bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Applicability of satellite‐based rainfall algorithms for estimating flood‐related rainfall events in the mid‐latitudes. Part II: temporal integration
Authors: Görner C. , Kronenberg R. , Bernhofer C.
Published: February 2012

In a continuation of Part I on spatial integration, this paper presents research on the applicability of four satellite‐based rainfall algorithms to derive hourly rain intensities in the mid‐latitudes using highly resolved data from the first Meteosat Second Generation (MSG‐1) satellite. It focuses on the suitability of these algorithms to detect and monitor (flash) flood‐related rain intensities for different temporal resolutions. The temporal integration is examined using six different integration steps ranging from 1 h to 24 h and three different data‐filtering methods. The effects of this temporal integration on the quality of satellite‐based rain intensities (amounts and locations) are examined with regard to heavy and possible flood‐triggering rain intensities. Also, loss of temporal information and possible applications for flood risk management are considered. For this purpose, Saxony (Germany) is used as an example, and 9 high‐rainfall days between May and August 2006 were analysed by comparing satellite rain intensities to rain gauge‐adjusted radar data. The results show that temporal integration leads to improvements in evaluation scores, especially for heavy rain intensities, by up to +62%. However, this integration leads to a decreased applicability for the detection of high‐intensity rainfall events because they tend to be short in duration.
A new methodology to assess the benefits of flood warning
Authors: Ball T. , Black A. , Ellis R. , Hemsley L. , Hollebrandse F. , Lardet P. , Wicks J.
Published: February 2012

A new assessment methodology is presented for the benefits of flood warning that applies both tangible and intangible benefits from warning generation and dissemination using a multi‐criteria analysis (MCA). The resulting decision support tool allows benefits to be scored transparently, reinforced by Geographical Information System (GIS) procedures. A wide range of benefits are scored including: protection of key infrastructure, avoided social impacts, timely operation of flood defences and avoided risks to life from the flood hazard. Pilot testing on some 22 sites at a variety of scales (catchments and flood warning areas) showed that the method works effectively when making ‘like for like’ comparisons, considering a wholly new system for large catchments, or upgrades to warning and dissemination systems in sub‐catchment flood warning areas. The methodology promotes consultation and data interchange between the warning organisation and end‐users in order to prioritise particular areas of need for new or improved systems.
High value of short rotation coppice plantations for phytodiversity in rural landscapes
Authors: Baum Sarah , Bolte Andreas , Weih Martin
Published: February 2012

The demand for wood from short rotation coppice (SRC) plantations as a renewable energy source is currently increasing and could affect biodiversity in agricultural areas. The objective was to evaluate the contribution of SRC plantations to phytodiversity in agricultural landscapes assessed as species richness, species–area relationships, Shannon indices, detrended correspondence analysis on species composition, Sørensen similarities, habitat preference proportions, and species proportions found in only one land use. Vegetation surveys were conducted on 12 willow (Salix spp.) and three poplar (Populus spp.) coppice sites as well as on surrounding arable lands, grasslands and forests in central Sweden and northern Germany. SRC plantations were richer in plant species (mean: 30 species per 100 m²) than arable land (10), coniferous forests (13) and mixed forests in Germany (12). Comparing SRC plantations with other land uses, we found lowest similarities in species composition with arable lands, coniferous forests and German mixed forests and highest similarities with marginal grassland strips, grasslands and Swedish mixed forests. Similarity depended on the SRC tree cover: at increased tree cover, SRC plantations became less similar to grasslands but more similar to forests. The SRC plantations were composed of a mixture of grassland (33%), ruderal (24%) and woodland (15%) species. Species abundance in SRC plantations was more heterogeneous than in arable lands. We conclude that SRC plantations form novel habitats leading to different plant species composition compared to conventional land uses. Their landscape‐scale value for phytodiversity changes depending on harvest cycles and over time. As a structural landscape element, SRC plantations contribute positively to phytodiversity in rural areas, especially in land use mosaics where these plantations are admixed to other land uses with dissimilar plant species composition such as arable land, coniferous forest and, at the German sites, also mixed forest.
A New Approach for Meteorological Variables Prediction at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Using Artificial Neural Networks: Application for Sizing and Maintaining Photovoltaic Systems
Authors: Khatib Tamer , Mohamed Azah , Mahmoud M. , Sopian K.
Published: February 2012

