bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
APalaearctic migratory raptor species tracks shifting prey availability within its wintering range in theSahel
Authors: Trierweiler Christiane , Mullié Wim C. , Drent Rudi H. , Exo Klaus‐Michael , Komdeur Jan , Bairlein Franz , Harouna Abdoulaye , de Bakker Marinus , Koks Ben J.
Published: November 2012

Mid‐winter movements of up to several hundreds of kilometres are typical for many migratory bird species wintering in Africa. Unpredictable temporary food concentrations are thought to result in random movements of such birds, whereas resightings and recoveries of marked birds suggest some degree of site fidelity. Only detailed (e.g. satellite) tracking of individual migrants can reveal the relative importance and the causes of site choice flexibility and fidelity. The present study investigates how mid‐winter movements of aPalaearctic‐African migratory raptor,Montagu's harrierCircus pygargus, in theSahel ofWestAfrica are related to the availability of food resources.

Thirty harriers breeding or hatched in northernEurope were satellite tracked (2005–2009). On average, four home ranges, each separated byc. 200 km, were visited during one overwinter stay in theSahel. Wintering home ranges were similar in size to breeding season home ranges (average over wintering and breeding home range sizec. 200 km2), and harriers showed high site fidelity between years.

Most preferred habitat types in theSahel were mosaics of grass‐ and cropland, indicating similar habitat preferences in both the breeding‐ and wintering seasons.

The main prey ofMontagu's harriers in theSahel were grasshoppersAcrididae. Highest grasshopper numbers in the field occurred at relatively low vegetation greenness [normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values 0·17–0·27]. We usedNDVIas a proxy of food availability for harriers.

During their overwinter stay,Montagu's harriers moved in aSouth–South‐western direction between consecutive home ranges. The birds selected areas within the range ofNDVIvalues associated with high grasshopper numbers, thus tracking a ‘green belt’ of predictable changes in highest grasshopper availability.

Contrary to earlier hypotheses of random movements in theSahelian‐wintering quarters, the present study shows thatMontagu's harriers visited distinct home ranges, they were site‐faithful and tracked seasonal changes in food availability related to previous rainfall patterns, caused by the shiftingIntertropicalConvergenceZone. Itinerancy may be the rule rather than an exception among insectivorous birds wintering inAfrican savannahs.
Cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the family questionnaire in a Brazilian sample of relatives of schizophrenia outpatients
Authors: Zanetti Ana CG , Wiedemann Georg , Dantas Rosana AS , Hayashida Miyeko , de Azevedo‐Marques João M , Galera Sueli AF
Published: November 2012

Aims and objectives

To evaluate the internal reliability and validity of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Family Questionnaire among families of schizophrenia outpatients.

Background

The main studies about the family environment of schizophrenia patients are related to the concept of Expressed Emotion. There is currently no instrument to evaluate this concept in Brazil that is easily applicable and comparable with studies from other countries.

Design

Methodological and cross‐sectional research design.

Method

A convenience sample of 130 relatives of schizophrenia outpatients was selected. The translation and cultural adaptation of the instrument involved experts in mental health and experts in the German language and included back translation, semantic evaluation of items and pretesting of the instrument with 30 relatives of schizophrenia outpatients. The psychometric properties of the instrument were studied with another 100 relatives, which fulfilled the requirements for the Brazilian Portuguese version of the instrument. The psychometric properties of the instrument were assessed by construct validity (using an analysis of its key components, comparisons between distinct groups–convergent validity with the Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence Scale) and reliability (checking the internal consistency of its items and its test–retest reproducibility).

Results

The analysis of main components confirmed dimensionality patterns that were comparable between the original and adapted versions. In two domains of the instrument, critical comments and emotional over‐involvement had moderate and significant correlations, respectively, with Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence Scale, appropriate values of Cronbach's alpha and strong and significant correlations, respectively, in test–retest reproducibility. We observed significant differences between distinct groups of parents in the category of emotional over‐involvement.

Conclusion

We conclude that the Portuguese‐adapted version of the Family Questionnaire is valid and reliable for the study sample.

Relevance to clinical practice

This study provided evidence that the Family Questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing expressed emotion. It is easy and practical to use and is acceptable for use in a Brazilian cultural population.
Rapid decreases in salinity, but not increases, lead to immune dysregulation in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.)
Authors: Choi K , Cope W G , Harms C A , Law J M
Published: November 2012

