bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Auditory effects to complement the absence of visual information
Authors: Nakamura Tomoaki , Gunji Yukio P.
Published: November 2012

The majority of research on audio–visual interaction focused on spatio-temporal factors and synesthesia-like phenomena. Especially, research on synesthesia-like phenomena has been advanced by Marks et al., and they found synesthesia-like correlation between brightness and size of visual stimuli and pitch of auditory stimuli (Marks, 1987). It seems that main interest of research on synesthesia-like phenomena is what perceptual similarity/difference between synesthetes and non-synesthetes is. We guessed that cross-modal phenomena of non-synesthetes on perceptual level emerge as a function to complement the absence or ambiguity of a certain stimulus. To verify the hypothesis, we investigated audio–visual interaction using movement (speed) of an object as visual stimuli and sine-waves as auditory stimuli. In this experiment objects (circles) moved at a fixed speed in one trial and the objects were masked in arbitrary positions, and auditory stimuli (high, middle, low pitch) were given simultaneously with the disappearance of objects. Subject reported the expected position of the objects when auditory stimuli stopped. Result showed that correlation between the position, i.e., the movement speed, of the object and pitch of sound was found. We conjecture that cross-modal phenomena on non-synesthetes tend to occur when one of sensory stimuli are absent/ambiguous.
Nonlinear integration of multispectral information: Human colour vision analogues to sensory integration in rattlesnake
Authors: Billock Vincent A. , Tsou Brian H.
Published: November 2012

Information integration occurs at every sensory scale and although distinctions are made for integration between and within senses, integration at intermediate scales may exploit familiar mechanisms. Here, we explore this idea by applying a sensory integration mechanism to some poorly understood multispectral integration problems in human colour vision. Billock and Tsou (IMRF, 2011) used a binding-like neural synchronization mechanism to model intensity-dependent (inverse) enhancement of visual responses by auditory stimulation in cat. The same model also applies to mutual enhancement of visual and infrared responses in rattlesnake, suggesting that a similar mechanism could model integration of spectral information in human colour vision. For example, chromatic brightness is thought to be a vector-like nonlinear combination of luminance and chromatic channels; its neural correlate is unknown. We model its spectral sensitivity by pairwise excitatory synchronization between luminance (broadband) neurons and cortically rectified L+M- and S+M-L- LGN neurons. Similarly, the yellow lobe of the yellow-blue opponent channel is known to be a nonlinearly enhanced combination of long- and medium-wavelength-sensitive inputs, but no sensible neural model for this interaction has been advanced. We model the spectral sensitivity of ‘yellowness’ using excitatory synchronization between cortically rectified L+M+S- and M+L- LGN units. The inputs for both simulations were macaque neural firing rate data (DeValois et al., 1966). Fascinatingly, in both cases, multispectral integration in human colour vision was well modeled using the rattlesnake/cat neural synchronization equations without any use of fitting parameters. This is the first application of sensory integration concepts to human colour vision transformations.
Product-related sounds speed visual search
Authors: Knöferle Klemens , Spence Charles
Published: November 2012

Searching for a particular product in a supermarket can be a challenging business. The question therefore arises as to whether cues from the shopper’s other senses can be used to facilitate, guide, or bias visual search toward a particular product or product type. Prior research suggests that characteristic sounds can facilitate visual object localization (Iordanescu et al., 2008, 2010). Extending these findings to an applied setting, we investigated whether product-related sounds would facilitate visual search for products from different categories (e.g., champagne, potato crisps, deodorant) when arranged on a virtual shelf.

On each trial, participants were visually presented with the name of a target product and then located the target within a virtual shelf display containing pictures of four different products (randomly selected from a set of nine). The visual display was randomly accompanied by a target-congruent, a target-incongruent, an unrelated, or no sound. Congruent sounds were semantically related to the target (e.g., uncorking a champagne bottle), incongruent sounds were related to the product shown in the corner opposite to the target, and unrelated sounds did not correspond to any of the products shown in the display.

Participants found the target product significantly faster when the sound was congruent rather than incongruent with the target. All other pairwise comparisons were non-significant.

These results extend the facilitatory crossmodal effect of characteristic sounds on visual search performance described earlier to the more realistic context of a virtual shelf display, showing that characteristic sounds can crossmodally enhance the visual processing of actual products.
Auditory–visual, positional, and semantic effects in visual extraction of slope
Authors: Grabowecky Marcia , Parrott Stacey , Guzman-Martinez Emmanuel , Ortega Laura , Suzuki Satoru
Published: November 2012

