bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Semi-Ownership and Sterilisation of Cats and Dogs in Thailand
Authors: Toukhsati Samia , Phillips Clive , Podberscek Anthony , Coleman Grahame
Published: November 2012

The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of cat and dog semi-ownership in Thailand and factors that predict sterilisation. Semi-ownership was defined as interacting/caring for a companion animal that the respondent does not own, such as a stray cat or dog. A randomised telephone survey recruited 494 Thai nationals residing in Thailand. The findings revealed that 14% of respondents (n = 71) engaged in dog semi-ownership and only 17% of these dogs had been sterilised. Similarly, 11% of respondents (n = 55) engaged in cat semi-ownership and only 7% were known to be sterilised. Using Hierarchical Multiple Regression, the findings showed that 62% and 75% of the variance in intentions to sterilise semi-owned dogs and cats, respectively, was predicted by religious beliefs, and psychosocial factors such as attitudes, perceived pressure from others, and perceived behavioural control. Community awareness campaigns that approach the issue of sterilisation in a way that is consistent with cultural and religious traditions using Thai role models, such as veterinarians, may go some way in reducing stray animal population growth.
Electronic Structure and Phase Transition in Ferroelectic Sn2P2S6 Crystal
Authors: Glukhov Konstantin , Fedyo Kristina , Banys Juras , Vysochanskii Yulian
Published: November 2012

An analysis of the P2S6 cluster electronic structure and its comparison with the crystal valence band in the paraelectric and ferroelectric phases has been done by first-principles calculations for Sn2P2S6 ferroelectrics. The origin of ferroelectricity has been outlined. It was established that the spontaneous polarization follows from the stereochemical activity of the electron lone pair of tin cations, which is determined by hybridization with P2S6 molecular orbitals. The chemical bonds covalence increase and rearrangement are related to the valence band changes at transition from the paraelectric phase to the ferroelectric phase.
Endpoint Visual Detection of Three Genetically Modified Rice Events by Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification
Authors: Chen Xiaoyun , Wang Xiaofu , Jin Nuo , Zhou Yu , Huang Sainan , Miao Qingmei , Zhu Qing , Xu Junfeng
Published: November 2012

Genetically modified (GM) rice KMD1, TT51-1, and KF6 are three of the most well known transgenic Bt rice lines in China. A rapid and sensitive molecular assay for risk assessment of GM rice is needed. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), currently the most common method for detecting genetically modified organisms, requires temperature cycling and relatively complex procedures. Here we developed a visual and rapid loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method to amplify three GM rice event-specific junction sequences. Target DNA was amplified and visualized by two indicators (SYBR green or hydroxy naphthol blue [HNB]) within 60 min at an isothermal temperature of 63 °C. Different kinds of plants were selected to ensure the specificity of detection and the results of the non-target samples were negative, indicating that the primer sets for the three GM rice varieties had good levels of specificity. The sensitivity of LAMP, with detection limits at low concentration levels (0.01%–0.005% GM), was 10- to 100-fold greater than that of conventional PCR. Additionally, the LAMP assay coupled with an indicator (SYBR green or HNB) facilitated analysis. These findings revealed that the rapid detection method was suitable as a simple field-based test to determine the status of GM crops.
Coupling Two Different Nucleic Acid Circuits in an Enzyme-Free Amplifier
Authors: Jiang Yu , Li Bingling , Chen Xi , Ellington Andrew D.
Published: November 2012

DNA circuits have proven to be useful amplifiers for diagnostic applications, in part because of their modularity and programmability. In order to determine whether different circuits could be modularly stacked, we used a catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) circuit to initiate a hybridization chain reaction (HCR) circuit. In response to an input nucleic acid sequence, the CHA reaction accumulates immobilized duplexes and HCR elongates these duplexes. With fluorescein as a reporter each of these processes yielded 10-fold signal amplification in a convenient 96-well format. The modular circuit connections also allowed the output reporter to be readily modified to a G-quadruplex-DNAzyme that yielded a fluorescent signal.
Understanding Global Supply Chains and Seafood Markets for the Rebuilding Prospects of Northern Gulf Cod Fisheries
Authors: Khan Ahmed S.
Published: November 2012

Although fisheries production and seafood trade are global in scope, with billions of dollars in exports, the rebuilding of collapsed fisheries often focus on national fisheries policy and management measures, with little attention to global supply chains and international consumer markets. Even with two moratoria and two decades of policy changes since the Northern Gulf cod fisheries collapsed in eastern Canada, rebuilding has stalled and the fishing industry and coastal communities continue to undergo challenges with economic viability and resource sustainability. This paper examines and analyzes the global supply chain and marketing dimension of Northern Gulf cod fisheries. Drawing upon fisheries bioeconomics and governance theory, a pre- and post-collapse analysis is undertaken to understand key drivers and institutional mechanisms along global fish supply chains for an effective and successful rebuilding. Findings indicate that the collapse of the cod fishery has cascading effects that go beyond ecosystem changes to new harvesting activities, industry restructuring, supply chain reorganization, new global markets and consumer preference for certified seafood. This suggests that a holistic rebuilding approach is necessary, one that integrates institutional and behavioral changes for both producers and consumers at various scales of fisheries production, political economy issues, as well as cross-scale policies on marine conservation and regional economic development.
Mathematic Modeling for Optimum Conditions on Aflatoxin B1 Degradation by the Aerobic Bacterium Rhodococcus erythropolis
Authors: Kong Qing , Zhai Cuiping , Guan Bin , Li Chunjuan , Shan Shihua , Yu Jiujiang
Published: November 2012

