bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Estimation and compensation of unknown disturbance in three-axis gyro-stabilized camera mount
Authors: Li Shusheng , Zhong Maiying , Zhao Yan
Published: August 2014

Gyro-stabilized camera mounts are used to maintain and stabilize airborne remote sensing sensors, such as aerial cameras, light detection and ranging, and imaging spectrometers, for the purpose of isolating the line-of-sight of optical sensors from disturbing aircraft movements. However, it is difficult to achieve accurate line-of-sight pointing and even the system stability cannot be guaranteed due to the influences of unknown disturbance, such as mass imbalance, gimbal friction, aircraft attitude turbulence and model uncertainty. In order to realize high-precision disturbance rejection and robustness stability, a kind of compound control system is configured and designed in the framework of active fault-tolerant control. The basic idea of this paper is to handle the disturbance as a fault for disturbance compensation by applying online fault estimation and accommodation. Based on H∞ norm sub-optimization, a robust disturbance observer is designed to estimate the fault and then a fault compensator is employed to compensate for it. Based on an exosystem description, the internal model controllers are designed to achieve perfect tracking performance as well as robustness against model uncertainty. Finally, the experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed compound control strategy in comparison with the traditional method.
On the evaluation of thesaurus tools compatible with the Semantic Web
Authors: Martínez-González M. Mercedes , Alvite-Díez María-Luisa
Published: August 2014

Thesauri are valuable knowledge organization systems (KOSs) that support advanced information retrieval. The Semantic Web has brought a renewed interest in thesauri as a support for semantic searches and other added-value services. Tools that manage thesauri permit them to be created, edited and queried. The integrity restrictions on thesauri should also be controlled by these tools. However, there is also the possibility of thesaurus exchange, which becomes relevant in the Semantic Web context, where information exchange is a crucial facility. In fact, interoperability at the information level has received an important boost with the stabilization of the SKOS standard as a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Recommendation. Furthermore, the feasibility of integrating software is a valuable feature for software developers. An evaluation framework for thesaurus tools is proposed, which includes the issues of functionalities, construct support, integrity, information interoperability and feasibility of integrating software. It is original in focusing on Semantic Web conformity and interoperability.
The Epidemiology of Traumatic Brain Injury in Children and Youths
Authors: Thurman David J.
Published: August 2014

This report reviews recent research on the epidemiology of traumatic brain injuries among children and youth aged 0 to 20 years. Studies representing populations in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand yield these median estimates of the annual incidence of childhood brain injuries: 691 per 100 000 population treated in emergency departments, 74 per 100 000 treated in hospital, and 9 per 100 000 resulting in death. Males have a higher risk of injury than females: 1.4 times higher among those aged less than 10 years and 2.2 times among those older than 10 years. The leading cause of injury among children aged less than 5 years is falls, whereas the leading cause of injury among youths aged 15 years and older is motor vehicle crashes. The prevalence of disability among all persons who have sustained traumatic brain injury in childhood is unknown, but among those who were hospitalized could approximate 20%.
Large Artery Stroke in a Child With Hypoparathyroidism
Authors: Dhawan Sumeet R. , Jondhale Sunil N. , Sahu Jitendra K. , Vyas Sameer , Singhi Pratibha D.
Published: August 2014

The association of hypoparathyroidism and ischemic stroke is rare in childhood. We report an interesting case of an 11-year-old girl diagnosed to have hypoparathyroidism and presented with an acute-onset right hemiparesis. Investigations revealed large artery ischemic stroke and uncontrolled hypoparathyroidism. Pediatricians and pediatric neurologists should be aware of this association in view of its potential preventive nature.
A Retrospective Evaluation of Response to Vitamin D Supplementation in Obese Versus Nonobese Patients
Authors: Bryant Ginelle A. , Koenigsfeld Carrie Foust , Lehman Nicholas P. , Smith Hayden L. , Logemann Craig D. , Phillips Kirk T.
Published: August 2014

Objective:

To evaluate the impact of body mass index (BMI) on vitamin D status following ergocalciferol therapy.

Methods:

A retrospective evaluation of patients aged 18 years and older with a baseline serum 25(OH)D < 30 ng/mL who received prescription ergocalciferol 50 000 IU at any dose between July 2009 and November 2011 was conducted. Patients were included if pre- and posttreatment 25(OH)D levels were available within 3 months of therapy.

Results:

Two hundred and thirteen patients were included in the study with 52% having a BMI ≥30 kg/m2. Thirty-eight different ergocalciferol regimens were prescribed, and the majority of patients (66.2%) received a regimen consisting of 50 000 IU once weekly for variable durations. Mean 25(OH)D levels increased from 18.8 ± 6.6 ng/mL at baseline to 35.0 ± 13.8 ng/mL with 61.0% (n = 130) of patients having attained vitamin D sufficiency, 25(OH)D ≥ 30 ng/mL, with their prescribed ergocalciferol regimen. Obese patients with a BMI ≥30 were less likely to attain vitamin D sufficiency following replacement than patients with a BMI <30 kg/m2 (52% vs 71%; P = .0161).

