bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Eutrophication threatens the biochemical diversity in lichens
Authors: HAUCK Markus
Published: February 2011

Lichens respond sensitively to ambient nitrogen levels. Global change, which includes the increase of nitrogen-polluted environments, causes the decline of species sensitive to eutrophication, whereas some species tolerant of high nitrogen levels increase. Lichens produce hundreds of carbon-based secondary substances (so-called lichen substances), most of which are unique to the lichen symbiosis. In the present paper, correlative patterns between the eutrophication tolerance of lichen species and their secondary chemistry are analyzed using two data sets, one classifying the eutrophication tolerance of more than 500 Central European lichen species, and another of epiphytic lichens from more than 1200 plots from the Netherlands. Analyses show that, in general, the diversity of lichen secondary metabolites decreases along with increasing tolerance to eutrophication. Most notable is the reduced diversity of depsides and depsidones, the two largest groups of lichen substances, but dibenzofurans and fatty acids are also generally found in lichens sensitive to eutrophication. Conversely, anthraquinones and pulvinic acids are found most frequently in lichens from nitrogen-rich environments that can result from eutrophication. A family-wide analysis of the datasets indicates that loss of chemical diversity is not due to a single species-rich lichen family, but a characteristic of many lichen families.
Lecanora sorediomarginata, a new epiphytic lichen species discovered along the Portuguese coast
Authors: RODRIGUES Sandrina Azevedo , TERRÓN-ALFONSO Arsenio , ELIX John A. , PÉREZ-ORTEGA Sergio , TØNSBERG Tor , FERNÁNDEZ-SALEGUI Ana Belén , SOARES Amadeu M. V. M.
Published: February 2011

Lecanora sorediomarginataRodrigues, Terrón & Elix sp. nov., described as new to science from Portugal, is characterized morphologically by a crustose whitish-grey to greenish thallus developing soralia from small, marginal warts and chemically by the presence of 3,5-dichloro-2′-O-methylnorstenosporic acid [major], 3,5-dichloro-2′-O-methylanziaic acid [minor], 3,5-dichloro-2′-O-methylnordivaricatic acid [minor], 5-chloro-2′-O-methylanziaic acid [trace], atranorin [minor], chloroatranorin [minor], and usnic acid [trace]. It is chemically similar toL. lividocinerea, to which it shows phylogenetic affinities based on ITS rDNA sequence analysis, and toL. sulphurella.Lecanora sorediomarginatais epiphytic onPinus pinasterandP. pinea, in pine forests on sand dunes along the Portuguese coast.
Copper localization, elemental content, and thallus colour in the copper hyperaccumulator lichenLecanora sierraefrom California
Authors: PURVIS O. W. , BENNETT J. P. , SPRATT J.
Published: February 2011

An unusual dark blue-green lichen,Lecanora sierrae, was discovered over 30 years ago by Czehura near copper mines in the Lights Creek District, Plumas County, Northern California. Using atomic absorption spectroscopy, Czehura found that dark green lichen samples from Warren Canyon contained 4% Cu in ash and suggested that its colour was due to copper accumulation in the cortex. The present study addressed the hypothesis that the green colour in similar material we sampled from Warren Canyon in 2008, is caused by copper localization in the thallus. Optical microscopy and electron microprobe analysis of specimens ofL. sierraeconfirmed that copper localization took place in the cortex. Elemental analyses ofL. sierraeand three other species from the same localities showed high enrichments of copper and selenium, suggesting that copper selenates or selenites might occur in these lichens and be responsible for the unusual colour.
New polymorphic mitochondrial markers for sponge phylogeography
Authors: Rua Cintia P.J. , Zilberberg Carla , Solé-Cava Antonio M.
Published: February 2011

Phylogeography and population genetic studies in the Porifera have been limited by the lack of available polymorphic DNA markers. In this paper, we tested four new mitochondrial markers in nine demosponge species from a wide taxonomic range: partial sequences of the ATP synthase 6 (ATP6) and the cytochrome oxidase 2 (CO2) genes and two spacers: one located between ATP6 and CO2 and the other between the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 (ND5) and the small subunit ribosomal RNA (rns) genes. The new markers presented levels of nucleotide diversity up to 2.4 times higher (π = 0.015 for CO2) than those observed for the most commonly used mitochondrial marker in sponges, the cytochrome oxidase 1 gene (π = 0.006), making them suitable for alpha-level systematics, phylogeography and population genetics studies.
The wildcatFelis silvestrisin northern Turkey: assessment of status using camera trapping
Authors: Can Özgün Emre , Kandemi̇r İrfan , Togan İnci̇
Published: February 2011