Response surface methodology was employed to optimize the degradation conditions of AFB1 by Rhodococcus erythropolis in liquid culture. The most important factors that influence the degradation, as identified by a two-level Plackett-Burman design with six variables, were temperature, pH, liquid volume, inoculum size, agitation speed and incubation time. Central composite design (CCD) and response surface analysis were used to further investigate the interactions between these variables and to optimize the degradation efficiency of R. erythropolis based on a second-order model. The results demonstrated that the optimal parameters were: temperature, 23.2 °C; pH, 7.17; liquid volume, 24.6 mL in 100-mL flask; inoculum size, 10%; agitation speed, 180 rpm; and incubation time, 81.9 h. Under these conditions, the degradation efficiency of R. erythropolis could reach 95.8% in liquid culture, which was increased by about three times as compared to non-optimized conditions. The result by mathematic modeling has great potential for aflatoxin removal in industrial fermentation such as in food processing and ethanol production.
Arenaviruses and Lethal Mutagenesis. Prospects for New Ribavirin-based Interventions
Authors: Moreno Héctor , Grande-Pérez Ana , Domingo Esteban , Martín Verónica
Published: November 2012

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) has contributed to unveil some of the molecular mechanisms of lethal mutagenesis, or loss of virus infectivity due to increased mutation rates. Here we review these developments, and provide additional evidence that ribavirin displays a dual mutagenic and inhibitory activity on LCMV that can be relevant to treatment designs. Using 5-fluorouracil as mutagenic agent and ribavirin either as inhibitor or mutagen, we document an advantage of a sequential inhibitor-mutagen administration over the corresponding combination treatment to achieve a low LCMV load in cell culture. This advantage is accentuated in the concentration range in which ribavirin acts mainly as an inhibitor, rather than as mutagen. This observation reinforces previous theoretical and experimental studies in supporting a sequential inhibitor-mutagen administration as a possible antiviral design. Given recent progress in the development of new inhibitors of arenavirus replication, our results suggest new options of ribavirin-based anti-arenavirus treatments.
Germination failure is not a critical stage of reproductive isolation between three congeneric orchid species
Authors: De hert Koen , Honnay Olivier , Jacquemyn Hans
Published: November 2012

• Premise of the study: In food‐deceptive orchid species, postmating reproductive barriers (fruit set and embryo mortality) have been shown to be more important for reproductive isolation than premating barriers (pollinator isolation). However, currently there is very little knowledge about whether germination failure acts as a reproductive barrier in hybridizing orchid species.

• Methods: In this study, we investigated germination and protocorm development of pure and hybrid seeds of three species of the orchid genus Dactylorhiza. To test the hypothesis that germination failure contributed to total reproductive isolation, reproductive barriers based on germination were combined with already available data on early acting barriers (fruit set and embryo mortality) to calculate the relative and absolute contributions of these barriers to reproductive isolation.

• Key Results: Protocorms were formed in all crosses, indicating that both hybrid and pure seeds were able to germinate and grow into protocorms. Also, the number of protocorms per seed packet was not significantly different between hybrid and pure seeds. High fruit set, high seed viability, and substantial seed germination resulted in very low reproductive isolation (average RI = 0.05). In two of six interspecific crosses, hybrids performed even better than the intraspecific crosses.

• Conclusions: Very weak postmating reproductive barriers were observed between our study species and may explain the frequent occurrence of first‐generation hybrids in mixed Dactylorhiza populations. Germination failure, which is regarded as one of the most important bottlenecks in the orchid life cycle, was not important for reproductive isolation.
SVE : mobilité et construction de soi
Authors: Hedjerassi Nassira , Razafindrazaka Frank
Published: November 2012

Résumé Ce texte rend compte d’une recherche sur l’accompagnement à la mobilité de jeunes dans le cadre du service volontaire européen. Ce programme visant à promouvoir une citoyenneté active européenne auprès des jeunes de 18 à 25 ans nous paraît intéressant pour questionner l’expérience et le sens de la mobilité. À partir du suivi de soixante-sept volontaires, nous avons cherché à saisir ce qui se jouait pour eux et d’eux dans cette expérience. Les premiers résultats de notre analyse font ressortir un cheminement conduisant à une découverte de soi en plusieurs temps, engageant dans un processus de dé-couverte de soi (au sens littéral).
The role of ultraviolet radiation and fish in regulating the vertical distribution of Daphnia
Authors: Rose Kevin C. , Williamson Craig E. , Fischer Janet M. , Connelly Sandra J. , Olson Mark , Tucker Andrew J. , Noe Douglas A.
Published: November 2012

