bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High-energy shift of the Urbach ultraviolet absorption from attenuated dynamical disorder in fluorine modified sol-gel silica
Authors: Paleari A. , Meinardi F. , Lauria A. , Lorenzi R. , Chiodini N. , Brovelli S.
Published: October 2007

Fluorine modified amorphous silica has been synthetized via sol-gel route and studied through analysis of the temperature dependence of the Urbach absorption tail in the vacuum-ultraviolet region. The modified glass has a steep absorption edge above 8eV, with the absorption coefficient α∝exp[E∕EU(T)] showing Urbach energy values EU(T) ranging between 50 and 66meV. The comparison of EU(T) with pure silica data indicates a structural softening caused by the reduction of dynamical disorder, and suggests that the F-modified sol-gel synthesis is an appropriate route for achieving high energy shifts of the absorption edge.
Plastic flow under compression and shear in rotational diamond anvil cell: Finite-element study
Authors: Levitas Valery I. , Zarechnyy Oleg M.
Published: October 2007

Plastic flow and the evolution of distribution of the components of stress tensor in a sample under compression and shear in rotational diamond anvil cell are studied using the finite-element method (FEM). Pressure self-multiplication effect is revealed during rotation of an anvil after compression below critical force. Significant heterogeneity of accumulated plastic strain (especially near contact surface with diamond) is found. The obtained results are important for determination and interpretation of kinetics of strain-induced phase transformations (PTs) and chemical reactions.
Radio-frequency plasma transducer for use in harsh environments
Authors: May Andrew , Andarawis Emad
Published: October 2007

We describe a compact transducer used to generate and modulate low-intensity radio-frequency atmospheric pressure plasma (RF-APP) for high temperature gap measurement and generation of air-coupled ultrasound. The new transducer consists of a quarter-wave transmission line where the ground return path is a coaxial solenoid winding. The RF-APP is initiated at the open end of the transmission line and stabilized by passive negative feedback between the electrical impedance of the plasma and the energy stored in the solenoid. The electrical impedance of the plasma was measured at the lower-voltage source end of the transducer, eliminating the need to measure kilovolt-level voltages near the discharge. We describe the use of a 7MHz RF-APP prototype as a harsh-environment clearance sensor to demonstrate the suitability of plasma discharges for a common nondestructive inspection application. Clearance measurements of 0–5mm were performed on a rotating calibration target with a measurement precision of 0.1mm and a 20kHz sampling rate.
Analysis of plasma oscillations in high-electron mobility transistorlike structures: Distributed circuit approach
Authors: Khmyrova I. , Seijyou Yu.
Published: October 2007

We develop simple distributed circuit model of the high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT)-like structure for the analysis of the effects associated with plasma oscillations excited in its two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) channel. Circuit components of the model are related to physical and geometrical parameters of the structure. Developed model accounts for dependence of resistance and inductance of 2DEG channel gated region on gate voltage. Such an approach facilitates and improves understanding of HEMT-like structures’ behavior in the regime of excitation of plasma oscillation and is applicable for their performance evaluation and optimization as well.
Diffusion study in tailored gratings recorded in photopolymer glass with high refractive index species
Authors: Martínez-Matos Óscar , Calvo María L. , Rodrigo José A. , Cheben Pavel , del Monte Francisco
Published: October 2007

We report results on the temporal evolution of the diffraction efficiency of volume holographic gratings recorded in a photopolymer glass incorporating Zr-based high refractive index species (HRIS) at molecular level. We record high spatial frequency gratings in this material with diffraction efficiencies near 100%. A two-component diffusion model is introduced for the evolution of refractive index modulation in darkness. Diffusion parameters for the Zr-based HRIS and monomer components have been determined. Codirectional diffusion of both components is demonstrated. The results show the feasibility for tailoring in this photomaterial holographic gratings with high diffraction efficiency over a wide range of spatial frequencies.
Localized reversible nanoscale phase separation in Pr0.63Ca0.37MnO3 single crystal using a scanning tunneling microscope tip
Authors: Kar Sohini , Raychaudhuri A. K.
Published: October 2007

We report the destabilization of the charge ordered insulating (COI) state in a localized region of Pr0.63Ca0.37MnO3 single crystal by current injection using a scanning tunneling microscope tip. This leads to controlled phase separation and formation of localized metallic nanoislands in the COI matrix which have been detected by local tunneling conductance mapping. The metallic regions thus created persist even after reducing the injected current to lower values. The original conductance state can be restored by injecting a current of similar magnitude but of opposite polarity. We thus achieve reversible nanoscale phase separation that gives rise to the possibility to “write, read, and erase” nanosized conducting regions in an insulating matrix with high spatial resolution.
Nonlinear thermal properties of three-terminal mesoscopic dielectric systems
Authors: Ming Y. , Wang Z. X. , Li Q. , Ding Z. J.
Published: October 2007

