bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Children with hemoglobin E/β‐thalassemia have a high risk of being vitamin D deficient even if they get abundant sun exposure: A study from thailand
Authors: Nakavachara Pairunyar , Viprakasit Vip
Published: June 2013

Background

Vitamin D is a key component in calcium homeostasis, bone mineralization and immune function, and people with a vitamin D deficiency may therefore be at higher risk of osteoporosis, osteopenia, delayed growth and fractures. Vitamin D deficiency is a known clinical complication of patients with β‐thalassemia major; however, as yet there are limited data on the vitamin D status of patients with Hb E/β‐thalassemia. Hb E/β‐thalassemia is characterized by a wide clinical heterogeneity ranging from non‐transfusion dependency to transfusion dependency. Because patients with Hb E/β‐thalassemia are so clinically diverse, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency might differ among Hb E/β‐thalassemia patients.

Procedure

We investigated the vitamin D status of 109 children with Hb E/β‐thalassemia who attended the Pediatric Hematology Clinic at the Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, from April 2009 to March 2010.

Results

Forty‐nine of the children were classified as transfusion‐dependent (TD) and the remainder (n = 60) as non‐transfusion‐dependent (NTD). Only 10.1% of the children in our study had normal vitamin D levels, despite Thailand's geographic position 15° N and 100° E and climate, which provides abundant sunlight exposure and therefore efficient vitamin D synthesis. In addition, NTD children were significantly more likely to be vitamin D deficient than TD children (P = 0.01).

Conclusions

Our results highlight the importance of monitoring serum vitamin D levels in children with Hb E/β‐thalassemia regardless of their clinical severity or the amount of sunlight they are exposed to. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2013;60:1683–1688. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
What is predictive of preterm delivery in the first trimester: isthmus or cervical length?
Authors: Sananès Nicolas , Schuller Elodie , Gaudineau Adrien , Kohler Monique , Guerra Fernando , Weingertner Anne‐Sophie , Fritz Gabrielle , Viville Brigitte , Langer Bruno , Nisand Israël , Favre Romain
Published: June 2013

Objective

This study aims to evaluate the utility of first trimester cervical ultrasonography in predicting preterm delivery by separate analysis of measurements of cervical and isthmus length.

Methods

This is a cohort study based on data collected prospectively on singletons between 1 July 2011 and 1 February 2013. Mean cervical, isthmus and cervico‐isthmic complex length were measured for deliveries before and after 37 weeks.

Results

A total of 1494 pregnancies were analysed, including 51 cases of spontaneous preterm delivery (3.4%). The cervico‐isthmic complex in the first trimester was significantly shorter in patients who delivered before term (43.8 mm vs 47.5 mm, p = 0.04). This difference is related to differences in length at the isthmus (10.7 mm vs 14.1 mm, p = 0.005) rather than at the cervix proper (34.5 mm vs 35.0 mm, p = 0.56).

Conclusions

Measurement of the cervico‐isthmic complex enables detection of a number of patients who will go on to deliver before term. Further studies are necessary to confirm that isthmic length and not cervical length is predictive of preterm delivery. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tandem Ru‐alkylidene‐catalysed cross metathesis/hydrogenation: synthesis of lipophilic amino acids
Authors: Wang Zhen J. , Spiccia Nicolas D. , Jackson W. Roy , Robinson Andrea J.
Published: June 2013

Highly efficient synthesis of lipidic amino acids can be achieved via Ru‐alkylidene‐catalysed cross metathesis of long chain alkenes with commercially available allylglycine. The resultant unsaturated analogues can be then optionally hydrogenated under mild reaction conditions by using the spent metathesis catalyst. Copyright © 2013 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Specifications of a continual reassessment method design for phase I trials of combined drugs
Authors: Wages Nolan A. , Conaway Mark R.
Published: June 2013

In studies of combinations of agents in phase I oncology trials, the dose–toxicity relationship may not be monotone for all combinations, in which case the toxicity probabilities follow a partial order. The continual reassessment method for partial orders (PO‐CRM) is a design for phase I trials of combinations that leans upon identifying possible complete orders associated with the partial order. This article addresses some practical design considerations not previously undertaken when describing the PO‐CRM. We describe an approach in choosing a proper subset of possible orderings, formulated according to the known toxicity relationships within a matrix of combination therapies. Other design issues, such as working model selection and stopping rules, are also discussed. We demonstrate the practical ability of PO‐CRM as a phase I design for combinations through its use in a recent trial designed at the University of Virginia Cancer Center. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
SEM evaluation of the interface between filling and root‐end filling materials
Authors: Rosa R. A. , Santini M. F. , Heiden K. , Só B. B. , Kuga M. C. , Pereira J. R. , Só M. V. R.
Published: June 2013

