bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What is Abstinence? Definitions and Examples of Abstinence, to Prevent the Sexual Transmission of the HIV Virus, According to Spanish University Students
Authors: Planes Montserrat , Gómez Ana B. , Gras Eugenia , Sullman Mark J. , Font-Mayolas Sílvia , Cunill Mónica , Aymerich Maria
Published: February 2010

Research carried out in several Anglo-Saxon countries shows that many undergraduates identify oral sex and anal sex as examples of abstinent behaviour, while many others consider kissing and masturbation as examples of having sex. The objective of this research was to investigate whether a sample of Spanish students gave similar replies. Seven hundred and fifty undergraduates (92% aged under 26, 67.6% women) produced examples or definitions of the term ‘abstinence’. Spanish students made similar errors to those observed in the Anglo-Saxon samples, in that behaviours that were abstinent from a preventive point of view (masturbating and sex without penetration) were not considered as such, while a number of students reported oral sex as abstinent behaviour. The results suggest that the information on risky and preventive sexual behaviour should cease to use ambiguous or euphemistic expressions and use vocabulary that is clear and comprehensible to everyone.
Male Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence: Support for Health Care Interventions Targeted at Level of Risk
Authors: Rhodes Karin V. , Iwashyna Theodore J.
Published: February 2010

The mental health correlates of male aggression or violence against an intimate partner (IPV) are examined using exploratory cluster analysis for 81 men who self-reported risk factors for IPV perpetration on a computer-based health risk assessment. Men disclosing IPV perpetration could be meaningfully subdivided into two different clusters: a high pathology/high violence cluster, and lower pathology/low violence cluster. These groups appear to perpetrate intimate partner violence in differing psychoemotional contexts and could be robustly identified using multiple distinct analytic methods. If men who self-disclose IPV in a health care setting can be meaningfully subdivided based on mental health symptoms and level of violence, it lends support for potential new targeted approaches to preventing partner violence perpetration by both women and men.
Keeping together Prague and San Francisco: networking in 1960s art
Authors: Mazzone Marian
Published: February 2010

In the mid 1960s two artists associated with Fluxus, Milan Knk and Ken Friedman, began corresponding about the possibilities for conceptual and material exchange through the new media, or intermedia, of actions and correspondence art. To make connections across the geographic and political
barrier between Eastern Europe and the West, they used flexible media within a distributive cognitive network to communicate about living and working counter to conformity and inertia in both places. Their use of intermedia reveals a pattern of international information exchange that distinguishes
contemporary art and experience from the modern.
On the quadratic normality and the triple curve of three-dimensional subvarieties of
Authors: De Poi Pietro , Mezzetti Emilia , Sierra José Carlos
Published: February 2010

A well-known conjecture asserts that smooth threefolds are quadratically normal with the only exception of the Palatini scroll. As a corollary of a more general statement we obtain the following result, which is related to the previous conjecture: If is not quadratically normal, then its triple curve is reducible. Similar results are also given for higher dimensional varieties.
Household Routines and Obesity in US Preschool-Aged Children
Authors: Anderson Sarah E. , Whitaker Robert C.
Published: February 2010

OBJECTIVE:

To determine the association between the prevalence of obesity in preschool-aged children and exposure to 3 household routines: regularly eating the evening meal as a family, obtaining adequate sleep, and limiting screen-viewing time.

METHODS:

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a nationally representative sample of ∼8550 four-year-old US children who were assessed in 2005 in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort. Height and weight were measured. We assessed the association of childhood obesity (BMI ≥ 95th percentile) with 3 household routines: regularly eating the evening meal as a family (>5 nights per week); obtaining adequate nighttime sleep on weekdays (≥10.5 hours per night); and having limited screen-viewing (television, video, digital video disk) time on weekdays (≤2 hours/day). Analyses were adjusted for the child's race/ethnicity, maternal obesity, maternal education, household income, and living in a single-parent household.

RESULTS:

Eighteen percent of children were obese, 14.5% were exposed to all 3 routines, and 12.4% were exposed to none of the routines. The prevalence of obesity was 14.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.3%–17.2%) among children exposed to all 3 routines and 24.5% (95% CI: 20.1%–28.9%) among those exposed to none of the routines. After adjusting for covariates, the odds of obesity associated with exposure to all 3, any 2, or only 1 routine (compared with none) were 0.63 (95% CI: 0.46–0.87), 0.64 (95% CI: 0.47–0.85), and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.63–1.12), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS:

US preschool-aged children exposed to the 3 household routines of regularly eating the evening meal as a family, obtaining adequate nighttime sleep, and having limited screen-viewing time had an ∼40% lower prevalence of obesity than those exposed to none of these routines. These household routines may be promising targets for obesity-prevention efforts in early childhood.
Shoulder Injuries in US High School Baseball and Softball Athletes, 2005–2008
Authors: Krajnik Stephanie , Fogarty Kieran J. , Yard Ellen E. , Comstock R. Dawn
Published: February 2010

OBJECTIVE:

The objective of this study was to determine factors that are involved in shoulder injury rates among high school athletes who participate in organized baseball and softball.