Rapid changes in salinity, as with other environmental stressors, can have detrimental effects on fish and may trigger increased susceptibility to disease. However, the precise mechanisms of these effects are not well understood. We examined the effects of sudden increases or decreases in salinity on teleost immune function using Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.), as the fish model in a battery of bioassays of increasing immune system specificity. Two different salinity experiments were performed: one of increasing salinity (0 to 5, 10 and 20 g L−1) and one of decreasing salinity (20 to 15, 10 and 5 g L−1). Histopathology of anterior kidney, gills, gonads, intestines and liver of exposed fish was performed, but no remarkable lesions were found that were attributable to the salinity treatment regimes. The spleen was removed from each fish for analysis of cytokine expression, and peripheral blood was used for haematology, cortisol and phagocytosis assays. In the increasing salinity experiments, no significant changes were observed in any immune system assays. However, in the decreasing salinity experiments, lymphopenia, neutrophilia and monocytosis were observed in the peripheral blood without modification of the packed cell volume, plasma protein or plasma cortisol levels. Phagocytosis was increased in response to decreases in salinity from 20 g L−1 to 15 g L−1, 10 g L−1 and 5 g L−1, whereas phagocytic index was not significantly altered. Transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) transcription increased during the same decreases in salinity. However, the TGF‐β value at 5 g L−1 was less than those in the 15 and 10 g L−1 salinity treatments. Interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) transcription did not significantly respond to either salinity regime. In total, acute salinity changes appeared to trigger reactive dysregulation of the immune response in tilapia, a situation which, when combined with additional co‐occurring stressors such as sudden changes in temperature and/or dissolved oxygen, could make fish more susceptible to infectious diseases. Accordingly, these findings may help to explain how sudden environmental changes may initiate disease outbreaks and lead to critical declines in cultured or wild fish populations.
Mucosal cutting biopsy technique for histological diagnosis of suspected gastrointestinal stromal tumors of the stomach
Authors: Kataoka Mikinori , Kawai Takashi , Yagi Kenji , Sugimoto Hiroko , Yamamoto Kei , Hayama Yasutaka , Nonaka Masaya , Aoki Takaya , Fukuzawa Masakatsu , Fukuzawa Mari , Itoi Takao , Moriyasu Fuminori
Published: November 2012

Background and Aim

The Japanese Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) therapeutic guidelines recommend endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy for histological diagnosis. However, before 2010, this technique was only carried out at a minority of medical institutions in Japan. In the present study, we investigated the usefulness of mucosal cutting biopsy.

Methods

In 18 asymptomatic gastric submucosal tumors, mucosal cutting biopsies were carried out. We examined tumor size, tumor site (lower third: L; middle third: M; upper third: U), histopathological diagnostic yield and complications. In cases that proceeded to surgical resection with a diagnosis of GIST, we compared the pre‐ and postoperative histopathological diagnosis, and the histological degrees of malignancy.

Results

The tumors had a mean size of 20.3 mm and were located at the L site in five cases, M in four, and U in nine. Histological diagnosis of submucosal tumor was obtained in all the cases. (GIST, n = 13; heterotopic pancreas, n = 2; and leiomyoma, n = 3). No complications (e.g. bleeding, perforation or peritonitis) were seen after this procedure. In all 11 patients with GIST who underwent surgical resection, the histopathological findings from the mucosal cutting biopsy specimens were similar to those from the surgically resected specimens, with agreement between the immunostaining findings and the histological degree of malignancy (90.9%) in 10 patients.

Conclusions

The mucosal cutting biopsy technique is a useful diagnostic modality for the diagnosis of gastric GIST and for selection of the appropriate treatment.
COOPERATION SPILLOVERS AND PRICE COMPETITION IN EXPERIMENTAL MARKETS
Authors: CASON TIMOTHY N. , GANGADHARAN LATA
Published: November 2012

Firms often cooperate explicitly through activities such as research joint ventures, while competing in other markets. Cooperation in research and development can allow firms to internalize the external benefits of knowledge creation and increase the returns from research and development (R&D) expenditures. Such cooperation may spill over to facilitate collusion in the market, however, potentially lowering welfare and efficiency. This paper uses a laboratory experiment to examine if sellers successfully coordinate to fund a joint research project to reduce their costs, and how this collaboration affects their pricing behavior. The experiment includes control treatments with separate R&D cooperation and markets. Our results show that although participants usually cooperate when given an opportunity, cooperation is observed less frequently when they also compete in the market. Communication improves cooperation in all environments, particularly when the market is present. Nevertheless, the data provide no evidence of seller collusion in the market. (JEL D43, D71, H40, O3)
Challenges in dietary guidance: a US perspective
Authors: Slavin J.
Published: November 2012

Good nutrition is essential to human health. But how do we define ‘good nutrition'? Nutritional needs vary greatly through the life cycle so a diet that promotes healthy growth and development for a child may not be optimal for the elderly. Also, humans are adaptable to a wide range of dietary patterns and food intakes and their varying cultural preferences must be considered when making dietary recommendations. This paper describes the history of the development of dietary guidelines in the US and discusses some of the complexities around the development of advice for an optimal diet at a population level.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been published every five years since 1980. The development of the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2010) involved an evidence‐based review process to evaluate the strength of the relationships between food intake and disease outcomes. Unfortunately, many accepted relationships between food patterns and disease outcomes are not strongly based on evidence‐based reviews. This creates a challenge for government agencies when developing population guidelines for dietary intake, as well as for future committees charged with agreeing on the basis of an optimal diet for ‘good nutrition’.
Developments in personalised nutrition
Authors: Walsh M. , Kuhn S.
Published: November 2012

Food4Me is a 4‐year multi‐partner project under the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), investigating the potential of, and public attitudes towards, personalised nutrition. Food4Me has gathered an international group of experts to survey the current understanding of personalised nutrition and to explore the application of individualised nutrition advice. The Food4Me project will also investigate consumer attitudes and produce new scientific tools for implementation.