The aim of this ex vivo study was to evaluate, by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the presence of gaps at the interface between filling material and three root‐end filling materials. Thirty human upper molars disto‐buccal roots were instrumented and filled with gutta‐percha and eugenol‐based sealer. The apicoectomy was performed 2 mm from the apex and retrograde cavities were prepared with ultrasonic points (3 mm in deep). The samples were divided into three experimental groups (n = 10): Group I—white mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA); Group II—Super EBA; and Group III—Portland cement. The root‐end filling materials were inserted into the retocavities using a MTA carrier. After 48 h, the roots were transversally sectioned in order to obtain the apical 5 mm. Next, each specimen was prepared longitudinally with crescent granulation of abrasives water‐wet sandpapers in order to expose the filling and root‐end filling materials. Then, the specimens were subjected to slow dehydration with silica gel, mounted onto specific stubs and coated with paladium coverage for SEM analysis of the interface between filling and root‐end filling materials. The percentage of gaps at the interfacial area was calculated by using Image Tool 3.0 software. Super EBA presented the higher percentage of gaps (1.5 ± 0.67%), whereas MTA presented the lowest values (0.33 ± 0.20%; p = 0.0004). Despite the statistical differences observed between Super EBA and MTA, all the root‐end filling materials presented great adaptation to the filling material, presenting small amount of gaps. SCANNING 36:252–257, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Ladungsträger‐Tiefenprofilierung an ultra‐flachen pn‐Übergängen
Authors: Schmidt Bernd , Philipp Peter , Zier Michael , Zimmermann Lutz
Published: June 2013

Die Stufenweise Oxidationsprofilierung (SWOP) wurde zur Ladungsträger‐tiefenprofilierung an Bor‐implantierten Silizium eingesetzt. Das Messverfahren basiert auf einer alternierenden elektrischen Messung des Schichtwiderstandes mit van‐der‐Pauw (VDP)‐Strukturen zwischen jeweils einem Si‐Schichtabtrag durch elektrochemische anodische Oxidation. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass die SWOP‐Profile sehr gut mit SIMS‐Referenzprofilen übereinstimmen und eine Tiefenauflösung von ≤ 1 nm sowie eine Nachweisgrenze 1·1016 cm−3 erreicht werden.
Eigenschaften amorpher transparenter leitfähiger Oxide (a‐TCOs)
Authors: Körner Wolfgang , Elsässer Christian
Published: June 2013

In diesem Beitrag werden die optischen und elektrischen Eigenschaften von amorphen transparenten leitfähigen Oxiden (a‐TCOs) mit Hilfe der atomistischen Materialmodellierung analysiert. Die Untersuchung von Modellstrukturen mit Computersimulationen ermöglicht ein tieferes Verständnis der in der Realität auftretenden Phänomene. Im Fall der a‐TCOs können tiefe Energieniveaus in der elektronischen Bandstruktur, die zum Beispiel die optische Transparenz reduzieren, strukturellen Defekten auf atomarer Ebene zugeordnet werden. Dies ermöglicht es, gezielt nach Strategien zur Ausheilung dieser Defekte zu suchen
ILGAR
Authors: Krammer Johanna , Fischer Christian‐Herbert
Published: June 2013

ILGAR (Ion Layer GAs Reaction) ist ein patentiertes Abscheideverfahren für Metallsulfidschichten. Diese Methode wurde am Helmholtz‐Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB) entwickelt. Neben der Prozessbeschreibung wird in diesem Artikel auf die Vielfalt der Anwendungsmöglichkeiten von ILGAR‐Schichten eingegangen. Ein Schwerpunkt liegt auf der Anwendung als Pufferschicht in Chalkopyritsolarzellen: ILGAR Indiumsulfid (In2S3) eignet sich hervorragend, um den industriellen Standard‐Puffer aus toxischem Cadmiumsulfid (CdS) zu ersetzen. 2011 hat ILGAR den German High Tech Champion Preis von der Fraunhofer Gesellschaft verliehen bekommen.
Environmental characteristics of the current Generation III nuclear power plants
Authors: Marques J. G.
Published: June 2013

The environmental impact of electricity generation sources can be generically characterized by their use of natural resources, the thermal pollution they cause, and their emissions of chemical pollutants and radionuclides. Nuclear power plants generate concern regarding their radioactive emissions, which are often poorly understood. A presentation is made of the known data on the environmental impact of pre‐Gen III nuclear power plants during normal operation and as a consequence of severe accidents. The radiation doses received by the public and exposed workers as a consequence of nuclear power are compared with the ones because of natural radioactivity and medical applications. The characteristics of the new Gen III reactors which will bring significant improvements to the environmental impact of nuclear power generation are discussed in detail.

This article is categorized under:

Fossil Fuels > Climate and Environment
Palaeohydrogeological insights from natural tracer profiles in aquitard porewater, Great Artesian Basin, Australia
Authors: Harrington Glenn A. , Gardner W. Payton , Smerdon Brian D. , Hendry M. Jim
Published: June 2013

The value of using environmental tracer profiles in aquitards to quantify fluid flux and to reveal information about palaeohydrology is largely unknown for parts of the world that were not glaciated during the Cenozoic. We present deep, continuous vertical profiles of aquitard pore water chloride concentration and δ2H/δ18O composition from the western margin of the Great Artesian Basin, Australia, where upward leakage is the dominant groundwater discharge mechanism. At the deeper of the two sites studied, the Cl− and δ2H profiles exhibit a distinctive S‐shape, which we interpret as a shift in the upper concentration boundary condition over time. Numerical simulations are used to support an hypothesis that the shallow phreatic aquifer was more saline and more enriched in δ2H compared to current conditions prior to ∼120 ka, followed by an extended freshening phase from ∼120 to 20 ka, then a saline phase similar to current conditions for the last ∼20 ka. These timeframes correspond favorably with results of previous studies into the palaeohydrology of nearby playa Lake Eyre. At the shallower site, the tracer profiles decrease exponentially with depth. We explore several models for the evolution of these profiles and adopt one of long‐term salt input at ground surface. At both sites, tracer concentrations for groundwater sampled from the underlying artesian aquifer provide conclusive evidence that recharge occurred within the last 10–20 ka. Chloride was a more useful tracer than δ2H in this study, primarily due to lack of recent glaciation in central Australia to provide a dynamic δ2H tracer signal.
Finding appropriate bias correction methods in downscaling precipitation for hydrologic impact studies over North America
Authors: Chen Jie , Brissette François P. , Chaumont Diane , Braun Marco
Published: June 2013

