bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assuring property conformance of code generators via model checking
Authors: Jörges Sven , Margaria Tiziana , Steffen Bernhard
Published: November 2010

Automatic code generation is an essential cornerstone of today’s model-driven approaches to software engineering. Thus a key requirement for the success of this technique is the reliability and correctness of code generators. This article describes how we employ standard model checking-based verification to check that code generator models developed within our code generation framework Genesys conform to (temporal) properties. Genesys is a graphical framework for the high-level construction of code generators on the basis of an extensible library of well-defined building blocks along the lines of the Extreme Model-Driven Development paradigm. We will illustrate our verification approach by examining complex constraints for code generators, which even span entire model hierarchies. We also show how this leads to a knowledge base of rules for code generators, which we constantly extend by e.g. combining constraints to bigger constraints, or by deriving common patterns from structurally similar constraints. In our experience, the development of code generators with Genesys boils down to re-instantiating patterns or slightly modifying the graphical process model, activities which are strongly supported by verification facilities presented in this article.
Response Surface Modeling of Processing Parameters for the Preparation of Phytosterol Nanodispersions Using an Emulsification–Evaporation Technique
Authors: Leong Wai‐Fun , Cheong Kok‐Whey , Lai Oi‐Ming , Long Kamariah , Che Man Yaakob B. , Misran Misni , Tan Chin‐Ping
Published: November 2010

The purpose of this study was to optimize the production parameters for water‐soluble phytosterol nanodispersions. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to model and optimize three of the processing parameters: mixing time (t) by conventional homogenizer (1–20 min), mixing speed (v) by conventional homogenizer (1,000–9,000 rpm) and homogenization pressure (P) by high‐pressure homogenizer (0.1–80 MPa). All responses [i.e., mean particle size (PS), polydispersity index (PDI) and phytosterols concentration (Phyto, mg/l)] fitted well to a reduced quadratic model by multiple regressions after manual elimination. For PS, PDI and Phyto, the coefficients of determination (R2) were 0.9902, 0.9065 and 0.8878, respectively. The optimized processing parameters were 15.25 min mixing time, 7,000 rpm mixing speed and homogenization pressure 42.4 MPa. In the produced nanodispersions, the corresponding responses for the optimized preparation conditions were a PS of 52 nm, PDI of 0.3390 and a Phyto of 336 mg/l.
Surgical management of post-SCIWORA spinal deformities in children
Authors: Yalcin Nadir , Dede Ozgur , Alanay Ahmet , Yazici Muharrem
Published: November 2010

Background

Patients with spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA) are prone to develop spinal deformities. The purpose of this study is to report on the clinical and radiological features of post-SCIWORA spinal deformities.

Methods

Four patients with SCIWORA and spinal deformities requiring surgery were analyzed clinically and radiographically.

Results

All four SCIWORA patients developed progressive neuromuscular scoliosis. There were 2 males and 2 females. The mean age at spinal cord injury was 3.9 years (range 6 months to 7 years). Spinal deformity was first noticed at a mean of 17 months after their initial injury (range 9 months to 2 years), and surgical intervention was performed at a mean of 6.5 years following their injury (range 4–11 years). The mean preoperative curve was 54° (range 50–62°). The mean postoperative curve was 9.5° (range 5–16°). The level of injury was T5 in two patients, and T10 and L2 in one patient each. All but the lumbar level injury patient had complete paraplegia. One patient with complete injury (T10) and another with incomplete injury (L2) improved neurologically and were able to walk with the aid of orthoses and crutches. Pelvic obliquity improved in all patients following spinal reconstruction surgery, and none of the patients required additional surgery for spinal deformity. The mean postoperative follow-up was 51.75 months (range 24–93 months).

Conclusions

Long scoliotic curves extending to the pelvis should be expected in SCIWORA. Early intervention may prevent severe deformities. Modern instrumentation techniques employing pedicle screws provided satisfactory correction, improved hip subluxation, and did not adversely affect the ambulatory ability or functional level of the patients in this series.
MRI and CT in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease: indications and applications
Authors: Nikolaou Konstantin , Alkadhi Hatem , Bamberg Fabian , Leschka Sebastian , Wintersperger Bernd J.
Published: November 2010

In recent years, technical advances and improvements in cardiac computed tomography (CT) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have provoked increasing interest in the potential clinical role of these techniques in the non-invasive work-up of patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) and correct patient selection for these emerging imaging techniques. In the primary detection or exclusion of significant CAD, e.g. in the patient with unspecific thoracic complaints, and also in patients with known CAD or advanced stages of CAD, both CT and MRI yield specific advantages. In this review, the major aspects of non-invasive MR and CT imaging in the diagnosis of CAD will be discussed. The first part describes the clinical value of contrast-enhanced non-invasive CT coronary angiography (CTCA), including the diagnostic accuracy of CTCA for the exclusion or detection of significant CAD with coronary artery stenoses that may require angioplastic intervention, as well as potentially valuable information on the coronary artery vessel wall. In the second section, the potential of CT for the imaging of myocardial viability and perfusion will be highlighted. In the third and final part, the range of applications of cardiac MRI in CAD patients will be outlined.
The effect of transaction costs, payment terms and power on the level of raw materials inventories
Authors: Emery Gary W. , Marques Manuela A.
Published: November 2010

