bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of process parameters on microhardness and microstructure of heat affected zone in submerged arc welding
Authors: Kumar P , Batish A , Bhattacharya A , Duvedi R K
Published: May 2011

The aim of the present work was to study the effect of flux, welding current, arc voltage, and travel speed on changes in microhardness and microstructure of the heat-affected zone (HAZ) and to optimize the process so that minimal changes occur in the material properties after completion of a submerged arc welding (SAW) process following suitable Taguchi experimental design. Micrographs of the welded samples were studied to analyse the changes in the microstructure of the material and the resultant changes in ferrite percentage, pearlite, bainite, and martensite formations. Welding current and type of flux were found to be the most significant factors leading to changes in microhardness and metallurgical properties. The microhardness tended to increase significantly with the increase of welding current from 350 to 450 Amp whereas higher hardness was observed when flux type I (basicity index 0.8) was used. Travel speed and arc voltage were found to be insignificant in relative comparison. Flux with basicity index of 0.8 showed a significantly higher microhardness compared to flux with basicity index of 1.6 (flux II). A higher amount of CaO and MgO present in flux II has a tendency to pick up carbon from steel workpiece, thus lowering the microhardness.
Speech delivered by Joaquim M. Puyal i Ortiga on the occasion of the award of his honorary degree
Authors: Puyal Joaquim Maria
Published: May 2011

This is the speech delivered by Joaquim Maria Puyal i Ortiga when, at the proposal of the Department of Communication, he was awarded an honorary degree by the Universitat Rovira i Virgili on 2 March 2010 in the university's auditorium. In the speech, he reflects on rhythm and tone
as communication tools. He makes particular reference to sports broadcasts but what he says is generally applicable to all forms of communication. He also makes an emotional review of his professional career as a journalist and media analyst.
The city as a site for interdisciplinary teaching and learning
Authors: Smith-Shank Deborah L , Soganci Ismail Ozgur
Published: May 2011

In this article, the authors make a case for using the city as a classroom, and through semiotic lenses, they reflect on the assignments and the outcomes of three courses they offered in diverse geographic locations. In these interdisciplinary courses they encouraged students to purposefully
explore aspects of their cities and reflect on them as multifaceted theatrical performances. The pedagogical intention is to facilitate their students' engagement with the city's identity in ways they normally would not consider.
Seven ways to talk about art: One conversation and seven questions for talking about art in early childhood settings
Authors: Bell David
Published: May 2011

This article establishes a rationale for learning about art in early childhood settings through rich conversational engagements with artworks that can inform lifelong dispositions and skills. It presents one exemplary conversational learning sequence provoked by a child's own interests
in a real early childhood setting. It suggests seven different questions as windows on artworks that can encourage different kinds of rich talking, feeling and thinking about the art objects that attract childrens' attention.
Questions before words An Educational Space, a Stimulating Space
Authors: Pardias Maria Jess Agra , Lema Jos Mara Mesas
Published: May 2011

An Educational Space, a Stimulating Space is a project by the Educational Sciences Faculty at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, which has been developed through the collaboration of university lecturers, the Galician Center of Contemporary Art and teachers. This project
poses the question: What do we understand by an educational space This question is posed in order to initiate a community work process that is formative, artistic and educational. This process is formative because it means a shared reflection upon the concept of public space as a shared
space. It is educational because it does not involve just the group class (90 students), but every faculty student and teacher in order to discover the different faculty building spaces. Working on educational spaces and how they are perceived, lived and used is a way of encouraging a
collective, intergenerational agreement to live together. And it is artistic because it highlights the need to experiment with teaching as a process of artistic creation in which we can understand and put into practice creativity as a tool of transformation into reality: liberating arts from
being a representation of things and transforming them into action, into direct, active participation. In this article, we propose educational photoactivism as a line of artistic action and research for teacher training. This approach is targeted to reflect on the situations
involved in teachers' work by means of the narrative, suggesting the power of photography. Educational photoactivism favours a type of spiral learning on the part of the trainee teachers, because there is a constant flow of ideas, hypotheses, opinions and photographic interpretations from
the teaching point of view.
Reviews
Authors: Buckley Brad , Haanstra Folkert
Published: May 2011

FROM FLOOR TO SKY: THE EXPERIENCE OF THE ART SCHOOL STUDIO AND THE TEACHING OF PETER KARDIA, RODERICK COYNE, HESTER WESTLEY, PETER KARDIA AND MALCOLM LE GRICE (2010)
London: A & C Black Publishing Limited, 192 pp., ISBN 978-408-11499-5, Hardback, 35.00

CHILDREN
& PICTURES. DRAWING AND UNDERSTANDING, RICHARD P. JOLLEY (2010) Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 377pp., ISBN 978-1-4051-0543-9, Hardback, 60.00/$72.00, ISBN 978-1-4051-05446, Paperback, 24.99/$30.00
Entwurf von Ausgangsrückführungen für nichtlineare Systeme mittels Sum-of-Squares-Programmierung
Authors: Bäuml Markus , Deutscher Joachim
Published: May 2011

