bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measurement Properties and Classification Accuracy of Two Spanish Parent Surveys of Language Development for Preschool-Age Children
Authors: Guiberson Mark , Rodríguez Barbara L.
Published: August 2010

Purpose

To describe the concurrent validity and classification accuracy of 2 Spanish parent surveys of language development, the Spanish Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ; Squires, Potter, & Bricker, 1999) and the Pilot Inventario–III (Pilot INV–III; Guiberson, 2008a).

Method

Forty-eight Spanish-speaking parents of preschool-age children participated. Twenty-two children had expressive language delays, and 26 had typical language development. The parents completed the Spanish ASQ and the Pilot INV–III at home, and the Preschool Language Scale, Fourth Edition: Spanish Edition (PLS–4 Spanish; Zimmerman, Steiner, & Pond, 2002) was administered to the children at preschool centers.

Results

The Spanish ASQ and Pilot INV–III were significantly correlated with the PLS–4 Spanish, establishing concurrent validity. On both surveys, children with expressive language delays scored significantly lower than children with typical development. The Spanish ASQ demonstrated unacceptably low sensitivity (59%) and good specificity (92%), while the Pilot INV–III demonstrated fair sensitivity (82%) and specificity (81%). Likelihood ratios and posttest probability revealed that the Pilot INV–III may assist in detection of expressive language delays, but viewed alone it is insufficient to make an unconditional screening determination.

Conclusions

Results suggest that Spanish parent surveys hold promise for screening language delay in Spanish-speaking preschool children; however, further refinement of these tools is needed.
The Effect of Interventions on the Environmental Behaviour of Australian Motel Guests
Authors: Mair Judith , Bergin-Seers Sue
Published: August 2010

This article reports on a pilot research project carried out to examine the effects of different interventions on the environmental behaviour of guests at motels in Victoria, Australia. The aim of the research was to test the influence of different in-room messages on the towel reuse behaviour of guests. Four different messages were used, representing ‘information only’ ‘information plus request’, ‘information plus descriptive norm’ and ‘information plus incentive’. Results of the study showed high levels of towel reuse and that providing information (either alone, or in conjunction with a request) acted as a prompt to encourage guests to reuse their towels. Further analysis of the results suggests that the role of habit may be the strongest influence on guests' reuse of towels. Implications for the hospitality industry are discussed, and suggestions for further research avenues proposed.
Geometry of plasma dynamics. I. Group of canonical diffeomorphisms
Authors: Gümral Hasan
Published: August 2010

The dynamics of collisionless plasma described by the Poisson–Vlasov equations is connected to the Hamiltonian motions of particles and their symmetries. The group of canonical diffeomorphisms of particle phase space is described and adopted as the configuration space. The dual space of its Lie algebra of Hamiltonian vector fields is identified with the space of nonclosed one-forms. The Poisson equation is obtained as a constraint arising from the gauge symmetries of particle dynamics. Variational derivative constrained by the Poisson equation is used to obtain reduced dynamical equations. Usual Lie–Poisson reduction for the group of canonical diffeomorphisms gives the momentum-Vlasov equations. Plasma density is defined as the divergence of symplectic dual of momentum variables. This definition is also given a momentum map description associated with the action of additive group of functions of particle phase space. Equivalence of Hamiltonian functionals in momentum and density formulations is shown. As an alternative formulation in momentum variables, a canonical Hamiltonian system with a quadratic Hamiltonian functional is described. In the case that the groups of Hamiltonian and volume preserving diffeomorphisms coincide, a comparison of one-dimensional plasma and two-dimensional incompressible fluid is presented.
Morphology, structure, optical, and electrical properties of AgSbO3
Authors: Yi Z. G. , Liu Y. , Withers R. L.
Published: August 2010

The morphology of defect pyrochlore-type, AgSbO3 microparticle/nanoparticles obtained via solid state reaction evolve from irregular to Fullerene-like polyhedra before finally decomposing into metal-organic framework-5 like particles with increase in sintering temperature. The defect pyrochlore-type AgSbO3 particles are slightly Ag deficient while the valence of the antimony ion is shown to be +5 giving rise to a probable stoichiometry of Ag1−xSbVO3−x/2, with x∼0.01–0.04. A highly structured diffuse intensity distribution observed via electron diffraction is interpreted in terms of correlated displacements of one-dimensional (1D) silver ion chains along ⟨110⟩ directions. A redshifting in the absorption edges in UV-visible absorption spectra is observed for samples prepared at sintering temperatures higher than 1000 °C and attributed to the surface plasma resonance effect associated with small amounts of excess metallic Ag on the Ag1−xSbVO3−x/2 particles. An electrical properties investigation of the silver antimonate samples via dielectric, conductivity, and electric modulus spectroscopy shows a prominent dielectric relaxation associated with grain boundaries. The silver ion conductivity is associated with correlated displacements of 1D silver ion chains along ⟨110⟩ directions.
Linear viscoelasticity of a single semiflexible polymer with internal friction
Authors: Hiraiwa Tetsuya , Ohta Takao
Published: August 2010