This work compares the performance of six bias correction methods for hydrological modeling over 10 North American river basins. Four regional climate model (RCM) simulations driven by reanalysis data taken from the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program intercomparison project are used to evaluate the sensitivity of bias correction methods to climate models. The hydrological impacts of bias correction methods are assessed through the comparison of streamflows simulated by a lumped empirical hydrology model (HSAMI) using raw RCM‐simulated and bias‐corrected precipitation time series. The results show that RCMs are biased in the simulation of precipitation, which results in biased simulated streamflows. All six bias correction methods are capable of improving the RCM‐simulated precipitation in the representation of watershed streamflows to a certain degree. However, the performance of hydrological modeling depends on the choice of a bias correction method and the location of a watershed. Moreover, distribution‐based methods are consistently better than mean‐based methods. A low coherence between the temporal sequences of observed and RCM‐simulated (driven by reanalysis data) precipitation was observed over 5 of the 10 watersheds studied. All bias corrections methods fail over these basins due to their inability to specifically correct the temporal structure of daily precipitation occurrence, which is critical for hydrology modeling. In this study, this failure occurred on basins that were distant from the RCM model boundaries and where topography exerted little control over precipitation. These results indicate that bias correction performance is location dependent and that a careful validation should always be performed, especially on studies over new regions.
Transient, spatially varied groundwater recharge modeling
Authors: Assefa Kibreab Amare , Woodbury Allan D.
Published: June 2013

The objective of this work is to integrate field data and modeling tools in producing temporally and spatially varying groundwater recharge in a pilot watershed in North Okanagan, Canada. The recharge modeling is undertaken by using the Richards equation based finite element code (HYDRUS‐1D), ArcGIS™, ROSETTA, in situ observations of soil temperature and soil moisture, and a long‐term gridded climate data. The public version of HYDUS‐1D and another version with detailed freezing and thawing module are first used to simulate soil temperature, snow pack, and soil moisture over a one year experimental period. Statistical analysis of the results show both versions of HYDRUS‐1D reproduce observed variables to the same degree. After evaluating model performance using field data and ROSETTA derived soil hydraulic parameters, the HYDRUS‐1D code is coupled with ArcGIS™ to produce spatially and temporally varying recharge maps throughout the Deep Creek watershed. Temporal and spatial analysis of 25 years daily recharge results at various representative points across the study watershed reveal significant temporal and spatial variations; average recharge estimated at 77.8 ± 50.8 mm/year. Previous studies in the Okanagan Basin used Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance without any attempt of model performance evaluation, notwithstanding its inherent limitations. Thus, climate change impact results from this previous study and similar others, such as Jyrkama and Sykes (2007), need to be interpreted with caution.
A temporal sampling strategy for hydraulic tomography analysis
Authors: Sun Ronglin , Yeh Tian‐Chyi Jim , Mao Deqiang , Jin Menggui , Lu Wenxi , Hao Yonghong
Published: June 2013

This paper investigates optimal sampling times of drawdowns for the analysis of hydraulic tomography (HT) survey. The investigation was carried out by analyzing the spatial and temporal evolution of cross‐correlations between the head responses at an observation well and transmissivity (T) and storage coefficient (S) properties during a pumping test in homogeneous and heterogeneous aquifers. The analysis shows that the cross‐correlation between the head and S values is limited to the region between the observation and the pumping well in the aquifers: It reaches the highest value near the early time (tm), and decays to zero afterwards. The time tm is approximately equal to the time t0 at which the extrapolated drawdown from the first straight line portion of an observed drawdown‐log time plot becomes zero. At early times, the high cross‐correlation between the head and T is confined to the region between the observation and the pumping well. This region then evolves into two humps: One on each side of the circular region encompassing the observation well and the pumping well. The size of the two humps expands and their values reach the maximum as flow reach steady‐state. As a consequence, we hypothesize that pairs of head data at t0 and those at either the steady‐state or a late time during an HT survey could yield the best estimates of the heterogeneous T and S fields. Results from numerical experiments have verified this hypothesis and demonstrated that this sampling strategy is generally applicable even when the boundary condition is unknown. We, therefore, recommend in principle that (1) carrying out pumping tests of HT surveys for sufficiently long period of time such that drawdown reaches the entire area of interest and (2) using a constant head or zero drawdown for all boundaries during the inverse modeling analysis.
Confronting Mueller-Navelet jets in NLL BFKL with LHC experiments at 7 TeV
Authors: Ducloué B. , Szymanowski L. , Wallon S.
Published: June 2013

