bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hamiltonian two‐degrees‐of‐freedom control of chemical reactors
Authors: Costanza Vicente , Rivadeneira Pablo S.
Published: July 2010

A novel unified approach to two‐degrees‐of‐freedom control is devised and applied to a classical chemical reactor model. The scheme is constructed from the optimal control point of view and along the lines of the Hamiltonian formalism for nonlinear processes. The proposed scheme optimizes both the feedforward and the feedback components of the control variable with respect to the same cost objective. The original Hamiltonian function governs the feedforward dynamics, and its derivatives are part of the gain for the feedback component. The optimal state trajectory is generated online, and is tracked by a combination of deterministic and stochastic optimal tools. The relevant numerical data to manipulate all stages come from a unique off‐line calculation, which provides design information for a whole family of related control problems. This is possible because a new set of PDEs (the variational equations) allow to recover the initial value of the costate variable, and the Hamilton equations can then be solved as an initial‐value problem. Perturbations from the optimal trajectory are abated through an optimal state estimator and a deterministic regulator with a generalized Riccati gain. Both gains are updated online, starting with initial values extracted from the solution to the variational equations. The control strategy is particularly useful in driving nonlinear processes from an equilibrium point to an arbitrary target in a finite‐horizon optimization context. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Production of highly conductive textile viscose yarns by chemical vapor deposition technique: a route to continuous process
Authors: Bashir Tariq , Skrifvars Mikael , Persson Nils‐Krister
Published: July 2010

An oxidative chemical vapor deposition (OCVD) process was used to coat flexible textile fiber (viscose) with highly conductive polymer, poly (3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) in presence of ferric (III) chloride (FeCl3) oxidant. OCVD is a solvent free process used to get uniform, thin, and highly conductive polymer layer on different substrates. In this paper, PEDOT coated viscose fibers, prepared under specific conditions, exhibited high conductivity 14.2 S/cm. The effects of polymerization conditions, such as polymerization time, oxidant concentration, dipping time of viscose fiber in oxidant solution, and drying time of oxidant treated viscose fiber, were carefully investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and FT‐IR analysis revealed that polymerization of PEDOT on surface of viscose fiber has been taken place and structural analysis showed strong interactions between PEDOT and viscose fiber. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was employed to investigate the amount of PEDOT in PEDOT coated viscose fiber and interaction of PEDOT with viscose fiber. The effect of PEDOT coating on the mechanical properties of the viscose fiber was evaluated by tensile strength testing of the coated fibers.

The obtained PEDOT coated viscose fiber having high conductivity, could be used in smart clothing for medical and military applications, heat generation, and solar cell demonstrators. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antithrombotic therapies in patients with heart failure: hypothesis formulation from a research database
Authors: Yuan Zhong , Weinstein Rachel , Zhang John , Cheng Mei , Griffin George , Zolynas Robert , Plotnikov Alexei N. , Lee Mary S. , Oppenheimer Leonard , Burton Paul
Published: July 2010

Purpose

Heart failure is a significant public health problem. The present study is intended to explore in a research database whether antithrombotic therapies (ATTs) affect cardiovascular outcomes in patients with incident heart failure (IHF).

Methods

Using the United Kingdom Health Improvement Network research database, several multivariable models (including logistic and Cox's regression models, as well as propensity score methods) were used to examine all‐cause mortality and clinical outcomes among five treatment groups.

Results

The cohort included 24 554 patients with IHF (50.2% men), with a mean age (standard deviation [SD]) of 76.4 (11.0) years. Nearly three‐fourths of patients received at least one form of ATT. Patients receiving ATTs tended to be younger and more likely to be men, and had more cardiovascular comorbidities. During the 18‐month follow‐up period, the mortality rates were 11.1%, 14.6%, 17.8%, 19.5%, and 32.6% for warfarin combination therapy, warfarin alone, clopidogrel therapy, aspirin (ASA) alone, and no therapy, respectively, yielding odds ratios (95%confidence intervals [CI]) relative to no therapy of 0.28 (0.24, 0.33), 0.38 (0.34, 0.43), 0.46 (0.40, 0.52), and 0.49 (0.45, 0.53) for each therapy group, accordingly. The use of ATTs also appeared to be associated with a reduced risk for ischemic or thrombotic events.

Conclusions

These data contribute to the formulation of the hypothesis that use of ATTs in clinical practice decreases the risk of morbidity and mortality in patients with IHF, although findings require further confirmative studies. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Crystallization behavior of polypropylene/polyamide 6/montmorillonite nanocomposites
Authors: Wang Qian , Wang Xiao , Fang Pengfei , Wang Dahai , Dai Yiqun , Wang Shaojie , Liew Kim Meow , Xu Zepeng
Published: July 2010