METHODS:

Baseball- and softball-related injury data were collected during the 2005–2008 academic years from ∼74 nationally representative high schools via High School Reporting Information Online.

RESULTS:

Certified athletic trainers reported 91 baseball shoulder injuries and 40 softball shoulder injuries during 528147 and 399522 athlete exposures, respectively. The injury rate was 1.72 injuries per 10000 athlete exposures for baseball and 1.00 injuries per 10000 athlete exposures for softball. Muscle strain/incomplete tears were the most common injuries in both baseball (30.8%) and softball (35.0%). In practices, throwing, not including pitching, caused more than half of softball injuries (68.2%) as compared with competition injuries (23.5%; injury proportion ratio [IPR]: 2.90 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.17–7.15]; P = .015), whereas pitching was the most common mechanism in causing shoulder injuries during baseball practice (41.9%) compared with competitions (25.6%; IPR: 1.64 [95% CI: 0.88–3.04]; P = .17). Eighty-one percent of the baseball shoulder injuries and 82.5% of the softball shoulder injuries were new. Ten percent of baseball athletes and 5.3% of softball athletes sustained injuries that required surgery (IPR: 1.40 [95% CI: 0.32–6.10]; P = .93). Injuries that were sustained while the athlete was on the pitcher's mound were significantly more likely to result in surgery than any other field position (IPR: 2.64 [95% CI: 1.65–4.21]; P = .0061). Injured baseball players were more than twice as likely to be pitchers.

CONCLUSIONS:

Although rates and patterns of shoulder injuries are similar between baseball and softball players, injury rates and patterns differ between field positions within each sport, as well as by injury severity and the athletes' year in school.
Outcomes in Children After Intestinal Transplant
Authors: Lao Oliver B. , Healey Patrick J. , Perkins James D. , Horslen Simon , Reyes Jorge D. , Goldin Adam B.
Published: February 2010

OBJECTIVE:

The survival rates after pediatric intestinal transplant according to underlying disease are unknown. The objective of our study was to describe the population of pediatric patients receiving an intestinal transplant and to evaluate survival according to specific disease condition.

PATIENTS:

Pediatric patients (≤21 years of age) with intestinal failure meeting criteria for intestinal transplant were included in the study.

METHODS:

A retrospective review of the United Network for Organ Sharing intestinal transplant database (January 1, 1991, to May 16, 2008), including all pediatric transplant centers participating in the United Network for Organ Sharing, was conducted. The main outcome measures were survival and mortality.

RESULTS:

Eight hundred fifty-two children received an intestinal transplant (54% male). Median age and weight at the time of transplant were 1 year (interquartile rage: 1–5) and 10.7 kg (interquartile rage: 7.8–21.7). Sixty-nine percent of patients also received a simultaneous liver transplant. The most common diagnoses among patients who received a transplant were gastroschisis (24%), necrotizing enterocolitis (15%), volvulus (14%), other causes of short-gut syndrome (19%), functional bowel syndrome (16%), and Hirschsprung disease (7%). The Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated variation in patient survival according to diagnosis. Cox regression analysis confirmed a survival difference according to diagnosis (P < .001) and demonstrated a survival advantage for those patients listed with a diagnosis of volvulus (P < .01) compared with the reference gastroschisis. After adjusting for gender, recipient weight, and concomitant liver transplant, children with volvulus had a lower hazard ratio for survival and a lower risk of mortality.

CONCLUSIONS:

Survival after intestinal transplant was associated with the underlying disease state. The explanation for these findings requires additional investigation into the differences in characteristics of the population of children with intestinal failure.
Fishing Technologies and Catch Levels among Small-Scale Fishers in Lagos State, Nigeria
Authors: Akanni K. A.
Published: February 2010

This study investigated the peculiarities of catch levels and the efficiency of fishing technologies among small-scale fishermen in Lagos State, Nigeria. A total of 222 completed questionnaires from 120 operators of manual propulsion fisheries and 102 operators of motorized fisheries were randomly sampled and analyzed. Labor and bait have positive and significant effects on the level of catch by manual propulsion fisheries operators. In motorized fisheries, the key determinants of fish catch were labor, fuel, credit, and adequate cold storage facilities. The mean technical efficiency of the manual propulsion fisheries operators (64.5%) was lower than that of the motorized fisheries operators (79.7%), however. Fishing experience and credit were positively related to the technical, allocative, and economic efficiency of fishers across technologies. To increase the catch levels of small-scale fishermen, the motorized fisheries subsector needs more labor, credit facilities, and cold storage facilities.
Performance of Three Alternative Estimators of Stream Residence Time Based on Live and Dead Counts of Salmonids
Authors: Skalski John R. , Liao Shiquan , Buchanan Rebecca A.
Published: February 2010

Data from live and dead fish counts at salmonid spawning areas have been used for decades to estimate stream residence time. Simulation studies indicate that the peak-to-peak and median-to-median estimates of stream residence time will have at least a 50% negative bias under the best of circumstances. A new estimation technique called the “expectation-to-expectation” method is shown to be approximately unbiased over a range of arrival and lifetime distributions. The method also allows corrections for incomplete detection probabilities and carcass retention rates less than 1.0. An important byproduct of the approach is a concurrent estimate of total escapement.
Historical and Current Population Characteristics and Subsistence Harvest of Arctic Char from the Sylvia Grinnell River, Nunavut, Canada
Authors: Gallagher Colin P. , Dick Terry A.
Published: February 2010

