bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Solar Backscatter UV (SBUV) total ozone and profile algorithm
Authors: Bhartia P. K. , McPeters R. D. , Flynn L. E. , Taylor S. , Kramarova N. A. , Frith S. , Fisher B. , DeLand M.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. We describe the algorithm that has been applied to develop a 42 yr record of total ozone and ozone profiles from eight Solar Backscatter UV (SBUV) instruments launched on NASA and NOAA satellites since April 1970. The Version 8 (V8) algorithm was released more than a decade ago and has been in use since then at NOAA to produce their operational ozone products. The current algorithm (V8.6) is basically the same as V8, except for updates to instrument calibration, incorporation of new ozone absorption cross-sections, and new ozone and cloud height climatologies. Since the V8 algorithm has been optimized for deriving monthly zonal mean (MZM) anomalies for ozone assessment and model comparisons, our emphasis in this paper is primarily on characterizing the sources of errors that are relevant for such studies. When data are analyzed this way the effect of some errors, such as vertical smoothing of short-term variability, and noise due to clouds and aerosols diminish in importance, while the importance of others, such as errors due to vertical smoothing of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) and other periodic and aperiodic variations, become more important. With V8.6 zonal mean data we now provide smoothing kernels that can be used to compare anomalies in SBUV profile and partial ozone columns with models. In this paper we show how to use these kernels to compare SBUV data with Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) ozone profiles. These kernels are particularly useful for comparisons in the lower stratosphere where SBUV profiles have poor vertical resolution but partial column ozone values have high accuracy. We also provide our best estimate of the smoothing errors associated with SBUV MZM profiles. Since smoothing errors are the largest source of uncertainty in these profiles, they can be treated as error bars in deriving interannual variability and trends using SBUV data and for comparing with other measurements. In the V8 and V8.6 algorithms we derive total column ozone by integrating the SBUV profiles, rather than from a separate set of wavelengths, as was done in previous algorithm versions. This allows us to extend the total ozone retrieval to 88° solar zenith angle (SZA). Since the quality of total column data is affected by reduced sensitivity to ozone in the lower atmosphere by cloud and Rayleigh attenuation, which gets worse with increasing SZA, we provide our best estimate of these errors, as well as the kernels that can be used to test the sensitivity of the derived columns to long-term changes in ozone in the lower atmosphere.
Retrieval of desert dust aerosol vertical profiles from IASI measurements in the TIR atmospheric window
Authors: Vandenbussche S. , Kochenova S. , Vandaele A. C. , Kumps N. , De Mazière M.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Desert dust aerosols are the most prominent tropospheric aerosols, playing an important role in the earth's climate. However, their radiative forcing is currently not known with sufficient precision to even determine its sign. The sources of uncertainty are multiple, one of them being a poor characterisation of the dust aerosol's vertical profile on a global scale. In this work, we tackle this scientific issue by designing a method for retrieving dust aerosol vertical profiles from Thermal Infrared measurements by Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) instruments onboard the Metop satellite series. IASI offers almost global coverage twice a day, and long (past and future) time series of radiances, therefore being extremely well suited for climate studies. Our retrieval follows Rodger's formalism and is based on a two-step approach, treating separately the issues of low altitude sensitivity and difficult a priori definition. We compare our results for a selected test case above the Atlantic Ocean and North Africa in June 2009, with optical depth data from MODIS, aerosol absorbing index from GOME-2 and OMI, and vertical profiles of extinction coefficients from CALIOP. We also use literature information on desert dust sources to interpret our results above land. Our retrievals provide perfectly reasonable results in terms of optical depth. The retrieved vertical profiles (with on average 1.5 degrees of freedom) show most of the time sensitivity down to the lowest layer, and agree well with CALIOP extinction profiles for medium to high dust optical depth. We conclude that this new method is extremely promising for improving the scientific knowledge about the 3-D distribution of desert dust aerosols in the atmosphere.
Vertical distribution of methane oxidation and methanotrophic response to elevated methane concentrations in stratified waters of the Arctic fjord Storfjorden (Svalbard, Norway)
Authors: Mau S. , Blees J. , Helmke E. , Niemann H. , Damm E.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. The bacterially mediated aerobic methane oxidation (MOx) is a key mechanism in controlling methane (CH4) emissions from the world's oceans to the atmosphere. In this study, we investigated MOx in the Arctic fjord Storfjorden (Svalbard) by applying a combination of radio-tracer-based incubation assays (3H-CH4 and 14C-CH4), stable C-CH4 isotope measurements, and molecular tools (16S rRNA gene Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprinting, pmoA- and mxaF gene analyses). Storfjorden is stratified in the summertime with melt water (MW) in the upper 60 m of the water column, Arctic water (ArW) between 60 and 100 m, and brine-enriched shelf water (BSW) down to 140 m. CH4 concentrations were supersaturated with respect to the atmospheric equilibrium (about 3–4 nM) throughout the water column, increasing from ∼20 nM at the surface to a maximum of 72 nM at 60 m and decreasing below. MOx rate measurements at near in situ CH4 concentrations (here measured with 3H-CH4 raising the ambient CH4 pool by <2 nM) showed a similar trend: low rates at the sea surface, increasing to a maximum of ∼2.3 nM day−1 at 60 m, followed by a decrease in the deeper ArW/BSW. In contrast, rate measurements with 14C-CH4 (incubations were spiked with ∼450 nM of 14C-CH4, providing an estimate of the CH4 oxidation at elevated concentration) showed comparably low turnover rates (<1 nM day−1) at 60 m, and peak rates were found in ArW/BSW at ∼100 m water depth, concomitant with increasing 13C values in the residual CH4 pool. Our results indicate that the MOx community in the surface MW is adapted to relatively low CH4 concentrations. In contrast, the activity of the deep-water MOx community is relatively low at the ambient, summertime CH4 concentrations but has the potential to increase rapidly in response to CH4 availability. A similar distinction between surface and deep-water MOx is also suggested by our molecular analyses. The DGGE banding patterns of 16S rRNA gene fragments of the surface MW and deep water were clearly different. A DGGE band related to the known type I MOx bacterium Methylosphaera was observed in deep BWS, but absent in surface MW. Furthermore, the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplicons of the deep water with the two functional primers sets pmoA and mxaF showed, in contrast to those of the surface MW, additional products besides the expected one of 530 base pairs (bp). Apparently, different MOx communities have developed in the stratified water masses in Storfjorden, which is possibly related to the spatiotemporal variability in CH4 supply to the distinct water masses.
Synergistic effects of pCO2 and iron availability on nutrient consumption ratio of the Bering Sea phytoplankton community
Authors: Sugie K. , Endo H. , Suzuki K. , Nishioka J. , Kiyosawa H. , Yoshimura T.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Little is known concerning the effect of CO2 on phytoplankton ecophysiological processes under nutrient and trace element-limited conditions, because most CO2 manipulation experiments have been conducted under elements-replete conditions. To investigate the effects of CO2 and iron availability on phytoplankton ecophysiology, we conducted an experiment in September 2009 using a phytoplankton community in the iron limited, high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll (HNLC) region of the Bering Sea basin . Carbonate chemistry was controlled by the bubbling of the several levels of CO2 concentration (180, 380, 600, and 1000 ppm) controlled air, and two iron conditions were established, one with and one without the addition of inorganic iron. We demonstrated that in the iron-limited control conditions, the specific growth rate and the maximum photochemical quantum efficiency (Fv/Fm) of photosystem (PS) II decreased with increasing CO2 levels, suggesting a further decrease in iron bioavailability under the high-CO2 conditions. In addition, biogenic silica to particulate nitrogen and biogenic silica to particulate organic carbon ratios increased from 2.65 to 3.75 and 0.39 to 0.50, respectively, with an increase in the CO2 level in the iron-limited controls. By contrast, the specific growth rate, Fv/Fm values and elemental compositions in the iron-added treatments did not change in response to the CO2 variations, indicating that the addition of iron canceled out the effect of the modulation of iron bioavailability due to the change in carbonate chemistry. Our results suggest that high-CO2 conditions can alter the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients through decreasing iron bioavailability in the iron-limited HNLC regions in the future.
