bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transient dominance in a central African rain forest
Authors: Newbery D. M. , van der Burgt X. M. , Worbes M. , Chuyong G. B.
Published: March 2013

The large‐crowned emergent tree Microberlinia bisulcata dominates rain forest groves at Korup National Park, Cameroon, along with two codominants, Tetraberlinia bifoliolata and T. korupensis. M. bisulcata has a pronounced modal size frequency distribution around ∼110 cm stem diameter: its recruitment potential is very poor. It is a long‐lived light‐demanding species, one of many found in African forests. Tetraberlinia species lack modality, are more shade tolerant, and recruit better. All three species are ectomycorrhizal. M. bisulcata dominates grove basal area, even though it has similar numbers of trees (≥50 cm stem diameter) as each of the other two species. This situation presented a conundrum that prompted a long‐term study of grove dynamics. Enumerations of two plots (82.5 and 56.25 ha) between 1990 and 2010 showed mortality and recruitment of M. bisulcata to be very low (both rates ∼0.2% per year) compared with Tetraberlinia (2.4% and 0.8% per year), and M. bisulcata grows twice as fast as the Tetraberlinia. Ordinations indicated that these three species determined community structure by their strong negative associations while other species showed almost none. Ranked species abundance curves fitted the Zipf‐Mandelbrot model well and allowed “overdominance” of M. bisulcata to be estimated. Spatial analysis indicated strong repulsion by clusters of large (50 to <100 cm) and very large (≥100 cm) M. bisulcata of their own medium‐sized (10 to <50 cm) trees and all sizes of Tetraberlinia. This was interpreted as competition by M. bisulcata increasing its dominance, but also inhibition of its own replacement potential. Stem coring showed a modal age of ∼200 years for M. bisulcata, but with large size variation (50–150 cm). Fifty‐year model projections suggested little change in medium, decreases in large, and increases in very large trees of M. bisulcata, accompanied by overall decreases in medium and large trees of Tetraberlinia species. Realistically increasing very‐large‐tree mortality led to grove collapse without short‐term replacement. M. bisulcata most likely depends on climatic events to rebuild its stands: the ratio of disturbance interval to median species' longevity is important. A new theory of transient dominance explains how M. bisulcata may be cycling in abundance over time and displaying nonequilibrium dynamics.
The role of occlusal curvatures and maxillary arch dimensions in patients with signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders
Authors: Kanavakis Georgios , Mehta Noshir
Published: March 2013

Objective:

To identify differences in occlusal curvatures and maxillary arch dimensions between subjects with signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders TMDs and asymptomatic subjects.

Materials and Methods:

One hundred subjects 78 female and 22 male who consented to participate in this research were examined for signs and symptoms of TMDs according to the guidelines of the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders RDCTMD. In addition, occlusal measurements were performed for all subjects on plaster models. All statistical analyses were performed with SPSS version 19.

Results:

Significant associations were revealed between the depth of the curve of Spee COS and temporomandibular joint TMJ sounds. Furthermore, maxillary arch width was negatively correlated to the steepness of the curve of Wilson. No differences were found between subjects with and without a history of orthodontic treatment.

Conclusions:

Subjects with TMJ sounds tend to have a flatter COS compared to subjects without TMJ sounds.
The effect of LED lighting on photosynthetic parameters and weight of lamb’s lettuce (Valerianella locusta)
Authors: Wojciechowska Renata , Kołton Anna , Długosz-Grochowska Olga , Żupnik Marek , Grzesiak Wojciech
Published: March 2013

The experiment was carried out in the winter and autumn of 2011 using lamb’s lettuce (Valerianella locusta Laterr. Em Betce) as a test plant under greenhouse growing conditions. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of a prolonged day with modern SSL LED (Solid State Lighting Light Emitting Diodes) technology on photosynthetic parameters and plant yield. Two kinds of LED lamps with different spectral properties were used. The first emitted a white light and the second a mixture of red and blue light. Measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence and gas exchange were taken in natural and artificial light. Control plants were not treated with additional lighting. During the day with natural light in March (winter growing), photosynthesis intensity, stomatal conductance and transpiration of lamb’s lettuce leaves were higher than in November (autumn growing). In the evening hours of March and November, during artificial plant lighting, similar photosynthesis intensity was observed. This intensity was significantly higher than in the afternoon hours (by natural light) in the autumn. The highest content of chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids was found in the treatment with red+blue LEDs in winter growing. Supplemental lighting with red+blue LED light stimulated the high efficiency of the photosynthetic apparatus, which was manifested by the highest Performance Index (PI). The highest weight of the rosettes was noted in the autumn growing period in plants that were under the influence of the red+blue supplemental lighting followed by the white LED. This could be the result of a significant stimulation of photosynthesis during supplemental lighting with the LED lamps during this period.
Methane emissions from ventilation and degasification systems of hard coal mines in Poland in the years 2001–2010
Authors: Patyñska Renata
Published: March 2013

Streszczenie

W latach 2001-2010 produkcja oraz liczba funkcjonujących kopalń węgla kamiennego w polskim gór­nictwie węgla kamiennego uległa znacznemu zmniejszeniu. Wydobycie węgla ze 102,78 · 106 Mg ograniczono do 76,15 · 106 Mg. Eksploatacja pokładów realizowana w 43 zakładach górniczych w roku 2001, na skutek likwidacji oraz połączenia kopalń, w roku 2010 dotyczyła 29 kopalń. Liczba 30 kopalń metanowych w roku 2001, w których wydobywano węgiel na poziomie 72,37 · 106 Mg, wroku2010 wynosiła21 kopalń, produkujących 52,18 · 106Mg węgla.

