bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phenomenology of Polymer Solution Dynamics
Authors: Phillies George D. J.
Published: August 2012

Presenting a completely new approach to examining how polymers move in non-dilute solution, this book focuses on experimental facts, not theoretical speculations, and concentrates on polymer solutions, not dilute solutions or polymer melts. From centrifugation and solvent dynamics to viscosity and diffusion, experimental measurements and their quantitative representations are the core of the discussion. The book reveals several experiments never before recognized as revealing polymer solution properties. A novel approach to relaxation phenomena accurately describes viscoelasticity and dielectric relaxation and how they depend on polymer size and concentration. Ideal for graduate students and researchers interested in the properties of polymer solutions, the book covers real measurements on practical systems, including the very latest results. Every significant experimental method is presented in considerable detail, giving unprecedented coverage of polymers in solution.
Environmental Literacy in Science and Society
Authors: Scholz Roland W.
Published: August 2012

In an era where humans affect virtually all of the earth's processes, questions arise about whether we have sufficient knowledge of human-environment interactions. How can we sustain the Earth's ecosystems to prevent collapses and what roles should practitioners and scientists play in this process? These are the issues central to the concept of environmental literacy. This unique book provides a comprehensive review and analysis of environmental literacy within the context of environmental science and sustainable development. Approaching the topic from multiple perspectives, it explores the development of human understanding of the environment and human-environment interactions in the fields of biology, psychology, sociology, economics and industrial ecology. The discussion emphasises the importance of knowledge integration and transdisciplinary processes as key strategies for understanding complex human-environment systems (HES). In addition, the author defines the HES framework as a template for investigating sustainably coupled human-environment systems in the 21st century.
Zoo Conservation Biology
Authors: Fa John E. , Funk Stephan M. , O'Connell Donnamarie
Published: August 2012

In the face of ever-declining biodiversity, zoos have a major role to play in species conservation. Written by professionals involved in in situ conservation and restoration projects internationally, this is a critical assessment of the contribution of zoos to species conservation through evidence amassed from a wide range of sources. The first part outlines the biodiversity context within which zoos should operate, introducing the origins and global spread of zoos and exploring animal collection composition. The second part focuses on the basic elements of keeping viable captive animal populations. It considers the consequences of captivity on animals, the genetics of captive populations and the performance of zoos in captive breeding. The final part examines ways in which zoos can make a significant difference to conservation now and in the future. Bridging the gap between pure science and applied conservation, this is an ideal resource for both conservation biologists and zoo professionals.
A History of Saudi Arabia
Authors: al-Rasheed Madawi
Published: August 2012

This updated edition analyses the challenges, both internal and external, facing Saudi Arabia in the twenty-first century. Two new chapters discuss the political, economic and social developments in the aftermath of 9/11, painting a vivid picture of a country shocked by terrorism and condemned by the international community. Madawi Al-Rasheed reveals that fragmentation of royal politics, a failing economy and fermenting Islamist dissent posed serious threats to state and society in 2001. She assesses the consequent state reforms introduced under pressure of terrorism, international scrutiny and a social mobilisation of men, women and minorities struggling to shape their future against a background of repression and authoritarian rule. While Saudi Arabia is still far from establishing a fourth state, there are signs that the people are ready for a serious change that will lead them to a state of institutions rather than princes.
Computer Vision
Authors: Prince Simon J. D.
Published: August 2012

This modern treatment of computer vision focuses on learning and inference in probabilistic models as a unifying theme. It shows how to use training data to learn the relationships between the observed image data and the aspects of the world that we wish to estimate, such as the 3D structure or the object class, and how to exploit these relationships to make new inferences about the world from new image data. With minimal prerequisites, the book starts from the basics of probability and model fitting and works up to real examples that the reader can implement and modify to build useful vision systems. Primarily meant for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, the detailed methodological presentation will also be useful for practitioners of computer vision.
• Covers cutting-edge techniques, including graph cuts, machine learning and multiple view geometry
• A unified approach shows the common basis for solutions of important computer vision problems, such as camera calibration, face recognition and object tracking
• More than 70 algorithms are described in sufficient detail to implement
• More than 350 full-color illustrations amplify the text
• The treatment is self-contained, including all of the background mathematics
• Additional resources at www.computervisionmodels.com
Fundamentals of Condensed Matter and Crystalline Physics
Authors: Sidebottom David L.
Published: August 2012

This undergraduate textbook merges traditional solid state physics with contemporary condensed matter physics, providing an up-to-date introduction to the major concepts that form the foundations of condensed materials. The main foundational principles are emphasized, providing students with the knowledge beginners in the field should understand. The book is structured in four parts and allows students to appreciate how the concepts in this broad area build upon each other to produce a cohesive whole as they work through the chapters. Illustrations work closely with the text to convey concepts and ideas visually, enhancing student understanding of difficult material, and end-of-chapter exercises varying in difficulty allow students to put into practice the theory they have covered in each chapter and reinforce new concepts.
The Saxons in England
Authors: Kemble John Mitchell
Published: August 2012

