bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Aristotle's Subordinate Sciences
Authors: McKirahan Richard D.
Published: January 2009

The relations between different areas of knowledge have been a subject of interest to philosophers as well as to scientists and mathematicians from antiquity. While recent work in this direction has been largely concerned with the question whether one branch of knowledge (such as arithmetic) can be reduced to another (such as logic), the questions which exercised the Greek philosophers on these matters have a different starting point. Taking for granted that there are a number of distinct areas of knowledge, they proceeded to consider a variety of relations which they observed to hold among the sciences as they knew them; the question of the priority of one science to another is a recurrent theme. In fact, three sorts of orderings were noticed, and the associated conceptions of priority are interesting. Only one of them is the concern of the present paper, though, and I shall briefly describe the remaining two only for purposes of contrast.
The Importance of French Transformist Ideas for the Second Volume of Lyell'S Principles of Geology
Authors: Corsi Pietro
Published: January 2009

Recently there has been considerable revaluation of the development of natural sciences in the early nineteenth century, dealing among other things with the works and ideas of Charles Lyell. The task of interpreting Lyell in balanced terms is extremely complex because his activities covered many fields of research, and because his views have been unwarrantably distorted in order to make him the precursor of various modern scientific positions. Martin Rudwick in particular has contributed several papers relating to Lyell's Principles of geology, and has repeatedly stressed the need for a comprehensive evaluation of Lyell's scientific proposals, and of his position in the culture of his time. In the present paper I hope to contribute to the reassessment of Lyell's work by concentrating on his discussion of transformism, which constituted the central theme of the second volume of the Principles of geology: the very length of Lyell's detailed and critical analysis of Lamarck's theories reveals the importance he attributed to the question of transformism in the contemporary natural sciences.
Precision measurement and the genesis of physics teaching laboratories in Victorian Britain
Authors: Gooday Graeme
Published: January 2009

The appearance and proliferation of physics laboratories in the academic institutions of Britain between 1865 and 1885 is an established feature of Victorian science. However, neither of the two existing modern accounts of this development have adequately documented the predominant function of these early physics laboratories as centres for theteachingof physics, characteristically stressing instead the exceptional cases of the research laboratories at Glasgow and Cambridge. Hence these accounts have attempted to explain, somewhat misleadingly, the genesis of these laboratories purely by reference to the stimuli of professionalizedresearchprogrammes, instead of considering the contemporary growth in demand for the professional laboratory teaching of physics. In failing to consider such physics laboratories in terms of the political economy of British education, these accounts have also faileda fortiorito correlate this development with the contemporaneous extension of laboratory teaching methods to other scientific disciplines, a movement dubbed as a laboratory ‘revolution’ by later nineteenth-century commentators.
The archives of Sir Edward Frankland: Resources, Problems and Methods
Authors: Russell Colin A. , Russell Shirley P.
Published: January 2009

The periodical History of Science opened auspiciously in 1962 with an article by L. Pearce Williams on ‘The physical sciences in the first half of the nineteenth century: problems and sources’. He criticized the nearly exclusive reliance on printed sources then quite common in studies of Victorian science, concluded that much remained to be discovered and closed his paper with these words:
What papers exist in private hands can only be guessed. I know of a trunk in an attic containing unpublished letters from Darwin, Huxley, Kolbe, Pasteur and a host of others. They are, unfortunately, not available to the scholar and there must be hundreds, if not thousands, of such boxes scattered through America and Europe. As they are discovered, catalogued and made available to scholars, the shape of nineteenth-century science will gradually lose its blurred outlines and the origins of modern science will become clear.
Technology in decline: a search for useful concepts
Authors: Travis Anthony S. , Hornix Willem J. , Bud Robert , Schot Johan
Published: January 2009

Until late in the nineteenth century, madder was the most popular natural red dye. Holland was the largest and best-known supplier. As early as the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the province of Zeeland and adjoining parts of the provinces of South Holland and Brabant developed into important producers. In the course of the seventeenth century these areas even succeeded in acquiring a monopoly position. Early in the nineteenth century, however, this position came under attack because France had gone over to industrial production methods from around 1800, whereas Holland continued to produce with craft technologies. After 1820, as a result, a period of stagnation and decay set in. The fate of the Dutch madder industry would have been completely sealed if the production capacity of the French factories had been sufficiently large to satisfy the great increase in demand. Consequently, in Holland, after 1845, a process of revival based upon the French manufacturing methods began slowly and hesitatingly. This process started too late and was not persevered with sufficiently to regain lost markets. The Dutch producers remained strongly attached to their own out-dated, craft methods of production.
Science's powerful companion: A. W. Hofmann's investigation of aniline red and its derivatives
Authors: Travis Anthony S.
Published: January 2009

