bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The engineering aspects of magnetohydrodynamics
Authors: Thomas Richard B.
Published: January 2009

There are probably few areas of natural science outside of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and plasma physics where fundamental research touches so closely upon modern technological development. Since the classic work of Alfvén, which received its impetus from astrophysics, the related problems of thermonuclear fusion, plasma propulsion, and MHD power generation have attracted some of the most able investigators in science and engineering. The effort already expended on these problems has been considerable and will without doubt be increased in the future. In recognition of the growing activity in these fields, the Basic Sciences Committee of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers organized the first meeting on the engineering aspects of magnetohydrodynamics at the University of Pennsylvania in 1960. Interest in the initial undertaking continued and a second conference was held in March 1961 at Philadelphia under the general chairmanship of Clifford Mannal (General Electric). With the advent of the third symposium, under the direction of N. W. Mather (Princeton), it is felt to be well on its way to becoming an annual gathering.
The role of international scientific organizations in improving scientific documentation
Authors: Hutchisson Elmer
Published: January 2009

As a representative of a scientific society which has membership on the US National Committee of the Fédération Internationale de Documentation (FID), I will be concerned primarily here with the problem of international scientific documentation as seen by a physicist-administrator intensely interested in the work of both FID and the American Documentation Institute, and at the same time having close ties with the documentation committees of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics and the International Council of Scientific Unions. Because of the very limited time available, I will restrict myself to two aspects of the problem, hoping to obtain your reactions to some thoughts on this subject which have been going through my mind during the past several months.
Fluctuations in solids
Authors: Brophy James J.
Published: January 2009

The Sixth Annual Fluctuations in Solids Symposium was notable for the number of new random effects discussed, which is indicative of the ever-widening scope and application of noise phenomena. This one-day meeting on May 17, 1962, was held for the first time at the University of Minnesota and again provided an informal forum for those actively working in the field to discuss their most recent results and current problems. Co-hosts for this year's meeting were A. van der Ziel and K. M. van Vliet of the University of Minnesota, who succeeded admirably in organizing the random contributions of participants into a coherent program. Following the welcoming remarks by Dean F. Verbrugge, the discussions were arranged into four major areas: (1) noise in devices, (2) theoretical problems, (3) noise in materials, and (4) special topics.
Symposium on electron diffraction studies of solids and gases
Authors: Ibers James A.
Published: January 2009

A symposium on Electron Diffraction Studies of Solids and Gases was held July 17–19 at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, following the Fourth General Assembly and International Congress of the International Union of Crystallography. This is the first meeting at which there has been wide representation of laboratories active in the field of electron diffraction, and there can be no doubt that the participants have obtained both a better understanding and appreciation of one another's work and also a better oriented view of the field as a whole. This Symposium was typical in the sense that much more was learned from informal discussions than from formal papers. For this reason in this review an attempt is made to summarize current problems and areas of research in the field of electron diffraction, rather than to review one by one the papers presented. It seems expedient to discuss the developments in electron diffraction of gases separately from those in electron diffraction of crystalline solids, since the experimental and theoretical problems are generally quite different.
George B. Pegram: Compton Medalist
Authors: Barton Henry A.
Published: January 2009

A good many people contributed to the establishment of the American Institute of Physics. Some of the genesis took place before 1930 in the minds of Dr. Paul D. Foote and the members of a committee of the Physical Society of which he was Chairman. I can't begin to name all of those who were concerned, but I think everyone who had anything to do with starting the AIP recognizes that there were two men who played the principal original roles. One of these was Dr. Compton, and this occasion today memorializes the great contribution which he made. The other was Dean George B. Pegram. If Dr. Compton were with us now I am sure he would agree that we cannot possibly overstate Dean Pegram's part in the planning, forming, and developing of the Institute.
Cooperative emulsion research
Authors: Schein Marcel
Published: January 2009

A summer Institute for Cooperative Emulsion Research was jointly sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the University of Chicago during the months of July and August, 1956. The work of the Institute was made possible through the great encouragement which we have received from the National Science Foundation and the authorities of our own University. It was of particular importance in this connection that the Nuclear Physics Branch of the Office of Naval Research, Washington, D.C., gave full support to the program of the Summer Institute and that we received permission to use microscopes and other equipment owned by the US Navy.
Summer Programs
Authors: Beck Guido
Published: January 2009

The University of Mexico; The sixth annual session.
Physics in the CSIRO
Authors: Beers Yardley
Published: January 2009

“The CSIRO? I know of them. They do a lot of radio astronomy”, said the custom's agent who examined my baggage. “The CSIRO? They certainly have shown that research pays, especially in the way in which they have reduced the rabbit pest”, said a retired business man. “Yes, we all know about the CSIRO. Wonderful work they have done”, said the owner of a sheep ranch. Remarks similar to these soon assured me that the Australian people nearly were as familiar with the initials “CSIRO”, as with the words “kangaroo” and “tennis” and that they had been convinced of the value of basic research.
…of Shell Models, Model T's, Mesons, and Thunderbirds
Authors: Goldman J. E.
Published: January 2009

