bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Role of the Anak Raja in Malay History: A Case Study from Eighteenth-Century Kedah
Authors: Andaya Barbara Watson
Published: April 2011

The history of the Malay world in the eighteenth century is characterised by a constantly shifting balance of power, extreme flexibility in the political patterns, and an ongoing search for strong friends and advantageous allies. Malay and European sources relating to the period contain an often overwhelming amount of information concerning seemingly endless conspiracies, broken treaties, negotiations, and re-alignments. Yet from this maze of detail distinct themes emerge, one of which concerns the activities of various Malay anak raja (sons of kings and pirates) and anak baik (sons of nobles). Existing material allows for the compilation of a number of interesting biographies. We can, for instance, follow the career of Perak's Raja 'Alim, who might have successfully unseated his cousin and become ruler himself had it not been for Dutch intervention. The wandering life led by a Siak prince, Raja Ismail, and his unceasing efforts to rally support for a triumphant return to his homeland are similarly described in both Malay chronicles and the missives of Dutch governors. Such accounts make for absorbing reading and undoubtedly have their own intrinsic historical value. On the other hand, it is perhaps more fruitful to regard anak raja like Raja 'Alim and Raja Ismail not so much as individuals as representatives of a distinct social category within what has been called the “ruling class.” If viewed in this light, the activities of many anak raja mentioned in the records take on a new dimension, and comments concerning their role in Malay history assume a wider application.
The Problem of the Thai-Muslims in the Four Southern Provinces of Thailand (Part One)
Authors: Haemindra Nantawan
Published: April 2011

Recent developments have made the Thai Government increasingly uneasy about the continuing disturbances in various parts of the country. The vexing problem of Communist subversion and Vietnamese minorities in the Northeast appears to be matched by growing anxiety over the increase in banditry, assassinations, and the activities of several illegal organized groups in the extreme South. Concern is mounting particularly over reports of alarming agitation by resentful elements in the southern Thailand-Peninsular Malaysia border region. Perhaps the most unpleasant strand in the pattern of unrest, and the most serious threat to national integrity, is the tendency to irredentism among the Muslim Malays in the provinces of Pattani, Yala, Setul and Narathiwat in southern Thailand.
The Kuomintang-Communist United Front in Malaya during the National Salvation Period, 1937–1941
Authors: Leong Stephen
Published: April 2011

While it can be accepted that the politics of the hua-ch”iao or overseas Chinese in Malaya during the pre-war period generally reflected the politics of China (overseas Chinese responses to such events as the Chinese Revolution of 1911, the Twenty-One Demands of 1915, the May Fourth Incident of 1919, the Tsinan Affair of 1928 and the Mukden Incident of 1931 strongly substantiate this), this quality of hua-ch”iao politics can give rise to misleading assumptions regarding other events. The Kuomintang (Nationalist)–Communist united front during the Sino-Japanese War is a case in point.
Cultural Resource Management and Archaeology at Chiang Saen, Northern Thailand
Authors: Lertrit Sawang
Published: April 2011

Using Chiang Saen in northern Thailand as a case study, this paper describes the practice of archaeology as conducted by the Thai Fine Arts Department. In particular, it examines how the Chiang Saen archaeological site has been treated under the rubric of “cultural resource management”.
The Tobacco Industry of North Borneo: A Distinctive Form of Plantation Agriculture
Authors: John David W. , Jackson James C.
Published: April 2011

Recently the validity of the standard portrayals of plantation agriculture — phrased as they are in essentially descriptive terms revealing little about the functioning of this particular system of crop production — was called into question. It was suggested that a deeper understanding of the nature and mechanisms of plantation agriculture required the explicit recognition that this is not an undifferentiated, unchanging agricultural system, but that there are in reality different types of plantation; in identifying these, it is essential to consider variations in the individual form and range of combinations of selected key elements central to the organisation of production. This led to the conclusion that in view of their structure and modes of operation certain large-scale agricultural enterprises producing for export which adopt rotational patterns of land use whereby specific sites are cleared, cropped, exhausted and then left to revert to secondary growth for varying periods should be seen not as commercial variants of shifting cultivation but as a distinctive type of plantation agriculture. Producing high-quality wrapper-leaf tobacco for cigars, the renowned plantations of the Deli region of north-east Sumatra provide a classic illustration of this point. Although, in the absence of a fully-documented review of its history and organisation, it rarely receives notice, a similar plantation industry also developed in what is now the Malaysian State of Sabah in the last two decades of the nineteenth century. Roughly the size of Ireland, Sabah — then known as North Borneo — was administered from 1881 until 1946 by the British North Borneo (Chartered) Company and this tobacco industry was of crucial significance in the economic history of the Company's territory. “Tobacco in the eighties,” wrote Rutter half a century ago, “played an even more important part in the destinies of the country than rubber has in later years. Until ousted by rubber it was the country's foremost planting industry…” This survey of the tobacco industry of North Borneo has a double objective therefore; it investigates the role of the industry in the process of economic development in the State and also seeks to indicate the particular features of this form of plantation agriculture.
A Note on the Developmental Process in Singapore
Authors: Hassan Riaz
Published: April 2011

