bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Frobisher's 1578 voyage: early eyewitness accounts of English ships in Arctic seas
Authors: McDermott James
Published: October 2009

The three voyages to Baffin Island under the command of Martin Frobisher (1576, 1577, and 1578) constituted the first recorded European expeditions to the area. Their original aim—the discovery of a northwest route to ‘Cathay,’ the ill-understood far east—was one manifestation of a broader English attempt to challenge the commercial ascendancy of Spain and Portugal whilst avoiding political confrontation with those powers. This latter imperative made it necessary for the search to be conducted in relatively high latitudes, corollaries of which were the growth of English experience of Arctic and sub-Arctic conditions, and the development of a body of literature, both technical and popular, to record the lessons of these endeavours. Utilising the relative abundance of contemporary evidence on the events of Frobisher's 1578 voyage—the largest expedition to Baffin Island prior to the present century—this paper notes and examines the responses of English mariners to these climatic conditions.
Conversational agreement and racial formation processes
Authors: PAGLIAI VALENTINA
Published: October 2009

Recent scholarship on the working of racial formation processes underscores the intersection between discursive and structural components in the emergence of “race,” and the agency of individuals at the local and global level in articulating its meaning. This article offers a link toward understanding how racial formation processes operate in face-to-face interaction, by highlighting how people do racialization. Based on fieldwork in Italy, it explores how conversationalists deploy agreement to co-construct a racialized image of immigrants to Italy. It is argued that this deployment leads to reinforcement of the racist stances expressed in the conversation itself, and possibly beyond it. In addition, the repeated occurrence of agreement during the co-construction of utterances produces a spiral effect around racializing discourse, a progressive deepening of the racialization itself. At the same time, agreement leads to a decrease of personal responsibility for the statements made, which come to be co-constructed among conversationalists. (Agreement, racialization, immigration, Italy)
Speaking beauties: Linguistic posturing, language inequality, and the construction of a Tanzanian beauty queen
Authors: BILLINGS SABRINA
Published: October 2009

This article considers language use in Tanzanian beauty pageants, where contestants’ onstage speech is the focus of explicit and implicit critique. In particular, contestants who speak English are far more likely to win than are their Swahili-speaking counterparts. But because English has limited circulation and is restricted to the educated elite, speaking English is, for most contestants, possible only through memorization. Local ideologies that give preference to purity over standardness mean that, while contestants’ speeches are often full of grammatical oddities, their linguistic posturing is typically well received. Yet once a contestant reaches the pinnacle of competition, expectations for language use rise, and once-successful contestants find themselves at a glass ceiling. Findings presented here point to the local and hierarchical nature of language ideologies, and to the need to account for the common practice in multilingual communities of successfully employing “incomplete” linguistic knowledge for indexical and referential effect. (Language ideology, multilingualism, Swahili, English, language purity, beauty pageants, education)*
EELS of Niobium and Stoichiometric Niobium-Oxide Phases—Part I: Plasmon and Near-Edges Fine Structure
Authors: Bach David , Schneider Reinhard , Gerthsen Dagmar , Verbeeck Jo , Sigle Wilfried
Published: October 2009

A comprehensive electron energy-loss spectroscopy study of niobium (Nb) and stable Nb-oxide phases (NbO, NbO2, Nb2O5) was carried out. In this work (Part I), the plasmons and energy-loss near-edge structures (ELNES) of all relevant Nb edges (Nb-N2,3, Nb-M4,5, Nb-M2,3, Nb-M1, and Nb-L2,3) up to energy losses of about 2600 eV and the O-K edge are analyzed with respect to achieving characteristic fingerprints of Nb in different formal oxidation states (0 for metallic Nb, +2 for NbO, +4 for NbO2, and +5 for Nb2O5). Chemical shifts of the Nb-N2,3, Nb-M4,5, Nb-M2,3, and Nb-L2,3edges are extracted from the spectra that amount to about 4 eV as the oxidation state increases from 0 for Nb to +5 for Nb2O5. Four different microscopes, including a 200 keV ZEISS Libra with monochromator, were used. The corresponding wide range of experimental parameters with respect to the primary electron energy, convergence, and collection semi-angles as well as energy resolution allows an assessment of the influence of the experimental setup on the ELNES of the different edges. Finally, the intensity of the Nb-L2,3white-line edges is correlated with niobium 4d-state occupancy in the different reference materials.
African Christology: Hope for the Anglican Communion
Authors: Titre Ande
Published: October 2009

The Anglican Communion has been tested by difficult theological tensions that have painfully affected mission in different contexts. The troubled question is: ‘Who is Jesus Christ for Anglicans?’ This paper suggests that, as the spiritual centre has already shifted to the church in the Majority World, the reflections and insights of Africans concerning Jesus Christ should be taken into account in any Christological reflections. African Christology is more holistic as it integrates the person and the work of Christ, which apply to the whole of African life.

