bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The dominance of surfaces and interfaces: A view to magnetoconductance and structure in low‐dimensional crystalline films
Authors: Pfnür H. , Lükermann D. , Tegenkamp C.
Published: January 2012

For ultra‐thin films, electronic transport properties at surfaces and interfaces are dominated by electronic scattering at the interfaces. Therefore, as our example with Pb on Si(557) shows, d.c. transport is sensitive to confinement, to growth modes, and to (electronic) surface roughness. During the growth of Pb on Si(557) up to more than 10 monolayers, we found classical and quantum size effects, a pronounced conductance anisotropy and conductance oscillations directly related to the anisotropic layer‐by‐layer growth mode of the Pb film on this regularly stepped surface. In fact, it turned out that the interface anisotropy, which extends up to the seventh layer in conductance, is kept as a memory effect even for thick (isotropic) layers. By adding a magnetic field, details of the scattering mechanism at impurities and defects are revealed, since elastic, inelastic, spin–orbit scattering contributions can be separated.

Strong changes of scattering properties are evident when going from the multilayers to the monolayer, as demonstrated again for the system Pb on Si(557). Contrary to multilayers, spin–orbit scattering dominates for the monolayer, presumably due to the symmetry reduction at the surface and the appearance of spin‐split bands split by the Rashba effect. Also the anomaly in spin–orbit scattering close to monolayer completion, coupled with quasi one‐dimensional d.c. conductance, can be ascribed to the Rashba effect. The intriguing interplay between bulk and surface conductance with large Rashba split states at the surface is exemplified by a study of multilayer growth of Bi on Si(111). By magnetoconductance we were able to separate bulk from surface contributions. Scattering between strongly spin‐polarized Rashba‐split states spin can be effectively suppressed, so that only the “classical” magnetoconductance effect remains, as observed in this system.
Large‐scale potential vorticity anomalies and deep convection
Authors: Russell A. , Vaughan G. , Norton E. G.
Published: January 2012

The effect on deep convection of large‐scale potential vorticity (PV) anomalies and their associated tropospheric stable layers is complex and not well understood. This article examines the meteorological events of 9 July 2007 (IOP7b of the Convective and Orographically‐induced Precipitation Study (COPS)), which was dominated by an upper‐level PV anomaly that stretched from the UK to southern France and as far northeast as Denmark. Three precipitation regions were identified from the case: lines of intense storms beneath the PV anomaly; less intense, more widespread convective precipitation to the east of the PV anomaly; and, in between, a region of no precipitation. The latter of these coincided with the high‐resolution measurements and model analyses from COPS. The extensive and varied data analyzed in this investigation show that convective available potential energy (CAPE) was present in this region (the distribution of CAPE and convective inhibition (CIN) is presented via an innovative, pseudo‐3D visualization that allows horizontal and vertical interactions to be considered). However, convection was capped by a complex arrangement of dry layers; the base of the key layer was at 750 hPa. These dry layers descended separately from the upper troposphere, moving around the PV anomaly as it developed from a breaking Rossby wave to the west during the seven days before the IOP. This case adds to other studies that show that descent of complex dry layers is an important mechanism for forming convection‐inhibiting atmospheric lids in Western Europe. A simple conceptual model is developed that synthesizes the effect of large‐scale PV anomalies on deep convection from a series of consistent case studies. This model has significant implications for storm forecasting and projections of storminess in future climates, as it highlights the importance of thin structures that can advect hundreds of km before having an impact. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society
Evaluation of NWP results for wintertime nocturnal boundary‐layer temperatures over Europe and Finland
Authors: Atlaskin Evgeny , Vihma Timo
Published: January 2012

Four operational numerical weather prediction (NWP) models were evaluated in winter conditions against (a) synoptic observations in Europe, (b) observations at a 48 m high micrometeorological mast in Sodankylä, northern Finland, and (c) observations at the Helsinki Testbed stations: (i) to evaluate the skills of the models to compute nocturnal 2 m air temperature (T2m) and the temperature inversion; and (ii) to distinguish between the T2m bias and the subgrid‐scale spatial variability of T2m. The models were (1) the Integrated Forecast System (IFS) of the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), (2) the High Resolution Limited Area Model (HIRLAM), (3) the Applications of Research to Operations at Mesoscale (AROME) developed by Météo‐France, and (4) the Global Forecasting System (GFS) of the US National Center for Environmental Predictions (NCEP). The results demonstrated a T2m bias increasing with decreasing temperature and strengthening temperature inversion. When a strong temperature inversion was observed in Sodankylä, the models underestimated it, whereas in near‐neutral conditions the stratification was overestimated. Comparison of observed and modelled 3 h temperature tendencies showed that the T2m tendency in the models was on average only 17–20% of the observed one. The warm bias in T2m forecast in Sodankylä during periods of observed temperature inversion partly resulted from a warm bias in the initial conditions. This was due to problems in data assimilation in IFS and HIRLAM, in initialization in AROME, and in either or both procedures in GFS. In particular, the IFS data assimilation increased the T2m bias. Evaluation of modelled T2m against grid‐averaged T2m observed at Helsinki Testbed demonstrated that the T2m model error dominated over the spatial variability of observed T2m. This suggests that over an almost flat terrain horizontal resolution is not a major factor for the accuracy of T2m forecast at low T2m typically associated with temperature inversions. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society
Stability and volatility of STEM career interest in high school: A gender study
Authors: Sadler Philip M. , Sonnert Gerhard , Hazari Zahra , Tai Robert
Published: January 2012