Abstract

More than 25 years ago, Mueller Navelet jets were proposed as a decisive test of BFKL dynamics at hadron colliders. We here study this process at NLL BFKL accuracy, taking into account NLL corrections to the Green’s function and to the jet vertices. We present detailed predictions for various observables that can be measured at LHC in ongoing experiments like ATLAS or CMS at$ \sqrt{s}=7 $TeV: the cross-section, the azimuthal correlations and the angular distribution of these jets. For this purpose, we apply realistic kinematical cuts and binning, and study the dependence of our results with respect to several parameters. We then compare our results with those that can be obtained in a fixed order NLO treatment, and propose specific observables which could actually be used as a probe of BFKL dynamics.
Highly glucose tolerant β-glucosidase from Aspergillus unguis: NII 08123 for enhanced hydrolysis of biomass
Authors: Rajasree Kuni Parambil , Mathew Gincy Marina , Pandey Ashok , Sukumaran Rajeev Kumar
Published: June 2013

Aspergillus unguis NII-08123, a filamentous fungus isolated from soil, was found to produce β-glucosidase (BGL) activity with high glucose tolerance. Cultivation of the fungus in different carbon sources resulted in the secretion of different isoforms of the enzyme. A low molecular weight isoform, which retained ~60 % activity in the presence of 1.5 M glucose, was purified to homogeneity and the purified enzyme exhibited a temperature and pH optima of 60 °C and 6, respectively. The K  m and V  max of the enzyme were 4.85 mM and 2.95 U/mg, respectively, for 4-nitrophenyl β-d-glucopyranoside. The glucose inhibition constant of the enzyme was 0.8 M, indicating high glucose tolerance, and this is the second-highest glucose tolerance ever reported from the Aspergillus nidulans group. The glucose-tolerant BGL from A. unguis, when supplemented to cellulase preparation from Penicillium, could improve biomass hydrolysis efficiency by 20 % in 12 h compared to the enzyme without additional beta glucosidase supplementation. The beta glucosidase from A. unguis is proposed as a highly potent “blend-in” for biomass saccharifying enzyme preparations.
Rapid enrichment of (homo)acetogenic consortia from animal feces using a high mass-transfer gas-lift reactor fed with syngas
Authors: Park Shinyoung , Yasin Muhammad , Kim Daehee , Park Hee-Deung , Kang Chang Min , Kim Duk Jin , Chang In Seop
Published: June 2013

A gas-lift reactor having a high mass transfer coefficient (k  L  a = 80.28 h−1) for a relatively insoluble gas (carbon monoxide; CO) was used to enrich (homo)acetogens from animal feces. Samples of fecal matter from cow, rabbit, chicken, and goat were used as sources of inoculum for the enrichment of CO and H2 utilizing microbial consortia. To confirm the successful enrichment, the Hungate roll tube technique was employed to count and then isolate putative CO utilizers. The results of this work showed that CO and H2 utilizing consortia were established for each inoculum source after 8 days. The number of colony-forming units in cow, rabbit, chicken, and goat fecal samples were 3.83 × 109, 1.03 × 109, 8.3 × 108, and 3.25 × 108 cells/ml, respectively. Forty-two colonies from the animal fecal samples were screened for the ability to utilize CO/H2. Ten of these 42 colonies were capable of utilizing CO/H2. Five isolates from cow feces (samples 5, 6, 8, 16, and 22) were highly similar to previously unknown (homo)acetogen, while cow-7 has shown 99 % similarity with Acetobacterium sp. as acetogens. On the other hand, four isolates from chicken feces (samples 3, 8, 10, and 11) have also shown high CO/H2 utilizing activity. Hence, it is expected that this research could be used as the basis for the rapid enrichment of (homo)acetogenic consortia from various environmental sources.
Coordination in the Science System: Theoretical Framework and a Case Study of an Intermediary Organization
Authors: Hessels Laurens K.
Published: June 2013

Many science systems are witnessing the rise of intermediary organizations with a coordinating mission, but to date a systematic understanding of their function and effects is lacking. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the coordinating efforts of intermediary organizations. Starting from the definition of coordination asthe establishment or strengthening of a relationship among the activities in a system, with the aim to enhance their common effectiveness, I develop a heuristic framework that facilitates the systematic analysis of coordination in science. I illustrate and substantiate my framework with the empirical case study of a Dutch coordination task force in the area of chemical technologies. Thanks to the framework I could disentangle a number of functions that this task force fulfils concerning research programming, funding allocation and supporting interactions and collaborations. This approach enabled me to systematically analyse a very heterogeneous set of processes that each deserve to be calledcoordination. The analysis yields a clear overview of eight coordination processes that are each described in terms of activities, intervention, relationships, mechanisms and performance. I conclude my paper with suggestions for further research on coordination in the science system.
Geographic association and temporal variation of chemical and physical defense and leaf damage in Datura stramonium
Authors: Castillo Guillermo , Cruz Laura L. , Hernández‐Cumplido Johnattan , Oyama Ken , Flores‐Ortiz César Mateo , Fornoni Juan , Valverde Pedro L. , Núñez‐Farfán Juan
Published: June 2013

