bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The impact of memory load and perceptual cues on puzzle learning by 24‐month olds
Authors: Barr Rachel , Moser Alecia , Rusnak Sylvia , Zimmermann Laura , Dickerson Kelly , Lee Herietta , Gerhardstein Peter 
Published: October 2016

AbstractEarly childhood is characterized by memory capacity limitations and rapid perceptual and motor development [Rovee‐Collier (1996). Infant Behavior & Development, 19, 385–400]. The present study examined 2‐year olds’ reproduction of a sliding action to complete an abstract fish puzzle under different levels of memory load and perceptual feature support. Experimental groups were compared to baseline controls to assess spontaneous rates of production of the target actions; baseline production was low across all experiments. Memory load was manipulated in Exp. 1 by adding pieces to the puzzle, increasing sequence length from 2 to 3 items, and to 3 items plus a distractor. Although memory load did not influence how toddlers learned to manipulate the puzzle pieces, it did influence toddlers’ achievement of the goal—constructing the fish. Overall, girls were better at constructing the puzzle than boys. In Exp. 2, the perceptual features of the puzzle were altered by changing shape boundaries to create a two‐piece horizontally cut puzzle (displaying bilateral symmetry), and by adding a semantically supportive context to the vertically cut puzzle (iconic). Toddlers were able to achieve the goal of building the fish equally well across the 2‐item puzzle types (bilateral symmetry, vertical, iconic), but how they learned to manipulate the puzzle pieces varied as a function of the perceptual features. Here, as in Exp. 1, girls showed a different pattern of performance from the boys. This study demonstrates that changes in memory capacity and perceptual processing influence both goal‐directed imitation learning and motoric performance.
Motor development as a context for understanding parent safety practices
Authors: Morrongiello Barbara A. , Cox Amanda 
Published: October 2016

AbstractIn most industrialized countries, injuries are the leading cause of death for children 1 through 18 years of age. For infants, many injuries occur in the home when they are acquiring new motor milestones. Thus, as infants’ motor competencies change with development, creating increasing opportunities for them to interact with hazards, parent safety strategies need to adapt in synchrony in order to sustain a safe ecological niche and prevent injuries. The present study examined parent safety practices when infants were pre‐mobile (i.e., capable of sitting independently) and mobile (i.e., capable of walking independently), with the goal being to examine how parents alter these practices in the context of changes in infant motor capabilities, what motivates these parenting changes, and how well they work to prevent injuries. For pre‐mobile infants, parents often used devices to constrain their infants’ movements and they did so primarily for convenience; mobile infants were seldom constrained. Supervision was a safety strategy applied at both stages, but parents maintained greater proximity for pre‐mobile than mobile infants. Environmental modifications were also used for mobile infants. Parental supervision was negatively associated with injuries in the preceding month, whereas environmental modifications were positively associated with injuries. Parents at both stages rated their infants’ behaviors as highly predictable but expected them to become less predictable in the near future. However, they also anticipated reducing supervision and increasing teaching during this timeframe. Implications of these findings for injury prevention are discussed.
Transitions in the temporal parameters of sensory preconditioning during infancy
Authors: Cuevas Kimberly , Giles Amy 
Published: October 2016

