bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Morphology and electrical properties of carbon black/poly(ethylene terephthalate)/polypropylene composite
Authors: Farimani H. Ebrahimi , Ebrahimi N. Golshan
Published: December 2011

This work attempts to develop a carbon black (CB) filled conductive polymer composite based on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and polypropylene (PP). The process follows by localizing the CB particles in the minor phase (PET), and then the conductive masterbatch was elongated to form conductive microfibrils in PP matrix during melt extrusion process. After compression molding, a fine conductive three‐dimensional microfibrillar network is constructed. For comparison purpose, CB, PET, and PP are mixed using different pattern. The morphology and the volume resistivity of the obtained composites are evaluated. Electrical conductivity investigation shows that the percolation threshold and resistivity values are dependent on the CB concentration. The best morphological observation shows that the PET phases forms well‐defined microfibrils, and CB particles overwhelmingly localize in the surfaces of the PET microfibrils, which led to a very low percolation threshold, i.e., 4.5 phr, and a reasonable conductivity. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011
Suppression of oxLDL‐Induced MMP‐9 and EMMPRIN Expression by Berberine via Inhibition of NF‐κB Activation in Human THP‐1 Macrophages
Authors: Huang Zhouqing , Meng Shu , Wang Liansheng , Wang Yue , Chen Ting , Wang Changqian
Published: December 2011

Upregulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) by macrophages leads to atherosclerotic plaque rupture by degradation of the extracellular matrix. NF‐κB activation regulates many key inflammatory genes linked to atherosclerosis. In the present study, the function of berberine, a natural extract from Rhizoma coptidis, on MMP‐9 and EMMPRIN expression, the role of NF‐κB activation in oxLDL‐stimulated macrophages, and the possible mechanism in which NF‐κB activation is involved were investigated. Berberine inhibited the expression of MMP‐9 and EMMPRIN at both mRNA and protein levels. The phosphorylation of IκB‐α and nuclear translocation of p65 protein were reduced by berberine, suggesting that NF‐κB activation was inhibited by berberine in oxLDL‐stimulated macrophages. Overall, berberine suppressed the expression of MMP‐9 and EMMPRIN by at least reducing partly the activity of NF‐κB in oxLDL‐induced macrophages. Anat Rec, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Impact of fat and muscle in energy dispersive X‐ray diffraction‐based identification of heroin using multivariate data analysis
Authors: Li Wei , Zhang Fang , Yu Daoyang , Sun Bai , Li Minqiang , Liu Jinhuai
Published: December 2011

As for the detection of drug body packing, skin is a typical interference factor. In this paper, multivariate data analysis was proposed to analyze the impact of fat and muscle on heroin identification based on the profile of spectra of energy dispersive X‐ray diffraction. In the space of principal components, the results showed that different pure samples (heroin, muscle, fat) clustered in different areas, whereas the location of mixture samples moved between locations of pure samples. The impact of fat and muscle lies in moving the feature points between pure materials in the space of principal components. Furthermore, the model of heroin covered by fat and muscle of different thicknesses was set up, and a linear relationship was proven to be suitable. Our findings indicate that multivariate data analysis would be a promising method in the detection of drug body packing. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Determination of diabetic retinopathy prevalence and associated risk factors in Chinese diabetic and pre‐diabetic subjects: Shanghai diabetic complications study
Authors: Pang Can , Jia Lili , Jiang Sunfang , Liu Wei , Hou Xuhong , Zuo Yuhua , Gu Huilin , Bao Yuqian , Wu Qiang , Xiang Kunsan , Gao Xin , Jia Weiping
Published: December 2011

Background

The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy is not well studied in the Chinese pre‐diabetic population, also known as impaired glucose regulation. Hence, we investigated the prevalence of and risk factors associated with retinopathy in diabetic and pre‐diabetic subjects from Chinese communities.

Methods

A total of 3736 Chinese subjects were recruited from urban communities in Shanghai. The participants were classified as normal glucose tolerance, impaired glucose regulation (IGR) and diabetes based on the 75 g oral glucose tolerance test. The levels of diabetic retinopathy (DR) were assessed with non‐mydriatic retinal photographs according to the Diabetic Retinopathy Disease Severity Scale.

Results

The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetes and impaired glucose regulation subjects was 9.4% and 2.5%, respectively. In subjects with IGR, hypertension (odds ratio: 3.54, p = 0.028), including elevated systolic and diastolic blood pressure and obesity (odds ratio: 3.53, p = 0.028) were significantly associated with diabetic retinopathy after age and sex adjustments. The factors associated with retinopathy in diabetes included diabetes duration, blood glucose levels, glycated hemoglobin levels, and the presence of albuminuria. Diabetic retinopathy was significantly associated with fasting plasma glucose in known diabetes, whereas in newly‐diagnosed subjects, diabetic neuropathy was closely correlated to postprandial plasma glucose.

