bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Giant dielectric response in Pb(Zr,Ti)O3–Pb2Ru2O6.5 all-ceramic percolative composite
Authors: Bobnar Vid , Hrovat Marko , Holc Janez , Kosec Marija
Published: May 2008

An exceptionally high dielectric constant was obtained by making use of the conductive percolative phenomenon in all-ceramic composite made of conductive Pb2Ru2O6.5 and ferroelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 perovskite systems. The dielectric constant in Pb(Zr,Ti)O3–Pb2Ru2O6.5 composite actually diverges on approaching the percolation threshold—values as high as 40 000 were detected at room temperature at 1kHz. Fit of the data, obtained for samples of different compositions, revealed critical exponent and percolation point, which reasonably agree with the theoretically predicted values.
The crossover from the vortex glass to the Bose glass in nanostructured YBa2Cu3O7−x films
Authors: Horide Tomoya , Matsumoto Kaname , Mele Paolo , Ichinose Ataru , Kita Ryusuke , Mukaida Masashi , Yoshida Yutaka , Horii Shigeru
Published: May 2008

The glass-liquid transitions of quantized vortices were studied to understand the vortex behavior in YBa2Cu3O7−x films. We systematically controlled the pinning strength, spatial distribution, and shape of disorders by engineering of nanoinclusions in YBa2Cu3O7−x films. In these disorder systems, we observed the crossover between the vortex glass (VG) and the Bose glass (BG). The increase in pinning strength and ordering of isotropic disorders do not change the critical exponents and the conversion between the BG and the VG is triggered only by the anisotropy of pinning centers.
Controllable fabrication and electromechanical characterization of single crystalline Sb-doped ZnO nanobelts
Authors: Yang Ya , Qi Junjie , Zhang Yue , Liao Qingliang , Tang Lidan , Qin Zi
Published: May 2008

We report the fabrication of the high-quality Sb-doped ZnO nanobelts by using a simple chemical vapor deposition method. The nanobelts consist of single-crystalline wurtzite ZnO crystal and grow along [011¯2] direction. An electromechanical system is constructed to explore the transverse electrical properties of a single nanobelt under the different applied loading forces. The I-V results indicate that a little barrier exists in between the nanobelt and the atomic force microscopy tip. An almost linear relationship between the force and the resistance was found at small deformation regions, which demonstrates that the nanobelts have potential applications as force/pressure sensor for measuring the nano-Newton forces.
Continuous wave single mode operation of GaInAsSb∕GaSb quantum well lasers emitting beyond 3μm
Authors: Lehnhardt T. , Hümmer M. , Rößner K. , Müller M. , Höfling S. , Forchel A.
Published: May 2008

We report on room temperature continuous wave single mode GaInAsSb-GaSb quantum well lasers emitting beyond 3μm. Quantum well strain and composition were carefully adjusted to enhance the hole confinement without increasing electron confinement in order to avoid inhomogeneous quantum well pumping. In order to realize single mode emission as prerequisite for gas sensing applications, distributed feedback lasers were fabricated. A record single mode emission cw wavelength of 3019nm with a side mode suppression ratio of more than 30dB has been obtained. The room temperature peak power output per facet exceeds 3mW.
Giant carrier mobility in single crystals of FeSb2
Authors: Hu Rongwei , Mitrović V. F. , Petrovic C.
Published: May 2008

We report the giant carrier mobility in single crystals of FeSb2. Nonlinear field dependence of Hall resistivity is well described with the two-carrier model. Maximum mobility values in high mobility band reach ∼105cm2∕Vs at 8K and are ∼102cm2∕Vs at the room temperature. Our results point to a class of materials with promising potential for applications in solid state electronics.
Reflexive Governance of Urban Catchments: A Case of Deliberative Truncation
Authors: Darbas Toni
Published: May 2008

Integrated, collaborative governance arrangements are viewed as answering the limitations of the liberal, democratic state in the face of ‘wicked’ policy dilemmas such as environmental degradation. The nature of institutional resistance to governance experiments, however, has received limited attention. This paper explores a case of such resistance by the New South Wales political system: the decision to disband the Hawkesbury–Nepean Catchment Management Trust. This discontinuation of the administrative coordination and community engagement aimed at restoring the health of Sydney's major river system is herein characterised as a deliberative truncation. Discussion of what would constitute constructive ecological institutional and policy settings was cut short by intolerant notions of efficacy sustained by political/administrative routines. Analysis of this truncation is progressed through a nexus between three mutually informative theories of modernity dealing with the policy challenges facing liberal democratic societies today.
Dominant male-sterile populations for association mapping and introgression of exotic wheat germplasm
Authors: Heffner E. L. , Chomdej O. , Williams K. R. , Sorrells M. E.
Published: May 2008