This paper studies the thermal properties of three-terminal mesoscopic dielectric systems in the nonlinear response regime at low temperature. For a symmetric three-terminal system, when the temperature is finitely different between the left and right thermal reservoirs, the temperature of the central thermal reservoir is always higher than the averaging temperature of the others. This nonlinear thermal phenomenon is also observed for asymmetric three-terminal systems. At the end, a model of thermal rectification is presented.
Formation mechanisms of self-assembled ZnSe nanostructures on Cl-doped ZnSe thin films grown on (100) GaAs substrates
Authors: Shin J. W. , Lee J. Y. , Jung J. H. , Lee I. , Kim T. W. , Lee H. S. , Kim M. D.
Published: October 2007

Bright-field transmission electron microscopy images, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images, energy dispersive spectroscopy profiles, and high-resolution x-ray diffraction curves showed that a high density of ZnSe nanostructures with a small size was formed on the Cl-doped ZnSe thin films grown on GaAs substrates. The formation of the ZnSe nanostructures was attributed to the strain energy resulting from the existence of the compressive strain generated by the accumulation of Cl impurities on the surface of the ZnSe thin film and from the residual strain existing in the ZnSe thin film with a thin thickness.
Carbon nanotube based battery architecture
Authors: Kiebele A. , Gruner G.
Published: October 2007

We have fabricated batteries using a random network of carbon nanotubes serving both as the charge collector and the interface with the active components. Due to the high network conductivity and high porosity, such networks, in combination with nanoscale active components, lead to batteries with excellent energy storage characteristics. In addition the devices can be fabricated using a roll-to-roll or inkjet printing process, the essentials of what can be called “printed power.”
Universal method to determine the thermo-optic coefficient of optical waveguide layer materials using a dual slab waveguide
Authors: Cassidy David R. , Cross Graham H.
Published: October 2007

A dual slab waveguide device method for determining the thermo-optic coefficient of waveguide layer materials is demonstrated. Temperature change-induced optical path length imbalance between two single slab waveguide modes provides the primary mechanism for detection. The waveguide mode output field phase change differences are encoded in shifts in the far field interference pattern. To illustrate the method, the thermo-optic coefficients of two In1−xGaxAsyP1−y quaternary alloys, 1.3Q and 1.15Q, are measured at a wavelength of 1.55μm and at a center temperature of 25.2°C. Their ratio is in excellent agreement with previous work, in accordance with optical dispersion models.
Nanopillar ferromagnetic nanostructure as highly efficient spin injector into semiconductor
Authors: Bala Kumar S. , Tan S. G. , Jalil M. B. A. , Guo J.
Published: October 2007

We report the prediction of a high spin injection ratio γ into a semiconductor (SC) contact, by using a ferromagnetic (FM), small-sized, and cylindrical nanopillar as the spin injector (SI). The increase in spin scattering within the FM nanopillar injects spin current into the SC, effectually mitigates the blockage of SI due to conductance mismatch. To minimize the spreading resistance (SR) which arises due to areal discontinuity at FM-SC interface, a thin low resistance metal is inserted at the interface such that SR is contained within it. With the insertion, we obtained γ of as high as 40%, compared to just 3% without insertion, and an even lower value of 0.5% without the nanopillar patterning.
Electrostatic force microscopy mapping of electrical conductivity of hydrogen-terminated diamond films
Authors: Volodin A. , Toma C. , Bogdan G. , Deferme W. , Haenen K. , Nesládek M. , Van Haesendonck C.
Published: October 2007

A method for mapping the surface conductivity of hydrogen-terminated (H-terminated) diamond on a sub-100nm scale is presented. The measuring technique relies on electrostatic force microscopy imaging of the voltage distribution of a current-carrying H-terminated diamond film. The uniform linear voltage drop in highly conductive H-terminated diamond surface layers indicates that the layers behave as homogeneous, diffusive conductors with a well-defined value of the sheet resistance. On the other hand, we observe conductive as well as insulating regions that coexist for not perfectly H-terminated diamond surfaces with poor electric conductivity.
Nanoimprinting of conductive tracks using metal nanopowders
Authors: Kim Seok-min , Kim Jinsu , Lim Jiseok , Choi Minseok , Kang Shinill , Lee Sukwon , Kim Hyuk
Published: October 2007

A method for metal nanopowder imprinting is proposed as a patterning process for conductive tracks, which is inexpensive and scalable down to submicrometers. To examine the feasibility of the proposed method, conductive tracks with widths of submicrometers to a few tens of micrometers were formed using a thermal nanoimprinting system, and the effects of processing conditions on the degree of replication and the degree of sintering and the electric conductivity of imprinted conductive tracks were analyzed.
Magnetoelectric coupling of [00l]-oriented Pb(Zr0.4Ti0.6)O3–Ni0.8Zn0.2Fe2O4 multilayered thin films
Authors: Ryu Sangwoo , Park Jung H. , Jang Hyun M.
Published: October 2007