Jesus, the Lord of cultures and the Healer, is alive today. He has overcome death so that God’s transforming power may heal our deeply wounded souls and our broken communities. The Anglican Communion should recognize the healing power of the Lord Jesus, and continually re-affirm the salvation in Christ, forgiveness of sins, transformation of life and incorporation into the holy fellowship of the church. The world needs the credible witness of Christians who live in the world, but are not of the world.
Ion observations from geosynchronous orbit as a proxy for ion cyclotron wave growth during storm times
Authors: Blum Lauren W. , MacDonald Elizabeth A. , Gary S. Peter , Thomsen Michelle F. , Spence Harlan E.
Published: October 2009

There is still much to be understood about the processes contributing to relativistic electron enhancements and losses in the radiation belts. Wave particle interactions with both whistler and electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves may precipitate or accelerate these electrons. This study examines the relation between EMIC waves and resulting relativistic electron flux levels after geomagnetic storms. A proxy for enhanced EMIC waves is developed using Los Alamos National Laboratory Magnetospheric Plasma Analyzer plasma data from geosynchronous orbit in conjunction with linear theory. In a statistical study using superposed epoch analysis, it is found that for storms resulting in net relativistic electron losses, there is a greater occurrence of enhanced EMIC waves. This is consistent with the hypothesis that EMIC waves are a primary mechanism for the scattering of relativistic electrons and thus cause losses of such particles from the magnetosphere.
In situ observations of instabilities in the mesopause region using foil chaff technique during the Waves in Airglow Structures Experiment (WAVE) campaigns
Authors: Koizumi Yoshiko , Kubota Minoru , Murayama Yasuhiro , Abo Makoto , Uchiumi Michihiro , Igarashi Kiyoshi , Iwagami Naomoto , Abe Takumi , Oyama Koh‐Ichiro
Published: October 2009

In order to investigate the dynamics of the mesopause region, foil chaff experiments were carried out successfully during the WAVE2000 and WAVE2004 campaigns at Kagoshima, Japan. In the WAVE2004 campaign, the height profiles of the horizontal and vertical wind speeds were obtained. The wind shear layers of >40 m/s/km were located around the altitudes of 89 and 95 km, and the profile of the Richardson number reveals the existence of dynamically unstable layers at about the same height region. Ripple observations using the all‐sky imagers also support the possibility of dynamical instabilities. In the WAVE2000 campaign, a prominent small‐scale feature around an altitude of 90.5 km appeared in both the horizontal and vertical chaff motions. These results demonstrate that the foil chaff technique is a valuable tool for in situ observation of small‐scale turbulence features around the mesopause.
Impact of including moisture perturbations on short‐range ensemble forecasts
Authors: Bustamante Josiane F. , Chou Sin Chan
Published: October 2009

We are developing a Short‐Range Ensemble Prediction (SREP) system based on the Eta Model for use over South America. The Eta Model SREP system uses the CPTEC global model Ensemble Prediction System (EPS) forecasts as initial and lateral boundary conditions. The objectives of this work are to verify the impacts of including moisture perturbations in the global EPS on the SREP and to evaluate the forecast quality from the resulting SREP. We compare the SREP constructed with and without moisture perturbations. We chose four cases of South Atlantic Convergence Zone events that produced heavy rainfall for the tests and evaluation. The Eta Model was set with a horizontal resolution of 10 km and integrated for 6 days. The mean errors of the forecasts based on the two perturbation methodologies are similar, which indicates that including moisture did not increase the forecast error. Precipitation forecasts showed major improvement when moisture perturbation was included. The root mean square error (RMSE) of the SREP ensemble mean forecast from both initial condition perturbations is smaller than the RMSE of the control run. The constructed SREP system exhibits forecast RMSE growth rate larger than the ensemble forecast spread, on the other hand, this difference is reduced compared to the driver global model ensemble forecast system.
Calorimetric low temperature detectors for low-energetic heavy ions and their application in accelerator mass spectrometry
Authors: Kraft-Bermuth S. , Andrianov V. A. , Bleile A. , Echler A. , Egelhof P. , Kiseleva A. , Kiselev O. , Meier H. J. , Meier J. P. , Shrivastava A. , Weber M. , Golser R. , Kutschera W. , Priller A. , Steier P. , Vockenhuber C.
Published: October 2009

The energy-sensitive detection of heavy ions with calorimetric low temperature detectors was investigated in the energy range of E=0.1–1 MeV/amu, commonly used for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The detectors used consist of sapphire absorbers and superconducting aluminum transition edge thermometers operated at T∼1.5 K. They were irradiated with various ion beams (C13,A197u,U238) provided by the VERA tandem accelerator in Vienna, Austria. The relative energy resolution obtained was ΔE/E=(5–9)×10−3, even for the heaviest ions such as U238. In addition, no evidence for a pulse height defect was observed. This performance allowed for the first time to apply a calorimetric low temperature detector in an AMS experiment. The aim was to precisely determine the isotope ratio of U236/U238 for several samples of natural uranium, U236 being known as a sensitive monitor for neutron fluxes. Replacing a conventionally used detection system at VERA by the calorimetric detector enabled to substantially reduce background from neighboring isotopes and to increase the detection efficiency. Due to the high sensitivity achieved, a value of U236/U238=6.1×10−12 could be obtained, representing the smallest U236/U238 ratio measured at the time. In addition, we contributed to establishing an improved material standard of U236/U238, which can be used as a reference for future AMS measurements.
Structural and particulate to bulk phase transformation of CdS film on annealing: A Raman spectroscopy study
Authors: Ingale Alka A. , Mishra Shramana , Roy U. N. , Tiwari Pragya , Kukreja L. M.
Published: October 2009