It is for me a source of great pleasure to speak at a Chicago meeting. The Chicago meeting is today one of our last remaining links with physics and physicists of the past. Our other big meetings have for the most part shifted their base from the natural habitat of the physicist—the informal, intellectual, and cultural atmosphere of the academic campus—to the cold, forbidding, business-like bustle of a large hotel. Gone are the pleasant chats in the quadrangle, the equations carved in the soft earth of the Bureau of Standards, the chalk marks on the sidewalks, the blackboard bull-sessions of Pupin Hall, or an evening theoretical session on the Institute grounds in Princeton with a young graduate student named Feynman heckling Einstein. These are being replaced by market tips—both stock and flesh—and the slave auction of the fourth and fifth floors of the New Yorker. This is why it's all the more refreshing to be back in Chicago where the meeting still centers itself about the University of Chicago, where the spirit of Fermi, Compton, and Michaelson still permeate the air of the meetings, and science takes precedence over job security. In a way, Chicago may be held responsible for all these changes because the turning point of our profession came about here under the West Stands not 300 yards from this very spot. But the University has fortunately not allowed itself to become tainted with other pressures and even today in its walls are originated the newer ideas and concepts in what we used to know before the war as physics but today have to refer to almost apologetically as fundamental physics. It is here at the University of Chicago that so much of the important physics of this century was fathered and where one still has the feeling that physics is an integrated whole and not an assembly of separate noninteracting orthogonal subjects. Here also was born the shell model which in effect brings me to the title of my remarks of this evening: Of Shell Models, Model T's, Mesons, and Thunderbirds.
Part II, History of the cyclotron
Authors: McMillan Edwin M.
Published: January 2009

As Dr. Livingston has told you, our activities overlapped by a few months, so that between, us we can give a continuous story of cyclotron development as carried out at Berkeley under the guidance of Professor Lawrence. My start in his laboratory was in April of 1934, but I was around Berkeley before that working in Le Conte Hall on a molecular beam problem. Therefore, I have two kinds of early memories of the Radiation Laboratory at that time. One is as a place that I visited occasionally before I was working there; the other is as a place where I came to work, which I remember better, although it still seems like a very long time ago. The whole way of working was rather different from what it is in most laboratories today. We did practically everything ourselves. We had no professional engineers, so we had to design our own apparatus; we made sketches for the shop, and did much of our own machine work; we took all of our own data, did all our own calculations, and wrote all our own papers. Things are now quite different from that, because everybody does just his share and the operations have become much larger and more professional. While the modern method produces more results, perhaps this older way may have been more fun.
Nuclear forces and the few-nucleon problem
Authors: Moravcsik Michael J.
Published: January 2009

When I arrived at the other side of the ocean I was asked whether I came over on a Fulbright or whether I came for the “conference season”. A glance at the calendar of international scientific gatherings is enough to ascertain that summer in Europe has indeed grown into a “conference season”, the popularity and success of which can be well demonstrated by the story of the London conference on which I am reporting.
Annual report of the Advisory Panel to the Applied Mathematics Division of NBS
Authors: Taub A. H.
Published: January 2009

The Applied Mathematics Division has done without the services of some of its key people during all or part of the past year. Some of these were on leave and are expected to return. Unfortunately, the death of Dr. Milton Abramowitz takes from the Bureau a most valuable member of the Division. In spite of this, the Division continues to provide excellent mathematical, computational, and statistical services to other agencies of the government and to other Bureau divisions. In addition, the Division is serving the scientific community of the nation with its preparation of the Mathematical Tables Handbook and its training program in numerical analysis. Further, the members of the Division are carrying out significant research programs in addition to their service duties. The activities of the various sections of the Division are described below.
The atomic mechanisms of fracture
Authors: Gilman J. J. , Lieberman David S.
Published: January 2009

During the week of April 12, 1959, an International Conference on Fracture was held at Swampscott, Massachusetts. Plans for it had been in the making for the previous year and a half. Except for the commuting Boston (MIT) contingent, all of the attending scientists were housed most comfortably in the New Ocean House, a North Shore resort hotel of turn-of-the-century elegance on the ocean twelve miles from Boston. Some took advantage of the between-session breaks to walk on the private beach in the brisk 50° brilliant sunny weather, but many never left the hotel during the entire conference. Certainly living so completely together during the entire time of the conference fostered an intensive and extensive interchange of information and ideas which would not have been possible otherwise.
Locating unclassified government-sponsored research reports
Authors: Maizell R. E.
Published: January 2009

