bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Partner Search Heuristics in the Lab: Stability of Matchings Under Various Preference Structures
Authors: Eriksson Kimmo , Strimling Pontus
Published: September 2009

When agents search for partners, the outcome is a matching. K. Eriksson and O. Häggström (2008) defined a measure of instability of matchings and proved that under a certain partner search heuristic, outcomes are likely to have low instability. They also showed that with regards to stability, the preference structure known as common preferences lie somewhere in between the extreme cases of homotypic and antithetical preferences. Following up on this theoretical work, we let human subjects search for a good partner in a computer game where preferences were set to be either common, homotypic, or antithetical. We find that total search effort and instability of the outcome vary in the predicted ways with the preference structure and the number of agents. A set of simulations show that these results are consistent with a model where agents use a simple search heuristic with a slight possibility of error.
Pattern-Oriented Modeling of Commons Dilemma Experiments
Authors: Janssen Marco A. , Radtke Nicholas P. , Lee Allen
Published: September 2009

A major challenge in the development of computational models of collective behavior is the empirical validation. Experimental data from a spatially explicit dynamic commons dilemma experiment is used to empirically ground an agent-based model. Three distinct patterns are identified in the data. Two naïve models, random walk and greedy agents, do not produce data that match the patterns. A more comprehensive model is presented that explains how participants make movement and harvest decisions. Using pattern-oriented modeling the parameter space is explored to identify the parameter combinations that meet the three identified patterns. Less than 0.1% of the parameter combinations meet all the patterns. These parameter settings were used to successfully predict the patterns of a new set of experiments.
Integrating Autopoiesis and Behavior: An Exploration in Computational Chemo-ethology
Authors: Egbert Matthew D. , Di Paolo Ezequiel
Published: September 2009

It has been argued that the difference between an autonomous entity and an agent is in the ability of the latter to perform behaviors supplemental to processes of self-maintenance (autopoiesis). Theories have been proposed concerning how such behaviors might relate to autopoiesis, but so far, computational models of autopoiesis have paid little attention to these relations. In this article we present a new model designed to explore the relationship between mechanisms of autopoiesis and behavior. We report on three clarifications of the theory provided by the model: (a) mechanisms of behavior can be related to mechanisms of autopoiesis while remaining operationally distinct, (b) the organization of an operationally closed system can change over time while remaining operationally closed, and (c) behavior modulation based upon autopoietic efficacy has limitations that can be avoided through the use of a partially decoupled behavioral system. Finally, we discuss questions that have surfaced during examination of the model.
In Pursuit of “Contemporary Civilization”: Judicial Empowerment in Turkey
Authors: Shambayati Hootan , Kirdiş Esen
Published: September 2009

Turkey’s powerful Constitutional Court serves as an administrative attaché of state elites in overseeing the political arena and transforming the society. Looking at the courts as administrative agents suggests that the ruling elite might turn to courts not in an attempt to safeguard their immediate interests, but to transform the society by extending the reach of the state. The authors contend that in countries where the state pursues a civilizing mission, judicial empowerment is an attractive tool for defending the state against powerful segments of the society who might subscribe to different civilizing projects.
Measuring the Rule of Law
Authors: Skaaning Svend-Erik
Published: September 2009

This article offers a comparative review of seven rule of law measures. It demonstrates that the measures differ in both form and appropriateness and that the differences have consequences for the empirical results. The shortcomings are, among others, restrictions in scope and availability of disaggregate data, insufficient codebooks, and unjustified aggregation procedures. In most cases, the task of conceptualization is not grounded in theory, and key principles of the rule of law are left out while more inappropriate elements are included. These findings suggest that more precaution is required in the construction and employment of rule of law measures.
‘It could be useful, but not for me at the moment’: older people, internet access and e-public service provision
Authors: Sourbati Maria
Published: September 2009

Older people are commonly constructed as a group of heavy users of public services that misses out on opportunities presented online, mainly due to age-related barriers to accessing the internet. Drawing on a study of internet access in sheltered homes for older people, this article argues for the need to focus electronic service provision around the needs, preferences and abilities of the users of public services. A user-centred perspective in e-government and e-service provision requires an understanding of the socially shaped and locally situated nature of media use, which can in turn help prevent the tendency to see chronological age as the sole factor determining (non-) engagement with the internet. It also requires investment in making available assistance and support to access online digital media in order to prevent the disadvantaging of vulnerable service users.
Ahead of its time?
Authors: Dahlin Bruce H.
Published: September 2009

Classic Maya sites in the lowlands of the Yucatan Peninsula are generally known for their monumental art and architecture in central sacrosanct spaces, and their political economies are believed to have been highly centralized. The predominantly Early Classic site of Chunchucmil, however, does not fit this stereotype. Moreover, even though its urban population ranks among the largest and most densely packed in any Maya site, it inhabits one of the most depauperate agricultural landscapes. These idiosyncrasies have stimulated a great deal of archaeological research, all of which lead to the conclusion that Chunchucmil had a surprisingly commercialized economy. In addition to importing basic necessities, some of which were exchanged in a large central marketplace, its basic economy was built on servicing merchants along the most active Mesoamerican maritime trade route and funneling long distance trade items to sites in the interior of the peninsula. This article summarizes the data leading to the conclusion that Chunchucmil’s economic complexity rivaled that of the secondary states of the Postclassic Period and therefore was way ahead of its time. It also questions whether the kind of bottom-up approach applied here might reveal more complex economies at other Classic Maya sites than the more ardent advocates of the prevailing, monolithic ‘political economy’ paradigm have thus far been able to concede. In which case, it was perhaps only slightly ahead of its time.
Towards a social archaeology of the late medieval English peasantry
Authors: Smith Sally V.
Published: September 2009

