bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Life at the end of the Holocene moist phase in south‐east Arabia — the Late Neolithic site of Jebel Thanais 1 (JTH1)
Authors: Drechsler Philipp
Published: October 2010

The surface site of Jebel Thanais 1 is located in the Emirate of Sharjah (U.A.E.) at the western flank of the Jebel Faya/Jebel Buhais anticline structure. A dense scatter of lithic artefacts and fireplaces indicates Stone Age settlement activities in this area. Radiocarbon dates obtained from fireplaces date the occupation of the site to both the beginning and the very end of the fifth millennium cal. BC. During the second half of the fifth millennium the deterioration of climatic conditions in south‐east Arabia had a noticeable impact on settlement patterns and subsistence strategies. While coastal habitation sites from this time are well known along the shores of the Oman peninsula, only a few poorly dated sites allow insights into habitation and raw material procurement strategies and lithic technology in the interior. Investigations into the spatial structure of the site and an analysis of lithic finds will contribute to a better understanding of this period.
The westward transmission of Indus Valley sealing technology: origin and development of the ‘Gulf Type’ seal and other administrative technologies in Early Dilmun, c.2100–2000 BC
Authors: Laursen Steffen Terp
Published: October 2010

This paper provides a comprehensive examination of the seals of the so‐called ‘Gulf Type’, which date to the end of the third millennium BC. It is argued that the Gulf Type seals are of key importance to our understanding of the origin of sealing and other administrative technologies within an emerging Early Dilmun ‘state’. Based on principal component analysis it is demonstrated that the shape of Gulf Type seals with inscriptions in Indus characters is distinct from seals without inscriptions. It is further argued that Gulf Type seals found in the Indus Valley, Iran, Mesopotamia/Bahrain and Bahrain can be connected with relatively discrete morphological groups apparently corresponding to different areas of production. The Indus inscriptions on the seals are investigated with particular emphasis on the abnormal occurrence of prefixed ‘twins’ signs in the western inscriptions. The hypothesis that a language different from that of the Harappans was used on these seals is reconfirmed on the basis of a newly found seal with a particular instructive pseudo‐inscription. The paper concludes that breakaway Harappans operating in the western orbit invented the Gulf Type seals but that the type from around 2050 BC became practically synonymous with the merchant communities in Dilmun.
Pottery makers and pottery users: in Ras al‐Khaimah emirate and Musandam wilayat of Oman, and around Ra’s al‐Junayz in the south‐east of Ja’alan wilayat, Oman
Authors: Lancaster William , Lancaster Fidelity
Published: October 2010

The authors present the results of ethnographic research undertaken between 1987 and 2004 in the sultanate of Oman and the emirate of Ras al‐Khaimah on pottery manufacture and usage. Drawing on a number of different informants in both areas, they illustrate the many different types of vessels in use, discussing aspects of production, utility and exchange.
Bottom–up carbon subsidies and top–down predation pressure interact to affect aquatic food web structure
Authors: Faithfull C. L. , Huss M. , Vrede T. , Bergström A.‐K.
Published: October 2010

Human impacts such as eutrophication, overexploitation and climate change currently threaten future global food and drinking water supplies. Consequently, it is important that we understand how anthropogenic resource (bottom–up) and consumer (top–down) manipulations affect aquatic food web structure and production. Future climate changes are predicted to increase the inputs of terrestrial dissolved organic carbon to lakes. These carbon subsidies can either increase or decrease total basal production in aquatic food webs, depending on bacterial competition with phytoplankton for nutrients. This study examines the effects of carbon subsidies (bottom–up) on a pelagic community exposed to different levels of top–down predation. We conducted a large scale mesocosm experiment in an oligotrophic clear water lake in northern Sweden, using a natural plankton community exposed to three levels of glucose addition (0, 420 and 2100 μg C l−1 total added glucose) and three levels of young‐of‐the‐year perch Perca fluviatilis density (0, 0.56 and 2 individuals m−3). Bacterioplankton production doubled with glucose addition, but phytoplankton production was unaffected, in contrast to previous studies that have manipulated carbon, nutrients or light simultaneously. This suggests that carbon addition alone is not sufficient to reduce autotrophic production, at least in an oligotrophic lake dominated by mixotrophic phytoplankton. Larval perch grazing did not produce a classical trophic cascade, but substantially altered the species composition of crustacean zooplankton and ciliate trophic levels. Glucose addition increased the biomass of rotifers, thus potentially increasing energy transfer through the heterotrophic pathway, but only when fish were absent. This study illustrates that changes in community structure due to selective feeding by top‐predators can determine the influence of bottom–up carbon subsidies.
Diet specialization in a fluctuating population of Saduria entomon: a consequence of resource or forager densities?
Authors: Svanbäck Richard , Rydberg Cecilia , Leonardsson Kjell , Englund Göran
Published: October 2010

