bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of Processing Parameters During Small‐Scale Batch Melt Mixing on the Dispersion of MWCNTs in a Poly(propylene) Matrix
Authors: Mayoral Beatriz , Lopes Jose , McNally Tony
Published: October 2013

The relationship between varying processing variables, rotor speed (50 to 200 rpm) and mixing time (10 to 30 min), and MWCNT loading (0.5 to 2.0 wt%), on MWCNT dispersion in a poly(propylene) during batch melt mixing was investigated. MWCNT dispersion was improved by increasing rotor speed and/or mixing time, 200 rpm and 30 min being optimum, although composites prepared employing 100 rpm and 20 min were the most electrically conducting, (<100  S cm−1). PP shear viscosity increased with increasing MWCNT loading yielding a rheological percolation of ∼0.5 wt% MWCNTs. Volume resistivity of the composites decreased with increasing rotor speed and for mixing times up to 20 min only, the former yielding an electrical percolation of ∼0.65 wt% MWCNTs at 200 rpm.
Spoligotyping and drug resistance patterns of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from five provinces of Iran
Authors: Haeili Mehri , Darban‐Sarokhalil Davood , Fooladi Abbas Ali Imani , Javadpour Sedigheh , Hashemi Abdorrazagh , Siavoshi Farideh , Feizabadi Mohammad Mehdi
Published: October 2013

Tuberculosis (TB) persists as a public health problem in Iran. Characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates circulating in this area will contribute to understand and control the spread of the strains. The aims of this study were to understand the genetic diversity and drug susceptibility of M. tuberculosis isolates circulating in Iran and to analyze the relationship between genotype and drug resistance. A total of 291 M. tuberculosis isolates collected from TB patients were genotyped by spoligotyping. Drug susceptibility testing was performed using proportion method. Spoligotyping resulted in 75 distinct patterns. 86.2% of isolates were grouped in 35 clusters while the remaining isolates were unique. Ural was found to be the most predominant lineage (34.3%) followed by Central Asian strain (CAS) (24%), T (18.2%), Manu2 (7.5%) and Latin American‐Mediterranean (LAM) (6.1%). The five largest clusters were Ural/Spoligotype International Type (SIT)127 (15.8%), CAS1/SIT26 (9.2%), T1/SIT53 (6.1%), T1/SIT284 (5.4%), and CAS1/SIT25 (4.4%). About 5% of isolates had multidrug resistance (MDR) and 10% had other resistance. MDR was significantly associated with Beijing strains, but not with Ural family. This study highlights dominance of Ural, CAS, and T families in Iran. Biogeographic specificity of CAS and T families to border provinces of Iran including Sistan‐Baluchestan and Kermanshah, respectively, suggested that this family strains might be transmitted from these regions to other provinces of the country.
An application of servomechanisms to inventory
Authors: Bessler Stuart A. , Zehna Peter W.
Published: October 2013

In recent years, some attention has been devoted to the application of techniques of control theory to inventory management. In particular, H. Vassian (1955) developed a model for a periodic review inventory system utilizing techniques of discrete variable servomechanisms to analyze the system in a cost‐free structure. The resulting model is inherently deterministic, however, and emphasizes the control of inventory fluctuation about a safety level by selecting an appropriate order policy. Such an order policy is defined only up to an arbitrary method of forecasting customer demands.

The present paper is a continuation of the model developed by Vassian in which exponential smoothing is used as a specific forecasting technique. Full recognition of the probabilistic nature of demand is taken into account and the requirement of minimizing expected inventory level is imposed. In addition, explicit formulas for the variance in inventory are derived as functions of the smoothing constant and the tradeoff between small variance and rapid system response is noted. Finally, in an attempt to remove the bias inherent in exponential smoothing, a modification of that technique is defined and discussed as an alternate forecasting method.
Optimal renewal policies for complex systems
Authors: Vergin Roger C.
Published: October 2013

Most maintenance and replacement models for industrial equipment have been developed for independent single‐component machines. Most equipment, however, consists of multiple components. Also, when the maintenance crew services several machines, the maintenance policy for each machine is not independent of the states of the other machines.

In this paper, two dynamic programming replacement models are presented. The first is used to determine the optimal replacement policy for multi‐component equipment. The second is used to determine the optimal replacement policy for a multi‐machine system which uses one replacement crew to service several machines. In addition, an approach is suggested for developing an efficient replacement policy for a multi‐component, multi‐machine system.
Time‐minimizing transportation problems
Authors: Hammer Peter L.
Published: October 2013

A method is given for finding those solutions of a transportation problem which minimize the total time necessary for transporting goods from the suppliers to the consumers. Several extensions of the model are presented.
Optimal set partitioning, matchings and lagrangian duality
Authors: Nemhauser George L. , Weber Glenn M.
Published: October 2013

