bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Simple Economies with Multiple Equilibria
Authors: Bergstrom Theodore C , Shimomura Ken-Ichi , Yamato Takehiko
Published: December 2009

We study a general class of pure exchange economies that have multiple equilibria. This class generalizes an example presented by Shapley and Shubik. For such economies, we find easily verified conditions that determine whether there are multiple equilibria. We also provide simple methods for constructing economies in which arbitrary pre-specified sets of prices are equilibria. These economies have strong comparative statics properties, since prices at interior competitive equilibrium depend on the parameters of utility but not on the endowment quantities. We believe that this easily manipulated special case is a valuable addition to the class of simple general equilibrium economies that can be used as testing grounds in economic theory.
Defining the Optimal Selenium Dose for Prostate Cancer Risk Reduction: Insights from the U-Shaped Relationship between Selenium Status, DNA Damage, and Apoptosis
Authors: Chiang Emily C. , Shen Shuren , Kengeri Seema S. , Xu Huiping , Combs Gerald F. , Morris J. Steven , Bostwick David G. , Waters David J.
Published: December 2009

Our work in dogs has revealed a U-shaped dose response between selenium status and prostatic DNA damage that remarkably parallels the relationship between dietary selenium and prostate cancer risk in men, suggesting that more selenium is not necessarily better. Herein, we extend this canine work to show that the selenium dose that minimizes prostatic DNA damage also maximizes apoptosis—a cancer-suppressing death switch used by prostatic epithelial cells. These provocative findings suggest a new line of thinking about how selenium can reduce cancer risk. Mid-range selenium status (.67–.92 ppm in toenails) favors a process we call “homeostatic housecleaning”—an upregulated apoptosis that preferentially purges damaged prostatic cells. Also, the U-shaped relationship provides valuable insight into stratifying individuals as selenium-responsive or selenium-refractory, based upon the likelihood of reducing their cancer risk by additional selenium. By studying elderly dogs, the only non-human animal model of spontaneous prostate cancer, we have established a robust experimental approach bridging the gap between laboratory and human studies that can help to define the optimal doses of cancer preventives for large-scale human trials. Moreover, our observations bring much needed clarity to the null results of the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) and set a new research priority: testing whether men with low, suboptimal selenium levels less than 0.8 ppm in toenails can achieve cancer risk reduction through daily supplementation.
Injection of Resperpine into Zebrafish, Prevents Fish to Fish Communication of Radiation-Induced Bystander Signals: Confirmation in vivo of a Role for Serotonin in the Mechanism
Authors: Saroya Rohin , Smith Richard , Seymour Colin , Mothersill Carmel
Published: December 2009

Serotonin (5-HT) has been implicated as a potential modulator of the bystander effect in cell cultures. To assess the relevance of serotonin in vivo experiments were done with the zebrafish ( Danio rerio). This species, when irradiated, transmits bystander signals to non-irradiated fish. The animals were injected with reserpine, an inhibitor of serotonin at a dose of 80mg/kg of body mass. The results show that reserpine treated fish had only 27% of the serotonin in non-treated fish. Skin tissue samples were collected from the fish and assayed for bystander signal production using a reporter bioassay. Reserpine prevented the production and communication of signals between fish. Intracellular calcium flux, identified as a bystander response in the reporter cells confirmed this. Medium harvested from tissues of X-rayed fish and their bystanders, showed an oscillating pattern of calcium flux. Samples from X-rayed fish pretreated with reserpine produced a chaotic pattern of random fluctuations in the reporter cells, while their bystander fish led to increased calcium, but no oscillations. These results suggest that 5-HT is involved in bystander signalling in zebrafish, and by decreasing the amount of available 5-HT the bystander effect can be blocked.
Correlation between steroid receptors, angiogenic factors, and classical prognostic parameters in node-negative breast cancer patients
Authors: Vujasinovic Tijana , Markicevic M. , Rabi Abu , Nikolic-Vukosavljevic Dragica
Published: December 2009

Breast cancer (BC) progression is an estrogen receptor (ER) signaling- and angiogenesis-dependent process. This study investigated relationships between classical prognostic factors and biomarkers ER, PR, VEGF, and bFGF in node-negative BC patients. Positive correlation between ER and both PR (p < 0.001) or FGF (p = 0.04) levels indicates ER-regulated expression of these factors and a potential synergistic effect of ER and bFGF in tumor progression. Aside from correlation of age with ER and bFGF levels (p = 0.003; p = 0.05; respectively), no correlation of biomarkers with classical prognostic parameters was found, indicating that those biomarkers could be independent prognostic factors.
Patterns and relationships of plant traits, community structural attributes, and eco-hydrological functions during a subtropical secondary succession in central Yunnan, Southwest China
Authors: Fu Denggao , Duan Changqun , Hou Xiul , Xia Tiyuan , Gao Kai
Published: December 2009