The wildcatFelis silvestrisis a protected species in Turkey but the lack of information on its status is an obstacle to conservation initiatives. To assess the status of the species we interviewed local forestry and wildlife personnel and conducted field surveys in selected sites in northern, eastern and western Turkey during 2000–2007. In January–May 2006 we surveyed for the wildcat using 16 passive infrared-trigged camera traps in Yaylacı k Research Forest, a 50-km2forest patch in Yenice Forest in northern Turkey. A total sampling effort of 1,200 camera trap days over 40 km2yielded photo-captures of eight individual wildcats over five sampling occasions. Using the softwareMARKto estimate population size the closed capture–recapture modelM0, which assumes a constant capture probability among all occasions and individuals, best fitted the capture history data. The wildcat population size in Yaylacı k Research Forest was estimated to be 11 (confidence interval 9–23). Yenice Forest is probably one of the most important areas for the long-term conservation of the wildcat as it is the largest intact forest habitat in Turkey with little human presence, and without human settlements, and with a high diversity of prey species. However, it has been a major logging area and is not protected. The future of Yenice Forest and its wildcat population could be secured by granting this region a protection status and enforcing environmental legislation.
Leaf-litter decomposition across three flooding regimes in a seasonally flooded Amazonian watershed
Authors: Capps Krista A. , Graça Manuel A. S. , Encalada Andrea C. , Flecker Alexander S.
Published: February 2011

Decomposition of leaf litter is an important process that releases energy and nutrients in both terrestrial and aquatic environments (Mooreet al. 2004, Wallaceet al. 1997); therefore, the physical, chemical and biological processes controlling leaf-litter decomposition rates can affect nutrient cycling and productivity in these systems (Crosset al. 2007, Woodet al. 2009). Several studies have shown that leaf decomposition is faster in aquatic than in terrestrial habitats due to relatively constant temperatures, continuous leaching and the physical breakdown of leaves by flowing water (Hutchens & Wallace 2002, Langhans & Tockner 2006, Langhanset al. 2008). Yet, comparatively few studies have examined these relationships in tropical systems with flooded forests. Flooding is a predominant feature of the upper Amazon Basin, but its occurrence and magnitude is complex and not strictly seasonal (Junket al. 1989). To identify the dominant energy pathways and understand the nutrient dynamics of upper Amazon rain forests, it is imperative to investigate organic matter processing in the aquatic/terrestrial transition zones of these ecosystems.
Sprouting, succession and tree species diversity in a South African coastal dune forest
Authors: Nzunda Emmanuel Fred
Published: February 2011

Sprouting may play a significant role in maintenance of plant diversity where prevailing disturbance frequency and severity allows. When disturbance frequency and severity decrease, strong sprouters may be outcompeted. As a result, species composition and diversity may change. This study was carried out to investigate the relationship between sprouting, succession and species diversity in a coastal dune forest that currently suffers from low-severity, chronic disturbance due to sea winds and loose sand substrate. Historically, the site was occupied by shifting cultivators who left the site about 80 y ago. Data on trees that were at least 1.3 m tall from 42 sample plots measuring 20 × 20 m were used. The plots were ranked in order of advancement of succession using the first axis of Principal Components Analysis of forest structural variables. Regeneration pattern was examined using analysis of stem diameter frequency distribution. Abundance and regeneration of strong basal sprouters, incidence of basal sprouting and species diversity decreased with advancement of succession. Only a few species could regenerate under the canopy of late-successional sites. Basal sprouts decreased with advancement of succession whereas trunk sprouts increased. These results suggest that maintenance of high species diversity may need a level of disturbance that allows regeneration and maintenance of strong basal sprouters.
Information tracking and encoding in early L1: linguistic competence vs. cognitive limitations
Authors: DE CAT CÉCILE
Published: February 2011

This study provides experimental evidence for preschool children's competence in basic information structure, with particular attention to the notions of topic and focus. It investigates their mastery of structural and definiteness distinctions to encode the information status of discourse referents, and seeks to distinguish linguistic competence from cognitive development as the source for children's ‘errors’. Evidence comes from a story-telling experiment performed on 45 children acquiring French (between the ages of 2 ; 6·22 and 5 ; 6·15). The article demonstrates continuity between the child and adult systems of basic discourse representation. It further argues that children's definiteness errors are not due to a lack of knowledge of the adult rules of information encoding. Rather, such errors stem from cognitive limitations and from assuming a wider common ground than adults would.
Influence of referral bias on the clinical characteristics of patients with Gram-negative bloodstream infection
Authors: AL-HASAN M. N. , ECKEL-PASSOW J. E. , BADDOUR L. M.
Published: February 2011

Referral bias can influence the results of studies performed at tertiary-care centres. In this study, we evaluated demographic and microbiological factors that influenced referral of patients with Gram-negative bloodstream infection (BSI). We identified 2919 and 846 unique patients with Gram-negative BSI in a referral cohort of patients treated at Mayo Clinic Hospitals and a population-based cohort of Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2007, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with referral. Elderly patients aged ⩾80 years with Gram-negative BSI were less likely to be referred than younger patients [odds ratio (OR) 0·43, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0·30–0·62] as were females (OR 0·63, 95% CI 0·53–0·74). After adjusting for age and gender, bloodstream isolates of Escherichia coli (OR 0·50, 95% CI 0·43–0·58) and Proteus mirabilis (OR 0·49, 95% CI 0·30–0·82) were underrepresented in the referral cohort; and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (OR 2·26, 95% CI 1·70–3·06), Enterobacter cloacae (OR 2·31, 95% CI 1·53–3·66), Serratia marcescens (OR 2·34, 95% CI 1·33–4·52) and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (OR 17·94, 95% CI 3·98–314·43) were overrepresented in the referral cohort. We demonstrated that demographic and microbiological characteristics of patients with Gram-negative BSI had an influence on referral patterns. These factors should be considered when interpreting results of investigations performed at tertiary-care centres.
Assessing user simulation for dialog systems using human judges and automatic evaluation measures
Authors: AI HUA , LITMAN DIANE
Published: February 2011