Since the eighteenth century chemistry has been deemed to be useful, yet how it might find widespread application, particularly in the case of its most advanced developments, was generally unclear. The discovery of synthetic dyestuffs has often been considered as the turning point towards much closer linkage between chemistry and the manufacture of useful products. How this occurred can best be seen in the case of August Wilhelm Hofmann, who for two decades after 1845 was director of the Royal College of Chemistry in London. As the teacher of many pioneers of the dye industry, Hofmann can be considered its first scientific leader. Indeed, the compounds he studied from 1860 were products made in the factories of his former students and assistants. They in turn were the first to recognize Hofmann's role in stimulating the practical application of science. Henry Armstrong, the chemist and educator, went so far as to imply that this was germane to Hofmann's pedagogic and research strategies: ‘it is clear that the influence he exercised in introducing scientific method into industry was in no sense accidental, but the considered expression of innate convictions’. These convictions were also encouraged by the need to attract funds from industrial sponsors for the Royal College of Chemistry, and they charged the rhetoric that served to enhance Hofmann's ambition and the discipline of chemistry before international audiences.
From process to plant: innovation in the early artificial dye industry
Authors: Travis Anthony S. , Hornix Willem J. , Bud Robert , Hornix Willem J.
Published: January 2009

The rise of the synthetic dye industry was based on exciting discoveries of nineteenth-century chemists. They prepared in their laboratories, from components of coal tar, coloured substances with potentially promising dyeing properties. However, this was only part of the story.
Attenuation of diabetic complications by C-phycoerythrin in rats: antioxidant activity of C-phycoerythrin including copper-induced lipoprotein and serum oxidation
Authors: Soni Badrish , Visavadiya Nishant P. , Madamwar Datta
Published: January 2009

In the present study, the protective role of purified C-phycoerythrin (C-PE) against diabetic complications and Cu-mediated lipoprotein oxidation was evaluated. C-PE (25 and 50 mg/kg body weight per d) was administered to experimental streptozotocin–nicotinamide-induced type 2 diabetic male rats for 28 d. C-PE treatment successfully ameliorated diabetic complications by decreasing food intake, organ weights, serum concentrations of glucose, cholesterol, TAG, VLDL-cholesterol, creatinine, uric acid and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), with increases in body weight, Hb, total protein, bilirubin and ferric-reducing ability of plasma values. Hepatic and renal tissues demonstrated significant decreases in TBARS, lipid hydroperoxide and conjugated diene contents, with increases in superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, reduced glutathione, vitamin E and vitamin C levels. Furthermore, the 4-weekex vivoandin vitroadministration of C-PE (0·5 and 1·0 mg/ml) indicated a decrease in Cu-mediated serum oxidation. The kinetics of the LDL oxidation profile showed significant prolongation of the lag phase with declines in oxidation rate, conjugated dienes, lipid hydroperoxide and TBARS. Results indicated the involvement of C-PE in the amelioration of diabetic complications by significant reductions in oxidative stress and oxidised LDL-triggered atherogenesis.
Changes of sugars, β-carotene and firmness of refrigerated Ataulfo mangoes treated with exogenous ethylene
Authors: MONTALVO E. , ADAME Y. , GARCÍA H. S. , TOVAR B. , MATA M.
Published: January 2009

The export of Ataulfo mangoes to the US market involves a mandatory hot water treatment and further handling at 13°C for 4 days. These treatments have proven to adversely affect fruit ripening, mainly in colour and flavour development, and their nutritional quality. The application of exogenous ethylene (100 μl/l of air for 12 h at 25°C) to Ataulfo mangoes that were treated with hot water after storage for 4 days at 13°C, and then transferred to 25°C for ripening, was evaluated. Sugar content, colour development and textural firmness were monitored. Control fruit were held at 25°C with no previous refrigeration or ethylene exposure; another batch was kept refrigerated for 4 days at 13°C, not treated with ethylene and ripened at 25°C. Synthesis of fructose (30 g/kg fresh weight (FW)), glucose (38 g/kg FW), sucrose (120 g/kg FW) and β-carotene (0·026 g/kg FW) in the last day of storage was greater in fruits treated with ethylene than on refrigerated mangoes (RM). Loss of firmness (9·3 Newtons) coincided with the highest pectinmethylesterase and polygalacturonase activities, 53·24 and 37·92 U/mg protein, respectively, and eventually led to collapse of cell structure. Results suggest that sugars and carotenoid content can be increased, along with an accelerated ripening by application of exogenous ethylene on mangoes that were refrigerated for 4 days.
Synbiotic effect of Lactobacillus helveticus M92 and prebiotics on the intestinal microflora and immune system of mice
Authors: Frece Jadranka , Kos Blaženka , Svetec Ivan Krešimir , Zgaga Zoran , Beganović Jasna , Leboš Andreja , Šušković Jagoda
Published: January 2009

The synbiotic effect of the oral treatment of Swiss albino mice with milk-based diets supplemented with Lactobacillus helveticus M92 and various kinds of prebiotics was investigated. Survival, competition, adhesion and colonization, as well as, immunomodulating capability of Lb. helveticus M92, in synbiotic combination, in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of mice, were monitored. After the mice were fed with synbiotics, the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts in faeces were increased and reduction of enterobacteria and sulphite-reducing clostridia was observed. Similar results were obtained in homogenates of small and large intestine of mice on the 1st and 14th day, after feeding with synbiotics. After the mice were orally given viable Lb. helveticus M92 cells, alone or in combination with prebiotic, the concentration of faecal SIgA and total serum IgA antibodies from all immunized mice were higher compared with the control. The specific humoral immune response was not evoked after oral administration, therefore their synbiotic application is suitable. Among inulin, lactulose and raffinose, Lb. helveticus M92 in combination with inulin, has shown the best synbiotic effect on intestinal and faecal microflora and immune system of mice.
Interaction betweenLactobacillus kefirandSaccharomyces lipolyticaisolated from kefir grains: evidence for lectin-like activity of bacterial surface proteins
Authors: Golowczyc Marina Alejandra , Mobili Pablo , Garrote Graciela Liliana , de los Angeles Serradell María , Abraham Analía Graciela , De Antoni Graciela Liliana
Published: January 2009

