bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Continuous-time random walks at all times
Authors: Kolomeisky Anatoly B.
Published: December 2009

Continuous-time random walks (CTRW) play an important role in understanding of a wide range of phenomena. However, most theoretical studies of these models concentrate only on dynamics at long times. We present a new theoretical approach, based on generalized master equations picture, which allowed us to obtain explicit expressions for Laplace transforms for all dynamic quantities for different CTRW models. This theoretical method leads to the effective description of CTRW at all times. Specific calculations are performed for homogeneous, periodic models and for CTRW with irreversible detachments. The approach to stationary states for CTRW is analyzed. Our results are also used to analyze generalized fluctuations theorem.
Objective stratification and sampling-effort allocation of ground-truthing in benthic-mapping surveys
Authors: Clements Annika J. , Strong James A. , Flanagan Clare , Service Matthew
Published: December 2009

Clements, A. J., Strong, J. A., Flanagan, C., and Service, M. 2010. Objective stratification and sampling-effort allocation of ground-truthing in benthic-mapping surveys. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 628–637. The application of statistical procedures for objective stratification of sampling effort during map ground-truthing is presented. Marine benthic mapping is usually undertaken in two stages: a remotely sensed acoustic survey followed by ground-truthing to confirm ground-type and habitat classification. The objective of this study was to assess the application of optimum allocation analysis (OAA) through the use of remotely sensed data to direct expensive ground-truthing sampling effort. At an offshore site in the Irish Sea, classification of remotely sensed data, namely bathymetry and slope angle, generated six predicted ground-types. Calculated data variances within each ground-type were assumed to be a predictor of substratum heterogeneity, and these were used in an OAA to apportion ground-truthing effort objectively within each ground-type in order to achieve a set level of sampling precision. The sampling effort recommended by the OAA was realistic and practical with regard to video footage, but the collection of grabs was limited by resource constraints. The coefficient of variation (CV) of the video ground-truthing data matched that estimated by OAA, but the inability to collect all the recommended grabs resulted in CVs greater than expected for sediment grain-size parameters. The efficient identification of substratum classes using OAA represents a first stage whereby this method could direct ground-truthing that could ultimately be used for habitat mapping.
Experimental hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis): evidence of active extrahepatic site of HAV replication
Authors: Amado Luciane A. , Marchevsky Renato S. , De Paula Vanessa S. , Hooper Cleber , Freire Marcos da S. , Gaspar Ana Maria C. , Pinto Marcelo A.
Published: December 2009

This work studied the replication sites of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) after intravenous inoculation. The cynomolgus monkeys were inoculated with the Brazilian hepatitis A virus strain (HAF‐203). Monkeys were euthanized on days 15, 30, 45 and 60 postinoculation (pi). Liver samples, submandibular salivary gland, mesenteric lymph node and tonsils were removed for virological and pathological evaluation. Immunofluorescence analyses on liver and salivary gland sections using confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed the presence of HAV antigen (HAV Ag). The presence of HAV genome was monitored by real‐time PCR. The HAV RNA was detected at 7 days postinoculation (dpi), concomitantly in serum, saliva and faeces. The highest HAV viral load was observed in faeces at 15 dpi (105 copies/ml), followed by serum viral load of 104 copies/ml at 20 dpi and saliva viral load of 103 copies/ml at 7 dpi. The animals showed first histological and biochemical signs of hepatitis at 15 dpi. The HAV antigen (Ag) was present from day 7 until day 60 pi in the liver and salivary glands. The HAV replicative intermediate was also detected in the liver (4.5 × 104 copies/mg), salivary glands (1.9 × 103 copies/mg), tonsils (4.2 × 101 copies/mg) and lymph nodes (3.4 × 101 copies/mg). Our data demonstrated that the salivary gland as an extrahepatic site of early HAV replication could create a potential risk of saliva transmitted infection. In addition, the cynomolgus monkey was confirmed as a suitable model to study the pathogenesis of HAV human infection.
Reference values of clinical chemistry and hematology parameters in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)
Authors: Chen Younan , Qin Shengfang , Ding Yang , Wei Lingling , Zhang Jie , Li Hongxia , Bu Hong , Lu Yanrong , Cheng Jingqiu
Published: December 2009

Chen Y, Qin S, Ding Y, Wei L, Zhang J, Li H, Bu H, Lu Y, Cheng J. Reference values of clinical chemistry and hematology parameters in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Xenotransplantation 2009; 16: 496–501. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Abstract: Background:  Rhesus monkey models are valuable to the studies of human biology. Reference values for clinical chemistry and hematology parameters of rhesus monkeys are required for proper data interpretation.

Methods:  Whole blood was collected from 36 healthy Chinese rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) of either sex, 3 to 5 yr old. Routine chemistry and hematology parameters, and some special coagulation parameters including thromboelastograph and activities of coagulation factors were tested.