Intraspecific competition has been shown to favor diet specialization among individuals. However, the question whether the competition takes the form of interference or exploitative in driving diet specialization has never been investigated. We investigated individual diet specialization in the isopod Saduria entomon, in relation to forager and resource biomasses in a system that exhibits predator–prey fluctuations in density. We found that individual diet specialization was only affected by the biomass of their preferred prey (Monoporeia affinis) and not by Saduria biomass; diet specialization was higher when Monoporeia biomass was low compared to when there were high Monoporeia biomass. Population diet breadth increased at low Monoporeia biomass whereas individual diet breadths were marginally affected by Monoporeia biomass. Overall, this led to the increase in diet specialization at low Monoporeia biomass. This study shows that predator–prey dynamics might influence diet specialization in the predator and that resource biomass, not forager biomass might be important for individual diet specialization.
Reconstructing an annual cycle of interaction: natural infection and antibody dynamics to avian influenza along a migratory flyway
Authors: Hoye Bethany J. , Munster Vincent J. , Nishiura Hiroshi , Fouchier Ron A. M. , Madsen Jesper , Klaassen Marcel
Published: October 2010

Migratory animals may play an important role in connecting disparate ecosystems, including the introduction of various pathogens. The incidence of these pathogens may vary over time and space, such that events along the entire migratory flyway are likely to be important in the interaction between pathogens and their migratory hosts. On this premise, the annual cycle of a naturally occurring host–pathogen system was reconstructed by examining infection with and antibodies to avian influenza virus along the flyway of a long‐distance Arctic migrant, the Svalbard‐breeding pink‐footed goose Anser brachyrhynchus. A highly‐localized transmission period was identified in winter, in contrast to the north–south decline expected from dabbling ducks, indicating the dynamics of infection may differ among host species. In spring, 63% (95% CI: 57.1, 68.9) of adults had detectable antibodies to the nucleoprotein of avian influenza virus, compared to just 15% (95% CI: 8.7, 23.4) of juveniles, suggesting inter‐annual antibody maintenance. Nevertheless, adult seroprevalence declined by approximately 30% from spring to late summer, indicating significant seroreversion in the population. Integrating these findings in an epidemiological model, detectable antibodies to nucleoprotein were estimated to persist for just 343 days (95% CI: 221, 607); considerably shorter than for other wildlife diseases in long‐lived bird species. The investigation of wildlife diseases in migratory populations is an inherently complex task, yet, by integrating disease incidence and seroprevalence along a migratory flyway, our findings suggest that the ecological interactions and life history of the host, as well as the life‐history of the pathogen, can influence the dynamics of infection and host immune response.
Optimal vitamin A and suboptimal vitamin D status are common in Iranian infants
Authors: Olang Beheshteh , Naghavi Mohsen , Bastani Delaram , Strandvik Birgitta , Yngve Agneta
Published: October 2010

Aim:  Investigation of serum concentrations of vitamins A and D in Iranian infants.

Methods:  A descriptive cross‐sectional study, investigating 7112 infants (15–23 months of age) from all regions of Iran, who attended health care centres from May 25 to June 2, 2001. Unequal clusters with unequal household sizes were sampled. Vitamin A and D levels were analysed with high‐performance liquid chromatography.

Results:  The mean (SD) concentration of vitamin A was 2.09 (0.83) μmol/L. At a national level, 0.7% of the infants had a level indicating deficiency, and 0.5% of the infants had insufficient concentrations of vitamin A, defined as serum concentrations <0.35 and <0.7 μmol/L retinol, respectively. A total of 88% of infants had optimal concentrations (>1.4 μmol/L). The mean (SD) concentration of vitamin D was 61.3 (31.4) nmol/L. Deficiency was found in 2.8% of infants (<25 nmol/L), and insufficiency in 32.9% (<50 nmol/L). Suboptimal and optimal concentrations were found in 44% and 20%, representing 50–75 and >75 nmol/L, respectively. Girls had lower vitamin D concentrations than boys (p = 0.006).

Conclusion:  As in developed countries, vitamin A deficiency was rare in Iranian infants. Vitamin D deficiency was also rare, but 33% of infants had insufficient levels; this was more common in girls than boys.
Clitoral and Vulvar Vestibular Sensation in Women Taking 20 mcg Ethinyl Estradiol Combined Oral Contraceptives: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Lee Monica , Morgan Melinda , Rapkin Andrea
Published: October 2010

Introduction

Many women taking low-dose (20 mcg) oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) complain of decreased libido and arousal and some develop vulvar vestibular pain and dyspareunia. Free testosterone concentrations are decreased by the OCP. Genital sensation has not been objectively measured in women taking OCPs.

Aim

We assessed whether the 20 mcg ethinyl estradiol combined OCP and associated decrease in free testosterone levels affected genital sensation in a pilot study of a group of asymptomatic OCP users and controls.

Methods

Clitoral thermal, vibratory, and vestibular pain thresholds, sexual functioning, and free testosterone levels were measured in 24 women taking 20 mcg ethinyl estradiol combined OCPs and 28 comparison women not using hormonal contraception.

Main Outcome Measures

Female Sexual Functioning Index (FSFI), free testosterone, and clitoral heat, cold, and vibratory thresholds for sensation and vestibular pain thresholds.

Results

Free testosterone levels were lower in OCP users. There were no differences in FSFI scores, clitoral thermal or vibratory thresholds, or vestibular pain thresholds between groups.

