bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Excitonic absorption spectra and ultrafast dephasing dynamics in arbitrary carbon nanotubes
Authors: Malic Ermin , Hirtschulz Matthias , Reich Stephanie , Knorr Andreas
Published: July 2009

We illustrate the potential of the density matrix theory for investigation of optical properties of arbitrary single‐walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs). We have performed microscopic calculations of excitonic absorption spectra for CNTs of different chiral angles and diameters. The obtained results are in good agreement with experiments, in particular the excitonic binding energies match well both experiments and ab initio calculations. Furthermore, we show the strength of our approach by presenting calculations of the ultrafast Coulomb driven non‐equilibrium dynamics in CNTs. We find excitation induced dephasing on the picosecond time scale depending on the excitation strength. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Oxidation of bovine serum albumin: identification of oxidation products and structural modifications
Authors: Guedes Sofia , Vitorino Rui , Domingues Rosário , Amado Francisco , Domingues Pedro
Published: July 2009

Albumin is an important plasma antioxidant protein, contributing to protecting mechanisms of cellular and regulatory long‐lived proteins. The metal‐catalyzed oxidation (MCO) of proteins plays an important role during oxidative stress. In this study, we examine the oxidative modification of albumin using an MCO in vitro system. Mass spectrometry, combined with off‐line nano‐liquid chromatography, was used to identify modifications in amino acid residues. We have found 106 different residues oxidatively damaged, being the main oxidized residues lysines, cysteines, arginines, prolines, histidines and tyrosines. Besides protein hydroxyl derivatives and oxygen additions, we detected other modifications such as deamidations, carbamylations and specific amino acid oxidative modifications. The oxidative damage preferentially affects particular subdomains of the protein at different time‐points. Results suggest the oxidative damage occurs first in exposed regions near cysteine disulfide bridges with residues like methionine, tryptophan, lysine, arginine, tyrosine and proline appearing as oxidatively modified. The damage extended afterwards with further oxidation of cysteine residues involved in disulfide bridges and other residues like histidine, phenylalanine and aspartic acid. The time‐course evaluation also shows the number of oxidized residues does not increase linearly, suggesting that oxidative unfolding of albumin occurs through a step‐ladder mechanism. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Electron ionization mass spectrometry of the ryanodine receptor‐based Ca2+‐channel stabilizer S‐107 and its implementation into routine doping control
Authors: Thevis Mario , Beuck Simon , Thomas Andreas , Fußhöller Gregor , Sigmund Gerg , Schlörer Nils , Rodchenkov Grigory , Schäfer Mathias , Schänzer Wilhelm
Published: July 2009

New insights into the biochemistry of cardiac arrhythmia and skeletal muscle fatigue have yielded new drug candidates to counteract these phenomena. Major biological targets have become ryanodine receptor (RyR)‐based Ca2+‐release channels, which tend to ‘leak’ under various circumstances including strenuous exercise and, thus, cause aberrant calcium sparks that entail impaired muscle function. Therapeutics, which are referred to as rycals, are currently being developed to treat cardiac arrhythmia via enhancement of calstabin‐ryanodine affinities that causes a stabilization of the RyR. These therapeutics possess potential for misuse in sports, and an early implementation of target analytes such as the benzothiazepine derivatives S‐107 and JTV‐519 or putative metabolites into doping control screening procedures is recommended. Reference compounds, deuterated analogues, and a putative metabolic product were synthesized, and electron ionization mass spectra of these products were studied and dissociation pathways elucidated by means of tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and accurate mass measurements. The characterized analytes were incorporated into existing sports drug testing assays based on liquid‐liquid extraction and subsequent gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis, and specificity, lower limit of detection (4–6 ng/mL), intraday and interday precision (1.5–17.2%), as well as recovery (63–66%) were determined. The established procedure proved suitable for routine doping control analysis to detect a potential misuse of the drug candidate S‐107 in elite sport. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Secure prophet address allocation for MANETs
Authors: Zhou Hongbo , Mutka Matt W. , Ni Lionel M.
Published: July 2009

A mobile node in a MANET must be assigned a free IP address before it may participate in unicast communications. This is a fundamental and difficult problem in the practical application of any MANET. There have been several solutions proposed, among which prophet address allocation outperforms others in terms of communication overhead, latency, and scalability. However, none of the approaches can survive attacks in an insecure environment. Although there are a few secure autoconfiguration schemes proposed, they all have some disadvantages. Based on studies of insecure scenarios, attack schemes, and our previous work, a secure autoconfiguration algorithm, namely secure prophet address allocation, is proposed in the paper. The proposed approach is able to maintain uniqueness of address assignment in the presence of IP spoofing attacks, [state pollution] attacks, and Sybil attacks. The invulnerability of the scheme is supported by both theoretical analysis and simulation results. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
What really is alliance management capability and how does it impact alliance outcomes and success?
Authors: Schreiner Melanie , Kale Prashant , Corsten Daniel
Published: July 2009