This retrospective cohort study characterizes how interest in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) careers changes during high school for more than 6,000 students in a representative national sample of 34 two‐ and four‐year colleges taking mandatory college English courses. Overall, large gender differences in career plans were found, with males showing far more interest particularly in engineering, whereas females were more attracted to careers in health and medicine during their high school years. The key factor predicting STEM career interest at the end of high school was interest at the start of high school. There was an additional effect of gender, indicating both a lower retention of STEM career interest among females and a greater difficulty in attracting females to STEM fields during high school. During the high school years, the percentage of males interested in a STEM career remained stable (from 39.5 to 39.7), whereas for females it declined from 15.7 to 12.7. The students' initial specific (disciplinary) career interests were found to influence the stability of their interest in a STEM career, with those interested in physics careers at the start of high school having the highest retention in STEM. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 96:411–427, 2012
Using private management standard certification to reduce information asymmetries in corrupt environments
Authors: Montiel Ivan , Husted Bryan W. , Christmann Petra
Published: January 2012

This paper investigates how corruption in the institutional environment influences firms' decisions to obtain third‐party certification to private management standards as signals of desirable conduct. We argue that policy‐specific corruption erodes trust in government efforts to regulate firms' conduct, thus increasing the signaling value of private certifications and the likelihood of certification. However, widespread corruption in the general environment can extend distrust to private certification systems, which reduces the credibility and signaling value of private certifications, thus decreasing the likelihood that firms obtain certification. Our empirical results based on ISO 14001 environmental management system certification among 433 automotive plants in Mexico confirm these relationships. We discuss the implications of our findings for transaction cost economics, institutional theory, research, and practice. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The properties and molecular structures of gusiljatbam starch compared to those of acorn and chestnut starches
Authors: Yoo Sang‐Ho , Lee Chang‐Sun , Kim Bum‐Soo , Shin Malshick
Published: January 2012

The properties and molecular structures of starch from gusiljatbam (GS) (Castanopsis cuspidate), a pine nut‐type fruit with a chestnut taste, compared to starches from an acorn (AS) and a chestnut (CS) were investigated. The starches were isolated using an alkaline steeping method, and analyzed. The TAM contents of GS, AS, and CS were 44.09, 30.56, and 29.55%, respectively. The GS showed the highest water binding capacity (110.83%) and solubility at 80°C (10.00%). The initial pasting temperature of GS was the lowest, but its pasting viscosity was the highest among them. Trough, cold, and setback viscosities and particle sizes were in the following order: GS>AS>CS. The XRD patterns of GS, AS, and CS revealed B, A, and Cb type crystals, respectively. HPSEC showed the MW distribution patterns of the starches as AP, intermediate materials (IM), and AM peaks. However, the MW of AM as well as AP peak intensity and IM patterns were different. According to the branched chain length distribution of AP at DP 13–24 and DP 25–36, DPn, and DPw decreased in the following order: GS>AS>CS, but DP 6–12 and DP ≥ 37 were distributed in reverse order.
Science assessments for all: Integrating science simulations into balanced state science assessment systems
Authors: Quellmalz Edys S. , Timms Michael J. , Silberglitt Matt D. , Buckley Barbara C.
Published: January 2012

This article reports on the collaboration of six states to study how simulation‐based science assessments can become transformative components of multi‐level, balanced state science assessment systems. The project studied the psychometric quality, feasibility, and utility of simulation‐based science assessments designed to serve formative purposes during a unit and to provide summative evidence of end‐of‐unit proficiencies. The frameworks of evidence‐centered assessment design and model‐based learning shaped the specifications for the assessments. The simulations provided the three most common forms of accommodations in state testing programs: audio recording of text, screen magnification, and support for extended time. The SimScientists program at WestEd developed simulation‐based, curriculum‐embedded, and unit benchmark assessments for two middle school topics, Ecosystems and Force & Motion. These were field‐tested in three states. Data included student characteristics, responses to the assessments, cognitive labs, classroom observations, and teacher surveys and interviews. UCLA CRESST conducted an evaluation of the implementation. Feasibility and utility were examined in classroom observations, teacher surveys and interviews, and by the six‐state Design Panel. Technical quality data included AAAS reviews of the items' alignment with standards and quality of the science, cognitive labs, and assessment data. Student data were analyzed using multidimensional Item Response Theory (IRT) methods. IRT analyses demonstrated the high psychometric quality (reliability and validity) of the assessments and their discrimination between content knowledge and inquiry practices. Students performed better on the interactive, simulation‐based assessments than on the static, conventional items in the posttest. Importantly, gaps between performance of the general population and English language learners and students with disabilities were considerably smaller on the simulation‐based assessments than on the posttests. The Design Panel participated in development of two models for integrating science simulations into a balanced state science assessment system. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 49: 363–393, 2012
Understanding the co‐construction of inquiry practices: A case study of a responsive teaching environment
Authors: Maskiewicz April C. , Winters Victoria A.
Published: January 2012