We have studied the effect of annealing (at temperatures 300, 400, and 500 °C) on nanoparticulate CdS film on silicon substrate deposited by hybrid Langmuir–Blodgett chemical bath deposition technique. Width, intensity, and the line shape of the longitudinal optical phonon in Raman spectra and photoluminescence (PL) spectra suggest that the annealing brings about coalescence of nanoparticles at 300 °C, increasing the size of the nanoparticles and also increases the red region PL related to surface states. Annealing at 400 °C leads to two different coexistent states, showing larger nanoparticles and bulklike film. On further annealing at 500 °C, PL shows a drastic redshift to PL of bulklike CdS. This is well brought out by resonance Raman measurements and later confirmed by scanning electron microscope data. Most interesting observation is that PL and Raman results together are indicative of phase transformation of nanoparticulate hexagonal CdS film to bulklike cubic CdS film on annealing at 500 °C, unlike cubic to hexagonal structural phase transition observed in bulk CdS films.
Polarization direction and stability in ferroelectric lead titanate thin films
Authors: Dahl Ø. , Grepstad J. K. , Tybell T.
Published: October 2009

In this article, we examine the initial polarization of PbTiO3 thin films grown epitaxially on SrRuO3 electrodes. It is found that the as-grown predominant polarization is directed toward the SrRuO3 bottom electrode in films thinner than 20 nm and directed toward the top surface in thicker films. The data is interpreted in terms of a Landau–Ginzburg–Devonshire model for a semiconducting ferroelectric with asymmetric boundary conditions. Based on the measured hysteresis loops and the stability of the two polarization directions with time, it is concluded that charged defects serve to impose a preferential downward polarization in very thin films.
Coupling an epitaxial quantum dot to a fiber-based external-mirror microcavity
Authors: Muller Andreas , Flagg Edward B. , Metcalfe Michael , Lawall John , Solomon Glenn S.
Published: October 2009

We report the coupling of individual InAs quantum dots (QDs) to an external-mirror microcavity. The external mirror is bonded to a fiber and positioned above a semiconductor sample consisting of a QD-containing GaAs layer on top of a distributed Bragg reflector. This open cavity can be rapidly tuned with a piezo-electric actuator without negatively affecting the QD linewidth. A mirror radius of curvature of 42 μm and a cavity length of 10 μm enable good mode matching and thus high collection efficiency directly into the fiber. With an improved finesse, this system may enter the strong coupling regime.
Adhesion in organic electronic structures
Authors: Tong T. , Babatope B. , Admassie S. , Meng J. , Akwogu O. , Akande W. , Soboyejo W. O.
Published: October 2009

This paper presents the results of atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements of the adhesion between materials relevant to organic solar cells and organic light-emitting devices. The adhesion is quantified using pull-off forces obtained for organic-organic, organic-inorganic, and inorganic-inorganic interfaces. The measured pull-off forces and surface parameters are then incorporated into theoretical models for the estimation of surface energies. The implications of the results are then discussed for the design of enhanced robustness in organic electronic structures.
Folding simulations of gramicidin A into the β-helix conformations: Simulated annealing molecular dynamics study
Authors: Mori Takaharu , Okamoto Yuko
Published: October 2009

Gramicidin A is a linear hydrophobic 15-residue peptide which consists of alternating D- and L-amino acids and forms a unique tertiary structure, called the β6.3-helix, to act as a cation-selective ion channel in the natural conditions. In order to investigate the intrinsic ability of the gramicidin A monomer to form secondary structures, we performed the folding simulation of gramicidin A using a simulated annealing molecular dynamics (MD) method in vacuum mimicking the low-dielectric, homogeneous membrane environment. The initial conformation was a fully extended one. From the 200 different MD runs, we obtained a right-handed β4.4-helix as the lowest-potential-energy structure, and left-handed β4.4-helix, right-handed and left-handed β6.3-helix as local-minimum energy states. These results are in accord with those of the experiments of gramicidin A in homogeneous organic solvent. Our simulations showed a slight right-hand sense in the lower-energy conformations and a quite β-sheet-forming tendency throughout almost the entire sequence. In order to examine the stability of the obtained right-handed β6.3-helix and β4.4-helix structures in more realistic membrane environment, we have also performed all-atom MD simulations in explicit water, ion, and lipid molecules, starting from these β-helix structures. The results suggested that β6.3-helix is more stable than β4.4-helix in the inhomogeneous, explicit membrane environment, where the pore water and the hydrogen bonds between Trp side-chains and lipid-head groups have a role to further stabilize the β6.3-helix conformation.
The entrance system laboratory prototype for an advanced mass and ionic charge composition experiment
Authors: Allegrini F. , Desai M. I. , Livi R. , Livi S. , McComas D. J. , Randol B.
Published: October 2009