Pomimo spadku produkcji węgla oraz malejącej liczby kopalń w Polsce wentylacyjna emisja metanu z pro­cesów eksploatacji węgla kopalń metanowych od roku 2001 wzrosła o około 50 m3/Mg. W miarę upływu lat, wysiłki na rzecz odmetanowania niosą jednak pozytywny skutek. Pomimo wzrostu „strat" metanu w procesie odmetanowania, z roku na rok zwiększa się ilość metanu ujętego systemami odmetanowania.

Z rozeznania i przeglądu literaturowego dotyczącego zagadnień związanych z emisją metanu w Polsce wynika, że w 2009 roku opublikowano Raport Krajowej Inwentaryzacji Emisji i Pochłaniania gazów ciep­larnianych za rok 2007. Z Raportu Krajowej Inwentaryzacji... wynika, że brak jest danych szczegółowych dotyczących wskaźników emisji metanu z kopalń węgla kamiennego dla polskiego górnictwa. W związku z tym, przygotowano i obliczono szczegółowo emisje metanu z kopalń metanowych w Polsce. Zastosowana metodyka szacowania metanu wykonana została dla dwóch podstawowych źródeł jego emisji. Obliczono emisję metanu w trakcie procesu eksploatacji węgla jako emisję wentylacyjną oraz emisję z układów odgazowania. Takie podejście wynikało z wytycznych IPCC z roku 2006.

Aktualizacja proponowanych metod IPCC (2006) szacowania emisji metanu z układów wentylacyjnych i z układów odmetanowania kopalń węgla kamiennego (czynnych i zlikwidowanych) w Polsce polega na za­łożeniu, że wskaźnik emisji metanu (EF) obliczamy, opierając się na wydobyciu z koplań metanowych oraz rzeczywistych wielkościach metanowości bezwzględnej. Rezultat modyfikacji metody szacowania emisji metanu z procesów górniczych dla polskich metanowych koplań węgla kamiennego to równanie wskaźnika emisji metanu.

W górnictwie polskim, od roku 2008 średni wskaźnik emisji z systemu węgla kamiennego utrzymuje się na stałym poziomie około 10 m3 C^/Mg. Uzyskane wyniki obliczeń emisji metanu w całym analizowanym okresie lat 2001-2010, mieszczą się w granicach 402-462 Gg (śr. 441,45 Gg).
High-Temperature Nuclear Reactors (Overview. Part 1) / Augstas Temperatūras Kodolreaktori (Pārskata raksts) 1. daļa
Authors: Ekmanis J. , Tomsons E. , Zeltiņš N.
Published: March 2013

At the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) of 2001 the measures were approved which are necessary for the development of future generation nuclear reactors (NRs). Six best high-temperature NR technologies were selected, with the main criteria being the safe and economically profitable operation, long-term use, protection against the employment of nuclear material for military purposes and terroristic attacks as well as technologies of fuel close cycle in order to increase the amount of fission material and decrease the amount of highly radioactive waste. In four of the technologies, apart from electricity production also hydrogen is obtained. Part 1 presents a generalized description of the high-temperature NRs, their comparative characteristics and history, with the stopped and operational HTNRs outlined. The properties of different type nuclear fuels are described in detail
Tests of an additive harvest mortality model for northern bobwhiteColinus virginianusharvest management in Texas, USA
Authors: Sands Joseph P. , Schnupp Matthew J. , Teinert Trent W. , DeMaso Stephen J. , Hernández Fidel , Brennan Leonard A. , Rollins Dale , Perez Robert M.
Published: March 2013

We evaluated the application of using an additive harvest mortality model (AHMM) as a harvest management strategy for northern bobwhitesColinus virginianusduring the 2007/08 and 2008/09 hunting seasons in two ecoregions of Texas: the Rolling Plains (RP) and the South Texas Plains (STP). We collected field data on three study sites/ecoregion (of 400‐1,900 ha each; two treatment and one control) to estimate four demographic parameters (i.e. fall and spring density, overwinter survival in the absence of hunting and harvest rate). We used these data to parameterize an AHMM (a theoretical component of sustained‐yield harvest; SYH) for bobwhites and compare model‐based predictions of spring bobwhite populations with field estimates. Our goal was to compare predictions from the AHMM to field estimates of spring density based on known rates of harvest. Compared to field estimates, the AHMM consistently underestimated spring population density (mean % ± SE) by 55.7 ± 17.8% (2007/08) and 34.1 ± 4.9% (2008/09) in the RP and by 26.4 ± 25.3% (2007/08) and 49.1 ± 2.1% (2008/09) in the STP. Prescribing a fall bobwhite harvest to achieve a specific, target spring density may be difficult given the wide variation in the model parameters (i.e. fall and spring density, and natural mortality) that we observed.
Keats and the Romantic Sehnsucht
Authors: Gérard Albert
Published: March 2013