We set out to understand how different instantiations of inquiry emerged in two different years of one elementary teacher's classroom. Longitudinal observations from Mrs. Charles' 5th grade science classroom forced us to carefully and deliberately consider who exactly was responsible for the change in the class activities and norms. We provide empirical evidence to show how a focus on the teacher can easily overlook the complex dynamics of the classroom. The data reveal that students had a substantive and generative role in the class's arrival at the different instantiations of scientific inquiry—the nature and form of inquiry—that were constructed each year. We argue that, in an environment where a teacher carefully attends and responds to student thinking, the nascent resources students have for reasoning about phenomena can affect not only the conceptual ideas that emerge, but also influence what inquiry activities or practices become established as normative and productive over time. Our work with Mrs. Charles illuminates an important methodological concern with research on teacher development as well as the construct of teacher learning progressions; research accounts that focus primarily on the teacher may overlook the classroom norms that are negotiated between teacher and student, and thereby provide an incomplete portrayal of the teacher's activity within one classroom and the teacher's progress across multiple years. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 49: 429–464, 2012
Current issues in men's health
Authors: Baker Peter
Published: January 2012

The early death of so many men in the UK – a quarter before the age of 65 years – is so commonplace that most of us treat it as normal. We behave as if men are somehow biologically programmed to die young and that there is little that can be done about it. But the huge variations in premature male mortality geographically and by social class make it clear beyond doubt that much of this is preventable. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons
Nondestructive method for the calculation of bulk material composition by X‐ray fluorescence, using surface analysis on corroded bronze objects
Authors: Niculescu Gheorghe , Georgescu Migdonia , Sârghie Ioan
Published: January 2012

The formation of patina on the surface of archeological bronze objects is a complex phenomenon, being influenced by various parameters induced by the environment and the alloy composition. Over several years, many attempts have been made to analyze the bulk composition of the alloys by nondestructive surface measurements. In this paper, we propose an analytical approach to evaluate the composition of bronze alloys using neural network analysis and X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A genome shuffling-generated Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolate that ferments xylose and glucose to produce high levels of ethanol
Authors: Jingping Ge , Hongbing Sun , Gang Song , Hongzhi Ling , Wenxiang Ping
Published: January 2012

Genome shuffling is an efficient approach for the rapid improvement of industrially important microbial phenotypes. This report describes optimized conditions for protoplast preparation, regeneration, inactivation, and fusion using the Saccharomyces cerevisiae W5 strain. Ethanol production was confirmed by TTC (triphenyl tetrazolium chloride) screening and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A genetically stable, high ethanol-producing strain that fermented xylose and glucose was obtained following three rounds of genome shuffling. After fermentation for 84 h, the high ethanol-producing S. cerevisiae GS3-10 strain (which utilized 69.48 and 100% of the xylose and glucose stores, respectively) produced 26.65 g/L ethanol, i.e., 47.08% higher than ethanol production by S. cerevisiae W5 (18.12 g/L). The utilization ratios of xylose and glucose were 69.48 and 100%, compared to 14.83 and 100% for W5, respectively. The ethanol yield was 0.40 g/g (ethanol/consumed glucose and xylose), i.e., 17.65% higher than the yield by S. cerevisiae W5 (0.34 g/g).
Should healthy eating programmes incorporate interaction with foods in different sensory modalities? A review of the evidence
Authors: Dazeley Paul , Houston-Price Carmel , Hill Claire
Published: January 2012

Commercial interventions seeking to promote fruit and vegetable consumption by encouraging preschool- and school-aged children to engage with foods with ‘all their senses’ are increasing in number. We review the efficacy of such sensory interaction programmes and consider the components of these that are likely to encourage food acceptance. Repeated exposure to a food's flavour has robust empirical support in terms of its potential to increase food intake. However, children are naturally reluctant to taste new or disliked foods, and parents often struggle to provide sufficient taste opportunities for these foods to be adopted into the child's diet. We therefore explore whether prior exposure to a new food's non-taste sensory properties, such as its smell, sound, appearance or texture, might facilitate the food's introduction into the child's diet, by providing the child with an opportunity to become partially familiar with the food without invoking the distress associated with tasting it. We review the literature pertaining to the benefits associated with exposure to foods through each of the five sensory modalities in turn. We conclude by calling for further research into the potential for familiarisation with the visual, olfactory, somaesthetic and auditory properties of foods to enhance children's willingness to consume a variety of fruits and vegetables.
Beneficial effects of combined olive oil ingestion and acute exercise on postprandial TAG concentrations in healthy young women
Authors: Sasahara Chihoko , Burns Stephen F. , Miyashita Masashi , Stensel David J.
Published: January 2012