Conclusions

Hyperglycemia was a strong risk factor for diabetic retinopathy. In pre‐diabetic subjects, diabetic retinopathy was also associated with hypertension and obesity. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tim‐1 regulates Th2 responses in an airway hypersensitivity model
Authors: Curtiss Miranda L. , Gorman Jacob V. , Businga Thomas R. , Traver Geri , Singh Melody , Meyerholz David K. , Kline Joel N. , Murphy Andrew J. , Valenzuela David M. , Colgan John D. , Rothman Paul B. , Cassel Suzanne L.
Published: December 2011

T‐cell immunoglobulin mucin‐1 (Tim‐1) is a transmembrane protein postulated to be a key regulator of Th2‐type immune responses. This hypothesis is based in part upon genetic studies associating Tim‐1 polymorphisms in mice with a bias toward airway hyperrespon‐siveness (AHR) and the development of Th2‐type CD4+ T cells. Tim‐1 expressed by Th2 CD4+ T cells has been proposed to function as a co‐stimulatory molecule. Tim‐1 is also expressed by B cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells, but its role in responses by these cell types has not been firmly established. Here, we generated Tim‐1‐deficient mice to determine the role of Tim‐1 in a murine model of allergic airway disease that depends on the development and function of Th2 effector cells and results in the generation of AHR. We found antigen‐driven recruitment of inflammatory cells into airways is increased in Tim‐1‐deficient mice relative to WT mice. In addition, we observed increased antigen‐specific cytokine production by splenocytes from antigen‐sensitized Tim‐1‐deficient mice relative to those from controls. These data support the conclusion that Tim‐1 functions in pathways that suppress recruitment of inflammatory cells into the airways and the generation or activity of CD4+ T cells.
HLA‐G inhibition of NK‐cell cytolytic function is uncoupled from tumor cell lipid raft reorganization
Authors: Baudhuin Jeremy , Lesport Emilie , Sousa Sylvie , Migraine Julie , Vigneron James , Lemaoult Joel , Carosella Edgardo D. , Mooney Nuala , Favier Benoit
Published: December 2011

HLA‐G is a non‐classical HLA class I molecule with tolerogenic properties and restricted tissue distribution. The expression of HLA‐G can be induced by tumors thus providing an efficient way to escape the anti‐tumoral immune response. Although lipid rafts regulate diverse immunological mechanisms their relationship with HLA‐G remains controversial. Our results show that HLA‐G‐mediated inhibition of both the interaction between NK and tumor cells, and of intracellular calcium flux in NK cells conjugated to their target cells were independent of lipid raft integrity. In addition, cytotoxicity assays indicated that HLA‐G continued to efficiently inhibit NK‐cell cytolytic function in several different tumor cells independently of lipid raft integrity. Confocal microscopy with 3D reconstruction combined with biochemical analysis showed that HLA‐G was mainly localized outside the lipid rafts of tumor cells after cross‐linking with specific antibody and remained excluded from lipid rafts during interaction with the ILT2 inhibitory receptor of NK cells. This study indicates that the inhibitory function of HLA‐G is uncoupled from lipid raft organization, further distinguishing HLA‐G from classical HLA molecules and providing novel information in the understanding of tumor immune escape mechanism mediated through HLA‐G.
Effect of protocol parameters on contrast agent washout curve separability in breast dynamic contrast enhanced MRI: A simulation study
Authors: Freed Melanie
Published: December 2011

Variability in diagnostic performance of breast dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI has highlighted the need for improved standardization. While guidance exists on some aspects of the technique, currently, there is no standardized method for selecting repetition time and flip angle, which are important determinants of image contrast. This study develops a theoretical framework for quantitative optimization of temporal aspects of dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI based on area under the receiver operating curve. Optimizations in simulation demonstrate the potential for increases in area under the receiver operating characteristic curve by up to 0.20 and specificity at a sensitivity of 90% by up to 19%, depending on the protocol. These results suggest that careful selection of repetition time and flip angle can improve diagnostic performance and identify these quantities as potentially important parameters for future standardization. Magn Reson Med, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Quantification of protein isoforms in mesenchymal stem cells by reductive dimethylation of lysines in intact proteins
Authors: She Yi‐Min , Rosu‐Myles Michael , Walrond Lisa , Cyr Terry D.
Published: December 2011

Mass spectrometry (MS)‐based quantification of highly homologous proteins in complex samples has proven difficult due to subtle sequence variations and the wide dynamic range of protein isoforms present. Herein, we report the use of reductive dimethylation on intact proteins to quantitatively compare protein isoform expression in the nucleus and cytoplasm of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and normal stroma. By coupling fixed‐charge MS/MS scanning, high‐resolution UPLC FT‐MS data‐dependent acquisition and MASCOT‐based data mining, hydrogen/deuterium‐labeled dimethyl‐lysine peptides were simultaneously captured allowing the accurate comparison of 123 protein isoforms in parallel LC MS/MS runs. Thirty‐four isoforms were identified that had expression levels specific to MSC. Where possible, proteomic analyses were verified by Western blotting and were demonstrated to be divergent from the level of gene transcription detected for certain proteins. Our analysis provides a protein isoform signature specific to MSC and demonstrates the suitability of dimethyl‐lysine labeling on intact proteins for quantifying highly homologous proteins on a proteome‐wide scale.
Impact of North Atlantic evaporation hot spots on southern Alpine heavy precipitation events
Authors: Winschall A. , Pfahl S. , Sodemann H. , Wernli H.
Published: December 2011