This article sets out to develop an approach to the archaeology of the late medieval peasantry that allows questions pertaining to the experience of power and resistance to be addressed by practitioners in this field. It is identified at the outset that the aims of the majority of late medieval rural archaeology studies are those to do with long-term issues of settlement development and determinations of the chronology and function of material culture types. This article puts an alternative interpretive emphasis on the material culture of the period and — focusing on the most comprehensively investigated medieval village in England — comes to conclusions about the experience and tempo of the deployment of social power in the village as well as the nature of resistant practices that occurred therein.
Academy and the Real World
Authors: Bennett Dawn
Published: September 2009

Performing arts courses within the university sector retain a necessarily strong practical focus as they prepare graduates for work within a highly competitive environment. However, the reality for graduates is a world in which performance is only one component of the myriad activities required to build a sustainable career. This article reports findings from two studies which investigated work patterns, education and professional development of practising and intending musicians and dance artists. Data gathered using a questionnaire, focus groups and interviews reveal disparity between undergraduate curricula, the career expectations of students and the realities of professional practice. Alignment between the results of the music and dance studies suggests the potential for the collaborative delivery of both initial and lifelong education. The findings are discussed within the context of protean careers, and the article advocates the potential for practising artist academics to engage students in career development and the formation of their professional identities.
Understanding the Transition from School to University in Music and Music Technology
Authors: Winterson Julia , Russ Michael
Published: September 2009

This article considers the transition from school to university in Music and Music Technology, continuing the discussion of transitional issues which began in Volume 2 of Arts and Humanities in Higher Education. The focus of the article is a survey of undergraduates, examining areas that were key to their first experience of studying for a degree, such as entry qualifications, course choice, career prospects, difficult aspects of the course and aspects they felt well-prepared for. These data were supplemented with teacher and lecturer interviews and a university staff questionnaire. The findings demonstrate that student perceptions of undergraduate music study are sometimes at odds with those of the university staff. In the light of the changing nature, interests and needs of these students, it is timely to rethink both what it is intended to achieve and how this is going to be assessed.
Childhood Maltreatment, Intervening Variables, and Adult Psychological Difficulties in Women
Authors: Briere John , Jordan Carol E.
Published: September 2009

This article reviews the complex relationship between child maltreatment and later psychosocial difficulties among adult women. Specifically addressed are (a) the various forms of childhood maltreatment, (b) the range of potential long-term psychological outcomes, and (c) important contextual variables that mediate or add to these maltreatment—symptom relationships. Among the latter are characteristics of the abuse and/or neglect; effects of impaired parental functioning; premaltreatment and postmaltreatment psychobiology; qualities of the parent—child attachment; abuse and/or neglect-related affect dysregulation that may lead to further symptomatology; the extent to which the child responds with significant emotional or behavioral avoidance; and whether later traumas are also present. Also relevant are sociocultural contributors to both child maltreatment and maltreatment effects, especially poverty and marginalization. Clinical and research implications are considered.
Checking the Box: A Journey Through My Hybrid Identity
Authors: Ceisel Christina M.
Published: September 2009

“Checking the Box: A Journey Through My Hybrid Identity” is a performance piece, examining the social construction of ethnic identity and the sociopolitical processes that are brought to bear on self-definition and group identification. Deploying autoethnography, this multivocal text explores the historical conditions and political and economic exigencies that have shaped my experience of hybridity—as a multiethnic individual, negotiating my identity in contemporary U.S. society. I map my journey, through competing discourses, histories, and media-generated memories, arriving back at the beginning. Ultimately, the piece seeks to highlight the strategic logic employed by those caught “between” dominant representations and capture the experience of navigating that terrain.
Class prediction models of thrombocytosis using genetic biomarkers
Authors: Gnatenko Dmitri V. , Zhu Wei , Xu Xiao , Samuel Edward T. , Monaghan Melissa , Zarrabi Mohammad H. , Kim Christi , Dhundale Anil , Bahou Wadie F.
Published: September 2009

