When asking research-based questions, what are some good practices to maximize the rates at which people reply to emails?
All of the points in the linked article are very true in academia as well. Some points which may be specific to academia which he didn't mention:


If you're referencing a specific article or talk, reference it very specifically ("In your presentation at SfN 2012 entitled 'The Amygdala and You', ..."). If you can quote a specific slide/paragraph, all the better.
Mention (concisely, one sentence or less) why you're interested in knowing. Your problem may very well be something which the researcher is interested in, and s/he may be more interested in responding and following up later on.
If you're working for someone in the field, mention it at the beginning ("I'm a postdoc working for &lt;Mr. Bigshot Fancypants whom the professor likely knows&gt;, and...")
Note that researchers are more often than not interested in talking about their work, so the very first point from the article ("Don't email") is likely bad advice here. Definitely try to get in touch and talk about your mutual interests (if you have a valid question, of course).