Many physicists will recall Dwight Gray's article on unpublished research reports which appeared in Physics Today (June 1957, p. 18). This article showed that for the technical reports that contained publishable data, all such information is published within two to three years for only half of these reports. There are probably more reports today than when this study was completed. It therefore becomes a matter of increasing importance to obtain these reports promptly and, if possible, prior to publication in a journal. The problem is one which is particularly acute for those scientists who are not working on such government-sponsored projects and, hence, find it more difficult to obtain published government research reports, even if these reports are unclassified.
International Conference on Crystal Growth
Authors: Turnbull David
Published: January 2009

Although crystallization is a very familiar phenomenon the mechanisms whereby it occurs have proved to be subtle and difficult to establish. For this reason the subject has held great interest, both scientifically and technologically, for a long time.
Magnetic resonance of the solid state
Authors: Ingram D. J. E.
Published: January 2009

A meeting of the Radiofrequency Spectroscopy Group was held in Newcastle on September 22nd and 23rd to discuss recent work on “Magnetic Resonance of the Solid State”. The number attending this meeting and the keen interest in the work reported were striking evidence of the increasing power of these new techniques as a probe into the details of solid-state structure and interactions. The general theme of the discussion was the study of impurities and defects in ionic crystals, which appropriately linked with the research being carried out by Dr. Schneider's group at Newcastle itself. The study of impurity and defect centers is a subject in which magnetic resonance is making very considerable contributions at the moment, in a somewhat similar way to its applications in detailed organic analysis and the investigation of free-radical systems on the more chemical side.
Small-angle x-ray scattering by metals
Authors: Robinson W. H.
Published: January 2009

An important event on the science calendar of Kansas City, Missouri, occurred last fall when the International Conference on Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering by Metals was held at the Midwest Research Institute on September 23–25, 1958. It was the first major scientific conference to be held in Kansas City, and it resulted, indirectly, from the intense interest of Kansas City's civic leaders in having their city recognized as a scientific center as well as for its steaks.
Mathematics and rheology: The 1958 Bingham Medal Address
Authors: Rivlin Ronald S.
Published: January 2009

The topic I shall discuss is mathematics and rheology and I shall, of course, concentrate on those aspects of mathematical rheology in which I have been interested. Many of you will no doubt recall that Sir Geoffrey Taylor chose a similar topic as the subject for his Presidential Address to the International Conference on Rheology held at Oxford in 1953. In it he advanced what seemed to me a rather pessimistic appraisal of the role of mathematics in rheology. I shall try to be more optimistic. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the Oxford conference myself and merely read Sir Geoffrey's talk in the proceedings of the conference. I conjecture from its pessimistic note that Sir Geoffrey must have been talking before dinner. I like to think that if he had been talking after dinner, he too would have been more optimistic. In his preprandial pessimism he took the view that the mathematician must at best have the role of a handmaiden to the experimental rheologist, solving—or more often failing to solve—particular little problems that are posed. I would much rather regard his role as one of equal responsibility with the experimental rheologist for the advance of the subject—at times running ahead of the experimenter and determining the pattern of progress, at other times lagging behind.
Bariloche Cosmic-Ray Conference
Authors: Korff Serge A. , Chasson Robert L.
Published: January 2009

The Cuarto Curso Interamericano de Rayos Cósmicos was held at San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, on January 19–31, 1959. The meeting was principally attended by South American investigators and consisted of a series of review papers and several original contributions. The principal topics discussed were cosmic-ray time variations and their possible relationships to solar and geophysical phenomena in general. There was also considerable discussion of corrections to be applied to long-term neutron and meson monitor records in order to permit the most effective use of worldwide IGY data.
The helium situation
Authors: Brickwedde F. G.
Published: January 2009

From time to time, cryogenic laboratories have experienced difficulty in obtaining supplies of gaseous helium because helium has been in short supply and can be purchased only with a US Government permit. Usually, these permits to purchase have been obtainable, though sometimes this has involved some trouble. As far as the author is aware, cryogenic laboratories have ultimately obtained the helium needed.
Physics in Finland
Authors: Porter C. E.
Published: January 2009

One of the more difficult tasks a former Fulbright grantee can undertake is to convey to his professional colleagues in a meaningful way the most important aspects of his year abroad. Having been the first physicist in Finland under the Fulbright Program only underlines this responsibility, but having been in Finland for only a year (August 1956 to August 1957) tends to put one in the position of being a pseudoexpert. The proximity of Finland to Russia would make it very easy to fall in line with current journalistic trends in the United States and to pick a title such as “Physics in the Shadow of the Iron Curtain”. If the spirit of such a title were to permeate an entire article, it would lead to a rather gross distortion of what is presently occurring in physics in Finland although there has been a certain amount of intellectual isolation resulting from Finland's geographical position
Rarefied gas dynamics
Authors: Devienne F. M.
Published: January 2009

