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Different Domains (different + domain)
Selected AbstractsLosing more than gaining from overall stable prices: the differential perception of increasing versus decreasing prices made the Euro look like a price boosterEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2008Tobias Greitemeyer The present research examined whether price trend misperceptions can be explained by the differential perception of increasing versus decreasing prices. We expected price increases (losses to consumers) to be perceived as being more intense than price decreases (gains to consumers) of the same magnitude. This tendency, in turn, should be positively associated with how people perceive the overall price trend. To test this reasoning, participants in the first two studies were asked to compare German Mark (DM) and Euro prices. First, participants received a menu containing 21 dishes with DM prices, and their price trend expectations were assessed. Then, participants indicated for each dish to what extent the price had changed. Finally, participants' overall price trend judgments were assessed. In both studies, results indicate that price trend judgments were biased toward rising prices. In addition, price increases were perceived as rising more than price decreases of the same magnitude were perceived as falling. This tendency was positively associated with overall price trend judgments, even after controlling for expectations. Study 3 was to replicate these findings in a different domain to demonstrate the general nature and impact of the hypothesized effect. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] GAK, a regulator of clathrin-mediated membrane trafficking, localizes not only in the cytoplasm but also in the nucleusGENES TO CELLS, Issue 5 2009Jun Sato The ubiquitously expressed Cyclin G-associated kinase (GAK) regulates clathrin-mediated membrane trafficking in the cytoplasm. However, the association of GAK with a nuclear protein Cyclin G1 that is unrelated to membrane trafficking suggests an unidentified role of GAK in the nucleus. Indeed, we report here that GAK localizes in both cytoplasm and nucleus by immunostaining, ectopic expression of GFP-GAK and pull-down assays using dissected GAK fragments. GAK forms complexes not only with cyclin G1 but also with other nuclear proteins such as p53, clathrin heavy chain (CHC) and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) B,,1. Moreover, CHC associates with GAK via a different domain depending on whether it is in the cytoplasm or nucleus. Immunostaining revealed that about 20~30% of B,,1, cyclin G1 and p53 complex with nuclear GAK. CHC also displayed dots in the nucleus and almost all nuclear CHC signals colocalized with GAK. These observations together suggest an important function of GAK in the nucleus. [source] Voltammetric Studies of the Interactions Between Ferrocene-Labeled Glutathione and Proteins in Solution or Immobilized onto SurfaceELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 16 2009Yong Peng Abstract Glutathione (GSH) tagged with a ferrocene (Fc) label at its C-terminal was synthesized via coupling ferrocenyl amine to glutathione using o -(benzotriazol-1-yl)- N,N,N,,N, -tetramethyluronium (HBTU)/1-hydroxybenzotrizole (HOBt). The presence of Fc yielded well defined voltammetric signals, rendering the Fc-tagged GSH (GSH-Fc) suitable for electrochemical studies of GSH binding to other biological species. The interaction of GSH-Fc with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated, and a binding ratio of 1.41±0.06 (GSH-Fc/BSA) and an affinity constant Ka of 6.53±2.01×106,M,1 were determined. These results compare well with those measured by fluorescence using untagged GSH, suggesting that the attachment of Fc to GSH does not significantly perturb the GSH structure and binding behavior. By contrasting the binding behavior to several compounds that are known to conjugate to different domains of BSA, the voltammetric study confirmed that GSH-Fc binds at subdomain IIA of BSA with high affinity. The versatility of GSH-Fc for studying GSH binding to surface-confined proteins was also demonstrated with the GSH binding to electroinactive Zn-metallothionein (Zn7 -MT) through hydrogen binding at the region between the Zn7 -MT , and , domains. [source] Governing long-term social,ecological change: what can the adaptive management and transition management approaches learn from each other?ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 1 2009Timothy J. Foxon Abstract Maintaining social welfare and opportunity in the face of severe ecological pressures requires frameworks for managing and governing long-term social,ecological change. In this paper we analyse two recent frameworks, adaptive management and transition management, outlining what they could learn from each other. Though usually applied in different domains, the two conceptual frameworks aim to integrate bottom-up and top-down approaches, and share a focus on the ability of systems to learn and develop adaptive capacity whilst facing external shocks and long-term pressures. Both also emphasize learning from experimentation in complex systems, but transition management focuses more on the ability to steer long-term changes in system functions, whilst adaptive management emphasizes the maintenance of system functions in the face of external change. The combination of iterative learning and stakeholder participation from adaptive management has the potential to incorporate vital feedbacks into transition management, which in turn offers a longer-term perspective from which to learn about and manage socio-technical and social,ecological change. It is argued that by combining insights from both frameworks it may be possible to foster more robust and resilient governance of social,ecological systems than could be achieved by either approach alone. The paper concludes by critically reflecting upon the challenges and benefits of combining elements of each approach, as has been attempted in the methodology of a research project investigating social,ecological change in UK uplands. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Dissociating the role of the caudate nucleus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in the monitoring of events within human working memoryEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 5 2010Jean-Sebastien Provost Abstract There is evidence that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is involved in the monitoring of information held in memory whether it is self-ordered or externally triggered. However, the functional contribution of the caudate nucleus in the monitoring of events has not yet been studied. We have previously proposed that the striatum is involved when a novel self-initiated action needs to be generated. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis that the caudate nucleus is significantly more required when the monitoring is self-ordered as opposed to externally triggered. Self-ordered monitoring refers to keeping track of which items have been selected so far in order to perform the current selection. Externally triggered monitoring refers to keeping track of which items have been selected by an outside source. Thirteen healthy young adults were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a monitoring task with three conditions: self-ordered, externally triggered and recognition. As predicted, a significant increase of activity was found in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex bilaterally when the self-ordered and externally triggered conditions were compared with the recognition condition. Most importantly, significantly increased activity was found in the right caudate nucleus when comparing the self-ordered with the recognition condition or with the externally triggered condition, but not when comparing the externally triggered with the recognition condition. We suggest that the caudate nucleus is involved in the planning of a self-initiated novel action, especially when no clear indication is given for the response choice, and that this may be the case across different domains of cognition. [source] Differential routing of coexisting neuropeptides in vasopressin neuronsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 11 2003Marc Landry Abstract The functional implications of intraneuronal coexistence of different neuropeptides depend on their respective targeting to release sites. In the rat hypothalamic magnocellular neurons, we investigated a possible differential routing of the coexpressed galanin and vasopressin. The respective location of proteins and messengers was assessed with double immunogold and in situ hybridization combining confocal and electron microscope analysis. The various populations of labelled granules were quantitatively compared in three subcellular compartments: perikarya, local processes and posthypophyseal nerve endings. Three subpopulations of granules were detected in all three compartments, but their respective amount showed significant differences. Galanin alone was immunolocalized in some secretory granules, vasopressin alone in others, and both peptides in a third subpopulation of granules. The major part of the granules containing vasopressin, either alone or in association with galanin, is found in neurohypophyseal nerve endings. In contrast, galanin single-labelled granules represent the most abundant population in dendritic processes, while double-labelled granules are more numerous in perikarya. This indicates a preferential distribution of the two peptides in the different compartments of magnocellular neurons. Furthermore, galanin and vasopressin messenger RNAs were detected at different domains of the endoplasmic reticulum, suggesting that translation might also occur at different locations, thus leading to partial segregation of galanin and vasopressin cargoes between two populations of secretory granules. The present study provides, for the first time in mammals, evidence suggesting that galanin and vasopressin are only partly copackaged and undergo a preferential targeting toward dendrites or neurohypophysis, suggesting different functions, autocrine/paracrine and endocrine, respectively. [source] Differential routing of coexisting neuropeptides in vasopressin neuronsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 3 2003Marc Landry Abstract The functional implications of intraneuronal coexistence of different neuropeptides depend on their respective targeting to release sites. In the rat hypothalamic magnocellular neurons, we investigated a possible differential routing of the coexpressed galanin and vasopressin. The respective location of proteins and messengers was assessed with double immunogold and in situ hybridization combining confocal and electron microscope analysis. The various populations of labelled granules were quantitatively compared in three subcellular compartments: perikarya, local processes and posthypophyseal nerve endings. Three subpopulations of granules were detected in all three compartments, but their respective amount showed significant differences. Galanin alone was immunolocalized