The introgression of exotic wheat germplasm such as synthetic hexaploid (tetraploid × diploid amphiploid) wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) into an adapted gene pool has the potential to amplify the genetic variation for complex traits. The dominant male-sterile gene can be used to facilitate recurrent selection in wheat, thus increasing the opportunity for genetic recombination between exotic and cultivated genomes and the identification and retention of desirable alleles. Our dominant male-sterile recurrent selection project began in 1983 with the intermating of the source germplasm (Chris hard red spring wheat in Triticum tauschii cytoplasm) with 34 soft winter lines and varieties, intermated without selection for 3 generations, and then selecting male-sterile plants for agronomic type each season. After 20 generations of recurrent selection, we extracted 94 inbred lines without selection during inbreeding except for fertility. Those lines were evaluated for linkage disequilibrium (LD) on the 5A chromosome for comparison with an earlier study involving 95 elite soft winter wheat varieties of similar genetic background. For the male-sterile population-derived lines, LD decayed within 1 cM (r2 < 0.1) compared with 5 cM in the previous report for soft winter wheat varieties. This approach to introgression facilitates the potential use of synthetic wheat and other unadapted germplasm for expanding the gene pool and provides a potential resource for high-resolution association mapping of genes controlling traits of interest.
Allelic variations in high and low molecular weight glutenins at the Glu-Dt locus of Aegilops tauschii as a potential source for improving bread wheat quality
Authors: Rehman A. , Evans N. , Gianibelli M. C. , Rose R. J.
Published: May 2008

Aegilops tauschii, the donor of the D genome of hexaploid wheat, is accepted as a major contributor of disease resistance and bread-making quality attributes in cultivated wheat. High molecular weight (HMW) glutenins have a significant effect on the bread-making qualities of cultivated wheat. A large range of allelic variation in 424 Ae. tauschii accessions at the Glu-D1t locus for both x- and y-type glutenin subunits as well as at Glu-D3t was observed with SDS-PAGE using the total endosperm protein fraction. Only 4 accessions revealed more than 2 bands on SDS-PAGE. Seventeen new allelic combinations of both x- and y-type glutenin subunits at GluD-1t and 30 new allelic profiles at Glu-D3 were detected. These combinations comprise some lines with x- or y-type null forms. RP-HPLC analysis of accession Aus 18882, which showed 5 bands when the total endosperm protein fraction was resolved on SDS-PAGE, revealed 2 x-types and 1 y-type subunit banding pattern. RP-HPLC of the gliadin fraction exhibited an omega gliadin-like subunit. SDS-PAGE processing of the gliadin-free fraction of the same accession still exhibited the gliadin-like protein. An N-terminal protein sequence of the first 7 amino acids of the slowest moving novel x-type band of accession Aus18882 indicated its uniqueness, as no entries were found to contain this internal sequence. Demonstration of novel allelic combinations at Glu-D1 and Glu-D3 loci implies the potential for exploiting Ae. tauschii to increase the genetic variability of hexaploid wheat, particularly for bread-making qualities.
Aops oncodactylus, gen. et sp. nov., the first troglobitic urodacid (Urodacidae:Scorpiones), with a re-assessment of cavernicolous, troglobitic and troglomorphic scorpions
Authors: Volschenk Erich S. , Prendini Lorenzo
Published: May 2008

We describe a new genus and species of troglomorphic scorpion from Ledge Cave, Barrow Island, off the north-western coast of Western Australia. This troglobite scorpion was initially difficult to place within the superfamily Scorpionoidea Latreille on account of its unusual morphology. Based on cladistic analysis, we demonstrate that this scorpion is phylogenetically most closely related to the endemic Australian genus Urodacus Peters (Urodacidae Pocock). The new taxon, named Aops oncodactylus, gen. et sp. nov., is the first troglobitic urodacid and the first troglobitic scorpion recorded from continental Australia. In light of this discovery, we re-assess the known diversity of troglobitic scorpions and the troglomorphic adaptations (troglomorphies) of cavernicolous scorpions. A distinction is recognised between the exclusive occurrence in cavernicolous habitats and the presence of troglomorphies, which are exhibited by some endogean (humicolous) scorpions. The definition of troglobitic scorpions is limited to species that are both restricted to cavernicolous habitats and exhibit pronounced troglomorphies. Only 20 scorpion species meet both criteria and are considered unequivocally troglobitic according to this definition.
Biodiversity, functional roles and ecosystem services of groundwater invertebrates
Authors: Boulton Andrew J. , Fenwick Graham D. , Hancock Peter J. , Harvey Mark S.
Published: May 2008