This monumental 1849 publication was the first detailed analysis to compare Anglo-Saxon institutions with those of other Germanic peoples. The philologist and historian Kemble (1807–57) was born into a renowned family of actors, trained at Cambridge for both the bar and the church, but devoted his career to Germanic philology and Old English. His studies resulted in several books including a Beowulf edition (1833), a pioneering six-volume edition of Anglo-Saxon charters (Codex Diplomaticus Aevi Saxonici, 1839–48), and the posthumous Horae Ferales (1863), together with articles and translations in periodicals. He also corresponded for many years with Jacob Grimm. The Saxons drew heavily on Kemble's work on the charters. This, the first of two volumes, argues for the early presence of the Saxons in Britain and investigates their laws and institutions, emphasising the relationship between land ownership and rank in the Anglo-Saxon social order.
The Social in the Global
Authors: Joseph Jonathan
Published: August 2012

How do influential social ideas contribute to global governance? This book takes an original approach to international relations by looking at the way social ideas help to portray the world in a particular way. Jonathan Joseph begins by analysing the role of important concepts such as globalisation, global civil society, social capital, networks and risk; then examines the role these concepts play in the discourse of international organisations. Using the concept of governmentality, he argues that contemporary social theories help justify contemporary forms of governance. By comparing organisations like the EU and the World Bank, Joseph investigates the extent to which these ideas are influential in theory and in practice.
Reading in a Second Language
Authors: Grabe William
Published: August 2012

This volume, through a detailed treatment of the cognitive processes that support reading, explains how reading really works. It offers a thorough overview of important and current research, including first language research, which is not often found in second language acquisition (SLA) publications. This book is a true example of applied linguistics; it makes well-defined linkages between theory and practice, discussing the implications and applications of second language reading theories on instructional practices. It is a valuable resource and reference for action researchers, curriculum designers, teachers, administrators, and those interested in exploring theoretical issues grounded in instructional contexts.
Colon cancer cell chemosensitisation by fish oil emulsion involves apoptotic mitochondria pathway
Authors: Granci Virginie , Cai Fang , Lecumberri Elena , Clerc Aurélie , Dupertuis Yves M. , Pichard Claude
Published: August 2012

Adjuvant use of safe compounds with anti-tumour properties has been proposed to improve cancer chemotherapy outcome. We aimed to investigate the effects of fish oil emulsion (FOE) rich in n-3 PUFA with the standard chemotherapeutic agents 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), oxaliplatin (OX) or irinotecan (IRI) on two human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells with different genetic backgrounds. The HT-29 (Bax+/+) and LS174T (Bax− / −) cells were co-treated for 24–72 h with 1 μm-5-FU, 1 μm-OX or 10 μm-IRI and/or FOE dilution corresponding to 24 μm-EPA and 20·5 μm-DHA. Soyabean oil emulsion (SOE) was used as isoenergetic and isolipid control. Cell viability, apoptosis and nuclear morphological changes were evaluated by cytotoxic colorimetric assay, flow cytometry analysis with annexin V and 4′,6′-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining, respectively. A cationic fluorescent probe was used to evaluate mitochondrial dysfunction, and protein expression involved in mitochondrial apoptosis was determined by Western blot. In contrast to SOE, co-treatment with FOE enhanced significantly the pro-apoptotic and cytotoxic effects of 5-FU, OX or IRI in HT-29 but not in LS174T cells (two-way ANOVA, P <0·01). These results were confirmed by the formation of apoptotic bodies in HT-29 cells. A significant increase in mitochondrial membrane depolarisation was observed after the combination of 5-FU or IRI with FOE in HT-29 but not in LS174T cells (P <0·05). Co-administration of FOE with the standard agents, 5-FU, OX and IRI, could be a good alternative to increase the efficacy of chemotherapeutic protocols through a Bax-dependent mitochondrial pathway.
DNA-barcoding of sympatric species of ectoparasitic gastropods of the genusCerithiopsis(Mollusca: Gastropoda: Cerithiopsidae) from Croatia
Authors: Modica M.V. , Mariottini P. , Prkić J. , Oliverio M.
Published: August 2012

The ectoparasitic gastropod genusCerithiopsisForbes & Hanley, 1850 was nominally based onMurex tubercularisMontagu, 1803. We have used the DNA barcode COI sequences to assay sympatric samples of morphotypes recently described as distinct species of theCerithiopsis tubercularis-complex. Our results demonstrated that, in the Croatian waters, the gastropods usually calledC. tubercularisin fact comprise a complex of cryptic species, which can be reliably diagnosed only by examining the soft parts. In the present study we have demonstrated that the colour pattern of the head-foot is diagnostic at the species level in this complex and, coupled with genetic data, may provide a sounding base for a revision of the cerithiopsids of the European coasts.
The 1857 Panic and the Fabrication of an Indian ‘Menace’ in Singapore
Authors: RAI RAJESH
Published: August 2012