Foods high in monounsaturated fat, such as olive oil, and endurance exercise are both known to independently reduce postprandial TAG concentrations. We examined the combined effects of exercise and dietary fat composition on postprandial TAG concentrations in nine healthy pre-menopausal females (age 26·8 (sd 3·3) years, BMI 22·3 (sd 2·0) kg/m2). Each participant completed four, 2 d trials in a randomised order: (1) butter–no exercise, (2) olive oil–no exercise, (3) butter–exercise, (4) olive oil–exercise. On day 1 of the exercise trials, participants walked or ran on a treadmill for 60 min. On the no-exercise trials, participants rested on day 1. On day 2 of each trial, participants rested and consumed an olive oil meal (saturated fat 15 % and unsaturated fat 85 %) or a butter meal (saturated fat 71 % and unsaturated fat 29 %) for breakfast. Venous blood samples were obtained in the fasted state and for 6 h postprandially on day 2. A significant main effect on physical activity (exercise or control) was obtained for plasma TAG concentration (three-way ANOVA, P = 0·043), and the total area under the concentration v. time curve for TAG was 26 % lower on the olive oil–exercise trial (4·40 (sd 0·40) mmol × 6 h/l) than the butter–no exercise trial (5·91 (sd 1·01) mmol × 6 h/l) (one-way ANOVA, P = 0·029). These findings suggest that the combination of exercise and a preference for monounsaturated dietary fat intake in the form of olive oil may be most beneficial for reducing postprandial TAG concentrations.
Determinants of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D and development of prediction models in three US cohorts
Authors: Bertrand Kimberly A. , Giovannucci Edward , Liu Yan , Malspeis Susan , Eliassen A. Heather , Wu Kana , Holmes Michelle D. , Laden Francine , Feskanich Diane
Published: January 2012

Epidemiological and other evidence suggests that vitamin D may be protective against several chronic diseases. Assessing vitamin D status in epidemiological studies, however, is challenging given finite resources and limitations of commonly used approaches. Using multivariable linear regression, we derived predicted 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) scores based on known determinants of circulating 25(OH)D, including age, race, UV-B radiation flux at residence, dietary and supplementary vitamin D intakes, BMI, physical activity, alcohol intake, post-menopausal hormone use (women only) and season of blood draw, in three nationwide cohorts: the Nurses' Health Study, Nurses' Health Study II and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. The model r2 for each cohort ranged from 0·25 to 0·33. We validated the prediction models in independent samples of participants from these studies. Mean measured 25(OH)D levels rose with increasing decile of predicted 25(OH)D score, such that the differences in mean measured 25(OH)D between the extreme deciles of predicted 25(OH)D were in the range 8·7–12·3 ng/ml. Substituting predicted 25(OH)D scores for measured 25(OH)D in a previously published case–control analysis of colorectal cancer yielded similar effect estimates with OR of approximately 0·8 for a 10 ng/ml difference in either plasma or predicted 25(OH)D. We conclude that these data provide reasonable evidence that a predicted 25(OH)D score is an acceptable marker for ranking individuals by long-term vitamin D status and may be particularly useful in research settings where biomarkers are not available for the majority of a study population.
Bilingualism on display: The framing of Welsh and English in Welsh public spaces
Authors: Coupland Nikolas
Published: January 2012

This article develops an interpretive perspective on public displays of bilingualism. Photographic data from contemporary Wales illustrate how public bilingual—Welsh and English—displays are organized in different frames, reflecting historically changing language-ideological priorities and more local symbolic markets. In institutionally driven displays, the Welsh language is framed as an autonomous code in parallel with English, displacing an earlier pattern of representing Welsh subordinated to English norms. In other frames Welsh is constructed as the only legitimate heartland language, or as an impenetrable cultural curiosity. In the most open and least institutionalized frame, Welsh is displayed as part of a culturally distinctive but syncretic cultural system. These framing contests dramatize deeper tensions that surface in attempts to revitalize minority languages under globalization. (Wales, Welsh, bilingualism, language display, language ideology, linguistic landscapes, metaculture)*
Sensing the rhythms of everyday life: Temporal integration and tactile translation in the Seattle Deaf-Blind community
Authors: Edwards Terra
Published: January 2012

This article is concerned with how social actors establish relations between language, the body, and the physical and social environment. The empirical focus is a series of interactions between Deaf-Blind people and tactile signed language interpreters in Seattle, Washington. Many members of the Seattle Deaf-Blind community were born deaf and, due to a genetic condition, lose their vision slowly over the course of many years. Drawing on recent work in language and practice theory, I argue that these relations are established by Deaf-Blind people through processes ofintegrationwhereby continuity between linguistic, embodied, and social elements of a fading visual order are made continuous with corresponding elements in an emerging tactile order. In doing so, I contribute to current attempts in linguistic anthropology to model the means by which embodied, linguistic, and social phenomena crystallize in relational patterns to yield worlds that take on the appearance of concreteness and naturalness. (Classifiers, Deaf-Blind, integration, interpretation, language and embodiment, practice, rhythm, Tactile American Sign Language, tactility)*
EFFECTIVENESS AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF SUPPLEMENTAL GLUTAMINE DIPEPTIDE IN TOTAL PARENTERAL NUTRITION THERAPY FOR CRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS: A DISCRETE EVENT SIMULATION MODEL BASED ON ITALIAN DATA
Authors: Pradelli Lorenzo , Iannazzo Sergio , Zaniolo Orietta , Muscaritoli Maurizio , Eandi Mario
Published: January 2012