This study investigates transient events of intense ocean evaporation with an amplitude exceeding 250 W m−2, a duration of a few days, and a spatial extent of about 10ˆ6 km2 over the eastern North Atlantic (referred to as ‘evaporation hot spots’) and their impact on southern Alpine heavy precipitation. First, moisture sources for a heavy precipitation event in the Piedmont in November 2002 are studied using a water‐tagging simulation with a regional model. The results reveal three main moisture sources: land evapotranspiration, and evaporation from the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic, with the last source contributing the most. This was partly due to an evaporation hot spot that appeared along the western edge of a prominent upper‐level trough about two days prior to the onset of heavy precipitation. In the hot spot area strong surface winds induced by the upper‐level trough led to intense evaporation of water that was transported around the trough to the Piedmont region during subsequent days, where it contributed to the heavy precipitation. Secondly, analyses by the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) are used to investigate climatologically the potential relationship between eastern North Atlantic evaporation hot spots and southern Alpine precipitation. During a 10‐year time period, 42 hot spots have been identified in the eastern North Atlantic. It is shown that they typically occur along the western flank of prominent upper‐level troughs, and that the evaporating moisture is transported to Europe within one to four days. A climatological analysis of southern Alpine heavy precipitation events shows that they are frequently preceded by intense North Atlantic evaporation. Hence the climatological analysis further supports the conclusion from the Piedmont 2002 tagging experiment that intense evaporation over the North Atlantic and the subsequent moisture transport, both induced by the upper‐level trough, are potential key factors for the development of southern Alpine heavy precipitation events. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological Society
Elusive Fluoro Sulfinyl Nitrite, FS(O)NO, Produced by Photolysis of Matrix‐isolated FS(O)2N
Authors: Zeng Xiaoqing , Beckers Helmut , Neuhaus Patrik , Grote Dirk , Sander Wolfram
Published: December 2011

Triplet fluoro sulfonyl nitrene, FS(O)2N (X3A") was generated by ArF excimer laser irradiation (λ = 193 nm) of FS(O)2N3 isolated in solid noble gas matrices. The novel nitrene was characterized by IR (15N‐, 18O‐, and 34S‐labeling), UV/Vis, and EPR spectroscopy. The elusive sulfinyl nitrite, FS(O)NO, was formed in a spin‐forbidden reaction upon photolysis (λ > 320 nm) of triplet FS(O)2N. Triplet‐singlet intersystem crossing (ISC) was found to compete with a spin‐allowed fragmentation of the sulfonyl nitrene, which yields SO2 + FN (3Σ–) and FNO + SO (3Σ–). Guided by DFT calculations the complex photo‐decomposition of FS(O)2N (X3A") is discussed.
Ternary Indides Eu2Pd2In and Eu2Pt2In
Authors: Muts Ihor , Zaremba Vasyl I. , Pöttgen Rainer
Published: December 2011

The indides Eu2Pd2In and Eu2Pt2In were synthesized from the elements in sealed tantalum tubes in an induction furnace. The samples were characterized by powder X‐ray diffraction. The structures were refined on the basis of single‐crystal X‐ray diffractometer data: HT‐Pr2Co2Al type, C2/c, a = 1035.7(2), b = 592.9(1), c = 823.6(2) pm, β = 104.26(1) °, wR2 = 0.026, 1075 F2 values, 25 variables for Eu2Pd2In and a = 1017.2(2), b = 588.7(1), c = 826.5(1) pm, β = 103.76(1) °, wR2 = 0.062, 706 F2 values, 25 variables for Eu2Pt2In. The indium atoms have four platinum (palladium) neighbors in strongly distorted tetrahedral coordination at Pt–In and Pd–In distances ranging from 273 to 275 pm. These InPd4/2 and InPt4/2 units are condensed via common edges to infinite InPd2 and InPt2 chains, which are surrounded by the europium atoms. The chains form the motif of hexagonal rod packing.
New perspectives on nutritional interventions to augment lipid utilisation during exercise
Authors: Gonzalez Javier T. , Stevenson Emma J.
Published: December 2011

The enhancement of fat oxidation during exercise is an aim for both recreational exercising individuals and endurance athletes. Nutritional status may explain a large part of the variation in maximal rates of fat oxidation during exercise. This review reveals novel insights into nutritional manipulation of substrate selection during exercise, explaining putative mechanisms of action and evaluating the current evidence. Lowering the glycaemic index of the pre-exercise meal can enhance lipid utilisation by up to 100 % through reduced insulin concentrations, although its application may be restricted to specific training sessions rather than competition. Chronic effects of dietary glycaemic index are less clear and warrant future study before firm recommendations can be made. A flurry of recent advances has overthrown the conventional view ofl-carnitine supplementation, with skeletal muscle uptake possible under certain dietary conditions and providing a strategy to influence energy metabolism in an exercise intensity-dependent manner. Use of non-carbohydrate nutrients to stimulate musclel-carnitine uptake may prove more beneficial for optimising lipid utilisation, but this requires more research. Studies investigating fish oil supplementation on fat oxidation during exercise are conflicting. In spite of some strong putative mechanisms, the only crossover trial showed no significant effect on lipid use during exercise. Ca may increase NEFA availability although it is not clear whether these effects occur. Ca and caffeine can increase NEFA availability under certain circumstances which could theoretically enhance fat oxidation, yet strong experimental evidence for this effect during exercise is lacking. Co-administration of nutrients to maximise their effectiveness needs further investigation.
The Renewal of Time and Space: The Missing Element of Discussions about Nineteenth-Century Premillennialism
Authors: SPENCE MARTIN
Published: December 2011