Recent surveys of groundwater invertebrates (stygofauna) worldwide are yielding rich troves of biodiversity, with significant implications for invertebrate systematists and phylogeneticists as well as ecologists and groundwater managers. What is the ecological significance of this high biodiversity of invertebrates in some aquifers? How might it influence groundwater ecosystem services such as water purification or bioremediation? In terrestrial ecosystems, biodiversity is typically positively correlated with rates of ecosystem functions beneficial to humans (e.g. crop pollination). However, the links between biodiversity, ecosystem function, and ecosystem services in groundwater are unknown. In some aquifers, feeding, movement and excretion by diverse assemblages of stygofauna potentially enhance groundwater ecosystem services such as water purification, bioremediation and water infiltration. Further, as specific taxa apparently play ‘keystone’ roles in facilitating ecosystem services, declines in abundance or even their extinction have serious repercussions. One way to assess the functional significance of biodiversity is to identify ‘ecosystem service providers’, characterise their functional relationships, determine how service provision is affected by community structure and environmental variables, and measure the spatio-temporal scales over which these operate. Examples from Australian and New Zealand alluvial aquifers reveal knowledge gaps in understanding the functional importance of most stygofauna, hampering effective protection of currently undervalued groundwater ecosystem services.
Gondwanan groundwater: subterranean connections of Australian phreatoicidean isopods (Crustacea) to India and New Zealand
Authors: Wilson George D. F.
Published: May 2008

Phreatoicidea Stebbing, 1893 live in freshwaters of Gondwana: Australia, South Africa, India and New Zealand. Many of these isopods have a subterranean lifestyle. Parsimony analysis of morphological data of generic exemplars and a Triassic fossil was used to explore the timing of this habitat adaption. The monophyly of the Hypsimetopidae Nicholls, 1943, including blind taxa Hyperoedesipus Nicholls & Milner, 1923 (Western Australia), Nichollsia Chopra and Tiwari, 1950 (Ganges Plain, India) and Phreatoicoides Sayce, 1900 (Tasmania and Victoria) was strongly supported. Crenisopus Wilson and Keable, 1999 (Kimberleys, Western Australia) and the PonderellidaeWilson & Keable, 2004 (Queensland mound springs) may be sister to hypsimetopids. Blind Phreatoicidae found only in south-eastern Australia and in New Zealand were also monophyletic. The hypogean habitat, blindness, fossil and plate tectonic evidence were mapped on the cladogram to estimate timing of this adaptation. A subterranean adaptation before 130 million years ago was supported for hypsimetopids. Phreatoicus Chilton, 1891 and Neophreatoicus Nicholls, 1944 (hypogean in New Zealand) were in a monophyletic clade with epigean Phreatoicidae, Crenoicus Nicholls, 1944 (south-eastern Australia) and Notamphisopus Nicholls, 1943 (New Zealand). Blindness in epigean taxa is consistent with recolonisation of surface waters from underground refuges. Because Crenoicus is sister-group to the New Zealand clade, and because overseas dispersal between Australia and New Zealand is unlikely, the minimum age for these blind phreatoicids is ~80 million years. This evidence is consistent with a subterranean freshwater fauna surviving the presumed Oligocene inundation of New Zealand.
Systematics and evolution of the Australian subterranean hydroporine diving beetles (Dytiscidae), with notes on Carabhydrus
Authors: Leys Remko , Watts Chris H.
Published: May 2008

Calcrete aquifers of the Yilgarn area of Western Australia and the Ngalia Basin, Northern Territory, Australia are known to contain a rich invertebrate stygofauna, including the world’s most diverse assemblage of subterranean diving beetles. Here we determine the generic relationships of these subterranean diving beetle species in the tribe Hydroporini and assess their evolutionary origins. Phylogenetic analyses of 1642 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), comprising segments of CO1, 16S rRNA, tRNAleu and ND1 genes, revealed that the subterranean species from the arid zone, previously classified under the genus Nirripirti Watts & Humphreys (Hydroporini), are all closely related to the genus Paroster Sharp. We synonymise the stygobitic genus Nirripirti with the genus Paroster. Factors that may have been important for the transitions to stygobitic life such as historical and contemporary species distributions, reproductive ecology and body size are discussed. We show that pre-adaptations such as preference for temporary, but seasonally reliable, water and preference to live among gravel and sand along running water would have favoured transitions from surface to stygobitic life, but that large body size may have restricted the likelihood of successful transitions.
A molecular systematic overview of wolf spiders associated with Great Artesian Basin springs in South Australia: evolutionary affinities and an assessment of metapopulation structure in two species
Authors: Gotch Travis B. , Adams Mark , Murphy Nick P. , Austin Andrew D.
Published: May 2008

