bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatio‐temporal variation of salt marsh seedling establishment in relation to the abiotic and biotic environment
Authors: Noe Gregory B. , Zedler Joy B.
Published: January 2010

Contrary to our expectations, soil salinity and moisture explained little of the spatial variation in plant establishment in the upper intertidal marsh of three southern California wetlands, but did explain the timing of germination. Seedlings of 27 species were identified in 1996 and 1997. The seedlings were abundant (maximum densities of 2143/m2 in 1996 and 1819/m2 in 1997) and predominantly annual species. CCAs quantified the spatial variation in seedling density that could be explained by three groups of predictor variables: (1) perennial plant cover, elevation and soil texture (16% of variation), (2) wetland identity (14% of variation) and (3) surface soil salinity and moisture (2% of variation). Increasing the spatial scale of analysis changed the variables that best predicted patterns of species densities. Timing of germination depended on surface soil salinity and, to a lesser extent, soil moisture. Germination occurred after salinity had dropped below a threshold or, in some cases, after moisture had increased above a critical level. Between 32% and 92% of the seedlings were exotic and most of these occurred at lower soil salinity than native species. However, Parapholis incurva and Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum were found in the same environments as the native species. In 1997, the year of a strong El Niño/Southern Oscillation event with high rainfall and sea levels, the elevation distribution of species narrowed and densities of P. incurva and other exotic species decreased but densities of native and rare species did not change. The ‘regeneration niche’ of wetland plant communities includes the effects of multiple abiotic and biotic factors on both the spatial and temporal variations in plant establishment.
Changes in the vegetation of Quercus pubescens woodland after cessation of coppicing and grazing
Authors: Debussche Max , Debussche Geneviève , Lepart Jacques
Published: January 2010

Abstract. The cessation of coppicing and grazing in Quercus woodlands, with its subsequent changes in the structure, composition and functioning of vegetation communities, is becoming more frequent throughout the Mediterranean Basin. In southern France, we have studied successional changes in Quercus pubescens woodlands by visiting previously studied sites 18 yr later. Changes in vertical structure, species richness, floristic composition, life form and dispersal type were analysed and compared between woodlands that had previously been grazed or ungrazed.

Both successions showed a decline in vegetation cover in the 0–25 cm height class and in the height class immediately under the canopy layer, due to oak litter accumulation and tree ageing. In post‐grazing succession, the abandonment of grazing and associated burning has allowed the vegetation cover to increase in the 0.25‐2 m height class. In both successions, grassland species decreased in frequency and forest species increased, a trend which was stronger in undisturbed succession. Species richness decreased with time in the undisturbed succession, but remained stable in the post‐grazing succession mainly because of the slow decline of plants linked to grazing. In undisturbed succession, therophytes and hemicryptophytes decreased. In contrast, therophytes and hemicryptophytes remained stable in post‐grazing succession. In both successions, endozoochorous species (notably Ruscus aculeatus) increased. Plants dispersed by non‐animal vectors decreased in undisturbed succession, but stability was observed in most of the dispersal types in post‐grazing succession. These results showed that a time‐lag existed between undisturbed succession and post‐grazing succession, the latter remaining at a younger stage of successional development due to more recent impact of grazing. However, both successions have converged suggesting that most of the traces of grazing on vegetation will disappear within a few years. The vegetation of these coppices, regardless of the previous grazing regime, will become increasingly similar to the vegetation of undisturbed woodlands. However, their floristic composition will probably never be identical to that of undisturbed woodlands, mainly because of the rarity of these undisturbed woodlands and of the short‐distance dispersal of many forest plant species.
A practical approach to the study of spatial structure in simple cases of heterogeneous vegetation
Authors: Pélissier Raphaël , Goreaud François
Published: January 2010

Abstract.Spatial heterogeneity is a characteristic of most natural ecosystems which is difficult to handle analytically, particularly in the absence of knowledge about the exogenous factors responsible for this heterogeneity. While classical methods for analysis of spatial point patterns usually require the hypothesis of homogeneity, we present a practical approach for partitioning heterogeneous vegetation plots into homogeneous subplots in simple cases of heterogeneity without drastically reducing the data. It is based on the detection of endogenous variations of the pattern using local density and second‐order local neighbour density functions that allow delineation of irregularly shaped subplots that could be considered as internally homogeneous. Spatial statistics, such as Ripley'sK‐function adapted to analyse plots of irregular shape, can then be computed for each of the homogeneous subplots. Two applications to forest ecological field data demonstrate that the method, addressed to ecologists, can avoid misinterpretations of the spatial structure of heterogeneous vegetation stands.
Inter‐annual variation in primary production of a semi‐arid grassland related to previous‐year production
Authors: Oesterheld Martín , Loreti Juan , Semmartin María , Sala Osvaldo E.
Published: January 2010