The first international symposium on rarefied gas dynamics was held from the 2nd to the 5th of July under the chairmanship of J. Pérès, dean of the Paris Faculty of Science. This symposium took place in Nice, a town of whose charm it is hardly necessary to boast, and the participants enjoyed magnificent weather. Fourteen countries were represented. The American delegation was particularly important for it included not only representatives from the Berkeley and Moffett Field groups but also numerous American university professors who have worked both experimentally and theoretically in the field of rarefied gases.
Preserving the half metallicity at the interface of zinc-blende CrSb/Ga0.87In0.13As heterojunction: A density functional theory study
Authors: Moradi M. , Soltani Z.
Published: January 2009

First principles calculations based on the spin density functional theory are performed to study the electronic and magnetic properties and also the band alignment of zb-CrSb/Ga0.87In0.13As (001) heterojunction. Our results show that half metallicity persist at the interface. The calculation of band alignment in the heterojunction implies that in the Cr/As and Sb/Ga junctions, the Fermi level lies above the conduction band minimum (CBM) of Ga0.87In0.13As, and CBM of the minority spin lies just above that of Ga0.87In0.13As, suggesting that the majority spin can be injected into Ga0.87In0.13As without being flipped to the conduction bands of the minority spin. Thus the CrSb/Ga0.87In0.13As heterojunction can be potentially useful in the field of spintronics.
Laser surface multilevel self-assembly of CaP–TiO2 particles
Authors: Kurella Anil K. , Samant Anoop N. , Dahotre Narendra B.
Published: January 2009

Laser surface engineering of calcium phosphate coatings on Ti alloy is carried out in the present work. Using a continuous wave neodymium doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser, hierarchically textured multiphase coatings were engineered at multiple processing speeds. The evolution and enclosure of star shaped CaTiO3 particles inside a calcium phosphate and TiO2 rich circularly assembled cuboid particles was characteristic of higher laser processing speeds (>2000 mm/min). Self-assembly strongly dictated by thermochemical interactions resulted in creating such multiscale and multiphase textured surfaces.
Fermi level depinning in metal/Ge Schottky junction for metal source/drain Ge metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistor application
Authors: Kobayashi Masaharu , Kinoshita Atsuhiro , Saraswat Krishna , Wong H.-S. Philip , Nishi Yoshio
Published: January 2009

Schottky barrier height modulation in metal/Ge Schottky junction was demonstrated by inserting an ultrathin interfacial silicon nitride layer. The SiN interfacial layer suppressed strong Fermi level pinning in metal/Ge Schottky junction, which resulted in effective control of Schottky barrier height. Metal/SiN/Ge Schottky diode was systematically investigated in terms of SiN thickness dependence and metal work function dependence. At an optimal SiN thickness, Ohmic contact between metal and Ge was obtained as a result of Fermi level depinning, and almost ideal Schottky barrier height determined by the work function difference between the metal and Ge was achieved. This technology was finally applied to metal source/drain Ge metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors with low source/drain resistance.
Study of efficient and stable organic light-emitting diodes with 2-methyl-9,10-di(2-naphthyl)anthracene as hole-transport material by admittance spectroscopy
Authors: Ho Meng-Huan , Hsieh Ming-Ta , Lin Kuan-Heng , Chen Teng-Ming , Chen Jenn-Fang , Chen Chin H.
Published: January 2009

An organic light-emitting device with enhanced efficiency sby employing 2-methyl-9,10-di(2-naphthyl)anthracene (MADN) as hole-transport material (HTM) has been developed. The admittance spectroscopy studies indicate that using MADN as HTM can reduce the amount of hole carriers injected into the device leading to a well-balanced carrier recombination. The green fluorescent 10-(2-benzothiazolyl)-1,1,7,7-tetramethyl-2,3,6,7-tetrahydro-1H,5H,11H-benzo[l]pyrano-[6,7,8-ij]quinolizin-11-one doped tris(8-quinolinolato)aluminum device achieved a current efficiency of 21.8 cd/A and a power efficiency of 10.4 lm/W at 20 mA/cm2 that are 65% higher than those of the control device. The green-doped device also achieved a long half-decay lifetime of 22 000 h at an initial brightness of 500 cd/m2.
A debate on preprint exchange
Authors: Moravcsik Michael , Pasternack Simon
Published: January 2009

How best to communicate scientific research results and ideas is subject to strong differences of opinion among physicists. Particularly at issue is a proposal to systematically reproduce and circulate preliminary research reports and other similar documents.
A hierarchical model for incomplete alignments in phylogenetic inference
Authors: Cheng Fuxia , Hartmann Stefanie , Gupta Mayetri , Ibrahim Joseph G. , Vision Todd J.
Published: January 2009

Motivation: Full-length DNA and protein sequences that span the entire length of a gene are ideally used for multiple sequence alignments (MSAs) and the subsequent inference of their relationships. Frequently, however, MSAs contain a substantial amount of missing data. For example, expressed sequence tags (ESTs), which are partial sequences of expressed genes, are the predominant source of sequence data for many organisms. The patterns of missing data typical for EST-derived alignments greatly compromise the accuracy of estimated phylogenies.