Conclusions

Low-dose (20 mcg) oral contraceptives decrease free testosterone but are not associated with alterations in clitoral or vestibular sensation. Further studies of genital sensation in women with OCP-related sexual dysfunction are warranted.
Increased Risk for Cancer Following Erectile Dysfunction: A Nationwide Population-Based Follow-Up Study
Authors: Chung Shiu-Dong , Kang Jiunn-Horng , Liao Chun-Hou , Chiu Kuan-Ming , Lin Herng-Ching
Published: October 2010

Introduction

Previous studies have suggested that erectile dysfunction (ED) is associated with chronic inflammation, which is also a principle mechanism of carcinogensis. However, very few studies have attempted to examine the association between ED and subsequent cancer.

Aim

Using a nationwide population-based data set, the aim of this study is to investigate the risk for cancer during a 5-year follow-up period after a diagnosis of ED, compared to patients without ED during the same period, while adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics.

Main Outcome Measure

Stratified Cox proportional hazard regression was performed to compare the 5-year cancer-free survival rate for the two cohorts.

Methods

This study used data sourced from the Taiwan “Longitudinal Health Insurance Database.” The study cohort comprised 1,882 patients with ED and 9,410 randomly selected subjects as the comparison cohort. Each patient was then individually tracked for 5 years from their index ambulatory care visit to identify those who had diagnosed episodes of cancer.

Results

Of the sampled patients, 183 (1.6%) had cancer within the 5-year follow-up period, that is, 43 individuals (2.3% of the patients with ED) from the study cohort and 140 individuals (1.6% of patients in the comparison cohort) from the comparison cohort. After adjusting for the patients' monthly income, the geographic location and urbanization level of the community in which the patient resided, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and hyperlipidemia, regression analysis reveals that the hazard of having cancer during the 5-year follow-up period was 1.42 (95% CI=1.03–2.09, P =0.039) times greater for patients with ED than comparison patients. However, data on smoking, which is an important factor in ED and cancer, is not available and remains a potential confounder.

Conclusions

We conclude that the incidence of cancer in the 5 years after an ED diagnosis is significantly higher than in the general population.
Stronger Evidence for Small Fiber Sensory Neuropathy in Restless Genital Syndrome: Two Case Reports in Males
Authors: Waldinger Marcel D. , Venema Pieter L. , van Gils Ad P.G. , de Lint Govert J. , Schweitzer Dave H.
Published: October 2010

Introduction

Restless genital syndrome (ReGS) is characterized by unwanted, unpleasant genital sensations, restless legs, and/or overactive bladder, as well as neuropathy of the dorsal nerve of the clitoris. So far, ReGS has only been reported in females.

Aim

To report the occurrence of ReGS in two males.

Methods

Two males with unwanted genital sensations presented in our clinic. In-depth interview, routine and hormonal investigations, electro-encephalography, magnetic resonance imaging of brain and pelvis, manual examination of the pubic bone, and sensory testing of genital dermatomes were performed. In both males, conventional transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation was applied bilaterally at the pudendal dermatome.

Main Outcome Measures

Oral report, questionnaire on frequency and intensity of restless genital feelings, restless legs, overactive bladder, and satisfaction with the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) treatment.

Results

ReGS in a 74-year-old male manifested as unpleasant genital sensations of being on the edge of an orgasm with overactive bladder, in the absence of erection and ejaculation. Genital sensory testing elicited bilateral points of static mechanical hyperesthesia in the pudendal dermatome. Manual examination of the dorsal nerve of the penis (DNP) elicited the genital sensations. TENS application resulted in a 90% reduction of genital sensations and complaints of overactive bladder syndrome (OAB). ReGS in a 38-year-old male manifested as unwanted and unpleasant spontaneous ejaculations and complaints of OAB. Genital sensory testing elicited bilateral points of static mechanical hyperesthesia in the pudendal dermatome. Manual examination of the DNP elicited the genital sensations. TENS application had no effect on genital complaints and complaints of OAB.

Conclusions

ReGS is not a typical female disorder as it also affects males. This notion and the finding of typical sensory abnormalities of the genital end branches of the pudendal nerve in males and females—as previously reported—provides strong evidence for Small Fiber Sensory Neuropathy as a common cause of ReGS.
Vaginismus and Dyspareunia: Relationship with General and Sex-Related Moral Standards
Authors: Borg Charmaine , de Jong Peter J. , Weijmar Schultz Willibrord
Published: October 2010

Introduction

Relatively strong adherence to conservative values and/or relatively strict sex-related moral standards logically restricts the sexual repertoire and will lower the threshold for experiencing negative emotions in a sexual context. In turn, this may generate withdrawal and avoidance behavior, which is at the nucleus of vaginismus.

Aim

To examine whether indeed strong adherence to conservative morals and/or strict sexual standards may be involved in vaginismus.

Main Outcome Measures

The Schwartz Value Survey (SVS) to investigate the individual’s value pattern and the Sexual Disgust Questionnaire (SDQ) to index the willingness to perform certain sexual activities as an indirect measure of sex-related moral standards.