Singapore is one of the most developed countries in Southeast Asia by most standards commonly used by social scientists. The factors which have directly or indirectly contributed to this degree of development include the following: an ecological location which makes Singapore the natural centre of the region; an excellent harbour; the political structure; a continuous supply of foreign capital; a development-oriented bureaucracy; planned industrial and urban development; the physical infra-structure and the attitudes and value orientations of its population. This list is by no means exhaustive and there remain many other factors though of lesser importance, which might be included.
“Because it's there …” A consideration of the decision to commit New Zealand troops to Malaysia beyond 1971
Authors: Jackson Keith
Published: April 2011

Direct diplomatic relations between New Zealand and Malaya/Singapore are a relatively recent innovation dating back only to 1955, and, significantly, the original decision to station troops in the area in peacetime preceded the establishment of formal diplomatic links. It is true that even before the Second World War there had been a growing consciousness of the strategic significance of the area, but it was seen in terms of Singapore as a link in the chain of Imperial defence, never as a region in its own right. Regions were subsumed in the worldwide defence strategy of the British Empire. Thus New Zealand contributed financially to the construction of the base for the Royal Navy at Singapore, but her military commitments were in helping to guard the Suez ‘lifeline’. New Zealand air-force units were stationed in Singapore in 1940, but despite the national trauma associated with the fall of the base and the apprehended threat to New Zealand’s own security, the ground forces remained in the Middle East. Indeed, New Zealand's formal Commonwealth responsibilities were to remain in the Middle East until 1955 and public interest continued to focus on that area to a surprising degree. The lessons of the Pacific War for New Zealand, therefore, were less concerned with the strategic importance of any particular area than with the indispensability of a United States alliance. As one research group put it, ‘in the immediate post-war years New Zealand showed a greater sense of international awareness, but no sense of particular involvement with the Far East; still less with South-East Asia.
Archaeological Research in Indonesia
Authors: Soejono R. P.
Published: April 2011

Since the very beginning, archaeological activity in Indonesia was centered on three main aspects, namely:

1. Collecting and inventory of archaeological data;

2. Research;

3. Preservation of artifacts.
Organic enrichment and structure of macrobenthic communities in the glacial Baker Fjord, Northern Patagonia, Chile
Authors: Quiroga Eduardo , Ortiz Paula , Gerdes Dieter , Reid Brian , Villagran Soraya , Quiñones Renato
Published: April 2011

In this study we describe community parameters such as densities, biomasses, species composition, feeding modes and normalized biomass size-spectra (NBSS) of macrobenthic invertebrate communities from three stations located in the Baker Fjord obtained on four seasonal campaigns in 2008 and 2009. The macrobenthic communities were dominated by small-bodied polychaetes (Paraonidae, Capitellidae and Cirratulidae) characterized by continuous year-round breeding, short life-spans, and fast turnover rates, which in turn regulated the standing stock in the communities. Principal component analysis and multiple-regression analysis demonstrate the distribution of macrobenthic communities in the study area to be mainly controlled by few local environmental conditions. Macrofaunal densities, diversity and feeding modes were significantly correlated with the total organic carbon (TOC; R2 = 0.74; P < 0.001) and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a; R2 = 0.55; P < 0.05) content in the sediments. This study also suggests that feeding modes and NBSS can be used to detect and follow possible changes caused by natural perturbations such as glacial lake outburst floods or anthropogenic stressors associated with ecological impacts generated by the construction and operation of hydroelectric power stations in the Baker River.
Cognitive correlates of vocabulary growth in English language learners
Authors: FARNIA FATANEH , GEVA ESTHER
Published: April 2011

This study modeled vocabulary trajectories in 91 English language learners (ELLs) with Punjabi, Tamil, or Portuguese home languages, and 50 English monolinguals (EL1) from Grades 1 to 6. The concurrent and longitudinal relationships between phonological awareness and phonological short-term memory and vocabulary were examined. ELLs underperformed EL1s on vocabulary across all grades. Although vocabulary grew faster in ELLs than in EL1s in the primary grades, they did not close the gap after 6 years of English schooling. Mutual facilitation was found between phonological awareness, English-like nonwords, and vocabulary. A unidirectional relationship was found between Hebrew-like nonwords and vocabulary suggesting that the relationship between phonological short-term memory and vocabulary can be more accurately captured when using nonwords based on a remote, unfamiliar language.
Use of “um” in the deceptive speech of a convicted murderer
Authors: VILLAR GINA , ARCIULI JOANNE , MALLARD DAVID
Published: April 2011