This paper proposes and tests an explanation for the level of raw materials inventories based on transaction cost economics theory and the role of power in a supply chain. According to this explanation, raw materials inventories are larger the higher a company's transaction costs and the lower its storage‐related production and management costs. Factors that affect these costs are the company's vulnerability to opportunism, whether the input becomes more or less costly to store and manage as it moves through the supply chain, payment terms and the company's power in relation to its supplier. This explanation for the level of raw materials inventories was tested on a large sample of customer industries matched to their main supplier industries. Consistent with this theory, the empirical results show that companies hold larger raw materials inventories the more money their suppliers spend on research and development and the less important the customers are to their suppliers. These results are important because they indicate companies must consider a wider range of factors than previously thought necessary when establishing inventory policy.
Relationship between olfactory function and olfactory neuronal population in C57BL6 mice injected intraperitoneally with 3‐methylindole
Authors: Kim Jeong‐Whun , Hong Sung‐Lyong , Lee Chul Hee , Jeon Eun‐Hee , Choi Ah‐Reum
Published: November 2010

OBJECTIVE

It is not known how many olfactory receptor neurons should be intact to maintain olfaction in mouse models treated with 3‐methylindole. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between a simple olfactory test outcome and the olfactory neuronal population.

STUDY DESIGN

Mouse model.

SETTING

Animal laboratory of the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Olfactory dysfunction was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 3‐methylindole in 38 six‐week‐old female C57BL6 mice. Olfactory function was evaluated by a food‐finding test following 72‐hour starvation. The olfactory neuronal population was quantified by olfactory marker protein (OMP) expression.

RESULTS

The average time for finding food was 8.1 seconds in control mice. It was 13.4, 84.4, 90.1, and 111.4 seconds for mice injected with 100, 200, 300, and 400 μg/g of 3‐methylindole, respectively. Harvesting the whole olfactory neuroepithelium, densitometric analysis showed significant decrease of OMP in the 300‐ and 400‐μg/g groups as compared with controls (18.8% and 17.5% of relative density, respectively). In the olfactory bulb, there was a significant decrease of OMP in the 200‐, 300‐, and 400‐μg/g groups (44.5%, 37.0%, and 9.0% of relative density, respectively). The food‐finding time had a significant reverse correlation with the relative density of OMP both in the olfactory bulb and in the olfactory neuroepithelium.

CONCLUSION

Our study showed that olfactory impairment was correlated with olfactory neuronal population in mice treated with 3‐methylindole. The food‐finding test would be a useful tool that could be easily performed without special training in the 3‐methylindole‐treated C57BL6 anosmic mouse model.
Fracture patterns of the nasal septum
Authors: Lee Michael , Inman Jared , Callahan Sean , Ducic Yadro
Published: November 2010

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate fracture patterns of the nasal septum.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross‐sectional cadaveric study.

SETTING

Synthes research laboratories, Philadelphia, PA.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Eighteen cadavers were divided into three groups. Group A was subjected to low‐level force administered to the nasal tip. Group B underwent moderate‐level force and group C high‐level force. Cadavers subsequently underwent dissection of the nose and nasal septum.

RESULTS

Fracture patterns were apparent and related to the force applied. Fracture patterns were classified into three types depending on the location and extent. Group A was the most variable. Three cadavers were classified as type 1, two as type 2, and one as type 3. The average amount of force required to produce a fracture in this group was 100 N. Group B cadavers all developed type 3 fractures. Group C cadavers primarily developed type 3 fractures except for one that developed a type 1. Fractures were further classified in regard to the septum being displaced off the nasal spine.

CONCLUSION

Based on our observation, we conclude that fracture patterns of the nasal septum do exist and appear to be related to the amount of force sustained.
Publication misrepresentation among otolaryngology residency applicants
Authors: Beswick Daniel M. , Man Li‐Xing , Johnston Bruce A. , Johnson Jonas T. , Schaitkin Barry M.
Published: November 2010

OBJECTIVE

To assess the extent of research publication misrepresentation among otolaryngology residency applicants and to determine applicant attributes associated with misrepresentation.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective study.

SETTING

A single otolaryngology residency program.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) applications to the incoming 2010 class of an otolaryngology residency program were reviewed for peer‐reviewed journal publications reported as “provisionally accepted,” “accepted,” or ”in print.“ Publications were verified by searching PubMed, Google Scholar, and electronic journals. Applicants with remaining unverified publications were e‐mailed before announcing interviews. Erroneously reported or unverifiable publications were considered misrepresented.