Methods

The SVS and SDQ were completed by three groups: women diagnosed with vaginismus (N = 24), a group of women diagnosed with dyspareunia (N = 24), and a healthy control group of women without sexual complaints (N = 32).

Results

Specifically, the vaginismus group showed relatively low scores on liberal values together with comparatively high scores on conservative values. Additionally, the vaginismus group was more restricted in their readiness to perform particular sex-related behaviors than the control group. The dyspareunia group, on both the SVS and the SDQ, placed between the vaginismus and the control group, but not significantly different than either of the groups.

Conclusions

The findings are consistent with the view that low liberal and high conservative values, along with restricted sexual standards, are involved in the development/maintenance of vaginismus.
Effect of Corticosterone and Paroxetine on Masculine Mating Behavior: Possible Involvement of Neurogenesis
Authors: Lau Benson Wui-Man , Yau Suk-Yu , Lee Tatia M.C. , Ching Yick-Pang , Tang Siu-Wa , So Kwok-Fai
Published: October 2010

Introduction

Corticosterone inhibits male rodent sexual behavior while the mechanism remains obscured. Recent studies have disclosed that neurogenesis in the subventricular zone (SVZ) can be increased by pheromone exposure from the opposite sex, and neurogenesis is essential for normal mating behavior of female mice. Together with the neurogenesis-inhibiting effect of corticosterone, we hypothesize that cell proliferation in the olfactory system is essential for male rodent sexual functioning.

Aim

The current study explored the relationship between cell proliferation in the olfactory system and male sexual behavior.

Main Outcome Measures

Sexual behavior performance, proliferative cell counts, and c-fos-expressing cell counts.

Methods

Adult male rats were treated with corticosterone and/or paroxetine, an antidepressant, for 2 weeks. These two drugs were shown to suppress and enhance hippocampus and SVZ cell proliferation, respectively. Mating behavior was assessed after the treatment, and proliferation of new cells and c-fos-expressing cells, activated neurons in the mating-related regions in the brain, were analyzed. To further confirm the necessity of cell proliferation in mating, inhibition of cell proliferation was performed by intracerebroventricular infusion of cytostatic cytosine arabinose (Ara-c).

Results

Corticosterone treatment, which inhibited cell proliferation in both the SVZ and olfactory epithelium, led to inhibited male sexual performance. In contrast, paroxetine increased cell proliferation and improved the performance in corticosterone-treated animals. When cell proliferation in the brain was inhibited by Ara-c, a suppressed sexual performance was found. However, cell proliferation in olfactory epithelium was not inhibited by Ara-c and thus the sexual inhibition is unlikely to be linked to this region. Furthermore, a decrease in c-fos expression in the mating-related regions upon female pheromone stimulation was found.

Conclusions

These results suggest that cell proliferation in the SVZ and hippocampus may be involved in the reproduction of the male rodents, and pharmacological treatments may affect sexual functioning through alteration of neurogenesis.
Rhizobacterial mediation of plant hormone status
Authors: Dodd I.C. , Zinovkina N.Y. , Safronova V.I. , Belimov A.A.
Published: October 2010

Plant growth‐promoting rhizobacteria are commonly found in the rhizosphere (adjacent to the root surface) and may promote plant growth via several diverse mechanisms, including the production or degradation of the major groups of plant hormones that regulate plant growth and development. Although rhizobacterial production of plant hormones seems relatively widespread (as judged from physico‐chemical measurements of hormones in bacterial culture media), evidence continues to accumulate, particularly from seedlings grown under gnotobiotic conditions, that rhizobacteria can modify plant hormone status. Since many rhizobacteria can impact on more than one hormone group, bacterial mutants in hormone production/degradation and plant mutants in hormone sensitivity have been useful to establish the importance of particular signalling pathways. Although plant roots exude many potential substrates for rhizobacterial growth, including plant hormones or their precursors, limited progress has been made in determining whether root hormone efflux can select for particular rhizobacterial traits. Rhizobacterial mediation of plant hormone status not only has local effects on root elongation and architecture, thus mediating water and nutrient capture, but can also affect plant root‐to‐shoot hormonal signalling that regulates leaf growth and gas exchange. Renewed emphasis on providing sufficient food for a growing world population, while minimising environmental impacts of agriculture because of overuse of fertilisers and irrigation water, will stimulate the commercialisation of rhizobacterial inoculants (including those that alter plant hormone status) to sustain crop growth and yield. Combining rhizobacterial traits (or species) that impact on plant hormone status thereby modifying root architecture (to capture existing soil resources) with traits that make additional resources available (e.g. nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilisation) may enhance the sustainability of agriculture.
Achieving gender balance in the boardroom: is it time for legislative action in the UK?
Authors: Villiers Charlotte
Published: October 2010