Data describing Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus were collected in 2002 and 2004 and compared with historical data collected over the past 60 years from the Sylvia Grinnell River, Nunavut, Canada, to determine population status. The goal of the study was to provide information that could be used to manage the stock. Current subsistence harvest was estimated based on data collected from gillnetting, angling, and snagging. The Arctic char subsistence harvest was estimated at 8,364 kg in 2002 and 7,956 kg in 2004. The current population remains well below historic levels, but it has improved since 1976–1977. The improved status of the stock is based on increased length at age, increased mean weight, longer and older fish, decreased mortality rate, and improved catch indices from experimental gill nets and angling. Future benchmarks useful for evaluating the population's status include (1) proportion of females that have reached reproductive age, (2) proportion of older and longer fish, (3) mortality rate, and (4) catch per angler-hour. The fishery should be monitored by enumerating the harvest, quantifying fishing effort from all gear types, and recording biological data. Experimental gill nets should be periodically used to obtain biological data for comparison with the 2002 and 2004 data. Snagging should be prohibited since most young Arctic char (<200–300 mm) are injured and are not utilized by the fishery, and it is impossible to estimate the number of Arctic char larger than 200 mm that are struck and lost instead of landed. We recommend (1) closing all fishing at the base of the falls and at least 500 m into the estuary, (2) limiting gill-net mesh size to no less than 114 mm, (3) implementing benchmarks to evaluate population status, (4) obtaining an estimate of the population size, and (5) determining the exploitation rate.
Reconstructing Juvenile Chinook Salmon Life History in the Salmon River Estuary, Oregon, Using Otolith Microchemistry and Microstructure
Authors: Volk Eric C. , Bottom Daniel L. , Jones Kim K. , Simenstad Charles A.
Published: February 2010

We quantified the juvenile rearing and migratory patterns of individuals from a population of fall‐spawning Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in Oregon's Salmon River estuary using otolith microchemistry and microstructure. The study confirmed the daily periodicity of otolith growth increments in a natural fish population under field conditions and validated fundamental assumptions about increased otolith strontium: calcium values during entry into saline waters. The otolith results indicated that more than 75% of the subyearling Chinook salmon captured near the mouth of the Salmon River had entered the estuary during the summer and that two‐thirds of these fish had spent more than a month in the estuary before capture. Unlike in other Oregon coastal estuaries, in which the fingerling‐migrant portion of their life histories is dominant, approximately two‐thirds of Salmon River Chinook salmon in upper‐estuary marshes were early fry (<50‐mm) migrants. A much smaller proportion at the river mouth suggests that many fry migrants did not survive to the lower estuary or passed undetected during ocean emigration. Nonetheless, the otolith results reveal a substantially greater contribution of estuarine‐rearing fry to the out‐migrant population at the Salmon River than has been reported in other Oregon coastal basins. A small component of fall‐migrating fish with long freshwater residence times also occurred at the river mouth. Most of these individuals had migrated quickly through the estuary. Rather than revealing a series of discrete “types” defined by the predominant rearing patterns in the population, the individual otolith results depict a continuum of freshwater and estuarine life histories that is consistent with reports of considerable phenotypic plasticity in Chinook salmon. Otolith analysis offers the potential to quantify the relative contributions of different juvenile rearing patterns to adult returns.
Isotopic Correlation (δ18O versus δ13C) of Otoliths in Identification of Groundfish Stocks
Authors: Gao Yongwen , Dettman David L. , Piner Kevin R. , Wallace Farron R.
Published: February 2010

The management of many marine fish stocks suffers from a lack of genetic data or insignificant genetic differentiations, particularly for the commercially important groundfish along the U.S. Pacific coast. In this study, we investigated a large number of otoliths of various groundfish species from the coasts of Washington and Oregon and analyzed them for stable oxygen (18O/16O, or δ18O) and carbon isotope ratios (13C/12C, or δ13C). The isotopic results and correlation of δ18O versus δ13C of Pacific hake Merluccius productus, sablefish Anoplopoma fimbria, Pacific halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis, and Pacific cod Gadus macrocephalus indicated that most of the groundfish we examined had two or more spawning stocks or subpopulations; the only tested species that might belong to a single coastwide stock was yelloweye rockfish Sebastes ruberrimus. Compared with genetic methods of stock identification, the isotopic signatures of otoliths have distinct advantages in determining (1) a time series to separate the different life stages of marine fish and (2) the oceanographic and environmental conditions to which fish are exposed. Thus, stable isotopic signatures in otoliths appear to be an alternative for marine fish stocks when there is little genetic differentiation between populations or no genetic data are available.
A Method to Quantitatively Sample Nekton in Salt‐Marsh Ditches and Small Tidal Creeks
Authors: James‐Pirri Mary‐Jane , Roman Charles T. , Swanson Jeffrey L.
Published: February 2010