Climate, tectonics or morphology: what signals can we see in drainage basin sediment yields?
Authors: Coulthard T. J. , Van de Wiel M. J.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Sediment yields from river basins are typically considered to be controlled by tectonic and climatic drivers. However, climate and tectonics can operate simultaneously and the impact of autogenic processes scrambling or shredding these inputs can make it hard to unpick the role of these drivers from the sedimentary record. Thus an understanding of the relative dominance of climate, tectonics or other processes in the output of sediment from a basin is vital. Here, we use a numerical landscape evolution model (CAESAR) to specifically examine the relative impact of climate change, tectonic uplift (instantaneous and gradual) and basin morphology on sediment yield. Unexpectedly, this shows how the sediment signal from significant rates of uplift (10 m instant or 25 mm a−1) may be lost due to internal storage effects within even a small basin. However, the signal from modest increases in rainfall magnitude (10–20%) can be seen in increases in sediment yield. In addition, in larger basins, tectonic inputs can be significantly diluted by regular delivery from non-uplifted parts of the basin.
"I feel Danish but...": a case study on national identity formation and ambivalence
Authors: Koefoed L. , Simonsen K.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Non-western minorities in Europe, one can argue, are experiencing particularly vulnerable processes of subjectification and identification. They are often caught between double processes of inclusion/exclusion, integration/segregation or identification/estrangement. This article explores some of the complex and ambiguous processes of identification within this group, in connection with development of the spatial identity of Danishness. It starts with a short theoretical pinning down of the figure of "the stranger'' working as a basis for the empirical analysis. Organised in three sections, each interpreting a specific narrative of identification, the analysis subsequently explores processes and problems of identity formation within a minority group increasingly designated as "strangers'' within the Danish nation state. The article concludes on the different ways in which uncertainty and ambivalence infiltrate the identity formation.
Re-suspension of bed sediment in a small stream – results from two flushing experiments
Authors: Eder A. , Exner-Kittridge M. , Strauss P. , Blöschl G.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Streams draining small watersheds often exhibit multiple peaking sedigraphs associated with single peaking hydrographs. The process reasons of the multiple sediment peaks are not fully understood but they may be related to the activation of different sediment sources such as the streambed itself where deposited sediments from previous events may be available for resuspension. To understand resuspension of stream bed sediments at the reach scale we artificially flooded the small stream of the HOAL Petzenkirchen catchment in Austria by pumping sediment-free water into the stream. Two short floods were produced and flow, sediment and bromide concentrations were measured at three sites with high temporal resolution. Hydrologically, the two flood events were almost identical. The peak flows decreased from 57 to 7.9 L s−1 and the flow volumes decreased from 17 to 11.3 m3 along the 590 m reach of the stream. However, a considerably smaller sediment load was resuspended and transported during the second flood due to depletion of stream bed sediments. The exception was the middle section of the stream where more sediment was transported during the second flood event which can be explained by differences between flow velocity and wave celerity and the resulting displacement of sediments within the stream. The results indicate that the first peak of the sedigraphs of natural events in this stream is indeed caused by the resuspension of streambed sediments, accounting for up to six percent of the total sediment load depending on total flow volume.
Comparison of parameters influencing the behavior of concentration of nitrates and phosphates during different extreme rainfall-runoff events in small watersheds
Authors: Moravcová J. , Pavlíček T. , Ondr P. , Koupilová M. , Kvítek T.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. The behavior of solute concentrations during storm events is completely different from their behaviour under normal conditions, and very often results in hysteresis. This study aim is to explore the relationship between the biogeochemical and hydrological parameters describing natural conditions and the reciprocal interactions between changes in concentration of selected indicators of water quality in water and the discharge dynamics during different types of extreme rainfall-runoff events in the Jenínský stream and the Kopaninský stream catchment (Czech Republic). The relationship between concentrations and runoffs is explained by concentration-discharge hysteretic loops. As the statistical method used for cross analyzing the impact of the parameters there was chosen the RDA analysis. The relationships between the particular parameters were examined separately by conditions of spring snow melt and summer storm events. The results than confirmed the very strong relationship between parameters describing water quality and percentage of stable parts of the catchment and also of infiltration vulnerable sites.
Robust Feature Tracking in Image Sequences using View Geometric Constraints
Authors: Lawver J. , Yilmaz A.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Interest point tracking across a sequence of images is a fundamental technique for determining scene motion characteristics. Traditionally, feature tracking has been performed with a variety of appearance-based comparison methods. The most common methods analyze intensity values of local pixels and subsequently attempt to match them to the most similar region in the following frame. This standard, though sometimes effective, lacks versatility. For example, these methods are easily confused by shadows, patterns, feature occlusion, and a variety of other appearance-based anomalies. To counteract the issues presented by a one-sided approach, a new method has been developed to take advantage of both appearance and geometric constraints in a complementary fashion. Using an iterative scheme, camera parameters are computed at each new frame and used to project a derived shape to new point coordinates. This process is repeated for each new frame until a trajectory is created for the entire video sequence. With this method, weight can be allocated as desired between both appearance and geometric constraints. If an issue arises with one constraint (e.g., occlusion or rapid camera movement), the other constraint will continue to track the feature successfully. Experimental results have shown that this method is robust to tracking challenges such as occlusion, shadows, and repeating patterns, while also outperforming appearance-based methods in tracking quality.
The sensitivity of flowline models of tidewater glaciers to parameter uncertainty
Authors: Enderlin E. M. , Howat I. M. , Vieli A.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Depth-integrated (1-D) flowline models have been widely used to simulate fast-flowing tidewater glaciers and predict change because the continuous grounding line tracking, high horizontal resolution, and physically based calving criterion that are essential to realistic modeling of tidewater glaciers can easily be incorporated into the models while maintaining high computational efficiency. As with all models, the values for parameters describing ice rheology and basal friction must be assumed and/or tuned based on observations. For prognostic studies, these parameters are typically tuned so that the glacier matches observed thickness and speeds at an initial state, to which a perturbation is applied. While it is well know that ice flow models are sensitive to these parameters, the sensitivity of tidewater glacier models has not been systematically investigated. Here we investigate the sensitivity of such flowline models of outlet glacier dynamics to uncertainty in three key parameters that influence a glacier's resistive stress components. We find that, within typical observational uncertainty, similar initial (i.e., steady-state) glacier configurations can be produced with substantially different combinations of parameter values, leading to differing transient responses after a perturbation is applied. In cases where the glacier is initially grounded near flotation across a basal over-deepening, as typically observed for rapidly changing glaciers, these differences can be dramatic owing to the threshold of stability imposed by the flotation criterion. The simulated transient response is particularly sensitive to the parameterization of ice rheology: differences in ice temperature of ~ 2 °C can determine whether the glaciers thin to flotation and retreat unstably or remain grounded on a marine shoal. Due to the highly non-linear dependence of tidewater glaciers on model parameters, we recommend that their predictions are accompanied by sensitivity tests that take parameter uncertainty into account.
L’état d’aventure
Authors: Pradeau Christophe
Published: October 2013

