Environments for nursing scholarship and journal impact factor in five countries

Background: Universities worldwide are seeking objective measures for the assessment of their faculties` research products to evaluate them and to attain prestige. Despite concerns, the impact factors (IF) of journals where faculties publish have been adopted. Research objective: The study aims to explore conditions created within five countries as a result of policies requiring or not requiring faculty to publish in high IF journals, and the extent to which these facilitated or hindered the development of nursing science. Design: The design was a multiple case study of Brazil, Taiwan, Thailand (with IF policies, Group A), United Kingdom and the United States (no IF policies, Group B). Key informants from each country were identified to assist in subject recruitment. Methods: A questionnaire was developed for data collection. The study was approved by a human subject review committee. Five faculty members of senior rank from each country participated. All communication occurred electronically. Findings: Groups A and B countries differed on who used the policy and the purposes for which it was used. There were both similarities and differences across the five countries with respect to hurdles, scholar behaviour, publishing locally vs. internationally, views of their science, steps taken to internationalize their journals. Conclusions: In group A countries, Taiwan seemed most successful in developing its scholarship. Group B countries have continued their scientific progress without such policies. IF policies were not necessary motivators of scholarship; factors such as qualified nurse scientists, the resource base in the country, may be critical factors in supporting science development.

Roadmapping for technology push and partnership: A contribution for open innovation environments

There are several tools in the literature that support innovation in organizations. Some of the most cited are the so-called technology roadmapping methods, also known as TRM. However, these methods are designed primarily for organizations that adopt the market pull strategy of technology-product integration. Organizations that adopt the technology push integration strategy are neglected in the literature. Furthermore, with the advent of open innovation, it is possible to note the need to consider the adoption of partnerships in the innovation process. Thus, this study proposes a method of technology roadmapping, identified as method for technology push (MTP), applicable to organizations that adopt the technology push integration strategy, such as SMEs and independent research centers in an open-innovation environment. The method was developed through action-research and was assessed from two analytical standpoints: externally, via a specific literature review on its theoretical contributions, and internally, through the analysis of potential users` perceptions on the feasibility of applying MTP. The results indicate both the unique character of the method and its perceived implementation feasibility. Future research is suggested in order to validate the method in different types of organizations (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Do Larvae and Ovipositing Chironomus riparius (Diptera: Chironomidae) Females Avoid Copper-Contaminated Environments?

Studies on the avoidance behavior of aquatic organisms to contaminants have confirmed that such behavior can be relevant in field situations. However, almost all toxicity tests involve the forced exposure of organisms to toxicants. In particular, despite the importance of Chironomus riparius Meigen larvae in sediment toxicity testing, only a few studies on avoidance behavior have been performed. This study investigated the ability of different life stages of C. riparius, including ovipositing females, first-, second-, and fourth-instar larvae, to avoid copper-contaminated environments. Ovipositing females were given a choice between a control and copper solution (1.3 mg Cu l(-1)). First-instar larvae were provided with a choice between a control and a copper (2.0 mg Cu l(-1))-spiked sediment. Both second- and fourth-instars were exposed to a copper gradient (0.38-3.4 mg Cu l(-1)) in a flow-through system. None of the life stages avoided copper, even though the highest concentrations caused lethal effects on midges. The avoidance behavior of C. riparius is not a sensitive endpoint to assess copper sublethal toxicity.

Emissions of NO(x) and SO(2) from Coals of Various Ranks, Bagasse, and Coal-Bagasse Blends Burning in O(2)/N(2) and O(2)/CO(2) Environments