The project, which started in 2011, expects among its outcomes and achievements a comprehensive assessment of the opportunities and challenges for future personalised nutrition business models; new scientific tools that use dietary, genetic and phenotypic data for personalised nutrition; and a validation of the impact of different levels of personalised nutrition advice to consumers, be they dietary, phenotypic or genetic. It will also report on the attitudes and beliefs of European consumers to all aspects of personalised nutrition, describe the ethical and legal implications, as well as produce best practice guidelines for communicating information on the issue.

This will be the first study of its kind in the world, designed to mimic a fully internet‐delivered, personalised nutrition service.
Texture Analysis Based Damage Detection of Ageing Infrastructural Elements
Authors: O’Byrne Michael , Schoefs Franck , Ghosh Bidisha , Pakrashi Vikram
Published: November 2012

Abstract:  To make visual data a part of quantitative assessment for infrastructure maintenance management, it is important to develop computer‐aided methods that demonstrate efficient performance in the presence of variability in damage forms, lighting conditions, viewing angles, and image resolutions taking into account the luminous and chromatic complexities of visual data. This article presents a semi‐automatic, enhanced texture segmentation approach to detect and classify surface damage on infrastructure elements and successfully applies them to a range of images of surface damage. The approach involves statistical analysis of spatially neighboring pixels in various color spaces by defining a feature vector that includes measures related to pixel intensity values over a specified color range and statistics derived from the Grey Level Co‐occurrence Matrix calculated on a quantized grey‐level scale. Parameter optimized non‐linear Support Vector Machines are used to classify the feature vector. A Custom‐Weighted Iterative model and a 4‐Dimensional Input Space model are introduced. Receiver Operating Characteristics are employed to assess and enhance the detection efficiency under various damage conditions.
Re-articulating Dissent: Representing the Working Class from Third Way to New Right in Britain and Chile
Authors: Mansell Jon , Motta Sara C.
Published: November 2012

This article takes the 2010 electoral defeats of the Chilean Concertación and British New Labour governments as a point of departure to analyse the crisis of representation in Third Way politics and how this crisis has allowed the right to articulate a successful project of subaltern dissent. The article develops a critical reading of Gramsci through an engagement with Spivak to analyse the complex and contested relations of representation through which subaltern subjectivities are constituted politically. In applying this critical deconstruction to Britain and Chile we discuss the ways in which the Third Way discursively, materially and institutionally acted to re-present a demobilised working-class subject as part of a model of a consensual (elite-led) and de-antagonised politics. We argue that this depoliticisation and demobilisation of popular activity has served to disembed Third Way parties from their core constituencies in civil society, allowing room for the political right to re-articulate subaltern dissent. We thus analyse how the right has sought to articulate subaltern good sense in terms of (1) nostalgia, (2) anti-politics and (3) disciplinality. We conclude by suggesting some of the potential tensions and contradictions involved in this re-articulation of dissent, particularly in the re-emergence of popular mobilisation in both the UK and Chile.
An emerging infectious pathogen endangers an ancient lineage of common carp by acting synergistically with conspecific exotic strains
Authors: Uchii K. , Okuda N. , Minamoto T. , Kawabata Z.
Published: November 2012

Anthropogenic introduction of non‐native species and the subsequent spread of their accompanying pathogens can cause serious declines in native wildlife populations. The common carp Cyprinus carpio, which is distributed worldwide due to intensive human introduction, is of little concern for conservation. However, the recent discovery of its ancient lineage endemic to the Japanese Archipelago has brought awareness of the conservation significance of the Japanese strain because this strain appears to be threatened by non‐native Eurasian strains that heavily colonize Japanese freshwater bodies. Another threat has been recently posed by a lethal emerging pathogen, Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV‐3), which has spread to Japanese populations of common carp since 2003. Here, we report a significant decline in the frequency of Japanese native carp mtDNA haplotypes in two of the five subpopulations in Lake Biwa, one of the major habitats of the Japanese strain, after mass mortality caused by an outbreak of CyHV‐3. It is likely that the less susceptible non‐native strains may have competitively eliminated the native strain. Our results suggest that the emerging pathogen and invasion of Eurasian strains may pose synergistic threats to Japanese native common carp.
Preliminary Evidence for a Gene–Environment Interaction in Predicting Alcohol Use Disorders in Adolescents
Authors: Miranda Robert , Reynolds Elizabeth , Ray Lara , Justus Alicia , Knopik Valerie S. , McGeary John , Meyerson Lori A.
Published: November 2012

Background

Emerging research suggests that genetic influences on adolescent drinking are moderated by environmental factors. The present study builds on molecular‐genetic findings by conducting the first analysis of gene–environment interactions in the association between a functional single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the μ‐opioid receptor (OPRM1) gene (A118G) and risk of developing an alcohol use disorder (AUD) during adolescence. Specifically, we tested whether variation in parenting practices or affiliation with deviant peers moderated the link between the OPRM1 gene and risk of an AUD.