Dieser Beitrag stellt den Entwurf von Ausgangsrückführungen für Systeme mit nicht-polynomialen Nichtlinearitäten mittels SOS-Programmierung vor. Dazu wird eine polynomiale Approximation des Systems durchgeführt und der zugehörige Approximationsfehler bestimmt. Diese Fehlerabschätzung wird im SOS-Programm benutzt, um eine stabilisierende Ausgangsrückführung und eine Lyapunov-Funktion so zu bestimmen, dass ein möglichst großer Einzugsbereich der Ruhelage der Regelung mit dem tatsächlichen System resultiert. Um auf die sich ergebende Regelkreisdynamik Einfluss zu nehmen, wird der lineare Anteil des Reglers vorgegeben, mit dem eine gewünschte Eigenwertverteilung für die Linearisierung des geregelten Systems eingestellt wird. Die für die Stabilisierbarkeit nötigte dynamische Ausgangsrückführung kann dabei durch Erweiterung des Systems um die Dynamik des Reglers auf den Entwurf eines statischen Reglers zurückgeführt werden. Anhand eines einfachen Beispiels wird die vorgestellte Entwurfsmethodik veranschaulicht.
Strukturelle und streng strukuturelle Steuerbarkeit: Übersicht und neue Ergebnisse
Authors: Svaricek Ferdinand , Jarczyk Jan Cristian , Alt Benedikt
Published: May 2011

Der Beitrag bietet einen Überblick über die Konzepte der strukturellen und streng strukturellen Steuerbarkeit von strukturierten linearen Systemen und diskutuiert einige neue Ergebnisse zur strengen strukturellen Steuerbarkeit. Ein System wird streng strukturell steuerbar genannt, wenn die Steuerbarkeitsbedingungen für beliebige von Null verschiedene Systemparameter erfüllt sind.
Struktur- und Parameteridentifikation mit Evolutionären Algorithmen
Authors: Braun Jan , Krettek Johannes , Hoffmann Frank , Bertram Torsten , Lausch Horst , Schoppel Georg
Published: May 2011

Modellierung und Identifikation dynamischer Systeme sind wichtige Aspekte der Regelungstechnik. Dieser Beitrag stellt einen Ansatz zur Optimierung von strukturvariablen Modellen dynamischer Systeme mit multikriteriellen evolutionären Algorithmen vor. Die Methode verwendet spezifische evolutionäre Operatoren zur simultanen Optimierung der Struktur eines Modells und ihrer Parameter. Basierend auf Ein- und Ausgangsdaten des realen Systems ermittelt die Strategie eine Menge von optimalen Modellen, die einen Kompromiss zwischen Qualität und Komplexität der Modellierung darstellen. Exemplarisch angewandt wird das Verfahren für die Identifikation eines künstlichen Testsystems sowie eines hydraulischen Proportionalventils und eines elastischen Roboterarms.
Expansions for the risk of Stein type estimates for non-normal data
Authors: Withers Christopher S. , Nadarajah Saralees
Published: May 2011

We consider the James–Stein problem for non-normal data for estimating a p-vector

θ

. It is shown how the risk may be expanded in powers of p
-1
. The factor 1-2/p that distinguishes the James–Stein estimate from the Stein estimate is shown to have only O(p
-2) effect on the risk. The case, where the variance must be estimated is studied for the one-way unbalanced ANOVA problem.
Mean-risk tests of stochastic dominance
Authors: Dentcheva Darinka , Stock Gregory J. , Rekeda Ludmyla
Published: May 2011

We propose a new approach to testing whether one random variable is stochastically non-dominated by another one. The tests compare mean-risk differences of two unknown distributions using independent samples. The test can be used for comparison of the coherent risk measures of the distributions, as well as to reject stochastic dominance relation of first, second, or higher order between the two distributions. We consider several law-invariant coherent measures of risk which are consistent with the stochastic dominance relation of first and higher order. Numerical comparisons with the Mann–Whitney test and with the F-test for comparison of variance are provided. The numerical study indicates that most of the mean-risk tests are more powerful than the Mann–Whitney test.
Non-parametric drift estimation for diffusions from noisy data
Authors: Schmisser Emeline
Published: May 2011

Consider a diffusion process (X

t
)
t ≥ 0, with unknown drift b(x) and diffusion coefficient σ(x), which is strictly stationary, ergodic and β-mixing. At discrete times t

k
 = k
δ for k from 1 to N, we have at disposal noisy data of the sample path, Y

k
δ
 = X

k
δ
+ε

k
. The random variables (ε

k
) are i.i.d., centred and independent of (X

t
). In order to reduce the noise effect, we split data into groups of equal size p and build empirical means. The group size p is chosen such that Δ = p
δ is small whereas N
δ is large. Then, the drift function b is estimated in a compact set A in a non-parametric way using a penalized least squares approach. We obtain a bound for the risk of the resulting adaptive estimator. Examples of diffusions satisfying our assumptions are given and numerical simulation results illustrate the theoretical properties of our estimators.
Comparison of Markov processes via infinitesimal generators
Authors: Rüschendorf Ludger , Wolf Viktor
Published: May 2011