We formulate the set partitioning problem as a matching problem with simple side constraints. As a result we obtain a Lagrangian relaxation of the set partitioning problem in which the primal problem is a matching problem. To solve the Lagrangian dual we must solve a sequence of matching problems each with different edge‐weights. We use the cyclic coordinate method to iterate the multipliers, which implies that successive matching problems differ in only two edge‐weights. This enables us to use sensitivity analysis to modify one optimal matching to obtain the next one. We give theoretical and empirical comparisons of these dual bounds with the conventional linear programming ones.
Efficacy of a Sound‐based Intervention with a Child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and Auditory Sensory Over‐responsivity
Authors: Gee Bryan M. , Thompson Kelly , St John Holly
Published: October 2013

Sound‐based interventions (SBIs) are being used by paediatric occupational therapists to help children with autism spectrum disorders and co‐morbid sensory processing disorders. A limited yet growing body of evidence is emerging related to the efficacy of SBIs in reducing sensory processing deficits among paediatric clients with co‐morbid conditions. The current study employed an ABA single‐subject case‐controlled design, implementing The Listening Program® with a 7‐year‐old child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who demonstrated auditory sensory over‐responsivity (SOR). The intervention consisted of 10 weeks of psycho‐acoustically modified classical music that was delivered using specialized headphones and amplifier and a standard CD player. Repeated measures were conducted during the A(1), B and A(2) phases of the study using the Sensory Processing Measure, a subjective caregiver questionnaire, and the Sensory Over‐Responsivity Scales, an examiner‐based assessment measure to track changes of the participant's auditory SOR‐related behaviours. The results indicated that the participant exhibited a decrease in the number of negative (avoidant, verbal and physical negative) and self‐stimulatory behaviours. The decreases in negative and self‐stimulatory behaviour may have been due to the therapeutic effect of the repeated exposure to the Sensory Over‐Responsivity Scales or The Listening Program SBI. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Permanent indentation and damage creation of laminates with different composite systems: An experimental investigation
Authors: Guan Zhidong , He Wei , Chen Jianhua , Liu Lu
Published: October 2013

Quasi‐static indentation (QSI) and low‐velocity impact tests have been conducted to laminated composite specimens made from different composite systems. C‐scan and thermal deply techniques were used to observe the internal damage characteristics of the laminates. The test results show the effect of fibers and matrices on the permanent indentation and damage behaviors of composite laminates. Fiber breakage plays an important role in the formation of permanent indentation and the match between the fiber and matrix also has a significant influence on the permanent indentation and damage behaviors. A comparison shows the correlation between the peak load energy of the QSI tests and the knee point energy of the impact tests, based on which a condition for the prominent indentation formation was proposed for the impact tests. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:872–883, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers
Dynamic analysis and mechanical behavior of thermally conductive adhesive reinforced with amine‐grafted multiwalled carbon nanotubes
Authors: Wang Junxia , Yan Shilin , Xie Beiping , Bao Rui , He Yunban
Published: October 2013

The kinetics parameters of activation energy and the pre‐exponential factor can be calculated based on the kinetics equation and integral method. The stress–strain curves of filled materials exhibit considerable nonlinearity and nonobvious yield point, which is in contrast with that of neat epoxy and matrix resins. The neat epoxy mixing with MWCNTs gets an improvement on the toughness and cohesiveness of epoxy system. The micrograph of neat epoxy exhibits the typical smooth and brilliant surface belongs to brittle materials. The fracture process is originated from a small area in the cross‐section. Nevertheless, the fracture surface of filled materials show differential fractographical feature and rougher surface with the MWCNTs added to the epoxy matrix. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:964–968, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers
Surface Modification of Polypropylene (PP) by Argon Ions and UV Photons
Authors: Große‐Kreul Simon , Corbella Carles , von Keudell Achim , Ozkaya Berkem , Grundmeier Guido
Published: October 2013

The surface modification of polypropylene (PP) by monoenergetic argon ions and UV photons is evaluated in a particle beam experiment. Thereby, the polymer pre‐treatment in a plasma process can be mimicked. The etching and chemical modification of the spin‐coated PP thin films is monitored in real‐time by in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It is shown that the initial exposure to the plasma ion source causes a modification of the film surface, which slows down the initially high etch rate. The separately measured UV‐induced damage is more severe compared to the oxygen‐containing polymer polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
Association of Fatigue with Perceived Stress in Chinese Women with Early Stage Breast Cancer Awaiting Adjuvant Radiotherapy
Authors: Ho Rainbow T. H. , Kwan Tracy T. C. , Cheung Irene K. M. , Chan Caitlin K. P. , Lo Phyllis H. Y. , Yip Paul S. F. , Luk Mai‐yee , Chan Cecilia L. W.
Published: October 2013