This research presents a new meteorological variables prediction approach for Malaysia using artificial neural networks. The developed model predicts four meteorological variables using sun shine ratio, day number, and location coordinates. These meteorological variables are solar energy, ambient temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity. However, three statistical values are used to evaluate the proposed model. These statistical values are mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), mean bias error (MBE), and root mean square error (RMSE). Based on results, the developed model predicts accurately the four meteorological variables. The MAPE, RMSE, and MBE in predicting solar radiation are 1.3%, 5.8 (1.8%), and 0.9 (0.3%), respectively, while the MAPE, RMSE, and MBE values for ambient temperature prediction are 1.3%, 0.4 (1.7%), and 0.1 (0.4%), respectively. In addition, the MAPE, RMSE, and MBE values in relative humidity prediction are 3.2%, 3.2, and 0.2. As for wind speed prediction, it is the worst in accuracy among the predicted variables because the MAPE, RMSE, and MBE values are 28.9%, 0.5 (31.3%), and 0.02 (1.25%). Such a developed model helps in sizing photovoltaic (PV) systems using solar energy and ambient temperature records. Moreover, wind speed and relative humidity records could be used in estimating dust concentration group which leads to dust deposition on a PV system.
AN ADAPTIVE DIFFUSION SCHEME FOR IMAGE RESTORATION AND SELECTIVE SMOOTHING
Authors: PRASATH V. B. SURYA , SINGH ARINDAMA
Published: February 2012

Anisotropic partial differential equation (PDE)-based image restoration schemes employ a local edge indicator function typically based on gradients. In this paper, an alternative pixel-wise adaptive diffusion scheme is proposed. It uses a spatial function giving better edge information to the diffusion process. It avoids the over-locality problem of gradient-based schemes and preserves discontinuities coherently. The scheme satisfies scale space axioms for a multiscale diffusion scheme; and it uses a well-posed regularized total variation (TV) scheme along with Perona-Malik type functions. Median-based weight function is used to handle the impulse noise case. Numerical results show promise of such an adaptive approach on real noisy images.
FAST MESH INTERPOLATION AND MESH DECOMPOSITION WITH APPLICATIONS
Authors: LAI SHUHUA , CHENG FUHUA (FRANK)
Published: February 2012

A new approach for constructing a smooth subdivision surface to interpolate the vertices of an arbitrary mesh is presented. The construction process does require setting up neither any linear systems, nor any matrix computation, but is simply done by iteratively moving vertices of the given mesh locally until control mesh of the required interpolating surface is reached. The new interpolation method has the simplicity of a local method in effectively dealing with meshes of a large number of vertices. It also has the capability of a global method in faithfully resembling the shape of a given mesh. Furthermore, the new method is fast and does not require a fairing step in the construction process because the iterative process converges to a unique solution at an exponential rate. Another important result of this work is, with the new iterative process, each mesh (surface) can be decomposed into a sum of simpler meshes (surfaces) which carry high-and low-frequency information of the given model. This mesh decomposition scheme provides us with new approaches to some classic applications in computer graphics such as texture mapping, denoising/smoothing/sharpening, and morphing. These new approaches are demonstrated in this paper and test results are included.
Neck Dissection for Thoracic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Yajima Satoshi , Oshima Yoko , Shimada Hideaki
Published: February 2012

Subtotal esophagectomy with extended lymph node dissection is a standard procedure for thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Three-field lymphadenectomy, including neck dissection, is a standard type of lymph node dissection for complete clearance of tumor cells. Based on various series of analyses for lymph node metastases, the appropriate indication for neck dissection has been clarified. Herein, we describe the established techniques of neck dissection and review recent topics of three-field lymph node dissection for thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Molecular Modeling of the M3 Acetylcholine Muscarinic Receptor and Its Binding Site
Authors: Martinez-Archundia Marlet , Cordomi Arnau , Garriga Pere , Perez Juan J.
Published: February 2012

The present study reports the results of a combined computational and site mutagenesis study designed to provide new insights into the orthosteric binding site of the human M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor. For this purpose a three-dimensional structure of the receptor at atomic resolution was built by homology modeling, using the crystallographic structure of bovine rhodopsin as a template. Then, the antagonist N-methylscopolamine was docked in the model and subsequently embedded in a lipid bilayer for its refinement using molecular dynamics simulations. Two different lipid bilayer compositions were studied: one component palmitoyl-oleyl phosphatidylcholine (POPC) and two-component palmitoyl-oleyl phosphatidylcholine/palmitoyl-oleyl phosphatidylserine (POPC-POPS). Analysis of the results suggested that residues F222 and T235 may contribute to the ligand-receptor recognition. Accordingly, alanine mutants at positions 222 and 235 were constructed, expressed, and their binding properties determined. The results confirmed the role of these residues in modulating the binding affinity of the ligand.
Upholding God’s Rule: Early Muslim Juristic Opposition to the State Employment of non-Muslims
Authors: Yarbrough Luke
Published: February 2012

This is a study of what purport to be the earliest opinions that Muslims expressed about the employment of non-Muslim administrators by an Islamic state. Matn-cumisnād analyses are performed on three early reports which claim that the caliph ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb instituted a religious criterion for state employment. These constitute the only credible evidence that such a criterion might have been part of administrative policy in the pre-Marwānid period. They were also an important basis for later legal doctrines that forbade the state employment of non-Muslims. The matn-cum-isnād analyses are placed in juxtaposition to historical reports concerning the late Umayyad period, in order to advance the thesis that the reports are likely to have been put into circulation by proto-Sunnī Arab traditionists in second-/eighth-century Kufa in reaction to state policies, particularly those of the Umayyad governor Khālid al-Qasrī.
Does It Make Sense to Speak about a “Hellenization of Christianity” in Antiquity?
Authors: Markschies Christoph
Published: February 2012