Human-induced changes in land use lead to major changes in plant community composition and structure which have strong effects on eco-hydrological processes and functions. We here tested the hypothesis that changes in traits of living plants have resulted in changes in structural attributes of the community that influenced eco-hydrological functions by altering eco-hydrological processes. This was done in the context of a subtropical secondary forest suc?cession following land abandonment in Central Yunnan (Southwest China). During the succession, species with high specific leaf area (SLA), high leaf nitrogen concentration (LNC), high specific root length (SRL), and low leaf dry matter content (LDMC) were progressively replaced by species with the opposite characteristics. The obtained results of correlation analyses were as follows: (1) Correlations were significant between community-aggregated SLA, LNC, and the leaf area index (LAI). Significant correlations were detected between LAI, canopy interception and stemflow, and surface runoff and soil erosion. (2) Significant correlations were also found between community-aggregated SLA, LNC, LDMC, and accumulated litter biomass. High accumulated litter biomass strongly increases the maximum water-retaining capac?ity of litter. However, significant correlations were not found between the maximum water-retaining capacity of litter and surface runoff and soil erosion. (3) Correlations were significant between community-aggregated SLA, LNC, and fine root biomass. Fine root biomass was not significantly related to the maximum water-retaining capacity of the soil, but was significantly related to surface runoff and soil erosion. These results suggest that canopy characteristics play a more important role in control of runoff and soil erosion at the studied site. It follows that plant functional traits are closely linked with canopy characteristics, which should be used as a standard for selecting species in restoration and revegetation for water and soil conservation.
Roncus jelasnicae, a new epigean pseudoscorpion of the genus Roncus L. Koch, 1873, from East Serbia
Authors: Curcic B.P.M. , Dimitrijevic R.N.
Published: December 2009

A new endemic epigean species from the Jelasnicka Klisura Gorge, near Nis, East Serbia, is erected, described and illustrated. Its main morphometric characters and important diagnostic features are analyzed and compared to those of its two closest congeners, Roncus jarilo Curcic and Roncus titilin Curcic, from East and Southeastern Serbia, respectively.
A revision of Magdelainella jeannel, with a description of m. Studenicae sp. n. (Coleoptera, Leiodidae, Leptodirini), a new endogean beetle from Serbia
Authors: Curcic S.B. , Makarov S.E. , Curcic B.P.M.
Published: December 2009

A new species of endogean leptodirine leiodids (Magdelainella studenicae sp. n.) from the valley of the Studenica River, village of Milice, near Usce in Southwest Serbia, is diagnosed and described. This new species differs clearly from all other closely related taxa. Magdelainella Jeannel belongs to a phyletic lineage which includes three more genera: Knirschiella Gu?orguiev, Kosaniniella S. Curcic, Brajkovic & B. Curcic, and Derveniella Pavicevic & Perreau. Derveniella is given full generic status in the present paper; its members are known from Southeast Serbia only. Magdelainella noesskei (Apfelbeck), M. winkleri Jeannel, M. bozidarcurcici S. Curcic & Brajkovic, M. mucanjensis S. Curcic, Brajkovic, B. Curcic & Sch?nmann, M. milojebrajkovici S. Curcic & B. Curcic, M. zivojindjordjevici S. Curcic, Brajkovic, B. Curcic & Sch?nmann, and M. nikolateslai S. Curcic, Brajkovic, B. Curcic & Sch?nmann are sharply delimited and represent valid species. The following new combinations are proposed for three species of Magdelainella: Kosaniniella hussoni (Jeannel), comb n., K. nonveilleri (Pavicevic & Perreau), comb. n., and K. orientalis (Pavicevic & Perreau), comb. n. The Magdelainella-Knirschiella-Kosaniniella-Derveniella complex is probably of Mesogeid age and origin; its species originated during the Alpine Orogeny, which affected vast areas of the Balkan Peninsula, their terra typica.
Extraction and determination of major hypotensive compounds in bark of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.
Authors: Xiao Jianbo , Wei Xinlin , Wang Yuanfeng
Published: December 2009

A reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method was developed for the quantitative determination of three major hypotensive compounds, namely geniposidic acid, chlorogenic acid, and geniposide in the bark of Eucommia ulmoides. Soxhlet extraction of GPA, GPS, and CA from E. ulmoides was optimized according to the Taguchi experimental design. Maximum global yields were obtained using the following conditions: extraction temperature, 80?C; extraction time, 1 h; number of extractions, three; solvent volume, 16 ml/g of sample; and 50% ethanol concentration in water. Optimal conditions of separation and detection were achieved on a Diamonsil ODS C18 column (150 mm ? 4.6 mm, 5 ?m) with a linear gradient of methanol and 0.04% aqueous phosphoric acid (v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min and detection wavelength of 240 nm. All calibration curves showed good linearity (r2 > 0.999) within test ranges. The relative deviation of this method was less than 3% for intra- and inter-day assays, and the recovery percentage of the method was 95-104%, with a relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of less than 5%. The current assay method was used for quantitative determination of geniposidic acid, chlorogenic acid, and geniposide in five samples of E. ulmoides with different age. The results indicate that the developed method could be readily utilized as a quality control method in working with E. ulmoides.
Population dynamics of the species Plantago major L. and Poa annua L. in a replacement series experiment
Authors: Mijovic A. , Stavretovic N. , Popovic Zorica
Published: December 2009

