bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Decoding the Sheela-na-gig
Authors: Rhoades Georgia
Published: August 2010

Sheela-na-gigs are old, bald, naked female figures on churches, walls, and towers (as well as in museums) in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England, similar to grotesques throughout Europe, to Baubo in the Middle East, and to Kali and other goddess figures in India and Southeast Asia. While most surviving sheelas are medieval, Irish legend and older carvings suggest connections to pagan crone goddesses. According to lore and scholarship, sheelas offer protection and warning or serve as fertility, birthing, or erotic figures. While most sheelas do not have breasts, they are likely to hold open or point to their vulvas, offering a puzzling message about the presumed creator of many surviving figures—the medieval Catholic Church. Contemporary feminist scholarship is more likely to regard sheelas as empowering female figures through shifting roles in the rhetorical relationships between the figure as agent and the decoder.
“Every Family Become a School of Abominable Impurity”: Incest and Theology in the Early Republic
Authors: Connolly Brian
Published: August 2010

Using the controversy surrounding marriage with a deceased wife’s sister that occupied Presbyterian and Congregationalist theologians of the early Republic, this essay explores the eroticization of the sentimental family and the contours and crises of the incest prohibition in the wake of the Revolution. The essay begins by tracing the history of ecclesiastical trials of incestuous marriage in the Presbyterian church, arguing that the failure of the synods and General Assembly to offer definitive judgments of such marriages suggests a tension in the force of a transcendent incest prohibition. Two cases from the late 1820s, in particular, gained national attention in both the theological and secular press, and force the Presbyterian church to explore the legitimacy of their incest prohibition, and exploration that lead, ultimately, to a constriction of the incest prohibition as written in the Westminster confession of Faith. I then turn to the conjunction of kinship, sexuality, and sentiment that animates the texts comprising the controversy and argue that, in an effort to defend an expansive interpretation of the Levitical incest prohibitions these theologians were among the earliest writers to argue that sentimental, affectionate relations between family members were inherently erotic. In this sense, the family becomes the primary site for the deployment of sexuality. Such a concern about the incestuous nature of family relations, in turn, forced theologians to consider the problem of incest in the postlapsarian origins of society.
Trading Races: Joseph and Marie Bunel, a Diplomat and a Merchant in Revolutionary Saint-Domingue and Philadelphia
Authors: Girard Philippe R.
Published: August 2010

Based on extensive research in French, British, and U.S. archives, the article focuses on Joseph Bunel, a diplomatic and commercial envoy for Toussaint Louverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines, and his wife Marie Bunel (Fanchette Estève), who spent her adult life as a merchant in Cap Français (Cap Haïtien) and Philadelphia. Joseph and Marie Bunel were a white Frenchman and a free black Creole, but their careers were shaped more by their social and monetary ambitions than by their racial background. After spending a few years in prerevolutionary Saint-Domingue (Haiti) as a merchant and a plantation manager, Joseph Bunel played an important administrative role in Louverture’s regime after 1798, first as a diplomatic envoy charged with drafting treaties of commerce and non-aggression with the United States and England during the Quasi-War, then as Louverture’s paymaster. Because of his closeness to the regime, he was deported to France during the Leclerc expedition. After moving to Philadelphia in 1803, he became a noted exporter of war contraband to Dessalines’ Haiti and in 1807 settled permanently in this country as a merchant. Marie Bunel, a prosperous free-colored merchant from Cap Français before the outbreak of the Haitian Revolution, continued her mercantile activities throughout the revolutionary period. Though personally close to notable figures like Louverture and Henri Christophe, her political involvement in the revolutionary struggle was limited. Persecuted along with her husband during the Leclerc expedition, she moved to Philadelphia, where she lived as an independent merchant long after Haiti had declared its independence. It was not until 1810 that for personal reasons she moved back to Haiti, where little evidence is available to retrace the end of the Bunels’ eventful lives.
The Genesis of Monastic Libraries
Authors: Peterson Herman A.
Published: August 2010

The reproduction of manuscript books in the Middle Ages by monks is related to the original goal of the monastic way of life, which is to live a life of prayer. Thus, the history of books and libraries in monasteries can be traced backward from the Rule of Benedict to the beginning of Christian monasticism in the desert of Egypt. This article examines several ancient documents to show how the first monks considered reading books—and assembling libraries—necessary for a specific form of prayer.
Rebecca Rankin's Campaign for a Municipal Archives in New York, 1920-1952
Authors: Seaver Barry W.
Published: August 2010

Originally established in 1914 to help educate the city's electorate and improve the decision making of public officials, the municipal reference library of New York City, unlike others created during and after the Progressive Era, expanded its mission to include record-keeping and archival responsibilities. Encountering indifference from city officials, librarian Rebecca Rankin used her understanding of government operations, politics, and public relations to convince these leaders of the need for a municipal archives to preserve historic documents and the need for a system to manage and provide access to departmental records. In doing so, Rankin furthered the development of the archival profession in the first half of the twentieth century. Her decades-long efforts demonstrate the challenges and opportunities librarians encountered in reconciling the missions and methodologies of libraries, archives, and records management.
E. W. B. Nicholson and the Bodleian Library Staff-Kalendar
Authors: Moran Barbara B.
Published: August 2010