Polymer blended materials such as polyamide 6 (PA6)/polypropylene (PP) blends have received considerable attention in recent years. To improve the compatibility of PA6 and PP, compatibilizers like maleic anhydride‐g‐polypropylene (MPP) are often added. In addition, organically modified montmorillonite (MMT) is also used to improve the properties of various materials. In this work, the crystallization behavior of PP/PA6/MMT nanocomposites with MPP compatibilizer was investigated systematically. The annealing process effectively improved the crystallization of α‐PP. The crystallization temperature (Tc) of PA6 was increased by ca 2–3 °C on introducing MPP or MMT alone to the PP/PA6 system, whereas Tc of PP underwent no obvious change. However, when MPP and MMT were added simultaneously, Tc of PP and PA6 increased by 6.6 and 4.2 °C, respectively, and a new crystallization peak corresponding to PP‐g‐PA6 copolymer phase was observed at 162.5 °C. The combined effect of MPP and MMT led to better compatibility of PP with PA6. Moreover, the results of a non‐isothermal crystallization kinetics experiment revealed that the simultaneous introduction of MPP and MMT markedly shortened the crystallization time. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry
Teachers' judgments of students' early literacy skills measured by the Early Literacy Skills Assessment: Comparisons of teachers with and without assessment administration experience
Authors: Begeny John C. , Buchanan Heather
Published: July 2010

Teacher judgments about students' academic abilities are important for several reasons, including their day‐to‐day instructional decision making. Not surprisingly, previous studies have investigated the accuracy of teachers' judgments about their students' reading abilities. Previous research, however, has not investigated teachers' judgments about students' early literacy skills, nor has previous research systematically examined how teachers' training and use of an objective assessment instrument impact their judgments of students' performance on that instrument. This exploratory study offers the first investigation of teachers' judgment accuracy of pre‐kindergarten students' early literacy skills, and compares the judgment accuracy of teachers with and without opportunities to administer the Early Literacy Skills Assessment (ELSA). Findings suggest that teachers with opportunities to administer the ELSA had a significantly higher percentage of accurate judgments across half of the ELSA subtests, but their judgment accuracy was still no better than 50%–60% on all but one ELSA subtest. Implications for school psychologist practitioners and researchers are presented. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cardiac, lung, and brain thrombosis in a child with obstructive sleep apnea
Authors: Cohen Shlomo , Springer Chaim , Perles Zeev , Koplewitz Benjamin Z. , Avital Avraham , Revel‐Vilk Shoshana
Published: July 2010

A 3‐year‐old boy with failure to thrive and severe adenotonsillar hypertrophy with a clinical presentation of prolonged obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), was referred to the emergency room due to severe respiratory distress and anasarca. Echocardiography revealed right heart failure, a cystic lesion in the right ventricle and severe pulmonary hypertension. D‐dimer was elevated but spiral computerized tomography (CT) and lung scan did not show any perfusion defects. Excision of the cardiac lesion during open‐heart surgery, lung biopsy, and adenotonsillectomy were performed. Pathological examination showed an intracadiac organized thrombus and eccentric intimal fibrosis of the pulmonary arteries—which is a pathognomonic of pulmonary arterial microemboli. Brain CT revealed vein thrombosis of the left sigmoid sinus. Blood tests for inherited thrombophilia were normal. Today, 5 years after adenotonsillectomy, the child is normally developed, completely asymptomatic, free of any medications, and has a normal echocardiography. This case report may indicate that prolonged OSA can be a procoagulant state which can cause severe cardiovascular morbidity in children. Pediatr. Pulmonol. 2010; 45:836–839. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Explosives Detection Using Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Nilles J. Michael , Connell Theresa R. , Stokes Sarah T. , Dupont Durst H.
Published: July 2010

The growing use of explosives by terrorists and criminals creates a need for instrumentation which can rapidly analyze these energetic compounds, preferably on site. Direct analysis in real time (DART) is a promising technology for surface analysis with little or no sample preparation. Therefore, DART ionization is evaluated for use in detecting explosives on solid substrates and in liquid matrices. Fifteen explosives were chosen as a consequence of their common usage. Five surfaces were chosen to represent a wide range of physical properties such as composition, porosity, surface morphology, and thermal and electrical conductivity. Additionally these surfaces are commonly found in everyday surroundings. All 75 compound‐surface combinations produced a clear, easily identifiable, mass spectra characteristic of the targeted analyte. Simultaneous detection of five explosives is demonstrated on these same surfaces. Lastly, rapid detection of trace contamination in common fluids is also explored.
A P‐type Iterative Learning Controller for Uncertain Robotic Systems with Exponentially Decaying Error Bounds
Authors: Shin Dong‐Min , Choi Joon‐Young , Lee Jin S.
Published: July 2010

This paper presents a P‐type iterative learning control (ILC) scheme for uncertain robotic systems that perform the same tasks repetitively. The proposed ILC scheme comprises a linear feedback controller consisting of position error and exponentially weighted velocity error with respect to the number of iterations, and a feedforward learning controller updated by the exponentially weighted velocity error from previous trial. As the learning iteration proceeds, the position and velocity errors converge uniformly to zero within error bounds that decay exponentially through the sequence of iterations with arbitrarily selected convergence rate. Consequently, the proposed ILC scheme enables analysis and tuning of the exponential convergence rate in the iteration domain in contrast to other existing P‐type ILC schemes. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Robust Visual‐Servo Control of Robot Manipulators in the Presence of Uncertainty
Authors: Zergeroglu E. , Dawson D. M. , de Queiroz M. S. , Setlur P.
Published: July 2010

