bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Key Concepts for Estimating the Burden of Surgical Conditions and the Unmet Need for Surgical Care
Authors: Bickler Stephen , Ozgediz Doruk , Gosselin Richard , Weiser Thomas , Spiegel David , Hsia Renee , Dunbar Peter , McQueen Kelly , Jamison Dean
Published: October 2009

Background

Surgical care is emerging as a crucial issue in global public health. Methodology is needed to assess the impact of surgical care from a public health perspective.

Methods

A consensus opinion of a group of surgeons, anesthesiologists, and public health experts was established regarding the methodology for estimating the burden of surgical conditions and the unmet need for surgical care.

Results

For purposes of analysis, we define surgical conditions as any disease state requiring the expertise of a surgically trained provider. Abnormalities resulting from a surgical condition or its treatment are termed surgical sequelae. Surgical care is defined as any measure that reduces the rates of physical disability or premature death associated with a surgical condition. To measure the burden of surgical conditions and unmet need for surgical care we propose using cumulative disability‐adjusted life‐year (DALY) curves generated from age‐specific population‐based data. This conceptual framework is based on the premise that surgically associated disability and death is determined by the incidence of surgical conditions and the quantity and quality of surgical care. The burden of surgical conditions is defined as the total disability and premature deaths that would occur in a population should there be no surgical care; the unmet need for surgical care is defined as the potentially treatable disability and premature deaths due to surgical conditions. Burden of surgical conditions should be expressed as DALYs and unmet need as potential DALYs avertable.

Conclusions

Methodology is described for estimating the burden of surgical conditions and unmet need for surgical care. Using this approach it will be feasible to estimate the global burden of surgical conditions and help clarify where surgery fits among other global health priorities. These methods need to be validated using population‐based data.
Surgical treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma in a new era: comparison among leading Eastern and Western centers, Leeds
Authors: Young Alastair L. , Prasad K. Rajendra , Toogood Giles J. , Lodge J. Peter A.
Published: October 2009

Objective

Surgery for hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA) remains challenging, with radical procedures thought to offer the best chance of long‐term survival. Here we present our data for surgical resection of HCCA for the period 2001–2008.

Methods

A prospectively maintained database was interrogated to identify all resections. Clinico‐pathological data were analyzed and assessed for impact on survival.

Results

51 patients were identified. Almost three‐quarters required hepatic trisectionectomy. Overall survival was 76% at 1 year, 36% at 3 years and 20% at 5 years. When R0 resection was achieved, the 5‐year survival was 40%. Portal vein resection, perineural invasion and T‐stage were predictive of overall survival on univariate analysis. Only T‐stage remained significant on multivariate analysis. Lymph node status predicted disease‐free survival.

Conclusion

Radical surgery continues to offer the prospect of long‐term survival for patients with HCCA. Earlier detection and referral to tertiary centers may allow more patients to have potentially curative surgical resections.
Mechanical Properties of Silicon Nanowires
Authors: Sohn Young-Soo , Park Jinsung , Yoon Gwonchan , Song Jiseok , Jee Sang-Won , Lee Jung-Ho , Na Sungsoo , Kwon Taeyun , Eom Kilho
Published: October 2009

Nanowires have been taken much attention as a nanoscale building block, which can perform the excellent mechanical function as an electromechanical device. Here, we have performed atomic force microscope (AFM)-based nanoindentation experiments of silicon nanowires in order to investigate the mechanical properties of silicon nanowires. It is shown that stiffness of nanowires is well described by Hertz theory and that elastic modulus of silicon nanowires with various diameters from ~100 to ~600 nm is close to that of bulk silicon. This implies that the elastic modulus of silicon nanowires is independent of their diameters if the diameter is larger than 100 nm. This supports that finite size effect (due to surface effect) does not play a role on elastic behavior of silicon nanowires with diameter of >100 nm.
Metabolism of exogenous fatty acids, fatty acid‐mediated cholesterol efflux, PKA and PKC pathways in boar sperm acrosome reaction
Authors: Hossain Md. Sharoare , Afrose Sadia , Sawada Tomio , Hamano Koh‐ichi , Tsujii Hirotada
Published: October 2009

Purpose

For understanding the roles of fatty acids on the induction of acrosome reaction which occurs under association of cholesterol efflux and PKA or PKC pathways in boar spermatozoa, metabolic fate of alone and combined radiolabeled 14C‐oleic acid and 3H‐linoleic acid incorporated in the sperm was compared, and behavior of cholesterol and effects of PKA and PKC inhibitors upon fatty acid‐induced acrosome reaction were examined.

Methods

Semen was collected from a Duroc boar, and the metabolic activities of fatty acids in the spermatozoa were measured using radioactive compounds and thin layer chromatography. Cholesterol efflux was measured with a cholesterol determination assay kit. Participation of fatty acids on the AR through PKA and PKC pathways was evaluated using a specific inhibitor of these enzymes.