Several microbial interactions involving yeast and lactobacilli have been suggested in fermented products. Co-aggregation betweenLactobacillus kefirand yeastSaccharomyces lipolyticaisolated from kefir grains was studied by scanning electron microscopy and aggregation assays. Six out of twentyLb. kefirstrains were able to co-aggregate withSacch. lipolyticaCIDCA 812 and showed thermolabile non-covalently bound surface molecules involved in this interaction. Co-aggregation inhibition afterLb. kefirpre-treatment with 5m-LiCl or 20 g SDS/l showed that bacterial S-layer proteins play an important role in this interaction. Presence of different sugar (mannose, sucrose and fructose) or yeast pre-treatment with sodium periodate inhibited co-aggregation betweenLb. kefirandSacch. lipolytica. Co-aggregatingLb. kefirstrains were also able to agglutinate with human red blood cells and they lost this ability after treatment with 5m-LiCl. These results and the capacity of purified S-layer proteins ofLb. kefirto haemagglutinate, strongly suggest that a lectin-like activity of bacterial surface proteins (S-layer) mediates the aggregation with yeast cells.
Evaluation of the serum fructosamine test to monitor plasma glucose concentration in the transition dairy cow
Authors: Sorondo María L , Cirio Alberto
Published: January 2009

The usefulness of the serum fructosamine (Fser) to monitor the retrospective glucose concentrations in transitional dairy cows (n=17) was evaluated. In weekly blood samples (3 weeks before to 5 weeks after calving) concentrations of plasma glucose and serum fructosamine, β-hydroxybutyrate (βOHB) and total proteins were determined. The observed Fser concentrations (271±55 mean value, range 152–423 μmol/l) were within the range reported in the literature, and showed a progressive and significant decrease after calving. Mean plasma glucose concentration was 60·6±5·0 (range 39·9–82·2) mg/dl increasing from week 3 before calving to the week of calving and then decreasing during the next 5 weeks of lactation. This decrease was coincident with inverse relationships between plasma glucose and milk yield (P=0·03) and serum βOHB (P<0·001). Linear regression analysis performed between serum fructosamine and (a) plasma glucose concentration of the same sampling and (b) plasma glucose concentration of 1, 2 and 3 weeks preceding the sampling, did not show significant and systematizing positive correlations. Persistent hypoproteinaemias that could affect the fructosamine concentrations were not found: mean value and range of serum proteins was 6·3±1·0 and 4·8–7·8 g/dl, respectively, and no correlation was found between serum proteins and Fser (P=0·26). Results did not support the possibility of retrospective monitoring of the plasma glucose concentration by serum fructosamine in dairy cows in the transition period.
Effect of bovine lactoferrin on the internalization of coagulase-negative staphylococci into bovine mammary epithelial cells under in-vitro conditions
Authors: Hyvönen Paula , Käyhkö Sari , Taponen Suvi , von Wright Atte , Pyörälä Satu
Published: January 2009

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) have emerged as bovine mastitis pathogens in many countries. CNS mastitis is generally mild but can persist in the udder for long periods. Pathogenesis of CNS intramammary infection is not well understood. In the present study, adhesion, invasion and intracellular replication of twenty-two CNS strains isolated from bovine mastitis and the effect of bovine lactoferrin (bLf) on the internalization were studied in vitro in a bovine mammary epithelial (BME) cell model. The CNS strains were ofStaphylococcus chromogenes, Staph. simulans, Staph. epidermidis, Staph. haemolyticusandStaph. cohnii urealyticus; two strains ofStaph. aureuswere used as controls. Seven of the CNS strains originated from persistent and five from transient mastitis infections. The in-vitro susceptibility of the strains to bLf was also investigated. All CNS species examined had an adhesive ability equal to that ofStaph. aureus, but internalization varied among staphylococcal strains. The antagonistic effect of bLf on the adhesion and invasion of CNS strains was weak, but bLf significantly decreased intracellular replication and replication rates of CNS. No correlation between the in-vitro susceptibility of the strain to bLf or internalization among clinical signs of mastitis was established. No difference between the persistent and transient CNS strains in adhesion, invasion or replication rate was recorded. This in-vitro BME cell model can be used to study the virulence potential of mastitis pathogens, although the severity and persistence of eventual infections shall be further investigated in vivo. The role of bLf in intramammary infection caused by CNS may be limited.
Suitability of high pressure-homogenized milk for the production of probiotic fermented milk containing Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactobacillus acidophilus
Authors: Patrignani Francesca , Burns Patricia , Serrazanetti Diana , Vinderola Gabriel , Reinheimer Jorge , Lanciotti Rosalba , Guerzoni M Elisabetta
Published: January 2009