Criteria for distinguishing among etiologies of thrombocytosis are limited in their capacity to delineate clonal (essential thrombocythemia [ET]) from nonclonal (reactive thrombocytosis [RT]) etiologies. We studied platelet transcript profiles of 126 subjects (48 controls, 38 RT, 40 ET [24 contained the JAK2V617F mutation]) to identify transcript subsets that segregated phenotypes. Cross-platform consistency was validated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Class prediction algorithms were developed to assign phenotypic class between the thrombocytosis cohorts, and by JAK2 genotype. Sex differences were rare in normal and ET cohorts (< 1% of genes) but were male-skewed for approximately 3% of RT genes. An 11-biomarker gene subset using the microarray data discriminated among the 3 cohorts with 86.3% accuracy, with 93.6% accuracy in 2-way class prediction (ET vs RT). Subsequent quantitative RT-PCR analysis established that these biomarkers were 87.1% accurate in prospective classification of a new cohort. A 4-biomarker gene subset predicted JAK2 wild-type ET in more than 85% patient samples using either microarray or RT-PCR profiling, with lower predictive capacity in JAK2V617F mutant ET patients. These results establish that distinct genetic biomarker subsets can predict thrombocytosis class using routine phlebotomy.
Evidence for calcium-mediated perception of plant symbiotic signals in aequorin-expressing Mesorhizobium loti
Authors: Moscatiello Roberto , Alberghini Sara , Squartini Andrea , Mariani Paola , Navazio Lorella
Published: September 2009

Background

During the interaction between rhizobia and leguminous plants the two partners engage in a molecular conversation that leads to reciprocal recognition and ensures the beginning of a successful symbiotic integration. In host plants, intracellular Ca2+ changes are an integral part of the signalling mechanism. In rhizobia it is not yet known whether Ca2+ can act as a transducer of symbiotic signals.

Results

A plasmid encoding the bioluminescent Ca2+ probe aequorin was introduced into Mesorhizobium loti USDA 3147T strain to investigate whether a Ca2+ response is activated in rhizobia upon perception of plant root exudates. We find that M. loti cells respond to environmental and symbiotic cues through transient elevations in intracellular free Ca2+ concentration. Only root exudates from the homologous host Lotus japonicus induce Ca2+ signalling and downstream activation of nodulation genes. The extracellular Ca2+ chelator EGTA inhibits both transient intracellular Ca2+ increase and inducible nod gene expression, while not affecting the expression of other genes, either constitutively expressed or inducible.

Conclusion

These findings indicate a newly described early event in the molecular dialogue between plants and rhizobia and highlight the use of aequorin-expressing bacterial strains as a promising novel approach for research in legume symbiosis.
Parkinson's disease brain mitochondria have impaired respirasome assembly, age-related increases in distribution of oxidative damage to mtDNA and no differences in heteroplasmic mtDNA mutation abundance
Authors: Arthur Charles R , Morton Stephanie L , Dunham Lisa D , Keeney Paula M , Bennett James P
Published: September 2009

Background

Sporadic Parkinson's disease (sPD) is a nervous system-wide disease that presents with a bradykinetic movement disorder and is frequently complicated by depression and cognitive impairment. sPD likely has multiple interacting causes that include increased oxidative stress damage to mitochondrial components and reduced mitochondrial bioenergetic capacity. We analyzed mitochondria from postmortem sPD and CTL brains for evidence of oxidative damage to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), heteroplasmic mtDNA point mutations and levels of electron transport chain proteins. We sought to determine if sPD brains possess any mtDNA genotype-respiratory phenotype relationships.

Results

Treatment of sPD brain mtDNA with the mitochondrial base-excision repair enzyme 8-oxyguanosine glycosylase-1 (hOGG1) inhibited, in an age-dependent manner, qPCR amplification of overlapping ~2 kbase products; amplification of CTL brain mtDNA showed moderate sensitivity to hOGG1 not dependent on donor age. hOGG1 mRNA expression was not different between sPD and CTL brains. Heteroplasmy analysis of brain mtDNA using Surveyor nuclease® showed asymmetric distributions and levels of heteroplasmic mutations across mtDNA but no patterns that statistically distinguished sPD from CTL. sPD brain mitochondria displayed reductions of nine respirasome proteins (respiratory complexes I-V). Reduced levels of sPD brain mitochondrial complex II, III and V, but not complex I or IV proteins, correlated closely with rates of NADH-driven electron flow. mtDNA levels and PGC-1α expression did not differ between sPD and CTL brains.

Conclusion

PD brain mitochondria have reduced mitochondrial respiratory protein levels in complexes I-V, implying a generalized defect in respirasome assembly. These deficiencies do not appear to arise from altered point mutational burden in mtDNA or reduction of nuclear signaling for mitochondrial biogenesis, implying downstream etiologies. The origin of age-related increases in distribution of oxidative mtDNA damage in sPD but not CTL brains is not clear, tracks with but does not determine the sPD phenotype, and may indicate a unique consequence of aging present in sPD that could contribute to mtDNA deletion generation in addition to mtDNA replication, transcription and sequencing errors. sPD frontal cortex experiences a generalized bioenergetic deficiency above and beyond aging that could contribute to mood disorders and cognitive impairments.
Targeting sequences of UBXD8 and AAM-B reveal that the ER has a direct role in the emergence and regression of lipid droplets
Authors: Zehmer John K. , Bartz René , Bisel Blaine , Liu Pingsheng , Seemann Joachim , Anderson Richard G. W.
Published: September 2009