In the UK and across the globe, women struggle to get a place on the boards of large public companies and still take home less pay than their male counterparts. At a time of financial crisis and corporate governance failures, this lack of equality is considered especially problematic because the talents of half the workforce are not being utilised fully. This paper explores the possibility of introducing legislative gender quotas for company boardrooms in the UK. Such laws have been passed in Norway and Spain with dramatic results. Other countries, such as France and the Netherlands, look set to follow the examples of Norway and Spain. Has that time arrived in the UK?
A unified science of concussion
Authors: Maruta Jun , Lee Stephanie W. , Jacobs Emily F. , Ghajar Jamshid
Published: October 2010

The etiology, imaging, and behavioral assessment of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are daunting fields, given the lack of a cohesive neurobiological explanation for the observed cognitive deficits seen following mTBI. Although subjective patient self‐report is the leading method of diagnosing mTBI, current scientific evidence suggests that quantitative measures of predictive timing, such as visual tracking, could be a useful adjunct to guide the assessment of attention and to screen for advanced brain imaging. Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has demonstrated that mTBI is associated with widespread microstructural changes that include those in the frontal white matter tracts. Deficits observed during predictive visual tracking correlate with DTI findings that show lesions localized in neural pathways subserving the cognitive functions often disrupted in mTBI. Unifying the anatomical and behavioral approaches, the emerging evidence supports an explanation for mTBI that the observed cognitive impairments are a result of predictive timing deficits caused by shearing injuries in the frontal white matter tracts.
Military traumatic brain injury: an examination of important differencesa
Authors: French Louis M.
Published: October 2010

Traumatic brain injury, especially mild traumatic brain injury, is a common consequence of modern warfare. In the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, much attention has been devoted to blast as a “new” mechanism of brain injury. While the evidence for primary blast effects upon the central nervous system is limited and controversial, there are a number of aspects of blast‐induced brain injury that may be different. These include high rates of sensory impairment, pain issues, and polytrauma. In addition, the emotional context in which the injury occurred must also be considered in understanding the clinical presentation of these patients. Successful treatment of these individuals must use a multidisciplinary approach focused on the varied conditions that occur in those injured.
Suicide risk and prevention in veteran populations
Authors: Bruce Martha L.
Published: October 2010

Rates of suicide among veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) rose significantly from 2005 to 2007, adding to existing concerns about veteran suicide risk by the Department of Veterans Affairs. This paper summarizes the available data about risk and rates of suicide in veterans, including the choice of appropriate comparison groups and the identification of risk factors. The data suggest that taking into account the selection bias of who enters the military (known as the healthy soldier effect), rates of suicide in veterans are higher than expected, especially among activity duty OEF/OIF veterans and even more so among those who experienced injuries and trauma. Thus, the experiences of war and the downstream sequelae, in particular the individuals’ psychological reactions and societal responses, lead to suicide risk. This paper describes the VA's response to these data in developing and implementing suicide prevention interventions.
Using biological markers to inform a clinically meaningful treatment response
Authors: Yehuda Rachel , Bierer Linda M. , Pratchett Laura C. , Pelcovitz Michelle
Published: October 2010

Combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) demonstrate less robust improvement following treatments than do civilians with PTSD. This paper discusses a theoretical model for evaluating treatment response based on the extent of change in biological markers of symptom severity or resilience between treatment initiation and termination. Such analysis permits a determination of biological change associated with the liberal criteria commonly used to determine treatment response in combat PTSD, and a comparison of this to the biological change associated with clinical response determined according to the conservative definition more appropriate to civilian PTSD. Interim data supporting the utility of this approach is presented based on preliminary analyses from our work in progress. We propose that future studies consider the unique consequences of combat trauma and develop treatments that incorporate the complex nature of the exposure and response characteristic of a veteran population.
Development and early evaluation of the Virtual Iraq/Afghanistan exposure therapy system for combat‐related PTSD
Authors: Rizzo Albert “Skip” , Difede JoAnn , Rothbaum Barbara O. , Reger Greg , Spitalnick Josh , Cukor Judith , Mclay Rob
Published: October 2010

Numerous reports indicate that the growing incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in returning Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) military personnel is creating a significant health care and economic challenge. These findings have served to motivate research on how to better develop and disseminate evidence‐based treatments for PTSD. Virtual reality‐delivered exposure therapy for PTSD has been previously used with reports of positive outcomes. The current paper will detail the development and early results from use of the Virtual Iraq/Afghanistan exposure therapy system. The system consists of a series of customizable virtual scenarios designed to represent relevant Middle Eastern contexts for exposure therapy, including a city and desert road convoy environment. The process for gathering user‐centered design feedback from returning OEF/OIF military personnel and from a system deployed in Iraq (as was needed to iteratively evolve the system) will be discussed, along with a brief summary of results from an open clinical trial using Virtual Iraq with 20 treatment completers, which indicated that 16 no longer met PTSD checklist‐military criteria for PTSD after treatment.
Recent advances in preventing mass violence
Authors: Hamburg David A.
Published: October 2010