Strategy scholars have asserted that a firm's alliance capability provides competitive advantage. As interest in alliance capability has grown, we see two streams of research emerge that address different, but equally important, issues related to this subject: one stream that focuses on how alliance capability develops in firms, and a second stream that investigates what elements specifically constitute a firm's alliance capability. In recent literature, the question of how firms develop alliance capability has received greater attention than the question of what elements actually comprise it; therefore, in this study we address the latter issue in great depth. We do this by building on prior research and on our fieldwork, to conceptualize alliance management capability as a multidimensional construct that comprises three distinct but related aspects or skills to address the following aspects in managing a given individual alliance after it is up and running: coordination, communication, and bonding. We then test our conceptualization in a framework that also links this capability to relevant outcomes at the alliance and firm level. We use survey and secondary data from a large sample of interfirm relationships between software service providers and three major global software vendors. We find general empirical support for our conceptualization of alliance management capability and for its predictive validity in impacting certain alliance outcomes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Contingencies within dynamic managerial capabilities: interdependent effects of resource investment and deployment on firm performance
Authors: Sirmon David G. , Hitt Michael A.
Published: July 2009

Dynamic managerial capabilities focus on managers' resource‐related decisions. Asset orchestration, a central component of dynamic managerial capabilities and of resource management, highlights the importance of integrating (matching) resource investment and deployment decisions. Building on these recent theoretical advances, we examine the contingent nature of resource investment and deployment decisions. The results, based on a sample of banking firms, indicate that firm performance suffers when managers' investment decisions deviate from the norms of rivals for both human and physical capital. However, when deployment decisions support investment decisions, greater investment deviation, both high and low, generally enhances performance. Specifically, firm performance is optimized by making congruent resource investment and deployment decisions as opposed to maximizing or economizing either decision independently. Therefore, resource management via asset orchestration is vital for superior performance. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Learning progressions: Aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment
Authors: Duncan Ravit Golan , Hmelo‐Silver Cindy E.
Published: July 2009

Scholarship on learning progressions (LPs) in science has emerged over the past 5 years, with the first comprehensive descriptions of LPs, on the nature of matter and evolution, published as commissioned reports (Catley, Lehrer, & Reiser, 2005; Smith, Wiser, Anderson, & Krajcik, 2006). Several recent policy reports have advocated for the use of LPs as a means of aligning standards, curriculum, and assessment (National Research Council [NRC], 2005, 2007). In some ways, LPs are not a new idea; developmental psychologists have long been examining the development of childrens' ideas over time in several scientific domains. However, the emerging research offers renewed interest, a new perspective, and potentially new applications for this construct. For these reasons, this special issue of theJournal for Research in Science Teachingis timely. Our goal in this introduction is to explain the motivation for developing LPs, propose a consensual definition of LPs, describe the ways in which these constructs are being developed and validated, and finally, discuss some of the unresolved questions regarding this emerging scholarship. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 46: 606–609, 2009
Acute toxicity of two CdSe/ZnSe quantum dots with different surface coating in Daphnia magna under various light conditions
Authors: Lee Jiyoun , Ji Kyunghee , Kim Jungkon , Park Chansik , Lim Kook Hee , Yoon Tae Hyun , Choi Kyungho
Published: July 2009

With an increasing use of quantum dots (QDs) in many applications, their potential hazard is of growing concern. However, little is known about their ecotoxicity, especially in vivo. In the present study, we employed freshwater macroinvertebrate, Daphnia magna, to evaluate toxicity characteristics of cadmium selenide/zinc selenide (CdSe/ZnSe) in relation to surface coatings, e.g., mercaptopropionic acid QD (MPAQD), and gum arabic/tri‐n‐octylphosphine oxide QD (GA/TOPOQD), and light conditions, i.e., dark, fluorescent light, environmental level of ultraviolet (UV) light, and sunlight. The results of the present study showed that D. magna was more susceptible to GA/TOPOQD exposure compared to MPAQD. The surface coating of QD appeared to determine the stability of QDs and hence the toxicity, potentially by size change of or the release of toxic components from QDs. However, GA/TOPOQD was still less toxic than the equivalent level of CdCl2. The toxicity of all the tested compounds increased by changing the light condition from dark to white fluorescence to UV‐B light, and to natural sunlight. The effect of light condition on QDs toxicity could also be explained by photostability of the QDs, which would affect size of the particle, release of toxic component ions, and generation of reactive oxygen species. Considering increasing use of QDs in various applications, their environmental fates and corresponding toxic potentials deserve further investigation. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 25: 593–600, 2010.
Two Polynuclear CdII Complexes Containing Different Water Clusters
Authors: Han Guang‐Xi , Ji Jian‐Wei , Ma Yi , Han Zheng‐Bo
Published: July 2009