Conclusion:

Our study demonstrated an overall moderate response rate to replacement therapy with ergocalciferol and considerable variability in vitamin D replacement strategies initiated by primary care providers. Based on our findings, elevated BMI ≥30 kg/m2 may impact the likelihood of attaining vitamin D sufficiency with ergocalciferol.
Angioedema Related to Angiotensin Inhibitors
Authors: Knecht Stephanie E. , Dunn Steven P. , Macaulay Tracy E.
Published: August 2014

Angiotensin inhibitors have been extensively evaluated in clinical trials and have demonstrated significant reductions in morbidity and mortality following myocardial infarction and stroke, as well as in patients with heart failure or who are at risk of cardiovascular disease. Further, both angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are frequently prescribed for the treatment of hypertension and to preserve renal function in patients with diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease. Angioedema is a known, but rare, adverse effect of ACEIs and ARBs. Therefore, it is important for clinicians to have a thorough understanding of risks and benefits of prescribing these medications, particularly in patients with a history of angioedema. This review describes the literature evaluating the incidence and cross-reactivity of angioedema with ACEIs and ARBs in order to provide guidance for clinical decision making.
Processing of collector acceleration data for condition-based monitoring of overhead lines
Authors: Carnevale Marco , Collina Andrea
Published: August 2014

This paper describes a diagnostic system for overhead line monitoring; it is based on the measurement of collector accelerations, and aimed at improving current scheduled methods for catenary and pantograph maintenance, making condition-based maintenance possible. The proposed setup is inexpensive and easy to install on in-service commercial trains. Meaningful indicators of pantograph/catenary interactions are obtained by the processing and analysis of data on collector accelerations; summarized values are computed in real-time during the train run and compared with alarm limits.
Minimally invasive surgical instruments with an accessory channel capable of integrating fibre-optic cable for optical biopsy: A review of the state of the art
Authors: Jelínek Filip , Arkenbout Ewout A , Sakes Aimée , Breedveld Paul
Published: August 2014

This review article provides a comprehensive overview and classification of minimally invasive surgical instruments with an accessory channel incorporating fibreoptics or another auxiliary device for various purposes. More specifically, this review was performed with the focus on the newly emerging field of optical biopsy, its objective being to discuss primarily the instruments capable of carrying out the optical biopsy and subsequent tissue resection. Instruments housing the fibreoptics for other uses, as well as instruments with an accessory channel capable of housing the fibreoptics instead of their original auxiliary device after relevant design modifications, supplement the review. The entire Espacenet and Scopus databases were searched, yielding numerous patents and articles on conceptual and existing instruments satisfying the criteria. The instruments were categorised based on the function the fibreoptics or the auxiliary device serves. On the basis of their geometrical placement with respect to the tissue resector or manipulator, the subcategories were further defined. This subdivision was used to identify the feasibility of performing the optical biopsy and the tissue resection in an accurate and successive fashion. In general, the existing concepts or instruments are regarded as limited with regard to such a functionality, either due to the placement of their accessory channel with or without the fibreoptics or due to the operational restrictions of their tissue manipulators. A novel opto-mechanical biopsy harvester, currently under development at Delft University of Technology, is suggested as a promising alternative, ensuring a fast and accurate succession of the optical and the mechanical biopsies of a flat superficial tissue.
Early Experience Affects the Strength of Vigilance for Threat in Rhesus Monkey Infants
Authors: Mandalaywala Tara M. , Parker Karen J. , Maestripieri Dario
Published: August 2014

Both human and nonhuman primates exhibit a cognitive bias to social threat, but little is known about how this bias develops. We investigated the development of threat bias in free-ranging infant rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta) at 3 months ( n = 45) and 9 months ( n = 46) of age. Three-month-olds did not display bias, but 9-month-olds exhibited increased maintenance of attention to threatening social stimuli. To examine whether the social environment affected this increased vigilance for threat, we collected behavioral data on maternal rank and protectiveness across the first 12 weeks of life for infants tested at 9 months. Among 9-month-olds, those of high-ranking and more protective mothers displayed greater vigilance for threat than those of lower-ranking and less protective mothers. These results demonstrate that infant social cognition is shaped by mothers both directly (via protectiveness) and indirectly (through social rank).
Urine β2-microglobulin is associated with clinical disease activity and renal involvement in female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Choe J-Y , Park S-H , Kim S-K
Published: August 2014

Objective

We investigated the association of serum and urine β2-microglobulin (β2MG) with renal involvement and clinical disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods

Sixty-four female patients with SLE were enrolled. We assessed SLE disease activity (SLEDAI)-2K and measured serum and urine β2MG levels, as well as complement (C3 and C4) and anti-dsDNA levels. According to the SLEDAI scores, two groups were categorized: low (0–5 of SLEDAI) and high (6–19 of SLEDAI) disease activity groups. The presence of renal involvement was determined by renal SLEDAI score. Statistical analysis was performed using Spearman’s correlation analysis, Mann-Whitney U test, multivariate regression analysis, and logistic regression analysis.