We derive comparison results for Markov processes with respect to stochastic orderings induced by function classes. Our main result states that stochastic monotonicity of one process and comparability of the infinitesimal generators implies ordering of the processes. Unlike in previous work no boundedness assumptions on the function classes are needed anymore. We also present an integral version of the comparison result which does not need the local comparability assumption of the generators. The method of proof is also used to derive comparison results for time-discrete Markov processes.
Bestimmung der Messunsicherheit am Beispiel einer Magnetfeldmessung
Authors: Ihlenburg Lutz , Heinze Hartmut
Published: May 2011

Mit dem Leitfaden GUM (Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement) bzw. der deutschen Vornorm DIN V ENV 13005 (Leitfaden zur Angabe der Unsicherheit beim Messen) ist ein Rahmen gesetzt, Messunsicherheiten international vergleichbar zu beschreiben. Am Beispiel wird gezeigt, wie sich aus Datenblättern die Messunsicherheit nach deren Regeln ermittelt lässt.
Piezoelektrische Polyvinylidenfluorid — Folien zur Messung bruchmechanischer Kenngrößen
Authors: Bäcker Dennis , Häusler Christoph , Kuna Meinhard
Published: May 2011

Es wird eine Methode zur gleichzeitigen Messung der Rissspitzenlage und der Spannungsintensitätsfaktoren (SIF) von Rissen in dünnwandigen ebenen oder gekrümmten Strukturen bei Ermüdungsrisswachstum vorgestellt. Voraussetzung hierbei ist, dass die Strukturen aus einem isotropen und dem Konzept des Sprödbruchs gehorchenden Material bestehen. Für die Messung wird eine orthotrope piezoelektrische Polyvinylidenfluorid Folie (PVDF-Folie) auf den rissbehafteten Bereich der Struktur appliziert. Die elektrischen Signale der piezoelektrischen Folie sind ein Maß für die Lage und Belastung des Risses. Die Bestimmung der Risslage und SIF aus den elektrischen Signalen erfolgt durch das Lösen des sich ergebenden inversen Problems. Die Messmethode wird am Beispiel des Griffith-Risses hypothetisch erprobt. Im Gegensatz zu der vorausgehenden Publikation [1] gelingt nun neben der genauen Bestimmung des K
I-Faktors auch die des K
II-Faktors.
Einfluss nichtlinearer Kennlinien auf die Fehlerfortpflanzung EA-linearisierter Messketten
Authors: Mareczek Jörg
Published: May 2011

Für Eingang-Ausgang-linearisierte Messketten mit unsicheren Parametern und nichtlinearen Kennlinien wird eine analytische und trotzdem übersichtliche Form des Messfehlers hergeleitet. Pro Teilsystem besteht diese aus nur einem Parameter-Perturbations-Term und einer Linearitätsabweichung. Damit wird der Einfluss der Nichtlinearitäten auf die Fehlerfortpflanzung ohne aufwändige Rechnungen möglich. Um eine Fehlergrenze einzuhalten, können so bereits im Systementwurf die Kennlinienformen eingehen. Dies stellt eine möglicherweise kostengünstigere und einfachere Alternative zur Reduzierung von Toleranzen dar.
The Relation Between Reproductive Value and Genetic Contribution
Authors: Barton Nicholas H , Etheridge Alison M
Published: May 2011

What determines the genetic contribution that an individual makes to future generations? With biparental reproduction, each individual leaves a “pedigree” of descendants, determined by the biparental relationships in the population. The pedigree of an individual constrains the lines of descent of each of its genes. An individual’s reproductive value is the expected number of copies of each of its genes that is passed on to distant generations conditional on its pedigree. For the simplest model of biparental reproduction (analogous to the Wright–Fisher model), an individual’s reproductive value is determined within ∼10 generations, independent of population size. Partial selfing and subdivision do not greatly slow this convergence. Our central result is that the probability that a gene will survive is proportional to the reproductive value of the individual that carries it and that, conditional on survival, after a few tens of generations, the distribution of the number of surviving copies is the same for all individuals, whatever their reproductive value. These results can be generalized to the joint distribution of surviving blocks of the ancestral genome. Selection on unlinked loci in the genetic background may greatly increase the variance in reproductive value, but the above results nevertheless still hold. The almost linear relationship between survival probability and reproductive value also holds for weakly favored alleles. Thus, the influence of the complex pedigree of descendants on an individual’s genetic contribution to the population can be summarized through a single number: its reproductive value.
Insight Into the Mechanism of Nucleosome Reorganization From Histone Mutants That Suppress Defects in the FACT Histone Chaperone
Authors: McCullough Laura , Rawlins Robert , Olsen Aileen , Xin Hua , Stillman David J , Formosa Tim
Published: May 2011