Previous studies have demonstrated independent effects of both solar ultraviolet radiation (UV; 280–400 nm) and planktivorous fish on the vertical distribution of Daphnia. We examined the behavioral response of adult and juvenile Daphnia to both UV and planktivorous fish simultaneously in a small temperate lake in eastern Pennsylvania by conducting a large‐scale (15 m deep) in situ mesocosm experiment with full factorial treatments (± UV and ± fish). UV induced an avoidance of the surface waters in both juvenile and adult Daphnia. In contrast, the response of Daphnia to fish depended on the presence of UV, with a clear interactive effect. In the presence of both UV and fish, Daphnia were deeper in the water column than they were in the absence of either UV or fish. Sampling of the lake also revealed a rapid upward shift in the depth distribution of both juveniles and adults following a rare and intense early‐summer storm that reduced the lake's transparency to both UV (for example, 380 nm UV‐A) and photosynthetically active radiation (400–700 nm) by 44% and 39%, respectively. Evidence of a novel benefit to UV avoidance behavior was also observed: surface avoidance of UV reduces the hazards of Daphnia getting caught in the surface air–water interface and perishing. These results highlight the interactive effects of fish and UV on Daphnia vertical distribution under near‐natural conditions in situ.
The Promotion of Sufi sm in the Politics of Algeria and Morocco
Authors: Muedini Fait
Published: November 2012