Electrostatic analyzers (ESA) have been used extensively for the characterization of plasmas in a variety of space environments. They vary in shape, geometry, and size and are adapted to the specific particle population to be measured and the configuration of the spacecraft. Their main function is to select the energy per charge of the particles within a passband. An energy-per-charge range larger than that of the passband can be sampled by varying the voltage difference between the ESA electrodes. The voltage sweep takes time and reduces the duty cycle for a particular energy-per-charge passband. Our design approach for an advanced mass and ionic charge composition experiment (AMICCE) has a novel electrostatic analyzer that essentially serves as a spectrograph and selects ions simultaneously over a broad range of energy-per-charge (E/q). Only three voltage settings are required to cover the entire range from ∼10 to 270 keV/q, thus dramatically increasing the product of the geometric factor times the duty cycle when compared with other instruments. In this paper, we describe the AMICCE concept with particular emphasis on the prototype of the entrance system (ESA and collimator), which we designed, developed, and tested. We also present comparisons of the laboratory results with electrostatic simulations.
Reconstruction of polarized optical images in two- and three-dimensional vector holograms
Authors: Ono Hiroshi , Suzuki Kakeru , Sasaki Tomoyuki , Iwato Takanori , Emoto Akira , Shioda Tatsutoshi , Kawatsuki Nobuhiro
Published: October 2009

In the present paper, we extensively study the optical diffraction in two- and three-dimensional vector holograms and demonstrate the reconstruction of polarized optical images recorded in azobenzene-containing amorphous polymers (AP) and polymer-dissolved liquid-crystalline composites (PDLCC). The polarization states of the interference light are not modulated in the isotropic AP films, while modulated in the anisotropic PDLCC films. The information of the polarized optical image is recorded as the polarization induced anisotropy in the AP and PDLCC medium and is reconstructed as the polarized optical images. The theoretical consideration well explained the characteristics of the reconstructed polarized optical images from both two- and three-dimensional vector holograms.
Probing activation energy barrier distribution for reversal of strongly exchange-coupled magnetic multilayer thin films
Authors: Ozatay O. , Hauet T. , Florez S. H. , Katine J. A. , Moser A. , Thiele J.-U. , Folks L. , Terris B. D.
Published: October 2009

We demonstrate a measurement technique with zero-applied magnetic field to deduce and spatially map the activation energy barrier distribution of strongly exchange-coupled magnetic-multilayer thin films, which is otherwise inaccessible with conventional methods in the presence of an applied magnetic field. Our technique involves the analysis of magnetic force microscopy images of magnetic microwires, whose magnetizations have been subject to thermal decay due to Joule heating from applied nanosecond scale current pulses. Fitting the results of such measurements on CoNi/Pd magnetic-multilayer microwires to a modified Arrhenius–Neel formalism yields an energy barrier distribution with 8% sigma, in good agreement with complementary fits of the switching-field-distribution measurements on patterned CoNi/Pd magnetic-multilayer islands.
Microwave transmissivity of a metamaterial–dielectric stack
Authors: Butler Celia A. M. , Parsons James , Sambles J. Roy , Hibbins Alastair P. , Hobson Peter A.
Published: October 2009

A metamaterial layer comprising of a conducting square mesh surrounding subwavelength holes has a largely pure imaginary effective refractive index. We explore the microwave transmissivity of a stack of such metamaterial layers separated by dielectric spacers. As expected, a family of high transmissivity bands is experimentally observed. It is found that the lowest frequency edge is independent of the number of unit cells making up the structure and is highly tunable by appropriate geometrical design of the metamaterial layers.
Anomalous Hall resistance in Ge:Mn systems with low Mn concentrations
Authors: Zhou Shengqiang , Bürger Danilo , Helm Manfred , Schmidt Heidemarie
Published: October 2009

Taking Mn doped Germanium as an example, we evoke the consideration of a two-band-like conduction in diluted ferromagnetic semiconductor (FMS). The main argument for claiming Ge:Mn as a FMS is the occurrence of the anomalous Hall effect (AHE). Usually, the reported AHE (1) is observable at temperatures above 10 K, (2) exhibits no hysteresis, and (3) changes the sign of slope. We observed a similar Hall resistance in Mn implanted Ge with the Mn concentration as low as 0.004%. We show that the puzzling AHE features can be explained by considering a two-band-like conduction in Ge:Mn.
Does Adaptation of Motion-Direction Detectors Affect Bias or Sensitivity of Direction Judgments?
Authors: Sheth Bhavin R , Ventura Gem , Wu Daw-An
Published: October 2009