Methods

Adolescents reporting European ancestry (N = 104), ages 12 to 19 years (M = 15.60, SD = 1.77), were interviewed to ascertain AUD diagnoses, provided a DNA sample for genetic analyses, and completed measures of parental monitoring and deviant peer affiliation. Logistic regression was used to test the effects of environmental variables and their interactions with OPRM1 genotype as predictors of AUD diagnosis while controlling for age and sex.

Results

Case–control comparisons showed that the proportion of youth with an AUD (n = 18) significantly differed by genotype such that 33.3% of G allele carriers met criteria for an AUD compared to 10.8% of youth who were homozygous for the A allele (p = 0.006). The OPRM1 × parental monitoring (odds ratio = 0.16) and OPRM1 × deviant peer affiliation (odds ratio = 7.64) interactions were significant predictors of AUD risk, such that G allele carriers with high levels of deviant peer affiliation or lower levels of parental monitoring had the greatest likelihood of developing an AUD (p‐values <0.01).

Conclusions

This study provides initial evidence that the association between the A118G SNP of the OPRM1 gene and risk of AUDs is moderated by modifiable factors. These results are limited, however, by the small sample size and require replication.
Expression of recombinant anti‐colorectal cancer large single‐chain monoclonal antibody in insect cells
Authors: Shao Yingxue , Lee Jeong‐Hwan , Choo Young‐Kug , Ko Kisung
Published: November 2012

Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world. Monoclonal antibody (mAb) CO17‐1A recognizes the tumor‐associated antigen GA733‐2, a cell surface glycoprotein highly expressed in colorectal carcinoma cells which is applicable for preventing and curing colorectal cancer. In this study, we tried to produce a new recombinant anti‐colorectal cancer large single chain (lsc) mAb based on mAb CO17‐1A in the baculovirus‐insect cell protein expression system. Two kinds of recombinant lsc mAbs were generated where variable light chain (VL) and heavy chain (HC) of mAb CO17‐1A were fused together by an interchain linker. The only difference between the two mAbs is based on fusion of an ER retention signal (KDEL) at its C‐terminus of HC. Polymerase chain reaction analysis verified the presence of both recombinant genes in the bacmid for generating viral expression vectors in insect cells. Western blot confirmed the expression of lsc mAbs in baculovirus‐infected insect cells. Cell enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed that the mAbs from cell lysates bound to SW480 and SW620 human colorectal cancer cells. These results indicate that the baculovirus insect expression system can produce anti‐colorectal lsc mAb recognizing human colorectal cancer cells.
Autoantibodies and decreased expression of the transcription factor ELF‐3 together with increased chemokine pathways support an autoimmune phenotype and altered differentiation in lichen planus located in oral mucosa
Authors: Danielsson K. , Boldrup L. , Rentoft M. , Coates P.J. , Ebrahimi M. , Nylander E. , Wahlin Y.B. , Nylander K.
Published: November 2012

Background  The pathogenesis of oral lichen planus (OLP), a chronic inflammatory disease, is not fully understood. It is known that OLP has autoimmune features, and it is suggested to be an autoimmune disease. ELF‐3 is involved in differentiation of keratinocytes and deregulated in different tumours and inflammatory diseases. CXCR‐3 and its ligands CXCL‐10 and CXCL‐11 are increased in autoimmune diseases and linked to Th‐1 immune response.

Objectives  To analyse and compare expression of ELF‐3, CXCR‐3, CXCL‐10 and CXCL‐11 in OLP lesions and controls in whole and microdissected epithelium.

Methods  Tissue biopsies from 20 patients clinically and histologically diagnosed with OLP and 20 healthy controls were studied using whole tissues or microdissected epithelium. By the use of qRT‐PCR, mRNA levels of ELF‐3, CXCR‐3, CXCL‐10 and CXCL‐11 were studied. Western blot was used for analysis of ELF‐3 protein expression. Sera from 19 OLP patients and 20 controls were analysed with ELISA in search for autoantibodies.

Results  The upregulation of CXCR‐3, CXCL‐10 and CXCL‐11 found in OLP is similar to previous findings showing an autoimmune phenotype in lichen planus (LP) and lichen sclerosus. Decreased expression of the differentiation‐related transcription factor ELF‐3 was also seen in OLP lesions, and we further demonstrate presence of circulating autoantibodies against the ELF‐3 protein in sera from 3 of 19 (16%) LP patients tested.

