bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MINORS IN WEIGHTED GRAPHS
Authors: JOIŢA CEZAR , JOIŢA DANIELA
Published: August 2008

We define the notion of minor for weighted graphs. We prove that with this minor relation, the set of weighted graphs is directed. We also prove that, given any two weights on a connected graph with the same total weight, we can transform one into the other using a sequence of edge subdivisions and edge contractions.
ARENS REGULARITY OF MODULE ACTIONS AND THE SECOND ADJOINT OF A DERIVATION
Authors: MOHAMMADZADEH S. , VISHKI H. R. E.
Published: August 2008

In this paper, we give a simple criterion for the Arens regularity of a bilinear mapping on normed spaces, which applies in particular to Banach module actions, and then investigate those conditions under which the second adjoint of a derivation into a dual Banach module is again a derivation. As a consequence of the main result, a simple and direct proof for several older results is also included.
IDEALS IN DIRECT PRODUCTS OF COMMUTATIVE RINGS
Authors: ANDERSON D. D. , KINTZINGER JOHN
Published: August 2008

Let R and S be commutative rings, not necessarily with identity. We investigate the ideals, prime ideals, radical ideals, primary ideals, and maximal ideals of R×S. Unlike the case where R and S have an identity, an ideal (or primary ideal, or maximal ideal) of R×S need not be a ‘subproduct’ I×J of ideals. We show that for a ring R, for each commutative ring S every ideal (or primary ideal, or maximal ideal) is a subproduct if and only if R is an e-ring (that is, for r∈R, there exists er∈R with err=r) (or u-ring (that is, for each proper ideal A of R, $\sqrt {A}\not =R$)), the Abelian group (R/R2 ,+) has no maximal subgroups).
AMENABILITY FOR REAL C*-ALGEBRAS
Authors: HO NHAN BAO
Published: August 2008

It is shown that the complexification of a positive linear map on a real C*-algebra need not be positive whereas the complexification of a completely positive linear map is completely positive. It is further shown that a real C*-algebra is amenable if and only if its complexification is amenable and that a completely positive linear map is amenable if and only if its complexification is. Finally, a real version of the Choi–Effros lifting theorem is established.
OPERATORS ONC0(L,X) WHOSE RANGE DOES NOT CONTAINc0
Authors: TALPONEN JARNO
Published: August 2008

This paper contains two results: (a) if$\mathrm {X}\neq \{0\}$is a Banach space and (L,τ) is a nonempty locally compact Hausdorff space without isolated points, then each linear operatorT:C0(L,X)→C0(L,X) whose range does not contain an isomorphic copy ofc00satisfies the Daugavet equality$\|\mathbf {I}+T\|=1+\|T\|$; (b) if Γ is a nonempty set andXandYare Banach spaces such thatXis reflexive andYdoes not containc0isomorphically, then any continuous linear operatorT:c0(Γ,X)→Yis weakly compact.
An Early Cretaceous spinosaurid theropod from southern China
Authors: BUFFETAUT ERIC , SUTEETHORN VARAVUDH , TONG HAIYAN , AMIOT ROMAIN
Published: August 2008

Teeth from the Early Cretaceous Napai Formation of Fusui County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (South China), initially described as the sauropterygianSinopliosaurus fusuiensis, are redescribed as belonging to a spinosaurid theropod closely allied toSiamosaurus suteethorni, from the Early Cretaceous of Thailand. This identification extends to China the geographical range of Asian spinosaurs, previously reported from Thailand and Japan.
THE SCOPE OF THE SUPREMACY CLAUSE OF THE UNITED NATIONS CHARTER
Authors: Liivoja Rain
Published: August 2008

Article 103 of the United Nations (UN) Charter stipulates that the obligations of UN Member States under the Charter prevail, in the event of a conflict, over their obligations under any other international agreement. While this important provision is often mentioned, its precise meaning remains something of a mystery. The present article tries to shed some light on the scope of this ‘supremacy clause’ by discussing, first, its operation with respect to treaties, and then by looking at its relevance to various other contractual arrangements and to customary international law.
GATS' PRUDENTIAL CARVE OUT IN FINANCIAL SERVICES AND ITS RELATION WITH PRUDENTIAL REGULATION
Authors: Yokoi-Arai Mamiko
Published: August 2008

The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) has been the leading force of trade liberalization in services. This article attempts to decipher the implications of GATS in financial services. It explains the schedules of commitments made by Member States, and the way countries engage in commitments in financial services. These are critical in understanding how the GATS rules are applied by each Member, and whether GATS has been effective.

The so-called ‘prudential carve out’ is analysed in detail with consideration to the general prudential regime of the financial system since it has implications for the stability and integrity of the financial system. The article concludes with some policy analysis on how prudential carve out might be better implemented.
Antibacterial and antifungal properties of human cerumen
Authors: Lum C L , Jeyanthi S , Prepageran N , Vadivelu J , Raman R
Published: August 2008

Objective:

To assess the antibacterial and antifungal properties of human cerumen by studying its effect on the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Esherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans.