This article is a contribution to the recent debate in this Journal between Ralph Brown and Boyd Hilton concerning the nature of British nineteenth-century premillennialism.1 It discusses the premillennialists' view of time and argues that a sense of God's involvement with the historical process led them to affirm temporal development and progress as the media for divine activity. It also discusses their view of the destiny of the earth and shows how premillennialist eschatology was fully materialistic, placing a high view on the body and the physical world. These are important factors in accounting for the premillennialist social vision.
4.—Edinburgh's Place in Science and Medicine.
Authors: Ritchie Anthony E.
Published: December 2011

Edinburgh is a capital city of beauty, antiquity and character. Its beginnings were tortuous and dramatic, for under the slow remorseless pressures of a glacier the land on either side of the Castle Rock was scoured out into two deep valleys. The Rock itself, a plug from an old volcano, split the ice like a solid wedge and left in its trail the sheltered sloping ground to the east. On this elevated ridge the settlement began with a few primitive Pictish dwellings made and inhabited by a race which has left to us many monuments and carvings but not one single word of script. The earlier name, Dunedin, means ‘the fortress on the sloping rock’, and as such it was known to the Ancient Britons before and during Roman times. Little exact history remains; in the seventh century the Castle—fortress on the Rock—was rebuilt and enlarged for a Royal refuge. In the eleventh century Queen Margaret built the tiny chapel which stands on the crest of the rock nearly 300 feet above the gardens, and though the Castle has many times changed hands by violence, the Royal Saint's Chapel stands as the oldest building in Edinburgh.
9.—Fitzroy—Meteorological Statist.
Authors: Charnock H.
Published: December 2011

Robert Fitzroy is remembered mainly as the captain of H.M.S. Beagle who had Charles Darwin on board as naturalist from 1832 to 1836. Certainly what he observed during the voyage led Darwin to far-reaching conclusions which changed man's ideas on his origins: he is justly famous all over the world. But, as the excellent biography by Mellersh makes clear, Fitzroy was an interesting man too, whose humanitarian efforts have been overshadowed by those of his more distinguished shipmate.
18.—Deep-sea Drilling with D/V Glomar Challenger.
Authors: Peterson M. N. A. , Field A. J.
Published: December 2011

The H.M.S. Challenger and D/V Glomar Challenger; it gives those of us who have had the pleasure and good fortune to be associated with the Glomar Challenger and the Deep Sea Drilling Project the greatest of pride to be identified in the name of what was undoubtedly the most progressive of all deep-sea explorations, the voyage of the H.M.S. Challenger one hundred years ago.

As its sequel, we are deeply indebted to those who explored the deep ocean basins in the Challenger before, and whose courageous and inspired explorations were instrumental in making our Glomar Challenger possible.
20.—A Recently Discovered Challenger Sketchbook.
Authors: Henderson J. Welles , Stewart Harris B.
Published: December 2011

Synopsis

In 1968 the senior author discovered in a Boston, Massachusetts, bookstore a sketchbook of some 33 watercolours of the Challenger Expedition painted by Benjamin Shephard, a cooper assigned to the Challenger on November 15, 1872, at the age of 31. The paintings were all accomplished between the ship's departure from Gibraltar on January 26,1873, and the completion of her February 1874 work in the Antarctic before departing for Melbourne, Australia.

Shephard's paintings are elliptical in shape and measure 9·75 by 5·5 inches, each within a painted ‘frame’ resembling a leather belt with a ‘buckle’ at the lower left. The paintings themselves are skilfully done and each shows the Challenger at a different location during the voyage.

Since all but one of the paintings were dated by the artist, it has been possible to go back to the official narrative of the expedition and to the published logs kept by the Assistant Engineer, W. J. J. Spry, and by Sub-Lieutenant Lord George G. Campbell to determine just what was happening aboard at the time each painting was made. Excerpts from these logs provide the narrative accompanying the sketches which are to be published in book form to coincide with the Challenger Expedition Centenary celebrations. Black and white photographs of the sketchbook's cover and of four of the 33 sketches are included as part of this paper (Plates 1–5).
26.—On the History of Investigation and Development of the Ocean with Submarine Vehicles.
Authors: Azhazha V. G.
Published: December 2011

The evolution of deep-sea investigations with the use of diving-vessels is directly connected to the development of submarine navigation. It seems that a trustworthy elucidation of some historical facts will help to restore the real picture of this branch of oceanology. We are speaking about the Russian and Soviet contribution to the development of submarine navigation and, later, underwater investigations, which is insufficiently elucidated in modern works on the history of depth development. This necessitates reviving some events directly connected with the subject under consideration in the form of brief references.
35.—The Fluxes of Marine Chemistry.
Authors: Goldberg Edward D.
Published: December 2011

Sea-water chemistry has intrigued a variety of scholars for a variety of reasons. Dominant is a great curiosity to understand the nature of our surroundings—a quest that has involved the earliest philosophers to twentieth-century scientists such as those who penetrate the great depths of the oceans in such an artificial exo-skeleton as the bathyscaphe. The exploitations of both the living and mineral resources of the sea have motivated many investigations. The rising food demands for an increasing world population have resulted in extensive searches for the factors governing biological productivity, including the chemical species related to the photosynthetic activities of marine plants. Systematic marine mineral explorations utilise the results of investigations upon the chemical factors that govern precipitation processes in sea water and upon the chemical make-up of rivers. More recently, the remarkable abilities of human society to alter the compositions of the waters and airs of the environment have necessitated an immediate expansion in our knowledge of oceanic chemistries in order to predict the responses of the marine environment, including its inhabitants, to such incursions. By such stimuli the moods of marine chemistry have been fashioned over the past two centuries.
44.—The Bathythermograph
Authors: LaFond E. C. , Couper B. K.
Published: December 2011