In this paper, delivered as the First Annual Lecture in Patristics of the Centre for Patristic Research (CPO), the author poses the question whether it still makes sense to speak about a Hellenization of Christianity in Antiquity. In contrast to the nineteenth-century understanding, it is shown that many of today's authors claim that we need to avoid any intellectual and ideological narrow-mindedness. The author pleads for a precise manner in defining the term “Hellenization” much more than the scholars of the nineteenth century did. Against the background of these thoughts he refines his own definition of the Hellenization of Christianity as a specific transformation of the Alexandrian educational institutions and of the academic culture that was developed in these institutions in the theological reflection of Early Christianity.
Using a spike-in experiment to evaluate analysis of LC-MS data
Authors: Tuli Leepika , Tsai Tsung-Heng , Varghese Rency S , Xiao Jun Feng , Cheema Amrita , Ressom Habtom W
Published: February 2012

Background

Recent advances in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technology have led to more effective approaches for measuring changes in peptide/protein abundances in biological samples. Label-free LC-MS methods have been used for extraction of quantitative information and for detection of differentially abundant peptides/proteins. However, difference detection by analysis of data derived from label-free LC-MS methods requires various preprocessing steps including filtering, baseline correction, peak detection, alignment, and normalization. Although several specialized tools have been developed to analyze LC-MS data, determining the most appropriate computational pipeline remains challenging partly due to lack of established gold standards.

Results

The work in this paper is an initial study to develop a simple model with "presence" or "absence" condition using spike-in experiments and to be able to identify these "true differences" using available software tools. In addition to the preprocessing pipelines, choosing appropriate statistical tests and determining critical values are important. We observe that individual statistical tests could lead to different results due to different assumptions and employed metrics. It is therefore preferable to incorporate several statistical tests for either exploration or confirmation purpose.

Conclusions

The LC-MS data from our spike-in experiment can be used for developing and optimizing LC-MS data preprocessing algorithms and to evaluate workflows implemented in existing software tools. Our current work is a stepping stone towards optimizing LC-MS data acquisition and testing the accuracy and validity of computational tools for difference detection in future studies that will be focused on spiking peptides of diverse physicochemical properties in different concentrations to better represent biomarker discovery of differentially abundant peptides/proteins.
Self-assembled Nanogel Engineering for Advanced Biomedical Technology
Authors: Sasaki Yoshihiro , Akiyoshi Kazunari
Published: February 2012

Nanogels are polymer nanoparticles with three-dimensional networks. Recently, various nanogels have been designed, with a particular focus on biomedical applications. In this review, we describe recent progress in the synthesis of functional nanogels by self-assembly of associating polymers and nanogel engineering for advanced biomedical technology including regenerative medicine and drug delivery systems.
Propane Metathesis by a Tandem Catalytic System: Dehydrogenation and Hydrogenation over PtSn/Al2O3, and Metathesis over Re2O7/Al2O3
Authors: Furukawa Shinya , Shishido Tetsuya , Tanaka Tsunehiro
Published: February 2012

Metathesis of propane into n-butane and ethane using a tandem catalytic system consisting of two catalysts (PtSn/Al2O3 for dehydrogenation of alkane and hydrogenation of alkene, and Re2O7/Al2O3 for alkene metathesis) has been investigated. When the temperatures of two catalyst-beds are controlled independently, this system shows high conversion and is selective for the formation of n-butane.
A Pd Nanoparticle/Silica Nanoparticle/Acrylic Polymer Hybrid Layer for Direct Electroless Copper Deposition on a Polymer Substrate
Authors: Tamai Toshiyuki , Watanabe Mitsuru , Ikeda Shingo , Kobayashi Yasuyuki , Fujiwara Yutaka , Matsukawa Kimihiro
Published: February 2012

Copper was directly deposited on a polymer substrate whose surface is coated with a palladium nanoparticle/silica nanoparticle/acrylic polymer hybrid layer. On the surface of the hybrid, the palladium nanoparticles function as a catalyst for the electroless copper deposition, and the nanometer-scale roughness, which is due to the silica nanoparticles, increases the adhesion between the polymer and copper.
A Light-emitting Liquid Crystal Containing p-Terphenyl and an Alkylsilyl Group
Authors: Otsuka Kyohei , Ishida Shintaro , Kyushin Soichiro
Published: February 2012

A light-emitting liquid crystal containing p-terphenyl and a pentylsilyl group was synthesized, and its thermodynamic and photochemical properties were studied. The pentylsilyl group was found to work as a flexible side chain of a thermotropic liquid crystal. This compound shows intense blue fluorescence in hexane and in the liquid crystal state.
Formation of Stripe Patterns in Charged Colloids during Unidirectional Crystallization in the Presence of Impurity Particles
Authors: Yoshizawa Koki , Onda Sachiko , Sawada Tsutomu , Yamanaka Junpei
Published: February 2012