While different user simulations are built to assist dialog system development, there is an increasing need to quickly assess the quality of the user simulations reliably. Previous studies have proposed several automatic evaluation measures for this purpose. However, the validity of these evaluation measures has not been fully proven. We present an assessment study in which human judgments are collected on user simulation qualities as the gold standard to validate automatic evaluation measures. We show that a ranking model can be built using the automatic measures to predict the rankings of the simulations in the same order as the human judgments. We further show that the ranking model can be improved by using a simple feature that utilizes time-series analysis.
Braid monodromies on proper curves and pro-ℓ Galois representations
Authors: Takao Naotake
Published: February 2011

LetCbe a proper smooth geometrically connected hyperbolic curve over a field of characteristic 0 and ℓ a prime number. We prove the injectivity of the homomorphism from the pro-ℓ mapping class group attached to the two dimensional configuration space ofCto the one attached toC, induced by the natural projection. We also prove a certain graded Lie algebra version of this injectivity. Consequently, we show that the kernel of the outer Galois representation on the pro-ℓ pure braid group onCwithnstrings does not depend onn, even ifn= 1. This extends a previous result by Ihara–Kaneko. By applying these results to the universal family over the moduli space of curves, we solve completely Oda's problem on the independency of certain towers of (infinite) algebraic number fields, which has been studied by Ihara, Matsumoto, Nakamura, Ueno and the author. Sequentially we obtain certain information of the image of this Galois representation and get obstructions to the surjectivity of the Johnson–Morita homomorphism at each sufficiently large even degree (as Oda predicts), for the first time for a proper curve.
Warhead
Authors: Jacobs Howy
Published: February 2011

Forty years ago, Nixon declared war on cancer. Despite enormous efforts, the war is far from won. Instead of retreating from battle, Howy argues that we need more frontline research to understand the enemy and to overcome its defences.
The health of European medical research
Authors: Hunter Philip
Published: February 2011

The 2001 EU Clinical Trials Directive aimed to harmonize the regulation of medical research, but achieved the opposite. Various attempts are underway to update the directive to make it easier to safely conduct medical research in Europe.
Genomes: the truth is in there
Authors: Van de Peer Yves
Published: February 2011

The availability of complete genome sequences and their comparative analysis has improved our understanding of their composition, structure and evolution. Yet the challenge of understanding the genotype–phenotype connection remains.
Antibody responses to glycolipid‐borne carbohydrates require CD4+ T cells but not CD1 or NKT cells
Authors: Christiansen Dale , Vaughan Hilary A , Milland Julie , Dodge Natalie , Mouhtouris Effie , Smyth Mark J , Godfrey Dale I , Sandrin Mauro S
Published: February 2011

Naturally occurring anti‐carbohydrate antibodies play a major role in both the innate and adaptive immune responses. To elicit an anti‐carbohydrate immune response, glycoproteins can be processed to glycopeptides and presented by the classical antigen‐presenting molecules, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class I and II. In contrast, much less is known about the mechanism(s) for anti‐carbohydrate responses to glycolipids, although it is generally considered that the CD1 family of cell surface proteins presents glycolipids to T cells or natural killer T (NKT) cells. Using model carbohydrate systems (isogloboside 3 and B blood group antigen), we examined the anti‐carbohydrate response on glycolipids using both antibody neutralisation and knockout mouse‐based experiments. These studies showed that CD4+ T cells were required to generate antibodies to the carbohydrates expressed on glycolipids, and unexpectedly, these antibody responses were CD1d and NKT cell independent. They also did not require peptide help. These data provide new insight into glycolipid antigen recognition by the immune system and indicate the existence of a previously unrecognised population of glycolipid antigen‐specific, CD1‐independent, CD4+ T cells.
Intensive Group Therapy for Children Who Stutter: Early Evidence
Authors: Millard Sharon K
Published: February 2011

This study seeks to determine whether there is evidence to support the effectiveness of a 2-week intensive therapy program that aims to enhance fluency and reduce the impact of stuttering on both parents and children. Fifteen children who attended two courses were monitored for a period of time before the course began to obtain baseline measures, at the start and end of the course and at intervals up to 1-year post therapy. Measures included beyond clinic speech measures as well as parents’ and children’s perceptions of the stuttering and its impact. Results provide evidence supporting the effectiveness of the program and indicate that further research is warranted. Limitations of the design and methods are discussed.
Experimental setup for laser spectroscopy of molecules in a high magnetic field
Authors: Takazawa Yasuyuki Kimura and Ken
Published: February 2011