Materials and methods:

Cerumen samples were collected from 75 normal, healthy subjects aged from seven to 80 years, without ear pathology, who attended the ear, nose and throat out-patient clinic of the University Malaya Medical Center from May 2006 to October 2006. Of these 75 samples, 31 had no growth when cultured on nutrient agar. Inhibition studies on these 31 samples were performed for Staphylococcus aureus (American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) 25923), Esherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) and Candida albicans. Nutrient agar was used to conserve all three bacterial strains and Sabouraud dextrose agar was used for Candida albicans.

Results:

A decrease in Staphylococcus aureus growth was observed for 27 of the 31 samples. All 31 samples induced decreased growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, while 29 induced decreased growth of Candida albicans. However, only four samples induced decreased growth of Escherichia coli.

Conclusions:

Cerumen was demonstrated to have potential antimicrobial effects on strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans.
Genetic profile of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: clinical implications
Authors: Agada F O , Patmore H , Alhamarneh O , Stafford N D , Greenman J
Published: August 2008

The outcome for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma remains poor, despite improvements in diagnosis and treatment over the past three decades. This has triggered great interest in the genetic events that underpin the aetiology and clinical behaviour of this group of cancers. As a result, the genetic profile for head and neck squamous cell carcinomas at different sub-sites has been relatively well characterised at the chromosomal level. Various studies have shown links between specific aberrations in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and clinical outcome, e.g. loss of heterozygosity at 2q and 18q is commonly associated with poor prognosis, and loss of heterozygosity at 9p21 is associated with recurrence. However, there is as yet no significant clinical application of this genetic knowledge as regards the screening, diagnosis or treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Here, we summarise the current state of knowledge, and highlight the most promising areas of research that may facilitate the translation of genetic data into clinical benefit.
Modified sleeve tympanotomy approach for removal of congenital cholesteatoma
Authors: Park H J , Park G H , Shin J E , Chang S O
Published: August 2008

Objective:

We present a technique which we have found useful for the management of congenital cholesteatoma extensively involving the middle ear.

Case report:

A five-year-old boy was presented to our department for management of a white mass on the right tympanic membrane. This congenital cholesteatoma extensively occupied the tympanic cavity. It was removed through an extended tympanotomy approach using our modified sleeve technique. The conventional tympanotomy approach was extended by gently separating the tympanic annulus from its sulcus in a circular manner. The firm attachment of the tympanic membrane at the umbo was not severed, in order to avoid lateralisation of the tympanic membrane.

Conclusion:

Although various operative techniques can be used, our modified sleeve tympanotomy approach provides a similarly sufficient and direct visualisation of the entire middle ear, with, theoretically, no possibility of lateralisation of the tympanic membrane and subsequent conductive hearing loss.
Towards a comprehensive simulation model of malaria epidemiology and control
Authors: SMITH T. , MAIRE N. , ROSS A. , PENNY M. , CHITNIS N. , SCHAPIRA A. , STUDER A. , GENTON B. , LENGELER C. , TEDIOSI F. , DE SAVIGNY D. , TANNER M.
Published: August 2008

Planning of the control of Plasmodium falciparum malaria leads to a need for models of malaria epidemiology that provide realistic quantitative prediction of likely epidemiological outcomes of a wide range of control strategies. Predictions of the effects of control often ignore medium- and long-term dynamics. The complexities of the Plasmodium life-cycle, and of within-host dynamics, limit the applicability of conventional deterministic malaria models. We use individual-based stochastic simulations of malaria epidemiology to predict the impacts of interventions on infection, morbidity, mortality, health services use and costs. Individual infections are simulated by stochastic series of parasite densities, and naturally acquired immunity acts by reducing densities. Morbidity and mortality risks, and infectiousness to vectors, depend on parasite densities. The simulated infections are nested within simulations of individuals in human populations, and linked to models of interventions and health systems. We use numerous field datasets to optimise parameter estimates. By using a volunteer computing system we obtain the enormous computational power required for model fitting, sensitivity analysis, and exploration of many different intervention strategies. The project thus provides a general platform for comparing, fitting, and evaluating different model structures, and for quantitative prediction of effects of different interventions and integrated control programmes.
A new microsporidian parasite, Potaspora morhaphis n. gen., n. sp. (Microsporidia) infecting the Teleostean fish, Potamorhaphis guianensis from the River Amazon. Morphological, ultrastructural and molecular characterization
Authors: CASAL G. , MATOS E. , TELES-GRILO M. L. , AZEVEDO C.
Published: August 2008

A fish-infecting Microsporidia Potaspora morhaphis n. gen., n. sp. found adherent to the wall of the coelomic cavity of the freshwater fish, Potamorhaphis guianensis, from lower Amazon River is described, based on light microscope and ultrastructural characteristics. This microsporidian forms whitish xenomas distinguished by the numerous filiform and anastomosed microvilli. The xenoma was completely filled by several developmental stages. In all of these stages, the nuclei are monokaryotic and develop in direct contact with host cell cytoplasm. The merogonial plasmodium divides by binary fission and the disporoblastic pyriform spores of sporont origin measure 2·8±0·3×1·5±0·2 μm. In mature spores the polar filament was arranged into 9–10 coils in 2 layers. The polaroplast had 2 distinct regions around the manubrium and an electron-dense globule was observed. The small subunit, intergenic space and partial large subunit rRNA gene were sequenced and maximum parsimony analysis placed the microsporidian described here in the clade that includes the genera Kabatana, Microgemma, Spraguea and Tetramicra. The ultrastructural morphology of the xenoma, and the developmental stages including the spores of this microsporidian parasite, as well as the phylogenetic analysis, suggest the erection of a new genus and species.
JOHN HOTHBY AND THE CULT OF ST REGULUS AT LUCCA
Authors: Brand Benjamin
Published: August 2008