We designed a novel gear to quantitatively sample nekton (free‐swimming fish and crustaceans) from salt‐marsh ditches and small tidal creeks. This gear, the ditch net, is portable and inexpensive to manufacture, and many replicate samples can be simultaneously collected. The ditch net can sample ditches and tidal creeks as narrow as 25 cm and up to 1 m wide (or wider if the design is modified). The net is suspended between four stakes and covers a 1‐m length of ditch bottom. To sample nekton, the mesh doors on both ends of the ditch net are raised, thus enclosing a known area of water and trapping nekton within the net. Catch efficiency of the ditch net was comparable with the actual density of fish traversing the ditch as estimated from video data. Recovery efficiency of the gear was high (99%), indicating that fish rarely escape after the net is triggered. A power analysis indicated that a sample size of 20 provided good power (>0.80 at an alpha level of 0.05) to detect temporal or site differences in nekton community composition.
My Practice Evolution: An Appreciation of the Discrepancies between the Idealism of Nursing Education and the Realities of Hospital Practice
Authors: Perkins Danielle E. K.
Published: February 2010

Newly graduated registered nurses face a barrage of physical and mental challenges in their first few years of practice, especially in the hospital setting. This article explores discrepancies between student nurse practice and professional nursing practice and the challenges that new nurses face in bridging the gap between idealistic theory and realistic practice. The author's subsequent graduate nursing education and continued practice in the field resulted in a personal evolution of practice that elicited a profound sense of appreciation for the field and a desire to share these experiences with other practicing nurses and students.
The Dose-Response Effect of Medical Exercise Therapy on Impairment in Patients with Unilateral Longstanding Subacromial Pain
Authors: Østerås Håvard , Torstensen Tom Arild
Published: February 2010

Objectives:

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effect of medical exercise therapy in shoulder impingement patients, along with possible correlations between impairment variables.

Study Design:

A prospective unblended randomized clinical trial.

Methods:

Over four months, 61 participants were randomly assigned into a high-graded exercise therapy group (HD) (n=31) and into a low-graded exercise therapy group (LD) (n=30). Prognostic variables were similar between the groups at baseline. Five (8%) patients dropped out during the treatment period, and another four (6%) dropped out before followup. Pain was a composite score of a visual analogue scale (VAS). Isometric strength was measured during four resisted break tests on the shoulder. Function was measured by means of a functional assessment questionnaire (Shoulder Rating Questionnaire, SRQ). Both groups trained three times per week for twelve weeks, with tests pre- and posttraining and six months follow-up.

Results:

The HD group achieved significantly (p < 0.05) better outcome effects than the LD group for pain, range of motion, isometric functional strength and function, but both groups increased function from pretest to posttest.

Conclusions:

In patients with uncomplicated subacromial pain syndrome, medical exercise therapy is an efficient treatment alternative, where high-grade doses should be emphasized. A major limitation is that the measurements were not undertaken by another person than the treating physiotherapists.
The physiological and morphological phenotype of a yeast mutant resistant to the quaternary ammonium salt N-(dodecyloxycarboxymethyl)-N,N,N-trimethyl ammonium chloride
Authors: Obłąk Ewa , Gamian Andrzej , Adamski Ryszard , Ułaszewski Stanisław
Published: February 2010

We investigated the action of the quaternary ammonium salt (QAS) called IM (N-(dodecyloxycarboxymethyl)-N,N,N-trimethyl ammonium chloride) on Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells. Changes in the yeast cell ultrastructure were confirmed by electron microscopy. We treated resistant mutant cells with QAS, and confirmed destruction of the mutant cytoplasm, an increase in the thickness of the cell wall, separation of the cell wall from the cytoplasm, and the accumulation of numerous lipid droplets. We also observed a relatively high production of lipids in the cells of the parental wild-type strain Σ1278b and in its IM-resistant (IMR) mutant in the presence of the QAS. The IMR mutant showed increased sensitivity to CaCl2 and SDS, and resistance to ethidium bromide, chloramphenicol, erythromycin and osmotic shock. It also tolerated growth at low pH. We suggest that the resistance to IM could be connected with the level of permeability of the cell membrane because the IMR mutant was sensitive to this compound in vivo in the presence of SDS and guanidine hydrochloride, which cause increased permeability of the cell plasma membrane.
Flavonoid transport across RBE4 cells: A blood-brain barrier model
Authors: Faria Ana , Pestana Diogo , Teixeira Diana , Azevedo Joana , Freitas Victor , Mateus Nuno , Calhau Conceição
Published: February 2010