Results

Incorporation rate of 14C‐oleic acid into the sperm lipids was significantly higher than that of 3H‐linoleic acid (P < 0.05). The oxidation of 14C‐oleic acid was higher in combined radiolabeling rather than in one. The highest amounts of 3H‐linoleic acid and 14C‐oleic acid were recovered mainly in the triglycerides and phospholipids fraction, and 14C‐oleic acid distribution was higher than the 3H‐linoleic acid in both labeled (P < 0.05) sperm lipids. In the 3H‐linoleic and 14C‐oleic acid combined radiolabeling, the incorporation rate of the radioactive fatty acids in all the lipid fractions increased 15 times more than the alone radiolabeling. Boar sperm utilize oleic acid to generate energy for hyperactivation (P < 0.05). Supplementation of arachidonic acid significantly increased (P < 0.05) cholesterol efflux in sperm. When spermatozoa were incubated with PKA or PKC inhibitors, there was a significant reduction of arachidonic acid‐induced acrosome reaction (AR) (P < 0.05), and inhibition by PKA inhibitor is stronger than that by PKC inhibitor.

Conclusions

Incorporation of unsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic acid, into triglycerides and phospholipids provides prerequisite energy for AR. Cholesterol efflux by arachidonic acid triggers AR. Arachidonic acid activated PKA and PKC pathway participate in induction of the AR.
Cavum Septi Pellucidi in Boxers
Authors: Aviv Richard I. , Tomlinson George , Kendall Brian , Thakkar Chandrashekhar , Valentine Alan
Published: October 2009

Objective

Controversy exists over the significance of the isolated finding of cavum septi pellucidi (CSP) and its prevalence rate in healthy individuals and in professional boxers. Few magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have looked at large cohorts of boxers. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence and extent of a CSP among professional boxers and to compare these with a control group.

Methods

MRI studies of 164 male boxers scanned for annual British boxing board license renewal were reviewed and compared with 43 control patients. CSP prevalence, size, and extent were recorded. Extent was classified as type 1, anterior to the fornix; type 2, extending up to the fornix; and type 3, extending into the cavum vergae. Parenchymal abnormalities were documented, and the Evan's ratio was used as an indication of brain atrophy.

Results

A CSP was present in 40% of controls and 49% of boxers. There was a trend to a higher CSP prevalence in boxers ( P = .099). No control patient had type 2 or 3 extension ( P < .0009), as opposed to 30% and 16% prevalence in boxers. Three boxers increased their extent over serial imaging. No difference in CSP size was established between the 2 groups ( P = .43), but there was an association between progressive scans and increased CSP size over time in boxers, independent of age ( P = .05). Eight boxers demonstrated a CSP on a subsequent scan not seen on an earlier scan.

Conclusion

The prevalence of a CSP is high among both control patients and boxers. There is a trend to a larger CSP with increasing number of scans without evidence of atrophy and independent of age. Boxers also have a greater posterior extent than controls. The findings may be explained by sudden increases in intracranial pressure that forced cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) through small defects in the septal leaflets, which result in an increase in size and or extent of a CSP.
Comparison of (6S)-5-methyltetrahydrofolic acidv.folic acid as the reference folate in longer-term human dietary intervention studies assessing the relative bioavailability of natural food folates: comparative changes in folate status following a 16-week placebo-controlled study in healthy adults
Authors: Wright Anthony J. A. , King Maria J. , Wolfe Caroline A. , Powers Hilary J. , Finglas Paul M.
Published: October 2009

Folic acid (pteroylmonoglutamic acid) has historically been used as the reference folate in human intervention studies assessing the relative bioavailability of dietary folate. Recent studies using labelled folates indicated different plasma response kinetics to folic acid than to natural (food) folates, thus obviously precluding its use in single-dose experiments. Since differences in tissue distribution and site of biotransformation were hypothesised, the question is whether folic acid remains suitable as a reference folate for longer-term intervention studies, where the relative bioavailability of natural (food) folate is assessed based on changes in folate status. Healthy adults aged 18–65 years (n163) completed a 16-week placebo-controlled intervention study in which the relative bioavailability of increased folate intake (453 nmol/d) from folate-rich foods was assessed by comparing changes in plasma and erythrocyte folate concentration with changes induced by an equal reference dose of supplemental (6S)-5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid or folic acid. The relative increase in plasma folate concentration in the food group was 31 % when compared with that induced by folic acid, but 39 % when compared with (6S)-5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid. The relative increase in erythrocyte folate concentration in the food group when compared with that induced by folic acid was 43 %, and 40 % when compared with (6S)-5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid. When recent published observations were additionally taken into account it was concluded that, in principle, folic acid should not be used as the reference folate when attempting to estimate relative natural (food) folate bioavailability in longer-term human intervention studies. Using (6S)-5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid as the reference folate would avoid future results' validity being questioned.
THE CONSTITUTION OF MEDINA: A SOCIOLEGAL INTERPRETATION OF MUHAMMAD'S ACTS OF FOUNDATION OF THE UMMA
Authors: Arjomand Saïd Amir
Published: October 2009