The molecular genetic techniques of allozyme electrophoresis and mitochondrial DNA sequencing were used to examine species boundaries, phylogenetic affinities, and population structure in wolf spiders associated with artesian springs of the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) in South Australia. These springs contain the only permanent water in this extremely arid region, and consequently are of great biological, economic, and sociological significance. Molecular diagnoses of species boundaries in nine lycosid species, involving 56 individuals genotyped at 37 putative allozyme loci and 21 individuals sequenced for a ~600-bp portion of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase 1 (NADH1), were largely concordant with those recently proposed on morphological criteria. They also identified a species not previously collected, and suggested that GAB and mesic forms of Venatrix arenaris (Hogg) may not be conspecific. As well as insights into the evolutionary relationships among species and genera, phylogenetic analysis demonstrated two distinct GAB lineages within Venatrix Roewer and Hogna Simon. Population structure analyses of the two most widespread species revealed contrasting patterns. For V. fontis Framenau & Vink, allozyme analyses of 300 individuals at 15 polymorphic loci plus NADH1 sequence analysis of 72 individuals revealed the presence of distinctive subpopulations at most sites, and a partial correlation with overall geographic proximity. In contrast, allozyme analysis of 191 V. arenaris specimens at 12 polymorphic loci demonstrated a comparative lack of both within-site variability and between-site differentiation in the GAB metapopulation.
Maternal use of thyroid hormones in pregnancy and neonatal outcome
Authors: NORSTEDT WIKNER BIRGITTA , SKJÖLDEBRAND SPARRE LOTTIE , STILLER CARL‐OLAV , KÄLLÉN BENGT , ASKER CHARLOTTE
Published: May 2008

Objective. To describe neonatal outcome including the presence of congenital malformations in infants born to women substituted with thyroid hormones, and the maternal characteristics of these women. Design. Register study based on prospectively collected data in relation to delivery. Setting. Swedish Health Registers. Population. All pregnant women (n = 848,468) and all infants born (n = 861,989) in Sweden from 1 July 1995 to 31 December 2004. Methods. Women who reported the use of thyroid hormones in early pregnancy or obtained a prescription for thyroid hormones later in pregnancy (n = 9,866), as well as their infants (n = 10,055) were identified from the Swedish Medical Birth Register. The reference population consisted of all women giving birth and their offspring during the same time interval. Main outcome measures. Neonatal outcome, malformations and maternal characteristics. Data were analyzed with adjustments for identified confounders. Results. Women using thyroxine had an increased rate of pre‐eclampsia, diabetes (pre‐existing or gestational), cesarean sections and inductions of labour compared to women in the reference population. The risk for preterm birth was marginally increased (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.03–1.25). Neonatal thyroid disease was found in eight infants (seven with thyreotoxicosis and one unspecified), the expected number was 0.2. No further anomalies in neonatal diagnoses were found. A small but statistically significant risk for congenital malformations (OR =1.14, 95% CI 1.05–1.26) was found. Conclusion. Women on thyroid substitution during pregnancy had an increased risk for some pregnancy complications, but their infants were only slightly affected.
Fetal lipoprotein changes in pre‐eclampsia
Authors: CATARINO CRISTINA , REBELO IRENE , BELO LUÍS , ROCHA‐PEREIRA PETRONILA , ROCHA SUSANA , BAYER CASTRO ELISABETH , PATRÍCIO BELMIRO , QUINTANILHA ALEXANDRE , SANTOS‐SILVA ALICE
Published: May 2008

Objective. To evaluate the impact of maternal lipid changes upon the fetus in pre‐eclampsia (PE) by evaluating lipid profile simultaneously in maternal and umbilical cord blood (UCB). Design. Case‐control study performed on healthy and pre‐eclamptic pregnant women and their neonates. Setting. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital S. Joao and Faculty of Pharmacy, Porto, Portugal. Samples. Forty‐two healthy pregnancies and 46 pregnancies complicated with PE. Methods. Total cholesterol (TChol), HDL‐cholesterol (HDLc), LDL‐cholesterol (LDLc) and triglycerides (TG) levels were determined using enzymatic methods. Apolipoprotein (apo) A‐I, apoB and lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] values were measured by immunoturbidimetry. Main outcome measures. Fetal and maternal plasma levels of TChol, HDLc, LDLc, TG, apoA‐I, apoB and Lp(a). Results. Pre‐eclamptic women presented significantly higher values for TChol, LDLc, HDLc, TG, apoA‐I and apoB compared to normal pregnant women. In the UCB from pre‐eclamptic pregnancies, we observed significantly lower values for HDLc and apoA‐I, and significantly higher TG concentrations and LDLc/HDLc ratio when compared to normal cases. A positive correlation was observed between maternal TG levels and proteinuria, a marker of PE severity (r =0.40, p <0.01). Conclusions. Our data suggest that pre‐eclamptic pregnancy is associated with an enhanced hyperlipidemia, which seems to have a negative impact on fetal lipid profile, as reflected by a higher atherogenic LDLc/HDLc ratio and higher TG levels. These children, born of women with PE, may deserve a closer clinical follow‐up later in life.
Nestin expression during differentiation of fetal endothelial progenitor cells and hypoxic culture of human umbilical vein endothelial cells
Authors: HWANG HAN‐SUNG , MAENG YONG‐SUN , KIM YOUNG‐HAN , KWON YOUNG‐GUEN , PARK YONG‐WON , KIM IN‐KYU
Published: May 2008