The linear viscoelastic behaviors of single semiflexible chains with internal friction are studied based on the wormlike-chain model. It is shown that the frequency dependence of the complex compliance in the high frequency limit is the same as that of the Voigt model. This asymptotic behavior appears also for the Rouse model with internal friction. We derive the characteristic times for both the high frequency limit and the low frequency limit and compare the results with those obtained by Khatri et al.
Comparisons of classical and Wigner sampling of transition state energy levels for quasiclassical trajectory chemical dynamics simulations
Authors: Sun Lipeng , Hase William L.
Published: August 2010

Quasiclassical trajectory calculations are compared, with classical and Wigner sampling of transition state (TS) energy levels, for C2H5F≠→HF+C2H4 product energy partitioning and [Cl⋯CH3⋯Cl]− central barrier dynamics. The calculations with Wigner sampling are reported here for comparison with the previously reported calculations with classical sampling [Y. J. Cho et al., J. Chem. Phys. 96, 8275 (1992); L. Sun and W. L. Hase, J. Chem. Phys. 121, 8831 (2004)]. The C2H5F≠ calculations were performed with direct dynamics at the MP2/6-31G∗ level of theory. Classical and Wigner sampling give post-transition state dynamics, for these two chemical systems, which are the same within statistical uncertainties. This is a result of important equivalences in these two sampling methods for selecting initial conditions at a TS. In contrast, classical and Wigner sampling often give different photodissociation dynamics [R. Schinke, J. Phys. Chem. 92, 3195 (1988)]. Here the sampling is performed for a vibrational state of the ground electronic state potential energy surface (PES), which is then projected onto the excited electronic state’s PES. Differences between the ground and the excited PESs may give rise to substantially different excitations of the vibrational and dissociative coordinates on the excited state PES by classical and Wigner sampling, resulting in different photodissociation dynamics.
On split Lie superalgebras
Authors: Calderón Martín Antonio J. , Sánchez Delgado José M.
Published: August 2010

We study the structure of arbitrary split Lie superalgebras. We show that any of such superalgebras L is of the form L=U+∑jIj with U a subspace of the Abelian (graded) subalgebra H and any Ij, a well described (graded) ideal of L satisfying [Ij,Ik]=0 if j≠k. Under certain conditions, the simplicity of L is characterized and it is shown that L is the direct sum of the family of its minimal (graded) ideals, each one being a simple split Lie superalgebra.
Cubic gauche-CN: A superhard metallic compound predicted via first-principles calculations
Authors: Wang Xiaoli , Bao Kuo , Tian Fubo , Meng Xing , Chen Changbo , Dong Bowu , Li Da , Liu Bingbing , Cui Tian
Published: August 2010

In this paper, we suggest a novel potential superhard material, a new carbon nitride phase consisted of sp3 hybridized bonds, possessing a cubic P213 symmetry (8 atoms/cell, labeled by cg-CN) which is similar to cubic gauche nitrogen (cg-N) by first-principles calculations. It is a metallic compound, while most of other superhard materials are insulators or semiconductors. The Vickers hardness of cg-CN is 82.56 GPa, and if we considered the negative effect of metallic component on hardness, it is 54.7 GPa, which is much harder than any other metallic materials. It is found that a three-dimensional C–N network is mainly responsible for the high hardness. Both elastic constant and phonon-dispersion calculations show that this structure remains mechanically and dynamically stable in the pressure ranges from 0 to 100 GPa. Furthermore, we compared our results with many other proposed structures of carbon nitride with 1:1 stoichiometry and found that only cg-CN is the most favorable stable crystal structure. Formation enthalpies calculations demonstrate that this material can be synthesizable at high pressure (12.7–36.4 GPa).
Effect of fibril shape on adhesive properties
Authors: Soto Daniel , Hill Ginel , Parness Aaron , Esparza Noé , Cutkosky Mark , Kenny Tom
Published: August 2010

Research into the gecko’s adhesive system revealed a unique architecture for adhesives using tiny hairs. By using a stiff material (β-keratin) to create a highly structured adhesive, the gecko’s system demonstrates properties not seen in traditional pressure-sensitive adhesives which use a soft, unstructured planar layer. In contrast to pressure sensitive adhesives, the gecko adhesive displays frictional adhesion, in which increased shear force allows it to withstand higher normal loads. Synthetic fibrillar adhesives have been fabricated but not all demonstrate this frictional adhesion property. Here we report the dual-axis force testing of single silicone rubber pillars from synthetic adhesive arrays. We find that the shape of the adhesive pillar dictates whether frictional adhesion or pressure-sensitive behavior is observed. This work suggests that both types of behavior can be achieved with structures much larger than gecko terminal structures. It also indicates that subtle differences in the shape of these pillars can significantly influence their properties.
Optical coherence tomography monitoring of angioplasty balloon inflation in a deployment tester
Authors: Azarnoush Hamed , Vergnole Sébastien , Bourezak Rafik , Boulet Benoit , Lamouche Guy
Published: August 2010