Cancer‐related fatigue (CRF) is common in women with breast cancer, but little is known of its relationship with perceived stress. We conducted a cross‐sectional study to explore the associations of CRF with perceived stress, anxiety, depression, pain and sleep quality in 133 Chinese women (aged 25–68 years) with early stage breast cancer. The majority of women had completed surgery and chemotherapy and were awaiting radiotherapy. Self‐administered questionnaires consisting of the Brief Fatigue Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale‐10, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Brief Pain Inventory, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used to collect data. Forty‐five per cent of the women were severely fatigued. Compared with local healthy women and US breast cancer patients, the group's mean perceived stress score was significantly higher (bothp < 0.01). Higher perceived stress (β = 0.18,p = 0.032), higher anxiety (β = 0.30,p < 0.001) and higher pain severity (β = 0.38,p < 0.001) were associated with increased severity of CRF. The association of CRF with perceived stress was partially mediated by anxiety, suggesting a possible pathway from cancer and cancer treatment to CRF via stress appraisals and emotional distress. The findings indicate the importance of monitoring the psychological status of patients during treatment. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
LIN28A Marks the Spermatogonial Progenitor Population and Regulates Its Cyclic Expansion
Authors: Chakraborty Papia , Buaas F. William , Sharma Manju , Snyder Elizabeth , Rooij Dirk G. , Braun Robert E.
Published: October 2013

One of the hallmarks of highly proliferative adult tissues is the presence of a stem cell population that produces progenitor cells bound for differentiation. Progenitor cells undergo multiple transit amplifying (TA) divisions before initiating terminal differentiation. In the adult male germline, daughter cells arising from the spermatogonial stem cells undergo multiple rounds of TA divisions to produce undifferentiated clones of interconnected 2, 4, 8, and 16 cells, collectively termed Aundifferentiated (Aundiff) spermatogonia, before entering a stereotypic differentiation cascade. Although the number of TA divisions markedly affects the tissue output both at steady state and during regeneration, mechanisms regulating the expansion of the TA cell population are poorly understood in mammals. Here, we show that mice with a conditional deletion of Lin28a in the adult male germline, display impaired clonal expansion of the progenitor TA Aundiff spermatogonia. The in vivo proliferative activity of Aundiff spermatogonial cells as indicated by BrdU incorporation during S-phase was reduced in the absence of LIN28A. Thus, contrary to the role of LIN28A as a key determinant of cell fate signals in multiple stem cell lineages, in the adult male germline it functions as an intrinsic regulator of proliferation in the population of Aundiff TA spermatogonia. In addition, neither precocious differentiation nor diminished capacity for self-renewal potential as assessed by transplantation was observed, suggesting that neither LIN28A itself nor the pool of Aal progenitor cells substantially contribute to the functional stem cell compartment. Stem Cells  2014;32:860–873
Autophagy Regulates Homeostasis of Pluripotency-Associated Proteins in hESCs
Authors: Cho Yun-Hee , Han Kyu-Min , Kim Dongkyu , Lee Joonsun , Lee Sang-Hee , Choi Kyeng-Won , Kim Jungho , Han Yong-Mahn
Published: October 2013

The pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) is maintained by intracellular networks of many pluripotency-associated (PA) proteins such as OCT4, SOX2, and NANOG. However, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of protein homeostasis for pluripotency remain elusive. Here, we first demonstrate that autophagy acts together with the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) to modulate the levels of PA proteins in human ESCs (hESCs). Autophagy inhibition impaired the pluripotency despite increment of PA proteins in hESCs. Immunogold-electron microscopy confirmed localization of OCT4 molecules within autophagosomes. Also, knockdown of LC3 expression led to accumulation of PA proteins and reduction of pluripotency in hESCs. Interestingly, autophagy and the UPS showed differential kinetics in the degradation of PA proteins. Autophagy inhibition caused enhanced accumulation of both cytoplasmic and nuclear PA proteins, whereas the UPS inhibition led to preferentially degrade nuclear PA proteins. Our findings suggest that autophagy modulates homeostasis of PA proteins, providing a new insight in the regulation of pluripotency in hESCs. Stem Cells  2014;32:424–435
Monitoring the Practice of Vascular Surgery: Findings from a National Registry (1996–2011)
Authors: Lozano Francisco S. , Marinello Josep , Moreno Rosa M. , Aguilar Maria D. , López‐Quintana Alfonso , Gonzalez‐Porras Jose R. , Alvarez Javier , Giménez‐Gaibar Antonio , Alguacil Rafael , Cairols Marc A. , Marco‐Luque Miguel A. , Vaquero Fernando , Callejas José M.
Published: October 2013

Background

The goal of this article is to present for the first time to the international community the detailed findings and outcomes of the Spanish Vascular Registry (SVR) after 16 years of experience.

Methods

We examined the nationwide registry promoted by the Spanish Society of Angiology and Vascular Surgery (1996–2011). The changes in vascular surgical activity in Spain during the period of study were examined. We evaluated the number of services, medical specialists, consultations, admissions, and operations that occurred in Spain. We also assessed the trends in therapeutic activity and the medical and social impact of vascular pathology.

