bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons: Preliminary remarks
Authors: Sandoz Yves
Published: January 2010

There are some questions which one would prefer not to raise. The legality of the use of nuclear weapons in war is surely a case in point.
The birth and growth of a National Society
Authors: Haug Hans
Published: January 2010

In conformity with the resolutions of 1863 and the Swiss policy of armed neutrality, our National Red Cross Society has from its very beginning considered support of the army medical service to be one of its primary tasks. First to assume this task was the Société de secours aux militaires et leurs familles, which was founded on July 17, 1866. Apart from training volunteer first-aid workers to tend the wounded and the sick, the Society also extended its help to the families of soldiers mobilized in war-time. It carried out its main social work during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71 and also rendered assistance to French troops interned in Switzerland. The Swiss Central Red Cross Society, which was founded on April 25, 1882, and replaced the Société de Secours, also planned to “promote the care of the sick in time of peace and of war”, at the same time considering it its duty to render “first-aid in the event of accident”.
The prohibition of biological weapons: Current activities and future prospects
Authors: Pearson Graham S.
Published: January 2010

Deliberately induced disease or biological warfare is a source of increasing concern as we approach the twenty-first century, as its prevention is central to the security, health and well-being of the global community. In the simplest terms, biological warfare means placing the health of humans, animals and plants at risk from disease deliberately induced as a hostile act. Disease has caused more casualties in all wars than actual weapons of war and there is increasing — and justified — worldwide concern about new and emerging diseases. As the world population continues to increase, new areas of land are occupied and there is greater overcrowding in populated areas, with an ever-greater demand for both plants and animals as sources of food. This creates more opportunities for new or old diseases to spread among humans, animals and plants, with all the consequential socio-economic damage to the countries concerned.
Providing support for Red Cross volunteers and other humanitarian workers following a security incident or a disaster
Authors: de Haan Barthold Bierens
Published: January 2010

In the early hours of 17 December 1996, six members of the Red Cross team working at the ICRC hospital in Novye Atagi, Chechnya, were murdered in their sleep by a group of masked men using weapons fitted with silencers. A seventh delegate was wounded but managed to escape with his life.
ICRC operations in Hungary and the Middle East in 1956
Authors: Perret Françoise
Published: January 2010

In Eastern Europe, 1956 was above all the year that marked the beginning of destalinization, following the submission to the 20th Congress of the Soviet Communist Party (17–24 February) of Nikita Khrushchev's famous report on Stalin's crimes.

Khrushchev's revelations were soon to have repercussions, notably in Poland where thousands of political prisoners were released as early as April of the same year. Among them was Wladyslaw Gomulka, former Secretary-General of the Polish Communist Party from 1943 to 1948, who had been dismissed in 1948 for “right-wing and nationalist deviation” and jailed in 1951.
Nasal and ophthalmomyiasis: case report
Authors: Smillie I , Gubbi P K S , Cocks H C
Published: January 2010

Objective:

We report a rare case of a 51-year-old woman with ocular and nasal infestation by Oestrus ovis.

Method:

Clinical case report and review of current literature regarding nasal and ophthalmomyiasis.

Results:

Myiasis is infestation of the tissues and organs of vertebrates by certain dipteran fly larvae. Oestrus ovis myiasis is endemic in the region from North Africa to South Asia, but few cases are reported within the UK. A 51-year-old patient presented and was treated successfully in Sunderland Royal Hospital for combined ocular and nasal infestation with Oestrus ovis.

Conclusions:

Oestrus ovis has a largely subtropical distribution; however, it is important to remember the diversity of disease which can present within the UK from an external source. This point is illustrated by this rare case, which highlights the fact that prompt treatment can avoid poor outcomes for our patients.
Dusty plasma processes in Earth's environments containing nano- and microscale grains
Authors: POPEL SERGEY I.
Published: January 2010

Review of plasma processes in the Earth's environments containing nano- and microscale grains is presented. Possible observational manifestations of dusty ionospheric plasmas during high-speed meteor showers are described. A unified explanation of ionization properties of the polar mesosphere under summer conditions is given. Dusty plasma processes are also considered in application to active geophysical rocket experiments which involve release of some gaseous substance in near-Earth space, the origin of the primary Earth's crust, hydrosphere and atmosphere, and global electromagnetic Schumann resonances.
Are Old-age Pension System Reforms Moving Away from Individual Retirement Accounts in Latin America?
Authors: CALVO ESTEBAN , BERTRANOU FABIO M. , BERTRANOU EVELINA
Published: January 2010

This article reviews two rounds of pension reform in ten Latin American countries to determine whether they are moving away from individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Although the idea is provocative, we conclude that the notion of ‘moving away from IRAs’ is insufficient to characterise the new politics of pension reform. As opposed to the politics of enactment of IRAs of the late twentieth century, pension reform in Latin America in recent years has combined significant revival of public components in old-age income maintenance with improvement of IRAs. Clearly, the policy prescriptions that were most influential during the first round of reforms in Latin America have been re-evaluated. The World Bank and other organisations that promoted IRAs have recognised that pension reform should pay more attention to poverty reduction, coverage and equity, and to protect participants from market risks. The experience and challenges faced by countries that introduced IRAs, the changes in policies by international financing institutions, and the recent financial volatility and heavy losses experienced in financial markets may have tempered the enthusiasm of other countries from applying the same type of reforms. Scholars and policy-makers around the globe could benefit from looking closely at these changes in pension policy.
Heights, Nutrition, and Well-Being in Argentina, ca. 1850–1950. Preliminary Results
Authors: Salvatore Ricardo D.
Published: January 2010