Introduction: The supplementation of alanyl-glutamine dipeptide in critically ill patients necessitating total parenteral nutrition (TPN) improves clinical outcomes, reducing mortality, infection rate, and shortening intensive care unit (ICU) hospital lengths of stay (LOSs), as compared to standard TPN regimens.

Methods: A Discrete Event Simulation model that incorporates outcomes rates from 200 Italian ICUs for over 60,000 patients, alanyl-glutamine dipeptide efficacy data synthesized by means of a Bayesian random effects meta-analysis, and national cost data has been developed to evaluate the alternatives from the cost perspective of the hospital. Simulated clinical outcomes are death and infection rates in ICU, death rate in general ward, and hospital LOSs. Sensitivity analyses are performed by varying all uncertain parameter values in a plausible range.

Results: The internal validation process confirmed the accuracy of the model in replicating observed clinical data. Alanyl-glutamine dipeptide on average results more effective and less costly than standard TPN: reduced mortality rate (24.6% ± 1.6% vs. 34.5% ± 2.1%), infection rate (13.8% ± 2.9% vs. 18.8% ± 3.9%), and hospital LOS (24.9 ± 0.3 vs. 26.0 ± 0.3 days) come at a lower total cost per patient (23,409 ± 3,345 vs. 24,161 ± 3,523 Euro).Treatment cost is completely offset by savings on ICU and antibiotic costs. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these results.

Conclusions: Alanyl-glutamine dipeptide is expected to improve clinical outcomes and to do so with a concurrent saving for the Italian hospital.
IQ and the Fronto-temporal Cortex in Bipolar Disorder
Authors: Gutiérrez-Galve Leticia , Bruno Stefania , Wheeler-Kingshott Claudia A.M. , Summers Mary , Cipolotti Lisa , Ron Maria A.
Published: January 2012

Cognitive changes are documented in bipolar disorder (BP). Cortical volume loss, especially in prefrontal regions, has also been reported, but associations between cognition and cortical abnormalities have not been fully documented. This study explores associations between cognitive performance and cortical parameters (area, thickness and volume) of the fronto-temporal cortex in 36 BP patients (25 BPI and 11 BPII). T1-weighted volumetric MRI images were obtained using a 1.5 Tesla scanner. Cortical parameters were measured using surface-based morphometry and their associations with estimated premorbid, current IQ, visual memory, and executive function explored. Premorbid IQ was associated with frontal cortical area and volume, but no such associations were present for current cognitive performance. Cortical parameters were not different in BPI and BPII patients, but the association between current IQ and temporal cortical area was stronger in BPII patients. The pattern of cortico-cognitive associations in BPI and BPII patients merits further consideration. (JINS, 2012, 18, 370–374)
Reliable Change on the Boston Naming Test
Authors: Sachs Bonnie C. , Lucas John A. , Smith Glenn E. , Ivnik Robert J. , Petersen Ronald C. , Graff-Radford Neill R. , Pedraza Otto
Published: January 2012

Serial assessments are commonplace in neuropsychological practice and used to document cognitive trajectory for many clinical conditions. However, true change scores may be distorted by measurement error, repeated exposure to the assessment instrument, or person variables. The present study provides reliable change indices (RCI) for the Boston Naming Test, derived from a sample of 844 cognitively normal adults aged 56 years and older. All participants were retested between 9 and 24 months after their baseline exam. Results showed that a 4-point decline during a 9–15 month retest period or a 6-point decline during a 16–24 month retest period represents reliable change. These cutoff values were further characterized as a function of a person's age and family history of dementia. These findings may help clinicians and researchers to characterize with greater precision the temporal changes in confrontation naming ability. (JINS, 2012, 18, 375–378)
Transfer effects in spelling from transparent Greek to opaque English in seven-to-ten-year-old children
Authors: NIOLAKI GEORGIA Z. , MASTERSON JACKIE
Published: January 2012

The study investigated single-word spelling performance of 33 English- and 38 Greek-speaking monolingual children, and 46 English- and Greek-speaking bilingual children (age range from 6;7 to 10;1 years). The bilingual children were divided into two groups on the basis of their single-word reading and spelling performance in Greek. In line with predictions, we found that scores on an assessment of phonological awareness were a significant predictor of spelling in English for the bilingual children with stronger Greek literacy skill. Phonological awareness scores were also a strong predictor of spelling in Greek in the monolingual Greek-speaking children. For the bilingual children with weaker Greek literacy ability, spelling in English was predicted by performance in a test of visual memory. This was more in line with results for the monolingual English-speaking children, for whom spelling performance was predicted by visual memory and phonological awareness scores. Qualitative analysis of misspellings revealed that phonologically appropriate errors were significantly greater in the strong Greek literacy ability bilingual group than the weaker Greek literacy ability bilingual group. Stimulus analyses using regression techniques are also reported. The results are interpreted to suggest that in biliterates literacy processes are transferred from one language to the other (Mumtaz & Humphreys, 2002).
Continental delamination: Insights from laboratory models
Authors: Bajolet Flora , Galeano Javier , Funiciello Francesca , Moroni Monica , Negredo Ana‐María , Faccenna Claudio
Published: January 2012