Oxy-coal combustion is a viable technology, for new and existing coal-fired power plants, as it facilitates carbon capture and, thereby, can mitigate climate change. Pulverized coals of various ranks, biomass, and their blends were burned to assess the evolution of combustion effluent gases, such as NO(x), SO(2), and CO, under a variety of background gas compositions. The fuels were burned in an electrically heated laboratory drop-tube furnace in O(2)/N(2) and O(2)/CO(2) environments with oxygen mole fractions of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%, at a furnace temperature of 1400 K. The fuel mass flow rate was kept constant in most cases, and combustion was fuel-lean. Results showed that in the case of four coals studied, NO(x) emissions in O(2)/CO(2) environments were lower than those in O(2)/N(2) environments by amounts that ranged from 19 to 43% at the same oxygen concentration. In the case of bagasse and coal/bagasse blends, the corresponding NO(x) reductions ranged from 22 to 39%. NO(x) emissions were found to increase with increasing oxygen mole fraction until similar to 50% O(2) was reached; thereafter, they monotonically decreased with increasing oxygen concentration. NO(x) emissions from the various fuels burned did not clearly reflect their nitrogen content (0.2-1.4%), except when large content differences were present. SO(2) emissions from all fuels remained largely unaffected by the replacement of the N(2) diluent gas with CO(2), whereas they typically increased with increasing sulfur content of the fuels (0.07-1.4%) and decreased with increasing calcium content of the fuels (0.28-2.7%). Under the conditions of this work, 20-50% of the fuel-nitrogen was converted to NO(x). The amount of fuel-sulfur converted to SO(2) varied widely, depending on the fuel and, in the case of the bituminous coal, also depending on the O(2) mole fraction. Blending the sub-bituminous coal with bagasse reduced its SO(2) yields, whereas blending the bituminous coal with bagasse reduced both its SO(2) and NO(x) yields. CO emissions were generally very low in all cases. The emission trends were interpreted on the basis of separate combustion observations.

Influence of Redox Environments on the Solubility of Arsenic in Soils

Arsenic (As) is a semimetallic element that is notorious for its toxicity and carcinogenicity. Arsenic can be removed by some ferns. The objectives of this study were to investigate the ability of Pteris vittata L. (Pteridophyta) and Phlebodium aureum (L.) J. Sm. (Polypodiaceae) to absorb inorganic As, in the form of arsenate and arsenite. The removal of As by ferns was observed at varying anion concentrations and As solubility in the absorbing plant. Results obtained with ferns on As-contaminated soil indicate that redox potential and iron (Fe) presence affected the solubility of As and the absorption capacity of ferns. Upon reduction to -200mV, the soluble As content increased to 400mV. The results indicate that Fe oxides and the influence of redox potential strongly affect As absorption. Under nonreducing conditions, Phlebodium aureum did not remove As as well as Pteris vittata. Under more reducing conditions (-200 to 0mV) and under similar soil conditions, the results show that the both ferns remove As.

The influence of environmental variables on capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris: Rodentia, Hydrochoeridae) detectability in anthropogenic environments of southeastern Brazil

Capybaras were monitored weekly from 1998 to 2006 by counting individuals in three anthropogenic environments (mixed agricultural fields, forest and open areas) of southeastern Brazil in order to examine the possible influence of environmental variables (temperature, humidity, wind speed, precipitation and global radiation) on the detectability of this species. There was consistent seasonality in the number of capybaras in the study area, with a specific seasonal pattern in each area. Log-linear models were fitted to the sample counts of adult capybaras separately for each sampled area, with an allowance for monthly effects, time trends and the effects of environmental variables. Log-linear models containing effects for the months of the year and a quartic time trend were highly significant. The effects of environmental variables on sample counts were different in each type of environment. As environmental variables affect capybara detectability, they should be considered in future species survey/monitoring programs.

Cryptic vicariance in Gulf of California fishes parallels vicariant patterns found in Baja, California mammals and reptiles

Comparisons across multiple taxa can often clarify the histories of biogeographic regions. In particular, historic barriers to movement should affect multiple species and, thus, result in a pattern of concordant intraspecific genetic divisions among species. A striking example of such comparative phylogeography is the recent observation that populations of many small mammals and reptiles living on the Baja, California peninsula have a large genetic break between northern and southern peninsular populations. In the present study, I demonstrate that five species of near-shore fishes living on the Baja coastline of the Gulf of California share this genetic pattern. The simplest explanation for this concordant genetic division within both terrestrial and marine vertebrates is that the Baja peninsula was fragmented by a Plio-Pleistocene marine seaway and that this seaway posed a substantial barrier to movement for near-shore fishes. The genetic divisions within Gulf of California fishes also coincide with recognized biogeographic regions based on fish community composition and several environmental factors. It is likely that adaptation to regional environments and present-day oceanographic circulation limits gene exchange between biogeographic regions and helps maintain evidence of past vicariance.