Este ensayo presenta resultados de estimaciones de estaturas medias para diversas regiones de Argentina durante el período 1850–1950. Esta evidencia, tomada de registros de reclutas y prisioneros, es utilizada para cuestionar algunas de las generalizaciones sobre el crecimiento económico argentino, basadas en datos de ingresos per-cápita y salarios. Se sostiene que, en términos de estatus nutricional y de salud, la era del progreso liberal derramó menos bienestar que el esperado. Algo similar ocurrió con el crecimiento agro-exportador de principios del siglo XX. Por el contrario, el período conocido como la «gran demora» —el período de inter-guerras— fue testigo de notables aumentos de bienestar biológico, particularmente en la década de 1930. Se sugiere también que durante la segunda guerra mundial y los primeros gobiernos peronistas, las estimaciones sobre alturas indican un retraso nutricional y de salud en el conurbano bonaerense. El ensayo presenta además datos sobre la distribución regional de las alturas, que reflejan un alto grado de desigualdad regional hacia la década de 1920.
From pioneering mercantile state to ordinary fiscal state: Portugal 16th-19th centuries
Authors: Mata Maria Eugénia
Published: January 2010

Portugal, un reino pobre y pequeño, llegó a ser un Estado Mercantil pionero gracias a sus descubrimientos. ¿Cuándo estableció sus instituciones fiscales como potencia mundial? ¿Una potencia marítima capaz de ser punta de lanza de la conexión permanente entre Europa y la India fue capaz de establecer unas instituciones fiscales modernas que garantizaran un presupuesto Estatal estable? El objetivo de este artículo es mostrar cómo el pasado imperial y fiscal impidió a la sociedad civil portuguesa generar el consenso social necesario para incrementar la recau-dación de impuestos y establecer instituciones fiscales eficientes.
Costes de transacción vs costes de jerarquía en la provisión de bienes: una interpretación de la teoría smithiana
Authors: Aznar Estrella Trincado
Published: January 2010

En la teoría de Adam Smith, las jerarquías económicas nunca pueden reducir los costes de transacción del mercado. Para demostrarlo, el artículo estudia la definición de libertad Smithiana, que lleva a que cualquier imposición sobre la actividad independiente y creativa sea «costosa». También explica el tratamiento del tema de la provisión de bienes privados y públicos en la Riqueza de las Naciones. Por tanto, por un lado se describe la naturaleza de la empresa, que provee bienes privados, y por otro la provisión de bienes públicos, es decir, en el caso de la teoría de Smith, las instituciones que facilitan el comercio en general y las que facilitan la instrucción del pueblo.
Una alternativa fisiócrata al Informe de Ley Agraria de Jovellanos
Authors: Astigarraga Jesús , Usoz Javier
Published: January 2010

Este trabajo se enmarca en el estudio de la recepción que conoció en España el Informe de Ley Agraria (1795) de Jovellanos. En particular, se centra en una traducción inducida por esta obra, la realizada por J. Álvarez Guerra de un importante texto agronómico del francés F. Rozier. Aunque esta traducción ya ha sido destacada como un logro fundamental de la agronomía ilustrada española, hasta la fecha no se ha prestado ninguna atención al «Discurso Preliminar» que la introducía. Este «Discurso» contenía un resumen muy completo de las ideas económicas fisiócratas. Esto permite su caracterización como una alternativa fisiócrata al Informe de Jovellanos, lo cual, a su vez, posee implicaciones interpretativas respecto, principalmente, a dos cuestiones: una reconsideración más positiva de la presencia de la fisiocracia en nuestras Luces y la aceptación de que la opción librecambista fue una parte consustancial, si bien minoritaria, al programa económico de la Ilustración española.
Mercados laborales internos en la compañía ferroviaria MZA, 1882–1889
Authors: De Viñaspre Fabiola Portillo Pérez , Molinero Cecilio Mar
Published: January 2010

En este estudio se analiza la posible existencia de alguna forma incipiente de Mercados Laborales Internos (MLIs) en la compañía ferroviaria MZA, en los comienzos de la segunda revolución industrial. Para ello se aplican los métodos no lineales de Escalado Óptimo. Tal como predice la teoría, los resultados muestran dos rasgos característicos del funcionamiento de dichos mercados: la existencia de «puertos de entrada» de los trabajadores en la compañía para niveles bajos de cualificación profesional y el establecimiento de relaciones laborales en el largo plazo. Por tanto, an´logamente a los resultados que presentan recientes estudios sobre empresas ferroviarias del Reino Unido, puede concluirse que en España la compañía MZA ya operaba con una estructura de MLIs antes del siglo XX.
Prepaid tickets to the New World: the New York Continental Conference and transatlantic steerage Fares 1885–1895
Authors: Feys Torsten
Published: January 2010