E. W. B. Nicholson, librarian at the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford from 1882 to 1912, experimented with a number of new management techniques to improve that library's effectiveness and efficiency. Among the most successful was the Staff-Kalendar , which began as a work schedule for the staff but expanded into a comprehensive manual of library practice. During his tenure Nicholson improved the Bodleian's collections, catalogs, buildings, and staff, and the Staff-Kalendar played a significant role in those advances. The Staff-Kalendar 's influence extended far beyond Oxford, and it was the precursor of the many management manuals, handbooks, and guides found in libraries in 2010.
Comparing Police and Residents’ Perceptions of Crime in a Phoenix Neighborhood using Mental Maps in GIS
Authors: Lopez Natalie , Lukinbeal Chris
Published: August 2010

Neighborhood residents and police have distinct views about crime and safety in their community and/or beat, but comparing these perceptions can be difficult. This study uses mental maps to elicit perceptions of crime and safety from residents and police officers in the Garfield neighborhood of Phoenix. Thirty-eight residents, five police officers and one volunteer from the neighborhood patrol were asked to draw their perceptions of safe/low crime and unsafe/high crime areas on base maps. Data were then georectified, coded, and aggregated for analysis in a geographic information system. Aggregated spatial perceptions between the two groups were compared to crime data. Results showed that police perception was heavily influenced by reported crimes, while residents’ perceptions were not. By utilizing maps of resident perceptions of crime, police may have a new tool with which to pinpoint unreported or new crime activity.
Die mittelalterlichen jüdischen Grabsteine und Gemeindeeinrichtungen in der Stadt Spandau
Authors: Pohl Joachim
Published: August 2010

The Jewish community of Spandau ranks among the oldest in the medieval Margraviate of Brandenburg. The Jews were probably settled in Spandau at a very early stage of urban development by archbishop Wichmann of Magdeburg at the end of the 12th century. A gravestone from 1244 suggests the existence of a cemetery and thus of a Jewish community. It was covered over by the castle of the Brandenburg margraves and prince-electors in Spandau and has been excavated along with about 70 further tombstones in restorations since the 1950s. Besides describing the Jewish immigration at Spandau, the article examines the synagogue and the cemeteries. The displacement of the Brandenburg Jewry due to the Hostienschändungsprozess [Host desecration charges] of 1510 brought the history of the Spandau Jewish community to an end. The cemeteries were cleared and the gravestones used as building material for the castle and in the later citadel of Spandau. Today, these unique monuments constitute one of the largest collections of medieval Jewish tombstones in Germany and the most important material remains of the Jewry in the medieval Margraviate of Brandenburg.
Jüdische Spitäler in Österreich-Ungarn um 1900
Authors: Malleier Elisabeth
Published: August 2010

Early Hekdeshim did not distinguish between the housing of the poor, travelling strangers, old and sick people. At the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century Jewish hospitals with explicit medical intentions and with 30 to 40 beds were built in cities with large Jewish communities such as Budapest, Vienna, Krakow, Trieste, Chernivtsi and Lviv. Besides, there also existed small hospitals and »Siechenhäuser« for old and chronically ill people in smaller communities. They were often funded by donations of wealthy persons and by community taxes and administrated by the Chevra Kadisha, the Jewish burial societies. With the exception of the Jewish hospital in Prague all institutions were privately run. In Austro-Hungary, the building of big modern hospitals with 100 beds and more began during the last two decades of the 19th century (Budapest 1889, Vienna 1893) and continued through the turn of the century (Lviv and Prague) until the 1920s and 1930s (Chernivtsi, Krakow, Pozsony). At the same time, the old and small hospitals continued to exist, especially in regions with poor Jewish communities such as Galicia and Eastern Hungary.
Meta-communicative signals and humorous verbal interchanges: A case study
Authors: Canestrari Carla
Published: August 2010

The aim of this article is to provide a system for analysis of verbal humorous interactions that incorporates both the General Theory of Verbal Humor and the meta-communicative level. The integration will be accomplished using a two-pronged analytical model of humorous interactions. According to the General Theory of Verbal Humor, the first phase will trace the humor in the text with particular attention given to the Script Opposition and to the Logical Mechanism; the second will monitor the meta-communicative level, focusing on meta-communicative signals. Information about the humorous frame constitutes a seventh Knowledge Resource, called Meta-Knowledge Resource. Applying this model to an Italian film starring the comic actor Totò produced two results: 1) the definition of two kinds of humor on- and off-stage depending on the presence of Meta-Knowledge Resource and 2) a description of the “ideal author” postulated by the text. The second result is achieved by an analysis that combines on- and off-stage humor with verbal and referential humor.
Immunogenicity and Safety of 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in Infants and Toddlers
Authors: Yeh Sylvia H. , Gurtman Alejandra , Hurley David C. , Block Stan L. , Schwartz Richard H. , Patterson Scott , Jansen Kathrin U. , Love Jack , Gruber William C. , Emini Emilio A. , Scott Daniel A. ,   on behalf of the 004 Study Group
Published: August 2010

BACKGROUND:

7-Valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7 [Prevnar, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc, Philadelphia, PA], serotypes 4, 6B, 9V, 14, 18C, 19F, and 23F) is effective in preventing vaccine-serotype pneumococcal disease. 13-Valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) (PCV7 serotypes plus 1, 3, 5, 6A, 7F, and 19A) was designed to provide broader pneumococcal disease coverage. We evaluated the immunogenicity and safety of PCV13 compared with PCV7.