This paper considers the problem of position control of planar robot manipulators via visual servoing in the presence of uncertainty associated with the robot mechanical dynamics and the camera system for both fixed‐camera and camera‐in‐hand configurations. Specifically, we first design a robust controller that compensates for uncertainty throughout the whole robot‐camera system and ensures global uniformly ultimately bounded position tracking for the fixed‐camera configuration. Under the same class of uncertainty, we then develop a setpoint controller for the camera‐in‐hand configuration that achieves global uniformly ultimately bounded regulation. Experimental results illustrating the performance of both controllers are also included. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Large‐scale regression‐based pattern discovery: The example of screening the WHO global drug safety database
Authors: Caster Ola , Norén G. Niklas , Madigan David , Bate Andrew
Published: July 2010

Most measures of interestingness for patterns of co‐occurring events are based on data projections onto contingency tables for the events of primary interest. As an alternative, this article presents the first implementation of shrinkage logistic regression for large‐scale pattern discovery, with an evaluation of its usefulness in real‐world binary transaction data. Regression accounts for the impact of other covariates that may confound or otherwise distort associations. The application considered is international adverse drug reaction (ADR) surveillance, in which large collections of reports on suspected ADRs are screened for interesting reporting patterns worthy of clinical follow‐up. Our results show that regression‐based pattern discovery does offer practical advantages. Specifically it can eliminate false positives and false negatives due to other covariates. Furthermore, it identifies some established drug safety issues earlier than a measure based on contingency tables. While regression offers clear conceptual advantages, our results suggest that methods based on contingency tables will continue to play a key role in ADR surveillance, for two reasons: the failure of regression to identify some established drug safety concerns as early as the currently used measures, and the relative lack of transparency of the procedure to estimate the regression coefficients. This suggests shrinkage regression should be used in parallel to existing measures of interestingness in ADR surveillance and other large‐scale pattern discovery applications. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining 3: 197‐208, 2010
Adjustment for the measurement error in evaluating biomarkers
Authors: Li Wen , Qu Yongming
Published: July 2010

Biomarkers that can help identify patients who will have an early clinical benefit from a treatment are important not only for patients' survival and quality of life, but also for the cost of health care. Owing to reasons such as biological variation and limited machine precision, biomarkers are sometimes measured with large errors. Adjusting for the measurement error in calculating the proportion of the treatment effect explained by markers has been a subject of research. The proportion of information gain (PIG), a new quantity to measure the importance of a biomarker, has not yet been studied for variables measured with error. In this article, we provide methods to account for the measurement error in the calculation of PIG for continuous, binary and time‐to‐event outcomes. Simulation shows that the adjusted estimator has little bias and has less variability compared to the naive estimator ignoring the measurement error. Data from an osteoporosis clinical study are used to illustrate the method for a binary outcome. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Achieving process modeling and execution through the combination of aspect and model‐driven engineering approaches
Authors: Bendraou Reda , Jezéquél Jean‐Marc , Fleurey Franck
Published: July 2010

One major advantage of executable software process models is that once defined, they can be simulated, checked and validated in short incremental and iterative cycles. This also makes them a powerful asset for important process improvement decisions such as resource allocation, deadlock identification and process management. In this paper, we propose a framework that combines Aspect and Model‐driven Engineering approaches in order to ensure process modeling, simulation and execution. This framework is based on UML4SPM, a UML2.0‐based language for Software Process Modeling and Kermeta, an executable metaprogramming language. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
MCR: MAC‐assisted congestion‐controlled routing for wireless multihop networks
Authors: Hsu Yu‐Pin , Feng Kai‐Ten
Published: July 2010

Techniques for improving network congestion have been proposed in different fields. In recent years, the congestion control problems were studied to enhance the routing performance in wireless multihop networks (WMNs). In this paper, the network allocation vector (NAV) introduced by the contention‐based medium access control (MAC) protocols is utilized for the determination of the channel status around a wireless node (WN). A MAC‐assisted congestion‐controlled routing (MCR) algorithm is proposed to alleviate the network congestion problem by adopting the information from the MAC layer. The routing path is selected based on the congestion‐free probability along the path for transmitting the data packets. Moreover, the adaptive path‐switching scheme and the aggressive hop‐reduction (AHR) local repair mechanism further enhance the routing performance of the proposed MCR algorithm. The effectiveness of the MCR protocol is evaluatedviaboth the analytical study and the simulation results. Without consuming excessive control packets for each WN, the MCR algorithm can achieve better performance when compared with other existing schemes, especially under the scenarios with network congestion. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rational Construction of Polymeric Cadmium(II) Benzimidazole for Transition Metal Ion Exchange
Authors: Xiao Bo , Li Qian‐Qian , Wang Yu‐Ting , Liu Chun‐Sen , Hu Min , Fang Shao‐Ming
Published: July 2010