We examine the spatial distributions of fluorescent-labeled polystyrene (PS) particles added to colloidal silica that resulted after unidirectional crystal growth due to diffusion of pyridine. We find that the PS particles are arranged in a stripe pattern with a submillimeter-sized spacing. The patterning mechanism is attributable to the formation of lamella-shaped crystal grains and exclusion of the PS particles to the crystal grain boundaries.
The early radiological results of the uncemented Oxford medial compartment knee replacement
Authors: Hooper G. J. , Maxwell A. R. , Wilkinson B. , Mathew J. , Woodfield T. B. F. , Penny I. D. , Burn P. J. , Frampton C.
Published: February 2012

We carried out a prospective investigation into the radiological outcomes of uncemented Oxford medial compartment unicondylar replacement in 220 consecutive patients (231 knees) performed in a single centre with a minimum two-year follow-up. The functional outcomes using the mean Oxford knee score and the mean high-activity arthroplasty score were significantly improved over the pre-operative scores (p < 0.001). There were 196 patients with a two-year radiological examination performed under fluoroscopic guidance, aiming to provide images acceptable for analysis of the bone–implant interface. Of the six tibial zones examined on each knee on the anteroposterior radiograph, only three had a partial radiolucent line. All were in the medial aspect of the tibial base plate (zone 1) and all measured < 1 mm. All of these patients were asymptomatic. There were no radiolucent lines seen around the femoral component or on the lateral view. There was one revision for loosening at one year due to initial inadequate seating of the tibial component. These results confirm that the early uncemented Oxford medial unicompartmental compartmental knee replacements were reliable and the incidence of radiolucent lines was significantly decreased compared with the reported results of cemented versions of this implant. These independent results confirm those of the designing centre.
Telemetric assessment of bone healing with an instrumented internal fixator
Authors: Seide K. , Aljudaibi M. , Weinrich N. , Kowald B. , Jürgens C. , Müller J. , Faschingbauer M.
Published: February 2012

In an interdisciplinary project involving electronic engineers and clinicians, a telemetric system was developed to measure the bending load in a titanium internal femoral fixator. As this was a new device, the main question posed was: what clinically relevant information could be drawn from its application? As a first clinical investigation, 27 patients (24 men, three women) with a mean age of 38.4 years (19 to 66) with femoral nonunions were treated using the system. The mean duration of the nonunion was 15.4 months (5 to 69). The elasticity of the plate-callus system was measured telemetrically until union. Conventional radiographs and a CT scan at 12 weeks were performed routinely, and healing was staged according to the CT scans. All nonunions healed at a mean of 21.5 weeks (13 to 37). Well before any radiological signs of healing could be detected, a substantial decrease in elasticity was recorded. The relative elasticity decreased to 50% at a mean of 7.8 weeks (3.5 to 13) and to 10% at a mean of 19.3 weeks (4.5 to 37). At 12 weeks the mean relative elasticity was 28.1% (0% to 56%). The relative elasticity was significantly different between the different healing stages as determined by the CT scans.

Incorporating load measuring electronics into implants is a promising option for the assessment of bone healing. Future application might lead to a reduction in the need for exposure to ionising radiation to monitor fracture healing.
Current controversies in hip surgery
Authors: Haddad F. S. , Konan S.
Published: February 2012

An international faculty of orthopaedic surgeons presented their work on the current challenges in hip surgery at the London Hip Meeting which was attended by over 400 delegates. The topics covered included femoroacetabular impingement, thromboembolic phenomena associated with hip surgery, bearing surfaces (including metal-on-metal articulations), outcomes of hip replacement surgery and revision hip replacement. We present a concise report of the current opinions on hip surgery from this meeting with appropriate references to the current literature.
Feasibility of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for Classification of Sea Salts
Authors: Tan Man Minh , Cui Sheng , Yoo Jonghyun , Han Song-Hee , Ham Kyung-Sik , Nam Sang-Ho , Lee Yonghoon
Published: February 2012

We have investigated the feasibility of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) as a fast, reliable classification tool for sea salts. For 11 kinds of sea salts, potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), and aluminum (Al), concentrations were measured by inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), and the LIBS spectra were recorded in the narrow wavelength region between 760 and 800 nm where K (I), Mg (I), Ca (II), Al (I), and cyanide (CN) band emissions are observed. The ICP-AES measurements revealed that the K, Mg, Ca, and Al concentrations varied significantly with the provenance of each salt. The relative intensities of the K (I), Mg (I), Ca (II), and Al (I) peaks observed in the LIBS spectra are consistent with the results using ICP-AES. The principal component analysis of the LIBS spectra provided the score plot with quite a high degree of clustering. This indicates that classification of sea salts by chemometric analysis of LIBS spectra is very promising. Classification models were developed by partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and evaluated. In addition, the Al (I) peaks enabled us to discriminate between different production methods of the salts.
Infrared Microspectroscopy Using Prism-Based Spectrographs and Focal Plane Array Detection
Authors: Lanzarotta Adam , Marcott Curtis , Story Gloria M. , Dowrey Anthony E. , Sommer André J.
Published: February 2012