Extracting slopes from arrays of visual features is crucial for interpreting graphs. To understand broader influences on slope perception, we investigated the effects of concurrent sounds, of relative graph location, and of semantic priming on a visual search task in which observers searched for a graph with a positive or negative slope. Four bar graphs or scatter plots were simultaneously presented in separate quadrants of a visual display. Participants pressed a key as quickly as possible if one of the graphs displayed the target slope and otherwise refrained from response. A concurrently presented ascending pitch slowed responses to negative-slope targets, and concurrently presented descending pitch slowed responses to positive-slope targets, indicating crossmodal interference. This interference was eliminated when the sounds were presented 200 ms before the graphs, consistent with crossmodal interaction rather than response bias. Positive slopes were detected slowest in the upper-left quadrant whereas negative slopes were detected slowest in the upper-right quadrant, suggesting that slope detection is impeded when a graph is placed inconsistently with a mental number-line representation (negative values on the left and positive values on the right). Finally, positive slopes were detected faster when the search display was immediately preceded by a briefly flashed word ‘uphill’ compared to the word ‘downhill’ (and the converse for negative slopes), indicating a semantic priming effect, but this was observed only for scatter plots (the stimulus specificity precluding response bias). In summary, perception of visual slope is systematically influenced by auditory signals, by location of graphs, and by semantic priming.
Migraine, motion sensitivity, and temporal binding
Authors: Hullar Timothy E. , Malone Alexander K. , Smith Spencer B. , Chang Nai-Yuan N.
Published: November 2012

Little is known about vestibular-related timing processes in patients with disequilibrium. Patients with a history of migraine headaches often complain of significant motion sensitivity and long-term vague imbalance inconsistent with a peripheral vestibular disorder. Some of these people have episodic spells of severe vertigo termed ‘vestibular migraines’. Other patients have no history of migraine but do report significant motion sensitivity. Motion sensitivity has typically been explained as a mismatch between the amplitude of vestibular and other (typically visual) sensory inputs. Another possibility is that motion sensitive patients may suffer from a mismatch in the temporal integration of vestibular and other sensory inputs. Here, we compared the temporal binding window (TBW) of vestibular + auditory stimuli in normal subjects, subjects with motion sensitivity, and those with both migraine and motion sensitivity. We asked subjects undergoing earth-vertical sinusoidal rotations at 0.5 Hz, 128°/s to identify whether a metronome-like series of tone bursts was synchronous with their cyclic motion. We calculated the TBW as the range in time encompassing the middle 68% of the area under the psychometric curve. The TBW in normal subjects was 312 ± 135 ms (mean ± SD), in subjects with motion sensitivity was 454 ± 103 ms, and in subjects with migraine and motion sensitivity was 451 ± 124 ms. The TBW of normal subjects was significantly shorter than the other groups. Temporal errors in perception, as manifested by a prolongation of the TBW, are a plausible mechanism for imbalance in patients with migraine and motion sensitivity.
The structure of self-experience during visuo–tactile stimulation of a virtual and the physical body
Authors: Dobricki Martin , Mohler Betty J. , Bülthoff Heinrich H.
Published: November 2012

The simultaneous visuo–tactile stimulation of an individual’s body and a virtual body (avatar) is an experimental method used to investigate the mechanisms of self-experience. Studies incorporating this method found that it elicits the experience of bodily ownership over the avatar. Moreover, as part of our own research we found that it also has an effect on the experience of agency, spatial presence, as well as on the perception of self-motion, and thus on self-localization. However, it has so far not been investigated whether these effects represent distinct categories within conscious experience. We stroked the back of 21 male participants for three minutes while they watched an avatar getting synchronously stroked within a virtual city in a head-mounted display setup. Subsequently, we assessed their avatar and their spatial presence experience with 23 questionnaire items. The analysis of the responses to all items by means of nonmetric multidimensional scaling resulted in a two-dimensional map (stress = 0.151) on which three distinct categories of items could be identified: a cluster (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.89) consisting of all presence items, a cluster (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.88) consisting of agency-related items, and a cluster (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.93) consisting of items related to body ownership as well as self-localization. The reason that spatial presence formed a distinct category could be that body ownership, self-localization and agency are not reported in relation to space. Body ownership and self-localization belonged to the same category which we named identification phenomena. Hence, we propose the following three higher-order categories of self-experience: identification, agency, and spatial presence.
Characterizing Skepticism’s Import
Authors: Rusin Jill
Published: November 2012

This paper discusses a common contemporary characterization of skepticism and skeptical arguments—that their real importance is instrumental, that they “drive progress in philosophy.” I explore two possible contrasts to the idea that skepticism’s significance is thus wholly methodological. First, I recall for the reader a range of views that can be understood as ‘truth in skepticism’ views. These concessive views are those most clearly at odds with the idea that skepticism is false, but instrumentally valuable. Considering the contributions of such ‘truth in skepticism’ theorists, I argue, shows that the good of furthering philosophical progress is partly achieved by the work of those who would reject the ‘merely methodological’ view of skepticism’s import. While this shows such a view of skepticism’s import to be partially self-effacing, it is not therefore incoherent. Rather, the characterization is revealed to be wedded to particular diagnoses of skepticism, and not independently innocuous or neutral. Second, I discuss the idea that the ‘merely methodological’ characterization of skepticism’s import draws a contrast with philosophical positions or theses that are supposed to have practical teeth. Here, I think the danger of acquiescing too readily to this view is that the normative import of skeptical arguments is obscured. At a time when discussions of the value of knowledge are in ascendency, this in particular seems a loss—a route from consideration of skeptical arguments to broader normative questions worth keeping open is rather more obscured than opened up. Any radically revisionary outcome of an encounter with skepticism is less likely, led by such an understanding, just when there is opportunity instead to connect up with broad questions of epistemic value. For these reasons I argue the characterization is not one to too readily, unthinkingly, endorse.
Printing for Prestige? Publishing and Publications by Ming Princes Part 3
Authors: Kerlouégan Jérôme
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Scattered throughout the realm in a great number of provincial courts, Ming imperial clansmen did not wield political or military power. Some among them therefore used their energies to publish books; indeed, the publishing activities of the Ming princes constitute one of many elements of what can be termed “princely culture.” Even though princely imprints formed an insignificant proportion of Ming publications, a large number of them have survived to our day. Based on the examination of approximately 240 such editions, this essay explores the relationships between the princes and the literati who assisted them. It raises questions central to princely publishing: How learned were the princes? What books did they publish? For which audiences and with what objectives? What are the main characteristics of princely publications? Did princes have well-defined publishing strategies? The last section of the essay addresses the heritage of Ming princely publications in the Qing dynasty.