Results

A mean of 60 centers (range = 32–83) participated in the SVR (79.3 % of the total). In the last year of the study period, 94.3 % centers (100 % of teaching centers) participated. The mean number of activities per hospital per year was 5,298 consultations, 2,625 vascular explorations, 630 hospital admissions (61 % elective and 31 % emergency), and 742 surgical procedures. A total of 29,289 carotid stenosis procedures had been registered over 16 years. Both carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS) procedures have increased in frequency over time. In 2011, CAS constituted 19.3 % of all carotid procedures. A total of 31,703 abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) operations were registered during the study period. Surgery for ruptured AAA remained stable over time. Since its appearance in the year 2000, endovascular treatment (EVAR) increased steadily over time. Currently, EVAR represents about half of all AAA surgery (50.2 %). The total rate of in‐hospital operative deaths was 1.1 %, but in‐hospital mortality for open arterial surgery was 4 %. Mortality has decreased of late.

Conclusions

The SVR has enabled us to understand the development and implementation of vascular surgery throughout Spain and to note the increased healthcare activity and the better overall results obtained as a consequence.
Mediterranean Diet Score and prostate cancer risk in a Swedish population-based case–control study
Authors: Möller Elisabeth , Galeone Carlotta , Andersson Therese M.-L. , Bellocco Rino , Adami Hans-Olov , Andrén Ove , Grönberg Henrik , La Vecchia Carlo , Mucci Lorelei A. , Bälter Katarina
Published: October 2013

Several individual components of the Mediterranean diet have been shown to offer protection against prostate cancer. The present study is the first to investigate the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the relative risk of prostate cancer. We also explored the usefulness of the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) in a non-Mediterranean population. FFQ data were obtained from 1482 incident prostate cancer patients and 1108 population-based controls in the Cancer of the Prostate in Sweden (CAPS) study. We defined five MDS variants with different components or using either study-specific intakes or intakes in a Greek reference population as cut-off values between low and high intake of each component. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate the relative risk of prostate cancer for high and medium v. low MDS, as well as potential associations with the individual score components. No statistically significant association was found between adherence to the Mediterranean diet based on any of the MDS variants and prostate cancer risk (OR range: 0·96–1·19 for total prostate cancer, comparing high with low adherence). Overall, we found little support for an association between the Mediterranean diet and prostate cancer in this Northern European study population. Despite potential limitations inherent in the study or in the build-up of a dietary score, we suggest that the original MDS with study-specific median intakes as cut-off values between low and high intake is useful in assessing the adherence to the Mediterranean diet in non-Mediterranean populations.
Effects on obese women of the sugar sucrose added to the diet over
28 d: a quasi-randomised, single-blind, controlled trial
Authors: Reid Marie , Hammersley Richard , Duffy Maresa , Ballantyne Carrie
Published: October 2013

To investigate whether obese women can compensate for sucrose added to the diet
when it is given blind, rather than gaining weight or exhibiting dysfunctional
regulation of intake, in the present study, forty-one healthy obese (BMI
30–35 kg/m2) women (age 20–50
years), not currently dieting, were randomly assigned to consume sucrose
(n 20) or aspartame (n 21) drinks over 4
weeks in a parallel single-blind design. Over the 4 weeks, one group
consumed 4 × 250 ml sucrose drinks
(total 1800 kJ/d) and the other group consumed
4 × 250 ml aspartame drinks. During
the baseline week and experimental weeks, body weight and other biometric data
were measured and steps per day, food intake using 7 d unweighed food
diaries, and mood using ten- or seven-point Likert scales four times a day were
recorded. At the end of the experiment, the participants weighed 1·72
(se 0·47) kg less than the value predicted by
the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
model; the predicted body weight accounted for 94·3 % of
the variance in the observed body weight and experimental group accounted for a
further 1·1 % of the variance in the observed body weight,
showing that women consuming sucrose drinks gained significantly less weight
than predicted. The reported daily energy intake did not increase significantly,
and sucrose supplements significantly reduced the reported voluntary sugar,
starch and fat intake compared with aspartame. There were no effects on appetite
or mood. Over 4 weeks, as part of everyday eating, sucrose given blind in soft
drinks was partially compensated for by obese women, as in previous experiments
with healthy and overweight participants.
Interactions between nutrition and immune function: using inflammation biomarkers to interpret micronutrient status
Authors: Thurnham David I.
Published: October 2013

