bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Educating Zoo Visitors about Complex Environmental Issues: Should We Do It and How?
Authors: STOINSKI T. S. , ALLEN M. T. , BLOOMSMITH M. A. , FORTHMAN D. L. , MAPLE T. L.
Published: May 2010

Modern zoos are committed to environmental education and thus have a mandate to inform the public about biodiversity and conservation. Historically, zoos have avoided complex topics like biodiversity loss from overpopulation and overconsumption in their educational materials, for fear of being offensive or creating a sense of hopelessness. To measure visitor attitudes towards educating about such topics and to help determine effective presentation techniques, we assessed people's knowledge of and attitudes towards the commercial hunting and consumption of wildlife in West and Central Africa (the bushmeat crisis) and examined how the use of different types of images affected these variables. Zoo visitors were exposed to one of six series of photographs, each accompanied by the same text. Photos in three of the series contained explicit, disturbing images of dead animals. The other three series presented benign images related to the bushmeat crisis (i.e., logging, changes in hunting practices). While 83 percnt of visitors had never heard of the bushmeat trade, 98 percent felt zoos should be educating about the topic. Ninety‐seven percent felt the disturbing images were appropriate for zoo visitors except for children under the age of 12. While people spent significantly more time looking at the disturbing images, this did not lead to increases in knowledge (factual or conservation‐related) on the topic. However, visitors who saw the disturbing images were significantly more likely to report being influenced by the images. While the type of image did not affect the frequency of conservation‐related behaviors, significantly more people engaged in a conservation‐related behavior when an opportunity was provided on‐site rather than off‐site. The results demonstrate that the public believes zoos should educate about bushmeat, and that realistic images influence people's perception of an issue. However, visitors' lack of knowledge gains, even when disturbing images are used, suggests that a static display of text with photographs may not be the most effective method for educating about complex issues like bushmeat. Finally, the results show that zoos should provide on‐site opportunities for people to turn their conservation interests into action.
Achalasia and Viral Infection: New Insights from Veterinary Medicine
Authors: Ganem Don , Kistler Amy , DeRisi Joseph
Published: May 2010

A viral disease in parrots mimics features of achalasia, a human disorder of esophageal motility, raising the possibility of an infectious cause for this human disease.
A comparison of self-report and direct observation of booster seat use in Latino families
Authors: Quistberg D Alex , Lozano Paula , Mack Christopher D , Schwartz Rachel , Ebel Beth E
Published: May 2010

Objective

To develop a reliable self-report tool for measuring child booster seat use among Latino families.

Design

Cross-sectional and observational survey of a convenience sample.

Setting

Five retail stores in King County, Washington.

Participants

50 parents of children 4–8 years old that self-identified as Latino or Hispanic.

Main exposures

Parent-reported measures of how often the child uses a booster seat, if the child used a booster seat on the last trip, how often the child complains about using a booster seat, how often the child asks to not use a booster seat, and how often other families they know use a booster seat.

Outcome measure

Observed booster seat use by child.

Results

26 children (52%) were observed using a booster seat. Parent-reported booster seat use was a poor predictor of observed booster seat use. Although 34 parents reported that their child ‘always’ uses a booster seat, 8 (24%) of these children were not using a booster seat. A logistic model to predict booster seat use had a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 71%, and misclassified 24% of the participants' observed use.

Conclusions

Reliance on parent-reported booster seat use significantly overstated observed booster seat use in the study. Among this study population, accurate determination of booster seat use required direct observation.
River-plume use during the pelagic larval stage benefits recruitment of a lentic fish
Authors: Reichert Julie M. , Fryer Brian J. , Pangle Kevin L. , Johnson Timothy B. , Tyson Jeff T. , Drelich Alison B. , Ludsin Stuart A.
Published: May 2010

Similar to coastal marine systems, Lake Erie exhibits open-water river plumes that differ physicochemically and biologically from surrounding waters. To explore their importance to yellow perch ( Perca flavescens ) recruitment in western Lake Erie, we tested two related hypotheses: (i) contributions of larvae to the juvenile stage (when recruitment is set) would be greater from nutrient-rich Maumee River plume (MRP) waters than from less-productive non-MRP waters; and (ii) warmer temperatures and higher zooplankton (prey) production in the MRP (versus non-MRP waters) would underlie this expected recruitment difference through “bottom-up” effects on larval growth. Peak larval yellow perch density was 10-fold and 5-fold less in the MRP than in non-MRP waters during 2006 and 2007, respectively. However, otolith microchemical analyses demonstrated that disproportionately more juvenile recruits emanated from the MRP than from non-MRP waters during both years. Although temperature and zooplankton production were higher in the MRP than in non-MRP waters during both years, observed recruitment differences were not definitively linked to bottom-up effects. Top-down effects also appeared important, as high turbidity in the MRP may offer a survival advantage by reducing predation mortality on larvae. Our research highlights the need to better understand biophysical coupling in freshwater systems and demonstrates how stochastic tributary inputs can influence fish recruitment.
Form and uncertainty in stock–recruitment relations: observations and implications for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) management
Authors: Gurney William S.C. , Bacon Philip J. , McKenzie Eddie , McGinnity Philip , Mclean Julian , Smith Gordon , Youngson Alan
Published: May 2010