Results

Urine β2MG levels were significantly different between low and high SLEDAI groups ( p = 0.001), but not for serum β2MG levels ( p = 0.579). Patients with renal involvement showed higher urine β2MG levels compared to those without renal involvement ( p < 0.001), but again there was not a difference in serum β2MG levels ( p = 0.228). Urine β2MG was closely associated with SLEDAI ( r = 0.363, p = 0.003), renal SLEDAI ( r = 0.479, p < 0.001), urine protein/Cr ( r = 0.416, p = 0.001), and ESR ( r = 0.347, p = 0.006), but not serum β2MG ( r = 0.245, p = 0.051). Urine β2MG level was identified as a surrogate for renal involvement ( p = 0.009, OR = 1.017, 95% CI 1.004–1.030) and overall disease activity ( p = 0.009, OR = 1.020, 95% CI 1.005–1.036).

Conclusions

We demonstrated that urine β2MG levels are associated with renal involvement and overall clinical disease activity in SLE.
Asset Building
Authors: Hall Jean P. , Kurth Noelle K. , Averett Ellen P.
Published: August 2014

Working-age individuals with disabilities are often forced to live in poverty to maintain Medicaid coverage. This study explored the relationship between having assets in excess of usual Medicaid limits and health and quality of life in a sample of Medicaid Buy-In participants. Using self-reported survey data, we compared groups with US$2,000 or less in cash assets (the usual Medicaid limit) and those with more than US$2,000. Participants with higher assets had significantly better health status and quality of life. Males, younger respondents, and respondents with intellectual disabilities were most likely to have higher assets. Although many Buy-Ins allow assets greater than US$2,000, assets are still capped for most individuals. The Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion does not limit assets in determining eligibility. Especially for younger individuals with disabilities, expansion coverage might allow greater asset accumulation and better health and quality of life, while avoiding lifelong dependence on disability programs.
Contagious Flow
Authors: Culbertson Satoris S. , Fullagar Clive J. , Simmons Mathias J. , Zhu Mengmeng
Published: August 2014

The current study examined undergraduate student understanding of, and interest in, course material as potential antecedents to student experiences of flow within a classroom setting. In addition, the social, informative, and contagious nature of flow were examined, as was the influence of being in flow during classroom coverage of material on subsequent quiz performance. Data from 14 students in an intensive course were collected over 15 days. All students provided ratings of their mood at the start of each class and ratings of their experienced flow, their interest in and understanding of material, and perceptions of their classmates’ and the instructor’s flow at the end of each class. In addition, the instructor provided ratings of her flow and perceptions of the class at the start and end of each class. Finally, students completed daily quizzes over the previous day’s material. Results revealed that, controlling for prior mood, understanding of and interest in material were related to daily reports of flow experiences. In addition, evidence for the social validation and contagion effects of flow emerged. Contrary to expectations, flow during knowledge acquisition was not related to subsequent quiz performance over the material. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
The Relationship Between Child Maltreatment and Substance Abuse Treatment Outcomes Among Emerging Adults and Adolescents
Authors: Garner Bryan R. , Hunter Brooke D. , Smith Douglas C. , Smith Jane Ellen , Godley Mark D.
Published: August 2014

Emerging adulthood is the period of greatest risk for problematic substance use. The primary aim of the current study was to examine the relationship between a broad measure of child maltreatment and several key outcomes for a large clinical sample of emerging adults ( n = 858) and adolescents ( n = 2,697). The secondary aim was to examine the extent to which the relationship between child maltreatment and treatment outcomes differed between emerging adults and adolescents. Multilevel latent growth curve analyses revealed emerging adults and adolescents who experienced child maltreatment reported significantly greater reductions over time on several treatment outcomes (e.g., substance use, substance-related problems, and emotional problems). Overall, analyses did not support differential relationships between child maltreatment and changes over time in these substance use disorder treatment outcomes for emerging adults and adolescents. The one exception was that although emerging adults with child maltreatment did reduce their HIV risk over time, their improvements were not as great as were the improvements in HIV risk reported by adolescents who had experienced child maltreatment.
Speaking an Elderly Body Into a Visible Space
Authors: Mercado Thornton Rebecca
Published: August 2014

Elderly bodies have been pushed off television screens, rushed off sidewalks, and swerved off freeways, almost entirely socially abandoned. Reflecting on this lived reality, this narrative attempts to put an elderly body at the forefront of this discussion of embodiment and social (in)difference. In these pages, I reflect on defining moments in my research field spent with my closest informant, my “Senior Friend,” Joan. In performing these moments for readers, I privilege the body as lived and storied, and the narrative complicated by class, age, and ageism.
Is sexuality research ‘dirty work’? Institutionalized stigma in the production of sexual knowledge
Authors: Irvine Janice M
Published: August 2014

Sexuality research has a long history of controversy in the USA. This article examines sexuality research as a form of “dirty work,” an occupation that is simultaneously socially necessary and stigmatized. Using survey data of contemporary sociologists engaged in sexuality research, historical data on 20th century sexologists, and content analysis of top-tier sociology journals, I focus on the university system and its related functions of publishing, funding, and ethical review boards. I argue that sexuality research is constructed as dirty work by systematic practices of the university system, and further suggest that these practices impose stigma effects that are not simply individual but represent persistent patterns of institutional inequality. Further, I show how these institutional practices are shaped by cultural schemas regarding sexuality, enacted through cognitive and affective bias of institutional actors. The construction of sexuality research as dirty work affects not only researchers themselves but shapes the broad production of sexual knowledge.
Re-imagining bisexuality and Christianity: The negotiation of Christianity in the lives of bisexual women and men
Authors: Toft Alex
Published: August 2014