METHODS:

Infants received PCV13 or PCV7 at ages 2, 4, 6, and 12 to 15 months with routine pediatric vaccinations. Pneumococcal anticapsular polysaccharide-binding immunoglobulin G responses and functional antipneumococcal opsonophagocytic activity were assessed 1 month after dose 3, before the toddler dose, and 1 month after the toddler dose. Safety and tolerability were also assessed.

RESULTS:

For the 7 common serotypes, PCV13-elicited immunoglobulin G titers were noninferior to those elicited by PCV7, although PCV13 responses were generally somewhat lower. PCV13 also elicited functional opsonophagocytic activity comparable with that elicited by PCV7. For the 6 additional serotypes in PCV13, PCV13 elicited binding and functional antibody levels notably greater than those in PCV7 recipients. After PCV13 immunization, concordance between antipolysaccharide and opsonophagocytic responses was noted for all 13 serotypes. The PCV13 toddler dose resulted in higher immune responses compared with infant-series doses. Safety and tolerability were comparable; reactogenicity was generally mild.

CONCLUSIONS:

PCV13 will be as effective as PCV7 in the prevention of pneumococcal disease caused by the 7 common serotypes and could provide expanded protection against the 6 additional serotypes. The PCV13 safety profile was comparable to that of PCV7.
Cranial Nerve Involvement With Juvenile Polyarteritis Nodosa: Clinical Manifestations and Treatment
Authors: Wahezi Dawn M. , Gomes William A. , Ilowite Norman T.
Published: August 2010

Juvenile polyarteritis nodosa, a rare systemic vasculitis, may present with a wide variety of clinical manifestations. Neurologic involvement has been reported in as high as 50% to 70% of patients; however, the incidence of cranial nerve palsies is extremely uncommon. We report here the case of a 20-month-old girl with juvenile polyarteritis nodosa who developed cranial nerve III palsy, demonstrated both clinically and radiographically on MRI despite aggressive management with immunosuppressants. Neurologic manifestations resolved with treatment including corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide; however, persistent fevers, rash, and headaches interfered with attempts at a corticosteroid taper. Subsequent therapy with a combination of mycophenolate mofetil and infliximab proved highly efficacious in inducing disease remission and eventual discontinuation of corticosteroids. Knowledge about the management of refractory juvenile polyarteritis nodosa is limited. Here we report a rare case of cranial nerve involvement, as demonstrated on MRI, and successful management with a regimen of mycophenolate mofetil and infliximab.
Use of Spanking for 3-Year-Old Children and Associated Intimate Partner Aggression or Violence
Authors: Taylor Catherine A. , Lee Shawna J. , Guterman Neil B. , Rice Janet C.
Published: August 2010

OBJECTIVES:

The objective of this study was to examine associations between maternal and paternal use of corporal punishment (CP) for 3-year-old children and intimate partner aggression or violence (IPAV) in a population-based sample.

METHODS:

The study sample (N = 1997) was derived from wave 3 of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Mother and father reports regarding their use of CP and their IPAV victimization were analyzed. IPAV included coercion and nonphysical and physical aggression.

RESULTS:

Approximately 65% of the children were spanked at least once in the previous month by 1 or both parents. Of couples who reported any family aggression (87%), 54% reported that both CP and IPAV occurred. The most prevalent patterns of co-occurrence involved both parents as aggressors either toward each other (ie, bilateral IPAV) or toward the child. The presence of bilateral IPAV essentially doubled the odds that 1 or both parents would use CP, even after controlling for potential confounders such as parenting stress, depression, and alcohol or other drug use. Of the 5 patterns of co-occurring family aggression assessed, the “single aggressor” model, in which only 1 parent aggressed in the family, received the least amount of empirical support.

CONCLUSIONS:

Despite American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendations against the use of CP, CP use remains common in the United States. CP prevention efforts should carefully consider assumptions made about patterns of co-occurring aggression in families, given that adult victims of IPAV, including even minor, nonphysical aggression between parents, have increased odds of using CP with their children.
Variations in Timing of Surgery Among Boys Who Underwent Orchidopexy for Cryptorchidism
Authors: Kokorowski Paul J. , Routh Jonathan C. , Graham Dionne A. , Nelson Caleb P.
Published: August 2010

OBJECTIVE:

Current clinical guidelines recommend that orchidopexy be performed by the age of 1 in patients with congenital undescended testis. We sought to examine trends in surgical timing and to determine what factors are associated with age at surgery.

METHODS:

The Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) is a national database of >40 freestanding children's hospitals. We searched the PHIS to identify boys with cryptorchidism who underwent orchidopexy between 1999 and 2008. Patient age at orchidopexy was evaluated, and we used multivariate models to determine factors associated with timing of surgery.

RESULTS:

We identified 28 204 children who underwent orchidopexy at PHIS hospitals. Of these, 14 916 (53%) were white, and 17 070 (61%) had public insurance. Only 5031 patients (18%) underwent orchidopexy by the age of 1 year; only 12 165 (43%) underwent orchidopexy by the age of 2 years. These figures remained stable over time (P = .32). After adjusting for patient clustering, race (P < .001) and insurance status (P < .001) remained associated with patient age at orchidopexy; however, the treating hospital (P < .001) was the most important factor in predicting the timing of the procedure.