Parts 1 and 2 of this essay were published in East Asian Publishing and Society 1:1 and 1:2. Tables will follow in the next issue.
THE EVOLUTION IN SPANISH LAW OF STATE IMMUNITY LEADING TO THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE RESTRICTIVE THEORY
Authors: Soria Jiménez Alberto
Published: November 2012

Judgment 107/1992 of the Spanish Constitutional Court has not only cleared up any possible doubts about the alleged unconstitutionality of State immunities and it has discarded any possible contradictions that these immunities might have with art. 24.1 of the Spanish Constitution.. Judgment 107/1992 has also directly linked the right to due process of law with the correct jurisdictional application of the international rules to which art. 21.2 of the LOPJ remits. The Constitutional Court feels that extending immunity from enforcement to foreign State property beyond the provisions of Public International Law violates the right to due process because it limits the right to enforcement of judgments without any legal support. On the other hand, the Constitutional Court points out that when the rules of Public International Law impose absolute immunity from enforcement, the aforementioned right is not violated. That in these cases, this right might be guaranteed by diplomatic protection or, as a last resort, by an assumption by the forum State of its duty to satisfy judicially mandated obligations when the absence of enforcement of these might imply undue sacrifice for an individual contrary to the principle of equality before public burdens. Therefore it seems wise for the Spanish State to establish some procedure which would prevent the recognition of immunity would also be highly recommendable for Spain to enact a statute containing a list of exceptions to State immunity as soon as possible. It is the executive branch, therefore, that should resolve this situation by proposing a bill on this issue and perhaps, as a complementary measure, by ratifying the European Convention on State Immunity.
Global Diyanet and Multiple Networks: Turkey’s New Presence in the Balkans
Authors: Öktem Kerem
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Turkey’s relations with the Muslim communities of Southeast Europe have changed significantly since the early 2000s, when Turkish actors largely replaced Wahhabi and Salafi missionaries. This paper discusses four domains of the new Turkish presence: The intellectual and political networks in the Balkans around Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu; non-conventional foreign policy actors of the Turkish state such as the Turkish Development Agency (TIKA) and the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet); and finally Islamic grassroots organisations, such as the Gülen movement. United by a common imaginary of neo-Ottomanism’, these actors have contributed to the strengthening of the established Islamic communities and to the visibility of the Ottoman tradition of Hanafi Islam in the Balkans.
Compensation under International Law in Cases of Treaty Breach Resulting in Impairment of Business Performance
Authors: Söderlund Christer
Published: November 2012

A situation which has occurred in a string of fairly recent investment cases that raises the matter of quantification is one where the investor’s investment in the host state has taken the form of a local subsidiary and where certain state conduct has reduced its business prospects. This situation is, then, clearly distinguishable from one where the investor is deprived of the business altogether in a manner tantamount to expropriation. In this latter case, it is the rule that the investor is compensated by way of a lump sum payment somehow based on earnings that could be expected in the future but for the breaching conduct.

But is compensation of a lump sum amount appropriate in the alternative of business impairment? In that scenario, the challenge of determining compensation is compounded by the need to assess not only one future income stream as a basis for a DCF calculation but two hypothetical income streams, in the ”as is” scenario and in the ”but for” scenario, exacerbating the margin of error to a significant degree.

The view argued in this article is that in cases where business is impaired by treaty-breaching conduct by a state, the quantification should be limited to past time. It will exclude an excessively speculative element and it will provide an incentive for the state to re-instate a situation that would exist but for the breach.
A Critical Examination of Rule 41(5) of the ICSID Arbitration Rules, 2006
Authors: Chatterjee C.
Published: November 2012

What is an investment under the International Convention on Settlement of Investment Dispute between States and Nationals of Other States, 1965 (the ICSID Convention) has, since its inception, provoked controversy; indeed in most of the matters referred to ICSID tribunals, Respondents contested the jurisdiction of ICSID tribunals primarily on the grounds that the subject matters of the disputes did not satisfy the criteria of an investment dispute under Article 25, paragraph 1 of the Convention.