Multilayered thin films consisting of alternatively stacking Pb(Zr0.4Ti0.6)O3 (PZT) and Ni0.8Zn0.2Fe2O4 (NZFO) layers were fabricated to exploit a strain-mediated coupling of piezoelectricity and magnetostriction. The 450-nm-thick PZT/NZFO multilayer fabricated by pulsed laser deposition showed magnetodielectric effects upon applying a static magnetic field. The magnetoelectric (ME) susceptibility values estimated using these magnetodielectric responses were in the range of 15–30mV∕cmOe at a zero magnetic-field strength and were comparable to those obtained using a more commonly employed “dynamic” ME method.
Electrically pumped photonic crystal distributed feedback quantum cascade lasers
Authors: Bai Y. , Darvish S. R. , Slivken S. , Sung P. , Nguyen J. , Evans A. , Zhang W. , Razeghi M.
Published: October 2007

We demonstrate electrically pumped, room temperature, single mode operation of photonic crystal distributed feedback (PCDFB) quantum cascade lasers emitting at λ∼4.75μm. Ridge waveguides of 100μm width were fabricated with both PCDFB and Fabry-Pérot feedback mechanisms. The Fabry-Pérot device has a broad emitting spectrum and a double lobed far-field character. The PCDFB device, as expected, has primarily a single spectral mode and a diffraction limited far field characteristic with a full angular width at half maximum of 2.4°. This accomplishment represents the first step in power scaling of single mode, midinfrared laser diodes operating at room temperature.
Location Theory in Reverse? Location for Global Production in the IT Industry of Bangalore
Authors: Aranya Rolee
Published: October 2007

This paper is a detailed study of the location history of eight software and information technology (IT) enabled service firms, with varying attributes such as age of firm, type of work undertaken, and ownership sited in the southern Indian city of Bangalore. These cases are used to relate urban restructuring occurring in the city of Bangalore to the strategic shifting of location of firms within the urban fabric. While IT firms cannot be strictly classified as producer services, it is possible to contextualise their location decisions in terms of other office-based economic activities, such as producer services. Findings from the case studies are examined in relation to urban growth theories of the 1980s and 90s, which were related to an expansion of the service sector in advanced economies. The literature discussed in this paper explains the role of growth in producer services in suburbanisation of office space and the development of ‘edge cities’ and ‘suburban downtowns’ as alternatives to and in competition with traditional city centres. Studies of office location and contact patterns indicate the retention of management functions in the CBDs, with a consequent relocation of routine office operations to these suburban office spaces. The findings from the firms studied in Bangalore indicate a reverse pattern of peripheralisation of control functions and a retention of routine production functions in the core urban areas. The limited need for face-to-face contacts with actors in the local urban economy and the export-related output of this offshore industry are contributors to this apparent reversal of location dynamics. The paper briefly concludes with directions for future research on such specialised service production activity that is often being located in cities of developing countries, and its impact on the urban structure of these cities.
Expertise, Truth, and Urban Policy Mobilities: Global Circuits of Knowledge in the Development of Vancouver, Canada's ‘four Pillar’ Drug Strategy
Authors: McCann Eugene J
Published: October 2007

There is growing attention across the social sciences to the mobility of people, products, and knowledge. This entails attempts to extend and/or rework existing understandings of global interconnections and is reflected in ongoing work on policy transfer—the process by which policy models are learned from one setting and deployed in others. This paper uses a case study of the development of an innovative approach to drug policy in Vancouver, British Columbia to deepen our understanding of what I call ‘urban policy mobilities.’ It details the often apparently mundane practices through which Vancouver's ‘four-pillar’ drug strategy—which combines prevention, treatment, enforcement, and harm reduction—was learned from cities outside North America and is now increasingly taught elsewhere. In doing so it draws on a neo-Foucauldian governmentality approach to emphasize the role of expertise (specialized knowledge held by many actors, not just credentialed professionals) and the deployment of certain powerful truths in the development of the policy. The paper concludes by discussing the spatialities of urban policy mobilities and raising questions about the political and conceptual importance of also maintaining a focus on the causes and consequences of policy immobilities.
Retail Innovation and Shopping Practices: Consumers' Reactions to Self-Service Retailing
Authors: Alexander Andrew , Phillips Simon , Shaw Gareth
Published: October 2007

In this paper we address the related issues of retail innovation, changing shopping practices, and shopping geographies. We do so in relation to the spread of self-service grocery stores, and particularly the supermarket, in the postwar retail environment of Britain (1950–70), arguing that this juncture provides a propitious opportunity to study the relationship between changing practices of retailing and consumption. We highlight shoppers’ selective adoption of new self-service formats in relation to certain product categories and argue that this can be explained in part by reference to the socially embedded nature of women food shoppers’ behaviours and in particular the influence of contemporary notions of the ‘good housewife‘. We support our argument by reference to a wide range of contemporary documentary material relating to postwar shopping including market research reports, the publications of local consumer groups, and selected retailer and government archive sources.
A Comparative Study of Attitude Theory and other Theoretical Models for Understanding Travel Behaviour
Authors: Dijst Martin , Farag Sendy , Schwanen Tim
Published: October 2007