A 1D double‐helical coordination polymer {[Cd(pbbm)2]2(ClO4)4(H2O)2}n (1) was successfully constructed by the reaction of Cd(ClO4)2·6H2O with 1,1′‐(1,5‐pentanediyl)bis‐1H‐benzimidazole (pbbm). Interestingly, polymer 1 exhibits highly selective capacity for the ionic exchange of Zn2+ and Cu2+ over Co2+ and Ni2+ ions in the crystalline solid state when the crystals of 1 are immersed in the aqueous solutions of the perchlorate salts of Cu2+, Zn2+, Co2+, and Ni2+ ions, respectively, which indicates that central CdII ion exchange might be considered as being dominated by the coordination ability of metal ions to free functional groups, ionic radii of exchanged metal ions, and the solution concentration of adsorbed metal salts. The parent material‐ and ion‐exchange‐induced products are identified by FT‐IR spectroscopy, PXRD patterns as well as SEM and EDS measurements. In addition, the thermal stability of 1 was also investigated.
Evaluation of compliance with the Tokyo Guidelines for the management of acute cholangitis based on the Japanese administrative database associated with the Diagnosis Procedure Combination system
Authors: Murata Atsuhiko , Matsuda Shinya , Kuwabara Kazuaki , Fujino Yoshihisa , Kubo Tatsuhiko , Fujimori Kenji , Horiguchi Hiromasa
Published: July 2010

Background/purpose

We aimed to evaluate compliance with the clinical practice guidelines for acute cholangitis (Tokyo Guidelines) using the Japanese administrative database associated with the Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC) system.

Methods

We collected database data from 60,842 acute cholangitis patients, examining 10 recommendations in the Tokyo Guidelines. We counted how many recommendations had been complied with for every patient. The patient compliance score was defined as the rate of compliance with these recommendations (score 0 = 0% to score 10 = 100%). An aggregated patient compliance score was measured according to the severity of acute cholangitis. Severity was categorized as grade I (mild cholangitis;n = 49,630), grade II (moderate cholangitis;n = 10,444), and grade III (severe cholangitis;n = 768).

Results

The mean patient compliance score was significantly higher for patients with grade III than for those with grades II and I (7.6 ± 2.1 vs. 6.5 ± 3.0 vs. 2.9 ± 0.9,p < 0.001, respectively). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the severity of acute cholangitis was the parameter most significantly associated with the patient compliance score. The standardized coefficient of grade III was higher than that of grade II (0.657 vs. 0.248,p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Compliance with the Tokyo Guidelines became higher in accordance with the severity of acute cholangitis.
Molecular mechanisms of liver regeneration and protection for treatment of liver dysfunction and diseases
Authors: Fujiyoshi Masato , Ozaki Michitaka
Published: July 2010

Liver regeneration is a necessary process that most liver damage depends on for recovery. Regeneration is achieved by a complex interactive network consisting of liver cells (hepatocytes, Kupffer cells, sinusoidal endothelial cells, hepatic stellate cells, and stem cells) and extrahepatic organs (thyroid gland, adrenal gland, pancreas, duodenum, and autonomous nervous system). The restoration of liver volume depends on hepatocyte proliferation, which includes initiation, proliferation, and termination phases. Hepatocytes are “primed” mainly by Kupffer cells via cytokines (IL‐6 and TNF‐alpha) and then “proliferation” and “cell growth” of hepatocytes are induced by the stimulations of cytokines and growth factors (HGF and TGF‐alpha). Liver regeneration is achieved by cell proliferation and cell growth, where the IL‐6/STAT3 and PI3‐K/PDK1/Akt pathways play pivotal roles, respectively. IL‐6/STAT3 pathway regulates hepatocyte proliferation via cyclin D1/p21 and protects against cell death by upregulating FLIP, Bcl‐2, Bcl‐xL, Ref1, and MnSOD. PI3‐K/PDK1/Akt is known to be responsible for regulation of cell size via its downstream molecules such as mTOR in addition to being known for its survival, anti‐apoptotic and anti‐oxidative properties. Although the molecular mechanisms of liver regeneration have been actively studied, the mechanisms of liver regeneration must be elucidated and leveraged for the sufficient treatment of liver diseases.
Elements of the Representation Theory of Associative Algebras
Authors: Simson Daniel , Skowroński Andrzej
Published: July 2010

The second of a three-volume set providing a modern account of the representation theory of finite dimensional associative algebras over an algebraically closed field. The subject is presented from the perspective of linear representations of quivers, geometry of tubes of indecomposable modules, and homological algebra. This volume provides an up-to-date introduction to the representation theory of the representation-infinite hereditary algebras of Euclidean type, as well as to concealed algebras of Euclidean type. The book is primarily addressed to a graduate student starting research in the representation theory of algebras, but it will also be of interest to mathematicians in other fields. The text includes many illustrative examples and a large number of exercises at the end of each of the chapters. Proofs are presented in complete detail, making the book suitable for courses, seminars, and self-study.
SBAs for the FRCR 2A
Authors: Currie Stuart , Rowbotham Emma , Karthik Shishir , Wilkinson Christopher
Published: July 2010