On 20 February 1469, the cathedral canons of Lucca appeared before the general council of their city to plead on behalf of their choirmaster of less than two years, John Hothby. Warning that this Englishman and Carmelite friar might accept a more lucrative post elsewhere, they asked the council to supplement his salary provided by themselves and the local nobleman, Nicolao da Noceto. Such support, they assured, would guarantee Hothby’s continued residence in Lucca and thus his cultivation of ‘so many talented students in music and in the practice of it that he will not only be useful to the clergy but also the highest consolation and praise to the entire people’. Their predictions had the desired effect, as the council granted the choirmaster a monthly stipend of 2 ducats.
JOHANNES DE GROCHEIO AND ARISTOTELIAN NATURAL PHILOSOPHY
Authors: Haines John , DeWitt Patricia
Published: August 2008

Johannes de Grocheio is best known today primarily for the fact that he wrote about secular monophony, a subject practically ignored by previous music writers. In Grocheio’s only surviving treatise, which modern scholarship has christened De musica (it is actually untitled in the manuscripts), he provides an unparalleled witness to Parisian musical life around 1300 through a wide-ranging classification of musical performances. The treatise’s tantalisingly realistic observations have been by far the most discussed aspect of De musica in over a century of modern scholarship ranging from an early landmark critical edition to recent postmodern readings. However, for those intent on discovering thirteenth-century performance practice, Grocheio has been as much a musicological frustration as a delight. The most egregious problem is that he appears not to describe some of his musical examples accurately. What has been lost in a great deal of this discussion is the extent to which Grocheio’s unique perspective shapes his discussion of music.
TINCTORIS ON VARIETAS
Authors: Luko Alexis
Published: August 2008

The twelve extant treatises of Johannes Tinctoris offer a wealth of insight into almost every aspect of fifteenth-century music theory. A graduate of the University of Orléans and a doctor of canon and civil law, Tinctoris was an expert in both the language arts of the trivium (grammar, rhetoric, dialectic) and the mathematical arts of the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music, astronomy). Such was his erudition that he was extolled by Johannes Trithemius, one of the leading German humanists of the fifteenth century, as ‘a man very learned in all respects, an outstanding mathematician, a musician of the highest rank, of a keen mind, skilled in eloquence’. Given Tinctoris’s towering intellect, it is no surprise that frequent citations from many of the major thinkers of antiquity – Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Ovid, Virgil, Cicero and Quintilian – appear in his theoretical discussions on mode, mensural notation and counterpoint.
ACCLAIMING ADVENT AND ADVENTUS IN JOHANNES BRASSART’S MOTET FOR FREDERICK III
Authors: Saucier Catherine
Published: August 2008

On 15 June 1442, Frederick, the Habsburg Duke of Austria soon to be crowned King of the Romans, entered the city of Aachen amidst a notably diverse and sonorous cortège:
Trajectory and temporal planning of a wheeled mobile robot on an uneven surface
Authors: Waheed Imran , Fotouhi Reza
Published: August 2008

Computing a realistic velocity profile for a mobile robot is a challenging task due to the large number of kinematic and dynamic constraints involved. In order for a mobile robot to complete its task it must be able to plan and follow a trajectory. It may also be necessary to follow a given velocity profile, depending on the environment. Temporal planning, or following a given velocity profile, can be used to minimize time of motion and to avoid moving obstacles. For example, assuming the mobile robot is a smart wheelchair, it must follow a prescribed path while following a strict speed limit. This paper presents a temporal planning algorithm that is implemented on a wheeled mobile robot to be used in an indoor setting, such as a hospital ward. The path planning stage is accomplished by using cubic spline functions. A trajectory is created by assigning an arbitrary time of 1 s to each segment of the path. This trajectory is made feasible by applying a number of constraints and using a linear scaling technique. When a velocity profile is given, a non-linear time scaling technique is used to fit the mobile robot's linear velocity to the given velocity profile. A method for avoiding moving obstacles is also implemented. Simulation and experimental results showed good agreement with each other. The main contribution of this paper is in developing a temporal planning algorithm, which is capable of moving on an uneven surface (graded non-flat), and its implementation on the mobile robot at the robotics lab in the University of Saskatchewan. This algorithm is computationally very efficient as it requires low computation cost and does not involve major iterations.
Collision course by transformation of coordinates and plane decomposition
Authors: Bendjilali K. , Belkhouche F.
Published: August 2008