Results and conclusion:  We presented here the baseline values of clinical chemistry and hematology parameters in normal Chinese rhesus monkeys. These data may provide valuable information for veterinarians and investigators using rhesus monkeys in experimental studies.
A method to detect recombination between a genetic marker and the QTL that it marks
Authors: Kinghorn B.P.
Published: December 2009

Some individual genetic markers show strong and apparently consistent effects on trait merit and are taken as causative mutations that can be used directly as fixed effects in marker‐assisted selection programs. If the effect of such a marker is seen to decrease over time, key reasons include epistasis, where the effect depends on genetic background, and recombination, where the marker is in fact not causative, and strong linkage disequilibrium between the marker and the causative QTL is breaking down. This paper presents a method to detect the latter scenario, including calculation of the probability of a recombinant haplotype for each gamete contributing to each individual in a pedigree. This method requires only pedigree, phenotypes and genotypic information on the single marker. Missing marker genotypes are handled by the method, but with diminishing power. For biallelic markers, strong QTL effects are needed for the method to be of clear value. Given suitable results, breeders may chose to eliminate certain individuals from the breeding program in order to continue using the single genetic marker under high linkage disequilibrium with the causative QTL. Alternatively, other linked markers might be sought that can be used individually or in haplotype tests to restore strong LD for marker‐assisted selection.
Holiday Price Rigidity and Cost of Price Adjustment
Authors: LEVY DANIEL , CHEN HAIPENG (ALLAN) , MÜLLER GEORG , DUTTA SHANTANU , BERGEN MARK
Published: December 2009

The Thanksgiving–Christmas holiday period is a major sales period for US retailers. Due to higher store traffic, tasks, such as restocking shelves, handling customers' questions and inquiries, running cash registers, cleaning and bagging, become more urgent during holidays. As a result, the holiday‐period opportunity cost of price adjustment may increase dramatically for retail stores, which should lead to greater price rigidity during holidays. We test this prediction using weekly retail scanner price data from a major Midwestern supermarket chain. We find that, indeed, prices are more rigid during holiday periods than non‐holiday periods. For example, the econometric model we estimate suggests that the probability of a price change is lower during holiday periods, even after accounting for cost changes. Moreover, we find that the probability of a price change increases with the size of the cost change, during both the holiday as well as non‐holiday periods. We argue that these findings are best explained by higher price adjustment costs (menu cost) the retailers face during the holiday periods. Our data provides anatural experimentfor studying variation in price rigidity because most aspects of market environment such as market structure, industry concentration, the nature of long‐term relationships, contractual arrangements, etc. do not vary between holiday and non‐holiday periods. We, therefore, are able to rule out these commonly used alternative explanations for the price rigidity, and conclude that the menu cost theory offers the best explanation for the holiday period price rigidity.
Managing Marginality in Railway Stations: Beyond the Welfare and Social Control Debate
Authors: BONNET FRANÇOIS
Published: December 2009

How to rid railway stations of the marginalized people who congregate in them? This is the problem faced by railway companies which are seeking to maximize the commercial drawing power of their spaces. The limitations of a strictly repressive policy are prompting railway companies to fund non‐profit community‐based organizations to carry out social policies aimed at the marginalized. Based on two studies in the railway stations of Lyon and Milan, the article analyses how this strategy was implemented. Our analysis involves differentiating our work from two hypotheses: the irenic hypothesis, which sets social policies in opposition to security policies, and the malefic hypothesis, which equates social policies with security policies. The work of the non‐profit community‐based organizations shows that the boundary between social policy and security policy is a tenuous one, since the principal aim is to disperse marginalized people and move them away from the station. Control of marginalized people is based on the use of incentive structures rather than on coercion. The community organizations also have to retain control of their philanthropic legitimacy, which they are selling to the railway companies, but which they are also putting at risk. Focusing on the agency of the actors allows us to avoid both an irenic analysis (in which ‘human’ and ‘just’ social policies come to the aid of the marginalized) and a malefic analysis (in which social policies are merely security policies in disguise).

Comment se débarrasser des marginaux qui se concentrent dans les gares? Tel est le problème des compagnies ferroviaires qui cherchent à maximiser l'attractivité de leur espace. Les limites d'une politique strictement répressive conduisent les compagnies ferroviaires à financer des associations afin que celles‐ci mènent des politiques sociales en direction des marginaux. L'article, fondé sur deux monographies dans les gares de Lyon et Milan, analyse la mise en œuvre de cette stratégie. Analyser la politique mise en œuvre suppose de se démarquer de deux conceptions, celle qui oppose politiques sociales et politiques de sécurité, et celle qui identifie les politiques sociales à des politiques de sécurité. Le travail des associations montre que la frontière entre politique sociale et politique de sécurité est ténue: il s'agit avant tout de disperser les marginaux et de les éloigner de la gare. La gestion des marginaux repose sur la mise en œuvre de structures d'incitation plutôt que sur la coercition. Les associations doivent aussi gérer leur légitimité philanthropique, qu'elles monnaient auprès des compagnies ferroviaires, mais qu'elles mettent aussi en danger. L'attention à l'agencydes acteurs permet d'éviter une analyse irénique (où des politiques sociales «humaines» et «justes» viennent en aide aux marginaux) et une analyse maléfique (où les politiques sociales ne sont que des politiques de sécurité travesties).
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: The emerging role of the Registered Intermediary with the vulnerable witness and offender: facilitating communication with the police and members of the judiciary
Authors: O’Mahony Brendan M.
Published: December 2009

Accessible summary

Many people with a learning disability are frightened when they are interviewed by the police.