This paper examines how local and transnational developments converged in 1857 to transform European attitudes towards Indian inhabitants in Singapore. Recognized in preceding years as useful to the security and the development of the colony, by late 1857, Indians in Singapore had come to be viewed by Europeans as a ‘menace’. That change in disposition was largely the product of factors extraneous to the actions of the local Indian inhabitants themselves. Besieged by news of multiple challenges to the British Empire, European nerves were rattled by perceived threats emanating from sections of the Asian populace in Singapore. In early 1857, a dispute between Tamil-Muslims and Europeans brought to the fore the latter's anxieties and prejudices. That episode was followed, in May, by news of the massive rebellion of native troops in India. The emerging distrust for Indians was exacerbated by public rumours and fanned by editorials and reports published in the local press. Perceptions of immediate danger from the colony of transported convicts, and the fear of an Indian conspiracy duringMuharram, sparked a panic that would have ramifications on the position of Indians in Singapore and leave an imprint on the long term political development of the Straits Settlements.1
ELLIOTT CARTER'S STRUCTURAL POLYRHYTHMS IN THE 1970S: ‘A MIRROR ON WHICH TO DWELL’
Authors: Coulembier Klaas
Published: August 2012

Large-scale polyrhythms appear in almost every composition Elliott Carter wrote during the 1980s. The roots of this technique can be found in earlier compositions where Carter deliberately combined different simultaneous speeds not only at the musical surface, but also at a deeper, structural level. In A Mirror on which to dwell (1975), he already uses this compositional tool as a form-generating feature. Through the analysis of three songs from this cycle (Anaphora, Insomnia and O Breath), it is shown how the appearance of structural polyrhythms at the musical surface is meticulously organized through pitch organization, instrumentation and the relation with text. The double function of the polyrhythm – as a surface phenomenon and a background structure – is essential for the understanding of this composition. It also shows the difference with Carter's later use of the same technique in the 1980s, where large-scale or structural polyrhythms are more of a constructional nature and remain invisible in the musical score.
Predictors of growth or attrition of the first language in Latino children with specific language impairment
Authors: SIMON-CEREIJIDO GABRIELA , GUTIÉRREZ-CLELLEN VERA F. , SWEET MONICA
Published: August 2012

We investigated the factors that may help understand the differential rates of language development in the home language (i.e., Spanish) of Latino preschoolers with specific language impairment. Children were randomly assigned to either bilingual or English-only small group interventions and followed from preschool to kindergarten. Predictors of Spanish growth included the language of intervention, the child's level of language development or severity, the child's socioemotional skills, and the child's level of English use. Spanish performance outcomes were assessed over time using a series of longitudinal models with baseline and posttreatment measures nested within child. Children demonstrated growth on Spanish outcomes over time. The language of instruction and the child's level of vocabulary and socioemotional development at baseline were significant predictors of differences in rates of growth in the home language. Clinicians may need to take into consideration these factors when making clinical recommendations.
FORS SEULEMENT L'ACTENTE QUE JE MEURE: OCKEGHEM'S RONDEAU AND THE GENDERED RHETORIC OF GRIEF
Authors: Borghetti Vincenzo , Bemrose Stephen
Published: August 2012

Fors seulement is among Johannes Ockeghem's most extensively discussed chansons. A much debated feature of this rondeau is that its two upper voices span almost the same high register. Sources disagree over which of these voices is the tenor: earlier and authoritative manuscripts assign this role to the uppermost voice, while later ones ‘normalise’ the disposition by giving it to the slightly lower one. Apart from a few passing remarks, musicologists have not taken into sufficient consideration that the text of Fors seulement, the lament of a woman, is modelled upon Alain Chartier's Complainte on the death of his lady, as Paula Higgins has demonstrated. This article focuses on the transformation of the rhetoric of grief from male Complainte to female rondeau, and considers anew the issue of Fors seulement's unique contrapuntal structure and its troubled reception from the point of view of the peculiarly gendered nature of its poetic voice.
Increasing wireless reliability for autonomous mobile robots
Authors: López Joaquín , Sanz Rafael , Cacho Miguel D. , Diéguez Amador R.
Published: August 2012

There is an increasing popularity of mobile robot applications over the Internet. Robots need some kind of wireless communication to receive commands and transmit information to users. This paper describes the problems encountered to keep the mobile robots connected and the solutions adopted. The first problem was related to delays and the very low throughput that occur when the robot roams to a new access point. Most commercial systems currently installed implement proprietary solutions with different behaviors. Here, a simple and device-independent solution for mobile robot applications is proposed. The second problem is the lack of wireless coverage in some areas of buildings. The solutions adopted for these problems are based on coverage maps.
BASRAH: an automatic system to identify the meter of Arabic poetry
Authors: ALABBAS MAYTHAM , KHALAF ZAINAB A. , KHASHAN KHASHAN M.
Published: August 2012