Mean annual precipitation accounts for a large proportion of the variation in mean above‐ground net primary production (ANPP) of grasslands worldwide. However, the inter‐annual variation in production in any grassland site is only loosely correlated with precipitation. The longest record of variation in production and precipitation for a site corresponds to a shortgrass steppe in Colorado, USA. A previous study of this record showed that current‐year precipitation accounted for 39% of the inter‐annual variation in ANPP. In this note, we show that ca. one third of the unexplained variation is related to previous‐year ANPP: ANPP per mm of precipitation was higher in years preceded by wet, more productive years than in years preceded by average years; similarly, ANPP per mm of precipitation was lower in years preceded by dry, less productive years than in years preceded by average years. Since previous‐year ANPP was, in turn, associated with precipitation of a year before, current‐year ANPP was also explained by precipitation of two previous years. Our finding not only increases our predictive ability, but it also changes our understanding of how ANPP responds to fluctuations in precipitation. If ANPP is thought to vary according to current‐year precipitation only, it will simply track annual precipitation in time. According to this new result, however, ANPP fluctuations are buffered if wet, more productive years alternate with dry, less productive years, and they are amplified if wet or dry sequences of several years take place.
Relationship Transitions Among Youth in Urban Kenya
Authors: Clark Shelley , Kabiru Caroline , Mathur Rohini
Published: January 2010

The process of courtship and marriage in sub‐Saharan Africa has changed remarkably. These changes, however, have received scant attention because recent research has focused on adolescent relationships' links to HIV/AIDS rather than to marriage. Drawing on detailed reports of 1,365 romantic and sexual partnerships from youths in Kisumu, Kenya, we found that marital aspirations, school enrollment, emotional attraction, pregnancy, and independence from kin are all predictors of getting engaged or married. Furthermore, though men and women are much more likely to marry partners they believe are sexually exclusive, men who have multiple partners are actually more likely to get married. By focusing on the contemporary process of marriage, this paper offers an alternative portrayal of premarital relationships in sub‐Saharan Africa.
Patent Propensity in Small Technology‐based Firms: Evidence from Zhongguancun Science Park
Authors: Yang Delin , Li Xibao , Chen Jiagui
Published: January 2010

Using a survey administered in Zhongguancun Science Park in Beijing, China, this paper investigates the impact of R&D personnel‐related intellectual property management practices on the patent propensity of small technology‐based firms. It is found that R&D personnel‐related management practices, including training and reward mechanisms, are effective in enhancing a firm's willingness to patent. In particular, we find that reward mechanisms can negatively moderate the effect of size on a firm's willingness to patent. One implication that emerged from the analysis is that a small firm can counteract its size disadvantage in patenting by introducing a well‐developed reward mechanism.
Serological analysis ofChlamydophila abortusin Australian sheep and implications for the rejection of breeder sheep for export
Authors: McCauley LME , Lancaster MJ , Butler KL , Ainsworth CGV
Published: January 2010

Objective To examine the incidence of positive results in a complement fixation test (CFT) and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) forChlamydophila abortusin Australian sheep and how this incidence differs with state of origin, age, sex, breed and property. To examine the consequences in relation to rejection of breeder sheep for export.

Design Collection of blood samples from 891 sheep on 109 properties in southern Australia. All samples had a unique, coded property identification.

Procedure The samples were tested using the Institut PourquierChlamydophila abortusantibody ELISA (rELISA) and a CFT. Residual maximum likelihood analyses of the sample to positive ratio of the corrected optical density for the rELISA and generalised linear mixed model analyses of the CFT outcomes were carried out.

Results The sample to positive ratio of the corrected optical density values of the rELISA did not differ between sex, age, breed or state of origin, but differed greatly between properties. The CFT outcome did not differ between age, breed or state of origin, but differed greatly between properties and was more often positive with rams than with ewes.

Conclusion Positive outcomes toC. abortusantibody tests are very common in Australia. Rams have a particularly high incidence of positive results with the CFT. Rejection of sheep and property consignments is likely to be very common with all tests and situations examined except for the CFT (at 1:32 dilution) in ewes.
Ageing in “Poor Household” or Ageing into Poverty? Tackling the Policy Dilemma of Redistribution
Authors: Pellissery Sony , Rajan Irudaya
Published: January 2010

The policy issue of how to target poor households rather than provide universal coverage takes the primary place in the question of redistribution where resources are limited. The Government of India’s social protection programs, particularly the old age pension for the informal sector of the economy, has taken a targeting approach. In this article we show that there is a case for universal coverage since ageing households experience greater exclusion from market‐based protection as well as from informal (household‐based) protection. We make the argument for universal coverage on two grounds: first, a targeted approach has resulted in leakage, indicating that non‐poor elderly individuals in the unorganized sector also require some sort of support. Though they are valid, we do not resort to traditional arguments against targeting, such as that it creates institutional lock‐in mechanisms and stigmatizes the recipients. Second, the loss of income on age‐related matters (e.g. hospitalization) or the ability of elderly individuals to gain credit is not particularly class‐specific, although the targeting policy implies it is. The article is based on the secondary data source of the National Sample Survey, primary data sources, particularly those conducted by the authors in Kerala and Maharashtra and specifically designed for the ageing population, and ethnographic observations from fieldwork.
Designing electricity auctions
Authors: Fabra Natalia , von der Fehr Nils‐Henrik , Harbord David
Published: January 2010