FACT (FAcilitates Chromatin Transcription/Transactions) plays a central role in transcription and replication in eukaryotes by both establishing and overcoming the repressive properties of chromatin. FACT promotes these opposing goals by interconverting nucleosomes between the canonical form and a more open reorganized form. In the forward direction, reorganization destabilizes nucleosomes, while the reverse reaction promotes nucleosome assembly. Nucleosome destabilization involves disrupting contacts among histone H2A-H2B dimers, (H3-H4)2 tetramers, and DNA. Here we show that mutations that weaken the dimer:tetramer interface in nucleosomes suppress defects caused by FACT deficiency in vivo in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mutating the gene that encodes the Spt16 subunit of FACT causes phenotypes associated with defects in transcription and replication, and we identify histone mutants that selectively suppress those associated with replication. Analysis of purified components suggests that the defective version of FACT is unable to maintain the reorganized nucleosome state efficiently, whereas nucleosomes with mutant histones are reorganized more easily than normal. The genetic suppression observed when the FACT defect is combined with the histone defect therefore reveals the importance of the dynamic reorganization of contacts within nucleosomes to the function of FACT in vivo, especially to FACT’s apparent role in promoting progression of DNA replication complexes. We also show that an H2B mutation causes different phenotypes, depending on which of the two similar genes that encode this protein are altered, revealing unexpected functional differences between these duplicated genes and calling into question the practice of examining the effects of histone mutants by expressing them from a single plasmid-borne allele.
Genetic Draft and Quasi-Neutrality in Large Facultatively Sexual Populations
Authors: Neher R A , Shraiman B I
Published: May 2011

Large populations may contain numerous simultaneously segregating polymorphisms subject to natural selection. Since selection acts on individuals whose fitness depends on many loci, different loci affect each other’s dynamics. This leads to stochastic fluctuations of allele frequencies above and beyond genetic drift—an effect known as genetic draft. Since recombination disrupts associations between alleles, draft is strong when recombination is rare. Here, we study a facultatively outcrossing population in a regime where the frequency of outcrossing and recombination, r, is small compared to the characteristic scale of fitness differences σ. In this regime, fit genotypes expand clonally, leading to large fluctuations in the number of recombinant offspring genotypes. The power law tail in the distribution of the latter makes it impossible to capture the dynamics of draft by an effective neutral model. Instead, we find that the fixation time of a neutral allele increases only slowly with the population size but depends sensitively on the ratio r/σ. The efficacy of selection is reduced dramatically and alleles behave “quasi-neutrally” even for Ns≫1, provided that |s| < sc, where sc depends strongly on r/σ, but only weakly on population size N. In addition, the anomalous fluctuations due to draft change the spectrum of (quasi)-neutral alleles from f(ν) ∼ ν−1, corresponding to drift, to ∼ ν−2. Finally, draft accelerates the rate of two-step adaptations through deleterious intermediates.
Regulation of Conidiation by Light in Aspergillus nidulans
Authors: Ruger-Herreros Carmen , Rodríguez-Romero Julio , Fernández-Barranco Raul , Olmedo María , Fischer Reinhard , Corrochano Luis M , Canovas David
Published: May 2011

Light regulates several aspects of the biology of many organisms, including the balance between asexual and sexual development in some fungi. To understand how light regulates fungal development at the molecular level we have used Aspergillus nidulans as a model. We have performed a genome-wide expression analysis that has allowed us to identify >400 genes upregulated and >100 genes downregulated by light in developmentally competent mycelium. Among the upregulated genes were genes required for the regulation of asexual development, one of the major biological responses to light in A. nidulans, which is a pathway controlled by the master regulatory gene brlA. The expression of brlA, like conidiation, is induced by light. A detailed analysis of brlA light regulation revealed increased expression after short exposures with a maximum after 60 min of light followed by photoadaptation with longer light exposures. In addition to brlA, genes flbA–C and fluG are also light regulated, and flbA–C are required for the correct light-dependent regulation of the upstream regulator fluG. We have found that light induction of brlA required the photoreceptor complex composed of a phytochrome FphA, and the white-collar homologs LreA and LreB, and the fluffy genes flbA–C. We propose that the activation of regulatory genes by light is the key event in the activation of asexual development by light in A. nidulans.
Early Administration of Intratracheal Surfactant (Calfactant) After Hydrocarbon Aspiration
Authors: Mastropietro Christopher W. , Valentine Kevin
Published: May 2011

Hydrocarbon ingestions account for a substantial number of accidental poisonings; when aspirated, it can lead to severe pneumonitis. Treatment for severe pneumonitis is generally supportive, and outcomes are frequently poor. We report here the case of a 19-month-old girl who was treated successfully with early administration of exogenous surfactant for acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to aspiration of lamp oil. Approximately 7 hours after aspiration, she required mechanical ventilation and had an oxygenation index (OI) of 13.2. Approximately 10 hours after ingestion, exogenous surfactant (calfactant) was instilled intratracheally, after which her OI improved markedly to 4.3. She received a second dose ∼19 hours after ingestion, after which her OI remained at <5 and she was progressively weaned from mechanical ventilation. She was extubated 64 hours after the ingestion with no residual lung disease. This case illustrates the importance of considering exogenous surfactant therapy early in the course of acute respiratory failure secondary to hydrocarbon aspiration. Because of the putative mechanisms of lung injury involved in hydrocarbon aspiration, surfactant-replacement therapy is a reasonable therapeutic intervention based on pathophysiologic rationale.
Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks for Children and Adolescents: Are They Appropriate?
Authors: Schneider Marcie Beth , Benjamin Holly J. ,   Committee on Nutrition and the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness
Published: May 2011

This Clinical Report was retired July 2021.

