bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechanism and regioselectivity of the 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition of thiocarbonyl S‐imide with cyclopent‐3‐ene‐1,2‐dione and methoxyethene: a density functional theory approach
Authors: Emamian Saeed Reza , Zahedi Ehsan
Published: January 2012

A theoretical study on the regioselectivity of 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reaction between an uncommon dipole (thiocarbonyl S‐imide) with cyclopent‐3‐ene‐1,2‐dione (DPh1) and methoxyethene (DPh2) has been carried out by means of several theoretical approaches, namely, activation energy, Houk's rule based on the frontier molecular orbital theory and density functional theory (DFT) reactivity indices. The calculations were performed at the DFT‐B3LYP/6‐31G(d) level of theory using GAUSSIAN 09. The present analysis shows that the 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition of thiocarbonyl S‐imide with DPh1 and DPh2 has normal‐electron demand and inverse‐electron demand character, respectively. Moreover, the results obtained from energetic point view are in agreement with electronic approaches, and the Houk's rule is capable to predict true regioselectivity. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A synthetic hexapeptide designed to resemble a proteinaceous p‐loop nest is shown to bind inorganic phosphate
Authors: Bianchi Antonio , Giorgi Claudia , Ruzza Paolo , Toniolo Claudio , Milner‐White E. James
Published: January 2012

The hexapeptide Ser‐Gly‐Ala‐Gly‐Lys‐Thr has been synthesized and characterized. It was designed as a minimal soluble peptide that would be likely to have the phosphate‐binding properties observed in the P‐loops of proteins that bind the β‐phosphate of GTP or ATP. The β‐phosphate in such proteins is bound by a combination of the side chain ε‐amino group of the lysine residue plus the concavity formed by successive main chain peptide NH groups called a nest, which is favored by the glycines. The hexapeptide is shown to bind HPO42− strongly at neutral pH. The affinities of the various ionized species of phosphate and hexapeptide are analyzed, showing that they increase with pH. It is likely the main chain NH groups of the hexapeptide bind phosphate in much the same way as the corresponding P‐loop atoms bind the phosphate ligand in proteins. Most proteinaceous P‐loops are situated at the N‐termini of α‐helices, and this observation has frequently been considered a key aspect of these binding sites. Such a hexapeptide in isolation seems unlikely to form an α‐helix, an expectation in accord with the CD spectra examined; this suggests that being at the N‐terminus of an α‐helix is not essential for phosphate binding. An unexpected finding about the hexapeptide‐HPO42− complex is that the side chain ε‐amino group of the lysine occurs in its deprotonated form, which appears to bind HPO42− via an N···H‐O‐P hydrogen bond. Proteins 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Balanced models of boundary‐layer convergence
Authors: Beare Robert J. , Cullen Michael J. P.
Published: January 2012

In the Tropics, positive sea surface temperature anomalies are often coupled to the well‐mixed boundary layer. The boundary layer then typically forces convergence and ascent; the ascent can trigger moist convection. Established diagnostic models of boundary‐layer convergence employ the steady‐state Ekman (geotriptic) balance. Here, we extend the steady‐state balance to include non‐stationarity. Within an idealised one‐dimensional shallow‐water framework, we identify three time‐varying balanced models: planetary geotriptic (PGT) and semi‐geotriptic (SGT‐A and SGT‐B). These models are verified against the shallow‐water (SWE) model. The PGT model has prognostic mass and diagnostic momentum, whereas the SGT models also include prognostic momentum. The SGT models have separate Ekman‐balanced and advecting winds. The friction term in the SGT‐A model is a function of twice the balanced wind minus the advecting wind. We show that the SGT‐A model has stable solutions in time, and is between first‐ and second‐order accurate. In contrast, the SGT‐B model's friction is a function of just the advecting wind. Although second‐order accurate, the SGT‐B is also unstable and thus unusable.

For cases of significant nonlinear advection, the SGT‐A model predicts more accurate convergence than the PGT model. However, the SGT‐A model has a less accurate geopotential field than the PGT model. After a period, the SWE model breaks down into near‐grid‐scale gravity waves and the solutions are no longer numerically reliable. The SGT‐A and PGT models then maintain a smooth solution with the gravity waves filtered out, and thus give a more robust evolution in convergence.

For cases of diurnal forcing with a fast frictional time‐scale, the SGT‐A model follows the growth phase of the SWE model more closely than the PGT model. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society and British Crown Copyright, the Met Office.
Bayesian methodology for the analysis of spatial–temporal surveillance data
Authors: Zou Jian , Karr Alan F. , Banks David , Heaton Matthew J. , Datta Gauri , Lynch James , Vera Francisco
Published: January 2012

Early and accurate detection of outbreaks is one of the most important objectives of syndromic surveillance systems. We propose a general Bayesian framework for syndromic surveillance systems. The methodology incorporates Gaussian Markov random field (GMRF) and spatio‐temporal conditional autoregressive (CAR) modeling. By contrast, most previous approaches have been based on only spatial or time series models. The model has appealing probabilistic representations as well as attractive statistical properties. Based on extensive simulation studies, the model is capable of capturing outbreaks rapidly, while still limiting false positives. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining 5: 194–204, 2012
Online linear and quadratic discriminant analysis with adaptive forgetting for streaming classification
Authors: Anagnostopoulos Christoforos , Tasoulis Dimitris K. , Adams Niall M. , Pavlidis Nicos G. , Hand David J.
Published: January 2012