One of the major issues of the evolution of continental lithospheres is the detachment of the lithospheric mantle that may occur under certain conditions and its impact on the surface. In order to investigate the dynamics of continental delamination, we performed a parametric study using physically scaled laboratory models. The adopted setup is composed of a three‐layers visco‐elastic body (analog for upper crust, lower crust, lithospheric mantle) locally thickened/thinned to simulate a density anomaly (lithospheric root) and an adjacent weak zone, lying on a low viscosity material simulating the asthenosphere. The results emphasize the interplay between mantle flow, deformation, surface topography and plate motion during a three‐phases process: (1) a slow initiation phase controlled by coupling and bending associated with contraction and dynamic subsidence, (2) lateral propagation of the delamination alongside with extension and a complex topographic signal controlled by coupling and buoyancy, while poloidal mantle flow develops around the tip of the delaminating lithospheric mantle, and (3) a late phase characterized by a counterflow that triggers retroward motion of the whole model. A semiquantitative study allows us to determine empirically two parameters: (1) an initiation parameter that constrains the propensity of the delamination to occur and correlates with the duration of the first stage, (2) a buoyancy parameter characterizing the delamination velocity during late stages and therefore its propensity to cease. Finally, we point out similarities and differences with the Sierra Nevada (California, USA) in terms of topography, deformation and timing of delamination.
Laboratory experiments on the generation of internal waves on two kinds of continental margin
Authors: Wang Tao , Chen Xu , Jiang Wensheng
Published: January 2012

We quantitatively study the relationship and differences between the internal waves generated on two kinds of continental margin in laboratory. Experimental results show that the steepness of the shelf break exerts a strong influence on the spatial structure of the internal waves generated on the continental margin. When the oscillatory barotropic tide flows over the continental margin with an abrupt shelf break and is not resonant with its slope, internal waves with three energy rays are generated, while on the continental margin with a gentle shelf break, only two rays can be found in the internal waves. Moreover, we compare the flux, width and kinetic energy flux of these rays and find that the phases of the internal waves generated by the interaction between the oscillatory barotropic tide and the shelf break lag behind the oscillatory barotropic tide.
The largest aftershock: How strong, how far away, how delayed?
Authors: Tahir M. , Grasso J.‐R. , Amorèse D.
Published: January 2012

Proposed in the 1950's, Båth's law states that the largest aftershock has a magnitude that is typically 1.2 less than that of the mainshock. Thirty years of the global earthquake catalog allow us to extend Båth's law in time, space and focal mechanism. On average, reverse faults have a smaller magnitude and distance from the mainshock to largest aftershock than strike‐slip faults. The distribution of the time intervals between mainshocks and their largest aftershocks obeys power law, but with a somewhat faster rate of decay than for aftershocks, in general. This implies that the largest aftershocks are more likely to occur earlier rather than later in a given sequence of aftershocks.
On the dynamics of the secondary eyewall genesis in Hurricane Wilma (2005)
Authors: Menelaou K. , Yau M. K. , Martinez Y.
Published: January 2012

The Weather Research and Forecast model is used to simulate the secondary eyewall genesis (SEG) and evolution in Hurricane Wilma (2005). The structure and time evolution of the secondary eyewall are well captured. The theory of empirical normal modes is then applied to study the SEG. For azimuthal wavenumber 1 anomalies, the wave activity spectra indicate that the leading modes (1 and 2), are vortex Rossby waves (VRWs). The Eliassen‐Palm (EP) theorem is used to diagnose the impact of the propagating waves on the formation of the secondary eyewall. Analysis of the EP flux and its time‐mean divergence show that in the lower troposphere the VRWs propagate outward outside the primary eyewall. The fact that the critical radius of the leading modes is located close to the region where the secondary eyewall eventually develops suggests that VRWs play an important role in SEG.
Drought, groundwater storage and stream flow decline in southwestern Australia
Authors: Hughes J. D. , Petrone K. C. , Silberstein R. P.
Published: January 2012