The evolution of plant defense traits has traditionally been explained trough the “coevolutionary arms race” between plants and herbivores. According to this, specialist herbivores have evolved to cope effectively with the defensive traits of their host plants and may even use them as a cue for host location. We analyzed the geographic association between leaf trichomes, two tropane alkaloids (putative resistance traits), and leaf damage by herbivores in 28 populations of Datura stramonium in central Mexico. Since the specialist leaf beetles Epitrix parvula and Lema trilineata are the main herbivores of D. stramonium in central Mexico, we predicted a positive association between plant defense and leaf damage across populations. Also, if physical environmental conditions (temperature or precipitation) constrain the expression of plant defense, then the geographic variation in leaf damage should be explained partially by the interaction between defensive traits and environmental factors. Furthermore, we studied the temporal and spatial variation in leaf trichome density and leaf damage in five selected populations of D. stramonium sampled in two periods (1997 vs. 2007). We found a positive association between leaf trichomes density and atropine concentration with leaf damage across populations. The interaction between defensive traits and water availability in each locality had a significant effect on the geographic variation in leaf damage. Differences among populations in leaf trichome density are maintained over time. Our results indicate that local plant–herbivore interaction plays an important role in shaping the geographic and temporal variation in plant defense in D. stramonium.
Improvement of Major Depression is Associated with Increased Erythrocyte DHA
Authors: Meyer Barbara J. , Grenyer Brin F. S. , Crowe Trevor , Owen Alice J. , Grigonis‐Deane Elizabeth M. , Howe Peter R. C.
Published: June 2013

The aim of this study was to determine if changes in omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acid status following tuna oil supplementation correlated with changes in scores of depression. A total of 95 volunteers receiving treatment for major depression were randomised to consume 8 × 1 g capsules per day of HiDHA (2 g DHA, 0.6 g EPA and 10 mg Vitamin E) or olive oil (placebo) for 16 weeks, whilst undergoing weekly counseling sessions by trained clinical psychologists using a standard empirically validated psychotherapy. Depression status was assessed using the 17 item Hamilton rating scale for depression and the Beck Depression Inventory by a psychodiagnostician who was blind to the treatment. Blood was taken at baseline and 16 weeks (n = 48) for measurement of erythrocyte fatty acids. With HiDHA supplementation, erythrocyte DHA content rose from 4.1 ± 0.2 to 7.9 ± 0.4 % (mean ± SEM, p < 0.001) of total fatty acids but did not change (4.0 ± 0.2 to 4.1 ± 0.2 %) in the olive oil group. The mean changes in scores of depression did not differ significantly between the two groups (−12.2 ± 2.1 for tuna oil and −14.4 ± 2.3 for olive oil). However, analysis of covariance showed that in the fish oil group there was a significant correlation (r = −0.51) between the change in erythrocyte DHA and the change in scores of depression (p < 0.05). Further study of the relationship between DHA and depression is warranted.
Nuclear reprogramming of sperm and somatic nuclei in eggs and oocytes
Authors: Teperek Marta , Miyamoto Kei
Published: June 2013

Eggs and oocytes have a prominent ability to reprogram sperm nuclei for ensuring embryonic development. The reprogramming activity that eggs/oocytes intrinsically have towards sperm is utilised to reprogram somatic nuclei injected into eggs/oocytes in nuclear transfer (NT) embryos. NT embryos of various species can give rise to cloned animals, demonstrating that eggs/oocytes can confer totipotency even to somatic nuclei. However, many studies indicate that reprogramming of somatic nuclei is not as efficient as that of sperm nuclei. In this review, we explain how and why sperm and somatic nuclei are differentially reprogrammed in eggs/oocytes. Recent studies have shown that sperm chromatin is epigenetically modified to be adequate for early embryonic development, while somatic nuclei do not have such modifications. Moreover, epigenetic memories encoded in sperm chromatin are transgenerationally inherited, implying unique roles of sperm. We also discuss whether somatic nuclei can be artificially modified to acquire sperm‐like chromatin states in order to increase the efficiency of nuclear reprogramming.
A dynamical system approach to the Kakutani–Fibonacci sequence
Authors: CARBONE INGRID , IACÒ MARIA RITA , VOLČIČ ALJOŠA
Published: June 2013

In this paper we consider the sequence of Kakutani’s $\alpha $-refinements corresponding to the inverse of the golden ratio (which we call the Kakutani–Fibonacci sequence of partitions) and associate to it an ergodic interval exchange (which we call the Kakutani–Fibonacci transformation) using the ‘cutting–stacking’ technique. We prove that the orbit of the origin under this map coincides with a low discrepancy sequence (which we call the Kakutani–Fibonacci sequence of points), which has also been considered by other authors.
Democracy, Courts and the Information Order
Authors: K. Hadfield Gillian , Ryan Dan
Published: June 2013

Conventional wisdom about civil litigation, both among scholars and political actors, holds that abuse of the legal process is common, that there is too much litigation, that it is “all about the money”, and that “a bad settlement is better than a good trial”. This constellation of attitudes that emphasize the economic function of law suggests that courts are an expensive conflict resolution mechanism of last resort and that their use would be minimized in a healthy market-based democracy. In this paper we apply a new sociological framework to understand the meaning and function of civil litigation in a democratic society. We focus in particular on the democratic function of the informational characteristics of litigation that require substantial disclosure and engagement between plaintiff, defendant and third parties. Instead we examine the role courts play in the maintenance and attainment of a social information order – norms and legal rules governing the sharing and withholding of information that depend on and constitute particular status relationships between actors (Ryan 2006). Using interviews and surveys of family members of victims of 9/11 we develop a theory of the lived experience of entitlement to information in Anglo-American legal settings with suggestions of how these ideas might translate to civil law systems.
On Thomas Nagel's Rejection of Theism
Authors: Baggett David
Published: June 2013