Advances in data technology have enabled streaming acquisition of real‐time information in a wide range of settings, including consumer credit, electricity consumption, and internet user behavior. Streaming data consist of transiently observed, temporally evolving data sequences, and poses novel challenges to statistical analysis. Foremost among these challenges are the need for online processing, and temporal adaptivity in the face of unforeseen changes, both smooth and abrupt, in the underlying data generation mechanism. In this paper, we develop streaming versions of two widely used parametric classifiers, namely quadratic and linear discriminant analysis. We rely on computationally efficient, recursive formulations of these classifiers. We additionally equip them with exponential forgetting factors that enable temporal adaptivity via smoothly down‐weighting the contribution of older data. Drawing on ideas from adaptive filtering, we develop an online method for self‐tuning forgetting factors on the basis of an approximate gradient scheme. We provide extensive simulation and real data analysis that demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in handling diverse types of change, while simultaneously offering monitoring capabilities via interpretable behavior of the adaptive forgetting factors. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining, 2012
People and process, suits and innovators: the role of individuals in firm performance
Authors: Mollick Ethan
Published: January 2012

Performance differences between firms are generally attributed to organizational factors rather than to differences among the individuals who make up firms. As a result, little is known about the part that individual firm members play in explaining the variance in performance among firms. This paper employs a multiple membership cross‐classified multilevel model to test the degree to which organizational or individual factors explain firm performance. The analysis also examines whether individual differences among middle managers or innovators best explain firm performance variation. The results indicate that variation among individuals matter far more in organizational performance than is generally assumed. Further, variation among middle managers has a particularly large impact on firm performance, much larger than that of those individuals who are assigned innovative roles. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rethinking the language of thought
Authors: Schneider Susan , Katz Matthew
Published: January 2012

In this piece, we overview the language of thought (LOT) program, a currently influential theory of the computational nature of thought. We focus on LOT's stance on concepts, computation in the central system, and mental symbols. We emphasize certain longstanding problems arising for the LOT approach, suggesting resolutions to these problems. Many of the solutions involve departures from the standard LOT program, i.e., the LOT program as developed by Jerry Fodor. We close by identifying avenues for future work.WIREs Cogn Sci2012, 3:153–162. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1155

This article is categorized under:

Linguistics > Language in Mind and Brain
Promoting youth purpose: A review of the literature
Authors: Koshy Sonia Issac , Mariano Jenni Menon
Published: January 2012

This article reviews the research literature on teaching and supporting purpose in adolescence and young adulthood. An extensive search revealed that most studies on youth purpose examine psychological correlates and neglect instructional and social supports. School is an effective context for fostering purpose, yet reported approaches for explicitly instructing for purpose are rare after the early 1990s, reflecting a trend away from a language of purpose as a discrete endeavor in education since at least the 1960s. Furthermore, research on the outcomes of early purpose instruction curricula is not present in empirical journal articles. Nevertheless, a concern for fostering youth purpose has not disappeared from education; rather, it is subsumed under approaches that foster more comprehensive positive student outcomes, such as character, civic engagement, and positive youth development. Key curricular approaches to these outcomes are therefore also reviewed and examined for insights into how purpose can be fostered.
Testing restorable systems: formal definition and heuristic solution based on river formation dynamics
Authors: Rabanal Pablo , Rodríguez Ismael , Rubio Fernando
Published: January 2012

Given a finite state machine denoting the
specification
of a system, finding some short interaction sequences capable of reaching some/all states or transitions of this machine is a typical goal in testing methods. If these sequences are applied to an
implementation under test
, then equivalent states or transitions would be reached and observed in the implementation—provided that the implementation were actually defined as the specification. We study the problem of finding such sequences in the case where configurations previously traversed can be
saved
and
restored
(at some cost). In general, this feature enables sequences to reach the required parts of the machine in less time, because some repetitions can be avoided. However, we show that finding optimal sequences in this case is an NP-hard problem. We propose an heuristic method to approximately solve this problem based on an evolutionary computation approach, in particular
river formation dynamics
(RFD). Given
finite state machine
specifications and sets of states/transitions to be reached, we apply RFD to construct testing plans reaching these configurations. Experimental results show that being able to load previously traversed states generally reduces the time needed to cover the target configurations.
Family Affluence, School and Neighborhood Contexts and Adolescents’ Civic Engagement: A Cross‐National Study
Authors: Lenzi Michela , Vieno Alessio , Perkins Douglas D. , Santinello Massimo , Elgar Frank J. , Morgan Antony , Mazzardis Sonia
Published: January 2012