Research exploring non-heterosexual sexuality and Christianity has tended to conflate ‘lesbian and gay’, with ‘bisexual’, effacing the latter. This article explores how bisexual women and men in particular understand their Christianity, where they have been denied access to institutionalised Christianity and have re-imagined their faith. I examine how bisexuality is understood by popular Christian denominations and how respondents challenge these standpoints. The respondents reshaped their faith to be more inclusive of bisexuality and re-imagined their sexuality to fit with their religious faith. I draw upon data from 80 self-completion questionnaires and 20 in-depth interviews.
Behind the shroud of heteronormative silence: Tales of same-sex desire
Authors: Manian Sunita
Published: August 2014

Indian HIV policy is based on the misguided assumption that most sex in India takes place within monogamous, heterosexual settings. This over-emphasis on the heterosexual transmission of the disease has meant the rise of prevalence in the population vulnerable to non-heterosexual transmission of the disease. This article will place the disavowal of same-sex desire in post-colonial India within a historic context, and go behind the veil of heteronormative silence to tell the stories of sexual minorities, doubly stigmatized by poverty, as they seek sexual gratification in the shadows of Indian society.
Foreign objects? Web content management systems, journalistic cultures and the ontology of software
Authors: Rodgers Scott
Published: August 2014

Research on ‘digital’ journalism has focused largely on online news, with comparatively less interest in the longer-term implications of software and computational technologies. Drawing upon a 6-year study of the Toronto Star, this article provides an account of TOPS, an in-house web content management system which served as the backbone of thestar.com for 6 years. For some, TOPS was a successful software innovation, while for others, a strategic digital ‘property’. But for most journalists, it was slow, deficient in functionality, aesthetically unappealing and cumbersome. Although several organizational factors can explain TOPS’ obstinacy, I argue for particular attention to the complex ontology of software. Based on an outline of this ontology, I suggest software be taken seriously as an object of journalism, which implies acknowledging its partial autonomy from human use or authorization, accounting for its ability to mutate indefinitely and analysing its capacity to encourage forms of ‘computational thinking’.
Geologic subjects: nonhuman origins, geomorphic aesthetics and the art of becoming inhuman
Authors: Yusoff Kathryn
Published: August 2014

This paper addresses the formation of subjectivity in the context of rock art, focusing on two prehistoric moments that exhibit the interrelation of nonhuman and inhuman forces in the art of becoming human. The first geologic subject of the prehistoric that is discussed is the ‘Birdman’ of Lascaux as an originary figure in human origins. The second subjects are the Gwion Gwion figures that were painted with the ‘living pigments’ of bacteria and fungi that continue to reproduce over geologic time to produce an image of human identity. This foray into the Palaeolithic imagination is done for two reasons: firstly, to examine the conceptual and corporeal genealogy of geologic subjectivity through an inquiry into originary and symbolic images; secondly, to examine geomorphic aesthetics as a space of inquiry within the apprehension of the Anthropocene. Methodologically, this paper moves beyond the boundary-work of hybridity to argue for the consideration of a queer ecology where subjects emerge as a constellation between inhuman time, nonhuman forces, and geologic materialities. In the opening of subject positions to nonhuman and inhuman forces, as both interior and prior to the emergence of identity, this paper argues that subjectivity always contains both an anterior and interior nonhuman excess; a surplus to identity that opens to non-normative arrangements that queries origins to suggest a queer genealogy, rather than an exceptional model of human subjectivity. In abandoning the assumption of discrete, identity-making autopoetic subjects, I explore the possibilities for apprehending a nonlocal, inhuman dimension of subjectivity that is difficult to accommodate in a relational ontology. Ecologies of subjectivities are discussed through the rock images to argue that the human is both constituted and riven by the torques of nonlocal forces in both identity and etiology, and this needs to constitute a new ontology of in/human sociality. I conclude that aesthetics possess an untimely quality that allows a passage into the radically incommensurate time of the geologic and therefore provide a possible site and mode of sensibility for engaging with the temporal and material contractions of the Anthropocene.
Combination of honokiol and magnolol inhibits hepatic steatosis through AMPK-SREBP-1 c pathway
Authors: Lee Ju-Hee , Jung Ji Yun , Jang Eun Jeong , Jegal Kyung Hwan , Moon Soo Young , Ku Sae Kwang , Kang Seung Ho , Cho Il Je , Park Sook Jahr , Lee Jong Rok , Zhao Rong Jie , Kim Sang Chan , Kim Young Woo
Published: August 2014