SBAs for the Final FRCR is an invaluable guide to the new Single Best Answer (SBA) paper for the Final FRCR examination, providing over 350 SBA-style questions and referenced answers written in the style of the Royal College of Radiologists. Each question is accompanied by a concise yet detailed model answer carrying references and additional notes. The answers also act as a useful reference source for many of the key topics found in the syllabus. Questions are categorised in the same six modules that compose the FRCR 2A:
• Cardiothoracic and vascular
• Musculoskeletal and trauma
• Gastro-intestinal
• Genito-urinary, adrenal, obstetrics and gynaecology, breast
• Paediatric
• Central nervous system, head and neck
Written by a group of authors who have recently successfully completed the exams, SBAs for the Final FRCR is an essential revision aid for all candidates undertaking the FRCR Part 2A.
The Ultimate Fate of the Universe
Authors: Islam Jamal N.
Published: July 2010

This book describes what will ultimately happen to the contents of the universe. To understand the universe in the far future, we must first describe its present state and structure on the grand scale, and how its present properties arose. Dr Islam explains these topics in an accessible way in the first part of the book. From this background he speculates about the future evolution of the universe and predicts the major changes that will occur. The author has largely avoided mathematical formalism and therefore the book is well suited to general readers with a modest background knowledge of physics and astronomy.
Headache
Authors: Schwedt Todd J. , Gladstone Jonathan P. , Purdy R. Allan , Dodick David W.
Published: July 2010

Headache is the most common presenting symptom in neurology and constitutes more than one-third of primary care consultations. Organized according to the presenting features of the headache (acute, episodic and chronic), this handbook provides diagnostic and treatment information for both common and uncommon causes of headache. Making maximum use of lists, bullet points, summary boxes and illustrations, it allows the reader fast access to essential information where it is needed most. Each topic is dealt with succinctly, using up-to-date knowledge and experience of the authors, all of whom are headache experts from leading clinical centers in the USA and Canada. Providing comprehensive and detailed coverage to satisfy the needs of the busy neurologist, residents in neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry and other fields of internal medicine, this book will also be a valuable guide to practising clinicians who do not deal with headache on a regular basis.
Biological Sequence Analysis
Authors: Durbin Richard , Eddy Sean R. , Krogh Anders , Mitchison Graeme
Published: July 2010

Probabilistic models are becoming increasingly important in analysing the huge amount of data being produced by large-scale DNA-sequencing efforts such as the Human Genome Project. For example, hidden Markov models are used for analysing biological sequences, linguistic-grammar-based probabilistic models for identifying RNA secondary structure, and probabilistic evolutionary models for inferring phylogenies of sequences from different organisms. This book gives a unified, up-to-date and self-contained account, with a Bayesian slant, of such methods, and more generally to probabilistic methods of sequence analysis. Written by an interdisciplinary team of authors, it aims to be accessible to molecular biologists, computer scientists, and mathematicians with no formal knowledge of the other fields, and at the same time present the state-of-the-art in this new and highly important field.
At War's End
Authors: Paris Roland
Published: July 2010

All fourteen major peacebuilding missions launched between 1989 and 1999 shared a common strategy for consolidating peace after internal conflicts: immediate democratization and marketization. Transforming war-shattered states into market democracies is basically sound, but pushing this process too quickly can have damaging and destabilizing effects. The process of liberalization is inherently tumultuous, and can undermine the prospects for stable peace. A more sensible approach to post-conflict peacebuilding would seek, first, to establish a system of domestic institutions that are capable of managing the destabilizing effects of democratization and marketization within peaceful bounds and only then phase in political and economic reforms slowly, as conditions warrant. Peacebuilders should establish the foundations of effective governmental institutions prior to launching wholesale liberalization programs. Avoiding the problems that marred many peacebuilding operations in the 1990s will require longer-lasting and, ultimately, more intrusive forms of intervention in the domestic affairs of these states. This book was first published in 2004.
Numerical modelling of finite-amplitude electro-thermo-convection in a dielectric liquid layer subjected to both unipolar injection and temperature gradient
Authors: TRAORÉ PH. , PÉREZ A. T. , KOULOVA D. , ROMAT H.
Published: July 2010

In this paper, we solve numerically the entire set of equations associated with the electro-thermo-convective phenomena that take place in a planar layer of dielectric liquid heated from below and subjected to unipolar injection. For the first time the whole set of coupled equations is solved: Navier–Stokes equations, electrohydrodynamic (EHD) equations and the energy equation. We first validate the numerical simulation by comparing the electro-convection stability criteria with ones obtained with a stability approach. The numerical solution of the electro-thermo-convection problem is then presented entirely with a detailed analysis of stability parameters. In particular, the relation between fluid velocity, non-dimensional electrical parameter T, Rayleigh number Ra and Prandtl number Pr is given. An analytical model is presented in order to understand the flow behaviour at some critical conditions. The way that the onset of motion passes from purely electrical convection to purely thermal convection is, in particular, investigated and explained in detail. Finally, a result on the heat transfer enhancement due to electro-convection is exhibited and compared with data from experimental works available in this field.
Existence of edge waves along three-dimensional periodic structures
Authors: NAZAROV SERGEY A. , VIDEMAN JUHA H.
Published: July 2010