These lines of Young's sound like a rapturously optimistic retort to Pope's disabused treatment of the selfsame dual Man as "The glory, jest, and riddle of the world!" But whether in wonder, or wry causticity, eighteenth-century thought was fully aware of the limitations of man. It does not seem to have believed that man ought to transcend them. The wisdom of the age can be heard in Pope's advice, "Presume not God to scan," an injunction, in fact, to silence the metaphysical instinct. The main purpose of man was to make life bearable and comfortable within the predicament imposed by God. The ideal was neither to be reached nor even to be known. If happiness was, to Pope and many others, "Our Being's End and Aim," it was simply the happiness of moral rectitude, social adaptation, and material well-being. It was variously described as "good," upleasure," "ease," "content." Its inferiority was acknowledged, but no higher bliss was believed to be possible. As Paul Hazard has said: "Leur bonheur était une certaine façon de se contenter du possible, sans prétendre à l'absolu; un bonbeur de médiocrite, de juste milieu, qui excluait le gain total, de peur d'une perte totale."
History and Limitations of Scientific Method
Authors: Liebel Helen
Published: March 2013

The relationship between the natural sciences and the arts is one which philosophers have found difficult to define, and yet the problem of the divergence of knowledge into these two great branches of study dominates our time. The rise of science in the university curriculum in the last century has produced a profound revolution in the values of our civilization. The sciences are held in the highest esteem by our society, and scientific knowledge is considered the highest and purest form of true knowledge, particularly if it can be reduced mathematically. Such, of course, was not always the case.
The Acting of Melodrama
Authors: Booth Michael
Published: March 2013

The word "melodrama" has for some time been a term of abuse in criticism of new plays and references to old ones; and a dramatic critic can find nothing more damning when he searches his vocabulary in order to describe acting he believes excessively histrionic. Critically, melodrama is out of fashion; it belongs to a nineteenth-century dramatic past which merely arouses contempt in present writers on the drama, if they bother to refer to it at all.
The Ironic Patterning of Browning's Paracelsus
Authors: Priestley
Published: March 2013

The chief handicaps to cntiClSm of Browning's Paracelsus, handicaps for the most part self-imposed, have been first, the attempt to tie its themes to those of Pauline and Sordello; secondly, preoccupation with the influence of Shelley; and finally, the refusal to accept the implications of the dramatic form of the poem. If one forgets for the time being about other poems, and about Shelley, and takes the poem for what it professes to be, one stands perhaps a better chance of finding out what the poem actually is.
A Note on Mill Bibliography
Authors: Robson John
Published: March 2013

Little is known about John Stuart Mill's compiling of the bibliography of his writings, which has been edited by Ney MacMinn, J. R. Hainds, and J. M. McCrimmon as Bibliography of the Published Writings of John Stuart Mill (Chicago: Northwestern University Press, 1945). The manuscript, in the British Library of Political and Economic Science (London School of Economics), is a notebook copy, presumably but not necessarily made from a similar notebook in Mill's hand. Its many errors ("Representable Government" for "Representative Government") and "Senin" for "Senior," for example), the gaps within entries, and repetitions, as well as pasted-over rewritings, indicate the dangers of complete reliance. And there must also be questions about the accuracy and completeness of the original list compiled almost certainly by Mill himself.
Drama
Authors: Leggatt Alexander
Published: March 2013

Reviews of drama published in 1974.
Language and Structure in Measure for Measure
Authors: Berry Ralph
Published: March 2013

The structure of Measure for Measure is expressed through a dual location system not found elsewhere in Shakespeare. It is usual for Shakespeare to oppose geographic locations, each symbolizing and generating a complex ofvalues: thus, court and country, Egypt and Rome, Venice and Belmont. Even in plays where the dual setting scheme is less apparent, a change of milieu does hold its significances: Hamlet's abortive journey to England eVidently signals a change of mental direction. All these instances involve geographic change, 'travel' in its customary sense, for the protagonists. Measure for Measure is unique: it is set within the boundaries of a single city, Vienna, yet presents an opposition between the underworld, whose control mechanism is prison, and the overworld. It is, schematically, an upstairs-downstairs play in which the structural alternations are vertical. All the conventionally identifiable scene settings — nunnery, grange, a public place, 'Vienna: courtroom, prison — conform to this principle. And these settings present as dramatic realities the energies of Measure for Measure.
'Night into Day': Patterns of Symbolism in Mozart's The Magic Flute
Authors: Baker
Published: March 2013