This paper examines the promotion of Sufism by government leaders in Algeria and Morocco. Specifically, this paper finds that both Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria and Mohammed VI of Morocco have each emphasized Sufi Islam in a number of manners that include but are not limited to public media statements about the value of Sufi sm in society, as well as voicing support with regard to organizing conferences on Sufism. But while such actions are often carried out in the name of combating religious extremism, statements made about Sufi sm by such leaders also seem to suggest that they may be operating under the assumption that Sufis are either apolitical and thus are not seen as a threat, or that Sufism can be used to counter Islamist organizations that are politically challenging to the government.
Implementation of dust emission and chemistry into the Community Multiscale Air Quality modeling system and initial application to an Asian dust storm episode
Authors: Wang K. , Zhang Y. , Nenes A. , Fountoukis C.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. The US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system version 4.7 is further developed to enhance its capability in simulating the photochemical cycles in the presence of dust particles. The new model treatments implemented in CMAQ v4.7 in this work include two online dust emission schemes (i.e., the Zender and Westphal schemes), nine dust-related heterogeneous reactions, an updated aerosol inorganic thermodynamic module ISORROPIA II with an explicit treatment of crustal species, and the interface between ISORROPIA II and the new dust treatments. The resulting improved CMAQ (referred to as CMAQ-Dust), offline-coupled with the Weather Research and Forecast model (WRF), is applied to the April 2001 dust storm episode over the trans-Pacific domain to examine the impact of new model treatments and understand associated uncertainties. WRF/CMAQ-Dust produces reasonable spatial distribution of dust emissions and captures the dust outbreak events, with the total dust emissions of ~111 and 223 Tg when using the Zender scheme with an erodible fraction of 0.5 and 1.0, respectively. The model system can reproduce well observed meteorological and chemical concentrations, with significant improvements for suspended particulate matter (PM), PM with aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm, and aerosol optical depth than the default CMAQ v4.7. The sensitivity studies show that the inclusion of crustal species reduces the concentration of PM with aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 μm (PM2.5) over polluted areas. The heterogeneous chemistry occurring on dust particles acts as a sink for some species (e.g., as a lower limit estimate, reducing O3 by up to 3.8 ppb (~9%) and SO2 by up to 0.3 ppb (~27%)) and as a source for some others (e.g., increasing fine-mode SO42− by up to 1.1 μg m−3 (~12%) and PM2.5 by up to 1.4 μg m−3 (~3%)) over the domain. The long-range transport of Asian pollutants can enhance the surface concentrations of gases by up to 3% and aerosol species by up to 20% in the Western US.
First middle-atmospheric zonal wind profile measurements with a new ground-based microwave Doppler-spectro-radiometer
Authors: Rüfenacht R. , Kämpfer N. , Murk A.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. We report on the wind radiometer WIRA, a new ground-based microwave Doppler-spectro-radiometer specifically designed for the measurement of middle-atmospheric horizontal wind by observing ozone emission spectra at 142.17504 GHz. Currently, wind speeds in five levels between 30 and 79 km can be retrieved which makes WIRA the first instrument able to continuously measure horizontal wind in this altitude range. For an integration time of one day the measurement error on each level lies at around 25 m s−1. With a planned upgrade this value is expected to be reduced by a factor of 2 in the near future. On the altitude levels where our measurement can be compared to wind data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) very good agreement in the long-term statistics as well as in short time structures with a duration of a few days has been found. WIRA uses a passive double sideband heterodyne receiver together with a digital Fourier transform spectrometer for the data acquisition. A big advantage of the radiometric approach is that such instruments can also operate under adverse weather conditions and thus provide a continuous time series for the given location. The optics enables the instrument to scan a wide range of azimuth angles including the directions east, west, north, and south for zonal and meridional wind measurements. The design of the radiometer is fairly compact and its calibration does not rely on liquid nitrogen which makes it transportable and suitable for campaign use. WIRA is conceived in a way that it can be operated remotely and does hardly require any maintenance. In the present paper, a description of the instrument is given, and the techniques used for the wind retrieval based on the determination of the Doppler shift of the measured atmospheric ozone emission spectra are outlined. Their reliability was tested using Monte Carlo simulations. Finally, a time series of 11 months of zonal wind measurements over Bern (46°57′ N, 7°26′ E) is presented and compared to ECMWF wind data.
Nitrate removal in a restored riparian groundwater system: functioning and importance of individual riparian zones
Authors: Peter S. , Rechsteiner R. , Lehmann M. F. , Brankatschk R. , Vogt T. , Diem S. , Wehrli B. , Tockner K. , Durisch-Kaiser E.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. For the design and the assessment of river restoration projects, it is important to know to what extent the elimination of reactive nitrogen (N) can be improved in the riparian groundwater. We investigated the effectiveness of different riparian zones, characterized by a riparian vegetation succession, for nitrate (NO3−) removal from infiltrating river water in a restored and a still channelized section of the river Thur, Switzerland. Functional genes of denitrification (nirS and nosZ) were relatively abundant in groundwater from willow bush and mixed forest dominated zones, where oxygen concentrations remained low compared to the main channel and other riparian zones. After flood events, a substantial decline in NO3− concentration (> 50%) was observed in the willow bush zone but not in the other riparian zones closer to the river. In addition, the characteristic enrichment of 15N and 18O in the residual NO3− pool (by up to 22‰ for δ15N and up to 12‰ for δ18O) provides qualitative evidence that the willow bush and forest zones were sites of active denitrification and, to a lesser extent, NO3− removal by plant uptake. Particularly in the willow bush zone during a period of water table elevation after a flooding event, substantial input of organic carbon into the groundwater occurred, thereby fostering post-flood denitrification activity that reduced NO3− concentration with a rate of ~21 μmol N l−1 d−1. Nitrogen removal in the forest zone was not sensitive to flood pulses, and overall NO3− removal rates were lower (~6 μmol l−1 d−1). Hence, discharge-modulated vegetation–soil–groundwater coupling was found to be a key driver for riparian NO3− removal. We estimated that, despite higher rates in the fairly constrained willow bush hot spot, total NO3− removal from the groundwater is lower than in the extended forest area. Overall, the aquifer in the restored section was more effective and removed ~20% more NO3− than the channelized section.
Ozone stress as a driving force of sesquiterpene emissions: a suggested parameterisation
Authors: Bourtsoukidis E. , Bonn B. , Dittmann A. , Hakola H. , Hellén H. , Jacobi S.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. Sesquiterpenes (C15H24) are semi-volatile organic compounds emitted by vegetation and are of interest in atmospheric research because they influence the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere and contribute to the formation of secondary organic aerosols. However, little is known about their emission pattern and no established parameterisation is available for global emission models. The aim of this study is to investigate a Central European spruce forest and its emission response to meteorological and environmental parameters, looking for a parameterisation that incorporates heat and oxidative stress as the main driving forces of the induced emissions. Therefore, a healthy ca. 80 yr old Norway spruce (Picea abies) tree was selected and a dynamical vegetation enclosure technique was applied from April to November 2011. The emissions clearly responded to temperature changes with small variations in the β-factor along the year (βspring = 0.09 ± 0.01, βsummer = 0.12 ± 0.02, βautumn = 0.11 ± 0.02). However, daily calculated values revealed a vast amount of variability in temperature dependencies ((0.02 ± 0.002) < β < (0.27 ± 0.04)) with no distinct seasonality. By separating the complete dataset in 10 different ozone regimes, we found that in moderately or less polluted atmospheric conditions the main driving force of sesquiterpene emissions is the temperature, but when ambient ozone mixing ratios exceed a critical threshold of (36.6 ± 3.9) ppbv, the emissions become primarily correlated with ozone. Considering the complete dataset, cross correlation analysis resulted in highest correlation with ambient ozone mixing ratios (CCO3 = 0.63 ± 0.01; CCT = 0.47 ± 0.02 at t = 0 h for temperature) with a time shift 2–4 h prior to the emissions. An only temperature dependent algorithm was found to substantially underestimate the induced emissions (20% of the measured; R2 = 0.31). However, the addition of an ozone dependent term improved substantially the fitting between measured and modelled emissions (81% of the modelled emissions could be explained by the measurements; R2 = 0.63), providing confidence about the reliability of the suggested parameterisation for the spruce forest site investigated.
Method of evaluation of efficiency improvement potential for water supply systems with focus on variable speed centrifugal pumps
Authors: Pilscikovs D. , Dzelzitis E.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. The goal of this research is the derivation of the method for evaluation of efficiency improvement potential for public water supply systems with a focus on centrifugal network pumps. The efficiency of proportional pressure control usage has been analyzed for variable speed pumps. It has been done if proportional pressure control is used in comparison with constant pressure control mode. For this reason, energy calculation analyses have been realized for variable speed centrifugal pumps, and the theoretical tool of estimation of the efficiency improvement potential for public water supply systems has been derived. The conclusions are as follows: (1) it has been found that 1110 MWh of annually consumed electrical energy can be saved up, if the control mode of variable speed network pumps will be changed from constant pressure to proportional pressure control mode with the deviation of 20% from head value of duty point at zero flow; (2) about 13 MWh of annually consumed electrical energy can be saved up, if the proportional pressure control mode with the deviation of 15% will be changed to the deviation of 20%; (3) totally about 1123 MWh or 1.12 GWh (14% of the annually consumed electrical energy by variable speed network pumps) can be saved up in small public water supply systems in Latvia.
Modeling wet deposition and concentration of inorganics over Northeast Asia with MRI-PM/c
Authors: Kajino M. , Deushi M. , Maki T. , Oshima N. , Inomata Y. , Sato K. , Ohizumi T. , Ueda H.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. We conducted a regional-scale simulation over Northeast Asia for the year 2006 using an aerosol chemical transport model, with time-varying lateral and upper boundary concentrations of gaseous species predicted by a global stratospheric and tropospheric chemistry-climate model. The present one-way nested global-through-regional-scale model is named the Meteorological Research Institute–Passive-tracers Model system for atmospheric Chemistry (MRI-PM/c). We evaluated the model's performance with respect to the major anthropogenic and natural inorganic components, SO42−, NH4+, NO3−, Na+ and Ca2+ in the air, rain and snow measured at the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET) stations. Statistical analysis showed that approximately 40–50 % and 70–80 % of simulated concentration and wet deposition of SO42−, NH4+, NO3−and Ca2+ are within factors of 2 and 5 of the observations, respectively. The prediction of the sea-salt originated component Na+ was not successful at near-coastal stations (where the distance from the coast ranged from 150 to 700 m), because the model grid resolution (Δx=60 km) is too coarse to resolve it. The simulated Na+ in precipitation was significantly underestimated by up to a factor of 30.
Investigation of solute transport in nonstationary unsaturated flow fields
Authors: Chang C.-M. , Yeh H.-D.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. Most theoretical work on analyzing plume spreading at the field scale in a partially saturated heterogeneous formation assumes weak stationarity of velocity field. While this assumption is not applicable to the case of a bounded flow domain, the nonstationarity in fluctuations of unsaturated velocity fields is induced through the presence of the boundary conditions in the flow domain. In this work, we attempt to quantify the large-time macrodispersion in nonstationary unsaturated velocity fields caused by the presence of a fixed head boundary condition. Application of the perturbation-based nonstationary spectral approach leads to an analytical expression for the macrodispersion describing the field-scale dispersive solute flux in terms of the statistical moments of two formation parameters: the Gardener's parameter (α) and the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks). The results predicted from the expression indicate that the enhanced unsaturated plume spreading can arise from a larger correlation scale of ln Ks or ln α fields. In addition, the α-parameter takes the role in reducing the field-scale plume spreading.
Evaluation of classical spatial-analysis schemes of extreme rainfall
Authors: Ceresetti D. , Ursu E. , Carreau J. , Anquetin S. , Creutin J. D. , Gardes L. , Girard S. , Molinié G.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. Extreme rainfall is classically estimated using raingauge data at raingauge locations. An important related issue is to assess return levels of extreme rainfall at ungauged sites. Classical methods consist in interpolating extreme-value models. In this paper, such methods are referred to as regionalization schemes. Our goal is to evaluate three classical regionalization schemes. Each scheme consists of an extreme-value model (block maxima, peaks over threshold) taken from extreme-value theory plus a method to interpolate the parameters of the statistical model throughout the Cévennes-Vivarais region. From the interpolated parameters, the 100-yr quantile level can be estimated over this whole region. A reference regionalization scheme is made of the couple block maxima/kriging, where kriging is an optimal interpolation method. The two other schemes differ from the reference by replacing either the extreme-value model block maxima by peaks over threshold or kriging by a neural network interpolation procedure. Hyper-parameters are selected by cross-validation and the three regionalization schemes are compared by double cross-validation. Our evaluation criteria are based on the ability to interpolate the 100-yr return level both in terms of precision and spatial distribution. It turns out that the best results are obtained by the regionalization scheme combining the peaks-over-threshold method with kriging.
A clustering analysis of eddies' spatial distribution in the South China Sea
Authors: Yi J. , Du Y. , Wang X. , He Z. , Zhou C.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. Spatial variation is important for studying the mesoscale eddies in the South China Sea (SCS). To investigate such spatial variations, this study made a clustering analysis on eddies' distribution using the K-means approach. Results showed that clustering tendency of anticyclonic eddies (AEs) and cyclonic eddies (CEs) were weak but not random, and the number of clusters were proved greater than four. Finer clustering results showed 10 regions where AEs densely populated and 6 regions for CEs in the SCS. Previous studies confirmed these partitions and possible generation mechanisms were related. Comparisons between AEs and CEs revealed that patterns of AE are relatively more aggregated than those of CE, and specific distinctions were summarized: (1) to the southwest of Luzon Island, AEs and CEs are generated spatially apart; AEs are likely located north of 14° N and closer to shore, while CEs are to the south and further offshore; (2) the Central SCS and Nansha Trough are mostly dominated by AEs; (3) along 112° E, clusters of AEs and CEs are located sequentially apart, and the pair off Vietnam represents the dipole eddies; (4) to the southwest of Dongsha Islands, AEs are concentrated to the east of CEs. Overlaps of AEs and CEs in the northeastern and Southern SCS were further examined considering seasonal variations. The northeastern overlap represented near-concentric distributions while the southern one was a mixed effect of seasonal variations, complex circulations and topography influences.
Antifungal Activity against Candida Biofilms
Authors: Iñigo Melania , Pemán Javier , Del Pozo Jose L
Published: November 2012