This study offers a sociolegal interpretation of the ancient extant document generally referred to in modern scholarship as the “Constitution of Medina,” showing it to be a three-part composite document written between 622 and 627. Each part has considerable formal coherence as a legal deed. The first part was the deed of foundation of Muhammad's umma, not yet a community of individual believers but a confederation of clans and their clients unified in the struggle in the path of God. The execution of capital punishment for murder was transferred from the clans to the community. The second part guaranteed religious freedom to Jewish confederates, thus laying the foundation of the later Muslim system of religious pluralism; it created the first Muslim sanctuary (ḥarām) and introduced elements of individual responsibility. The third part, here considered a supplement to the second, concerned the defense of the city of Medina against the Quraysh and added one new Jewish clan to the confederation. Taken together, the three parts of the Constitution of Medina transformed the pagan cult of vengeance into holy warfare.
SECULAR TREND OF VERY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT RATE IN PORTO ALEGRE, SOUTHERN BRAZIL
Authors: DA SILVA CLÉCIO HOMRICH , AGRANONIK MARILYN , DA SILVA ANTÔNIO AUGUSTO MOURA , BETTIOL HELOISA , BARBIERI MARCO ANTONIO , GOLDANI MARCELO ZUBARAN
Published: October 2009

The strong association of very low birth weight (VLBW; <1500 g) with infant mortality is well known. There are no data related to VLBW trends in Brazil although findings from some large surveys carried out in small- and medium-sized cities have demonstrated an increase in low birth weight (LBW; <2500 g) rates over the last 30 years. The aim of this study was to evaluate the secular trend of VLBW in the city of Porto Alegre, a large city in a developed area in southern Brazil, and the potential determinants of this trend during the 1990s and early 2000s. This is a registry-based study. Data were obtained from birth certificates of all live births in the city from 1994 to 2005. The variables analysed were: VLBW as the dependent variable and maternal age and schooling, type of delivery, type of hospital, number of live births, gestational age, newborn gender and unemployment rate. The incidence ratio rate (IRR) using Poisson regression was calculated to identify possible trends in VLBW rates. Poisson regressions were performed in order to assess the influence of some independent variables on VLBW. A total of 257,740 singleton newborns were delivered in the city during the period, with a steady reduction in the total number of live births per year from 23,296 in 1994 to 18,325 in 2005. The results showed a small but significant increase in VLBW (p for trend=0.049). There was a significant trend towards adequacy for gestational age per birth weight, suggesting a reduction in rates of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) (p<0.001). The findings showed a significant increase of 1% per year in the probability of VLBW. The main risk factors were related to VLBW mothers with low levels of schooling, public hospitals and multiparity and nulliparity. After adjustment, nulliparity remained as a significant risk factor. The interaction between type of hospital and type of delivery indicated that the probability for VLBW was 3.6 times
higher (p<0.001) among those born in public hospitals by Caesarean section than those born in private hospitals by vaginal delivery. The results show that southern Brazil is going through a demographic transition characterized by a significant decrease in number of live births associated with a small increase in VLBW rates, a decrease in IUGR rates and stabilization of LBW.
Horizontally viscous effects in a tidal basin: extending Taylor's problem
Authors: ROOS P. C. , SCHUTTELAARS H. M.
Published: October 2009

The classical problem of Taylor (Proc. Lond. Math. Soc., vol. 20, 1921, pp. 148–181) of Kelvin wave reflection in a semi-enclosed rectangular basin of uniform depth is extended to account for horizontally viscous effects. To this end, we add horizontally viscous terms to the hydrodynamic model (linearized depth-averaged shallow-water equations on a rotating plane, including bottom friction) and introduce a no-slip condition at the closed boundaries.

In a straight channel of infinite length, we obtain three types of wave solutions (normal modes). The first two wave types are viscous Kelvin and Poincaré modes. Compared to their inviscid counterparts, they display longitudinal boundary layers and a slight decrease in the characteristic length scales (wavelength or along-channel decay distance). For each viscous Poincaré mode, we additionally find a new mode with a nearly similar lateral structure. This third type, entirely due to viscous effects, represents evanescent waves with an along-channel decay distance bounded by the boundary-layer thickness.

The solution to the viscous Taylor problem is then written as a superposition of these normal modes: an incoming Kelvin wave and a truncated sum of reflected modes. To satisfy no slip at the lateral boundary, we apply a Galerkin method. The solution displays boundary layers, the lateral one at the basin's closed end being created by the (new) modes of the third type. Amphidromic points, in the inviscid and frictionless case located on the centreline of the basin, are now found on a line making a small angle to the longitudinal direction. Using parameter values representative for the Southern Bight of the North Sea, we finally compare the modelled and observed tide propagation in this basin.
The British Arctic Expedition, 187576
Authors: Hattersley-Smith G.
Published: October 2009

The British Arctic Expedition sailed from Portsmouth on 29 May 1875. It left amid considerable public enthusiasm and with a telegram from the Queen. A contemporary journal had this to say: As we hope, so we believe that they will end their northward advance only at the northernmost meeting of the meridians; that they will return in safety to receive well-won applause and reward for their achievements; and that they will have very much to tell of the circum-polar region, as well as of their hoisting the Union Jack upon the Pole, (The Navy, 1875). The tone of the same journal was very different when reporting the return of the expedition in 1876, one year earlier than expected. One of the milder statements in a highly derogatory article read: Verily the expedition of 18756 has but little of which to boast. It went out like a rocket, and has come back like the stick. The validity of such a judgement needs careful examination against the aims and logistics of the expedition, the attitudes of the officers and men, and, most importantly, the actual achievementsand shortcomingsof the voyage.
The decline of the Thick-billed Murre in Greeland
Authors: Evans Peter , Waterston George
Published: October 2009