Two polynuclear complexes, [Cd4(pydc)4(TATP)4(H2O)2]·12H2O (1) and [Cd3(pydc)3(bpy)3(H2O)2]·9H2O (2) (pydc = pyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxylate, TATP = 1,4,8,9‐tetranitrogen‐trisphene, bpy = 2,2′‐bipyridine), were synthesized from hydrothermal reactions of Cd(NO3)2·6H2O, H2pydc with TATP or bpy under base conditions. All CdII atoms are heptacoordinate in severely distorted pentagonal‐bipyramidal arrangements. The pydc ligands coordinate in diverging modes, which causes different cluster numbers for the two complexes. The most interesting feature in the two complexes is that there exist water clusters in the host voids.
Local adaptations of larvae of the butterfly Pieris napi to physical and physiological traits of two Arabis plants (Cruciferae)
Authors: Ohata Masaaki , Furumoto Atsuko , Ohsaki Naota
Published: July 2009

Herbivorous insects are expected to adapt to the defensive traits of local host plants. Using two closely related plants, we showed that herbivorous insects of the same species vary their adaptations according to the different traits of each of their local host plants. The leaves of the cruciferous plant Arabis flagellosa are tougher and more difficult to digest for larvae of the butterfly Pieris napi than are A. gemmifera leaves. When given A. flagellosa leaves, hatchlings from A. flagellosa fed on and ingested the leaves faster than those from A. gemmifera. Although the C/N ratios of both Arabis plants were very similar, A. gemmifera leaves were of lower intrinsic quality for larval development and were more difficult to convert to biomass than were A. flagellosa leaves. However, when A. gemmifera leaves were given, P. napi larvae originating from A. gemmifera had higher survival rates and shorter development times than did larvae originating from A. flagellosa. In addition, larvae from A. gemmifera were better able to convert leaves than were larvae from A. flagellosa. These results suggest that A. flagellosa leaves are more physically but less physiologically defended, whereas the reverse is true of A. gemmifera, and suggest that P. napi larvae adapt to the defensive traits of local host plants.
Moral identity and psychological distance: The case of adolescent parental socialization
Authors: Hardy Sam A. , Bhattacharjee Amit , Reed Americus , Aquino Karl
Published: July 2009

A mediation model using a sample of 1059 adolescents (56% girls; M age = 16.02, SD = 1.37) tested relations between parenting, adolescent moral identity, and the formation of psychological distance towards others. In short, adolescent moral identity mediated relations between parenting and the ways in which adolescents oriented others in their psychological space. Specifically, adolescent‐report parenting style dimensions (responsiveness, autonomy‐granting, and demandingness) were positively related to the formation of both private and public moral identity dimensions (internalization and symbolization), which were in turn associated with a tendency to construct psychological distance towards others (negatively with social dominance orientation and positively with the circle of moral regard). Therefore, one way parents may be able to influence how adolescents relate to their peers is by fostering a sense of moral identity in their children through authoritative parenting.
What parents don't know and how it may affect their children: Qualifying the disclosure–adjustment link
Authors: Frijns Tom , Keijsers Loes , Branje Susan , Meeus Wim
Published: July 2009

Recent research has identified adolescent disclosure to parents as a powerful predictor of adolescent adjustment. We propose, however, that the common operationalization of adolescent disclosure incorporates the two separate constructs of disclosure and secrecy, and predicted that the disclosure–adjustment link can largely be explained by the unique contribution of secrecy from parents. A four‐wave survey study among 309 adolescents tested these predictions. Factor analyses confirmed that disclosure and secrecy should be distinguished as two separate constructs. Moreover, in cross‐lagged path analyses, only secrecy was a longitudinal predictor of adolescent internalizing (i.e., depression) and externalizing (i.e., delinquency) problems, disclosure was not. Secrecy consistently contributed to the longitudinal prediction of delinquency from early to middle adolescence, whereas it contributed to the prediction of depression only in early adolescence. Findings thus attest the importance of distinguishing between disclosure and secrecy and suggest that the disclosure–adjustment link may actually reflect a secrecy‐maladjustment link.
Emphysematous Pyelonephritis Successfully Treated with Laparoscopic Nephrectomy
Authors: Royle Justine , Williamson Rachel , Strachan Mark , O'Donnell Marie , Jackson Simon , Argryopoulos Thanos , McNeill Alan
Published: July 2009

Emphysematous pyelonephritis is a severe life-threatening infection which continues to carry significant morbidity and mortality. We present a case recently managed at our institution by laparoscopic nephrectomy. The patient survived, and in comparison to some of the more conventionally managed patients in the literature, made an extremely speedy recovery. We would advocate this option to be seriously considered when patients are suitable and appropriately trained surgeons are available.
ECT practice and psychiatrists’ attitudes towards ECT in the Chuvash Republic of the Russian Federation
Authors: Golenkov A. , Ungvari G.S. , Gazdag G.
Published: July 2009

The practice of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and the attitudes of psychiatrists towards ECT in the Chuvash Republic are described. A significant proportion of Chuvash psychiatrists had a patchy knowledge about ECT and held negative attitudes towards the treatment. Enhancing the knowledge about ECT and changing negative attitudes will require persistent educational efforts.
THE DECAY OF THE WALSH COEFFICIENTS OF SMOOTH FUNCTIONS
Authors: DICK JOSEF
Published: July 2009