In his most recent book—Mind and Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature Is Almost Certainly False—and in numerous places in his previous work, Thomas Nagel wishes to suggest several reasons that theism is not a live option for him (to use a phrase made famous by William James). He does not seem to intend many of his criticisms to be more than suggestive, much less decisive; nonetheless, in light of the strength of his conviction that theism is somehow inherently too outrageous an option to believe, I would like to spend a bit of time identifying and assessing the criticisms he mentions.
A Classical Ethical Problem in Ancient Philosophy and Rabbinic Thought: The Case of the Shipwrecked
Authors: Berthelot Katell
Published: June 2013

The story found in Sifra Behar 5.3 and in the Babylonian Talmud, Baba Meṣi'a 62a, about two persons traveling in a desert and having a quantity of water that allows only one of them to reach civilization and survive, is well known and frequently referred to in books and articles dealing with Jewish ethics. The rabbinic texts raise the question: Should the travelers share the water and die together, or should the person who owns the water drink it in order to survive? This story reminds one of the case of the two shipwrecked men who grasp a plank that can bear the weight of only one person and therefore enables only one of them to reach the coast, a case referred to in philosophical texts from the Hellenistic and Roman periods. The similarities between the issues dealt with in the rabbinic texts and the Greco-Roman ones have indeed been noticed by several scholars working on rabbinic literature (whereas specialists of ancient philosophy generally ignore them). However, a systematic comparative analysis of the rabbinic tradition and the philosophical texts has not been undertaken so far, nor have previous studies paid much attention to the issues at stake within the Greco-Roman texts themselves, to their inner logic and relationships with one another.
Turbulent impurity transport modeling for Alcator C-Mod
Authors: FU X. R. , HORTON W. , BESPAMYATNOV I. O. , ROWAN W. L. , BENKADDA S. , FIORE C. L. , FUTATANI S. , LIAO K. T.
Published: June 2013

Turbulent particle transport is investigated with a quasilinear theory that is motivated by the boron impurity transport experiments in the Alcator C-Mod. Eigenvalue problems for sets of reduced fluid equations for multi-component plasmas are solved for the self-consistent fluctuating field vectors composed of the electric potential φ, the main ion density δni, the impurity density δnz and the ion temperature fluctuation δTi. For Alcator C-Mod parameters, we investigate two drift wave models: (1) the density-gradient-driven impurity drift wave and (2) the ion-temperature-gradient-driven ion temperature gradient (ITG) mode. Analytic and numerical results for particle transport coefficients are derived and compared with the transport data and the neoclassical theory. We explore the ability of the model to explain impurity density profiles in three confinement regimes: H-mode, I-mode and internal transport barrier (ITB) regime in C-Mod. Related experiments reported on the Large Helical Device are briefly discussed.
Curvature, cones and characteristic numbers
Authors: ATIYAH MICHAEL , LEBRUN CLAUDE
Published: June 2013

We study Einstein metrics on smooth compact 4-manifolds with an edge-cone singularity of specified cone angle along an embedded 2-manifold. To do so, we first derive modified versions of the Gauss–Bonnet and signature theorems for arbitrary Riemannian 4-manifolds with edge-cone singularities, and then show that these yield non-trivial obstructions in the Einstein case. We then use these integral formulæ to obtain interesting information regarding gravitational instantons which arise as limits of such edge-cone manifolds.
Upper bound on lattice stick number of knots
Authors: HONG KYUNGPYO , NO SUNGJONG , OH SEUNGSANG
Published: June 2013

The lattice stick number sL(K) of a knot K is defined to be the minimal number of straight line segments required to construct a stick presentation of K in the cubic lattice. In this paper, we find an upper bound on the lattice stick number of a nontrivial knot K, except the trefoil knot, in terms of the minimal crossing number c(K) which is sL(K) ≤ 3c(K) + 2. Moreover if K is a non-alternating prime knot, then sL(K) ≤ 3c(K) − 4.
The importance of northern Spanish farmland for wintering migratory passerines: a quantitative assessment
Authors: SANTOS TOMÁS , CARBONELL ROBERTO , GALARZA AITOR , PÉREZ-TRIS JAVIER , RAMÍREZ ÁLVARO , TELLERÍA JOSÉ LUIS
Published: June 2013

Migratory birds are critically dependent on adequate wintering habitats for their long-term survival. Cantabrian farmland, a mixed agricultural landscape extending across the coastal lowlands of northern Spain, constitutes an important wintering area for many short-distance migrants coming from central-western and northern Europe. Unfortunately, the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union and national afforestation schemes have resulted in a massive replacement of farmland by pinePinusspp. and eucalyptEucalyptussp. plantations. This work assesses the importance of Cantabrian farmland as wintering grounds for short-distance European migrants and for wintering species that originate in nearby woodlands. We examined the seasonal changes in passerine bird populations in the Cantabrian region and used winter ringing recoveries obtained in the area to evaluate the contribution made by European migrants to winter populations. Bird communities were surveyed along 299 500-m long transects distributed between 67 farmland patches, 67 lowland forests and 14 upland forests. Winter assemblages were more diverse and species more abundant in farmland than in lowland or upland forests, whereas these differences were smaller in the spring. Bird numbers in farmland tripled in winter, numbers increasing by about 6.9 million birds compared to breeding populations. Most of this increase was accounted for by species that also bred in the region and that considerably increased their abundance (65.6% of all wintering birds, with the ChaffinchFringilla coelebsresponsible for 31.4% of the total increase) and by five exclusively wintering species (34.4%, with the Meadow PipitAnthus pratensisaccounting for 25.2% of the total increase). The main bulk of this increase is caused by the influx of European migrants. The importance of halting the current spread of eucalypt plantations (which increased over 400% over the past 30 years) and of applying more effective agri-environment schemes to achieve appropriate farmland conservation is discussed.
Introduction: New Horizons in Research Imaging. Papers from the Eighth Omaha Imaging Symposium, April 2012
Authors: Hallworth Richard
Published: June 2013

