bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Migration from the Southern Mediterranean Countries. An Analysis of Some Macro Drivers
Authors: Coderoni Silvia , Perito Maria Angela
Published: November 2015

As a consequence of reduced precipitation and higher temperatures, the Mediterranean region over recent decades, has been exposed to major impacts of climate change, and these are likely to worsen as the climate continues to change. Global warming in regions that are highly dependent on agricultural production will generate changing land use patterns and trigger economy-wide effects. These environmental drivers will impact on other macro drivers of migration, increasing the number of people that might choose to leave their own native region. In this paper we analyse some emerging trends that, at the macro level, affect the main drivers of migration in North Africa and we try to envisage what could be an incipient problem, arising from concurrent local elements. Looking at some long-term trends in climate change and past evidence on food production and prices, we conclude that some environmentally-induced migration in the context of global environmental change is inevitable in the future, even if its scale is uncertain. Thus, the governance gap related to climate change migrants should be bridged, in order not to face a bigger challenge in the geo-political equilibrium of Mediterranean region.
Undergrounds in the Mediterranean
Authors: Varriale Roberta
Published: November 2015

There are numerous man-made structures and objects to be found in the underground of the Mediterranean. Representing ways to manage natural resources, to confront the risk of conflict or simply goods and objects stored underground and consequently having survived the test of time, they allow us to extend our studies of the history of the places and the people to whom they belonged. The underground is a parallel world, the analysis of which helps throw light on many of the more obscure areas of Mediterranean history. Some common characteristics mark the ways Mediterranean populations have used underground resources, but there are also many divergences. The reasons for Mediterranean underground development aside, it is a fact that the idea of a negative building culture became very popular in order to resolve problems caused by common social and environmental conditions, such as harsh climactic conditions, communication, religious practice, scarcity of resources and more. In these cases, the dominant local building know-how was reconsidered and the underground architectures of diverse geographical locations within the basin have much more in common than their corresponding above-ground architectural styles.

The article studies the contribution of underground structures to the Mediterranean urban experience following a functional approach.
Island contributions to disaster research
Authors: Kelman Ilan , Lewis James , Gaillard J.C. , Mercer Jessica
Published: November 2015

Island case studies have contributed significantly to disaster research theory and application, including more recent work on climate change adaptation. Island-related work in development and disasters has been particularly adept at building on the past in order to create a better development future through disaster risk reduction, one subset of which is climate change adaptation. However, recent emphasis on climate change has to a large degree bypassed previous and deeper understandings of island contributions to disaster research as well as the importance of island situations. This paper details key elements from the literature on island-based development and disaster research – especially regarding the themes of vulnerability and resilience theory as then applied in practice for island migration – linking this material with a critiquing analysis of ongoing work emerging from climate change. Despite the importance of dealing with climate change, especially for islands and islanders, it must always be placed within wider disaster and development tasks. This includes embracing previous work in order to learn from, without becoming mired in, the past.
The island community of Chenega: Earthquake, tsunami, oil spill ... What's next?
Authors: Lacher Katrina
Published: November 2015

Small islands offer a laboratory to analyse how communities react to drastic environmental change. In particular, the small islands of Prince William Sound off the coast of Alaska present a unique case study to explore how island dwellers cope with and learn from both natural and man-made disasters. This article analyses the multiple disasters faced by the island community of Chenega in the twentieth century. From an earthquake and tsunami in 1964 to an oil spill in 1989, I study how the Alutiiq people of Chenega reacted to drastic change. In addition to analysing decisions on whether to rebuild or relocate, I also investigate how the disaster affected the Alutiiq’s livelihood: commercial fishing. As the twentieth century rolled into the twenty-first, the small island community once again drew upon its experiences with disaster to cope with significant environmental change. With rising sea levels threatening the rebuilt Chenega village and declining fish populations endangering Alutiiq livelihood, tribal leaders summoned the experiences of their elders and forbears to construct a plan for the coming decades. For at least the third time in less than fifty years, changing environmental conditions forced the Alutiiq to address pressing questions about relocation and rebuilding and the future of their tribal and island identity. Ultimately, I argue that the Alutiiq used their experiences with mid-century natural disasters to react cooperatively and creatively to late twentieth and early twenty-first century manmade disasters and hazards.
Island impressions of Typhoon Owen: Interviews with Nómwiin islanders and photographs
Authors: Hofmann Rebecca
Published: November 2015

Over Easter 2012, Rebecca Hofmann travelled to Nómwiin, an outer atoll of Chuuk State in the Paafeng Islands (literally ‘lying to the north’, also known as Hall Islands after the first European to have encountered them). This special article contains some of her interviews with Nómwiin islanders, and photographs.
Introduction
Authors: Stein Susanne , Gestwa Klaus
Published: November 2015