We give upper bounds on the Walsh coefficients of functions for which the derivative of order at least one has bounded variation of fractional order. Further, we also consider the Walsh coefficients of functions in periodic and nonperiodic reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces. A lower bound which shows that our results are best possible is also shown.
ELEMENTARY PROOFS OF PARITY RESULTS FOR 5-REGULAR PARTITIONS
Authors: HIRSCHHORN MICHAEL D. , SELLERS JAMES A.
Published: July 2009

In a recent paper, Calkin et al. [N. Calkin, N. Drake, K. James, S. Law, P. Lee, D. Penniston and J. Radder, ‘Divisibility properties of the 5-regular and 13-regular partition functions’, Integers8 (2008), #A60] used the theory of modular forms to examine 5-regular partitions modulo 2 and 13-regular partitions modulo 2 and 3; they obtained and conjectured various results. In this note, we use nothing more than Jacobi’s triple product identity to obtain results for 5-regular partitions that are stronger than those obtained by Calkin and his collaborators. We find infinitely many Ramanujan-type congruences for b5(n), and we prove the striking result that the number of 5-regular partitions of the number n is even for at least 75% of the positive integers n.
THE FILLED INELASTIC MEMBRANE: A SET OF CHALLENGING PROBLEMS IN THE CALCULUS OF VARIATIONS
Authors: DEAKIN MICHAEL A. B.
Published: July 2009

In a wide variety of related problems, a flexible but inextensible membrane is filled to capacity with incompressible fluid. In all such cases, the resulting shape satisfies a set of three simultaneous partial differential equations. At present there are no known solutions of any generality, and the main aim of this paper is to formulate the partial differential equations with a view to stimulating further interest in this important class of problems.
Synergy between chemical and biological control in the IPM of currant-lettuce aphid (Nasonovia ribisnigri) in Canterbury, New Zealand
Authors: Fagan L.L. , McLachlan A. , Till C.M. , Walker M.K.
Published: July 2009

Field trials were conducted at four Canterbury, New Zealand locations in 2005–06 to determine if the synergistic effects of biological control by natural enemies and standard drenching techniques controlled lettuce aphid populations throughout the entire growing season. Chemical usage significantly lowered aphid densities in the outer, wrapper and heart leaves compared to control plants at most times. However, in mid-summer, natural enemies, such as the brown lacewing (Micromus tasmaniae), 11-spotted ladybird beetle (Coccinella undecimpunctata) and small hoverfly larvae (Melanostoma fasciatum), were more than sufficient to control lettuce aphids without the use of insecticides. Drenching, in addition to natural enemy attack, appears to be required in early spring and late summer to maintain very low levels of lettuce aphid. Given the potential for imidacloprid resistance to develop, it may be advisable to restrict drenches to these key periods in order to allow populations of natural enemies to maintain control of prey populations. We recommend industry support the validation of action thresholds across different regions within New Zealand and focus on the seasonal biology of predators to assist growers with the sustainable long-term control of lettuce aphids. The inclusion of additional data into an economic model to compare pest damage with predator loading would be useful for growers in managing aphid problems. These results will assist in the continued improvement and development of a sustainable IPM strategy for lettuce aphids in New Zealand and elsewhere.
Ecostratigraphical interpretation of lower Middle Ordovician East Baltic sections based on brachiopods
Authors: RASMUSSEN CHRISTIAN M. Ø. , NIELSEN ARNE T. , HARPER DAVID A. T.
Published: July 2009

A detailed ecostratigraphical framework is established for the lower Middle Ordovician Kundan regional stage of the East Baltic area corresponding to theAsaphus expansus,A. ranicepsandA. eichwalditrilobite zones (lower Darriwilian). The study is based on approximately 6200 brachiopods collected bed by bed from limestone sections in northern Estonia (Harku Trench and Saka) and western Russia (Putilovo Quarry, Lava River canyon and Lynna River valley) with, in addition, the first detailed systematic assessment of the Kundan brachiopods of the East Baltic. These sections represent an oblique depth transect some 400 kilometres long, deepening eastwards. Five biofacies associations have been recognized using detrended correspondence and cluster analyses: a shallow-waterLycophoriaassociation, a transitionalGonambonitesassociation and two deeper-water associations, the soft-substrateOrthis callactisand the hard-substrateOrthambonitesassociations. A separate, fifth soft-substrate association is present in the marl beds at the main locality of Putilovo Quarry. The associations reflect a combination of palaeo-water depth and substrate. The biofacies facilitate an ecostratigraphical correlation along the transect, and third and fourth order sea-level curves are reconstructed, reflecting mainly eustasy. The sea-level was relatively low, early in the Kundan, but then rose significantly into theA. ranicepsBiozone. This corroborates the recent discovery of possible small early Darriwilian ice caps on Gondwana.
First finds of problematic Ediacaran fossilGaojiashaniain Siberia and its origin
Authors: ZHURAVLEV ANDREY YU. , VINTANED JOSÉ ANTONIO GÁMEZ , IVANTSOV ANDREY YU.
Published: July 2009