They are worried that the police will not understand their story and sometimes keep quiet because they do not understand what is happening.

It can also be very worrying for a person with a learning disability if they have to attend court and give evidence.

The law allows for vulnerable witnesses to have access to support from a professional known as an intermediary.

The law does not yet support vulnerable offenders in this way, but It may now be possible to get professional support from an intermediary if you are an offender.

The intermediary might be able to help you communicate with the police and with people at court if you are a witness or an offender.

Being interviewed by the police as a witness or as a suspect can be a frightening experience for many people; these feelings can be multiplied for many people who have a learning disability and who do not understand the legal proceedings. Intermediaries were introduced by the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 as one of the special measures available to help facilitate communication between the police, the courts and the vulnerable witness. Research has shown that this measure has been valuable in assisting the vulnerable witness to testify. This study was an exploratory examination of the recent use of intermediaries with defendants. The defendant does not by law have the right to an intermediary; however the Coroner’s and Justice Bill (2008–09), is attempting to amend this situation. Meanwhile judges are starting to request an intermediary for vulnerable defendants, in the interests of justice. Using a mixed methods approach this study found that intermediaries were very positive about the need for vulnerable defendants to have support. The intermediaries also highlighted that they required additional training and they raised concerns about how their role was viewed by the courts when they were assisting defendants.
Blood transfusion for caesarean delivery complicated by placenta praevia
Authors: BOYLE R. K. , WATERS B. A. , O’ROURKE P. K.
Published: December 2009

Aim:  This study was undertaken to determine if the need for red cell blood transfusion in placenta praevia could be predicted.

Methods:  Data from a retrospective observational study of 246 obstetric patients, with placenta praevia, from 1999 to 2005 were analysed to generate a model to predict requirement for transfusion.

Results:  Seventy‐one patients were transfused. Independent risk factors for transfusion were gestational age at delivery of 32–35 weeks [odds ratio (OR): 2.6; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1–6.4] and caesarean combined with hysterectomy (OR: 29.4; 95% CI: 5.9–145.9; P < 0.001). No independent risk of transfusion was associated with maternal age, race, parity, smoking status, type of anaesthesia, caesarean combined with arterial balloon occlusion, grade of placenta, accreta and previous uterine surgery.

Conclusions:  Gestational age at delivery and type of surgery required are predictors of transfusion during caesarean for placenta praevia. Arterial balloon occlusion does not appear to increase transfusion risk and may be considered as one of the techniques in management.
Conservative management of clinically diagnosed placenta accreta following vaginal delivery
Authors: BENNETT Michael J. , TOWNSEND Lynn
Published: December 2009

Placenta accreta can result in substantial maternal morbidity and mortality. Conservative management of placenta accreta following vaginal delivery is discussed in this case series. These cases demonstrate serial ultrasonographic resorption of placenta accreta left in situ following vaginal delivery with minimal blood product requirements and preservation of fertility.
Efficacy of micronised vaginal progesterone versus oral dydrogestrone in the treatment of irregular dysfunctional uterine bleeding: A pilot randomised controlled trial
Authors: KARAKUS Savas , KIRAN Gurkan , CIRALIK Harun
Published: December 2009

Background:  The vaginal route is more effective than the other drug delivery routes for some specific indications.

Aim:  To compare the efficacy of a vaginal progesterone preparation with that of oral dydrogesterone.

Methods:  A total of 69 women with irregular dysfunctional uterine bleeding were randomly assigned into one of two groups: oral dydrogesterone group (n = 35) and vaginal progesterone group (n = 34). At the end of a three‐month treatment period, the women were re‐evaluated. The endometrial histology findings and menstrual cycle characteristics were used as primary outcome measures. Pearson chi‐square and Fisher’s exact test were used for data analysis.

Results:  Findings from 54 eligible women were evaluated. There was no statistically significant difference in both menstrual recordings and endometrial histology results between the groups.

Conclusions:  Vaginal micronised progesterone could be an alternative to oral preparations in the treatment of dysfunctional uterine bleeding. This needs to be further evaluated in adequately controlled randomised trials against other effective treatments.
Double Inversion Recovery MRI with Fat Suppression at 7 Tesla: Initial Experience
Authors: Madelin Guillaume , Oesingmann Niels , Inglese Matilde
Published: December 2009

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Double Inversion Recovery Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DIR) consists of two adiabatic non‐selective inversion pulses applied before a Turbo Spin Echo (TSE) sequence, in order to suppress the signal from two tissues with different longitudinal relaxation times T1 simultaneously. In the brain, DIR is used to selectively image the gray matter (GM) by nulling the signal from white matter (WM) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The main limitation of the technique remains the intrinsic low SNR due to the specific preparation of the longitudinal magnetization. The recent availability of high field magnets operating at 7 T for human imaging offers the advantage of higher SNR. This study shows the feasibility of brain Double Inversion Recovery Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DIR‐MRI) at 7 T in vivo in healthy volunteers.