Este artículo examina la situación de los cárteles del transporte naviero (conferencias) que regularon el transporte migratorio transatlántico del continente europeo a los Estados Unidos. El objetivo del artículo es identificar las presiones internas y externas subyacentes a estos acuerdos, así como las estrategias empleadas para neutralizar estas presiones. El autor llega a la conclusión de que un acuerdo sobre la división del mercado en quatos (market shares) era esencial para la eficacia de la Conferencia, que era al mismo tiempo una forma de integración horizontal que regulaban la competencia entre las compañías de transporte naviero, así como una integración vertical para obtener el control sobre la red de agentes transatlánticos de venta de billetes a la emigración. El autor correlaciona también la eficacia de los acuerdos con las tarifas para emigrantes y los costes de la migración.
Constituciones y crecimiento económico en la Colombia Del Siglo XIX
Authors: Kalmanovitz Salomón
Published: January 2010

En este ensayo analizo el impacto de las numerosas constituciones que se redactaron en la Colombia del siglo xix sobre su desarrollo económico. Se escogen algunas constituciones prototípicas como piezas importantes de la estructura legal que se va conformando en el país. Se trata de demostrar que la inestabilidad constitucional y legal fue más importante que el propio legado hispánico en explicar el retraso económico de Colombia. Mientras que los monopolios comerciales, políticos y religiosos fueron heredados y estuvieron a la base de la ideología conservadora, muchos de ellos lograron ser desmantelados por los reformistas liberales. La pérdida del orden político que España supo mantener por tres siglos fue seguida por la búsqueda tortuosa de un nuevo ordenamiento político, de lo cual fueron responsables las elites criollas. Los excesos de concentración o difusión de poderes marcaron los movimientos pendulares entre centralismo y federalismo, que fueron de la esencia del desorden político del siglo XIX, freno importante a su vez del desarrollo económico del país.
Diplomacia económica y balanza de pagos. Los pactos Hispano-Estadounidenses de 1918
Authors: Montero Jiménez José Antonio
Published: January 2010

Este artículo examina las conexiones existentes entre la evolución de la balanza de pagos española y la diplomacia económica hispano-estadounidense a lo largo de 1917 y 1918. El devenir de estas relaciones puede servir para explicar una parte sustancial de la desaceleración del comercio exterior de España que tuvo lugar en el último año de la Primera Guerra Mundial. El endurecimiento de la política comercial de los Estados Unidos tras su entrada en la contienda obligó a los españoles a trabajar seriamente para mantener tanto el nivel de sus intercambios mercantiles como la libertad de su marina mercante. Los contactos entre los dos países afectaron igualmente al proceso de repatriación de la deuda externa de España y al uso de sus beneficios extraordinarios para efectuar préstamos a las naciones aliadas. Finalmente, las negociaciones bilaterales produjeron la firma de dos acuerdos bilaterales en marzo y agosto de 1918, cuya gestación y repercusiones pueden seguirse a través de las cifras mensuales del comercio entre Norteamérica y la Península Ibérica.
El impacto exterior de las revistas españolas de economía
Authors: Fabregat Daniel A. Tirado , Novell Jordi Pons
Published: January 2010

En este trabajo se elaboran indicadores de impacto de las revistas españolas de economía teniendo en cuenta el número de ocasiones que los artículos publicados en las mismas son citados en las revistas internacionales incluidas en el ISI. La disponibilidad de estos indicadores de impacto permitirá determinar el impacto internacional de las revistas españolas, así como establecer una nueva ordenación de las mismas a partir de su impacto internacional, aspecto no considerado en los artículos publicados hasta el momento en los que se construían factores de impacto computando el número de citas que recibían las revistas españolas en otras revistas de carácter estatal. Finalmente, la comparación de estos resultados con los obtenidos por las revistas alemanas, francesas o italianas permite identificar qué factores han sido clave para la internacionalización de estas revistas de economía.
Un siglo y medio de velocidad de circulación del dinero en españa: Estimación y determinantes
Authors: Carreras Albert , García-Iglesias Concepción , Kilponen Juha
Published: January 2010

Presentamos una serie temporal de la velocidad de circulación del dinero en España usando la M2 y explicamos su comportamiento en el siglo y medio que va de 1850 a 2000. La velocidad de circulación del dinero en España presenta un declive secular hasta 1973 y apunta la forma de U en el último cuarto del siglo XX. Existe un retraso en los cambios de tendencia con respecto a otros países industrializados, explicable por el atraso económico español. Estimamos los determinantes de la velocidad de circulación de dinero —la inversa de la demanda de dinero— para todo el período de 1850 a 1997. Un análisis de cointegración y un mecanismo de correción de errores nos permiten afirmar que existe una función estable para todo el período donde las variables institucionales son importantes para explicar el comportamiento de la velocidad en España en el largo plazo.
El perfil económico de la elite de Buenos Aires en las décadas centrales del siglo XIX
Authors: Hora Roy
Published: January 2010

Tradicionalmente se ha afirmado que los grandes terratenientes dominaron el estrato superior de la elite económica argentina en el medio siglo que sucedió a la emancipación. Según esta versión, la crisis de independencia obligó a la elite colonial a desplazar sus negocios desde el comercio hacia la actividad rural, que pronto se convirtió en la base de las principales fortunas del país. A partir de un análisis de los inventarios sucesorios de los de los mayores contribuyentese de Buenos Aires para fines de década de 1830, este trabajo sugiere que, lejos de limitarse a invertir en el sector rural, una parte importante de los grandes capitalistas de mediados del siglo XIX incursionaron en distintas esferas de actividad. El trabajo sugiere que la diversificación de activos fue resultado de los esfuerzos de los capitalistas rioplatenses para enfrentar la inestabilidad económica y política que caracterizó a esas décadas.
«La paradisíaca estabilidad de la anteguerra». Elaboración de un índice de precios de consumo en España, 1830–1936
Authors: de Motes I Bernet Jordi Maluquer
Published: January 2010