The immune response promotes a complex series of reactions by the host in an effort to prevent ongoing tissue damage, isolate and destroy the infective organism and activate the repair processes that are necessary for restoring normal function. The homoeostatic process is known as inflammation and the early set of reactions that are induced are known as the acute phase response (APR). The APR has marked effects on the circulation, metabolism in the liver and the plasma concentration of many nutrients. The changes in nutrient concentrations follow a cyclic pattern; occurring before any clinical evidence of disease, being at their most pronounced during the disease and remaining in convalescence when all evidence of disease or trauma has disappeared. Therefore, where susceptibility to disease is high as in people who are HIV+ but still apparently healthy, obtaining an accurate measurement of nutritional status may not be possible. Accurate measurements of status are important for national statistics to plan for the proper utilisation of government resources and they are especially important to evaluate the effectiveness of nutritional interventions. Many acute phase proteins (APP) are synthesised during inflammation and they are used to monitor the progress of disease and recovery but, individually, none of their lifecycles compare well with those of the nutritional biomarkers. Nevertheless, recognising the presence of inflammation can help interpret data and, using two APP, this review paper will illustrate the methods we have developed to assist interpretation of plasma retinol, ferritin and zinc concentrations in apparently healthy, HIV+, Kenyan adults.
Abnormalities in whole-brain functional connectivity observed in treatment-naive post-traumatic stress disorder patients following an earthquake
Authors: Jin C. , Qi R. , Yin Y. , Hu X. , Duan L. , Xu Q. , Zhang Z. , Zhong Y. , Feng B. , Xiang H. , Gong Q. , Liu Y. , Lu G. , Li L.
Published: October 2013

Background

Convergent studies have highlighted the dysfunction of the amygdala, prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, only a few studies have investigated the functional connectivity between brain regions in PTSD patients during the resting state, which may improve our understanding of the neuropathophysiology of PTSD. The aim of this study was to investigate patterns of whole-brain functional connectivity in treatment-naive PTSD patients without co-morbid conditions who experienced the 8.0-magnitude earthquake in the Sichuan province of China.

Method

A total of 72 PTSD patients and 86 trauma-exposed non-PTSD controls participated in the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study. All these subjects were recruited from the disaster zone of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Functional connectivities between 90 paired brain regions in PTSD patients were compared with those in trauma-exposed non-PTSD controls. Furthermore, Pearson correlation analysis was performed between significantly abnormal connectivities in PTSD patients and their clinician-administered PTSD scale (CAPS) scores.

Results

Compared with non-PTSD controls, PTSD patients showed weaker positive connectivities between the middle prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the amygdala, hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus and rectus, as well as between the inferior orbitofrontal cortex and the hippocampus. In addition, PTSD patients showed stronger negative connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and the insula. The CAPS scores in PTSD patients correlated negatively with the connectivity between the amygdala and the mPFC.

Conclusions

PTSD patients showed abnormalities in whole-brain functional connectivity, primarily affecting the connectivities between the mPFC and limbic system, and connectivity between the PCC and insula.
Bench-scale experiments for the development of a unified loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the in vitro diagnosis of Leishmania species' promastigotes
Authors: KARANI M. , SOTIRIADOU I. , PLUTZER J. , KARANIS P.
Published: October 2013

We developed, in bench-scale experiments, a unified loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the detection of cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis using DNA of cultivated promastigotes. Two primer sets for the LAMP assay were designed based on the 18S rRNA gene, and their sensitivity and specificity were tested and compared. Both of them were specific for Leishmania as the DNA of all ten Leishmania species tested was amplified, whereas the DNA of other parasites, including that of Trypanosoma, was not. The detection limit for primer set 1 ranged between 30 pg and 3·6 fg, depending on which Leishmania species tested. Primer set 2 showed high sensitivity, but was less sensitive than primer set 1. Our findings lead to the conclusion that the LAMP assay with primer set 1 is a promising and effective assay for the successful detection of a wide range of Leishmania infections using only a unified multiplex LAMP test.
Special Issue Dedicated to ICFP 2011 Editorial
Authors: ASAI KENICHI , PIERCE BENJAMIN C.
Published: October 2013

The 16th ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Functional Programming (ICFP) took place on September 19–21, 2011 in Tokyo, Japan. After the conference, the programme committee, chaired by Olivier Danvy, selected several outstanding papers and invited their authors to submit to this special issue of the Journal of Functional Programming. Kenichi Asai and Benjamin C. Pierce acted as editors for these submissions. This issue includes the three accepted articles, each of which provides substantial new material beyond the original conference version. The selected papers represent the importance of various aspects of proof techniques, from theory to practice, all of which aim at verifying realistic programs.
The Patina of Flint Implements
Authors: Sturge W. Allen
Published: October 2013

In approaching the subject of the patination of flint implements, I am profoundly impressed with the very great difficulties of the subject; so much so indeed that I feel that some initial apology is called for. It requires some courage, nay, one may say temerity, to attack a series of problems that bristle with difficulties of a most formidable kind, about which nothing is known; and for a solution of which chemical and physical knowledge of a very high order, backed up by the aid of full laboratory equipment, is required. All this is wanting in my own case; but on the other hand I have a large first-hand acquaintance with the flints in question; for many years I have devoted much attention to the conditions in which patination is found, jand to its manifold varieties—it has been my constant endeavour to co-ordinate given patinations with other factors more or less ascertainable in connection with the flints. In this way I think I have arrived at conclusions which, though by ao means complete in themselves, may at any rate serve as points of departure or of support in the further investigations which are urgently required. I propose to divide my paper into three sections—(1) General considerations bearing on the study of patina, (2) The conditions under which patina is produced, (3) The changes in flint associated with the production of patina.
Flint Implements in Cornwall
Authors: Kendall H. G. O.
Published: October 2013