METHODS

The MRI experiments were performed on phantoms at 7 T and on four healthy volunteers at 7 and 3 T. For fat suppression, a chemical shift selective Fat Inversion Recovery (csFatIR) technique was used and compared to the standard fat saturation (FatSat).

RESULTS

The csFatIR method resulted to be significantly more efficient than the Fatsat at 7 T and slightly more efficient at 3 T, enabling a clear delineation of GM.

CONCLUSIONS

DIR is feasible at 7 T despite the problems associated with B1 in‐homogeneity.

J Neuroimaging 2010;20:87‐92.
Increased Hepatic and Decreased Urinary Metallothionein in Rats after Cessation of Oral Cadmium Exposure
Authors: Liang Yihuai , Li Huiqi , Xiang Cuiqin , Lei Lijian , Jin Taiyi , Nordberg Monica , Nordberg Gunnar F.
Published: December 2009

Abstract:  We investigated the role of metallothionein (MT) in tissues after cessation of cadmium (Cd) exposure. Wistar rats of both genders were given CdCl2 in drinking water at daily doses of 0, 2.5, 5.0 or 10.0 mg Cd/kg body‐weight for 12 weeks. Half of the animals were then killed; the others were given Cd‐free water for the following 16 weeks, i.e. until 28 weeks after start of the experiment (28‐week rats). We observed dose‐dependent increases in the levels of MT in the tissues of rats 12 weeks after beginning the experiment (12‐week rats). After the exposure ceased, levels of MT in the 28‐week rats changed in three ways: an increase in the liver, persistence in the kidney cortex and a decrease in the medulla, relative to those levels in their 12‐week counterparts. Biomarkers of kidney dysfunction were determined to be urinary MT (UMT) and urinary N‐acetyl‐β‐d‐glucosaminidase (UNAG). After 12 weeks, we observed dose‐related statistically significant increases in UMT and UNAG in all of the Cd‐exposed groups. A statistically significant decrease for UNAG between the 12‐ and 28‐week rats occurred among males at the lowest Cd dose and for UMT in all of the Cd‐exposed groups. The unchanged tissue levels of MT in the kidney cortex suggest that decreased UMT is a sign either of (i) decreased transport of Cd‐MT from the liver via blood plasma to the renal tubules or (ii) increased tubular reabsorption and recovery of renal tubular function.
Uptake and depuration of the C‐ and E‐genotypes of Vibrio vulnificus by the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica)
Authors: Froelich Brett , Ringwood Amy , Sokolova Inna , Oliver James
Published: December 2009

The human pathogen Vibrio vulnificus is a Gram‐negative estuarine bacterium that infect via wounds and ingestion, and is the leading cause of seafood‐borne death in the United States. Vibrio vulnificus is part of the naturally occurring flora of both estuaries and estuarine mollusks (especially oysters). Vibrio vulnificus is divided into two genotypes, including a clinically associated C‐type, and an environmentally associated E‐type that is more rarely involved in septicemia. These two genotypes are found in a nearly even ratio in the aquatic environment, but oysters harvested from those very environments show a V. vulnificus genotype ratio disparity, with 87% of the species being that of the E‐genotype. To determine if oysters selectively incorporate E‐types over C‐types, we placed oysters in water inoculated with either C‐ or E‐type V. vulnificus strains that were phenotypically different from the normal flora and measured the uptake and depuration over a course of 6 days. We found significantly greater uptake, but equally effective depuration, of C‐type V. vulnificus in oyster gill tissue, mantle tissue and whole oyster homogenates. Because uptake of the C‐genotype was generally greater than the E‐genotype, it appears unlikely that simple selective uptake is the cause of E‐type V. vulnificus predominating in oysters.
Experimental Force Characterization and Numerical Modeling of a Taut-Moored Dual-Body Wave Energy Conversion System
Authors: Elwood D. , Yim S. C. , Amon E. , von Jouanne A. , Brekken T. K. A.
Published: December 2009

This paper presents an innovative modeling technique that combines experimental force measurements from a full scale linear generator with a coupled model of a two body, moored floating system to investigate the performance of a wave energy conversion system. An experiment was conducted using the Oregon State University’s wave energy linear test bed to characterize the frictional and electromagnetic forces generated by the SeaBeavI linear generator. These force characteristics have been incorporated into a coupled model using a numerical fluid-structure interaction model, OrcaFlex, to predict the energy extraction potential of the system.
Virtual Mirrors
Authors: Greenslade Thomas B.
Published: December 2009