Este artículo expone los aspectos básicos de la elaboración de un nuevo y auténtico Índice de Precios de Consumo de España para el período 1830–1936. Los distintos apartados en que está organizado se dedican a definir el campo de observación y el ámbito analizados, las fuentes empleadas y la metodología utilizada, así como las similitudes y diferencias con otros índices actualmente disponibles. Contiene, asimismo, un primer y breve análisis de los resultados. La característica más sobresaliente desde la perspectiva de las tendencias de largo plazo del nuevo IPC es una gran estabilidad, quebrada de forma importante, tan sólo, durante los años 1914–1920 bajo la influencia de la Primera Guerra Mundial. La tasa de crecimiento para el conjunto del período no alcanzó siquiera el 1 por cien anual, pese al cambio de nivel registrado enaquel breve brote inflacionista.
The spanish economic «miracle»: a disaggregated approach to productivity growth, 1958–1975
Authors: Llopis M.ª Teresa Sanchís
Published: January 2010

En este trabajo se analizan las fuentes del crecimiento español durante 1958–1975 desde una perspectiva sectorial, siguiendo una metodología similar a la desarrollada por Jorgenson, Gollop y Fraumeni (1987). Para ello se mide la contribución de los inputs intermedios, el capital, el trabajo y la productividad total de los factores al crecimiento del output total para 25 ramas productivas. Los resultados atribuyen más de la mitad del crecimiento del output al crecimiento de la Productividad Total de los Factores. Este crecimiento de la productividad fue de alcance general aunque no estuvo uniformemente repartido y se apoyó en una potente contribución de algunas industrias manufactureras compartida conavances significativos en los transportes y en las comunicaciones.
Variaciones regionales de los precios de consumo y de las dietas en España, en los inicios de la transición demográfica
Authors: Nicolau-Nos Roser , Pujol-Andreu Josep
Published: January 2010

Las estadísticas de precios y, en particular, las de alimentos son mucho más abundantes que las de consumo. Este artículo propone uti-lizar estas estadísticas para analizar las variaciones cualitativas en el consumo y, más concretamente, la composición de la dieta, una variable de difícil observación, pero con notables implicaciones en la evolución de las condiciones de vida, salud y mortalidad de las poblaciones. Concretamente, se han escogido los años comprendidos entre 1910 y 1912, en un periodo de importantes cambios en la mortalidad española, para analizar la variación provincial en los niveles y en las estructuras de precios al consumo. Los índices de precios relativos estimados sugieren que las diferencias regionales en la composición de las dietas eran muy significativas y que se deben tener en cuenta en los análisis de los nive-les de vida y de mortalidad.
Entre Castilla y Francia: Comercio y comerciantes en Bilbao a mediados del siglo XVI
Authors: Bilbao Luis María , García Ramón Lanza
Published: January 2010

On the basis of a new quantitative data set which is varied, accurate and representative, today it is possible to correct previous shortcomings in order to obtain a solid historical picture of the Atlantic trade passing through the port of Bilbao in the mid-sixteenth century. In this paper we aim to explore both the macroeconomic and microeconomic aspects of Spanish-French trade, analysing, on the one hand, the volume, composition and «balance of trade» and, on the other, the scope and nature of trading enterprises of merchants operating in Bilbao, measurable by the size of their business, the concentration of trade and the amount of business carried out by traders on their own account, in association with other merchants or on behalf of these. We also highlight, once again, the enormous value of judicial sources in the study of trade in the Modern Age.
Military Expenditure, Spending Capacity and Budget Constraint in Eighteenth-Century Spain and Britain
Authors: Sánchez José Jurado
Published: January 2010

Using new public spending statistics for Spain and other various indicators we show that Spain and Britain suffered larger increases in public expenditure in the periods in which they fought each other and other countries. The British Exchequer spent much more than its Spanish counterpart, especially on the Army and Navy and debt repayment. This situation helps to explain why Britain emerged victorious against Spain in the majority of these wars and was a consequence of the political and institutional changes made in England from 1688 onwards, reducing budget constraint and allowing Britain to mobilise the necessary resources to become the leading world power. In Spain, however, the changes required to eliminate the country's history of bankruptcies and increase its spending capacity were not made.
Free Trade, Political Economy and the Birth of a New Economic Nation: Brazil, 1808–1810
Authors: Cardoso José Luís
Published: January 2010

In late 1807, Brazil was still a part of the Portuguese empire. As a consequence of the outbreak of the Peninsular War, the Prince Regent and the court moved to Brazil, an amazing voyage planned as a way of safeguarding Portugal's sovereignty over her vast territories. When the royal ships arrived in Brazil, the first measure to be taken was the decree which opened up Brazilian ports to British commercial vessels, thus putting an end to the old system of exclusive colonial trading between Brazil and Portugal. This was indeed the very first sign of a much larger process of economic liberalisation that was shortly to follow. In this process, a special role was to be played by the science of political economy used as a rationale for economic change and ultimately serving as an instrument for political independence.
War and Foreign Debt Settlement in Early Republican Spanish America
Authors: Sicotte Richard , Vizcarra Catalina
Published: January 2010