Motivated by the new auction format in the England and Wales electricity market, as well as the recent debate in California, we characterize bidding behavior and market outcomes in uniform and discriminatory electricity auctions. Uniform auctions result in higher average prices than discriminatory auctions, but the ranking in terms of productive efficiency is ambiguous. The comparative effects of other market design features, such as the number of steps in suppliers' bid functions, the duration of bids, and the elasticity of demand are analyzed. We also consider the relationship between market structure and market performance in the two auction formats.
Aggressive leaders
Authors: Etro Federico
Published: January 2010

I characterize the incentives to undertake strategic investments in markets with Nash competition and endogenous entry. Contrary to the case with an exogenous number of firms, when the investment increases marginal profitability, only a “top dog” strategy is optimal. For instance, under both quantity and price competition, a market leader overinvests in cost reductions and overproduces complement products. The purpose of the strategic investment is to allow the firm to be more aggressive in the market and to reduce its price below those of other firms. Contrary to the post‐Chicago approach, this shows that aggressive pricing strategies are not necessarily associated with exclusionary purposes.
Markets, torts, and social inefficiency
Authors: Daughety Andrew F. , Reinganum Jennifer F.
Published: January 2010

We provide a model wherein oligopolists produce differentiated products that also have a safety attribute. Consumption of these products may lead to harm (to consumers and/or third parties), lawsuits, and compensation, either via settlement or trial. Firm‐level costs reflect both safety investment and production activities, as well as liability‐related costs. Compensation is incomplete, both because of inefficiencies in the bargaining process and (possibly) because of statutorily established limits on awards. We compare the market equilibrium safety effort and output levels to what a planner who is able to set safety standards, but takes the market equilibrium output as given, would choose.
Store characteristics in retail oligopoly
Authors: Smith Howard
Published: January 2010

I use a consumer choice model for the British supermarket industry to compare the incentives of firms, selecting store characteristics, with the interests of consumers. I perform a series of counterfactual changes to store size and location and rank the alternatives by gains per unit of fixed cost. Jointly, firms gain most from large stores, which increase total consumer expenditure. Individually, however, firm incentives are strongly influenced by business‐stealing effects, resulting in a close agreement with consumers, who value middle‐sized stores and distance‐reducing relocations. These individual firm incentives provide little consumer‐protection justification for recent size and location regulations.
Treatment of Primary Biliary Cirrhosis: A new challenge?
Authors: Fukushima Koji , Ueno Yoshiyuki , Shimosegawa Tooru
Published: January 2010

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is characterized by unknown etiologies, anti‐mitochondrial antibodies, injury of the biliary duct and the lack of a definite remedy. The etiologies of PBC have been well‐discussed, including microorganisms and xenobiotics as the triggers for initiating the disease, and an abnormality of immune‐tolerance. Recently, several animal models of PBC have been developed that may lead to the development of new therapies. Here, we reviewed the articles that address the etiology of PBC and the therapy for this disease for the confirmation of our current positions and future directions.
Guidelines for the treatment of chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis due to hepatitis B virus infection for the fiscal year 2008 in Japan
Authors: Kumada Hiromitsu , Okanoue Takeshi , Onji Morikazu , Moriwaki Hisataka , Izumi Namiki , Tanaka Eiji , Chayama Kazuaki , Sakisaka Shotaro , Takehara Tetsuo , Oketani Makoto , Suzuki Fumitaka , Toyota Joji , Nomura Hideyuki , Yoshioka Kentaro , Seike Masataka , Yotsuyanagi Hiroshi , Ueno Yoshiyuki ,   The Study Group for the Standardization of Treatment of Viral Hepatitis Including Cirrhosis, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan
Published: January 2010

In the 2008 guidelines for the treatment of patients with cirrhosis, who are infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), the main goal is to normalize levels of alanine and aspartate aminotransferases by eliminating HBV or reducing viral loads. In patients with compensated cirrhosis, the clearance of HBV from serum is aimed for by entecavir, as the main resort, for histological improvement toward the prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In patients with decompensated cirrhosis, by contrast, meticulous therapeutic strategies are adopted for the reversal to compensation, toward the eventual goal of decreasing the risk of HCC. For maintaining liver function and preventing HCC, branched chain amino acids and nutrient supplements are applied, in addition to conventional liver supportive therapies. For patients with chronic hepatitis B, separate guidelines are applied to those younger than 35 years and those aged 35 years or older. Even for patients with chronic hepatitis who are negative for hepatitis e antigen (HBeAg), but who harbor HBV DNA in titers of 7 log copies/mL or more, a “drug‐free state” is aimed for by sequential treatment with interferon (IFN) plus entecavir as the first line. For patients with chronic hepatitis B aged 35 years or older, who are HBeAg‐negative and carry HBV DNA in titers of less than 7 log copies/mL, long‐term IFN for 24–48 weeks is adopted anew. To HBeAg‐negative patients who have either or both platelet counts of less than 150 × 103/mm3 and less than 7 log copies of HBV DNA, also, long‐term IFN for 24–48 weeks is indicated.
Evaluation of a Potential Clinical Interaction between Ceftriaxone and Calcium
Authors: Steadman Emily , Raisch Dennis W. , Bennett Charles L. , Esterly John S. , Becker Tischa , Postelnick Michael , McKoy June M. , Trifilio Steve , Yarnold Paul R. , Scheetz Marc H.
Published: January 2010