Several prism-based spectrographs employing a mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) focal plane array detector have been interfaced to an infrared microscope. In the combined system, the area-defining aperture of the microscope also served as the entrance slit to the spectrograph. This investigation considered the fundamental limits of diffraction for both the spectrograph and microscope in order to determine both the spatial and spectral resolution of the system as a whole. Experimental results for spectral resolution, spectral range, and peak-to-peak noise have been presented. Finally, the dynamic capabilities of one spectrograph/microscope combination were investigated.
An Ecology of Natural Mindlessness: Solitude, Silence, and Transcendental Consciousness
Authors: BRUNEAU TOM
Published: February 2012

This article attempts to define spirituality from a brain studies perspective. In holonomic and connectionist brain studies there are three possible forms of consciousness: objective, narrative, and transcendental. Objective consciousness concerns linearities, order, structure, sequentialities,
linguistics, time keeping, and so on. This form of consciousness is detrimental to achieving a spirituality. Narrative consciousness is an extension of objective consciousness with the addition of metaphoria and aesthetic flow. Narrative consciousness concerns an aesthetics of silence, paralinearities,
daydreaming, life stories, feelings, and the like. Solitude is necessary to achieving a deeper kind of silence because well-planned solitude helps to eliminate pervasive kinds of objective, everyday consciousness. Also, solitude is an escape from the "pathologies of speed" and clock
insanities that are increasingly troublesome with an increasing exponential acceleration. Some suggestions for achieving spiritual and deeper kinds of silence within naturalistic, solitudinal environments are offered. Transcendental consciousness concerns a deep, meditative silence, or widespread,
temporary cortical brain synchronizations. This more profound silence concerns deeply restful, narrative, and peaceful solitude, leading to possible synchronous brain processes, an extensive now-ness, a primitivation of time, and a sense of timelessness. I propose that these highly synchronous
brain states are necessary to many kinds of spiritual journeys.
Fashion and the Art Museum: When Giorgio Armani Went to the Guggenheim
Authors: Potvin John
Published: February 2012

This article explores the collision of fashion with the modern art museum. Fashion exhibitions have been the source of much animosity and criticism among cultural arbiters and power brokers, while also being highly popular amongst museumgoers. Taking the controversial travelling Giorgio
Armani retrospective initially staged at the Guggenheim Museum (New York) in 2000 as the focal point, the article argues how a non-avant-garde designer of Armani's stature troubles the steadfast cultural, conceptual and corporeal economies of the modern art museum.
Tom's story: Developing music education with technology
Authors: Savage Jonathan
Published: February 2012

Tom is a keen, young guitarist. When traditional methods of musical instruction failed, he sought out alternative approaches using online social tools. These transformed his learning, engaged him and helped him develop his playing in significant ways. Tom's story is unremarkable in
many respects. However, on reflection, it does reveal four important ideas that will continue to drive forward music education. First, the Internet is the most powerful technology available to us today; second, making and learning is all about connecting; third, teachers and learners need
to be careful about the technologies they choose to use in their work; and, finally, curriculum development is inextricably tied to teacher development. In the United Kingdom, music education as a core entitlement for all young people as part of their formal education is under threat. The
development of a rich, varied, broad and balanced curriculum and the skilful, professional role that teachers play in delivering this are inextricably linked. As teachers and researchers, we have a responsibility not to fail young people like Tom.
The seductions of technology
Authors: Taylor Timothy D.
Published: February 2012

This article considers today's neo-liberal capitalism and its reliance on new digital technologies in commoditizing everything, including education. The rise in the use of digital technologies is one way that neo-liberal ideologies have entered the university, changing the relationships
between faculty and students, and changing the way students learn. Some teaching technologies have proved to enhance students' learning experience, some, in my view, have not. But the ideology of the importance of new technologies in education seems to be here to stay, bringing the university
increasingly into the neo-liberal world of the commoditization and marketization of everything.
The arts and humanities, technology and the 'English Baccalaureate': STEAM not STEM
Authors: Welch Graham F.
Published: February 2012

The article argues that the music should (a) be a core subject within any revision to the English National Curriculum for schools and also (b) integral to the UK Government's English Baccalaureate where the arts do not feature at all. Such a national policy approach flies in the face
of research evidence of the crucial significance of the arts and humanities, including music, in human culture and development. Government policy is also ambiguous concerning its view of technology, either as a curriculum subject or as a tool for learning and creativity. Nevertheless, it is
argued that technology is a core feature of our engagement with the arts (including music) and humanities. Their combination offers a vital and rich resource in the education of our young people.
Giving credit where credit is due: Frances Goodrich Hackett and Albert Hackett and The Thin Man
Authors: WELCH ROSANNE
Published: February 2012