The multiple-reflection photograph in Fig. 1 was taken in an elevator on board the cruise ship Norwegian Jade in March 2008. Three of the four walls of the elevator were mirrored, allowing me to see the combination of two standard arrangements of plane mirrors: two mirrors set at 90° to each other and two parallel mirrors. Optical phenomena of this complexity are most easily approached by the Method of Virtual Mirrors.1
The Effective Mass of a Ball in the Air
Authors: Messer J. , Pantaleone J.
Published: December 2009

The air surrounding a projectile affects the projectile's motion in three very different ways: the drag force, the buoyant force, and the added mass. The added mass is an increase in the projectile's inertia from the motion of the air around it. Here we experimentally measure the added mass of a spherical projectile in air. The results agree well with the calculation of the added mass for an ideal fluid. By accounting for the added mass, high school or undergraduate students can easily measure the acceleration of gravity accurately with a beach ball projectile.
Marathon Mouse Mechanism
Authors: Ray L. Bryan
Published: December 2009

A signaling pathway is traced through which exercise enhances density of blood vessels in muscle.
SUMO Wrestling with DNA Damage
Authors: Wong Wei
Published: December 2009

Sumoylation promotes the association of BRCA1 and other DNA repair proteins with double-stranded DNA breaks.
Lighting Up the Epigenome
Authors: Gough Nancy R.
Published: December 2009

Light triggers changes in histone modifications that contribute to the regulation of gene expression in plants.
Fanconi Cross-Links
Authors: Riddihough Guy
Published: December 2009

Insertion of a nucleotide during the repair of a complex lesion in DNA requires tagging of a lysine residue.
Maternal occupation and the risk of birth defects: an overview from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study
Authors: Herdt-Losavio M L , Lin S , Chapman B R , Hooiveld M , Olshan A , Liu X , DePersis R D , Zhu J , Druschel C M
Published: December 2009

Objectives:

To examine the association between a spectrum of 24 maternal occupations and 45 birth defects for hypothesis generating purposes.

Methods:

Cases of isolated and multiple birth defects (n = 8977) and all non-malformed live-born control births (n = 3833) included in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS) with estimated dates of delivery from 1 October 1997 through 31 December 2003 were included. A computer-assisted telephone interview with mothers was conducted. Occupational coding using the 2000 Standard Occupational Classification System and the 1997 North American Industry Classification System was completed for all jobs held by mothers. Jobs held from 1 month before pregnancy to the end of the third pregnancy month were considered exposures. Logistic regression models were run, adjusted for potential confounders. We also used a Bayesian approach to logistic regression.

Results:

Approximately 72% of case mothers and 72% of control mothers in the NBDPS were employed. Several occupational groups were positively associated with one or more birth defects, including janitors/cleaners, scientists and electronic equipment operators. Using standard logistic regression, we found 42 (26 for Bayesian) significantly elevated risks of birth defects in offspring of working mothers. In addition, several other occupational groups were found to be negatively associated with one or more birth defects, including teachers and healthcare workers. Using standard logistic regression, we found 12 (11 for Bayesian) significantly reduced risks of birth defects among offspring of working women.

Conclusions:

Results from these analyses can be used for hypothesis generating purposes and guiding future investigations of occupational exposures and birth defects.
THERMODYNAMICS OF FRIEDMANN EQUATION AND MASSLIKE FUNCTION IN GENERAL BRANEWORLD
Authors: ZHU TAO , REN JI-RONG , MO SHU-FAN
Published: December 2009

Using the generalized procedure proposed by S. F. Wu et al.23 recently, we construct the first law of thermodynamics on apparent horizon in a general braneworld model with curvature correction terms on the brane and in the bulk, respectively. The explicit entropy formular of apparent horizon in the general braneworld is worked out. We also discuss the masslike function which associated with a new type first law of thermodynamics of the general braneworld in detail. We analyze the difference between the conventional thermodynamics and the new type thermodynamics on apparent horizon. At last, the discussions about the physical meanings of the masslike function have also been given.
HIGH ENERGY ASTROPHYSICAL NEUTRINO FLUX AND MODIFIED DISPERSION RELATIONS
Authors: BAZO J. L. , BUSTAMANTE M. , GAGO A. M. , MIRANDA O. G.
Published: December 2009

Motivated by the interest in searches for violation of CPT invariance, we study its possible effects in the flavor ratios of high-energy neutrinos coming from cosmic accelerators. In particular, we focus on the effect of an energy-independent new physics contribution to the neutrino flavor oscillation phase and explore whether it is observable in future detectors. Such a contribution could be related not only to CPT violation but also to a nonuniversal coupling of neutrinos to a torsion field. We conclude that this extra phase contribution only becomes observable, in the best case, at energies greater than 1016.5 GeV, which is about five orders of magnitude higher than the most energetic cosmological neutrinos to be detected in the near future. Therefore, if these effects are present only in the oscillation phase, they are going to be unobservable, unless a new mechanism or source capable to produce neutrinos of such energy were detected.
REEXAMINATION OF A BOUND ON THE DIRAC NEUTRINO MAGNETIC MOMENT FROM THE SUPERNOVA NEUTRINO LUMINOSITY
Authors: KUZNETSOV A. V. , MIKHEEV N. V. , OKRUGIN A. A.
Published: December 2009