Arabic prosody is the science that studies the music of Arabic poetry, which is mainly meter and rhyme. The identification of meters for Arabic verses or poems is a complicated task. This task requires a certain level of expertise to identify the meter to which a verse belongs. In this paper, we present BASRAH1, a system that automatically identifies the meter of Arabic poetry by using the numerical prosody method. The numerical prosody method depends on verse coding, which is derived from the general concept of Al-Khalil's feet by using two primary units (cord = 2) and (peg = 3). On testing both old and modern Arabic verses and poems, BASRAH has proved to be an efficient tool to help inexperienced users to determine the meter of Arabic verses and poems.
Patients’ evaluation of hospital foodservice quality in Italy: what do patients really value?
Authors: Messina Gabriele , Fenucci Roberto , Vencia Francesco , Niccolini Fabrizio , Quercioli Cecilia , Nante Nicola
Published: August 2012

Objective

Patients often do not eat/drink enough during hospitalization. To enable patients to meet their energy and nutritional requirements, food and catering service quality and staff support are therefore important. We assessed patients’ satisfaction with hospital food and investigated aspects influencing it.

Design

We conducted a cross-sectional study collecting patients’ preferences using a slightly modified version of the Acute Care Hospital Foodservice Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (ACHFPSQ). Factor analysis was carried out to reduce the number of food-quality and staff-issue variables. Univariate and multivariate ordinal categorical regression models were used to assess the association between food quality, staff issues, patients’ characteristics, hospital recovery aspects and overall foodservice satisfaction (OS).

Setting

A university hospital in Florence, Italy, in the period November–December 2009.

Subjects

Hospital patients aged 18+ years (n927).

Results

Of the 1288 questionnaires distributed, 927 were returned completely or partially filled in by patients and 603 were considered eligible for analysis. Four factors (explained variance 64·3 %, Cronbach's alphaαC= 0.856), i.e. food quality (FQ;αC= 0·74), meal service quality (MSQ;αC= 0·73), hunger and quantity (HQ;αC= 0·74) and staff/service issues (SI;αC= 0·65), were extracted from seventeen items. Items investigating staff/service issues were the most positively rated while certain items investigating food quality were the least positively rated. After ordinal multiple regression analysis, OS was only significantly associated with the four factors: FQ, MSQ, HQ and SI (OR = 17·2, 6·16, 3·09 and 1·75, respectively,P< 0·001), and gender (OR = 1·53,P= 0·024).

Conclusions

The most positively scored aspects of foodservice concerned staff/service, whereas food quality was considered less positive. The aspects that most influenced patients’ satisfaction were those related to food quality.
Is there an association between the home food environment, the local food shopping environment and children's fruit and vegetable intake? Results from the Dutch INPACT study
Authors: van Ansem Wilke JC , Schrijvers Carola TM , Rodenburg Gerda , van de Mheen Dike
Published: August 2012

Objective

To examine: (i) the association between home availability of fruit and vegetables and children's fruit and vegetable intake; (ii) the association between parental perception of the local food shopping environment and the home availability of fruit and vegetables; and (iii) whether the home availability of fruit and vegetables mediates the association between parental perception of the local food environment and children's fruit and vegetable consumption.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

A total of ninety-one primary schools in the Netherlands.

Subjects

In total 1501 primary caregivers completed a questionnaire to measure children's fruit and vegetable consumption, home availability of fruit and vegetables, parental perceptions of the local food shopping environment (price, quality and availability), the child's socio-economic status, the child's ethnicity and maternal height and weight.

Results

The home availability of fruit and vegetables was positively associated with children's fruit and vegetable intake (P < 0·01 and P < 0·001, respectively). Negative parental perceptions of the local food shopping environment were associated with less fruit available at home (P < 0·05, P < 0·01 and P < 0·05 for price, quality and availability of fruit, respectively). No significant associations were found between parental perception of the local food shopping environment and children's fruit and vegetable consumption. We found no evidence that home availability of fruit and vegetables mediates the association between parental perception of the local food environment and children's fruit and vegetable intake.

Conclusions

Interventions focusing on improving the home availability of fruit and vegetables may help to increase children's fruit and vegetable consumption. However, more data are required on factors influencing the home availability of fruit and vegetables.
‘Taking our Houses’: Perceptions of the Impact of Asylum Seekers, Refugees and New Migrants on Housing Assistance in Melbourne
Authors: Spinney Angela , Nethery Amy
Published: August 2012

The pressing issue of homelessness in Australia is largely caused by a shortage of affordable accommodation. Unexpected results from a study into the experiences of homeless families, however, revealed that many people held the perception that asylum seekers, refugees and migrants are given greater priority by welfare agencies for housing assistance. Analysis of the interview data is used to illustrate how public and political discourses circulating at the time of the interviews may have contributed to these views. The article also discusses the extent to which xenophobia in the Australian community has links with feelings of economic insecurity.
Inverse filtering of radar signals using compressed sensing with application to meteors
Authors: Volz Ryan , Close Sigrid
Published: August 2012