Results: We present a statistical method for inferring phylogenetic trees from EST-based incomplete MSA data. We propose a class of hierarchical models for modeling pairwise distances between the sequences, and develop a fully Bayesian approach for estimation of the model parameters. Once the distance matrix is estimated, the phylogenetic tree may be constructed by applying neighbor-joining (or any other algorithm of choice). We also show that maximizing the marginal likelihood from the Bayesian approach yields similar results to a profile likelihood estimation. The proposed methods are illustrated using simulated protein families, for which the true phylogeny is known, and one real protein family.

Availability: R code for fitting these models are available from: http://people.bu.edu/gupta/software.htm.

Contact:  gupta@bu.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary Data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Extreme weather events influence dispersal of naive northern fur seals
Authors: Lea Mary-Anne , Johnson Devin , Ream Rolf , Sterling Jeremy , Melin Sharon , Gelatt Tom
Published: January 2009

Since 1975, northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) numbers at the Pribilof Islands (PI) in the Bering Sea have declined rapidly for unknown reasons. Migratory dispersal and habitat choice may affect first-year survivorship, thereby contributing to this decline. We compared migratory behaviour of 166 naive pups during 2 years from islands with disparate population trends (increasing: Bogoslof and San Miguel Islands; declining: PI), hypothesizing that climatic conditions at weaning may differentially affect dispersal and survival. Atmospheric conditions (Bering Sea) in autumn 2005–2006 were anomalously cold, while 2006–2007 was considerably warmer and less stormy. In 2005, pups departed earlier at all sites, and the majority of PI pups (68–85%) departed within 1 day of Arctic storms and dispersed quickly, travelling southwards through the Aleutian Islands. Tailwinds enabled faster rates of travel than headwinds, a trend not previously shown for marine mammals. Weather effects were less pronounced at Bogoslof Island (approx. 400 km further south), and, at San Miguel Island, (California) departures were more gradual, and only influenced by wind and air pressure in 2005. We suggest that increasingly variable climatic conditions at weaning, particularly timing, frequency and intensity of autumnal storms in the Bering Sea, may alter timing, direction of dispersal and potentially survival of pups.
An approach to industrial post mortems
Authors: Attanoos Richard L , Gibbs Allen R
Published: January 2009

Industrial‐related deaths represent a specialized aspect of autopsy practice. The purpose of this review is to assist the pathologist in the handling of such deaths. The diseases associated with the three most significant mineral dusts (asbestos, coal and silica) are described, together with a selection of less well‐known mineral dust diseases. This review addresses the complex issues of ascribing disease to industrial exposures and the role of mineral analysis. The authors discuss the common medical legal issues that are encountered at post mortem and at inquest deposition.
The Hawaiian Archipelago is a stepping stone for dispersal in the Pacific: an example from the plant genusMelicope(Rutaceae)
Authors: Harbaugh Danica T. , Wagner Warren L. , Allan Gerard J. , Zimmer Elizabeth A.
Published: January 2009

Aim Pacific biogeographical patterns in the widespread plant genusMelicopeJ.R. Forst. & G. Forst. (Rutaceae) were examined by generating phylogenetic hypotheses based on chloroplast and nuclear ribosomal sequence data. The aims of the study were to identify the number of colonization events ofMelicopeto the Hawaiian Islands and to reveal the relationship of HawaiianMelicopeto the Hawaiian endemic genusPlatydesmaH. Mann. The ultimate goal was to determine if the Hawaiian Islands served as a source area for the colonization of Polynesia.

Location Nineteen accessions were sampled in this study, namely eightMelicopespecies from the Hawaiian Islands, four from the Marquesas Islands, one species each from Tahiti, Australia and Lord Howe Island, two Australian outgroups and two species of the Hawaiian endemic genusPlatydesma. To place our results in a broader context, 19 sequences obtained from GenBank were included in an additional analysis, including samples from Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Southeast Polynesia and Asia.

Methods DNA sequences were generated across 19 accessions for one nuclear ribosomal and three chloroplast gene regions. Maximum parsimony analyses were conducted on separate and combined data sets, and a maximum likelihood analysis was conducted on the combined nuclear ribosomal and chloroplast data set. A broader nuclear ribosomal maximum parsimony analysis using sequences obtained from GenBank was also performed. Geographic areas were mapped onto the combined chloroplast and nuclear ribosomal tree, as well as onto the broader tree, using the parsimony criterion to determine the dispersal patterns.

Results Phylogenetic analyses revealed thatPlatydesmais nested withinMelicopeand is sister to the Hawaiian members ofMelicope. The HawaiianMelicope + Platydesmalineage was a result of a single colonization event, probably from the Austral region. Finally, MarquesanMelicopedescended from at least one, and possibly two, colonization events from the Hawaiian Islands.