The neutrino helicity-flip process under the conditions of the supernova core is reinvestigated. Instead of the uniform ball model for the SN core used in previous analyses, realistic models for radial distributions and time evolution of physical parameters in the SN core are considered. A new upper bound on the Dirac neutrino magnetic moment is obtained from the limit on the supernova core luminosity for νR emission.
NOTES ON UNORIENTED D-BRANE INSTANTONS
Authors: BIANCHI MASSIMO , SAMSONYAN MARINE
Published: December 2009

We review basic aspects of worldsheet and penta-brane instantons as well as (unoriented) D-brane instantons, which is our main focus here, and threshold corrections to BPS-saturated couplings. We then consider nonperturbative superpotentials generated by "gauge" and "exotic" instantons living on D3-branes at orientifold singularities. Moreover, we discuss the interplay between worldsheet and D-string instantons on T4/Z2. We focus on a 4-Fermi amplitude, give Heterotic and perturbative Type I descriptions, and offer a multi-D-string instanton interpretation. We conclude with possible interesting developments.
A Note on Strong Convergence of Sums of Dependent Random Variables
Authors: Hu Tien-Chung , Weber Neville C.
Published: December 2009

For a sequence of dependent square‐integrable random variables and
a sequence of positive constants {bn,   n ≥ 1}, conditions are provided under which the series converges almost surely as
n → ∞. These conditions are weaker than those provided by Hu et al. (2008).
Comparative Neurobiology of Feeding in the Opisthobranch Sea Slug, Aplysia, and the Pulmonate Snail, Helisoma: Evolutionary Considerations
Authors: Wentzell Margaret M. , Martínez-Rubio Clarissa , Miller Mark W. , Murphy A. Don
Published: December 2009

The motor systems that generate feeding-related behaviors of gastropod mollusks provide exceptional opportunities for increasing our understanding of neural homologies and the evolution of neural networks. This report examines the neural control of feeding in Helisoma trivolvis, a pulmonate snail that ingests food by rasping or scraping material from the substrate, and Aplysia californica, an opisthobranch sea slug that feeds by using a grasping or seizing motion. Two classes of neurons that are present in the buccal ganglia of both species are considered: (1) clusters of peptidergic mechanoafferent cells that transmit sensory information from the tongue-like radula/odontophore complex to the central motor circuit; and (2) sets of octopamine-immunoreactive interneurons that are intrinsic to the feeding network. We review evidence that suggests homology of these cell types and propose that their roles have been largely conserved in the control of food-scraping and food-grasping consummatory behaviors. We also consider significant differences in the feeding systems of Aplysia and Helisoma that are associated with the existence of radular closure in Aplysia, an action that does not occur in Helisoma. It is hypothesized that a major adaptation in the innervation patterns of analogous, possibly homologous muscles could distinguish the food-scraping versus food-grasping species. It appears that although core CPG elements have been largely conserved in this system, the neuromuscular elements that they regulate have been more evolutionarily labile.
The Evolution of Flexible Behavioral Repertoires in Cephalopod Molluscs
Authors: Grasso Frank W. , Basil Jennifer A.
Published: December 2009

Cephalopods are a large and ancient group of marine animals with complex brains. Forms extant today are equipped with brains, sensors, and effectors that allow them not to just exist beside modern vertebrates as predators and prey; they compete fiercely with marine vertebrates at every scale from small crustaceans to sperm whales. We review the evolution of this group’s brains, learning ability and complex behavior. We outline evidence that although competition with vertebrates has left a deep impression on the brains and behavior of cephalopods, the original reorganization of their complex brains from their molluscan ancestors might have been forged in ancient seas millions of years before the advent of bony fishes.
Dynamic Cerebral Autoregulation Is Compromised Acutely following Mild Ischaemic Stroke but Not Transient Ischaemic Attack
Authors: Atkins Emily R. , Brodie Fiona G. , Rafelt Suzanne E. , Panerai Ronney B. , Robinson Thompson G.
Published: December 2009