Upon gaining independence, most Spanish American countries had accumulated a substantial external debt, and by 1829 each defaulted. It took decades for these countries to settle their debts and even longer for them to access new loans. We argue that a major factor influencing the pattern of debt service was the incidence of war. War created incentives for governments to channel scarce resources to «emergency» spending and domestic debt service, rather than to the repayment of the foreign debt. Interestingly, we detect an asymmetry between countries long in good standing with creditors and those that had only recently settled. Countries that had established a longer record of continuous debt service were far less likely to default in times of war. We also find that international wars were responsible for the largest effects.
The Expansion of Mass Education in Twentieth Century Latin America: A Global Comparative Perspective
Authors: Frankema Ewout
Published: January 2010

This paper studies the expansion of mass education in Latin America in the twentieth century from a global comparative perspective. The paper argues that expansion in terms of enrolment and attainment levels was quite impressive. A comparative analysis of the grade enrolment distribution demonstrates, however, that the rapid expansion of primary school enrolment did not correspond with an equally impressive improvement in educational quality. The persistently large tertiary education bias in public education spending suggests that part of the poor quality performance is related to a lack of fscal support for primary education and that the political economy explanation for educational underdevelopment, as advanced by Engerman, Mariscal and Sokoloff for the 19thcentury, still applied to Latin America during most of the 20thcentury.
Producción y Productividad Agrícolas en la Isla de Mallorca, 1590–1860
Authors: Avellà Gabriel Jover , Erbina Carles Manera
Published: January 2010

This paper proposes a detailed measurement of the agricultural development of the island of Majorca from the late sixteenth century to the midnineteenth century, with an emphasis on the products which made up the bulk of the island's agricultural production. The authors have organized most of the existing databases in the island's archives and have also incorporated quantitative and qualitative material from their own research and that of other colleagues. Due to their quality and regularity, the data are among the richest known for pre-industrial Europe. These sources lead to some conclusions which link with recent debates in European economic history concerning the calculation of economic growth in economies for periods before statistics were kept. The text presents a methodological analysis covering almost 80 per cent of agricultural production of the island of Majorca and leaves conclusions to be supplemented by further studies of the manufacturing and service sectors.
Construction of syndromic surveillance using a web-based daily questionnaire for health and its application at the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit meeting
Authors: SUGIURA H. , OHKUSA Y. , AKAHANE M. , SUGAHARA T. , OKABE N. , IMAMURA T.
Published: January 2010

We constructed a syndromic surveillance system to collect directly information on daily health conditions directly from local residents via the internet [web-based daily questionnaire for health surveillance system (WDQH SS)]. This paper considers the feasibility of the WDQH SS and its ability to detect epidemics. A verification study revealed that our system was an effective surveillance system. We then applied an improved WDQH SS as a measure against public health concerns at the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit meeting in 2008. While in operation at the Summit, our system reported a fever alert that was consistent with a herpangina epidemic. The highly mobile WDQH SS described in this study has three main advantages: the earlier detection of epidemics, compared to other surveillance systems; the ability to collect data even on weekends and holidays; and a rapid system set-up that can be completed within 3 days.
Echogenic mass in the right atrium after surgical ventricular septal defect closure: thrombus or tumour?
Authors: de Winkel Nicole , Becker Karen , Vogt Manfred
Published: January 2010

We describe a neonate who presented with an echogenic mass in the right atrium 8 weeks after closure of ventricular and atrial septal defects. On a routine post operative check up after discharge, a mass was detected in the right atrium on echocardiography. As a thrombotic formation was suggested, lysis was started, in combination with the administration of unfractioned heparin. As there was no change in echogenicity or size of the mass, it was surgically excised. Histopathological examination revealed a myofibroblastic inflammatory tumour.
Myocardial performance after successful intervention for native aortic coarctation
Authors: Tavli Vedide , Saritas Turkay , Guven Baris , Okur Faik , Saylan Berna Cevik , Tavli Talat , Uyanik Bekir Sami , Ari Zeki , İsbilen Banu
Published: January 2010

Coarctation of the aorta is associated with increased risk for hypertension in adulthood, despite successful repair. The intrinsic mechanisms underscoring hypertension and left ventricular performance in these patients, however, remains to be determined. Our objective was to evaluate left ventricular performance by means of echocardiographic and biochemical parameters at midterm follow-up in normotensive children who have had undergone successful surgical or catheter interventional treatment of coarctation with a residual gradient of less than 20 mmHg at rest. We studied prospectively 14 patients with native aortic coarctation who underwent surgery or balloon angioplasty, the cohort made up of equal numbers of boys and girls, and having a mean age of 8.5 plus or minus 4 years. We also studied 30 age-matched healthy subjects, measuring mitral inflow pulsed wave signals, isovolumic relaxation and contraction times, myocardial performance index parameters, and levels of B-type natriuretic peptide and endothelin-1 in both groups. We found no differences in systolic blood pressure at rest between the patients and their controls. The ventricular septal diastolic dimensions, left ventricular posterior wall dimensions, mitral valve E wave, deceleration time, isovolumic relaxation time, isovolumic contraction time and myocardial performance index were all significantly increased in the patients. Levels of plasma B-type natriuretic peptide and endothelin-1 were also significantly higher in the patients when compared to the control group. We conclude that aortic coarctation is a chronic disease characterized by persistency of myocardial and vascular alterations. The elevated levels of plasma b-type natriuretic peptide and endothelin-1 may be indicative of late onset hypertension after successful treatment of native coarctation in early childhood.
Mesh independence and fast local convergence of a primal-dual active-set method for mixed control-state constrained elliptic control problems
Authors: Hintermüller M.
Published: January 2010