in some secretory granules, vasopressin alone in others, and both peptides in a third subpopulation of granules. The major part of the granules containing vasopressin, either alone or in association with galanin, is found in neurohypophyseal nerve endings. In contrast, galanin single-labelled granules represent the most abundant population in dendritic processes, while double-labelled granules are more numerous in perikarya. This indicates a preferential distribution of the two peptides in the different compartments of magnocellular neurons. Furthermore, galanin and vasopressin messenger RNAs were detected at different domains of the endoplasmic reticulum, suggesting that translation might also occur at different locations, thus leading to partial segregation of galanin and vasopressin cargoes between two populations of secretory granules. The present study provides, for the first time in mammals, evidence suggesting that galanin and vasopressin are only partly copackaged and undergo a preferential targeting toward dendrites or neurohypophysis, suggesting different functions, autocrine/paracrine and endocrine, respectively. [source] Right wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation and the dimensions of generalized prejudiceEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2007John Duckitt Abstract Prior research suggests that individuals' prejudiced attitudes form a single generalized dimension predicted by Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO). A dual process approach, however, expects different domains of generalized prejudice that relate differentially to RWA and SDO. To test this, 212 participants rated attitudes to 24 typically disliked groups. Factor analysis revealed three distinct generalized prejudice dimensions. Hierarchical Linear Modelling indicated that attitudes towards a ,dangerous' groups domain was significantly related only with RWA, attitudes toward a second ,derogated' groups domain was related only to SDO, and attitudes toward a third, ,dissident' groups, domain was significantly related to both, but powerfully with RWA and weakly with SDO. These findings have implications for explaining and reducing prejudice. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Different selves, different values: Effects of self-construals on value activation and useEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2009Bas Verplanken Three experiments demonstrated structural properties and dynamic effects of self-construal on the processing and use of values. In Study 1, it was found that self-focus during encoding caused spontaneous cognitive clustering of individualistic versus relational values. Study 2 demonstrated that self-construal affected the implicit weight of a value-related attribute in a multi-attribute choice task. In Study 3, behavioral intentions were better predicted by personal values than social norms when the personal self was primed, whereas social norms predicted better when the collective self was primed. The effects of manipulated self-construal were mimicked when comparing participants with an individualistic versus collectivistic cultural background. No interaction was found between priming and cultural background. Taken together, the studies demonstrated that different domains of the self are associated with different values, which may instigate different cognitive and behavioral processes when activated. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Analysing and Assessing Accountability: A Conceptual Framework1EUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 4 2007Mark Bovens But how can we establish the existence of accountability deficits? This article tries to get to grips with the appealing but elusive concept of accountability by asking three types of questions. First a conceptual one: what exactly is meant by accountability? In this article the concept of accountability is used in a rather narrow sense: a relationship between an actor and a forum, in which the actor has an obligation to explain and to justify his or her conduct, the forum can pose questions and pass judgement, and the actor may face consequences. The second question is analytical: what types of accountability are involved? A series of dimensions of accountability are discerned that can be used to describe the various accountability relations and arrangements that can be found in the different domains of European governance. The third question is evaluative: how should we assess these accountability arrangements? The article provides three evaluative perspectives: a democratic, a constitutional and a learning perspective. Each of these perspectives may produce different types of accountability deficits. [source] On Imagination: Reconciling Knowledge and Life, or What Does "Gregory Bateson" Stand for?FAMILY PROCESS, Issue 4 2004Marcelo Pakman This article presents a reading of Gregory Bateson's oeuvre, focusing on his interest in the representational gap between map and territory, and its importance in the development of his redefinition of the concept of "mind," his new discipline called "ecology of ideas," and a methodology congruent to it based on the logics of metaphor. Inquiries on three initial stories from different domains allow the use of homologies between form and content in the article. This reading of Bateson's oeuvre stresses his questioning (like Derrida's) of the metaphysics of presence on which Western philosophy has been mostly based, and of the central role of imagination as a balancing factor for a family therapy that he both contributed to and saw with