bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Musical Experience Influences Statistical Learning of a Novel Language
Authors: Shook Anthony , Marian Viorica , Bartolotti James , Schroeder Scott R. 
Published: March 2013

Abstract
Musical experience may benefit learning of a new language by increasing the fidelity with which the auditory system encodes sound. In the current study, participants with varying degrees of musical experience were exposed to two statistically defined languages consisting of auditory Morse code sequences that varied in difficulty. We found an advantage for highly skilled musicians, relative to lower-skilled musicians, in learning novel Morse code-based words. Furthermore, in the more difficult learning condition, performance of lower-skilled musicians was mediated by their general cognitive abilities. We suggest that musical experience may improve processing of statistical information and that musicians’ enhanced ability to learn statistical probabilities in a novel Morse code language may extend to natural language learning.
Spatial variability more influential than soil pH and land relief on thermophilous vegetation in overgrown coppice oak forests
Authors: Szymura Tomasz H. , Szymura Magdalena 
Published: March 2013

<p>The overgrown coppice oak forests that cover the southern slopes beneath the foothills of the Sudetes (Silesia, Central Europe) are considered to be Euro-Siberian steppic woods with a <em>Quercus </em>sp. habitat (91I0): a priority habitat in the European Union, according to the Natura 2000 system. In subcontinental parts of Central Europe, thermophilous oak forest vegetation is found extrazonally; its presence, in the study site, is related to previous coppice management. In this paper we explore the differentiation of the vegetation caused both by land-relief derived variables (potential heat load, slope inclination and exposition, soil depth) and soil pH, as well as spatial processes. The data on the vegetation were collected from 117 regularly arranged sampling plots, located in three mountain ranges. The vegetation consisted of a mixture of species considered as typical for different habitats (mesophilous forests, acidophilous forests, thermophilous oak forests, grassland, thermophilous fringes and mesophilous mantle) and was relatively rich in species. Many of the species found were rare and are protected in Poland. The results of the bioindication, on the basis of Ellenberg indicator values, suggest the pH gradient to be the most important, followed by the insolation/moisture gradient, to the differentiation of the studied vegetation. The thermophilous oak forests seem to occupy the niche between acidophilous and mesophilous forest. However the decomposition of spatial variation, assessed on the basis of semivariance values of the vegetation similarity coefficient (frequency index), emphasizes a strong differentiation of vegetation between sites and mountain ranges.</p><p>The results of canonical correspondence analysis, performed on a spatially stratified sub-set of the data, revealed a stronger effect caused by spatial variation (32.7% of explained species variation) than environmental variables, such as soil pH and potential heat load (13.1%). Since the shared variation was low (1.8%), it showed a strong influence of spatial processes, revealing the effect of the local species pool.</p>
« Art de dire » Rastafari : créativité musicale et dagga dans les townships sud-africains
Authors: Laplante Julie 
Published: March 2013

Le mouvement rastafari, et son expansion à l’échelle mondiale, est un témoignage du succès d’un « art de dire » par l’expression musicale. Technique du corps et des sens, la création de la musique peut se lier à l’éthos d’un peuple. Il s’agit dans cet article de comprendre les conditions de créativité musicale au sein du quotidien rastafari destownshipsdu Cap en Afrique du Sud. Ainsi, comment la création musicale s’insère-t-elle au coeur du mouvement rastafari sud-africain, en quoi ce processus est-il porteur de signification, voire gage de survie au quotidien ? Et plus particulièrement, quelle est la place de la plante sacréedagga(cannabis, marijuana) dans ce processus, dont l’usage hors du mouvement est légiféré comme criminel, et dont l’usage en son sein apparaît libérateur, voire thérapeutique ? Voilà le défi de cet article qui pourra être relevé grâce à une famille musicienne/herboriste rastafari sud-africaine et à une anthropologie des sens. Dans le mouvement rastafari qui s’est érigé explicitement contre l’oppression d’un monde colonial en Jamaïque dans les années 1930, le processus de créativité musicale apparaît comme un mode de « mieux-être dans le monde », mode où les mots et les sons sont nettement privilégiés comme médium de changement social. En ce qui concerne son Herbe, ladagga, ses fonctions y sont multiples, tant sur le plan culturel que biologique, s’entrelaçant à la créativité musicale selon les ancrages positionnels particuliers des acteurs.
« Respecte pourtant sa vie » (Jb 2,6)
Authors: Tshikendwa Matadi Ghislain 
Published: March 2013