Main conclusions These data demonstrate a shifting paradigm of Pacific oceanic island biogeography, in which the patterns of long‐distance dispersal and colonization in the Pacific are more dynamic than previously thought, and suggest that the Hawaiian Islands may act as a stepping stone for dispersal throughout the Pacific.
Beyond Web 2.0: mapping the technology landscapes of young learners
Authors: Clark W. , Logan K. , Luckin R. , Mee A. , Oliver M.
Published: January 2009

Abstract  Boundaries between formal and informal learning settings are shaped by influences beyond learners' control. This can lead to the proscription of some familiar technologies that learners may like to use from some learning settings. This contested demarcation is not well documented. In this paper, we introduce the term ‘digital dissonance’ to describe this tension with respect to learners' appropriation of Web 2.0 technologies in formal contexts. We present the results of a study that explores learners' in‐ and out‐of‐school use of Web 2.0 and related technologies. The study comprises two data sources: a questionnaire and a mapping activity. The contexts within which learners felt their technologies were appropriate or able to be used are also explored. Results of the study show that a sense of ‘digital dissonance’ occurs around learners' experience of Web 2.0 activity in and out of school. Many learners routinely cross institutionally demarcated boundaries, but the implications of this activity are not well understood by institutions or indeed by learners themselves. More needs to be understood about the transferability of Web 2.0 skill sets and ways in which these can be used to support formal learning.
New insights into the mechanism and management of allergic diseases: atopic dermatitis
Authors: Novak N.
Published: January 2009

Rapidly increasing knowledge on the complex background of atopic dermatitis (AD) on the genetic, immunological and environmental level in combination with the continuous improvement in our diagnostic options has initiated an ongoing discussion on factors, which primarily promote the disease on one hand and mechanisms which emerge rather secondarily as a consequence of disease‐specific modifications, on the other hand. Beside a sustained search for reliable and meaningful diagnostic tools for elicitors of the disease, novel therapeutic approaches are required, as most of the treatments of AD are limited to symptomatic therapies. In contrast, therapeutic approaches selectively regulating aberrant pathophysiological mechanisms in AD itself would be much more effective and promising.
Surface Chemicals Inform about Sex and Breeding Status in the Biparental Burying Beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides
Authors: Steiger Sandra , Whitlow Sonia , Peschke Klaus , Müller Josef K.
Published: January 2009

The multicomponent nature of chemical cues and signals are not very well understood. One reason for the often found complexity of chemical blends might be that they provide multiple messages. Burying beetles which use vertebrate carcasses as food for their larvae and defend these carcasses against inter‐ and intraspecific competitors are able to recognise the sex and breeding status of conspecifics. Studies have shown that the chemical composition of cuticular lipids is correlated with sex and breeding status, but there is no definitive evidence that these chemicals function in recognition. In the present study, we performed behavioural bioassays to directly asses the role of chemical cues in the recognition system of the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides. After finding a carcass, females were more tolerant of dead males than of females. The behaviour was reversed when a solvent extract from the opposite sex was applied. An earlier experiment had shown that females breeding on a carcass treat non‐breeding males more aggressively than breeding ones. In the present study, we could trigger the same dichotomous behaviours by presenting a single elytron from a breeding and a non‐breeding beetle. In an additional experiment, females tolerated the elytra of non‐breeding beetles if we had first applied an extract from a breeding beetle to these elytra. Our study is the first behavioural proof that female burying beetles obtain multiple information from chemical cues.
Sandpipers Select Red Brine Shrimps Rich in Both Carotenoids and Parasites
Authors: Sánchez Marta I. , Hortas Francisco , Figuerola Jordi , Green Andy J.
Published: January 2009

Cestode parasites using brine shrimps Artemia as intermediate hosts and waterbirds as final hosts are known to change the colour of shrimps from pale pink to bright red owing to an increase in carotenoid pigments. In order to assess whether this coloration increases the chances of shrimp predation by the final host, we conducted an experiment in which 10 Calidris sandpipers were given a choice of 20 bright red and 20 pale pink shrimps. A strong preference for red, infected shrimps was recorded, suggesting that red colour is a manipulation by cestodes to increase transmission to its final hosts. The factors regulating access and functions of carotenoids in birds are under intense debate. For the first time, we show that access to carotenoid‐rich foods in birds can have a cost derived from an increased exposure to parasites. To our knowledge, this is the first time that avian hosts have been shown to exert a colour‐based preference for parasitized prey.
Service Quality in Modern Bureaucracy: Parkinson's Theory at Work
Authors: Jochimsen Beate
Published: January 2009

Parkinson's Law states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion and that the number of administrators in an office is bound to increase over time. A unique laboratory to test Parkinson's ideas are vehicle registration offices in Germany. Using their data we found empirical support for Parkinson's Law: First, service quality is no better in offices that have more staff per case. Second, service quality is worse if the service procedure is disaggregated into multiple smaller sub‐services. Third, the staff size is a convex function of the number of customers. These results are robust to specifications in various alternative models.
Who Visits the Museums? A Comparison between Stated Preferences and Observed Effects of Entrance Fees
Authors: Lampi Elina , Orth Matilda
Published: January 2009