The first version of the bathythermograph (BT) was invented by Dr A. F. Spilhaus and reported in 1938 (Spilhaus 1938). In response to the wartime need for information useful to sonar, the instrument was improved and manufactured in quantity (Couper and LaFond 1970). Beginning with the pre-war invention, a discussion is presented of the development and use of the BT; its manufacture and testing; the training programme for observers; and collection, processing and use of BT data.
Ninety Years' High-pressure Research
Authors: Flügel H.
Published: December 2011

The question as to the existence of life at great depths was still a matter of controversy in the last century. In spite of the fact that the remains of living animals were recovered from several hundreds of metres, many marine biologists hesitated to believe that animal life could exist in deep-sea conditions. In 1841, Sir James Clark Ross, the leader of the British Antarctic Expedition, claimed:‘… and although contrary to the general belief of naturalists, I have no doubt that from however great a depth we may be able to bring the mud and stones of the bed of the ocean, we shall find them teeming with animal life; the extreme pressure at the greatest depth does not appear to affect these creatures; hitherto we have not been able to determine this point beyond a thousand fathoms, but from that depth several shellfish have been brought up with the mud’ (Murray 1895, p. 79). Edward Forbes, naturalist on H.M.S.S. Beacon, for instance, referred to the marine environment in excess of 550 m as the ‘azoic zone’. But the classical deep-sea expeditions in the second half of the nineteenth century, among others the famous voyage of the Challenger, produced overwhelming evidence for a more or less abundant abyssal fauna.
The Pressure Sensitivity of Marine Invertebrates—a résumé after 25 years
Authors: Morgan Elfed
Published: December 2011

Synopsis

Early investigations into the effects of pressure on marine invertebrates were concerned mainly with determining limits of tolerance to extreme pressures, but within the last 25 years it has gradually emerged that many invertebrates are sensitive to quite small changes in pressure, often less than one atmosphere (1000 mb). The responses of most planktonic animals appear to be of a depth regulatory nature but certain littoral organisms show rhythmic changes in activity in response to cyclical pressure changes of tidal amplitude and frequency. The ecological role of such responses is considered.

The parameters of the pressure sense are known only from behavioural studies and offer little information concerning the process of reception. A possible mechanism of transduction based on the compression of a surface film of gas is described.
Fishing Industry in Ancient Egypt
Authors: Aleem A. A.
Published: December 2011

Synopsis

Prototypes of the more important contemporary fishing gear were in common use in Ancient Egypt. These included fish harpoons, hooks, hand and longlines, angling, trolling, cast nets, fish traps and baskets of various types, dip nets, weirs, seine nets (with and without pockets) and beam trawls.

The seine and beam trawl appeared successively in the Old Kingdom (ca 2660–2180 B.C.) and Middle Empire (ca 2180–1640 B.C.), while the iron fish hook with barb, shank and eye or flange dates back to the New Empire (ca 1640–1075 B.C.).

Archaeological material relevant to fishing consists of preserved samples, artifacts, models and papyrus scripts as well as relief illustrations in tombs and temple walls of scenes depicting fishing methods and crafts from various Dynasties.

The importance of fisheries in the economy of Old Egypt is demonstrated by the exportation of fish commodities and the imposition of taxes on fishing rights and in the engagement of a large number of the population in fish industry. Fish processing included drying, salting, pickling, fish cake and fillet; various implements used were discovered.

It is suggested that these basic fishing techniques (methods and gear) spread in time, along various routes, from Egypt to other parts of the world.
A new approach to determine the maximal singularity-free zone of 3-RPR planar parallel manipulator
Authors: Abbasnejad G. , Daniali H. M. , Kazemi S. M.
Published: December 2011

This paper presents a new algorithm to find the singularity-free cylindrical workspace of parallel manipulators. Because of the limited workspace of parallel manipulators cluttered with different types of singularities, a simple and robust technique to determine continuous singularity-free zones in the workspace of parallel manipulators is required. Here, the largest singularity-free cylinder within the workspace for any prescribed orientation ranging around a reference orientation angle of moving platform is determined. To this end, Particle Swarm Optimization is utilized to find the closest point on the singularity surface to the axis of the cylinder. By implementing the algorithm on 3-RPR planar parallel manipulator, the results show that this algorithm improves the efficiency and leads to significantly larger singularity-free workspace than those reported earlier.
The medical hazards of travel
Authors: Jamieson William M.
Published: December 2011

Synopsis

The speed and frequency of modern travel has brought problems to the traveller that were less obvious in more leisurely days; these are both of an infectious and non-infectious nature and especially relevant to travel in tropical and subtropical areas.

Not everyone is at ease with air travel and travel sickness, anxiety, fatigue, and jet lag are experienced by many; sudden arrival in a new environment means adjustment to differences in heat, humidity and diet.

Infectious diseases are more prevalent in many hot countries and fall into three broad groups: (a) those where fever predominates, (b) where diarrhoea is the main feature, and (c) a miscellaneous group.

(a) Malaria, enteric fever, trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, typhus fever, brucellosis and a wide range of viral infections.