Compressed sensing, a method which relies on sparsity to reconstruct signals with relatively few measurements, provides a new approach to processing radar signals that is ideally suited to detailed imaging and identification of multiple targets. In this paper, we extend previously published theoretical work by investigating the practical problems associated with this approach. In deriving a discrete linear radar model that is suitable for compressed sensing, we discuss what the discrete model can tell us about continuously defined targets and show how sparsity in the latter translates to sparsity in the former. We provide details about how this problem can be solved when using large data sets. Through comparisons with matched filter processing, we validate our compressed sensing technique and demonstrate its application to meteors, where it has the potential to answer open questions about processes like fragmentation and flares. At the cost of computational complexity and an assumption of target sparsity, the benefits over pulse compression using a matched filter include no filtering sidelobes, noise removal, and higher possible range and Doppler frequency resolution.
Spatial regression models for extreme precipitation in Belgium
Authors: Van de Vyver H.
Published: August 2012

Quantification of precipitation extremes is important for flood planning purposes, and a common measure of extreme events is the T year return level. Extreme precipitation depths in Belgium are analyzed for accumulation durations ranging from 10 min to 30 days. Spatial generalized extreme value (GEV) models are presented by considering multisite data and relating GEV parameters to geographical/climatological covariates through a common regression relationship. Methods of combining data from several sites are in common use, and in such cases, there is likely to be nonnegligible intersite dependence. However, parameter estimation in GEV models is generally done with the maximum likelihood estimation method (MLE) that assumes independence. Estimates of uncertainty are adjusted for spatial dependence using methodologies proposed earlier. Consistency of GEV distributions for various durations is obtained by fitting a smooth function to the preliminary estimations of the shape parameter. Model quality has been assessed by various statistical tests and indicates the relevance of our approach. In addition, a methodology is applied to account for the fact that measurements have been made in fixed intervals (usually 09:00 UTC–09:00 UTC). The distribution of the annual sliding 24 h maxima was specified through extremal indices of a more than 110 year time series of 24 h aggregated 10 min rainfall and daily rainfall. Finally, the selected models are used for producing maps of precipitation return levels.
Projected decline in spring snow depth on Arctic sea ice caused by progressively later autumn open ocean freeze‐up this century
Authors: Hezel P. J. , Zhang X. , Bitz C. M. , Kelly B. P. , Massonnet F.
Published: August 2012

We present the first analysis of snow depth on Arctic sea ice in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5) because of its importance for sea ice thermodynamics and ringed seal (Phoca hispida) habitat. Snow depths in April on Arctic sea ice decrease over the 21st century in RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5 scenarios. The chief cause is loss of sea ice area in autumn and, to a lesser extent, winter. By the end of the 21st century in the RCP8.5 scenario, snowfall accumulation is delayed by about three months compared to the late 20th century in the multi‐model mean. Mean April snow depth north of 70°N declines from about 28 cm to 16 cm. Precipitation increases as expected in a warmer climate, but much of this increase in the Arctic occurs as rainfall. The seasonality of snowfall rate grows, with increasing rates in winter and decreasing rates in summer and autumn, but the cumulative snowfall from September to April does not change. Ringed seals depend on spring snow cover on Arctic sea ice to create subnivean birth lairs. The area with snow depths above 20 cm — a threshold needed for ringed seals to build snow caves — declines by 70%.
Defining and measuring the mean residence time of lateral surface transient storage zones in small streams
Authors: Jackson Tracie R. , Haggerty Roy , Apte Sourabh V. , Coleman Anthony , Drost Kevin J.
Published: August 2012

Surface transient storage (STS) has functional significance in stream ecosystems because it increases solute interaction with sediments. After volume, mean residence time is the most important metric of STS, but it is unclear how this can be measured accurately or related to other timescales and field‐measureable parameters. We studied mean residence time of lateral STS in small streams over Reynolds numbers (Re) 5000–200,000 and STS width to length (W/L) aspect ratios between 0.2–0.75. Lateral STS have flow fields characterized by a shear layer spanning the length of the STS entrance, and one primary gyre and one or more secondary gyre(s) in the STS. The study's purpose was to define, measure, and compare residence timescales: volume to discharge ratio (Langmuir timescale); area under normalized concentration curve; and characteristic time of exponential decay, and to compare these timescales to field measureable parameters. The best estimate of STS mean residence time—primary gyre residence time—was determined to be the first characteristic time of exponential decay. An apparent mean residence time can arise, which is considerably larger than other timescales, if probes are placed within secondary gyre(s). The Langmuir timescale is the minimum mean residence time, and is linearly correlated to channel velocity and STS width. The lateral STS mean residence time can be predicted using a physically based hydromorphic timescale derived by Uijttewaal et al. (2001) with an entrainment coefficient of 0.031 ± 0.009 for the Re and W/L studied.
Use of a continuous-flow microreactor for thiol–ene functionalization of RAFT-derived poly(butyl acrylate)
Authors: Vandenbergh Joke , Junkers Tanja
Published: August 2012