We describe the first occurrence of the problematic fossilGaojiashaniaoutside China, in the Ediacaran Yudoma Group of the Siberian Platform. In both areas,Gaojiashaniacharacterizes the lower upper Ediacaran strata and precedes the appearance ofCloudinaand other skeletal fossils, which highlights its significance for the Ediacaran subdivision and correlation. Features of this fossil such as indeterminate length, the absence of a distinct growth pattern, and self-avoiding behaviour indicate its trace fossil origin but do not necessarily imply metazoan affinities for its producers. Several organisms including stem-group social amoebozoans and unicellular protists may have been Proterozoic trace fossil producers.
Term Structure, Inflation, and Real Activity
Authors: Berardi Andrea
Published: July 2009

This paper estimates an internally consistent structural model that imposes cross-sectional restrictions on the dynamics of the term structure of interest rates, inflation, and output growth. Distinct from previous term structure settings, this model introduces both time-varying central tendencies and a stochastic conditional mean of output growth. The estimation of the model, which is based on U.S. data over a 1960 to 2005 sample period, provides reliable estimates for the implicit term structures of real interest rates, expected inflation rates, and inflation risk premia, as well as for expectations of macroeconomic variables. The model has better out-of-sample forecasting properties than a number of alternative models, and it contradicts the puzzling evidence that during the “Great Moderation” in inflation subsequent to the mid-1980s, the forecasting ability of structural models deteriorated with respect to atheoretic statistical models.
Duddingtonia flagrans,Monacrosporium thaumasiumandPochonia chlamydosporiaas possible biological control agentsof Oxyuris equiandAustroxyuris finlaysoni
Authors: Braga F.R. , Araújo J.V. , Silva A.R. , Araujo J.M. , Carvalho R.O. , Campos A.K. , Tavela A.O. , Ferreira S.R. , Frassy L.N. , Alves C.D.F.
Published: July 2009

The action of four fungal isolates of the speciesDuddingtonia flagrans(AC001),Monacrosporium thaumasium(NF34a) andPochonia chlamydosporia(VC1 and VC4) on eggs ofOxyuris equiandAustroxyuris finlaysoniwas evaluated in two assays (A and B). Eggs ofO. equi(Test A) andA. finlaysoni(Test B) were plated on Petri dishes with 2% water-agar with grown fungal isolates and control without fungus. After 5, 10 and 15 days, 100 eggs were collected and classified according to the following parameters: type 1 effect, physiological and biochemical effect without morphological damage to the eggshell; type 2 effect, lytic effect with morphological alteration of the eggshell and embryo; and type 3 effect, lytic effect with morphological alteration of the eggshell and embryo, hyphal penetration and internal egg colonization.Pochonia chlamydosporiaisolates VC1 and VC4 showed ovicidal activity for type 1, 2 and 3 effects on eggs ofO. equiand eggs ofA. finlaysoni.In vitroassays A and B showed thatP. chlamydosporiahad a negative influence on eggs ofO. equiandA. finlaysoniand can be considered as a potential biological control agent of nematodes.
The relationship between the atmospheric variability and productivity in the Adriatic Sea area
Authors: Grbec Branka , Morović Mira , Beg Paklar Gordana , Kušpilić Grozdan , Matijević Slavica , Matić Frano , Gladan Živana Ninčević
Published: July 2009

Interannual variability of the primary production in the middle Adriatic Sea for the period 1961–2002 was examined and correlated to the various atmospheric and oceanographic parameters. The sequentialt-test analysis of regime shift (STARS) method and locally-weighted scatter plot smoothing (LOWESS) method were applied to the primary production, revealing the new regime with significantly different mean productivity ranging from 1980–1996. Moreover, this period with the highest primary production, consists of the two distinguished sub-periods: periods of increasing (1980–1986) and decreasing (1987–1996) primary production. Whereas in the first period the ecosystem was under the influence of warmer and nutrient richer Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) intrusions into the Adriatic, in the second period, which started with a cold winter in 1987, the Eastern Mediterranean Transient (EMT) occurred. The EMT established a new circulation regime which prevented the LIW intrusions in the Adriatic, causing its reduced productivity. Reduced LIW inflow in the Adriatic was evidenced in the lower than normal sea temperature, salinity and oxygen concentrations below the thermocline depth. Precipitation and wind regime also arose as important local factors for the primary production variability. Our analysis connected the shifts in primary production with hemispheric and regional scale climate variations, and supports the hypothesis that atmospheric variability can trigger the ecosystem changes.
Schistosoma kisumuensisn. sp. (Digenea: Schistosomatidae) from murid rodents in the Lake Victoria Basin, Kenya and its phylogenetic position within theS. haematobiumspecies group
Authors: HANELT B. , BRANT S. V. , STEINAUER M. L. , MAINA G. M. , KINUTHIA J. M. , AGOLA L. E. , MWANGI I. N. , MUNGAI B. N. , MUTUKU M. W. , MKOJI G. M. , LOKER E. S.
Published: July 2009