Mozart's last opera, The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflote), is still the most misunderstood of all his works, largely because of its deceptive, fairytale simplicity, its curious mixture of folk comedy and high seriousness. Generations of opera lovers have thought of the opera as merely an entertaining spectacle of magic and fanciful diversion, all but ignoring its serious core, the magnificent drama of regeneration and initiation. Even the most sophisticated operaphiles have generally shown themselves content to regard the symbolic and sober aspects of the opera as mere intrusions or mistakes on the part of The Magic Flute's controversial librettist, Emmanuel Schikaneder. Much of the confusion surrounding the degree of seriousness in The Magic Flute may be attributed to the flamboyant Schikaneder, whose buffoonery as the first Papageno was enough to irritate even Mozart. For years it was also believed that the so-called inconsistency of plot -that is, the transformation of the Queen of the Night and the redirected quest of the hero -was the product of carelessness, of drastic revisions on Schikaneder's part when faced at midpoint with a rival opera on a similar subject. Of course all such theories are sadly inadequate, for by that time Mozart had finished most of the music for his new opera; and not even Mozart, prolific genius that he was, could have revised his material so extensively at such short notice. What we are really confronted with in Th e Magic Flute is a deliberate reshaping on the part of Schikaneder and Mozart of traditional folk lore and fantastische Geschichte into an entirely new form. Between them they stood a fairy-tale on its end and left to posterity one of the most enigmatic, though fascinating, operas ever written.
'Music, Such as Charmeth Sleep': Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream
Authors: Burridge Christina
Published: March 2013

Andrew Porter, music critic of the New Yorker, has commented that Benjamin Britten is one of very few composers 'who set English words with so delicate an understanding of musical values that even the most familiar lines, once heard conjoined to their music, are thereafter remembered inseparably from it.' And this, I think, is the key to the success of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream: despite that familiarity, despite Shakespeare's verbal magic, it is impossible to reread the play after getting to know the opera without the memory of the music, of its rhythm and texture especially, insinuating itself into one's experience. It is this quality of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream that makes it unique among Shakespeare operas. Since Verdi, at least, a composer writing an opera based on a Shakespeare play has had to deal with the problem of adapting the structure of the play to operatic form while retaining a tone and emphasis that are recognizably Shakespearean. But most of the composers who have set out on this rather daunting task have possessed the considerable advantage of being foreign: they have not had to deal with the additional problem of Shakespeare's language. And of those English-speaking composers who have tried, none but Britten has succeeded.
La Sarrasine: fragments d'une double histoire
Authors: Simon Sherry
Published: March 2013

Toute discussion de la représentation culturelle au Québec contemporain doit prendre en considération la diversité socio-démographique et culturelle de la société québécoise. Comment l'hétérogénéité des provenances et l'éclatement des affiliations sont-ils représentés dans les médias, au cinéma, au théatre, dans la littérature? Parmi les quelques tentatives majeures de traiter des relations entre un groupe immigrant et la société québécoise d'accueil, il faut assigner une importance particulière au film de Paul Tana et de Bruno Ramirez, La Sarrasine. Porté à l'écran en 1991, ce film décrit les relations conflictuelles entre Canadiens français et immigrants italiens à Montréal au tournant du siècle. Rarement le thème de l'immigration aura-t-il été traité avec autant d'attention aux textures de l'histoire matérielle, avec autant de sensibilité à la complexité des relations qui se tissent entre les groupes. Par la qualité exceptionnelle des interprétations (Jean Lapointe dans le rôle d'Alphonse Lamoureux, Tony Nardi dans celui de Giuseppe Moschella, Enrica Maria Modugno en Ninetta), par la réussite proprement esthétique des plans, mais aussi par le choix d'événements et d'objets qui donnent à l'histoire culturelle sa pleine dimension tangible et sensuelle, La Sarrasine est une oeuvre qui fait date.
Advancing survivorship care through the National Cancer Survivorship Resource Center
Authors: Cowens‐Alvarado Rebecca , Sharpe Katherine , Pratt‐Chapman Mandi , Willis Anne , Gansler Ted , Ganz Patricia A. , Edge Stephen B. , McCabe Mary S. , Stein Kevin
Published: March 2013

The National Cancer Survivorship Resource Center (The Survivorship Center) began in 2010 as a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the George Washington University Cancer Institute and was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Survivorship Center aims to improve the overall health and quality of life of posttreatment cancer survivors. One key to addressing the needs of this ever‐growing population is to develop clinical follow‐up care guidelines that emphasize not only the importance of surveillance for cancer recurrence, but also address the assessment and management of the physical and psychosocial long‐term and late effects that may result from having cancer and undergoing cancer treatment as well as highlight the importance of healthy behaviors that can reduce the risk of cancer recurrence, second primary cancers, and other chronic diseases. Currently, The Survivorship Center is coordinating the work of experts in oncology, primary care, and other health care professions to develop follow‐up care guidelines for 10 priority cancer sites. CA Cancer J Clin 2013. © 2013 American Cancer Society.
Study of Immobilization Procedure on Silver Nanolayers and Detection of Estrone with Diverged Beam Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) Imaging
Authors: Karabchevsky Alina , Tsapovsky Lev , Marks Robert , Abdulhalim Ibrahim
Published: March 2013

An immobilization protocol was developed to attach receptors on smooth silver thin films. Dense and packed 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (11-MUA) was used to avoid uncontrolled sulfidization and harmful oxidation of silver nanolayers. N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) were added to make the silver surfaces reactive. A comparative study was carried out with different immersion times of silver samples in 11-MUA solutions with different concentrations to find the optimum conditions for immobilization. The signals, during each step of the protocol, were analyzed with a refractometer based on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect and luminescence techniques. Molecular interactions at the surfaces between the probe and target at the surface nanolayer shift the SPR signal, thus indicating the presence of the substance. To demonstrate specific biosensing, rabbit anti-estrone polyclonal immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody was immobilized through a linker on 47 nm silver layer deposited on SF11 glass. At the final stage, the representative endocrine disruptor—estrone—was attached and detected in deionized water with a diverging beam SPR imaging sensor.
Improving the Design of a MscL-Based Triggered Nanovalve
Authors: Iscla Irene , Eaton Christina , Parker Juandell , Wray Robin , Kovács Zoltán , Blount Paul
Published: March 2013