Lipid droplets are sites of neutral lipid storage thought to be actively involved in lipid homeostasis. A popular model proposes that droplets are formed in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by a process that begins with the deposition of neutral lipids between the membrane bilayer. As the droplet grows, it becomes surrounded by a monolayer of phospholipid derived from the outer half of the ER membrane, which contains integral membrane proteins anchored by hydrophobic regions. This model predicts that for an integral droplet protein inserted into the outer half of the ER membrane to reach the forming droplet, it must migrate in the plane of the membrane to sites of lipid accumulation. Here, we report the results of experiments that directly test this hypothesis. Using two integral droplet proteins that contain unique hydrophobic targeting sequences (AAM-B and UBXD8), we present evidence that both proteins migrate from their site of insertion in the ER to droplets that are forming in response to fatty acid supplementation. Migration to droplets occurs even when further protein synthesis is inhibited or dominant-negative Sar1 blocks transport to the Golgi complex. Surprisingly, when droplets are induced to disappear from the cell, both proteins return to the ER as the level of neutral lipid declines. These data suggest that integral droplet proteins form from and regress to the ER as part of a cyclic process that does not involve traffic through the secretory pathway.
The use of graduated scenarios to facilitate the learning of complex and difficult-to- describe concepts
Authors: Moon Jenny
Published: September 2009

There are many complex concepts in higher education learning that are difficult to convey to learners in words. Some examples are reflective learning; critical thinking; clinical reasoning; processes of evaluation (e.g. in art and design subjects) and professional practice (e.g. teaching
itself). These are important concepts that evade straightforward uses of language that might explain how to do them and how then to do them better or at a deeper level and so on.

This article explores a method that has been developed to facilitate the learning of such concepts the graduated
scenario technique. The article describes the initial development of the method with respect to the concept of reflective learning. Graduated scenarios are based on two practices first, the use of examples and demonstrations that show learners in this case how to write reflectively. Second,
they demonstrate the characteristics of deep reflection as opposed to superficial and descriptive reflection. This demonstration is made explicit at the end of the exercise, in a framework for, in this case, reflective learning. The assumption is made that better quality learning emanates
from deeper reflection (e.g. Hatton and Smith 1995).

The article goes on to discuss the application of the graduated scenario technique to critical thinking. It then moves to a more generic approach, considering why such a technique appears to be helpful and it provides examples of other
areas of learning in which it could be used.
Rethinking the creativity training in design education: a study of creativethinking tools for facilitating creativity development of design students
Authors: Lau K. W , Ng M. C. F , Lee P. Y
Published: September 2009

A deliberate design and arrangement of creative learning activities in tertiary design education is crucial in helping design students to release their creative potential. Unfortunately, a systematic and deliberate design of creativity training has not yet been implemented in any higher
design education institutes in Hong Kong. This article aims to classify various creative-thinking techniques in order to provide design educators with the chance to rethink the arrangement of creativity training in higher design education. Although this article is unable to provide a pedagogical
framework for design educators, the five categories, namely (1) identifying and mapping attributes; (2) making possibilities; (3) changing and shifting perspectives; (4) making associations and analogical thinking; and (5) probing emotion and the subconscious, have been classified and introduced
to support the importance of arranging appropriate creative-thinking techniques to learning and teaching of creativity in design education.
Reviews
Authors: Wise Kit , Basham Anna , Houghton Nicholas , Melvin Jo
Published: September 2009

Writing on Drawing: Essays on Drawing Practice and Research, edited by Steve Garner (2008) Bristol and Chicago: Intellect Books, 188 pages, ISBN 9781841502007 (hbk), 2495

Art: the definitive visual guide, Andrew Graham-Dixon (editorial consultant) (2008)
London: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 612 pp., ISBN 978-1-4053-2243-0, hardback, price 30.00

Design Pedagogy Research, Edited by Kate Hatton (2008) Huddersfield: Jeremy Mills Publishing, 114 pp., ISBN 978-1-906600-35-8, paperback, 14.99

Issues in Curating Contemporary
Art and Performance, edited by Judith Rugg and Mechle Sedgewick (2007) Bristol: Intellect Books, ISBN 9781841501628 Hardback, 184 pages, price not listed
Millstone or milestone? The perceived value of cultural studies for art and design students and teachers
Authors: Ryan Nicky
Published: September 2009

The aim of this paper is to explore the conceptions held by students and teaching staff about the value of cultural studies to art and design courses. Research methods for this study included a phenomenographic analysis of twelve in-depth interviews with academic staff and forty visual
representations produced by students in response to a question about the perceived relationship between cultural studies and their main course of study. Both interview transcriptions and visual images were analysed using a phenomenographic approach in order to ascertain the critical differences
in the way that the subject was experienced and valued. This paper discusses the categories of description that emerged and considers the implications of these multiple conceptions for the teaching of cultural studies within art and design courses.
Large-Scale Expansion of the Face Representation in Somatosensory Areas of the Lateral Sulcus after Spinal Cord Injuries in Monkeys
Authors: Tandon Shashank , Kambi Niranjan , Lazar Leslee , Mohammed Hisham , Jain Neeraj
Published: September 2009