Previous studies have demonstrated a link between language behaviors and deception; however, questions remain about the role of specific linguistic cues, especially in real-life high-stakes lies. This study investigated use of the so-called filler, “um,” in externally verifiable truthful versus deceptive speech of a convicted murderer. The data revealed significantly fewer instances of “um” in deceptive speech. These results are in line with our recent study of “um” in laboratory elicited low-stakes lies. Rather than constituting a filled pause or speech disfluency, “um” may have a lexical status similar to other English words and may be under the strategic control of the speaker. In an attempt to successfully deceive, humans may alter their speech, perhaps in order to avoid certain language behaviors that they think might give them away.
Attitudes et perception de contrôle des personnes âgées envers la prise de médicaments à action anxiolytique, sédative et hypnotique (ASH)
Authors: Guindon Marilyn , Cappeliez Philippe
Published: April 2011

This study examines the importance of variables from the Theory of Planned Behaviour (i.e.,attitudes toward behaviour, subjective norms, and perceived control) for the prediction of consumption of anxiolytic and sedative-hypnotic (ASH) medications in a sample of older persons, aged 69 years on average, 62 consumers and 92 non-consumers. A favourable attitude toward ASH and a sense of having less control regarding these drugs predict both current usage and intention to continue. Perceived control predicts intention to start consumption of ASH in current non-consumers. This study underlines the importance of considering the role of the older person’s decisional power in the consumption of these medications.
Populism, Paranoia, and the Politics of Free Silver
Authors: DeCanio Samuel
Published: April 2011

This essay defends the Populists against charges that they espoused an irrationally conspiratorial view of American history. Focusing on monetary policy, and the free silver issue in particular, I argue that the Populists correctly suspected that bankers conspired to demonetize silver and demonstrate that William Ralston, president of The Bank of California, secretly bribed Treasury Department bureaucrats and used Western congressmen to pass the Coinage Act of 1873. Ralston's involvement in silver's demonetization has important ramifications for our understanding of the free silver movement. Some of the congressmen who helped Ralston demonetize silver paradoxically went on to lead the free silver movement, blaming Eastern financiers for the measure they helped pass, and created organizations such as the American Bimetallic League and the American Bimetallic Party, organizations that popularized the ideas subsequently adopted by the Populists and William Jennings Bryan. As some leaders of the free silver movement were deeply involved in silver's demonetization, this period exhibited levels of duplicity that have been unrecognized until now.
Burden of acute gastrointestinal illness in Denmark 2009: a population-based telephone survey
Authors: MÜLLER L. , KORSGAARD H. , ETHELBERG S.
Published: April 2011

A cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted in Denmark throughout 2009 to determine the incidence of acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI). Using the Danish population register, a random population sample stratified by gender and age groups was selected and mobile or landline phone numbers found. Representative numbers of interviews were performed by gender, age group and month. A recently proposed international case definition of AGI, including cases with diarrhoea and/or vomiting in a 4-week recall period, was used. A total of 1853 individuals were included and 206 (11·1%) fulfilled the case definition; 78% reported diarrhoea. This corresponds to an overall standardized incidence rate of 1·4 (95% CI 1·2–1·6) episodes of AGI per person-year. The incidence rate was generally higher in the younger age groups; only being 2·3, 1·9 and 0·80 per person-year in the 0–9, 10–39 and ⩾40 years age groups, respectively. The incidence rate estimates were considerably higher when calculated from shorter recall periods.
Herpes simplex encephalitis and management of acyclovir in encephalitis patients in France
Authors: STAHL J. P. , MAILLES A. , De BROUCKER T. ,   the Steering Committee and Investigators Group
Published: April 2011

This study reports on the clinical profiles of herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) case-patients and the management of acyclovir prescriptions. We designed a study on the causes of encephalitis in France in 2007. Case-patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled in all the hospitals that volunteered to participate. Fifty-five of 253 enrolled case-patients were diagnosed with HSE. Three (5%) HSE patients died and 48 (89%) were discharged with persistent neurological symptoms. All HSE patients were prescribed acyclovir, 10 of whom had a 2-week course; 42 a 3-week course; two received incomplete courses; and one received two courses of 21 days each due to relapse. The acyclovir dosage was reported for 45 adult HSE patients, 25 (53%) of whom received 10 mg/kg t.i.d. and 22 (47%) received 15 mg/kg t.i.d. The mortality rate was low despite 49% of patients being admitted to intensive-care units. A high dose of acyclovir was not associated with a better outcome in HSE patients. Most patients had persisting symptoms on discharge suggesting neuropsychological rehabilitation is an important issue for survivors.
Query-focused multi-document summarization: automatic data annotations and supervised learning approaches
Authors: CHALI YLLIAS , HASAN SADID A.
Published: April 2011

In this paper, we apply different supervised learning techniques to build query-focused multi-document summarization systems, where the task is to produce automatic summaries in response to a given query or specific information request stated by the user. A huge amount of labeled data is a prerequisite for supervised training. It is expensive and time-consuming when humans perform the labeling task manually. Automatic labeling can be a good remedy to this problem. We employ five different automatic annotation techniques to build extracts from human abstracts using ROUGE, Basic Element overlap, syntactic similarity measure, semantic similarity measure, and Extended String Subsequence Kernel. The supervised methods we use are Support Vector Machines, Conditional Random Fields, Hidden Markov Models, Maximum Entropy, and two ensemble-based approaches. During different experiments, we analyze the impact of automatic labeling methods on the performance of the applied supervised methods. To our knowledge, no other study has deeply investigated and compared the effects of using different automatic annotation techniques on different supervised learning approaches in the domain of query-focused multi-document summarization.
Coupled isotopic systematics of surface cerium and neodymium in the Pacific Ocean
Authors: Tazoe H. , Obata H. , Gamo T.
Published: April 2011