(b) Diarrhoea may vary from relatively mild travellers' diarrhoea to more serious dysentery. Other infections include cholera, salmonellosis, schistosomiasis and infections due to vibrios, protozoa and helminths.

(c) Miscellaneous infections include rabies, poliomyelitis, hepatitis and the sexually transmitted diseases.

To fully appreciate overseas travel the traveller must adopt sensible precautions before, during and after his journey. Practitioners must become familiar with the possibility of exotic illness and both under-graduate and post-graduate training take them into account.
Sunburn and its prevention
Authors: Beveridge G. W.
Published: December 2011

The pleasure of a holiday in warmer and sunnier climates can be increased by ensuring graduated exposure to the sun. Suitable measures can avoid the inflammatory reaction of sunburn in the short term and also be of benefit to the individual in the long term.
Recent examples of travelling infection
Authors: Sharp J. C. M.
Published: December 2011

Synopsis

During the 7 year period between 1975–81, a total of 2081 cases of infection were reported to the Communicable Diseases (Scotland) Unit, concerning persons with a history of recent overseas travel. The most frequently reported diseases were salmonellosis (829 cases), bacillary dysentery (345), malaria (236), campylobacter enteritis (219), giardiasis (125), enteric fever (82) and viral hepatitis (74).

Holidaymakers, particularly those who had visited the Mediterranean area, were most frequently affected, comprising more than two-thirds (67·8%) of the total, followed by business travellers and immigrants. Nearly three-quarters (72·7%) of infections were reported between June and November. Young adults, particularly males between 15 and 34 years, were responsible for almost one-half (48·l%) of cases.

Secondary spread of infection after arrival in Scotland was uncommon, occurring in less than 3% of cases. One unusual episode occurred in the North of Scotland when an imported rare salmonella serotype (S. zanzibar) subsequently contaminated milk at a dairy farm and later caused disease among young calves on another farm with seagulls being the apparent vehicle of secondary infection.
Evolutionary and ecological origins of British deer
Authors: Lister A. M.
Published: December 2011

Synopsis

The evolutionary origins and relationships of deer are briefly reviewed, with special reference to the species currently living wild or feral in Britain. Two species (red and roe) are native to this country; a third (fallow) was previously native but has been re-introduced from continental Europe; and three taxa (sika, muntjac and Chinese water-deer) have been introduced from eastern Asia. The Pleistocene history of red, roe and fallow deer in Europe is traced in detail, with emphasis on changing patterns of distribution and the climatic and vegetational conditions associated with fossil occurrences. Comparison of Pleistocene habitats with those occupied at the present day helps in an understanding of the ecological flexibility and rangelimiting factors of each species. The taxonomic status and habitats of the Asian species in Britain, as compared to their countries of origin, are briefly reviewed, and the dates of introduction into Britain of the Asian species and of fallow deer are discussed.
The Freshwater Input to the Tay Estuary
Authors: Pontin R. A. , Reid J. A.
Published: December 2011

Synopsis

The hydrology of the 6000 sq km basins of the rivers Tay and Earn is examined from the special point of view as the source of freshwater for the middle and lower parts of the Tay estuary. Discharge frequency curves and average inflow figures are presented and analysed. Using these flow figures and chemical analyses obtained since the completion of the Hydro-Electric schemes estimates of the dissolved oxygen, Biological Oxygen Demand and suspended solids load transported into the estuary have been prepared.
General Synod of the Church of Ireland
Authors: Davey Michael
Published: December 2011

Having met in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin in 2010, in 2011 Synod returned to the less spiritual but rather plusher surroundings of the City Hotel, Armagh. It was comforting to note from the attendance figures that the level of luxury seems to have little effect on the willingness of delegates to attend.
Studies in the Minor Rock Edicts of Aśoka
Authors: Norman K. R.
Published: December 2011

In our article on the Aśokan inscriptions, Dr Raymond Allchin and I pointed out the need for a new edition of Hultzsch's Inscriptions of Asoka, bringing it up to date by including the Aśokan inscriptions in Prakrit found in India, and those in Greek and Aramaic found in Afghanistan, since the publication of Hultzsch's work in 1925. Our statement was particularly applicable to the MREs, since only ten versions of MRE I were known to Hultzsch, of which three had the extra portion at the end usually designated as MRE II. To some extent the need for a replacement of Hultzsch's work had been filled by D. C. Sircar's Aśokan Studies which included reprints of all Sircar's articles dealing with new Aśokan inscriptions. Sircar had published a synoptic version of the 17 versions of MRE I and the seven versions of MRE II which are known to date, and a corrected version of this appeared in his Aśokan Studies, but even the corrected version was not entirely satisfactory, in as much as it did not give new editions of the versions already known to Hultzsch.
Le Meurtre d'Henry Lambert, Agent Consulaire de France à Aden (1855–1865)
Authors: Daguenet Rojer Joint
Published: December 2011

L'avènement de la vapeur amena les Britanniques, au XlXème siècle, à établir une ligne de navigation avec l'lnde, par la Mer Rouge, tout en conservant ses grands voiliers de charge par la route du Cap. A partir de 1833 les Packets relièrent Londres à Alexandrie, en Egypte. On traversait l'isthme à dos de mulets, pour retrouver à Suez le confort et la vitesse de vaisseaux permettant d'atteindre 15 milles nautiques, soit près de 30 kilomètres à l'heure.
The Great Buddha of the Khalkha River
Authors: Haining Thomas Nivison
Published: December 2011