The question how channels tuned to different motion directions contribute to motion perception has been investigated by using motion adaptation to silence certain channels, and then measuring performance in a fine motion-discrimination task. To help constrain models of how the channels become integrated, we examined whether changes in performance stem from reduced accuracy (bias) or from reduced precision (sensitivity) in direction judgments. On a given trial, the observer first adapted to a field of dots moving coherently in a given direction (ranging ±180° from upward), then judged whether the motion of an ensuing test stimulus (ranging ±3°) was left or right of reference. Bias and sensitivity of the psychometric fits were computed for each adapter direction. Relative to baseline performance, post-adaptation judgments showed significant changes in sensitivity that were tightly correlated with overall performance. Meanwhile, bias shifts were found to be weaker and less systematic. Both performance and sensitivity suffered the largest losses at ±60°, with some enhancement at 180°. No similar trends were found in the domain of bias. A regression model, with precision as the sole predictor, captured 97% of the variation in performance; no gains were found in adding bias to the model. Our findings on fine motion-discrimination question the idealized notion of a pure feature detector, as the main impact of adaptation in such a system would be to bias direction judgments away from the adapted direction.
The efficacy of fire and fuels reduction treatments in a Sierra Nevada pine plantation
Authors: Kobziar Leda N. , McBride Joe R. , Stephens Scott L.
Published: October 2009

Plantations are the most common means of reforestation following stand-replacing wildfires. As wildfires continue to increase in size and severity as a result of fire suppression or climate change, establishment of plantations will likely also increase. Plantations’ structural characteristics, including dense, uniform spacing and abundant ladder fuels, present significant wildfire hazards. Large-scale fuels reduction techniques may be necessary to reduce potential fire behavior in plantations and to protect surrounding forests. In the present study, four different manipulations aimed at reducing potential fire behavior in a Sierra Nevada pine plantation are compared. The treatments include: mechanical shredding, or mastication, of understorey vegetation and small trees; mastication followed by prescribed fire; fire alone; and controls. Fire behavior modeling shows that mastication is detrimental whereas prescribed fire is effective in reducing potential fire behavior at moderate to extreme weather conditions. Predicted fire behavior was compared with actual values from the prescribed burns in an effort to explore the limitations of fire modeling. Fire behavior predictions were similar to field observations in the more structurally homogeneous stands, but differed greatly where mastication created forest openings and patchy fuels distributions. In contrast to natural stands, the homogeneity of pine plantations make the results of the present work applicable to other regions such as the south-eastern US, where similar fuels reduction techniques are used to increase fire-resistance and stand resilience.
An overview of mountain meteorological effects relevant to fire behaviour and bushfire risk
Authors: Sharples Jason J.
Published: October 2009

Many of the processes that can occur in mountainous landscapes have the potential to significantly affect fire behaviour and bushfire risk in general. These processes can lead to otherwise unexpected fire behaviour and escalation in fire size and severity that could endanger firefighting crews and compromise suppression activities. Interaction of upper winds with rugged terrain can often result in highly variable and turbulent wind patterns and variations in temperature and humidity that can affect fire regimes in the long and short term. More generally, the effect of rugged terrain on atmospheric flows can give rise to complex dynamics and emergent properties that are discontinuous in nature. Hence, the ‘fire weather continuum’ that is often assumed in fire management practices is of reduced validity in mountainous or hilly landscapes. This paper presents an overview of the main elements of mountain meteorology relevant to fire weather and discusses the potential roles they may play in bushfire behaviour, development and risk. As such, the paper is intended to promote understanding, across the wide range of professions concerned with bushfire, of how mountain meteorological effects might contribute to fire potential and fire behaviour.
Post-fire survival and flushing in three Sierra Nevada conifers with high initial crown scorch
Authors: Hanson Chad T. , North Malcolm P.
Published: October 2009

With growing debate over the impacts of post-fire salvage logging in conifer forests of the western USA, managers need accurate assessments of tree survival when significant proportions of the crown have been scorched. The accuracy of fire severity measurements will be affected if trees that initially appear to be fire-killed prove to be viable after longer observation. Our goal was to quantify the extent to which three common Sierra Nevada conifer species may ‘flush’ (produce new foliage in the year following a fire from scorched portions of the crown) and survive after fire, and to identify tree or burn characteristics associated with survival. We found that, among ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex. Laws) and Jeffrey pines (Pinus jeffreyi Grev. & Balf) with 100% initial crown scorch (no green foliage following the fire), the majority of mature trees flushed, and survived. Red fir (Abies magnifica A. Murr.) with high crown scorch (mean = 90%) also flushed, and most large trees survived. Our results indicate that, if flushing is not taken into account, fire severity assessments will tend to overestimate mortality and post-fire salvage could remove many large trees that appear dead but are not.
Interspecific competition and conservation management of continuous subtropical woodlands
Authors: Howes Alison L. , Maron Martine
Published: October 2009