Transection of dorsal columns of the spinal cord in adult monkeys results in large-scale expansion of the face inputs into the deafferented hand region in the primary somatosensory cortex (area 3b) and the ventroposterior nucleus of thalamus. Here, we determined whether the upstream cortical areas, secondary somatosensory (S2) and parietal ventral (PV) areas, also undergo reorganization after lesions of the dorsal columns. Areas S2, PV, and 3b were mapped after long-term unilateral lesions of the dorsal columns at cervical levels in adult macaque monkeys. In areas S2 and PV, we found neurons responding to touch on the face in regions in which responses to touch on the hand and other body parts are normally seen. In the reorganized parts of S2 and PV, inputs from the chin as well as other parts of the face were observed, whereas in area 3b only the chin inputs expand into the deafferented regions. The results show that deafferentations lead to a more widespread brain reorganization than previously known. The data also show that reorganization in areas S2 and PV shares a common substrate with area 3b, but there are specific features that emerge in S2 and PV.
Reconciling the Role of Serotonin in Behavioral Inhibition and Aversion: Acute Tryptophan Depletion Abolishes Punishment-Induced Inhibition in Humans
Authors: Crockett Molly J. , Clark Luke , Robbins Trevor W.
Published: September 2009

The neuromodulator serotonin has been implicated in a large number of affective and executive functions, but its precise contribution to motivation remains unclear. One influential hypothesis has implicated serotonin in aversive processing; another has proposed a more general role for serotonin in behavioral inhibition. Because behavioral inhibition is a prepotent reaction to aversive outcomes, it has been a challenge to reconcile these two accounts. Here, we show that serotonin is critical for punishment-induced inhibition but not overall motor response inhibition or reporting aversive outcomes. We used acute tryptophan depletion to temporarily lower brain serotonin in healthy human volunteers as they completed a novel task designed to obtain separate measures of motor response inhibition, punishment-induced inhibition, and sensitivity to aversive outcomes. After a placebo treatment, participants were slower to respond under punishment conditions compared with reward conditions. Tryptophan depletion abolished this punishment-induced inhibition without affecting overall motor response inhibition or the ability to adjust response bias in line with punishment contingencies. The magnitude of reduction in punishment-induced inhibition depended on the degree to which tryptophan depletion reduced plasma tryptophan levels. These findings extend and clarify previous research on the role of serotonin in aversive processing and behavioral inhibition and fit with current theorizing on the involvement of serotonin in predicting aversive outcomes.
Control of CNS Synapse Development by γ-Protocadherin-Mediated Astrocyte–Neuron Contact
Authors: Garrett Andrew M. , Weiner Joshua A.
Published: September 2009

Recent studies indicate that astrocytes, whose processes enwrap synaptic terminals, promote synapse formation both by releasing soluble factors and through contact-dependent mechanisms. Although astrocyte-secreted synaptogenic factors have been identified, the molecules underlying perisynaptic astroctye–neuron contacts are unknown. Here we show that the γ-protocadherins (γ-Pcdhs), a family of 22 neuronal adhesion molecules encoded by a single gene cluster, are also expressed by astrocytes and localize to their perisynaptic processes. Using cocultures in which either astrocytes or neurons arePcdh-γ-null, we find that astrocyte–neuron γ-Pcdh contacts are critical for synaptogenesis in developing cultures. Synaptogenesis can eventually proceed among neurons cocultured withPcdh-γ-null astrocytes, but only if these neurons themselves express the γ-Pcdhs. Consistent with this, restricted mutation of thePcdh-γ cluster in astrocytesin vivosignificantly delays both excitatory and inhibitory synapse formation. Together, these results identify the first known contact-dependent mechanism by which perisynaptic astrocyte processes promote synaptogenesis.
Reliable and Precise Neuronal Firing during Sensory Plasticity in Superficial Layers of Primary Somatosensory Cortex
Authors: Benedetti Brett L. , Glazewski Stanislaw , Barth Alison L.
Published: September 2009

Neocortical neurons show astonishing variation in the presence and timing of action potentials across stimulus trials, a phenomenon whose function and significance has been the subject of great interest. Here we present data showing that this response variability can be significantly reduced by altered sensory experience. Removal of all but one whisker from the side of the mouse face results in the rapid (within 24 h) potentiation of mean firing rates within the cortical representation of the spared whisker in young postnatal animals (postnatal days 13–16). Analysis of single-unit responses from whisker-spared animals shows that this potentiation can be attributed to an enhancement of trial-to-trial reliability (i.e., reduced response failures), as well as an increase in the mean number of spikes evoked within a successful trial. Changes were confined to superficial layers 2/3 and were not observed in the input layer of the cortex, layer 4. In addition to these changes in firing rates, we also observed profound changes in the precise timing of sensory-evoked responses. Trial-to-trial temporal precision was enhanced and the absolute latency of responses was reduced after single-whisker experience. Enhanced spike-timing precision and trial-to-trial reliability could also be triggered in adolescent animals with longer periods (7 d) of single-whisker experience. These experiments provide a quantitative analysis of how sensory experience can enhance both reliability and temporal precision in neocortical neurons and provide a framework for testing specific hypotheses about the role of response variability in cortical function and the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon.
Spatial Organization of Multisensory Responses in Temporal Association Cortex
Authors: Dahl Christoph D. , Logothetis Nikos K. , Kayser Christoph
Published: September 2009