AbstractSensory preconditioning (SPC) is a form of latent learning in which preexposure to co‐occurring neutral stimuli (S1‐S2) permits subsequent learning to be transferred from one stimulus (S1) to the other (S2). We examined whether human infants exhibit developmental transitions in the temporal parameters of SPC by manipulating the preexposure regimen. Infants received simultaneous or sequential preexposure to puppets S1 and S2 (Days 1–2); saw target actions modeled on S1 (Day 3); and were tested for deferred imitation with S2 (Day 4). Although 6‐, 9‐, and 12‐month‐olds associated the puppets, there was a shift in the effective regimen from simultaneous to sequential preexposure—similar to prior findings with rat pups (Experiment 1). Experiment 2 revealed that human infants potentially exhibit another transition in SPC at 15 and 18 months of age. We consider the roles of ontogenetic shifts in infants’ ecological niche, selective attention, and unitization in developmental transitions in SPC.
Anticipatory eye movements and long‐term memory in early infancy
Authors: Wong‐Kee‐You Audrey M.B. , Adler Scott A. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractAdvances in our understanding of long‐term memory in early infancy have been made possible by studies that have used the Rovee‐Collier's mobile conjugate reinforcement paradigm and its variants. One function that has been attributed to long‐term memory is the formation of expectations (Rovee‐Collier & Hayne, 1987); consequently, a long‐term memory representation should be established during expectation formation. To examine this prediction and potentially open the door on a new paradigm for exploring infants’ long‐term memory, using the Visual Expectation Paradigm (Haith, Hazan, & Goodman, 1988), 3‐month‐old infants were trained to form an expectation for predictable color and spatial information of picture events and emit anticipatory eye movements to those events. One day later, infants’ anticipatory eye movements decreased in number relative to the end of training when the predictable colors were changed but not when the spatial location of the predictable color events was changed. These findings confirm that information encoded during expectation formation are stored in long‐term memory, as hypothesized by Rovee‐Collier and colleagues. Further, this research suggests that eye movements are potentially viable measures of long‐term memory in infancy, providing confirmatory evidence for early mnemonic processes.
Infant respiratory sinus arrhythmia and maternal depressive symptoms predict toddler sleep problems
Authors: Gueron‐Sela Noa , Propper Cathi B. , Wagner Nicholas J. , Camerota Marie , Tully Kristin P. , Moore Ginger A. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractThis study examined the direct and interactive effects of infants’ respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and maternal depressive symptoms (MDS) during the first 6 months of life in the prediction of children's sleep problems at age 18 months. Participants included 156 children and their mothers who were followed from 3 to 18 months of age. At ages 3 and 6 months, infants’ cardiac activity was recorded at rest and during the still‐face paradigm, a mother–child social challenge task, and estimates of infant baseline RSA (RSAB) and RSA withdrawal (RSAW) were calculated. Mothers reported about their depressive symptoms at 3, 6, and 18 months, and about infants’ sleep problems at age 18 months. Less RSAW and higher levels of MDS predicted more sleep problems at age 18 months. Additionally, RSAB moderated the link between MDS and children's sleep problems such that MDS were related to more sleep problems only for infants with high levels of RSAB. Results illustrate the importance of RSA as both a direct predictor and a moderator of maternal influences in the prediction of early sleep problems.
Predicted rarity‐weighted richness, a new tool to prioritize sites for species representation
Authors: Albuquerque Fábio , Beier Paul 
Published: October 2016

AbstractLack of biodiversity data is a major impediment to prioritizing sites for species representation. Because comprehensive species data are not available in any planning area, planners often use surrogates (such as vegetation communities, or mapped occurrences of a well‐inventoried taxon) to prioritize sites. We propose and demonstrate the effectiveness of predicted rarity‐weighted richness (PRWR) as a surrogate in situations where species inventories may be available for a portion of the planning area. Use ofPRWRas a surrogate involves several steps. First, rarity‐weighted richness (RWR) is calculated from species inventories for aq% subset of sites. Then random forest models are used to modelRWRas a function of freely available environmental variables for thatq% subset. This function is then used to calculatePRWRfor all sites (including those for which no species inventories are available), andPRWRis used to prioritize all sites. We testedPRWRon plant and bird datasets, using the species accumulation index to measure efficiency ofPRWR. Sites with the highestPRWRrepresented species with median efficiency of 56% (range 32%–77% across six datasets) whenq = 20%, and with median efficiency of 39% (range 20%–63%) whenq = 10%. An efficiency of 56% means that selecting sites in order ofPRWRrank was 56% as effective as having full knowledge of species distributions inPRWR's ability to improve on the number of species represented in the same number of randomly selected sites. Our results suggest thatPRWRmay be able to help prioritize sites to represent species if a planner has species inventories for 10%–20% of the sites in the planning area.
Interactive effects between plant functional types and soil factors on tundra species diversity and community composition
Authors: Iturrate‐Garcia Maitane , O'Brien Michael J. , Khitun Olga , Abiven Samuel , Niklaus Pascal A. , Schaepman‐Strub Gabriela 
Published: October 2016

AbstractPlant communities are coupled with abiotic factors, as species diversity and community composition both respond to and influence climate and soil characteristics. Interactions between vegetation and abiotic factors depend on plant functional types (PFT) as different growth forms will have differential responses to and effects on site characteristics. However, despite the importance of different PFT for community assembly and ecosystem functioning, research has mainly focused on vascular plants. Here, we established a set of observational plots in two contrasting habitats in northeastern Siberia in order to assess the relationship between species diversity and community composition with soil variables, as well as the relationship between vegetation cover and species diversity for two PFT (nonvascular and vascular). We found that nonvascular species diversity decreased with soil acidity and moisture and, to a lesser extent, with soil temperature and active layer thickness. In contrast, no such correlation was found for vascular species diversity. Differences in community composition were found mainly along soil acidity and moisture gradients. However, the proportion of variation in composition explained by the measured soil variables was much lower for nonvascular than for vascular species when considering the PFT separately. We also found different relationships between vegetation cover and species diversity according the PFT and habitat. In support of niche differentiation theory, species diversity and community composition were related to edaphic factors. The distinct relationships found for nonvascular and vascular species suggest the importance of considering multiple PFT when assessing species diversity and composition and their interaction with edaphic factors. Synthesis: Identifying vegetation responses to edaphic factors is a first step toward a better understanding of vegetation–soil feedbacks under climate change. Our results suggest that incorporating differential responses of PFT is important for predicting vegetation shifts, primary productivity, and in turn, ecosystem functioning in a changing climate.
Brood size moderates associations between relative size, telomere length, and immune development in European starling nestlings
Authors: Nettle Daniel , Andrews Clare , Reichert Sophie , Bedford Tom , Gott Annie , Parker Craig , Kolenda Claire , Martin‐Ruiz Carmen , Monaghan Pat , Bateson Melissa 
Published: October 2016