Le roman nouveau, dont Rivière postule l’avènement dans Le Roman d’aventure, devra, pour réaliser la vocation du genre, être écrit « en état d’aventure ». L’expression virtualise l’aventure. Qu’elle soit conçue comme un état implique qu’elle s’intériorise : elle relève moins de l’action que de la réflexion. Son lieu propre est le labyrinthe de la mémoire. Les romans d’Alain-Fournier, de Proust et de Gide inventent, dans une relation complexe à l’essai de Rivière, un romanesque des possibles, en réactualisant la métaphore existentielle du chemin de la vie et, plus décisivement, en faisant de la créance un enjeu.
« [L]a vie ne se rejoignait pas à elle-même »
Authors: Samson Véronique
Published: October 2013

Si la première moitié du XXe siècle pense l’aventure romanesque comme une prolifération des possibles, la seconde verrait apparaître les limites de cette conception héritée de Jacques Rivière. En prenant comme cas de figure Un balcon en forêt (1958), le dernier roman de Julien Gracq, cette étude suggère que l’expérience de la « drôle de guerre » aura engendré, au coeur de la carrière littéraire de l’écrivain, une crise toute paradoxale, issue du désir de maintenir les possibles ouverts pour son personnage dans un monde devenu inhabitable.
Intramolecular Oxycarbonylation in Stereoselective Synthesis
Authors: Gracza Tibor
Published: October 2013