Trace metals are known to be essential elements in marine ecosystems. Radiogenic isotopes of neodymium (Nd) have been used as tracers in many recent oceanic trace metal studies, although, among rare earth elements, cerium (Ce) isotopes might be an interesting complementary tracer for particle reactive and lithogenic metals such as manganese. This study determined the 138Ce/142Ce ratios in surface waters of the Pacific Ocean and its surrounding marginal seas: the Sulu Sea, the South China Sea, the East China Sea, and the South Australian Basin. The 138Ce/142Ce and 143Nd/144Nd data are discussed in terms of the sources of rare earth elements and elemental fractionation between Ce and Nd in the marine environment. In the Western North Pacific Central Water, East China Sea, and South China Sea, isotopic compositions of Ce (ɛCe = +0.7 to 1.4) are most affected by radiogenic Ce of continental origin. In contrast, less radiogenic isotopic compositions of Ce (ɛCe = −0.4 to +0.3) in the Pacific Equatorial Water were observed locally near volcanic islands such as New Guinea Island, suggesting the influence of mantle‐derived Ce. Compared with Nd, the isotopic composition of Ce showed a heterogeneous distribution in a given surface water mass, reflecting the importance of local sources. Variations of isotopic compositions and concentrations of Ce in the western Equatorial Pacific and the East China Sea suggest that lithogenic Ce is supplied and scavenged by particle‐dissolved interaction near the margins. Radiogenic Ce in the Western North Pacific Central Water, which is more continental‐like than Nd isotopes, suggests direct input by atmospheric dust into the North Pacific Ocean. The isotopic distribution of Ce is sensitive to aeolian supply to the surface waters of the open ocean. This unique feature indicates that the 138Ce/142Ce ratio can be a useful chemical tracer for lithogenic trace elements such as iron and manganese, which have short oceanic residence time.
A theoretical assessment of heat transfer by ventilation in homogeneous snowpacks
Authors: Bartlett S. J. , Lehning M.
Published: April 2011

The effects of heat transfer by ventilation in snow are investigated theoretically. We draw together standard analytical results for fluid flow in porous media and apply them to the case of steady flows induced by periodic roughness elements. These solutions are used to estimate the relative magnitude of ventilation heat transfer in snow. We conclude that topography‐driven ventilation is unlikely to have a significant impact on the larger scale energy balance of snow‐covered regions since the airflow is confined to a shallow penetration depth or just the roughness elements themselves, rather than the bulk snowpack. In particular, for the limiting case of very warm and moisture saturated air flowing over a melting snow cover, we show that latent and sensible heat due to ventilation have about equal contributions and that this contribution is small compared to the overall surface flux as predicted by the Monin‐Obukhov theory.
Peatlands and Their Role in the Global Carbon Cycle
Authors: Yu Zicheng , Beilman D. W. , Frolking S. , MacDonald G. M. , Roulet N. T. , Camill P. , Charman D. J.
Published: April 2011

Global peatlands store a very large carbon (C) pool located within a few meters of the atmosphere. Thus, peatland‐atmosphere C exchange should be a major concern to global change scientists: Will large amounts of respired belowground C be released in a warmer climate, causing the climate to further warm (a positive climate feedback)? Will more C be sequestered due to increased plant growth in a warmer climate? How will land use change, fires, and permafrost thaw affect the magnitude and direction of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) exchange with the atmosphere? These questions remain challenging, but some significant progress has been made recently.
Scientists Examine Challenges and Lessons From Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: April 2011

A week after the magnitude 9.0 great Tohoku earthquake and the resulting tragic and damaging tsunami of 11 March struck Japan, the ramifications continued, with a series of major aftershocks (as Eos went to press, there had been about 4 dozen with magnitudes greater than 6); the grim search for missing people—the death toll was expected to approximate 10,000; the urgent assistance needed for the more than 400,000 homeless and the 1 million people without water; and the frantic efforts to avert an environmental catastrophe at Japan's damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, about 225 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, where radiation was leaking. The earthquake offshore of Honshu in northeastern Japan (see Figure 1) was a plate boundary rupture along the Japan Trench subduction zone, with the source area of the earthquake estimated at 400–500 kilometers long with a maximum slip of 20 meters, determined through various means including Global Positioning System (GPS) and seismographic data, according to Kenji Satake, professor at the Earthquake Research Institute of the University of Tokyo. In some places the tsunami may have topped 7 meters—the maximum instrumental measurement at many coastal tide gauges—and some parts of the coastline may have been inundated more than 5 kilometers inland, Satake indicated. The International Tsunami Information Center (ITIC) noted that eyewitnesses reported that the highest tsunami waves were 13 meters high. Satake also noted that continuous GPS stations indicate that the coast near Sendai—which is 130 kilometers west of the earthquake and is the largest city in the Tohoku region of Honshu—moved more than 4 meters horizontally and subsided about 0.8 meter.
Thomas J. Ahrens (1936–2010)
Authors: Jeanloz Raymond
Published: April 2011