RESULTS

There were 432 publications reported by 173 of 325 applicants (53.2%). Twenty‐two publications (5.1%) were misrepresented by 17 applicants (9.8%). Contacting applicants verified 26 publications and identified 10 errors. Seven publications were inappropriately reported as provisionally accepted, three articles were not peer‐reviewed, and applicants were erroneously listed as first author on two publications. Ten publications remained unverifiable. Multivariate logistic regression models showed that being an international medical graduate (P = 0.002) and male gender (P = 0.040) were predictors of misrepresentation after adjusting for potential confounders. Among international medical graduates alone, no attributes were associated with misrepresentation. All U.S. applicants with misrepresented publications were male (P = 0.033) and were from a medical school not ranked in the top 50 by U.S. News & World Report for research (P = 0.002) or primary care (P = 0.018).

CONCLUSION

Misrepresentation of research experience exists among otolaryngology residency applicants. ERAS should develop standardized definitions for publication statuses to help reduce inadvertent misrepresentation.
Otolaryngology and Irish literature: An important medico‐literary alliance
Authors: Cashman Emma C.
Published: November 2010

For a comparatively small island, Ireland has made a disproportionately large contribution to world literature in all its aspects. The literary lineage of those who pursue medicine and also write is long and well established. The Irish contribution to world literature in all its aspects is well documented. Less explored, however, is the prominent influence of Dublin‐based otolaryngologists in the Irish literary movement at the turn of the last century. Here, we examine two such figures, Sir William Wilde and Oliver St. John Gogarty, and their pivotal roles both professionally and in establishing Ireland on the world's literary stage. During the early part of the 1800s, otology was perceived as a defunct subspecialty that could be adequately managed, without much expertise, in the primary care setting. It was through the efforts of William Wilde and others that otology gained clinical and scientific credence during the latter half of the 19th century.
Prognostic assessments of medical therapy and vestibular testing in post‐traumatic migraine‐associated dizziness patients
Authors: Donaldson Chadwick J. , Hoffer Michael E. , Balough Ben J. , Gottshall Kim R.
Published: November 2010

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to characterize our clinical population of patients suffering with post‐traumatic migraine‐associated dizziness (PTMAD) and determine any associations with medical interventions and vestibular testing metrics to help predict response to treatments.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective chart review.

SETTING

Tertiary referral center.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

The electronic medical records of 83 patients presenting to a tertiary referral center who were given a diagnosis of PTMAD and who had been treated were retrospectively reviewed. General characteristics, clinical treatment, pre‐ and post‐vestibular therapy testing metrics, and success and failure outcomes were assessed. Patients were assigned into responder and nonresponder groups related to their headaches and evaluated at two specific time points. Medication failures and vestibular test metrics were compared to identify and predict clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

Seventy‐two of 82 patients (88%) were analyzed at two time points. Use of verapamil, topiramate, gabapentin, amitryptiline, and valproic acid showed no comparative treatment benefit in responders compared to nonresponders (P = 0.294). Findings associated with successful treatments include response to initial medication (P = 0.001), final dynamic gait index (DGI) scores (P = 0.029), final vertical dynamic visual acuity test (DVAT) scores (up, 0.007; down, 0.006), and both final and change in computerized dynamic posturography‐sensory organization test (CDP‐SOT) scores (P = 0.001, P = 0.032). The antipsychotic quetiapine was specifically associated with outcome failures (P = 0.003).

CONCLUSION

Specific prophylactic antimigraine medications were not associated with improved outcomes in PTMAD patients. Initial clinical responses and vestibular test metrics may guide physicians to predict successful outcomes.
Late Pleistocene–early Holocene paraglacial and fluvial sediment history in the Turbio valley, semiarid Chilean Andes
Authors: Riquelme Rodrigo , Rojas Constanza , Aguilar Germán , Flores Pablo
Published: November 2010

The transitional character of climatic conditions confers great relevance to paleoclimate studies in the semiarid region where glacial and Holocene geomorphologic records are scarce. Here we present the paraglacial and fluvial evolution of the Turbio valley (30°S) using both field observations and 14C AMS chronology. Two key sites at the uppermost Turbio valley show glacial margins which likely formed during the 17–12 ka Central Andean Pluvial Event and earlier 37–27 ka episodes associated with glacial advances reported elsewhere in the semiarid Andes. Likewise, two episodes of subsequent paraglacial response are identified: a first episode corresponds to early Holocene fine-grained deposits (~ 11,500–7800 cal yr BP) extending far downstream (> 40 km) from the glacial margins. These deposits and coeval debris cones (~ 11,000–5500 cal yr BP) are the result of arid conditions with occasional runoffs that were unable to export sediments along the trunk valley. The second episode corresponds to disconformably overlying fluvial gravels extending ~ 70 km downstream from the glacial margin, indicative of an increase in the fluvial transport capacity occurring not long after 5500 cal yr BP. Fluvial transport increase resulted from a late Holocene shift to wetter climate conditions, representing a forcing factor which enhanced the paraglacial response.
Healthy dietary habits in relation to social determinants and lifestyle factors
Authors: Johansson Lars , Thelle Dag S. , Solvoll Kari , Bjørneboe Gunn-Elin Aa. , Drevon Christian A.
Published: November 2010