Sports and energy drinks are being marketed to children and adolescents for a wide variety of inappropriate uses. Sports drinks and energy drinks are significantly different products, and the terms should not be used interchangeably. The primary objectives of this clinical report are to define the ingredients of sports and energy drinks, categorize the similarities and differences between the products, and discuss misuses and abuses. Secondary objectives are to encourage screening during annual physical examinations for sports and energy drink use, to understand the reasons why youth consumption is widespread, and to improve education aimed at decreasing or eliminating the inappropriate use of these beverages by children and adolescents. Rigorous review and analysis of the literature reveal that caffeine and other stimulant substances contained in energy drinks have no place in the diet of children and adolescents. Furthermore, frequent or excessive intake of caloric sports drinks can substantially increase the risk for overweight or obesity in children and adolescents. Discussion regarding the appropriate use of sports drinks in the youth athlete who participates regularly in endurance or high-intensity sports and vigorous physical activity is beyond the scope of this report.
Principles of Pediatric Patient Safety: Reducing Harm Due to Medical Care
Authors: Miller Marlene R. , Takata Glenn , Stucky Erin R. , Neuspiel Daniel R. ,   Steering Committee on Quality Improvement and Management and Committee on Hospital Care
Published: May 2011

Pediatricians are rendering care in an environment that is increasingly complex, which results in multiple opportunities to cause unintended harm. National awareness of patient safety risks has grown in the 10 years since the Institute of Medicine published its report To Err Is Human, and patients and society as a whole continue to challenge health care providers to examine their practices and implement safety solutions. The depth and breadth of harm incurred by the practice of medicine is still being defined as reports continue to uncover a variety of avoidable errors, from those that involve specific high-risk medications to those that are more generalizable, such as patient misidentification. Pediatricians in all venues must have a working knowledge of patient-safety language, advocate for best practices that attend to risks that are unique to children, identify and support a culture of safety, and lead efforts to eliminate avoidable harm in any setting in which medical care is rendered to children.
Creating an Inexpensive 3D Printer to Engage Students in Material Science Education
Authors: Muskin Joseph J. , Davis Kathleen M.
Published: May 2011

Material science can be used to enrich secondary school curriculum and illuminate for students the connection between science and technology. Based on materials research being conducted at the University of Illinois, we have developed an interdisciplinary activity that integrates engineering with chemistry and material science.

Students investigate the behaviors of polymers by creating 3-dimensional (3-D) objects. Students can design objects that they “print” on the order of a cubic inch in about 20 minutes. The process students use to create these objects shows the application of engineering to material science in a novel and engaging way.

A photoactive chemical is initiated by the UV and blue light emitted from a data projector. This causes the formation of free radicals, which interact with molecules of a monomer and cause a polymerization reaction. The visual result of this reaction is that a liquid solidifies where students shine light. With black-and-white images, a data projector can direct the light to form any shape. This process can be easily modified to create true 3-D objects by adding another layer of the liquid to the top of the object and then shining the light again. With about 20 dollars worth of supplies from a hardware store, a simple staging device can be created to greatly simplify the process to create a 3-D printer in the classroom. Fabrication of this device can be done by students because the projector controls the x and y array of pixels; the object only needs to move in the z direction, unlike traditional rapid prototyping machines which control movement in the x, y, and z directions.

Results of integration into high school and college curriculum are discussed, and methods of integration and student perceptions of the activity are reported.
Structural and Interfacial Characteristics of thin (<10 nm) SiO2 Films Grown by Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma Oxidation on [100] Si Substrates
Authors: Nguyen Tai D. , Carl D. A. , Hess D. W. , Lieberman M. A. , Gronsky R.
Published: May 2011

The feasibility of fabricating ultra-thin SiO2 films on the order of a few nanometer thickness has been demonstrated. SiO2 thin films of approximately 7 nm thickness have been produced by ion flux-controlled Electron Cyclotron Resonance plasma oxidation at low temperature on [100] Si substrates, in reproducible fashion. Electrical measurements of these films indicate that they have characteristics comparable to those of thermally grown oxides. The thickness of the films was determined by ellipsometry, and further confirmed by crosssectional High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy. Comparison between the ECR and the thermal oxide films shows that the ECR films are uniform and continuous over at least a few microns in lateral direction, similar to the thermal oxide films grown at comparable thickness. In addition, HRTEM images reveal a thin (1–1.5 nm) crystalline interfacial layer between the ECR film and the [100] substrate. Thinner oxide films of approximately 5 nm thickness have also been attemped, but so far have resulted in nonuniform coverage. Reproducibility at this thickness is difficult to achieve.
DERIVED TRANSFORMATION OF CHILDREN'S PREGAMBLING GAME PLAYING
Authors: Dymond Simon , Bateman Helena , Dixon Mark R.
Published: May 2011