Thomas J. Ahrens, a leader in the study of high‐pressure shock wave and planetary impact phenomena, died at his home in Pasadena, Calif., on 24 November 2010 at the age of 74. He was the California Institute of Technology's Fletcher Jones Professor of Geophysics, emeritus since 2005 but professionally active to the end. He had been president of AGU's Tectonophysics section, editor of Journal of Geophysical Research, founding member of both the Mineral and Rock Physics and Study of the Earth's Deep Interior focus groups, and editor—more like key driving force—for AGU's Handbook of Physical Constants. Tom was a pioneer in experimental and numerical studies of the effects of projectiles hitting a target at velocities exceeding the speed of sound (hypervelocity impact), arguably the most important geophysical process in the formation, growth, and, in many cases, surface evolution of planets. As a professor at Caltech, he established the foremost university laboratory for shock wave experiments, where students and research associates from around the world pursued basic research in geophysics, planetary science, and other disciplines. Previously, high‐pressure shock experiments were conducted primarily in national laboratories, where they were initially associated with the development of nuclear weapons.
AGU Expresses Condolences to People of Japan
Authors: McPhaden Michael J. , McEntee Christine W.
Published: April 2011

AGU president Mike McPhaden and executive director/chief executive officer Chris McEntee sent the following letter to Gaku Kimura, president of the Japan Geoscience Union, conveying sympathy and condolences to the people of Japan following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on 11 March.
Members Promote Climate Science on Capitol Hill
Authors: Caves Jeremy
Published: April 2011

With national debates raging on the future of U.S. energy policy, environmental regulation, and climate change, legislators need access to scientists and their research to make informed policy decisions. To help bring accurate climate science to lawmakers and connect scientists with Congress, AGU worked with eight other scientific societies to sponsor the first ever Climate Science Day on Capitol Hill. Thirty‐six scientists who work on various aspects of climate science came to Washington, D. C., on 16–17 February 2011. They brought their research and expertise directly to Capitol Hill for this inaugural Climate Science Day—a day of meetings with legislators and staff to emphasize the importance of climate science research and to offer help and expertise in understanding the wide array of data and science behind climate change.
Roberta Kwok Receives Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism–Features
Authors: Monastersky Rich , Kwok Roberta
Published: April 2011

Roberta Kwok received the Walter Sullivan Award at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, held on 15 December 2010 in San Francisco, Calif. Kwok was honored for “The rock that fell to Earth,” published in the journalNature, which recounts the first space‐to‐ground tracking of a tiny asteroid that struck Earth. Kwok's story brings to life the drama of the asteroid's belated detection in space, its plunge through Earth's atmosphere, and, finally, the recovery of its remnants from the desert in Sudan.
Pallava Bagla Receives David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism–News
Authors: Stone Richard , Bagla Pallava
Published: April 2011

Pallava Bagla received the David Perlman Award at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, held on 15 December 2010 in San Francisco, Calif. Bagla was honored for two articles. “No sign yet of Himalayan meltdown, Indian report finds,” published in Science, explores dissent among glaciologists about a prediction that Himalayan glaciers would imminently disappear. “Himalayan glaciers melting deadline ‘a mistake,’” published by BBC News, investigates the possibility that the controversial prediction resulted from a typographical error.
A World Without Ice
Authors: Bromwich David
Published: April 2011

The nearly global retreat of the Earth's ice cover is a matter of concern to people everywhere. The changes are most marked in northern latitudes with accelerated melting of the Greenland ice sheet, widespread thawing of the permafrost, and the rapid decrease of summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. Most mountain glaciers and ice caps are wasting away. In high southern latitudes, changes in the ice are more muted except for the land ice of the Antarctic Peninsula and the Pine Island Bay region. In the Southern Ocean, by contrast, the sea ice cover is slowly expanding. Do these large changes represent early warning signs of rapid global warming, recovery from the Little Ice Age, or the natural evolution of the present interglacial period?
NASA Targeted for Flat Budget for Fiscal 2012
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: April 2011

The Obama administration's proposed $18.72 billion budget for NASA for fiscal year (FY) 2012, which begins 1 October, would represent overall flat funding for the agency compared with the FY 2010 budget, the most recent full‐year budget approved by Congress. However, continuing budget resolutions to fund the federal government through the end of the current fiscal year, 2011, add uncertainty to current and future NASA budgets. In addition, while some members of Congress have indicated their overall support for NASA, they are also looking for ways to trim the agency's FY 2012 budget as it wends its way through the legislative branch. “Those in Congress have to speak forcefully on the need for our country to continue to invest in science,” Rep. Chaka Fattah (D‐Pa.), ranking member of the House of Representatives' Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, said at a 3 March hearing, a few weeks after the budget proposal was released. “You have, from the chairman and myself and other members of the committee, lots of support for the work that NASA is doing now and work for the future.”
A Pan‐Arctic Network to Study Past, Present, and Future Sea Ice Trends
Authors: Wegner Carolyn , Frey Karen E. , Michel Christine
Published: April 2011