We present an innovative integration of an intravascular optical coherence tomography probe into a computerized balloon deployment system to monitor the balloon inflation process. The high-resolution intraluminal imaging of the balloon provides a detailed assessment of the balloon quality and, consequently, a technique to improve the balloon manufacturing process. A custom-built swept-source optical coherence tomography system is used for real-time imaging. A semicompliant balloon with a nominal diameter of 4 mm is fabricated for the experiments. Imaging results correspond to balloon deployment in air and inside an artery phantom. A characterization of the balloon diameter, wall thickness, compliance, and elastic modulus is provided, based on image segmentation. Using the images obtained from the probe pullback, a three-dimensional visualization of the inflated balloon is presented.
Evading surface and detector frequency noise in harmonic oscillator measurements of force gradients
Authors: Moore Eric W. , Lee SangGap , Hickman Steven A. , Harrell Lee E. , Marohn John A.
Published: August 2010

We introduce and demonstrate a method of measuring small force gradients acting on a harmonic oscillator in which the force-gradient signal of interest is used to parametrically up-convert a forced oscillation below resonance into an amplitude signal at the oscillator’s resonance frequency. The approach, which we demonstrate in a mechanically detected electron spin resonance experiment, allows the force-gradient signal to evade detector frequency noise by converting a slowly modulated frequency signal into an amplitude signal.
Toward a realistic density functional theory potential energy surface for the H5+ cluster
Authors: Barragán Patricia , Prosmiti Rita , Roncero Octavio , Aguado Alfredo , Villarreal Pablo , Delgado-Barrio Gerardo
Published: August 2010

The potential energy surface of H5+ is characterized using density functional theory. The hypersurface is evaluated at selected configurations employing different functionals, and compared with results obtained from ab initio CCSD(T) calculations. The lowest ten stationary points (minima and saddle-points) on the surface are located, and the features of the short-, intermediate-, and long-range intermolecular interactions are also investigated. A detailed analysis of the surface’s topology, and comparisons with extensive CCSD(T) results, as well as a recent ab initio analytical surface, shows that density functional theory calculations using the B3(H) functional represent very well all aspects studied on the H5+ potential. These include the tiny energy difference between the minimum at 1-C2v configuration and the 2-D2d one corresponding to the transition state for the proton transfer between the two equivalent C2v minima, and also the correct asymptotic behavior of the long-range interactions. The calculated binding energy and dissociation enthalpies compare very well with previous benchmark coupled-cluster ab initio data, and with experimental data available. Based on these results the use of such approach to perform first-principles molecular dynamics simulations could provide reliable information regarding the dynamics of protonated hydrogen clusters.
Inverted tandem organic solar cells with a MoO3/Ag/Al/Ca intermediate layer
Authors: Sun X. W. , Zhao D. W. , Ke L. , Kyaw A. K. K. , Lo G. Q. , Kwong D. L.
Published: August 2010

An inverted tandem organic solar cell, consisting of two bulk heterojunction subcells with identical poly(3-hexylthiophene) and 1-(3-methoxycarbonyl)-propyl-1-phenyl-(6,6)C61 active layer, and an intermediate layer made of ultrathin multiple metal layers of Ca/Al/Ag and metal oxide MoO3, is reported. This intermediate layer is of advantage in high transparency and low series resistance. Moreover, it serves as the charge recombination center effectively, and renders an exact summation of the open-circuit voltages (1.18 V) of the two subcells and a high fill factor (61.8%). The maximum power conversion efficiency obtained is 2.78% under simulated 100 mW/cm2 [air mass (AM) 1.5G] solar irradiation, comparable to those of the two subcells.
Amplified nanopatterning by self-organized shadow mask ion lithography
Authors: Chiappe D. , Toma A. , Zhang Z. , Boragno C. , Buatier de Mongeot F.
Published: August 2010

The self-organized formation of high aspect ratio dielectric nanostructures can be guided and sped-up recurring to a sacrificial metal film during ion beam sputtering. Following ion irradiation, the metal film evolves into a disconnected array of laterally ordered nanowires, which guide etching of the dielectric substrate. While the amplification rate of large scale features can be described simply in terms of the ratio of the sputtering yields of substrate and film, for small scale features the amplification rate depends on the interplay and lateral range of the smoothing and erosive mechanisms of the two materials.
Recombination effects during expansion into vacuum in laser produced Sn plasma
Authors: Burdt Russell A. , Ueno Yoshifumi , Tao Yezheng , Yuspeh Sam , Tillack Mark S. , Najmabadi Farrokh
Published: August 2010

The distance over which the charge state distribution evolves during the expansion of laser produced Sn plasma in vacuum is investigated experimentally. This distance is found to be less than 6 cm with a planar target irradiated by a 1.064 μm laser at 8.3×1011 W/cm2 but greater than 60 cm when a 10.6 μm laser at 2.5×1010 W/cm2 is used. The difference is attributed to the laser wavelength dependence of the coronal electron density and the subsequent recombination processes during expansion. Important implications to the extreme ultraviolet x-ray source application are discussed specifically.
From ZnS nanobelts to ZnO/ZnS heterostructures: Microscopy analysis and their tunable optical property
Authors: Liu Wei , Wang Rongming , Wang Ning
Published: August 2010