This paper reports an investigation of stock–recruitment relations for Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ). We regard these relations as stochastic functions characterized by an expected stock–recruitment relation and deviations from this expectation driven by observational error and uncharacterised environmental variability. We estimate model parameters by standard Bayesian methods. Analysis of the input–output characteristics of segments of the salmon life cycle in the Girnock Burn (Northeast Scotland) reveals two independent regulatory processes, one between ova and fry and the other between fry and smolts. Comparison of stock–recruitment relations for Atlantic salmon in Scotland, Ireland, and Canada, reinforced by an extended series of simulation studies, shows that even when comparatively long time series of high quality data are available, it is frequently difficult to exclude the possibility of low stock depensation — an effect whose implication of enhanced extinction risk implies that precautionary management policy would pay special attention to the posssibility of its occurence. A particular feature of our simulation results is their demonstration that inappropriate combination of distinct subpopulations both increases process noise and distorts the expected stock–recruitment relation, thereby greatly reducing the accuracy of any system identification process.
New stability method for embankments on clay foundations
Authors: Chapuis Robert P.
Published: May 2010

The proposed method makes use of a conventional total stress analysis, corrected to take into consideration the preconsolidation pressure and the undrained shear strength profiles. Good results are obtained for seven well documented cases of embankment failures, the data of which allow a direct application of the proposed method. Many other failure cases, for which the published data are insufficient to allow such a direct application, are analysed on a statistical basis using a relationship between cuσp′ and Ip. Bjerrum's correction appears as a particular case, only statistically applicable, of the proposed method.
Seismic stability of the Revelstoke earthfill dam
Authors: Khilnani K. S. , Byrne P. M. , Yeung K. K.
Published: May 2010

The foundation soil beneath the earthfill section of the proposed Revelstoke dam comprises, in part, a deep silt-clay layer that contains pockets of loose to compact saturated sands. Removal of this material beneath the core of the dam was required for seepage and erosion control. Analyses were performed to determine if considerations of earthquake stability would also require removal of this material beneath the shells.A factor of safety against the occurrence of a liquefaction failure beneath the shells was determined by comparing the dynamic resistance obtained from cyclic triaxial tests on undisturbed samples with the time history of dynamic stresses caused by the design earthquakes. Preliminary analyses clearly indicated that the silt-clay beneath the upstream shell should be removed. Beneath the downstream shell, the computations indicated factors of safety at the lower range of acceptable values and a portion of the silt-clay beneath the downstream shell was removed so that only minor damage would occur even in the unlikely event of liquefaction of the material left in place.
Strength and deformation of frozen saturated sand at −30 °C
Authors: Parameswaran V. R. , Roy M.
Published: May 2010

Frozen saturated quartz sand containing 20% moisture by weight, when deformed at −30 °C at various strain rates, showed various modes of behaviour such as visco-plastic, almost ideal plastic, and brittle with little plasticity with increasing order of strain rate. The values of peak strength observed for strain rates between 5 × 10−7 and 6 × 10−3 s−1 were in the range 15–42 MPa, stress being related to strain rate by a power-law equation.
Consolidation behaviour determined by the velocity method
Authors: Lun Patrick T. W. , Parkin Alan K.
Published: May 2010

The "velocity method," wherein settlement rate is plotted against time on double-log scales, has been used to analyse a series of stage load oedometer tests. Because of the greatly enhanced sensitivity of this form of analysis, the test programme has been designed to reexamine the effects of sample thickness, load increment duration, and load increment ratio. A comparison of Cv values by various methods is made, with the velocity method being used as reference because it is free from the two most important errors that affect other methods. A comparison is also made with other theoretical solutions to indicate the validity of using the simple Terzaghi solution curve.An examination of some aspects of secondary compression is made by means of tests on nonaqueous samples and on samples at different temperatures, and a further investigation is made on the effect of cell water salt content. All results point to a fairly unique final slope on the velocity diagram that is of particular significance for long-term predictions. Key words: clay, consolidation test, settlement rate, pore pressure, loading, temperature effect, time factor, creep.
Excavation d'argile sensible au site de l'aménagement hydroélectrique LG-2
Authors: Paré J. J. , Lavallée J. G.
Published: May 2010

This paper is a review of the design adopted to establish the slopes for deep clay excavations (3 000 000 m3) made for founding rockfill embankment dams on bedrock and for clearing the tailrace tunnel portals at the LG-2 hydroelectric site. The design and excavation of soft sensitive clay deposits down to 22 m had been undertaken at a period of time when very few precedents were existing (1974). During the excavation works, only a few minor slides occurred, indicating that the design approach, using undrained shear strength analysis, was appropriate for the site conditions. Methods of excavation and hauling of material to disposal areas are also described. Key words: slope, sensitive clay, undrained strength analysis, safety factor, excavation method, behaviour.
Punch indentation of polycrystalline ice
Authors: Sego David C. , Morgenstern Norbert R.
Published: May 2010