In 2006, paragraphs (5) and (6) of Rule 41 of ICSID Arbitration Rules were amended with a view to establishing what may be described as a “screening process” to ensure that unmeritorious claims are not forwarded to tribunals. However, the amended rules also present certain legal problems; it is the purpose of this Article to examine those problems.
Sustainable International Investment Law after the Pax Americana: The BOOT on the Other Foot
Authors: Collins David
Published: November 2012

Rising foreign direct investment (‘FDI’) from emerging market economies has resulted in modifications to the existing regime of international investment law, created largely to serve the needs of Western multinational enterprises (MNEs) in the 20th Century. This article will examine the associated rejection of liberalization in favour of greater control by host states in the developed world. Some aspects of this process should be viewed in a positive light because of their acknowledgement of important public interest concerns, embracing principles of sustainability. While these regulatory restrictions on FDI may not in all instances have been pursued specifically to disadvantage emerging market MNEs, these firms may face difficulties that their western counterparts did not, entrenching so-called “first mover advantage”.
Towards an Agreement on Investment in Mercosur: Conflict and Complementarity of International Investment Law and International Trade-in-Services Law
Authors: Fry James D. , Stampalija Juan Ignacio
Published: November 2012

This article is the first to analyze the 2010 guidelines established by Mercosur’s Common Market Council for drafting an Agreement on Investment for Mercosur, which up until now has lacked any regulations for the promotion and protection of investment. This agreement is important not only because it potentially would fill a large gap in Mercosur law and strengthen Mercosur’s emergent common market, but also because it ostensibly represents the first time that Brazil has shown a real willingness to create an international system for investment protection, which represents a monumental breakthrough for Brazil. However, the guidelines (provided at the end of this article in an appendix) appear to have been created using the Protocol of Montevideo on Trade in Services as the model, as opposed to the more directly relevant norms from the realm of international investment law. This article explores whether this approach will lead to an international investment agreement that adequately promotes and protects investment in Mercosur. This article asserts that a better approach would be to use models from the realm of international investment law because these types of protections are needed in order to reassure investors. The sub-working group charged with drafting this agreement still is working on the draft agreement. Therefore, this article aims to influence that drafting process and subsequent debates over this draft agreement prior to its conclusion.
A description of the eggs of seven species of Noctuidae (Lepidoptera) commonly transported by plant trade to the UK, and their separation using stereomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy
Authors: Korycinska Anastasia
Published: November 2012

Eggs of seven economically important noctuids commonly transported in plant trade, three of quarantine plant health significance in Europe, are described and illustrated using stereomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Autographa gamma (Linnaeus), Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), Lacanobia oleracea (Linnaeus), Mamestra brassicae (Linnaeus), Spodoptera exigua (Hübner), S. littoralis (Boisduval) and S. litura (Fabricius) could be separated using external morphological characters on the chorion of the eggs, enabling early identification of quarantine pest species. Keys to distinguish the eggs of the seven species are provided.
Intraseasonal Modulation of the Surface Cooling in the Gulf of Guinea
Authors: Jouanno Julien , Marin Frédéric , du Penhoat Yves , Molines Jean-Marc
Published: November 2012

A regional numerical model of the tropical Atlantic Ocean and observations are analyzed to investigate the intraseasonal fluctuations of the sea surface temperature at the equator in the Gulf of Guinea. Results indicate that the seasonal cooling in this region is significantly shaped by short-duration cooling events caused by wind-forced equatorial waves: mixed Rossby–gravity waves within the 12–20-day period band, inertia–gravity waves with periods below 11 days, and equatorially trapped Kelvin waves with periods between 25 and 40 days. In these different ranges of frequencies, it is shown that the wave-induced horizontal oscillations of the northern front of the mean cold tongue dominate the variations of mixed layer temperature near the equator. But the model mixed layer heat budget also shows that the equatorial waves make a significant contribution to the mixed layer heat budget through modulation of the turbulent cooling, especially above the core of the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC). The turbulent cooling variability is found to be mainly controlled by the intraseasonal modulation of the vertical shear in the upper ocean. This mechanism is maximum during periods of seasonal cooling, especially in boreal summer, when the surface South Equatorial Current is strongest and between 2°S and the equator, where the presence of the EUC provides a background vertical shear in the upper ocean. It applies for the three types of intraseasonal waves. Inertia–gravity waves also modulate the turbulent heat flux at the equator through vertical displacement of the core of the EUC in response to equatorial divergence and convergence.
The long thirteenth century of the Chachnama
Authors: Ahmed Manan
Published: November 2012

The multi-genre Persian text Chachnama, written in Uch in 1226, represents a unique formulation of a possible future for a Muslim polity at the frontier and under immense duress. In its explicit linkage of a Muslim with a local pre-Islamic past within the site and milieu of its production, the Chachnama presents the beginnings of a new political theology. Long understood as a translation of an earlier text, it is instead a specifically imagined text that found political and romantic resonance in the histories of Uch and Sindh through the centuries. This article provides a close reading of the text to elucidate the ways in which it participates in varied genres and the socio-political claims it makes on historiography. It further traces the historiography surrounding the text and highlights the ways in which classificatory schema (such as genre) operate on analytical understandings of narratives.
The Mexican Health Paradox
Authors: Horevitz Elizabeth , Organista Kurt C.
Published: November 2012