Distribution of major, minor, and trace metals in lake environments of Antarctica

The concentrations of major, minor and trace metals were measured in water samples collected from five shallow Antarctic lakes (Carezza, Edmonson Point (No 14 and 15a), Inexpressible Island and Tarn Flat) found in Terra Nova Bay (northern Victoria Land, Antarctica) during the Italian Expeditions of 1993-2001. The total concentrations of a large suite of elements (Al, As, Ba, Ca, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Ga, Gd, K, La, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Nd, Ni, Pb, Pr, Rb, Sc, Si, Sr, Ta, Ti, U, V, Y, W, Zn and Zr) were determined using spectroscopic techniques (ICP-AES, GF-AAS and ICP-MS). The results are similar to those obtained for the freshwater lakes of the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica, and for the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster Analysis (CA) were performed to identify groups of samples with similar characteristics and to find correlations between the variables. The variability observed within the water samples is closely connected to the sea spray input; hence, it is primarily a consequence of geographical and meteorological factors, such as distance from the ocean and time of year. The trace element levels, in particular those of heavy metals, are very low, suggesting an origin from natural sources rather than from anthropogenic contamination.

Population subdivision in marine environments: the contributions of biogeography, geographic distance, and discontinuous habitat to genetic differentiation in a blennioid

The relative importance of factors that may promote genetic differentiation in marine organisms is largely unknown. Here, contributions to population structure from biogeography, habitat distribution, and isolation by distance were investigated in Axoclinus nigricaudus, a small subtidal rock reef fish, throughout its range in the Gulf of California. A 408 basepair fragment of the mitochondrial control region was sequenced from 105 individuals. Variation was significantly partitioned between many pairs of populations. Phylogenetic analyses, hierarchical analyses of variance, and general linear models substantiated a major break between two putative biogeographic regions. This genetic discontinuity coincides with an abrupt change in ecological characteristics (including temperature and salinity) but does not coincide with known oceanographic circulation patterns. Geographic distance and the nature of habitat separating populations (continuous habitat along a shoreline, discontinuous habitat along a shoreline, and open water) also contributed to population structure in general linear model analyses. To verify that local populations are genetically stable over time, one population was resampled on four occasions over eighteen months; it showed no evidence of a temporal component to diversity. These results indicate that having a planktonic life stage does not preclude geographically partitioned genetic variation over relatively small geographic distances in marine environments. Moreover, levels of genetic differentiation among populations of Axoclinus nigricaudus cannot be explained by a single factor, but are due to the combined influences of a biogeographic boundary, habitat, and geographic distance.

Photoregulation and photodamage in Schefflera arboricola leaves adapted to different light environments

Leaves of the subtropical understorey shrub Schefflera arboricola Hayata growing in full sunlight had higher specific leaf weight, higher chlorophyll a/b ratios, lower total chlorophyll content and a threefold higher xanthophyll cycle pigment content than leaves growing in a naturally shaded, but sunfleck-punctuated, environment. A number of measurements, all made in situ and during natural day/night cycles, were taken as follows: current photochemical capacity (F-v/F-m after 10 min dark-adaptation), size and epoxidation state of the xanthophyll cycle, CO2 gas exchange and determination of the D1 synthesis rate. In sun leaves the lowest daily F-v/F-m was found to be approximately 0.6, the change from maximum correlating with an increase in zeaxanthin. Daily changes in zeaxanthin were partly due to de novo synthesis and turnover. We suggest that sun leaves can dissipate most of the excess light energy absorbed safely via the photoprotective xanthophyll cycle. D1 synthesis rates did not correlate with photosynthetic photon flux density or F-v/F-m. The shade leaves had high F-v/F-m values and constant photosynthetic rates throughout the day except during sunflecks, when photosynthetic rates increased and D1 synthesis accelerated, all without a substantial decrease in F-v/F-m. It seems that leaves of S. arboricola adapted to natural shade conditions can use sunflecks to contribute significantly to their productivity. The third leaf type investigated was from greenhouse-grown plants of S. arboricola after exposure to full sunlight. These leaves showed a rapid and large reduction in F-v/F-m (to 0.3), which neither correlated with zeaxanthin formation nor recovered within the same day. From long-term effects following full sunlight exposure of greenhouse-grown plants we suggest that this F-v/F-m reduction actually reflects photodestruction.