Arctic in Rapid Transition Implementation Workshop; Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 18–20 October 2010; Rapid transitions in Arctic sea ice and the associated global integrated Earth system impacts and socioeconomic consequences have brought the Arctic Ocean to the top of national and international geophysical and political agendas. Alarmingly, there is a persistent mismatch between observed and predicted patterns, which speaks to the complexity of planning adaptation and mitigation activities in the Arctic. Predicting future conditions of Arctic marine ecosystems for climate change requires interdisciplinary and pan‐Arctic characterization and understanding of past and present trends. The Arctic in Rapid Transition (ART) initiative is an integrative, international, interdisciplinary, pan‐Arctic network to study spatial and temporal changes in sea ice cover and ocean circulation over broad time scales to better understand and forecast the impact of these changes on Arctic marine ecosystems and biogeochemistry. The ART initiative began in October 2008 and is still led by early‐career scientists. The ART science plan, developed after the ART initiation workshop in November 2009, was endorsed by the Arctic Ocean Sciences Board, which is now the Marine Working Group of the International Arctic Science Committee.
AGU Hosts Leadership Summit on Climate Science Communication
Authors: Cairns Ann
Published: April 2011

Building on informal meetings among a small group of scientific societies and research institutions concerned with climate science, AGU hosted a Leadership Summit on Climate Science Communication, 7–8 March 2011, in Washington, D. C. Presidents, executive directors, and senior public policy staff from 17 science organizations engaged with experts in the social sciences regarding effective communication of climate science and with practitioners from agriculture, energy, and the military. The keynote speaker for the summit was Bob Inglis, former U.S. representative from South Carolina's 4th Congressional District.
Ensuring Integrity in AGU Publications and Compliance With Dual Publication Policy
Authors: Kumar Praveen , Calais Eric
Published: April 2011

To ensure the highest standards for publication, AGU has begun screening manuscript submissions using CrossCheck (http://www.crossref.org/crosscheck.html) for possible verbatim use of previously published material. Water Resources Research andGeophysical Research Letters have tested this technology since summer 2010. It has proven very useful in ensuring the highest integrity in publication standards and compliance with the AGU dual publication policy (http://www.agu.org/pubs/authors/policies/dualpub_policy.shtml). According to Barbara Major, assistant director of journals, other AGU journals will adopt this screening process in the near future.
Evidence for a core gut microbiota in the zebrafish
Authors: Roeselers Guus , Mittge Erika K , Stephens W Zac , Parichy David M , Cavanaugh Colleen M , Guillemin Karen , Rawls John F
Published: April 2011

Experimental analysis of gut microbial communities and their interactions with vertebrate hosts is conducted predominantly in domesticated animals that have been maintained in laboratory facilities for many generations. These animal models are useful for studying coevolved relationships between host and microbiota only if the microbial communities that occur in animals in lab facilities are representative of those that occur in nature. We performed 16S rRNA gene sequence-based comparisons of gut bacterial communities in zebrafish collected recently from their natural habitat and those reared for generations in lab facilities in different geographic locations. Patterns of gut microbiota structure in domesticated zebrafish varied across different lab facilities in correlation with historical connections between those facilities. However, gut microbiota membership in domesticated and recently caught zebrafish was strikingly similar, with a shared core gut microbiota. The zebrafish intestinal habitat therefore selects for specific bacterial taxa despite radical differences in host provenance and domestication status.
Transitions in bacterial communities along the 2000 km salinity gradient of the Baltic Sea
Authors: Herlemann Daniel P R , Labrenz Matthias , Jürgens Klaus , Bertilsson Stefan , Waniek Joanna J , Andersson Anders F
Published: April 2011

Salinity is a major factor controlling the distribution of biota in aquatic systems, and most aquatic multicellular organisms are either adapted to life in saltwater or freshwater conditions. Consequently, the saltwater–freshwater mixing zones in coastal or estuarine areas are characterized by limited faunal and floral diversity. Although changes in diversity and decline in species richness in brackish waters is well documented in aquatic ecology, it is unknown to what extent this applies to bacterial communities. Here, we report a first detailed bacterial inventory from vertical profiles of 60 sampling stations distributed along the salinity gradient of the Baltic Sea, one of world's largest brackish water environments, generated using 454 pyrosequencing of partial (400 bp) 16S rRNA genes. Within the salinity gradient, bacterial community composition altered at broad and finer-scale phylogenetic levels. Analogous to faunal communities within brackish conditions, we identified a bacterial brackish water community comprising a diverse combination of freshwater and marine groups, along with populations unique to this environment. As water residence times in the Baltic Sea exceed 3 years, the observed bacterial community cannot be the result of mixing of fresh water and saltwater, but our study represents the first detailed description of an autochthonous brackish microbiome. In contrast to the decline in the diversity of multicellular organisms, reduced bacterial diversity at brackish conditions could not be established. It is possible that the rapid adaptation rate of bacteria has enabled a variety of lineages to fill what for higher organisms remains a challenging and relatively unoccupied ecological niche.
Effects of Indomethacin on Cerebral Blood Flow and Oxygen Consumption in Barbiturate-Anesthetized Normocapnic and Hypercapnic Rats
Authors: Dahlgren Nils , Siesjö Bo K.
Published: April 2011