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the importance of social status and lifestyle for dietary habits, since these factors may influence life expectancy. We studied the association of four indicators for healthy dietary habits (fruits and vegetables, fibre, fat and Hegsted score) with sex, age, socio-economic status, education, physical leisure exercise, smoking and personal attention paid to keeping a healthy diet. Data were gathered with a self-administered quantitative food-frequency questionnaire distributed to a representative sample of Norwegian men and women aged 16–79 years in a national dietary survey, of whom 3144 subjects (63%) responded. Age and female sex were positively associated with indicators for healthy dietary habits. By separate evaluation length of education, regular physical leisure exercise and degree of attention paid to keeping a healthy diet were positively associated with all four indicators for healthy dietary habits in both sexes. Socio-economic status, location of residence and smoking habits were associated with from one to three indicators for healthy dietary habits. In a multiple regression model, age, education and location of residence together explained from 1 to 9% of the variation (R2) in the four dietary indicators. Length of education was significantly associated with three of four dietary indicators both among men and women. By including the variable ‘attention paid to keeping a healthy diet’ in the model,R2increased to between 4 and 15% for the four dietary indicators. Length of education remained correlated to three dietary indicators among women, and one indicator among men, after adjusting for attention to healthy diet, age and location of residence. Residence in cities remained correlated to two indicators among men, but none among women, after adjusting for age, education and attention to healthy diet. In conclusion, education was associated with indicators of a healthy diet. Attention to healthy diet showed the strongest and most consistent association with all four indicators for healthy dietary habits in both sexes. This suggests that personal preferences may be just as important for having a healthy diet as social status determinants.
Accounting for the Traffic in Africans: Transport Costs on Slaving Voyages
Authors: Eltis David , Lewis Frank D. , McIntyre Kimberly
Published: November 2010

Relying mainly on the manuscript records of the Royal African Company, we explore the factors that contributed to the large gap between slave prices in Africa and the Caribbean. Twenty-two voyages from the mid-1680s are analyzed. These were conducted with hired ships and the payments to the shipowners and captains were recorded. In addition to transport costs, mortality and morbidity had a big effect on slave prices; while the earnings from the trade in gold and ivory had a moderating influence. The effect of mortality and transport costs on slave prices during the eighteenth century is also explored.
Breeding and fecundity of the sub-Antarctic crab Halicarcinus planatus (Crustacea: Hymenosomatidae) in the Deseado River estuary, Argentina
Authors: Ferrari Lucrecia , Gil Damián G. , Vinuesa Julio H.
Published: November 2010

Halicarcinus planatus is the only species of the genus occurring at the southern tip of South America, in sub-Antarctic, cold-temperate waters. Previously it has been shown that the population from the estuary of the Deseado River presents a spatial segregation by sex, a complete overlapping of sizes among adolescents and adult females. Females go through two reproductive seasons, separated by a resting period during late summer and early autumn, and 7 to 8 spawns are produced following a single mating. The aims of the present work were to evaluate the duration of the embryonic development until hatching during successive spawning, to determine the fecundity and to discuss the adaptive reproductive strategies of this population. Breeding occurs from nearly 2°C to above 16°C. The incubation period lasts nearly 100 days in winter and between 30 and 40 days in summer. The fecundity ranged from 210 to 2150 eggs, it differs between successive spawning and a positive relationship was found between fecundity and carapace width. This population has the highest fecundity compared to other populations, but also compared to other species of the genus. The high number of successive spawns is directly linked to the increase of seawater temperature by the end of spring and during summer. This way, this species would be very well adapted to live in the more temperate waters of Patagonian coasts.
FromNomostoLex: Hannah Arendt on Law, Politics, and Order
Authors: VOLK CHRISTIAN
Published: November 2010

‘What is politics?’ is an omnipresent question in Hannah Arendt's work and one which is broadly explored in countless publications. ‘What is law?’, in contrast, is a question which has not been of much interest to Arendt scholarship to date. There is a good reason for this: Arendt's engagement with law seems not to be systematic but, rather, episodic and sporadic. However, on the basis of three different discourses – historical, political-theoretical, and legal-philosophical – I shall point out that Arendt's dealing with legal questions takes place on a continuous basis and should be regarded as crucial for a proper understanding of her thoughts. I shall argue that with her shift from the Greek conception of law asnomosto the Romanlex, Arendt seeks to de-substantiate the concept of law and to highlight the relationship-establishing dimension of law. Both attempts are important for overcoming the dichotomy of law and politics within constitutionalism and for paving the way to a different understanding of legal rationality which seeks not to isolate law from the political sphere but rather to interact with it.
Barcelona Traction at 40: The ICJ as an Agent of Legal Development
Authors: TAMS CHRISTIAN J. , TZANAKOPOULOS ANTONIOS
Published: November 2010

The article revisits the Barcelona Traction judgment of the International Court of Justice, rendered forty years ago. It evaluates the lasting influence of the Court's pronouncements on the nationality of corporations and on obligations erga omnes, and uses the case to illustrate the Court's role as an influential agent of legal development. In this respect, it identifies a number of factors that can help to explain under which circumstances judicial pronouncements are likely to shape the law.
Push the Envelope – Watch It Bend: Removing the Policy Requirement and Extending Crimes against Humanity
Authors: HALLING MATT
Published: November 2010

