Top-down influences on lexical selection during spoken word production: A 4T fMRI investigation of refractory effects in picture naming

Spoken word production is assumed to involve stages of processing in which activation spreads through layers of units comprising lexical-conceptual knowledge and their corresponding phonological word forms. Using high-field (4T) functional magnetic resonance imagine (fMRI), we assessed whether the relationship between these stages is strictly serial or involves cascaded-interactive processing, and whether central (decision/control) processing mechanisms are involved in lexical selection. Participants performed the competitor priming paradigm in which distractor words, named from a definition and semantically related to a subsequently presented target picture, slow picture-naming latency compared to that with unrelated words. The paradigm intersperses two trials between the definition and the picture to be named, temporally separating activation in the word perception and production networks. Priming semantic competitors of target picture names significantly increased activation in the left posterior temporal cortex, and to a lesser extent the left middle temporal cortex, consistent with the predictions of cascaded-interactive models of lexical access. In addition, extensive activation was detected in the anterior cingulate and pars orbitalis of the inferior frontal gyrus. The findings indicate that lexical selection during competitor priming is biased by top-down mechanisms to reverse associations between primed distractor words and target pictures to select words that meet the current goal of speech.

Feeding preference and deterrence in rabbitfish Siganus fuscescens for the cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula in Moreton Bay, south-east Queensland, Australia

Rabbitfish Siganus fuscescens preferences for Lyngbya majuscula collected from three bloom locations in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia, were tested along with a range of local plant species in the laboratory. Consumption of L. majuscula by fish did not differ between wild and captive-bred fish (P = 0.152) but did differ between bloom location (P = 0.039). No relationship was found between consumption rates and lyngbyatoxin-a concentration (r(2) = 0.035, P = 0.814). No correlation existed between C : N and proportion of food consumed when all food types were analysed statistically, whereas a clear correlation was observed when L. majuscula was removed from the calculations. In simulated bloom conditions, fish avoided ingestion of L. majuscula by feeding through gaps in the L. majuscula coverage. Both wild and captive-bred S. fuscescens showed a distinct feeding pattern in 10 day no-choice feeding assays, with less L. majuscula being consumed than the preferred red alga Acanthophora spicifera. Lyngbya majuscula however, was consumed in equal quantities to A. spicifera by wild S. fuscescens when lyngbyatoxin-a was not detectable. Wild fish probably do not preferentially feed on L. majuscula when secondary metabolites are present and are not severely impacted by large L. majuscula blooms in Moreton Bay. Furthermore, poor feeding performance in both captive-bred and wild S. fuscescens suggests that they would exert little pressure as a top-down control agent of toxic L. majuscula blooms within Moreton Bay. (c) 2006 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Progress in silicon-based quantum computation

We review progress at the Australian Centre for Quantum Computer Technology towards the fabrication and demonstration of spin qubits and charge qubits based on phosphorus donor atoms embedded in intrinsic silicon. Fabrication is being pursued via two complementary pathways: a 'top-down' approach for near-term production of few-qubit demonstration devices and a 'bottom-up' approach for large-scale qubit arrays with sub-nanometre precision. The 'top-down' approach employs a low-energy (keV) ion beam to implant the phosphorus atoms. Single-atom control during implantation is achieved by monitoring on-chip detector electrodes, integrated within the device structure. In contrast, the 'bottom-up' approach uses scanning tunnelling microscope lithography and epitaxial silicon overgrowth to construct devices at an atomic scale. In both cases, surface electrodes control the qubit using voltage pulses, and dual single-electron transistors operating near the quantum limit provide fast read-out with spurious-signal rejection.

Surveillance as a technique of power in physical education

This paper analyses surveillance as a technique of power in the culture of physical education, including its impact upon the health of teachers. Additionally, gendered aspects of surveillance are investigated because physical education is an important location in and through which bodies are inscribed with gendered identities. The embodied nature of physical educators' work renders the body as particularly significant in patterns of privilege and domination. The research was guided by Michel Foucault's work and poststructural feminist perspectives on the importance of power in social life. At nine schools across two international research sites, the functioning of surveillance was evidenced through the multi-directional workings of power in top-down, lateral, and bottom-up configurations. Data indicated that surveillance occurred on, through and about bodies. It had a strong gender dimension as the male gaze inscribed both female teachers' and students' bodies with value and competence. In terms of teachers' health, as well as responses to surveillance on a physical and emotional level, the workings of power were also influential in shaping teachers' identities.