There is a growing interest in dietary therapeutic strategies to combat oxidative stress-induced damage to the Central Nervous System (CNS), which is associated with a number of pathophysiological processes, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and cerebrovascular diseases. Identifying the mechanisms associated with phenolic neuroprotection has been delayed by the lack of information concerning the ability of these compounds to enter the CNS. The aim of this study was to evaluate the transmembrane transport of flavonoids across RBE-4 cells (an immortalized cell line of rat cerebral capillary endothelial cells) and the effect of ethanol on this transport. The detection and quantification of all of the phenolic compounds in the studied samples (basolateral media) was performed using a HPLC-DAD (Diode Array Detector). All of the tested flavonoids (catechin, quercetin and cyanidin-3-glucoside) passed across the RBE-4 cells in a time-dependent manner. This transport was not influenced by the presence of 0.1% ethanol. In conclusion, the tested flavonoids were capable of crossing this blood-brain barrier model.
Evaluating anthropogenic risk of grassland and forest habitat degradation using land-cover data
Authors: Riitters Kurt , Wickham James D. , Wade Timothy G.
Published: February 2010

The effects of landscape context on habitat quality are receiving increased attention in conservation biology. The objective of this research is to demonstrate a landscape-level approach to mapping and evaluating the anthropogenic risks of grassland and forest habitat degradation by examining habitat context as defined by intensive anthropogenic land uses at multiple spatial scales. A landscape mosaic model classifies a given location according to the amounts of intensive agriculture and intensive development in its surrounding landscape, providing measures of anthropogenic risks attributable to habitat isolation and edge effects at that location. The model is implemented using a land-cover map (0.09 ha/pixel) of the conterminous United States and six landscape sizes (4.4, 15.2, 65.6, 591, 5300, and 47800 ha) to evaluate the spatial scales of anthropogenic risk. Statistics for grassland and forest habitat are extracted by geographic overlays of the maps of land-cover and landscape mosaics. Depending on landscape size, 81 to 94 percent of all grassland and forest habitat occurs in landscapes that are dominated by natural land-cover including habitat itself. Within those natural-dominated landscapes, 50 percent of grassland and 59 percent of forest is within 590 m of intensive agriculture and/or intensive developed land which is typically a minor component of total landscape area. The conclusion is that anthropogenic risk attributable to habitat patch isolation affects a small proportion of the total grassland or forest habitat area, while the majority of habitat area is exposed to edge effects.
Transdisciplinary challenges for sustainable management of mediterranean landscapes in the global information society
Authors: Naveh Zev
Published: February 2010

The present chaotic transformation from the industrial to the global information society is accelerating the ecological, social and economic unsustainability. The rapidly growing unsustainable, fossil energy powered urbanindustrial technosphere and their detrimental impacts on nature and human well-being are threatening the solar energy powered natural and seminatural biosphere landscapes and their vital ecosystem services. A sustainability revolution is therefore urgently needed, requiring a shift from the "fossil age" to the "solar age" of a new world economy, coupled with more sustainable lifestyles and consumption patterns. The sustainable future of viable multifunctional biosphere landscapes of the Mediterranean Region and elsewhere and their biological and cultural richness can only be ensured by a post-industrial symbiosis between nature and human society. For this purpose a mindset shift of scientists and professionals from narrow disciplinarity to transdisciplinarity is necessary, dealing with holistic land use planning and management, in close cooperation with land users and stakeholders. To conserve and restore the rapidly vanishing and degrading Mediterranean uplands and highest biological ecological and cultural landscape ecodiversity, their dynamic homeorhetic flow equilibrium, has to be maintained by continuing or simulating all anthropogenic processes of grazing, browsing by wild and domesticated ungulates. Catastrophic wildfires can be prevented only by active fire and fuel management, converting highly inflammable pine forests and dense shrub thickets into floristically enriched, multi- layered open woodlands and recreation forests.
Do flying beetles respond to human-dominated landscapes as complex mosaics or binary patterns
Authors: Foley Carolyn J. , Holland Jeffrey D.
Published: February 2010

Understanding and measuring functional connectivity for animals with habitats that have been fragmented by human activity requires that the biology and movement of the species be considered. We used least cost paths in GIS to test hypotheses regarding how different species of longhorned beetles likely connect habitats with dispersal. We predicted that there would be differences in the functional connectivity of landscapes depending on species larval niche breadth, adult feeding habits, and the potential for use of non-forest habitats. For the species with very specialized larvae, we developed a classification tree to determine areas likely to contain the appropriate species of host tree. Connectivity calculated using least cost paths did not out-perform Euclidean distances for three generalist beetles. This was also the case for the specialist beetle species when all forest was considered habitat. However, when we delineated habitat based on areas likely to support the host tree the functional connectivity incorporating least cost paths was a much better predictor than that using Euclidean distances. Generalists may respond to fragmented habitat in a binary habitat-matrix way while more specialized species may respond to a mosaic. These trends are obscured if habitat is defined by human perceptions rather than species biology.
Pragmatic language and the child with emotional/behavioural difficulties (EBD): a pilot study exploring the interaction between behaviour and communication disability
Authors: Mackie Leila , Law James
Published: February 2010

Introduction: The relationship between mental health, behaviour and language development is widely recognized in the literature. Recent advances in assessment tools allows one to consider the role of pragmatic language skills in this co‐occurrence.

Aims: This pilot study aimed to investigate (1) the level of association between pragmatic language difficulties and emotional/behavioural difficulties; and (2) what explanations there might there be for any such association. The roles of language, word decoding, and non‐verbal cognitive ability and also socio‐demographic factors are considered.