My first paper on flint implements in Cornwall dealt with those of Booby Bay and Dinas Head, adjoining Trevose Head, near the famous cemetery at Harlyn Bay. Mention was made of the fact that prisms and cones of regular shape, and long thin flakes, occur there, and also at the inland site on the shore of Dozmare Pool. In both cases, pygmy flints are found with the flakes and cores. On the coast sites, however, scrapers are rare (at Booby Bay they are absent); whilst at Dozmare Pool they are numerous. They are both short and long at this site. The latter are sometimes formed on quite narrow blades. The facets are almost always grey. On the coast the chipped flints are sometimes grey, but are more often white, owing to exposure by the weathering away of the superincumbent soil.

Both on the coast sites and at Dozmare Pool the flint tools are made from shore pebbles. Local ideas sometimes attribute the presence of these pebbles on the shore to the casting out of ballast from coasting ships. It is evident that they are in reality remains from the Tertiary beds of West Cornwall, which have now almost vanished, though a section may still be seen near S. Erth.
The Ancestry of the Mousterian Palæolithic Flint Implements
Authors: Moir J. Reid
Published: October 2013

It is generally recognised by students of prehistory that, with the close of Acheulean times, a new method of flint implement-making came into vogue. The Acheulean implements which are found in various ancient valley gravels and other deposits represent the culmination of the long-continued coup de poing or hand-axe industry, in which the well-known pointed and oval palæolithic implements were made. These specimens were produced by so modifying a nodule of flint, by the removal of flakes, that the implement, in its final form, represented the core or central portion of the original nodule.
The Evidence of S. York's Surface Implements Relative to Classification and Dating
Authors: Armstrong A. Leslie , W.H.B
Published: October 2013

The particular area dealt with in this paper is the extreme S.W. corner of the County, embracing roughly a triangle having its base of 14 miles along the high moors W. of Sheffield, viz., from Langsett (N.) to Fox House (S.), the apex at Mexboro', and the ridges on the right of the Don Valley forming one side.

From its varied character, including as it does the extremes of bleak upland impossible of cultivation, and sheltered valley and lowland, it is in many respects an ideal area for study.

Unfortunately, flint, for reasons explained later, is scarce, hence it is only by the cumulative results of patient search extending over a period of years that any conclusion can be arrived at touching the culture of the implements found.

The base-line of the area under consideration follows in general the Yorkshire–Derbyshire boundary, and traverses a wide moorland country of considerable altitude, consisting of glacier-sculptured heights, seamed with deep, frequently precipitous ravines.
I.—Excavations at High Lodge, Mildenhall, in 1920, A.D.
Authors: Marr J. E.
Published: October 2013

For many years the post-glacial age of palæolithic man in this country was generally accepted, though it was denied by some, especially by Prof. James Geikie and Mr. S. B. J. Skertchly. The latter based his views upon the distribution of the superficial deposits on the western borders of Norfolk and Suffolk, of which more anon.

Of recent years, the work of various continental geologists has shewn that palæolithic man lived in western Europe before the latest glacial episode, and it seems very unlikely therefore, that the same was not the case in our own country. We determined, therefore, to open some sections in the well-known locality of High Lodge, Mildenhall, in order to try to obtain evidence upon this point. We would wish to record our cordial thanks to Sir Henry Bunbury, upon whose estates the High Lodge deposits are found, for giving us permission to make excavations, and affording us every facility during the operations. We also took advantage of a recently opened exposure at Warren Hill, to note the section exposed at that place.
The Maglemose Remains of Holderness and their Baltic Counterparts
Authors: Armstrong A. Leslie
Published: October 2013

During recent years certain transitional cultural stages have been recognised which link up the Palæolithic and Neolithic civilisations, and for which the term Mesolithic is generally accepted. Of these the Maglemose stage is perhaps the most important, because in it are seen pronounced Palæolithic influences, and survivals, side by side with the first recognisable expressions of Neolithic culture.

The typical station was discovered in 1900 by Dr. Sarauw, the Danish archæologist, in the peat moss of Maglemose, literally “the great moor,” formerly a fresh water lake but now thirteen feet above sea level, and situated near Mullerup, on the west coast of Zeeland.
The Transition Between Palæolithic and Neolithic Times i.e. the Mesolithic Period
Authors: Burkitt M. C.
Published: October 2013

The problem of the transition period between Palæolithic and Neolithic times has long fascinated prehistorians. Much work has been done and a good deal more is known of this elusive era than was the case formerly, though still many things remain obscure. It is proposed here to try and sketch out what has been discovered with special reference to some of the early cultures of Northern Europe and then tentatively to apply this knowledge to our own country. The problem of the surface finds in East Anglia are very intricate and although it is not the province of this paper to concentrate on them, it is hoped that a little light may be thrown on the subject by this study and that some perhaps helpful suggestion may be made.