The total breeding population of the Thick-billed Murre (Brünnich's Guillemot)Uria lomvia in west Greenland in 1951 was estimated to amount to two million pairs (Salomonsen, 1951), half of which inhabit the gigantic loomery at Kap Shackleton (Agparssuit) (Fig 1). Tuck (1960) considered this to be a conservative estimate, ‘and cannot concede that fewer than five million Thick-billed Murres inhabit the west coast of Greenland during the summer months’. The birds have long been considered an important food source by the inhabitants of the area. Rink (in Salomonsen, 1951, p 378) recorded a harvest of 70 000 birds as long ago as 1850; with the advent of modern shotguns and cheap ammunition the toll is now severe (Fig 2). As a result of shooting and disturbance population decreases have been recorded at various sites, but particularly those close to settlements (Table 1). In addition to the colonies listed in the table, a count was made in 1921 for the Sagdleq colony in the Umánaq district. An estimated 500 000 birds were recorded which, in 1949, had decreased to 250 000. In 1968 the Umánaq district legislated for total preservation of this colony for three years.
Cambridge East Greenland Expedition, 1976
Authors: Colvill Alan J.
Published: October 2009

Roslin Gletscher is a sub-polar glacier in the central Stauning Alper which lie at 72°N in east Greenland. Interest has been focussed on this glacier in recent years since it is clearly of the surging type. The primary aim of the expedition was to survey a longitudinal profile of the glacier and to re-survey stake lines established by previous expeditions to measure ice flow rates. It is hoped that the results will throw some light on the stage of the surge cycle that has been reached. This should improve predictions of when the next surge may occur and allow closer study of the mechanisms which cause the glacier to surge. A secondary aim was to relocate a food and equipment dump, left from earlier expeditions, which was threatened by moraine movement.
The history of the Royal Greenland Trade Department
Authors: Strøm Tejsen Aage V.
Published: October 2009

The English explorer Martin Frobisher rediscovered Greenland in 1578, during his third attempt to find a route north of America to the East Indies, and John Davis's subsequent expeditions in 1585-87 established contact with the Eskimos in Greenland. Christian IV, King of Denmark-Norway, fitted out three ships for Greenland in 1605 with the Englishman John Cunningham as commander and the Danish nobleman Godske Lindenow as second-incommand, but he lost interest when no valuable minerals were found. He did, however, reestablish the sovereignty of the Danish crown over Greenland, and thus laid the foundation for later colonization by Denmark.
Ethical problems of northern development
Authors: Armstrong Terence
Published: October 2009

It may be taken as axiomatic that the northern lands and seas—Alaska, the Canadian north, Greenland, Svalbard, the ‘northern cap’ of Scandinavia, the Soviet north, and the seas adjoining these areas, including the Arctic Ocean which lies between them—will not escape the process of ‘development’, whatever that may be taken to mean. The pressure of population alone, considered globally, is certain to ensure that the resources of these areas, if not, at least initially, their living space, will be explored and exploited. The fact that each of the land areas is, as it happens, the sovereign territory of an industrialized country, will facilitate this process. The option, if it is thought to exist at all, of total preservation of the Arctic and sub-Arctic as some kind of world nature reserve may have attraction to some but must be seen to be wholly unrealistic. Development will occur. But it is sensible, as well as possible, to try to influence the type and course of that development. The objection may be made that such an exercise is pointless, because we cannot see far enough or clearly enough into the future, when new considerations, unguessed at now, may revolutionize our priorities. This ground for objection is of course true; but it is not a reason for giving no thought at all to the question, for all decisions about the future have to be taken on a basis of imperfect knowledge.
Social and cultural dynamics of the peoples of the Soviet north
Authors: Savoskul S. S. , Armstrong Terence
Published: October 2009

The vast expanses of tundra and taiga stretching from Kol'skiy Poluostrov to Chukotka have long been utilized by small ethnic groups with a chiefly northern economy—reindeer husbandry, hunting, fishing, sea mammal hunting. At present, judging by the data of the all-Union census of 1970, their total number is a little over 150 000. The peoples of the north include the Nentsy, formerly Samoyed (28 705), Evenki, formerly Tungus (25 149), Khanty, formerly Ostyak (21 138), Chukchi (13 597), Eveny, formerly Lamut (12 029), Nanaytsy, formerly Gol'd (10 005), Mansi, formerly Vogul (7 710), Koryaki (7 487), Dolgany (4 877), Nivkhi, formerly Gilyak (4 420), Sel'kupy, formerly Ostyak Samoyed (4 282), Ul'chi or Ol'chi (2 448), Saamy or Lapps (1 884), Udegeytsy (1 469), Eskimosy (1 308), Itel'meny (1 301), Kety, formerly Yeniseians (1 182), Orochi (1 089), Nganasany (953), Yukagiry (615), Negidal'tsy (537), Aleuty (Itogi,1973, p 21–22) (441); and also some not accounted for in the census— Entsy (300), Oroki (400) and Chuvantsy (700) (Novaya zhizn', 1967, p 7–9)
Polish Antarctic activities 1976–78
Authors: Birkenmajer K.
Published: October 2009