This paper deals with the problem of collision course checking in a dynamic environment for mobile robotics applications. Our method is based on the relative kinematic equations between moving objects. These kinematic equations are written under polar form. A transformation of coordinates is derived. Under this transformation, collision between two moving objects is reduced to collision between a stationary object and a virtual moving object. In addition to the direct collision course, we define the indirect collision course, which is more critical and difficult to detect. Under this formulation, the collision course problem is simplified, and complex scenarios are reduced to simple scenarios. In three-dimensional (3D) settings, the working space is decomposed into two planes: the horizontal plane and the vertical plane. The collision course detection in 3D is studied in the vertical and horizontal planes using 2D techniques. This formulation brings important simplifications to the collision course detection problem even in the most critical and difficult scenarios. An extensive simulation is used to illustrate the method in 2D and 3D working spaces.
A calculation method of the reaction force and moment for a Delta-type parallel link robot fixed with a frame
Authors: Hong Jangho , Yamamoto Motoji
Published: August 2008

The paper presents a method of reaction force and moment calculation for a 3-RSS pure translational parallel link robot (Delta-type parallel robot), in which the inverse and forward kinematics of the parallel link robot are directly analyzed according to kinematic structure of the parallel robot. For dynamic analysis, the parallel robot is imaginarily parted into three serial ones, and their actual joint torques are determined by the virtual work principle. To obtain the reaction force and moment of the parallel robot acting on the base, which is the composition of the reaction forces and moments of the three serial robots, the Newton–Euler Method is adopted. To show the validity of the presented method, the simulation analysis and experimental results are given, the experimental results tally with the calculation value.
Enumeration of parallel manipulators
Authors: Simoni Roberto , Carboni Andrea Piga , Martins Daniel
Published: August 2008

In this paper, we present a new method of enumeration of parallel manipulators with one end-effector. The method consists of enumerating all the manipulators possible with one end-effector that a single kinematic chain can originate. A very useful simplification for kinematic chain, mechanism and manipulator enumeration is their representation through graphs. The method is based on group theory where abstract structures are used to capture the internal symmetry of a structure in the form of automorphisms of a group. The concept used is orbits of the group of automorphisms of a colored vertex graph. The theory and some examples are presented to illustrate the method.
Optimization-based posture prediction for human upper body
Authors: Mi Zan , Yang Jingzhou (James) , Abdel-Malek Karim
Published: August 2008

A general methodology and associated computational algorithm for predicting postures of the digital human upper body is presented. The basic plot for this effort is an optimization-based approach, where we believe that different human performance measures govern different tasks. The underlying problem is characterized by the calculation (or prediction) of the human performance measure in such a way as to accomplish a specified task. In this work, we have not limited the number of degrees of freedom associated with the model. Each task has been defined by a number of human performance measures that are mathematically represented by cost functions that evaluate to a real number. Cost functions are then optimized, i.e., minimized or maximized, subject to a number of constraints, including joint limits. The formulation is demonstrated and validated. We present this computational formulation as a broadly applicable algorithm for predicting postures using one or more human performance measures.
The European Sero-Epidemiology Network 2 (ESEN2): standardization of assay results for hepatitis A virus (HAV) to enable comparisons of seroprevalence data across 15 countries
Authors: ANASTASSOPOULOU C. G. , KAFATOS G. , NARDONE A. , ANDREWS N. , PEBODY R. G. , MOSSONG J. , DAVIDKIN I. , GELB D. , DE ORY F. , THIERFELDER W. , NEMECEK V. , BRUZZONE B. , BUTUR D. , BARBARA C. , SOBOTOVÁ Z. , JONES L. , GRISKEVICIUS A. , HESKETH L. M. , COHEN D. , VRANCKX R. , TSAKRIS A. , MILLER E. , HATZAKIS A.
Published: August 2008

The European Sero-Epidemiology Network 2 (ESEN2) aimed to compare serological results of vaccine-preventable diseases across Europe. To ensure direct inter-country comparability of hepatitis A virus antibody (anti-HAV) measurements, a standardization panel of 150 sera was developed by a designated reference laboratory and tested by participating national laboratories using assays of choice; each country's results were subsequently regressed against those of the reference laboratory. Quantitatively, the assays were generally highly correlated (R2>0·90). Nevertheless, qualitative comparisons indicated that results obtained with different assays may differ despite the usage of well-established international and local standards. To a great extent standardization successfully alleviated such differences. The generated standardization equations will be used to convert national serological results into common units to enable direct international comparisons of HAV seroprevalence data. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the evaluation and potential improvement of the currently employed immunization strategies for hepatitis in Europe.
Atypical Chikungunya virus infections: clinical manifestations, mortality and risk factors for severe disease during the 2005–2006 outbreak on Réunion
Authors: ECONOMOPOULOU A. , DOMINGUEZ M. , HELYNCK B. , SISSOKO D. , WICHMANN O. , QUENEL P. , GERMONNEAU P. , QUATRESOUS I.
Published: August 2008