The flow law of polycrystalline ice is extended to a general state of stress and the second stress invariant accounts for the stress dependence. Experimental evidence supports this generalized flow law. Punch indentation experimental results are analyzed using this generalized flow law and the expansion of a hemispherical cavity at the punch tip. A finite element analysis of the punch experiments supports the use of a cavity expansion zone beneath the punch.Analytical, as well as experimental, evidence of a lack of influence of depth of penetration on the punch resistances is presented. This evidence conflicts with data presented by S. S. Vyalov and co-workers in 1973 and reasons for the conflict are presented. These findings suggest that higher bearing capacity factors are applicable at the ice surface. Key words: ice, creep, flow law, punch penetration, multiaxial stress states.
Osmosis: a cause of apparent deviations from Darcy's law
Authors: Olsen Harold W.
Published: May 2010

Recent evidence for deviations from Darcy's law at very low gradients provides a reminder that the origin of similar deviations reported during the last three decades has not been fully clarified. In most of these studies, the potential significance of osmosis was not considered. This review of the existing evidence shows that osmosis causes intercepts in flow rate versus hydraulic gradient relationships that are consistent with the observed deviations from Darcy's law at very low gradients. Moreover, it is suggested that a natural cause of osmosis in laboratory samples could be chemical reactions such as those involved in aging effects. This hypothesis is analogous to the previously proposed occurrence of electroosmosis in nature generated by geochemical weathering reactions. Key words: Darcy's law, non-Darcy flow, hydraulic intercept, threshold gradient, osmosis.
Properties of a low-swelling smectitic marine clay of interest in soil engineering
Authors: Ohtsubo Masami , Egashira Kazuhiko , Takayama Masateru
Published: May 2010

Smectite is generally a high-swelling clay. However, the smectite found in marine quick clays in the Ariake Bay area of Japan is a low-swelling clay like illite and kaolinite. The low swelling properties of an Ariake marine clay are investigated here in terms of consolidation, swelling, and shrinkage characteristics. The void ratios in compression curves of soils containing sodium are lower at 0.01 N than at 1.0 N NaCl concentration, and the slopes of swelling curves are independent of salt concentration in the pore water and cation valency. These tendencies are contrary to those observed for montmorillonite and a paddy soil containing high-swelling smectite. Measurements of swelling pressure suggest that the smectite in the Ariake marine clay exhibits little intracrystalline swelling even after saturation with Na. The volume shrinkage of the Ariake marine clay by air-drying is smaller than that of the paddy soil. Key words: compressibility, marine clays, smectite, swelling.
New equipment for densification of granular soils at depth
Authors: Campanella R. G. , Hitchman R. , Hodge W. E.
Published: May 2010

An in situ densification probe that employs the novel technique of simultaneous vibration and dewatering has been developed by Phoenix Engineering Ltd. to compact deep, loose, granular soils. It is believed that pumping water out of the soil during the densification process offers improved densification capability over systems operating with vibration alone. An independent study was undertaken by the In-Situ Testing Group at the University of British Columbia to evaluate the performance of the Phoenix system.A field testing programme was conducted at a site in Vancouver where hydraulic sand fill overlies a natural silt and then medium Fraser River sand. Characterization of the site and evaluation of the densification treatment process were achieved using in situ tests. Changes to soil parameters due to densification treatment were examined, taking into account the modification of stresses brought about by the vibro-drainage process. The study investigated the degree of densification achieved, the value of concurrent drainage, the zone of influence of a single compaction probe, and group effects. The study also compares the performance of the Phoenix machine with that of other vibrocompaction equipment. Key words: in situ, densification, soils, granular, probe, vibratory, drainage, compaction, R&D.
Creep rates of spray ice
Authors: Shields D. , Domaschuk L. , Funegard E.
Published: May 2010

Mars Island, a man-made spray ice island, was constructed in January and February 1986, and was used as a drill platform for petroleum exploration in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea. A series of pressuremeter creep tests was run in the spray ice of Mars Island in March 1986. Individual constant-pressure tests lasted up to 5 days.It is possible to compare the creep behaviour of the spray ice as interpreted from the pressuremeter tests with the creep behaviour interpreted from the island settlement records. These comparisons are made for both primary and secondary creep on the basis of conventional power law theory. The following points are of particular interest: (1) The primary creep data can be characterized using a simple power law. The exponent of time for spray ice is similar to that for solid polycrystalline ice. The exponent of stress is different for the two kinds of ice. (2) Pressuremeter tests gave secondary creep information that correlates well with the steady-rate settlement of the island. (3) Research into the possible range of primary creep parameters for spray ice is required, given that primary creep accounted for a large portion of the settlement of Mars Island. In particular, the effect of ice density on creep rates mast be resolved. (4) The pressuremeter is potentially an excellent design control device during the manufacture of future spray ice islands. The results of constant-pressure tests of 1–2 days duration could be used to check the design assumptions pertaining to the expected consolidation of the ice mass with time. Key words: spray ice, creep, artificial islands, pressuremeter, settlement.
Determination of time factor in a combined vertical and radial consolidation
Authors: Murti V.
Published: May 2010