The Mexican health paradox refers to initially favorable health and mental health outcomes among recent Mexican immigrants to the United States. The subsequent rapid decline in Mexican health outcomes has been attributed to the process of acculturation to U.S. culture. However, the construct of acculturation has come under significant criticism for oversimplifying complex relations between health, behavior, race and ethnic relations, and the environment. Moreover, measurement issues for the construct abound. This article reviews the current state of the acculturation debate, and argues for an integration of current theoretical perspectives and critiques of the construct in order to strengthen the explanatory power of acculturation with regard to the Mexican health paradox.
Latent class analysis of the diagnostic characteristics of PCR and conventional bacteriological culture in diagnosing intramammary infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus in dairy cows at dry off
Authors: Cederlöf Sara Ellinor , Toft Nils , Aalbaek Bent , Klaas Ilka Christine
Published: November 2012

Background

Staphylococcus aureusis one of the most common causes of intramammary infections in dairy cows at dry off. Reliable identification is important for disease management on herd level and for antimicrobial treatment of infected animals. Our objective was to evaluate the test characteristics of PathoProof ™ Mastitis PCR Assay and bacteriological culture (BC) in diagnosing bovine intramammary infections caused byS. aureusat dry off at different PCR cycle threshold (Ct)-value cut-offs.

Methods

Sterile quarter samples and non-sterile composite samples from 140 animals in seven herds were collected in connection with the dairy herd improvement (DHI) milk recording. All quarter samples were analyzed using BC whereas all composite samples were analyzed with PathoProof ™ Mastitis PCR Assay. Latent class analysis was used to estimate test properties for PCR and BC in the absence of a perfect reference test. The population was divided into two geographically divided subpopulations and the Hui-Walter 2-test 2-populations model applied to estimate Se, Sp for the two tests, and prevalence for the two subpopulations.

Results

The Se for PCR increased with increasing Ct-value cut-off, accompanied by a small decrease in Sp. For BC the Se decreased and Sp increased with increasing Ct-value cut-off. Most optimal test estimates for the real-time PCR assay were at a Ct-value cut-off of 37; 0.93 [95% posterior probability interval (PPI) 0.60-0.99] for Se and 0.95 [95% PPI 0.95-0.99] for Sp. At the same Ct-value cut-off, Se and Sp for BC were 0.83 [95% PPI 0.66-0.99] and 0.97 [95% PPI 0.91-0.99] respectively. Depending on the chosen PCR Ct-value cut-off, the prevalence in the subpopulations varied; the prevalence increased with increasing PCR Ct-value cut-offs.

Conclusion

Neither BC nor real-time PCR is a perfect test in detecting IMI in dairy cows at dry off. The changes in sensitivity and prevalence at different Ct-value cut-offs for both PCR and BC may indicate a change in the underlying disease definition. At low PCR Ct-value cut-offs the underlying disease definition may be a truly/heavily infected cow, whereas at higher PCR Ct-value cut-offs the disease definition may be aS. aureuspositive cow.
Absolute Risk Prediction of Second Primary Thyroid Cancer Among 5-Year Survivors of Childhood Cancer
Authors: Kovalchik Stephanie A. , Ronckers Cécile M. , Veiga Lene H.S. , Sigurdson Alice J. , Inskip Peter D. , de Vathaire Florent , Sklar Charles A. , Donaldson Sarah S. , Anderson Harald , Bhatti Parveen , Hammond Sue , Leisenring Wendy M. , Mertens Ann C. , Smith Susan A. , Stovall Marilyn , Tucker Margaret A. , Weathers Rita E. , Robison Leslie L. , Pfeiffer Ruth M.
Published: November 2012

Purpose

We developed three absolute risk models for second primary thyroid cancer to assist with long-term clinical monitoring of childhood cancer survivors.

Patients and Methods

We used data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS) and two nested case-control studies (Nordic CCSS; Late Effects Study Group). Model M1 included self-reported risk factors, model M2 added basic radiation and chemotherapy treatment information abstracted from medical records, and model M3 refined M2 by incorporating reconstructed radiation absorbed dose to the thyroid. All models were validated in an independent cohort of French childhood cancer survivors.

Results

M1 included birth year, initial cancer type, age at diagnosis, sex, and past thyroid nodule diagnosis. M2 added radiation (yes/no), radiation to the neck (yes/no), and alkylating agent (yes/no). Past thyroid nodule was consistently the strongest risk factor (M1 relative risk [RR], 10.8; M2 RR, 6.8; M3 RR, 8.2). In the validation cohort, 20-year absolute risk predictions for second primary thyroid cancer ranged from 0.04% to 7.4% for M2. Expected events agreed well with observed events for each model, indicating good calibration. All models had good discriminatory ability (M1 area under the receiver operating characteristics curve [AUC], 0.71; 95% CI, 0.64 to 0.77; M2 AUC, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.86; M3 AUC, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.69 to 0.82).