Oxycarbonylation chemistry is widely used in organic synthesis and represents a useful method for bisfunctionalization of the unsaturated carbon–carbon bonds. Transition metals and their complexes functioning as catalysts for carbonylation reactions usually promote the introduction of a carbonyl moiety into an organic molecule. Among the most interesting and synthetically useful carbonylation reactions is the cyclization of unsaturated alcohols accompanied by the insertion of carbon monoxide. These reactions provide a convenient and effective one‐step access to oxygen‐containing heterocyclic compounds. This chapter highlights recent progress in the development of the intramolecular palladium‐catalyzed alkoxycarbonylations of alkenols and their application in natural product synthesis and in building complex structures.
Biologic Versus Nonbiologic Mesh in Ventral Hernia Repair: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis
Authors: Darehzereshki Ali , Goldfarb Melanie , Zehetner Joerg , Moazzez Ashkan , Lipham John C. , Mason Rodney J. , Katkhouda Namir
Published: October 2013

Background

The current standard of treatment for most ventral hernias is a mesh‐based repair. Little is known about the safety and efficacy of biologic versus nonbiologic grafts. A meta‐analysis was performed to examine two primary outcomes: recurrence and wound complication rates.

Methods

Electronic databases and reference lists of relevant articles were systematically searched for all clinical trials and cohort studies published between January 1990 and January 2012. A total of eight retrospective studies, with 1,229 patients, were included in the final analysis.

Results

Biologic grafts had significantly fewer infectious wound complications (p < 0.00001). However, the recurrence rates of biologic and nonbiologic mesh were not different. In subgroup analysis, there was no difference in recurrence rates and wound complications between human‐derived and porcine‐derived biologic grafts.

Conclusions

Use of biologic mesh for ventral hernia repair results in less infectious wound complications but similar recurrence rates compared to nonbiologic mesh. This supports the application of biologic mesh for ventral hernia repair in high‐risk patients or patients with a previous history of wound infection only when the significant additional cost of these materials can be justified and synthetic mesh is considered inappropriate.
Immunological Changes After Minimally Invasive or Conventional Esophageal Resection for Cancer: A Randomized Trial
Authors: Maas K. W. , Biere S. S. A. Y. , van Hoogstraten I. M. W. , van der Peet D. L. , Cuesta M. A.
Published: October 2013

Background

This study was performed as a substudy analysis of a randomized trial comparing conventional open esophagectomy [open surgical technique (OE)] by thoracotomy and laparotomy with minimally invasive esophagectomy [minimally invasive procedure (MIE)] by thoracoscopy and laparoscopy. This additional analysis focuses on the immunological changes and surgical stress response in these two randomized groups of a single center.

Methods

Patients with a resectable esophageal cancer were randomized to OE (n = 13) or MIE (n = 14). All patients received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. The immunological response was measured by means of leukocyte counts, HLA‐DR expression on monocytes, the acute‐phase response by means of C‐reactive protein (CRP), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), and interleukin‐8 (IL‐8), and the stress response was measured by cortisol, growth hormone, and prolactin. All parameters were determined at baseline (preoperatively) and 24, 72, 96, and 168 h postoperatively.

Results

Significant differences between the two groups were seen in favor of the MIE group with regard to leukocyte counts, IL‐8, and prolactin at 168 h (1 week) postoperatively. For HLA‐DR expression, IL‐6, and CRP levels, there were no significant differences between the two groups, although there was a clear rise in levels upon operation in both groups.

Conclusion

In this substudy of a randomized trial comparing minimally invasive and conventional open esophagectomies for cancer, significantly better preserved leukocyte counts and IL‐8 levels were observed in the MIE group compared to the open group. Both findings can be related to fewer respiratory infections found postoperatively in the MIE group. Moreover, significant differences in the prolactin levels at 168 h after surgery imply that the stress response is better preserved in the MIE group. These findings indicate that less surgical trauma could lead to better preserved acute‐phase and stress responses and fewer clinical manifestations of respiratory infections.
Defining Anatomical Landmarks for Robotic Facelift Thyroidectomy
Authors: Singer Michael C. , Heffernan Andrew , Terris David J.
Published: October 2013

Background

Robotic facelift thyroidectomy (RFT) is a straightforward remote access thyroidectomy technique. While the anatomy encountered during RFT is well known to surgeons, the vector of approach during this technique may be less familiar. In order to facilitate safe and efficient performance of RFT, the relationships of key anatomical landmarks associated with this technique were determined.