reservations. [source] Shuffling genes around in hot environments: the unique DNA transporter of Thermus thermophilusFEMS MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS, Issue 3 2009Beate Averhoff Abstract Natural transformation permits the transport of DNA through bacterial membranes and represents a dominant mode for the transfer of genetic information between bacteria and between microorganisms of distant evolutionary lineages and even between members of different domains. This phenomenon, known as horizontal, or lateral, gene transfer, has been a major force for genome plasticity over evolutionary history, and is largely responsible for the spread of fitness-enhancing traits, including antibiotic resistance and virulence factors. In particular, for adaptation of prokaryotes to extreme environments, lateral gene transfer seems to have played a crucial role. Here, we present a survey of the natural transformation machinery of the thermophile Thermus thermophilus HB27. A tentative model of the transformation machinery comprising of components similar to proteins of type IV pili and type II secretion systems is presented. A comparative discussion of the subunits and the structure of the DNA translocator and the underlying mechanism of transfer of free DNA in T. thermophilus highlights conserved and unique features of the DNA translocator in T. thermophilus. We hypothesize that the extraordinary broad substrate specificity and the high efficiency of the T. thermophilus DNA uptake system is of major importance for thermoadaptation and interdomain DNA transfer in hot environments. [source] Ecological effects of regime shifts in the Bering Sea and eastern North Pacific OceanFISH AND FISHERIES, Issue 2 2002Ashleen J Benson Abstract Large-scale shifts occurred in climatic and oceanic conditions in 1925, 1947, 1977, 1989 and possibly 1998. These shifts affected the mix and abundance of suites of coexisting species during each period of relative environmental stability,from primary producers to apex predators. However, the 1989 regime shift was not a simple reversal of the 1977 shift. The regime shifts occurred abruptly and were neither random variations nor simple reversals to the previous conditions. Timing of these anomalous environmental events in the North Pacific Ocean appears to be linked to physical and biological responses in other oceanic regions of the world. Changes in the atmospheric pressure can alter wind patterns that affect oceanic circulation and physical properties such as salinity and depth of the thermocline. This, in turn, affects primary and secondary production. Data from the North Pacific indicate that regime shifts can have opposite effects on species living in different domains, or can affect similar species living within a single domain in opposite ways. Climatic forcing appears to indirectly affect fish and marine mammal populations through changes in the distribution and abundance of their predators and prey. Effects of regime shifts on marine ecosystems are also manifested faster at lower trophic levels. Natural variability in the productivity of fish stocks in association with regime shifts indicates that new approaches to managing fisheries should incorporate climatic as well as fisheries effects. [source] High-Resolution Spectroscopic Mapping of the Chemical Contrast from Nanometer Domains in P3HT:PCBM Organic Blend Films for Solar-Cell ApplicationsADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 3 2010Xiao Wang Abstract A high-resolution near-field spectroscopic mapping technique is successfully applied to investigate the influence of thermal annealing on the morphology of a poly(3-hexylthiophene) and [6,6]-penyl-C61 butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) blend film. Based on the simultaneously recorded morphological and spectroscopic information, the interplay among the blend film morphology, the local P3HT:PCBM molecular distribution, and the P3HT photoluminescence (PL) quenching efficiency are systematically discussed. The PL and Raman signals of the electron donor (P3HT) and acceptor (PCBM) are probed at an optical resolution of approximately 10,nm, which allows the chemical nature of the different domains to be identified directly. In addition, the local PL quenching efficiency, which is related to the electron transfer from P3HT to PCBM, is quantitatively revealed. From these experimental results, it is proposed that high-resolution near-field spectroscopic imaging is capable of mapping the local chemical composition and photophysics of the P3HT:PCBM blends on a scale of a few nanometers. [source] Construction and characterization of a doxycycline-inducible transgenic system in Msx2 expressing cellsGENESIS: THE JOURNAL OF GENETICS AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2009Congxing Lin Abstract Homeobox gene Msx2 is widely expressed during both embryogenesis and postnatal development and plays important roles during organogenesis. We developed an Msx2 -rtTA BAC transgenic line which can activate TetO-Cre expression in Msx2 -expressing cells upon doxycycline (Dox) treatment. Using the Rosa26-LacZ (R26R) reporter line, we show that rtTA is activated in Msx2 -expressing organs including the limb, heart, external genitalia, urogenital system, hair follicles and craniofacial regions. Moreover, we show that in body appendages, the transgene can be activated in different domains depending on the timing of Dox treatment. In addition, the transgene can also be effectively activated in adult tissues such as the hair follicle and the urogenital system. Taken