In this study we examine the hydrological processes that underpin non‐stationarity in hydrological prediction. This is achieved by analysis of linkages between rainfall, groundwater storage, and runoff in Southwest Western Australia (SWWA), a region experiencing stream flow decline since the mid‐1970s. We find a close connection between rainfall and changes in catchment groundwater storage, with increases in storage in years with annual rainfall above a threshold (1050–1400 mm), and declines during low rainfall years. Where groundwater is in contact with the stream bed, runoff, as a proportion of rainfall, is highly correlated with groundwater storage. Recent drought years have reduced groundwater storage and runoff ratio. In the absence of replenishing wetter years, lower runoff ratios are subsequently maintained. Runoff from a given depth of annual rainfall is now far lower than that produced 15 years ago. In this way groundwater storage acts as the catchment's “memory”. This study highlights the importance of catchment groundwater storage that may be used to improve runoff prediction in a drying climate.
Tide transformation in the Guadalquivir estuary (SW Spain) and process‐based zonation
Authors: Díez‐Minguito M. , Baquerizo A. , Ortega‐Sánchez M. , Navarro G. , Losada M. A.
Published: January 2012

This study analyzes tide transformation in the Guadalquivir estuary (SW Spain). When fresh water discharges are less than 40 m3/s, the estuary is tidally‐dominated (flood‐dominated) and well mixed. Under such conditions, the estuary can be divided into three stretches, each characterized by a different tide propagation process. In the first stretch of 25 km, the dominant process is diffusion. In the next stretch, approximately over 35 km length, convergence and friction processes are in balance. At the head of the estuary, in the last stretch, the tidal motion is partially standing because of tidal reflection on the Alcalá del Río dam, located 110 km upstream from the estuary mouth. The reflection coefficient R varies with the frequency; for diurnal constituents its magnitude ∣RD∣ is 0.25; this value increases in the case of semi‐diurnal (∣RS∣ ≈ 0.40), and quarter‐diurnal constituents (∣RQ∣ ≈ 0.65), and reaches its minimum at the sixth‐diurnal components (∣RX∣ ≈ 0.10). The tidal reflection can generate residual currents that have consequences in the bed morphology. Furthermore, when the fresh water discharges are greater than 400 m3/s, the estuary is fluvially‐dominated and the water level can be calculated as the linear superposition of tide and river contributions. However, superposition arguments do not hold for currents at any point in the estuary.
Meteor‐radar observed mesospheric semi‐annual oscillation (SAO) and quasi‐biennial oscillation (QBO) over Maui, Hawaii
Authors: Li Tao , Liu Alan Z. , Lu Xian , Li Zhenhua , Franke Steven J. , Swenson Gary R. , Dou Xiankang
Published: January 2012

We observed the variations of the semi‐annual oscillation (SAO) in the mesopause region of northern subtropics, and we describe its origin and forcing implications. Using the measurements of horizontal wind profiles made by the University of Illinois meteor radar in Maui, Hawaii (20.7°N, 156.3°W) from May 2002 to June 2007 and the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) interim data set, we find that the mesospheric SAO, with the winter westerly near 80–90 km clearly stronger than the summer westerly, is out of phase with the stratospheric SAO near 1 hPa (∼50 km). The mesospheric SAO easterly is strong during the easterly phase and weak during the westerly phase of the stratospheric quasi‐biennial oscillation (QBO) near 10 hPa (∼30 km), suggesting the modulation of the mesospheric SAO by the stratospheric QBO. The mesospheric QBO has an amplitude of approximately 5 m/s near 80 km. It is in phase with the stratospheric QBO near 10 hPa and out of phase with the QBO‐like oscillation near 1 hPa. The correlation of the gravity wave (GW) and the quasi‐two‐day wave (QTDW) activities with the mesospheric SAO and QBO suggests that the GW drags and the QTDW Eliassen‐Palm flux divergences likely contribute to the QBO modulation of the mesospheric SAO. The winter easterly wind in the tropical upper stratosphere pushes further into the northern subtropics during the QBO westerly phase than during the easterly phase. This may have impacts on the upward propagation of westward‐propagating GWs originated from the middle latitudes, and thus the westward GW forcing in the upper mesosphere of northern subtropics.
Modeling drifting snow in Antarctica with a regional climate model: 1. Methods and model evaluation
Authors: Lenaerts J. T. M. , van den Broeke M. R. , Déry S. J. , van Meijgaard E. , van de Berg W. J. , Palm Stephen P. , Sanz Rodrigo J.
Published: January 2012

To simulate the impact of drifting snow on the lower atmosphere, surface characteristics and surface mass balance (SMB) of the Antarctic ice sheet regional atmospheric climate model (RACMO2.1/ANT) with horizontal resolution of 27 km is coupled to a drifting snow routine and forced by ERA‐Interim fields at its lateral boundaries (1989–2009). This paper evaluates the near‐surface and drifting snow climate of RACMO2.1/ANT. Modeled near‐surface wind speed (squared correlation coefficient R2 = 0.64) and temperature (R2 = 0.93) agree well with observations. Wind speed is underestimated in topographically complex areas, where observed wind speeds are locally very high (>20 m s−1). Temperature is underestimated in winter in coastal areas due to an underestimation of downward longwave radiation. Near‐surface temperature and wind speed are not significantly affected by the inclusion of drifting snow in the model. In contrast, relative humidity with respect to ice increases in regions with strong drifting snow and becomes more consistent with the observations. Drifting snow frequency is the only observable parameter to directly validate drifting snow results; therefore, we derived an empirical relation for fresh snow density, as a function of wind speed and temperature, which determines the threshold wind speed for drifting snow. Modeled drifting snow frequencies agree well with in situ measurements and novel estimates from remote sensing. Finally, we show that including drifting snow is essential to obtaining a realistic extent and spatial distribution of ablation (SMB < 0) areas.
Hemispheric and large‐scale land‐surface air temperature variations: An extensive revision and an update to 2010
Authors: Jones P. D. , Lister D. H. , Osborn T. J. , Harpham C. , Salmon M. , Morice C. P.
Published: January 2012