This article addresses the long-lived literary and popular culture assumption that the beloved characters of Nick and Nora Charles in the MGM film The Thin Man (1934) were representations of the relationship between novelist Dashiell Hammett and his lover, playwright Lillian Hellman.
However, in a comparison of the screenplay to the novel, the screenplay's specific dialogue and plot changes incorporated by married screenwriters Frances Goodrich Hackett and Albert Hackett can lead to a different conclusion. I will explore the Nick and Nora marriage that has served for so
many years as a benchmark in romantic comedy relationships and propose that, in fact, this relationship was based largely on the marriage shared by the Hackett's. The results of my exploration suggests credit to the screenwriting couple and serves as evidence that some screenplay adaptations
often prove more enduring than their original source material.
Storytelling in Bhutanese cinema: Research context and case study of a film in development
Authors: CHAUDHURI SHOHINI , CLAYTON SUE
Published: February 2012

Screenwriter and director Sue Clayton and academic Shohini Chaudhuri consider storytelling structures in Bhutan, a country that has, until recently, been relatively culturally isolated but is now moving towards entering the global stage. As in the rest of South Asia, the dominant cinematic
model in Bhutan is that of Bollywood, yet Buddhism, the oral tradition and supernatural beliefs form a rich repertoire of stories that screenwriters of the emerging film industry are increasingly attempting to mine. In this article, we show how cinematic storytelling in Bhutan functions as
a kind of 'secondary orality' through our analyses of an earlier international co-production Travellers and Magicians (2003), two local DV films, and the film project that Clayton is developing in dialogue with Bhutanese writers, Jumolhari. We argue that Bhutan's Buddhist, animist and oral
traditions challenge and transform classically established cinema conventions of story structure, decentring individual human subjectivity as the controlling force and producing an altogether different kind of hero's journey.
Reflections on medium specificity occasioned by the symposium 'Digital Light: Technique, Technology, Creation', Melbourne, 2011
Authors: Cubitt Sean , Palmer Daniel , Walkling Les
Published: February 2012

Drawing on discussions at a symposium held in Melbourne in 2011, this article describes the reactions of artists, curators and software engineers to the varied transitions between analogue and digital media. The authors argue that both the 'post-medium condition' mooted by Krauss and
the 'Death of Cinema' theses of film scholars like Rodowick and Mulvey miss critical issues in these transitions and over-emphasize others. We make the case that there are more continuities than often recognized between analogue and digital; that transitional forms like video have not been
analysed sufficiently; that software studies needs to be backed up with hardware studies; and that there is a new role for mediumspecific criticism. We argue that, in the current state of digital resources for production, distribution and display, each work needs to be analysed in its specificity,
rather than ascribing universal qualities to imaginary abstractions such as 'digital media'.
The Wilds and the Township
Authors: Foster Jeremy
Published: February 2012

The 1930s saw the creation of The Wilds, a simulacrum of “unspoiled veld” in the heart of Johannesburg, and the town of Orlando, the first of many “rationally planned” African townships that would be developed just outside the city. These two different urban operations were alternative manifestations of modernity at a time of rapid economic, social, and physical change. In The Wilds and the Township: Articulating Modernity, Capital, and Socio-nature in the Cityscape of Pre-apartheid Johannesburg, Jeremy Foster argues that the growing consciousness of the cityscape among the white population, a result of the 1936 Johannesburg Empire Exhibition, became intertwined with revisioning the city's environs as a hinterland that was both other and essential to its existence. Within a disorderly cityscape The Wilds and the African township of Orlando articulated a new symbolic relationship between urban culture and regional nature that seemed to resolve the threat of the westernized urban African. This dialectical patterning of socio-nature within the same cityscape naturalized the African population's socio-political segregation and facilitated the operations of the capitalist mining-based urban economy.
Seamless Continuity versus the Nature of Materials
Authors: Siry Joseph M.
Published: February 2012

Gunite, or concrete shot through a hose, helped to shape twentieth-century modernist architecture, yet its history is largely unwritten. In 1927–29 Richard Neutra pioneered the architectural use of Gunite in the Lovell House in Los Angeles. Frank Lloyd Wright praised Neutra's house, and he later used Gunite with a light steel frame in his Community Church in Kansas City, Missouri (1939–42). In Wright's next public commission, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (1943–59) in New York City, he proposed that the great spiral gallery be wholly of Gunite set on a pre-stressed steel frame, in order to achieve his ideal of plasticity and continuity; the material was used to form the Guggenheim's exterior walls as built. In Seamless Continuity versus the Nature of Materials: Gunite and Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum, Joseph M. Siry narrates the manner in which the design of the Guggenheim's wood formwork, its joints, and the choice of its exterior coating challenged Wright and his collaborators to achieve a form for the spiral that was consistent with his aesthetic ideal.
Comparative electrode kinetics of micro and nano-crystalline boron doped diamond.
Authors: Saito E. , Azevedo A.F. , Souza F.A. , Ferreira N.G. , Baldan M.R.
Published: February 2012