CONCLUSIONS:

Only 43% had surgery by 2 years of age, which suggests that either significant numbers of boys with congenital cryptorchidism do not undergo surgery in a timely fashion or late-onset testicular ectopy is more common than generally recognized. Factors associated with the timing of orchidopexy include patient race, insurance status, and the hospital in which surgery is performed.
The influence of the magnetic history on the loop shift behavior of Fe-based amorphous ribbons
Authors: Zhou L. , He J. , Li X. , Li B. , Zhao D.L.
Published: August 2010

The asymmetrical hysteresis loops were observed for the annealed Fe65Co15Si5B15 amorphous ribbons. The curves, which shift from the zero point of H axis with a unilateral step magnetization, exhibit the special magnetic features of the ribbons. A few magnetic crystalline phases were identified in the amorphous matrix of annealed ribbons by microstructure measurement. It was also found that the Z-oriented local magnetic domains emerge in the surface of ribbons with the loops shift behavior. Subsequent magnetic torque measurement indicated that the unidirectional magnetic anisotropy was induced in the amorphous ribbons with proper thermomagnetic annealing. These obtained evidences support our understanding that the magnetic history caused by thermomagnetic treatment plays a main role in promoting the formation of the asymmetrical loops.
Local structure of the Zr–Al metallic glasses studied by proposed n-body potential through molecular dynamics simulation
Authors: Zhao S.Z. , Li J.H. , Liu B.X.
Published: August 2010

An n-body potential is first constructed for the Zr–Al system and proven to be realistic by reproducing a number of important properties of the system. Applying the constructed potential, molecular dynamics simulations, chemical short-range order (CSRO) calculation, and Honeycutt and Anderson (HA) pair analysis are carried out to study the Zr–Al metallic glasses. It is found that for the binary Zr–Al system, metallic glasses are energetically favored to be formed within composition range of 35–75 at.% Al. The calculation shows that the CSRO parameter is negative and could be up to −0.17, remarkably indicating that there exists a chemical short-range order in the Zr–Al metallic glasses. The HA pair analysis also reveals that there are diverse short-range packing units in the Zr–Al metallic glasses, in which icosahedra and icosahedra/face-centered cubic (fcc)-defect structures are predominant.
Synthesis of AlN nanowhiskers
Authors: Wang K.Y. , Zhang P.G. , Zhang L.C. , Guo S.M.
Published: August 2010

The synthesis of hexagonal aluminum nitride (AlN) nanoparticles and nanowhiskers by using direct nitridation of aluminum powders is presented in this work. After mixing aluminum powders with carbon and silica (derived from rice bran ashes) at a cryogenic temperature, the homogeneous mixture was heat treated/examined in a differential scanning calorimeter/tube furnace under N2 atmosphere. Under a maximum temperature of 1450 °C in N2 atmosphere, the as-milled aluminum-carbon-silica powder mixtures transformed completely into AlN nanoparticles and nanowhiskers with a trace of graphite. The formation mechanisms for AlN nanoparticles and nanowhiskers are discussed.
Structural characterization of Fe–C coatings prepared by reactive triode-magnetron sputtering
Authors: Jouanny Isabelle , Demange Valérie , Ghanbaja Jaafar , Bauer-Grosse Elisabeth
Published: August 2010

Fe1–xCx coatings were synthesized by triode magnetron sputtering of an iron target in a methane/argon atmosphere with a large range of composition (x = 0.3 to 0.6 ± 0.06). Film surfaces were characterized by grazing incidence x-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopies, and electron energy loss spectroscopy, to study effects of the variation of the methane gas flow rate on their structural properties. The coatings were constituted of the ε-Fe3C carbide (x = 0.3 and 0.36), in which carbon atoms are in octahedral sites, and of nanocomposite structure constituted of disordered and crystalline carbide nanograins embedded in a carbon matrix made of an amorphous and poorly crystallized graphenelike material (x = 0.55 and 0.60). In situ annealing of the nanocomposite Fe0.45C0.55 coating led to the formation of carbides θ-Fe3C and Fe7C3 (with carbon atoms in prismatic sites) and C-rich cubic carbide possibly related to the τ2-Fe2C7 compound.
Effect of Platelet-Rich Plasma on Peri-Implant Bone Repair: A Histologic Study in Dogs
Authors: Garcia Ricardo V. , Gabrielli Marisa A. Cabrini , Hochuli-Vieira Eduardo , Spolidorio Luis C. , Filho Joao G. Padilha , Neto Francisco A. Doria , de Cardoso Luciana A. Gouveia , Shibli Jamil A.
Published: August 2010