Schistosoma kisumuensisn. sp. is described based on 6 adult males and 2 adult females collected from the circulatory system of 3 murid rodent species,Pelomys isseli, Mastomys natalensis, andDasymys incomtus. Specimens were collected from a single location, Nyabera Swamp, in Kisumu, Kenya in the Lake Victoria Basin. This new species is morphologically similar to members of theS. haematobiumgroup, currently represented by 8 species parasitizing artiodactyls and primates, including humans.Schistosoma kisumuensisdiffers from these species by producing relatively smallSchistosoma intercalatum-like eggs (135·2×52·9 μm) with a relatively small length to width ratio (2·55). Comparison of approximately 3000-base-pair sequences of nuclear rDNA (partial 28S) and mtDNA (partialcox1,nad6, 12S) strongly supports the status ofS. kisumuensisas a new species and as a sister species ofS. intercalatum. Thecox1 genetic distance between these two species (6·3%) is comparable to other pairwise comparisons within theS. haematobiumgroup. Separation of the Congo River and Lake Victoria drainage basins is discussed as a possible factor favoring the origin of this species.
The effect of COMT, BDNF, 5-HTT, NRG1 and DTNBP1 genes on hippocampal and lateral ventricular volume in psychosis
Authors: Dutt A. , McDonald C. , Dempster E. , Prata D. , Shaikh M. , Williams I. , Schulze K. , Marshall N. , Walshe M. , Allin M. , Collier D. , Murray R. , Bramon E.
Published: July 2009

Background

Morphometric endophenotypes which have been proposed for psychotic disorders include lateral ventricular enlargement and hippocampal volume reductions. Genetic epidemiological studies support an overlap between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and COMT, BDNF, 5-HTT, NRG1 and DTNBP1 genes have been implicated in the aetiology of both these disorders. This study examined associations between these candidate genes and morphometric endophenotypes for psychosis.

Method

A total of 383 subjects (128 patients with psychosis, 194 of their unaffected relatives and 61 healthy controls) from the Maudsley Family Psychosis Study underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging and genotyping. The effect of candidate genes on brain morphometry was examined using linear regression models adjusting for clinical group, age, sex and correlations between members of the same family.

Results

The results showed no evidence of association between variation in COMT genotype and lateral ventricular, and left or right hippocampal volumes. Neither was there any effect of the BDNF, 5-HTTLPR, NRG1 and DTNBP1 genotypes on these regional brain volumes.

Conclusions

Abnormal hippocampal and lateral ventricular volumes are among the most replicated endophenotypes for psychosis; however, the influences of COMT, BDNF, 5-HTT, NRG1 and DTNBP1 genes on these key brain regions must be very subtle if at all present.
Inhibition of thoughts and actions in obsessive-compulsive disorder: extending the endophenotype?
Authors: Morein-Zamir S. , Fineberg N. A. , Robbins T. W. , Sahakian B. J.
Published: July 2009

Background

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been associated with impairments in stop-signal inhibition, a measure of motor response suppression. The study used a novel paradigm to examine both thought suppression and response inhibition in OCD, where the modulatory effects of stimuli relevant to OCD could also be assessed. Additionally, the study compared inhibitory impairments in OCD patients with and without co-morbid depression, as depression is the major co-morbidity of OCD.

Method

Volitional response suppression and unintentional thought suppression to emotive and neutral stimuli were examined using a novel thought stop-signal task. The thought stop-signal task was administered to non-depressed OCD patients, depressed OCD patients and healthy controls (n=20 per group).

Results

Motor inhibition impairments were evident in OCD patients, while motor response performance did not differ between patients and controls. Switching to a new response but not motor inhibition was affected by stimulus relevance in OCD patients. Additionally, unintentional thought suppression as measured by repetition priming was intact. OCD patients with and without depression did not differ on any task performance measures, though there were significant differences in all self-reported measures.

Conclusions

Results support motor inhibition deficits in OCD that remain stable regardless of stimulus meaning or co-morbid depression. Only switching to a new response was influenced by stimulus meaning. When response inhibition was successful in OCD patients, so was the unintentional suppression of the accompanying thought.
Randomized trial of reattribution on psychosocial talk between doctors and patients with medically unexplained symptoms
Authors: Morriss R. , Gask L. , Dowrick C. , Dunn G. , Peters S. , Ring A. , Davies J. , Salmon P.
Published: July 2009

Background

In reattribution, general practitioners (GPs) request psychosocial information directly and explain medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) using psychosocial information in the consultation. We explored whether reattribution training (RT) increased the communication of psychosocial information and decreased communication about somatic intervention between GPs and their MUS patients.

Method

A cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) of RT versus usual treatment in GPs from 16 practices and 141 patients with MUS on audio-recorded and transcribed doctor–patient communication in an index consultation. In a secondary data analysis, the Liverpool Clinical Interaction Analysis Scheme (LCIAS) was applied by an experienced rater to each turn of speech in the transcript from the index consultation blind to treatment allocation.

Results

After RT, patients were more likely to disclose and discuss psychosocial problems, and propose psychosocial explanations for symptoms; around 25% of patients discussed psychosocial information extensively. In the RT group, GPs did not seek new psychosocial disclosure but they reduced advocacy for somatic intervention. After RT, GPs suggested, on average, two utterances of psychosocial explanation and six utterances of somatic intervention.