Two explicit formulae for calculating the time factor for a given average degree of a combined vertical and radial consolidation have been successfully derived by manipulating some approximate and explicit forms of time factor for the vertical consolidation part and are presented in this technical note. Since these formulae have different accuracies and are meant to be complementary to each other, the regions where each is best suited have also been established. Key words: vertical consolidation, radial consolidation, sand drain, time factor, free strain, equal strain.
NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF QUANTUM STATE REDUCTION IN BOSE–EINSTEIN CONDENSATES WITH ATTRACTIVE INTERACTIONS
Authors: PALPACELLI SILVIA , SUCCI SAURO
Published: May 2010

Following an idea first proposed by Penrose in 1996 to explain the problem of quantum state reduction as a gravitational effect, Moroz, Penrose and Tod1 have shown that quantum state reduction due to gravitational interactions could take place in about one second for the case of 1011 nucleons. However, keeping 1011 nucleons together in a quantum macroscopic state does not appear to be feasible as yet. The closest physical system to such a situation is provided by Bose–Einstein condensates (BEC) with attractive interactions. We present numerical simulations of the Schrödinger–Newton equations, which show that an attractive BEC with 103 atoms would yield a decorrelation time of the order of 10-2 seconds. Hence, a "Penrose-like" reduction, induced by BEC attractive interaction instead of gravity, might be observable and possibly monitored in current BEC experiments with attractive interactions.
PERTURBATION AND STABILITY ANALYSIS OF THE MULTI-ANTICIPATIVE INTELLIGENT DRIVER MODEL
Authors: CHEN XI-QUN , XIE WEI-JUN , SHI JING , SHI QI-XIN
Published: May 2010

This paper discusses three kinds of IDM car-following models that consider both the multi-anticipative behaviors and the reaction delays of drivers. Here, the multi-anticipation comes from two ways:

(1) the driver is capable of evaluating the dynamics of several preceding vehicles, and

(2) the autonomous vehicles can obtain the velocity and distance information of several preceding vehicles via inter-vehicle communications.

In this paper, we study the stability of homogeneous traffic flow. The linear stability analysis indicates that the stable region will generally be enlarged by the multi-anticipative behaviors and reduced by the reaction delays. The temporal amplification and the spatial divergence of velocities for local perturbation are also studied, where the results further prove this conclusion. Simulation results also show that the multi-anticipative behaviors near the bottleneck will lead to a quicker backwards propagation of oscillations.
LATTICE BOLTZMANN SIMULATION OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL WALL BOUNDED TURBULENT FLOW
Authors: HÁZI GÁBOR , TÓTH GÁBOR
Published: May 2010

This paper reports on a numerical study of two-dimensional decaying turbulence in a square domain with no-slip walls. The generation of strong small-scale vortices near the no-slip walls have been observed in the lattice Boltzmann simulations just like in earlier pseudospectral calculations. Due to these vortices the enstrophy is not a monotone decaying function of time. Considering a number of simulations and taking their ensemble average, we have found that the decay of enstrophy and that of the kinetic energy can be described well by power-laws. The exponents of these laws depend on the Reynolds number in a similar manner than was observed before in pseudospectral simulations. Considering the ensemble averaged 1D Fourier energy spectra calculated along the walls, we could not find a simple power-law, which fits well to the simulation data. These spectra change in time and reveal an exponent close to -3 in the intermediate and an exponent -5/3 at low wavenumbers. On the other hand, the two-dimensional energy spectra, which remain almost steady in the intermediate decay stage, show clear power-law behavior with exponent larger than -3 depending on the initial Reynolds number.
INFLUENCE OF TRAFFIC BOTTLENECK ON TWO-ROUTE SCENARIO WITH MEAN VELOCITY INFORMATION FEEDBACK
Authors: SUN XIAO-YAN , JIANG RUI , WANG QIAO-MING , WANG BING-HONG
Published: May 2010

In this paper, traffic bottleneck is introduced on one of the routes (say route A) in a two-route scenario with mean velocity information feedback. The simulations show that four different system states, i.e. zero state (no dynamic vehicle chooses route A), periodic oscillation state (mean velocity on route A is in periodic oscillations), alternation state (alternation of zero state and oscillation state), and equal velocity state (mean velocities on the two routes are equal), are identified. Complex nonlinear changing behavior of critical vehicle arrival probability λcdepending on bottleneck length and location as well as dynamic vehicle ratio is revealed. Our work is expected to be useful for designing Advanced Traveller Information Systems.
STRUCTURE AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF SrO-BOROVANADATE (V2O5)z(SrO)0.2(B2O3)0.8-z GLASSES
Authors: MEKKI A. , KHATTAK G. D. , SIDDIQUI M. N.
Published: May 2010