In this study we investigate the extent to which the integration of psychological mechanisms from attitude theory into conventional analytical approaches can advance our understanding of travel behaviour. Three models, which explain volitions (intentions) in different ways, are specified and discussed: a customary model (CM) that directly links attitude and external variables (eg socio-demographics) to volition; a simplified version of the extended model of goal-directed behaviour (EMGB) that links attitude to volition via behavioural desire; and a hybrid model (HM) that integrates the two former models. Using survey data about the volition to buy media products (books, music, and DVDs, for example) online and in-store collected in four locations in the Utrecht region, the Netherlands, we find that shopping behaviour is reasonably well explained by the simplified EMGB. Past behaviour, perceived behavioural control, and subjective norms all have a statistically significant impact on the volition to shop online, while goal desire and perceived behavioural control significantly affect the volition to shop in-store. The results of the HM indicate that it is important to take external variables, such as access to physical stores and gender, into account when explaining shopping behaviour.
Unemployment, Permanent Sickness, and Nonwork in the United Kingdom
Authors: MacKay R Ross , Davies Luke
Published: October 2007

Employment, unemployment, and inactivity need to be studied in real historical time, not in the context of theoretical, timeless, market-clearing equilibrium. Four data sets from the UK Census, the Labour Force Survey, the Department of Employment, and Social Security Statistics are used to show changes in employment, unemployment, inactivity, and permanent sickness between 1971 and 2001. The different sources confirm that unemployment becomes increasingly unreliable as a measure of labour market slack. In low-opportunity labour markets many potential workers are not part of the labour force; they are not looking for work or are classified as unemployed. Low levels of opportunity add to measured sickness. The general rule is the greater the degree of labour market slack, the less appropriate unemployment is as a measure of labour reserve.
Inner-City Children, Country Summers: Narrating American Childhood and the Geographies of Whiteness
Authors: Vanderbeck Robert M
Published: October 2007

Although there has been rapid recent growth in the volume of research on both whiteness and childhood within geography, these literatures have only infrequently intersected explicitly. In this paper, I argue that a focus on narratives of childhood and child rearing can significantly enrich current understandings of how imaginative geographies of American (non)whiteness are sustained and reproduced. I develop this argument using a case study of recent narratives concerning one well-known program for children living in New York City, the Fresh Air Fund, which arranges for ‘inner-city’ children (most of whom identify as black or Latino) to spend portions of their summers living with host families (most of whom are white) in rural and suburban areas. The activities of the fund generate regular media coverage in both New York City and many of the destination communities, contributing to a wider public narrative concerning what white families and spaces have to offer ‘inner-city’ children. Drawing on journalistic accounts produced over the past two decades within one important destination site for the program, the US state of Vermont, I examine the racialized imaginative geographies of city, country, and suburb mobilized and reproduced within these stories of the Fund and its effects. I specifically argue that these accounts (re)script whiteness such that it becomes a solution to, rather than a source of, inequalities.
Comfortable Bodies: Sedentary Affects
Authors: Bissell David
Published: October 2007

Whilst to be comfortable is often equated with conservatism and complacency, this paper considers the various and often complex configurations of comfort as a desirable corporeal sensibility. Subsequently, this paper considers what corporeal comfort as an affective sensibility is and can do to theorisations of the sedentary body. The sensibility of corporeal comfort induced through the relationality between bodies and proximate objects is explored to trace through some of the affectual circulations that flow through the sedentary body. With this in mind, forms of subjectivity engendered through the fragility of comfort are at once both active and performed, and folded through the inactive susceptibilities that are beyond activity. Drawing on such an immanent materialism enables us to take more seriously these susceptibilities of the sedentary body and the new moments and spatialities that emerge.
The Dependence of Vehicle Emission Profiles on Traffic Growth, Technology Gain, and Fleet Turnover: A Comparative Study and Sensitivity Analysis
Authors: Lee Shin S , Williams Huw C W L
Published: October 2007

In this paper we explore the dependence of vehicle emission profiles over a twenty-five year period on three factors: the rate of traffic growth ( g), the fleet renewal rate (Λ), and the technology ‘gain’ (θ) following a step change in emission standards. Using analytic and numerical methods we determine the conditions relating to g, Λ, and θ which result in three types of emission profile. These consist of: type-I profiles, in which emissions continue to rise but at a reduced rate; type-II profiles which fall, attain a minimum, and subsequently rise from a lower base; and type-Ill profiles which continue to fall over a forecasting period. For all profiles we determine the total reduction in vehicle emissions arising from revised standards, and the sensitivity of the total emissions to changes in their determining factors. Data from the UK are used to illustrate the approach which is extended in a wide range of sensitivity tests to explore differences in emission profiles between advanced industrialised and rapidly developing countries. We show that while it may be necessary for all countries to rely on both technological and behavioural policy instruments to reduce emissions, in advanced industrialised countries it may be more effective to improve emission standards, while, in contrast, moderating the rate of traffic growth may be relatively more effective in the rapidly industrialising world. The profiles resulting from the change in emission standards accompanying the introduction of catalytic converters are used to illustrate the general approach.
Genetic analysis reveals functional redundancy and the major target genes of the
Arabidopsis
miR159 family
Authors: Allen Robert S. , Li Junyan , Stahle Melissa I. , Dubroué Aurélie , Gubler Frank , Millar Anthony A.
Published: October 2007