The mechanosensitive channel of large conductance, MscL, has been proposed as a triggered nanovalve to be used in drug release and other nanodevices. It is a small homopentameric bacterial protein that has the largest gated pore known: greater than 30 Å. Large molecules, even small proteins can be released through MscL. Although MscL normally gates in response to membrane tension, early studies found that hydrophilic or charged residue substitutions near the constriction of the channel leads to pore opening. Researchers have successfully changed the modality of MscL to open to stimuli such as light by chemically modifying a single residue, G22, within the MscL pore. Here, by utilizing in vivo, liposome efflux, and patch clamp assays we compared modification of G22 with that of another neighboring residue, G26, and demonstrate that modifying G26 may be a better choice for triggered nanovalves used for triggered vesicular release of compounds.
Sleep Patterns and Homeostatic Mechanisms in Adolescent Mice
Authors: Nelson Aaron , Faraguna Ugo , Zoltan Jeffrey , Tononi Giulio , Cirelli Chiara
Published: March 2013

Sleep changes were studied in mice (n = 59) from early adolescence to adulthood (postnatal days P19–111). REM sleep declined steeply in early adolescence, while total sleep remained constant and NREM sleep increased slightly. Four hours of sleep deprivation starting at light onset were performed from ages P26 through adulthood (>P60). Following this acute sleep deprivation all mice slept longer and with more consolidated sleep bouts, while NREM slow wave activity (SWA) showed high interindividual variability in the younger groups, and increased consistently only after P42. Three parameters together explained up to 67% of the variance in SWA rebound in frontal cortex, including weight-adjusted age and increase in alpha power during sleep deprivation, both of which positively correlated with the SWA response. The third, and strongest predictor was the SWA decline during the light phase in baseline: mice with high peak SWA at light onset, resulting in a large SWA decline, were more likely to show no SWA rebound after sleep deprivation, a result that was also confirmed in parietal cortex. During baseline, however, SWA showed the same homeostatic changes in adolescents and adults, declining in the course of sleep and increasing across periods of spontaneous wake. Thus, we hypothesize that, in young adolescent mice, a ceiling effect and not the immaturity of the cellular mechanisms underlying sleep homeostasis may prevent the SWA rebound when wake is extended beyond its physiological duration.
A Review of Therapeutic Aptamer Conjugates with Emphasis on New Approaches
Authors: Bruno John
Published: March 2013

The potential to emulate or enhance antibodies with nucleic acid aptamers while lowering costs has prompted development of new aptamer-protein, siRNA, drug, and nanoparticle conjugates. Specific focal points of this review discuss DNA aptamers covalently bound at their 3' ends to various proteins for enhanced stability and greater pharmacokinetic lifetimes in vivo. The proteins can include Fc tails of IgG for opsonization, and the first component of complement (C1q) to trigger complement-mediated lysis of antibiotic-resistant Gram negative bacteria, cancer cells and possibly some parasites during vulnerable stages. In addition, the 3' protein adduct may be a biotoxin, enzyme, or may simply be human serum albumin (HSA) or a drug known to bind HSA, thereby retarding kidney and other organ clearance and inhibiting serum exonucleases. In this review, the author summarizes existing therapeutic aptamer conjugate categories and describes his patented concept for PCR-based amplification of double-stranded aptamers followed by covalent attachment of proteins or other agents to the chemically vulnerable overhanging 3' adenine added by Taq polymerase. PCR amplification of aptamers could dramatically lower the current $2,000/gram cost of parallel chemical oligonucleotide synthesis, thereby enabling mass production of aptamer-3'-protein or drug conjugates to better compete against expensive humanized monoclonal antibodies.
Efficient VLSI Architecture for Training Radial Basis Function Networks
Authors: Fan Zhe-Cheng , Hwang Wen-Jyi
Published: March 2013

This paper presents a novel VLSI architecture for the training of radial basis function (RBF) networks. The architecture contains the circuits for fuzzy C-means (FCM) and the recursive Least Mean Square (LMS) operations. The FCM circuit is designed for the training of centers in the hidden layer of the RBF network. The recursive LMS circuit is adopted for the training of connecting weights in the output layer. The architecture is implemented by the field programmable gate array (FPGA). It is used as a hardware accelerator in a system on programmable chip (SOPC) for real-time training and classification. Experimental results reveal that the proposed RBF architecture is an effective alternative for applications where fast and efficient RBF training is desired.
Approaching the Processes in the Generator Circuit Breaker at Disconnection through Sustainability Concepts
Authors: Bulucea Cornelia , Rosen Marc , Nicola Doru , Mastorakis Nikos , Bulucea Carmen
Published: March 2013