Conclusions  On the basis of these findings, we confirm that OLP shows features of an autoimmune disease and suggest deregulated differentiation of keratinocytes to be one of the causes of the disease phenotype.
Hydrogen Sulfide Regulates Ethylene‐induced Stomatal Closure in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Hou Zhihui , Wang Lanxiang , Liu Jing , Hou Lixia , Liu Xin
Published: November 2012

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a newly‐discovered signaling molecule in plants and has caused increasing attention in recent years, but its function in stomatal movement is unclear. In plants, H2S is synthesized via cysteine degradation catalyzed by D‐/L‐cysteine desulfhydrase (D‐/L‐CDes). AtD‐/L‐CDes::GUS transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. plants were generated and used to investigate gene expression patterns, and results showed that AtD‐/L‐CDes can be expressed in guard cells. We also determined the subcellular localization of AtD‐/L‐CDes using transgenic plants of AtD‐/L‐CDes::GFP, and the results showed that AtD‐CDes and AtL‐CDes are located in the chloroplast and in the cytoplasm, respectively. The transcript levels of AtD‐CDes and AtL‐CDes were affected by the chemicals that cause stomatal closure. Among these factors, ACC, a precursor of ethylene, has the most significant effect, which indicates that the H2S generated from D‐/L‐CDes may play an important role in ethylene‐induced stomatal closure. Meanwhile, H2S synthetic inhibitors significantly inhibited ethylene‐induced stomatal closure in Arabidopsis. Ethylene treatment caused an increase of H2S production and of AtD‐/L‐CDes activity in Arabidopsis leaves. AtD‐/L‐CDes over‐expressing plants exhibited enhanced induction of stomatal closure compared to the wild‐type after ethylene treatment; however, the effect was not observed in the Atd‐cdes and Atl‐cdes mutants. In conclusion, our results suggest that the D‐/L‐CDes‐generated H2S is involved in the regulation of ethylene‐induced stomatal closure in Arabidopsis thaliana.
RCAN1 regulates vesicle recycling and quantal release kinetics via effects on calcineurin activity
Authors: Zanin Mark P. , Mackenzie Kimberly D. , Peiris Heshan , Pritchard Melanie A. , Keating Damien J.
Published: November 2012

We have previously shown that Regulator of Calcineurin 1 (RCAN1) regulates multiple stages of vesicle exocytosis. However, the mechanisms by which RCAN1 affects secretory vesicle exocytosis and quantal release kinetics remain unknown. Here, we use carbon fibre amperometry to detect exocytosis from chromaffin cells and identify these underlying mechanisms. We observe reduced exocytosis with repeated stimulations in chromaffin cells over‐expressing RCAN1 (RCAN1ox), but not in wild‐type (WT) cells, indicating a negative effect of RCAN1 on vesicle recycling and endocytosis. Acute exposure to calcineurin inhibitors, cyclosporine A and FK‐506, replicates this effect in WT cells but has no additional effect in RCAN1ox cells. When we chronically expose WT cells to cyclosporine A and FK‐506 we find that catecholamine release per vesicle and pre‐spike foot (PSF) signal parameters are decreased, similar to that in RCAN1ox cells. Inhibiting calcineurin activity in RCAN1ox cells has no additional effect on the amount of catecholamine release per vesicle but further reduces PSF signal parameters. Although electron microscopy studies indicate these changes are not because of altered vesicle number or distribution in RCAN1ox cells, the smaller vesicle and dense core size we observe in RCAN1ox cells may underlie the reduced quantal release in these cells. Thus, our results indicate that RCAN1 most likely affects vesicle recycling and quantal release kinetics via the inhibition of calcineurin activity.
Serum immunoglobulin A/C3 ratio predicts progression of immunoglobulin A nephropathy
Authors: Zhang Jun , Wang Cheng , Tang Ying , Peng Hui , Ye Zeng‐chun , Li Cui‐cui , Lou Tan‐Qi
Published: November 2012

The authors have examined whether the suggested novel marker, IgA/C3 ratio, is valid to predict the prognosis of IgAN in this patient population with IgAN.
An apparent case of undiagnosed donor Kawasaki disease manifesting as coronary artery aneurysm in a pediatric heart transplant recipient
Authors: Friedland‐Little Joshua , Aiyagari Ranjit , Gajarski Robert J. , Schumacher Kurt R.
Published: November 2012

We present a case of coronary ectasia and LAD coronary artery aneurysm with angiographic characteristics of Kawasaki disease in a three‐yr‐old girl two‐yr status post‐orthotopic heart transplant. Coronary anomalies were noted during initial screening coronary angiography two yr after transplant. Subsequent review of the donor echocardiogram revealed that the LMCA had been mildly dilated prior to transplant. In the absence of any symptoms consistent with Kawasaki disease in the transplant recipient, this appears to be a case of Kawasaki disease in the organ donor manifesting with coronary anomalies in the transplant recipient. The patient has done well clinically, and repeat coronary angiography has revealed partial regression of coronary anomalies. Given multiple reports in the literature of persistent abnormalities of coronary artery morphology and function after Kawasaki disease, close monitoring is warranted, with consideration of potential coronary protective medical therapies.
Perceived Barriers to Physical Activity Among Pregnant Women Living in a Rural Community
Authors: Marshall Elaine S. , Bland Helen , Melton Bridget
Published: November 2012

Objective

The purpose of this research was to describe perceived barriers to physical activity among pregnant women living in a rural community.

Design and Sample

The project followed a simple descriptive design. The sample included 88 healthy pregnant women from a rural community in the southeast United States.

Measures

The women completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and an open‐ended item seeking a description of personal barriers to engagement in regular physical activity.