The first permanent Polish scientific station in the Antarctic—the H. Arctowski station—was opened on 26 February 1977 on behalf of the Polish Academy of Sciences, by the 1976–77 expedition's leader. Assistant Professor S. Rakusa-Suszczewski. The station is built on the west coast of Admiralty Bay, south of Point Thomas, King George Island, in the South Shetland Islands, and is named after Professor Henryk Arctowski (1871–1958), an outstanding Polish scientist and member of the Belgian Antarctic Expedition in Belgica (1897–99) under A. de Gerlache de Gomery. Its location by the sea allows the possibility of oceanographic research, which should make up for the lack of such a centre in Poland. However, its main purpose is to carry out the biological studies necessary in order to formulate measures for the protection of the Antarctic flora and fauna, whose existence is being threatened by an increasing number of tourists and fishermen. It is also hoped that co-operation with other scientists and countries, and exchanges of information will occur, and that the station will be a stopover point for many scientific expeditions and other ships.
University of St Andrews Greenland Expedition, 1978
Authors: Gordon John E. , Thurman John L.
Published: October 2009

The University of St Andrews Greenland Expedition spent late June, July and August 1978 at the head of Íkamiut kangerdluarssuat near Sukkertoppen, west Greenland. The expedition's aims were to climb previously unsealed or relatively unknown peaks, and carry out geomorphological and geological studies. Base camp was established at the still-frozen lake Taserssuaq on 28 June with the help of the crew of Daniel, a fishing boat chartered from Sukkertoppen. During the following weeks 13 first ascents and six second ascents were made in an area noted for its alpine peaks. The major achievement was a route on the 1 675 m north face of a peak on the south side of Taserssuaq; this climb took 40 hours. Other notable first ascents were Qáqarssuaralak (1 332 m), an 800 m high ice face on a peak flanking an icefield and, north of Taserssuaq, a 1600 m high peak was climbed by a steep ice route. A traverse, following several interlinking glaciers, was achieved from Taserssuaq to Evighedsfjord. Canoe journeys were made along Íkamiut kangerdluarssuat to the mountains and glaciers on its eastern and western shores, the deserted village of Ikamiut and the bird colonies of Sermilinguaq.
Land management in Northern Canada and Fennoscandia
Authors: Inglis Julian T.
Published: October 2009

The ‘Tundra Conference’, held in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1969 focussed public attention on the need for strong conservation measures in northern regions at a time when the extent and potential impact of non-renewable resource exploration was becoming readily apparent. A number of contributions were concerned with ‘what has happened and what is happening to specific tundra areas and what should be done and what is being done to prevent further degradation of the land’ (Fuller and Kevan, 1970). The Canadian government responded by making what amounted to a major shift in its northern lands policy. To a system of land management concerned principally with the administration of surface and sub-surface rights, concomitant with vigorous economic development, the government added a managed use component—the protection of the land surface through the regulation of resource exploration activity (Naysmith, 1970). The ‘Tundra Conference’ marked the beginning of a decade of public debate on land management and the development of a strong, regulatory regime.
Polish Antarctic activities, 1978–79
Authors: Birkenmajer K.
Published: October 2009

The Polish Academy of Sciences supported two scientific expeditions to Antarctica during the austral summer, 1978–79: an expedition to H. Arctowski station on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands, and an expedition to A. B. Dobrowolski station at Bunger Oazis on Knox Coast, East Antarctica.
Airborne radio echo sounding of glaciers in Svalbard
Authors: Drewry D. J. , Liestøl O. , Neal C. S. , Orheim O. , Wold B.
Published: October 2009

During April–May 1980 the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) and Norsk Polarinstitutt (NPI) conducted a joint programme of radio echo sounding (RES) in Svalbard. The principal aims were to evaluate the performance of SPRI 60 MHz echo sounding equipment of Svalbard glaciers, to measure ice thickness over a wide range of conditions, and to investigate specific glaciers which are the focus of current glaciological studies.
Lakes on George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctica
Authors: Reynolds John M.
Published: October 2009

George VI Ice Shelf is about 450 km long, 20–70 km wide, and averages 250 m in thickness. It is bordered by Alexander Island to the west and by the Antarctic Peninsula to the east (Fig 1). The ice shelf is fed by glaciers flowing westwards from the Palmer Land plateau. In summer (November to late February) the ice shelf undergoes considerable surface melting and meltwater lakes form over an area of 4 500 km2 between 70°15′S and 72°00′S. The lakes and pools vary in size from a few centimetres deep and several square metres in area to a few metres deep covering areas of several square kilometres (Fig 2). Most of the lakes are characteristically elongate and ribbon-like and hence are termed ‘ribbon lakes’. From mid November to late February the lakes are a major obstacle to sledge parties travelling over the ice shelf.
Traditional and modern sources of income in the Lancaster Sound region
Authors: Myers Heather
Published: October 2009