In April 2005, an outbreak of Chikungunya fever occurred on the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. During winter 2005, six patients developed meningoencephalitis and acute hepatitis due to Chikungunya virus. Our objectives were to determine the incidence and mortality of atypical Chikungunya viral infections and to identify risk factors for severe disease. A hospital-based surveillance system was established to collect data on atypical Chikungunya cases. Case reports, medical records and laboratory results were reviewed and analysed. We defined an atypical case as one in which a patient with laboratory-confirmed Chikungunya virus infection developed symptoms other than fever and arthralgia. We defined a severe atypical case as one which required maintenance of at least one vital function. We recorded 610 atypical cases of Chikungunya fever: 222 were severe cases, 65 affected patients died. Five hundred and forty-six cases had underlying medical conditions (of which 226 suffered from cardiovascular, 147 from neurological and 150 from respiratory disorders). Clinical features that had never been associated with Chikungunya fever were recorded, such as bullous dermatosis, pneumonia, and diabetes mellitus. Hypertension, and underlying respiratory or cardiological conditions were independent risk factors for disease severity. The overall mortality rate was 10·6% and it increased with age. This is the first time that severe cases and deaths due to Chikungunya fever have been documented. The information presented in this article may assist clinicians in identifying the disease, selecting the treatment strategy, and anticipating the course of illness.
E-GROUPS, PSEUDO–E-GROUPS, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CLASSIC MAYA IDENTITY IN THE EASTERN PETEN
Authors: Guderjan Thomas H.
Published: August 2008

The identity of the Classic Maya was expressed through public architecture and the creation of sacred landscape, which incorporated the landscape of creation and the concept of the world tree. Pyramids, plazas, stelae, and ballcourts were important components of this landscape. In the Peten, architectural complexes known as “E-groups” were another component. E-groups are well-known astronomical “orientation calendars” that were first built in the Terminal Preclassic period. Named after Group E at Uaxactun, they consist of three buildings on the east side of a public plaza and a fourth in the middle of the plaza or on the west side. Terminal Preclassic E-groups functioned as solstice and equinox markers. However, their function changed in the Early Classic period, arguably due to influence from Teotihuacan, to a focus on agricultural seasons. In this paper, I argue that pseudo–E-groups were built well into the Late Classic period in the eastern Peten and were a defining architectural complex for the region. The original, functional Terminal Preclassic E-groups were based on ritual activities focused on solar events. By the Early Classic, E-groups had become multipurpose parts of the sacred landscape of public architecture. Late Classic pseudo–E-groups, however, had become nonfunctional for either solar or agriculturally oriented observation. Nevertheless, they had become so deeply embedded into the template of sacred space and architecture that pseudo–E–groups were constructed to reinforce the identity of cities and the validity of their rulers.
EMBLEM GLYPHS AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATION IN NORTHWESTERN YUCATAN IN THE CLASSIC PERIOD (a.d.300–1000)
Authors: Graña-Behrens Daniel
Published: August 2008

Since the late 1950s, scholars have analyzed emblem glyphs to better understand the political organization of the Classic Maya (a.d.300–900/1000). These unique glyphs reflect a certain royal self-understanding, for they were used as a title by the rulers to distinguish themselves from other noblemen within a milieu of growing competition for prestige and power. While this has been well documented in the central and southern lowlands, evidence for the existence of emblem glyphs in northwestern Yucatan—a region defined by certain cultural traits also reflected in the inscriptions—has been scarce. This study not only explores whether and how further emblem glyphs can be detected in the inscriptions of northwestern Yucatan by questioning the traditional definition of this title. It also, as a consequence, sheds new light on royal self-representation and political organization in northwestern Yucatan during the Classic period.
DENTAL MODIFICATION IN THE POSTCLASSIC POPULATION FROM LAMANAI, BELIZE
Authors: Williams Jocelyn S. , White Christine D.
Published: August 2008

Dental modification, present in 36% of the adult burial sample (N = 61) dating to the Postclassic period at Lamanai, Belize, was analyzed to determine its association with status and sex using both biological dietary indicators (stable-isotope and dental-pathology data) and archaeological indicators (grave location and architecture). There was no association between diet and modification. Males and females shared many of the same modification types, but some were sex-distinctive. The frequency of modification differed by archaeological context. For example, modification was present only in individuals buried in ceremonial structures, presumed to represent high status. Types of modification differed between Belizean sites and those from other regions. These data support the hypothesis that dental modification may have been a means of identification with a lineage, polity, ruler, or region.
LATE CLASSIC MAYA DRAINAGE AND FLOOD CONTROL AT COPAN, HONDURAS
Authors: Davis-Salazar Karla L.
Published: August 2008

Recent research on pre-Hispanic Maya water management has revealed a diverse array of water-control techniques that were employed in the Maya Lowlands. Since much of this research has focused on water management for consumption and agriculture, other forms of water management—namely, for drainage and flood control—remain poorly understood. This report describes the various water-control techniques dedicated to drainage and flood control at Late Classic Copan, Honduras (a.d.600–900), and explores the social implications of this form of water control. Technological variation in water control throughout urban Copan and between Copan and Palenque, the other major Maya center where drainage and flood control have been investigated, suggests that water management at Copan may have been organized differentially across the urban center.
THE “GREAT GODDESS” OF TEOTIHUACAN: Fiction or Reality?
Authors: Paulinyi Zoltán
Published: August 2008