Currently, there are very few loss-of-function mutations in micro-RNA genes. Here, we characterize two members of the
Arabidopsis MIR159
family, miR159a and miR159b, that are predicted to regulate the expression of a family of seven transcription factors that includes the two redundant
GAMYB-like
genes,
MYB33
and
MYB65
. Using transfer DNA (T-DNA) insertional mutants, we show that a
mir159ab
double mutant has pleiotropic morphological defects, including altered growth habit, curled leaves, small siliques, and small seeds. Neither
mir159a
nor
mir159b
single mutants displayed any of these traits, indicating functional redundancy. By using reporter-gene constructs, it appears that
MIR159a
and
MIR159b
are transcribed almost exclusively in the cells in which
MYB33
is repressed, as had been previously determined by comparison of
MYB33
and
mMYB33
(an miR159-resistant allele of
MYB33
) expression patterns. Consistent with these overlapping transcriptional domains,
MYB33
and
MYB65
expression levels were elevated throughout
mir159ab
plants. By contrast, the other five
GAMYB-like
family members are transcribed predominantly in tissues where miR159a and miR159b are absent, and consequently their expression levels are not markedly elevated in
mir159ab
. Additionally,
mMYB33
transgenic plants can phenocopy the
mir159ab
phenotype, suggesting that its phenotype is explained by deregulated expression of the redundant gene pair
MYB33
and
MYB65
. This prediction was confirmed; the pleiotropic developmental defects of
mir159ab
are suppressed through the combined mutations of
MYB33
and
MYB65
, demonstrating the narrow and specific target range of miR159a and miR159b.
Neuroglobin dynamics observed with ultrafast 2D-IR vibrational echo spectroscopy
Authors: Ishikawa Haruto , Finkelstein Ilya J. , Kim Seongheun , Kwak Kyungwon , Chung Jean K. , Wakasugi Keisuke , Massari Aaron M. , Fayer Michael D.
Published: October 2007

Neuroglobin (Ngb), a protein in the globin family, is found in vertebrate brains. It binds oxygen reversibly. Compared with myoglobin (Mb), the amino acid sequence has limited similarity, but key residues around the heme and the classical globin fold are conserved in Ngb. The CO adduct of Ngb displays two CO absorption bands in the IR spectrum, referred to as N
3
(distal histidine in the pocket) and N
0
(distal histidine swung out of the pocket), which have absorption spectra that are almost identical with the Mb mutants L29F and H64V, respectively. The Mb mutants mimic the heme pocket structures of the corresponding Ngb conformers. The equilibrium protein dynamics for the CO adduct of Ngb are investigated by using ultrafast 2D-IR vibrational echo spectroscopy by observing the CO vibration's spectral diffusion (2D-IR spectra time dependence) and comparing the results with those for the Mb mutants. Although the heme pocket structure and the CO FTIR peak positions of Ngb are similar to those of the mutant Mb proteins, the 2D-IR results demonstrate that the fast structural fluctuations of Ngb are significantly slower than those of the mutant Mbs. The results may also provide some insights into the nature of the energy landscape in the vicinity of the folded protein free energy minimum.
Hangekobokuto (Banxia‐houpo‐tang), a Kampo Medicine that Treats Functional Dyspepsia
Authors: Oikawa Tetsuro , Ito Go , Hoshino Takayuki , Koyama Hidehiko , Hanawa Toshihiko
Published: October 2007

Although abdominal bloating is one of the most bothersome symptoms experienced by patients with functional dyspepsia (FD), therapeutic drugs to relieve abdominal bloating have not been established. We investigated the Kampo (Chinese herbal) medicine, Hangekobokuto (Banxia‐houpo‐tang, HKT) for patients with FD from the standpoint of bowel gas retention. The bowel gas volume calculated from a plain abdominal radiogram (gas volume score, GVS) in FD patients was significantly higher than that in healthy subjects. Two week administration of HKT in the FD patients showed a significant decrease of GVS. Furthermore, gastrointestinal symptoms, especially symptoms of abdominal pain, indigestion and constipation, all of which are closely related to abdominal bloating, improved significantly in FD patients after the administration of HKT. These results suggest that HKT improves abdominal bloating accompanied by the reduction of bowel gas in FD patients.
Mistletoe Preparation Iscador: Are there Methodological Concerns with Respect to Controlled Clinical Trials?
Authors: Ziegler Renatus
Published: October 2007

In Europe many cancer patients use complementary therapies, particularly mistletoe. Only a few controlled clinical trials have been performed with the mistletoe preparation Iscador as a complementary treatment for cancer, many of them with medium to low quality due to methodological shortcomings. Reasons for some quality concerns, particularly discontinuation of treatment and/or participation and premature termination are analyzed. Analysis is based on controlled clinical trials dealing with Iscador. Data stem from the archive of published and ongoing research of the «Verein für Krebsforschung» (Society for Cancer Research) in Arlesheim, Switzerland. Controlled clinical studies with cancer patients that were started after 01.01.1990 or were not completed by then have been evaluated. Fifty‐six controlled studies are documented, 24 of them randomized and 32 non‐randomized. Nine of the randomized studies were done by matched‐pair design, the others by conventional parallel group design; six of the last were terminated prematurely primarily for slow recruitment due to patient preferences and compliance of physicians. Patient and physician preference seem to be important factors limiting recruitment for randomized trials and hence implementation. This adds to the overall unwillingness of participation by patients with serious diseases. A well‐balanced mix of designs using different research methods and outcomes is suggested combined with analyses, in countries where mistletoe therapy in general or Iscador in particular is unknown or not available.
Brief Homeopathic Pathogenetic Experimentation: A Unique Educational Tool in Brazil
Authors: Teixeira Marcus Zulian
Published: October 2007