Northern Canadian natives wish to continue their traditional lifestyle by hunting, fishing and trapping. These feelings have, for example, been expressed at the recent Lancaster Sound Regional Study workshops by the native residents of Grise Fiord, Resolute, Arctic Bay and Pond Inlet, in spite of pressure by government and industry for the Inuit to take up wage-earning employment. In comparison with the cash benefits of industrial employment the value of the native or traditional economy is often underestimated. Domestically-used meat and materials cannot be valued in a formal or cash economy and tend to be discounted in planning analyses (Usher, 1980).
Activities on the King George Island group, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
Authors: Headland R. K. , Keage P. L.
Published: October 2009

King George Island and Nelson Island, close together in the central South Shetland Islands, were discovered early in the 19th century and often visited by whalers and sealers. Whalers also used their harbours early in the present century. The first permanent station was established in 1947 by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey. Currently they are the site of scientific stations and depots operated by eight Antarctic Treaty nations (Argentina, Brazil, Britain, Chile, Peoples' Republic of China, Poland, USSR and Uruguay), all of which make use of their accessible harbours and relatively long summer season.
The Marginal Ice Zone Experiment (MIZEX) 1984: Scott Polar Research Institute participation
Authors: Wadhams Peter
Published: October 2009

The Sea Ice Group of the Scort Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, took part in the international Marginal Ice Zone Experiment 1984 (MIZEX 84) from 12 June to 26 July, operating from icebreaker FS Polarstern and chartered sealing vessel Kvitbjørn in the Greenland Sea. Observations included measurement of ice edge kinetics, wave-ice interactions and upper ocean structure and processes; ocean surface measurements and pressure ridge profile studies were also made in the same area during a post-MIZEX cruise in MS Lance.
Profile: Albert Borlase Armitage
Authors: Walton D. W. H.
Published: October 2009

Albert Armitage was the second in command of both the Jackson-Harmsworth expedition of 1884–1897 and R. F. Scott's British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901–1904. He never led an expedition himself; as Frank Debenham wrote (1944), ‘For polar work his mind was perhaps not quite flexible enough or his aims were not sufficiently ambitious to make him lead an expedition of his own.’ Despite this he played a leading role in both expeditions, and contributed significantly to Arctic and Antarctic exploration.
Bowhead whaling in Davis Strait and Baffin Bay during the 18th and 19th Centuries
Authors: Vaughan Richard
Published: October 2009

Histories of individual whale fisheries mainly undertaken by Europeans have yet to be written. This article provides an outline history of whaling in the Davis Strait area during the 18th and 19th centuries. Current knowledge is reviewed of whaling west of Greenland by ships from Danish, Dutch and German ports, and from English, American and Scottish ports. The land-based West Greenland whale fishery is also mentioned, and the activities of whalers from France and Spain. In spite of recent national whaling histories of the English, Dutch and Danish industries, quantitative data for the Davis Strait fishery are still virtually non-existent.
Reactions of family partners of Antarctic expeditioners
Authors: Taylor A. J. W. , McCormick I. A.
Published: October 2009

This study breaks new ground by involving the partners of Antarctic expeditioners as well as the expeditioners themselves in one aspect of a comprehensive research programme on stress. It reports the reactions of both parties before, during and after their separation. It shows that there were discrepancies between the partners about the sufficiency of prior discussion, the possibility of injury or death arising with the expeditioners on their hazardous venture, and about the ability of partners to cope at home. A follow up of the couples sixteen months after the separation showed that their marital relationships in general had improved slightly, although there were some individual exceptions. The study emphasised the importance of including partners as well as the specific subjects themselves in future medical and behavioural research; future studies might usefully extend beyond the couples to include all relevant family members.
The vascular flora and vegetation of Ile de Croy, Iies Kerguelen
Authors: Delarue Dominique
Published: October 2009

In a botanical field survey of Ile de Croy, Iles Kerguelen, from 17 November to 14 December 1984, 14 of the 29 species of vascular plants known from the archipelago were recorded. None of the eight Kerguelen species of pteridophytes and no introduced species were present. Four major natural plant associations were identified. Notes are given on the habitats, distribution and ecology of each species, and comparisons are made with mainland Kerguelen and neighbouring subantarctic islands. The significance for conservation of this relatively undisturbed island is discussed.
Reconstruction of an atmospheric temperature profile from a 166-year old polar mirage
Authors: Rees W. G.
Published: October 2009

A method has been developed for deducing the variation with height of the atmospheric temperature, using the observed form of a mirage as the input. This method is applicable to the class of mirages in which the object appears undistorted, although magnified, vertically displaced, and quite possibly inverted: here applied to an observation of this class of mirage made by Dr William Scoresby in 1822, it is used to deduce the nature of the temperature inversion prevailing on that occasion.
Land usage conflict in Alaska: the case of mental health lands
Authors: Copus Gary D. , McLain James
Published: October 2009