Research on youth civic engagement focuses on individual‐level predictors. We examined individual‐ and school‐level characteristics, including family affluence, democratic school social climate and perceived neighborhood social capital, in their relation to civic engagement of 15‐year‐old students. Data were taken from the 2006 World Health Organization Health Behaviour in School‐aged Children survey. A sample of 8,077 adolescents in 10th grade from five countries (Belgium, Canada, Italy, Romania, England) were assessed. Multilevel models were analyzed for each country and across the entire sample. Results showed that family affluence, democratic school climate and perceived neighborhood social capital positively related to participation in community organizations. These links were stronger at the aggregate contextual than individual level and varied by country. Canadian youth participated most and Romanian youth least of the five countries. Gender predicted engagement in two countries (girls participate more in Canada, boys in Italy). Findings showed significant contributions of the social environment to adolescents’ engagement in their communities.
Compensatory growth responses of seedlings of Pharbitis purpurea (Convulvulaceae) to tissue removal at different seeding depths of seeds
Authors: Zheng Wei , Li Guangdi , Huang Yingxin , Zhang Hongxiang , Luan Zhihui , Wang Ping , Shao Diankun , Zhou Daowei
Published: January 2012

Tissue damage to seedlings can limit their later growth, and the further effects may be greater with increasing seedling age. Seedlings, however, can minimize the effect of damage through compensatory growth. Seedlings of Pharbitis purpurea grow in frequently disturbed habitats and generally tolerate damage to leaf tissues. We evaluated the compensatory responses of the cotyledon to different levels of defoliation and their effect on seedling growth and development. We also examined the relationship between seeding depth and compensatory growth. We tested seven defoliation treatments with one or both cotyledons and/or the apical meristem of seedlings removed from seeds buried at a seeding depth of either 2 or 5 cm. We then measured 12 growth traits of the seedlings to assess development and growth compensation. The area, thickness, biomass, and longevity of the remaining cotyledon were also measured to quantify increased growth as result of treatment effects at both seeding depths. The results showed that defoliation reduced seedling height, belowground length, and total biomass significantly in subsequent growth in all treatments. However, defoliation treatments had direct positive impacts on growth at 2 cm depth compared with 5 cm depth. In contrast, the compensation of cotyledon area (Carea), biomass (Cmass), and thickness (Cthickness) was greater at 5 cm depth than at 2 cm depth. The results thus indicate that P. purpurea seedlings adopted a compensatory growth strategy to resist leaf loss and minimize any adverse effects using the remaining cotyledon. Increasing seeding depth can aggravate the compensatory growth of remain cotyledon after partial defoliation.
The Cognitive-Miser Response Model: Testing for Intuitive and Deliberate Reasoning
Authors: Böckenholt Ulf
Published: January 2012

In a number of psychological studies, answers to reasoning vignettes have been shown to result from both intuitive and deliberate response processes. This paper utilizes a psychometric model to separate these two response tendencies. An experimental application shows that the proposed model facilitates the analysis of dual-process item responses and the assessment of individual-difference factors, as well as conditions that favor one response tendency over another one.
Bilateral V–Y Rotation Advancement Flap for Fingertip Amputations
Authors: Sungur Nezih , Kankaya Yüksel , Yildiz Kaya , Dölen Utku Can , Koçer Uğur
Published: January 2012

Background

Fingertip amputation is the most common type of injury in the upper limb. Goals in fingertip amputation reconstruction are covering the defect, establishing maximum tactile gnosis, keeping the length of the finger, protecting the joint function, acquiring a well-padded pulp tissue, providing a bed for growing nail, obtaining a satisfactory cosmetic appearance and allowing the patient to return to work as soon as possible. Adjacent skin and soft tissue are the best covers for fingertip injuries. However, local homodigital flaps lack enough tissue to cover the defect. To solve this problem, we used V–Y rotation advancement flap bilaterally in fingertip amputations which meets all the reconstruction goals. Rotation besides advancement makes this flap more mobile and easier to cover larger defects in all amputation planes.

Methods

Between 2007 and 2009, we performed bilateral V–Y rotation advancement flap on seven male patients' pulpa (average age, 37.6 years) whose fingertips were not replantable.

Results

Fourteen flaps were made on 7 fingers. There was neither total nor partial flap loss. Patients had neither cold intolerance nor scar hypersensitivity. Stiffness of the PIP joint did not occur. No obvious hooked nail occurred in patients who have remaining nail matrix. Because flaps contain neurovascular bundle, there was no difference in sensation and perfusion between the finger's pre-operative and post-operative status. The result was satisfactory with painless pinching.

Conclusion

In addition to the various and versatile fingertip reconstruction methods, we want to present V–Y rotation advancement flap as a quick, reliable and aesthetic method.
The inter-relationship of clinical parameters in congenital talipes equinovarus: Relevance to pathological anatomy and clinical classification
Authors: Siddique I. , Choudry Q. , Paton R. W.
Published: January 2012

Background

The clinical features that define congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV) are the presence of four principal components, equinus, varus, adductus and cavus. Classification systems in CTEV often include a form of assessment of these components and also other concurrent clinical parameters which feature in the condition.

Methods

Over a 14-year period from 1992 to 2006, 95 consecutive cases of CTEV were prospectively assessed and data recorded in order to investigate the relationships between the clinical parameters in CTEV and to compare these relationships with those that one would expect from our knowledge of the pathological anatomy and mechanics of the condition, relating these findings to the commonly used systems for classification.