The present study evaluated the effect of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on peri-implant bone healing. A total of 9 mongrel dogs received 36 dental implants with sandblasted acid-etched surface in lower jaws in a split-mouth design: in the PRP group (n  =  18 implants) the implants were placed in association with PRP, and in the control group (n  =  18 implants) the implants were placed without PRP. Biopsies were obtained and prepared for histologic and histometric analysis after 15, 30, and 55 days of healing. The biopsies retrieved at 15 days showed delicate bone trabeculae formed by immature bone with presence of numerous osteoblasts for both groups. At 30 days the trabeculae presented reversal lines and evident lamellar disposition, where some thread spaces were filled by bone and dense connective tissue. At 55 days, bone healing was not altered in the control group, and histologic aspects were variable for the group treated with PRP. There was no significant difference between the groups for bone-to-implant contact (P > .05). PRP did not enhance bone formation around sandblasted acid-etched implants.
Effects of ambient illuminance and electronic displays on users' visual performance for young and elderly users
Authors: Wang An‐Hsiang , Hwang Su‐Lun , Kuo Hui‐Tzu , Jeng Shie‐Chang
Published: August 2010

Abstract— This study investigated the effects of age (young participants aged 20–30 and elderly participants older than 60), ambient illuminance (50, 500, 1 500, 3000, 6000, and 9000 lx) on participants' visual performance when using various electronic displays (conventional transmissive LCD, Ch‐LC display, and E‐ink display). Overall, the results indicated that participants' visual performance showed sign if icant difference among various ambient il luminance cond itions, electronic displays, and between two groups of participants. Significantly different visual performance was observed between young and elderly participants. The interaction among ambient illuminance, type of electronic display, and age had a significant effect on participants' visual performance. When participants used the E‐ink display, both young and elderly participants had significantly worse visual performance under an ambient illuminance of 50 lx compared to other illuminance settings. When participants used the Ch‐LC display, young participants had significantly worse visual performance under an ambient illuminance of 50 lx compared to other illuminance settings, but elderly participants had significantly better visual performance under an ambient illuminance higher than 1500 lx. When young participants used a conventional transmissive LCD, the ambient illuminance had no significant effect on their visual performance. When elderly participants use a conventional transmissive LCD, an illuminance of 50 and 6000 lx seem to have a detrimental effect on their visual performance.
2‐D/3‐D switchable autostereoscopic display with multi‐electrically driven liquid‐crystal (MeD‐LC) lenses
Authors: Huang Yi‐Pai , Liao Lin‐Yao , Chen Chih‐Wei
Published: August 2010

Abstract— A cylindrical multi‐electrically driven liquid‐crystal lens (MeD‐LC lens) is proposed to extend the range of focusing. The MeD‐LC lens could be applied to switching 2‐D and 3‐D images by supplying a specific operating voltage on each electrode. Therefore, the MeD‐LC lens has less cross‐talk than that of a conventional LC lens. Furthermore, the simplified structure of a MeD‐LC lens with a homogeneous LC layer is much easier for fabrication without a LC‐alignment issue.
Spatial and temporal corroboration of a fire‐scar‐based fire history in a frequently burned ponderosa pine forest
Authors: Farris Calvin A. , Baisan Christopher H. , Falk Donald A. , Yool Stephen R. , Swetnam Thomas W.
Published: August 2010

Fire scars are used widely to reconstruct historical fire regime parameters in forests around the world. Because fire scars provide incomplete records of past fire occurrence at discrete points in space, inferences must be made to reconstruct fire frequency and extent across landscapes using spatial networks of fire‐scar samples. Assessing the relative accuracy of fire‐scar fire history reconstructions has been hampered due to a lack of empirical comparisons with independent fire history data sources. We carried out such a comparison in a 2780‐ha ponderosa pine forest on Mica Mountain in southern Arizona (USA) for the time period 1937–2000. Using documentary records of fire perimeter maps and ignition locations, we compared reconstructions of key spatial and temporal fire regime parameters developed from documentary fire maps and independently collected fire‐scar data (n = 60 plots). We found that fire‐scar data provided spatially representative and complete inventories of all major fire years (>100 ha) in the study area but failed to detect most small fires. There was a strong linear relationship between the percentage of samples recording fire scars in a given year (i.e., fire‐scar synchrony) and total area burned for that year (y = 0.0003x + 0.0087, r2 = 0.96). There was also strong spatial coherence between cumulative fire frequency maps interpolated from fire‐scar data and ground‐mapped fire perimeters. Widely reported fire frequency summary statistics varied little between fire history data sets: fire‐scar natural fire rotations (NFR) differed by <3 yr from documentary records (29.6 yr); mean fire return intervals (MFI) for large‐fire years (i.e., ≥25% of study area burned) were identical between data sets (25.5 yr); fire‐scar MFIs for all fire years differed by 1.2 yr from documentary records. The known seasonal timing of past fires based on documentary records was furthermore reconstructed accurately by observing intra‐annual ring position of fire scars and using knowledge of tree‐ring growth phenology in the Southwest. Our results demonstrate clearly that representative landscape‐scale fire histories can be reconstructed accurately from spatially distributed fire‐scar samples.
Short‐Term Field Observations of Nitrous Oxide Saturations in Lake Taihu, China: The Need for High Temporal Resolution Studies
Authors: Wang Shilu , Yeager Kevin M. , Wan Guojiang , Liu Congqiang , Tao Faxiang , Fan Chengxin
Published: August 2010