Ultrathin ZnS nanobelts were assembled by ultrasmall nanocrystals with oriented self assembly, which were then transformed into their single-crystal counterparts by thermal treatment in N2. ZnO/ZnS heterostructures were also obtained at elevated temperature in open air, where well aligned ZnO nanocones were grown along the ZnS nanobelts with a definite orientation relationship described as [0001]ZnS∥[0001]ZnO and (101¯0)ZnS∥(101¯0)ZnO. Mixed transition and tuned band gaps of the heterostructure were experimentally observed, which was in good agreement with the theoretical predications and can be interpreted based on the model of a strained staggered type-II band structure.
Fabry–Pérot and whispering gallery modes enhanced luminescence from an individual hexagonal ZnO nanocolumn
Authors: Wang N. W. , Yang Y. H. , Yang G. W.
Published: August 2010

Strongly enhanced luminescence was observed from an individual hexagonal ZnO nanocolumn using the monochromatic cathodeluminescence equipment attached at a scanning electron microscopy. The intense luminescence emissions are focused on two regions, i.e., the profile and the center of the nanocolumn, respectively. The luminescence from the center region is attributed to the Fabry–Pérot (FP) mode enhanced emission, and the one from the hexagonal profile is attributed to the whispering gallery (WG) mode enhanced emission when the individual ZnO nanocolumn is regarded as an optical resonator. The FP enhanced emission is much stronger than the WG enhanced one.
Scanning Raman spectroscopy of graphene antidot lattices: Evidence for systematic p-type doping
Authors: Heydrich S. , Hirmer M. , Preis C. , Korn T. , Eroms J. , Weiss D. , Schüller C.
Published: August 2010

We have investigated antidot lattices, which were prepared on exfoliated graphene single layers via electron-beam lithography and ion etching, by means of scanning Raman spectroscopy. The peak positions, peak widths, and intensities of the characteristic phonon modes of the carbon lattice have been studied systematically in a series of samples. In the patterned samples, we found a systematic stiffening of the G band phonon mode, accompanied by a line narrowing, while the 2D two-phonon mode energies are found to be linearly correlated with the G mode energies. We interpret this as evidence for p-type doping of the nanostructured graphene.
Reverse-domain superconductivity in superconductor-ferromagnet hybrids: Effect of a vortex-free channel on the symmetry of I-V characteristics
Authors: Aladyshkin A. Yu. , Vodolazov D. Yu. , Fritzsche J. , Kramer R. B. G. , Moshchalkov V. V.
Published: August 2010

We demonstrate experimentally that the presence of a single domain wall in an underlying ferromagnetic BaFe12O19 substrate can induce a considerable asymmetry in the current (I)–voltage (V) characteristics of a superconducting Al bridge deposited on top of the substrate. The observed diodelike effect, i.e., polarity-dependent critical current, is associated with the formation of a vortex-free channel inside the superconducting area which increases the total current flowing through the superconducting bridge without dissipation. The vortex-free region appears only for a certain sign of the injected current and for a limited range of the external magnetic field.
Control of interface abruptness of polar MgZnO/ZnO quantum wells grown by pulsed laser deposition
Authors: Brandt Matthias , Lange Martin , Stölzel Marko , Müller Alexander , Benndorf Gabriele , Zippel Jan , Lenzner Jörg , Lorenz Michael , Grundmann Marius
Published: August 2010

A strong quantum confined Stark effect (QCSE) was observed in wedge shaped MgZnO/ZnO quantum wells (QWs) grown by pulsed laser deposition. A reduced laser fluence of 1.8 J/cm2 was used. Reference samples grown at higher standard fluence 2.4 J/cm2 showed only a negligible QCSE. Using off-axis deposition without substrate rotation, a constant composition of the barriers was maintained while varying the well width in a wedge shaped QW. A redshift of the QW luminescence with increasing QW thickness up to 230 meV below the ZnO emission was found, accompanied by an increase in the exciton lifetime from 0.3 ns up to 4.2 μs.
Entering a Risky Territory: Space in the Age of Digital Navigation
Authors: November Valérie , Camacho-Hübner Eduardo , Latour Bruno
Published: August 2010

Relying on the fecund interface of three fields—studies in science, risk geography, and knowledge management—this paper notes first that the lack of understanding of the relationships between maps and territory and risks is an unfortunate consequence of the way the mapping impulse has been interpreted during the modernist period. Then, taking into account the advent of digital navigation, the paper discusses a very different interpretation of the mapping enterprise that allows a mimetic use of maps to be distinguished from a navigational one. Consequently, we suggest maps should be considered as dashboards of a calculation interface that allows one to pinpoint successive signposts while moving through the world, the famous multiverse of William James. This distinction, we argue, might, on the one hand, help geography to grasp the very idea of risks and, on the other, help to free geography from its fascination with the base map by allowing a whole set of new features, such as anticipation, participation, reflexivity, and feedback, now being included in the navigational definition of maps.
Architectures of Affect: Anticipating and Manipulating the Event in Processes of Videogame Design and Testing
Authors: Ash James
Published: August 2010