This article argues for amending the Rome Statute to remove the state or organizational policy requirement from the classification of crimes against humanity. After a brief look at the requirement itself, the article presents arguments to show how the policy loophole creates an accountability loophole in international criminal law, and how removing it both resolves inconsistencies in the Rome statute and facilitates prosecutions for international crimes. The article's final section examines and responds to leading arguments for keeping the policy requirement. The article is intended to show how the policy requirement limits international criminal law's scope in unwelcome ways and to challenge the use of state or organizational policy as a dividing line between domestic and international crimes.
The ‘End’, the ‘Beginning of the End’ or the ‘End of the Beginning’? Introducing Debates and Voices on the Definition of ‘Aggression’
Authors: STAHN CARSTEN
Published: November 2010

On 11 June 2010, the first Review Conference of the International Criminal Court (ICC) adopted Resolution RC/Res. 6 on the ‘Crime of Aggression’ by consensus, after years of debates and negotiations in the framework of the Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court and the Special Working Group on the Crime of Aggression. The resolution includes a definition of the crime of aggression and the conditions under which the Court could exercise jurisdiction with respect to the crime, while making the actual exercise of jurisdiction ‘subject to a decision to be taken after 1 January 2017’ by states parties. This outcome has triggered a broad variety of reactions. The UN praised it as a ‘historic agreement’ and a significant step towards a new ‘age of accountability’. Some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have expressed concerns that the compromise deepens the gaps between states and leaves accountability loopholes. US legal advisor Harold Koh qualified the compromise as an opportunity for further constructive dialogue and positive engagement with the ICC.
11. The Stonehouse survey Cartwright KAV, Stuart JM, Jones DM, Noah ND. Epidemiol Infect 1987; 99: 591–601
Authors: CARTWRIGHT KEITH
Published: November 2010

The Stonehouse meningitis survey took place in 1986 [1]. The context was a substantial and highly focal outbreak of meningococcal disease affecting the population of southern Gloucestershire and particularly the town of Stroud and its adjacent communities – a population of some 90000 individuals in the west of England. Almost all cases of meningococcal disease were due to a serogroup B, type 15, subtype P1.7,16 sulphonamide-resistant strain that had not been documented in Gloucestershire (and only rarely in the United Kingdom) prior to 1982, the first year of the outbreak. As is often the case at the start of an outbreak of meningococcal disease in a temperate country, the attack rate rose particularly in older children. For the population of Stroud as a whole the meningococcal disease attack rate rose from approximately 1·0 cases per 105 to approximately 8 per 105 population.
Religion and the Law of Charities
Authors: Blanco Miguel Rodríguez
Published: November 2010

This article attempts an overview of the application of the law of charities to religion. Charity law is currently subject to revision. The advancement of religion has been one of the traditional charitable purposes defined as such in the common law. In this area of law both the courts and the Charity Commission have applied a neutral approach toward all religious denominations. This approach is in principle consistent with the content of the Human Rights Act 1998. Nevertheless the growth of religious pluralism in society and the appearance of new religions and groups generate many doubts about the definition of religion as charity. On the one hand, the courts have offered a theistic definition of religion, which is not applicable to all religious groups. On the other, in every charitable purpose some element of public benefit must be present. For religious purposes the courts assume the presence of a public benefit unless the contrary is shown, but it is not clear that all religious practices are beneficial to the community. The aim of this article is to promote a discussion about the definition of religion as a charitable purpose, to identify the problems connected with the growth of religious pluralism, and to offer some remarks about the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 on the law of charities.
Essence and Being
Authors: Shalkowski Scott A.
Published: November 2010

In ‘Two Notions of Being: Entity and Essence’ E. J. Lowe defends “serious essentialism”. Serious essentialism is the position that (a) everything has an essence, (b) essences are not themselves things, and (c) essences are the ground for metaphysical necessity and possibility. Lowe's defence of serious essentialism is both metaphysical and epistemological. In what follows I use Lowe's discussion as a point of departure for, first, adding some considerations for the plausibility of essentialism and, second, some work on modal epistemology.
Surplus deferred pension compensation for long-term K-12 employees: an empirical analysis for the Denver Public School Retirement System and four state plans
Authors: MANNINO MICHAEL V. , COOPERMAN ELIZABETH S.
Published: November 2010

This study uses a unique data set of retiree characteristics and salary histories for administrators, teachers, and non-professional employees of the Denver Public School Retirement System (DPSRS) to analyze surplus deferred compensation for DPSRS and four state K-12 defined benefit pension plans. We find sizable levels of surplus deferred compensation for each plan, with significant differences across plans, job classes, and age groups. Across plans, differences in cost of living allowances impact the expected present value of retirement benefits more than benefit table differences when controlling for each respective factor. Somewhat surprisingly, the plans in our study with the largest present value of future benefits had lower employee contribution rates. Pension wealth for reduced benefits showed larger wealth accrual at younger ages than full, unreduced benefits, and younger cohorts starting work at an earlier age received significantly higher surplus deferred compensation.
Highly efficient 3-stage Doherty power amplifier using gate bias adaption
Authors: Kim Ildu , Moon Junghwan , Kim Jungjoon , Jee Seunghoon , Son Junghwan , Kim Bumman
Published: November 2010