Methods

Eight anatomical dissections were performed in cadavers and included performance of RFT and definition of discrete anatomical relationships. Morphologic assessments of the great auricular nerve (GAN), omohyoid (OH) muscle, inferior constrictor (IC) muscle, and recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) were conducted.

Results

The mean distance from the incision apex to the anterior and posterior aspects of the GAN were 3.8 ± 1.2 and 7.7 ± 0.8 cm. From the apex of the incision to the OH muscle was 11.1 ± 1.7 cm on average. The OH muscle was located 1.3 ± 0.5 cm inferior to an axial line drawn through the inferior aspect of the thyroid notch. The anterior branch of the RLN was identified coursing deep to the inferior margin of the IC muscle a mean of 1.2 ± 0.2 cm lateral to the origin of this muscle on the cricoid cartilage.

Conclusions

Characterization of the key anatomical landmarks of the lateral neck and thyroid compartment associated with RFT, including the GAN, OH muscle, and RLN, allows for rapid recognition of these critical structures during this operation. Surgeons learning this approach should be familiar with these relationships.
The spectrum of musculoskeletal problems in lipomyelomeningocele
Authors: Segal Lee S. , Czoch Wojciech , Hennrikus William L. , Wade Shrader M. , Kanev Paul M.
Published: October 2013

Purpose

Patients with lipomyelomeningocele (LMMC) represent a unique population within the spectrum of spinal dysraphism. The natural history of LMMC remains poorly defined. The description and prevalence of the presenting orthopaedic clinical signs and symptoms for LMMC have been infrequent and often documented only in general terms. The goal of this study is to define the patterns and prevalence of presenting clinical musculoskeletal signs and symptoms in LMMC patients.

Methods

This study was a retrospective review of charts of all patients identified as having LMMC in our spina bifida clinic. Patient charts with incomplete data or diagnoses other than LMMC were excluded from the analysis. Data collected included age at initial tethered cord release (TCR); repeat TCR; limb length discrepancy; foot deformities; asymmetry of motor and sensory deficits; presence of scoliosis; orthotic needs; assistive devices; functional status.

Results

We identified 32 patients with LMMC (21 female and 11 male patients). The majority of patients had their primary TCR by ≤1 year of age (59 %), with 22 and 19 % having primary TCR at ages 1–15 and >15 years, respectively. Fifteen patients had at least one repeat TCR, with ten of these having more than one repeat TCR. A significant relationship was noted between low back/radicular pain and repeat TCR ( p < 0.001). Ten patients (31%) had a limb length discrepancy of >2.5 cm, and 53 % of patients had asymmetric involvement. Nine patients (28 %) had scoliosis of whom only one required operative treatment. Fifteen patients had foot deformities. Thirteen patients (41 %) had two or more orthopaedic procedures in addition to other neurologic or urologic procedures.

Conclusion

The presenting musculoskeletal clinical signs and symptoms in patients with LMMC are uniquely different in terms of both pattern and frequency compared to myelomeningocele and other forms of spinal dysraphism. We noted a high prevalence of asymmetrical involvement, a high operative burden, and a high rate of repeat symptomatic tethered cord syndrome requiring TCR. As previously noted by others, TCR in LMMC does not prevent long-term functional deterioration. These findings may be important to our colleagues providing counsel to their patients with LMMC and to their families.
O‐glycosylation of the non‐canonical T‐cadherin from rabbit skeletal muscle by single mannose residues
Authors: Winterhalter Patrick R. , Lommel Mark , Ruppert Thomas , Strahl Sabine
Published: October 2013

O‐mannosylation is a vital protein modification. In humans, defective O‐mannosylation of α‐dystroglycan results in severe congenital muscular dystrophies. However, other proteins bearing this modification in vivo are still largely unknown. Here, we describe a highly reliable method combining glycosidase treatment with LC–MS analyses to identify mammalian O‐mannosylated proteins from tissue sources. Our workflow identified T‐cadherin (H‐cadherin, CDH13) as a novel O‐mannosylated protein. In contrast to known O‐mannosylated proteins, single mannose residues (Man‐α‐Ser/Thr) are attached to this cell adhesion molecule. Conserved O‐glycosylation sites in T‐, E‐ and N‐cadherins from different species, point to a general role of O‐mannosyl glycans for cadherin function.
Inclusion of glycerol in forage diets increases methane production in a rumen simulation technique system
Authors: Avila-Stagno Jorge , Chaves Alexandre V. , O. Ribeiro Gabriel , Ungerfeld Emilio M. , McAllister Tim A.
Published: October 2013