Population dynamics of the species Plantago major L. and Poa annua L., typical representatives of ruderal vegetation, was analyzed in a replacement series experiment. The analyzed species were sown in an area with meadow vegetation, where the vegetation present had been previously removed by a total herbicide and additionally by hoeing. The objective of the experiment was to monitor growth dynamics and the effect of intra- and inter-specific interaction of the species Plantago major and Poa annua in conditions of different sowing densities and proportions. The effects of intra- and inter-specific interference and the density-dependent responses were assessed on the basis of several parameters (natality, mortality, age structure, and measures of ontogenetic changes). Based on the study results, it can be concluded that the responses of the species in the experiment were different, which is explained by different adaptive mechanisms, i.e., strategies, in the specific environmental conditions. An effect of the density dependent response was present in both species in the replacement series experiment. The response was amplified by water deficit caused by intensive evapora?tion of the bare soil. No effect of inter-specific interference was observed at the given densities of the study species on the sample plots. An effect of intra-specific interference of the species Plantago major and Poa annua was observed in the guise of a density-negative response of the rate of ontogenetic changes and fecundity.
Determination of heavy metal deposition in the county of Obrenovac (Serbia) using mosses as bioindicators, IV: Manganese (Mn), Molybdenum (Mo), and Nickel (Ni)
Authors: Vukojevic V. , Sabovljevic M. , Sabovljevic Aneta , Mihajlovic Nevena , Drazic Gordana , Vucinic Z.
Published: December 2009

In this study, the deposition of three heavy metals (Mn, Mo, and Ni) in the county of Obrenovac (Serbia) in four moss taxa (Bryum argenteum, Bryum capillare, Brachythecium sp., and Hypnum cupressiforme) is presented. The distribution of average heavy metal content in all mosses in the county of Obrenovac is presented on maps, while the long-term atmospheric deposition (in the mosses Bryum argenteum and B. capillare) and short term atmospheric deposition (in the mosses Brachythecium sp. and Hypnum cupressiforme) are discussed and given in tabular form. Areas of the highest contaminations are highlighted.
Mechanochemical synthesis and electrical conductivity of nanocrystalline δ-Bi2O3 stabilized by HfO2 and ZrO2
Authors: Zdujic Miodrag , Poleti Dejan , Jovalekic Cedomir , Karanovic Ljiljana
Published: December 2009

A powder mixture of ?-Bi2O3 and HfO2, in the molar ratio 2:3, was mechanochemically treated in a planetary ball mill under air, using zirconium oxide vials and balls as the milling medium. After 50 h of milling, the mechanochemical reaction led to the formation of a nanocrystalline ?-Bi2O3 phase (fluorite-type solid solution Bi0.78Hf0.59Zr0.63O3.61), with a crystallite size of 20 nm. The mechanochemical reaction started at a very beginning of milling accompanied by an accumulation of ZrO2 arising from the milling tools. The samples prepared after various milling times were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and DSC analysis. The electrical properties of the as-milled and pressed Bi0.78Hf0.59Zr0.63O3.61 powder were studied using impedance spectroscopy in the temperature range from 100 to 700?C under air. The electrical conductivity was determined to be 9.43?10-6 and 0.080 S cm-1 for the temperatures of 300 and 700?C, respectively.
Obtaining the Varshni potential function using the 2-body Kaxiras-Pandey parameters
Authors: Lim Teik-Cheng
Published: December 2009

A generalized version of the Varshni potential function was adopted by Kaxiras and Pandey for describing the 2-body energy portion of multi-body condensed matter. The former's simplicity and resemblance to a Morse potential allows faster computation while the latter's greater number of parameters allows better curve-fitting of spectroscopic data. This paper shows one set of parameter conversion from the Varshni function to the 2-body portion of the Kaxiras-Pandey function, and vice versa two sets of parameter conversion. The latter two sets reveal good correlation between plotted curves, and were verified by the imposition of equal energy curvatures at equilibrium and equal energy integral from equilibrium to dissociation. These parameter conversions can also be attained more easily by equating the product of indices (for short range) and the summation of index reciprocals (for long range).
A trust region method using subgradient for minimizing a nondifferentiable function
Authors: Gardasevic-Filipovic Milanka
Published: December 2009

The minimization of a particular nondifferentiable function is considered. The first and second order necessary conditions are given. A trust region method for minimization of this form of the objective function is presented. The algorithm uses the subgradient instead of the gradient. It is proved that the sequence of points generated by the algorithm has an accumulation point which satisfies the first and second order necessary conditions.
Heuristic algorithm for single resource constrained project scheduling problem based on the dynamic programming
Authors: Stanimirovic Ivan , Petkovic Marko , Stanimirovic Predrag , Ciric Miroslav
Published: December 2009