High pressure homogenization (HPH) is one of the most promising alternatives to traditional thermal treatment for food preservation and diversification. In order to evaluate its potential for the production of fermented milks carrying probiotic bacteria, four types of fermented milks were manufactured from HPH treated and heat treated (HT) milk with and without added probiotics. Microbiological, physicochemical and organoleptic analyses were carried out during the refrigerated period (35 d at 4°C). HPH application to milk did not modify the viability of the probiotic cultures but did increase the cell loads of the starter cultures (ca. 1 log order) compared with traditional products. The coagula from HPH-milk was significantly more compacted (P<0·05) (higher firmness) than that obtained with HT-milk, and it had the highest values of consistency, cohesiveness and viscosity indexes compared with fermented milks produced without HPH treatment. All the samples received high sensory analysis scores for each descriptor considered. HPH treatment of milk can potentially diversify the market for probiotic fermented milks, especially in terms of texture parameters.
Focusing on casein gene cluster and protein profile in Garganica goat milk
Authors: Albenzio Marzia , Santillo Antonella , d'Angelo Francesca , Sevi Agostino
Published: January 2009

A survey was carried out in eight goat dairy farms, a total of 71 individual Garganica goat milk samples were collected for genomic DNA extraction. Casein alleles and haplotype frequencies of Garganica population were estimated. Individual milks were also analysed for chemical composition, rheological properties, and protein profile. The strong A* allele of CSN1S1 was predominant in the population investigated, the weak allele F of CSN1S1 showed a relatively high frequency and the null alleles N and 01 were first observed in this breed. At CSN1S2 locus the strong A* allele was the most frequent, followed by the F allele and the null allele. The strong A* allele was predominant at CSN2 locus, and relatively high incidence of null allele 0 was observed. CSN3 locus was monomorphic for B* allele. The exact test of sample differentiation based on haplotype frequencies discriminate the farms into two groups characterized by the highest frequency of strong (S-CSN1S1) or weak (W-CSN1S1) alleles at CSN1S1. Protein and casein contents were higher in the group characterized by strong allele than in the group with weak allele at CSN1S1. The 2D electrophoresis technique was performed to screen goat casein variability at the protein level and to evaluate global casein genotype (αs1, αs2, β and κ-CN). Gels displayed the protein profile associated with casein genotype, and demonstrated differences in the protein expression deriving from interactions between loci. The variability of goat casein loci in Garganica goat breed could be exploited to differentiate the population on the basis of milk utilization and could represent a strategy to preserve the genotype of this autochthonous breed.
Exopolysaccharide-producing mesophilic lactic cultures for preparation of fat-free Dahi – an Indian fermented milk
Authors: Behare Pradip , Singh Rameshwar , Singh Rudrapratap P
Published: January 2009

Forty seven exopolysaccharide (EPS) producing mesophilic lactic acid bacteria have been isolated from Dahi and raw milk and selected cultures were evaluated for their influence on rheological and sensory properties of fat-free Dahi. Two isolates namely B-6 and KT-24 that showed promising technological attributes were identified asLc.lactissubsp.lactisstrains. B-6 produced 184±2 mg/l EPS in deproteinized whey medium compared with 193±1 mg/l by KT-24. EPS produced by B-6 was a heteropolysaccharide (consisting of glucose and mannose, 1:7·4) with molecular weight of 3·0×104 Da whereas KT-24 EPS was a homopolysaccharide (rhamnose) having molecular weight of 4·5×104 Da. Both EPS producing cultures showed significant changes in rheological and sensory properties of fat-free Dahi. Dahi prepared by these cultures was more viscous, adhesive, sticky, showed lower susceptibility to whey separation, and received higher sensory scores than Dahi prepared with non-EPS producing culture.
Japanese key words and core cultural values
Authors: Wierzbicka Anna
Published: January 2009

Every language has its own key words, which reflect the core values of the culture. Consequently, cultures can be revealingly studied, compared, and explained to outsiders through their key words. But to be able to study, compare, and explain cultures in terms of their key words, we need a culture-independent analytical framework. A framework of this kind is provided by the natural semantic metalanguage developed by the author and colleagues over the last two decades. In the present article, the author explores and analyzes six Japanese concepts widely regarded as being almost more that any others culture-specific and culturally revealing –amae, enryo, wa, on, giri, andseishin– and shows how the use of the natural semantic metalanguage (based on universal semantic primitives) helps to make these concepts clear and how it facilitates better insight into Japanese culture and society (Japanese language, Japanese culture, cross-cultural semantics, key words, core values)
Interracial Panjabi in a British adolescent peer group
Authors: Rampton M B H
Published: January 2009