Conclusion

We developed and validated three absolute risk models for second primary thyroid cancer. Model M2, with basic prior treatment information, could be useful for monitoring thyroid cancer risk in childhood cancer survivors.
Prevalence of Falls and Risk Factors in Adults with Intellectual Disability
Authors: Hsieh Kelly , Rimmer James , Heller Tamar
Published: November 2012

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of falls and risk factors for falls in 1,515 adults (≥ 18 years) with intellectual disability using baseline data from the Longitudinal Health and Intellectual Disability Study. Nearly 25% of adults from the study were reported to have had one or more falls in the past 12 months. The prevalence of falls increased with advancing age. A series of univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to identify risk factors for falls in the full sample and in subsamples. The risk factors for falls in adults with intellectual disability are being female, having arthritis, having a seizure disorder, taking more than 4 medications, using walking aids, and having difficulty lifting/carrying greater than 10 lb.
Dr. Ackula or: How I learned to stop worrying and love fandom
Authors: Yockey Matt
Published: November 2012

Selections from a series of interviews I conducted with Forest J Ackerman in the last six months of his life.
Synergistic extraction of Eu(III) with N-phosphorylated bis-ureas and chlorinated cobalt bis(dicarbollide) ion
Authors: Selucký P. , Bubeníková M. , Rais J. , Grüner B. , Brusko V. V.
Published: November 2012

Extraction of Eu(III) with a synergistic mixture of polydentate N-phosphorylated bis-ureas with the general formula (i-PrO)2P(O)NHC(O)NHXNHC(O)NHP(O)(Oi-Pr)2 (X = (CH2)7, (CH2)2O(CH2)2 and (CH2)2O(CH2)2O(CH2)2) and chlorinated cobalt bis(dicarbollide) ion (CCD−) with formula closo-[(1,2-C2B9H8Cl3)2-3-Co]− was studied using nitrobenzene as the solvent. Extraction of Eu(III) was very effective up to high concentrations of nitric acid. Eu(III) is most likely extracted into the organic phase as the [EuL2]3+ species whereas the positive charge of extracted complex is compensated by CCD and/or nitrate anions.
A study of the surface erosion of zircaloy material during laser ablation process by thin layer activation technique
Authors: Datta J. , Verma Rakesh , Chowdhury D. P. , Nilaya J.P. , Biswas D.J. , Gantayet L.M.
Published: November 2012

The thin layer activation (TLA) technique was applied to study the surface erosion of zircaloy clad material during laser ablation process by producing a suitable γ-ray emitting radioisotope in the clad surface using 40 MeV α-particles. This paper reports the rate of surface erosion of zircaloy as a function of deposited laser energy in the range of a few hundred of millijoules to a few kilojoule. The minimum detection limit was found to be 80 ± 25 nm in the measurement of surface loss of material due to laser exposure by TLA technique.
Effect of sialylation and complexity of FSH oligosaccharides on inhibin production by granulosa cells
Authors: Loreti Nazareth , Ambao Verónica , Andreone Luz , Trigo Romina , Bussmann Ursula , Campo Stella
Published: November 2012

Granulosa cell (GC) inhibin A and B production is regulated by FSH and gonadal factors. This gonadotrophin is released as a mixture of glycoforms, which induce different biological responsesin vivoandin vitro. Our aim was to determine the effect of recombinant human FSH (rhFSH) glycosylation variants on inhibin A and B production by rat GCs. Preparative isoelectro focusing was used to isolate more acidic/sialylated (pH <4.00) and less acidic/sialylated (pH >5.00) rhFSH charge analogues. Concanavalin A was used to isolate unbound and firmly bound rhFSH glycoforms on the basis of their oligosaccharide complexity. GCs, obtained from oestrogen-primed immature rats, were cultured with either native rhFSH or its glycosylation variants. Inhibin A and B were determined using specific ELISAs. Results were expressed as mean±s.e.m. Under basal conditions, inhibin A was the predominant dimer produced (inhibin A: 673±55; inhibin B: 80±4 pg/ml). More acidic/sialylated charge analogues stimulated inhibin B production when compared to inhibin A at all doses studied; by contrast, less acidic/sialylated charge analogues stimulated inhibin A production and elicited no effect on inhibin B. Glycoforms bearing complex oligosaccharides showed a potent stimulatory effect on inhibin B when compared to inhibin A production (i.e. dose 1 ng/ml: 4.9±0.5 vs 0.9±0.1-fold stimulation,P<0.001). Glycoforms bearing hybrid-type oligosaccharides favoured inhibin A production (i.e. dose 4 ng/ml 2.9±0.1 vs 1.6±0.1-fold stimulation,P<0.05). These results show that the sialylation degree as well as the complexity of oligosaccharides present in the rhFSH molecule may be considered additional factors that differentially regulate dimeric inhibin production by rat GCs.
Preparation and adsorption properties of dialdehyde 8-aminoquinoline starch
Authors: Ding Wen , Zhai Shen-yong , liu Jun-tao , Wang Rou , Li Rong
Published: November 2012