In 1956 the United States government allowed the Territory (now State) of Alaska to select 404,695 hectares of land to provide specifically for mental health services for Alaskans. State legislatures have since tried to place this land into private ownership because of the ‘highest and best use principle’ of land management. ‘Strict usage principle’ opponents have countered with legal action, the result of which is to place the land in a status where it serves neither proponent groups. The question raised by this piece of land history is whether, in a federalism such as the United States, it is possible to use land to serve dedicated social needs.
J.-B. Charcot; father of French polar research
Authors: Malaurie Jean
Published: October 2009

Born in 1867 and trained as a doctor, Jean-Baptiste Charcot gave up a fashionable medical practice to become, in his mid-thirties, France's leading polar explorer. His two major expeditions to the peninsular sector of Antarctica and the Bellingshausen Sea (1903–05, 1908–10) resulted in many new discoveries of land and established his reputation as a leader in the fields of scientific oceanography, research and survey. After service in World War I he continued polar work with a series of ten summer expeditions to the Arctic (1926–36), in which many young explorers were trained. Lost with his ship Pourquoi Pas? in a storm off Iceland in 1936, Charcot is remembered for qualities of leadership and scientific integrity which inspire the current generation of French polar scientists.
North Greenland ice islands
Authors: Higgins A. K.
Published: October 2009

Large tabular icebergs derived from the glaciers which drain the north fringe of Greenland's Inland Iceoccur in many North Greenland fjords. Many have undulating surface topography resembling that of the ice islands calved from Ellesmere Island ice shelves. Semi-permanent sea ice in North Greenland fjords often prevents the escape of bergs, except in exceptional summers several decades apart, when the fjord ice melts completely and some bergs may reach the Arctic Ocean. Other possible sources for ice islands are small ice shelves and local glaciers along the north coast of Greenland.
Polar winters; chronic deprivation or transient hibernation?
Authors: Taylor A. J. W.
Published: October 2009

Wintering in the Antarctic has long been known to have at best a lethargic effect and at worst an occasional psychopathological effect. A review of journal entries, laboratory studies, independent observations, clinical reports and specific experimental projects shows some discrepancies about the type of impairment reported. The suggestion is that the results from various data gathering domains should be integrated, rather than offset against each other, and that climatic severity data be obtained. Then a fresh attempt should be made to resolve the matter by developing techniques for monitoring the customary levels of performance of subjects instead of those from specific testing sessions. Present indications are that wintering produces a hibernating effect — a generalised lowering of sensory/motor reactions that is appropriate for the geographical and psycho-sociological circumstances.
Diamond Jenness's archaeological investigations on Barter Island, Alaska
Authors: Jenness Stuart E.
Published: October 2009

In June and July 1914 DiamondJenness.amember of Stefansson's Canadian Arctic Expedition 1913–18, excavated 103 archaeological features in three abandoned native villages originally inhabited 400 to 550 years ago on Barter Island and nearby Arey Island, northern Alaska. His notes, diagrams, and some 3300 specimens for long remained unstudied. Recently they have been shown to provide much of the available information on the prehistoric occupation of the western Beaufort Sea coast.
Environmental factors affecting 17th–19th century whaling in the Greenland Sea
Authors: Sanger Chesley W.
Published: October 2009

Commercial pelagic whaling of the 17th–19th centuries in the Greenland Sea was heavily influenced by environmental factors. Much of the fishery took place along a constantly shifting ice-edge, variations in which stamped a unique character on each season's operation. Environmental conditions required expert interpretation, both to procure paying cargoes of whale oil and bone and to survive hazards posed by sea, wind and ice. Detailed knowledge of currents, temperatures and winds enhanced greatly the chance that a master would have a successful voyage.
Sealing and sealing methods in the Bay of Bothnia, 1551–70
Authors: Kvist Roger
Published: October 2009

Seals were hunted in the Bay of Bothnia during the 16th century in four areas — inshore open water, fast ice, ice edge, and pack ice — with methods appropriate for each area. Inshore open water sealing involved netting and some seining, exclusively for ringed seals. On fast ice the techniques used were stalking, den-hunting, and breathing hole-hunting, again for ringed seals. Grey and ringed seals were hunted on the ice edge. Provincial tax returns have provided information on methods used by sealers from different parishes in the Bay of Bothnia area. Catching techniques, tools, prey species, numbers of crews, hunting seasons, catch figures and annual yields are discussed.
The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission and other cooperative marine mammal management organizations in northern Alaska
Authors: Huntington Henry P.
Published: October 2009

The formation of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC) in 1977 was the first time that Native Alaskans had organized themselves to protect a specific hunting interest. The AEWC's success and prominence has led to the formation of other user-based management regimes for marine mammals in northern Alaska. This paper begins with a description of the creation and development of the AEWC as it fought the ban by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) on bowhead whaling and gained management authority for the Eskimo harvest. Then, three other regimes are examined, each of which focuses on a marine mammal species in northern Alaska. These are the Eskimo Walrus Commission, the Alaska and Inuvialuit Beluga Whale Committee, and the Agreement on Polar Bears in the Southern Beaufort Sea between the Inuvialuit Game Council and the North Slope Borough Fish and Game Management Committee. These regimes face the challenge of avoiding a management crisis rather than overcoming one. Without the incentive of a threat to end hunting, these regimes have not had the sense of direction that has enabled the AEWC to achieve its success. However, they have contributed to the management of certain species of wildlife, and are capable of contributing a great deal more.
Characteristics of vegetation phenology over the Alaskan landscape using AVHRR time-series data
Authors: Markon Carl J. , Fleming Michael D. , Binnian Emily F.
Published: October 2009

Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) satellite data were acquired and composited into twice-a-month periods from 1 May 1991 to 15 October 1991 in order to map vegetation characteristics of the Alaskan landscape. Unique spatial and temporal qualities of the AVHRR data provide information that leads to a better understanding of regional biophysical characteristics of vegetation communities and patterns. These data provided synoptic views of the landscape and depicted phenological diversity, temporal vegetation phenology (green-up, peak of green, and senescence), photosynthetic activity, and regional landscape patterns. Products generated from the data included a phenological class map, phenological composite maps (onset, peak, and duration), and photosynthetic activity maps (mean and maximum greenness). The time-series data provide opportunities to study phenological processes at small landscape scales over time periods of weeks, months, and years. Regional patterns identified on some of the maps are unique to specific areas; others correspond to biophysical or ecoregional boundaries. The data provide new insights to landscape processes, ecology, and landscape physiognomy that allow scientists to look at landscapes in ways that were previously difficult to achieve.
Detection of polar stratospheric clouds over Antarctica using AVHRR images obtained at Palmer Station during August 1992
Authors: Garcia Oswaldo , Pagan Kathy L. , Foschi Patricia G. , Gaines Steven E. , Hipskind R. Stephen
Published: October 2009

Four case studies are presented that focus on a joint analysis of AVHRR images with other independently obtained data sets to identify examples of both optically thick and thin polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) over Antarctica. Optically thick PSCs are shown to be readily identifiable by the temperature signatures in AVHRR channel 5 images over the Antarctic Peninsula–Weddell Sea area. A time series of optically thick PSCs as seen in satellite images obtained at Palmer Station, Antarctica, is produced and discussed. Four events are identified and discussed where the areal coverage by cold temperatures indicative of PSCs expands to cover a significant portion of the area sampled. Plans for further research are outlined.
First Doppler weather radar studies of the wintertime meteorology of interior Alaska
Authors: Fathauer Ted
Published: October 2009

A weather surveillance radar model 88–D (WSR–88D) was installed on Pedro Dome, a hill approximately 23 km north of Fairbanks, in the late summer of 1993. The radar commenced operation in September 1993. The Fairbanks radar was the first Doppler weather radar installed in Alaska and the farthest north modern weather radar in the world. During the winter of 1993–1994 the Fairbanks radar gave meteorologists their first detailed look at the meteorology of interior Alaska. The area encompassed by the radar's field of view includes complex terrain—both large flatlands and highlands reaching more than 1 km above the valley floor.

This new opportunity yielded some surprises. Foremost among them is the unanticipated complexity and small scale of meteorological processes during the winter in an Arctic region. Sequences of composite reflectivity show a consistent pattern of considerable change over time spans of 10–30 minutes, as well as large variance of reflectivity over distances of 10 km or less. The reflectivity patterns are often composed of banded structures, with small granular areas of higher echo return embedded within. The large-scale bands can be correlated to synoptic scale patterns of wind aloft, while the smaller cellular structures in the bands may be partly attributed to upslope flow over hills. However, some areas of strong radar return appear to have no relation to topography. The high stability of the airmass over Fairbanks most of the winter would appear to rule out convection. Gravity waves at the top of strong temperature inversions are a possible cause. It is presumed that other processes are at work in this scene, and they remain unexplained.
An early nineteenth century meteorological register from the eastern Canadian Arctic
Authors: Kay Paul A.
Published: October 2009

Significant warming in the Arctic is anticipated for doubled-CO2scenarios, but temperatures in the eastern Canadian Arctic have not yet exhibited that trend in the last few decades. The spatial juxtaposition of the winter station in 1822–1823 of William Edward Parry's Northwest Passage expedition with the modern Igloolik Research Centre of the Science Institute of the Northwest Territories affords an opportunity for historical reconstruction and comparison. Parry's data are internally consistent. The association of colder temperatures with westerly and northerly winds, and wanner temperatures with easterly and southerly winds, is statistically significant. Temperatures are not exactly comparable between the two time periods because of differences in instrumentation, exposure, and frequency of readings. Nevertheless, in 1822–1823, November and December appear to have been cold and January to March mild compared to modern experience. Anomalously, winds were more frequently northerly (and less frequently westerly) in the latter months than in recent observations. Parry recorded two warm episodes in mid-winter, but, overall, it appears that the winter of 1822–1823 was not outside the range of modern experience.
The over-winter movements of a chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica)
Authors: Wilson Rory P. , Culik Boris M. , Kosiorek Piotr , Adelung Dieter
Published: October 2009

A single chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica), which had moulted at the South Shetland Islands, was subsequently tracked during 120 days at sea in the austral winter using a global location system (geolocation) based on light intensity. The bird moved east along the Scotia Ridge to a point approximately 300 km west of the South Sandwich Islands and approximately 1600 km away from the colony in which it had moulted. It spent more than 60% of its time in open water north of the edge of the pack ice.