Aminolysis and thiol–ene end group modifications of functionalized RAFT-derived poly(n-butyl acrylate) polymers are executed within 20 minutes in a continuous-flow microreactor.
Coupling of ryanodine receptor 2 and voltage-dependent anion channel 2 is essential for Ca2+ transfer from the sarcoplasmic reticulum to the mitochondria in the heart
Authors: Min Choon Kee , Yeom Dong Rim , Lee Kyung-Eun , Kwon Hye-Kyeong , Kang Moonkyung , Kim Yeon-Soo , Park Zee Yong , Jeon Hyesung , Kim Do Han
Published: August 2012

The structural proximity and functional coupling between the SR (sarcoplasmic reticulum) and mitochondria have been suggested to occur in the heart. However, the molecular architecture involved in the SR–mitochondrial coupling remains unclear. In the present study, we performed various genetic and Ca2+-probing studies to resolve the proteins involved in the coupling process. By using the bacterial 2-hybrid, glutathione transferase pull-down, co-immunoprecipitation and immunocytochemistry assays, we found that RyR2 (ryanodine receptor type 2), which is physically associated with VDAC2 (voltage-dependent anion channel 2), was co-localized in SR–mitochondrial junctions. Furthermore, a fractionation study revealed that VDAC2 was co-localized with RyR2 only in the subsarcolemmal region. VDAC2 knockdown by targeted short hairpin RNA led to an increased diastolic [Ca2+] (calcium concentration) and abolishment of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake. Collectively, the present study suggests that the coupling of VDAC2 with RyR2 is essential for Ca2+ transfer from the SR to mitochondria in the heart.
Primary Issues for the Speech-Language Pathologist to Consider in Regard to Diagnosis of Auditory Processing Disorder
Authors: Richard Gail J.
Published: August 2012

The role of the speech-language pathologist (SLP) in auditory processing disorder (APD) continues to expand with increased prevalence of the diagnosis. Several aspects of APD continue to be debated by audiologists, resulting in challenges for the SLP responsible for making treatment decisions. In this article, the author addresses key issues that confound clarity in definition and treatment efficacy for APD.
Language Processing in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Insights from Neuroscience
Authors: Williams Diane L.
Published: August 2012

Language is an area of difficulty even for verbal, high-functioning individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Behavioral measures have provided limited understanding of the bases for these differences, as verbal individuals with ASD frequently score within the average range on standardized language measures, even as they have difficulty with the comprehension and use of language in daily life. Positron emission tomography (PET) scanning has yielded some insight into the neurofunctional basis of linguistic processing in ASD but has limited application due to the need for intravenous injection of a chemical radiotracer. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a noninvasive methodology that has provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine the underlying neural processing while an individual performs a cognitive task. FMRI studies have been completed with young children, adolescents, and adults with ASD using a variety of language tasks. These studies have revealed differences in the way individuals with ASD process language even without differences in behavioral performance. Although still preliminary, these results provide speech-language pathologists with valuable insight into the cognitive processing challenges associated with ASD that can inform the design of interventions to address the problems individuals with ASD have in the comprehension and production of language.
A Langmuir probe diagnostic for time-of-flight measurements of transient plasmas produced by high-energy laser ablation
Authors: Patterson J. R. , Emig J. A. , Fournier K. B. , Jenkins P. P. , Trautz K. M. , Seiler S. W. , Davis J. F.
Published: August 2012

We discuss here the development of a Langmuir probe (LP) diagnostic to examine high-density, high-temperature inhomogeneous plasmas such as those that can be created at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics OMEGA facility. We have configured our diagnostic to examine the velocity of the plasma expanding from the target. We observe velocities of approximately 16–17 cm/μs, with individual LP currents displaying complex structures, perhaps due to the multiple atomic species and ionization states that exist.
Recent improvements of the JET lithium beam diagnostic
Authors: Brix M. , Dodt D. , Dunai D. , Lupelli I. , Marsen S. , Melson T. F. , Meszaros B. , Morgan P. , Petravich G. , Refy D. I. , Silva C. , Stamp M. , Szabolics T. , Zastrow K.-D. , Zoletnik S. ,   JET-EFDA Contributors
Published: August 2012

A 60 kV neutral lithium diagnostic beam probes the edge plasma of JET for the measurement of electron density profiles. This paper describes recent enhancements of the diagnostic setup, new procedures for calibration and protection measures for the lithium ion gun during massive gas puffs for disruption mitigation. New light splitting optics allow in parallel beam emission measurements with a new double entrance slit CCD spectrometer (spectrally resolved) and a new interference filter avalanche photodiode camera (fast density and fluctuation studies).
An observation of quadratic algebra, dual family of nonlinear coherent states and their non-classical properties, in the generalized isotonic oscillator
Authors: Ruby V. Chithiika , Senthilvelan M.
Published: August 2012