In April 2009, the FDA retracted a warning asserting that ceftriaxone and intravenous calcium products should not be coadministered to any patient to prevent precipitation events leading to end-organ damage. Following that announcement, we sought to evaluate if the retraction was justified. A search of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System was conducted to identify any ceftriaxone-calcium interactions that resulted in serious adverse drug events. Ceftazidime-calcium was used as a comparator agent. One hundred four events with ceftriaxone-calcium and 99 events with ceftazidime-calcium were identified. Adverse drug events were recorded according to the listed description of drug involvement (primary or secondary suspect) and were interpreted as probable, possible, unlikely, or unrelated. For ceftriaxone-calcium-related adverse events, 7.7% and 20.2% of the events were classified as probable and possible for embolism, respectively. Ceftazidime-calcium resulted in fewer probable embolic events (4%) but more possible embolic events (30.3%). Among cases that considered ceftriaxone or ceftazidime and calcium as the primary or secondary drug, one case was classified as a probable embolic event. That patient received ceftriaxone-calcium and died, although an attribution of causality was not possible. Our analysis suggests a lack of support for the occurrence of ceftriaxone-calcium precipitation events in adults. The results of the current analysis reinforce the revised FDA recommendations suggesting that patients >28 days old may receive ceftriaxone and calcium sequentially and provide a transparent and reproducible methodology for such evaluations.
Characterization of the Contribution to Virulence of Three Large Plasmids of Avian Pathogenic
Escherichia coli
χ7122 (O78:K80:H9)
Authors: Mellata Melha , Ameiss Keith , Mo Hua , Curtiss Roy
Published: January 2010

Despite the fact that the presence of multiple large plasmids is a defining feature of extraintestinal pathogenic
Escherichia coli
(ExPEC), such as avian pathogenic
E. coli
(APEC), and despite the fact that these bacteria pose a considerable threat to both human and animal health, characterization of these plasmids is still limited. In this study, after successfully curing APEC of its plasmids, we were able to investigate, for the first time, the contribution to virulence of three plasmids, pAPEC-1 (103 kb), pAPEC-2 (90 kb), and pAPEC-3 (60 kb), from APEC strain χ7122 individually as well as in all combinations in the wild-type background. Characterization of the different strains revealed unique features of APEC virulence.
In vivo
assays showed that curing the three plasmids resulted in severe attenuation of virulence. The presence of different plasmids and combinations of plasmids resulted in strains with different pathotypes and levels of virulence, reflecting the diversity of APEC strains associated with colibacillosis in chickens. Unexpectedly, our results associated the decrease in growth of some strains in some media with the virulence of APEC, and the mechanism was associated with some combinations of plasmids that included pAPEC-1. This study provided new insights into the roles of large plasmids in the virulence, growth, and evolution of APEC by showing for the first time that both the nature of plasmids and combinations of plasmids have an effect on these phenomena. It also provided a plausible explanation for some of the conflicting results related to the virulence of ExPEC strains. This study should help us understand the virulence of other ExPEC strains and design more efficient infection control strategies.
A new and unusual species of Haptoglossa
Authors: Barron G. L.
Published: January 2010

Haptoglossa elegans, isolated from soil and organic debris in New Zealand forests, is described as new. This species has no motile stage. The protoplasm inside the thallus cleaves into spherical cysts that are expelled en masse to the exterior through a solitary exit tube. Cysts are two sizes. Small cysts produce elongate, unbranched, tapering gun cells. Large cysts produce identical but larger cells; alternatively large cysts produce Y-shaped gun cells. Haptoglossa elegans is a common and aggressive parasite of bdelloid rotifers but unlike all other species of Haptoglossa, it does not attack nematodes.
Étude de l'influence de quelques composés chimiques sur le contact parenchyme palissadique – parenchyme lacuneux : répercussion sur la morphogenèse du limbe de Manihot esculenta Crantz
Authors: Médard R.
Published: January 2010

To test the involvement of (i) the cell wall, (ii) the contact between cell wall and plasmalemma, (iii) the plasmalemma, and (iv) the cytoskeleton, in both (i) the regulation of the mesophyllian mitotic activity and (ii) the establishment of the laminar organization, various chemicals were microinjected into the apoplasm lying between the spongy and palisade parenchymas. Chemicals modifying cell wall structure did not disturb laminar morphogenesis. Alteration of the cytoskeleton did not change laminar mitotic pattern. However, plasmalemma disturbance by chemicals (detergents, KCl, urea, ionophore A 23187) added from the middle of the 2nd to the 5th plastochron resulted in (i) the development of organoid enations, thus showing an alteration in the regulation of the mitotic activity, and (ii) the formation of dark spots, probably owing to the thickening of the palisade parenchyma, thus showing a transient alteration of the laminar mitotic pattern.
Distribution of gold in altered basalts of DSDP hole 504B
Authors: Nesbitt Bruce E. , St. Louis Robert M. , Muehlenbachs Karlis
Published: January 2010

Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) hole 504B is the only hole drilled in the DSDP program that intersected both pillow and dike basaltic units and greenschist-facies alteration zones. Pillowed basaltic units constitute the upper portion of the basaltic pile. Lower in the section, a pillow–dike unit is transitional to a sheeted dike unit that constitutes the lowest unit of the hole. Hydrothermal alteration of the basaltic units consists of, from top to bottom, a low-temperature oxidized alteration zone; a low-temperature reduced alteration zone; a transition–stockwork zone; and a greenschist-facies alteration zone.Samples of the altered basaltic units were analyzed for gold content and δ18O. The initial, primary gold content of basalts of the core is believed to have been relatively uniform and between 0.5 and 1.0 ppb. Average results for the various alteration zones are 0.44 ± 0.07 for the low-temperature oxidized zone; 0.40 ± 0.08 for the low-temperature reduced zone; 0.66 ± 0.21 for the transition–stockwork zone; and 0.19 ± 0.03 for the greenschist-facies zone. The results indicate that gold has been locally mobilized in the low-temperature alteration zones, but no significant net loss or addition of gold has occurred. In the transition–stockwork zone, some local enrichment of gold has occurred, but overall the zone does not appear to have been substantially enriched in gold. In the greenschist-facies alteration zone, gold has been pervasively and uniformly depleted, resulting in the low average values for this zone and a small range of values.Gold leached during the greenschist-grade hydrothermal alteration event may contribute to the high gold contents recorded from some massive sulfide deposits associated with active sea-floor hydrothermal vents or may be incorporated into deep-sea Fe-rich cherts.
Postglacial stratigraphy and sea-level change in southwestern New Brunswick
Authors: Honig C. A. , Scott D. B.
Published: January 2010

Cores from small basins in southwestern New Brunswick, above present sea level but below the former marine limit, were examined for microfaunal changes indicating a transition from marine to freshwater conditions. Carbon 14 dates of those transition points add to and strengthen a previous sea-level curve from the area. The oldest date places sea level at about 75 m above present at 16 000 years BP. Dates from the lower lakes (+ 10 m) appear to be anomalously old, and it is suggested that after 12 000 years BP erosion became a factor in marine areas. This erosion may be related to the overall breakup of ice in the North Atlantic and may explain why few dates younger than 12 000 years BP are found in raised marine deposits of New Brunswick and Maine.
Westerly derived Early Cretaceous gold paleoplacers in the Western Canada foreland basin, southwestern Alberta: tectonic and economic implications
Authors: Leckie Dale A. , Craw David
Published: January 2010

Albian-aged (Early Cretaceous) igneous pebble to cobble conglomerates fill multiple, northeast–southwest-oriented, subparallel channels in the upper Blairmore Group (upper Beaver Mines and Mill Creek formations) of the Rocky Mountain foreland basin, southwestern Alberta and southeastern British Columbia. Paleocurrent data show that the conglomerate was derived from the west. Clast petrography implies a provenance that includes granitoids, mafic volcanics, low-grade metamorphic rocks, and shallow-level (ca. 7 km depth) postmetamorphic quartz veins formed from meteoric fluids. The conglomerate was probably derived from the southern Omineca Belt of British Columbia prior to the rise of the Rocky Mountains. The conglomerate contains detrital gold grains up to 150 μm in diameter, and chemical analyses indicate widespread anomalous gold concentrations (up to 910 ppb Au) in conglomerate matrix. Gold content in these igneous-clast conglomerates excèdes that reported from the richest modern placers in Alberta. Less pronounced but persistent As anomalies (up to 260 ppm) occur also. Postdepositional alteration of conglomerate matrix chemically mobilized Au and As from their detrital source grains and redistributed these elements. Gold enrichment in the igneous-clast conglomerate contrasts strongly with background gold concentrations in the underlying conglomeratic Cadomin Formation. The gold concentrations in the igneous-clast conglomerate demonstrate that paleoplacers derived from the Canadian Cordillera have accumulated in the Western Canada foreland basin, a sedimentary succession previously dismissed as a host for detrital gold.
U–Pb geochronology of the Moyie sills, Purcell Supergroup, southeastern British Columbia: implications for the Mesoproterozoic geological history of the Purcell (Belt) basin
Authors: Anderson H. Elizabeth , Davis Donald W.
Published: January 2010

The Mesoproterozoic Purcell Supergroup (and its equivalent in the United States, the Belt Supergroup) is a thick sedimentary sequence formed in an extensional basin of uncertain age and tectonic setting. The voluminous tholeiitic Moyie sills intrude turbidites of the lower and middle Aldridge Formation, the lowest division of the Purcell Supergroup. Many of the sills were intruded into soft sediment and one intrudes the Sullivan sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX) orebody, so their age approximates that of the sediments and the Sullivan deposit. New U–Pb dates of zircon from four sills are older than previously published U–Pb zircon ages. One sill contained concordant zircons with an age of 1468 ± 2 Ma. Near concordant zircons from the other samples have similar 207Pb/206Pb ages, indicating that all of the sills crystallized at the same time. U–Pb dates of titanites from two of these sills yielded concordant dates ranging from 1090 to 1030 Ma, indicating that they have undergone a previously unrecognized Grenville-age metamorphism. The U–Pb systematics of abraded zircons from one sill indicate that they have also been affected by this event. The recognition of Grenville-age metamorphism in the Purcell (Belt) basin suggests that the prevalent 1.0–1.1 Ga Rb–Sr and K–Ar mineral and whole-rock dates from a wide variety of Purcell (Belt) igneous and sedimentary rocks are also metamorphic, and are not ages of sedimentation or "hybrid" dates reflecting partial resetting by the ca. 760 Ma Goat River orogeny. On this basis, all sedimentation in the Purcell (Belt) basin is constrained to be older than 1.1 Ga and is probably older than 1.25 Ga.
Optical dating studies of Quaternary organic-rich sediments from southwestern British Columbia and northwestern Washington State
Authors: Lian Olav B. , Hu Jinsheng , Huntley D. J. , Hicock Stephen R.
Published: January 2010