The issue of free entrance is debated in many countries. We investigate changes in visitor composition associated with an introduction of an entrance fee to a state funded museum, and the validity of the Contingent Valuation (CV) method. We conducted two surveys to collect information about the visitors' socio‐economic backgrounds, one before and one after the fee was in effect. While entrance was still free, we also asked visitors about their willingness to pay for a visit, using the CV method. We then compare the results of the CV survey with the actual change in visitor composition caused by the fee. We thus have a unique opportunity to test the validity of the CV, which, as far as we know, has never been done in a similar way before. The results of the CV indicate that several target group visitors are less likely to visit the museum after an implementation of a relatively low fee. Consequently, charging for entrance does affect who visits the museum. The validity test of the CV method shows that a majority of the changes in visitor composition were correctly predicted. We conclude that the CV method is particularly successful when applied on goods familiar to the respondents.
Institutions and Export Specialization: Just Direct Effects?
Authors: Martincus Christian Volpe , Gallo Andrés
Published: January 2009

Many developing countries' exports tend to be highly concentrated in terms of sectors and even products. In particular, they are strongly specialized in self‐contained sectors. Recent economic literature has shown that institutions contribute to explaining this pattern. In this paper, we argue that the degree of self‐containment itself is endogenous to institutions. Ceteris paribus a given sector will therefore have different levels of interactions with the rest of the economy across countries depending on the quality of institutions. We provide supportive evidence using a simultaneous equation approach on data on sectoral trade, country‐specific input‐output linkages, and institutional strength.
A holistic food labelling strategy for preventing obesity and dental caries
Authors: Cinar A. B. , Murtomaa H.
Published: January 2009

Obesity and dental caries in childhood are among the major public health concerns described as a global pandemic because of their global distribution and severe consequences. A consensus has developed as to a recently emerging and alarming common risk factor that leads to the double burden of dental caries and obesity; energy‐dense foods (sugar‐coated cereals, high‐sugar yogurt, soft drinks) are becoming very popular among children because of their dense marketing, cheaper price, increased supply and variety. Implementation of health‐promoting and ‐supporting marketing strategies for healthy food can be one initial cornerstone for successful application of the common risk factor approach in prevention of obesity and dental caries, as also suggested by World Health Organization. Labelling healthy food with a ‘health‐friendly’ logo, illustrating that the teeth and the heart are both parts of the whole body (standing side by side supporting each other as close friends), both happy and protected because of consumption of healthy food for the whole body, can promote the foods that are friendly to health of the whole body, implementing the common risk factor approach under a single theme. Labelling healthy food as ‘health‐friendly’ based on an international consensus will provide a clear and uniform picture of what is healthy to eat and result in an international integrated programme for prevention of obesity and caries.
Scholarships or Student Loans? Subsidizing Higher Education in the Presence of Moral Hazard
Authors: CIGNO ALESSANDRO , LUPORINI ANNALISA
Published: January 2009

An income‐contingent loan scheme can at best replicate the allocation brought about by a scholarship scheme financed by a graduate tax, and only on condition that there is nothing to stop the policy maker from using tuition fees as if they were taxes. If that is not possible, even the best loan scheme will exclude some well‐qualified school leaver from university. Even if individual study effort is observable, but more so if it is not, it is not socially desirable that all students should specialize in the subjects that promise the highest graduate earnings.
Hospitality in pre‐viking Anglo‐Saxon England
Authors: Gautier Alban
Published: January 2009

This article studies the question of Anglo‐Saxon hospitality, that is, in the first place, the gift (from a host to a guest) of food, fodder, roof and bed for a night or for a longer term. Contrary to Romantic visions, it was nothing like a spontaneous and free practice: Marcel Mauss and other anthropologists after him have shown that giving and receiving were obligations, compulsory acts in pre‐market societies. In Anglo‐Saxon England, hospitality was always a duty, strictly limited and framed by custom. It may have been provided to a single traveller, to a member of a formal or informal network (particularly ecclesiastical), to a king or to his agents in the form of a pastus or feorm: a kind of ‘guesting’ or compulsory hospitality which was progressively given up by kings as they booked lands to religious institutions. The forms and beneficiaries may vary, but the opposition between ‘spontaneous’ feasting and ‘compulsory’ guesting must not be stressed too much: hospitality was always a kind of binding exchange, even when it assumed the shape, the aspect, and even the values of a free and open practice.
Climate change‐induced migration in the Pacific Region: sudden crisis and long‐term developments1
Authors: LOCKE JUSTIN T
Published: January 2009