In this paper, we construct nonlinear coherent states for the generalized isotonic oscillator and study their non-classical properties in detail. By transforming the deformed ladder operators suitably, which generate the quadratic algebra, we obtain Heisenberg algebra. From the algebra, we define two non-unitary and one unitary displacement type operators. While the action of one of the non-unitary type operators reproduces the original nonlinear coherent states, the other one fails to produce a new set of nonlinear coherent states (dual pair). We show that these dual states are not normalizable. For the nonlinear coherent states, we evaluate the parameter A3 and examine the non-classical nature of the states through quadratic and amplitude-squared squeezing effect. Further, we derive analytical formula for the P-function, Q-function, and the Wigner function for the nonlinear coherent states. All of them confirm the non-classicality of the nonlinear coherent states. In addition to the above, we obtain the harmonic oscillator type coherent states from the unitary displacement operator.
Liquid nitrogen in fluid dynamics: Visualization and velocimetry using frozen particles
Authors: Fonda Enrico , Sreenivasan Katepalli R. , Lathrop Daniel P.
Published: August 2012

High-Reynolds-number flows are common both in nature and industrial applications, but are difficult to attain in laboratory settings using standard test fluids such as air and water. To extend the Reynolds number range, water and air have been replaced at times by low-viscosity fluids such as pressurized air, sulfur hexafluoride, and cryogenic nitrogen gas, as well as liquid and gaseous helium. With a few exceptions, liquid nitrogen has been neglected despite the fact that it has a kinematic viscosity of about a fifth of that of water at room temperature. We explore the use of liquid nitrogen here. In particular, we study the use of frozen particles for flow visualization and velocimetry in liquid nitrogen. We create particles in situ by injecting a gaseous mixture of room-temperature nitrogen and an additional seeding gas into the flow. We present a systematic study of potential seeding gases to determine which create particles with the best fidelity and optical properties. The technique has proven capable of producing sub-micrometer sized tracers that allow particle tracking and particle image velocimetry. We review possible high-Reynolds-number experiments using this technique, and discuss the merits and challenges of using liquid nitrogen as a test fluid.
The one-dimensional Coulomb lattice fluid capacitor
Authors: Démery Vincent , Dean David S. , Hammant Thomas C. , Horgan Ronald R. , Podgornik Rudolf
Published: August 2012

The one-dimensional Coulomb lattice fluid in a capacitor configuration is studied. The model is formally exactly soluble via a transfer operator method within a field theoretic representation of the model. The only interactions present in the model are the one-dimensional Coulomb interaction between cations and anions and the steric interaction imposed by restricting the maximal occupancy at any lattice site to one particle. Despite the simplicity of the model, a wide range of intriguing physical phenomena arise, some of which are strongly reminiscent of those seen in experiments and numerical simulations of three-dimensional ionic liquid based capacitors. Notably, we find regimes where over-screening and density oscillations are seen near the capacitor plates. The capacitance is also shown to exhibit strong oscillations as a function of applied voltage. It is also shown that the corresponding mean-field theory misses most of these effects. The analytical results are confirmed by extensive numerical simulations.
Mass accommodation mechanism of water through monolayer films at water/vapor interface
Authors: Sakaguchi Suguru , Morita Akihiro
Published: August 2012

The mass transfer dynamics at water/vapor interface through monolayer films was theoretically investigated by a combination of molecular dynamics and Langevin dynamics simulations. The rare events of mass accommodation are sampled by the Langevin simulation with sufficient statistical accuracy, on the basis of the free energy and friction profiles obtained by the molecular dynamics simulation. The free energy profiles exhibit a barrier in the long-chain monolayers, and the mechanism of the barrier is elucidated in relation to the “water finger” formation. The present Langevin simulation well described the remarkable dependence of the mass accommodation coefficient on the chain length and surface density. The transition state theory for the barrier passage remarkably overestimates the mass accommodation coefficient, and the Kramers or Grote-Hynes theory may not be appropriate, due to large variation of the friction in the entrance channel and/or broad barrier.
Microwave spectrum, structure, tautomeric, and conformational composition of 4-vinylimidazole
Authors: Godfrey Peter D. , Robertson Evan G.
Published: August 2012