Nowadays, the electric connection circuits of power plants (based on fossil fuels as well as renewable sources) entail generator circuit-breakers (GCBs) at the generator terminals, since the presence of that electric equipment offers many advantages related to the sustainability of a power plant. In an alternating current (a.c.) circuit the interruption of a short circuit is performed by the circuit-breaker at the natural passing through zero of the short-circuit current. During the current interruption, an electric arc is generated between the opened contacts of the circuit-breaker. This arc must be cooled and extinguished in a controlled way. Since the synchronous generator stator can flow via highly asymmetrical short-circuit currents, the phenomena which occur in the case of short-circuit currents interruption determine the main stresses of the generator circuit-breaker; the current interruption requirements of a GCB are significantly higher than for the distribution network circuit breakers. For shedding light on the proper moment when the generator circuit-breaker must operate, using the space phasor of the short-circuit currents, the time expression to the first zero passing of the short-circuit current is determined. Here, the manner is investigated in which various factors influence the delay of the zero passing of the short-circuit current. It is shown that the delay time is influenced by the synchronous machine parameters and by the load conditions which precede the short-circuit. Numerical simulations were conducted of the asymmetrical currents in the case of the sudden three-phase short circuit at the terminals of synchronous generators. Further in this study it is emphasized that although the phenomena produced in the electric arc at the terminals of the circuit-breaker are complicated and not completely explained, the concept of exergy is useful in understanding the physical phenomena. The article points out that just after the short-circuit current interruption by the generator the circuit-breaker (when the GCB has been subjected at the metal contact terminals to the high temperature of a plasma arc, up to 50,000 K) between its opened contacts, there arises the transient recovery voltage (TRV) which constitutes the most important dielectric stress after the electric arc extinction. Since the magnitude and shape of the TRV occurring across the generator circuit-breaker are critical parameters in the recovering gap after the current zero, in this paper, we model, for the case of the faults fed by the main step-up transformer, the equivalent configurations, with operational impedances, for the TRV calculation, taking into account the main transformer parameters, on the basis of the symmetrical components method.
Towards More Sustainable Ironmaking—An Analysis of Energy Wood Availability in Finland and the Economics of Charcoal Production
Authors: Suopajärvi Hannu , Fabritius Timo
Published: March 2013

Replacement of fossil carbon by renewable biomass-based carbon is an effective measure to mitigate CO2 emission intensity in the blast furnace ironmaking process. Depending on the substitution rate of fossil fuels, the required amount of biomass can be substantial. This raises questions about the availability of biomass for multiple uses. At the same time, the economic competitiveness of biomass-based fuels in ironmaking applications should also be a key consideration. In this assessment, availability of energy wood, i.e., logging residues, small-diameter wood and stumps, in Finland is discussed. Since biomass must be submitted to a thermochemical process before use in a blast furnace, the paper describes the production chain, from biomass to charcoal, and economics related to each processing step. The economics of biomass-based reducing agents is compared to fossil-based ones by taking into account the effect of European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). The assessment reveals that there would be sufficient amounts of energy wood available for current users as well as for ironmaking. At present, the economics of biomass-based reducing agents in ironmaking applications is unfavorable. High CO2 emission allowance prices would be required to make such a scheme competitive against fossil-based reducing agents at current fuel prices.
Conservation Psychology: A Gap in Current Australian Undergraduate Psychology Education?
Authors: Pearson Elissa
Published: March 2013

Human actions have contributed to numerous environmental challenges, including climate change and a significant loss of the world’s biodiversity. As the scientific study of human thought and behaviour, psychology has much to offer in better understanding these issues, as well as fostering greater sustainability in human actions. Yet, despite this recognition, and increasing calls from leaders in psychology education to produce graduates capable of applying their disciplinary knowledge to such real-world issues to solve worldwide behaviourally-based problems; this may not be adequately addressed in current psychology training. The present study assessed the content of all APAC (Australian Psychology Accreditation Council) approved psychology programs within Australia to determine the proportion which offered a psychology-focused course (unit) specifically in conservation or sustainability. Based on the data advertised through each university website, it appears that only one of 39 programs currently offers such a course, with one other university implementing a conservation psychology course in 2013. Thus 95% of current APAC-accredited programs in Australia do not have a strong focus on training psychology graduates to contribute to addressing these important issues. The need for greater integration of conservation psychology content into undergraduate psychology education in Australia and beyond is discussed.
Electrophysiological Evidence of Augmented Interaural Asymmetry in Middle-Aged Listeners
Authors: Davis Tara M. , Jerger James , Martin Jeffrey
Published: March 2013