This paper examines the process of designing and testing multiplayer levels for a large, commercially released videogame. In doing so, it argues that videogame designers work to create the potential for positively affective encounters to occur—a complex and elusive outcome that is key to creating critically and commercially successful multiplayer videogames. By unpacking various examples from this process, the paper attends to debates regarding the distribution and transmission of media affects. Instead of acting to deterministically shape action, I suggest that processes of videogame design are predicated on producing contingency, albeit a contingency that designers attempt to manage and control. In this case, positively affective outcomes can only be understood as a relation between the code space of the game and the embodied techniques users generate in response to these environments.
Legend-Tripping in Spooky Spaces: Ghost Tourism and Infrastructures of Enchantment
Authors: Holloway Julian
Published: August 2010

This paper investigates the increasingly popular practice of ghost tourism comprising urban ghost tours and organised paranormal investigations. Set in the context of modern forms of enchantment, wherein audiences engage in a knowing and reflexive sense of ‘delight without delusion’, the paper explores the various infrastructures, (discursive, affective, and material) that engender a sense of supernatural possibility. I argue that practices of legend-telling, legend-tripping, ostension, and play produce affective assemblages of supposition and wonder that momentarily transform space into something charged with the strange and anomalous. This infrastructure relies on the engineering of dispositions that are both shaped on and brought to the tourist event itself. As such, those with deeply held beliefs in ghosts and the afterlife, as well as those for whom the infrastructures fail to generate wonder, place limits on the artifice of modern enchantment. The paper uses examples from participant observation on ten ghost tours across the UK, an overnight vigil in a Tudor mansion, and interviews with tour guides.
An extended study of the nonindependence of stimulus properties in human classification learning
Authors: Mathy Fabien , Bradmetz Joël
Published: August 2010

Categorization researchers have tried to verify their models through laboratory experiments with simplified stimulus sets, a requirement that can rarely be met in real-world situations in which properties are often connected. Still, the targeted simplification of the material might be illusory. We replicate and extend Love and Markman 's (2003) study of the nonindependence of canonical stimulus properties such as size, colour, and shape in human classification learning, in which the authors concluded that shape takes precedence over other dimensions. To support their hypothesis, Love and Markman showed that certain classifications are more difficult for participants when shape is combined to one of its putative subordinate features, size or colour, than when shape is irrelevant to the task. A data set of 290 → 50 adult participants completing one or more classification tasks was collected. The results confirm that certain combinations of shape, size, and colour can hinder or facilitate classification learning, but not necessarily in the form expected by the nonindependence postulated by Love and Markman, especially in Experiment 2 where a totally reverse pattern of difficulty is observed (shape does not take precedence over other dimensions). Also, we show that simple similarity effects in clustering retain considerable intuitive appeal and can offer an alternative account to the nonindependence of stimulus properties, especially because slight variations in the dimensions chosen make the observations of Love and Markman unstable.
Temporal distinctiveness and repetition benefits in task switching: Disentangling stimulus-related and response-related contributions
Authors: Horoufchin Himeh , Philipp Andrea M. , Koch Iring
Published: August 2010

In cued task switching, decreasing switch costs with increasing response-to-cue interval (RCI) is a typical finding. The traditional account assumes an underlying process of task-set decay. In contrast, we suggest that these RCI effects are due to the influence of temporal distinctiveness on cue-based task retrieval (or reactivation). The present study explored the task-set components that are affected by temporal distinctiveness. According to the idea that a task set consists of response-related components and stimulus-related components, we manipulated response valence (bivalent vs. univalent) in Experiment 1. The results showed that lengthening the RCI leads to a loss of a task-repetition benefit, mainly when the RCI changed from the previous trial to the current trial, but this data pattern did not depend on response valence. In Experiment 2, stimulus valence was manipulated. The results revealed substantially stronger RCI effects with bivalent stimuli than with univalent stimuli. Taken together, the data are inconsistent with task-set decay accounts and suggest that the influence of RCI in task switching modulates cue-based retrieval of stimulus-related task components, such as biasing parameters.
Elevated pulmonary artery systolic pressure in patients with coronary artery disease and left ventricular dyssynchrony
Authors: Yan Guo‐Hui , Wang Mei , Yue Wen‐Sheng , Yiu Kai‐Hang , Siu Chung‐Wah , Lee Stephen W.L. , Lau Chu‐Pak , Tse Hung‐Fat
Published: August 2010

Aims

We sought to determine whether inter‐ or intra‐ventricular systolic dyssynchrony contributes to the occurrence of elevated pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods and results