Retracted.
Maternal factor V Leiden mutation is associated with HELLP syndrome in Caucasian women
Authors: MUETZE SABINE , LEENERS BRIGITTE , ORTLEPP JAN R. , KUSE SABINE , TAG CARMEN G. , WEISKIRCHEN RALF , GRESSNER AXEL M. , RUDNIK‐SCHOENEBORN SABINE , ZERRES KLAUS , RATH WERNER
Published: May 2008

Objective. There is growing evidence that hypertensive pregnancy complications and other adverse pregnancy outcomes are associated with the presence of inherited or acquired thrombophilias. As hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelets (HELLP) syndrome is one of the most severe forms of pre‐eclampsia we aimed to assess the prevalence of the factor V Leiden, the prothrombin 20210G >A mutation and the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) 677C >T polymorphism in women with HELLP syndrome and in their fetuses from the same index pregnancy. Design. The study was performed retrospectively in a case–control design. Sample. Seventy‐one mother–child pairs with HELLP syndrome and 79 control mother–child pairs with uncomplicated pregnancies were included in the study. Methods. Genotyping of the three thrombophilic mutations was performed using the LightCycler technology. The chi‐squared test was used for statistical analysis. Main outcome measures were maternal and fetal genotypes and their correlation with clinical parameters. Results. Maternal heterozygosity for factor V Leiden was significantly more prevalent in the HELLP group than in controls (OR 4.45, 95% CI 1.31–15.31). No significant association was observed for maternal prothrombin mutation or MTHFR polymorphism (p = 0.894, p = 0.189, respectively). The fetal genotype was not associated with HELLP syndrome for any of the three mutations investigated. Analysis of gene–gene interactions and genotype–phenotype correlation with respect to clinical parameters and perinatal outcome revealed no further differences. Conclusions. Our study confirms that women heterozygous for factor V Leiden have an increased risk of developing HELLP syndrome, while the most frequent mutations of the prothrombin and MTHFR gene do not play a major role in the pathogenesis of HELLP syndrome.
Execution and pauses in writing narratives: Processing time, cognitive effort and typing skill
Authors: Alves Rui Alexandre , Castro São Luís , Olive Thierry
Published: May 2008

At the behavioural level, the activity of a writer can be described as periods of typing separated by pauses. Although some studies have been concerned with the functions of pauses, few have investigated motor execution periods. Precise estimates of the distribution of writing processes, and their cognitive demands, across periods of typing and pauses are lacking. Furthermore, it is uncertain how typing skill affects these aspects of writing. We addressed these issues, selecting writers of low and high typing skill who performed dictation and composition tasks. The occurrences of writing processes were assessed through directed verbalization, and their cognitive demands were measured through interference in reaction times (IRT). Before writing a narrative, 34 undergraduates learned to categorize examples of introspective thoughts as different types of activities related to writing (planning, translating, or revising). Then, while writing, they responded to random auditory probes, and reported their ongoing activity according to the learned categories. Convergent with previous findings, translating was most often reported, and revising and planning had fewer occurrences. Translating was mostly activated during motor execution, whereas revising and planning were mainly activated during pauses. However, none of the writing processes can be characterized as being typical of pauses, since translating was activated to a similar extent as the other two processes. Regarding cognitive demands, revising is likely to be the most demanding process in narrative writing. Typing skill had an impact on IRTs of motor execution. The demands of execution were greater in the low than in the high typing skill group, but these greater demands did not affect the strategy of writing processes activation. Nevertheless, low typing skill had a detrimental impact on text quality.
The feminization of psychology: Data from South Africa
Authors: Skinner Kerry , Louw Johann
Published: May 2008

In many countries, women outnumber men in psychology, both as students and as professionals. Much of this information is drawn from Europe and the USA, and the information available about the situation in developing countries is a lot less detailed. The steady increase in the presence of women in psychology in South Africa is examined, via access to two large national databases and telephone interviews. These sources are the most reliable available, and are comprehensive enough to give a very good snapshot of women in psychology in this country over the last 12 years. The data indicate that psychology as a profession in South Africa is dominated by women. Although the applied practical aspects of the discipline attract women disproportionally, women are also over‐represented in research psychology and academia (except at the professorial level). The racial composition of the profession remains skewed, with white psychologists in the majority. Although the data in this regard are incomplete, approximately 5% of registered psychologists are black. An examination of student enrolments suggests that this situation will continue in future, as women (and white students) enrol in much greater numbers for both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. In 2002, 74% of psychology majors were women, and 78% of all Master's degrees in psychology were awarded to women. Thus it would appear that the feminization of psychology in this country is further advanced than in Europe and the USA. It is not a question of men abandoning the profession, but rather that women entered the profession at a much higher rate in recent years.
The importance of values in predicting Turkish youth's opinions about the European Union in light of the Copenhagen Political Criteria
Authors: Kuşdil M. Ersin , Şimşek Sefa
Published: May 2008