AbstractFor young birds in a nest, body size may have implications for other aspects of development such as telomere length and immune function. However, it is possible to predict associations in either direction. On the one hand, there may be trade‐offs between growth and telomere maintenance, and growth and investment in immune function, suggesting there will be negative correlations. On the other hand, relatively larger individuals might be advantaged in competition with their nest‐mates, allowing them to garner more resources overall, leading to positive correlations. We studied development over the nestling period in 34 nests of wild European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris. Intrabrood competition is typically more intense in larger broods. Hence, we predicted that body size should become an increasingly positive predictor of telomere length and immune functioning as brood size increases. In partial support of our prediction, there were significant interactions between brood size and body size in predicting both erythrocyte telomere length change and plasma levels of the cytokine interleukin‐6. The associations between body size and these outcomes went from negative in the smallest broods to positive in the largest. A further immune marker, high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein, showed no systematic patterning with body size or brood size. Our results confirm that the size to which a nestling grows is important for telomere dynamics and the development of the immune system, but the phenotypic associations are moderated by the competitive context.
Submicrometer‐Sized Spherical Iron Oxide Particles Fabricated by Pulsed Laser Melting in Liquid
Authors: ISHIKAWA YOSHIE , KOSHIZAKI NAOTO , PYATENKO ALEXANDER 
Published: October 2016

SUMMARYSubmicrometer‐sized spheres of iron oxide were obtained by laser irradiation of cuboidal Fe3O4 particles dispersed in ethanol, acetone, and toluene. Sphere formation condition and sphere size are explained based on a relationship between particle size and laser fluence required for solid–liquid phase transition of Fe3O4, which is calculated by equating the melting enthalpy and the optically absorbed energy derived from Mie theory. FeO was partially formed by laser irradiation at 200 mJ pulse−1 cm−2 in ethanol, acetone, and toluene. The reduction reaction is not simply due to thermal decomposition of Fe3O4, but due to the reduction by chemical species generated from solvent surrounding Fe3O4 particles melted by laser irradiation. Ethanol was more reductive than the other two solvents; Fe is formed even at 200 mJ pulse−1 cm−2. This is probably due to chemical reactivity of produced iron oxides and chemical species transiently generated from solvent.
Improvement of Growth Rate of Brassica para var. perviridis by Discharge inside Bubble under Water in Hydroponic Cultivation
Authors: TAKANO KOHEI , TAKAHATA JUNICHIRO , TAKAKI KOICHI , SATTA NAOYA , TAKAHASHI KATSUYUKI , FUJIO TAKUYA 
Published: October 2016

SUMMARYAn effect of discharge plasma irradiation to the circulating water in hydroponic cultivation system on plant growth rate was evaluated using Brassica rapa var. perviridis as specimen. The discharge plasma produced acids in the solution, which acts as a fertilizer. The Brassica rapa var. perviridis were cultivated in period of 42 days with the hydroponic system. The experimental result indicated that the growth rate of the Brassica rapa var. perviridis is improved drastically with the discharge treatment of the solution of hydroponic system, especially content of leaf blade is significantly increased (p < 0.01).
Climate and competition affect growth and survival of transplanted sugar maple seedlings along a 1700‐km gradient
Authors: Putnam Rachel C. , Reich Peter B. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractPlant species distributions, broadly shaped by climate, may also be constrained by other species. The degree to which biotic factors affect range limits is unclear, however, and few experimental studies have investigated both biotic and abiotic factors across and beyond a species’ range. We examined seedling survival and net growth for three years in contrasting canopy type (closed canopy vs. gap) and neighbor density (clipped vs. unclipped) environments for northern, central, and southern populations of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) representing a climate‐of‐origin gradient, experimentally planted from Arkansas, USA to Ontario, Canada at ten forested sites along a 1700‐km transect spanning beyond the species’ range. We hypothesized that each population's highest survival and growth would occur in its region of origin, with poorer performance in cooler or warmer areas. Refuting this hypothesis, seedlings of all three populations had greater growth and survival in sites increasingly warmer than their point of origin, although they did show poorer growth and survival at increasingly colder sites. We also hypothesized that maple survival and net growth near and beyond range margins are constrained primarily by cold temperature limitation in the north, where we expected neighbors to facilitate survival, and by competition in the south, where we expected to enhance survival and growth by reducing neighbor density. Results partially supported the hypothesis concerning biotic interactions: in canopy gaps, understory neighbors enhanced maple growth at the coolest sites but did not suppress growth as expected at the warmest sites. As the northern population grew and survived reasonably well beyond the northern range limit, and as all populations performed best at warmer sites, including beyond the southern range limit, there was tepid, if any, support for the hypothesis that climate regulated the northern limit and absolutely no support for the hypothesis that competition regulated the southern limit. Together, these three‐year findings with juvenile trees suggest that sugar maple range limits may instead be constrained by factors besides climate and competition, by those factors at another life stage, and/or by climate events such as heat waves, droughts, and cold snaps that occur at longer return intervals.
“Conservation value”: a review of the concept and its quantification
Authors: Capmourteres Virginia , Anand Madhur 
Published: October 2016