Honokiol and magnolol, as pharmacological biphenolic compounds of Magnolia officinalis, have been reported to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 c (SREBP-1 c) plays an important role in the development and processing of steatosis in the liver. In the present study, we investigated the effects of a combination of honokiol and magnolol on SREBP-1 c-dependent lipogenesis in hepatocytes as well as in mice with fatty liver due to consumption of high-fat diet (HFD). Liver X receptor α (LXRα) agonists induced activation of SREBP-1 c and expression of lipogenic genes, which were blocked by co-treatment of honokiol and magnolol (HM). Moreover, a combination of HM potently increased mRNA of fatty acid oxidation genes. HM induced AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an inhibitory kinase of the LXRα-SREBP-1 c pathway. The role of AMPK activation induced by HM was confirmed using an inhibitor of AMPK, Compound C, which reversed the ability of HM to both inhibit SREBP-1 c induction as well as induce genes for fatty acid oxidation. In mice, HM administration for four weeks ameliorated HFD-induced hepatic steatosis and liver dysfunction, as indicated by plasma parameters and Oil Red O staining. Taken together, our results demonstrated that a combination of HM has beneficial effects on inhibition of fatty liver and SREBP-1 c-mediated hepatic lipogenesis, and these events may be mediated by AMPK activation.
On Balinese Cockfights
Authors: O’Donnell Casey
Published: August 2014

In this article, I advance three points, each in service of “extending play” as a critical conceptual category. The article begins with Clifford Geertz’s essay “Deep Play,” tracing through its lens the possibilities for “deeply extending play.” The essay extends Geertz's argument that games and play are in/as/of/through culture. Games and play are not generative of, reflective of, just culture. Rather they are intensely interwoven. I argue that games and play, as conceptual categories, need to be viewed as “experimental systems,” and those concepts deserve to be informed by alternative perspectives. Finally, the article returns to the notion of “meaningful play” as mechanism of sense making and cultural negotiations with structures. Meaningful play lies at the core of exploration and encourages a different kind of reading of play(ful) spaces. Meaningful play is part of what makes games and play so fundamentally an aspect of the human (and nonhuman) condition.
Belatacept for Maintenance Immunosuppression in Lung Transplantation
Authors: Hui Christine , Kern Ryan , Wojciechowski David , Kukreja Jasleen , Golden Jeffrey A. , Hays Steven R. , Singer Jonathan P.
Published: August 2014

Belatacept is a novel immunosuppressant that blocks a T-cell costimulation pathway and is approved for use in adult kidney transplant recipients. Its safety and efficacy have not been established after lung transplantation. We present a case of a lung transplant recipient treated with belatacept. A 56-year-old man underwent bilateral lung retransplantation for bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS). In the third year posttransplant, he developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) attributed to tacrolimus. Tacrolimus was changed to sirolimus. One month later, he presented with worsening renal function and HUS attributed to sirolimus. Plasmapheresis and steroid pulse were initiated with clinical improvement, and sirolimus was switched to belatacept. He experienced no episodes of cellular rejection but developed recurrent BOS. Complications during treatment included anemia and recurrent pneumonias. The safety and efficacy of belatacept in lung transplantation remains unclear; further studies are needed.
Estimating prevalence and burden of major disorders of the brain in Nepal: cultural, geographic, logistic and philosophical issues of methodology
Authors: Risal Ajay , Manandhar Kedar , Steiner Timothy J , Holen Are , Koju Rajendra , Linde Mattias
Published: August 2014

Background

Headache, anxiety and depression are major disorders of the brain in terms of their prevalence and the burdens and costs they impose on society. Nationwide population-based studies of these disorders are necessary to inform health policy but, in research-naïve and resource-poor countries such as Nepal, a host of methodological problems are encountered: cultural, geographic, logistic and philosophical.

Methods

Expert consensus was sought among researchers from different professional and cultural backgrounds in planning and conceptualizing an epidemiological study and adapting established methods to the special situation and circumstances of Nepal.

Results

The methodological problems were sorted into different themes: study design; climate; geography, access and transport; sociocultural issues; safety of interviewers. Each of these was dealt with separately, and their inter-relationships explored, in finding solutions that were sometimes pragmatic. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study, with teams of interviewers visiting households across the three physiographic divisions (with extremes in altitude) in each of the five development regions of the country, would enable national sampling with sociocultural representativeness. However, the study instruments and interviews would be in Nepali only. Transport and access challenges were considerable, and their solutions combined travel by air, bus, river and foot, with allowances for rain-damaged roads, collapsed bridges and cancelled scheduled flights. The monsoon would render many routes impassable, and therefore set an absolute time limitation. Engaging participants willingly in the enquiry would be the key to success, and several tactics would be employed to enhance the success of this, most importantly enlisting the support of local community volunteers in each study site.

Conclusion

Anticipating problems in advance of investing substantial resources in a large nationwide epidemiological study in Nepal was a sensible precaution. The difficulties could be resolved or circumvented without expected compromise in scientific quality. Expert consensus was an effective means of achieving this outcome.
Effects of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and triclocarban on several eukaryotic cell lines: elucidating cytotoxicity, endocrine disruption, and reactive oxygen species generation
Authors: Simon Anne , Maletz Sibylle X , Hollert Henner , Schäffer Andreas , Maes Hanna M
Published: August 2014