Context. Large reserves have potential to provide important refugia for fragmentation-sensitive species as they lack many aspects of habitat degradation associated with fragmented regions. However, large reserves often have a history of deleterious management practices that may affect the restoration of biological diversity. One significant symptom of habitat fragmentation and disturbance in Australia is the increased occurrence of the aggressive noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala). In Queensland, however, even large continuous areas of woodland appear to be dominated by the noisy miner.
Aims.We examined the severity of this phenomenon by identifying the interactions between habitat structure, noisy miner abundance and avian assemblages in a private and a public conservation reserve in central Queensland. We investigated potential constraints on restoration of avian diversity including: (1) how changes in habitat structure as a result of grazing by feral animals and burning regimes affect bird assemblages; and (2) how the noisy miner impacts on avian assemblages in these unfragmented woodlands.
Methods. Bird surveys and habitat assessments were conducted in 49 sites on three separate occasions. Fire history and intensity of grazing pressure were determined for each site with direct and indirect observations. Sampling for lerp from insects of the family Psyllidae was also undertaken during the survey periods. A Bayesian model averaging (BMA) approach was used to model avian response to each of the habitat variables.
Key results. The noisy miner dominated most of the study area, reducing small passerine abundance and species richness. Noisy miners were advantaged where shrub cover was low and feral grazing impacts were evident. Disturbance factors including recent wildfire and heavy grazing strongly reduced small passerine bird richness and abundance.
Conclusions. Reducing the abundance of this ‘reverse keystone’ species requires control of feral herbivore populations and modification of fire regimes to achieve a mosaic including patches with a dense shrub layer.
Implications. Deleterious interactions with competitive native species, such as noisy miners, are obstacles to bird conservation not only in fragmented landscapes but also in large, continuous woodland areas. Land mangers of protected areas need to be aware of shifts in interactions among native species driven by habitat disturbance, which may ultimately affect conservation outcomes.
Complex embryos displaying bilaterian characters from Precambrian Doushantuo phosphate deposits, Weng'an, Guizhou, China
Authors: Chen Jun-Yuan , Bottjer David J. , Li Gang , Hadfield Michael G. , Gao Feng , Cameron Andrew R. , Zhang Chen-Yu , Xian Ding-Chang , Tafforeau Paul , Liao Xin , Yin Zong-Jun
Published: October 2009

Three-dimensionally preserved embryos from the Precambrian Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation, Weng'an, Guizhou, southern China, have attracted great attention as the oldest fossil evidence yet found for multicellular animal life on Earth. Many embryos are early cleavage embryos and most of them yield a limited phylogenetic signal. Here we report the discovery of two Doushantuo embryos that are three-dimensionally preserved and complex. Imaging techniques using propagation phase-contrast based synchrotron radiation microtomography (PPC-SR-μCT) reveal that the organization of cells demonstrates several bilaterian features, including the formation of anterior-posterior, dorso-ventral, and right-left polarities, and cell differentiation. Unexpectedly, our observations show a noticeable difference in organization patterns between the embryos, suggesting that they represent two distinct taxa. These embryos provide further evidence for the presence of bilaterian animals in the Doushantuo biota. Furthermore, these bilaterians had already diverged into distantly related groups at least 40 million years before the Cambrian radiation, indicating that the last common ancestor of the bilaterians lived much earlier than is usually thought.
Acute olfactory response of
Culex
mosquitoes to a human- and bird-derived attractant
Authors: Syed Zainulabeuddin , Leal Walter S.
Published: October 2009

West Nile virus, which is transmitted by
Culex
mosquitoes while feeding on birds and humans, has emerged as the dominant vector borne disease in North America. We have identified natural compounds from humans and birds, which are detected with extreme sensitivity by olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) on the antennae of
Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus
(
Cx. quinquefasciatus
). One of these semiochemicals, nonanal, dominates the odorant spectrum of pigeons, chickens, and humans from various ethnic backgrounds. We determined the specificity and sensitivity of all ORN types housed in different sensilla types on
Cx. quinquefasciatus
antennae. Here, we present a comprehensive map of all antennal ORNs coding natural ligands and their dose-response functions. Nonanal is detected by a large array of sensilla and is by far the most potent stimulus; thus, supporting the assumption that
Cx. quinquefasciatus
can smell humans and birds. Nonanal and CO
2
synergize, thus, leading to significantly higher catches of
Culex
mosquitoes in traps baited with binary than in those with individual lures.
Nicotine response genetics in the zebrafish
Authors: Petzold Andrew M. , Balciunas Darius , Sivasubbu Sridhar , Clark Karl J. , Bedell Victoria M. , Westcot Stephanie E. , Myers Shelly R. , Moulder Gary L. , Thomas Mark J. , Ekker Stephen C.
Published: October 2009

Tobacco use is predicted to result in over 1 billion deaths worldwide by the end of the 21stcentury. How genetic variation contributes to the observed differential predisposition in the human population to drug dependence is unknown. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an emerging vertebrate model system for understanding the genetics of behavior. We developed a nicotine behavioral assay in zebrafish and applied it in a forward genetic screen using gene-breaking transposon mutagenesis. We used this method to molecularly characterizebdav/cct8 andhbog/gabbr1.2 as mutations with altered nicotine response. Each have a single human ortholog, identifying two points for potential scientific, diagnostic, and drug development for nicotine biology and cessation therapeutics. We show this insertional method generates mutant alleles that are reversible through Cre-mediated recombination, representing a conditional mutation system for the zebrafish. The combination of this reporter-tagged insertional mutagen approach and zebrafish provides a powerful platform for a rich array of questions amenable to genetic-based scientific inquiry, including the basis of behavior, epigenetics, plasticity, stress, memory, and learning.
Anterior hypothalamic vasopressin regulates pair-bonding and drug-induced aggression in a monogamous rodent
Authors: Gobrogge Kyle L. , Liu Yan , Young Larry J. , Wang Zuoxin
Published: October 2009