One hundred and fifty‐three consecutive CAD patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF >40%) were enrolled. Detailed echocardiography was performed to measure PASP, inter‐ventricular dyssynchrony (Ts‐RL: time difference between lateral and right free wall), and intra‐ventricular dyssynchrony (Ts‐SD, standard deviation of time to peak systolic velocity of 12 LV segments; Ts‐12, maximal difference in Ts between any 2 of 12 LV segments; Ts‐6‐basal, maximal difference in Ts between any 2 of 6 basal LV segments). Elevated PASP (>35 mmHg) was confirmed in 46 patients who had significantly prolonged intra‐ventricular dyssynchrony (Ts‐SD: 49.9 ± 19.6 vs.37.9 ± 19.8 ms; Ts‐12: 147.9 ± 56.4 vs.110.9 ± 53.9 ms; Ts‐6‐basal: 114.2 ± 51.9 vs. 85.7 ± 48.5 ms, all P < 0.01) and inter‐ventricular dyssynchrony (Ts‐RL: 78.7 ± 46.4 vs. 62.7 ± 34.3 ms, P = 0.019) compared with those without elevated PASP. Indexes of intra‐ and inter‐ventricular dyssynchrony and LV filling pressure (E/e′) were significantly correlated with PASP. Multivariate analysis showed that left atrial dimension [odds ratio (OR) 4.23, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.64–10.90], E/e′ septal (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.04–1.27), pulmonary vascular resistance (OR 5.38, 95% CI 1.55–18.74), and Ts‐RL (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01–1.03) were independent predictors for the occurrence of elevated PASP (all P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Elevated PASP is common in CAD patients with preserved LVEF and is associated with LV diastolic dysfunction and LV mechanical dyssynchrony.
Technical and economic efficiency analysis of the Portuguese artisanal dredge fleet
Authors: Oliveira Manuela M. , Camanho Ana S. , Gaspar Miguel B.
Published: August 2010

Oliveira, M. M., Camanho, A. S., and Gaspar, M. B. 2010. Technical and economic efficiency analysis of the Portuguese artisanal dredge fleet. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 1811–1821. An efficiency analysis of the commercial dredge fleet operating along the south coast of Portugal between 2005 and 2007 sought to determine the efficiency of the vessels using data envelopment analysis models, considering fixed inputs (vessel power, length, tonnage, and an indicator of stock biomass) and a variable input (number of days at sea). The annual quota per vessel was also included in the model as a contextual factor. In the technical-efficiency (TE) analysis, outputs were defined by the catch weight for each of the three target species (bivalves). Using price data for each species in the wholesale market, revenue efficiency was also estimated to complement the TE analysis. The advantage of the approach lies in the ability to separate technical aspects from allocative aspects in the efficiency assessment, allowing two-dimensional graphic representation of vessel performance. The procedure allows the identification of benchmark vessels, which maximized the catch weight of the species landed, given their inputs, as well as the vessels that selected the appropriate target species to maximize the revenue of the fishing activity, given output prices. The approach also allowed the specification of targets for inefficient vessels that correspond to the catch by species, permitting revenue maximization from fishing.
Retaining volunteers in volunteer computing projects
Authors: Darch Peter , Carusi Annamaria
Published: August 2010

Volunteer computing projects (VCPs) have been set up by groups of scientists to recruit members of the public who are asked to donate spare capacity on their personal computers to the processing of scientific data or computationally intensive models. VCPs serve two purposes: to acquire significant computing capacity and to educate the public about science. A particular challenge for these scientists is the retention of volunteers as there is a very high drop-out rate. This paper develops recommendations for scientists and software engineers setting up or running VCPs regarding which strategies to pursue in order to improve volunteer retention rates. These recommendations are based on a qualitative study of volunteers in a VCP (climateprediction.net). A typology of volunteers has been developed, and three particularly important classes of volunteers are presented in this paper: for each type of volunteer, the particular benefits they offer to a project are described, and their motivations for continued participation in a VCP are identified and linked to particular strategies. In this way, those setting up a VCP can identify which types of volunteers they should be particularly keen to retain, and can then find recommendations to increase the retention rates of their target volunteers.
Data sharing, small science and institutional repositories
Authors: Cragin Melissa H. , Palmer Carole L. , Carlson Jacob R. , Witt Michael
Published: August 2010

Results are presented from the Data Curation Profiles project research, on who is willing to share what data with whom and when. Emerging from scientists’ discussions on sharing are several dimensions suggestive of the variation in both what it means ‘to share’ and how these processes are carried out. This research indicates that data curation services will need to accommodate a wide range of subdisciplinary data characteristics and sharing practices. As part of a larger set of strategies emerging across academic institutions, institutional repositories (IRs) will contribute to the stewardship and mobilization of scientific research data for e-Research and learning. There will be particular types of data that can be managed well in an IR context when characteristics and practices are well understood. Findings from this study elucidate scientists’ views on ‘sharable’ forms of data—the particular representation that they view as most valued for reuse by others within their own research areas—and the anticipated duration for such reuse. Reported sharing incidents that provide insights into barriers to sharing and related concerns on data misuse are included.
Integrating distributed data sources with OGSA–DAI DQP and V
iews
Authors: Dobrzelecki Bartosz , Krause Amrey , Hume Alastair C. , Grant Alistair , Antonioletti Mario , Alemu Tilaye Y. , Atkinson Malcolm , Jackson Mike , Theocharopoulos Elias
Published: August 2010