Conclusions

After RT, some patients discussed psychosocial issues extensively but GPs did not probe underlying psychosocial issues. They gave mixed psychosocial and somatic messages about MUS, which may have increased patients' concerns about their health. GPs should actively seek the disclosure of underlying psychosocial problems and give clear, unambiguous messages to MUS patients when they are willing to discuss psychosocial issues.
Segmental distribution patterns of English infant- and adult-directed speech
Authors: LEE SUE ANN S. , DAVIS BARBARA L.
Published: July 2009

This study compared segmental distribution patterns for consonants and vowels in English infant-directed speech (IDS) and adult-directed speech (ADS). A previous study of Korean indicated that segmental patterns of IDS differed from ADS patterns (Lee, Davis & MacNeilage, 2008). The aim of the current study was to determine whether such differences in Korean are universal or language-specific. Results indicate that consonant distribution patterns of English IDS were significantly different from English ADS. Speakers who used IDS produced fewer fricatives, affricates, nasals and liquids, but more stops and glides, than speakers who used ADS. In terms of vowels, IDS speakers produced more high-back vowels /u Ʊ/ and /ɔI/ diphthongs than ADS speakers. These results indicate both general trends and language-specific segmental distribution patterns in IDS. When compared to previous findings on ADS and IDS in Korean, these results for English give support to a more general assertion that segmental distribution patterns in IDS seem to be mediated by linguistic and cultural factors across languages.
The past and future of geriatric day hospitals
Authors: Beynon JH , Padiachy D
Published: July 2009

The status of the geriatric day hospital within the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK has changed significantly over the past fifty years. We conducted a literature review starting from the inception of the geriatric day hospital, when it was viewed as the ‘shop front for geriatric services’ and was subsequently replicated in many western health systems, to the present uncertainty surrounding the model in terms of outcomes and cost effectiveness. The article also highlights the input of the Royal College of Physicians and the British Geriatric Society to the management and development of day hospitals. The geriatric day hospital has become one of the many service models under the umbrella of intermediate care services, offering comprehensive geriatric assessment and care to older people in the community. However, with the current practices of commissioning of services and ‘payment by results’, the future of this precious health resource remains uncertain.
Two-dimensional models of type theory
Authors: GARNER RICHARD
Published: July 2009

We describe a non-extensional variant of Martin-Löf type theory, which we call two-dimensional type theory, and equip it with a sound and complete semantics valued in 2-categories.
Differential item functioning of the Boston Naming Test in cognitively normal African American and Caucasian older adults
Authors: PEDRAZA OTTO , GRAFF-RADFORD NEILL R. , SMITH GLENN E. , IVNIK ROBERT J. , WILLIS FLOYD B. , PETERSEN RONALD C. , LUCAS JOHN A.
Published: July 2009

Scores on the Boston Naming Test (BNT) are frequently lower for African American when compared with Caucasian adults. Although demographically based norms can mitigate the impact of this discrepancy on the likelihood of erroneous diagnostic impressions, a growing consensus suggests that group norms do not sufficiently address or advance our understanding of the underlying psychometric and sociocultural factors that lead to between-group score discrepancies. Using item response theory and methods to detect differential item functioning (DIF), the current investigation moves beyond comparisons of the summed total score to examine whether the conditional probability of responding correctly to individual BNT items differs between African American and Caucasian adults. Participants included 670 adults age 52 and older who took part in Mayo’s Older Americans and Older African Americans Normative Studies. Under a two-parameter logistic item response theory framework and after correction for the false discovery rate, 12 items where shown to demonstrate DIF. Of these 12 items, 6 (“dominoes,” “escalator,” “muzzle,” “latch,” “tripod,” and “palette”) were also identified in additional analyses using hierarchical logistic regression models and represent the strongest evidence for race/ethnicity-based DIF. These findings afford a finer characterization of the psychometric properties of the BNT and expand our understanding of between-group performance. (JINS, 2009,15, 758–768.)
Special issue on Re-evaluating the Celtic hypothesis
Authors: FILPPULA MARKKU , KLEMOLA JUHANI
Published: July 2009

Present-day historians of English are widely agreed that, throughout its recorded history, the English language has absorbed linguistic influences from other languages, most notably Latin, Scandinavian, and French. What may give rise to differing views is the nature and extent of these influences, not the existence of them. Against the backdrop of this unanimity, it seems remarkable that there is one group of languages for which no such consensus exists, despite a close coexistence between English and these languages in the British Isles spanning more than one and a half millennia. This group is, of course, the Insular Celtic languages, comprising the Brittonic subgroup of Welsh and Cornish and the Goidelic one comprising Irish, Manx, and Scottish Gaelic. The standard wisdom, repeated in textbooks on the history of English such as Baugh and Cable (1993), Pyles & Algeo (1993), and Strang (1970), holds that contact influences from Celtic have always been minimal and are mainly limited to Celtic-origin place names and river names and a mere handful of other words. Thus, Baugh & Cable (1993: 85) state that ‘outside of place-names the influence of Celtic upon the English language is almost negligible’; in a similar vein, Strang (1970) writes that ‘the extensive influence of Celtic can only be traced in place-names’ (1970: 391).
Standard Average European and the Celticity of English intensifiers and reflexives: some considerations and implications
Authors: POPPE ERICH
Published: July 2009