AbstractWe examine the concept of “conservation value” (CV), its use in conservation biology and environmental management, and its quantification in the literature (1976–2015). We find that the concept has been applied to several different entities (e.g., species, communities, natural habitats, or human‐made ecosystems, such as agroecosystems), has many different meanings, and is measured using a variety of metrics (e.g., species richness, abundance/density, habitat use, or rarity/uniqueness). In most cases, the meanings of CV used must be inferred from a paper's context. Actual and inferred meanings of CV are broadly grouped into eight categories, which are clearly possibly overlapping. Most papers (86%) provide a sufficient explanation of their CV metric(s), but only 25% of all papers actually provide the explicit definitions of CV. We use multivariate analyses firstly to detect the associations between meanings and entities, and find some strong associations. For example, when considering the CV of communities/regions, the meaning used tends to be either (1) a tool to prioritize the conservation efforts or (2) an indicator of endangerment. When considering, however, other entities, such as agroecosystems, the associated meanings are (1) the provision of habitat and food supply to wildlife or (2) the capacity of these entities to complement other kinds of conservation. We use multivariate methods also to examine the associations between metrics and meanings. The well‐known metrics of species richness, diversity, and abundance are associated with (1) the provision of habitat and food supply to wildlife or (2) the capacity of agroecosystems to complement other kinds of conservation. In general, CV applied to natural systems is a far more nebulous concept (both in meanings and in metrics) than when it is applied to anthropic or human‐made ecosystems. We conclude that CV is an evolving concept adapting to new conservation and management scenarios. Given the diversity of meanings and metrics present, it would be useful to recognize CV more formally as an umbrella concept. Using CV as an umbrella concept would also enable researchers to find and compare CV methodologies more easily and thus facilitate the development of new ones.
Plague cycles in two rodent species from China: dry years might provide context for epizootics in wet years
Authors: Eads David A. , Biggins Dean E. , Xu Lei , Liu Qiyong 
Published: October 2016

AbstractPlague, a rodent‐associated, flea‐borne zoonosis, is one of the most notorious diseases in history. Rates of plague transmission can increase when fleas are abundant. Fleas commonly desiccate and die when reared under dry conditions in laboratories, suggesting fleas will be suppressed during droughts in the wild, thus reducing the rate at which plague spreads among hosts. In contrast, fleas might increase in abundance when precipitation is plentiful, producing epizootic outbreaks during wet years. We tested these hypotheses using a 27‐yr data set from two rodents in Inner Mongolia, China: Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) and Daurian ground squirrels (Spermophilus dauricus). For both species of rodents, fleas were most abundant during years preceded by dry growing seasons. For gerbils, the prevalence of plague increased during wet years preceded by dry growing seasons. If precipitation is scarce during the primary growing season, succulent plants decline in abundance and, consequently, herbivorous rodents can suffer declines in body condition. Fleas produce more offspring and better survive when parasitizing food‐limited hosts, because starving animals tend to exhibit inefficient behavioral and immunological defenses against fleas. Further, rodent burrows might buffer fleas from xeric conditions aboveground during dry years. After a dry year, fleas might be abundant due to the preceding drought, and if precipitation and succulent plants become more plentiful, rodents could increase in density, thereby creating connectivity that facilitates the spread of plague. Moreover, in wet years, mild temperatures might increase the efficiency at which fleas transmit the plague bacterium, while also helping fleas to survive as they quest among hosts. In this way, dry years could provide context for epizootics of plague in wet years.