An experimental setup to measure the effects of a high magnetic field on the structure and decay dynamics of molecules is designed and constructed. A vacuum chamber is mounted in the bore of a superconducting magnet. A molecular beam passes in the chamber. Pulsed laser light excites the molecules in the field. The parent or fragment ions are extracted by an electric field parallel to the magnetic field. They are detected by a microchannel plate. Their mass and charge are determined by the time-of-flight method. The performance of the setup was examined using resonance-enhanced two-photon ionization through the \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$ X^{2}\,\Pi$\end{document}X2Π– \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$A^{2}\Sigma ^{+}$\end{document}A2Σ+ transition of nitric oxide (NO) molecules. The ions were detected with sufficient mass resolution to discriminate the species in a field of up to 10 T. This is the first experiment to succeed in the mass-selective detection of ions by the time-of-flight method in a high magnetic field. By measuring \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}${\rm NO}^{+}$\end{document} NO + ion current as a function of the laser frequency, the \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$ X^{2}\Pi$\end{document}X2Π– \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$ A^{2}\,\Sigma ^{+}$\end{document}A2Σ+ rotational transition lines, separated clearly from the background noise, were observed in fields of up to 10 T. From the relative strengths of the transition lines, the ion detection efficiency was determined as a function of the magnetic field strength. This setup was shown to be applicable in a field higher than 10 T. The Landau levels of molecules were successfully observed to demonstrate the setup.
Note: Picosecond impulse generator driven by cascaded step recovery diode pulse shaping circuit
Authors: Wong Choi Gil , Joo Choi Jin , Hoon Han Seung
Published: February 2011

In this paper, a picosecond impulse generator using step recovery diodes (SRDs) is presented. In order to reduce the pulse width of an impulse generator, we employed a cascaded SRD pulse-shaping circuit. A short impulse generation is confirmed in numerical simulation of a time-transient circuit simulator. Measurements show that the measured pulse width of the cascaded SRD impulse generator is 250 ps at 10% of the peak amplitude, which is improved by 85 ps compared with a conventional SRD impulse generator.
Electron and hole energy levels in InAs/GaAs quantum dots: Size and magnetic field effects
Authors: Saïdi I. , Sellami K. , Yahyaoui M. , Testelin C. , Boujdaria K.
Published: February 2011

We present a systematic study on the influence of strain, size, and magnetic field on the electronic properties of InAs/GaAs quantum dots. Using a 40-band k.p model, we have calculated the band diagram of strained InAs, and extract the band parameters which are useful for the electronic properties of InAs/GaAs quantum dots. Then, using an exact numerical diagonalization method on Fourier–Bessel function basis over a large cylinder domain, we calculated numerically the electron and hole eigenenergies and associated wave functions. We considered thereafter the effect of an external applied magnetic field, strain and quantum dot size variation on the charge carrier energy levels. It is clearly found that the strain strongly modifies the quantum dot potential profile, leading to a different electron and hole energy distribution. Our results revealed also that the electron and hole energy spectra change significantly when varying the quantum dot size as well as the magnetic field. Given this striking nanostructure size and magnetic field energy dependent property, these systems provide the opportunity to control and tune their optical and electronic properties through these parameters.
Geometry and quadratic nonlinearity of charge transfer complexes in solution: A theoretical study
Authors: Mukhopadhyay S. , Pandey Ravindra , Das Puspendu K. , Ramasesha S.
Published: February 2011

In this paper, we have computed the quadratic nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of a class of weak charge transfer (CT) complexes. These weak complexes are formed when the methyl substituted benzenes (donors) are added to strong acceptors like chloranil (CHL) or di-chloro-di-cyano benzoquinone (DDQ) in chloroform or in dichloromethane. The formation of such complexes is manifested by the presence of a broad absorption maximum in the visible range of the spectrum where neither the donor nor the acceptor absorbs. The appearance of this visible band is due to CT interactions, which result in strong NLO responses. We have employed the semiempirical intermediate neglect of differential overlap (INDO/S) Hamiltonian to calculate the energy levels of these CT complexes using single and double configuration interaction (SDCI). The solvent effects are taken into account by using the self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) scheme. The geometry of the complex is obtained by exploring different relative molecular geometries by rotating the acceptor with respect to the fixed donor about three different axes. The theoretical geometry that best fits the experimental energy gaps, βHRS and macroscopic depolarization ratios is taken to be the most probable geometry of the complex. Our studies show that the most probable geometry of these complexes in solution is the parallel displaced structure with a significant twist in some cases.
A comparison of two-dimensional techniques for converting magnetocardiogram maps into effective current source distributions
Authors: Ogata K. , Kandori A. , Miyashita T. , Sekihara K. , Tsukada K.
Published: February 2011