OGSA-DAI (Open Grid Services Architecture Data Access and Integration) is a framework for building distributed data access and integration systems. Until recently, it lacked the built-in functionality that would allow easy creation of federations of distributed data sources. The latest release of the OGSA-DAI framework introduced the OGSA-DAI DQP (Distributed Query Processing) resource. The new resource encapsulates a distributed query processor, that is able to orchestrate distributed data sources when answering declarative user queries. The query processor has many extensibility points, making it easy to customize. We have also introduced a new OGSA-DAI V
iews
resource that provides a flexible method for defining views over relational data. The interoperability of the two new resources, together with the flexibility of the OGSA-DAI framework, allows the building of highly customized data integration solutions.
Privacy compliance and enforcement on European healthgrids: an approach through ontology
Authors: Rahmouni Hanene Boussi , Solomonides Tony , Mont Marco Casassa , Shiu Simon
Published: August 2010

The sharing of medical data between different healthcare organizations in Europe must comply with the legislation of the Member State where the data were originally collected. These legal requirements may differ from one state to another. Privacy requirements such as patient consent may be subject to conflicting conditions between different national frameworks as well as between different legal and ethical frameworks within a single Member State. These circumstances have made the compliance management process in European healthgrids very challenging. In this paper, we present an approach to tackle these issues by relying on several technologies in the semantic Web stack. Our work suggests a direct mapping from high-level legislation on privacy and data protection to operational-level privacy-aware controls. Additionally, we suggest an architecture for the enforcement of these controls on access control models adopted in healthgrid security infrastructures.
Prosocial primates: selfish and unselfish motivations
Authors: de Waal Frans B. M. , Suchak Malini
Published: August 2010

Non-human primates are marked by well-developed prosocial and cooperative tendencies as reflected in the way they support each other in fights, hunt together, share food and console victims of aggression. The proximate motivation behind such behaviour is not to be confused with the ultimate reasons for its evolution. Even if a behaviour is ultimately self-serving, the motivation behind it may be genuinely unselfish. A sharp distinction needs to be drawn, therefore, between (i) altruistic and cooperative behaviour with knowable benefits to the actor, which may lead actors aware of these benefits to seek them by acting cooperatively or altruistically and (ii) altruistic behaviour that offers the actor no knowable rewards. The latter is the case if return benefits occur too unpredictably, too distantly in time or are of an indirect nature, such as increased inclusive fitness. The second category of behaviour can be explained only by assuming an altruistic impulse, which—as in humans—may be born from empathy with the recipient's need, pain or distress. Empathy, a proximate mechanism for prosocial behaviour that makes one individual share another's emotional state, is biased the way one would predict from evolutionary theories of cooperation (i.e. by kinship, social closeness and reciprocation). There is increasing evidence in non-human primates (and other mammals) for this proximate mechanism as well as for the unselfish, spontaneous nature of the resulting prosocial tendencies. This paper further reviews observational and experimental evidence for the reciprocity mechanisms that underlie cooperation among non-relatives, for inequity aversion as a constraint on cooperation and on the way defection is dealt with.
How life history and demography promote or inhibit the evolution of helping behaviours
Authors: Lehmann Laurent , Rousset François
Published: August 2010

In natural populations, dispersal tends to be limited so that individuals are in local competition with their neighbours. As a consequence, most behaviours tend to have a social component, e.g. they can be selfish, spiteful, cooperative or altruistic as usually considered in social evolutionary theory. How social behaviours translate into fitness costs and benefits depends considerably on life-history features, as well as on local demographic and ecological conditions. Over the last four decades, evolutionists have been able to explore many of the consequences of these factors for the evolution of social behaviours. In this paper, we first recall the main theoretical concepts required to understand social evolution. We then discuss how life history, demography and ecology promote or inhibit the evolution of helping behaviours, but the arguments developed for helping can be extended to essentially any social trait. The analysis suggests that, on a theoretical level, it is possible to contrast three critical benefit-to-cost ratios beyond which costly helping is selected for (three quantitative rules for the evolution of altruism). But comparison between theoretical results and empirical data has always been difficult in the literature, partly because of the perennial question of the scale at which relatedness should be measured under localized dispersal. We then provide three answers to this question.
Punishment and spite, the dark side of cooperation
Authors: Jensen Keith
Published: August 2010

Causing harm to others would hardly seem to be relevant to cooperation, other than as a barrier to it. However, because selfish individuals will exploit cooperators, functional punishment is an effective mechanism for enforcing cooperation by deterring free-riding. Although functional punishment can shape the social behaviour of others by targeting non-cooperative behaviour, it can also intimidate others into doing almost anything. Second-party functional punishment is a self-serving behaviour at the disposal of dominant individuals who can coerce others into behaving cooperatively, but it need not do so. Third-party and altruistic functional punishment are less likely to be selfishly motivated and would seem more likely to maintain norms of cooperation in large groups. These forms of functional punishment may be an essential part of non-kin cooperation on a scale exhibited only by humans. While punitive sentiments might be the psychological force behind punitive behaviours, spiteful motives might also play an important role. Furthermore, functionally spiteful acts might not be maladaptive; reckoning gains relative to others rather than in absolute terms can lead to hyper-competitiveness, which might also be an important part of human cooperation, rather than just an ugly by-product.
Cooperation and deception: from evolution to mechanisms
Authors: Brosnan Sarah F. , Bshary Redouan
Published: August 2010