We hypothesised that the inclusion of glycerol in the forage diets of ruminants would increase the proportion of propionate produced and thereby decreasein vitroCH4production. This hypothesis was examined in the present study using a semi-continuous fermentation system (rumen simulation technique) fed a brome hay (8·5 g) and maize silage (1·5 g) diet with increasing concentrations (0, 50, 100 and 150 g/kg DM) of glycerol substituted for maize silage. Glycerol linearly increased total volatile fatty acids production (P< 0·001). Acetate production was quadratically affected (P= 0·023) and propionate and butyrate production was linearly increased (P< 0·001). Glycerol linearly increased (P= 0·011) DM disappearance from hay and silage. Crude protein disappearance from hay was not affected (P= 0·789), but that from silage was linearly increased (P< 0·001) with increasing glycerol concentrations. Neutral-detergent fibre (P= 0·040) and acid-detergent fibre (P= 0·031) disappearance from hay and silage was linearly increased by glycerol. Total gas production tended to increase linearly (P= 0·061) and CH4concentration in gas was linearly increased (P< 0·001) by glycerol, resulting in a linear increase (P< 0·001) in mg CH4/g DM digested. Our hypothesis was rejected as increasing concentrations of glycerol in a forage diet linearly increased CH4production in semi-continuous fermenters, despite the increases in the concentrations of propionate. In conclusion, this apparent discrepancy is due to the more reduced state of glycerol when compared with carbohydrates, which implies that there is no net incorporation of electrons when glycerol is metabolised to propionate.
SPECTRA AND CATENARITY OF MULTI-PARAMETER QUANTUM SCHUBERT CELLS
Authors: YAKIMOV MILEN
Published: October 2013

We study the ring theory of the multi-parameter deformations of the quantum Schubert cell algebras obtained from 2-cocycle twists. This is a large family, which extends the Artin–Schelter–Tate algebras of twisted quantum matrices. We classify set theoretically the spectra of all such multi-parameter quantum Schubert cell algebras, construct each of their prime ideals by contracting from explicit normal localizations and prove formulas for the dimensions of their Goodearl–Letzter strata for base fields of arbitrary characteristic and all deformation parameters that are not roots of unity. Furthermore, we prove that the spectra of these algebras are normally separated and that all such algebras are catenary.
The neuroanatomy of subthreshold depressive symptoms in Huntington's disease: a combined diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) study
Authors: Sprengelmeyer R. , Orth M. , Müller H.-P. , Wolf R. C. , Grön G. , Depping M. S. , Kassubek J. , Justo D. , Rees E. M. , Haider S. , Cole J. H. , Hobbs N. Z. , Roos R. A. C. , Dürr A. , Tabrizi S. J. , Süssmuth S. D. , Landwehrmeyer G. B.
Published: October 2013

Background

Depressive symptoms are prominent psychopathological features of Huntington's disease (HD), making a negative impact on social functioning and well-being.

Method

We compared the frequencies of a history of depression, previous suicide attempts and current subthreshold depression between 61 early-stage HD participants and 40 matched controls. The HD group was then split based on the overall HD group's median Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-depression score into a group of 30 non-depressed participants (mean 0.8,s.d. = 0.7) and a group of 31 participants with subthreshold depressive symptoms (mean 7.3,s.d. = 3.5) to explore the neuroanatomy underlying subthreshold depressive symptoms in HD using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

Results

Frequencies of history of depression, previous suicide attempts or current subthreshold depressive symptoms were higher in HD than in controls. The severity of current depressive symptoms was also higher in HD, but not associated with the severity of HD motor signs or disease burden. Compared with the non-depressed HD group DTI revealed lower fractional anisotropy (FA) values in the frontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, insula and cerebellum of the HD group with subthreshold depressive symptoms. In contrast, VBM measures were similar in both HD groups. A history of depression, the severity of HD motor signs or disease burden did not correlate with FA values of these regions.

Conclusions

Current subthreshold depressive symptoms in early HD are associated with microstructural changes – without concomitant brain volume loss – in brain regions known to be involved in major depressive disorder, but not those typically associated with HD pathology.
Permissive Constitutions, Democracy, and Religious Freedom in India, Indonesia, Israel, and Turkey
Authors: Lerner Hanna
Published: October 2013

The article addresses the question of what role formal constitutions play in mitigating intense conflicts over the religious character of the state. In contrast to common views in constitutional and political scholarship, it demonstrates that the ideal of liberal constitutionalism is not compatible with the political reality and types of conflicts that characterize religiously divided societies. Analyzing four processes of constitution drafting in which issues of religious law and religious identity were at the heart of the debate—India, Indonesia, Israel, and Turkey—it argues that under deep disagreement over the state's religious character, the drafters adopt either a permissive or a restrictive constitutional approach. While the former implies strategies of constitutional ambiguity, ambivalence, and avoidance in order to allow the political system greater flexibility in future decision making on religion-state relations, the latter approach uses repressive constitutional constraints designed to limit the range of possibilities available to future decision makers. The article further explores the long-term consequences of the two approaches and argues that (1) permissive constitutional arrangements, more than restrictive arrangements, are likely to promote the democratic functioning of future governments; and that (2) permissive constitutional arrangements may facilitate greater freedom of religion, but they are also likely to lead to greater restrictions on freedom from religion, compared with restrictive constitutions.
A review of mathematical analysis of nematic and smectic-A liquid crystal models
Authors: CLIMENT-EZQUERRA BLANCA , GUILLÉN-GONZÁLEZ FRANCISCO
Published: October 2013