Multidimensional quantum solitons with nondegenerate parametric interactions: Photonic and Bose-Einstein condensate environments

We consider the quantum theory of three fields interacting via parametric and repulsive quartic couplings. This can be applied to treat photonic chi((2)) and chi((3)) interactions, and interactions in atomic Bose-Einstein condensates or quantum Fermi gases, describing coherent molecule formation together with a-wave scattering. The simplest two-particle quantum solitons or bound-state solutions of the idealized Hamiltonian, without a momentum cutoff, are obtained exactly. They have a pointlike structure in two and three dimensions-even though the corresponding classical theory is nonsingular. We show that the solutions can be regularized with a momentum cutoff. The parametric quantum solitons have much more realistic length scales and binding energies than chi((3)) quantum solitons, and the resulting effects could potentially be experimentally tested in highly nonlinear optical parametric media or interacting matter-wave systems. N-particle quantum solitons and the ground state energy are analyzed using a variational approach. Applications to atomic/molecular Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC's) are given, where we predict the possibility of forming coupled BEC solitons in three space dimensions, and analyze superchemistry dynamics.

Thermal ecology and structural habitat use of two sympatric lizards (Carlia vivax and Lygisaurus foliorum) in subtropical Australia

The thermal ecology and structural habitat use of two closely related sympatric lizards, Carlia vivax (de Vis) and Lygisaurus foliorum de Vis, were examined in an open sclerophyll forest in subtropical Australia. Comparable mean body temperatures (T-b) and habitat temperatures (T-hab) at the point of capture were recorded for both species. However, sex- related differences in the thermal variables for C. vivax, with females displaying higher temperatures than males, resulted in some significant differences in T-b and T-hab between the species. Variation in T-b and T-hab within and between species was unrelated to time of capture. The difference in T-hab within C. vivax suggested that females were selecting warmer thermal environments than males. Both C. vivax and L. foliorum used most structural features of their habitat randomly as indicated by a similarity in canopy, shrub, ground, log and litter cover and litter depth between habitat surveys and random surveys. However, C. vivax displayed a preference for ground vegetation (height

Can exocentric direction be dissociated from its exocentric distance in virtual environments?

We conducted two psychophysical experiments to investigate the relationship between processing mechanisms for exocentric distance and direction. In the first experiment, the task was to discriminate exocentric distances. In the second one, the task was to discriminate exocentric directions. The individual effects of distance and direction on each task were dissociated by analyzing their corresponding psychophysical functions. Under stereoscopicviewing conditions, distancejudgments of excentric intervals were not affected by exocentric direction. However, directionjudgments were influenced by the distance between the pair of stimuli. Therefore, the mechanism processing exocentric direction is dependent on exocentric distance, but the mechanism processing exocentric distance does not require exocentric: direction measures. As a result, we suggest that exocentric distance and direction are hierarchically processed, with distance preceding direction. Alternatively, and more probably, a necessary condition for processing the exocentric direction between two stimuli may be to know the location of each of them.

Seasonal dynamics of a drosophilid (Diptera) assemblage and its potencial as bioindicator in open environments

Drosophila Fallen, 1823 (Diptera, Drosophilidae) is for long a well-established model organism for genetics and evolutionary research. The ecology of these flies, however, has only recently been better studied. Recent papers show that Drosophila assemblies can be used as bioindicators of forested environment degradation. In this work the bioindicator potential of drosophilids was evaluated in a naturally opened environment, a coastal strand-forest (restinga). Data from nine consecutive seasonal collections revealed strong temporal fluctuation pattern of the majority of Drosophila species groups. Drosophila willistoni group was more abundant at autumns, whereas D. cardini and D. tripunctata groups were, respectively, expressive at winters and springs, and D. repleta group at both seasons. The exotic species D. simulans Sturtevant, 1919 (from D. melanogaster group) and Zaprionus indianus Gupta, 1970 were most abundant at summers. Overall, the assemblage structure did not show the same characteristics of forested or urban environments, but was similar to the forests at winters and to cities at summers. This raises the question that this locality may already been under urbanization impact. Also, this can be interpreted as an easily invaded site for exotic species, what might lead to biotic homogenization and therefore can put in check the usage of drosophilid assemblages as bioindicators at open environments.

Geospatial clustering in data-rich environments: Features and issues

Geospatial clustering must be designed in such a way that it takes into account the special features of geoinformation and the peculiar nature of geographical environments in order to successfully derive geospatially interesting global concentrations and localized excesses. This paper examines families of geospaital clustering recently proposed in the data mining community and identifies several features and issues especially important to geospatial clustering in data-rich environments.