The suitability of optical dating using 1.4 eV (infrared) excitation for determining the time of deposition, or compaction, of organic-rich sediments and peat is assessed with measurements on seven samples from six different lithostratigraphic units. One is of zero age, two have associated14C ages, three are known to have been deposited during an interglaciation, and one is ~1 Ma old. The samples yield satisfactory optical ages ranging from 0 to over 100 ka. We conclude that the Muir Point Formation (southern Vancouver Island) and the Whidbey Formation (northwestern Washington State) were both deposited during δ18O stage 5, as previously deduced from other evidence. The age obtained from the ~1 Ma sample was significantly too low. The optical dating method is simpler and more precise than thermoluminescence dating, and is recommended for future work.
U–Pb ages from the Nimish Formation and Montagnais glomeroporphyritic gabbro of the central New Québec Orogen, Canada
Authors: Findlay Jon M. , Parrish Randall R. , Birkett Tyson C. , Watanabe Donald H.
Published: January 2010

Three U–Pb zircon dates were obtained from two igneous suites associated with cycle 2 sedimentation in the central New Québec Orogen (Labrador Trough). In the Dyke Lake area of the western part of the orogen (Schefferville zone), the Nimish Formation includes a polymictic conglomerate containing quartz syenite cobbles that crystallized at 1877.8 ± 1.3 Ma. These cobbles are petrographically and geochemically linked to the Nimish volcanics, which are intercalated with the Sokoman iron formation. Consequently, the syenite date gives an approximate age for both Nimish magmatism and ironstone deposition in the Schefferville zone. A date of ca. 2.65 Ga obtained from a Nimish trachyte in the same area indicates that zircons in the sample are xenocrysts. Farther east, at Howse Lake (Howse zone), a Montagnais plagioclase-glomeroporphyritic gabbro sill crystallized at 1884.0 ± 1.6 Ma. The Howse Lake sill, which intrudes turbidites of the Menihek Formation, is considered comagmatic with the basalts that cap the formation, and with the Willbob basalts to the east (Doublet Terrane). Consequently, the Menihek turbidites, as well as the underlying Sokoman Formation, were deposited prior to 1884 Ma in the Howse zone. In contrast, the syenite date indicates that deposition of the Menihek Formation in the Schefferville zone did not commence until after 1878 Ma. The 1884 Ma date from the Howse Lake sill also provides an estimate for the timing of cycle 2 tholeiitic volcanism in the eastern part of the orogen. The correlation between the upper Menihek and Willbob basalts suggests that the Murdoch and Thompson Lake formations, which underlie the Willbob basalts in the Doublet Terrane, are the stratigraphie equivalents of the lower and middle portions of the Menihek Formation, respectively.
The sequence of magmatic and mineralization events in the Abitibi greenstone belt: isotopic evidence from Taylor Township, Timmins area, northern Ontario, Canada
Authors: Worden J. M. , Cumming G. L. , Krstic D.
Published: January 2010

Samples from the Porphyry deposit and the Shoot zone prospect of St. Andrew Goldfields Ltd. in Taylor Township near Matheson, Ontario, have been dated by several different techniques and utilized as a test of the use of Pb-isotope measurements in determining the time of mineralization in gold deposits of the Abitibi greenstone Belt. Clear and abraded zircons from an altered "sulfidic porphyry" unit yield a well-defined age of 2697.3 ± 1.3 Ma, indicating that the original intrusive rock unit containing these zircons was either latest synvolcanic or earliest syntectonic. Larger "bulk" samples of zircon from the same unit contain many altered and cracked grains, and yield an age of 2682 ± 4 Ma, close to the peak of syntectonic igneous activity. Pb/Pb isochrons determined from sulfide samples in mineralized material from the Taylor "porphyry zone" yield a two-stage model age of 2663 ± 17 Ma, and suggest that mineralization postdates the syntectonic granitoids. These Pb-isotope data are compared with isotope ratios determined on samples from the Dome mine. For these latter samples, the isotopic ratios indicate that an earlier mineralization event was reset at 2266 ± 49 Ma, suggesting to us that the sulfides, and hence gold mineralization, were remobilized at this later time. It is proposed that this remobilization is responsible for a significant benefaction of the gold ore and may make the difference between a mineable orebody and an uneconomic prospect. This time of remobilization corresponds well with some Rb/Sr dates in the Abitibi Province and may represent a previously unrecognized, but significant hydrothermal event. Rb/Sr ages on volcanic units yield ages of 2520–2580 Ma, consistent with similar ages in the surrounding area. They may represent cooling following a thermal event associated with the intrusion of the latest granitic plutons. A minor hydrothermal event at ~1600 Ma seems to have reset the Rb/Sr system in some micas and affected some pyrite samples, resulting in the formation of late carbonate and hematite.
REFLECTIONS ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF ECONOMIC VALUATION
Authors: MISHAN E. J.
Published: January 2010