The enlargement process of the European Union may be regarded as one of the most important social projects of human history in that it is trying to unite several nation‐states under a “European identity.” As a historically and culturally “distant” candidate, Turkey has been asked to meet a set of expectations referred to as the “Copenhagen Criteria,” requiring a series of large‐scale reforms to the infrastructure and superstructure of the country. Taking advantage of the unique opportunity to relate Turkish people's opinions on the criteria to their values, hypotheses based on Schwartz's model of values were tested. Schwartz's Personal Values Questionnaire and a questionnaire measuring opinions on the criteria and the Union were completed by 368 Turkish university students. Factor analysis of the opinion items yielded five factors: reduction of military influence in civil life, scepticism towards Europe and the European Union, improvement of human rights and liberties, improvement of minority rights, and lack of transparency in public institutions. Regression analyses showed that values and nationalism were powerful predictors of opinions whereas the effect of religiosity was limited only to the prediction of a preference for the reduction of military influence in civil life. Preference for openness to change values were successful in predicting variance in three of the five criteria: The more the participants favoured these values, the more they supported the improvement of human rights and liberties, the improvement of minority rights, and regretted the lack of transparency. Self‐transcendence values were also positively related to support for the same three criteria together with a preference for reduction of military influence. As for nationalism, the results showed that this variable was related negatively to reduction of the military influence, improvement of human rights and liberties, improvement of minority rights; and positively to scepticism.
Attachment styles and demographic factors as predictors of sociocultural and psychological adjustment of Eastern European immigrants in the Netherlands
Authors: Polek Elżbieta , van Oudenhoven Jan Pieter , ten Berge Jos M. F.
Published: May 2008

The present study examined the relationship between adult attachment styles and psychological and sociocultural adjustment of Polish, Russian, and Hungarian immigrants (N = 631) to Dutch society. In addition, it also examined the relationship between demographic factors and adjustment and compared the predictive value of attachment styles and demographic factors for immigrants' adjustment. The Attachment Style Questionnaire was used to assess respondents' attachment. Psychological adjustment was measured with the Psychological Health Scale and the Satisfaction With Life Scale. Sociocultural adjustment was measured with the Social Support List – Interactions scale. Two scales for measuring identification and contact with the native and with the Dutch culture were developed and used as indicators of cultural adjustment. We found relations between attachment styles and psychological and sociocultural adjustment. Secure attachment was positively related (p<.01) to psychological and sociocultural adjustment, fearful attachment was negatively (p<.01) associated with psychological adjustment, and more negatively with identification with the Dutch culture than with identification with the native culture. Preoccupied attachment was negatively related (p<.01) to psychological adjustment and to identification with the Dutch culture. Dismissing attachment was weakly negatively related (p<.01) to sociocultural adjustment. Correlation patterns across the three immigrants' samples indicate that dismissing individuals remain relatively indifferent towards their native and the Dutch culture. Regarding demographic factors we found that education and age at immigration were positively associated with psychological and sociocultural adjustment, and length of residence appeared to be positively related to sociocultural adjustment. In general, demographic factors showed a stronger association with sociocultural than with psychological adjustment. Regression analysis revealed that attachment styles were better predictors of immigrants' psychological and sociocultural adjustment than demographic factors—education, age at immigration, and length of residence. The results indicate that immigrant studies would benefit from taking an attachment perspective.
The relationship between relational models and individualism and collectivism: Evidence from culturally diverse work groups
Authors: Vodosek Markus
Published: May 2008

Relational models theory (Fiske, 1991) proposes that all thinking about social relationships is based on four elementary mental models: communal sharing, authority ranking, equality matching, and market pricing. Triandis and his colleagues (e.g., Triandis, Kurowski, & Gelfand, 1994) have suggested a relationship between the constructs of horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism and Fiske's relational models. However, no previous research has examined this proposed relationship empirically. The objective of the current study was to test the association between the two frameworks in order to further our understanding of why members of culturally diverse groups may prefer different relational models in interactions with other group members. Findings from this study support a relationship between Triandis' constructs and Fiske's four relational models and uphold Fiske's (1991) claim that the use of the relational models is culturally dependent. As hypothesized, horizontal collectivism was associated with a preference for equality matching and communal sharing, vertical individualism was related to a preference for authority ranking, and vertical collectivism was related to a preference for authority ranking and communal sharing. However, contrary to expectations, horizontal individualism was not related to a preference for equality matching and market pricing, and vertical individualism was not associated with market pricing. By showing that there is a relationship between Triandis' and Fiske's frameworks, this study closes a gap in relational models theory, namely how culture relates to people's preferences for relational models. Thus, the findings from this study will enable future researchers to explain and predict what relational models are likely to be used in a certain cultural context.
Acculturation and its determinants among adult immigrants in France
Authors: Abu‐Rayya Hisham Motkal
Published: May 2008