Neurons in sensory cortices are often topographically organized according to their response preferences. We here show that such an organization of response preferences also exists in multisensory association cortex. Using electrophysiological mappings, we probed the modality preference to auditory and visual stimuli of neurons in the superior temporal association cortex of nonhuman primates. We found that neurons preferring the same modality (auditory or visual) often co-occur in close spatial proximity or occur intermingled with bimodal neurons. Neurons preferring different modalities, in contrast, occur spatially separated. This organization at the scale of individual neurons leads to extended patches of same modality preference when analyzed at the scale of millimeters, revealing larger-scale regions that preferentially respond to the same modality. In addition, we find that neurons exhibiting signs of multisensory interactions, such as superadditive or subadditive response summation, also occur in spatial clusters. Together, these results reveal a spatial organization of modality preferences in a higher association cortex and lend support to the notion that topographical organizations might serve as a general principle of integrating information within and across the sensory modalities.
Adaptive Allocation of Attentional Gain
Authors: Scolari Miranda , Serences John T.
Published: September 2009

Humans are adept at distinguishing between stimuli that are very similar, an ability that is particularly crucial when the outcome is of serious consequence (e.g., for a surgeon or air-traffic controller). Traditionally, selective attention was thought to facilitate perception by increasing the gain of sensory neurons tuned to the defining features of a behaviorally relevant object (e.g., color, orientation, etc.). In contrast, recent mathematical models counterintuitively suggest that, in many cases, attentional gain should be applied to neurons that are tuned away from relevant features, especially when discriminating highly similar stimuli. Here we used psychophysical methods to critically evaluate these “ideal observer” models. The data demonstrate that attention enhances the gain of the most informative sensory neurons, even when these neurons are tuned away from the behaviorally relevant target feature. Moreover, the degree to which an individual adopted optimal attentional gain settings by the end of testing predicted success rates on a difficult visual discrimination task, as well as the amount of task improvement that occurred across repeated testing sessions (learning). Contrary to most traditional accounts, these observations suggest that the primary function of attentional gain is not to enhance the representation of target features per se, but instead to optimize performance on the current perceptual task. Additionally, individual differences in gain suggest that the operating characteristics of low-level attentional phenomena are not stable trait-like attributes and that variability in how attention is deployed may play an important role in determining perceptual abilities.
Turkish in Germany - On contact-induced language change of an immigrant language in the multilingual landscape of Europe
Authors: Rehbein Jochen , Herkenrath Annette , Karakoç Birsel
Published: September 2009

In this paper we report on instances of innovative languaging in the spoken Turkish of bilingual children in Germany. Changes of Turkish mainly occur in areas of connectivity such as deictic/phoric expressions, wh-constructions, coordination, aspect, evidentiality, particles, and others. Contact-induced language change

- is described in terms of functional reinterpretations of Standard Turkish linguistic forms, based on spoken German,

- is seen as being motivated by 'catalysis′ in multilingual communication and

- is explained by means of the theory of 'transpositions′ of linguistic procedures, as defined within the framework of functional-pragmatics.

The article argues that the changes observed are so systematic in nature that it seems justified to speak of a new contact variety of Turkish.
Factors predicting phonological adaptations of the Spanish phonemes /x / and /θ / in Catalan
Authors: Benet Ariadna , Cortés Susana , Lleó Conxita
Published: September 2009

The choice between using a Catalan word or a loanword from Spanish which contains a non-Catalan segment is conditioned by: i) whether the two words are cognates, ii) whether speakers have had schooling in Catalan, iii) the degree of Spanish usage in the district they live. When speakers modify the pronunciation of the Spanish word in order to avoid using non-Catalan segments, phonological adaptations are more often found in Spanish words which contain /θ/ than in those which contain /x/. Such a finding is explained in terms of the Principle of Feature Economy.
Untersuchungen des vertikalen Temperaturverlaufes in einer WassertripelpunktzelleInvestigations of the Vertical Temperature Changes in a Water Triple-Point Cell
Authors: Mittelstädt Hannelore
Published: September 2009

Es wurde der vertikale Temperaturverlauf in einer Wassertripelpunktzelle bei unterschiedlichen Umgebungsbedingungen und unter Benutzung von drei verschiedenen Platin-Widerstandsthermometern untersucht. Die Übereinstimmung mit dem vorhersehbaren Verlauf entsprechend der Gleichung von Clausius–Clapeyron konnte nachgewiesen werden. Eine genaue Bestimmung der Temperatur-Druckabhängigkeit des Wassers ergab einen Wert von -(7,40±0,04)×10-5 K/kPa, entsprechend -(7,26±0,04)×10-6 K/cm WS. Die Messung der Temperaturdifferenz zwischen Wassertripelpunkt und Eispunkt ergab einen Wert von -(9,80±0,10) mK.
Optische Durchflussmessung in einer frei angeströmten MikrobohrungOptical Flow Measurement in a Micro Through-Hole with Inflow by a Free Jet
Authors: Petrak Dieter , Zosel Jens , Rauh Hagen
Published: September 2009