This paper demonstrates a highly efficient 3-stage Doherty power amplifier (PA) employing an envelope tracking (ET) technique. The ‘3-stage’ Doherty PA is the most efficient architecture for a high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) signal among the various Doherty PAs. However, because of the lower peaking biases than those of the ‘N-way’ Doherty PA, the proper load modulation is hard to be achieved. To get proper modulation, the peaking PAs' gate biases have been adaptively controlled using the ET technique, and the peak power and maximum efficiency characteristic along the backed-off output power region is successfully achieved. By ADS and Matlab simulations, the overall behavior of the 3-stage Doherty PA employing the ET technique has been fully analyzed. To maximize the overall efficiency of the proposed 3-stage Doherty PA, the unit PA has been designed using class F−1 PA. For verification, the amplifier is implemented using 5 W and 10 W PEP LDMOSFETs for the 802.16e mobile world interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) at 1 GHz with a 8.5 dB PAPR. The measured drain efficiency of the proposed 3-stage Doherty PA is 55.5% at an average output power of 37 dBm, which is a 7.54 dB backed-off output power. The digital feedback predistortion (DFBPD) algorithm has been used to linearize the proposed PA considering the ET technique. After linearization, the −33.15 dB of relative constellation error (RCE) performance is achieved, satisfying the system specification. These results show that the 3-stage Doherty employing the ET technique and saturated PA is the most suitable PA for the highly efficient and linear transmitter.
Global analysis of ice microphysics from CloudSat and CALIPSO: Incorporation of specular reflection in lidar signals
Authors: Okamoto Hajime , Sato Kaori , Hagihara Yuichiro
Published: November 2010

We developed a new radar‐lidar algorithm that can be applied to CloudSat and Cloud‐Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) data to retrieve ice microphysics. The algorithm analyzes the specular reflection of lidar signals often observed by CALIPSO with large backscattering coefficients and small depolarization ratios. Analyses of CloudSat and CALIPSO data by our former radar‐lidar algorithm showed problems retrieving ice cloud microphysics when specular reflection was present. We implemented additional look‐up tables for horizontally oriented plates. A specular reflection mode in the radar‐lidar algorithm could drastically improve retrieval results. The new radar‐lidar algorithm requires depolarization ratios measured by CALIPSO, in addition to the radar reflectivity factor and backscattering coefficient at 532 nm. We performed several sensitivity studies to retrieval results. Nonsphericity turned out to be the largest source of uncertainties. Global analyses of ice microphysics for CloudSat‐CALIPSO overlap regions were performed. The effective radius decreased as the altitude increased. The effective radius in the specular reflection ranged from 100 to 300 μm. The ice water content (IWC) ranged from 10−4 to several tenths of a gram per cubic meter. Both effective radius and IWC increased as the altitude (temperature) decreased (increased). The largest mixing ratio of oriented particles occurred between −20 and −5°C. The IWC had two maxima in the tropics above 15 km and around 5 km. We also examined the differences in ice microphysics over land and ocean. The effective radius was similar over land and ocean, but the IWC tended to be larger over land.
An ozone episode in the Pearl River Delta: Field observation and model simulation
Authors: Jiang F. , Guo H. , Wang T. J. , Cheng H. R. , Wang X. M. , Simpson I. J. , Ding A. J. , Saunders S. M. , Lam S. H. M. , Blake D. R.
Published: November 2010