The Khalkha River (Khalkhin Gol), which forms part of the north-east frontier between the Mongolian People–s Republic (MPR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC), is famous in Mongolian history for the 1939 Battle of Khalkhin Gol (Nomonhan), in which joint Mongolian-Soviet forces finally repulsed the attempted invasion of the MPR by the Japanese Army of Manchukuo. Less well known, however, is the existence on the left bank of that river of one of Mongolia's most interesting religious antiquities, the remains of a gigantic Buddhist statue, known as the Great Buddha (Ikh Burkhan).
Some Marginalia on Two Articles in JRAS 1, 3, 1991
Authors: Ullendorff Edward
Published: December 2011

I have read Dr Nigel Allan's article in the above issue of the most attractively revamped JRAS with great interest, partly because the Constantinople 1505 printing of Rashi's commentary to Exodus 28:6 (reproduced on p. 351) reminds me strongly of the Constantinople 1519 printing of the Hebrew letter from Prester John to “the Pope at Rome”, and partly on account of some pregnant differences in Rashi's text as between the Wellcome version and that in the Miqra'ot Gәdolot of the well-known Warsaw 1874 edition.
World History: World-Economy or a Set of Sets?
Authors: Moore R. I.
Published: December 2011

The recent books by K. N. Chaudhuri and Janet Abu-Lughod are testimony to the rapidly rising interest in comparative world history in the last few years, and both make notable contributions to it. Both are heavily laden with theory, and both firmly repudiate the view that modern world history can be expounded in terms of what happened (or didn't happen) in western Europe around and after 1500.
Denis Sinor Gold Medal for Inner Asian Studies
Authors: Bivar A. D. H.
Published: December 2011

Through the generous benefaction of Professor Denis Sinor, sometime Honorary Secretary of the Society, a new Society medal has been inaugurated to honour major scholarship on an Inner Asian subject. The field of eligibility has been spiritedly defined as “from Tehran to Tun Huang”, and the award is to be made every three years, for the first time in 1993.
On Some Umayyad Poetry in the History of al-Ṭabarī
Authors: Beeston A. F. L. , Conrad Lawrence I.
Published: December 2011

Ancient Arabic poetry in general is rightly regarded in Arab circles as one of the paramount monuments of Arabic literature, and it is of course also held in esteem among Western scholars. For the most part, however, this admiration does not, in effect, extend to the specifically historical poetry quoted – sometimes in vast quantities – in the works of such historians as Ibn A‘tham al-Kūfī, al-Balādhurī, and al-Ṭabarī. It is readily apparent that this verse is often of extraordinary difficulty, that some represents retrojections from later times, and that many poems (in particular the later forgeries) are of an inferior quality; but the often-heard views holding that the historical poetry is, as a whole, of no particular historical importance or literary merit are simply false.
Corrigendum
Authors: Beeston A. F. L.
Published: December 2011

Dr S. Munro-Hay has kindly drawn my attention to an error in my review of his Aksum, an African civilisation (JRAS 3rd ser. vol. 2, 1992, p. 250) where, in commenting on Munro-Hay's pp. 220–1, I made it seem as if the source for the last sentence about the composition of Kaleb's invasion flotilla is Procopius. In fact, the source is the anonymous sixth-century A.D. Martyrdom of St Arethas. The passage deserves quoting in full (pp. 44–5 in Boissonade's edition): “By the providence of our Saviour Jesus Christ there had arrived sixty ships belonging to Roman, Persian, Indian and Farasanite traders, namely 1 s from Aila, 20 from Clusma, 7 from Berenike, 2 from Iotaba, 7 from Farasan, 9 from India. The king, gathering all these in a certain harbour named Gabaza on the seashore below the coastal town of Adulis, ordered them to (anchor close ?) to land. He himself also caused ten ‘Indian’ ships to be built.” By “Indian” ships here is meant boats constructed in the local Red Sea style. The verb queried is , a hapax said by Sophokles in his Byzantine Greek dictionary to be synonymous with ; though the context would have suggested to me rather "be drawn up on land” or “be beached‛.
Compositions attributed to Abū Ma‘shar Balī in the manuscript collection of the Institute of Oriental Studies, St Petersburg
Authors: Tourkin Sergei
Published: December 2011

Five manuscripts from the collection of the Institute of Oriental Studies, St. Petersburg contain compositions which are connected in one way or another with the name of the outstanding medieval astronomer and astrologer Abū Ma‘shar Balī (born in Bali on AH 20 Safar 171/10 August 787 AD, died at Wasef on AH 29 Ramazan 272/9 March 886 AD).2 According to existing catalogues these five manuscripts are the only ones among those kept in the city collections that contain Abū Ma‘shar's works.
Dualism in Iranian and Christian Traditions
Authors: de Blois François
Published: December 2011

Since the time when the human race first began to speculate about the origin of the universe there have been two cosmological models that have seemed particularly attractive to its imagination. One has been to derive everything in the world from a single primal origin, out of which the cosmos, in all its apparent complexity, evolves. The other has been to view the history of the universe as a battle between two opposing forces which contradict and undermine each other. The two views can be called monism and dualism. They are not the only possibilities. There have been systems that posit three, four or an indefinite number of principles, but most of these have also tended to assume one basic pair of opposites with one or more neutral or intermediate principles beside them; this too can be seen as a form of dualism.
Hodgson and the Hanuman Dhoka
Authors: Hutt Michael
Published: December 2011