In homeopathy, many difficulties are encountered in understanding theoretical presuppositions because they represent different paradigms from those of hegemonic science. In our medical school, we developed a brief homeopathic pathogenetic experimentation course to be added as curricular content and a didactic method in homeopathic disciplines to add practical experience to the theoretical approach of homeopathic presuppositions. In accordance with the premises laid out by Hahnemann, the father of homeopathy, brief pathogenetic experimentation was offered on a voluntary basis for students who were free of chronic diseases and who had not regularly used medication in the last 3 months. The clinical test, either crossed or sequential (randomized and blind), was used as a study model. Single weekly doses of a homeopathic medicine of 30 cH or placebo were taken by participants during 4 weeks after which crossover of the experimented substances took place for another 4 weeks. Polycrest medicines were used so that symptoms developed by the participants could be compared to those described in Homeopathic Materia Medica. Thirty‐three of the 50 students who studied homeopathy as an elective discipline over the last 4 years at the School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (FMUSP) participated. Participants described symptoms according to specific methodology including many comments with peculiar characteristics and notable idiosyncrasies. All these students endorsed the course because it contributed to their understanding of how dynamized substances produced symptoms in healthy participants as well as the cure of symptoms according to the casual similitude principle. Brief homeopathic pathogenetic experimentation proved to be an effective method to observe the idiosyncratic manifestations of human individuality based on qualitative methodology, thus building a basis of understanding of homeopathy.
Static Magnetic Field Therapy: A Critical Review of Treatment Parameters
Authors: Colbert Agatha P. , Wahbeh Helané , Harling Noelle , Connelly Erin , Schiffke Heather C. , Forsten Cora , Gregory William L. , Markov Marko S. , Souder James J. , Elmer Patricia , King Valerie
Published: October 2007

Static magnetic field (SMF) therapy, applied via a permanent magnet attached to the skin, is used by people worldwide for self‐care. Despite a lack of established SMF dosage and treatment regimens, multiple studies are conducted to evaluate SMF therapy effectiveness. Our objectives in conducting this review are to: (i) summarize SMF research conducted in humans; (ii) critically evaluate reporting quality of SMF dosages and treatment parameters and (iii) propose a set of criteria for reporting SMF treatment parameters in future clinical trials. We searched 27 electronic databases and reference lists. Only English language human studies were included. Excluded were studies of electromagnetic fields, transcranial magnetic stimulation, magnets placed on acupuncture points, animal studies, abstracts, posters and editorials. Data were extracted on clinical indication, study design and 10 essential SMF parameters. Three reviewers assessed quality of reporting and calculated a quality assessment score for each of the 10 treatment parameters. Fifty‐six studies were reviewed, 42 conducted in patient populations and 14 in healthy volunteers. The SMF treatment parameters most often and most completely described were site of application, magnet support device and frequency and duration of application. Least often and least completely described were characteristics of the SMF: magnet dimensions, measured field strength and estimated distance of the magnet from the target tissue. Thirty‐four (61%) of studies failed to provide enough detail about SMF dosage to permit protocol replication by other investigators. Our findings highlight the need to optimize SMF dosing parameters for individual clinical conditions before proceeding to a full‐scale clinical trial.
Biomass estimation from surveys with likelihood-based geostatistics
Authors: Roa-Ureta Rubén , Niklitschek Edwin
Published: October 2007

Roa-Ureta, R., and Niklitschek, E. 2007. Biomass estimation from surveys with likelihood-based geostatistics. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64. A likelihood-based geostatistical method for estimating fish biomass from survey data is presented. Biomass estimates from analysis of a positive random variable with an additional discrete probability mass at zero means that the method accommodates null observations and positive fish density. The positive fish density data were used to estimate mean fish density in the subareas where the stock was present. A presence/absence representation of the data in the survey area was modelled with a generalized linear spatial model of the binomial family, leading to an estimate of the area effectively occupied by the stock. As an extension, a procedure is proposed to accommodate extra sources of correlation, such as multiple surveys or multiple vessels. The new methodology was applied to three cases. The simplest case is a scallop trawl survey for which only the positive density data need to be analysed. The intermediate case is a trawl survey of highly mobile squid where the stock area and the mean density inside the stock area are analysed. The most complex case is in estimating the biomass of very localized orange roughy, for which repeat surveys create dependence in the data in addition to spatial correlation.
Quantifying social distancing arising from pandemic influenza
Authors: Caley Peter , Philp David J , McCracken Kevin
Published: October 2007