Method & Procedures: Seventeen participants aged 7–11 years were identified from Educational Psychologist caseloads as having behaviour that is causing concern at school. Comparisons were made with 16 age‐ and sex‐matched controls. Participants' language, literacy and non‐verbal cognitive ability were assessed at school. Parents and teachers completed questionnaires investigating communication skills, behaviour and emotional wellbeing.

Outcomes & Results: No significant difference was found between the groups for non‐verbal cognitive ability. However, children in the referred group were significantly more likely to have structural language, word decoding and pragmatic language difficulties and mothers with no further education beyond school. Taking a broad view of language skills to include structural language, pragmatic language and word decoding, 94% (n = 15) of referred children had significant difficulties with at least one of these three factors. The only factor not found on its own was structural language difficulties, indicating that on their own they are perhaps not associated with emotional/behavioural difficulties.

Conclusions & Implications: The results of this pilot study have implications for how we view language and behaviour difficulties in primary schools. Future larger‐scale research should consider the role of parenting factors, pragmatic language skills and literacy ability in the high co‐existence rate of emotional/behavioural difficulties and language/communication needs.
THE ROLE OF THE COURTS IN THE POLITICAL CONSTITUTION
Authors: Tomkins Adam
Published: February 2010

The article sketches the beginnings of a theory of what the courts should do in the political constitution. As such, it differs from most of the literature on political constitutionalism (which tends to say more about what courts should not do) and most of the literature about what courts should do in constitutional law (which tends to be framed in a legal constitutionalist perspective). First, arguments are presented about how a political constitutionalist might distinguish between rights which are best left to political institutions and those which better lend themselves to judicial enforcement. Second, the argument is made that in constitutional litigation the courts should focus as much (if not more) on powers and evidence as on rights. The article closes with brief consideration of the legislature's role in the political constitution and of the courts' role in supporting the legislature. Throughout, the article takes the British constitution as its principal case study, but the implications of the argument presented here extend beyond Britain alone.
Optimal Allocation of Emergency Response Service Units to Cover Critical Infrastructures with Time-Dependent Service Demand and Travel Time
Authors: Lei Hao , Cheu Ruey Long , Aldouri Raed
Published: February 2010

Optimal deployment of limited emergency response service (ERS) units in a metropolitan area is of interest to public agencies. The limited emergency units not only have to respond to the demand for service by citizens and businesses but also have to cover critical infrastructures (CIs). The paper formulates an optimization model to allocate different types of ERS units among their candidate base stations. The allocation of units must ensure maximum coverage to CIs, subject to the capacities of the base stations, service standard in terms of time to reach the CIs, and the availability of the ERS units (when there are other competing demands for services). Unlike past models, the modeling approach here accounts for the fluctuation of travel time and demand frequency at different time periods of a typical day. The applicability of the model has been demonstrated in a case study in the city of El Paso, Texas, which allocates 45 firefighting units and 23 ambulances among 34 active fire stations to cover 138 critical transportation infrastructures, hospitals, and schools.
School Bus Routing Problem in Large-Scale Networks
Authors: Rashidi Taha H. , Zokaei-Aashtiani Hedayat , Mohammadian Abolfazl (Kouros)
Published: February 2010

The vehicle routing problem (VRP) is one of the most complicated optimization mathematical models; the school bus routing problem (SBRP) is an important and practical branch of this problem. Because the number of variables and equations is vast, finding the exact solution for this problem under real conditions is difficult; only heuristic and meta-heuristic algorithms can be used to solve it. Recently, the ejection chain method (ECM) has been introduced as a heuristic algorithm that efficiently finds a new neighbor solution. In a case study in developing countries, efficiency of several heuristic algorithms including ECM along with one metaheuristic algorithm–-tabu search algorithm (TSA)–-is verified for solving large-scale problems. Additionally, capacity limitation, which is usually ignored in VRP and SBRP algorithms such as ECM, is considered as a restricting condition in this study's models. This study will show that neither the ECM used individually nor its combination with TSA produces feasible solutions for real-life scenarios. The authors have developed two innovative heuristic algorithms, the construction feasible solutions and the changing algorithm, that–-when used in combination with TSA and ECM–-generate a practical and efficient procedure called the mixed algorithm (MA). Addressing vehicles’ capacity is mainly performed by the construction of feasible solutions (solutions satisfying capacity limitations as well) from the infeasible solutions that might result from the TSA and ECM. The changing algorithm is responsible for generating a local optimum for every resulting feasible solution. Data from bus routing of a middle school were used to show the effectiveness of the MA.
An algorithm for solving minimum edge-ranking spanning tree problem on partial k-trees
Authors: Sultana Razia
Published: February 2010