Brian Houghton Hodgson lived and worked at the British Residency in Kathmandu from1820 to 1843, and served as British Resident in Nepal for the last ten of these years.1 Hedied in 1894, and some 25 years after his death Perceval Landon wrote:

Some time ago my attention was arrested by the remark of Mr. Cecil Bendall who, writing in 1886, while Hodgson was still alive, referred to him as ‘the greatest, and least thanked of all our English Residents’. It is difficult to dispute either adjective. Hodgson was indeed more than the greatest ofEnglish Residents. He was the founder of all our real knowledge of Buddhism. He was the only manwhose infinite variety of scholarship and interest could, unaided, have written the true history of Nepal.
Ibrāhīm al-Kūrānī (d. 1101/1690), an Apologist forwaḥdat al-wujūd
Authors: Knysh Alexander
Published: December 2011

Few Islamic teachings can boast the fame, if not the notoriety, enjoyed by the doctrine of “unity of existence”, also known as “unity of being” (waḥdat al-wujūd). This controversialphilosophical doctrine became intimately associated with the towering figure of the Arabmystic of al-Andalus, Muḥyī'l-Dīn Ibn 'Arabī (d. 638/1240). Although Ibn 'Arabī himselfdoes not seem to have applied this ambiguous term to his loosely structured meta physical speculations, it gained wide currency among his followers starting from the celebrated Anatolian thinker Ṣadr al-Dīh al-Qūnawī (d. 673/1274).
Careers in Western Science in Nineteenth-Century China: Xu Shou and Xu Jianyin
Authors: Wright David
Published: December 2011

The Western science and technology which invaded China during the mid-nineteenthcentury, in the wake of European military and economic aggression, entered a culture witha long indigenous tradition of natural philosophy, formed by extraordinary figures suchas Zhang Heng(78–139), Sun Simiao(581–682), Ge Hong(c. 21–341), Shen Gua(1031–1095) and Song Yingxing(c. 1587–1665). Moreover, as modern research has shown, China was, at least until about A.D. 1400, moreadvanced scientifically and technologically than Western Europe in many respects. Thesmall minority of late Qing scholars who showed any interest in the natural world or intechnology could console themselves that they were working within a noble but neglected side-stream of Chinese culture.
Fact and Fiction in Richard Burton's Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to El-Medinah and Meccah (1855–6)
Authors: Godsall Jon R.
Published: December 2011

Not everyone will agree with the view that the Pilgrimage is Burton's “outstanding contribution to travel literature”. What is beyond dispute is the unique place it occupies among his writings. Conscious of the significant part it played in her husband's life and career, Lady Burton placed it at the head of the Memorial edition of his works. “Although he has been the author of some eighty books and pamphlets”, she wrote, “I think that this original edition of three volumes is the one that his name should live by…” Just over thirty years later, it provided the starting-point for the Royal Asiatic Society's first Burton Memorial Lecture.
The ‘Abbāsid Abnā’ and Sāsānid Cavalrymen
Authors: Crone Patricia
Published: December 2011

In a recent publication of great interest M. Zakeri has reopened the question of the identity of the Abnā' who appear in the early 'Abbāsid army. Once assumed to be the physical descendants of the 'Abbasid caliphs, or the 'Abbāsids and their adoptive members and clients, theabnā' al-dawla/al-da'wa/al-shī'awere shown by Ayalon in 1964 to be “in all probability, the descendants of the Khurāsānīs who brought the 'Abbāsids to the throne”. This has been generally accepted. In Zakeri's opinion, however, the Abnā' were not “Sons of the Revolution”, but rather sons of Sāsānid horsemen (asbārān): their ancestors had been members of the lower nobility that furnished the cavalry of the Sāsānid empire after Khusraw I's reforms. In Zakeri's opinion the revolutionary troops consisted primarily of such recruits, and so the conventional view is in one sense quite correct: the Abnā' did indeed end up as sons of revolutionaries. But the conventional view, according to him, obscures the fact that the Abnā' belonged to a distinct social group: it was by allying themselves with Sāsānidasbārānthat the ‘Abbāsids came to power.
3D Spectroscopic Surveys: Exploring Galaxy Evolution Mechanisms
Authors: Epinat Benoît
Published: December 2011

I review the major surveys of high redshift galaxies observed using integral field spectroscopy techniques in the visible and in the infrared. The comparison of various samples has to be done with care since they have different properties linked to their parent samples, their selection criteria and the methods used to study them. I present the various kinematic types of galaxies that are identified within these samples (rotators, mergers, etc.) and summarize the discussions on the mass assembly processes at various redshifts deduced from these classifications: at intermediate redshift (z ~ 0.6) merger may be the main mass assembly process whereas the role of cold gas accretion along cosmic web filaments may increase with redshift. The baryonic Tully-Fisher relation is also discussed. This relation seems to be already in place 3 Gyr after the Big-Bang and is then evolving until the present day. This evolution is interpreted as an increase of the stellar mass content of dark matter haloes of a given mass. The discovery of positive abundance gradients in MASSIV and LSD/AMAZE samples is highlighted. At z ~ 3 this discovery might be linked to cold gas accretion along cosmic filaments toward the centre whereas at lower redshift (z ~ 1.3), this may be mainly due to accretion of gas from outer reservoirs toward the centre via tidal tails due to interactions.