Local epidemic curves during the 1918–1919 influenza pandemic were often characterized by multiple epidemic waves. Identifying the underlying cause(s) of such waves may help manage future pandemics. We investigate the hypothesis that these waves were caused by people avoiding potentially infectious contacts—a behaviour termed ‘social distancing’. We estimate the effective disease reproduction number and from it infer the maximum degree of social distancing that occurred during the course of the multiple-wave epidemic in Sydney, Australia. We estimate that, on average across the city, people reduced their infectious contact rate by as much as 38%, and that this was sufficient to explain the multiple waves of this epidemic. The basic reproduction number,
R
0
, was estimated to be in the range of 1.6–2.0 with a preferred estimate of 1.8, in line with other recent estimates for the 1918–1919 influenza pandemic. The data are also consistent with a high proportion (more than 90%) of the population being initially susceptible to clinical infection, and the proportion of infections that were asymptomatic (if this occurs) being no higher than approximately 9%. The observed clinical attack rate of 36.6% was substantially lower than the 59% expected based on the estimated value of
R
0
, implying that approximately 22% of the population were spared from clinical infection. This reduction in the clinical attack rate translates to an estimated 260 per 100 000 lives having been saved, and suggests that social distancing interventions could play a major role in mitigating the public health impact of future influenza pandemics.
Lateral gene transfer between obligate intracellular bacteria: Evidence from the Rickettsia massiliae genome
Authors: Blanc Guillaume , Ogata Hiroyuki , Robert Catherine , Audic Stéphane , Claverie Jean-Michel , Raoult Didier
Published: October 2007

Rickettsia massiliae is a tick-borne obligate intracellular α-proteobacteria causing spotted fever in humans. Here, we present the sequence of its genome, comprising a 1.3-Mb circular chromosome and a 15.3-kb plasmid. The chromosome exhibits long-range colinearity with the other Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia genomes, except for a large fragment specific to R. massiliae that contains 14 tra genes presumably involved in pilus formation and conjugal DNA transfer. We demonstrate that the tra region was acquired recently by lateral gene transfer (LGT) from a species related to Rickettsia bellii. Further analysis of the genomic sequences identifies additional candidates of LGT between Rickettsia. Our study indicates that recent LGT between obligate intracellular Rickettsia is more common than previously thought.
Phase I trial of personalized peptide vaccination for cytokine‐refractory metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients
Authors: Suekane Shigetaka , Nishitani Masaaki , Noguchi Masanori , Komohara Yoshihiro , Kokubu Takako , Naitoh Masayasu , Honma Shigenori , Yamada Akira , Itoh Kyogo , Matsuoka Kei , Kanayama Hiroomi
Published: October 2007

The aim of this clinical trial was to investigate the toxicity and immunological responses of personalized peptide vaccination for cytokine‐refractory metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients. Patients were confirmed to be human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐A24 or HLA‐A2 positive and had histologically confirmed renal cell carcinoma. Ten patients were enrolled in the present study. The peptides to be administered were determined based on the presence of peptide‐specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursors in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and peptide‐specific IgG in the plasma of cancer patients. Patients received subcutaneous injections of four different peptides (3 mg/peptide) every 2 weeks. Vaccinations were well tolerated without any major adverse events. A minimal increase in peptide‐specific interferon‐γ production in postvaccination PBMC was observed, regardless of higher levels of cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity in prevaccination PBMC. In contrast, an increase in peptide‐specific IgG levels of postvaccination (sixth) plasma was observed in the majority of patients. After progression, five patients received interleukin‐2 therapy and continuous vaccination, with survival of 31, 25, 23, 17, and 15 months, but interleukin‐2 did not impede humoral responses boosted by the vaccination. These results encourage further clinical trials of personalized peptide vaccinations. (Cancer Sci 2007; 98: 1965–1968)
Residential exposure to mould and dampness is associated with adverse respiratory health
Authors: Hagmolen of ten Have W. , Van Den Berg N. J. , Van Der Palen J. , Van Aalderen W. M. C. , Bindels P. J. E.
Published: October 2007

Background
Indoor exposure to mould and dampness is frequently associated with asthma symptoms with and without lung function changes. However, the mechanisms contributing to this threat to respiratory health are only partly understood.

Objective
To investigate the contribution of recent exposure to mould and dampness in the living room or bedroom to respiratory health in a general practice‐based cohort of 526 asthmatic children.

Methods
Parents were questioned about home characteristics, including moulds and dampness. The level of asthma control was evaluated in their participating children by means of asthma symptoms, peak expiratory flow (PEF) variability, severity of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), and medication usage.

Results
Children exposed to indoor moulds and dampness more often had severe AHR compared with non‐exposed (42% vs. 16%; P0.001). They also showed an increased PEF variability (11.3% vs. 8.4%; P=0.03) and, however, not significant, more frequent asthma symptoms. The use of controller medication was not significantly different between exposed and non‐exposed children. After adjustment for gender, age, smoking, exposure to parental smoking, parental education, pet ownership, presence of inhalant allergy, use of controller medication, health care center, and season of study assessment, the odds ratio for severe AHR in exposed children was 3.95 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.82–8.57].