Background: Dynamic cerebral autoregulation (dCA), the process by which the cerebral blood flow (CBF) is normally maintained relatively constant despite fluctuations in beat-to-beat blood pressure (BP), is impaired acutely following major ischaemic stroke. It is uncertain if dCA is impaired acutely after mild ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA). We assessed dCA in patients acutely and sub-acutely following TIA or mild ischaemic stroke. Methods: Nineteen consecutive mild ischaemic stroke patients and 17 consecutive TIA patients underwent recordings of beat-to-beat BP, cerebral blood flow velocity (bilateral transcranial Doppler insonation of the middle cerebral artery) and heart rate a median of 36 h from onset and again a median of 96 h from onset. Dynamic autoregulatory indices (ARI) were then calculated from these data and the results compared to 22 age-, BP- and gender-matched controls. Results: ARI was significantly reduced in affected hemispheres of mild stroke patients at baseline compared to controls (4.0 ± 1.7 vs. 5.6 ± 1.1, p < 0.01) and remained so after adjustment for significant covariates. ARI was significantly reduced in both affected (4.0 ± 2.7 vs. 5.6 ± 1.1, p = 0.03) and unaffected hemispheres (4.2 ± 1.8 vs. 5.6 ± 1.1, p = 0.01) of mild stroke patients at follow-up compared to controls. However, after adjustment for significant covariates including ipsilateral carotid stenosis these results were not significant. No reduction in ARI was seen in TIA patients. Conclusions: The impairment of cerebrovascular haemodynamic control that was observed acutely following mild ischaemic stroke may have implications for the appropriate timing of anti-hypertensive therapy acutely following mild ischaemic stroke. No impairment of cerebrovascular haemodynamic control was seen following TIA.
Natural History of Very Severe Aortic Stenosis
Authors: Rosenhek Raphael , Zilberszac Robert , Schemper Michael , Czerny Martin , Mundigler Gerald , Graf Senta , Bergler-Klein Jutta , Grimm Michael , Gabriel Harald , Maurer Gerald
Published: December 2009

Background—

We sought to assess the outcome of asymptomatic patients with very severe aortic stenosis.

Methods and Results—

We prospectively followed 116 consecutive asymptomatic patients (57 women; age, 67±16 years) with very severe isolated aortic stenosis defined by a peak aortic jet velocity (AV-Vel) ≥5.0 m/s (average AV-Vel, 5.37±0.35 m/s; valve area, 0.63±0.12 cm
2
). During a median follow-up of 41 months (interquartile range, 26 to 63 months), 96 events occurred (indication for aortic valve replacement, 90; cardiac deaths, 6). Event-free survival was 64%, 36%, 25%, 12%, and 3% at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 years, respectively. AV-Vel but not aortic valve area was shown to independently affect event-free survival. Patients with an AV-Vel ≥5.5 m/s had an event-free survival of 44%, 25%, 11%, and 4% at 1, 2, 3, and 4 years, respectively, compared with 76%, 43%, 33%, and 17% for patients with an AV-Vel between 5.0 and 5.5 m/s (
P
<0.0001). Six cardiac deaths occurred in previously asymptomatic patients (sudden death, 1; congestive heart failure, 4; myocardial infarction, 1). Patients with an initial AV-Vel ≥5.5 m/s had a higher likelihood (52%) of severe symptom onset (New York Heart Association or Canadian Cardiovascular Society class >II) than those with an AV-Vel between 5.0 and 5.5 m/s (27%;
P
=0.03).

Conclusions—

Despite being asymptomatic, patients with very severe aortic stenosis have a poor prognosis with a high event rate and a risk of rapid functional deterioration. Early elective valve replacement surgery should therefore be considered in these patients.
Connectivity, Dynamics, and Memory in Reservoir Computing with Binary and Analog Neurons
Authors: Büsing Lars , Schrauwen Benjamin , Legenstein Robert
Published: December 2009

Reservoir computing (RC) systems are powerful models for online computations on input sequences. They consist of a memoryless readout neuron that is trained on top of a randomly connected recurrent neural network. RC systems are commonly used in two flavors: with analog or binary (spiking) neurons in the recurrent circuits. Previous work indicated a fundamental difference in the behavior of these two implementations of the RC idea. The performance of an RC system built from binary neurons seems to depend strongly on the network connectivity structure. In networks of analog neurons, such clear dependency has not been observed. In this letter, we address this apparent dichotomy by investigating the influence of the network connectivity (parameterized by the neuron in-degree) on a family of network models that interpolates between analog and binary networks. Our analyses are based on a novel estimation of the Lyapunov exponent of the network dynamics with the help of branching process theory, rank measures that estimate the kernel quality and generalization capabilities of recurrent networks, and a novel mean field predictor for computational performance. These analyses reveal that the phase transition between ordered and chaotic network behavior of binary circuits qualitatively differs from the one in analog circuits, leading to differences in the integration of information over short and long timescales. This explains the decreased computational performance observed in binary circuits that are densely connected. The mean field predictor is also used to bound the memory function of recurrent circuits of binary neurons.
A Non-Markovian Random Walk Underlies a Stochastic Model of Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity
Authors: Elliott Terry
Published: December 2009

A stochastic model of spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) proposes that spike timing influences the probability but not the amplitude of synaptic strength change at single synapses. The classic, biphasic STDP profile emerges as a spatial average over many synapses presented with a single spike pair or as a temporal average over a single synapse presented with many spike pairs. We have previously shown that the model accounts for a variety of experimental data, including spike triplet results, and has a number of desirable theoretical properties, including being entirely self-stabilizing in all regions of parameter space. Our earlier analyses of the model have employed cumbersome spike-to-spike averaging arguments to derive results. Here, we show that the model can be reformulated as a non-Markovian random walk in synaptic strength, the step sizes being fixed as postulated. This change of perspective greatly simplifies earlier calculations by integrating out the proposed switch mechanism by which changes in strength are driven and instead concentrating on the changes in strength themselves. Moreover, this change of viewpoint is generative, facilitating further calculations that would be intractable, if not impossible, with earlier approaches. We prepare the machinery here for these later calculations but also briefly indicate how this machinery may be used by considering two particular applications.
Long-Term Regional Estimates of Evapotranspiration for Mexico Based on Downscaled ISCCP Data
Authors: Sheffield Justin , Wood Eric F. , Munoz-Arriola Francisco
Published: December 2009