We review the mathematical analysis of some uniaxial, liquid crystal phases. Firstly, we state the models for the two different studied phases: nematic and smectic-A liquid crystals. The spatial and temporal profiles of the liquid crystal configurations will be described by means of strongly nonlinear parabolic partial differential systems, which are presented at the same time. Then we will state some results about existence, regularity, time-periodicity and stability of solutions at infinite time for both models. It is our aim to show that, although nematic and smectic-A phases have different physical properties and are modelled by different nonlinear parabolic problems, there exists a common mathematical machinery to rewrite the models and obtain analytical results.
Iloprost in persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn
Authors: Ehlen Michael , Wiebe Beatrix
Published: October 2013

Aerosolized iloprost is now used as a therapeutic option in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. We report on the administration of this derivative of prostacycline in treating severe pulmonary hypertension of the newborn. The combination of iloprost instilled endotracheally and inhaled was chosen as a last attempt at treatment in a critically ill patient who did not respond to advanced conventional treatments, including high frequency oscillation and inhalation of nitric oxide. The use of iloprost converted permanently the right-to-left shunting, leading to a substantial improvement in oxygenation.
Assessing (In)security after the Arab Spring: The Case of Yemen
Authors: Alley April Longley
Published: October 2013

In January 2011, youth and civil society activists, inspired by protests in Tunisia, took to Yemen's streets calling for regime change. As in other Arab Spring countries, conditions were ripe for mobilization as large sections of the population had become increasingly frustrated with corruption, dwindling economic prospects, and a concentration of power and wealth in the hands of the ruling clique. Following Hosni Mubarak's resignation in Egypt, protests mounted across Yemen, and, although President Ali Abdullah Saleh promised reform, it was too little, too late, to satisfy the demonstrators (see ICG 2011a). After proregime gunmen fired on unarmed protesters in Sanaa on March 18, 2011—killing more than 50 demonstrators—a series of high-level defections began, including long-time regime insider and powerful military commander, Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar.
A survey of skeletal elements in the orbit of Pseudosuchia and the origin of the crocodylian palpebral
Authors: Nesbitt Sterling J. , Turner Alan H. , Weinbaum Jonathan C.
Published: October 2013

Ossified skeletal elements within the orbit, such as scleral ossicles, palpebrals, supraorbitals and sesamoids, are widespread across Reptilia, including extant members of Crocodylia, Aves, Squamata and Chelonia. Extant crocodylians lack scleral ossicles, but have a unique palpebral that has recently been shown, through developmental studies, to be an osteoderm in the upper eyelid. Here, we examine the diversity and disparity of the crocodylian palpebral in extant members of Crocodylia and, through the fossil record, trace the origin and evolutionary history of the element throughout Pseudosuchia (all archosaurs more closely related to crocodylians than avians). We show that the crocodylian palpebral originated outside of Crocodylomorpha in early pseudosuchian groups (e.g. Aetosauria, Loricata) and that scleral ossicles are lost in nearly all groups of pseudosuchians, but appear in poposauroids, at least one early crocodylomorph, and some partially or fully marine Crocodyliformes (e.g. thalattosuchians). The morphology and number of palpebrals differs across Crocodyliformes; the presence of two palpebrals is plesiomorphic, but this is reduced to one by Crocodylia. We further recommend the restriction of the term palpebral to the structure in crocodylians and their homologues, but not to the structure in ornithischian dinosaurs.
Familial Resemblance for Serum Metabolite Concentrations — Corrigendum
Authors: Draisma Harmen H. M. , Beekman Marian , Pool René , van Ommen Gert-Jan B. , Vaarhorst Anika A. M. , de Craen Anton J. M. , Willemsen Gonneke , Slagboom P. Eline , Boomsma Dorret I.
Published: October 2013

The authors would like to apologize for omitting a number of contributors from the above publication who share rights to the authorship of this manuscript.
NRMT2 is an N-terminal monomethylase that primes for its homologue NRMT1
Authors: Petkowski Janusz J. , Bonsignore Lindsay A. , Tooley John G. , Wilkey Daniel W. , Merchant Michael L. , Macara Ian G. , Schaner Tooley Christine E.
Published: October 2013

NRMT (N-terminal regulator of chromatin condensation 1 methyltransferase) was the first eukaryotic methyltransferase identified to specifically methylate the free α-amino group of proteins. Since the discovery of this N-terminal methyltransferase, many new substrates have been identified and the modification itself has been shown to regulate DNA–protein interactions. Sequence analysis predicts one close human homologue of NRMT, METTL11B (methyltransferase-like protein 11B, now renamed NRMT2). We show in the present paper for the first time that NRMT2 also has N-terminal methylation activity and recognizes the same N-terminal consensus sequences as NRMT (now NRMT1). Both enzymes have similar tissue expression and cellular localization patterns. However, enzyme assays and MS experiments indicate that they differ in their specific catalytic functions. Although NRMT1 is a distributive methyltransferase that can mono-, di- and tri-methylate its substrates, NRMT2 is primarily a monomethylase. Concurrent expression of NRMT1 and NRMT2 accelerates the production of trimethylation, and we propose that NRMT2 activates NRMT1 by priming its substrates for trimethylation.
Temperature dependences for the reactions of O2− and O− with N and O atoms in a selected-ion flow tube instrument
Authors: Ard Shaun G. , Melko Joshua J. , Jiang Bin , Li Yongle , Shuman Nicholas S. , Guo Hua , Viggiano Albert A.
Published: October 2013