This paper provides a brief review of the measures developed to achieve the goal of economic evaluation of public projects. The limitations of the Kaldor–Hicks criterion are highlighted and these issues lead to the development of the discounted present value (DPV) method and the compounded terminal value (CTV) method. However, the latter methods were not without problems. It is demonstrated that using DPV or CTV to evaluate certain public projects produces exorbitantly small DPVs or exorbitantly large CTVs, which would lead to a manifestly perverse ranking if adopted. A new method of evaluating these public projects, known loosely as the corrected equivalent present value method, is proposed to alleviate the problems of DPV and CTV.
USING NEUTRON DIFFRACTION AND MÖSSBAUER SPECTROSCOPY TO STUDY MAGNETIC ORDERING IN THE R3T4Sn4 FAMILY OF COMPOUNDS
Authors: RYAN D. H. , CADOGAN J. M. , VOYER C. J. , NAPOLETANO M. , RIANI P. , CRANSWICK L. M. D.
Published: January 2010

We review the complementary roles that 119Sn Mössbauer spectroscopy and neutron diffraction are playing in developing a complete description of magnetic ordering in the R 3 Cu 4 Sn 4 and R 3 Ag 4 Sn 4 intermetallic compound series. We show that the two techniques yield consistent pictures of the order, and in many cases both are essential to obtaining a complete description. The recent neutron diffraction work on Sm 3 Cu 4 Sn 4, Sm 3 Ag 4 Sn 4 and Gd 3 Ag 4 Sn 4 is highlighted.
INFLUENCE OF POLARIZING ELECTRIC FIELDS ON THE ELECTRICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF POLYMER–CLAY COMPOSITE SYSTEM
Authors: ROSU CONSTANTIN , MANAILA-MAXIMEAN D. , DONESCU D. , FRUNZA S. , STERIAN A. R.
Published: January 2010

We examined the electrical and optical properties of a new material containing polymer–clay nano-composite dispersed in a nematic liquid. The clay (Cloisite-type) was modified by copolymerization of maleic anhydride and divinyl benzene, using azobisisobutytironitrile as the initiator. The final polymer–clay nano-composite has an intercalated structure according to XRD patterns. We measured the thermally stimulated depolarization currents and determined the activation energies. Simultaneously we measured the optical transmission and we studied the influence of the previously applied polarizing electric fields.
WAVE PROPAGATION AND SCATTERING FOR THE RS2 BRANE COSMOLOGY MODEL
Authors: BACHELOT ALAIN
Published: January 2010

We study the wave equation for the gravitational fluctuations in the Randall–Sundrum brane cosmology model. We solve the global Cauchy problem and we establish that the solutions are the sum of a slowly decaying massless wave localized near the brane, and a superposition of massive dispersive waves. We compute the kernel of the truncated resolvent. We prove some L1-L∞, L2-L∞ decay estimates and global Lp Strichartz type inequalities. We develop the complete scattering theory: existence and asymptotic completeness of the wave operators, computation of the scattering matrix, determination of the resonances on the logarithmic Riemann surface.
RNAi silencing of brain klotho potentiates cold-induced elevation of blood pressure via the endothelin pathway
Authors: Wang Xiuqing , Sun Zhongjie
Published: January 2010

Klotho is a recently identified antiaging gene. Brain endothelin-1 (ET1) is important in the regulation of blood pressure (BP). We hypothesized that silence of brain klotho potentiates cold-induced elevation of BP via the endothelin pathway. To silence brain klotho, we constructed adeno-associated virus (AAV) carrying rat klotho small interference hairpin RNA (KL-shRNA). AAV carrying ET1-shRNA was used to silence brain ET1. Scrambled shRNA was used as Control-shRNA. Three groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats (6 rats/group) received KL-shRNA, KL-shRNA plus ET1-shRNA, and Control-shRNA, respectively, via intracerebroventricular injection. BP was monitored daily using a telemetry system. All animals were exposed to a moderate cold environment (5°C) at 12 days after gene delivery. KL-shRNA significantly increased BP by 9 days of exposure to cold, while BP in the Control-shRNA group remained unchanged. ET1-shRNA abolished KL-shRNA-induced elevation of BP during cold exposure. Interestingly, KL-shRNA increased brain ET1 expression and plasma norepinephrine level, suggesting that silencing of brain klotho increased ET1 production and the sympathetic nervous activity. The KL-shRNA-induced increase in sympathetic nervous activity was mediated by ET1 because it could be abolished by silencing of ET1. These results demonstrated that silencing of brain klotho potentiated and expedited cold-induced elevation of BP by upregulation of ET1 and the subsequent activation of the sympathetic nervous system.
Large Time‐Stepping Spectral Methods for the Semiclassical Limit of the Defocusing Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation
Authors: Liang Zongqi
Published: January 2010