After pair-bonding, male prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) display aggression toward novel females but not toward their female partner. Here we show that this selective aggression in pair-bonded male prairie voles is associated with increased release of vasopressin (AVP) in the anterior hypothalamus (AH). Pharmacological activation of AVP-V1a receptors (V1aR) in the AH induced selective aggression in sexually naive males, whereas V1aR blockade diminished selective aggression in pair-bonded males. Pair-bonded males also showed an increased density in V1aR binding in the AH compared to their sexually naive counterparts and overexpression of V1aR in the AH, by viral vector-mediated gene transfer, facilitated aggression toward novel females. These data demonstrate that AH-AVP is both necessary and sufficient in the regulation of selective aggression associated with pair-bonding. In the second part of this study, we examined the effects of amphetamine (AMPH) exposure on female-directed aggression and revealed the potential role of AH-AVP underlying this behavior. Repeated AMPH administration in sexually naive male prairie voles enhanced V1aR expression in the AH and induced aggression toward a familiar or unfamiliar female. In addition, this AMPH-induced aggression was blocked by intra-AH administration of a V1aR antagonist. Together, our data reveal a socioneurobiological mechanism, highlighting a critical role of AH-AVP in the regulation of aggression induced by pair-bonding or drug experience in socially monogamous male prairie voles.
Thinking and feeling in the People's Republic of China: Testing the generality of the “laws of emotion”
Authors: Brown Jonathon D. , Cai Huajian
Published: October 2009

Cognitive theories of emotion assert that emotional reactions to events depend on the manner in which events are interpreted and appraised. From this perspective, the same outcome can produce different emotions. For example, a score of 85% on a test can evoke positive feelings if it is considered a success or negative feelings if it is considered a failure. Among the various appraisal dimensions that have been identified, causal attributions are thought to play a particularly influential role in shaping emotional reactions to various events. For example, success can evoke pride if it is attributed to high ability, gratitude if it is attributed to help from others, relief if it is attributed to a stroke of good fortune, or guilt if it is attained fraudulently or at the expense of others. These cognitive–affective linkages are thought to be universal. In this paper, we report two studies that tested the cross‐cultural generality of some of these assumptions. In Study 1, participants from the People's Republic of China were led to succeed or fail on an (alleged) test of their intelligence and creativity. Consistent with previous findings with Western samples, attributions to ability predicted participants’ emotional reactions to their test performance, with high ability attributions linked to greater pride following success. In Study 2, we extended these findings with American and Chinese participants, using a different experimental manipulation of success and failure, and a measure of attributions to effort. For both cultural groups, attributions to ability (but not attributions to effort) predicted greater emotional reactions to success. We conclude that attribution–emotion linkages have cross‐cultural validity, and that pride is maximized when success is attributed to high ability.
A Model for Liver Homeostasis Using Modified Mean‐Reverting Ornstein–Uhlenbeck Process
Authors: Trost D. C. , Overman E. A. , Ostroff J. H. , Xiong W. , March P.
Published: October 2009

Short of a liver biopsy, hepatic disease and drug‐induced liver injury are diagnosed and classified from clinical findings, especially laboratory results. It was hypothesized that a healthy hepatic dynamic equilibrium might be modelled by an Ornstein–Uhlenbeck (OU) stochastic process, which might lead to more sensitive and specific diagnostic criteria. Using pooled data from healthy volunteers in pharmaceutical clinical trials, this model was applied using maximum likelihood (ML) methods. It was found that the exponent of the autocorrelation function was proportional to the square root of time rather than time itself, as predicted by the OU model. This finding suggests a stronger autocorrelation than expected and may have important implications regarding the use of laboratory testing in clinical diagnosis, in clinical trial design, and in monitoring drug safety. Besides rejecting the OU hypothesis for liver test homeostasis, this paper presents ML estimates for the multivariate Gaussian distribution for healthy adult males. This work forms the basis for a new approach to mathematical modelling to improve both the sensitivity and specificity of clinical measurements over time.
Heterogeneity in the physiological states and pharmacological responses of differentiating 3T3-L1 preadipocytes
Authors: Loo Lit-Hsin , Lin Hai-Jui , Singh Dinesh K. , Lyons Kathleen M. , Altschuler Steven J. , Wu Lani F.
Published: October 2009

Increases in key components of adipogenesis and lipolysis pathways correlate at the population-averaged level during adipogenesis. However, differentiating preadipocytes are highly heterogeneous in cellular and lipid droplet (LD) morphologies, and the degree to which individual cells follow population-averaged trends is unclear. In this study, we analyze the molecular heterogeneity of differentiating 3T3-L1 preadipocytes using immunofluorescence microscopy. Unexpectedly, we only observe a small percentage of cells with high simultaneous expression of markers for adipogenesis (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ [PPARγ], CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α, and adiponectin) and lipid accumulation (hormone-sensitive lipase, perilipin A, and LDs). Instead, we identify subpopulations of cells with negatively correlated expressions of these readouts. Acute perturbation of adipocyte differentiation with PPARγ agonists, forskolin, and fatty acids induced subpopulation-specific effects, including redistribution of the percentage of cells in observed subpopulations and differential expression levels of PPARγ. Collectively, our results suggested that heterogeneity observed during 3T3-L1 adipogenesis reflects a dynamic mixture of subpopulations with distinct physiological states.
Assessment of Carbon Monoxide Exposure During the Operation of Indoor Drive-Through Mass Vaccination Clinics
Authors: Pavelchak Nicholas , Franko Eileen , Zhu Julia , DePersis Ron
Published: October 2009