To date there has been no systematic historical investigation of how and in what forums ideas about soil-related threats and models for combating erosion circulated, who were the protagonists involved and how these constellations changed over time. The present Special Issue addresses this gap by examining from different national and chronological perspectives the thesis of the epochal and global significance of the Dust Bowl in the twentieth century. The five articles integrate the conventional Dust Bowl story into a broader reticulation of multidirectional processes of transfer, long-lasting national traditions and regional approaches to soil conservation. Further research requires a better understanding arching across many scales - transnational, national, regional and local - and a closer look at the assemblages of substances, people, expertise, and regulation. The history of anti-wind erosion measures reveals recurring elements in time and space, but also processes of change. The Special Issue seeks to contribute to the generation of new soil stories and demonstrates the abiding intellectual vigour of global environmental history.
Lessons from the US: Australia's Response to Wind Erosion (1935-1945)
Authors: Sauter Sabine
Published: November 2015

During the decade of the mid-1930s to the mid-1940s, several Australian regions suffered from severe drought and accelerated wind erosion. Dust storms and sand drift triggered fears about Australia's degrading soils which were fuelled by the news of the infamous US Dust Bowl. Despite a strong sense of crisis among contemporaries, research on the Australian erosion years is scarce. Using a diversity of sources such as newspapers, journal articles or parliamentary debates, the paper focuses on the international context of Australia's erosion crisis. Similarities in the settler histories between the United States and Australia encouraged a multilayered transfer of soil conservation ideas between both countries. In the domain of policies, Australians emulated Roosevelt's New Deal conservation programme in regard to the emphasis on education and voluntary cooperation, while attempts to create a federal programme along the US lines failed due to Australia's constitutional status. With respect to the US large-scale regional planning projects as a remedy against wind erosion, Australians mainly discarded the idea of planting extensive wind breaks along the lines of the US Shelterbelt Project, but readily borrowed ideas from the dam building and hydroelectricity schemes of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
Coping with the 'World's Biggest Dust Bowl'. Towards a History of China's Forest Shelterbelts, 1950s-Present
Authors: Stein Susanne
Published: November 2015

Since the early 2000s, numerous instances of severe dust storms affecting large parts of northern China have resulted in alarming reports on the socio-economic and ecological threats emanating from soil degradation in China's drylands. Given the magnitude of the problem, external commentators readily compare the present situation in China with the US Dust Bowl disaster of the 1930s. Chinese scientists and officials, by contrast, hardly ever mention the American experience on the Great Plains in view of China's deteriorating arid and semi-arid regions. However, the repeated attempts to plant huge forest shelterbelts in order to protect the vulnerable rangelands and croplands throughout the country bear witness that from the 1950s onwards the Chinese government based its campaigns against wind erosion on concepts that transcended political and ideological boundaries. The paper analyses China's holistic approach to transform nature and society on the country's arid frontier against the background of the Dust Bowl legacy. It shows to which extent 'high modernist' ideas of soil conservation, as expressed earlier in Roosevelt's 'Great Plains Shelterbelt Project' (1935) and the 'Great Stalin Plan for the Transformation of Nature' (1948), were adapted in China and translated into the construction of 'green Great Walls' during the latter half of the twentieth century.
The Meaning of Moving Sand. Towards a Dust Bowl Mythology
Authors: Uekötter Frank
Published: November 2015

This article sketches the outlines of a Dust Bowl mythology as a necessary precondition for future engagement with the event. It analyses the wide array of narratives that have come forth since the 1930s and makes a point of highlighting their connection to worldviews and interests. In addition to written narratives, the article includes images, social practices, and institutional traditions such as the soil conservation bureaucracy as a part of the legacy of cultural memories. It seeks to show how different groups and generations have interpreted the Dust Bowl in widely divergent ways and provides outlines of a new Dust Bowl historiography that brings grand narratives into a dialogue with experiences on the ground.
Fear of the 'Steppes': Soil Protection and Landscape Planning in Germany 1930-1960 between Politics and Science
Authors: Zutz Axel
Published: November 2015

This article deals with political dimensions and the popularisation of scientific problems. The interwar and early post-World War Two years were marked by worldwide state interventions to combat soil erosion, combining social relief with environmental improvement. These activities were supported by arguments grounded on the different ideological frameworks of the individual states. In the case of Nazi Germany and the two post-war German societies 'steppe' and 'steppification' (Versteppung) played a provocative role as terms of political demagogy, denouncing the downgrading of agricultural ecosystems while simultaneously being a subject of soil science and botanical research. The article analyses this ambiguity within the context of the newly evolving occupational field of landscape planning. It will also show that despite the ideological differences between states like the US and the USSR, international professional exchanges on questions such as soil erosion and land degradation had a strong impact on the predecessors in the 1930s of post-World War Two environmental planning in Germany.
The Princely Hunt and Kshatriyahood
Authors: Ray Niladri Ranjan
Published: November 2015