We introduce a heuristic method for the single resource constrained project scheduling problem, based on the dynamic programming solution of the knapsack problem. This method schedules projects with one type of resources, in the non-preemptive case: once started an activity is not interrupted and runs to completion. We compare the implementation of this method with well-known heuristic scheduling method, called Minimum Slack First (known also as Gray-Kidd algorithm), as well as with Microsoft Project.
Does Public Ownership of Equity Improve Earnings Quality?
Authors: Givoly Dan , Hayn Carla K. , Katz Sharon P.
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT: We compare the quality of accounting numbers produced by two types of public firms—those with publicly traded equity and those with privately held equity that are nonetheless considered public by virtue of having publicly traded debt. We develop and test two hypotheses. The “demand” hypothesis holds that earnings of public equity firms are of higher quality than earnings of private equity firms due to stronger demand by shareholders and creditors for quality reporting. In contrast, the “opportunistic behavior” hypothesis posits that public equity firms, because their managers have a greater incentive to manage earnings, have lower earnings quality than their private equity peers. The results indicate that, consistent with the “opportunistic behavior” hypothesis, private equity firms have higher quality accruals and a lower propensity to manage income than public equity firms. We further find that public equity firms report more conservatively, in line with their greater litigation risk and agency costs.
Auditor Liability and Client Acceptance Decisions
Authors: Laux Volker , Paul Newman D.
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT: The accounting profession has raised concerns that excessive liability exposure renders audit firms unwilling to provide audit services to risky clients, limiting the prospective clients' ability to raise external capital. We address this concern in a model in which the auditor evaluates the riskiness of the client before accepting the client engagement. We consider a setting in which a shift to stricter legal liability regimes not only increases the expected damage payments from the auditor to investors in case of audit failure, but also increases litigation frictions such as attorneys' fees. The main finding is that the relationship between the strictness of the legal regime and the probability of client rejection is U-shaped. Our model suggests that in environments with moderate legal liability regimes, the client rejection rate is lower than in environments with relatively strong or relatively weak legal regimes.
Group-Based Compensation in Professional Service Firms: An Empirical Analysis of Medical Group Practices
Authors: Pizzini Mina
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT: This study investigates factors influencing the use of group-based compensation in professional service partnerships and the relation between group-based compensation and performance. I use data on 11,971 physicians in 935 medical groups to expand the extant literature on group incentives by providing some of the first large-sample, empirical evidence on the role of task interdependence, income risk, mutual monitoring, and group size in a firm's choice of compensation contract. Consistent with agency theory, I find that group incentives are more prevalent in medical partnerships that practice highly task-interdependent specialties and those that face greater malpractice risk. Group-based incentives are also more common in relatively small groups in which homogeneity in training, experience, and gender facilitate mutual monitoring. Tests relating individual physician productivity to compensation method suggest that productive benefits induced by group incentives offset reductions in output associated with free-riding and effort devoted to monitoring.
Cerebral Metabolic Alterations in Rats With Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Authors: Glaser Nicole , Yuen Natalie , Anderson Steven E. , Tancredi Daniel J. , O'Donnell Martha E.
Published: December 2009

OBJECTIVE

Cerebral edema is a life-threatening complication of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in children. Recent data suggest that cerebral hypoperfusion and activation of cerebral ion transporters may be involved, but data describing cerebral metabolic alterations during DKA are lacking.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We evaluated 50 juvenile rats with DKA and 21 normal control rats using proton and phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). MRS measured cerebral intracellular pH and ratios of metabolites including ATP/inorganic phosphate (Pi), phosphocreatine (PCr)/Pi, N-acetyl aspartate (NAA)/creatine (Cr), and lactate/Cr before and during DKA treatment. We determined the effects of treatment with insulin and intravenous saline with or without bumetanide, an inhibitor of Na-K-2Cl cotransport, using ANCOVA with a 2 × 2 factorial study design.

RESULTS

Cerebral intracellular pH was decreased during DKA compared with control (mean ± SE difference −0.13 ± 0.03; P < 0.001), and lactate/Cr was elevated (0.09 ± 0.02; P < 0.001). DKA rats had lower ATP/Pi and NAA/Cr (−0.32 ± 0.10, P = 0.003, and −0.14 ± 0.04, P < 0.001, respectively) compared with controls, but PCr/Pi was not significantly decreased. During 2-h treatment with insulin/saline, ATP/Pi, PCr/Pi, and NAA/Cr declined significantly despite an increase in intracellular pH. Bumetanide treatment increased ATP/Pi and PCr/Pi and ameliorated the declines in these values with insulin/saline treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

These data demonstrate that cerebral metabolism is significantly compromised during DKA and that further deterioration occurs during early DKA treatment—consistent with possible effects of cerebral hypoperfusion and reperfusion injury. Treatment with bumetanide may help diminish the adverse effects of initial treatment with insulin/saline.
Gene Variants of TCF7L2 Influence Weight Loss and Body Composition During Lifestyle Intervention in a Population at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Haupt Axel , Thamer Claus , Heni Martin , Ketterer Caroline , Machann Jürgen , Schick Fritz , Machicao Fausto , Stefan Norbert , Claussen Claus D. , Häring Hans-Ulrich , Fritsche Andreas , Staiger Harald
Published: December 2009

OBJECTIVE

The impact of the diabetes risk gene transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) on body weight is unclear. As TCF7L2 is expressed in adipose tissue and involved in Wnt-dependent regulation of adipogenesis, we studied the impact of TCF7L2 variants on body composition and weight loss during lifestyle intervention.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We genotyped 309 German subjects at increased risk for type 2 diabetes for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs7903146, rs12255372, rs11196205, and rs7895340 in TCF7L2 and performed oral glucose tolerance tests before and after a 9-month lifestyle intervention. Fat distribution was quantified using whole-body magnetic resonance imaging/spectroscopy in a subgroup of 210 subjects.