Several sociologists have noted the emergence of syncretic multiracial youth cultures in Britain and addressed its political significance. Most discussion has focused on Afro-Caribbean influences, but this article considers Asian involvement by analyzing the use of Panjabi by black and white adolescents in a mixed peer group. Informant reports suggested that Panjabi crossing was common, though assessments varied according to its contexts of occurrence. Analysis of spontaneous speech reduced these to two: agonistic interactions, where Panjabi played an auxiliary role in familiar playground practices (primarily among males); and bhangra, in which predominantly white females looked toward a nascent youth culture with Panjabi at its core. Despite major differences, bilingual sponsors and nonconversational structures were crucial in both settings. Opposition to establishment hierarchy might be more a part of the interracial meaning potential of Creole, but Panjabi was important, both in managing the divisions that cross-cut youth community and in extending horizons beyond the confines of local neighborhood experience. (Ethnography of communication, ethnic relations, adolescent multilingualism, language contact, code-switching, second language learning)
The Historian and the History of Science
Authors: Butterfield H.
Published: January 2009

Students of European history have long known that they must concern themselves with a little art in the period of the Renaissance, with religion at the time of the Reformation, and with literature in the age of Voltaire and the philosophes. The time has now come when, by the rules of their own game, they are bound to take an interest in the history of science.
Leeuwenhoek, the Man: A Son of his Nation and his Time
Authors: Rooseboom Maria
Published: January 2009

Much, has been written on Leeuwenhoek. It is with diffidence that I undertook to speak to-night on this subject in the country of Dobell and Cole, who have contributed so much to the knowledge and understanding of this great microscopist. Yet, though Leeuwenhoek's letters, written quite frankly like Pepys' diary, contain a self portrait more captivating than most autobiographies written for the purpose, the image deduced from them by most authors leaves me somewhat dissatisfied.
Scientific Literature and the Classification of the Sciences
Authors: Anthony H. D.
Published: January 2009

The word “classification” is used here in its sense of “the result of classifying” rather than the action of so doing. Since the resulting classification has special reference to the subject-matter of science as a whole, it is natural to turn to the scientific literature of various periods for an indication of how this classification has been developed. For sake of comparison, reference may be made to one of the modern systems of library classification. In the Dewey Decimal System the numbers 550 to 559 are allotted to Geology and 560 to 569 to Palaeontology. By placing numbers to the right of the decimal point, further sub-divisions may be made, for example, 560·942 is classed as Palaeon-tology of England. Thus a number is available for every reasonable demand of classification. The present purpose is to trace the natural evolution of the various branches of science, in contrast to the mechanical process of providing a classification of scientific literature for ease of reference. An example may make this distinction clearer.
New Insights Into the Lithospheric Structure of Southern Norway
Authors: Stratford W. , Thybo H. , Faleide J.I. , Olesen O. , Tryggvason A.
Published: January 2009

Topography can result from a balance, called isostasy, between the overlying weight of the crust and the buoyancy of the mantle beneath it. The principle of isostasy was put forward almost two centuries ago as a method of explaining variations in mountain heights, and it does a good job of explaining most of the first‐order variations in the Earth's topography.

For example, when the crust is in local isostatic balance, elevation increases can be compensated for by an increase in crustal thickness, which in mountainous areas is in the form of a crustal root. Called Airy isostasy, compensation through crustal roots involves a correlation between surface topography and crustal thickness. However, topography may not be solely compensated for by crustal thickness, as other mechanisms such as flexural rigidity, low mantle densities, and dynamic topography can also be in effect.
Three‐dimensional fold structure of the Tibetan Moho from GRACE gravity data
Authors: Shin Young Hong , Shum C.‐K. , Braitenberg Carla , Lee Sang Mook , Xu Houze , Choi Kwang Sun , Baek Jeong Ho , Park Jong Uk
Published: January 2009

Although the prevailing wavelength of the Moho fold has been estimated from the spectral analysis of gravity and topography, there has not been a suggested method developed to reveal its structure. Here we present a three‐dimensional (3D) Moho fold structure beneath Tibet which clearly reflects the continental collision. For the structure estimation a new method has been introduced based on the gravity inversion and flexural model. The estimated direction and wavelength of the Moho fold are consistent with the velocities calculated from Global Positioning System (GPS) and with an elastic plate model under horizontal compression. The prevailing wavelength of the Moho fold is estimated to be 300 to 420 km, which corresponds to an elastic plate with effective elastic thickness (EET) of about 35 km, and much smaller than the prior estimates of 500 to 700 km.
Precise location of San Andreas Fault tremors near Cholame, California using seismometer clusters: Slip on the deep extension of the fault?
Authors: Shelly David R. , Ellsworth William L. , Ryberg Trond , Haberland Christian , Fuis Gary S. , Murphy Janice , Nadeau Robert M. , Bürgmann Roland
Published: January 2009

We examine a 24‐hour period of active San Andreas Fault (SAF) tremor and show that this tremor is largely composed of repeated similar events. Utilizing this similarity, we locate the subset of the tremor with waveforms similar to an identified low frequency earthquake (LFE) “master template,” located using P and S wave arrivals to be ∼26 km deep. To compensate for low signal‐to‐noise, we estimate event‐pair differential times at “clusters” of nearby stations rather than at single stations. We find that the locations form a near‐linear structure in map view, striking parallel to the SAF and near the surface trace. Therefore, we suggest that at least a portion of the tremor occurs on the deep extension of the fault, likely reflecting shear slip, similar to subduction zone tremor. If so, the SAF may extend to the base of the crust, ∼10 km below the deepest regular earthquakes on the fault.
A practical database method for predicting arrivals of “average” interplanetary shocks at Earth
Authors: Feng X. S. , Zhang Y. , Sun W. , Dryer M. , Fry C. D. , Deehr C. S.
Published: January 2009