Existence of edge waves travelling along three-dimensional periodic structures is considered within the linear water-wave theory. A condition ensuring the existence is derived by analysing the spectrum of a suitably defined trace operator. The sufficient condition is a simple inequality comparing a weighted volume integral, taken over the submerged part of an element in the infinite array of identical obstacles, to the area of the free surface pierced by the obstacle. Various examples are given, and the results are extended to edge waves along periodic coastlines and over a periodically varying ocean floor.
Using historical accounts to assess the occurrence and distribution of small cetaceans in a poorly known area
Authors: Brito Cristina , Vieira Nina
Published: July 2010

Historical science may play an important role in helping understanding and shaping the future of the world's oceans and to comprehend present day effects and conditions. Regarding cetaceans, historical accounts may be extremely useful to add new data to their occurrence and distribution in poorly studied regions. In Portugal, historical sources indicate thattoninhas(possibly common dolphinsDelphinus delphis) were observed since the 13th Century and were captured in large numbers during the late 19th and 20th Centuries. Historical occurrences given by naturalists and scientific surveys conducted by biologists indicate their regular presence with particular preference for certain areas. Also, recent observations of opportunity resulted in the same kind of accounts. Between 1976 and 1978, a study on captured cetaceans along the Portuguese shore found at fish markets was conducted and resulted in a total count of 45 cetaceans. Most captures were of small cetaceans (87% common dolphins), even though four baleen whales were registered. These cetacean captures were part of a local non-industrial fishery, as they were not the main target, but rather opportunistic catches or even by-catches of other fisheries. Delphinids were not protected by law at the time and were caught with hand harpoons or accidentally drowned in fish nets, sometimes sold at major fish markets such as Sesimbra, Peniche and Póvoa de Varzim. In geographical areas where recent cetacean sightings are rare and information is sparse, such as Portugal, it becomes important to take advantage of alternative sources of data. Our contribution towards the compilation of relevant historical and ‘forgotten’ science such as old natural observations, whaling data and observations of opportunity stresses the relevance of using historical data to access past occurrence and distribution of cetaceans.
Gregarious settlement of tubeworms at deep-sea hydrothermal vents on the Tonga–Kermadec arc, South Pacific
Authors: Short Jessie , Metaxas Anna
Published: July 2010

Despite the importance of early life-history processes in regulating population assemblages of benthic invertebrates at hydrothermal vents, they remain poorly understood, mainly because of the inaccessibility of these habitats. Vestimentiferan tubeworms provide an excellent system to study settlement in these habitats; they inhabit tubes that remain intact for some period even after the occupants die, and thus provide a proxy for rates of settlement and post-settlement mortality. In 2007, we collected rocks supporting populations ofLamellibrachiasp. using a TV-grab, from Mussel Ridge hydrothermal vent field on Monowai Volcanic Complex, at the Tonga–Kermadec arc. Twenty-two discrete patches of similarly sized individuals and of discrete length–frequency distributions were identified and quantified. Mean length of individual tubeworms ranged from <0.5 to 6.38 cm, and abundance per patch ranged from 6.8 to 108 ind cm−2. Post-settlement mortality was ~5%. These results suggest that gregarious settlement of pulses of larvae is likely occurring byLamellibrachiasp., a process that has not yet been described in deep-sea hydrothermal vent tubeworms. The abundance of adult tubeworms on Monowai was low, and allochthonous larval supply from neighbouring seamounts unlikely. Consequently, gregarious settlement can increase the probability of maintenance and expansion of the existing populations.
Experimental oral and ocularEncephalitozoon cuniculiinfection in rabbits
Authors: JEKLOVA E. , LEVA L. , KOVARCIK K. , MATIASOVIC J. , KUMMER V. , MASKOVA J. , SKORIC M. , FALDYNA M.
Published: July 2010

Encephalitozoon cuniculiis an obligate intracellular pathogen that has a wide host distribution, but primarily affects rabbits. The aim of this study was to characterize both the cell-mediated and the antibody response in rabbits after experimental infection using 2 different infection routes: oral and ocular. SPF rabbits were infected with low (103spores) and high (107spores) infection doses. Monitored parameters included clinical signs, detection of spores in urine, antibody response detected with ELISA, and cell-mediated immunity detected by antigen-driven lymphocyte proliferation. At week 13 post-infection, half of the rabbits in each group were suppressed by intramuscular administration of dexamethasone. At week 18 post-infection, animals were euthanized. Clinical signs were mild with exacerbation after immunosuppression. Spores in urine and antigen-specific cell-mediated immunity were detected from weeks 5 and 4 post-infection, respectively. Specific IgM was detected 1 week after infection, and IgG antibodies followed 1 week later in rabbits infected with the high dose. Immunological responses were dose dependent. The authors can conclude that both oral and ocular experimental infection withE. cuniculiresulted in an immune response of the infected animals. Rabbits could be used as an experimental model for the study of ocular microsporidiosis.
Are ‘diversity management’ and monolingualism compatible? About learning and using foreign languages in a context of globalisation
Authors: Lüdi Georges
Published: July 2010