RESULTS

After adjustment for confounding variables, we observed a negative impact of the type 2 diabetes allele of SNP rs7903146 on change in BMI (P = 0.0034) and on changes in nonvisceral (P = 0.0032) and visceral fat (P = 0.0165) during lifestyle intervention. An association of rs7903146 with lifestyle intervention-induced changes in insulin secretion, glucose concentrations, liver fat, or insulin sensitivity were not detected (all P > 0.2). Essentially the same results were obtained with SNP rs1255372. In contrast, we found no effects of SNPs rs11196205 and rs7895340 on change in BMI (all P ≥ 0.5).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data reveal that diabetes-associated alleles of TCF7L2 are associated with less weight loss in response to lifestyle intervention. Thus, diabetes-associated TCF7L2 gene variation predicts the success of lifestyle intervention in terms of weight loss and determines individual susceptibility toward environmental factors.
Metabolic Changes Following a 1-Year Diet and Exercise Intervention in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Albu Jeanine B. , Heilbronn Leonie K. , Kelley David E. , Smith Steven R. , Azuma Koichiro , Berk Evan S. , Pi-Sunyer F. Xavier , Ravussin Eric ,   the Look AHEAD Adipose Research Group
Published: December 2009

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the relationships among long-term improvements in peripheral insulin sensitivity (glucose disposal rate [GDR]), fasting glucose, and free fatty acids (FFAs) and concomitant changes in weight and adipose tissue mass and distribution induced by lifestyle intervention in obese individuals with type 2 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We measured GDR, fasting glucose, and FFAs during a euglycemic clamp and adipose tissue mass and distribution, organ fat, and adipocyte size by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, CT scan, and adipose tissue biopsy in 26 men and 32 women in the Look-AHEAD trial before and after 1 year of diet and exercise aimed at weight loss.

RESULTS

Weight and fasting glucose decreased significantly (P < 0.0001) and significantly more in men than in women (−12 vs. −8% and −16 vs. −7%, respectively; P < 0.05), while FFAs during hyperinsulinemia decreased and GDR increased significantly (P < 0.00001) and similarly in both sexes (−53 vs. −41% and 63 vs. 43%; P = NS). Men achieved a more favorable fat distribution by losing more from upper compared with lower and from deeper compared with superficial adipose tissue depots (P < 0.01). Decreases in weight and adipose tissue mass predicted improvements in GDR but not in fasting glucose or fasting FFAs; however, decreases in FFAs during hyperinsulinemia significantly determined GDR improvements. Hepatic fat was the only regional fat measure whose change contributed independently to changes in metabolic variables.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing a 1-year lifestyle intervention had significant improvements in GDR, fasting glucose, FFAs and adipose tissue distribution. However, changes in overall weight (adipose tissue mass) and hepatic fat were the most important determinants of metabolic improvements.
Radiometric Age Analyses of Rocks from the Northern Envelope of the Karkonosze Massif, the Sudetes, Poland: A Comparative Geochronological Study
Authors: Jarmołowicz-Szulc Katarzyna , Halas Stanislaw , Wójtowicz Artur
Published: December 2009

K-Ar determinations have been conducted on the background of the earlier radiometric data in the eastern part of the northern Karkonosze-Izera envelope of the granite massif, composed of different varieties of granites, gneisses and mica schists. The values of the K-Ar age for minerals and rocks from the Karkonosze-Izera block lie in the wide interval ranging from 226.0±6.7 Ma to 386.1±3.0 Ma. The K-Ar age data obtained by volumetric method oscillate between 308±21 and 372±26 Ma. Most biotite K-Ar age values of the Izera granite-gneisses complex give an average age of 316.1±3.3 Ma. They correspond to the cooling age of the Karkonosze pluton while the data below 300 Ma are minimum age values that postdate the last granite intrusion of the Krkonoše-Jizera pluton. The obtained results over 300 Ma are mixed apparent ages between the age of the Karkonosze and the Izera granite ages. The K-Ar dates in the studied region have been compared with fission-track (FT) ages of zircon and titanite in the same area which display another distribution pattern.
Comprehensibility as a Factor in Listener Interaction Preferences: Implications for the Workplace
Authors: Derwing Tracey M. , Munro Murray J.
Published: December 2009

Changing economic realities in Canada are likely to result in increased employment opportunities for immigrant professionals. In Alberta, where these changes have already begun, issues of language in the workplace have surfaced, some relating to oral skills. In this investigation of Canadian-born employees' preferences for 40 L2 accented voices, 16 native English speakers selected a preferred voice from pairs of Mandarin- and Slavic-language-accented speech samples varying in comprehensibility. We found that comprehensibility figured importantly in their choices, as did fluency. In fact, listener preferences were influenced by comprehensibility differences of about one point on a nine-point rating scale. An additional 14 native English speakers undertook a preference task in which speech samples were presented according to degree of accent. Although this latter group tended to prefer less accented over more accented speakers, accentedness itself was less important than comprehensibility when the two groups' preferences were compared. These findings are discussed with reference to LINC (Language Instruction to Newcomers in Canada) and other ESL programming and to English in the workplace.
Institutional Forces and L2 Writing Feedback in Higher Education
Authors: Séror Jérémie
Published: December 2009