Comparative study of boron doped micro/nanocrystalline diamond (BDD/BDND) electrodes was performed using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements (EIS). The morphological and structural characterizations of BDD/BDND films were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and Raman scattering spectroscopy. The films were grown with different boron amounts added in the feed gas. The boron source for BDND was smaller in concentration than that for BDD sample. Nonetheless, differential capacitance (Mott-Schottky plots) and heterogeneous charge transfer constant results showed similar doping level for both electrodes. This behavior indicated the high efficiency to dope nanocrystalline diamond films.
Engineered Nanostructured Coatings for Enhanced Protein Adsorption and Cell Growth
Authors: Namavar Fereydoon , Rubinstein Alexander , Sabirianov Renat F. , Thiele Geoffrey M. , Sharp J. Graham , Pokharel Utsav , Namavar Roxanna M. , Garvin Kevin L.
Published: February 2012

We designed and produced pure cubic zirconia (ZrO2) ceramic1 coatings by an ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) with nanostructures comparable to the size of proteins. Our ceramic coatings exhibit high hardness and a zero contact angle with serum. In contrast to hydroxyapatite (HA), nano-engineered zirconia films possess excellent adhesion to all orthopaedic materials. Cell adhesion and proliferation experiments were performed with a bona fide mesenchymal stromal cell line (OMA-AD). Our experimental results indicate that the nano-engineered cubic zirconia is superior in supporting growth, adhesion, and proliferation. Since cell attachment is mediated by adhesive proteins such as fibronectin (FN), to elucidate why cells attach more effectively to our nanostructures, we performed a comparative analysis of adsorption energies of FN fragment using quantum mechanical calculations and Monte Carlo (MC) simulation both on smooth and nanostructured surfaces. We have found that a FN fragment adsorbs significantly stronger on the nanostructured surface than on the smooth surface2.
ZnSxO1-x Films Grown on Flexible Substrates
Authors: Huso Jesse , Che Hui , Morrison John L. , Thapa Dinesh , Huso Michelle , Rhodes Stanley , Blanchard Brianna , Yeh Wei Jiang , McCluskey M. D. , Bergman Leah
Published: February 2012

Bandgap engineered ZnSxO1-x films were grown on Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP) substrates and analyzed using transmission spectroscopy. FEP is considered as a potential substrate for application in flexible electronics and semiconductor films.
Preparation of porous structures with shape memory properties from biodegradable polymeric networks
Authors: Sharifi Shahriar , Blanquer Sebastien , Grijpma Dirk W.
Published: February 2012

Preparing porous biodegradable structures from shape memory polymers can combine the structure-defining properties of porous structures with the minimally invasive implanting possibilities of shape memory polymers. In this study, porous biodegradable shape memory structures were prepared using photo-crosslinked networks based on poly(D,L-lactide-co-trimethylene carbonate). The characteristic shape memory properties of the structures, such as their shape fixity at a low temperature of 0 oC and their full shape recovery upon heating to physiological temperatures, were excellent. This makes these biodegradable and biocompatible structures very well-suited for use as self-deploying implants in medical applications like tissue engineering, drug delivery and the support of soft tissues.
Benthic diatom communities from rivers in close proximity to the Athabasca tar sands (Alberta, Canada)
Authors: Lavoie Isabelle , Guéguen Céline , Fortin Claude
Published: February 2012

This project was undertaken to study diatom communities from rivers in close proximity to tar sands development in the Athabasca River watershed, Alberta, Canada. Over the past years, tar sands development in Alberta has been intensified and presents new challenges for environmental management in Alberta. As the predominant technologies for extracting bitumen from the tar sands rely on large amounts of freshwater, concerns on the water quality of natural water bodies and its impacts on aquatic life and human health are increasing. Although limited information on the diatom communities in this region is available from the late 1970s and early 1980s, there are no reference diatom communities with which to compare modern-day samples. In this study, water and diatom samples were collected from nine sites in 2008 and replicate samples were collected from a subset of those sites in 2009. Based on the few samples available, it was not possible to directly link tar sands-related pollution with changes in diatom community structure, although diatoms clearly showed a response to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and conductivity. However, diatom communities collected represent a benchmark for biomonitoring assessment in the region following expansion of the industry and represent valuable information for future studies.
Phosphorus removal by blast furnace slag and cement clinker – flow cell studies for estimation of sorptive capacity for use with constructed treatment wetlands
Authors: Paul Anamika Sikdar , Anderson Bruce
Published: February 2012

Blast furnace slag and cement clinker were explored in long-term flow cell experiments for estimation of their phosphorus (P) removal efficiencies. A local gravel, typically used in constructed treatment wetlands, was used as a control medium. The experiments examined the removal of phosphorus from a solution initially containing 4 mg P/L. The slag and clinker were nearly 100% efficient due to very high sorptive capacities. The control gravel medium removed 50% of the influent phosphorus. Results from this study indicate that the use of blast furnace slag in constructed wetlands or filter beds is a promising solution for P removal via sorption mechanisms.
Anaerobic co-digestion of municipal wastewater sludge and restaurant grease
Authors: Liu Zengkai , Buchanan Ian D.
Published: February 2012