Ideologies and communication practices vary hugely in multilingual workplaces. On the one hand, many companies include Diversity Management in their corporate culture because there are theoretical and empirical reasons to believe that a company which employs a diverse workforce enhances its opportunities in a global marketplace whilst improving employee satisfaction and thus productivity. On the other hand, globally oriented companies, often the same ones, choose English preferentially as their corporate language as it has become widely accepted that this is the language of international business. Thus, diversity in general (i.e. cultural diversity) and linguistic diversity are dissociated.
A targeted public: public services in fifteenth-century Ghent and Bruges
Authors: HAEMERS JELLE , RYCKBOSCH WOUTER
Published: July 2010

Though the phrase ‘public services’ is a nineteenth-century invention, which was supported by a developed rhetoric of political economy, this article shows that the concept, practice and supply of such services could also be found in the medieval city. It specifically analyses three areas of urban service provision: jurisprudence and legal security, infrastructure and finally health care and poor relief. Although the available sources tend to stress the involvement of municipal authorities in providing public services, it turns out that in fact the furnishing of services was highly multi-layered. In all three areas studied, a wide range of public and private institutions offered services to specific groups within late medieval urban society. In contrast to what the notion of ‘public services’ lets us presume, however, public services in the medieval city were not available to all inhabitants. Instead, the provision of services was usually quite restrictive, and targeted particular groups in society.
Ways of looking: the creation and social use of urban guidebooks in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century China
Authors: FEI SIYEN
Published: July 2010

This article explores the intricate relationship between guidebooks and place-making in an early modern Chinese city, Nanjing. Despite all apparent similarity to a modern guidebook, the seventeenth-century guidebookJinling tuyong(Illustrated Odes on Nanjing) offers no information regarding shopping, dining or lodging; instead, it catalogues all the possible experiences of sites in and around the city. Such a concentrated focus on spatial experiences brings to light an important change in the social role of guidebooks in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century China. As landscape appreciation developed into an important venue for status performance and social networking, the representation of space became an integral element to the construction of urban communities. In the case ofTuyong, its images even supplied a critical source of cultural continuity for Nanjing-neses during transition between the Ming and Qing empires, a finding that sheds a new light on the links between urban space and empire and serves as a useful entry for cross-cultural comparison.
Exhaustive measurement of food items in the home using a universal product code scanner
Authors: Stevens June , Bryant Maria , Wang Lily , Borja Judith , Bentley Margaret E
Published: July 2010

Objective

We aimed to develop, test and describe the Exhaustive Home Food Inventory (EHFI), which measures foods in the home using scanning of the universal product code (UPC) and EHFI software to link codes to food identities and energy values.

Design

Observational design with up to three repeated measures in each household yielded a total of 218 inventories.

Setting

Eighty private households in North Carolina.

Subjects

Low-income African-American women with an infant between the ages of 12 and 18 months. Recruitment rate was 71 %.

Results

Approximately 12 200 different food items were successfully recorded using the EHFI method. The average number of food items within a household was 147. The time required for the first measurement in a home declined from 157 to 136 min (P< 0·05) for the first third compared to the last third of homes measured. In the sixty-four households in which three assessments were performed, the time required decreased from 145 to 97 min as did the time per item from 1·10 to 0·73 min.

Conclusions

It is feasible to record all foods and drinks in the home using UPC scanning. Further development and enhancement of databases linking UPC to food identification, nutrients and other information are needed.
Dietary pattern, a modifiable risk factor that can be easily assessed for atherosclerosis vascular disease prevention in clinical practice
Authors: Mahe Guillaume , Carsin Marie , Zeeny Maya , De Bosschere Jean-Paul
Published: July 2010

Objectives

Nutrition is one of the modifiable risk factors of atherosclerosis vascular diseases (VD). We aimed to (i) evaluate the dietary patterns associated with VD in clinical practice using a validated FFQ; and (ii) determine potential independent sociodemographic and behavioural factors that are involved in such dietary patterns. The FFQ determined the vascular dietary score (VDS; ranges from −17 to 19) for each subject.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

A general practitioner's (GP) office in 2009.

Subjects

A total of 250 French subjects (18–84 years old).

Results

A total of 21 % had a favourable vascular diet (VDS ≥ 8), 79 % needed to improve their diet (VDS < 8) and 21 % had a risky vascular diet (VDS ≤ −1). A step-by-step multivariate linear regression analysis with stepwise selection was performed using the VDS as a dependent variable. Significant variables were: age (β = 0·495, P < 0·0001), men (β = −0·282, P < 0·0001), ‘sport ≥1 h/week’ (β = 0·253, P = 0·001), ‘walking 20 min/d’ (β = 0·161, P = 0·012), ‘former smoker’ (β = 0·118, P = 0·029), previous nutritional advice (β = 0·105, P = 0·049), ‘alcohol ≥20 g/d’ (β = −0·216, P < 0·0001) and ‘primary school’ (β = −0·156, P = 0·010). The R2 coefficient of this model was 0·347 (P < 0·0001). In all, 88·7 % of the subjects found the evaluation very interesting and 89·6 % believed that the GP should perform it.