Hunting wild animals by pre-colonial rulers of India often symbolised the legitimacy and assertion of their royal authority. Through collaborative imperial operations, the Raj restored many pre-colonial traditions of Indian royalty. Contextualising the metaphorical use of wildlife, this paper seeks to answer why and how the pre-colonial notion of kshatriyahood was restored and reinforced in the form of 'game' of an Anglicised Indian prince in the wilderness of northern Bengal at a time in which English masculinity, militarism and game hunting intersected and substituted each other.
Concept of Operations Evaluation for Using Remote-Guidance Ultrasound for Exploration Spaceflight
Authors: Hurst Victor W. , Peterson Sean , Garcia Kathleen , Ebert Douglas , Ham David , Amponsah David , Dulchavsky Scott
Published: November 2015

BACKGROUND: Remote-guidance (RG) techniques aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have enabled astronauts to collect diagnostic-level ultrasound (US) images. Exploration-class missions will likely require nonformally trained sonographers to operate with greater autonomy
given longer communication delays (> 6 s for missions beyond the Moon) and blackouts. Training requirements for autonomous collection of US images by non-US experts are being determined.METHODS: Novice US operators were randomly assigned to one of three groups to collect standardized
US images while drawing expertise from A) RG only, B) a computer training tool only, or C) both RG and a computer training tool. Images were assessed for quality and examination duration. All operators were given a 10-min standardized generic training session in US scanning. The imaging task
included: 1) bone fracture assessment in a phantom and 2) Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) examination in a healthy volunteer. A human factors questionnaire was also completed.RESULTS: Mean time for group B during FAST was shorter (20.4 vs. 22.7 min) than time
for the other groups. Image quality scoring was lower than in groups A or C, but all groups produced images of acceptable diagnostic quality.DISCUSSION: RG produces US images of higher quality than those produced with only computer-based instruction. Extended communication delays
in exploration missions will eliminate the option of real-time guidance, thus requiring autonomous operation. The computer program used appears effective and could be a model for future digital US expertise banks. Terrestrially, it also provides adequate self-training and mentoring mechanisms.Hurst
VW IV, Peterson S, Garcia K, Ebert D, Ham D, Amponsah D, Dulchavsky S. Concept of operations evaluation for using remote-guidance ultrasound for exploration spaceflight. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2015; 86(12):1034–1038.
Cognitive Workload and Psychophysiological Parameters During Multitask Activity in Helicopter Pilots
Authors: Gaetan Sophie , Dousset Erick , Marqueste Tanguy , Bringoux Lionel , Bourdin Christophe , Vercher Jean-Louis , Besson Patricia
Published: November 2015

BACKGROUND: Helicopter pilots are involved in a complex multitask activity, implying overuse of cognitive resources, which may result in piloting task impairment or in decision-making failure. Studies usually investigate this phenomenon in well-controlled, poorly ecological situations
by focusing on the correlation between physiological values and either cognitive workload or emotional state. This study aimed at jointly exploring workload induced by a realistic simulated helicopter flight mission and emotional state, as well as physiological markers.METHOD: The
experiment took place in the helicopter full flight dynamic simulator. Six participants had to fly on two missions. Workload level, skin conductance, RMS-EMG, and emotional state were assessed.RESULTS: Joint analysis of psychological and physiological parameters associated with
workload estimation revealed particular dynamics in each of three profiles. 1) Expert pilots showed a slight increase of measured physiological parameters associated with the increase in difficulty level. Workload estimates never reached the highest level and the emotional state for this profile
only referred to positive emotions with low emotional intensity. 2) Non-Expert pilots showed increasing physiological values as the perceived workload increased. However, their emotional state referred to either positive or negative emotions, with a greater variability in emotional intensity.
3) Intermediate pilots were similar to Expert pilots regarding emotional states and similar to Non-Expert pilots regarding physiological patterns.DISCUSSION: Overall, high interindividual variability of these results highlight the complex link between physiological and psychological
parameters with workload, and question whether physiology alone could predict a pilot's inability to make the right decision at the right time.Gaetan S, Dousset E, Marqueste T, Bringoux L, Bourdin C, Vercher J-L, Besson P. Cognitive workload and psychophysiological parameters during
multitask activity in helicopter pilots. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2015; 86(12):1052–1057.
The Aeromedical Implications of Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Jagathesan Tania , O’Brien Michael D.
Published: November 2015

BACKGROUND: Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder which is encountered in the pilot population and has clinical features that can impact on the flying role. This retrospective study reviewed the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA)
experience of Parkinson’s disease. The aeromedical implications of the condition are discussed and the UK CAA policy for the certificatory assessment of pilots with Parkinson’s disease is described.METHODS: A search of the UK CAA medical records database from 1990 to
2015 identified 34 pilots with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Data was extracted for the class of medical certificate, time from first symptoms to diagnosis, age at diagnosis, the time from diagnosis to loss of certification and the reasons for loss of certification.RESULTS:
Of 15 professional (Class 1) and 19 private (Class 2) pilots, the mean time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis was 36 and 19 mo, respectively. The mean ages at diagnosis were 55 and 59 yr, respectively. The mean interval from diagnosis to loss of certification was 21 (0-93) and 37 (0-84)
mo, respectively. The reasons for loss of certification are considered.CONCLUSION: In the UK, pilots diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease may be granted medical certification depending on their functional ability and the side effect profile of medication. The aeromedical implications
of Parkinson’s disease and the UK CAA policy for the certification of pilots with Parkinson’s disease are discussed.Jagathesan T, O’Brien MD. The aeromedical implications of Parkinson’s disease. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2015; 86(12):1046–1051.
Rebreather Unit to Prolong Underwater Survival Time
Authors: House Carol M. , Shaw Anneliese M. , Roiz de Sa Daniel G.
Published: November 2015