Candida species have two distinct lifestyles: planktonic, and surface-attached communities called biofilms. Mature C. albicans biofilms show a complex three-dimensional architecture with extensive spatial heterogeneity, and consist of a dense network of yeast, hyphae, and pseudohyphae encased within a matrix of exopolymeric material. Several key processes are likely to play vital roles at the different stages of biofilm development, such as cell-substrate and cell-cell adherence, hyphal development, and quorum sensing. Biofilm formation is a survival strategy, since biofilm yeasts are more resistant to antifungals and environmental stress. Antifungal resistance is a multifactorial process that includes multidrug efflux pumps, target proteins of the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway. Most studies agree in presenting azoles as agents with poor activity against Candida spp. biofilms. However, recent studies have demonstrated that echinocandins and amphotericin B exhibit remarkable activity against C. albicans and Candida non-albicans biofilms. The association of Candida species with biofilm formation increases the therapeutic complexity of foreign body-related yeast infections. The traditional approach to the management of these infections has been to explant the affected device. There is a strong medical but also economical motivation for the development of novel anti-fungal biofilm strategies due to the constantly increasing resistance of Candida biofilms to conventional antifungals, and the high mortality caused by related infections. A better description of the extent and role of yeast in biofilms may be critical for developing novel therapeutic strategies in the clinical setting.
Effect of Alumina on Microstructure and Compressive Strength of a Porous Silicated Hydroxyapatite
Authors: Rabiee Sayed Mahmood , Ravarian Roya , Mehmanchi Mohammad , Khoshakhlagh Parastoo , Azizian Misaq
Published: November 2012