The aim of this study was to develop a method for converting the pseudo two-dimensional current given by a current-arrow map (CAM) into the physical current. The physical current distribution is obtained by the optimal solution in a least mean square sense with Tikhonov regularization (LMSTR). In the current dipole simulation, the current pattern differences (ΔJ) between the results of the CAM and the LMSTR with several regularization parameters (α = 10−1–10−15) are calculated. In magnetocardiographic (MCG) analysis, the depth (zd) of a reconstruction plane is chosen by using the coordinates of the sinus node, which is estimated from MCG signals at the early p-wave. The ΔJs at p-wave peaks, QRS-complex peaks, and T-wave peaks of MCG signals for healthy subjects are calculated. Furthermore, correlation coefficients and regression lines are also calculated from the current values of the CAM and the LMSTR during p-waves, QRS-complex, and T-waves of MCG signals. In the simulation, the ΔJs (α ≈ 10−10) had a minimal value. The ΔJs (α = 10−10) at p-wave peaks, QRS-complex peaks, and T-wave peaks of MCG signals for healthy subjects also had minimal value. The correlation coefficients of the current values given by the CAM and the LMSTR (α = 10−10) were greater than 0.9. Furthermore, slopes (y) of the regression lines are correlated with the depth (zd) (r = −0.93). Consequently, the CAM value can be transformed into the LMSTR current value by multiplying it by the slope (y) obtained from the depth (zd). In conclusion, the result given by the CAM can be converted into an effective physical current distribution by using the depth (zd).
Explicitly time-dependent coupled cluster singles doubles calculations of laser-driven many-electron dynamics
Authors: Huber Christian , Klamroth Tillmann
Published: February 2011

We report explicitly time-dependent coupled cluster singles doubles (TD-CCSD) calculations, which simulate the laser-driven correlated many-electron dynamics in molecular systems. Small molecules, i.e., HF, H2O, NH3, and CH4, are treated mostly with polarized valence double zeta basis sets. We determine the coupled cluster ground states by imaginary time propagation for these molecules. Excited state energies are obtained from the Fourier transform of the time-dependent dipole moment after an ultrashort, broadband laser excitation. The time-dependent expectation values are calculated from the complex cluster amplitudes using the corresponding configuration interaction singles doubles wave functions. Also resonant laser excitations of these excited states are simulated, in order to explore the limits for the numerical stability of our current TD-CCSD implementation, which uses time-independent molecular orbitals to form excited configurations.
Functionality of bismuth sulfide quantum dots/wires-glass nanocomposite as an optical current sensor with enhanced Verdet constant
Authors: Panmand Rajendra P. , Kumar Ganapathy , Mahajan Satish M. , Kulkarni Milind V. , Amalnerkar D. P. , Kale Bharat B. , Gosavi Suresh. W.
Published: February 2011

We report optical studies with magneto-optic properties of Bi2S3 quantum dot/wires-glass nanocomposite. The size of the Q-dot was observed to be in the range 3–15 nm along with 11 nm Q-wires. Optical study clearly demonstrated the size quantization effect with drastic band gap variation with size. Faraday rotation tests on the glass nanocomposites show variation in Verdet constant with Q-dot size. Bi2S3 Q-dot/wires glass nanocomposite demonstrated 190 times enhanced Verdet constant compared to the host glass. Prima facie observations exemplify the significant enhancement in Verdet constant of Q-dot glass nanocomposites and will have potential application in magneto-optical devices.
Contractions of Filippov algebras
Authors: Azcárraga José A. de , Izquierdo José M. , Picón Moisés
Published: February 2011

We introduce in this paper the contractions \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\mathfrak {G}_c$\end{document}Gc of n-Lie (or Filippov) algebras \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\mathfrak {G}$\end{document}G and show that they have a semidirect structure as their n = 2 Lie algebra counterparts. As an example, we compute the nontrivial contractions of the simple \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$A_{n+1}$\end{document}An+1 Filippov algebras. By using the İnönü–Wigner and the generalized Weimar-Woods contractions of ordinary Lie algebras, we compare (in the \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\mathfrak {G}=A_{n+1}$\end{document}G=An+1 simple case) the Lie algebras Lie\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\,\mathfrak {G}_c$\end{document}Gc (the Lie algebra of inner endomorphisms of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\mathfrak {G}_c$\end{document}Gc) with certain contractions \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$({\rm Lie}\,\mathfrak {G})_{IW}$\end{document}( Lie G)IW and \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$({\rm Lie}\,\mathfrak {G})_{W-W}$\end{document}( Lie G)W−W of the Lie algebra Lie\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\,\mathfrak {G}$\end{document}G associated with \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\mathfrak {G}$\end{document}G.
Rovibrational spectra of ammonia. I. Unprecedented accuracy of a potential energy surface used with nonadiabatic corrections
Authors: Huang Xinchuan , Schwenke David W. , Lee Timothy J.
Published: February 2011