A critical review of the history of research devoted to the Great Goddess of Teotihuacan shows that over the past twenty years, and in several publications, this goddess has been transformed gradually into a universal nature deity, has received the title “Great,” and has been regarded by many authorities as the principal deity of Teotihuacan. This has become accepted even though, in my judgment, the goddess was created through a highly speculative line of argument, fusing several different iconographic complexes under that name, and despite the fact that the greater part seem to have nothing to do with each other. As a consequence, the concept of this omnipotent goddess has become a serious obstacle holding back the progress of iconographic research on the Teotihuacan supernatural world. The discussion here reaches the conclusion that in place of a Great Goddess, we are able to identify at least six different gods and goddesses, several among them not yet subjected to analysis.
THE TEOTIHUACAN BALLGAME AND THE BEGINNING OF TIME
Authors: Uriarte María Teresa
Published: August 2008

This paper proposes a reinterpretation of the Tepantitla murals long known as the Tlalocan. Taking into account the numerous representations of different kinds of ballgames on these walls, along with the instances of the Maya glyph forpu,puorpu[h], or “Place of the Reeds” (i.e. Tollan), this paper argues that this mural represents Teotihuacan as prototypical civilized city associated with the beginning of time and the calendar. Further evidence is provided by the images of “Scattering Priests” in the adjacent room, all of whom wear crocodilian headdresses associated with Cipactli, the first day of the central Mexican calendar. In both rooms, images of Tlaloc with hallucinogenic water-lily buds in his mouth reflect associations with the sun, the calendar, and the underworld. The murals of Tepantitla can be interpreted as a coherent program representing the central role of the ballgame in establishing Teotihuacan as Tollan, the place where time began.
SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUALITY AND DIFFERENTIAL ACCESS TO FAUNAL RESOURCES AT EL PALMILLO, OAXACA, MEXICO
Authors: Haller Mikael J. , Feinman Gary M. , Nicholas Linda M.
Published: August 2008

Differential access to faunal resources (meat) is one index of socioeconomic inequality that traditionally has been considered but rarely investigated in ancient Mesoamerica. Recent excavations in residential contexts at the Classic-period hilltop terrace site of El Palmillo, in the Valley of Oaxaca (Mexico), have produced a large faunal assemblage from a set of different households. Terrace-by-terrace comparisons reveal spatial variability in the distribution of faunal remains, with the gradient of access running from households near the base of the hill to contexts near the site's apex. Residents of households near the top not only had more overall access to meat but greater access to specific species. Nevertheless, these gradations in access to fauna are not as strikingly marked as architectural differences between various residential units at the site, nor do they coincide entirely with patterns of architectural variation or the distribution of portable wealth items such as obsidian and green stone. Socioeconomic inequality appears to have been manifested through multiple dimensions at pre-Hispanic El Palmillo, with the overarching variation not easily definable into two or three categorical divisions or classes.
ASTRONOMY, RITUAL, AND THE INTERPRETATION OF MAYA “E-GROUP” ARCHITECTURAL ASSEMBLAGES
Authors: Aimers James J. , Rice Prudence M.
Published: August 2008

E-group architectural assemblages, constructed and used for more than a millennium in the Maya Lowlands, are among the most distinctive and enduring forms in Mesoamerican monumental architecture. Since the 1920s, E-groups have been thought to mark the solstices and equinoxes, but more recent investigations have shown that these alignments were rarely accurate. We argue that accurate solar alignment was probably only a minor element, and primarily an early one, of a larger set of metaphorically linked design considerations that included concepts of sacred geography, ritual performance in reference to yearly solar and agricultural cycles, and longer cycles of time, especially katuns, that played a role in Lowland Maya geopolitical structuring.
LIGHTNING SKY, RAIN, AND THE MAIZE GOD: The Ideology of Preclassic Maya Rulers at Cival, Peten, Guatemala
Authors: Estrada-Belli Francisco
Published: August 2008

Research in the northeastern Peten region at Holmul and nearest minor centers shows a complex history of public ritual activity from the Middle Preclassic onward. Patterns of public architecture, monumental sculpture, iconography, caches, and burials at sites such as Holmul and Cival document early development of the ideology of Maya kingship. Late Preclassic monumental sculptures adorning large pyramid temples provide immediate and elaborate metaphors for the ancestral patrons of emerging dynasts. Middle Preclassic architecture and caches are encoded with the ideological program of the earliest ruling institutions, incorporating themes of cosmological order; sun, water, and maize deities; the agricultural cycle; and ancestor veneration. All of these early remains are found in the sacred space of the first “E-group” plazas.
Observer Perspective in Adolescence: The Relationship with Social Anxiety and Age
Authors: Hignett Emma , Cartwright-Hatton Sam
Published: August 2008

There has been some support for the applicability of the Clark and Wells’ model of Social Phobia within an adolescent population. To date, however, there is limited research to support the existence of the main perpetuating element (i.e. observer perspective) in this population. One hundred and twenty-four adolescents (12–18 years) completed an anxiety-provoking social task. They were asked to generate an image in their mind of what they felt they were like during this situation. The study investigated whether adolescents could report the perspective that they took in this task, and whether increased levels of social anxiety were associated with an “observer” perspective. The study also explored whether age moderated this relationship. It was found that as social anxiety increased, the perspective of the participants moved towards that of an observer. Age was not found to influence the reporting of perspective, nor the association between this and social anxiety. This study provides evidence for the existence of observer perspective within an adolescent population and indicates that this is associated with social anxiety. It provides some indirect support for the continued use of video feedback strategies with this age group.
Research into Anxiety of Childhood: Playing Catch-up (to Olympic Standard)
Authors: Cartwright-Hatton Sam , Field Andy , Creswell Cathy , Reynolds Shirley
Published: August 2008