Results

Ninety-five cases of CTEV had failed conservative treatment and had undergone surgical release. The mean age at surgical release and assessment was 9 months. Cluster analysis demonstrated that there were, broadly, two groups of patients. The first group was those patients with a greater equinus deformity (greater than 31°). This group had a greater adductus deformity and the presence of other parameters indicating increased severity (multiplanar stiffness with the presence of cavus and medial skin crease). The second group was those patients with a smaller equinus deformity (less than 31°) who were more heterogenous with regards to the other parameters.

Conclusions

We analysed on a statistical basis the relevant aspects of the deformity in CTEV. We have demonstrated that there are certain parameters, namely, equinus and adductus, whose severity can reasonably predict the severity of other components of the deformity. With regards to hindfoot parameters, increased equinus is related to less sagittal plane reducibility and to stiff hindfoot varus (coronal plane stiffness). In terms of midfoot parameters, the degree of adductus is related to the presence of cavus deformity and the presence of a medial skin crease is associated with less reducibility of the adductus (axial plane stiffness). This is consistent with our current understanding of the pathological anatomy of CTEV and bears implications with regards to treatment and the design of proposed classification systems that are in use.
Functions of interferon tau as an immunological regulator for establishment of pregnancy
Authors: Bai Hanako , Sakurai Toshihiro , Fujiwara Hiroshi , Ideta Atsushi , Aoyagi Yoshito , Godkin James D. , Imakawa Kazuhiko
Published: January 2012

The establishment of a successful pregnancy requires a “fine quality embryo”, “maternal recognition of pregnancy”, and a “receptive uterus” during the period of conceptus implantation to the uterine endometrium. In ruminants, a conceptus cytokine, interferon tau (IFNT), a major cytokine produced by the peri‐implantation trophectoderm, is known as a key factor for maternal recognition of pregnancy. IFNT can be considered one of the main factors in conceptus–uterus cross‐talk, resulting in the rescue of ovarian corpus luteum (CL), induction of endometrial gene expressions, activation of residual immune cells, and recruitment of immune cells. Much research on IFNT has focused on the CL life‐span (pregnancy recognition) and uterine gene expression through IFNT and related genes; however, immunological acceptance of the conceptus by the mother has not been well characterized. In this review, we will discuss the progress in IFNT and implantation research made by us and others for over 10 years, and relate this progress to pregnancy in mammalian species other than ruminants.
Can We Still Learn Something From the Relationship Between Fertility and Mother’s Employment? Evidence From Developing Countries
Authors: Cáceres-Delpiano Julio
Published: January 2012

In this work, I study the impact of fertility on mothers’ employment for a sample of developing countries. Using the event of multiple births as an instrumental variable (IV) for fertility, I find that having children has a negative impact on female employment. In addition, three types of heterogeneity are found. First, the magnitude of the impact depends on the birth at which the increase in fertility takes place. Second, the types of jobs affected by a fertility shock (multiple births) are jobs identified with a higher degree of informality, such as self-employment or unpaid jobs. Finally, the heterogeneity analysis reveals that an unexpected change in fertility is stronger at a higher education level of the mother and in urban areas.
Approaches to chemical synthetic biology
Authors: Chiarabelli Cristiano , Stano Pasquale , Anella Fabrizio , Carrara Paolo , Luisi Pier Luigi
Published: January 2012

Synthetic biology is first represented in terms of two complementary aspects, the bio‐engineering one, based on the genetic manipulation of extant microbial forms in order to obtain forms of life which do not exist in nature; and the chemical synthetic biology, an approach mostly based on chemical manipulation for the laboratory synthesis of biological structures that do not exist in nature. The paper is mostly devoted to shortly review chemical synthetic biology projects currently carried out in our laboratory. In particular, we describe: the minimal cell project, then the “Never Born Proteins” and lastly the Never Born RNAs. We describe and critically analyze the main results, emphasizing the possible relevance of chemical synthetic biology for the progress in basic science and biotechnology.
The Patterns of Activity, and Transport to Activities among Older Adults in Singapore
Authors: Krishnasamy Charmaine , Unsworth Carolyn , Howie Linsey
Published: January 2012

Background

Engagement in occupations is important, and appropriate transportation modes are necessary for continued activity participation in the community. The aim of this study was to explore the patterns of activity and transportation methods used by older adults and the links between their transport use and activity engagement in Singapore.

Methods

Fifty-six participants aged 50 years and older recorded in a time diary (in English or Mandarin) their activity participation over 24 hours on a weekday or weekday and weekend day. Data on the participants' out-of-home activities were analyzed using parametric statistics, including Student t-tests and analyses of variance, along with visual inspection of the data.

Results

No significant difference was found between time spent out of the house on weekdays and weekends on the variables of sex, age, and self-reported health status, and between living situation and time spent out of the house for drivers and nondrivers. The participants undertook a wide variety of activities including work, singing with friends, and shopping, and most frequently left their house to shop, exercise, or meet family/friends or participate in leisure activities. The participants were found to be able to use several transportation methods to access these activities, and they were satisfied with how they traveled to them.