My contribution explores the potential of Standard Average European (SAE) as a methodological yardstick for the assessment of the Celticity of Standard English (SE), i.e. the degree to which SE may have been influenced by Insular Celtic languages. SAE allows a quantification of the extent to which SE differs from other SAE languages and at the same time shows similarities with Insular Celtic languages which are generally thought to deviate from SAE. The concept of SAE will be introduced and a complex test case will be analyzed: the rise of identical reflexives and intensifiers and the frequency of ‘labile’ verbs, e.g.to breakboth intransitive and transitive, in English. Reflexives and intensifiers are identical in Insular Celtic, but separate categories in SAE. According to Haspelmath (1993), labile verbs are unusually frequent in English by SAE standards, and they are also very frequent in Insular Celtic. It will be shown that the frequency of labile verbs in SE and Insular Celtic results from the identity of reflexives and intensifiers in these languages. Since the frequency of labile verbs thus can be shown to be a typologically secondary phenomenon, it is the rise of the new system of identical reflexives and intensifiers in SE which is methodologically the relevant linguistic subsystem within the complex test case for which Insular Celtic influence can be proposed and which can be adduced as an argument in favor of the Celtic hypothesis. For the assessment of the Celtic hypothesis, it will therefore be rewarding to complement the initial comparison of SE and Insular Celtic with further data from SAE and general typology whenever the linguistic subsystems under scrutiny allows the inclusion of such data.
The rise ofit-clefting in English: areal-typological and contact-linguistic considerations
Authors: FILPPULA MARKKU
Published: July 2009

Recent areal and typological research has brought to light several syntactic features which English shares with the Celtic languages as well as some of its neighbouring western European languages, but not with (all of) its Germanic sister languages, especially German. This study focuses on one of them, viz. the so-calledit-cleft construction. What makes theit-cleft construction particularly interesting from an areal and typological point of view is the fact that, although it does not belong to the defining features of so-called Standard Average European (SAE), it has a strong presence in French, which is in the ‘nucleus’ of languages forming SAE alongside Dutch, German, and (northern dialects of) Italian. In German, however, clefting has remained a marginal option, not to mention most of the eastern European languages which hardly make use of clefting at all. This division in itself prompts the question of some kind of a historical-linguistic connection between the Celtic languages (both Insular and Continental), English, and French (or, more widely, Romance languages). Before tackling that question, one has to establish whetherit-clefting is part of Old (and Middle) English grammar, and if so, to what extent it is used in these periods. In the first part of this article (sections 2 and 3), I trace the emergence ofit-clefts on the basis of data fromThe York–Toronto–Helsinki Corpus of Old English ProseandThe Penn–Helsinki Parsed Corpus of Middle English, second edition. Having established the gradually increasing use ofit-clefts from OE to ME, I move on to discuss the areal distribution of clefting among European languages and its typological implications (section 4). This paves the way for a discussion of the possible role played by language contacts, and especially those with the Celtic languages, in the emergence ofit-clefting in English (section 5). It is argued that contacts with the Celtic languages provide the most plausible explanation for the development of this feature of English. This conclusion is supported by the chronological precedence of the cleft construction in the Celtic languages, its prominence in modern-period ‘Celtic Englishes’, and close parallels between English and the Celtic languages with respect to several other syntactic features.
Celtic influence in English? Yes and No
Authors: VENNEMANN THEO
Published: July 2009

Compared to GermanJaandNein, EnglishYesandNoare used less frequently, and often in combination with short sentences consisting of a pronoun and an auxiliary or modal verb:Yes I will;No I won't. When such a short sentence is used,YesandNomay be omitted:I will;I won't;I do;I don't;He can;They certainly won't. This difference in usage is established (1) by comparing the marriage vow in German and English, where the officiant's question is answered byJain German but byI willorI doin English; (2) by citing material from a practical grammar for German students of English; and (3) by studying the way Shakespeare has his figures answer decision questions, or Yes/No-questions, in comparison with Schlegel's way of rendering their answers in his German translation. Next it is shown that Shakespeare's way, which is essentially the same as modern usage, differs radically from earlier English usage up to Chaucer'sCanterbury Tales(1388–1400) andTroilus and Cresseide(1382–6) and the anonymousYork Plays(fourteenth century) andTowneley Plays(late fourteenth century), which all reflect the Germanic usage, essentially the same as in German. It is concluded that the modern English usage arose during the two centuries between Chaucer and Shakespeare, as a Late Middle English and Early Modern English innovation. As for the reason why English developed this un-Germanic way of answering decision questions, reference is made to Insular Celtic: decision questions are answered with short sentences in both Irish and Welsh, and this usage is old in both languages. The viability of this contact explanation is underlined by Irish English, whereYesandNoare used even less frequently than in Modern Standard English, and short sentences are the normal way of answering decision questions.