together, this Msx2 -rtTA;TetO-Cre system is a valuable tool for studying gene function in the development of the aforementioned organs in a temporal and spatially-restricted manner, as well as for tissue lineage tracing of Msx2 -expressing cells. When induced postnatally, this system can also be used to study gene function in adult tissues without compromising normal development and patterning. genesis 47:352,359, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Polyphase evolution and reaction sequence of compositional domains in metabasalt: a model based on local chemical equilibrium and metamorphic differentiationGEOLOGICAL JOURNAL, Issue 3-4 2000T. M. Toóth Abstract Eclogitic garnet amphibolite samples from the Southern Steep Belt of the Central Alps show evidence of several stages of metamorphic evolution and exhumation. A method for unravelling this evolution is presented and applied to these samples. It involves a combination of detailed petrographic analysis and microchemical characterization with quantitative models of the thermodynamically stable phase relations for specific compositional domains of each sample. Preserved mineral relics and textural evidence are compared to model predictions to identify the important irreversible reactions. The interpretation of the exhumation history is thus based on the consistency of a wide spectrum of observations with predicted phase diagrams, leading to robust reconstruction of a pressure,temperature (P,T) path even where the mineralogical relics in samples are insufficient, due to retrogression, to warrant application of multi-equilibrium thermobarometric techniques. The formation of compositionally different domains in the metabasalt samples studied is attributed to prograde growth of porphyroblasts (e.g. garnet, plagioclase, zoisite) in the matrix, implying substantial metamorphic differentiation at the scale of a few millimetres. Chemical interaction among different domains during the subsequent P,T evolution is shown to have been very limited. This led to different reaction sequences during exhumation, in which relics preserved in different domains reflect a range of continually changing P,T conditions. For samples from a single outcrop, we deduce a Barrovian prograde path to eclogite facies (23,±,3,kbar, 750,±,50°C), followed by (rapid) decompression to 8,±,1,kbar and 675,±,25°C, and a final heating phase at similar pressures reaching 750,±,40°C. This evolution is attributed to the Alpine cycle involving subduction,collision and slab breakoff,extrusion of tectonic fragments that make up the Southern Steep Belt of the Central Alps. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Understanding the HER family in breast cancer: interaction with ligands, dimerization and treatmentsHISTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 5 2010Fabrício F T Barros Barros F F T, Powe D G, Ellis I O & Green A R (2010) Histopathology56, 560,572 Understanding the HER family in breast cancer: interaction with ligands, dimerization and treatments Breast carcinoma is the most frequent type of cancer affecting women. Among the recently described molecular and phenotypic classes of breast cancer, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive tumours are associated with a poor prognosis. HER2 plays an important role in cancer progression being targeted to provide predictive and prognostic information. Moreover, HER2 is related to cancer resistance against a variety of therapies; however, trastuzumab (herceptin) has proved successful in treatment of this subgroup. Nevertheless, resistance to this drug may be acquired by patients after a period of treatment, which indicates that other molecular mechanisms might influence success of this therapy. Dimerization between members of the HER family may contribute to resistance against treatments due to different combinations that trigger different downstream pathways. This is promoted by ligands, which are expressed as transmembrane precursor protein molecules and have a conserved epidermal growth factor-like domain. Through resistance to trastuzumab, other drugs are being developed to interact in different domains of HER2 protein. It might be a good strategy to apply new drugs simultaneously to trastuzumab due to act in different domains of HER2. The study of interaction between receptors/ligands will characterize specifically their signalling pathway and understand which strategy to acquire. [source] Aggregation of linguistic labels when semantics is based on antonymsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 4 2001Vicenç Torra In this work, we introduce aggregation operators for linguistic labels (this is, ordinal scales) when different experts (or information sources) use different domains to express their knowledge. The aggregated value is computed (i) building first a unified framework, (ii) transforming all the initial values into this new framework, (iii) aggregating the transformed values, and (iv) finally applying a reversal transformation. Transformations and all the constructions are based on assuming an existing semantics for all the domains. In this work, we consider the semantics based on the existence of an antonym (or a set of them) for each element in the domain. This is equivalent to a semantics based on negation functions. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] Susceptibility of spatial and verbal working memory to demands of the central executive1JAPANESE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2004HIROHITO KONDO Abstract:, We used a dual-task paradigm to examine the degree to which domain-specific spatial and verbal subsystems depend on the domain-general central executive. Forty participants were asked to retain spatial or verbal information while performing a concurrent secondary task related to simple arithmetic. The secondary tasks consisted of three cognitive processes: single-digit addition, a digit-carrying operation, and digit reading. The single-digit addition and carry operation include central executive functioning, while digit reading relies solely on the phonological loop. The single-digit addition caused a performance decrement on the spatial working memory task, while the digit reading impaired performance on the verbal working memory task. The carry operation interfered with recall accuracy on both working memory tasks. The spatial working memory task was significantly correlated with the verbal working memory task only when the secondary task was more demanding on the central executive. Our results suggest that spatial working memory rather than verbal working memory is susceptible to failure of central executive functioning and that the central executive plays an important role in regulating the cognitive demands of different domains. [source] Quality of life in chronic disease: a comparison between patients with heart failure and patients with aphasia after strokeJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 13-14 2010Åsa Franzén-Dahlin Objectives., This study aimed to describe the impact of heart failure and of stroke with aphasia on quality of life (QoL) and to compare the different domains of QoL in these groups. Background., The prevalence of chronic conditions has increased during the last decades, and chronic diseases such as stroke and heart failure may have a great impact on QoL. Design., Comparative study of patients from two randomised controlled studies. Method., Seventy-nine patients with heart failure and 70 patients with aphasia after stroke were evaluated concerning the severity of their disease and by QoL, as measured with the Nottingham Health Profile, in the acute phase and after six months. Results., The severity of the disease improved between baseline and six month for both groups. Correlations between New York Heart Association (NYHA) class and all QoL domains were seen in patients with heart failure after six months. The degree of aphasia correlated to mobility, social, emotional and total score after six month. QoL in patients with heart failure was more affected in the domains of sleep and energy in the acute phase and in the energy domain at six months. Conclusion., Although low energy is more frequent among patients with heart failure, both groups report poor QoL. Improvement in severity of the disease is not necessarily accompanied by improvement in QoL. Relevance to clinical practice., Nottingham Health Profile can easily be used as a screening instrument, aiming to identify patients at risk for adverse effects on QoL. A better understanding of the subjective QoL of patients with chronic disease is fundamental for health care professionals to be able to identify and support vulnerable patients. [source] Family quality of life among families with a member who has an intellectual disability: an exploratory examination of key domains and dimensions of the revised FQOL SurveyJOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 6 2009S. Werner Abstract Background The Family Quality of Life Survey (FQOLS-2006) was developed as the result of increased interest in family quality of life (FQOL) among families with a member who has an intellectual disability (ID). The instrument includes nine life domains and six dimensions reflecting the main areas and characteristics of FQOL. The aim of the current study was to provide a descriptive analysis of the domains and dimensions of the survey and to explore their relationship to one another and to global satisfaction. Method A convenience sample of 35 participants with a family member who had ID completed the FQOLS-2006 in a large urban centre in Canada. The data were analysed using descriptive analyses. Results The findings showed that although participants differentiated between different domains and dimensions, as reflected in their variability, stability was also found. For example, support from others was rated lowest across most dimensions, while family relationships and health of the family were generally rated higher. Conclusions The findings strengthen the importance of examining both the overall perception of FQOL as well as the perceptions in individual life domains. Moreover, they highlight the need to examine each life domain according to its various dimensions. In sum, the results call for further examination of the FQOLS-2006 as a useful tool for assessing FQOL and for implementing services based on it. [source] Measuring the complexity of class diagrams in reverse engineeringJOURNAL OF SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE AND EVOLUTION: RESEARCH AND PRACTICE, Issue 5 2006Frederick T. Sheldon Abstract Complexity metrics for object-oriented systems are plentiful. Numerous studies have been undertaken to establish valid and meaningful measures of maintainability as they relate to the static structural characteristics of software. In general, these studies have lacked the empirical validation of their meaning and/or have only succeeded in evaluating partial aspects of the system. In this study we have determined, through limited empirical means, a practical and holistic view by analyzing and comparing the structural characteristics of UML class diagrams as those characteristics