In the fall of 2007 concurrent air sampling field measurements were conducted for the first time in Guangzhou (at Wan Qing Sha (WQS)) and Hong Kong (at Tung Chung (TC)), two cities in the rapidly developing Pearl River Delta region of China that are only 62 km apart. This region is known to suffer from poor air quality, especially during the autumn and winter months, when the prevailing meteorological conditions bring an outflow of continental air to the region. An interesting multiday O3 pollution event (daily maximum O3 > 122 ppbv) was captured during 9–17 November at WQS, while only one O3 episode day (10 November) was observed at TC during this time. The mean O3 mixing ratios at TC and WQS during the episode were 38 ± 3 (mean ± 95% confidence interval) and 51 ± 7 ppbv, respectively, with a mean difference of 13 ppbv and a maximum hourly difference of 150 ppbv. We further divided this event into two periods: 9–11 November as Period 1 and 12–17 November as Period 2. The mixing ratios of O3 and its precursors (NOx and CO) showed significant differences between the two periods at TC. By contrast, no obvious difference was found at WQS, indicating that different air masses arrived at TC for the two periods, as opposed to similar air masses at WQS for both periods. The analysis of VOC ratios and their relationship with O3 revealed strong O3 production at WQS during Period 2, in contrast to relatively weak photochemical O3 formation at TC. The weather conditions implied regional transport of O3 pollution during Period 1 at both sites. Furthermore, a comprehensive air quality model system (Weather Research and Forecasting–Community Multiscale Air Quality model (WRF‐CMAQ)) was used to simulate this O3 pollution event. The model system generally reproduced the variations of weather conditions, simulated well the continuous high O3 episode event at WQS, and captured fairly well the elevated O3 mixing ratios in Period 1 and low O3 levels in Period 2 at TC. The modeled surface O3 distributions and flow structures clearly illustrated the occurrence of O3 formation and the impact of regional transport on O3 levels in Period 1 in the Pearl River Delta. Further analysis of O3 formation indicated that horizontal transport was the main contributor to the O3 increase at TC during Period 1, while at WQS O3 levels were dominated by photochemical production during both periods. The low O3 levels at TC during Period 2 were attributable to lower temperatures and the arrival of fresh maritime air masses brought in by strong easterly winds. This study highlights how contrasting precursor concentrations and photochemical conditions can occur over a very small distance, and it provides a rare opportunity to better understand ozone production and precursor source origins on a finer scale in this region.
Magnetic reconnection and cold plasma at the magnetopause
Authors: André M. , Vaivads A. , Khotyaintsev Y. V. , Laitinen T. , Nilsson H. , Stenberg G. , Fazakerley A. , Trotignon J. G.
Published: November 2010

We report on detailed observations by the four Cluster spacecraft of magnetic reconnection and a Flux Transfer Event (FTE) at the magnetopause. We detect cold (eV) plasma at the magnetopause with two independent methods. We show that the cold ions can be essential for the electric field normal to the current sheet in the separatrix region at the edge of the FTE and for the associated acceleration of ions from the magnetosphere into the reconnection jet. The cold ions have small enough gyroradii to drift inside the limited separatrix region and the normal electric field can be balanced by this drift, E ≈ −v × B. The separatrix region also includes cold accelerated electrons, as part of the reconnection current circuit.
Detection of landslides and submarine slumps using broadband seismic networks
Authors: Lin C. H. , Kumagai H. , Ando M. , Shin T. C.
Published: November 2010

We detected 52 seismic events associated with landslides and submarine slumps on 8 August 2009 when Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan. These events were neither felt nor reported because their seismic energy was primarily in the long period band (20–50 s). Most of these events were located in mountain areas where the accumulated rainfall was extremely high, though some were found offshore southern Taiwan. Among all events, the fatal landslide earthquake was located at Hsiaolin Village, where 474 people were buried. Inversion modelling of the seismic waveforms generated by the Hsiaolin landslide shows that the seismic source was represented by single force, consistent with downhill sliding. Some offshore seismic events indicate that submarine slumps probably occurred along submarine canyons and steep slopes. Our study shows that broadband seismic monitoring can be used to issue early warnings for mitigating disasters generated by inland and offshore landslides.
An earthquake‐like magnitude‐frequency distribution of slow slip in northern Cascadia
Authors: Wech Aaron G. , Creager Kenneth C. , Houston Heidi , Vidale John E.
Published: November 2010

Major episodic tremor and slip (ETS) events with Mw 6.4 to 6.7 repeat every 15 ± 2 months within the Cascadia subduction zone under the Olympic Peninsula. Although these major ETS events are observed to release strain, smaller “tremor swarms” without detectable geodetic deformation are more frequent. An automatic search from 2006–2009 reveals 20,000 five‐minute windows containing tremor which cluster in space and time into 96 tremor swarms. The 93 inter‐ETS tremor swarms account for 45% of the total duration of tremor detection during the last three ETS cycles. The number of tremor swarms, N, exceeding duration τ follow a power‐law distribution N ∝ τ−0.66. If duration is proportional to moment release, the slip inferred from these swarms follows a standard Gutenberg‐Richter logarithmic frequency‐magnitude relation, with the major ETS events and smaller inter‐ETS swarms lying on the same trend. This relationship implies that 1) inter‐ETS slip is fundamentally similar to the major events, just smaller and more frequent; and 2) despite fundamental differences in moment‐duration scaling, the slow slip magnitude‐frequency distribution is the same as normal earthquakes with a b‐value of 1.
Are the basins of Titan's Hotei Regio and Tui Regio sites of former low latitude seas?
Authors: Moore Jeffrey M. , Howard Alan D.
Published: November 2010

Features observed in the low‐latitude basins of Hotei Regio and Tui Regio on Titan have attracted the attention of the Cassini‐era investigators. At both locations, Visual Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) observed isolated 5‐μm bright ∼500 km wide features described as lobate in shape. Several studies have proposed that these materials are cryo‐volcanic flows. We propose an alternative explanation. Recently published topographic profiles across Hotei Regio and Tui Regio indicate these features appear to occur in large regional basins, at least along the direction of the profiles. Cassini Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images show that the terrains surrounding both topographically low‐lying 5‐μm bright features exhibit fluvial networks that appear to converge into the probable basins. The 5‐μm bright features themselves correspond to fields of discrete radar‐bright depressions whose bounding edges are commonly rounded and cumulate in planform in SAR images. These fields of discrete radar‐bright depressions strongly resemble fields of features seen at Titan's high latitudes identified as dry lakes. Thus the combination of (1) the resemblance to high‐latitude dry lakes, (2) location in the centers of regional depressions, and (3) convergence of fluvial networks are inferred by us to best explain the features of Hotei Regio and Tui Regio as sites of paleolake clusters (and perhaps former, now dry seas). These low‐latitude paleolake clusters or former seas, if real, may be evidence of substantially larger inventories of liquid alkanes in Titan's past.
Afterslip of the 2010 Chilean earthquake
Authors: Tanimoto Toshiro , Ji Chen
Published: November 2010