Since 2003, the annual Omaha Imaging Symposium has brought together experts in advanced biological imaging techniques for a one-day exposition of how advanced research imaging techniques foster progress in biological research. The eighth symposium in the series was held Friday, April 20, 2012, at the Harper Student Life Center of Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska. This special section of Microscopy and Microanalysis consists of articles contributed by speakers at the symposium.
Next generation sequencing in psychiatric research: what study participants need to know about research findings
Authors: Mathieu Ghislaine , Groisman Iris Jaitovich , Godard Beatrice
Published: June 2013

The use of next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies in psychiatric genetics research and its potential to generate individual research results will likely have far reaching implications for predictive and diagnostic practices. The extent of this impact may not be easily understood by psychiatric research participants during the consent process. The traditional consent process for studies involving human subjects does not address critical issues specific to NGS research, such as the return of results. We examined which type of research findings should be communicated, how this information should be conveyed during the consent process and what guidance is required by researchers and IRBs to help psychiatric research participants understand the peculiarities, the limits and the impact of NGS. Strong standards are needed to ensure appropriate use of data generated by NGS, to meet participants' expectations and needs, and to clarify researchers' duties regarding the disclosure of data and their subsequent management. In the short term, researchers and IRBs need to be proactive in revising current consent processes that deal with the disclosure of research findings.
Theoretical investigation of an air gap tuned superconducting triangular microstrip antenna
Authors: Barkat Ouarda
Published: June 2013

An analytical model is presented to improve the performance of the equilateral triangular microstrip antenna (ETMA). An improved model is presented taking into account the insertion of an air gap between the substrate and the ground plane, and High Tc superconducting material (HTS) for the triangular patch. The full-wave spectral domain technique in conjunction with the complex resistive boundary condition is used to calculate the characteristics including resonant frequencies, bandwidths, and radiation efficiency. Numerical results for the air gap tuning effect on the operating frequency and bandwidth of the high Tc superconducting triangular microstrip antenna (HTSTMA) are presented. The effect of temperature on resonant frequency and bandwidth of the HTSTMA are also given. The computed data are found to be in good agreement with results obtained using other methods.
Antenna bandwidth broadening with a negative impedance converter
Authors: Tade Oluwabunmi O. , Gardner Peter , Hall Peter S.
Published: June 2013

Cognitive radio (CR) has generated a lot of interest because of the promise of wide instantaneous bandwidths which will improve data rates. Current social trends suggest that CR nodes will ultimately be mobile and handheld. This produces a need for small wideband antennas. The Chu limit imposes a restriction on what is obtainable with passive matching. In this paper, it is shown how a negative impedance converter (NIC) can be used to broadband match a chassis antenna beyond what is obtainable with passive matching. It is also shown how to predict and overcome the instabilities which have limited the top frequency achievable with NICs. The noise and linearity performance of the NIC matched antenna is also shown.
Linear array modules with prescribed excitations using waveguide shunt slot-fed microstrip patch elements
Authors: Sood Khagindra , Jyoti Rajeev , Sharma Shashi Bhushan
Published: June 2013

A waveguide shunt slot-fed microstrip patch antenna (WGMPA) element is proposed and analyzed with method of moments (MOM) using entire-domain basis functions. The developed analysis has been utilized to obtain parametric observation of power-coupling versus transverse offset of feeding slot from the waveguide axis. Expressions for the radiation pattern as a summation of contributions of individual basis functions are reported. The proposed element is amenable to building-up series-fed linear arrays by a simple cascading of elements at the through-end of the feeding waveguide. The authors propose that arbitrary amplitude excitations may be applied to such linear arrays for desired tailored array pattern characteristics. The required transverse offsets for each array element may be computed using the reported parametric result. As a demonstration of concept, two distributions are designed – uniform amplitudes and Dolph–Chebyshev for reduced side lobes. Computed element patterns from MOM are used with an array factor formulation for arbitrary element positions. Both modules show radiation characteristics closely matching the expected directivity and sidelobe envelopes. Analysis validation is achieved using a proven finite element method (FEM)-based solver; the comparison is close and is reported. Efficacy of the waveguide shunt-slot fed patch element for building linear array modules with prescribed amplitude distributions is thus established.
Refractive index of III-metal-polar and N-polar AlGaN waveguides grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition
Authors: Rigler Martin , Zgonik Marko , Hoffmann Marc P. , Kirste Ronny , Bobea Milena , Collazo Ramón , Sitar Zlatko , Mita Seiji , Gerhold Michael
Published: June 2013