Purpose

We investigated the effects of alumina addition on microstructure and compressive strength of a porous silicate substituted hydroxyapatite (Si-HA).

Methods

Hydroxyapatite (HA) was synthesized under precipitation conditions and 10 %Wt. of sol–gel derived CaO. P2O5.SiO2 based bioglass (BG) powder was added to HA. Polyurethane foam was used to form a high porous structure with integral porosity of 70%. Phase analysis was performed using XRD and FTIR and the microstructure was studied using SEM.

Results

The results confirmed that the Si-HA was the only formed phase before Al2O3 addition while after addition the presence of silicon-incorporated HA and alumina without any other phases was proved using these analyses.

Conclusions

The porous structures of Si-HA and Al2O3 were synthesized using the replication technique. The compressive strength of porous bioceramics increased with increasing Al2O3 content up to 30 wt % (ANOVA, p<.05).
Fuzzy adaptive catfish particle swarm optimization
Authors: Chuang Li-Yeh , Tsai Sheng-Wei , Yang Cheng-Hong
Published: November 2012

The catfish particle swarm optimization (CatfishPSO) algorithm is a novel swarm intelligence optimization technique.This algorithm was inspired by the interactive behavior of sardines and catfish. The observed catfish effect is applied toimprove the performance of particle swarm optimization (PSO). In this paper, we propose fuzzy CatfishPSO(F-CatfishPSO), which uses fuzzy to dynamically change the inertia weight of CatfishPSO. Ten benchmark functions with10, 20, and 30 different dimensions were selected as the test functions. Statistical analysis of the experimental resultsindicates that F-CatfishPSO outperformed PSO, F-PSO and CatfishPSO.
An ABC-Genetic method to solve resource constrained project scheduling problem
Authors: Akbari Reza , Zeighami Vahid , Akbari Ismail
Published: November 2012

The aim of this work is to study the effect of hybridization on the performance of the Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) as arecently introduced metaheuristic for solving Resource Constrained Project Scheduling Problem (RCPSP). For thispurpose the ABC is combined with the Genetic Algorithm (GA). At the initial time, the algorithm generates a set ofschedules randomly. The initial solution is evaluated against constraints and the infeasible solutions are resolved tofeasible ones. Then, the initial schedules will be improved iteratively using hybrid method until termination condition ismet. The proposed method works by interleaving the ABC and GA search processes. The GA method updates schedulesby considering the best solution found by the ABC approach. Next the ABC approach picks the solutions found by GAsearch. A new approach is used by the algorithm to maintain the priorities of the activities in feasible ranges. Theperformance of the proposed algorithm is compared against a set of state-of-art algorithms. The simulation results showedthat the proposed algorithm provides an efficient way for solving RCPSP and produce competitive results compared toother algorithms investigated in this work.
Detection of damaged seeds in laboratory evaluation of precision planter using impact acoustics and artificial neural networks
Authors: Karimi Hadi , Navid Hossein , Mahmoudi Asghar
Published: November 2012