A class of mixed control-state constrained optimal control problems for elliptic partial differential equations arising, for example, in Lavrentiev-type regularized state constrained optimal control is considered. Its numerical solution is obtained via a primal-dual activeset method, which is equivalent to a class of semi-smooth Newton methods. The locally superlinear convergence of the active-set method in function space is established, and its mesh independence is proved. The paper contains a report on numerical test runs including a comparison with a short-step path-following interior-point method and a coarse-to-fine mesh sweep, that is, a nested iteration technique, for accelerating the overall solution process. Finally, convergence and regularity properties of the regularized problems with respect to a vanishing Lavrentiev parameter are considered. 2000 Mathematics subject classification: primary 65K05; secondary 90C33.
Evolution equations having conservation laws with flux characteristics
Authors: Van Brunt B. , Vlieg Hulstman M.
Published: January 2010

A class of evolution equations in divergence form is studied in this paper. Specifically, we develop conditions under which the spatial divergence term, the flux, corresponds to the characteristic of a conservation law. The KdV equation is a prominent example of an equation having a flux term that is also a characteristic for a conservation law. We show that the flux term must be self-adjoint. General equations for the corresponding conservation laws and Hamiltonian densities are derived and supplemented with examples. 2000 Mathematics subject classification: primary 35K.
A nonlinear model of age and size-structured populations with applications to cell cycles
Authors: Chapman S. J. , Plank M. J. , James A. , Basse B.
Published: January 2010

The Sharpe-Lotka-McKendrick (or von Foerster) equations for an age-structured population, with a nonlinear term to represent overcrowding or competition for resources, are considered. The model is extended to include a growth term, allowing the population to be structured by size or weight rather than age, and a general solution is presented. Various examples are then considered, including the case of cell growth where cells divide at a given size.
Deblurring and denoising of images with minimization of variation and negative norms
Authors: Cherid A. , El-Gebeily M. A. , O′Regan Donal , Agarwal Ravi
Published: January 2010

A method based on the minimization of variation is presented for the identification of a completely unknown blur operator. We assume the knowledge of a blurred image and its original version. The class of blurring operators is identified in the class of compact operators. A variational method with negative norms is then used for the restoration of a blurred and noised image. The restoration method works for a wide class of blurring operators and we do not assume that the blur operator commutes with the Laplacian.
The best Sobolev trace constant in domains with holes for critical or subcritical exponents
Authors: Fernandezbonder J. , Orive R. , Rossi J. D.
Published: January 2010

In this paper we study the best constant in the Sobolev trace embedding H1 (Ω) →Lq(∂Ω) in a bounded smooth domain for 1 < q < 2+ = 2(N - 1)/(N - 2), that is, critical or subcritical q. First, we consider a domain with periodically distributed holes inside which we impose that the involved functions vanish. There exists a critical size of the holes for which the limit problem has an extra term. For sizes larger than critical the best trace constant diverges to infinity and for sizes smaller than critical it converges to the best constant in the domain without holes. Also, we study the problem with the holes located on the boundary of the domain. In this case another critical exists and its extra term appears on the boundary.
Justinus Kerner und die Maultrommel
Authors: Häfner Steffen
Published: January 2010

Zusammenfassung. Der schwäbische Dichterarzt Justinus Kerner (1786–1862) erlernte in seinem fünfzehnten Lebensjahr durch seinen Bruder Georg das Maultrommelspiel und wendete dies fortan zur Behandlung von Kranken an. Die Maultrommel war wie die Glasharmonika und die Äolsharfe ein äußerst populäres Instrument in der Romantik. Geistiger Hintergrund der Anwendung von Musik zur Heilung der Kranken war die von Franz Anton Mesmer (1734–1815) begründete Lehre vom „thierischen Magnetismus”. Kerner als Anhänger des Mesmerismus entwickelte die Anwendung von Musik weiter fort, wobei er anstelle der Glasharmonika und Äolsharfe die Maultrommel als Instrument einsetzte. Während seines Medizinstudiums in Tübingen führte Kerner im Rahmen seiner Doktorarbeit Verhaltensexperimente über die Wirkung der Töne auf verschiedene Tiere durch. Die Musik gehörte untrennbar zu seiner Persönlichkeit, die ganz im Sinne der romantischen Vorstellung von der Verflechtung der Künste aus allen Künsten Kraft und Originalität schöpfte. Musik und Poesie waren ihm eine Lebensnotwendigkeit, sie halfen ihm nicht zuletzt, im Leben zu bestehen. Er hat damit einen Weg gebahnt, die Musiktherapie als „psychosomatisches Medikament” zu verstehen.
Meditative Kunst- und Atemtherapie (MKA) zur Förderung der Persönlichkeitsentwicklung
Authors: Schaumburg Birgit
Published: January 2010