A practical database method for predicting the interplanetary shock arrival time at L1 point is presented here. First, a shock transit time database (hereinafter called Database‐I) based on HAFv.1 (version 1 of the Hakamada‐Akasofu‐Fry model) is preliminarily established with hypothetical solar events. Then, on the basis of the prediction test results of 130 observed solar events during the period from February 1997 to August 2002, Database‐I is modified to create a practical database method, named Database‐II, organized on a multidimensional grid of source location, initial coronal shock speed, and the year of occurrence of the hypothetical solar event. The arrival time at L1 for any given solar event occurring in the 23rd solar cycle can be predicted by looking up in the grid of Database‐II according to source location, the initial coronal shock speed, and the year of occurrence in cycle 23. Within the hit window of ±12 h, the success rate of the Database‐II method for 130 solar events is 44%. This could be practically equivalent to the shock time of arrival (STOA) model, the interplanetary shock propagation model (ISPM), and the HAFv.2 model. To explore the capability of this method, it is tested on new data sets. These tests give reasonable results. In particular, this method's performance for a set of events in other cycles is as good as that of the STOA and ISPM models. This gives us confidence in its application to other cycles. From the viewpoint of long‐term periodicity for solar activity, it is expected that the Database‐II method can be applicable to the next solar cycle 24.
Postseismic relaxation following the 1992 M7.3 Landers and 1999 M7.1 Hector Mine earthquakes, southern California
Authors: Savage J. C. , Svarc J. L.
Published: January 2009

Postseismic relaxation (measured postseismic deformation less the deformation that would have occurred at the preseismic rate) has been monitored at the same 10 monuments over ∼6 years following both the 1992 Landers and the 1999 Hector Mine earthquakes. For both earthquakes the displacement components of the observed relaxation are well described by γi + αif1(t), where γi and αi are constants peculiar to each component at each monument, t is the time after the earthquake, and f1(t) is a temporal function common to all components and all monuments for that earthquake. The temporal function f1(t) can be approximated by bt + c loge(1 + t/τ), where τ = 38.7 ± 15.2 days and 25.6 ± 7.7 days for the Landers and Hector Mine relaxations, respectively. Because the estimated values of τ do not differ significantly, the transient term loge(1 + t/τ) in the temporal function may be the same for both earthquakes. The asymptotic (t → ∞) relaxation rates αib are only a few mm/a and do not appear to be significantly different following the two earthquakes. The asymptotic deformation rates appear to be slightly greater than the preseismic deformation rates, but the preseismic rates were not measured directly. Thus, the deformations of the Landers array measured over the first 5.6 years following the Landers earthquake and over the first 6.4 years following the Hector Mine earthquake are generally consistent with a simple model in which the transient postearthquake relaxation depends upon time as loge(1 + t/τ) with τ = 28 ± 5 days and the asymptotic postseismic speeds of the monuments exceed the preseismic speeds by at most only a few millimeters per annum.
Quantifying the effects of perturbing the physics of an interactive sulfur scheme using an ensemble of GCMs on the climateprediction.net platform
Authors: Ackerley Duncan , Highwood Eleanor J. , Frame David J.
Published: January 2009

Aerosols from anthropogenic and natural sources have been recognized as having an important impact on the climate system. However, the small size of aerosol particles (ranging from 0.01 to more than 10 μm in diameter) and their influence on solar and terrestrial radiation makes them difficult to represent within the coarse resolution of general circulation models (GCMs) such that small‐scale processes, for example, sulfate formation and conversion, need parameterizing. It is the parameterization of emissions, conversion, and deposition and the radiative effects of aerosol particles that causes uncertainty in their representation within GCMs. The aim of this study was to perturb aspects of a sulfur cycle scheme used within a GCM to represent the climatological impacts of sulfate aerosol derived from natural and anthropogenic sulfur sources. It was found that perturbing volcanic SO2 emissions and the scavenging rate of SO2 by precipitation had the largest influence on the sulfate burden. When these parameters were perturbed the sulfate burden ranged from 0.73 to 1.17 TgS for 2050 sulfur emissions (A2 Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES)), comparable with the range in sulfate burden across all the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change SRESs. Thus, the results here suggest that the range in sulfate burden due to model uncertainty is comparable with scenario uncertainty. Despite the large range in sulfate burden there was little influence on the climate sensitivity, which had a range of less than 0.5 K across the ensemble. We hypothesize that this small effect was partly associated with high sulfate loadings in the control phase of the experiment.
Test–Retest Reliability of Independent Measures of Phonology in the Assessment of Toddlers' Speech
Authors: Morris Sherrill R.
Published: January 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to assess the temporal stability of 5 independent measures of phonological skill: phonetic inventory (initial, final), word shape, syllable structure level, and the index of phonetic complexity.

Method

Ten toddlers with typical development participated in two 20-min play sessions within a 1-week period. Test–retest reliability for each measure was determined.