Dialdehyde 8-aminoquinoline starch (DASQA) was synthesized by the reaction of dialdehyde starch (DAS) and 8-aminoquinoline and was used to adsorb various ions from aqueous solution. DASQA was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis. The adsorption properties of the polymer for Pb2+, Cu2+, Cd2+, Ni2+, and Zn2+ were investigated. The result of the experiment reveals that the adsorption for Cd2+ and Zn2+were approximately 2.51 mmol/g, 2.17 mmol/g, followed by Pb2+ 1.93 mmol/g, Ni2+ 1.66 mmol/g, Cu2+ 1.19 mmol/g. Furthermore, the kinetic experiments indicated that the adsorption of DASQA for the above metal ions achieved equilibrium within 2 h. Therefore, DASQA is an effective adsorbent for the removal of different heavy metal ions from industrial waste solutions.
Number of residual thermotolerant coliforms on plants and in soil when using reclaimed domestic wastewater for irrigation
Authors: Khamkure Sasirot , Cervantes Edmundo Peña , Zermeño González Alejandro , Cervantes Rubén López , Melo Prócoro Gamero , Ramírez Homero
Published: November 2012

The reclamation of domestic wastewater for irrigation is one alternative approach to solve the water scarcity crisis, but it is essential to control the microbiological quality of wastewater used for irrigation. The removal of thermotolerant coliforms, also known as faecal coliforms (FC), from treated domestic wastewater by intermittent media infiltration (IMI) in column was studied. The columns were filled with natural filter media (soil, soil/charcoal and zinc-modified zeolite, Zeo-Zn), and wastewater, IMI-treated wastewater and disinfected wastewater were compared. The numbers of residual FC on Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris) and in agricultural soil were determined over a 4-month period. The column using Zeo-Zn had a higher FC removal efficiency (2.98 log) than columns with other filter media and disinfection (1.87–2.57 log) due to the bactericidal properties of Zn2+. The treatment of wastewater using Zeo-Zn and disinfection both decreased the accumulation of FC on plants and in soil to approximately 1–20 MPN/g dry matter. IMI-treated wastewater using the column with Zeo-Zn was suitable for unrestricted agricultural use, complied with Mexican regulations (as did disinfected wastewater) and had a low risk of FC contamination of plants and soil.
Verification of equations for incipient motion studies for a rigid rectangular channel
Authors: Bong Charles Hin Joo , Lau Tze Liang , Ab. Ghani Aminuddin
Published: November 2012

The current study aims to verify the existing equations for incipient motion for a rigid rectangular channel. Data from experimental work on incipient motion from a rectangular flume with two different widths, namely 0.3 and 0.6 m, were compared with the critical velocity value predicted by the equations of Novak & Nalluri and El-Zaemey. The equation by El-Zaemey performed better with an average discrepancy ratio value of 1.06 compared with the equation by Novak & Nalluri with an average discrepancy ratio value of 0.87. However, as the sediment deposit thickness increased, the equation by El-Zaemey became less accurate. A plot on the Shields Diagram using the experimental data had shown the significant effect of the sediment deposit thickness where, as the deposit becomes thicker, the dimensionless shear stress θ value also increased. A new equation had been proposed by incorporating the sediment deposit thickness. The new equation gave improved prediction with an average discrepancy ratio value of 1.02.
Resource Group Assertive Community Treatment (RACT) as a Tool of Empowerment for Clients with Severe Mental Illness: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Nordén Tommy , Malm Ulf , Norlander Torsten
Published: November 2012

The aim of the current meta-analysis was to explore the effectiveness of the method here labeled Resource Group Assertive Community Treatment (RACT) for clients with psychiatric diagnoses as compared to standard care during the period 2001 – 2011. Included in the meta-analysis were 17 studies comprising a total of 2263 clients, 1291 men and 972 women, with a weighted mean age of 45.44 years. The diagnoses of 86 % of the clients were within the psychotic spectrum while 14 % had other psychiatric diagnoses. There were six randomized controlled trials and eleven observational studies. The studies spanned between 12 and 60 months, and 10 of them lasted 24 months. The results indicated a large effect-size for the ”grand total measure” (Cohen´sd= 0.80). The study comprised three outcome variables: Symptoms, Functioning, and Well-being. With regard to Symptoms, a medium effect for both randomized controlled trials and non-randomized studies was found, whereas Functioning showed large effects for both types of design. Concerning Well-being both large and medium effects were evident. The conclusions of the meta-analysis were that the treatment of clients with Resource Group Assertive Community Treatment yields positive effects for clients with psychoses and that the method may be of use for clients within the entire psychiatric spectrum.
‘They Get Fed up with Playing’: Parents' Views on Play-Based Learning in the Preparatory Year
Authors: O'Gorman Lyndal , Ailwood Jo
Published: November 2012