There has recently been growing interest in the relationship between second language (L2) writing development and the institutional contexts in which this process is embedded. The present study examines this relationship by reporting on an eight-month qualitative investigation of international university students and their perspectives on the impact of feedback practices for L2 writing development in content courses. Drawing on interviews with five focal students and four focal instructors, as well as on writing samples and course documents, this study illustrates the powerful but often unspoken impact that institutional factors such as departmental budgets and prescribed grade distributions have on L2 writers and their instructors. These factors are shown to constrain students’ and instructors’ abilities to discuss how discipline-specific writing is structured and how it might be negotiated and ultimately understood. Implications focus on the challenges of helping L2 students develop academic writing skills without also addressing the institutional factors that underlie writing and feedback practices.
Redemptive Spaces: Magdalen House and Prostitution in the Novels and Letters of Richardson
Authors: Koehler Martha J.
Published: December 2009

Various constructions and themes in Samuel Richardson's novels and his early letters to Lady Bradshaigh, examined in the context of mid-century reformist writings about prostitution, such as the Magdalen narratives, reveal his ambivalent treatment of fallen women. These constructions include the distinction between seduced and hardened women in Pamela as well as the undoing of that distinction in Clarissa, the irreducible nature of women's partiality for libertines and its corollary, the desexualization that becomes the condition for Clarissa's paragon status, and the distinctively female vice of moral indignation against women in Sir Charles Grandison. In this essay, I show that Richardson's sympathetic and progressive impulses towards Magdalens could not keep pace with those impulses that were traditional and misogynistic.
Having Text: Desire and Language in Haywood's Love in Excess and The Distressed Orphan
Authors: Harrow Sharon
Published: December 2009

In this article, I read two of Eliza Haywood's popular amatory novels—Love in Excess (1719) and The Distressed Orphan; or, Love in a Mad-House (1726)—in the context of her philosophical poems in order to shed light on the ways in which Haywood re-scripts both conventional seduction narratives and patriarchy's master narrative. Haywood uses the trope of confinement to reconceptualize the power of language in relation to female desire. She grants epistemological authority to women's intellect and to passion, and she uses the novel genre to show that illegitimate, feminized passion is as legitimate a way to understand the world as is masculinized reason.
Analyzing Multimodal Public Transport Journeys in London with Smart Card Fare Payment Data
Authors: Seaborn Catherine , Attanucci John , Wilson Nigel H. M.
Published: December 2009

This paper contributes to the emerging literature on the application of smart card fare payment data to public transportation planning. The research objective is to identify and assess complete, multimodal journeys using Oyster smart card fare payment data in London. Three transfer combinations (bus-to-Underground, Underground-to-bus, and bus-to-bus) are considered to formulate recommendations for maximum elapsed time thresholds to identify transfers between journey stages for each passenger on the London network. Recommended elapsed time thresholds for identifying transfers are 20 min for Underground-to-bus, 35 min for bus-to-Underground, and 45 min for bus-to-bus, but a range of values that account for variability across the network are also assessed. Key findings about bus and Underground travel in London include an average of 2.3 daily public transportation journeys per passenger, 1.3 journey stages per public transportation journey, and 23% of Underground journeys involving a transfer to or from a bus. The application of complete journey data to bus network planning is used to illustrate the value of new information that would be available to network planners through the use of smart card fare payment data.
Estimation for Seasonal Factors of Similarity-Based Traffic for Urban Roads in Florida
Authors: Yang Shanshan , Lu Chenxi , Zhao Fang , Reel Richard , O'Hara J. Douglas
Published: December 2009

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) estimates seasonal factors (SFs) by using data obtained from approximately 300 telemetry traffic monitoring sites, which are used in the calculation of annual average daily traffic (AADT) at portable traffic monitoring sites (PTMSs). Both the estimation and the application of seasonal factors are based on the consideration of similarities in the traffic characteristics of roads and on engineering judgment. FDOT desires a more objective and data-driven method to improve the accuracy of SF estimation for PTMSs. A previous study investigated traffic and land use data in Southeast and North Florida and demonstrated the possibility of identifying the link between land use variables and seasonal factors. This paper describes a statewide investigation to identify potentially influential variables that contribute to seasonal fluctuations in traffic volumes in urban areas in Florida. A method is also developed for assigning seasonal factors to PTMSs. The test results show that the errors of the estimated seasonal factors are on average 5%. This method is promising for application in both urban and rural areas to improve accuracy in AADT estimation.
Detecting Differential Drift in Weigh-in-Motion Wheel Track Sensors
Authors: Nichols Andrew P. , Bullock Darcy , Schneider William
Published: December 2009

Weigh-in-motion (WIM) sensors are being used by state agencies for commercial vehicle weight enforcement applications that require a high level of accuracy for determining individual vehicle weights. Existing methods of evaluating WIM weight data accuracy have not been effective for detecting small but consistent calibration drifts. This paper proposes the use of a left–right differential metric that is computed as a percentage difference between the left and right wheel weights on the steer axle of Class 9 trucks for WIM sensors that measure and report individual left and right wheel weights. In this paper, the left–right differential is monitored over time by using statistical process control charts to identify when sensors are exhibiting statistically significant variations. The monitoring procedure can be integrated into existing quality control programs. Data from WIM sites in Indiana and California were used to evaluate the effectiveness of this metric.
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE BASIC FEATURES OF THE EXPECTED AND PERCEIVED QUALITY OF MASS PASSENGER PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICE IN BELGRADE
Authors: Filipović Snežana , Tica Slaven , Živanović Predrag , Milovanović Branko
Published: December 2009