Zusammenfassung. Ein Grund für Krisen des modernen Menschen ist die Gegensatzspannung durch das psychische Gefälle zwischen Bewusstsein und Unbewusstem, wenn die Ganzheit, das Selbst und auch das Kollektiv in seiner Verantwortlichkeit für eine Ausgleichsregulation versagt. Der moderne Mensch erfährt sich als „Nur-Ich”. Gleichzeitig negiert er als Vernunftwesen die Erdseite und lässt die „schöpferische Gottheit schrumpfen”. Das Bewusstwerden dieser Gott- und sinnentleerten Welt verlogener und nicht mehr gelebter Werte lässt den Menschen seine eigene „Kreanatürlichkeit” wieder tiefer erfahren. Die MKA begleitet das individuelle „Ich” bei der Annäherung an das Bewusstsein seines Selbst. Sie hat, wie empirische Forschungen zeigen, positive ganzheitlich regenerierende Wirkungen durch die Stärkung der Selbstheilungskräfte und sozialen Integration. Die Erlebens- und Lebensqualität wird durch die „schöpferische Suche” nach der Inneren Kraftquelle, dem eigenen Selbst, „der Tiefe allen Seins”, die auch als ewige Bilderwelt bezeichnet wird, gesteigert. In dieser Arbeit ist ein Beitrag zur Evaluationsforschung mit Bluthochdruck- und Infarktpatienten enthalten.
Cycle of vertical and horizontal mixing in a shallow tidal creek
Authors: McKay Paul , Di Iorio Daniela
Published: January 2010

An experimental study of vertical mixing and along‐channel dispersion parameterized in terms of horizontal mixing near the mouth of the Duplin River (a tidal creek bordered by extensive intertidal salt marshes on Sapelo Island, Georgia) was carried out over several spring/neap cycles in the fall of 2005. Vertical mixing is modulated on both M4 and fortnightly frequencies with maximum turbulent stresses being generated near the bed on periods of maximum flood and ebb and propagating into the water column showing a linear dependence with depth. Values are significantly greater on spring tide than on neap. Horizontal mixing evaluated by salt fluxes is driven and dominated by tidal dispersion, which is also modulated by the fortnightly spring/neap cycle. Net export of salt from the lower Duplin is shown to be due to residual advection modified by upstream tidal pumping. The tidal dispersion coefficient exhibits a pulsating character with greater values on spring tide followed by smaller values on neap tide.
An archive of high‐resolution temperature reconstructions over the past 2+ millennia
Authors: Wahl E. R. , Anderson D. M. , Bauer B. A. , Buckner R. , Gille E. P. , Gross W. S. , Hartman M. , Shah A.
Published: January 2010

High‐resolution temperature reconstructions (typically annually to seasonally resolved) have played a key role in understanding paleoclimate immediately prior to the beginning of the instrumental record, especially when calibrated to form an extension of comparable instrumental data coverage (global, hemispheric, and regional). Such calibration allows the information in the instrumental record to be quantitatively extended backward in time in an objective way, enabling description of much longer term fluctuations in climate than possible with instrumental data alone, although with significantly increased uncertainties inherent in proxy‐based reconstructions. This data brief describes a newly integrated archive of nearly all the high‐resolution temperature reconstructions of the past 2+ millennia included in NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, from small‐regional to global scale, which also have been recalibrated to a standard set of instrumental data. Examination of the spectral structure of the data is additionally provided.
Transient fertilizing effect of dust in P‐deficient LNLC surface ocean
Authors: Pulido‐Villena Elvira , Rérolle Victoire , Guieu Cécile
Published: January 2010

In much of the world's low‐nutrient low‐chlorophyll (LNLC) oceans, including the Mediterranean Sea, surface dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) is below the detection limit of conventional techniques. Although dust deposition has been generally recognized as a major source of P to the Mediterranean Sea, the lack of DIP data at nanomolar levels has so far precluded a quantification of this effect. This work reports the first one‐year time series of surface nanomolar DIP in the Mediterranean Sea. Moreover, by combining nanomolar DIP data from two field studies (the above cited time‐series and an experimental addition of Saharan dust to large mesocosms) and one in vitro dust dissolution experiment, we show that dust pulses may indeed provoke transient increases in DIP concentration (up to 80 nM) in P‐starved surface waters of this LNLC region.
Air‐sea interaction throughout the troposphere over a very high sea surface temperature phenomenon
Authors: Qin Huiling , Kawamura Hiroshi
Published: January 2010

A large region of very high sea surface temperature (SST, >30°C) was maintained for more than 10 days in the tropical western Pacific. This study examined how this “hot event” (HE), observed in November 2006 (HE0611), was generated by air‐sea interaction throughout the whole troposphere. Cloud motion wind and cloud cover data obtained from geostationary satellite measurements showed deep convective systems with divergent air flows in the eastern part of HE0611 (‐East). High‐level convergence was derived from cloud motion winds over the western part of HE0611 (‐West), where the SST rapidly increased up to 30°C. Cloud‐free conditions with convergent flow were considered to be related to the deep convection over HE0611‐East. These interactions through the whole troposphere over HE0611 may have been a true appearance of “remote convection,” which has been suggested as a mechanism of very high SST generation in tropical oceans.
Predawn ionospheric heating observed by Hinotori satellite
Authors: Kakinami Y. , Balan N. , Liu J. Y. , Oyama K.‐I.
Published: January 2010