Although results obtained in baboons and rats have demonstrated that the fatty acid cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor indomethacin reduces cerebral blood flow (CBF) under control conditions and markedly attenuates the CBF response to hypercapnia, nonconfirmatory results have been obtained in rabbits and cats. Since these latter studies were carried out under barbiturate anesthesia, we tested the effect of indomethacin (10 mg kg−1) on CBF and cerebral oxygen consumption in rats anesthetized with 150 mg kg−1 of phenobarbital. At normocapnia the barbiturate reduced CBF, measured with a 133Xe modification of the Kety-Schmidt technique, to about 50% of nitrous oxide control values as previously determined with a similar technique. At this CBF level, indomethacin induced a small, albeit highly significant decrease in CBF. We suggest that a reduction of this magnitude will escape detection with some CBF techniques in current use. Indomethacin induced a highly significant decrease in CBF during hypercapnia, demonstrating that the barbiturate does not eliminate the effect of indomethacin on CO2 responsiveness. The magnitude of the reduction in CO2 response was so large that it should be detected with most methods for measuring CBF. A comparison with previous data on animals under 70% N2O demonstrated that phenobarbital reduced the CO2 responsiveness, defined as the ratio ΔCBF/ΔPco2, to 39% of that observed under nitrous oxide analgesia. With both types of anesthesia, indomethacin curtailed the CO2 responsiveness 4- to 5-fold.
Direct Vascular Effects of Agents Used in the Pharmacotherapy of Cerebrovascular Disease on Isolated Cerebral Vessels
Authors: Young Alan R. , Bouloy Michele , Boussard Jean-François , Edvinsson Lars , MacKenzie Eric T.
Published: April 2011

The direct vasomotor effects of a number of agents used in the therapy of cerebral circulatory and metabolic disease were studied in isolated segments of cat pial vessels in vitro. Studies were repeated eight times generally, thus permitting the calculation of the mean maximum response—termed EAm (in dynes)—and of the molar agonist concentration required to effect the half-maximal response, termed EC50. The results obtained with various agonists were compared to a well-documented vasodilator, acetylcholine ( EAm = −780 dyn; EC50 = 0,029 μm) and a known vasoconstrictor, 5-hydroxytryptamine ( EAm = + 1630 dyn; EC50 = 0.036 μm). Papaverine and its derivatives effected a relaxation of the pial arteries with the following order of potency: YC-93 > papaverine > naftidrofuryl > viquidil. The EC50 for papaverine was 1,5 μm. Methyl xanthine derivatives (aminophylline, pentoxifylline, and theophylline) were essentially inactive, In contrast, drugs that are known to be capable of decreasing the volume of an experimental infarction, many of which are described as α-adrenolytic agents, contracted the isolated cerebrovascular smooth muscle, Their order of efficacy, based on the mean EAm values, was ifenprodil > vincamine > nicergoline > dihydroergotoxine > raubasine, In addition, it was considered worthwhile to determine whether the ifenprodil-induced vasoconstriction occurred when human, rather than cat, pial vessels were studied, Ifenprodil and vincamine contracted the human vessels in a biphasic manner; the EC50 was calculated to be 2,0 and 30 μm. Based on the above observations, the following comments would appear justified, Firstly, an increase in cerebral blood flow does not necessarily mean a compound is a direct vasodilator. Secondly, the vasoconstrictory actions of some agents correlate well with their anti-ischaemic properties (e.g., ifenprodil, vincamine, and nicergoline), Lastly, one action of effective anti-ischaemic agents might be to reduce flow, by vasoconstriction, in hyperaemic tissue: the inverse “steal” effect.
CO2 Responses of the Cerebral Circulation during Drug-Induced Hypotension in the Cat
Authors: Gregory P. , Ishikawa T. , McDowall D. G.
Published: April 2011