In this work, we build upon our previous work on the theoretical spectroscopy of ammonia, NH3. Compared to our 2008 study, we include more physics in our rovibrational calculations and more experimental data in the refinement procedure, and these enable us to produce a potential energy surface (PES) of unprecedented accuracy. We call this the HSL-2 PES. The additional physics we include is a second-order correction for the breakdown of the Born–Oppenheimer approximation, and we find it to be critical for improved results. By including experimental data for higher rotational levels in the refinement procedure, we were able to greatly reduce our systematic errors for the rotational dependence of our predictions. These additions together lead to a significantly improved total angular momentum (J) dependence in our computed rovibrational energies. The root-mean-square error between our predictions using the HSL-2 PES and the reliable energy levels from the HITRAN database for J = 0–6 and J = 7/8 for 14NH3 is only 0.015 cm−1 and 0.020/0.023 cm−1, respectively. The root-mean-square errors for the characteristic inversion splittings are approximately 1/3 smaller than those for energy levels. The root-mean-square error for the 6002 J = 0–8 transition energies is 0.020 cm−1. Overall, for J = 0–8, the spectroscopic data computed with HSL-2 is roughly an order of magnitude more accurate relative to our previous best ammonia PES (denoted HSL-1). These impressive numbers are eclipsed only by the root-mean-square error between our predictions for purely rotational transition energies of 15NH3 and the highly accurate Cologne database (CDMS): 0.00034 cm−1 (10 MHz), in other words, 2 orders of magnitude smaller. In addition, we identify a deficiency in the 15NH3 energy levels determined from a model of the experimental data .
Spectroscopic evidence of in-gap states at the SrTiO3/LaAlO3 ultrathin interfaces
Authors: Drera G. , Banfi F. , Canova F. Federici , Borghetti P. , Sangaletti L. , Bondino F. , Magnano E. , Huijben J. , Huijben M. , Rijnders G. , Blank D. H. A. , Hilgenkamp H. , Brinkman A.
Published: February 2011

Experimental evidence of differences in the electronic properties of an insulating and a conducting SrTiO3/LaAlO3 interface is provided by soft x-ray spectroscopies. While core level photoemission measurements show that only at the conducting interface Ti ions with 3+ ionization state are present, by using resonant photoemission and x-ray absorption spectroscopies, it is shown that in both samples in-gap states with a Ti 3d character are present, but their density is higher at the conducting interface.
Fast magnetization precession observed in L1-FePt epitaxial thin film
Authors: Mizukami S. , Iihama S. , Inami N. , Hiratsuka T. , Kim G. , Naganuma H. , Oogane M. , Ando Y.
Published: February 2011

Fast magnetization precession is observed in L10-FePt alloy epitaxial thin films excited and detected by all-optical means. The precession frequency varies from 45 to 65 GHz depending on the applied magnetic field strength and direction, which can be explained by a uniform precession model taking account of first- and second-order uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. The lowest effective Gilbert damping constant has a minimum value of 0.055, which is about half that in Co/Pt multilayers and is comparable to Ni/Co multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy.
Universal Ti-rich termination of atomically flat SrTiO3 (001), (110), and (111) surfaces
Authors: Biswas A. , Rossen P. B. , Yang C.-H. , Siemons W. , Jung M.-H. , Yang I. K. , Ramesh R. , Jeong Y. H.
Published: February 2011

We have studied the surface termination of atomically flat SrTiO3 surfaces treated by chemical etching and subsequent thermal annealing, for all commercially available orientations (001), (110), and (111). Atomic force microscopy confirms that our treatment processes produce unit cell steps with flat terrace structures. We have also determined the topmost atomic layer of SrTiO3 surfaces through time-of-flight mass spectroscopy. We found that all three orientations exhibit a Ti-rich surface. Our observation opens doors for interface engineering along the [110] and [111] directions in addition to a well known [100] case, which widens the range of functional heterostructures and interfaces.
Is electron accumulation universal at InN polar surfaces?
Authors: Kuo Cheng-Tai , Lin Shih-Chieh , Chang Kai-Kuen , Shiu Hung-Wei , Chang Lo-Yueh , Chen Chia-Hao , Tang Shu-Jung , Gwo Shangjr
Published: February 2011

Recent experiments indicate the universality of electron accumulation and downward surface band bending at as-grown InN surfaces with polar or nonpolar orientations. Here, we demonstrate the possibility to prepare flatband InN (0001¯) surfaces. We have also measured the surface stoichiometry of InN surfaces by using core-level photoelectron spectroscopy. The flatband InN (0001¯) surface is stoichiometric and free of In adlayer. It implies that the removal of In adlayer at the InN (0001¯) surface leads to the absence of downward surface band bending. On the other hand, the stoichiometric InN (0001) surface still exhibits surface band bending due to the noncentrosymmetry in the wurtzite structure.
Improvement of UV emission from highly crystalline ZnO nanoparticles by pulsed laser ablation under O2/He glow discharge
Authors: Ma Qiang , Saraswati Teguh Endah , Ogino Akihisa , Nagatsu Masaaki
Published: February 2011

Pulsed laser ablation under an O2/He glow discharge was studied to improve the surface crystallinity and UV luminescence of ZnO nanoparticles ∼10 nm in size. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy were used to analyze the crystalline structures and chemical components. The results indicated that highly crystalline ZnO nanoparticles were fabricated under the O2/He plasma discharge. The near band gap UV emission intensities from these particles were roughly five times those of samples fabricated under O2 gas. The present results suggest the possibility of synthesize high quality ZnO quantum dots or nanoparticles without requiring any post-treatment.
Nitrogenated amorphous InGaZnO thin film transistor
Authors: Liu Po-Tsun , Chou Yi-Teh , Teng Li-Feng , Li Fu-Hai , Shieh Han-Ping
Published: February 2011