Results

Syllable structure level and index of phonetic complexity achieved high test–retest reliability. Word-final phonetic inventory and word shape analyses had moderate but not significant reliability. Word-initial phonetic inventory was not reliable.

Discussion

Twenty-minute conversational speech samples were insufficient to obtain reliable results for all measures. Practitioners may want to obtain more extensive sampling when using a phonetic inventory for diagnosis or progress monitoring purposes. Reliable measures within the constraint of a 20-min session, syllable structure level and index of phonetic complexity provide summarized information concerning the phonetic and syllabic characteristics of a child’s speech. Syllable structure level places less emphasis on accurate phonetic transcription, making it a good option for speech that is difficult to transcribe.
Accelerating Preschoolers' Early Literacy Development Through Classroom-Based Teacher–Child Storybook Reading and Explicit Print Referencing
Authors: Justice Laura M. , Kaderavek Joan N. , Fan Xitao , Sofka Amy , Hunt Aileen
Published: January 2009

Purpose

This study examined the impact of teacher use of a print referencing style during classroom-based storybook reading sessions conducted over an academic year. Impacts on preschoolers' early literacy development were examined, focusing specifically on the domain of print knowledge.

Method

This randomized, controlled trial examined the effects of a print referencing style on 106 preschool children attending 23 classrooms serving disadvantaged preschoolers. Following random assignment, teachers in 14 classrooms used a print referencing style during 120 large-group storybook reading sessions during a 30-week period. Teachers in 9 comparison classrooms read at the same frequency and with the same storybooks but used their normal style of reading.

Results

Children whose teachers used a print referencing style showed larger gains on 3 standardized measures of print knowledge: print concept knowledge, alphabet knowledge, and name writing, with medium-sized effects.

Clinical Implications

The convergence of the present findings with those of previous efficacy studies indicates that print referencing intervention can be used confidently as an approach for facilitating print knowledge in preschool-age children. Speech-language pathologists can serve an important role in supporting preschool educators as they use this evidence-based technique with pupils in their classrooms.
Meson factories and the two-nucleon problem
Authors: Moravcsik Michael J.
Published: January 2009

The interaction between two nucleons was first investigated almost 40 years ago and still occupies a central place in contemporary research. Efforts to understand this complex phenomenon have been hampered by the lack of precise data for all the pertinent observables. The experimental situation will be remedied in 1972 when accelerators producing beams 10 000 times more intense than presently attainable begin operation. The new breed of accelerator, informally called “meson factories,” will initially operate in the energy range below 1 GeV but may someday reach 20 GeV.
Reshaping the image of physics
Authors: Rigden John S.
Published: January 2009

Most students have a jaded image of the individuals who call themselves “physicists” and of the subject called “physics.” This regrettable state of affairs has arisen primarily because of the manner in which we present physics to our students, particularly to our beginning students. At present the wonder, the excitement, the awe and the enthusiasm of the physicist is too often missing. The intrinsic beauty of physics, its humanistic dimension and its inherent limitations are seldom part of our classroom fare and are unknown to the student.
The puzzle of the A2 meson
Authors: Schübelin Peter
Published: January 2009

Particles in high-energy physics have become so numerous that a new “resonance,” as a short-lived unstable particle is called, must do something unusual to attract attention. The A2 meson, an otherwise ordinary resonance, stands out from the crowd by exhibiting a peculiar structure in its mass spectrum. Instead of the single peak of a normal resonance, the A2 has two closely spaced peaks with the separation between the peaks roughly equal to their width. This double peak implies that the A2 is really two particles with nearly the same mass, or perhaps a single object of an entirely new type, a double resonance or “dipole.”
The first century of Phalaris aquatica L. cultivation and genetic improvement: a review
Authors: Oram R. N. , Ferreira V. , Culvenor R. A. , Hopkins A. A. , Stewart A.
Published: January 2009

2006 marked the centenary of the commercial propagation of phalaris (Phalaris aquatica L.) as a cultivated pasture plant, firstly in Australia, and soon after in New Zealand, South Africa, and North and South America. Small-scale evaluation of cv. Australian began in the Toowoomba Botanic Gardens, Queensland, in 1884. The first recorded large-scale production of seed was at the Glen Innes Research Farm of the NSW Department of Agriculture in February 1906. By 1908–15, several graziers in Australia and New Zealand sold seed widely within Australia, New Zealand, USA, Argentina, and South Africa. Factors affecting the utilisation of the original cultivar in Australia over the first half-century are reviewed. Thereafter, the need to extend the area of perennial pastures into regions unsuitable for cv. Australian led CSIRO and the US Department of Agriculture to collect germplasm widely in the Mediterranean region. Selection between and within Moroccan populations produced cvv. Sirocco and El Golea in Australia, and cv. Perla koleagrass in the USA. In Argentina, selection within cv. Australian produced the very successful, seed-retaining cv. Pergamino El Gaucho INTA, which was re-selected in Australia to produce cv. Seedmaster. The discovery of a single seed-retaining plant within a certified line of cv. Australian gave cv. Uneta, which had excellent seed retention because the rachillae of most seeds remained intact at maturity. In Australia, selection in populations derived from crosses between cv. Australian and Mediterranean ecotypes gave a succession of winter-active cultivars: Sirosa, Sirolan, Holdfast, Landmaster, Atlas PG, Advanced AT, and Holdfast GT. The latter 5 have Uneta-type seed retention, reduced tryptamine and tyramine alkaloids, and adaptation to different soil and climatic niches. Populations for the hotter, drier inland slopes of NSW are being field-tested. Also, a promising but unstable semi-dwarf line has been found: dwarfism appears to be caused by a transposable element. Breeding and selection programs in Argentina, several states of the USA, New Zealand, Israel, Tunisia, and Greece also produced cultivars with specific adaptations. Active breeding programs are continuing at Ardmore, OK, USA, and Pergamino, Argentina. A major remaining obstacle to the further improvement and utilisation of phalaris is the unknown chemical nature of the toxin(s) causing ‘sudden death’, which temporarily interfere with nitrogen metabolism in the brains of herbivores, especially ruminants.
Improved wheat yield and production forecasting with a moisture stress index, AVHRR and MODIS data
Authors: Schut A. G. T. , Stephens D. J. , Stovold R. G. H. , Adams M. , Craig R. L.
Published: January 2009