SrO -borovanadate glasses with the nominal composition (V 2 O 5 ) z( SrO )0.2 ( B2 O 3 ) 0.8-z, 0.4≤z ≤0.8 were studied by direct current (DC) electrical conductivity, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and X-ray-powder-diffraction (XRD). These glasses were prepared by a normal quench technique and the actual compositions of the glasses were determined by ICP spectroscopy. XRD patterns confirm the amorphous nature of the present glasses. The temperature dependence of DC electrical conductivity of these glasses has been studied in terms of different hopping models. The IR results agree with previous investigations on similar glasses and it has been concluded that similar to SrO -vanadate glasses, metavandate chainlike structures of SrV 2 O 6 and individual VO 4 units also occur in these SrO -borovanadate glasses. The SrV 2 O 6 and VO n polyhedra predominate in the low B 2 O 3 containing SrO -borovanadate glasses as the B substitutes into the V sites of the various VO n polyhedra and only when the B 2 O 3 concentration exceeds the SrO content do BO n structures appear. This qualitative picture of three distinct structural groupings for the Sr -vanadate and Sr -borovanadate glasses is consistent with the proposed glass structure on previous IR and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) studies on these types of glasses. The conductivity results were analyzed with reference to theoretical models existing in the literature and the analysis shows that the conductivity data are consistent with Mott's nearest neighbor hopping model. However, both Mott VRH and Greaves models are suitable to explain the data. Schnakenberg's generalized polaron hopping model is also consistent with the temperature dependence of the activation energy, but the various model parameters such as density of states, hopping energy obtained from the best fits were found to be not in accordance with the prediction of the Mott model.
ENTANGLEMENT IN VALENCE-BOND-SOLID STATES
Authors: KOREPIN VLADIMIR E. , XU YING
Published: May 2010

This article reviews the quantum entanglement in Valence-Bond-Solid (VBS) states defined on a lattice or a graph. The subject is presented in a self-contained and pedagogical way. The VBS state was first introduced in the celebrated paper by I. Affleck, T. Kennedy, E. H. Lieb and H. Tasaki (abbreviation AKLT is widely used). It became essential in condensed matter physics and quantum information (measurement-based quantum computation). Many publications have been devoted to the subject. Recently entanglement was studied in the VBS state. In this review, we start with the definition of a general AKLT spin chain and the construction of VBS ground state. In order to study entanglement, a block subsystem is introduced and described by the density matrix. Density matrices of 1-dimensional models are diagonalized and the entanglement entropies (the von Neumann entropy and Rényi entropy) are calculated. In the large block limit, the entropies also approach finite limits. Study of the spectrum of the density matrix led to the discovery that the density matrix is proportional to a projector.
CONTINUATION ANALYSIS OF A PHASE/QUADRATURE ELECTRONIC OSCILLATOR
Authors: BIZZARRI FEDERICO , LINARO DANIELE , STORACE MARCO , BRAMBILLA ANGELO
Published: May 2010

An RF phase-quadrature oscillator is analyzed. The designer "ensured" the phase-quadrature working condition through a suitable cross-coupled electrical connection between the two parts composing the complete oscillator. Through a detailed analysis of the dynamics of this oscillator, we show that device mismatch can lead to an unexpected stable working mode where the oscillator does not operate in a phase-quadrature condition. The proposed analysis has been first performed on a simplified model of the oscillator to allow the use of software packages for numerical continuation. The results of the analysis of the simplified oscillator dynamics have been then checked by means of accurate device models from a 65 nm RF technology library.
THEORETICAL STUDY ON METHANE HYDROXYLATION BY MIMIC METHANE MONOOXYGENASE WITH bis(μ-OXO)DIMANGANESE CORE
Authors: XU JIAN , YANG HUA-QING , QIN SONG , HU CHANG-WEI
Published: May 2010

The reaction mechanism for methane hydroxylation catalyzed by mimic methane monooxygenase (MMO) with bis(μ-oxo)dimanganese core has been investigated on the septet and nonet potential energy surfaces by hybrid density functional method B3LYP. The key reactive compound Q of MMO was modeled by trans- (H2CNH)(COOH) Mn(μ-O)2(μ-HCOO)2Mn(H2CNH)(COOH) . The ground state of Q is located on the septet state, which has a diamond-core structure with two Mn(IV) atoms. It is shown that the reaction proceeds via a radical-rebound mechanism, in which the step of C–H cleavage is the rate-determining step both in the gas phase and solution. Furthermore, the reaction may proceed more easily as the polarity of solution is larger. On the other hand, the kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) for H atom abstraction from methane are taken into account on the basis of transition state theory with Wigner tunneling corrections. The mimic MMO with bis(μ-oxo)dimanganese core might be an effective mimic catalyst for methane hydroxylation.
DIRECT AB INITIO DYNAMICS STUDIES ON THE REACTION OF METHANETHIOL WITH CHLORINE ATOMS
Authors: WANG YONG-XIA , DUAN XUE-MEI , WANG QIN , WANG LI , LIU JING-YAO , SUN CHIA-CHUNG
Published: May 2010