INTRODUCTION: This study investigated whether the timing of activation affects the utility of an emergency underwater rebreather unit (RBU) when submerged in cold water.METHOD: On two successive occasions, 16 male UK Royal Marines were submerged in stirred water at
12.2°C for up to 78 s. The subjects were lowered (taking 18 s) into the water in a seated position and were instructed to take a large breath in, activate the unit, breath-hold for as long as possible, exhale into the unit, and breathe normally to and from the unit for the remainder of
submersion. On one occasion the subjects were instructed to activate the RBU when the water reached chest height (Condition-1) and, on the other, prior to the feet entering the water (Condition-2). Measurements were made of the duration of breath-hold, rebreathing and submersion, exhaled oxygen
and carbon dioxide concentrations, skin temperature, and heart rate.RESULTS: In 16 of the 32 submersions, the breath-hold was released before the subject became fully submerged and in 8 submersions the subject requested early withdrawal from the water. Mean (SD) breath-hold duration
was 14.0 (13.8) s and the duration of rebreathing was 45.9 (21.9) s. The duration of breath-hold once completely submerged was longer in Condition-1 (9.1 s) than Condition-2 (4.1 s).CONCLUSIONS: The study indicates the RBU should be activated just before the mouth becomes submerged
rather than before entering the water, and that the RBU will prolong underwater stay time, thereby increasing survival prospects.House CM, Shaw AM, Roiz de Sa DG. Rebreather unit to prolong underwater survival time. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2015; 86(12):1028–1033.
Comments on Body Mass Changes During Long-Duration Spaceflight
Authors: Thornton William
Published: November 2015

ABSTRACT: The paper “Body Mass Changes During Long-Duration Spaceflight” allows a comparison of devices, their application, results obtained and their interpretation from the two programs of such studies to date. There were significant differences in all aspects of
the two programs which are briefly commented on here.Thornton W. Comments on body mass changes during long-duration spaceflight. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2015; 86(12):1070–1071.
Assessment of an Alternative Army Aircrew Eyewear
Authors: Walsh David V. , Jurek Gina M. , Capó-Aponte José E. , Riggs Daniel W. , Ramiccio John A.
Published: November 2015

BACKGROUND: Currently, Army aircrews needing refractive correction are issued the HGU-4/P aviator spectacles. However, a recently published survey found dissatisfaction with the current spectacle frame. The Aircrew Flight Frame (AFF) has been used by the Air Force for over 14
yr, with the AFF-OP (Operational) style used the longest. The purpose of this study was to evaluate AFF-OP performance and compatibility among U.S. Army aircrew under operational conditions.METHODS: At 1-, 6-, and 12-wk intervals, 73 Army aircrew members wore the AFF-OP eyewear
and completed a Likert scale survey. There were 14 outcome measures surveyed, with the main outcome measure being frame preference.RESULTS: The AFF-OP was preferred significantly more than the HGU-4/P spectacle. Overall, 94% of aircrew responses preferred the AFF-OP and the three
highest subjective reasons for AFF-OP preference were: 1) comfort around the ears without helmet or headset; 2) comfort around the ears with helmet or headset; and 3) the effect on ear cup seal. There were no statistically significant differences in responses over the three surveyed time intervals.DISCUSSION:
Army aviation aircrew preferred the AFF-OP over the current HGU-4/P spectacles. Two of the top three highest subjective reasons for AFF-OP preference coincided with two of the top three operational eyewear problems reported in the recently published survey. If Army aircrew do not wear their
issued eyewear, they may purchase their own frame “out of pocket.” However, this can lead to use of a frame that has not been tested for compatibility and may compromise performance of aircrew life support equipment.Walsh DV, Jurek GM, Capó-Aponte JE, Riggs DW, Ramiccio JA. Assessment of an alternative army aircrew eyewear. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2015; 86(12):1014–1019.
Exercise Countermeasure Hardware Evolution on ISS: The First Decade
Authors: Korth Deborah W.
Published: November 2015