The objective of this study was to improve the current wheat yield and production forecasting system for Western Australia on a LGA basis. PLS regression models including temporal NDVI data from AVHRR and/or MODIS, CR, and/or SI, calculated with the STIN, were developed. Census and survey wheat yield data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics were combined with questionnaire data to construct a full time-series for the years 1991–2005. The accuracy of fortnightly in-season forecasts was evaluated with a leave-year-out procedure from Week 32 onwards. The best model had a mean relative prediction error per LGA (RE) of 10% for yield and 15% for production, compared with RE of 13% for yield and 18% for production for the model based on SI only. For yield there was a decrease in RMSE from below 0.5 t/ha to below 0.3 t/ha in all years. The best multivariate model also had the added feature of being more robust than the model based on SI only, especially in drought years. In-season forecasts were accurate (RE of 10–12% and 15–18% for yield and production, respectively) from Week 34 onwards. Models including AVHRR and MODIS NDVI had comparable errors, providing means for predictions based on MODIS. It is concluded that the multivariate model is a major improvement over the current DAFWA wheat yield forecasting system, providing for accurate in-season wheat yield and production forecasts from the end of August onwards.
Severity of root rot in mature subterranean clover and associated fungal pathogens in the wheatbelt of Western Australia
Authors: O'Rourke Tiernan A. , Scanlon Tim T. , Ryan Megan H. , Wade Len J. , McKay Alan C. , Riley Ian T. , Li Hua , Sivasithamparam Krishnapillai , Barbetti Martin J.
Published: January 2009

Pasture decline is considered to be a serious challenge to agricultural productivity of subterranean clover across southern Australia. Root disease is a significant contributing factor to pasture decline. However, root disease assessments are generally carried out in the early part of the growing season and in areas predominantly sown to permanent pastures. For this reason, in spring 2004, a survey was undertaken to determine the severity of root disease in mature subterranean clover plants in pastures located in the wheatbelt of Western Australia. DNA-based soil assays were used to estimate population density in the soil of a variety of soil-borne pathogens known to commonly occur in the Mediterranean-type environments of southern Australia. The relationships between severity of disease on tap and lateral roots and root diameter, root length, nodulation, and total rainfall were determined. The survey showed, for the first time, that severe root disease is widespread in spring across the wheatbelt of Western Australia. There was a positive correlation between rainfall and tap root disease, and between tap root disease and average root diameter of the entire root system. Despite the high levels of root disease present across the sites, the DNA of most root disease pathogens assayed was detected in trace concentrations. Only Pythium Clade F showed high DNA concentrations in the soil. DNA concentrations in the soil, in particular for Phytophthora clandestina and Rhizoctonia solani AG 2.1 and AG 2.2, were higher in the smaller autumn sampling in 2006. This study suggests that the productivity of subterranean clover-based pastures is severely compromised by root rot diseases throughout the growing season in the wheatbelt of Western Australia.
Genetic improvement of wool production in Spanish Merino sheep: genetic parameters and simulation of selection strategies
Authors: Valera M. , Arrebola F. , Juárez M. , Molina A.
Published: January 2009

Wool production of the Spanish Merino breed was analysed after several decades of genetic selection to improve meat production. Genetic parameters (heritability and correlations) were estimated for greasy fleece weight, staple length, crimp frequency and fibre diameter of 1869 Spanish Merino purebred sheep. Heritabilities ranged from 0.08 ± 0.050 (fibre diameter) to 0.22 ± 0.060 (staple length), and the genetic correlations ranged from –0.63 ± 0.159 (crimp frequency – staple length) to 0.75 ± 0.222 (fibre diameter – staple length). Genetic simulations were developed to show the consequences of eight selection strategies, which included single trait selection on wool traits and liveweight (the current selection criteria) and index selection combining traits. The results show that it is possible to improve wool and growth traits at the same time. Also, our results show there is indirect genetic progress for wool characteristics using the current liveweight selection criterion.