L’article traite de la valeur de la vie en Afrique noire en partant du livre de Job (Jb 2,6) où Yahvé intime au Satan l’ordre de respecter la vie de Job. Au-delà de la souffrance évidente qu’endurent les Africains depuis des siècles, leur amour pour la vie est un fait presque banal. Cette attitude ne diffère pas beaucoup de celle de Job qui, au-delà de ses différentes épreuves et peut-être à cause d’elles, continue de croire en la vie et en Celui qu’il croit en être l’auteur : Yahvé. Job devient ainsi un paradigme, celui d’une personne qui, en s’adressant à Dieu pendant l’épreuve, privilégie sa relation avec Celui qui est capable de donner à l’homme non seulement des richesses matérielles, mais aussi et surtout la vie — et qui est capable de la faire respecter à tout prix.
Serum Urate Levels and Consumption of Common Beverages and Alcohol Among Chinese in Singapore
Authors: Teng Gim Gee , Tan Chuen Seng , Santosa Amelia , Saag Kenneth G. , Yuan Jian‐Min , Koh Woon‐Puay 
Published: March 2013

ObjectiveWestern studies suggest that beverages may affect serum urate (SU) levels, but data from Asian populations are scarce. We evaluated the associations between beverages and SU levels in Singaporean Chinese.MethodsThe study population consisted of 483 subjects ages 45–74 years from the Singapore Chinese Health Study cohort, recruited between 1993 and 1998. Lifestyle factors, medical histories, and diet were collected through in‐person interviews. SU levels and other biomarkers were measured from blood collected between 1994 and 1996.ResultsThe mean age was 57.6 years and 44% were men. The geometric mean SU level was 321 μmoles/liter (range 157–719). Mean SU levels increased with alcohol consumption (P= 0.024 for trend). The mean SU level of daily alcohol drinkers was 42.6 μmoles/liter higher than that of nondrinkers. Similarly, increasing frequency of green tea intake was associated with rising SU levels. The highest mean SU level was observed in daily green tea drinkers (difference of 25.0 μmoles/liter) relative to nondrinkers (P= 0.009 for trend). Compared to nondrinkers, daily alcohol drinkers had an almost 5‐fold increase in association with hyperuricemia (odds ratio [OR] 4.83, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.10–21.23), whereas daily green tea drinkers had a 2‐fold increase in association with hyperuricemia (OR 2.12, 95% CI 1.03–4.36). The present study did not show elevated levels of SU in individuals who consumed black tea, coffee, fruit juice, or soda.ConclusionAlcohol consumption increases SU levels. The finding that daily drinking of green tea is associated with hyperuricemia needs validation in future studies.
Mechanics of Pharyngeal Teeth of Black Carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) Crushing Mollusk Shells
Authors: He Chong , Zhou Wu , Wang Hongtao , Shi San‐Qiang , Yao Haimin 
Published: March 2013