The hardware systems necessary to support exercise countermeasures to the deconditioning associated with microgravity exposure have evolved and improved significantly during the first decade of the International Space Station (ISS), resulting in both new types of hardware and enhanced
performance capabilities for initial hardware items. The original suite of countermeasure hardware supported the first crews to arrive on the ISS and the improved countermeasure system delivered in later missions continues to serve the astronauts today with increased efficacy. Due to aggressive
hardware development schedules and constrained budgets, the initial approach was to identify existing spaceflight-certified exercise countermeasure equipment, when available, and modify it for use on the ISS. Program management encouraged the use of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware,
or hardware previously developed (heritage hardware) for the Space Shuttle Program. However, in many cases the resultant hardware did not meet the additional requirements necessary to support crew health maintenance during long-duration missions (3 to 12 mo) and anticipated future utilization
activities in support of biomedical research. Hardware development was further complicated by performance requirements that were not fully defined at the outset and tended to evolve over the course of design and fabrication. Modifications, ranging from simple to extensive, were necessary to
meet these evolving requirements in each case where heritage hardware was proposed. Heritage hardware was anticipated to be inherently reliable without the need for extensive ground testing, due to its prior positive history during operational spaceflight utilization. As a result, developmental
budgets were typically insufficient and schedules were too constrained to permit long-term evaluation of dedicated ground-test units ("fleet leader" type testing) to identify reliability issues when applied to long-duration use. In most cases, the exercise unit with the most operational
history was the unit installed on the ISS.Korth DW. Exercise countermeasure hardware evolution on ISS: the first decade. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2015; 86(12, Suppl.):A7–A13.
Physical Training for Long-Duration Spaceflight
Authors: Loehr James A. , Guilliams Mark E. , Petersen Nora , Hirsch Natalie , Kawashima Shino , Ohshima Hiroshi
Published: November 2015

INTRODUCTION: Physical training has been conducted on the International Space Station (ISS) for the past 10 yr as a countermeasure to physiological deconditioning during spaceflight. Each member space agency has developed its own approach to creating and implementing physical
training protocols for their astronauts. We have divided physical training into three distinct phases (preflight, in-flight, and postflight) and provided a description of each phase with its constraints and limitations. We also discuss how each member agency (NASA, ESA, CSA, and JAXA) prescribed
physical training for their crewmembers during the first 10 yr of ISS operations. It is important to understand the operational environment, the agency responsible for the physical training program, and the constraints and limitations associated with spaceflight to accurately design and implement
exercise training or interpret the exercise data collected on ISS. As exploration missions move forward, resolving agency differences in physical training programs will become important to maximizing the effectiveness of exercise as a countermeasure and minimizing any mission impacts.Loehr
JA, Guilliams ME, Petersen N, Hirsch N, Kawashima S, Ohshima H. Physical training for long-duration spaceflight. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2015; 86(12, Suppl.):A14–A23.
Russian Countermeasure Systems for Adverse Effects of Microgravity on Long-Duration ISS Flights
Authors: Kozlovskaya Inessa B. , Yarmanova E. N. , Yegorov A. D. , Stepantsov V. I. , Fomina E. V. , Tomilovaskaya E. S.
Published: November 2015

INTRODUCTION: The system of countermeasures for the adverse effects of microgravity developed in the USSR supported the successful implementation of long-duration spaceflight (LDS) programs on the Salyut and Mir orbital stations and was subsequently adapted for flights on the
International Space Station (ISS). From 2000 through 2010, crews completed 26 ISS flight increments ranging in duration from 140 to 216 d, with the participation of 27 Russian cosmonauts. These flights have made it possible to more precisely determine a crewmember’s level of conditioning,
better assess the advantages and disadvantages of training processes, and determine prospects for future developments.Koslovskaya IB, Yarmanova EN, Yegorov AD, Stepantsov VI, Fomina EV, Tomilovaskaya ES. Russian countermeasure systems for adverse effects of microgravity on long-duration ISS flights. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2015; 86(12, Suppl.):A24–A31.
Evolution of Russian Microgravity Countermeasures
Authors: Yarmanova Eugenia N. , Kozlovskaya Inessa B. , Khimoroda N. N. , Fomina Elena V.
Published: November 2015

INTRODUCTION: Countermeasures to prevent or partially offset the negative physiologic changes that are caused by the effects of microgravity play an important role in supporting the performance of crewmembers in flight and their safe return to Earth. Research conducted in Russia
on the orbital stations Salyut and Mir, as well as simulation experiments on the ground, have demonstrated that changes that occur during extended spaceflight in various physiologic systems can be prevented or significantly decreased by using countermeasures. Hardware and techniques used on
the ISS have been substantially improved to reflect the experience of previous extended missions on Russian orbital stations. Countermeasures used during early ISS missions consisted of the U.S. treadmill (TVIS), cycle ergometer (ВБ-3), a set of resistance bands, a postural muscle
loading suit (Penguin-3), electrical stimulator (Tonus-3), compression thigh cuffs (Braslet-М), a lower body negative pressure (LBNP) suit (Chibis), a lower body g-loading suit (Kentavr), and water/salt supplements. These countermeasures are described in this article.Yarmonova EN,
Kozlovskaya IB, Khimoroda NN, Fomina EV. Evolution of Russian microgravity countermeasures. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2015; 86(12, Suppl.):A32–A37.
The First 10 Years of Aerobic Exercise Responses to Long-Duration ISS Flights
Authors: Moore Alan D. , Lynn Peggy A. , Feiveson Alan H.
Published: November 2015