To date, only a few reports about studies on toxic effects of carbon nanotubes (CNT) are available, and their results are often controversial. Three different cell lines (rainbow trout liver cells (RTL-W1), human adrenocortical carcinoma cells (T47Dluc), and human adrenocarcinoma cells (H295R)) were exposed to multiwalled carbon nanotubes, the antimicrobial agent triclocarban (TCC) as well as the mixture of both substances in a concentration range of 3.13 to 50 mg CNT/L, 31.25 to 500 μg TCC/L, and 3.13 to 50 mg CNT/L + 1% TCC (percentage relative to carbon nanotubes concentration), respectively. Triclocarban is a high-production volume chemical that is widely used as an antimicrobial compound and is known for its toxicity, hydrophobicity, endocrine disruption, bioaccumulation potential, and environmental persistence. Carbon nanotubes are known to interact with hydrophobic organic compounds. Therefore, triclocarban was selected as a model substance to examine mixture toxicity in this study. The influence of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and triclocarban on various toxicological endpoints was specified: neither cytotoxicity nor endocrine disruption could be observed after exposure of the three cell lines to carbon nanotubes, but the nanomaterial caused intracellular generation of reactive oxygen species in all cell types. For TCC on the other hand, cell vitality of 80% could be observed at a concentration of 2.1 mg/L for treated RTL-W1 cells. A decrease of luciferase activity in the ER Calux assay at a triclocarban concentration of 125 μg/L and higher was observed. This effect was less pronounced when multiwalled carbon nanotubes were present in the medium. Taken together, these results demonstrate that multiwalled carbon nanotubes induce the production of reactive oxygen species in RTL-W1, T47Dluc, and H295R cells, reveal no cytotoxicity, and reduce the bioavailability and toxicity of the biocide triclocarban.
Spectral characteristics of scintillations producing ionospheric irregularities in the Indian region
Authors: Banola S. , Pathan B. M. , Rao D. R. K. , Chandra H.
Published: August 2014

VHF amplitude scintillations were recorded at Tirunelveli (8.7°N, 77.7°E; 0.6°N dip Latitude), Pondicherry (12°N, 79.1°E; 4.4°N dip Latitude) and Mumbai, (19°N, 73°E; 13.5°N dip Latitude) for the years 1992–1996 using the 250 MHz radio beacon from the geostationary satellite FLEETSAT (73°E). The recorded digital scintillation data for few nights are analyzed to estimate scintillation index (S
4), fade rates, auto-correlation functions and power spectral densities for every 2.5 minute sample during the period of the scintillation activity. The power spectral slopes are shallower for the scintillation at the generation phase and steeper towards the decay phase, which indicates the erosion of smaller scale sizes towards the decay phase.
Tsunami source of the 2004 off the Kii Peninsula earthquakes inferred from offshore tsunami and coastal tide gauges
Authors: Satake Kenji , Baba Toshitaka , Hirata Kenji , Iwasaki Shin-Iti , Kato Teruyuki , Koshimura Shunichi , Takenaka Jun , Terada Yukihiro
Published: August 2014

Tsunamis from the 2004 off the Kii Peninsula earthquakes (M 7.1 and 7.4) were recorded on offshore tsunami gauges, a GPS tsunami gauge and eight bottom-pressure gauges, as well as coastal tide gauges located south of Honshu and Shikoku. The maximum amplitudes on the GPS and bottom-pressure gauges were several to ten cm, while those on tide gauges were up to 0.9 m. We first computed tsunami waveforms from the earthquake source models proposed Yamanaka (2004) and Yagi (2004) from seismic waveform analysis, and compared them with the observed waveforms. For the first event (foreshock), both models produce similar waveforms with the observations. For the second event (mainshock), the waveforms computed from the Yamanaka model is closer to the observed waveforms, but there are still discrepancies between the observed and computed waveforms. We then performed tsunami waveform inversions to estimate the water height distributions in the source area. The foreshock source is ≈1600 km2 with the maximum water height of 0.2 m. The estimated tsunami source area for the mainshock, ≈3600 km2 with the maximum of 0.6 m, extends ≈60 km toward northwest and ≈40 km southwest from the epicenter along the aftershock distribution, suggesting that multiple faulting was involved in the mainshock.
Response of the equatorial electrojet to solar flare related X-ray flux enhancements
Authors: Manju G. , Viswanathan K. S.
Published: August 2014

The response of ionospheric E-region electric fields and currents to solar flare related X-ray flux enhancements are studied at the magnetic equatorial location of Trivandrum (8.5°N, 77°E; dip 0.5°N) using VHF (54.95 MHz) coherent backscatter radar observations in the altitude region of 95–110 km conducted during daytime. The amplitude of the Solar Flare Effects (SFE) observed in the earth’s magnetic field variations at Trivandrum have been examined in relation to that at Alibag and it is found that the ratio of the SFE amplitudes at the two stations lies in the range of 1.8–2.6. The backscattered power of the VHF radar showed a substantial reduction during the peak phase of all the strong X-rank flares studied. It has also been observed that there is a sharp fall in the ratio of the field line integrated Hall conductivity (σ2) to the field line integrated Pedersen conductivity (σ1) in the dynamo region "Equation missing" during strong flare times in relation to normal times. The time variations of mean Doppler frequency (f

D
) of the backscattered signals have been observed to indicate a fall close to the peak phase of the strong flare events. Another new result is the radar observed presence of westward electric field for a long duration of 2–3 hours during a partial counter electrojet (CEJ) event that occurred on one of the days (8 July 1992) studied. The implications of the observations are discussed in detail.
High-resolution maps of Coda Q in Japan and their interpretation by the brittle-ductile interaction hypothesis
Authors: Jin Anshu , Aki Keiiti
Published: August 2014