Since his presidency of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and co‐chairmanship of the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict, David Hamburg has been actively engaged in projects related to the prevention of genocide and other mass violence. In these remarks to the Association for Research in Nervous and Mental Disease, he describes the significance of preventing mass violence in the 21st century. In particular, he discusses the danger of nuclear and other highly lethal weapons, emphasizing examples of prevention drawn from the Cold War and subsequent period. He delineates practical steps that can be taken to prevent war and genocide, including restraints on weaponry, preventive diplomacy, fostering indigenous democracy, fostering equitable socioeconomic development, education for human survival, and international justice in relation to human rights. Training and support in preventive diplomacy are highlighted as crucially important, particularly in the context of the United Nations, using the novel Mediation Support Unit based out of the Department of Political Affairs as a key example. He concludes that the creation of international centers for the prevention of mass atrocities could provide a crucial resource in preventing mass violence.
Evidence‐based treatments for PTSD, new directions, and special challenges
Authors: Cukor Judith , Olden Megan , Lee Francis , Difede JoAnn
Published: October 2010

This paper provides a current review of existing evidence‐based treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with a description of psychopharmacologic options, prolonged exposure therapy, cognitive processing therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, especially as they pertain to military populations. It further offers a brief summary of promising treatments with a developing evidence base, encompassing both psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. Finally, challenges to the treatment of PTSD are summarized and future directions suggested.
From an unlicensed philosopher: reflections on brain, mind, society, culture—each other's environments with equal “ontologic standing”
Authors: Shay Jonathan
Published: October 2010

Philosophic conclusions drawn from work with psychologically and morally injured combat veterans include that brain, mind, society, and culture “co‐evolved.” The four encompass the complete human phenomenon, but not all are reducible to the physical brain. None of the four are “ontologically prior” to the others, when viewed over the entire lifecycle. All four are what I call “each other's environments,” with obligatory cross‐boundary flows—each with each in both directions. Rigorous, but nonreductionist interdisciplinary research, in the vein of “evo‐devo” in embryology, is called for in the study of the human phenomena. On the basis of these conclusions, I offer a few practical comments on clinical work with psychologically and morally injured combat veterans.
Costs of Arsenic Treatment for Potable Water in California and Comparison to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Affordability Metrics1
Authors: Hilkert Colby Elizabeth J. , Young Thomas M. , Green Peter G. , Darby Jeannie L.
Published: October 2010

Hilkert Colby, Elizabeth J., Thomas M. Young, Peter G. Green, and Jeannie L. Darby, 2010. Costs of Arsenic Treatment for Potable Water in California and Comparison to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Affordability Metrics.Journal of the American Water Resources Association(JAWRA) 46(6):1238–1254. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2010.00488.x

Abstract: The United States (U.S.) federal standard for arsenic in potable water systems is only the second water quality standard in which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) administrator used “discretionary authority to establish a less stringent standard” based on the results of cost‐benefit analyses. Based on the findings that a “standard of 3 μg/l would be feasible but not justified,” the revised maximum contaminant level (MCL) lowered the allowable arsenic concentration from 50 to 10 μg/l in 2002. In 2009, approximately 145 systems in California were out of compliance. The objectives were to gather performance and cost data from arsenic treatment systems in California to compare with data from the USEPA demonstration sites as well as with the USEPA affordability metrics for drinking water. The median cost of compliance with the revised arsenic MCL for the 36 surveyed systems was $1.95/1,000 gallons (2008 dollars), which is 69% of the average cost of delivered tap water in the U.S. in 2008 ($2.81/1,000 gallons). Additionally, 22% of the surveyed systems in California paid more than the maximum predicted cost of compliance with the revised arsenic MCL ($5.05/1,000 gallons). The largest variation in cost was seen in the systems that treated <500 gpm. For the systems utilizing adsorption, systems obtained between 20 and 80% of the expected bed volumes prior to breakthrough, indicating the need for better prediction of performance.
Comparison of Measured and MM5 Modeled Meteorology Data for Simulating Flow in a Mountain Watershed1
Authors: Herr Joel W. , Vijayaraghavan Krish , Knipping Eladio
Published: October 2010

Herr, Joel W., Krish Vijayaraghavan, and Eladio Knipping, 2010. Comparison of Measured and MM5 Modeled Meteorology Data for Simulating Flow in a Mountain Watershed. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(6):1255–1263. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2010.00489.x

Abstract:  Accurate simulation of time‐varying flow in a river system depends on the quality of meteorology inputs. The density of meteorology measurement stations can be insufficient to capture spatial heterogeneity of precipitation, especially in mountainous areas. The Watershed Analysis Risk Management Framework (WARMF) model was applied to the Catawba River watershed of North and South Carolina to simulate flow and water quality in rivers and a series of 11 reservoirs. WARMF was linked with the AMSTERDAM air model to analyze the water quality benefit from reduced atmospheric emissions. The linkage requires accurate simulation of meteorology for all seasons and for all types of precipitation events. WARMF was driven by the mesoscale meteorology model MM5 processed by the Meteorology Chemistry Interface Processor, which provides greater spatial density but less accuracy than meteorology stations. WARMF was also run with measured data from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) to compare the performance of the watershed model using measured data vs. modeled meteorology as input. A one year simulation using MM5 modeled meteorology performed better overall than the simulation using NCDC data for the volumetric water balance measure used for calibration, but MM5 represented precipitation from a dissipated hurricane poorly, which propagated into errors of simulated flow.
Building evolutionary resilience for conserving biodiversity under climate change
Authors: Sgrò Carla M. , Lowe Andrew J. , Hoffmann Ary A.
Published: October 2010