Conclusion

This study contributes to the understanding of the activity engagement of older adults in Singapore. It has highlighted participants' engagement in neighborhood activities and the importance and preference to walk or use public transportation to access activities. Additionally, this study has highlighted the need to consider the issues surrounding occupational performance in older adults.
On recurrence and ergodicity for geodesic flows on non-compact periodic polygonal surfaces
Authors: CONZE JEAN-PIERRE , GUTKIN EUGENE
Published: January 2012

We study billiard dynamics on non-compact polygonal surfaces with a free, cocompact action of ℤ or ℤ2. In the ℤ-periodic case, we establish criteria for conservativity. In the ℤ2-periodic case, we study a particular family of such surfaces, the rectangular Lorenz gas. Assuming that the obstacles are sufficiently small, we obtain the ergodic decomposition of directional billiards for a finite but asymptotically dense set of directions. This is based on our study of ergodicity for ℤd-valued cocycles over irrational rotations.
Seroprevalence of hepatitis E antibodies and risk profile of HEV seropositivity in The Netherlands, 2006–2007
Authors: VERHOEF L. , KOOPMANS M. , DUIZER E. , BAKKER J. , REIMERINK J. , VAN PELT W.
Published: January 2012

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is now considered an endemic pathogen in industrialized countries, leading to acute and sometimes chronic hepatitis, mostly in vulnerable people. The endemic sources are unclear. A survey in The Netherlands in 2006–2007 showed a 1·9% seroprevalence of HEV antibodies measured by ELISA and confirmed by immunoblot in a nationwide sample. Overall, in 134/7072 (1·9%) seropositive individuals, older age (P<0·01), being male (P<0·01), working with patients (P=0·03), working with animals (P=0·07), recent diarrhoeal complaints (P=0·07) and adhering to a religion that considers pigs unclean (P<0·01) were independently associated with seropositivity in multivariate analysis. Sub-analysis of 59/4022 (1·5%) anti-HEV antibody-positive subjects with probable endemic exposure showed independent association with youngest household member being aged <5 years or between 19 and <65 years (P=0·05) in multivariate analysis. These findings may contribute to a better understanding of the sources of endemic HEV exposure, and also highlight the need for systematic epidemiological and serological evaluation of new cases.
The unfolding of the verbal temporal system in French children's speech between 18 and 36 months
Authors: PARISSE CHRISTOPHE , MORGENSTERN ALIYAH
Published: January 2012

In this paper, our aim is to analyze the relationship between the development of verbal forms and verbal functions. We examine all verbal forms produced longitudinally by two French children in terms of their morphosyntactic marking of tense, aspect, mood and situation type, and compare them to their contextually interpreted meanings. We introduce the main issues relevant to the unfolding of the verbal temporal system in children's data. Our data consists in two longitudinal corpora of French speaking children aged 1;06 to 3;01. The paper focuses on: 1) the relationship between form and function within the verbal system in the earlier stage of development; 2) the children's ability to mark a displacement between speech time and event time.
Co-culture of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) preantral follicles with antral follicles: a comparative study of developmental competence of oocytes derived from in vivo developed and in vitro cultured antral follicles
Authors: Sharma G. Taru , Dubey Pawan K. , Nath Amar , Saikumar G.
Published: January 2012

The present study was undertaken to examine whether the presence of antral follicles (AFs) affects the survival, growth and steroidogenesis of preantral follicles (PFs) and compare the maturation and developmental competence of buffalo oocytes derived from in vivo developed and in vitro cultured AFs. Two experiments were carried out. In experiment I, PFs (200–250 μm) were isolated and cultured with or without AFs (3–5 mm) in TCM-199 medium that contained 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 1% insulin transferin selenium (ITS), 20 ng/ml epidermal growth factor (EGF), 0.5 μg/ml follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and 100 ng/ml insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I. In experiment II, in vitro developmental competence was compared for the cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) recovered from in vivo developed and in vitro cultured AFs. Survival, growth, development of antrum, accumulation of estradiol and progesterone was (P < 0.05) higher when PFs were co-cultured with AFs. Developmental competence of both types of follicular oocytes did not differ significantly in terms of maturation and cleavage rate, but morula and blastocyst production rate were (P < 0.05) higher with in vivo developed AFs as compared with the in vitro cultured antral follicular oocytes. In conclusion, co-culture of PFs with AFs supports long-term survival and growth of buffalo PFs and this co-culture system plays a dual role for in vitro production of embryos as well as understanding the relationship between developing PFs and AFs.
Cross-sectional study of motor development among children after the Fontan procedure
Authors: Longmuir Patricia E. , Banks Laura , McCrindle Brian W.
Published: January 2012

Objectives

To determine the gross motor skills of school-aged children after the Fontan procedure and compare the locomotor and object control skills with normative data.

Study design

This study followed a cross-sectional design.

Setting

This study was based on hospital outpatient visit, with accelerometry conducted at home.

Patients

This study included 55 patients, including 22 girls in the age group of 6–10 years, 5.1 years after Fontan.

Main outcome measures

Test of Gross Motor Development – Version 2, daily activity by accelerometer, medical history review, child and parent perceptions of activity.