Concern has often been expressed that hypocapnia produced by controlled hyperventilation might further reduce cerebral perfusion during drug-induced hypotension. In the present studies, hypotension was induced in cats with either practolol/trimetaphan (five experiments) or practolol/nitroprusside (five experiments) together with controlled haemorrhage. Arterial Pco2 was altered between 17 and 51 mm Hg by varying inspired CO2 during constant-volume ventilation, first during control conditions of light halothane/nitrous oxide anaesthesia and then during hypotension to mean blood pressure of 36–37 mm Hg. Cerebral cortical perfusion was measured by the krypton clearance technique and pial artery diameter by the image-splitting method. Cerebral cortical blood flow did not alter with Paco2 changes during trimetaphan hypotension, but some responsiveness to CO2 persisted during nitroprusside hypotension, though at less than half control levels. No changes in pial artery diameter were seen with CO2 during hypotension under either technique. It is postulated that CO2 responsiveness persisted with nitroprusside because cerebral blood flow (CBF) values were higher when hypotension was produced with this drug, as compared with trimetaphan. It would appear that hypocapnia does not further reduce CBF during trimetaphan hypotension but does do so with nitroprusside. However, the combination of hypocapnia and nitroprusside hypotension did not in any instance lower CBF below the values found during trimetaphan hypotension.
Quantitative Measurement of Local Cerebral Blood Flow in Humans by Positron Computed Tomography and 15O-Water
Authors: Huang S.-C. , Carson R. E. , Hoffman E. J. , Carson J. , MacDonald N. , Barrio J. R. , Phelps M. E.
Published: April 2011

A noninvasive method that employs 15O-water and positron-computed tomography (PCT) was used to measure quantitative local cerebral blood flow (lCBF) in man. 15O-Water (about 30–50 mCi) was introduced through a single-breath inhalation of 15O-carbon dioxide or through an intravenous bolus injection of 15O-water. A sequence of five 2-min PCT scans was initiated at the time of tracer administration. A series of 15–20 blood samples (1 ml each) was withdrawn from the radial artery of the subject over a period of 10 min. Oxygen-15 radioactivities in the blood samples were immediately counted in a well counter to give an input function, which together with the projection data collected by PCT were processed to provide images of lCBF and local water distribution volume. The method was found to be convenient to use and gave good-quality images of lCBF. Quantitative values of lCBF in images were 59 ± 11 and 20 ± 4 ml/min/100 g for gray and white matter, respectively, with a gray-to-white matter ratio of 2.93 and a global flow value of 42 ± 8 ml/min/100 g. Distribution volume of water was 0.85 ± 0.03, 0.76 ± 0.03, and 0.81 ± 0.02 ml/g respectively, for gray matter, white matter, and whole brain.
Comparative Effects of Acute and Chronic Administration of Amphetamine on Local Cerebral Glucose Utilization in the Conscious Rat
Authors: Orzi F. , Dow-Edwards D. , Jehle J. , Kennedy C. , Sokoloff L.
Published: April 2011

The 2-deoxyglucose method was employed in rats following either acute or chronic administration of d-amphetamine. The drug was given either by a single intravenous and/or repeated daily intraperitoneal injections or by osmotic pumps implanted subcutaneously. Each mode of administration resulted in a specific constellation of metabolic effects. Acute doses of d-amphetamine, 5 mg/kg, stimulated glucose utilization in a number of cerebral structures, particularly the components of the extrapyramidal motor system. No effects were observed in components of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system. Repeated daily doses of 5 mg/kg for 2 weeks had no effects unless the dosage was progressively increased to toxic levels of 15 mg/kg over a 3-week period. Dosage sustained by osmotic pumps (12–15 mg/kg/day for 1 week or 6–7 mg/kg/day for 2 weeks), however, resulted in a selected increase in glucose utilization in the accumbens, an important component of the mesolimbic system. This finding may be of significance to the mechanism of amphetamine psychosis, which is sometimes regarded as a model of schizophrenia and is considered to be evidence in support of the dopamine hypothesis of the disease.
Recirculation in the Rat Brain following Incomplete Ischemia
Authors: Kågström Erik , Smith Maj-Lis , Siesjö Bo K.
Published: April 2011

The objective of this study was to characterize local cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the recirculation period following incomplete forebrain ischemia. Specifically, we wished to determine whether perfusion defects developed in the immediate recirculation period, to study how initial hyperemia and delayed hypoperfusion at the local level were related to the severity of the preceding ischemia, and to find out whether reflow was influenced by the nutritional state of the animals. To that end, forebrain ischemia of 15 min duration was induced in fed and fasted ventilated rats under 70% N2O. Local CBF was measured with an autoradiographic technique at the end of ischemia, as well as at 5 and 60 min following the start of recirculation. Control experiments were performed to examine the influence of ischemia on cerebral metabolic state in fed and fasted animals. The ischemia reduced CBF to excessively low values (<5% of control) in many forebrain structures, including the cerebral cortices, caudoputamen, and hippocampus. In spite of this, perfusion defects failed to appear after 5 min of recirculation. Instead, moderate to marked hyperemia was present in all previously ischemic structures. After 60 min of recirculation, pronounced hypoperfusion developed. The magnitude of the initial hyperemia was poorly related to the severity of the preceding ischemia, but the latter partly determined the degree of delayed hypoperfusion. Thus, little or no hypoperfusion developed in structures whose flow rates exceeded 30–40% of control during ischemia. Fasted animals had a better preserved flow to many structures than did fed animals, indicating that the detrimental effect of feeding (or glucose infusion) is also reflected in lower perfusion rates.