The present study pursued three aims. First, it sought to determine the distribution of types of identification among adult immigrants in France; second, it investigated certain determinants that might contribute to the emergence of exclusively French or ethnic identifications; and third, it attempted to assess the outcomes of French or ethnic identification strategies for well‐being. Participants of the study were 6211 adult immigrants in France, aged between 45 and 70 years (M = 55.8, SD = 7.21), 53.6% males. Findings revealed that participants' dominant identification style of belonging was either French (n = 2758, 44.4%) or home country/ethnic group affiliation (n = 1899, 30.6%), with a greater tendency towards the former. In relation to the study second question, it was found that lower levels of education and involvement with French society, higher degrees of religiosity, and shorter lengths of residence in France were positively connected with home country/ethnic group identification as against French and vice versa. Stronger feelings of being settled in France and a command of French, and lower degrees of involvement with the initial national/ethnic community, were associated with a significant decrease in the likelihood of home country/ethnic group identification as against French and vice versa. While respondents' personal experiences of discrimination in home country/ethnic group before migration to France predicted a lower likelihood of home country/ethnic group identification compared to French and vice versa, immigrants' reports of being discriminated against in France had no significant effect on identification choices. Findings revealed also that those identifying with their home country/ethnic group recorded relatively higher degrees of maladjustment than those asserting a French identification.
Academic achievement in first‐year Portuguese college students: The role of academic preparation and learning strategies
Authors: Soares Ana Paula , Guisande Adelina M. , Almeida Leandro S. , Páramo Fernanda M.
Published: May 2008

This paper analyses the role of academic preparation and learning strategies in the prediction of first‐year Portuguese college students' academic achievement, considering students' sex and academic field attended. A sample of 445 first‐year college students (68.5% female) from the University of Minho (25.8% enrolled in economics, 35.3% in science/technology, and 38.9% in humanities degrees) participated in the study. Students answered a questionnaire on learning strategies in the classroom at the end of the first semester, which consisted of 44 items organized in five dimensions: comprehensive approach, surface approach, personal competency perceptions, intrinsic motivation, and organization of study activities. Academic achievement (grade point average at the end of first year) and academic preparation (students' higher education access mark) were obtained through the academic records of the university. Results showed that academic preparation was the strongest predictor of first‐year academic achievement, and only marginal additional variance was explained by learning strategies as assessed by the self‐reported questionnaire. There were sex and academic field differences, but these variables do not seem strong enough to affect the results, although the different percentages of variance captured by each model and the different weights associated to higher education access mark, stimulate the use of these and/or other personal and contextual variables when analysing the phenomenon.
A comparison of fathers' and mothers' contributions in the prediction of academic performance of school‐age children in Hong Kong
Authors: Tam Vicky C. W.
Published: May 2008

Asystematic study of the linkages between gender issues and parenting is made among Chinese families. This study examines sex differences in parenting attributes across fathers and mothers and towards sons and daughters, and compares the contributions of fathers and mothers to the prediction of academic performance across boys and girls. Four parenting attributes are included: nurturance, psychological control, parental involvement in education, and parental academic efficacy. Data were collected from 461 Chinese father–mother–child triads of children studying Grade 3 to 5 in Hong Kong. Findings of this study, based on multivariate analysis of variance, showed that parental roles followed traditional Chinese cultural expectations. Compared to the fathers, Chinese mothers of school‐age children in Hong Kong were more loving and caring, more involved in children's education, and more efficacious in promoting children's academic performance. Results of hierarchical regression analysis examining the role of child's sex as a moderator showed cross‐sex influence in parental contribution to academic performance with respect to parental psychological control and academic efficacy. Specifically, boys benefited more from maternal efficacy than girls did and they were also more hampered by mothers with high psychological control, while girls' academic performance was more enhanced by paternal academic efficacy than boys. A gender‐balance approach that highlights the significance of gender in moderating parental contributions to academic performance was thus supported. Future research should continue to focus on psychological control and domain‐specific parental attributes as potential sources of gender‐linked parent–child associations. Investigations should also explore other cognitive and noncognitive domains of child outcome, different child age groups, as well as Chinese populations in various geographical regions.
Assessment at the boundaries: Service learning as case study
Authors: Shay Suellen
Published: May 2008