Results

Being involved in active team sports increased locomotor percentile score by 10.3 points (CI: 4.4, 16.1). Preference for weekend outdoor activities (6.9, CI: 2.0, 11.8), performing at least 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily (24.5, CI: 7.3, 41.8), and reporting that parents seldom criticise the child's physical activity (21.8, CI: 8.9, 34.8) were also associated with higher locomotor percentile scores (p < 0.01). Object control percentile scores were higher (p < 0.03) with involvement in formal instruction (5.9, CI: 1.1, 10.6) and being restricted to “activities within comfortable limits” (27.6, CI: 7.7, 47.5). Older chronological age (r = 0.28), a more complicated medical history (r = 0.36), and older age at Fontan (r = 0.28) were associated with greater skill delay (p < 0.04).

Conclusions

Children after Fontan attain basic motor skills at a later age than their peers, and deficits continue for more complex skills as age increases, suggesting a need for longitudinal monitoring of gross motor skill development through the elementary school years. Future research might investigate whether a gross motor skill rehabilitation programme can provide these children with the motor skills needed to successfully participate in a physically active lifestyle with peers.
A GENERALISATION OF DESCARTES’ RULE OF SIGNS
Authors: TOKAREV DANIEL V.
Published: January 2012

A generalisation of Descartes’ rule of signs to other functions is derived and a bound for the number of positive zeros of a class of integral transforms is deduced from that. A more precise rule of signs is also discussed in the light of these results.
The language of pity:eleosandoiktosin Sophocles'Philoctetes
Authors: Prauscello Lucia
Published: January 2012

Pity and the characters' response to it have always been recognized as one of the central themes of Sophocles'Philoctetes. In recent years scholarship on the play has mainly focused either on the cognitive aspects of the dynamics triggered by pity-related emotions (that is, how pity seems to activate and at the same time is triggered by rational reflection and experience) or on its self-conscious meta-theatrical dimension (what Halliwell has called the intrinsic ‘theatricality of pity’ and the audience's response to it). My intention is to contribute to this critical debate by focusing more narrowly on the semantics of pity-related words in the play: a linguistic analysis of the language of pity in Sophocles'Philocteteswill show that the seeming interchangeability of the wordsoiktosandeleosbears further investigation. The first section of this article will offer a brief diachronic survey of the semantics ofoiktos- andeleos-related formations in Homer and the fifth century tragedians (with special attention to Sophoclean usage). Building upon recent studies on paradigmatic semantic relations, it will then be argued that the relation ofeleostooiktosis better described, from a synchronic perspective, in terms of ‘hyponymy’ or ’gradient synonymy.’
Contrasting urban and rural heat stress responses to climate change
Authors: Fischer E. M. , Oleson K. W. , Lawrence D. M.
Published: January 2012

Hot temperatures in combination with high humidity cause human discomfort and may increase morbidity and mortality. A global climate model with an embedded urban model is used to explore the urban‐rural contrast in the wet‐bulb globe temperature, a heat stress index accounting for temperature and humidity. Wet‐bulb globe temperatures are calculated at each model time step to resolve the heat stress diurnal cycle. The model simulates substantially higher heat stress in urban areas compared to neighbouring rural areas. Urban humidity deficit only weakly offsets the enhanced heat stress due to the large night‐time urban heat island. The urban‐rural contrast in heat stress is most pronounced at night and over mid‐latitudes and subtropics. During heatwaves, the urban heat stress amplification is particularly pronounced. Heat stress strongly increases with doubled CO2concentrations over both urban and rural surfaces. The tropics experience the greatest increase in number of high‐heat‐stress nights, despite a relatively weak ∼2°C warming. Given the lack of a distinct annual cycle and high relative humidity, the modest tropical warming leads to exceedance of the present‐day record levels during more than half of the year in tropical regions, where adaptive capacity is often low. While the absolute urban and rural heat stress response to 2 × CO2 is similar, the occurrence of nights with extremely high heat stress increases more in cities than surrounding rural areas.
Dynamics of long‐period ULF waves in the plasma sheet: Coordinated space and ground observations
Authors: Tian A. M. , Zong Q. G. , Zhang T. L. , Nakamura R. , Du A. M. , Baumjohann W. , Glassmeier K. H. , Volwerk M. , Hartinger M. , Wang Y. F. , Du J. , Yang B. , Zhang X. Y. , Panov E.
Published: January 2012

Spacecraft and ground‐based observations are used to study characteristics of ultralow frequency waves in the plasma sheet from the postmidnight to morning local time sectors in the terrestrial magnetosphere. Field line resonance (FLR) type oscillations with discrete and latitude‐dependent frequencies in the ranges of 1.7–2.0 and 3.0–3.2 mHz are observed in situ by the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms C (THEMIS C), THEMIS D, THEMIS E, and GOES 12 spacecraft. The ground resonant oscillations in the two mentioned frequency bands are also observed at corresponding spacecraft footprints. Spectral peaks at these frequencies are observed by nearly all ground stations from premidnight to noon, with the larger‐amplitude oscillations occurring in a narrow range of latitudes (3°–6°). The largest wave activity occurred in the magnetic local time of ∼05:00. The ground observations indicate westward propagation for the 1.8 mHz wave activity with an azimuthal wave number of about −2.6. The Poynting vectors from the THEMIS spacecraft show weak net energy flow (antifield aligned) toward the ionosphere of the southern hemisphere. They also show notable net energy flow toward the west. A possible interpretation is that the observed FLRs are driven by cavity and waveguide modes in the nightside outer magnetosphere after a period of long‐lasting northward interplanetary magnetic field.
Ionospheric Pc5 plasma oscillations observed by the King Salmon HF radar and their comparison with geomagnetic pulsations on the ground and in geostationary orbit
Authors: Sakaguchi K. , Nagatsuma T. , Ogawa T. , Obara T. , Troshichev O. A.
Published: January 2012