This work presents the electrical characteristics of the nitrogenated amorphous InGaZnO thin film transistor (a-IGZO:N TFT). The a-IGZO:N film acting as a channel layer of a thin film transistor (TFT) device was prepared by dc reactive sputter with a nitrogen and argon gas mixture at room temperature. Experimental results show that the in situ nitrogen incorporation to IGZO film can properly adjust the threshold voltage and enhance the ambient stability of a TFT device. Furthermore, the a-IGZO:N TFT has a 44% increase in the carrier mobility and electrical reliability and uniformity also progress obviously while comparing with those not implementing a nitrogen doping process.
Acoustoelectric effects in reflection of leaky acoustic waves from LiTaO3 crystal surface coated with metal film
Authors: Rimeika R. , Sereika A. , Čiplys D.
Published: February 2011

The strong variations in amplitude and phase of leaky acoustic wave excited on one surface of YX lithium tantalate crystal plate and reflected from the opposite parallel surface have been observed during thermal evaporation of copper film onto the reflection surface. These variations are caused by the acoustoelectric interaction in the reflection region, and they are described in terms of surface acoustic wave velocity and attenuation dependence on the film sheet conductivity. The electromechanical coupling constant value of 5% has been extracted from amplitude measurements, and that of 4% from the phase measurements.
Funding for NSF underground laboratory is rejected
Authors: Kramer David
Published: February 2011

Citing dissatisfaction with an interagency management model, a National Science Board committee refuses to keep the South Dakota project going.
Nanoplasmonics: The physics behind the applications
Authors: Stockman Mark I.
Published: February 2011

The field of nanoplasmonics is young but rich in phenomena that have inspired practical uses in physics, biomedicine, environmental monitoring, and national security.
Blowing bubbles to study living material
Authors: Crosby Alfred J. , McManus Jennifer J.
Published: February 2011

Cavitation rheology measures the pressure at which a bubble blown in soft material suddenly expands rapidly. It is gentle enough to allow stiffness measurements of biological materials in vivo.
Lifeworld Inc—And What to Do about it
Authors: Thrift Nigel
Published: February 2011

Can we detect changes in the way that the world turns up as they turn up? This paper makes such an attempt. The first part of the paper argues that a wide-ranging change is occurring in the ontological preconditions of Euro-American cultures, based in reworking what and how an event is produced. Driven by the security - entertainment complex, the aim is to mass produce phenomenological encounter: Lifeworld Inc as I call it. Swimming in a sea of data, such an aim requires the construction of just enough authenticity over and over again. In the second part of the paper, I go on to argue that this new world requires a different kind of social science, one that is experimental in its orientation—just as Lifeworld Inc is—but with a mission to provoke awareness in untoward ways in order to produce new means of association. Only thus, or so I argue, can social science add to the world we are now beginning to live in.
Life Itemised: Lists, Loss, Unexpected Significance, and the Enduring Geographies of Discard
Authors: Crewe Louise
Published: February 2011

This paper focuses on practices and spaces of acquisition, possession, and destruction in order to understand object value. It is framed around the list, or inventory, as one way in which we attempt to organise and order consumption. Exploring three different categories of list (the abandoned shopping list, Michael Landy's inventory of personal possessions, and the ‘ Pieces of Me’ listings of individuals' fifteen most-valued possessions), I argue that lists act as systems of labelling and ordering—scripting devices that help us to manage the mundanity and weighty materiality of consumption. But in ordering objects, such taxonomies also materialise our wishes, dreams, hopes, fears, and failures. They reveal too the ambiguities of value that are attributed to different categories of good and the impossibilities of erasure. Things linger and haunt materially and in our memory. The paper makes two broad conceptual points. It reveals that value and significance can reside in the most unlikely of places, and may emerge through practices of discard, loss, and remembering as well as through more conventional processes of production and purchase. It attests to the enduring power of the absent presence and the difficulties of erasure: objects die but do not disappear; things are dismantled, destroyed, and disposed of but remain in countless material and immaterial forms—traces, remnants, fragments, and memories. Objects have immaterial lives that continue long beyond their material presence in the world. It reveals the ways in which our possessions accrue meaning-value through biogeography. Things come to matter through our intimate relations with them, object and subject combined and entwined, inseparable in mind and memory. Our relations to our things are sensory, bodily, evocative, and profound. They are also enduring, potent, powerful, inarticulate, and at times unbearably evocative.
Ethics, Space, and Somatic Sensibilities: Comparing Relationships between Scientific Researchers and Their Human and Animal Experimental Subjects
Authors: Greenhough Beth , Roe Emma
Published: February 2011

Drawing on geographies of affect and nature - society relations, we propose a radical rethinking of how scientists, social scientists, and regulatory agencies conceptualise human and animal participants in scientific research. The scientific rationale for using animal bodies to simulate what could be done in human bodies emphasises shared somatic capacities that generate comparable responses to clinical interventions. At the same time, regulatory guidelines and care practices stress the differences between human and animal subjects. In this paper we consider the implications of this differentiation between human and animal bodies in ethical and welfare protocols and practices. We show how the bioethical debates around the use of human subjects tend to focus on issues of consent and language, while recent work in animal welfare reflects an increasing focus on the affectual dimensions of ethical practice. We argue that this attention to the more-than-representational dimensions of ethics and welfare might be equally important for human subjects. We assert that paying attention to these somatic sensibilities can offer insights into how experimental environments can both facilitate and restrict the development of more care-full and response-able relations between researchers and their experimental subjects.
“Protest is Just a Click Away!” Responses to the 2003 Iraq War on a Bulletin Board System in China
Authors: Woon Chih Yuan
Published: February 2011