Es wird ein optischer Durchflussgeber für die Messung des Volumenstroms einer Flüssigkeit in einer Mikrobohrung vorgestellt, der bei Anströmung mittels Freistrahl erfolgreich verwendet wurde. Als Mikrobohrung wurde eine Glaskapillare mit einem Innendurchmesser von 0,15 mm benutzt, die in eine 2 mm dicke Messplatte eingesetzt wurde. Wesentliche Bauelemente des Durchflussgebers sind ein LED-Beleuchtungssystem und ein faseroptisches Ortsfilter. Das Messverfahren wurde an einem Laboraufbau mit kreisrundem turbulenten Freistrahl sowie in einer Technikumsanlage zur horizontalen Leiterplattenbeschichtung eingesetzt.
Artefaktkorrekturen beim dimensionellen Messen mit industrieller Röntgen-ComputertomographieArtefact Correction at Coordinate Measuring with Industrial X-Ray Computed Tomography
Authors: Kasperl Stefan , Hiller Jochen
Published: September 2009

Die zerstörungsfreie Untersuchung komplexer Bauteile ist eine wichtige Prüfaufgabe in der industriellen Fertigung. Die dabei gestellten Anforderungen umfassen eine schnelle Verifikation der Maßhaltigkeit sowie die Analyse von Soll-Ist-Vergleichen. Für diese Erfordernisse ist die Computertomographie (CT) als zerstörungsfreie Prüfmethode bestens geeignet. Allerdings äußern sich physikalische Effekte wie Strahlaufhärtung und Streustrahlung in den rekonstruierten Schichten als Artefakte, die die Bildqualität verschlechtern und die Erfüllung der genannten Prüfaufgaben erschweren oder verhindern. Dieser Beitrag beschreibt, wie mit Hilfe der Iterativen Artefakt-Reduktion (IAR) die Qualität der Rekonstruktionen verbessert werden kann. Am Beispiel eines speziellen Referenzkörpers und eines Aluminiumtestkörpers werden ausgewählte Kenn- und Messgrößen ermittelt und die erzielten Genauigkeitssteigerungen quantifiziert.
Revised values of the bond valence parameters for [6]Sb(V)–O and [3–11]Sb(III)–O
Authors: Mills Stuart James , Christy Andrew G. , Chen Emily C.-C , Raudsepp Mati
Published: September 2009

Bond valence parameters r
0 and b have been re-determined for [3–11]Sb(III)–O and [6]Sb(V)–O, utilising crystal structures of natural and inorganic compounds from the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database. Bond valence parameters for Sb(III) were obtained from a best-fit r
0–b curve for 242 independent SbO
n
polyhedra. For [6]Sb(V), a curve of best fitting r
0–b pairs was determined by fitting to 207 independent SbO6 octahedra; b was then determined by optimising bond valence sums on the oxygens of Sb2O5 and Sb2O4, given the limited low quality structural data available for Sb(V) coordination numbers other than 6. Parameter values that minimised r.m.s. deviation from the ideal bond valence sums were r
0 = 1.925 Å and b = 0.455 Å for Sb(III) and r
0 = 1.904 Å, b = 0.430 Å for [6]Sb(V). The increase in r
0 for Sb(III) may represent the repulsive effect of the lone-pair electrons, while the difference in b indicates higher polarisability when these electrons are present. Consideration of subsets of data for differing coordination numbers demonstrates that Sb(III) parameters are applicable to all SbOn coordination numbers (CN = 3–11). We also show that the apparent overbonding using the classical b value cannot be an artefact of unresolved site splitting. For Sb(V), independent determination of b allows bond lengths cautiously to be estimated for CN ≠ 6. This work confirms that the “universal” value b = 0.37 Å is not adequate for heavier cations such as Sb.
Structural relationships in complex hydrides of the late transition metals
Authors: Kohlmann Holger
Published: September 2009

Literature data on complex hydrides of the late transition metals (groups 7–10), such as the hydrogen storage material Mg2NiH4, are reviewed with respect to order-disorder phase transitions and structural relationships. They are analysed in terms of crystallographic group-subgroup trees and their use in understanding the different crystal structures from a symmetry point of view is demonstrated. New data are presented on the low temperature behaviour of magnesium iridium hydrides and strontium rhodium hydrides studied by powder X-ray diffraction.
SrNi7.90(8)In5.10(8) – a new superstructure in the NaZn13 family
Authors: Hoffmann Rolf-Dieter , Muts Ihor , Zaremba Vasyl , Pöttgen Rainer
Published: September 2009

SrNi7.90(8)In5.10(8) was synthesized by induction melting of the elements in a sealed tantalum tube in a water-cooled silica sample chamber. The structure was refined on the basis of single crystal X-ray diffractometer data: Cccm, a = 1615.2(4), b = 1822.3(4), c = 1238.5(4) pm, wR2 = 0.1481, 4144F
2 values and 150 variables). The striking structural motifs of the SrNi7.90In5.10 structure are one-dimensional [Ni7] cluster units (242–286 pm Ni—Ni) which are surrounded by indium atoms. The structural relationship to the other NaZn13 superstructures is discussed on the basis of a group-subgroup scheme.
Vitamin D, parathyroid hormone and the metabolic syndrome in middle-aged and older European men
Authors: Lee David M , Rutter Martin K , O'Neill Terence W , Boonen Steven , Vanderschueren Dirk , Bouillon Roger , Bartfai Gyorgy , Casanueva Felipe F , Finn Joseph D , Forti Gianni , Giwercman Aleksander , Han Thang S , Huhtaniemi Ilpo T , Kula Krzysztof , Lean Michael E J , Pendleton Neil , Punab Margus , Silman Alan J , Wu Frederick C W , _ _
Published: September 2009

Objectives

Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels have been linked to insulin resistance, the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components. Data in healthy, community-dwelling Europeans are lacking, and previous studies have not excluded subjects receiving drug treatments that may distort the relationship between 25(OH)D/PTH and MetS. The aim of our analysis was to examine the association of 25(OH)D and PTH with Adult Treatment Panel III-defined MetS in middle-aged and older European men.