Using seismograms recorded at 582 Hi-net stations for earthquakes located within 30 km from each station, we measured coda Q for frequency bands of 1–2, 2–4, 4–8, 8–16, and 16–32 Hz, respectively. Then coda Q maps are constructed with average station spacing of 20 km over Japan, except the Hokkaido Island. The most striking feature of the obtained maps is the significant spatial variation within Japan, up to a factor of 3 for the lower frequency bands, as well as its strong frequency dependence. Such high spatial resolution was not possible to achieve without the high density and sensitivity of the Hi-net. We found several low coda Q regions for frequency band of 1–2 Hz including the southwestern Shikoku, eastern Shimane-western Tottori along the Japan Sea coast and the disjointed spots along the Pacific coast from the Kanto-Tokai region to southern edge of the Kii-peninsula. However, the most conspicuous low coda Q zone is a narrow belt from Niigata towards south-west to the Biwa lake along the Japan Sea coast. This low Q zone appears at frequency bands of both 1–2 and 2–4 Hz, and it coincides with the zone of high deformation rate revealed from the GPS data. For frequency bands 4–16 Hz (2–4 Hz in Kyushu), the low coda Q areas agree with volcanic and geothermal areas. For frequency band of 16–32 Hz, the coda Q is distributed nearly uniformly throughout the study area.
Three dimensional velocity structure around aftershock area of the 2004 mid Niigata prefecture earthquake (M6.8) by the Double-Difference tomography
Authors: Korenaga Masahiro , Matsumoto Satoshi , Iio Yoshihisa , Matsushima Takeshi , Uehira Kenji , Shibutani Takuo
Published: August 2014

The 2004 mid Niigata prefecture earthquake with M6.8 occurred in the north of central part of Japan. It was a reverse fault by the regional compression stress field in NW-SE direction. Several aftershocks with M≥6 were occurred. The large aftershocks occurred on plural fault planes. The plane was either parallel or normal to the main shock one. We estimated three dimensional velocity structures in and around the focal area of the earthquake by using a Double Difference tomography method. The arrival time data were picked from seismograms at the deployed seismic stations settled by Kyoto and Kyushu universities in collaboration, NIED, ERI, and JMA. The velocity structure showed that a low velocity zone existed in the northwest part of the aftershock area. On the contrary, the velocity in the southeast became high. Moreover, the fault plane of the main shock inferred from the aftershock distribution was located at the velocity boundary.
Geomagnetic paleointensity over 1.2 Ma from deep-tow vector magnetic data across the East Pacific Rise
Authors: Yamamoto Michiko , Seama Nobukazu , Isezaki Nobuhiro
Published: August 2014

Deep-tow vector magnetic data have been acquired across the fast-spreading southern East Pacific Rise 18°S and inverted to magnetization intensity variations. Vector magnetic data are used to determine continuous magnetic intensity within intervals of constant polarity over the Matuyama and Brunhes periods up to the Cobb Mountain event at 1.19 Ma. A comparison of our deep-tow vector data and a sediment core-derived geomagnetic paleointensity timescale suggests that the short-wavelength magnetic anomaly signal is indeed of geomagnetic origin and can be used to date the seafloor with a high resolution. The crustal age determined from our date reveals a highly asymmetric spreading rate for the recent period (since 0.3 Ma).
Rupture process by waveform inversion using simulated annealing and simulation of broadband ground motions
Authors: Shiba Yoshiaki , Irikura Kojiro
Published: August 2014

A source inversion method using very fast simulated annealing is proposed to estimate the earthquake rupture process, and associated radiation of broadband strong ground motions. We invert the displacement and velocity motions separately to estimate the spatio-temporal distributions of effective stress and moment. The developed method is applied to the near-source strong motions in the frequency range up to 5 Hz from the 1997 Izu-Hanto Toho-Oki earthquake (Mjma 5.9). Results of the displacement inversion indicate that for this earthquake the seismic moment is mainly released from the shallower region and the northern area from the hypocenter. Similar results are obtained from the velocity inversion, and the variation of the effective stress also exhibits a similar behavior to the moment distribution. Based on the inversion results, we propose a characterized source model that consists of the finite number of asperities and a background area with uniform effective stresses. The broadband ground motion simulation demonstrates that the characterized source model successfully reproduces the observed ground motions in spite of the simplification of actual (inverted) source process. This suggests our proposed inversion method and source characterization process are suitable for the strong-motion prediction that reflects the high-frequency radiation from an actual earthquake.
1-D resistivity structures of the oceanic crust around the hydrothermal circulation system in the central Mariana Trough using Magnetometric Resistivity method
Authors: Tada Noriko , Seama Nobukazu , Goto Tada-nori , Kido Motoyuki
Published: August 2014