The incomplete understanding of the processes which control aquatic nitrous oxide (N2O) production is partially due to a lack of onsite data with which to describe the temporal resolution of N2O production. To help resolve this, we directly measured the N2O saturation (relative to atmospheric partial pressure) on an hourly basis over two survey periods (July and September 2003) in Lake Taihu, a large eutrophic lake in eastern China. July N2O saturations displayed a distinct diurnal pattern, opposite to those observed by others in subtropical streams, but similar to N2O emissions observed from incubated estuarine sediments. Correlative analyses indicate that biogeochemical processes operate as important controls on N2O production over very short time scales. Nitrous oxide production processes are not only regulated by O2 dynamics related to microalgal photosynthesis, but also closely related to organic matter decay at the sediment–water interface. While large‐scale changes (∼25‐fold) in N2O fluxes in Lake Taihu are a function of variable N loading, biogeochemical processes concerning O2 and N transformation at the sediment–water interface have significant (∼twofold) impacts on the regulation of N2O production over very short time scales. Further, high temporal resolution research focused on developing a comprehensive understanding of lacustrine N2O production, including natural and anthropogenic loading and biogeochemical transformation processes, is clearly needed.
A Bayesian Network for Comparing Dissolved Nitrogen Exports from High Rainfall Cropping in Southeastern Australia
Authors: Nash David , Hannah Murray , Robertson Fiona , Rifkin Penny
Published: August 2010

Best management practices are often used to mitigate nutrient exports from agricultural systems. The eff ectiveness of these measures can vary depending on the natural attributes of the land in question (e.g., soil type, slope, and drainage class). In this paper we use a Bayesian Network to combine experiential data (expert opinion) and experimental data to compare farmscale management for different high‐rainfall cropping farms in the Hamilton region of southern Australia. In the absence of appropriate data for calibration, the network was tested against various scenarios in a predictive and in a diagnostic way. In general, the network suggests that transport factors related to total surface water (i.e., surface and near surface interfl ow) runoff, which are largely unrelated to Site Variables, have the biggest effect on N exports. Source factors, especially those related to fertilizer applications at planting, also appear to be important. However, the effects of fertilizer depend on when runoff occurs, and, of the major factors under management control, only the Fertilizer Rate at Sowing had a notable effect. When used in a predictive capacity, the network suggests that, compared with other scenarios, high N loads are likely when fertilizer applications at sowing and runoff coincide. In this paper we have used a Bayesian Network to describe many of the dependencies between some of the major factors affecting N exports from high rainfall cropping. This relatively simple approach has been shown to be a useful tool for comparing management practices in data‐poor environments.
Oxygen Distribution and Potential Ammonia Oxidation in Floating, Liquid Manure Crusts
Authors: Nielsen Daniel Aa. , Nielsen Lars P. , Schramm Andreas , Revsbech Niels P.
Published: August 2010

Floating, organic crusts on liquid manure, stored as a result of animal production, reduce emission of ammonia (NH3) and other volatile compounds during storage. The occurrence of NO2− and NO3− in the crusts indicate the presence of actively metabolizing NH3‐oxidizing bacteria (AOB) which may be partly responsible for this mitigation effect. Six manure tanks with organic covers (straw and natural) were surveyed to investigate the prevalence and potential activity of AOB and its dependence on the O2 availability in the crust matrix as studied by electrochemical profiling. Oxygen penetration varied from <1 mm in young, poorly developed natural crusts and old straw crusts, to several centimeters in the old natural crusts. The AOB were ubiquitously present in all crusts investigated, but nitrifying activity could only be detected in old natural crusts and young straw crust with high O2 availability. In old natural crusts, total potential NH3 oxidation rates were similar to reported fluxes of NH3 from slurry without surface crust. These results indicate that old, natural surface crusts may develop into a porous matrix with high O2 availability that harbors an active population of aerobic microorganisms, including AOB. The microbial activity may thus contribute to a considerable reduction of ammonia emissions from slurry tanks with well‐developed crusts.
Caution Needed in Pretreatment of Sediments for Refining Phosphorus‐31 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Analysis: Results from a Comprehensive Assessment of Pretreatment with Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid
Authors: Ding ShiMing , Bai Xiuling , Fan Chengxin , Zhang Lu
Published: August 2010

Pretreatment with chemicals such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) is often used to improve the analysis of sediment P with solution P‐31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P‐NMR), but there is a lack of a comprehensive assessment of the methodology. In this study, the effects of EDTA pretreatment on sediment P extracted using a mixture of 0.25 mol L−1 NaOH and 50 mmol L−1 EDTA (NaOH‐EDTA) were examined with 45 different sediments. The results showed that EDTA pre‐extraction decreased the amount of P extracted by NaOH‐EDTA when the concentration ratio of sediment Ca to the sum of sediment Fe and Al [Ca/(Fe+Al), on a wt/vol basis] was lower than 0.4. An increase in total extracted P, coupled with substantial increases in total extracted paramagnetic ions such as Fe and Mn, was observed for another group of sediments with Ca/(Fe+Al) > 0.5, possibly due to the matrix effect. Analysis of 16 representative sediments with 31P‐NMR showed that orthophosphate diesters were substantially removed by EDTA pre‐extraction for sediments with Ca/(Fe+Al) between 0.4 and 0.7, reflecting a high risk posed by this pretreatment. Phosphorus diversity and concentration of individual P compounds were markedly improved for sediments with Ca/(Fe+Al) > 0.7, suggesting that EDTA pretreatment was particularly useful for 31P‐NMR analysis of calcareous sediments. The present study showed that sediment properties played an important role in determining pretreatment effects. Caution is advised when applying pretreatment methods to different sediments.
Soil‐Test N Recommendations Augmented with PEST‐Optimized RZWQM Simulations
Authors: Malone R. W. , Jaynes D. B. , Ma L. , Nolan B. T. , Meek D. W. , Karlen D. L.
Published: August 2010