Design

This was a population-based, cross-sectional study of 3369 men aged 40–79 years enrolled in the European Male Ageing Study.

Results

After exclusion of subjects with missing data, 3069 men with a mean (±s.d.) age of 60±11 years were included in the analysis. Age-adjusted 25(OH)D levels were inversely associated with waist circumference, systolic blood pressure (BP), triglycerides, and glucose (all P<0.01). Age-adjusted PTH levels were only associated with waist and diastolic BP (both P<0.05). After adjusting for age, centre, season and lifestyle factors the odds for MetS decreased across increasing 25(OH)D quintiles (odds ratios 0.48 (95% confidence intervals 0.36–0.64) highest versus lowest quintile; Ptrend<0.001). This relationship was unchanged after adjustment for PTH, but was attenuated after additional adjustment for homoeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (0.60 (0.47–0.78); Ptrend<0.001). There was no association between PTH and MetS.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate an inverse relationship between 25(OH)D levels and MetS, which is independent of several confounders and PTH. The relationship is partly explained by insulin resistance. The clinical significance of these observations warrants further study.
Influence of disease control with pegvisomant on sleep apnoea and tongue volume in patients with active acromegaly
Authors: Berg C , Wessendorf T E , Mortsch F , Forsting M , Teschler H , Weischer T , Mann K , Saller B , Herrmann B L
Published: September 2009

Objectives

Sleep apnoea has been consistently reported to occur in acromegaly. In uncontrolled patients, the severity of sleep apnoea influences physical activity in the daytime. We investigated the influence of disease activity on tongue volume and sleep apnoea treated with the GH receptor antagonist pegvisomant in poorly controlled patients with acromegaly under octreotide.

Design and methods

A total of 12 patients with active acromegaly (six females; six males; mean age 57±15 years; body mass index 29.4±4.2 kg/m2; mean±s.d.) were treated with pegvisomant (13.5±5.0 mg/die) for 6 months. Tongue volume was examined by magnetic resonance imaging, and sleep apnoea was characterized by polysomnography before and after 6 months of treatment with pegvisomant. The mandibular length was determined by lateral X-ray films.

Results

IGF1 levels decreased after 6 months in all patients (407±114 to 199±23 μg/l; P=0.0001). The tongue volume decreased (105±33 to 83±33 ml; P=0.007) as well as the apnoea–hypnoea index (23±22 to 18±18/h; P=0.0066). The mandibular length correlated with the initial tongue volume (r2=0.6072, P=0.0028).

Conclusion

In conclusion, successful treatment with pegvisomant can decrease tongue volume, which has benefits for coexisting sleep disordered breathing.
Competition Law and the Economy in the Russian Federation, 1990-2006
Authors: Rajabiun Reza
Published: September 2009

Most developing and transition countries adopted statutes prohibiting anticompetitive agreements and abusive practices during the 1980's and 1990's. The effectiveness of these laws is nevertheless widely debated. This paper contributes to the literature by conducting an event study of the adoption of Russian competition laws in the early years of transition, the subsequent economic developments and the legislative reform process of 2002-2006. An examination of the substantive prohibitions and enforcement data reveals that Russian competition laws relied on complex standards and imposed weak constraints on anticompetitive practices. The more recent shift to simpler and more predictable per se prohibitions against collusive agreements substantiates this hypothesis. The evidence has implications for the design of regulatory regimes in other countries with laws similar to those operative in Russia during the transition process.
Correlations between the lipophilicity and the inhibitory activity of different substituted benzimidazoles
Authors: Podunavac-Kuzmanovic Sanja , Cvetkovic Dragoljub , Barna Dijana
Published: September 2009

2-Amino and 2-methylbenzimidazole derivatives were tested in vitro for their inhibitory activity against the bacteria Bacillus cereus. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined for all compounds. The lipophilicity descriptors were calculated by using CS Chem-Office Software, version 7.0. The stepwise regression method was used to derive the most significant model as a calibration model for predicting the antibacterial activity of this class of compounds. A complete regression analysis resorting to linear and quadratic relationships was made. Theoretical models were validated by leaving one out (LOO) technique, as well as by the calculation of statistical parameters for the established models. The best QSAR model for the prediction of an inhibitory activity of the investigated series of benzimidazoles was developed. A high agreement between the experimental and predicted inhibitory values was obtained. The results indicated that the antibacterial activity could be modeled using the lipophilicity descriptor.