This special issue is the culmination of an ESRC seminar series grant awarded to the authors of this editorial. We named the seminar series CATTS (Child Anxiety, Theory and Treatment Seminars) and it took the form of six highly stimulating, one-day seminars on the subject of child anxiety, with participants from clinical and academic backgrounds and from Great Britain, Europe, the USA and Australia. Most of the authors in this publication, and a sister special issue in Cognitions and Emotion (2008), participated in the CATTS series.
The use of complex microbial soil communities in Mars simulation experiments
Authors: Finster Kai , Hansen Aviaja A. , Liengaard Lars , Mikkelsen Karina , Kristoffersen Tommy , Merrison Jonathan , Nørnberg Per , Lomstein Bente Aa.
Published: August 2008

Mars simulation studies have in the past mainly investigated the effect of the simulation conditions such as UV radiation, low pressure and temperature on pure cultures and much has been learnt about the survival potential of sporeformers such asBacillus subtilis. However, this approach has limitations as the studies only investigate the properties of a very limited number of microorganisms. In this paper we propose that Mars simulations should be carried out with complex microbial communities of Martian analogues such as permafrost or the deep biosphere. We also propose that samples from these environments should be studied by a number of complementary methods and claim that these methods in combination can provide a comprehensive picture of how imposed Martian conditions affect the microbial community and in particular the survival of its constituents – microbes as well as biological material in general. As an interesting consequence this approach can lead to the isolation of bacteria, which are more recalcitrant to the imposed Martian conditions than the pure cultures that have previously been studied.
A dayside ionospheric positive storm phase driven by neutral winds
Authors: Lu G. , Goncharenko L. P. , Richmond A. D. , Roble R. G. , Aponte N.
Published: August 2008

This paper presents observations and numerical simulations of ionospheric and thermospheric disturbances associated with a moderate geomagnetic storm on 10 September 2005. During the event, the incoherent radars located in Millstone Hill and Arecibo observed a dayside positive storm phase as manifested by the enhanced electron density in the F region. The universal time (UT)‐altitude profile of electron density measured by both radars displayed a structure that closely resembles the Greek letter Λ. A similar structure is also reproduced by the Thermosphere‐Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIEGCM). This peculiar electron density distribution is found to be associated with vertical ion drift, which initially was upward and then became downward. Using realistic time‐dependent ionospheric convection and auroral precipitation as inputs, the TIEGCM reveals that the primary cause of the positive storm response was the enhanced meridional neutral wind rather than the penetration magnetospheric electric field. This study reiterates the importance of neutral wind effects on ionospheric disturbance.
Short‐burst auroral radiations in Alfvénic acceleration regions: FAST observations
Authors: Su Yi‐Jiun , Ma Lun , Ergun Robert E. , Pritchett Philip L. , Carlson Charles W.
Published: August 2008

We examined particle and field data during the first 3 years (1997–1999) of the FAST mission searching for short‐burst auroral kilometric radio (AKR) emissions in Alfvénic auroral acceleration regions. Eight such events were found at altitudes between 2500 and 3600 km in the midnight local time sector during winter months when the AE index was observed to be greater than 150. The emission source regions are estimated to be ∼300–900 km below the satellite. The frequency of observed short‐bursts is in the range between 400 and 600 kHz. The average bandwidth of the burst, Δf/f, is approximately 2 × 10−2. The reoccurrence frequency of discrete short bursts is estimated to be between 7 and 18 Hz, which is similar to that of Jovian S‐bursts. The negative drift of each discrete burst may be associated with upward moving electrons. As in the case for ordinary AKR, short‐bursts can be explained by the electron cyclotron maser instability due to the positive gradient in the phase space of an unstable electron distribution. Shell, conic, and ring distributions, and a combination of these three, were observed in each of the eight events. Snapshots of observed multiple shells and rings are suggested to be the results of the temporal effect, where low energy electrons are accelerated by the Alfvénic perturbation at an earlier time, while high energy electrons are newly accelerated by later Alfvénic pulses. Results presented within this paper suggest multiple Alfvénic disturbances in the magnetotail as the source of the multiple shell (and ring) distributions. Multiple Alfvénic disturbances may also explain the observed reoccurrence pattern of short‐bursts.
Thermal equation of state of Al‐ and Fe‐bearing phase D
Authors: Litasov Konstantin D. , Ohtani Eiji , Nishihara Yu , Suzuki Akio , Funakoshi Kenichi
Published: August 2008