Nature is full of struggle, as predicted by the theory of evolution through natural selection, yet there are also paramount examples where individuals help each other. These instances of helping have been difficult to reconcile with Darwin's theory because it is not always obvious how individuals are working for their own direct benefit. Consequently, initial publications that offered solutions to subsets of the observed cases of helping, such as kin selection or reciprocity, are among the most influential and most cited papers in evolution/behavioural ecology. During the last few years, a wave of new studies and concepts has considerably advanced our understanding of the conditions under which individuals are selected to help others. On the empirical side, advances are due to stronger incorporation of the natural history of each study species and an emphasis on proximate questions regarding decision-making processes. In parallel, theorists have provided more realistic models together with an increased exploration of the importance of life history and ecology in understanding cooperation. The ideas presented by the authors of this volume represent, in many ways, the revolutionary new approach to studying behaviour which is currently underway.
Variation and the response to variation as a basis for successful cooperation
Authors: McNamara John M. , Leimar Olof
Published: August 2010

In applying game theory to problems in biology, differences between individuals are often ignored. In particular, when analysing the evolution of cooperation it is often implicitly assumed that ignoring variation will produce predictions that approximate the solution when differences are included. This need not be true. As we demonstrate, differences are not innocuous noise, but can fundamentally change the nature of a game. Even small amounts of variability can stabilize cooperation by, for example, maintaining the need to deal with cheaters. Differences promote the need to learn about others in an interaction, leading to contingent behaviour that can reduce conflict, and to negotiated outcomes that may or may not be more cooperative than unconditional actions. Once there are mechanisms such as mutation and environmental influences that maintain variation within populations, whether cooperation evolves may depend on the variation in the cooperativeness trait. Variation means that it may be worth taking a chance that a partner is cooperative by being cooperative. When there are markets, so that individuals can break off interactions to seek a better partner, variation promotes choosiness and hence penalizes those uncooperative individuals, who are rejected. Variation promotes the need to monitor the previous behaviour of others, and once this social sensitivity exists, the need to maintain a good reputation can promote cooperation.
The Mdm2–p53 relationship evolves: Mdm2 swings both ways as an oncogene and a tumor suppressor
Authors: Manfredi James J.
Published: August 2010

Mdm2 has been well characterized as a negative regulator of the tumor suppressor p53. Recent studies have shown that Mdm2 is activated in response to a variety of oncogenic pathways independent of p53. Although its role as an oncogene via suppression of p53 function remains clear, growing evidence argues for p53-independent effects, as well as the remarkable possibility that Mdm2 has tumor suppressor functions in the appropriate context. Hence, Mdm2 is proving to be a key player in human cancer in its own right, and thus an important target for therapeutic intervention.
Quick and Easy Fixation of Plant Tissues for Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
Authors: Schwab Birgit , Hülskamp Martin
Published: August 2010

INTRODUCTION

Standard fixation of samples for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) relies on toxic substances such as formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, and osmium tetroxide, and can take many hours to several days. This protocol describes an alternative fixation method with methanol, which is much less dangerous and very rapid. The results of this quick method are often as good as material fixed with osmium tetroxide.
Protein Complex Binding to Promoter DNA: Immobilized Template Assay
Authors: Carey Michael F. , Peterson Craig L. , Smale Stephen T.
Published: August 2010

INTRODUCTION

Large multiprotein complexes involved in transcription generally cannot be resolved by the methods conventionally used to study cooperative DNA binding by smaller proteins. The immobilized template recruitment assay can be used to circumvent this limitation. In this procedure, a biotinylated DNA fragment is immobilized on streptavidin-coated magnetic beads. DNA-binding proteins are incubated with the immobilized template, and proteins not specifically assembled in a complex are removed by separating the immobilized template with a magnetic particle concentrator and subsequent washing of the magnetic bead/template pellet. Bound proteins are detected by immunoblotting. To detect cooperative binding, subsaturating amounts of two or more proteins or protein complexes are added to the immobilized template. Template binding of a protein in concert with its cooperative binding partner is then compared to the binding of each individual protein or protein complex alone. In addition to studying the binding of protein complexes, the immobilized promoter template can also be used in functional assays such as in vitro transcription, allowing a correlation of complex assembly with function.
Activity Paradigm to Induce Drosophila Larval Neuromuscular Junction Growth
Authors: Ramachandran Preethi , Budnik Vivian
Published: August 2010

INTRODUCTION

This article describes a method for spaced stimulation of Drosophila motor neurons. The neurons can be stimulated for short periods of time (~2 h) and then fixed (or imaged live). The method allows one to examine the immediate effects of altering activity on synaptic protein localization as well as neuromuscular junction structure and function.
Electron Microscopy of Drosophila Larval Neuromuscular Junctions
Authors: Ramachandran Preethi , Budnik Vivian
Published: August 2010

INTRODUCTION

Over the last two decades, the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction has gained immense popularity as a model system for the study of synaptic development, function, and plasticity. With this model, it is easy to visualize synapses and manipulate the system genetically with a high degree of temporal and spatial control, which makes it ideal for resolving problems in synaptic physiology and development. This article describes the preparation of Drosophila larval body-wall muscles for imaging by electron microscopy. The samples are fixed, stained, and embedded in Spurr’s resin before being sectioned for electron microscopy.