Recently, negative trends towards the environment where the system of Mass Passenger Public Transport (MPPT) operates continue to grow. Mobility and citizens’ standard of living are constantly increasing. A significant increase in using private cars (level of motorization) along with all negative consequences faced under such circumstances as an increase in traffic volume, congestions, a decrease in travelling speed, a higher number of traffic accidents, greater negative influence on the environment etc. can be noticed. The city of Belgrade has recognized the significance of continuous research and has monitored the quality of Mass Passenger Public Transport service as well as changes that are taking place in order to influence some specific parts of transport and traffic policy in the city. This paper contains the benchmarking of results obtained in research and a trend towards changes in the expected and perceived quality of service (QoS) within the system of Mass Passenger Public Transport in Belgrade within the period from 2005 to 2007.
MATHEMATICAL MODELLING OF NETWORK TRAFFIC FLOW
Authors: Junevičius Raimundas , Bogdevičius Marijonas
Published: December 2009

The article describes mathematical models of traffic flows to initiate different traffic flow processes. Separate elements of traffic flow models are made in a way to be connected together to get a single complex model. A model of straight road with different boundary conditions is presented as a separate part of the network traffic flow model. First testing is conducted in case the final point of the whole modelled traffic line is closed and no output from that point is possible. The second test is performed when a constant value of traffic flow speed and traffic flow rate is entered. Mathematical simulation is carried out and the obtained results are listed.
THE RAILWAY INFORMATION SYSTEM AS A QUEUEING SYSTEM
Authors: Melikyan Alla
Published: December 2009

The present article dwells upon the Information System (IS) of Latvian railways providing the analysis of the queuing system (QS) used to removing defects occurring in the infinite linear queuing system. The author of the article analyzes research data about the failures of system functioning in order to establish the parameters of the before mentioned system and other information systems used by Latvian railways. The structure of accidents happening in the informative systems and the removal of possible defects are researched. The present investigation provides evidence that substantiates a Markov hypothesis about the peculiarities of IS service. The author also examines the organizational structure of IS taking into consideration the level of the danger of possible accidents. The statistics of the failures of IS relates to the statistics of accidents that might happen to rolling stock.
CARRIER'S LIABILITY UNDER INTERNATIONAL MARITIME CONVENTIONS AND THE UNCITRAL DRAFT CONVENTION ON CONTRACTS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL CARRIAGE OF GOODS WHOLLY OR PARTLY BY SEA
Authors: Tong-jiang Su , Peng Wang
Published: December 2009

The UNCITRAL Draft Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea was approved on Thursday, 3 July 2008 and would then be presented to the General Assembly of the United Nations for endorsement later this year. Many innovative features contained in the Draft Convention fill the perceived gaps in existing transport regimes. Carrier's liability compared with international maritime conventions and the Draft Convention as well as China Maritime Code is discussed in the paper. It is pointed out that although the Draft Convention plays a very important role in the development of international private maritime law regime, the entry into the force of the Draft Convention is not optimistic.
Incidence of Wegener’s Granulomatosis in Children
Authors: GRISARU SILVIU , YUEN GILBERT W.H. , MIETTUNEN PAIVI M. , HAMIWKA LORRAINE A.
Published: December 2009

Objective.

To determine the incidence and longitudinal trends of Wegener’s granulomatosis (WG) in the pediatric population of Southern Alberta over the last 15 years.

Results.

Fifteen cases of childhood WG were confirmed. The average annual incidence was 2.75 cases/million/year, with a steep increase over the last 5 years to 6.39 cases/million/year.

Conclusion.

In Southern Alberta the incidence of childhood WG during the past 15 years was comparable to the incidence reported in adults and it seems to be increasing. Further studies are required to determine if this is a regional or global phenomenon.
B Cells Delay Neutrophil Migration toward the Site of Stimulus: Tardiness Critical for Effective Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Vaccination against Tuberculosis Infection in Mice
Authors: Kondratieva Tatiana K. , Rubakova Elvira I. , Linge Irina A. , Evstifeev Vladimir V. , Majorov Konstantin B. , Apt Alexander S.
Published: December 2009

Mutations in the btk gene encoding Bruton’s tyrosine kinase cause X-linked immune deficiency, with impaired B lymphocyte function as the major phenotype. Earlier, we demonstrated that CBA/N-xid mice, unlike the wild-type CBA mice, were not protected by bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination against tuberculosis infection. Because IFN-γ–producing T cells and activated macrophages are key elements of antituberculosis protection, it remained unclear how the mutation predominantly affecting B cell functions interferes with responses along the T cell–macrophage axis. In this study, we show that B cell deficiency leads to an abnormally rapid neutrophil migration toward the site of external stimulus. Using adoptive cell transfers and B cell genetic knockout, we demonstrate a previously unappreciated capacity of B cells to downregulate neutrophil motility. In our system, an advanced capture of BCG by neutrophils instead of macrophages leads to a significant decrease in numbers of IFN-γ–producing T cells and impairs BCG performance in X-linked immune-deficient mice. The defect is readily compensated for by the in vivo neutrophil depletion.
Invariant NKT Cells in Hyperplastic Skin Induce a Local Immune Suppressive Environment by IFN-γ Production
Authors: Mattarollo Stephen R. , Rahimpour Azad , Choyce Allison , Godfrey Dale I. , Leggatt Graham R. , Frazer Ian H.
Published: December 2009