relate to or impact maintainability. Class diagrams are composed of three kinds of relation, association, generalization, and aggregation, which make their overall structure difficult to understand. We propose combining these three relations in such a way that enables a comprehensive measure of complexity. Theoretically, this measure is applicable among different class diagrams (including different domains, platforms or systems) to the extent that the measure is widely comparative and context free. Further, this property does not preclude comparison within a specific class diagram (or family) and is therefore very useful in evaluating a given class diagram's strengths and weaknesses. We are reporting empirical results that provide a small measure of validity to enable an objective appraisal of both complexity and maintainability without equating the two. Therefore, to evaluate our structural complexity metric, we determined the level of understandability of the system by measuring the time needed to reverse engineer source code into class diagrams including the number of errors produced while creating the diagram. The number of errors produced offers one indicator of maintainability. The results, as compared with other complexity metrics, indicate that our metric shows promise especially if proven to be scalable. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Quantitative comparisons of search engine resultsJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 11 2008Mike Thelwall Search engines are normally used to find information or Web sites, but Webometric investigations use them for quantitative data such as the number of pages matching a query and the international spread of those pages. For this type of application, the accuracy of the hit count estimates and range of URLs in the full results are important. Here, we compare the applications programming interfaces of Google, Yahoo!, and Live Search for 1,587 single word searches. The hit count estimates were broadly consistent but with Yahoo! and Google, reporting 5,6 times more hits than Live Search. Yahoo! tended to return slightly more matching URLs than Google, with Live Search returning significantly fewer. Yahoo!'s result URLs included a significantly wider range of domains and sites than the other two, and there was little consistency between the three engines in the number of different domains. In contrast, the three engines were reasonably consistent in the number of different top-level domains represented in the result URLs, although Yahoo! tended to return the most. In conclusion, quantitative results from the three search engines are mostly consistent but with unexpected types of inconsistency that users should be aware of. Google is recommended for hit count estimates but Yahoo! is recommended for all other Webometric purposes. [source] Fluvoxamine and sleep disturbances in posttraumatic stress disorderJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 3 2001Thomas C. Neylan Abstract This study assesses the efficacy of fluvoxamine treatment on different domains of subjective sleep quality in Vietnam combat veterans with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Medically healthy male Vietnam theater combat veterans (N = 21) completed a 10-week open label trial. Fluvoxamine treatment led to improvements in PTSD symptoms and all domains of subjective sleep quality. The largest effect was for dreams linked to the traumatic experience in combat. In contrast, generic unpleasant dreams showed only a modest response to treatment. Sleep maintenance insomnia and the item "troubled sleep" showed a large treatment response, whereas sleep onset insomnia improved less substantially. These therapeutic benefits contrast with published reports that have found activating effects of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors on the sleep electroencephalogram. [source] Sentimental Visions of Empire in Eighteenth-Century StudiesLITERATURE COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2009Lynn Festa This survey of recent critical work on the role played by the sentimental in eighteenth-century representations of empire is organized around four central issues. The first addresses the double-edged use of sentimental writing as a form of ideological mystification , the palliating representation of scenes of colonial violence and imperial exploitation as moments of benevolence or sentimental exchange , and as a form of critique , as a means of representing the causes and consequences of remote actions as an incitement to proper action. The second takes up the way sentimentality is entwined with questions of commerce as a means of thinking about relations across the vast distances of empire, focusing in particular on the way sentimental tropes enabled thinking about the emergence of the global. The third turns to the utility of sentimental language for forging bonds of sympathetic identification with broader communities of nation and of empire, with particular attention to the way the extension of sympathy to another imperils the sanctity of the feeling self, while the final section addresses the way sentimental tropes police the circulation of sympathetic feeling as the means of monitoring the very boundaries of the human in the context of eighteenth-century empire. Throughout I stress the need for more comparative work on the role played by the sentimental not only within different domains of imperial activity but also across periods, disciplines, and national discourses. The essay includes an extensive bibliography of recent studies of eighteenth-century