Conclusions

Simple dietary assessment for VD prevention can be easily performed in clinical practice to allow physicians to give objective and rapid advice for each patient. Age, educational status, alcohol consumption, gender and physical activity are associated with the VDS. Compliance with such evaluation was found to be very high, which should encourage larger dietary screening in the population in order to reduce the impact of VD.
Exceeding Conventional Resolution Limits in High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy Using Tilted Illumination and Exit-Wave Restoration
Authors: Haigh Sarah J. , Sawada Hidetaka , Takayanagi Kunio , Kirkland Angus I.
Published: July 2010

Tilted illumination exit-wave restoration is compared for two aberration-corrected instruments at different accelerating voltages. The experimental progress of this technique is also reviewed and the significance of off-axial aberrations examined. Finally, the importance of higher order aberration compensation combined with careful correction of the lower order aberrations is highlighted.
Permeability of vesicular Stromboli basaltic glass: Lattice Boltzmann simulations and laboratory measurements
Authors: Bai Liping , Baker Don R. , Hill Reghan J.
Published: July 2010

The permeabilities of vesicular Stromboli basaltic glasses were determined using lattice Boltzmann (LB) simulations and laboratory measurements. Lattice Boltzmann simulations were performed to simulate flow through vesicular Stromboli basaltic glasses with porosities, Φ, from 5% to 92%. The simulations and measurements provide a power law Darcian permeability‐porosity relationship k(Φ) = c (Φ)5 with c = 2.35 × 10−20 from LB simulations and 5.33 × 10−21 from measurements, where k is in m2. These permeabilities of vesiculated basalts are about 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than in rhyolitic and dacitic volcanic rocks with the same porosity; this difference is attributed to a higher bubble interconnectivity and larger bubble apertures in our basaltic samples. The Darcian flow permeability k1 (m2) and non‐Darcian flow permeability k2 (m) are highly dependent on bubble size, D, and porosity with k1 = 7.66 × 10−17[D2Φ3/(1 − Φ)2] and k2 = 2.78 × 10−9[DΦ3/(1 − Φ)]. Samples with power law bubble size distributions can produce higher permeabilities than samples with exponential bubble size distributions. The Darcian and non‐Darcian flow regimes are delineated, demonstrating that the Darcian flow occurs at the Forchheimer number, Fo, below 0.2–1, and the transitional flow (Forchheimer flow) occurs in the Forchheimer number range 1 to 10. The correlations between friction factor, fk, and Fo are constrained by the permeability measurements, and are in good agreement with simulations: fk = (1.11 ± 0.17) + [(0.66 ± 0.39)/Fo] (measurements) and fk = (0.59 ± 0.49) + [(1.0 ± 0.01)/Fo] (LB simulations). Our results show that fk depends on k2, pore size, and pore geometry at small Fo and tends to be a constant at large Fo. The fk − Fo correlations imply a gradual transition from Darcian to non‐Darcian flow, rather than an abrupt change. Modeling the relationship between permeability created by water exsolution and depth suggests that significant increases of permeability occur at depths of ∼100–2000 m for melts with initial water concentrations of 1–4 wt %. At these depths, for gas flow through vesicular magma with a velocity 0.1–1 m s−1, Fo is in the range ∼0.5–47, corresponding to the transitional flow regime. For a gas flow with a velocity over ∼10 m s−1, Fo can attain values well above the transition flow regime. Our results imply that transitional flow or turbulent flow probably prevails in vesicular magma.
TSLP from RSV‐stimulated rat airway epithelial cells activates myeloid dendritic cells
Authors: Qiao Jianou , Li Ang , Jin Xianqiao
Published: July 2010

The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a primary cause of lower respiratory tract infections in children, the elderly and in people who are immune suppressed, and is also the cause for the development of asthma primarily in infants. However, the immunological mechanisms by which RSV enhances allergic sensitization and asthma remain unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of RSV‐infected airway epithelial cells on the activation and functions of rat myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs).We found that the exposure of primary rat airway epithelial cells (PRAECs) to RSV induced a rapid (6 h), high (12 h) and persistent (18 h) increase in thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) mRNA compared with untreated PRAECs. TSLP protein expression was also enhanced by RSV infection. Functional maturation of mDCs was induced by RSV‐treated PRAECs, as shown by their enhanced levels of OX40L and thymus‐ and activation‐regulated chemokine (TARC) mRNAs, which increased the expressions of major histocompatibility complex II (MHCII) and CD86 costimulatory molecules and promoted enhanced T‐cell proliferation in mixed lymphocyte reactions. These activities were inhibited in cocultures with RSV‐infected RTECs (rat tracheal epithelial cells, an immortalized cell strain) that had been pretreated with TSLP‐targeted small interfering RNA. These results suggest that RSV can induce epithelial cells to produce TSLP, which in turn promotes the maturation of mDCs that might support Th2 cell polarization.