虚拟国际规范文档——连接德国国家图书馆和美国国会图书馆的规范文档

德国国家图书馆、美国国会图书馆和OCLC联机计算机图书馆中心联合开发了一个个人名称的虚拟国际规范文档(VIAF),它连接世界各国国家书目机构的规范记录,并免费提供网上检索,以证明自动连接不同国家规范文档的规范记录的可行性和优点.美国国会图书馆和德国国家图书馆的规范文档和书目文档被用来创建初始的VIAF,其中包括600多万个名称和50多万个连接.该项目的一个关键点是利用规范记录和其对应书目记录的信息开发自动名称匹配算法.该项目显示了用算法建立不同国家规范文档的个人名称之间连接的实用性.VIAF项目的长远目标是将许多国家图书馆和其他重要来源的规范名称结合起来,形成一个共享的全球规范服务.参考文献3.     

What observer rats don’t learn about foods from demonstrator rats

Naive “observer” rats that interact with conspecific “demonstrators” fed a distinctive food increase intake of the food their demonstrators have eaten. Here we found that observer rats that had interacted simultaneously with 2 demonstrator rats, 1 fed a distinctively flavored, protein-poor food, the other a distinctively flavored, protein-rich food, did not prefer the former. Similarly, observer rats ate equal amounts of two distinctively flavored foods after interacting simultaneously with 2 demonstrator rats, 1 that had consumed all food available to it, the other fed from a surplus of the second food. Last, observer rats that had interacted with both a “trustworthy” demonstrator (1 an observer had learned ate only nutritious foods) and an “untrustworthy” demonstrator (1 an observer had learned ate noxious substances) did not prefer unfamiliar foods eaten by trustworthy demonstrators to those eaten by untrustworthy demonstrators. These findings suggest limits on social information observers use in selecting foods.     

Manipulating visual informational constraints during practice enhances the acquisition of catching skill in children.

Previous motor learning studies examining the effects of practicing to catch one-handed under varying informational constraints on subsequent skill acquisition are equivocal, perhaps due to the use of relatively inexperienced adult participants. Ecological theory predicts that directing the learner's search for information in the perceptual-motor workspace can enhance skill acquisition. This study manipulated visual informational constraints on novice children (ages 9-10 years) learning to catch one-handed. A crossover transfer design was implemented in which one group acted as controls while two other groups practiced either without visual restrictions before transferring to full vision, or vice versa. The data indicated that learners forced to seek additional information sources under restricted viewing conditions demonstrated a greater positive, accumulative residual effect on acquiring a catching skill. The findings contradict current work on the specificity of practice hypothesis and suggest that varying visual informational constraints to encourage exploratory practice may represent a significant pedagogical approach to motor learning in sport.     

Assessing cultural values: developing an attitudinal scale

Effective measurement of cultural value is often elusive because of its multidimensional nature. It is also influenced by sociodemographic characteristics (manifest variables) and attitudinal characteristics (latent variables) of populations. While the former is easily available to researchers, the latter has not been fully studied. This paper suggests the use of a cultural worldview scale that was developed to measure cultural attitudes of people, using factor and cluster analysis. Four factors comprise the scale: cultural linkages, recognition of cultural values, cultural loss and preservation of traditions and customs. Some advantages of using this scale are demonstrated, and relationships with sociodemographic variables are investigated. Managerial and policy implications are discussed.

A definition of dyslexia

This paper elaborates on the components of a working definition of developmental dyslexia. It follows the general format of a paper by Lyon published in Annals of Dyslexia in 1995, which elaborated on a working definition proposed in 1994 (Lyon, 1995). The current definition agreed on by the work group updates and expands on the working definition from 1994.     

Digit ratio (2D:4D) and performance in elite rugby players

The relative length of the second and fourth digits (2D:4D) is a putative marker for prenatal testosterone. Low 2D:4D has been reported to correlate with high performance in sport in general. Here, for the first time, we examine the relationship between 2D:4D and performance in elite rugby players. The 44 players (28 forwards, 16 backs) were drawn from the Ospreys Rugby Union Club and 44 age-matched controls. The measures of performance comprised age-adjusted number of international performances (caps) for Wales, a comparison of coaches' first-choice League team with others, and the number of tries scored by backs in club matches. Compared with controls, players were larger and had lower 2D:4D for the right and left hand. With regard to number of caps, players with low 2D:4D in their right hand and low right 2D:4D compared with their left (right?-?left 2D:4D difference) had high numbers of caps. First-choice players did not differ significantly from second-choice players in their 2D:4D but they did have a lower right?-?left 2D:4D difference than second-choice players. Low right 2D:4D and low right?-?left 2D:4D difference were significantly linked with large numbers of tries. We conclude that low right 2D:4D and low right?-?left 2D:4D difference are predictors of high rugby performance.     

Research design and statistics in biomechanics and motor control

Biomechanics and motor control researchers measure how the body moves and interacts with its environment. The aim of this review paper is to consider some key issues in research methods in biomechanics and motor control. The review is organized into four sections: proposing, conducting, analysing and reporting research. In the first of these, we emphasize the importance of defining a worthy research question and of planning the study before its implementation to prevent later difficulties in the analysis and interpretation of data. In the second section, we cover selection of trial sizes and suggest that using three trials or more may be beneficial to provide more 'representative' and valid data. The third section on analysis of data concentrates on effect size statistics, qualitative and numerical trend analysis and cross-correlations. As sample sizes are often small, the use of effect size is recommended to support the results of statistical significance testing. In using cross-correlations, we recommend that scatterplots of one variable against the other, with the identified time lag included, be inspected to confirm that the linear relationship assumption underpinning this statistic is met and, if appropriate, that a linearity transformation be applied. Finally, we consider important information related to the issues above that should be included when reporting research. We recommend reporting checks or corrections for violations of underpinning assumptions, and the effect of these checks or corrections, to assist in advancing knowledge in biomechanics and motor control.