With so many other social, economic and environmental factors at work establishing linear, causative relationships between anthropogenic climate change and population dynamics it has been difficult to pinpoint the specific human consequences of climate change on respective populations. Qualitative information was examined based on interviewees’ testimonies and personal experience, as well as a descriptive analysis of population records, climate‐change related impacts, and consequences of uneven development in the Republic of Kiribati and Tuvalu, two low‐lying atoll nations in the Pacific region taken as examples to illustrate the issues involved. Strong evidence was found that recent influxes in population movements to urban central islands from rural outer islands experienced in these countries can be attributed to a combination of the adverse impacts of climate change and socioeconomic factors inherit in small island developing states. Moreover, internal migrants cannot be accommodated in their states of origin, putting pressure on local infrastructure and services. This, combined with a recent population boom, has led to a decline in human development indicators and a general livelihood decline.
Enhancing Knowledge Transfer in Classroom Versus Online Settings: The Interplay Among Instructor, Student, Content, and Context
Authors: Nemanich Louise , Banks Michael , Vera Dusya
Published: January 2009

This article integrates management education and organizational learning theories to identify the factors that drive the differences in student outcomes between the online and classroom settings. We draw upon theory on knowledge transfer barriers in organizations to understand the interlinking relationships among presage conditions, deep learning process, and product in the 3P model of student learning. We test our model in the context of undergraduate education and find that confidence in the instructor's expertise, perceived content relevance, and the social richness of the classroom learning environment enhance student enjoyment of the course. Confidence in instructor's expertise and perceived content relevance also contribute to greater understanding of causal relationships among course concepts. Enjoyment is positively associated with learning performance in the classroom, but not online, and student ability is positively associated with learning performance in the online context, but not in the classroom. Our results have implications for course designs in the traditional classroom context and the more innovative online environment.
Weblog Technology for Instruction, Learning, and Information Delivery*
Authors: Shim J. P. , Guo Chengqi
Published: January 2009

Ever since Weblog emerged as an infusive online communication tool over the last decade, its impacts have been witnessed by the Internet society at large. Meanwhile, more and more universities and colleges are offering online classes enhanced by Web technology. In this article, we investigate the role of Weblog combined with face‐to‐face lectures through a three‐phase study that examines college students' perception of Weblog used in class. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) techniques are employed to recognize meaningful patterns from collected data. The findings lie in the aspects of: relationship between level of study and the perceived value of Weblog, the relationship between level of Weblog experience and the perceived value of Weblog, and factors contributing to students' perception of Weblog usage. As the first work of its kind examining Weblog adoption from student perspective, this article provides educators, researchers, and practitioners with conceptual and practical references.
Gender Differences in the Effect of Auditory Stimuli on Ventricular Repolarization in Healthy Subjects
Authors: NAKAGAWA MIKIKO , SEKINE YASUKO , ONO MARI , TANIGUCHI YAYOI , TAKAHASHI NAOHIKO , YONEMOCHI HIDETOSHI , SAIKAWA TETSUNORI
Published: January 2009

Introduction:Gender differences in the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias have been reported and torsade de pointes associated with long‐QT syndrome (LQTS) is more common in women than men. Although auditory stimulation has been recognized as an important trigger of torsade de pointes in LQT2 patients, the normal response and gender differences in ventricular repolarization induced by auditory stimuli remained to be evaluated systematically.

Methods:Holter ECGs were recorded in 30 healthy volunteers (14 men aged 25 ± 4 years and 16 women aged 23 ± 2 years). They were awakened by an alarm clock at 5:00 am. The RR and QT (QTc) intervals and the T‐wave amplitude were measured before and after alarm ringing.

Results:The morphology of the T‐wave changed dynamically and transiently during awakening. The RR interval significantly decreased just after sounding of the alarm in both sexes (P < 0.0001). The QT interval changed little after the alarm ringing and was significantly longer in women than men (P < 0.0001). The QTc intervals were significantly prolonged just after alarm ringing in both sexes (P < 0.0001); QTc prolongation was significantly longer and more sustained in women than men (P < 0.0001). The T‐wave amplitude decreased after the alarm and was significantly lower in women than men (P = 0.0001).

Conclusion:Auditory stimulation abruptly and abnormally modulated the dynamics of ventricular repolarization in healthy subjects; the effect was more pronounced in women than men. This gender difference may partially account for the increased susceptibility of women with electrically unstable hearts to arrhythmogenesis.
The Clinical Utility of Entrainment Pacing
Authors: DEO RAJAT , BERGER RONALD
Published: January 2009

Entrainment mapping is an important concept in electrophysiology that allows clinicians to characterize and treat reentrant arrhythmias. Entrainment mapping has been particularly useful for the treatment of atrial flutter, reentrant atrial tachycardias, and scar‐related ventricular tachycardia. In this article, we outline the conduction properties of reentrant rhythms that permit entrainment mapping to be a useful technique. In addition, we highlight the differences between manifest and concealed entrainment. Finally, we describe useful strategies for diagnosing and treating atrial flutter and ventricular tachycardia.