We analyze a class of large time‐stepping Fourier spectral methods for the semiclassical limit of the defocusing Nonlinear Schrödinger equation and provide highly stable methods which allow much larger time step than for a standard implicit‐explicit approach. An extra term, which is consistent with the order of the time discretization, is added to stabilize the numerical schemes. Meanwhile, the first‐order and second‐order semi‐implicit schemes are constructed and analyzed. Finally the numerical experiments are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the large time‐stepping approaches.
Diagnostic Pitfalls in Newborns and Babies with Blisters and Erosions
Authors: Nischler Elke , Klausegger Alfred , Hüttner Clemens , Pohla-Gubo Gabriele , Diem Anja , Bauer Johann W. , Hintner Helmut
Published: January 2010

Establishing the correct diagnosis in newborns presenting with blisters and erosions is not always a straightforward process. Many different disease entities including acquired (i.e., infectious, immunobullous, traumatic) and inherited disorders have to be taken into consideration. Similarities in clinical appearance, colonization and/or superinfections of preexisting skin lesions, as well as the absence of late changes in the neonate often pose significant diagnostic challenges. In this paper we discuss by giving examples the process of making an accurate diagnosis of blistering skin diseases in the neonatal period on the basis of a diagnostic algorithm. In addition, we provide an overview of the rational use and the limitations of laboratory procedures such as microbial testing, routine light microscopy, immunofluorescence antigen mapping, transmission electron microscopy, and molecular genetic analysis.
Real Time Robot Soccer Game Event Detection Using Finite State Machines with Multiple Fuzzy Logic Probability Evaluators
Authors: Dadios Elmer P. , Park Soo ho
Published: January 2010

This paper presents a new algorithm for real time event detection using Finite State Machines with multiple Fuzzy Logic Probability Evaluators (FLPEs). A machine referee for a robot soccer game is developed and is used as the platform to test the proposed algorithm. A novel technique to detect collisions and other events in microrobot soccer game under inaccurate and insufficient information is presented. The robots′ collision is used to determine goalkeeper charging and goal score events which are crucial for the machine referee′s decisions. The Main State Machine (MSM) handles the schedule of event activation. The FLPE calculates the probabilities of the true occurrence of the events. Final decisions about the occurrences of events are evaluated and compared through threshold crisp probability values. The outputs of FLPEs can be combined to calculate the probability of an event composed of subevents. Using multiple fuzzy logic system, the FLPE utilizes minimal number of rules and can be tuned individually. Experimental results show the accuracy and robustness of the proposed algorithm.
Investigations on Actuator Dynamics through Theoretical and Finite Element Approach
Authors: Hiremath Somashekhar S. , Singaperumal M.
Published: January 2010

This paper gives a new approach for modeling the fluid‐structure interaction of servovalve component‐actuator. The analyzed valve is a precision flow control valve‐jet pipe electrohydraulic servovalve. The positioning of an actuator depends upon the flow rate from control ports, in turn depends on the spool position. Theoretical investigation is made for No‐load condition and Load condition for an actuator. These are used in finite element modeling of an actuator. The fluid‐structure‐interaction (FSI) is established between the piston and the fluid cavities at the piston end. The fluid cavities were modeled with special purpose hydrostatic fluid elements while the piston is modeled with brick elements. The finite element method is used to simulate the variation of cavity pressure, cavity volume, mass flow rate, and the actuator velocity. The finite element analysis is extended to study the system′s linearized response to harmonic excitation using direct solution steady‐state dynamics. It was observed from the analysis that the natural frequency of the actuator depends upon the position of the piston in the cylinder. This is a close match with theoretical and simulation results. The effect of bulk modulus is also presented in the paper.
Sleep, Hormones, and Circadian Rhythms throughout the Menstrual Cycle in Healthy Women and Women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
Authors: Shechter Ari , Boivin Diane B.
Published: January 2010

A relationship exists between the sleep-wake cycle and hormone secretion, which, in women, is further modulated by the menstrual cycle. This interaction can influence sleep across the menstrual cycle in healthy women and in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), who experience specific alterations of circadian rhythms during their symptomatic luteal phase along with sleep disturbances during this time. This review will address the variation of sleep at different menstrual phases in healthy and PMDD women, as well as changes in circadian rhythms, with an emphasis on their relationship with female sex hormones. It will conclude with a brief discussion on nonpharmacological treatments of PMDD which use chronotherapeutic methods to realign circadian rhythms as a means of improving sleep and mood in these women.
Partial Bell‐State Analysis with Parametric down Conversion in the Wigner Function Formalism
Authors: Casado A. , Guerra S. , Plácido J.
Published: January 2010

We apply the Wigner function formalism to partial Bell‐state analysis using polarization entanglement produced in parametric down conversion. Two‐photon statistics at a beam‐splitter are reproduced by a wave‐like description with zeropoint fluctuations of the electromagnetic field. In particular, the fermionic behaviour of two photons in the singlet state is explained from the invariance on the correlation properties of two light beams going through a balanced beam‐splitter. Moreover, we show that a Bell‐state measurement introduces some fundamental noise at the idle channels of the analyzers. As a consequence, the consideration of more independent sets of vacuum modes entering the crystal appears as a need for a complete Bell‐state analysis.