Improved understanding of year‐to‐year late‐spring soil nitrate test (LSNT) variability could help make it more attractive to producers. We test the ability of the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) to simulate watershed‐scale variability due to the LSNT, and we use the optimized model to simulate long‐term field N dynamics under related conditions. Autoregressive techniques and the automatic parameter calibration program PEST were used to show that RZWQM simulates significantly lower nitrate concentration in discharge from LSNT treatments compared with areas receiving fall N fertilizer applications within the tile‐drained Walnut Creek, Iowa, watershed (>5 mg N L−1 difference for the third year of the treatment, 1999). This result is similar to field‐measured data from a paired watershed experiment. A statistical model we developed using RZWQM simulations from 1970 to 2005 shows that early‐season precipitation and early‐season temperature account for 90% of the interannual variation in LSNT‐based fertilizer N rates. Long‐term simulations with similar average N application rates for corn (Zea mays L.) (151 kg N ha−1) show annual average N loss in tile flow of 20.4, 22.2, and 27.3 kg N ha−1 for LSNT, single spring, and single fall N applications. These results suggest that (i) RZWQM is a promising tool to accurately estimate the water quality effects of LSNT; (ii) the majority of N loss difference between LSNT and fall applications is because more N remains in the root zone for crop uptake; and (iii) year‐to‐year LSNT‐based N rate differences are mainly due to variation in early‐season precipitation and temperature.
Influence of Data Preprocessing on the Quantitative Determination of Nutrient Content in Poultry Manure by Near Infrared Spectroscopy
Authors: Chen L. J. , Xing L. , Han L. J.
Published: August 2010

With increasing concern over potential pollution from farm wastes, there is a need for rapid and robust methods that can analyze livestock manure nutrient content. The near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) method was used to determine nutrient content in diverse poultry manure samples (n = 91). Various standard preprocessing methods (derivatives, multiplicative scatter correction, Savitsky–Golay smoothing, and standard normal variate) were applied to reduce data systemic noise. In addition, a new preprocessing method known as direct orthogonal signal correction (DOSC) was tested. Calibration models for ammonium nitrogen, total potassium, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus were developed with the partial least squares (PLS) method. The results showed that all the preprocessed data improved prediction results compared with the non‐preprocessing method. Compared with the other preprocessing methods, the DOSC method gave the best results. The DOSC method achieved moderately successful prediction for ammonium nitrogen, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus. However, all preprocessing methods did not provide reliable prediction for total potassium. This indicates the DOSC method, especially combined with other preprocessing methods, needs further study to allow a more complete predictive analysis of manure nutrient content.
Impact of Sampling Techniques on Measured Stormwater Quality Data for Small Streams
Authors: Harmel R. D. , Slade R. M. , Haney R.L.
Published: August 2010

Science‐based sampling methodologies are needed to enhance water quality characterization for setting appropriate water quality standards, developing Total Maximum Daily Loads, and managing nonpoint source pollution. Storm event sampling, which is vital for adequate assessment of water quality in small (wadeable) streams, is typically conducted by manual grab or integrated sampling or with an automated sampler. Although it is typically assumed that samples from a single point adequately represent mean cross‐sectional concentrations, especially for dissolved constituents, this assumption of well‐mixed conditions has received limited evaluation. Similarly, the impact of temporal (within‐storm) concentration variability is rarely considered. Therefore, this study evaluated differences in stormwater quality measured in small streams with several common sampling techniques, which in essence evaluated within‐channel and within‐storm concentration variability. Constituent concentrations from manual grab samples and from integrated samples were compared for 31 events, then concentrations were also compared for seven events with automated sample collection. Comparison of sampling techniques indicated varying degrees of concentration variability within channel cross sections for both dissolved and particulate constituents, which is contrary to common assumptions of substantial variability in particulate concentrations and of minimal variability in dissolved concentrations. Results also indicated the potential for substantial within‐storm (temporal) concentration variability for both dissolved and particulate constituents. Thus, failing to account for potential cross‐sectional and temporal concentration variability in stormwater monitoring projects can introduce additional uncertainty in measured water quality data.
The Impact of Environmental Contamination with Antibiotics on Levels of Resistance in Soil Bacteria
Authors: Popowska Magdalena , Miernik Antoni , Rzeczycka Marzenna , Łopaciuk Agnieszka
Published: August 2010