In the present study, feasibility of laboratory detection of damaged seeds in precision planters caused by malfunction of seed metering device was investigated. An acoustic-based intelligent system was developed for detection of damaged pelleted tomato seeds. To improve the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models a total of 2000 seeds sound signals, 1000 samples for damaged seeds and 1000 for undamaged ones were recorded. When seed metering device drove out seeds, the ejected seeds were impacted to steel plate, and their acoustic signals were recorded from the impact. The bounced seeds lied on the running grease belt. In each stage of experiments, damaged seeds were determined manually in grease belt and related damaged seed sound signals were designated. Achieved acoustic signals, were processed and potential features were extracted from the analysis of sound signals in time and frequency domains. The method is based on feature generation by Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), feature selection by statistical methods and classification by Multilayer Feed forward Neural Network. Features such as amplitude, phase and power spectrum of sound signals were computed through a 1024-point FFT. By using statistical factors (maximum, minimum, median, mean and variance) for each vector of data, feature vector was reduced to 15 factors. In developing the ANN models, several ANN architectures, each having different numbers of neurons in hidden layer, were evaluated. The best model was chosen after a number of evaluations based on minimizing the mean square error (MSE), correct detection rate (CDR) and correlation coefficient (r). Selected ANN, 15-17-2 was configured for classification. CDR of the proposed ANN model for undamaged and damaged seeds was 99.49 and 100 respectively. MSE of the system was found to be 0.0109.
A hybrid agent based virtual organization for studying knowledge evolution in social systems
Authors: Srinivasan Sujatha , Ramakrishnan Sivakumar
Published: November 2012

Social modeling applies computational methods and techniques to the analysis of social processes and human behavior.Cultural algorithms (CA’s) are evolutionary systems which utilize agent technology and which supports any evolutionarystrategy like genetic algorithm, evolutionary algorithm or swarm intelligence or ant algorithms. CA’s have been used formodeling the evolution of complex social systems, for re-engineering rule based systems, for data mining, and for solvingoptimization problems. In the current study a cultural algorithm framework is used to model an Agent Based VirtualOrganization (ABVO) for studying the dynamics of a social system at micro as well as macro level. Research gap exists indefining a concrete and systematic method for evaluating and validating Agent Based Social Systems (ABSS). Also theknowledge evolution process at micro and macro levels of an organization needs further exploration. The proposed CA isapplied to the problem of multi-objective optimization (MOO) of classification rules. The evolutionary knowledgeproduced by the agents in creating the rules is accepted into the belief space of the CA and macro evolution takes place.The belief space in turn influences the agents in successive generations. The rules created by the individuals and theknowledge sources created during evolution provide a concrete method to evaluate both the individuals as well as thewhole social system. The feasibility of the system has been tested on bench mark data sets and the results are encouraging.
Glenn Gould : les stratégies du compositeur et la musique de son temps d’après sa correspondance
Authors: Guertin Ghyslaine
Published: November 2012

Si le Gould virtuose du piano est bien connu, le Gould compositeur l’est beaucoup moins. Pourtant sa démarche se manifeste très tôt dans ses projets d’écriture ambitieux – musiques de chambre, opéras, symphonies – et dans son attitude négative à l’égard de sa vie de concertiste l’empêchant de se réaliser. Sa demi-retraite de la scène en 1962 – soit deux ans avant de mettre fin définitivement  à sa carrière de concertiste – constitue une première étape dans l’accomplissement du rêve de sa vie : devenir compositeur et pouvoir se consacrer entièrement à l’évolution de l’écriture déjà amorcée dans le passé. Cet article propose une visite dans ce vaste atelier de création regroupant les activités compositionnelles de Gould et ses idées sur la musique de son temps, telles que représentées surtout dans sa correspondance.
La recherche de l’instrument idéal
:
Compte rendu de Katie Hafner, A Romance on Three Legs. Glenn Gould’s Obsessive
Quest for the Perfect Piano, New York, Bloomsbury, 2008, 259 p.
Authors: Leroux Georges
Published: November 2012

Essai en forme de compte rendu de l’ouvrage de Katie Hafner, A Romance on Three
Legs. Glenn Gould’s Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano, New York, Bloomsbury, 2008,
259 p.
Permanent deficits in handgrip strength and running speed performance in low birth weight children
Authors: Moura‐Dos‐Santos Marcos , Wellington‐Barros João , Brito‐Almeida Marcelus , Manhães‐de‐Castro Raul , Maia José , Góis Leandro Carol
Published: November 2012

Objective:

The main goal of this study was to verify the influence of low birth weight (LBW) on the physical fitness of children aged 7–10 years. The comparisons were subsequently adjusted for chronological age, gender, physical activity (PA), and body composition.