Evolution occurs rapidly and is an ongoing process in our environments. Evolutionary principles need to be built into conservation efforts, particularly given the stressful conditions organisms are increasingly likely to experience because of climate change and ongoing habitat fragmentation. The concept of evolutionary resilience is a way of emphasizing evolutionary processes in conservation and landscape planning. From an evolutionary perspective, landscapes need to allow in situ selection and capture high levels of genetic variation essential for responding to the direct and indirect effects of climate change. We summarize ideas that need to be considered in planning for evolutionary resilience and suggest how they might be incorporated into policy and management to ensure that resilience is maintained in the face of environmental degradation.
Analysis of sustainable pest control using a pesticide and a screened refuge
Authors: Ringland John , George Prasanth
Published: October 2010

We describe and analyze a ‘screened refuge’ technique for indefinitely sustaining control of insect pests using transgenic pesticidal crops or an applied pesticide, even when resistance is not recessive. The screen is a physical barrier that restricts pest movement. In a deterministic discrete‐time model of the use of this technique, we obtain asymptotic analytical formulas for the two important equilibria of the system in terms of the refuge size and the pest fitnesses, mutation rates, and mobility out of and into the refuge. One of the equilibria is stable and is the point at which the pest population is controlled. The other is a saddle whose stable manifold bounds the basin of attraction of the former: its location provides a measure of the tolerance of the control mechanism to perturbations in the resistant allele density.
Medicinal Plants and Dementia Therapy: Herbal Hopes for Brain Aging?
Authors: Perry Elaine , Howes Melanie‐Jayne R.
Published: October 2010

An escalating "epidemic” of diseases like Alzheimer's has not yet been met by effective symptomatic treatments or preventative strategies. Among a few current prescription drugs are cholinesterase inhibitors including galantamine, originating from the snowdrop. Research into ethnobotanicals for memory or cognition has burgeoned in recent years. Based on a multi‐faceted review of medicinal plants or phytochemicals, including traditional uses, relevant bioactivities, psychological and clinical evidence on efficacy and safety, this overview focuses on those for which there is promising clinical trial evidence in people with dementia, together with at least one other of these lines of supporting evidence. With respect to cognitive function, such plants reviewed include sage, Ginkgo biloba, and complex mixtures of other traditional remedies. Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) challenge carers and lead to institutionalization. Symptoms can be alleviated by some plant species (e.g., lemon balm and lavender alleviate agitation in people with dementia; St John's wort treats depression in the normal population). The ultimate goal of disease prevention is considered from the perspective of limited epidemiological and clinical trial evidence to date. The potential value of numerous plant extracts or chemicals (e.g., curcumin) with neuroprotective but as yet no clinical data are reviewed. Given intense clinical need and carer concerns, which lead to exploration of such alternatives as herbal medicines, the following research priorities are indicated: investigating botanical agents which enhance cognition in populations with mild memory impairment or at earliest disease stages, and those for BPSD in people with dementia at more advanced stages; establishing an ongoing authoritative database on herbal medicine for dementia; and further epidemiological and follow up studies of promising phytopharmaceuticals or related nutraceuticals for disease prevention.
Age and Tectonic Significance of the Mafic Dyke Swarm in the Kuruktag Region, Xinjiang
Authors: Zhicheng ZHANG , Zhaojie GUO , Shuwen LIU
Published: October 2010

Abstract  The mafic dykes are composed of a series of northwest‐trending diabase in Kuokesu of the Kuruktag region, Xinjiang. Four whole‐rock samples of the mafic dykes in the region give an 40Ar/36Ar–40K/36Ar isochron age of 282 Ma with the initial 40Ar/36Ar = 507. The characteristics of the major, trace and rare earth elements of the dyke rocks indicate that they belong to the calc‐alkaline series and were emplaced in extensional structures at an intermediate depth of the crust. This shows that there was a large‐scale extension in the Permian Period, which might be associated with the post‐collisional extension of the ancient Tianshan Mountains.
Characteristics of Compositional Migration in Mylonites from the Ductile Shear Zones of the Southern Tancheng‐Lujiang Fault Belt, Eastern Anhui Province
Authors: Xiaoyong YANG , Deliang LUI , Xueming YANG , Kuiren WANG , Jinxing DAI
Published: October 2010

Abstract  On the basis of field geology, three typical ductile shear zones in the southern part of the Tancheng‐Lujiang fault belt have been chosen for a detailed study. Altogether ten samples of the tectonites have been collected for this study. The paper is focused on a comprehensive study of the tectonites in the medium‐lower horizons of the ductile shear zones. The mineral compositions of the rocks are analyzed with EPMA and some typical whole‐rock samples analyzed by chemical and ICP methods. Based on the comprehensive study of the characteristics of the deformation, the mineral assemblages and the changes of chemical composition of the bulk rocks, this paper presents a discussion on the relationship between the volume loss, the fluid flow and compositional changes during mylonitization of the ductile shear zones in this region. Our study shows that there are a large amount of fluids flowing through the shear zones during the process of mylonization, accompanied by the loss of rock volume and migration of elements and components. Modelling calculation results under different saturation conditions of fluids show that the maximum volume loss of the tectonites is about 60% relative to their protolith, while the fluid/rock ratio ranges from 10 to 103 in different ductile shear zones.
Locating Mechanism of Quartz Vein Gold Deposits in Rushan, Shandong Province
Authors: Hongyuan XIE , Yuanchao SHEN , Yuejun WANG , Guangming LI , Tiebing LIU , Qirui ZHANG , Qingdong ZEN
Published: October 2010