Within early childhood education two ideas are firmly held: that play is the best way for children to learn, and that parents are partners in the child's learning. While these ideas have been explored, limited research to date has investigated the confluence of the two — how parents of young children view the concept of play. This article investigates parents' views on play by analysing the views of a small group of parents of Preparatory Year (Prep) children in Queensland, Australia. The parents in this study held varying definitions of what constitutes play, and complex and contradictory notions of its value. Positive views of play were linked to learning without knowing it, engaging in hands-on activities, and preparation for Year One through a strong focus on academic progress. Some parents held that Prep was play-based, while others did not. The complexities and diversity of parental opinion in this study echo the ongoing commentary about how play ought to be defined. Moreover, the notion that adults may interpret play in different ways is also reflected here. The authors suggest that for early childhood educators these complexities require an ongoing engagement, debate, and reconceptualisation of the place of play in light of broader curricular and sociopolitical agendas.
Written Corrective Feedback and Its Challenges for Pre-Service ESL Teachers
Authors: Guénette Danielle , Lyster Roy
Published: November 2012

Abstract:

This study explored the emerging corrective feedback (CF) practices of a group of 18 pre-service English as a second language (ESL) teachers. Serving as tutors to a group of 61 high school ESL learners during a school semester, the pre-service teachers provided CF on texts written by the learners and exchanged via e-mail. The authors analyzed the types of CF they used and the types of errors they chose to focus on, along with the factors that explained their choices. Quantitative analyses of the frequency distribution of CF types relative to error types and qualitative analyses of data collected through journals and interviews confirmed that, similar to their in-service colleagues, pre-service teachers overused direct corrections at the expense of more indirect CF strategies. Drawing on the challenges faced by the pre-service teachers, the authors highlight the importance of implementing such opportunities for pre-service teachers to engage with and reflect on their emerging CF practices.
Periodic Cosmological Evolutions of Equation of State for Dark Energy
Authors: Bamba Kazuharu , Debnath Ujjal , Yesmakhanova Kuralay , Tsyba Petr , Nugmanova Gulgasyl , Myrzakulov Ratbay
Published: November 2012

We demonstrate two periodic or quasi-periodic generalizations of the Chaplygin gas (CG) type models to explain the origins of dark energy as well as dark matter by using the Weierstrass ξ(t), σ(t) and ζ (t) functions with two periods being infinite. If the universe can evolve periodically, a non-singular universe can be realized. Furthermore, we examine the cosmological evolution and nature of the equation of state (EoS) of dark energy in the Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker cosmology. It is explicitly illustrated that there exist three type models in which the universe always stays in the non-phantom (quintessence) phase, whereas it always evolves in the phantom phase, or the crossing of the phantom divide can be realized. The scalar fields and the corresponding potentials are also analyzed for different types of models.
Optimal Bidding Strategies for Wind Power Producers in the Day-ahead Electricity Market
Authors: Zhang Haifeng , Gao Feng , Wu Jiang , Liu Kun , Liu Xiaolin
Published: November 2012

Wind Power Producers (WPPs) seek to maximize profit and minimize the imbalance costs when bidding into the day-ahead market, but uncertainties in the hourly available wind and forecasting errors make the bidding risky. This paper assumes that hourly wind power output given by the forecast follows a normal distribution, and proposes three different bidding strategies, i.e., the expected profit-maximization strategy (EPS), the chance-constrained programming-based strategy (CPS) and the multi-objective bidding strategy (ECPS). Analytical solutions under the three strategies are obtained. Comparisons among the three strategies are conducted on a hypothetical wind farm which follows the Spanish market rules. Results show that bid under the EPS is highly dependent on market clearing price, imbalance prices, and also the mean value and standard deviation of wind forecast, and that bid under the CPS is largely driven by risk parameters and the mean value and standard deviation of the wind forecast. The ECPS combining both EPS and CPS tends to choose a compromise bid. Furthermore, the ECPS can effectively control the tradeoff between expected profit and target profit for WPPs operating in volatile electricity markets.
DMA Model: Understanding Digital Marketing Adoption and Implementation by Islamic Tourism Organizations
Authors: El-Gohary Hatem , Eid Riyad
Published: November 2012

Islamic studies and Islamic research have gained a lot of interest and considerable attention from researchers, policy makers, and practitioners during the last few years as a result of the demanding desire to know more about Islam. However, regardless of the dominant position held
by Islamic studies and Islamic research in today's research world, Islamic tourism is still very much less presented in the literature. this article aims to explore, analyze, and develop a clear understanding about the different factors affecting the adoption of digital marketing (D-marketing)
by Islamic tourism organizations (ItOs) by building on the current body of knowledge in the field. the article systematically reviews the literature related to digital marketing adoption to understand its adoption by organizations working in Islamic tourism sectors. Based on this review and
through linking digital marketing, technology adoption, technology diffusion, and Islamic Shariah theories, a conceptual model that links five factors (namely: internal environmental forces, external environmental forces, digital marketing adoption, digital marketing implementation, and digital
marketing performance) is proposed to provide a clear understanding about the different factors affecting the adoption of digital marketing by Islamic tourism organizations. Future research is encouraged to build on this framework to test how internal and external environmental forces of Islamic
tourism enterprises, along with its digital marketing implementation, influence its performance.