Pressure‐volume‐temperature relations have been measured to 20.6 GPa and 1273 K for Fe‐ and Al‐bearing phase D (Mg0.99Fe0.12Al0.09Si1.75H2.51O6) using synchrotron X‐ray diffraction with SPEED‐MkII multianvil press at SPring‐8 facility. The analysis of room temperature data fitted to a third‐order Birch‐Murnaghan equation of state (EOS) yields V0 = 85.32 ± 0.02 Å3; K0 = 141.5 ± 3 GPa and K' = 6.2 ± 0.4. The pressure was calibrated using the Au EOS by Anderson et al. (1989). Fixing K' to 4.0, gives K0 = 155.3 ± 0.8 GPa. These values are consistent with thermal EOS analysis as well as previous estimations for Fe‐Al‐bearing and Fe‐Al‐free phase D. A fit to high‐temperature P‐V‐T data using Birch‐Murnaghan EOS yields V0 = 85.32 ± 0.02 Å3; K0 = 139.6 ± 3.0 GPa; K' = 6.6 ± 0.4; (∂KT/∂T)P = ‐ 0.023 (8) GPa K−1 and zero‐pressure thermal expansion α = a0 + a1T with a0 = 3.4 (2) × 10−5 K−1 and a1 = 0.4 (6) × 10−8 K−1. The estimated Anderson‐Grüneisen parameter is δT = 4.9. Lattice dynamical approach using the Mie‐Grüneisen‐Debye EOS yields Grüneisen parameter γ0 = 1.09 ± 0.09 and q = 0.42 ± 0.97, if Debye temperature θ0 fixed at 920 K, as calculated from sound velocities. The EOS from this study enables the accurate estimation of the density of phase D in a pyrolitic composition under deep mantle conditions. The density reduction of hydrated subducting slab (∼1 wt.% H2O) in the lower mantle due to the presence of ∼7% of phase D would be 1.0%.
Improved tests reveal that the accelerating moment release hypothesis is statistically insignificant
Authors: Hardebeck Jeanne L. , Felzer Karen R. , Michael Andrew J.
Published: August 2008

We test the hypothesis that accelerating moment release (AMR) is a precursor to large earthquakes, using data from California, Nevada, and Sumatra. Spurious cases of AMR can arise from data fitting because the time period, area, and sometimes magnitude range analyzed before each main shock are often optimized to produce the strongest AMR signal. Optimizing the search criteria can identify apparent AMR even if no robust signal exists. For both 1950–2006 California‐Nevada M ≥ 6.5 earthquakes and the 2004 M9.3 Sumatra earthquake, we can find two contradictory patterns in the pre–main shock earthquakes by data fitting: AMR and decelerating moment release. We compare the apparent AMR found in the real data to the apparent AMR found in four types of synthetic catalogs with no inherent AMR. When spatiotemporal clustering is included in the simulations, similar AMR signals are found by data fitting in both the real and synthetic data sets even though the synthetic data sets contain no real AMR. These tests demonstrate that apparent AMR may arise from a combination of data fitting and normal foreshock and aftershock activity. In principle, data‐fitting artifacts could be avoided if the free parameters were determined from scaling relationships between the duration and spatial extent of the AMR pattern and the magnitude of the earthquake that follows it. However, we demonstrate that previously proposed scaling relationships are unstable, statistical artifacts caused by the use of a minimum magnitude for the earthquake catalog that scales with the main shock magnitude. Some recent AMR studies have used spatial regions based on hypothetical stress loading patterns, rather than circles, to select the data. We show that previous tests were biased and that unbiased tests do not find this change to the method to be an improvement. The use of declustered catalogs has also been proposed to eliminate the effect of clustering but we demonstrate that this does not increase the statistical significance of AMR. Given the ease with which data fitting can find desired patterns in seismicity, future studies of AMR‐like observations must include complete tests against synthetic catalogs that include spatiotemporal clustering.
Cross‐equatorial structure and temporal modulation of intraseasonal variability at the surface of the Tropical Atlantic Ocean
Authors: Athie Gabriela , Marin Frédéric
Published: August 2008

Intraseasonal variability (10–50 days) in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean is analyzed from multiyear (1999–2005) satellite gridded products of sea‐level anomalies (SLA) and sea‐surface temperature (SST). Two regions with distinct intraseasonal variability have been identified. The first one, west of 10°W, is dominated by westward‐propagating anomalies, with maximum values in SLA along 5°N and in SST along 2°N: They occur in boreal summer with periods of 25–50 days and are known to correspond to tropical instability waves (TIWs). We show that TIWs have also a signature, though weaker, south of the equator, especially along 5°S, in SLA. Northern and southern anomalies propagate together westward, being mostly out of phase, suggesting that equatorial wave dynamics is involved in TIWs variability. An SST signature of TIWs is also observed near 2°S, in quadrature with SST anomalies detected in the Northern Hemisphere. The interannual modulations of the TIW signature in SLA and SST are compared and discussed. The second dominant intraseasonal signal is only seen east of 10°W in SST and corresponds to an equatorially trapped variability, confined to the Gulf of Guinea with periods between 10 and 20 days. This signal is present in boreal summer when an intense SST front is observed just north of the equator. Intraseasonal variability with comparable periods is also observed in the meridional wind stress throughout the year. Comparison of SST and meridional wind stress anomalies suggests that the 10‐ to 20‐day variability in SST is forced by the wind stress but seasonally modulated by the presence of the SST front.