Contemporary behavior‐analytic perspectives on gambling emphasize the impact of verbal relations, or derived relational responding and the transformation of stimulus functions, on the initiation and maintenance of gambling. Approached in this way, it is possible to undertake experimental analysis of the role of verbal/mediational variables in gambling behavior. The present study therefore sought to demonstrate the ways new stimuli could come to have functions relevant to gambling without those functions being trained directly. Following a successful derived‐equivalence‐relations test, a simulated board game established high‐ and low‐roll functions for two concurrently presented dice labelled with members of the derived relations. During the test for derived transformation, children were reexposed to the board game with dice labelled with indirectly related stimuli. All participants except 1 who passed the equivalence relations test selected the die that was indirectly related to the trained high‐roll die more often than the die that was indirectly related to low‐roll die, despite the absence of differential outcomes. All participants except 3 also gave the derived high‐roll die higher liking ratings than the derived low‐roll die. The implications of the findings for behavior‐analytic research on gambling and the development of verbally‐based interventions for disordered gambling are discussed.
RATE, PROBABILITY AND MATCHING: COMMENTS ON “THE IDENTITIES HIDDEN IN THE MATCHING LAWS, AND THEIR USES” BY DAVID THORNE
Authors: Rachlin Howard , Locey Matthew L.
Published: May 2011

David Thorne's (2010) article, “The Identities Hidden In The Matching Laws, And Their Uses” performs a valuable service in pointing out alternative expressions of matching. However, some identities tend to obscure rather than illuminate empirical relationships. Three such problematic instances are discussed: interresponse time as a function of interval and ratio schedule parameters; probability equality as implying rate matching; the apparent simplicity of probabilistic functions, as opposed to response rate functions, of reinforcement rate.
IDENTITIES AND THEIR USES: RESPONSE TO “RATE, PROBABILITY AND MATCHING” BY RACHLIN AND LOCEY
Authors: Thorne David R.
Published: May 2011

Some of the differences between Rachlin & Locey (2010) and Thorne (2010) are due to what assumptions are taken as givens versus questionable. Most of the other apparent differences are largely linguistic and can be resolved by agreeing on terminology. The identity combining both rate and probability of reinforcement is general, has already revealed order not previously noted, even in its currently simple form, and provides a way of incorporating additional variables known to influence and characterize behavior.
CHESS AS A BEHAVIORAL MODEL FOR COGNITIVE SKILL RESEARCH: REVIEW OF BLINDFOLD CHESS BY ELIOT HEARST AND JOHN KNOTT
Authors: Mechner Francis
Published: May 2011

This multifaceted work on chess played without sight of the pieces is a sophisticated psychologist's examination of this topic and of chess skill in general, including a detailed and comprehensive historical account. This review builds on Hearst and Knott's assertion that chess can provide a uniquely useful model for research on several issues in the area of cognitive skill and imagery. A key issue is the relationship between viewing a stimulus and mental imagery in the light of blindfold chess masters' consistent reports that they do not use or have images. This review also proposes a methodology for measuring and quantifying an individual's skill shortfall from a theoretical maximum. This methodology, based on a 1951 proposal by Claude Shannon, is applicable to any choice situation in which all the available choices are known. The proposed “Proficiency” measure reflects the equivalent number of “yes—no” questions that would have been required to arrive at a best choice, considering also the time consumed. As the measure provides a valid and nonarbitrary way to compare different skills and the effects of different independent variables on a given skill, it may have a wide range of applications in cognitive skill research, skill training, and education.
The Effect of Smoking on Periodontal Bone Regeneration: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Patel Rupal A. , Wilson Ron F. , Palmer Richard M.
Published: May 2011

Background: The effect of smoking on soft tissues after periodontal treatment has been extensively studied. However, little focus has been placed on the impact of smoking on bone regeneration after treatment. The aim of this review is to systematically assess the effect of smoking on bone regeneration after periodontal treatment.

Methods: A protocol was established and studies were sourced from five electronic databases. Screening, data abstraction, and quality assessment was conducted by two review authors. Prospective and retrospective clinical studies assessing bone regeneration in smokers and non‐smokers after periodontal therapy were selected. In addition, arms of clinical trials comparing different interventions that reported results separately for smokers and non‐smokers were also included. Primary outcome measures were based on clinical and/or radiographic indicators of bone regeneration after periodontal therapy. The review and meta‐analysis followed many of the recommendations outlined in the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta‐analyses statement.

Results: Six of 10 studies included in this review concluded that smoking negatively influenced bone regeneration. A meta‐analysis of a subgroup of three studies demonstrated that smoking resulted in significantly less bone gain (P = 0.03) as measured by a change in the probing bone level after the treatment of intrabony defects with guided tissue regeneration. The meta‐analysis showed a standardized mean difference of −2.05 (95% confidence interval: −2.64 to −1.47) using the random‐effects model.

Conclusions: Smoking has a negative effect on bone regeneration after periodontal treatment. Patients should be advised that their smoking habit may result in poorer bone regeneration after periodontal treatment.
Periodontal Nitric Oxide Pathway Alteration Due to Precompetition Anxiety in Handball Players
Authors: Ulkar Bulent , Elgun Serenay , Ozmeric Nurdan , Özdemir Burcu , Boynueğri Duygu
Published: May 2011

Background: Psychologic and physical stress is known to be related with periodontal disorders. The objective of this study is to investigate salivary and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) nitric oxide (NO) metabolism and its association with the periodontal reaction to precompetition anxiety in competitive athletes.

