsivity strategies were associated with language outcomes, in particular.

Method

In this randomized controlled trial, preschool centers were assigned to a responsivity education intervention (
n
= 19 centers, 25 teachers, and 174 children) or a “business-as-usual” control condition (
n
= 19 centers, 24 teachers, and 156 children). Teachers within the intervention centers received training focused on a set of strategies designed to promote children’s engagement and participation in extended conversational interactions across the school day.

Results

Hierarchical linear models showed no main effects on children’s language skills, although moderating effects were observed such that the intervention appeared to have positive effects for children with relatively high initial language abilities. In addition, teacher use of responsivity strategies was positively associated with vocabulary development. With regard to children’s literacy skills, there was a significant main effect of the intervention on print-concept knowledge.

Conclusions

Although teacher responsivity education is viewed as benefitting children’s language and literacy development, the impacts of this type of intervention on children’s skills warrant further investigation.

Supplemental Material

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.6170192
Third-Party Disability in Spouses of Older People With Hearing Impairment
Authors: Scarinci Nerina A. , Hickson Louise M. , Worrall Linda E.
Published: November 2011

Hearing impairment is the most common communication disability in older people. The wide-ranging impact of hearing impairment means that not only does the person with hearing impairment experience the consequences, but his or her frequent communication partners do also. In this article, the authors discuss the impact of hearing impairment in older people on spouses with normal hearing using the conceptualization of “third-party disability” created by members of the World Health Organization (WHO, 2001, p. 251). Results of a series of studies conducted by the authors demonstrate that spouses experience a range of activity limitations and participation restrictions due to their partner’s hearing impairment, including a variety of stresses involving lifestyle changes, communication difficulties, and emotional consequences. In this article, the authors highlight the important role of family-centered intervention in audiologic rehabilitation for older adults and emphasize the need to increase inclusion of spouses and significant others in the rehabilitation process.
Use of Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy To Measure Brain Blood Flow Differences During Speaking and Nonspeaking Tasks for Fluent Speakers and Persons Who Stutter
Authors: Tellis Glen M. , Mesquita Rickson C. , Yodh A. G.
Published: November 2011

Diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) is a novel optical method for measuring blood flow in deep tissues that has not yet been used in stuttering research. DCS is a portable technique that employs low power radiation in a safe region of the electromagnetic spectrum (near-infrared) to noninvasively record relative changes in regional blood flow. The technology has successfully probed hemodynamic responses of the human brain and can potentially be used to assess and understand differences in brain areas associated with speech production in persons who stutter and normally fluent speakers. This pilot study reports on the feasibility of DCS to assess blood flow levels in the brains of persons who stutter and normally fluent speakers during speaking and nonspeaking tasks including, singing, counting, choral reading, conversational speech, and reading aloud.
A time of flight mass spectrometer with field free interaction region for low energy charged particle-molecule collision studies
Authors: Rao K. C. , Prabhudesai V. S. , Kumar S. V. K.
Published: November 2011

A new design of a linear time of flight mass spectrometer (ToFMS) is implemented that gives nearly field-free interaction region without compromising on the mass resolution. The design addresses problems that would arise in a conventional Wiley-McLaren type of ToFMS: (i) field leakages into the charged particle-molecule interaction region from various components of the mass spectrometer, including that through the high transparency mesh used to obtain evenly distributed electric fields; (ii) complete collection and transportation of the ions produced in the interaction region to the detector, which is essential for high sensitivity and cross section measurements. This ToFMS works over a wide range of masses from H+ to a few hundred Daltons and would be the most suitable for low energy charged particle-molecule interaction studies. Performance of the ToFMS has been tested by measuring the partial ionization cross sections for electron impact on CF4.
Effects of hysteresis losses on dynamic behavior of magnetostrictive actuators
Authors: Jin Ke , Kou Yong , Liang Yirui , Zheng Xiaojing
Published: November 2011

This paper focuses on the effects of hysteresis losses on the dynamic behavior of magnetostrictive actuators. A nonlinear structural dynamic model to describe the magneto-thermo-elastic coupling and hysteresis losses is proposed by combining a nonlinear frequency-dependent hysteretic constitutive model with the theory of elasticity rod vibration. Model predictions show good correlation with experimental data, which demonstrates that the model can well capture the dynamic behavior of magnetostrictive actuators. Resonance frequency shifts and amplitude reductions due to hysteresis losses are analyzed. Furthermore, the effects of hysteresis losses on the dynamic vibration behavior in the low frequency range as well as stress and temperature dependence of hysteresis losses are discussed in detail.
Dielectric dispersion on the Kerr constant of blue phase liquid crystals
Authors: Li Yan , Chen Yuan , Sun Jie , Wu Shin-Tson , Liu Shih-Hsien , Hsieh Pao-Ju , Cheng Kung-Lung , Shiu Jyh-Wen
Published: November 2011

Dielectric dispersions on the Kerr constant of two polymer-stabilized blue phase liquid crystals (BPLCs) are investigated. An extended Cole-Cole model is proposed to fit the experimental results and good agreement is obtained. As the electric field frequency increases, Kerr constant decreases and the associated dielectric heating effect gradually increases. These results will undoubtedly affect the high frequency operation of BPLC devices.
Comment on “Sil’nikov chaos of the Liu system” [Chaos 18, 013113 (2008)]
Authors: Algaba Antonio , Fernández-Sánchez Fernando , Merino Manuel , Rodríguez-Luis Alejandro J.
Published: November 2011

In the referenced paper, the authors use the undetermined coefficient method to prove analytically the existence of homoclinic and heteroclinic orbits in a Lorenz-like system. If the proof was correct, the existence of horseshoe chaos would be guaranteed via the Sil’nikov criterion. However, we hereby show that their demonstration is incorrect for two reasons. On the one hand, they wrongly use a symmetry the Lorenz-like system exhibits. On the other hand, they try to find structurally unstable global bifurcations by means of a series that is uniformly convergent in an open set of the parameter space: this would imply that the dynamical object they have found is structurally stable.