Optical waveguides of III-metal-polar and N-polar AlGaN are grown on sapphire substrates in order to test their use in integrated optics. The dispersion of the ordinary and extraordinary indices of refraction for films with aluminum mole fraction between 0.0 and 0.30 at four discrete wavelengths has been determined by the prism coupling method. The wavelength dependence of the refractive indices is described well by the first-order Sellmeier dispersion formula. The measurements show a small difference in the refractive indices between the two polarities, which is more pronounced at longer wavelengths.
The exotic heat-trace asymptotics of a regular-singular operator revisited
Authors: Vertman Boris
Published: June 2013

We discuss the exotic properties of the heat-trace asymptotics for a regular-singular operator with general boundary conditions at the singular end, as observed by Falomir, Muschietti, Pisani, and Seeley [“Unusual poles of the ζ-functions for some regular singular differential operators,” J. Phys. A 36(39), 9991–10010 (2003)]10.1088/0305-4470/36/39/302 as well as by Kirsten, Loya, and Park [“The very unusual properties of the resolvent, heat kernel, and zeta function for the operator −d2/dr2 − 1./(4r2),” J. Math. Phys. 47(4), 043506 (2006)]10.1063/1.2189194. We explain how their results alternatively follow from the general heat kernel construction by Mooers [“Heat kernel asymptotics on manifolds with conic singularities,” J. Anal. Math. 78, 1–36 (1999)]10.1007/BF02791127, a natural question that has not been addressed yet, as the latter work did not elaborate explicitly on the singular structure of the heat trace expansion beyond the statement of non-polyhomogeneity of the heat kernel.
Emergence of very broad infrared absorption band by hyperdoping of silicon with chalcogens
Authors: Umezu Ikurou , Warrender Jeffrey M. , Charnvanichborikarn Supakit , Kohno Atsushi , Williams James S. , Tabbal Malek , Papazoglou Dimitris G. , Zhang Xi-Cheng , Aziz Michael J.
Published: June 2013

We report the near through mid-infrared (MIR) optical absorption spectra, over the range 0.05–1.3 eV, of monocrystalline silicon layers hyperdoped with chalcogen atoms synthesized by ion implantation followed by pulsed laser melting. A broad mid-infrared optical absorption band emerges, peaking near 0.5 eV for sulfur and selenium and 0.3 eV for tellurium hyperdoped samples. Its strength and width increase with impurity concentration. Its strength decreases markedly with subsequent thermal annealing. The emergence of a broad MIR absorption band is consistent with the formation of an impurity band from isolated deep donor levels as the concentration of chalcogen atoms in metastable local configurations increases.
Size effects on water adsorbed on hydrophobic probes at the nanometric scale
Authors: Calero C. , Gordillo M. C. , Martí J.
Published: June 2013

Molecular dynamics simulations of liquid water at ambient conditions, adsorbed at the external walls of (n,n) single-walled armchair carbon nanotubes have been performed for n = 5, 9, 12. The comparison with the case of water adsorbed on graphene has also been included. The analysis of Helmholtz free energies reveals qualitatively different ranges of thermodynamical stability, eventually starting at a given threshold surface density. We observed that, in the framework of the force field considered here, water does not wet graphene nor (12,12) tubes, but it can coat thinner tubes such as (9,9) and (5,5), which indicates that the width of the carbon nanotube plays a role on wetting. On the other hand, density profiles, orientational distributions of water, and hydrogen-bond populations indicate significant changes of structure of water for the different surfaces. Further, we computed self-diffusion of water and spectral densities of water and carbon molecules, which again revealed different qualitative behavior of interfacial water depending on the size of the nanotube. The crossover size corresponds to tube diameters of around 1 nm.
Optical emission spectroscopy and Langmuir probe diagnostics of CH3F/O2 inductively coupled plasmas
Authors: Karakas Erdinc , Donnelly Vincent M. , Economou Demetre J.
Published: June 2013

A CH3F:O2 (50%:50%) inductively coupled discharge, sustained in a compact plasma reactor, was investigated as a function of power (20–400 W) and pressure (9–30 mTorr), using optical emission spectroscopy and Langmuir probe measurements. The electron density increased linearly with power but only weakly with pressure. The effective electron temperature was nearly independent of power and pressure. The gas temperature, obtained from the rotational structure of N2 (C → B) optical emission, increased from 400 to 900 K as a function of inductive mode power between 75 and 400 W at 10 mTorr. For constant feed gas flow, the absolute H, F, and O atom densities, estimated by optical emission rare gas actinometry, increased linearly with power. The absolute number density ratios H/Ar, F/Ar, and O/Ar, increased, decreased, and remained constant, respectively, with pressure. The H-atom density was estimated to be 5.4 × 1013 cm−3 at 400 W and 10 mTorr (gas temperature = 900 K), implying a high degree of dissociation of the CH3F feedstock gas. The F and O atom number densities were much lower (8.3 × 1012 cm−3 and 5.9 × 1012 cm−3, respectively) for the same conditions, suggesting that most of the fluorine and oxygen is contained in reaction products HF, CO, CO2, H2O, and OH. The relative number densities of HF, CO, and CO2 were observed to first rapidly increase with power, and then reach a plateau or decay slightly at higher power. Reaction mechanisms were proposed to explain the observed behavior of the number density of F and HF vs. power and pressure.