Methods:

A total of 356 children of both genders born in Vitoria de Santo Antão (Northeast of Brazil) were divided into two groups according to their birth weight (LBW < 2.500 g, n = 100, and normal birth weight, NBW ≥ 3.000 g and ≤ 3.999 g, n = 256). Body composition measurements included body weight, height, body mass index, triceps, and subscapular skinfolds, and body fat percentage (%BF). PA was assessed by a questionnaire. Physical fitness was assessed by handgrip strength, muscle endurance, explosive power, flexibility, agility, maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), and running speed.

Results:

LBW children were shorter, lighter, had lower fat‐free mass, muscle strength, and running speed but a higher VO2max than the NBW group. The differences in body weight (P = 0.507), height (P = 0.177), fat‐free mass (P = 0.374), and VO2max (P = 0.312) disappeared when adjusted for covariates. The differences in right and left handgrip strength (P < 0.01) and running speed (P < 0.01) remained significant even when controlled for age, gender, height, fat‐free mass, and PA.

Conclusion:

This combined analysis suggests that LBW alone can be not considered as a biological determinant of growth, body composition, or physical fitness in children, but is a predictor of muscle strength and running speed. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Accuracy and concordance of anthropometry for measuring regional fat distribution in adults aged 20–55 years
Authors: Scafoglieri Aldo , Tresignie Jonathan , Provyn Steven , Marfell‐Jones Mike , George Keith , Clarys Jan Pieter , Bautmans Ivan
Published: November 2012

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the accuracy and concordance of anthropometrically derived prediction equations for the estimation of regional fat mass (FM) distribution.

Methods: Sixty‐two white males and 50 females with a large range of age (20−55 years) and BMI (16.6−33.4 kg/m2) were included. Whole body dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans were acquired and anthropometric prediction equations for regional FM were developed and cross‐validated. On the basis of the total sample two anthropometrically derived indices of FM distribution
$\Big({{{\rm FM}_{{\rm trunk}} } \over {{\rm FM}_{{\rm limbs}} }}$
ratio and ${{{\rm \%FM}_{{\rm trunk}} } \over {{\rm \%FM}_{{\rm legs}} }} \ {\rm ratio}\Big)$
were compared with their DXA analogues.

Results: In both sexes multiple linear regression models predicted the regional DXA fat masses with good accuracy (P < 0.001). In men mean bias (limits of agreement) were: −6.8 g (−535,364) for FMarms, 65 g (−1921,2052) for FMtrunk, −21 g (−1374,1332) for FMlegs, −0.2% (−5.0,4.7) for %FMtrunk and −0.5% (−6.8,5.8) for %FMlegs. In women mean difference (limits of agreement) were: −86 g (−463,450) for FMarms, 30 g (−1784,1844) for FMtrunk, −278 g (−1782,1227) for FMlegs, 0.4% (−5.5,6.3) for %FMtrunk, and 0.3% (−8.3,8.9) for %FMlegs. No systematic (constant and proportional) differences between methods for the determination of FM distribution ratios were found, suggesting method interchangeability. The concordance for subject classification based on t‐scores according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) was significant (P < 0.001), with substantial agreement for
${{{\rm FM}_{{\rm trunk}} } \over {{\rm FM}_{{\rm limbs}} }}$
ratio (κw = 0.80) and ${{{\rm \%FM}_{{\rm trunk}} } \over {{\rm \%FM}_{{\rm legs}} }}$
ratio (κw = 0.75).

Conclusion: Anthropometric variables offer promise to the development of simple, noninvasive, and inexpensive screening to identify individuals with abnormal FM distribution. The anthropometrically derived indices of FM distribution demonstrate sufficient accuracy for clinical use. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Relationship of 2D:4D finger ratio with androgen receptor CAG and GGN repeat polymorphism
Authors: Zhang Chuan , Dang Jie , Pei Liguo , Guo Mengjing , Zhu Hao , Qu Lei , Jia Fei , Lu Hong , Huo Zhenghao
Published: November 2012

Objectives:

The relative length of the second‐to‐fourth digits (2D:4D) has been linked with prenatal androgen in humans. A recent study shows that the 2D:4D ratio in mice is controlled by the balance of androgen to estrogen signaling during a narrow window of digit development. Androgen receptor (AR) activity is higher in digit 4 than in digit 2, and inactivation of AR decreases growth of digit 4, which causes a higher 2D:4D ratio. At the molecular level, the effect of androgens is mediated through the activation of AR. The CAG/GGN repeat polymorphisms of the AR gene are associated with AR activity. Here, we investigate the effect of CAG/GGN repeat polymorphisms in AR on 2D:4D in Chinese.

Methods:

Digit lengths of the second and fourth fingers were measured from photocopies of the ventral surface of the hand and by actual finger measurements. We genotyped AR polymorphisms by ABI 3730 DNA analyzer.

Results:

We found that left hand 2D:4D ratio was longer than that of the right hand both in males and in females. We failed to find any relationship between CAG / GGN alleles and the left hand, right hand, right minus left‐hand or mean hand 2D:4D ratios (all, r < 0.20, P > 0.05).

Conclusions:

In this study, we first found that the left hand 2D:4D ratio was longer than that of the right hand in both males and females. However, we found that both CAG and GGN alleles were not associated with the left hand, right hand, right minus left‐hand or mean hand 2D:4D ratios. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.