We present preliminary results of an electromagnetic survey over a region of hydrothermal circulation in the spreading axis of the central Mariana Trough. The Magnetometric Resistivity (MMR) method is used to determine the electrical resistivity structure of the oceanic crust around the hydrothermal system. 1-D electrical resistivity structure is calculated from the relation between the amplitude of magnetic field and source-receiver separation. The amplitudes of magnetic field variation of ocean bottom magnetometers (OBMs) placed on axis are larger than those of OBMs about 700 m away from the spreading axis, for source-receiver separations larger than 400 m. We estimated two resistivity structure models: one for the axial OBMs, and another for the off-axis OBMs. A region of lower resistivity between depths of 100–300 m is identified in the on-axis model. The hydrothermal source of the Alice Springs Field probably exists beneath the spreading axis, and the size of this source is smaller than 700 m. Lower resistivities at a depth of 50 m are identified in both the on-axis and the off-axis models, suggesting that the porosity in the uppermost oceanic crust is largest at this depth.
Magnetization intensity mapping on Unzen Volcano, Japan, determined from high-resolution, low-altitude helicopter-borne aeromagnetic survey
Authors: Okubo Ayako , Tanaka Yoshikazu , Utsugi Mitsuru , Kitada Naoto , Shimizu Hiroshi , Matsushima Takeshi
Published: August 2014

On September 18, 2002, we conducted a high-resolution, low-altitude helicopter-borne aeromagnetic survey at two flight altitudes, using spiral trajectories for the first time, over Unzen Volcano in the framework of the Unzen Scientific Drilling Project (USDP). This study obtained more detailed and new information than the previous aeromagnetic studies in Unzen volcano about the geological features, for understanding the history and eruption mechanism of the Unzen volcano. Therefore, we conducted a magnetization intensity mapping on the volcano, on the assumption that the magnetic anomalies are caused by the terrain magnetized in the same direction as the present Earth’s magnetic field and the magnetization intensity varies only laterally. This map shows good agreement with the geologic features, especially the hydrothermal alteration zone and the collapsed pyroclastic deposits. In addition, even in the area covered by lavas, the magnetization intensities show various values corresponding to each eruption event. It may be considered that the differences in magnetic properties reflect different oxygen fugacity in rocks during their cooling time period. Local magnetization lows on Heisei-Shinzan suggest that the Heisei lava produced by the 1991–1995 eruption has not yet been cooled enough.
Comprehensive paleomagnetic study of a succession of Holocene olivine-basalt flow: Xitle Volcano (Mexico) revisited
Authors: Alva-Valdivia Luis M.
Published: August 2014

A detailed paleomagnetic study of a young Late Holocene olivine-basalt flow from the Xitle volcano in the southern Basin of Mexico was completed to evaluate the consistency and reliability of the record derived from fresh well-preserved and exposed lava flows. One-hundred oriented standard paleomagnetic cores corresponding to 10 different lava effusion episodes were collected from unit-flow V. Thermomagnetic analyses show that bulk magnetic properties and remanence is carried in most cases by Ti-poor titanomagnetite, presumably resulting from oxy-exsolution processes during the initial flow cooling. Unblocking temperature and coercivity suggests pseudo-single domain magnetic grains for these (titano)magnetites. Thermal and alternating field demagnetizations show well-defined univectorial magnetizations. Most sites present a mean direction with small angular dispersion around the dipolar direction for central Mexico. The overall mean direction (N= 10, Dec = 1.1°, Inc = 34.1°,k= 531 and α95= 2.1°) is characterized by small angular dispersion and inclination close to the dipolar value for the locality. Anisotropy ofmagnetic susceptibility lineation agrees with the geologically-inferred flow direction. Various samples from the 10 lava flows were selected for Thellier paleointensity experiments because of their stable remanent magnetization and relatively low within-site dispersion. According to reliability parameters, the obtained paleointensities are of reasonably good quality. Nine mean paleointensities range between 48.6 and 73.9μT. The overall mean paleointensity of 59.9–7.7μT is higher than the present-day field of 43μT, consistent with the global data for this time-period. Most samples presented alteration during the cooling rate test, and no correction was made to these samples. Those samples on which cooling-rate correction was applied give a flow mean lower than the raw paleointensity data, as was expected.
Diffusion of crustal deformation from disturbances arising at plate boundaries—a case of the detachment beneath the Izu Peninsula, central Honshu, Japan—
Authors: Takahashi Kana , Seno Tetsuzo
Published: August 2014

We carry out numerical simulation of disturbance propagation within a plate floating over a viscous layer based on the 2-dimensional equations of Lehner et al. (1981). We apply the results to the anomalous crustal movements in central Honshu that followed the dike intrusion event between Miyakejima and Kozushima in the mid of 2000. We assume that the anomalous crustal movements represent diffusive transfer of a slip on the detachment beneath the Izu Peninsula, that occurred at the time of the dike intrusion event, over thin viscous layers such as the fault gouge of nearby great interplate earthquakes (Seno, 2005). From the arrival times of the disturbance in the Tokai district, the diffusion coefficient is determined to be 50–150 m2/s, and the viscosity of the fault gouge to be 1013–1015 Pa s. This value of viscosity is significantly smaller than that of the asthenosphere, and would probably be caused by the elevation of pore fluid pressure close to the lithostatic in the rupture zones of nearby great earthquakes. The serpentinized wedge mantle landward of the rupture zones may also constitute part of the thin viscous layers.