Diagnostic goal driven modelling and simulation of multiscale process systems

A systematic goal-driven top-down modelling methodology is proposed that is capable of developing a multiscale model of a process system for given diagnostic purposes. The diagnostic goal-set and the symptoms are extracted from HAZOP analysis results, where the possible actions to be performed in a fault situation are also described. The multiscale dynamic model is realized in the form of a hierarchical coloured Petri net by using a novel substitution place-transition pair. Multiscale simulation that focuses automatically on the fault areas is used to predict the effect of the proposed preventive actions. The notions and procedures are illustrated on some simple case studies including a heat exchanger network and a more complex wet granulation process.

A study of the lagged relationships among safety climate, safety motivation, safety behavior, and accidents at the individual and group levels

The authors measured perceptions of safety climate, motivation, and behavior at 2 time points and linked them to prior and subsequent levels of accidents over a 5-year period. A series of analyses examined the effects of top-down and bottom-up processes operating simultaneously over time. In terms of top-down effects, average levels of safety climate within groups at I point in time predicted subsequent changes in individual safety motivation. Individual safety motivation, in turn, was associated with subsequent changes in self-reported safety behavior. In terms of bottom-up effects, improvements in the average level of safety behavior within groups were associated with a subsequent reduction in accidents at the group level. The results contribute to an understanding of the factors influencing workplace safety and the levels and lags at which these effects operate.

Managing knowledge in tourism planning: How to assess your capability

This paper explores the theme of strategic planning in a State Tourism Organization (STO) from a knowledge management perspective. It highlights the value of knowledge in strategy making and the importance of an organisation's knowledge management agenda in facilitating a strategic planning process. In particular, it considers the capability of an STO to implement knowledge management as the key to a successful strategic planning exercise. In order to develop greater insight into the factors that impact on planning competence, the key aim of this paper is to develop a framework on which the capability of a STO to implement a knowledge-based agenda in strategic planning can be assessed. Research on knowledge management in the field of tourism is limited and there is little practical account of the application of knowledge management principles in tourism planning. Further, there is no apparent tool or instrument that allows for the assessment of an STO's capability to implement knowledge management in planning initiatives. Based on a literature review, a three-point framework of assessment is developed. The three elements of the framework are identified as: 1. Integration of knowledge management objectives with strategic imperatives; 2. A planning approach that balances top-down (outcome focused) with bottom-up (process focused) planning processes; and 3. Organisational capacity, including leadership, people and culture, process, technology, content and continuous improvement. The framework is tested through application to a practical case study - a planning initiative undertaken by a leading tourism STO in Australia. The results demonstrate that the framework is a useful means to evaluate organisational capability in knowledge-led strategic planning exercises and would be of practical value as a point of reference for future knowledge- based strategic planning projects. Copyright © by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

Model driven distribution of collaborative business processes

In this paper, we present a top down approach for integrated process modelling and distributed process execution. The integrated process model can be utilized for global monitoring and visualization and distributed process models for local execution. Our main focus in this paper is the presentation of the approach to support automatic generation and linking of distributed process models from an integrated process definition.

Building Community Coalitions for the Promotion of Physical Activity: 10,000 Steps Rockhampton

The 10,000 Steps Rockhampton project is a multi-strategy community-wide, physical activity intervention based on the simultaneous implementation of five strategies, each identified as 'best practice' for the promotion of physical activity. Several community partners were engaged to develop and implement the strategies during the first eighteen months of the project. These included: the local media (TV, newspaper and radio); the local Division of General Practice and other health professional groups; the Heart Foundation and ‘Just Walk It’; the local council; and several large worksites. A local physical activity task force was also formed to administer a 'micro-grants' scheme, and to guide the development of community based strategies. The presentation will focus on the critical elements involved in developing and maintaining relationships with community partners. These include identification and ‘courting’ of potential partners, strategies for keeping them engaged, and the challenges of maintaining the balance between ‘top-down’ (evidence-based) and ‘bottom-up’ (community-driven) strategies. Data on implementation and uptake of the key strategies will also be presented. These include: 1) process data on the number of health