This study examined the effects of tetracycline and streptomycin on microorganisms in three different soil habitats: forest soil, agricultural soil, and compost. These antibiotics are commonly used in both medical and veterinary therapy as well as in the production of plant biomass and until quite recently, the production of animal biomass. Microcosms were used as model systems in which the number of microorganisms in environments containing different amounts of antibiotics was analyzed. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of tetracycline and streptomycin were determined. The MIC and MBC values of tetracycline against the tested strains were 20 to 180 μg/mL and 30 to 300 μg/mL, respectively, and of streptomycin, 360 to 500 μg/mL and ≥500 μg/mL, respectively. Resistant bacterial strains were identified and their physiological profiles assessed. Streptomycin and tetracycline were found to reduce the number of bacteria in the studied soils by between 50 and 80%. Soil bacteria were found to be more resistant to streptomycin than to tetracycline. The bacterial species showing the highest resistance to tetracycline were Rhizobium radiobacter, Burkholderia cepacia, Brevundimonas vesicularis, and Pasteurella multocida Most soils with high concentrations of streptomycin (5 mg/kg) contained Rhizobium radiobacter, Burkholderia cepacia, and Sphingomonas multivorum, among others. The strains most resistant to tetracycline were isolated from agricultural soil that is constantly subjected to tetracycline pressure from animal manures and biosolids. Among resistant strains, opportunistic pathogens were identified.
Microbial Mineralization of Organic Nitrogen Forms in Poultry Litters
Authors: Rothrock Michael J. , Cook Kimberly L. , Warren Jason G. , Eiteman Mark A. , Sistani Karamat
Published: August 2010

Ammonia volatilization from the mineralization of uric acid and urea has a major impact on the poultry industry and the environment. Dry acids are commonly used to reduce ammonia emissions from poultry houses; however, little is known about how acidification affects the litter biologically. The goal of this laboratory incubation was to compare the microbiological and physiochemical effects of dry acid amendments (Al+Clear, Poultry Litter Treatment, Poultry Guard) on poultry litter to an untreated control litter and to specifically correlate uric acid and urea contents of these litters to the microbes responsible for their mineralization. Although all three acidifiers eventually produced similar effects within the litter, there was at least a 2‐wk delay in the microbiological responses using Poultry Litter Treatment. Acidification of the poultry litter resulted in >3 log increases in total fungal concentrations, with both uricolytic (uric acid degrading) and ureolytic (urea degrading) fungi increasing by >2 logs within the first 2 to 4 wk of the incubation. Conversely, total, uricolytic, and ureolytic bacterial populations all significantly declined during this same time period. While uric acid and urea mineralization occurred within the first 2 wk in the untreated control litter, acidification resulted in delayed mineralization events for both uric acid and urea (2 and 4 wk delay, respectively) once fungal cell concentrations exceeded a threshold level. Therefore, fungi, and especially uricolytic fungi, appear to have a vital role in the mineralization of organic N in low‐pH, high‐N environments, and the activity of these fungi should be considered in best management practices to reduce ammonia volatilization from acidified poultry litter.
Seasonal trends of Benzo(a)pyrene in urban suspended particulate matter of Belgrade City, Serbia
Authors: Cvetkovic Anka , Jovasevic-Stojanovic Milena , Adjanski-Spasic Ljiljana , Matic-Besarabic Snezana , Markovic Dragan
Published: August 2010

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were identified to be one of the
major toxic air pollutants in urban environment. PAHs are mostly formed
during incomplete combustion or pyrolysis of organic material. According to
Serbian National Legislation Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) concentration in total
suspended particles (TSP) in ambient air in Belgrade Metropolitan has been
determined in the last ten years, as a part of local air pollution monitoring
program performed by Public Health Institute of Belgrade and funded by
Belgrade?s Municipality. Air samples for analysis of BaP in suspended
particles have been collected (as 24h sample once per month) at selected
monitoring sites within municipal air quality monitoring network. At the
beginning, According to National Regulation, all samples were taken as total
suspended particles (TSP). Since middle of 2008, the procedure of sampling
methodology was harmonized with EU requirements and solid fraction PM10 has
been collected and analyzed using GC/MS. In this study, we have analyzed
results of TSP collected between 2005 and-2008. Looking through the results
obtained during the period of whole year, it can be noticed that
concentrations of BaP were much higher during winter season at almost all
measuring sites.
Comparative study of consultant psychiatrist and clinical psychologist among psychiatric patients, using Rorschach test
Authors: Yengkokpam B , Shah SK , Bhantana GR , Giri P
Published: August 2010

This comparative study among psychiatric patients attending College of Medical Sciences, teaching hospital, Bharatpur, Nepal was carried out to determine responses on Rorschach test (RT). A total of 65 diagnosed psychiatric patients as per international classification of diseases (ICD-10) criteria attending psychiatric OPD between ages of 15 to 65 years, both male and female in the period of January 2009 to July 2009 were selected. RT was administered and results were tabulated as per diagnosis by clinical psychologist. Out of total 65 patients who underwent RT, 41 were male and 24 were female in the ratio of 63:37. In clinical psychologist diagnosis- 38 were schizophrenia, 7 were psychotic depression, 6 were depression, 3 were mania, 1 was organic psychosis and 10 were underlying psychosis and in consultant psychiatrist diagnosis- 36 were schizophrenia, 5 were psychotic depression, 12 were depression, 8 were mania, 3 were organic psychosis, 1 was underlying psychosis. Key words: Rorschach test; international classification of diseases; psychotic depression; organic psychosis; underlying psychosis. DOI: 10.3126/jcmsn.v6i1.3597 Journal of College of Medical Sciences-Nepal, 2010, Vol. 6, No. 1, 14-17