This study is an extensive revision of the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) land station temperature database that has been used to produce a grid‐box data set of 5° latitude × 5° longitude temperature anomalies. The new database (CRUTEM4) comprises 5583 station records of which 4842 have enough data for the 1961–1990 period to calculate or estimate the average temperatures for this period. Many station records have had their data replaced by newly homogenized series that have been produced by a number of studies, particularly from National Meteorological Services (NMSs). Hemispheric temperature averages for land areas developed with the new CRUTEM4 data set differ slightly from their CRUTEM3 equivalent. The inclusion of much additional data from the Arctic (particularly the Russian Arctic) has led to estimates for the Northern Hemisphere (NH) being warmer by about 0.1°C for the years since 2001. The NH/Southern Hemisphere (SH) warms by 1.12°C/0.84°C over the period 1901–2010. The robustness of the hemispheric averages is assessed by producing five different analyses, each including a different subset of 20% of the station time series and by omitting some large countries. CRUTEM4 is also compared with hemispheric averages produced by reanalyses undertaken by the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF): ERA‐40 (1958–2001) and ERA‐Interim (1979–2010) data sets. For the NH, agreement is good back to 1958 and excellent from 1979 at monthly, annual, and decadal time scales. For the SH, agreement is poorer, but if the area is restricted to the SH north of 60°S, the agreement is dramatically improved from the mid‐1970s.
Natural iron fertilization of the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean by continental shelf sources of the Antarctic Peninsula
Authors: de Jong Jeroen , Schoemann Véronique , Lannuzel Delphine , Croot Peter , de Baar Hein , Tison Jean‐Louis
Published: January 2012

In large parts of the Southern Ocean, primary production is limited due to shortage of iron (Fe). We measured vertical Fe profiles in the western Weddell Sea, Weddell‐Scotia Confluence, and Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), showing that Fe is derived from benthic Fe diffusion and sediment resuspension in areas characterized by high turbulence due to rugged bottom topography. Our data together with literature data reveal an exponential decrease of dissolved Fe (DFe) concentrations with increasing distance from the continental shelves of the Antarctic Peninsula and the western Weddell Sea. This decrease can be observed 3500 km eastward of the Antarctic Peninsula area, downstream the ACC. We estimated DFe summer fluxes into the upper mixed layer of the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean and found that horizontal advection dominates DFe supply, representing 54 ± 15% of the total flux, with significant vertical advection second most important at 29 ± 13%. Horizontal and vertical diffusion are weak with 1 ± 2% and 1 ± 1%, respectively. The atmospheric contribution is insignificant close to the Antarctic continent but increases to 15 ± 10% in the remotest waters (>1500 km offshore) of the ACC. Translating Southern Ocean carbon fixation by primary producers into biogenic Fe fixation shows a twofold excess of new DFe input close to the Antarctic continent and a one‐third shortage in the open ocean. Fe recycling, with an estimated “fe” ratio of 0.59, is the likely pathway to balance new DFe supply and Fe fixation.
Calibration of a physically based, spatially distributed hydrological model in a glacierized basin: On the use of knowledge from glaciometeorological processes to constrain model parameters
Authors: Ragettli S. , Pellicciotti F.
Published: January 2012

In the Dry Andes of central Chile, summer water resources originate mostly from snowmelt and ice melt. We use the physically based, spatially distributed hydrological model TOPKAPI to study the exchange between glaciers and climate in the upper Aconcagua River Basin during the summer season and identify the model parameters that are robust and transferable and those that are more dependent on calibration. TOPKAPI has recently been adapted to incorporate an enhanced temperature index approach for snow and ice melting. We suggest a calibration procedure that allows calibration of parameters in three steps by separating parameters governing distinct processes. We evaluate the parameters' transferability in time and in space by applying the model at two spatial scales. TOPKAPI's ability to simulate the relevant processes is tested against meteorological, ablation, and glacier runoff data measured on Juncal Norte Glacier during two glacier ablation seasons. The model was applied successfully to the climatic setting of the Dry Andes once its parameters were recalibrated. We found a clear distinction between parameters that are stable in time and those that need recalibration. The parameters of the melt model are transferable from one season to the other, while the parameters governing the extrapolation of meteorological input data and the routing of glacier meltwater need recalibration from one season to the other. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the model is most sensitive to the temperature lapse rate governing the extrapolation of air temperature from point measurements to the glacier scale and to the melt parameter that multiplies the shortwave radiation balance.