Conclusion
We found a consistent association between reported moulds and dampness in the living room or the child's bedroom and an increased risk for severe AHR in a general practice‐based cohort of asthmatic children, even after adjustment for gender, presence of inhalant allergy, and use of controller medication.
Interannual differences in prey taken by capelin, herring, and red salmon relative to zooplankton abundance during the spring bloom in a southeast Alaskan embayment
Authors: COYLE K. O. , PAUL A. J.
Published: October 2007

Capelin, herring, and red salmon diets were examined in relation to zooplankton abundance and biomass in the water column and surface layer of Auke Bay, Alaska, during the spring bloom period, 1987 and 1988 (April through mid‐June). Euphausiid eggs were the dominant prey of capelin in mid‐May 1987. Pseu‐docalanus spp. and barnacle nauplii dominated during the rest of the season. Capelin consumed Calanus spp. and Metridia spp. in April and Pseudocaknus and Cen‐tropages abdominalis in May and June 1988. During May and June 1987, herring were eating primarily barnacle larvae and Oikopleura spp. During April 1988, herring consumed primarily Calanus spp. and barnacle nauplii. In late April and early May they shifted to Pseudocalanus and Thysanoessa raschii, and in late May and June they consumed Centropages abdominalis and barnacle cyprids. Outmigrating red salmon fry consumed primarily Oikopleura during both years, along with substantial quantities of barnacle larvae. These dietary changes roughly correspond with variations in the abundance of prey taxa in the plankton samples. Likelihood measures of niche breadth indicated that capelin sometimes consume prey in approximately equal proportions to its abundance. Niche overlap between the herring and capelin was greatest in April and early May. Niche overlap was also high between herring and red salmon during June, when herring were in shallow water to breed.
Pacific sand lance of the Port Moller estuary, southeastern Bering Sea: an estuarine^dependent early life history
Authors: McGURK MICHAEL D. , WARBURTON H. DAVID
Published: October 2007

Three waves of spawning Pacific sand lance (Ammo‐dytes hexapterus) entered the Port Moller estuary from mid‐January to late May 1990. Each wave laid its eggs on sand in lower Moller Bay with the center of egg distribution about 14 km inside the estuary. After incubation for 45 to 94 d, each cohort of eggs hatched out over a 41‐ to 63‐d period. Larvae moved at a rate of 0.21 knvd“1 toward a deep fjordlike basin at the head of Herendeen Bay inside the estuary about 20 km southwest of the center of hatch. The basin has the lowest flushing rate of the estuary, and unlike the rest of Port Moller, it is vertically stratified, which allows the development of a spring‐summer zooplankton community with greater biomass than any other location in the estuary. Larvae may have moved to the basin to enhance growth or to avoid offshore transport to areas of low food abundance, but we cannot demonstrate a direct link between growth and habitat. We conclude that the Port Moller sand lance stock has an estuarine early life history that evolved in response to the unique physical conditions of the Port Moller estuary–a shallow, well‐mixed site with sandy substrate that is suitable for incubation of demersal eggs next to a deep, vertically stratified fjord with a rich zooplankton community that is suitable for rearing of larvae.
Global climate change and ocean upwelling
Authors: HSIEH WILLIAM W. , BOER GEORGE J.
Published: October 2007

The influence of global greenhouse warming on the ocean's biological productivity may be more complicated and weaker than that proposed by Bakun (1990). A doubled carbon dioxide simulation made with the Canadian Climate Centre atmospheric general circulation model coupled to a simplified mixed layer ocean model suggests that the midlatitude continents do not all follow the Bakun scenario in developing anomalous low pressure in summer and enhancing coastal winds favorable to upwelling. In the open ocean the equatorial and subpolar zonal upwelling bands and the subtropical downwelling bands generally weaken as winds diminish owing to the weakening of the equator‐to‐pole temperature gradient in the lower troposphere under global warming. With a weakening of open ocean upwelling and an absence of enhanced coastal upwelling, the overall effect of global warming could be to decrease the global biological productivity.
A microcomputer program for stimulating effects of physical transport processes on fish larvae
Authors: WALTERS CARL J. , HANNAH CHARLES G. , THOMSON KEITH
Published: October 2007

A simple microcomputer program uses Lagrangian particle tracking to simulate the fates of individual larvae subject to wind‐ and tide‐driven advection fields and diffusion. Space/time advection patterns are provided to the program as inputs; thus, the program can use results from various hydrodynamic models. The program can simultaneously track several groups of larvae that are assigned varying attributes, including (1) body size, to allow simulation of effects of variation in growth rates; (2) spawning locations and times; (3) vertical migration behavior; and (4) settlement strategy (duration of larval period, depth conditions for settlement). The model is intended as an exploratory tool to help identify alternative hypotheses that might explain observed life history patterns and causes of inter‐annual variation in recruitment rate. For English sole in the Hecate Strait, B.C., the model leads us to hypothesize that observed spawning locations have resulted from a tradeoff between places that would provide the best feeding opportunities and places that would minimize risk of advective export to unfavorable rearing habitats.