Methods: A total of 18 elite male handball players participated in this study. The anxiety level of participants was determined by using a competitive state anxiety inventory‐2 (CSAI‐2). Periodontal clinical measurements, saliva, and GCF samples were obtained before the application of the CSAI‐2 during the half‐season break and just before the league championship match. NO‐level, arginase, and NO synthase (NOS) activities were analyzed in saliva samples; NO and basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF‐b) levels were analyzed in GCF samples.

Results: The CSAI‐2 was significantly different between the two evaluation time points. GCF NO and FGF‐b levels increased before the championship match, whereas saliva levels did not change. The plaque index and gingival index (GI) increased at the evaluation just before the championship match. The difference in the GI was statistically significant.

Conclusion: The competitive stress of athletes may lead to a gingival/periodontal disturbance accompanied by an altered NO metabolism in saliva and GCF.
Camallanus Railliet et Henry, 1915 (Nematoda, Camallanidae) from Australian freshwater turtles with descriptions of two new species and molecular differentiation of known taxa
Authors: Kuzmin Yuriy , Tkach Vasyl , Snyder Scott , Bell Jeffrey
Published: May 2011

Two new species of Camallanus are described from Australian freshwater turtles. Camallanus beveridgei sp. nov. is reported from Elseya dentata in Northern Territory. It differs from other species of the genus parasitic in turtles by several characters including the shape of the median ridge in the buccal capsule and the position of the anterior pair of caudal papillae in males. Camallanus sprenti sp. nov. is reported from Elseya latisternum (type host) and Emydura krefftii in northern Queensland. It is closely related to Camallanus tuckeri, and differs from the latter species in possessing a shorter oesophagus. We summarize data on morphology, distribution and specificity of 5 known Camallanus spp. from Australian turtles and provide a key for their identification. Sequence comparison of more than 500 base pairs at the 5′ end of the nuclear 28S rDNA gene confirms the status of C. sprenti and C. beveridgei as new species. Camallanus sprenti differs from the other 4 species of Camallanus from Australian turtles by 16–59 bases (3.1–11.5%) while C. beveridgei differed from the other 4 species by 23–60 bases (4.5–11.6%). Phylogenetic analysis demonstrates close interrelationships among C. tuckeri, C. sprenti and C. beveridgei, the three species with most similar buccal capsules.
Ultrastructural characteristics of the uterine epithelium of aspidogastrean and digenean trematodes
Authors: Poddubnaya Larisa , Levron Céline , Gibson David
Published: May 2011

The ultrastructure of the uterus proper of the aspidogastrean Aspidogaster limacoides Diesing, 1835 and two digenean species, Phyllodistomum angulatum Linstow, 1907 (Plagiorchiida, Gorgoderidae) and Azygia lucii (Müller, 1776) (Strigeida, Azygiidae), was examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The uterine epithelial lining of these species is thin, except for the perinuclear region of the epithelial cells. Septate junctions occur between adjacent epithelial cells within the uterine wall. The luminal surface of the cells is elevated into microlamellae, which project into the uterine lumen and cover the entire epithelial lining. Basally the uterine epithelium is attached to a basal matrix, and its supporting layers of muscle fibres are weak and composed of scattered circular muscles. Despite the marked similarity in the ultrastructural pattern of the aspidogastrean and two digeneans studied, there is some degree of variation in the secretory activity of their uterine epithelium. The high level of vesicular exocytotic activity in the epithelial cytoplasm of A. lucii may be associated with differences in egg emission and the subsequent life cycle involving a non-ciliated, non-swimming and non-free-living miracidium, as opposed to the free-swimming miracidium of P. angulatum. The similar nature of the uterine epithelium in all three species studied represents an ultrastructural marker possibly supporting a close phylogenetic relationship between the Aspidogastrea and the Digenea.
A new species of Prosorhynchoides (Trematoda, Bucephalidae) from the intertidal rocky zone of central Chile
Authors: Muñoz Gabriela , Bott Nathan
Published: May 2011

A new bucephalid species, Prosorhynchoides carvajali sp. nov. is described. This parasite was found in three marine fish, Auchenionchus microcirrhis (type-host), A. variolosus and Sicyases sanguineus (other-hosts), collected from the intertidal rocky zones of central Chile. P. carvajali sp. nov. is characterized by a pharynx in a post-equatorial position, a large cirrus sac length (half of the total worm length) and rounded caecum extending dorsally and anteriorly from pharynx. Although Prosorhynchoides carvajali sp. nov. closely resembles P. labiata; the latter has an elongated, narrow and inverted-U-shape caecum, contrasting to P. carvajali sp. nov. which has a larger rounded caecum, directed anteriorly. To our knowledge this is the first known report of Prosorhynchoides on the South American Pacific coast.
First in vitro isolation of Neospora caninum from a naturally infected adult dairy cow in Slovakia
Authors: Reiterová Katarína , Špilovská Silvia , Čobádiová Andrea , Mucha Rastislav
Published: May 2011