Results

Scores on the IPAQ were generally equally distributed across categories of low, moderate, and high activity. A total of 42 barriers was described from 34% of the women. Seven themes emerged among the reported barriers: (1) symptoms of pregnancy, (2) family and childrearing activities, (3) lack of personal motivation, (4) time and employment demands, (5) perceptions of sufficient activity from daily life, (6) fear of injury, and (7) lack of a habit of activity.

Conclusions

Barriers reported by the rural women were similar to those identified in other settings. Some perceptions confirmed myths about the health value of exercise during pregnancy, but did not confirm barriers commonly cited or assumed for reduced physical activity among rural residents.
Relative vulnerability of the forests along southeastern African coasts to cyclones
Authors: Bettinger Pete , Merry Krista L.
Published: November 2012

The forests of southeastern Africa are vulnerable to damage imposed by tropical cyclones operating in the South Indian Ocean. We undertook a geographical analysis to determine the relative vulnerability of forests given tropical cyclones recorded during the 1959–2008 storm seasons. From this analysis, eastern coastal forests of Madagascar seem to be the most vulnerable, although return intervals for severe storms vary along the eastern coast, and are shorter (about 10 years) through the central portion of the country. Therefore, the central lowland to upper montane rainforests on the eastern coast seem to be more vulnerable to damage from tropical cyclones than others in the area. While not as extensive, western coastal forests of Madagascar are also as vulnerable in part due to the recurvature of storms in the Mozambique Channel. Though the coastal forests of Mozambique are all nearly equal in terms of vulnerability, the return interval for severe storms to this area is highly variable. The inland Miombo forests of southeast Africa are less vulnerable to damage from tropical cyclones; however, portions of western Mozambique and Zimbabwe have experienced strong tropical storms in the last 50 years. A number of caveats and limitations associated with the data and analyses are noted. Given the broad scale of the study, the relative vulnerability and the return intervals for severe storms should be considered general representations of these phenomena for the southeastern African coast and the island of Madagascar.
The persistent water problems of Lima, Peru: Neoliberalism, institutional failures and social inequalities
Authors: Ioris Antonio A.R.
Published: November 2012

The contingent relation between water governance and nature neoliberalization has defined most interventions in the water sector around the world in recent years. In the case of the Peruvian capital Lima, the provision of water and sanitation services in the last two decades has been the object of investments and institutional reforms strongly influenced by economic neoliberalism. This essay examines the evolution of these neoliberalizing tendencies, noting the internal disputes, necessary adjustments and underlying problems of water sufficiency in the metropolitan region. The empirical results suggest that, rather than a straightforward process, the neoliberalization of water in Lima has advanced according to political opportunities and technico‐operational constraints. The water reforms implemented in the 1990s – when the goal of privatization met political opposition – can be contrasted with the more recent phase in the 2000s, when more flexible mechanisms, such as public‐private partnerships, have facilitated public acceptance. Despite the renovation of the infrastructure, the modernization of the water sector has failed to address persistent water management problems, namely the discriminatory treatment of low income residents, the chaotic expansion of the metropolitan area and the risk of future water shortages.
Interpreting rural change in Malaysia
Authors: Preston David , Ngah Ibrahim
Published: November 2012

Relatively little in the literature on rural change in Southeast Asia engages with Malaysia, where the population is becoming urban‐based more rapidly than in many countries in the region. The literature on change in rural Malaysia during the past 40 years, supplemented by our own research, is used to identify key features of such change, which are considered in the context of existing interpretations to arrive at deeper understandings of rural change. Existing conceptualizations of rural change, it is suggested, must account for the diversity of roles taken by individuals daily, seasonally and at different life stages, as well as in multiple locations. Further attention needs to be paid to gender, generation and class among those experiencing change. Processes of rural (and urban) changes will continue and their complexity will reflect cultural and technological evolutions that affect individuals, households and communities throughout the world.
Positive selection in the major histocompatibility complex class III region of cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) of the Philippines origin
Authors: Aarnink A. , Bonhomme M. , Blancher A.
Published: November 2012

The cynomolgus macaque (Macaca fascicularis) is a model of choice among primates for the study of local adaptation processes because of its mixed and wide insular and continental distribution. In a previous study, by using 12 markers [5 microsatellites located in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region and 7 outside MHC], we have detected a signal of positive selection on the microsatellite DRACA located inside the gene DRA. In order to refine the location of this signal of positive selection in the MHC region, we studied the genetic diversity of 36 markers (18 microsatellites spread across the MHC region and 18 autosomal microsatellites outside MHC) in a sample of 254 individuals from four populations (Vietnam, Java, the Philippines, and Mauritius). We estimated for each locus the deviation of Fst from a neutral model by using two methods based on contrasted demographic models. The two approaches showed a signal of positive selection in the MHC class III region that is much more significant than the one previously reported for the marker DRACA which could have been influenced by a hitchhiking effect due to its proximity with the class III region.
Characteristics of Turbulence in a Turbofan Stage
Authors: Maunus Jeremy , Grace Sheryl , Sondak Douglas , Yakhot Victor
Published: November 2012