As is well known, the difficulty that the early prehistorians had to face was the apparent catastrophic change in everything which took place at the end of Palæolithic times. Suddenly the Palæolithic industries, art and fauna cease, and their place is taken —as it then seemed—by the comparatively monotonous Neolithic industries of the so-called Western Circle with domestic animals, pottery, polished stone axes and a more or less modern fauna, showing that the climatic conditions, far from being arctic, had become reasonably genial.
A Flint Factory Site at Little Somborne, Hants
Authors: Clay R. C. C.
Published: October 2013

This site lies in the parish of Little Somborne, Hants, to the west of Turnpike Copse and just south of the Stockbridge-Winchester road. The ground rises steeply from the road to form a ridge about 300 O.D. and then gradually sinks towards Fox Heath Copse. Just below the crest of this ridge, the plough brings to the surface many large blocks of flint where a stratum outcrops. These blocks are the raw material from which the tools were made and the picks found were probably used to extract them. Large rough flakes are very numerous. Many of them show trimmed butts. This site extends for about 2 acres, and in this area are found picks, choppers, large cores, hammer stones, anvil stones, borers, end scrapers, and rarely a large horseshoe scraper, but no arrow heads or polished axes. The tools are patinated a blue-white or blue-grey; but the quality of the flint is so bad, there are so many quartz, chertz and calcedonic inclusions, that the patination is often patchy and unequal and sometimes varies in colour in different parts of the same flake scar. There is not much lustre. Iron staining and at times iron incrustation, found chiefly on the aretes, is very marked and there are numerous quicksilver spots of polish. The edges of these tools are sharp and show very little signs of use. What signs there are may be due to accidental damage by the plough.
The Flint Industries of Bapchild
Authors: Dines H. G.
Published: October 2013

During the autumn of 1927, Mr. S. Williams, of Murston, observed palæolithic implements in a gravelly deposit underlying the brickearth in the pit which lies west of Haywood Farm, Bapchild. He kept a watch on the site, and, shortly after his first finds had been made, a small quarry was sunk in the bottom of the brickpit. This exposed the sub-brickearth deposits in section, and here Mr. Williams, assisted by Mr. T. Revel and other keen workers, carried out excavations, by permission of the owners of the property, Messrs. Smeed, Dean & Co., Ltd. Their labours were rewarded by a haul of more than four hundred artifacts, of Le Moustier type.

The brickearth dug at Bapchild is placed in a wash-mill and converted to slurry, in which state it is pumped to the brickworks. The wash-mill is periodically cleaned out, and from the accumulation of stones that, at such times, is removed from the mill, a number of flakes of post-Le Moustier form have been found. These obviously came from the brickearth, but none had hitherto been found in situ. Towards the end of 1928 Mr. Williams was joined in his work of implement hunting by Mr. E. A. Mount, of Sittingbourne, whom he advised to give special attention to the brickearth in an endeavour to discover the source of the flakes that had been found in the wash-mill.
The Dimensions of Flint Implements
Authors: Barnes Alfred S.
Published: October 2013

The study of flint implements has been confined in the past to a consideration of the characteristic features the implements display in virtue of the special uses for which they were designed, and of the methods employed in making them.

The determination of the position which a given series of implements occupies in the accepted hierarchy of industries has therefore been largely a matter for the expert. In making such a determination, the dimensions of the specimens in question have doubtless to be considered, along with the characteristic features to which reference has already been made. This consideration, however, has been of a general character, and the dimensions of the implements as such have not played a formal or precise part in the determination of an industry. Keen and accurate observation and a retentive memory for ‘form’ enable a competent expert to synthesise in his mind the dimensions and the special features of an assemblage of implements. On these he bases his opinion as to the cultural level to which the implements belong.

The object of the present paper is to place in the hands of the expert and the amateur alike simple statistical methods which, when applied to the dimensions of a sufficiently large group of implements, will enable the implements in question to be differentiated from others. In other words, the statistical treatment of the dimensions of a group of implements from a given industry yields results which are characteristic of that industry. At the same time it should clearly be understood that the use of statistical methods should supplement, but should not supplant, the consideration of the character of the flaking and of the special forms of the implements.
Presidential Address for 1934
Authors: Breuil L'Abbe Henri
Published: October 2013

I must first of all thank you, and more especially Professor Childe and Mr. Maynard, as colleagues and fellow-workers in the research of Prehistoric Man, for the special honour you have paid to my labours, by appointing me your President for this year. I owe, I think, this exceptional mark of esteem to the many personal friends I have amongst you and to the fact that you are particularly alive to the attention with which I have tried to follow the valiant efforts of many of you, and to absorb on the actual sites the unusually important stratigraphical facts which these efforts have helped to bring to light.