An edge-ranking of a graph G is a labeling of its edges with positive integers such that every path between two edges with the same label i contains an intermediate edge with label j>i. The minimum edge-ranking spanning tree problem is to find a spanning tree of a graph G whose edge-ranking needs least number of ranks. In this paper, we present an algorithm to solve the minimum edge-ranking spanning tree problem on a partial k-tree G in O(n2Δ(k+1)+2 Δk(k+1)+2 log2 k(k+1)+2n) time, where n is the number of vertices, Δ is the maximum vertex degree of the graph G and k is bounded by a constant value. Keywords: Algorithm, partial k-trees, edge-ranking, spanning tree. DOI: 10.3329/diujst.v4i1.4347 Daffodil International University Journal of Science and Technology Vol.4(1) 2009 pp.1-8
A computational method for fuzzy arithmetic operations
Authors: Akther Thowhida , Ahmad Sanwar Uddin
Published: February 2010

In this paper, a computer implementation to evaluate the arithmetic operations on two fuzzy numbers with linear membership functions has been developed. The fuzzy arithmetic approached by the interval arithmetic is used here. The algorithm of the developed method with a numerical example is also provided. Using this method four basic arithmetic operations between any two TFNs can be evaluated without complexity. Keywords: Fuzzy arithmetic, Fuzzy number, Membership Function, Interval arithmetic, α - cut. DOI: 10.3329/diujst.v4i1.4350 Daffodil International University Journal of Science and Technology Vol.4(1) 2009 pp.18-22
Acceleration of vortex methods calculation using MDGRAPE-2 and MDGRAPE-3: A comparative study
Authors: Sheel Tarun Kumar
Published: February 2010

The calculation of vortex method has been accelerated by using special-purpose computers, MDGRAPE-2 and MDGRAPE-3, respectively. The similar algorithm has been implemented and the improvement in speed of MDGRAPE-2 was 100 times while MDGRAPE-3 was 1000 times faster when compared with the ordinary PC Xeon 5160(3.0GHz) for N=106. In addition, the speed of MDGRAPE-3 was 25 times faster compared with MDGRAPE-2. The round off errors have been investigated in both cases. Keywords: Vortex Method, Special-Purpose Computer, MDGRAPE-2, MDGRAPE-3, Scaling Error   DOI: 10.3329/diujst.v4i1.4351 Daffodil International University Journal of Science and Technology Vol.4(1) 2009 pp.23-27
Identification and impact analysis of invasive species: A case study in the Mongla Sea Port Area of Bagerhat District of Bangladesh
Authors: Amin Md Nurul , Ali Mohd Yousuf , Salequzzaman Md
Published: February 2010

Manipulation through invasion is a major problem in most of the port areas in recent world. Mongla is an important sea port that has accomplished the activities like import and export of various goods inside and outside Bangladesh. The process not only involves the moving of goods, it also carries the invasive species purposely or accidentally which invading to the new location of the Mongla port area through exploration and colonization with varieties diversity and scale. The paper identifies the invasive species and analyses the causes and ways of invasion in the coastal waters with possible impacts of invasion in the Mongla Port area. To achieve the objectives of the research, different aquatic species were collected by random sampling from the confluence of the River Passur Mongla port and the adjacent area around the Sundarbans from September 2006 to April 2007. The fishermen and local communities including indigenous people were interviewed to explore the invasion situation. The research reveals that ballast water of cargo ships is one of the means of invasion of the coastal waters of Mongla Port. Aquaculture is another reason of invasion due to introduction of many exotic fishes and shrimp species such as Pangus (Pangasius sutchi), African Magur (Clarias gariepinus), Tilapia (Tilapia mossambica) and Nilotica (Oreochromis niloticus) etc. that have the active roles for altering the aquatic ecosystem of Mongla Port. Finally, the research also finds out some possible environmental impacts caused by those invasive species. Key words: Invasive species, Aquaculture, Indigenous species, Aquatic ecosystem, Ballast water DOI: 10.3329/diujst.v4i1.4353 Daffodil International University Journal of Science and Technology Vol.4(1) 2009 pp.35-41
Antifungal activity of mixed ligand transition metal complexes of some dibasic acid and heterocyclic bases
Authors: Hossain Md Belayet , Islam M Saidul , Hassan Md Nazmul , Yousuf MA , Salam M Abdus
Published: February 2010

Mixed ligand transition metal complexes of Cu (II), Co (III), Rh (III) and Pt (IV) ions with dibasic acids viz., diphenic acid and adipic acid as primary ligands and amine bases as secondary ligands have been synthesized. Their conventional physical and chemical analyses have been done. The antifungal activities have been evaluated by Disc Diffusion method employed for antifungal assays against two pathogenic fungi. All the complexes show moderate antifungal activity. The highest inhibition of growth occurred on complex [Cu (DA)(8-HQ)] against the fungi Botryodiplodia theobromae and the lowest on complex [Rh (DA)(8-HQ)(H2 O)2] against the fungi Colletotrichum gloesparioides penz. Key words: Biological Activity, diphenic acid, heterocylic amine, mixed ligand complexes DOI: 10.3329/diujst.v4i1.4357 Daffodil International University Journal of Science and Technology Vol.4(1) 2009 pp.57-59
Improvement of Energy Conversion/Utilization by Exergy Analysis: Selected Cases for Non-Reactive and Reactive Systems
Authors: Fiaschi Daniele , Manfrida Giampaolo
Published: February 2010