Abstract  According to the differences in ore‐controlling structural systems and the characteristics of host rocks, textures and structures of ores and mineral associations of ores, quartz vein‐type gold deposits in the Rushan area can be divided into the Rushan and Tongling styles. Rushan style gold deposits, occurring in the Kunyushan complex, include Rushan, Tangjiagou and Tongxishan gold mines. They are distributed along four NNE‐trending and sinistral, compresso‐shear faults with a right stepping array. A prominent characteristic of the gold mineralization is that the orebodies in neighbouring gold deposits distributed in a single ore‐controlling fault zone take opposite pitches. Study of the locating structures of the quartz vein gold deposits shows that the Rushan‐style gold deposits are characterized by NNE and NE zoning. Therefore, the intersections of the NE direction of the known gold deposit and the neighbouring NNE‐trending fault zones are favourable for looking for gold deposits, and the ends of the curving segments of sinistral and right‐stepping faults are favourable for looking for large gold deposits. Tongling‐style gold deposits occur in the Sanfosan porphyritic monzonitic granite. Emplacement of gold deposits is controlled by arcuate and radiate structures formed during the intrusion of the Sanfoshan porphyritic monzonitic granite; the radiate faults controlled the distribution of orebodies and the arcuate faults controlled the pitch of the orebodies.
Geological and Geochemical Characteristics and Genesis of the Shaxi Porphyry Copper (Gold) Deposits, Anhui Province
Authors: Zhaowen XU , Jiansheng QIU , Qijiang REN , Wenyi XU , Cuiyi NIU , Bin FU
Published: October 2010

Abstract The Shaxi porphyry copper (gold) deposits are a typical example of porphyry copper deposits associated with diorite in eastern China. Quartz diorite, which hosts the deposits, has a Rb‐Sr isochron age of 127.9 ± 1.6 Ma. Geochemically, the rock is rich in alkalis (especially sodium), light rare earth elements (LREE) and large‐ion lithophile elements (LILE), and has a relatively low initial strontium isotopic ratio (Isr=0.7058); thus it is the product of differentiation of crust‐mantle mixing source magma. The model of alteration and mineralization zoning is similar to the Hollister (1974) diorite model. The ore fluids have a relatively high salinity and contain significant amounts of CO2, Ca2+, Na+ and ***CI−. The homogenization temperatures of fluid inclusions for the main mineralization stage range from 280 to 420°C, the δ18O values of the ore fluids vary from 3.51 to 5.52 %, the δD values are in the range between −82.4 and −59.8 %, the δ34S values of sulphides vary from −0.3 to 2.49 %, and the δ13C values of CO2 in inclusions range between −2.66 and −6.53 %. Isotope data indicate that the hydrothermal ore fluids and ore substances of the Shaxi porphyry copper (gold) deposits were mainly derived from magmatic systems.
Metamorphism of the East Sector of the Southern Qinling Orogenic Belt and Its Geological Significance
Authors: Chunjing WEI , Chonghui YANG , Shouguang ZHANG
Published: October 2010

Abstract The east sector of the southern Qinling belt is, lithologically, composed mainly of metapelites, ***qüartzites, marbles and small amount of metabasites and gneisses, whose protoliths are the Silurian, Devonian and less commonly the Sinian and Upper Palaeozoic. They have been subjected at least to two epochs of metamorphism. The early epoch belongs to progressive metamorphism which is centered on high amphibolite‐granulite fades in the Fuping area and changed outwards into low amphibolite facies (staurolite‐kyanite zone), epidote amphibolite facies (garnet zone) and greenschist facies (chlorite and biotite zones), the metamorphic age of which is about 220–260 Ma. This early‐epoch metamorphism belongs to different pressure types: the rocks from greenschist to low amphibolite facies belong to the typical medium‐pressure type which shows geothermal gradients of about 17–20 ***C/km and was probably produced by a crustal thickening process related to continental collision, and the high amphibolite‐granulite facies belongs to the low‐pressure type which shows geothermal gradients of about 25–38 ***C/km and was probably affected by some magmatic heats. Based on the basic characteristics of the P‐T paths of the different facies calculated from the garnet zonations, it can be deduced that the metamorphism of medium‐pressure facies series took place during an imbricated thickening process, rather than during the uplifting process after thickening. The late‐epoch metamorphism belongs to dynamic metamorphism of greenschist facies which is overprinted on the early‐epoch metamorphic rocks and is Yanshanian or Himalayan in age, probably related to intracontinental orogeny.