It was in 1898 that I came for the first time to your island, to study the Bronze Age of France at Nashmills, the home of your great fore runner, John Evans, one of the three English savants who gave their allegiance to Boucher de Perthes.

I came back again in 1904 to study the Bruniquel collection at the British Museum, where Charles Reid and Reginald Smith gave me a generous welcome. Haddon and Henry Balfour, by their small but very instructive books on the evolution of primitive art, opened for me hitherto unsuspected vistas on the ornamental art of the Reindeer Age. It is to them that I owe my introduction in 1912, to Miles Burkitt, whom I took with me when he was quite young on my Spanish explorations and excavations, and who is now one of your masters.
Historical decline and probable extinction of the Jamaican Golden SwallowTachycineta euchrysea euchrysea
Authors: GRAVES GARY R.
Published: October 2013

The endemic Jamaican subspecies of the Golden SwallowTachycineta euchrysea euchryseahas been rare and locally distributed since its discovery in 1847. By the 1950s, its geographic range had contracted to a small region along the northern frontier of Cockpit Country. The last unequivocal sight records occurred in the early 1980s, raising strong concern about the swallow’s conservation status. I conducted an island-wide search for the swallow from 1994 through 2012. Standardised censuses of aerial insectivores at 1,281 sites, including the last redoubts of the Golden Swallow in Trelawny Parish, revealed no evidence of the species. These surveys and the absence of documented sight records during the past three decades suggest that the Jamaican race of the Golden Swallow is close to extinction if not already extinct. The cause of the population decline is unknown but is most likely linked to chronic predation by introduced mammalian predators, particularly the arboreal black ratRattus rattus.
A review of records and research actions for the Critically Endangered Beck’s PetrelPseudobulweria becki
Authors: BIRD JEREMY P. , CARLILE NICHOLAS , MILLER MARK G. R.
Published: October 2013

The “Critically Endangered” Beck’s PetrelPseudobulweria beckihas been recorded regularly in the Bismarck Sea during the past five years, but its nesting grounds are yet to be located. Previously, over 70 years elapsed between the collection of the original specimens in 1928 and 1929, and the next confirmed observations in 2007. We evaluate over 40 documented records of the species as well as recorded survey effort within the Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Islands and we assess potential breeding areas as well as land and sea priority search areas. On current evidence, southern New Ireland, within the Bismarck Archipelago, remains the highest priority area to search for nesting colonies but other parts of the region also warrant further investigation. The species’s distribution, population size and trends, ecology and threats are all poorly known, so prescribing conservation actions is difficult. As a starting point we identify the most important research actions to advance current knowledge, recognising that locating the nesting grounds of the Beck’s Petrel remains the prime conservation priority for this species.
Association Between Earthquake Events and Cholera Outbreaks: A Cross-country 15-year Longitudinal Analysis
Authors: Sumner Steven A. , Turner Elizabeth L. , Thielman Nathan M.
Published: October 2013

Introduction

Large earthquakes can cause population displacement, critical sanitation infrastructure damage, and increased threats to water resources, potentially predisposing populations to waterborne disease epidemics such as cholera.

Problem

The risk of cholera outbreaks after earthquake disasters remains uncertain. A cross-country analysis of World Health Organization (WHO) cholera data that would contribute to this discussion has yet to be published.

Methods

A cross-country longitudinal analysis was conducted among 63 low- and middle-income countries from 1995-2009. The association between earthquake disasters of various effect sizes and a relative spike in cholera rates for a given country was assessed utilizing fixed-effects logistic regression and adjusting for gross domestic product per capita, water and sanitation level, flooding events, percent urbanization, and under-five child mortality. Also, the association between large earthquakes and cholera rate increases of various degrees was assessed.

Results

Forty-eight of the 63 countries had at least one year with reported cholera infections during the 15-year study period. Thirty-six of these 48 countries had at least one earthquake disaster. In adjusted analyses, country-years with ≥10,000 persons affected by an earthquake had 2.26 times increased odds (95 CI, 0.89-5.72,P= .08) of having a greater than average cholera rate that year compared to country-years having <10,000 individuals affected by an earthquake. The association between large earthquake disasters and cholera infections appeared to weaken as higher levels of cholera rate increases were tested.

Conclusion

A trend of increased risk of greater than average cholera rates when more people were affected by an earthquake in a country-year was noted. However these findings did not reach statistical significance at traditional levels and may be due to chance. Frequent large-scale cholera outbreaks after earthquake disasters appeared to be relatively uncommon.

SumnerS,TurnerE,ThielmanN.Association between earthquake events and cholera outbreaks: a cross-country 15-year longitudinal analysis.Prehosp Disaster Med.2013;28(6):1-6.