Exergy analysis is a powerful and systematic tool for the improvement of energy systems, with many possible applications in both conversion and utilization of energy. Here we present selected applications, with a special attention to renewable energy systems (solar), covering both design and operation/control. After these applications to non-reactive systems, potential ways of reducing the large irreversibilities connected to reactive systems (combustion) are considered, with special reference to chemically-recuperated gas turbine cycles and topping high-temperature fuel cells.
Synthesis and Characterization of Long-Chain Tartaric Acid Diamides as Novel Ceramide-Like Compounds
Authors: Sinkó Bálint , Pálfi Melinda , Béni Szabolcs , Kökösi József , Takács-Novák Krisztina
Published: February 2010

Ceramides play a crucial role in the barrier function of the skin as well as in transmembrane signaling. In this study long aliphatic chain tartaric acid diamides able to replace ceramides in an in vitro model of the stratum corneum lipid matrix due to their similar physico-chemical properties were synthesized from diacetoxysuccinic anhydride in four steps. Their pro-apoptotic effect on fibroblast cells was also investigated.
Evaluating the Consistency of the 1982–1999 NDVI Trends in the Iberian Peninsula across Four Time-series Derived from the AVHRR Sensor: LTDR, GIMMS, FASIR, and PAL-II
Authors: Alcaraz-Segura Domingo , Liras Elisa , Tabik Siham , Paruelo José , Cabello Javier
Published: February 2010

Successive efforts have processed the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensor archive to produce Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) datasets (i.e., PAL, FASIR, GIMMS, and LTDR) under different corrections and processing schemes. Since NDVI datasets are used to evaluate carbon gains, differences among them may affect nations’ carbon budgets in meeting international targets (such as the Kyoto Protocol). This study addresses the consistency across AVHRR NDVI datasets in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) by evaluating whether their 1982–1999 NDVI trends show similar spatial patterns. Significant trends were calculated with the seasonal Mann-Kendall trend test and their spatial consistency with partial Mantel tests. Over 23% of the Peninsula (N, E, and central mountain ranges) showed positive and significant NDVI trends across the four datasets and an additional 18% across three datasets. In 20% of Iberia (SW quadrant), the four datasets exhibited an absence of significant trends and an additional 22% across three datasets. Significant NDVI decreases were scarce (croplands in the Guadalquivir and Segura basins, La Mancha plains, and Valencia). Spatial consistency of significant trends across at least three datasets was observed in 83% of the Peninsula, but it decreased to 47% when comparing across the four datasets. FASIR, PAL, and LTDR were the most spatially similar datasets, while GIMMS was the most different. The different performance of each AVHRR dataset to detect significant NDVI trends (e.g., LTDR detected greater significant trends (both positive and negative) and in 32% more pixels than GIMMS) has great implications to evaluate carbon budgets. The lack of spatial consistency across NDVI datasets derived from the same AVHRR sensor archive, makes it advisable to evaluate carbon gains trends using several satellite datasets and, whether possible, independent/additional data sources to contrast.
Recent Studies on the Aromaticity and Antiaromaticity of Planar Cyclooctatetraene
Authors: Nishinaga Tohru , Ohmae Takeshi , Iyoda Masahiko
Published: February 2010

Cyclooctatetraene (COT), the first 4nπ-electron system to be studied, adopts an inherently nonplanar tub-shaped geometry of D2d symmetry with alternating single and double bonds, and hence behaves as a nonaromatic polyene rather than an antiaromatic compound. Recently, however, considerable 8π-antiaromatic paratropicity has been shown to be generated in planar COT rings even with the bond alternated D4h structure. In this review, we highlight recent theoretical and experimental studies on the antiaromaticity of hypothetical and actual planar COT. In addition, theoretically predicted triplet aromaticity and stacked aromaticity of planar COT are also briefly described.
Symmetries and (Related) Recursion Operators of Linear Evolution Equations
Authors: Cicogna Giampaolo
Published: February 2010

Significant cases of time-evolution equations, the linear Schr¨odinger and the Fokker–Planck equation are considered. It is known that equations of this type can be transformed, in some cases, into a highly simplified form. The properties of these equations in their initial and their simplified form are compared, showing in particular that this transformation partially prevents a clear understanding and a full application of the (physically relevant) notion of the so-called step up/down operators. These operators are shown to be recursion operators, related to the Lie point symmetries of the equations, which are also carefully discussed.
CCR5: From Natural Resistance to a New Anti-HIV Strategy
Authors: Lopalco Lucia
Published: February 2010

The C-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5) is a key player in HIV infection due to its major involvement in the infection process. Investigations into the role of the CCR5 coreceptor first focused on its binding to the virus and the molecular mechanisms leading to the entry and spread of HIV. The identification of naturally occurring CCR5 mutations has allowed scientists to address the CCR5 molecule as a promising target to prevent or limit HIV infection in vivo. Naturally occurring CCR5-specific antibodies have been found in exposed but uninfected people, and in a subset of HIV seropositive people who show long-term control of the infection. This suggests that natural autoimmunity to the CCR5 coreceptor exists and may play a role in HIV control. Such natural immunity has prompted strategies aimed at achieving anti-HIV humoral responses through CCR5 targeting, which will be described here.