Two-equation turbulence models are commonly used in the simulation of turbomachinery flow fields, but there are limited experimental data available to validate the resulting turbulence quantities. Experimental measurements are available from NASA’s Source Diagnostic Test (SDT), a 1/5th scale model representation of the bypass stage of a turbofan engine. Detailed unsteady hot-wire anemometer data were taken at two axial locations between the rotor and fan exit guide vanes (FEGVs). Here, an accurate and consistent procedure is used to obtain the turbulent kinetic energy, dissipation rate, and integral length scale from structure functions calculated using the SDT data. These results are compared to the solutions provided by four proprietary CFD codes that employ two-equation turbulence models. The simulations are shown to predict the turbulent kinetic energy and length scale reasonably well as well as the trend in mean dissipation. The actual mean dissipation rates differ by nearly two orders of magnitude due to a difference in interpretation between the classical definition and what is used in CFD.
Analysis of Axial Compressor Stall Inception Using Unsteady Casing Pressure Measurements
Authors: Cameron Joshua D. , Morris Scott C.
Published: November 2012

The unsteady flow in axial compressors during pre-stall and stall inception is often studied using circumferentially distributed pressure sensors. The present investigation utilized a transonic axial compressor facility to acquire time resolved casing static pressure measurements at an axial location upstream of the rotor leading edge. These measurements were processed using a variety of analysis techniques in order to provide insight into the fluid dynamics and compression system dynamics prior to and during stall inception. Specifically, visual inspection of the time series, spatial Fourier decomposition, traveling wave energy, and wavelet transform results will be described and compared for two representative stall inception events. Additionally, a new method was developed based on a windowed, two-point correlation function between adjacent sensors. The intent was to provide a scalar function that was nonzero only when disturbances that rotated around the compressor annulus in the direction of the rotor’s rotation were present. The results indicated that this method highlights many detailed features of the rotating disturbances with both spatial and temporal resolution during both pre-stall and stall inception.
Output Regulation in Bimodal Systems With Application to Surface Tracking in the Presence of Contact Vibrations
Authors: Wu Zhizheng , Ben Amara Foued
Published: November 2012

Motivated by a class of surface tracking problems in mechanical systems subject to contact vibrations, this paper considers a regulation problem for discrete-time switched bimodal linear systems where it is desired to achieve output regulation against exogenous input signals featuring known deterministic and unknown random components. A first step in the regulator design involves constructing a set of observer-based parameterized stabilizing controllers that satisfy a sufficient regulation condition for the switched system against the known deterministic disturbance or reference signals. In the second step, an additional performance constraint is added to identify, from among the already constructed regulators, those that provide the best regulation performance against the unknown random disturbances. A corresponding regulator synthesis algorithm is developed based on iteratively solving properly formulated bilinear matrix inequalities. The proposed regulator is successfully evaluated on an experimental setup involving a switched bimodal mechanical system subject to contact vibrations, hence demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed regulation approach.
Observability and Estimation Error Analysis of the Initial Fine Alignment Filter for Nonleveling Strapdown Inertial Navigation System
Authors: Yun Cho Seong , Keun Lee Hyung , Kyu Lee Hung
Published: November 2012

In this paper, performance of the initial fine alignment for the stationary nonleveling strapdown inertial navigation system (SDINS) containing low-grade gyros is analyzed. First, the observability is analyzed by conducting a rank test of an observability matrix and by investigating the normalized error covariance of the extended Kalman filter based on the ten-state model. The results show that the accelerometer biases on horizontal axes are unobservable. Second, the steady-state estimation errors of the state variables are derived using the observability equation. It is verified that the estimates of the state variables have errors due to the unobservable state variables and nonleveling attitude angles of a vehicle containing the SDINS. Especially, this paper shows that the larger the attitude angles of the vehicle are, the greater the estimation errors are. Finally, it is shown that the performance of the eight-state model excluding the two unobservable state variables is better than that of the ten-state model in the fine alignment by a Monte Carlo simulation.
Damping-Induced Self Recovery Phenomenon in Mechanical Systems With an Unactuated Cyclic Variable
Authors: Eui Chang Dong , Jeon Soo
Published: November 2012

Conservation of momentum is often used in controlling underactuated mechanical systems with symmetry. If a symmetry-breaking force is applied to the system, then the momentum is not conserved any longer in general. However, there exist forces linear in velocity such as the damping force that break the symmetry but induce a new conserved quantity in place of the original momentum map. This paper formalizes a new conserved quantity which can be constructed by combining the time integral of a general damping force and the original momentum map associated with the symmetry. From the perspective of stability theories, the new conserved quantity implies the corresponding variable possesses the self recovery phenomenon, i.e., it will be globally attractive to the initial condition of the variable. We discover that what is fundamental in the damping-induced self recovery is not the positivity of the damping coefficient but certain properties of the time integral of the damping force. The self recovery effect and theoretical findings are demonstrated by simulation results using the two-link planar manipulator and the torque-controlled inverted pendulum on a passive cart. The results in this paper will be useful in designing and controlling mechanical systems with underactuation.
Recursive Composite Adaptation for Robot Manipulators
Authors: Wang Hanlei
Published: November 2012