The reaction of CH3SH with Cl atoms has been theoretically studied using dual-level direct dynamics method. Three reaction channels, two H-abstraction (from the –SH and –CH3 groups) and one substitution channel, have been found. The optimized geometries and frequencies of all the stationary points are calculated at the MP2/6-311+G(d,p) level, and the potential-energy profile along each reaction path is refined by the single-point calculation at the CCSD(T)/6-311+G(d,p) level. The rate constants for the two H-abstraction channels are evaluated by the improved canonical variational transition-state theory (ICVT) with the small-curvature tunneling (SCT) correction over a wide temperature range of 193–1000 K. The calculated ICVT/SCT rate constants are in good agreement with available experimental values and exhibit negative temperature dependence below 500 K. The present calculations indicate that the H-abstraction from the –SH group is the major channel for the title reaction, while the H-abstraction from the –CH3 group should be taken into account only at high temperatures.
CHIRAL DISCRIMINATION IN HYDROGEN-BONDED COMPLEXES OF 2-METHYLOL OXIRANE WITH ETHANOL
Authors: ZHANG GUIQIU , GAO HONGMEI , CHEN DEZHAN
Published: May 2010

We present an ab initio investigation on the chiral discrimination of 2-methylol oxirane (M-olOx)· · · ethanol (EtOH) complexes, for the sake of comparison with previous report on propylene oxide (PO)· · · EtOH complexes. Second-order Møller–Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) with the 6-311++G(d,p) basis set was used to elucidate the diastereomeric interactions between ethanol ( EtOH ), a transient chiral alcohol, and the chiral molecule 2-methylol oxirane (R). Six complexes of M-olOx· · · EtOH have been identified and their structures as well as their calculated stability ordering have been determined. The six complexes were defined in a similar way as for PO· · · EtOH . The primary O–H· · · O hydrogen bonds are predicted to be important contributions to chiral discrimination in M-olOx· · · EtOH . The three syn structures, with ethanol and the methylol group on the same side of the oxirane ring, are energetically favored over the three anti structures. The larger chirodiastaltic energy between synG- and synG+ is 0.52 kJ mol-1. The largest diastereofacial energy between synG- and antiG- is 13.90 kJ mol-1. The obtained results are compared with previously reported results on the PO· · · EtOH complexes and the mechanisms of chiral discrimination in PO· · · EtOH and M-olOx· · · EtOH are discussed. The harmonic frequencies, IR intensities, rotational constants, and dipole moments for the M-olOx· · · EtOH complexes are also presented. Such a theoretical study should be valuable to further spectroscopic investigations on M-olOx· · · EtOH complexes.
3F2 HYPERGEOMETRIC SERIES AND PERIODS OF ELLIPTIC CURVES
Authors: McCARTHY DERMOT
Published: May 2010

We express the real period of a family of elliptic curves in terms of classical hypergeometric series. This expression is analogous to a result of Ono which relates the trace of Frobenius of the same family of elliptic curves to a Gaussian hypergeometric series. This analogy provides further evidence of the interplay between classical and Gaussian hypergeometric series.
DUALITY IN TAILS OF MULTIPLE-ZETA VALUES
Authors: BORWEIN JONATHAN M. , CHAN O-YEAT
Published: May 2010

Duality relations are deduced for tails of multiple-zeta values using elementary methods. These formulas extend the classical duality formulas for multiple-zeta values.
BILATERAL BAILEY LEMMA AND FALSE THETA FUNCTIONS
Authors: CHU WENCHANG , ZHANG WENLONG
Published: May 2010

By examining the transformation formulae between unilateral series and bilateral ones derived from the bilateral Bailey lemma, we establish numerous identities of false theta functions, including most of the known ones discovered mainly by Rogers [40] and Ramanujan in his Lost Notebook [39].
NUMERATORS OF DIFFERENCES OF NONCONSECUTIVE FAREY FRACTIONS
Authors: HAYNES ALAN K.
Published: May 2010

An elementary but useful fact is that the numerator of the difference of two consecutive Farey fractions is equal to one. For triples of consecutive fractions, the numerators of the differences are well understood and have applications to several interesting problems. In this paper, we investigate numerators of differences of fractions which are farther apart. We establish algebraic identities between such differences which then allow us to calculate their average values by using properties of a measure preserving transformation of the Farey triangle.
ON ELITE PRIMES OF PERIOD FOUR
Authors: WITNO AMIN
Published: May 2010

A prime p is elite if all sufficiently large Fermat numbers Fn = 22n + 1 are quadratic nonresidues modulo p. In contrast, p is anti-elite if all sufficiently large Fn are quadratic residues modulo p. The sequence Fn modulo p is necessarily periodic. We give a sequence of pairwise coprime integers whose prime factors are each elite or anti-elite with period four.
INFLATION TARGETING: IT'S NOT BROKE, IT DOESN'T NEED FIXING, BUT CAN IT SURVIVE?
Authors: SIKLOS PIERRE L.
Published: May 2010