Co-digestion has drawn much attention because of its potential to increase biogas production among other benefits. Restaurant grease has high energy content and methane production potential and so is a promising substrate for co-digestion with municipal wastewater sludge. Anaerobic co-digestion of municipal wastewater sludge and restaurant grease was investigated at laboratory-scale under mesophilic conditions (37 °C). Increasing the chemical oxygen demand (COD) loading rate of the test digester by 387% (organic loading rate 4.235 kg VS/m3/d) relative to the control digester led to a 467% increase in daily biogas production, a 25.2% increase in methane yield (based on volatile solids (VS) destruction), a 29.8% increase in COD removal and a 27.2% increase in VS reduction. The biogas methane content ranged from 62.6 to 66.2% (v/v). No negative effect of the grease addition was observed in the test digester performance under the conditions investigated. The increases in biogas production and methane yield indicated enhanced digestion performance. In addition, partial alkalinity and pH proved to be good indicators of digester stability.
Spatial distributions and temporal trends in pollutants in the Great Lakes 1968–2008
Authors: Burniston Debbie , Klawunn Paul , Backus Sean , Hill Brad , Dove Alice , Waltho Jasmine , Richardson Violeta , Struger John , Bradley Lisa , McGoldrick Daryl , Marvin Chris
Published: February 2012

The Great Lakes have been the focus of intensive long-term research and monitoring programmes for the past 40 years. Spatial distributions and temporal trends have been determined for a range of environmental compartments, including surface water, sediment and fish. In general, there have been dramatic reductions in contamination by legacy pollutants including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides and metals. Concentrations of PCBs and lead in surface water at the mouth of the Niagara River have decreased by 58 and 54%, respectively, over the period 1986–2007. Correspondingly, concentrations of PCBs and lead in offshore sediments of Lake Ontario have decreased by 37 and 45%, respectively, since peak accumulations in the 1970s. Temporal trends for more modern chemicals, including polybrominated diphenylethers and perfluoroalkyl compounds, showed increases up until 2000 when management actions and heightened stakeholder awareness resulted in a levelling off or decline in the subsequent time period. While legacy issues are largely associated with areas of historical industrial activity, the presence of newer chemicals is generally associated with modern urban/industrial areas that act as diffuse sources.
Numerical investigation of operating pressure effects on the performance of a vortex tube
Authors: Pourmahmoud Nader , Zadeh Hassan , Moutaby Omid , Bramo Abdolreza
Published: February 2012

A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulation of a vortex tube
has been carried out to realize the effects of operating pressure. The highly
rotating flow field structure and its characteristic are simulated and
analyzed with respect to various operating inlet pressure ranges. Numerical
results of compressible and turbulent flows are derived by using of the
standard k-? turbulence model, where throughout the vortex tube was taken as
a computational domain. The main object of the present research is to focus
on the importance of identifying the suitable inlet gas pressure corresponds
to used vortex tube geometry. Achieving a highly swirling flow and
consequently maximum cold temperature difference were the key parameters of
judgment. The results revealed that these acceptable conditions of machine
performance can be provided when the inlet operating pressure is appropriate
both to mechanical structure of machine and physical properties of working
fluid. The stagnation point location in the axial distance of vortex tube and
Mach number contours in the vortex chamber as additional information are
extracted from flow filed; such that interpretation of shock wave formation
regions may be accounted as significant features of investigation. Finally,
some results of the CFD models are validated by the available experimental
data and shown reasonable agreement, and other ones are compared
qualitatively.
Fractures in regions of adaptive modeling and remodeling of central tarsal bones in racing Greyhounds
Authors: Bergh Mary Sarah , Piras Alessandro , Samii Valerie F. , Weisbrode Steven E. , Johnson Kenneth A.
Published: February 2012

Objective—To evaluate and compare bone modeling and remodeling in fractured and non-fractured central tarsal bones (CTBs) of racing Greyhounds.

Sample—Paired cadaveric tarsi from 6 euthanized racing Greyhounds with right CTB fractures and 6 racing Greyhounds with other nontarsal injuries.

Procedures—CTBs were dissected and fractured CTBs were reconstructed. Central tarsal bones were evaluated through standard and nonscreen high-detail radiography, computed tomography, and histologic examination. The bone mineral density (BMD) was calculated adjacent to fracture planes and as a gradient on sagittal computed tomographic images. Sagittal and transverse plane sections of bone were obtained and submitted for subjective histologic assessment. Linear mixed-effects models were used to compare findings.

Results—Fractured right CTBs had greater BMD in the dorsal and midbody regions of the sagittal plane sections than did nonfractured CTBs. The BMD ratios from bone adjacent to the dorsal slab fracture planes were not different between fractured and nonfractured right CTBs.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Findings supported the existence of site-specific bone adaptation in CTBs of Greyhounds, with modeling and remodeling patterns that were unique to fractured right CTBs. The dorsal and midbody regions of fractured bones had greater BMD, and fractures occurred through these zones of increased BMD.