The development and evaluation of a long-term high-resolution dataset of potential and actual evapotranspiration for Mexico based on remote sensing data are described. Evapotranspiration is calculated using a modified version of the Penman–Monteith algorithm, with input radiation and meteorological data from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) and vegetation distribution derived from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) products. The ISCCP data are downscaled to ⅛° resolution using statistical relationships with data from the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR). The final product is available at ⅛°, daily, for 1984–2006 for all Mexico. Comparisons are made with the NARR offline land surface model and measurements from approximately 1800 pan stations. The remote sensing estimate follows well the seasonal cycle and spatial pattern of the comparison datasets, with a peak in late summer at the height of the North American monsoon and highest values in low-lying and coastal regions. The spatial average over Mexico is biased low by about 0.3 mm day−1, with a monthly rmse of about 0.5 mm day−1. The underestimation may be related to the lack of a model for canopy evaporation, which is estimated to be up to 30% of total evapotranspiration. Uncertainties in both the remote sensing–based estimates (because of input data uncertainties) and the true value of evapotranspiration (represented by the spread in the comparison datasets) are up to 0.5 and 1.2 mm day−1, respectively. This study is a first step in quantifying the long-term variation in global land evapotranspiration from remote sensing data.
Satanism in America: An Update
Authors: Richardson James T. , Reichert Jenny , Lykes Valerie
Published: December 2009

The Satanism scare was a significant moral panic in America in the 1980s and early 1990s. Scholars analyzed it from a social constructionist perspective, citing a number of factors and developments whose confluence contributed to this high-visibility moral panic. The authors examine those factors that were deemed of importance in the rise of the Satanism scare, to ascertain why the scare seems to have waned in recent years. Particular attention is given to developments within the justice system, the professions of psychology and psychiatry, and the waning of the Anti-Cult Movement to explain why the panic lost momentum. Other contributing factors are also discussed, including the weakening of Christian Fundamentalism as a force in society and the shift of attention of the mass media and the general public to other topics. Attention also is given to various behaviors among youth that have redefined and contributed to the maintenance of Satanism as a social phenomenon of note.
Claiming the Public Soul: Representations of Qur’anic Healing and Psychiatry in the Egyptian Print Media
Authors: Coker Elizabeth M.
Published: December 2009

Egyptian society is engaged in a culture-wide debate over definitions of abnormality, local constructions of which are rooted in ideas about the body and the soul in relation to society as a whole. This is reflected in the continuing recourse to religious healers or texts, as well as in heated debates over the moral, social, religious and legal status of religious healers, in particular the relatively recent and more orthodox “Qur’anic healers.” The present study used a primarily qualitative analysis of Egyptian newspaper articles to explore media portrayals of this debate with a focus on how these contradictory cultural themes are situated and contested. The results show that psychiatric hegemony is reflected in media language that gives primacy to certain discourses over others, but that religious healing and religion in general exert an equal, if not more powerful influence on the form of these media portrayals. Different strategies used to negotiate the tensions between Qur’anic healing and psychiatry by those on both sides of the argument come across in the ways these arguments are portrayed in the media.
Incidental Encoding Strategies Did Not Improve Contextual Memory in Parkinson’s Disease Patients
Authors: Moro dos Santos Cristiane , Bisol Balardin Joana , Quarti Irigaray Tatiana , Schröder Nadja , Rieder Carlos R. M. , Bromberg Elke
Published: December 2009

Background. This study investigated the performance of patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD) without dementia for incidental recognition memory and the effect of encoding strategies on contextual memory. Methods. The authors studied 21 patients with PD (ages 60-85, 12 women; Hoehn and Yahr I-III, Activities of Daily Living 70%-100%) and 22 healthy controls (ages 60-84, 18 women). Participants completed the vocabulary subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). To assess the incidental recognition memory for item (object) and context (location of the object), participants of each group were assigned to 1 of 2 encoding conditions: ( a) an incidental associative instruction to bind the object to its location or ( b) a nonassociative, nonspecific instruction. Results. PD patients showed performance comparable to the control group’s on the vocabulary subtest and WCST. In contrast to controls, PD patients were unable to take advantage of the associative encoding instruction, which also had a deleterious effect on item recognition. Conclusion. This sample of participants with PD showed diminished item and context recognition memory and an impaired ability to use incidental memory encoding strategy, suggesting a compromised cognitive reserve. The fact that these alterations occurred in early stages of PD, and prior to more general cognitive alterations such as executive dysfunction, should be considered in the management of patients by using specific cognitive rehabilitation interventions.