Rate constants for the reactions of O2− and O− with N and O atoms have been measured for the first time as a function of temperature from 173 to 500 K for O− reactions and 173 to 400 K for O2− reactions. Room temperature rate constants for O2− reacting with N and O are 3.1 × 10−10 and 1.7 × 10−10 cm3 s−1, respectively, and the corresponding O− rate constants are 1.7 × 10−10 and 1.5 × 10−10 cm3 s−1, in good agreement with previous values. Temperature dependences are about T−1.7 for both O2− reactions and T−0.6 and T−1.3 for the reactions of O− with N and O, respectively. Branching for the O2− reaction with N is found to predominantly form O− (>85%) in contrast to previous measurements, which reported NO2 + e− as the main channel. Calculations point to the present results being correct. The potential energy surface for this reaction was calculated using density functional theory, coupled cluster with singles, doubles (triples), complete active space self-consistent field, and complete active space second-order perturbation methods and is found to be quite complex, with agreement between the calculated surface and the observed kinetic data only possible through the inclusion of dynamical correlation.
High dielectric multiwalled carbon nanotube-polybenzoxazine nanocomposites for printed circuit board applications
Authors: Selvi Mohan , Rangaraj Vengatesan Muthukumaraswamy , Prabunathan Pichaimani , Kun Song Jang , Alagar Muthukaruppan
Published: October 2013

The present work describes the development of polybenzoxazine (PBZ) nanocomposite with high dielectric constant using varying weight percentages of (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt. %) benzoxazine functionalized MWCNT (CNT-BS) and benzoxazine through thermal ring opening polymerization. The dielectric constants are increased with increasing weight percentages of incorporation of CNT-BS, whereas dielectric losses are in the reverse trend. Data from Cyclic Voltammogram and impedance studies confirm the conducting behavior of CNT-BS/PBZ nanocomposites. The increase in the weight ratio of CNT-BS enhances the values of Tg and thermal stability. The uniform distribution of functionalized CNT-BS was ascertained from transmission electron microscope.
Strain tuning of a quantum dot strongly coupled to a photonic crystal cavity
Authors: Sun Shuo , Kim Hyochul , Solomon Glenn S. , Waks Edo
Published: October 2013

We demonstrate reversible strain-tuning of a quantum dot strongly coupled to a photonic crystal cavity. We observe an average redshift of 0.45 nm for quantum dots located inside the cavity membrane, achieved with an electric field of 15 kV/cm applied to a piezo-electric actuator. Using this technique, we demonstrate the ability to tune a quantum dot into resonance with a photonic crystal cavity in the strong coupling regime, resulting in a clear anti-crossing. The bare cavity resonance is less sensitive to strain than the quantum dot and shifts by only 0.078 nm at the maximum applied electric field.
Improvement of bandgap homogeneity in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin films using a modified two-step selenization process
Authors: Wang Yi-Chih , Shieh Han-Ping D.
Published: October 2013

A modified two-step selenization has been demonstrated to overcome inhomogeneous gallium distribution, an issue to lower energy bandgap in the space-charge region as well as cell efficiency. It was found that incorporating selenium into conventional precursors could accelerate the formation of CuInGaSe2 phase in the selenization to accordingly suppress the diffusion effect of gallium. By introducing a pre-heating treatment, this selenization enhanced the bandgap distribution with a back-surface field and an increase of bandgap in the space-charge region, consequently improving open circuit voltage (VOC) by 25% and cell efficiency by 55%, respectively.
Multiple inheritance and constructional change
Authors: Trousdale Graeme
Published: October 2013

Language as a network of dependencies or constructions is a central feature of many cognitive theories of grammar. In this network, inheritance relationships are used to describe synchronic facts about a language whereby members of a less abstract set inherit properties from a more general set, and in the case of multiple inheritance, from more than one general set. This article explores some of the ways in which the language network may change over time, particularly the ways in which more than one constructional type may be considered to be the source of a change in the network.
Energy Efficiency in Thermally Assisted Machining of Titanium Alloy: A Numerical Study
Authors: Ma J. , Ge X. , Lei S.
Published: October 2013

This study investigates the energy utilization and efficiency in thermally assisted machining (TAM) of a titanium alloy using numerical simulation. AdvantEdge finite element method (FEM) is used to conduct the simulation of orthogonal machining of the workpiece. Thermal boundary conditions are specified to approximate laser preheating of the workpiece material. The effects of operating conditions (preheat temperature, cutting speed, depth of cut, and rake angle) on mechanical cutting energy, preheat energy, and energy efficiency are investigated. The results show that preheating the workpiece reduces the cutting energy but increases the total energy in TAM. There is significant potential to maximize total energy efficiency in TAM by optimal design of heating strategies and machining conditions.