We analyzed Pc5 (1.7–6.7 mHz) oscillations of ionospheric Doppler plasma velocity observed on a westward pointing beam 3 of the SuperDARN King Salmon HF radar in Alaska during the solar maximum in 2002 and the minimum in 2007. Local time distributions of the ionospheric Pc5 oscillations showed peculiar asymmetric characteristics in both years; that is, the occurrence probability had a maximum around the magnetic midnight, whereas backscatter echoes exhibited almost no oscillation on the dayside. We compared these ionospheric Pc5 events with magnetic field variations on the ground under the radar beam at Pebek and King Salmon and the geostationary ETS‐8 satellite at almost conjugate longitude. We found only a few nightside events where both the radar and magnetometers detected similar sinusoidal oscillations. On the other hand, from statistical spectral analyses we found that there were positive correlations between the integrated Pc5 range spectral power of velocity oscillations and the geomagnetic pulsations both on the ground and in geostationary orbit although the pulsation powers were quite low. For these ionospheric Pc5 events, we found that both solar wind bulk flow speed and dynamic pressure showed no correlation with the spectral power and more than half of the Pc5 events were observed when the geomagnetic activities were low as inferred from the AE and Dst indices. These results indicate that the azimuthal Pc5 oscillation in the ionospheric plasma flow does not represent well‐known characteristics of Pc5 pulsations driven by solar wind changes. We consider that the nightside occurrence peak of the ionospheric Pc5 oscillation might be related to diurnal changes in the ionospheric conductivity, which controls the amplitude of wave electric fields in the ionosphere. Therefore, the Pc5 wave power distributions obtained by radar observations provide features different from those obtained from magnetic field observations.
On the nature of radar backscatter and 250 MHz scintillation linked with an intense daytime Es patch
Authors: Patra A. K. , Chaitanya P. Pavan , Bhattacharyya A.
Published: January 2012

In this paper we present and analyze the Gadanki radar observations of an unusual event of daytime radar echoes from the E region, which spread over a range of 105–150 km and displayed a “U shape” in the range‐time SNR map. The U shape echoing structure was an added feature to the commonly observed lower E region echoes with slowly descending features and 150 km echoes with range migration displaying a forenoon descent and afternoon ascent. Distinctly different Doppler velocities were observed in the two arms of the U shape structure with velocities increasing with height and surprisingly exceeding the Doppler velocities of the 150 km echoes. The Doppler spectra display features very similar to those observed below 100 km indicating turbulence as the underlying process. A collocated ionosonde observed unusually strong sporadic E (Es) activity with maximum reflected/scattered frequency (ftEs) reaching 16 MHz in close correspondence with the U shape structure. During the same duration, a collocated 250.6 MHz scintillation receiver revealed scintillation activity, not observed before from Gadanki. The unusual radar observations, strong Es activity, and daytime scintillation are first of its kind from Gadanki. Detailed analysis suggests that the U shape radar echoes extending to 150 km range were due to the sidelobe detection of the E region irregularities with special features that were also responsible for the daytime scintillation. The genesis and implication of the irregularities are discussed.
Evaluation and control mechanisms of volume and freshwater export through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in a high‐resolution pan‐Arctic ice‐ocean model
Authors: McGeehan Timothy , Maslowski Wieslaw
Published: January 2012