Until the end of 2005 there were few outward signs that the inflation targeting (IT) monetary policy strategy was deemed fragile or that the likelihood of abandoning it was high. In light of the severe economic downturn and the global financial crisis that has afflicted most economies around the world since at least 2008, it is worth reconsidering the question of the fragility of the inflation targeting regime. This paper reprises the approach followed in Siklos (2008) but adds important new twists. For example, the present study asks whether the continued survival of IT is due to the fact that some of the central banks in question did take account of changes in financial stress. The answer is no. Indeed, many central banks are seen as enablers of rapid asset price increases. The lesson, however, is not that inflation targeting needs to be repaired. Instead, refinements should be considered to the existing inflation targeting strategy which has evolved considerably since it was first introduced in New Zealand 20 years ago. Most notably, there should be continued emphasis on inflation as the primary nominal anchor of monetary policy, especially in emerging market economies (EME), even if additional duties are assigned to central banks in response to recent events.
AIR TRANSPORTATION SERVICES: BOTH A TRADED COMMODITY AND A TRANSACTIONS COST IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Authors: BUTTON KENNETH
Published: May 2010

Air transportation is a major facilitator of international trade in terms of the value of goods and services involved, and is important to specific industries, such as tourism, that are being developed by many lower income countries. High air transportation costs can pose a major impediment to the economic growth of countries, or to regions within them. But international air transportation is also an industry in its own right that can earn profits and foreign exchange for the parenting country. The newer international trade models treat transportation as a transactions cost, reductions of which confer in most cases, a gain to trading partners. Reducing air transportation costs, if resulting from rent seeking activities in protected markets, can, however reduce income for the air transportation-providing country and may impact on its foreign exchange earnings. This can reduce the incentive for a country to participate in Open Skies type situations where international air services are offered in a competitive market. Furthermore liberal trade in air transportation services can, in some cases lead to potentially less efficient provision of these services.
TRADE FACILITATION AND THE MEASUREMENT OF TRADE COSTS
Authors: POMFRET RICHARD , SOURDIN PATRICIA
Published: May 2010

As tariffs and non-tariff barriers (NTBs) fall attention has shifted to trade facilitation, both in the WTO and in regional arrangements such as ASEAN or APEC. Economists have, however, been slow to develop convincing measures of trade costs. Commonly cited estimates of the border effect or of trade costs are huge, but flawed. The gap between CIF and FOB values of trade is the best aggregate measure, but suffers from lack of consistent data. This paper reviews evidence in the literature based on US and Australian import data, extends the sample to include data from Chile and Brazil and concludes that inferences about trade costs are fairly robust across various countries' import datasets.
Inhibition of nitric oxide synthase in the paraventricular nucleus prevents the hyperthermia-induced reduction of mesenteric blood flow in rats
Authors: Chen Feng , Wang Yuliang , Lee Cham Joo , Badoer Emilio
Published: May 2010

Increasing body core temperature reflexly decreases mesenteric blood flow (MBF), and the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) plays an essential role in this response. Nitric oxide (NO) is involved in temperature regulation and is concentrated within the PVN. The present study investigated whether NO in the PVN contributes to the cardiovascular responses elicited by hyperthermia. Anesthetized rats were microinjected bilaterally in the PVN (100 nl/side) with saline or NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME), a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor (100 or 200 nmol/100 nl) ( n = 5/group). Body core temperature was then elevated from 37°C to 39°C, and blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), MBF, and mesenteric vascular conductance (MVC) were monitored. In separate groups, l-NAME (200 nmol) ( n = 5) or saline ( n = 5) was microinjected in the PVN, but body core temperature was not elevated. In control rats, increasing body core temperature resulted in no marked change of BP but an increase in HR and significant decreases in MBF (15%) and MVC. Pretreatment with 100 nmol l-NAME did not affect the responses. In contrast, 200 nmol l-NAME prevented the normal reduction in MBF and MVC but did not significantly affect the BP and HR responses. In rats in which body core temperature was not increased, l-NAME reduced MBF by 19%. The present results suggest that endogenous NO in the PVN is important in mediating the reduction of MBF induced by hyperthermia. In the absence of hyperthermia, however, endogenous NO in the PVN may play a role in maintaining mesenteric vasodilation.
Parameters Identification and Synchronization of Chaotic Delayed Systems Containing Uncertainties and Time‐Varying Delay
Authors: Sun Zhongkui , Yang Xiaoli
Published: May 2010

Time delays are ubiquitous in real world and are often sources of complex behaviors of dynamical systems. This paper addresses the problem of parameters identification and synchronization of uncertain chaotic delayed systems subject to time‐varying delay. Firstly, a novel and systematic adaptive scheme of synchronization is proposed for delayed dynamical systems containing uncertainties based on Razumikhin condition and extended invariance principle for functional differential equations. Then, the proposed adaptive scheme is used to estimate the unknown parameters of nonlinear delayed systems from time series, and a sufficient condition is given by virtue of this scheme. The delayed system under consideration is a very generic one that includes almost all well‐known delayed systems (neural network, complex networks, etc.). Two classical examples are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed adaptive scheme.
A Topological Description of Hubs in Amino Acid Interaction Networks
Authors: Gaci Omar
Published: May 2010

We represent proteins by amino acid interaction networks. This is a graph whose vertices are the proteins amino acids and whose edges are the interactions between them. Once we have compared this type of graphs to the general model of scale-free networks, we analyze the existence of nodes which highly interact, the hubs. We describe these nodes taking into account their position in the primary structure to study their apparition frequency in the folded proteins. Finally, we observe that their interaction level is a consequence of the general rules which govern the folding process.
Inborn Errors of Energy Metabolism Associated with Myopathies
Authors: Das Anibh M. , Steuerwald Ulrike , Illsinger Sabine
Published: May 2010