In this paper, we investigate the recursive implementation of composite adaptive control for robot manipulators. Via exploitation of the relation between the inertia matrix and the Coriolis and centrifugal matrix, we present the recursive algorithm for the derivation of the filtered manipulator model, which, to our knowledge, is the first result on this point in the literature. With this filtered model, the prediction error of the filtered torque is obtained and injected to the direct adaptation, forming the well-known composite adaptation law, with an acceptable amount of computation O(n2). A six degree-of-freedom (DOF) manipulator is employed as a simulation example to show the performance and the computational complexity of the proposed recursive algorithm.
Mass filtered plasma focused ion beam system
Authors: Otis Charles E. , Graupera Anthony , Laur Dustin , Zhang Shouyin , Kellogg Sean , Schwind Greg
Published: November 2012

The authors describe an inductively coupled plasma ion source combined with a mass tunable Wien (E × B) filter that is capable of delivering single or mixed gas plasma generated ions. Gases for the RF powered ion source can be premixed or of variable stoichiometry by mixing individual gases. The gas mixtures can contain a variety of elements providing light to heavy gaseous ions which can be selected by mass filtering. Optimization of the plasma source consists of varying parameters such as the RF power, pressure, and gas stoichiometry. Subsequently, the mass filter/plasma-gas ion column can be optimized for a wide range of applications. For example, high resolution imaging using high reduced brightness light ions (e.g., for subsurface imaging) or fast material removal using heavy ions may be accomplished across a wide range of beam currents, typically 10 pA to 10 μA, with the same gas mixture. The authors have examined several candidate species (He+, Ne+, Ar+, Xe+, O2+, O+, O−, N+, N2+, H+, H2+, H3+) and present a subset of these recent results involving production of H+ from H2 and O2/H2O mixtures.
Optimization of a self-closing effect to produce nanochannels with top slits in fused silica
Authors: Graczyk Mariusz , Balaz Martina , Kvennefors Anders , Linke Heiner , Maximov Ivan
Published: November 2012

The authors report on the fabrication of subsurfaced 100–600 nm wide nanochannels in fused silica with top slit openings in the size range of 5–10 nm. Such nanochannels can be used in combination with a nanofluidics system to guide molecular motors and quickly switch the chemical environment inside the nanochannels through diffusion via the top slits. To realize nanochannel top slits in this size range, the authors here demonstrate the use of a self-closing effect based on the volume expansion of a thin Si layer during oxidation. A high contrast electron beam lithography exposure step in conjunction with dry etching of SiO2 by reactive ion etching (RIE) and Si by inductively coupled plasma-RIE followed by wet etching of a fused silica substrate is used to create the initial slit before oxidation. The details of nanochannel fabrication steps are described and discussed.
Fabrication of silicon nanopore arrays using a combination of dry and wet etching
Authors: Deng Tao , Chen Jian , Si Weihua , Yin Ming , Ma Wen , Liu Zenwen
Published: November 2012

This paper presents a novel method for the fabrication of silicon nanopore arrays. The proposed method is based on inductive coupled plasma (ICP) etching and a two-step anisotropic wet etching, and can be used to fabricate individual nanopores, and massive nanopore arrays, with lower cost and less time compared with conventional fabrication processes. To optimize this nanopore fabrication process, the size of the ICP etch window was determined in a series of ICP experiments, and a theoretical analysis of the two-step wet etching was conducted. A nanopore array with an average feature size of 130 nm and a rectangular nanopore with a feature size of 38 nm were successfully obtained using this method. These results indicate the potential of this method for the large-scale production arrays of nanopores with desired sizes and shapes.
Vowel normalization and the perception of speaker changes: An exploration of the contextual tuning hypothesis
Authors: Barreda Santiago
Published: November 2012

Many experiments have reported a perceptual advantage for vowels presented in blocked-versus mixed-voice conditions. Nusbaum and colleagues [Nusbaum and Morin (1992). in Speech Perception, Speech Production, and Linguistic Structure, edited by Y. Tohkura, Y. Sagisaka, and E. Vatikiotis-Bateson (OHM, Tokyo), pp. 113–134; Magnuson and Nusbaum (2007). J. Exp. Psychol. Hum. Percept. Perform. 33(2), 391–409] present results which suggest that the size of this advantage may be related to the facility with which listeners can detect speaker changes, so that combinations of less similar voices can result in better performance than combinations of more similar voices. To test this, a series of synthetic voices (differing in their source characteristics and/or formant-spaces) was used in a speeded-monitoring task. Vowels were presented in blocks made up of tokens from one or two synthetic voices. Results indicate that formant-space differences, in the absence of source differences between voices in a block, were unlikely to result in the perception of multiple voices, leading to lower accuracy and relatively faster reaction times. Source differences between voices in a block resulted in the perception of multiple voices, increased reaction times, and a decreased negative effect of formant-space differences between voices on identification accuracy. These results are consistent with a process in which the detection of speaker changes guides the appropriate or inappropriate use of extrinsic information in normalization.