AbstractMollusks such as snail and mussels adopt hard shells to protect their vulnerable bodies. Recent studies on biomaterials have revealed that these shells especially the nacre layers exhibit excellent mechanical properties, inspiring a number of biomimetic endeavors. Nevertheless, in nature, there is a species of fish called Mylopharyngodon piceus or black carp, whose main diet is exactly snails and mussels. Does such unique diet imply that the pharyngeal teeth of black carp, its major masticatory apparatus, are superior to the mollusk shells in mechanical properties? In this paper, structural and mechanical characterizations are conducted on the pharyngeal teeth of black carp, showing that enameloid, the outermost layer of black carp teeth, possesses similar elastic modulus and hardness in comparison to those of the pond snail shells. To shed light on the mechanics underlying the capability of pharyngeal teeth to crush mollusk shells, parametric studies on the geometry of the shells are conducted by means of finite element method. It is found that whether a mollusk shell is crushable or not, for given pharyngeal teeth, depends on the radius (R) and thickness (t) of the shell. A predation map for black carp teeth is constructed by delimiting the t–R plane into three phasic regions corresponding to three possible consequences of the mechanical competition between pharyngeal teeth and shells. It is interesting to notice that all the freshwater shells chosen at random fall in the crushable regime while the seashells do not necessarily. This feature of black carp teeth can be speculated as a result of evolution in response to its freshwater diet.
Multiple and differentiated contributions to the male gene pool of pastoral and farmer populations of the African Sahel
Authors: Bučková Jana , Černý Viktor , Novelletto Andrea 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACTThe African Sahel is conducive to studies of divergence/admixture genetic events as a result of its population history being so closely related with past climatic changes. Today, it is a place of the co‐existence of two differing food‐producing subsistence systems, i.e., that of sedentary farmers and nomadic pastoralists, whose populations have likely been formed from several dispersed indigenous hunter‐gatherer groups. Using new methodology, we show here that the male gene pool of the extant populations of the African Sahel harbors signatures of multiple and differentiated contributions from different genetic sources. We also show that even if the Fulani pastoralists and their neighboring farmers share high frequencies of four Y chromosome subhaplogroups of E, they have drawn on molecularly differentiated subgroups at different times. These findings, based on combinations of SNP and STR polymorphisms, add to our previous knowledge and highlight the role of differences in the demographic history and displacements of the Sahelian populations as a major factor in the segregation of the Y chromosome lineages in Africa. Interestingly, within the Fulani pastoralist population as a whole, a differentiation of the groups from Niger is characterized by their high presence of R1b‐M343 and E1b1b1‐M35. Moreover, the R1b‐M343 is represented in our dataset exclusively in the Fulani group and our analyses infer a north‐to‐south African migration route during a recent past. Am J Phys Anthropol 151:10–21, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
New information on the modifications of the neandertal suprainiac fossa during growth and development and on its etiology
Authors: Balzeau Antoine , Rougier Hélène 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACTThe question of whether suprainiac depressions observed on Neandertals and in other human samples are homologous is widely discussed. Recently (Balzeau and Rougier, 2010), we ascertained the autapomorphic status of the Neandertal suprainiac fossa as a depression showing specific external bone features together with a thinning of the diploic layer with no substantial remodeling nor variation in the external table thickness. A suprainiac fossa with these characteristics is systematically present on Neandertals from the earliest developmental stages on, and since the beginning of the differentiation of the Neandertal lineage. Here, we present a detailed analysis of the micro‐CT dataset (resolution of 50 μm) of the occipital bone of the La Ferrassie 8 Neandertal child, whose proposed age‐at‐death is around 2 years, and we compare it to the adult condition as represented by La Chapelle‐aux‐Saints 1 (resolution of 122 μm). We describe and quantify the boundaries between the different structural layers of the occipital bone, namely the external and internal tables and the diploic layer. We also describe very fine details of the diploic layer structure that had never before been observed on fossil hominins. This study illustrates for the first time that the internal particularities that make the suprainiac fossa a Neandertal autapomorphy are evident early during growth and development. Moreover, we demonstrate that the developmental pattern and causes of expression for the features observed in modern humans and Neandertals are certainly different, indicating that these features are not homologous traits from evolutionary and functional perspectives. Consequently, we confirm the autapomorphic status of the Neandertal suprainiac fossa. Am J Phys Anthropol 151:38–48, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Preparation and property of poly(vinyl alcohol) grafted with butyl glycidyl ether
Authors: Wei Lixia , Ye Lin 
Published: March 2013