sentimentality in relation to empire. [source] Multi-dimensional inhomogeneity indicators and the force on uncharged spheres in electric fieldsMATHEMATICAL METHODS IN THE APPLIED SCIENCES, Issue 7 2009Dirk Langemann Abstract Uncharged droplets on outdoor high-voltage equipment suffer a non-vanishing total force in non-homogeneous electric fields. Here, the model problem of a spherical test body is considered in arbitrary dimensions. A series expansion of inhomogeneity indicators is proven, which approximates the total force in local terms of the undisturbed electric field. The proof uses the ideas of generalized spherical harmonics without referring to the particular choice of the orthonormal system. The fast converging series expansion establishes a relationship between the solutions of two partial differential equations on different domains. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Stationary solutions to an energy model for semiconductor devices where the equations are defined on different domainsMATHEMATISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 12 2008Annegret Glitzky Abstract We discuss a stationary energy model from semiconductor modelling. We accept the more realistic assumption that the continuity equations for electrons and holes have to be considered only in a subdomain ,0 of the domain of definition , of the energy balance equation and of the Poisson equation. Here ,0 corresponds to the region of semiconducting material, , \ ,0 represents passive layers. Metals serving as contacts are modelled by Dirichlet boundary conditions. We prove a local existence and uniqueness result for the two-dimensional stationary energy model. For this purpose we derive a W1,p -regularity result for solutions of systems of elliptic equations with different regions of definition and use the Implicit Function Theorem. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Students' perceptions of relationships between some educational variables in the out-patient settingMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 8 2002D H J M Dolmans Background Medical education uses the cognitive apprenticeship model of student learning extensively. Students rotate among different hospitals and out- patient clinics where they are exposed to a range of professionally relevant contexts. Here they learn to think and act in different domains under the supervision of experts. Previous research has shown that these learning situations involve little teaching. Students see a narrow range of patient problems and feedback is limited. The aim of this study is to investigate relationships among some educational variables in the out-patient clinic. Method This paper provides a theoretical model that specifies the factors influencing the effectiveness of student rotations at out-patient clinics. The model makes distinctions between input variables, such as organizational quality, number of students contemporaneously involved and available space, and process variables, such as patient mix and supervision, and the output variable of the effectiveness of rotations in out-patient clinics. Results The model was tested against empirical data from evaluative surveys and showed a reasonable fit. The model offers suggestions for improving the learning environment of clinical rotations. Discussion The strength of this study lies in its process evaluation perspective which investigates interactions between intervening variables rather than the influence of particular variables in isolation from other variables. [source] The Role of Family and Home in the Literacy Development of Children from Low-Income BackgroundsNEW DIRECTIONS FOR CHILD & ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT, Issue 92 2001Stacey A. Storch The authors of this chapter propose and test a model of individual differences in the development of emergent literacy. The model provides a means for evaluating the contribution of various aspects of the home environment to children's emerging literacy skills and helps to clarify the processes by which family environment and different domains of emergent literacy are related. [source] Implementation of the GaN lateral polarity junction in a MESFET utilizing polar doping selectivityPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (A) APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE, Issue 1 2010Ramón Collazo Abstract The difference in surface energies between the Ga-polar orientation and the N-polar orientation of GaN translates into a completely different behavior for the incorporation of intentional and unintentional impurities. Oxygen is found to be an impurity with higher concentration in the N-polar films than in Ga-polar films and is the cause of n-type conductivity observed in N-polar films. Utilizing this doping selectivity we fabricated a depletion-mode metal-semiconductor field effect transistor (MESFET) with n-type N-polar domains as source and drain and a Ga-polar channel on polarity-patterned wafers. The difference in the electronic properties of the different domains, i.e., as-grown N-polar domains are n-type conductive and Ga-polar domains are insulating, allows for laterally selective doped areas that can be realized for improving contact resistance to the n-type conduction channel. Basically, the N-polar domains acted as the ohmic contacts to the channel localized in a Ga-polar domain. A MESFET with a Schottky gate was fabricated as an example of implementation of this novel structure showing a lowering in the specific contact resistivity. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||