The Internet as an important cultural medium in the (re)production of geopolitical affairs has increasingly elicited close scrutiny by scholars working in popular geopolitics. However, recent exhortations have appealed for more expansive geographical imaginations to extend such research outside Anglo-American contexts. This paper focuses on one influential Mandarin bulletin board system (BBS) in China, the Qiangguo Luntan (QGLT), by critically analyzing the posted responses to a specific geopolitical event—the 2003 US-initiated war in Iraq. I argue that the lively discussions pertaining to post-9/11 global anxieties, (dis)order, and counterterror initiatives on QGLT demonstrate how interconnected Chinese communities are able to weave alternative viewpoints and shape antiwar consensus through the broad bandwidth of networked technology beyond the purview of territorially based governments. Furthermore, with China having a tightly controlled media industry whereby people's voices are seldom heard (or seen), these online debates also offer poignant reflections on the intermeshing issues of democracy, civic participation, and citizenship. Finally, it is with hope that this paper provides a crucial intervention into considering how the surplus capacity of information networks (such as the BBS) can be mobilized for nonviolent agendas to detract from the excessive terrors and endless violence that continue to mire contemporary geopolitics.
Places for the Gods: Urban Planning as Orthopraxy and Heteropraxy in China
Authors: Abramson Daniel Benjamin
Published: February 2011

Among the many revivals of older urban practices in China since the death of Mao and the Reforms of Deng Xiaoping is the resurgence of unofficial folk-religious space. As a national phenomenon, it is an uneven process, but where it has become prevalent, it presents challenges both to official standard urban-planning practice, as well as to the public presentation of planning practice. This paper describes how nonstandard practices can emerge in the current context of rapid urbanization, which itself is a force for standardized urban spatial practices in terms of Chinese domestic cultural and political institutions as well as global capital flows. Both local and translocal actors, navigating among various conflicting standards of practice and discourse, can find room to resist hegemony, maintain identity, and innovate. The political and bureaucratic ritualization of planning practice, however, conceals this fact.
Linking canopy temperature and trunk diameter fluctuations with other physiological water status tools for water stress management in citrus orchards
Authors: García-Tejero Iván F. , Durán-Zuazo Víctor H. , Muriel-Fernández José L. , Jiménez-Bocanegra Juan A.
Published: February 2011

The continuous monitoring of crop water status is key to the sustainable management of water stress situations. Two deficit irrigation (DI) treatments were studied during the maximum evapotranspirative demand period in an orange orchard (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osb. cv. Navelina): sustained deficit irrigation irrigated at 55% crop evapotranspiration (ETC), and low-frequency deficit irrigation treatment, in which the plants were irrigated according to stem water potential at midday (Ψstem). Additionally, a control treatment irrigated at 100% of ETC was established. The daily canopy temperature (TC) was measured with an infrared thermometer camera together with measurements of trunk diameter fluctuations (TDF), Ψstem and stomatal conductance (gS). The time course of all physiological parameters and their relationships were analysed, confirming that canopy air temperature differential (TC – Ta) variations and TDF are suitable approaches for determining the water stress. In addition, the maximum daily shrinkage (MDS) and TC – Ta showed high sensitivity to water stress in comparison to Ψstem and gS. Significant relationships were found among MDS and TC – Ta with Ψstem and gS, for monitoring the crop water status by means of MDS vs Ψstem and TC – Ta vs Ψstem. Thus, the combination of these techniques would be useful for making scheduling decisions on irrigation in orchards with high variability in plant water stress.
An extinct monkey from Haiti and the origins of the Greater Antillean primates
Authors: Cooke Siobhán B. , Rosenberger Alfred L. , Turvey Samuel
Published: February 2011

A new extinct Late Quaternary platyrrhine from Haiti,
Insulacebus toussaintiana
, is described here from the most complete Caribbean subfossil primate dentition yet recorded, demonstrating the likely coexistence of two primate species on Hispaniola. Like other Caribbean platyrrhines,
I
.
toussaintiana
exhibits primitive features resembling early Middle Miocene Patagonian fossils, reflecting an early derivation before the Amazonian community of modern New World anthropoids was configured. This, in combination with the young age of the fossils, provides a unique opportunity to examine a different parallel radiation of platyrrhines that survived into modern times, but is only distantly related to extant mainland forms. Their ecological novelty is indicated by their unique dental proportions, and by their relatively large estimated body weights, possibly an island effect, which places the group in a size class not exploited by mainland South American monkeys. Several features tie the new species to the extinct Jamaican monkey
Xenothrix mcgregori
, perhaps providing additional evidence for an inter-Antillean clade.