This study examined the 1979–2004 volume and freshwater fluxes through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) and into the Labrador Sea using a high resolution (∼9 km) coupled ice‐ocean model of the pan‐Arctic region to provide a reference, compare with limited observational estimates, and investigate control mechanisms of this exchange. The 26‐year mean volume and freshwater fluxes through Nares Strait were 0.77 Sv ± 0.17 Sv and 10.38 mSv ± 1.67 mSv respectively, while those through Lancaster Sound amounted to 0.76 Sv ± 0.12 Sv and 48.45 mSv ± 7.83 mSv respectively. The 26‐year mean volume and freshwater fluxes through Davis Strait were 1.55 Sv ± 0.29 Sv and 62.66 mSv ± 11.67 mSv while the modeled Fram Strait branch provided very little (∼2%) freshwater into the Labrador Sea compared to the total CAA input. Compared to available observations, the model provides reasonable volume and freshwater fluxes, as well as sea ice thickness and concentration in the CAA. In Nares Strait and Lancaster Sound, volume flux anomalies were controlled by the sea surface height (SSH) gradient anomalies along the straits and freshwater anomalies were highly correlated with the volume anomalies. At least half of the variance in the time series of SSH gradient anomaly was due to SSH anomalies in northern Baffin Bay. The West Greenland Current (WGC) exhibits seasonality, with cross shelf flow (into the Labrador Sea) peaking in January/February/March, while reducing the northward flow across eastern Davis Strait. We hypothesize that the eddy‐reduced northward flow of WGC results in the lower volume and SSH in Baffin Bay. This maximizes the SSH gradients between the Arctic Ocean and Baffin Bay, leading to maximum winter volume fluxes through Nares Strait and Lancaster Sound. Model limitations include the insufficient spatial resolution of atmospheric forcing (especially to account for the effects of local topography), the representation of river runoff into Hudson Bay and coastal buoyancy currents, low mobility of modeled ice, and incomplete depiction of ice arching. Many of these issues are expected to be resolved with increased model grid cell resolution, improved sea ice and ocean models and more realistic atmospheric forcing.
Precision estimate for Odin‐OSIRIS limb scatter retrievals
Authors: Bourassa A. E. , McLinden C. A. , Bathgate A. F. , Elash B. J. , Degenstein D. A.
Published: January 2012

The limb scatter measurements made by the Optical Spectrograph and Infrared Imaging System (OSIRIS) instrument on the Odin spacecraft are used to routinely produce vertically resolved trace gas and aerosol extinction profiles. Version 5 of the ozone and stratospheric aerosol extinction retrievals, which are available for download, are performed using a multiplicative algebraic reconstruction technique (MART). The MART inversion is a type of relaxation method, and as such the covariance of the retrieved state is estimated numerically, which, if done directly, is a computationally heavy task. Here we provide a methodology for the derivation of a numerical estimate of the covariance matrix for the retrieved state using the MART inversion that is sufficiently efficient to perform for each OSIRIS measurement. The resulting precision is compared with the variability in a large set of pairs of OSIRIS measurements that are close in time and space in the tropical stratosphere where the natural atmospheric variability is weak. These results are found to be highly consistent and thus provide confidence in the numerical estimate of the precision in the retrieved profiles.
Frequency distributions of some parameters of negative downward lightning flashes based on accurate‐stroke‐count studies
Authors: Ballarotti Maurício G. , Medeiros Claudia , Saba Marcelo M. F. , Schulz Wolfgang , Pinto Osmar
Published: January 2012

This paper presents some parameters of negative cloud‐to‐ground lightning flashes in terms of frequency distribution. All data are based on so‐called “accurate‐stroke‐count studies” from different climatological regions in the world and were already published in the literature with the exception of our measurements. We used GPS synchronized data from two digital high‐speed cameras (at 1–8,000 frames/sec). The parameters considered in this study are: (1) continuing current duration, (2) time intervals between strokes, (3) number of strokes per flash and (4) total flash duration. The analysis includes Berger's data of Monte San Salvatore (Switzerland), which is the basis for lightning protection standards. The comparison suggests that despite of overall agreement of those parameters that some of them, currently used in protection standards, should be revised in order to be more realistic.
Alkenone unsaturation in surface sediments from the eastern equatorial Pacific: Implications for SST reconstructions
Authors: Kienast M. , MacIntyre G. , Dubois N. , Higginson S. , Normandeau C. , Chazen C. , Herbert T. D.
Published: January 2012

Significant uncertainties persist in the reconstruction of past sea surface temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific, especially regarding the amplitude of the glacial cooling and the details of the post‐glacial warming. Here we present the first regional calibration of alkenone unsaturation in surface sediments versus mean annual sea surface temperatures (maSST). Based on 81 new and 48 previously published data points, it is shown that open ocean samples conform to established global regressions of U37K′ versus maSST and that there is no systematic bias from seasonality in the production or export of alkenones, or from surface ocean nutrient concentrations or salinity. The flattening of the regression at the highest maSSTs is found to be statistically insignificant. For the near‐coastal Peru upwelling zone between 11–15°S and 76–79°W, however, we corroborate earlier observations that U37K′ SST estimates significantly over‐estimate maSSTs at many sites. We posit that this is caused either by uncertainties in the determination of maSSTs in this highly dynamic environment, or by biasing of the alkenone paleothermometer toward El Niño events as postulated by Rein et al. (2005).
ChemTextMiner: An open source tool kit for mining medical literature abstracts
Authors: Jain Esha , Karthikeyan Muthukumarasamy , Pandit Yogesh , Pandit Deepak , Nainaru Ganesh , Nalwade Sunil , Vyas Renu
Published: January 2012

Text mining involves recognizing patterns from a wealth of information hidden latent in unstructured text and deducing explicit relationships among data entities by using data mining tools. Text mining of Biomedical literature is essential for building biological network connecting genes, proteins, drugs, therapeutic categories, side effects etc. related to diseases of interest. We present an approach for textmining biomedical literature mostly in terms of not so obvious hidden relationships and build biological network applied for the textmining of important human diseases like MTB, Malaria, Alzheimer and Diabetes. The methods, tools and data used for building biological networks using a distributed computing environment previously used for ChemXtreme[1] and ChemStar[2] applications are also described.