Analysis of normal‐mode amplitudes excited by the Chilean earthquake of 27 February, 2010, shows that theoretical amplitudes computed for the Global Centroid Moment Tensor solution (GCMT) underestimate observation for frequencies below 1 mHz. Data are systematically larger and there is a hint that this ratio increases toward lower frequencies. Amplitude ratios for the three gravest modes, 0S2, 0S3 and 0S4, are 1.36, 1.29 and 1.22 respectively, with standard error (1σ) being about 0.1 for each of them. The most natural explanation for this observation is the occurrence of a slow afterslip. Assuming that this afterslip had occurred on a similar fault with dip angle 18 degrees, the moment of this afterslip is estimated to be 0.26 (26 percent) of the GCMT solution and the rise time of about 170 seconds.
Mixing by shear instability at high Reynolds number
Authors: Geyer W. R. , Lavery A. C. , Scully M. E. , Trowbridge J. H.
Published: November 2010

Shear instability is the dominant mechanism for converting fluid motion to mixing in the stratified ocean and atmosphere. The transition to turbulence has been well characterized in laboratory settings and numerical simulations at moderate Reynolds number—it involves “rolling up”, i.e., overturning of the density structure within the cores of the instabilities. In contrast, measurements in an energetic estuarine shear zone reveal that the mixing induced by shear instability at high Reynolds number does not primarily occur by overturning in the cores; rather it results from secondary shear instabilities within the zones of intensified shear separating the cores. This regime is not likely to be observed in the relatively low Reynolds number flows of the laboratory or in direct numerical simulations, but it is likely a common occurrence in the ocean and atmosphere.
Recovery of time evolution of Grad‐Shafranov equilibria from single‐spacecraft data: Benchmarking and application to a flux transfer event
Authors: Hasegawa Hiroshi , Sonnerup Bengt U. Ö. , Nakamura Takuma K. M.
Published: November 2010

First results are presented of a method, developed by Sonnerup and Hasegawa (2010), for analyzing time evolution of magnetohydrostatic Grad‐Shafranov (GS) equilibria, using data recorded by an observing probe as it traverses a quasi‐static, two‐dimensional (2D), magnetic‐field/plasma structure. The method recovers spatial initial values used in the classical GS reconstruction for an interval before and after the time of actual measurements, by advancing them backward and forward in time based on a set of equations for an incompressible plasma; the consequence is generation of multiple GS maps or a movie of the 2D field structure. The method is successfully benchmarked by use of a 2D magnetohydrodynamic simulation of time‐dependent magnetic reconnection, and then is applied to a flux transfer event (FTE) seen by the Cluster spacecraft at the dayside high‐latitude magnetopause. The application shows that the field lines constituting the FTE flux rope were contracting toward its center as a result of modest convective flow in the region around the core of the flux rope.
Two distinct patterns of spring Eurasian snow cover anomaly and their impacts on the East Asian summer monsoon
Authors: Yim So‐Young , Jhun Jong‐Ghap , Lu Riyu , Wang Bin
Published: November 2010

The Eurasian snow cover anomaly in spring has been considered as one of the important factors affecting East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). The spring snow cover data for the period from 1972 to 2004 are used to extract dominant spatial patterns over the Eurasian region and to examine their impacts on the EASM through empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. The first EOF mode is generally characterized by a continent‐wide snow cover anomaly over the whole Eurasian region, while the second EOF mode is dominated by an east‐west dipole structure over Eurasia. Our study indicates that the variability of dipole pattern snow cover is more closely related to the EASM rainfall than that of continent‐wide snow cover. A strong dipole pattern with positive (negative) snow cover anomalies over western Eurasia and negative (positive) snow cover anomalies over eastern Eurasia signifies enhanced (reduced) summer rainfall over East Asia, and the Eurasian wave train pattern is apparent. An important implication of these results is that the spring snow cover anomaly over Eurasia provides a complementary precursor for EASM variability.
Can't pay, must pay
Authors: Jacobs Howy
Published: November 2010

The imminent hike in UK university fees raises the question of what is the fairest and most efficient way to fund higher education. Howy advocates the merits of ‘free’ university tuition, in a properly regulated system.
Stem‐cell battles
Authors: Wolinsky Howard
Published: November 2010

The US still leads the world in stem‐cell research, yet US scientists are facing yet another political and legal battle for federal funding to support research using human embryonic stem cells.