The impact of in vitro isolation and molecular characterisation of Neospora caninum as well as sequence analyses was studied. The brain homogenate of a naturally Neospora-infected dairy cow (positive in ELISA and Western blot) was intraperitoneally inoculated into Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). The brain of gerbils on day 60 post-inoculation was homogenized, and, after trypsin-digestion, cultured on Vero cells. Neospora-like tachyzoites were first observed after 77 days of cultivation. The parasite was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using Neospora-specific primers Np21 and Np6. The PCR product of the first Slovak isolate (NC-SKB1) was subsequently sequenced and published in GenBank under accession number GU300774. Sequencing and BLAST search identified the isolate as N. caninum.
Falcaustra sinensis sp. nov. (Nematoda, Kathlaniidae) from Indotestudo elongata in China
Authors: Liu Baochen , Zhang Shuqian , Zhang Luping
Published: May 2011

Falcaustra sinensis sp. nov. collected from the feces of Indotestudo elongata (Blyth) is described and illustrated. The new species can be distinguished from the congeners by the arrangement of caudal papillae of the male (6 pairs precloacal, 4 pairs postcloacal, 1 median), length of spicules (3.84–4.74 mm) and the presence of pseudosucker.
Philometra chilensis (Nematoda, Philometridae) affects the fecundity of the red cusk-eel, Genypterus chilensis (Guichenot) (Pisces, Ophidiidae) in Chile
Authors: Chávez Rosa , Oliva Marcelo
Published: May 2011

The occurrence of the dracunculoid nematode Philometra chilensis Moravec, Chávez et Oliva, 2011 (Philometridae) infecting the ovary of the red cusk-eel, Genypterus chilensis (Guichenot), off the Pacific coast of northern Chile is reported. A sample of 266 fish specimens (total body length 34–96 cm) revealed the nematode overall prevalence (April 2007) of this parasite to be 18.5% and the mean intensity of infection 17.9 (SD = 30.8). All infected fish were mature females. The present results suggest that infection by the nematode shows seasonality and coincides with specific reproductive stages of the red cusk-eel, a partial spawner, and as a result the infection can affect the reproductive success of the host.
Alloglossidium fonti sp. nov. (Digenea, Macroderoididae) from black bullheads in Minnesota with molecular differentiation from congeners and resurrection of Alloglossidium kenti
Authors: Tkach Vasyl , Mills Andrew
Published: May 2011

Alloglossidium fonti sp. nov. is described based on specimens from black bullheads (Ameiurus melas) collected from several localities in northwestern Minnesota. The new species is morphologically closest to A. corti and A. geminum. These two species were also found in the same region as A. fonti sp. nov. and sometimes in the same individual fish. Examination of numerous genetically marked specimens has demonstrated that the most reliable distinguishing feature among the three species is the position of anterior margin of the vitelline fields. In the new species they are situated at the level of anterior margin of ventral sucker while in A. corti it is at the level of intestinal bifurcation or even further anteriorly, and in A. geminum it is at the level of posterior margin of ventral sucker or further posteriorly. The new species has a relatively smaller cirrus sac than A. geminum. Despite rather minor, albeit stable morphological differences, the molecular data strongly supported the status of A. fonti sp. nov. as a new species. Moreover, molecular data and morphological examination of new material suggested that A. kenti, earlier synonymized with A. corti, is a valid species that is resurrected here. Comparison of 2420 base long sequences of nuclear rDNA (partial 18S, complete ITS region, and partial 28S) obtained from multiple specimens of all 4 species collected in Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Mississippi, showed essentially no intraspecific variability (except for 1 base difference in the ITS2 region of A. fonti sp. nov.), but has demonstrated pronounced interspecific differences. The new species was not found in the four examined catfish species from the Red River of the North (on the border between North Dakota and Minnesota) and neighbouring North Dakota.
Spermatological characters of Acanthobothrium crassicolle Wedl, 1855 (Tetraphyllidea, Onchobothriidae), a parasite of the common stingray Dasyatis pastinaca
Authors: Marigo Adji , Eira Catarina , Bâ Cheikh , Miquel Jordi
Published: May 2011

We describe the spermiogenesis process and the ultrastructural characters of the spermatozoon of Acanthobothrium crassicolle by means of transmission electron microscopy, including cytochemical analysis for glycogen. Spermiogenesis in A. crassicolle begins with the formation of the differentiation zone that contains two centrioles associated with striated rootlets and an intercentriolar body. The latter is formed by one electron-dense layer. The centrioles develop into two free flagella that first grow orthogonally to a median cytoplasmic process and then undergo flagellar rotation becoming parallel to that median cytoplasmic process. After flagellar rotation only one of the flagella completes its growth and both short and long flagella undergo proximodistal fusion with the median cytoplasmic process. In the final stages of spermiogenesis, the nucleus becomes filiform and migrates into the spermatid body. Later, the ring of arched membranes constricts and the spermatozoon is liberated from the residual cytoplasm. The ultrastructural organization of the spermatozoon of A. crassicolle follows the general pattern of spermatozoa of the other Tetraphyllidea-Onchobothriidae species, but exhibits some differences. It is filiform, tapered at both extremities and lacks mitochondrion. It contains two axonemes of unequal length showing the 9 + “1“ pattern of Trepaxonemata, a nucleus, parallel cortical microtubules and electron-dense granules of glycogen. The anterior extremity of the male gamete contains a single crested body surrounding a thin and long apical cone. This type of apical cone has never been described in a tetraphyllidean spermatozoon. Another particularity is the presence of a single electron-dense microtubule at the vertex of the crested body.