AbstractThe crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol (CPVA) and alkyl chain grafted CPVA (CPVA‐g‐BGE) were prepared through the addition reaction of epoxy group of epichlorohydrin and butyl glycidyl ether (BGE) with the hydroxyl group of PVA. By FTIR and 1HNMR analysis, BGE was confirmed to be grafted onto the molecular chain of PVA successfully. By grafting with BGE, the area of the stress–strain curves of CPVA increased, and the elongation at break increased remarkably with little drop of the tensile strength. Much rougher fractured surface with folds was observed, indicating the increased toughness of CPVA. The relaxation peak corresponding to the glass transition temperature (Tg) of CPVA shifted to low temperature with increasing grafting ratio of BGE. When compared with CPVA, the crystallization ability of CPVA‐g‐BGE decreased, indicating that although the intermolecular hydrogen bonding of PVA was weakened by grafting with alkyl chain, appropriate intermolecular association of alkyl chain facilitated the formation of physical entanglement of molecular chains to strengthen and toughen the PVA matrix. Ink contact angles of CPVA‐g‐BGE decreased with increasing grafting ratio of BGE, indicating the increasing compatibility of CPVA with ink, which was advantageous for PVA to be used as surface sizing agent in papermaking. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Influence of MMT nanoclay on impedance spectroscopy analysis of naturally woven coconut sheath/polyester hybrid composite
Authors: Rajini Nagarajan , Jappes Jebas Thangiah Winowlin , Rajakarunakaran Sivaprakasam , Prabu Moni , Bennet Chellam 
Published: March 2013

AbstractIn this work, the impedance spectroscopy study has been carried out for the naturally woven coconut sheath fiber reinforced composite with the effect of adding different weight percentages of montmorillonite nanoclay and chemical activation of fiber. The dispersion mechanism of nanoclay with polyester, and the modification of the fiber surface have been studied by using X–ray diffractogram, transmission electron microscope and scanning electron microscope respectively. Infra‐red spectra have also been taken to study the reactive compounds of treated fibers. The impedance spectrum shows significant improvement in A.C. conductivity, dielectric constant and loss tangent values by the fiber modification, using alkali and silane treatments, due to the structural topography changes at the fiber surface. The highest dielectric strength was found in alkali‐treated coconut sheath/polyester composite due to increase in orientation polarization by the absorption of moisture content at fiber surface. The addition of different weight percentages of nanoclay with coconut sheath in all the treated conditions shows significant changes in the dielectric properties. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Neuropathic Pain in Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Psychophysics and Brain Imaging Study
Authors: Wu Qi , Inman Robert D. , Davis Karen D. 
Published: March 2013

ObjectiveTo determine whether there is a neuropathic component in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) back pain and to delineate gray matter brain abnormalities associated with AS.MethodsSeventeen patients with back pain secondary to AS who were not receiving biologic agents and 17 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls consented to participate in the study and were assessed using the painDETECT instrument (scores of ≤12 indicating low probability of neuropathic pain) and the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Mechanical and thermal thresholds were determined in all subjects, and brain gray matter was assessed by 3T magnetic resonance imaging.ResultsEleven of the 17 AS patients had painDETECT scores of >12. The patients had decreased mechanical and cold sensitivity on the dorsum of their feet but did not have altered pain thresholds. Compared to controls, the AS patients exhibited cortical thinning in the primary somatosensory, insular, anterior cingulate, and anterior mid‐cingulate cortices and the supplemental motor area, and increased gray matter volume in the thalamus and putamen. Scores on the painDETECT in AS patients were correlated with decreased gray matter in the primary somatosensory cortex and with increased gray matter in the motor cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, thalamus, and striatum.ConclusionThe present findings indicate that neuropathic pain occurs in AS. Furthermore, abnormal brain gray matter and neural correlates of neuropathic pain are concordant with the clinical picture of AS, which includes sensorimotor and mood deficits as well as neuropathic pain symptoms. These results suggest that back pain in AS is a mixed pain condition that includes a neuropathic pain component.
Rac1 Is Required for Matrix Metalloproteinase 13 Production by Chondrocytes in Response to Fibronectin Fragments
Authors: Long David L. , Willey Jeffrey S. , Loeser Richard F. 
Published: March 2013