This article explores the value systems which inform assessment practices in higher education, specifically how particular forms of knowledge valued in the curriculum shape and constrain assessment practices. The data for this article is drawn from two courses which participated in a service learning research and development project at the University of Cape Town. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu and Basil Bernstein, the article argues that the location of these courses—within the field of higher education and a particular kind of institution, faculty and department—shapes their assessment systems, practices and outcomes in certain ways. What is valued in this field (Bourdieu) is a form of knowledge production which requires students ‘to step out of the particularities’. This form of knowledge operates as a regulative discourse, constituting what counts as legitimate. Using the assessment system as a ‘window’, this article explores how these service learning courses constitute and are constituted by the regulative discourse of the field. While the constraints of the field are powerful, this project offers some hopeful signs of forms of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment that, at the very least, name and challenge these underlying value systems.
The big picture? Video and the representation of interaction
Authors: Plowman Lydia , Stephen Christine
Published: May 2008

Researchers who use video to record interactions usually need to translate the video data into another medium at some stage in order to facilitate its analysis and dissemination. This article considers some methodological issues that arise in this process by examining transcripts, diagrams and pictures as examples of different techniques for representing interaction. These examples are used to identify some general principles for the representation of data where video is the source material. The article presents an outline of guided interaction and this is used as a case for illustrating these principles in the context of young children, technology and adults in pre‐school settings. Although the article focuses on a specific study and solution, the principles are applicable in all cases where video is used as a source of data for the representation of interaction, whether or not it is technologically mediated.
Troubling criteria: A critical commentary on Furlong and Oancea's framework for assessing educational research
Authors: Hammersley Martyn
Published: May 2008

Furlong and Oancea's influential framework for assessing the products of applied and practice‐based educational inquiry raises some important issues about the criteria by which research should be judged. They begin by outlining the current significance of the issue, and some of the uncertainties surrounding the definition of applied and practice‐based inquiry. They then present four sets of criteria by which such research can be assessed, covering, in shorthand terms, epistemic, technical, practical and economic dimensions. The issue of assessment criteria has recently been highlighted by public criticism of the quality of educational research, by attempts to incorporate qualitative work into systematic reviews, as well as by the continuing disputes generated by major methodological divisions among qualitative researchers. In this article, several aspects of the framework offered by Furlong and Oancea are examined. To start with, there is a discussion of the mode of argument they employ, and of how they define ‘applied and practice‐based educational research’. It is argued that explicit justification is not presented for some key, and controversial, elements of the argument. One of these is the idea that a new social contract is required between educational researchers and the funders and non‐academic users of their work. The nature of the proposed contract is examined, through a discussion of to whom educational researchers should be accountable, how, and for what. It is argued that the typology of research offered by Furlong and Oancea is inadequate, and an alternative is proposed. The ways that the authors formulate the four sets of criteria by which research should be judged are also examined in some detail. It is suggested that there are potentially serious conflicts amongst these criteria, and that by no means all of them are appropriate standards in terms of which educational researchers, of any kind, should be held accountable.
Imaging appearance of parasitic infestations of the breast: a report of two cases and review of the literature
Authors: Sinha A. , Sharma R. , Kandpal H. , Seenu V. , Sharma M.
Published: May 2008

Parasitic infestations of the breast are uncommon. They may occur as a part of generalized disease, or present as primary breast infestations, making diagnosis difficult. Clinically, they are difficult to differentiate from the more common breast pathologies. However, imaging plays an important role, and different modalities often help distinguish and diagnose these rare conditions.
Comparison of conventional ultrasound and real-time spatial compound imaging in evaluation of patients with severe peyronie's disease
Authors: Bertolotto M. , Perrone R. , Bucci S. , Zappetti R. , Coss M.
Published: May 2008

Background: Real-time spatial compound imaging (C-US) is an ultrasound (US) method which effectively reduces image artifacts and noise. In contrast to conventional techniques, multiple frames are acquired from different viewing angles and combined to form a single compound image.

Purpose: To evaluate whether C-US improves ultrasound evaluation of patients with severe Peyronie's disease.

Material and Methods: 60 consecutive patients with severe Peyronie's disease underwent conventional US and C-US after intracavernous prostaglandin E1 injection. Corresponding images of the same scan plane were obtained with both methods, and subjective image quality was scored retrospectively using a four-point scale by two blinded readers with different experience in penile imaging. Readers focused on evaluation of the tunica albuginea, plaques, involvement of the penile septum, and overall image quality. Also, presence of large albugineal calcifications or microcalcifications was considered. To assess intrareader agreement, both readers repeated evaluation after a 1-month interval. Statistical analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and McNemar test. Weighted κ values were calculated to assess intra- and inter-reader agreement.

Results: Average scores were significantly higher for reader 1 ( P<0.001). Both readers rated C-US better ( P<0.001) than conventional US. Despite higher image quality scores, C-US was as effective as conventional grayscale US in assessing involvement of the penile septum. No differences were found between the two methods for visualization of large calcifications, while microcalcifications were better visible with compound imaging. Intrareader agreement was higher for the more experienced reader 1.

Conclusion: C-US is subjectively superior to conventional US in evaluating patients with severe Peyronie's disease.