Background:Various dimensions of auditory processing, especially the perception of speech in the presence of background competition, have been shown to deteriorate with age. A persistent problem in the assessment of these age-related changes has been the high prevalence of age-related
high-frequency hearing loss in elderly persons. Some investigators have suggested that a more fruitful approach to the study of age-related decline might be to study middle-aged, rather than elderly, persons, where confounding high-frequency hearing loss is less prevalent.Purpose:To
determine whether an increase in the left-ear disadvantage (LED) in dichotic listening could be demonstrated in a group of middle-aged persons.Research Design:The N400 component of the auditory event-related potential (AERP) was utilized to evaluate interaural asymmetry in a quasi-dichotic
competing speech task. Electrophysiological responses were obtained on a word-pair semantic categorization task presented through a front loudspeaker while the listener ignored competing speech presented through either left (competition left [CL]) or right (competition right [CR]) loudspeakers.Study
Samples:Twenty young (18‐24 yr) and 20 middle-aged (44‐57 yr) females with normal hearing sensitivity.Data Collection and Analysis:Individual, as well as grand-averaged, AERP waveforms and scalp topographies were analyzed for the word pairs. Peak amplitude and latency
measures of the N400 component were subjected to a mixed design analysis of variance (ANOVA).Results:No significant interaural asymmetry was found in the AERP waveform for the reference word condition in either age group. In response to the second word of the pair, however, middle-aged
females showed significantly greater N400 negativity in the CR condition than in the CL condition. No significant laterality effect was found in the young females.Conclusions:The study of young versus middle-aged participants may be an effective way of avoiding the confound of high-frequency
hearing loss in elderly persons when studying age effects on auditory processing.
Exploring the Effect of Companion Robots on Emotional Expression in Older Adults with Dementia: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Moyle Wendy , Cooke Marie , Beattie Elizabeth , Jones Cindy , Klein Barbara , Cook Glenda , Gray Chrystal
Published: March 2013

This pilot study aimed to compare the effect of companion robots (PARO) to participation in an interactive reading group on emotions in people living with moderate to severe dementia in a residential care setting. A randomized crossover design, with PARO and reading control groups, was used. Eighteen residents with mid- to late-stage dementia from one aged care facility in Queensland, Australia, were recruited. Participants were assessed three times using the Quality of Life in Alzheimer’s Disease, Rating Anxiety in Dementia, Apathy Evaluation, Geriatric Depression, and Revised Algase Wandering Scales. PARO had a moderate to large positive influence on participants’ quality of life compared to the reading group. The PARO intervention group had higher pleasure scores when compared to the reading group. Findings suggest PARO may be useful as a treatment option for people with dementia; however, the need for a larger trial was identified.
Using Cloud Infrastructure to Support Higher Education: A Case Study of Managing a Course Web Page with the Google Sites
Authors: Samuelsen Dag A. H. , Pjanic Edin , Hasanovic Amer , Suljanovic Nermin , Graven Olaf Hallan , Thyberg Brit , Mujcic Aljo
Published: March 2013

In this paper we analyze the requirements for the complex information system used to support a modern global university. We outline the architecture for this system based on the emerging cloud computing platforms and present an example of managing a university course by incorporating different Google cloud services within the Google Sites.
Maintenance of Anti-Sm/RNP Autoantibody Production by Plasma Cells Residing in Ectopic Lymphoid Tissue and Bone Marrow Memory B Cells
Authors: Weinstein Jason S. , Delano Matthew J. , Xu Yuan , Kelly-Scumpia Kindra M. , Nacionales Dina C. , Li Yi , Lee Pui Y. , Scumpia Philip O. , Yang Lijun , Sobel Eric , Moldawer Lyle L. , Reeves Westley H.
Published: March 2013

Although ectopic lymphoid tissue formation is associated with many autoimmune diseases, it is unclear whether it serves a functional role in autoimmune responses. 2,6,10,14-Tetramethylpentadecane causes chronic peritoneal inflammation and lupus-like disease with autoantibody production and ectopic lymphoid tissue (lipogranuloma) formation. A novel transplantation model was used to show that transplanted lipogranulomas retain their lymphoid structure over a prolonged period in the absence of chronic peritoneal inflammation. Recipients of transplanted lipogranulomas produced anti-U1A autoantibodies derived exclusively from the donor, despite nearly complete repopulation of the transplanted lipogranulomas by host lymphocytes. The presence of ectopic lymphoid tissue alone was insufficient, as an anti-U1A response was not generated by the host in the absence of ongoing peritoneal inflammation. Donor-derived anti-U1A autoantibodies were produced for up to 2 mo by plasma cells/plasmablasts recruited to the ectopic lymphoid tissue by CXCR4. Although CD4+ T cells were not required for autoantibody production from the transplanted lipogranulomas, de novo generation of anti-U1A plasma cells/plasmablasts was reduced following T cell depletion. Significantly, a population of memory B cells was identified in the bone marrow and spleen that did not produce anti-U1A autoantibodies unless stimulated by LPS to undergo terminal differentiation. We conclude that 2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane promotes the T cell–dependent development of class-switched, autoreactive memory B cells and plasma cells/plasmablasts. The latter home to ectopic lymphoid tissue and continue to produce autoantibodies after transplantation and in the absence of peritoneal inflammation. However, peritoneal inflammation appears necessary to generate autoreactive B cells de novo.
Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition Induces an Antitumor Immune Response Mediated by NKG2D Receptor
Authors: López-Soto Alejandro , Huergo-Zapico Leticia , Galván José Alberto , Rodrigo Luis , de Herreros Antonio García , Astudillo Aurora , Gonzalez Segundo
Published: March 2013

Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a morphogenetic process characterized by the acquisition of mesenchymal properties linked with an invasive phenotype and metastasis of tumor cells. NK group 2, member D (NKG2D) is an NK cell–activating receptor crucially involved in cancer immunosurveillance. In this study, we show that induction of EMT by TGF-β stimulation of human keratinocytes, by glycogen synthase kinase-3β inhibition in several epithelial tumor cell lines, and by Snail1 overexpression in colorectal cancer cells strongly upregulated the expression of NKG2D ligands (NKG2DLs), MHC class I chain–related molecules A and B (MICA/B) and ULBP1-3. Overexpression of Snail1 and inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3β in colorectal tumor cells markedly induced the activity of Sp1 transcription factor, which plays a key role in the upregulation of NKG2DL expression during EMT. The stimulation of MICA/B expression by TGF-β treatment was independent of Sp1, but it involved posttranslational mechanisms mediated by mammalian target of rapamycin pathway. Accordingly, with the increased expression of NKG2DLs, triggering of EMT rendered cancer cells more susceptible to NKG2D-mediated killing by NK cells. In agreement, MICA/B were expressed in vivo in well-differentiated colorectal tumors with retained epithelial characteristics, whereas no expression of MICA/B was detected in poorly differentiated and invasive colorectal tumors that have lost epithelial characteristics. This decrease of MICA/B expression was associated with a dramatic increase of NKG2D+-tumor infiltrating lymphocytes. Overall, our findings indicate that EMT is a relevant checkpoint in the control of tumor progression through NKG2D-mediated immune responses.
Interrater Reliability of the Star Excursion Balance Test
Authors: Gribble Phillip A. , Kelly Sarah E. , Refshauge Kathryn M. , Hiller Claire E.
Published: March 2013

Context:

Dynamic postural control has gained popularity as a more useful assessment of function than static postural control. One measurement of dynamic postural control that has increased in frequency of use is the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT). Although the intrarater reliability of the SEBT is excellent, few authors have determined interrater reliability. Preliminary evidence has shown poor reliability between assessors.

Objective:

To determine interrater reliability using a group of investigators at 2 testing sites. A corollary purpose was to examine the interrater reliability when using normalized and nonnormalized performance scores on the SEBT.

Design:

Descriptive laboratory study.

Setting:

University research laboratory.

Patients or Other Participants:

A total of 29 healthy participants between 18 and 50 years of age.

Intervention(s):

Participants were evaluated by 5 raters at 2 testing sites. After participants performed 4 practice trials, each rater assessed 3 test trials in the anterior, posteromedial, and posterolateral reaching directions of the SEBT.

Main Outcome Measure(s):

Normalized and nonnormalized (leg-length) reaching distances were analyzed. Additionally, the mean and maximum values from the 3 test trials were analyzed, producing a total of 16 variables.

Results:

For all 16 measures, the interrater reliability was excellent. For the normalized maximum excursion distances, the intraclass correlation coefficients (1,1) ranged from 0.86 to 0.92. Reliability for the nonnormalized measurements was stronger, ranging from 0.89 to 0.94.

Conclusions:

When the raters have been trained by an experienced rater, the SEBT is a test with excellent reliability when used across multiple raters in different settings. This information adds to the body of knowledge that exists regarding the usefulness of the SEBT as an assessment tool in clinical and research practice. Establishing excellent interrater reliability with normalized and nonnormalized scores strengthens the evidence for using the SEBT, especially at multiple sites.
A perspective on bats (Chiroptera)
Authors: Fenton M. Brock
Published: March 2013

With over 130 species, bats are the most diverse group of mammals almost everywhere in sub-Saharan Africa. Since 2000, two books (Monadjem et al. 2010; Taylor 2000) have made it much easier to appreciate this reality. Species previously unrecognised are frequent discoveries (e.g. Taylor et al. 2012). Whilst most species are mainly insectivorous, some rely more directly on plants, taking fruit and visiting flowers to obtain nectar and pollen. The combination of mobility, long lifespan and diversity of trophic roles makes bats potentially valuable as indicators of ecosystem health (Cumming & Spiesman 2006). Lack of detailed information, however, makes it easy to overlook bats when focusing on issues of conservation.
Gaskinetic Solutions for High Knudsen Number Planar Jet Impingement Flows
Authors: Cai Chunpei , Zou Chun
Published: March 2013

This paper presents a gaskinetic study and analytical results on high speed rarefied gas flows from a planar exit. The beginning of this paper reviews the results for planar free jet expanding into a vacuum, followed by an investigation of jet impingement on normally set plates with either a diffuse or a specular surface. Presented results include exact solutions for flowfield and surface properties. Numerical simulations with the direct simulation Monte Carlo method were performed to validate these analytical results, and good agreement with this is obtained for flows at high Knudsen numbers. These highly rarefied jet and jet impingement results can provide references for real jet and jet impingement flows.
Adaptive Locally Weighted Projection Regression Method for Uncertainty Quantification
Authors: Chen Peng , Zabaras Nicholas
Published: March 2013

We develop an efficient, adaptive locally weighted projection regression (ALWPR) framework for uncertainty quantification (UQ) of systems governed by ordinary and partial differential equations. The algorithm adaptively selects the new input points with the largest predictive variance and decides when and where to add new local models. It effectively learns the local features and accurately quantifies the uncertainty in the prediction of the statistics. The developed methodology provides predictions and confidence intervals at any query input and can deal with multi-output cases. Numerical examples are presented to show the accuracy and efficiency of the ALWPR framework including problems with non-smooth local features such as discontinuities in the stochastic space.