ObjectiveMatrix fragments, including fibronectin (FN) fragments, accumulate during the development of osteoarthritis (OA), stimulating the production of chondrocyte matrix metalloproteinase (MMP). The objective of this study was to determine the role of the small GTPase Rac1 in chondrocyte signaling stimulated by FN fragments, which results in MMP‐13 production.MethodsNormal human cartilage was obtained from tissue donors and OA cartilage from knee arthroplasty specimens. Rac1 activity was modulated with a chemical inhibitor, by knockdown with small interfering RNA (siRNA), or with constitutively active Rac or dominant‐negative Rac adenovirus. Cells were treated with FN fragments, with or without epidermal growth factor (EGF) or transforming growth factor α (TGFα), which are known activators of Rac. Rac1 activity was measured with a colorimetric activity enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, a pulldown assay, and immunostaining with a monoclonal antibody against active Rac.ResultsChemical inhibition of Rac1, as well as knockdown by siRNA and expression of dominant‐negative Rac, blocked FN fragment–stimulated MMP‐13 production, while expression of constitutively active Rac increased MMP‐13 production. Inhibition of Rho‐associated kinase had no effect. EGF and TGFα, but not FN fragments, increased Rac1 activity and promoted the increase in MMP‐13 above that achieved by stimulation with FN fragments alone. Active Rac was detected in OA cartilage by immunostaining.ConclusionRac1 is required for FN fragment–induced signaling that results in increased MMP‐13 production. EGF receptor ligands, which activate Rac, can promote this effect. The presence of active Rac in OA cartilage and the ability of Rac to stimulate MMP‐13 production suggest that it could play a role in the cartilage matrix destruction seen in OA.
Effect of PPARβ/δ Agonist on the Placentation and Embryo‐Fetal Development in Rats
Authors: Nishimura Kyohei , Nakano Nao , Chowdhury Vishwajit Sur , Kaneto Masako , Torii Mikinori , Hattori Masa‐aki , Yamauchi Nobuhiko , Kawai Motoyuki 
Published: March 2013

BACKGROUNDThe present study was conducted to evaluate the developmental toxicity in the endometrium and placenta due to GW501516 administration by gavage to pregnant rats.METHODSGW501516 was orally administered repeatedly to pregnant rats from gestation day (GD) 6 to 17 at a dose of 0, 30, and 100 mg/kg/day. In next study, GW501516 was also orally administered to pregnant rats on GD 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11 at a single dose of 275 or 350 mg/kg. In these studies, caesarean section was performed to examine the pregnancy outcome on GD21. Additionally, GW501516 was orally administered to pregnant rats on GD 10 at a single dose of 275 mg/kg. Placentae were subjected for temporal histological examinations on GD 11, 13, 15, or 17.RESULTSPlacental malformation was induced by repeated administration of GW501516 at a dose of 100 mg/kg/day. Single oral administration of GW501516 at a dose of 275 and/or 350 mg/kg on GD 8, 9, 10, or 11 induced placental malformation, whereas GW501516 administered on GD 10 was the most effective for increasing placental malformation. Histopathologically, single oral administration of GW501516 on GD 10 induced cystic degeneration associated with cellular lysis of glycogen cells started from GD 15 in the basal zone.CONCLUSIONSHigh frequency of placental malformation was observed by the administration of GW501516. From GD 8 to 11, especially GD 10, is more sensitive period to induce the placental malformation.
The empirical link between relationship marketing tools and consumer retention in retail marketing
Authors: Bojei Jamil , Julian Craig C. , Wel Che Aniza Binti Che , Ahmed Zafar U. 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACTThis article focuses on the key relationship marketing tools of customer service, loyalty/rewards programs, brand/store community, personalization and customization, and their relationship with customer retention. The relationship between customer service, loyalty/rewards programs, customization, personalization, brand/store community and customer retention were examined via an empirical investigation of 450 loyalty/reward program members of three retail stores in Malaysia. The administration of the survey was personally administered but self‐completed. Four of the five relationship marketing tools, namely, customer service, loyalty/rewards programs, brand/store community and personalization, had a significant positive relationship with customer retention. The findings provided valuable insights into the loyalty program management practices of retail stores in a developing country context.Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.