Predawn ionospheric temperature has been known to increase with conjugate sunrise. This paper presents the onset time of predawn ionospheric heating and heating rate at around 600 km height globally using Hinotori electron temperature data for magnetically quiet (Kp < 4 and Dst > −50 nT) medium to high solar activity conditions. The analysis of the data shows that the onset of predawn ionospheric heating occurs at nearly the same solar zenith angle (SZA) of the conjugate point at low latitudes where the geomagnetic field line is shorter than about 5000 km. However, at higher latitudes with longer field lines, the conjugate SZA decreases with increasing field line length. In addition, the heating rate decreases with increasing field line length until the field line becomes about 5000 km long, and the rate remains nearly constant for longer field lines. The conjugate SZA increases with increasing solar activity (F10.7) until F10.7 reaches about 200, and the conjugate SZA remains nearly constant for higher F10.7. The observations indicate that the photoelectron flux causing predawn ionospheric heating is attenuated by scattering in the high‐altitude (>600 km) ionosphere and plasmasphere.
Electromagnetic plasma emission during beam‐plasma interaction: Parametric decay versus induced scattering
Authors: Umeda Takayuki
Published: January 2010

Two‐dimensional electromagnetic particle‐in‐cell simulations are performed for examination of electromagnetic plasma emission at twice the electron plasma frequency. Electromagnetic “2fp” waves are considered to be excited by nonlinear three‐wave processes in beam‐plasma interactions. In this paper, nonlinear development of an electron‐beam‐plasma instability is studied as an initial value problem. The present simulation result confirmed that electromagnetic 2fp waves are strongly enhanced by the wave‐wave interaction between forward and backward Langmuir waves, which is in agreement with the previous studies. It is also demonstrated that large‐amplitude forward Langmuir waves decay into backward Langmuir waves and ion acoustic waves via a parametric decay and that electromagnetic 2fp waves are also enhanced by the decay of Langmuir waves. However, the growth rate of the electromagnetic 2fp waves due to the parametric decay of Langmuir waves is not as high. It should be noted that induced backscattering of Langmuir waves by enhanced thermal fluctuations of ions cannot be neglected in the excitation of backward Langmuir waves. Hence, low‐noise simulations are necessary to suppress the effect of enhanced thermal fluctuations in the particle‐in‐cell method.
Autoxidation of thiol-containing amino acid to its disulfide derivative that links two copper(ii) centers: the important role of auxiliary ligand
Authors: Seko Hiroyuki , Tsuge Kiyoshi , Igashira-Kamiyama Asako , Kawamoto Tatsuya , Konno Takumi
Published: January 2010

Conversion of a thiol-containing amino acid, d-penicillamine or l-cysteine, to its disulfide derivative, d-penicillamine disulfide or l-cystine, which bridges two copper(ii) centers in a bis(bidentate-N,O) mode, is reported.
Small molecule-triggered assembly of DNA nanoarchitectures
Authors: Wieland Markus , Benz Armin , Haar Janina , Halder Kangkan , Hartig Jörg S.
Published: January 2010

Toehold-containing DNA strands allow for the assembly of complex nanostructures via kinetically driven hybridization reactions. Here, we have rendered this strategy ligand-dependent, resulting in DNA nanoarchitectures such as four-way junctions inducible via the addition of ATP or arginine amide.
New anthracene-thiophene-based copolymers that absorb across the entire UV-vis spectrum for application in organic solar cells
Authors: Park Jong-Hwa , Chung Dae Sung , Lee Dong Hoon , Kong Hoyoul , Jung In Hwan , Park Moo-Jin , Cho Nam Sung , Park Chan Eon , Shim Hong-Ku
Published: January 2010

A new class of anthracene-thiophene-based copolymers, PAT4, showed excellent UV-vis absorption behaviour covering the full range of the solar spectrum. PAT4-based organic solar cells showed promising efficiencies.
Modified Kirkendall effect for fabrication of magnetic nanotubes
Authors: Wang Qian , Geng Baoyou , Wang Shaozhen , Ye Yixing , Tao Bo
Published: January 2010

The iron hydroxide nanotubes are fabricated through the reaction of Fe3+ ions and ZnO nanorods involving the Kirkendall effect. Depending on the calcination conditions, both haematite and magnetite nanotubes are produced.
Developmental and cellular functions of the ESCRT machinery in pluricellular organisms
Authors: Michelet Xavier , Djeddi Abderazak , Legouis Renaud
Published: January 2010

ESCRTs (endosomal sorting complexes required for transport) were first discovered in yeast and are known to be required in the biogenesis of the MVB (multivesicular body). Most ESCRT research has been carried out in vitro using models such as yeast and mammalian cells in culture. The role of the ESCRTs genes in endosome maturation is conserved from yeast to mammals, but little is known about their function during development in multicellular organisms. Since ESCRTs play a leading role in regulating some cell signalling pathways by addressing receptors to the lysosome, it appears important to monitor ESCRT functions in multicellular models. The present review summarizes recent research on the developmental and cellular functions of the ESCRT in Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, Mus musculus or Arabidopsis thaliana.