Inherited neuromuscular disorders affect approximately one in 3,500 children. Structural muscular defects are most common; however functional impairment of skeletal and cardiac muscle in both children and adults may be caused by inborn errors of energy metabolism as well. Patients suffering from metabolic myopathies due to compromised energy metabolism may present with exercise intolerance, muscle pain, reversible or progressive muscle weakness, and myoglobinuria. In this review, the physiology of energy metabolism in muscle is described, followed by the presentation of distinct disorders affecting skeletal and cardiac muscle: glycogen storage diseases types III, V, VII, fatty acid oxidation defects, and respiratory chain defects (i.e., mitochondriopathies). The diagnostic work-up and therapeutic options in these disorders are discussed.
Pulsed Laser Deposition of BaTiO3 Thin Films on Different Substrates
Authors: Yang Yaodong , Wang Zhiguang , Li Jie-Fang , Viehland D.
Published: May 2010

We have studied the deposition of BaTiO3 (BTO) thin films on various substrates. Three representative substrates were selected from different types of material systems: (i) SrTiO3 single crystals as a typical oxide, (ii) Si wafers as a semiconductor, and (iii) Ni foils as a magnetostrictive metal. We have compared the ferroelectric properties of BTO thin films obtained by pulsed laser deposition on these diverse substrates.
Mechanism of Radiosensitization by the Chk1/2 Inhibitor AZD7762 Involves Abrogation of the G2 Checkpoint and Inhibition of Homologous Recombinational DNA Repair
Authors: Morgan Meredith A. , Parsels Leslie A. , Zhao Lili , Parsels Joshua D. , Davis Mary A. , Hassan Maria C. , Arumugarajah Sankari , Hylander-Gans Linda , Morosini Deborah , Simeone Diane M. , Canman Christine E. , Normolle Daniel P. , Zabludoff Sonya D. , Maybaum Jonathan , Lawrence Theodore S.
Published: May 2010

The median survival for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer treated with gemcitabine and radiation is approximately 1 year. To develop improved treatment, we have combined a Chk1/2-targeted agent, AZD7762, currently in phase I clinical trials, with gemcitabine and ionizing radiation in preclinical pancreatic tumor models. We found that in vitro AZD7762 alone or in combination with gemcitabine significantly sensitized MiaPaCa-2 cells to radiation. AZD7762 inhibited Chk1 autophosphorylation (S296 Chk1), stabilized Cdc25A, and increased ATR/ATM–mediated Chk1 phosphorylation (S345 Chk1). Radiosensitization by AZD7762 was associated with abrogation of the G2 checkpoint as well as with inhibition of Rad51 focus formation, inhibition of homologous recombination repair, and persistent γ-H2AX expression. AZD7762 was also a radiation sensitizer in multiple tumor xenograft models. In both MiaPaCa-2- and patient-derived xenografts, AZD7762 significantly prolonged the median time required for tumor volume doubling in response to gemcitabine and radiation. Together, our findings suggest that G2 checkpoint abrogation and homologous recombination repair inhibition both contribute to sensitization by Chk1 inhibition. Furthermore, they support the clinical use of AZD7762 in combination with gemcitabine and radiation for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Cancer Res; 70(12); 4972–81. ©2010 AACR.
The Absence of Pericytes Does Not Increase the Sensitivity of Tumor Vasculature to Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A Blockade
Authors: Nisancioglu Maya H. , Betsholtz Christer , Genové Guillem
Published: May 2010

Recent progress with therapies targeting endothelial cells has drawn attention also to the pericytes as potential target cells for antiangiogenic therapy. Published data suggest that pericytes might confer resistance to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) withdrawal in tumors. This hypothesis has been supported by experiments using tumors with reversible transgenic expression of VEGF-A as well as by individual pharmacologically targeting VEGF and platelet-derived growth factor receptor signaling in endothelial cells and pericytes using receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitors with different specificities. However, the RTK inhibitors applied thus far are not entirely specific to the mentioned pathways, and therefore, the effects putatively attributed to pericyte targeting might reflect other antitumor effects. Here, we have reinvestigated the putative benefits of doubly targeting endothelial cells and pericytes in the treatment of experimental tumors. For this purpose, we used two highly specific tools, the pericyte-deficient pdgfbret/ret mouse and the recently developed specific anti–VEGF-A antibody G6-31, which neutralizes both murine and human VEGF-A. We generated B16, Lewis lung carcinoma, and T241 subcutaneous tumors in both pdgfbret/ret and control mice and treated these mice with G6-31. Our results fail to show any improved effect of VEGF inhibition, as measured by tumor growth or decrease in vascular density, in pericyte-deficient tumors compared with controls. Our observations suggest that additional targeting of pericytes does not increase the antitumor effect already generated by anti-VEGF drugs. Cancer Res; 70(12); 5109–15. ©2010 AACR.