NKT cells can promote or inhibit adaptive immune responses. Cutaneous immunity is tightly regulated by cooperation between innate and adaptive immune processes, but the role of NKT cells in regulating cutaneous immunity is largely unknown. In this study, we show, in a mouse model, that skin-infiltrating CD1d-restricted NKT cells in HPV16-E7 transgenic hyperplastic skin produce IFN-γ, which can prevent rejection of HPV16-E7–expressing skin grafts. Suppression of graft rejection is associated with the accumulation of CD1dhi-expressing CD11c+F4/80hi myeloid cells in hyperplastic skin. Blockade of CD1d, removal of NKT cells, or local inhibition of IFN-γ signaling is sufficient to restore immune-mediated graft rejection. Thus, inhibition of NKT cell recruitment or function may enable effective immunity against tumor and viral Ags expressed in epithelial cells.
Flows on $S$-arithmetic homogeneous spaces and applications to metric Diophantine approximation
Authors: Kleinbock Dmitry , Tomanov George
Published: December 2009

The main goal of this work is to establish quantitative nondivergence estimates for flows on homogeneous spaces of products of real and

p

-adic Lie groups. These results have applications both to ergodic theory and to Diophantine approximation. Namely, earlier results of Dani (finiteness of locally finite ergodic unipotent-invariant measures on real homogeneous spaces) and Kleinbock–Margulis (strong extremality of nondegenerate submanifolds of

ℝ^n

) are generalized to the

S

-arithmetic setting.
The continuous cohomology of period domains over local fields
Authors: Orlik Sascha
Published: December 2009

In this paper we consider period domains over local fields for quasi-split reductive groups. We compute the continuous

ℓ

-adic cohomology with compact support of them in the case of a basic isocrystal. This paper is a continuation of [O2] where we considered the étale cohomology with torsion coefficients of these spaces.
On Hilbert’s 17th Problem for global analytic functions in dimension 3
Authors: Fernando José F.
Published: December 2009

Among the invariant factors

g

of a positive semidefinite analytic function

f

on

ℝ^3

, those

g

whose zero set

Y

is a curve are called
special
. We show that if each special

g

is a sum of squares of global meromorphic functions on a neighbourhood of

Y

, then

f

is a sum of squares of global meromorphic functions. Here sums can be (convergent) infinite, but we also find some sufficient conditions to get
finite
sums of squares. In addition, we construct several examples of positive semidefinite analytic functions which are infinite sums of squares but maybe could not be finite sums of squares.
Stability of isometric maps in the Heisenberg group
Authors: Arcozzi Nicola , Morbidelli Daniele
Published: December 2009

In this paper we prove approximation results for biLipschitz maps in the Heisenberg group. Namely, we show that a biLipschitz map with biLipschitz constant close to one can be pointwise approximated, quantitatively in any fixed ball, by an isometry. This leads to an approximation in BMO norm for the map's Pansu derivative. We also prove that a global quasigeodesic can be approximated by a geodesic on any fixed segment.
Jenkins–Strebel differentials with poles
Authors: Liu Jinsong
Published: December 2009

Given any compact Riemann surface with finitely many punctures, we show that there exists a unique
Jenkins–Strebel differential
on the Riemann surface with prescribed heights. In addition, the differential has second order poles at the distinguished punctures with prescribed leading coefficients. As a corollary, we obtain the solution of the moduli problem.
Curvature integrals on the real Milnor fibre
Authors: Dutertre Nicolas
Published: December 2009

Let

f : ℝ^{n + 1} → ℝ

be a polynomial with an isolated critical point at

0

and let

f_t : ℝ^{n + 1} → ℝ

be a one-parameter deformation of

f

. We study the differential geometry of the real Milnor fiber

C_t^ε = f_t^{−1} (0) ∩ B_ε^{n + 1}

. More precisely, we express the limits

\lim_{ε → 0} \lim_{t → 0} \frac 1  {ε^k} \int_{C_t^ε} s_{n − k} (x) dx,

where

s_{n − k}

is the

(n − k)

th symmetric function of curvature, in terms of the following averages of topological degrees:

\int_{G_{n+1}^k} \deg_0 ∇(f |_H) dH,

where

G_{n+1}^k

is the Grassmann manifold of

k

-dimensional planes through the origin of

ℝ^{n + 1}

.

When

0

is an algebraically isolated critical point, we study the limits

\lim_{ε → 0} \lim_{t → 0} \frac 1 {ε^k} \int_{C_t^ε} h_{n − k} (x) dx,

where the

h_{n − k}

are positive extrinsic curvature functions. We prove that these limits are finite and that they are bounded in terms of the Milnor–Teissier numbers of the complexification of

f

.