INTRODUCTION: Aerobic deconditioning may occur during International Space Station (ISS) flights. This paper documents findings from exercise testing conducted before, during, and after ISS expeditions.METHODS: There were 30 male and 7 female astronauts on ISS missions
(48 to 219 d, mean 163 d) who performed cycle exercise protocols consisting of 5-min stages eliciting 25%, 50%, and 75% peak oxygen uptake (Vo2peak). Tests were conducted 30 to 90 d before missions, on flight day 15 and every 30 flight days thereafter, and on recovery (R) days +5
and +30. During pre- and postflight tests, heart rate (HR) and metabolic gas exchange were measured. During flight, extrapolation of the HR and Vo2 relationship to preflight-measured peak HR provided an estimate of Vo2peak, referred to as the aerobic capacity index (ACI).RESULTS:
HR during each exercise stage was elevated (P < 0.05) and oxygen pulse was reduced (P < 0.05) on R+5 compared to preflight; however, no other metabolic gas analysis values significantly changed. Compared to preflight, the ACI declined (P < 0.001) on R+5, but recovered
to levels greater than preflight by R+30 (P = 0.008). During flight, ACI decreased below preflight values, but increased with mission duration (P < 0.001).CONCLUSIONS: Aerobic deconditioning likely occurs initially during flight, but ACI recovers toward preflight
levels as flight duration increases, presumably due to performance of exercise countermeasures. Elevated HR and lowered oxygen pulse on R+5 likely results from some combination of relative hypovolemia, lowered cardiac stroke volume, reduced cardiac distensibility, and anemia, but recovery
occurs by R+30.Moore AD Jr, Lynn PA, Feiveson AH. The first 10 years of aerobic exercise responses to long-duration ISS flights. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2015; 86(12, Suppl.):A78–A86.
Exercise Countermeasures on ISS: Summary and Future Directions
Authors: Loerch Linda H.
Published: November 2015

INTRODUCTION: The first decade of the International Space Station Program (ISS) yielded a wealth of knowledge regarding the health and performance of crewmembers living in microgravity for extended periods of time. The exercise countermeasures hardware suite evolved during the
last decade to provide enhanced capabilities that were previously unavailable to support human spaceflight, resulting in attenuation of cardiovascular, muscle, and bone deconditioning. The ability to protect crew and complete mission tasks in the autonomous exploration environment will be
a critical component of any decision to proceed with manned exploration initiatives.The next decade of ISS habitation promises to be a period of great scientific utilization that will yield both the tools and technologies required to safely explore the solar system. Leading countermeasure
candidates for exploration class missions must be studied methodically on ISS over the next decade to ensure protocols and systems are highly efficient, effective, and validated. Lessons learned from the ISS experience to date are being applied to the future, and international cooperation
enables us to maximize this exceptional research laboratory.Loerch LH. Exercise countermeasures on ISS: summary and future directions. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2015; 86 (12, Suppl.):A92–A93.
The Healing Magic of Joy: Understanding Magic as a Metaphor for Positive Emotion inThe Secret Garden
Authors: Lamond Margrete
Published: November 2015

Literary analysis tends to be conceptual and top-down driven. Data-driven analysis, although it belongs more to the domain of scientific method, can nevertheless sometimes reveal elements of narrative that conceptual readings may fall short of identifying. In critiques of Burnett's The Secret Garden, the children's return to health is generally understood to be the result of their interactions with nature. Some readings add the power of storytelling as a healing force in the novel. Burnett's concept of magic has tended to be treated with uneasy abstractions, and the influence of affect on health remains open for further investigation. This article bases its argument on data-driven analysis that charts how affective content in the novel occurs in conjunction with references to magic. It identifies the narrative significance of negative allusions to nature and how concepts of magic occur alongside representations of positive affect, and suggests that the magic of healing in The Secret Garden is not the transforming power of biological nature, nor the transforming power of storytelling, but the transforming power of surprise, wonder and happiness in conjunction with all these factors. Positive affect represents the essence of what Burnett means by magic.
The Alluring Nature of Children's Culture: Fairy Tales, the Carnival and the World Wide Web
Authors: Flegar Željka
Published: November 2015