The microwave spectra of the two conformers each, of the 1H and 3H tautomers of 4-vinylimidazole, have been measured in the 48–72 GHz spectral region. The 4-vinylimidazole was generated in situ by the facile decarboxylation of urocanic acid at its vaporization temperature of 220 °C. The recognition of this reaction casts doubt on the reliability of a previous published spectroscopic study apparently mistakenly thought to be of uncontaminated vaporized urocanic acid, a natural product of great interest in skin cancer etiology. Quantum chemical theoretical predictions of the structures of each of ten possible conformers/tautomers of urocanic acid and four of 4-vinylimidazole were performed at the ab initio MP2/cc-pVTZ level, with vibrational predictions at the B3LYP/cc-pVTZ and M062X/cc-pVTZ levels. The predicted values of rotational constants for all the urocanic acid species were found to be quite inconsistent with those of the four observed spectra. For the 4-vinylimidazole isomers, the calculated relative energies suggested that all four species would have substantial equilibrium mole fractions at 220 °C. The isomers were identified by matching the observed and calculated rotational constants. The resulting assignment was found to be consistent with the predicted and observed 14N nuclear quadrupole hyperfine multiplet patterns for a suitable rotational transition, and with the observed versus empirically calculated inertial defects. With one exception, the predicted structures were found to be planar. Resembling the case of 1-vinylimidazole, where one conformer is nonplanar, one isomer of 4-vinylimidazole was found to be quasiplanar. This seems to belong to a class of spontaneous symmetry-breaking observed in the molecular structure of some otherwise planar vinyl aromatic compounds.
Modulated structure and molecular dissociation of solid chlorine at high pressures
Authors: Li Peifang , Gao Guoying , Ma Yanming
Published: August 2012

Among diatomic molecular halogen solids, high pressure structures of solid chlorine (Cl2) remain elusive and least studied. We here report first-principles structural search on solid Cl2 at high pressures through our developed particle-swarm optimization algorithm. We successfully reproduced the known molecular Cmca phase (phase I) at low pressure and found that it remains stable up to a high pressure 142 GPa. At 150 GPa, our structural searches identified several energetically competitive, structurally similar, and modulated structures. Analysis of the structural results and their similarity with those in solid Br2 and I2, it was suggested that solid Cl2 adopts an incommensurate modulated structure with a modulation wave close to 2/7 in a narrow pressure range 142–157 GPa. Eventually, our simulations at >157 GPa were able to predict the molecular dissociation of solid Cl2 into monatomic phases having body centered orthorhombic (bco) and face-centered cubic (fcc) structures, respectively. One unique monatomic structural feature of solid Cl2 is the absence of intermediate body centered tetragonal (bct) structure during the bco → fcc transition, which however has been observed or theoretically predicted in solid Br2 and I2. Electron-phonon coupling calculations revealed that solid Cl2 becomes superconductors within bco and fcc phases possessing a highest superconducting temperature of 13.03 K at 380 GPa. We further probed the molecular Cmca → incommensurate phase transition mechanism and found that the softening of the Ag vibrational (rotational) Raman mode in the Cmca phase might be the driving force to initiate the transition.
Experimental investigation of various designs of solar flat plate collectors: Application for the drying of green chili
Authors: Labed Adnane , Moummi Noureddine , Benchabane Adel
Published: August 2012

This paper presents an experimental study by comparing between the thermal performance of three types of solar air flat plate collectors, FPCs: (i) without obstacles, (ii) with rectangular obstacles, and (iii) with trapezoidal obstacles in the air flow duct. In order to determine the best performing model, we have proceeded to reversing the flow direction, in each collector, and comparing the six obtained models under outdoor conditions. All collectors were designed, constructed, and tested in the University of Biskra (Algeria) in a stand facing south at an inclination angle equal to the local latitude. Thus, we have proceeded to the application of the best system for the drying of the green chili. We have sought to determine the moisture content and loss of mass for the forced convection hot air drying of the product and their temperature dependence. In comparison with the recent literature, at different air mass flow, the highest efficiencies (77%) were obtained from the FPC with trapezoidal obstacles, when the air was blown down at air flow rate 0.043 kg/s. In addition, this study has allowed us to show that (i) for a same geometry, the highest efficiencies were always obtained when the air was blown down in the solar air FPC and (ii) the use of obstacles, in the air flow duct of the FPCs, is an efficient method to improve their performances, especially when the air is blown down. The obstacles ensure a good air flow under the absorber plate, create the turbulence, and reduce the dead zones in the collector.
Investigation of a polychromatic tomography method for the extraction of the three-dimensional spatial structure of implosion core plasmas
Authors: Nagayama T. , Mancini R. C. , Florido R. , Mayes D. , Tommasini R. , Koch J. A. , Delettrez J. A. , Regan S. P. , Smalyuk V. A.
Published: August 2012

A spectroscopic method has been developed to extract the three-dimentional spatial structure (i.e., spatial distribution of electron temperature and density) of inertial confinement fusion implosion cores based on the analysis of space-resolved spectra from a tracer element recorded along three quasi-orthogonal lines of sight. We discuss a spectral model that computes space-resolved spectra for a given spatial structure. This model is then combined with a multi-objective search and optimization technique driven by a Pareto genetic algorithm to perform the inversion and to extract the spatial structure of the implosion core from a simultaneous and self-consistent analysis of a set of space-resolved spectra. This method is investigated with a series of synthetic data test cases to explore its reliability, requirements, and limitations. We have found a constraint parameter Pconst such that the method is robust and the extracted spatial structure is reliable when Pconst> 1. The idea of polychromatic tomography is general and has potential to extract the spatial structure of other laboratory high energy-density plasmas.