This article discusses the implied ‘vulgarity’ and playfulness of children's literature within the broader concept of the carnivalesque as defined by Mikhail Bakhtin in Rabelais and His World (1965) and further contextualised by John Stephens in Language and Ideology in Children's Fiction (1992). Carnivalesque adaptations of fairy tales are examined by situating them within Cristina Bacchilega's contemporary construct of the ‘fairy-tale web’, focusing on the arenas of parody and intertextuality for the purpose of detecting crucial changes in children's culture in relation to the social construct and ideology of adulthood from the Golden Age of children's literature onward. The analysis is primarily concerned with Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes (1982) and J. K. Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard (2007/2008) as representative examples of the historically conditioned empowerment of the child consumer. Marked by ambivalent laughter, mockery and the degradation of ‘high culture’, the interrogative, subversive and ‘time out’ nature of the carnivalesque adaptations of fairy tales reveals the striking allure of contemporary children's culture, which not only accommodates children's needs and preferences, but also is evidently desirable to everybody.
Ghosts of Australia Past: Postcolonial Haunting in Australian Adolescent Mystery Novels
Authors: Potter Troy
Published: November 2015

This essay explores the use of haunting in two Australian adolescent mystery novels, Victor Kelleher's Baily's Bones (1988) and Anthony Eaton's A New Kind of Dreaming (2001). Both novels mobilise the mystery genre as a means to interrogate Australia's colonial past and neocolonial present. The function of the spatial environments in which the novels take place and the construction and function of haunting in each novel is interrogated. It is argued that haunting is figured as a disruptive process whereby the repressed colonial scene intrudes on the present, such that the haunting the teenage protagonists experience encourages them to enquire into the past. While on the one hand the novels advocate a renewed interrogation of Australia's past in order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the present, a closer reading of the texts reveals that the novels fail to sustain their postcolonial endeavours. Thus, while adolescent mystery fiction is a genre that can be mobilised in the name of postcolonial enquiry, the difficulty of doing so effectively is illustrative of the wider challenge of achieving decolonisation.
Impulsivity and Stillness: NADA, Pharmaceuticals, and Psychotherapy in Substance Use and Other DSM 5 Disorders
Authors: Carter Kenneth , Olshan-Perlmutter Michelle
Published: November 2015

Pharmaceuticals and psychotherapy are commonly used in the management of impulsivity. The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) protocol is an adjunctive therapy that involves the bilateral insertion of 1 to 5 predetermined ear needle points. One of the main benefits reported by patients, providers, and programs utilizing NADA is the sense of stillness, centering, and well-being. The induction of this attitude is seen as contributing to improved clinical outcomes including engagement and retention. The attitude of stillness is also suggestive of a pathway to mitigating impulsivity. Impulsivity is associated with substance use disorders and other DSM 5 diagnoses. Impulsivity has characteristics that are manifested clinically in behaviors such as disinhibition, poor self-control, lack of deliberation, thrill seeking, risk-taking. NADA holds promise as a useful treatment adjunct in the comprehensive management of disorders for which impulsivity is a prominent component.
Dynamic Load Balancing Strategy for Cloud Computing with Ant Colony Optimization
Authors: Gao Ren , Wu Juebo
Published: November 2015

How to distribute and coordinate tasks in cloud computing is a challenging issue, in order to get optimal resource utilization and avoid overload. In this paper, we present a novel approach on load balancing via ant colony optimization (ACO), for balancing the workload in a cloud computing platform dynamically. Two strategies, forward-backward ant mechanism and max-min rules, are introduced to quickly find out the candidate nodes for load balancing. We formulate pheromone initialization and pheromone update according to physical resources under the cloud computing environment, including pheromone evaporation, incentive, and punishment rules, etc. Combined with task execution prediction, we define the moving probability of ants in two ways, that is, whether the forward ant meets the backward ant, or not, in the neighbor node, with the aim of accelerating searching processes. Simulations illustrate that the proposed strategy can not only provide dynamic load balancing for cloud computing with less searching time, but can also get high network performance under medium and heavily loaded contexts.
Chronic Hepatitis B with Spontaneous Severe Acute Exacerbation
Authors: Tsai Wei-Lun , Sun Wei-Chi , Cheng Jin-Shiung
Published: November 2015

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major global health problem with an estimated 400 million HBV carriers worldwide. In the natural history of chronic hepatitis B (CHB), spontaneous acute exacerbation (AE) is not uncommon, with a cumulative incidence of 10%–30% every year. While exacerbations can be mild, some patients may develop hepatic decompensation and even die. The underlying pathogenesis is possibly related to the activation of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-mediated immune response against HBV. An upsurge of serum HBV DNA usually precedes the rise of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and bilirubin. Whether antiviral treatment can benefit CHB with severe AE remains controversial, but early nucleos(t)ide analogues treatment seemed to be associated with an improved outcome. There has been no randomized study that compared the effects of different nucleos(t)ide analogues (NA) in the setting of CHB with severe AE. However, potent NAs with good resistance profiles are recommended. In this review, we summarized current knowledge regarding the natural history, pathogenetic mechanisms, and therapeutic options of CHB with severe AE.
miR-218 Inhibits Erythroid Differentiation and Alters Iron Metabolism by Targeting ALAS2 in K562 Cells
Authors: Li Yanming , Liu Shuge , Sun Hongying , Yang Yadong , Qi Heyuan , Ding Nan , Zheng Jiawen , Dong Xunong , Qu Hongzhu , Zhang Zhaojun , Fang Xiangdong
Published: November 2015

microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in a variety of biological processes. The regulatory function and potential role of miRNAs targeting the mRNA of the 5′-aminolevulinate synthase 2 (ALAS2) in erythropoiesis were investigated in order to identify miRNAs which play a role in erythroid iron metabolism and differentiation. Firstly, the role of ALAS2 in erythroid differentiation and iron metabolism in human erythroid leukemia cells (K562) was confirmed by ALAS2 knockdown. Through a series of screening strategies and experimental validations, it was identified that hsa-miR-218 (miR-218) targets and represses the expression of ALAS2 by binding to the 3′-untranslated region (UTR). Overexpression of miR-218 repressed erythroid differentiation and altered iron metabolism in K562 cells similar to that seen in the ALAS2 knockdown in K562 cells. In addition to iron metabolism and erythroid differentiation, miR-218 was found to be responsible for a reduction in K562 cell growth. Taken together, our results show that miR-218 inhibits erythroid differentiation and alters iron metabolism by targeting ALAS2 in K562 cells.
Evodiamine Attenuates PDGF-BB-Induced Migration of Rat Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells through Activating PPARγ
Authors: Ge Xie , Chen Siyu , Liu Mei , Liang Tingming , Liu Chang
Published: November 2015

The uncontrolled migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) into the intima is a critical process in the development of atherosclerosis. Evodiamine, an indole alkaloid extracted from the Chinese medicine evodia, has been shown to inhibit tumor cell invasion and protect the cardiovascular system, but its effects on VSMCs remain unknown. In the present study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of evodiamine on the platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB)-induced VSMC migration using wound healing and transwell assays, and assessed its role in decreasing the protein levels of matrix metalloproteinases and cell adhesion molecules. More importantly, we found that evodiamine activated the expression and nuclear translocation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ). Inhibition of PPARγ activity by using its antagonist T0070907 and its specific siRNA oligonucleotides significantly attenuated the inhibitory effects of evodiamine on VSMC migration. Taken together, our results indicate a promising anti-atherogenic effect of evodiamine through attenuation of VSMC migration by activating PPARγ.
Magnetic Properties and the Superatom Character of 13-Atom Platinum Nanoclusters
Authors: Roduner Emil , Jensen Christopher
Published: November 2015

13-atom platinum nanoclusters have been synthesized quantitatively in the pores of the zeolites NaY and KL. They reveal highly interesting magnetic properties like high-spin states, a blocking temperature, and super-diamagnetism, depending heavily on the loading of chemisorbed hydrogen. Additionally, EPR active states are observed. All of these magnetic properties are understood best if one considers the near-spherical clusters as analogs of transition metal atoms with low-spin and high-spin states, and with delocalized molecular orbitals which have a structure similar to that of atomic orbitals. These clusters are, therefore, called superatoms, and it is their analogy with normal atoms which is in the focus of the present work, but further phenomena, like the observation of a magnetic blocking temperature and the possibility of superconductivity, are discussed.
Effects of Organic and Inorganic Nitrogen on the Growth and Production of Domoic Acid by Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries and P. australis (Bacillariophyceae) in Culture
Authors: Martin-Jézéquel Véronique , Calu Guillaume , Candela Leo , Amzil Zouher , Jauffrais Thierry , Séchet Véronique , Weigel Pierre
Published: November 2015

Over the last century, human activities have altered the global nitrogen cycle, and anthropogenic inputs of both inorganic and organic nitrogen species have increased around the world, causing significant changes to the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. The increasing frequency of Pseudo-nitzschia spp. in estuarine and coastal waters reinforces the need to understand better the environmental control of its growth and domoic acid (DA) production. Here, we document Pseudo-nitzschia spp. growth and toxicity on a large set of inorganic and organic nitrogen (nitrate, ammonium, urea, glutamate, glutamine, arginine and taurine). Our study focused on two species isolated from European coastal waters: P. multiseries CCL70 and P. australis PNC1. The nitrogen sources induced broad differences between the two species with respect to growth rate, biomass and cellular DA, but no specific variation could be attributed to any of the inorganic or organic nitrogen substrates. Enrichment with ammonium resulted in an enhanced growth rate and cell yield, whereas glutamate did not support the growth of P. multiseries. Arginine, glutamine and taurine enabled good growth of P. australis, but without toxin production. The highest DA content was produced when P. multiseries grew with urea and P. australis grew with glutamate. For both species, growth rate was not correlated with DA content but more toxin was produced when the nitrogen source could not sustain a high biomass. A significant negative correlation was found between cell biomass and DA content in P. australis. This study shows that Pseudo-nitzschia can readily utilize organic nitrogen in the form of amino acids, and confirms that both inorganic and organic nitrogen affect growth and DA production. Our results contribute to our understanding of the ecophysiology of Pseudo-nitzschia spp. and may help to predict toxic events in the natural environment.