Background: Drive-through mass vaccination clinics are an increasingly popular component of public health emergency response plans. One potential disadvantage, however, is the exposure of clinicians, volunteers, public health responders, and the public to carbon monoxide (CO) from vehicle exhaust emissions when clinics are held within garages or other enclosed structures.

Methods: CO levels were monitored during indoor drive-through clinics held on the same day at 2 separate locations in a rural upstate New York county. Each clinic was operated for 2 hours during which seasonal influenza vaccines were administered to county residents as they remained within their vehicles. At each location, vehicle engines remained operating indoors within multiple lanes of traffic. No mechanical ventilation was used, but wind speeds through the buildings were relatively strong and consistent. CO was measured at breathing-zone height throughout the clinic sessions using direct-reading instruments.

Results: CO levels remained below detection for the majority of the clinic sessions. Short-term, high CO exposures, however, were found to be associated with a small number of individual vehicles that were in apparent disrepair.

Conclusions: The findings from this study indicate that CO exposures may be minimized by identifying and separately processing problematic vehicles before they enter the clinic. Direct reading CO monitors can help to identify these vehicles. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2009;3:158–162)
Correction for Götherström
et al.
, Cattle domestication in the Near East was followed by hybridization with aurochs bulls in Europe
Authors: Götherström Anders , Anderung Cecilia , Hellborg Linda , Galil Rengert , Smith Elburg Colin , Bradley Dan G. , Ellegren Hans
Published: October 2009

Correction for ‘Cattle domestication in the Near East was followed by hybridization with aurochs bulls in Europe’ by Anders Götherström, Cecilia Anderung, Linda Hellborg, Rengert Galil, Elburg Colin Smith, Dan G. Bradley and Hans Ellegren (Proc. R. Soc. B
272
, 2345–2350.
(doi:
10.1098/rspb.2005.3243
)).

Table 3 in the print version of this paper contains incorrect data; the correct table is as follows.
Biological heterogeneity of putative bladder cancer stem‐like cell populations from human bladder transitional cell carcinoma samples
Authors: Bentivegna Angela , Conconi Donatella , Panzeri Elena , Sala Elena , Bovo Giorgio , Viganò Paolo , Brunelli Silvia , Bossi Mario , Tredici Giovanni , Strada Guido , Dalprà Leda
Published: October 2009

Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) is the most common type of bladder cancer. Emerging evidence has suggested that the capability of a tumor to grow and propagate is dependent on a small subset of cells, the cancer stem‐like cells (CSCs) or tumor initiating cells. We report on the isolation and biological characterization of putative bladder CSC populations from primary TCCs. Isolated cells were induced to proliferate in stem cell culture conditions (serum‐free medium containing mitogenic growth factors). The proliferating cells formed spheroids (urospheres) and their abilities for extensive proliferation and self‐renewal were assayed. Their positivity for several stem cell markers (CD133, Oct‐3/4, nestin, and cytokeratins) was also assessed by immunofluorescence tests and they could have the potential to differentiate in the presence of serum. In stem cell culture conditions they gradually showed loss of proliferation, adherence to the substrate, and morphological changes, which might reflect their progressive acquisition of differentiative capacity and loss of self‐renewal ability. To evaluate if effective cell selection occurred after isolation, conventional cytogenetic studies on fresh chromosome spreads immediately after isolation and after culture were carried out. In addition, a molecular cytogenetic study by UroVysion assay was carried out on paraffin‐embedded tissue sections and on fresh and after culture nuclei preparations. The data collected indicated important karyotype changes and a positive selection for hypo‐ or near‐diploid cells, losing the complexity present in fresh tumors. (Cancer Sci 2009)
Phase I clinical trial using peptide vaccine for human vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 in combination with gemcitabine for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer
Authors: Miyazawa Motoki , Ohsawa Ryuji , Tsunoda Takuya , Hirono Seiko , Kawai Manabu , Tani Masaji , Nakamura Yusuke , Yamaue Hiroki
Published: October 2009

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) is an essential factor in tumor angiogenesis and in the growth of pancreatic cancer. Immunotherapy using epitope peptide for VEGFR2 (VEGFR2‐169) that we identified previously is expected to improve the clinical outcome. Therefore, a phase I clinical trial combining of VEGFR2‐169 with gemcitabine was conducted for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Patients with metastatic and unresectable pancreatic cancer were eligible for the trial. Gemcitabine was administered at a dose of 1000 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15 in a 28‐day cycle. The VEGFR2‐169 peptide was subcutaneously injected weekly in a dose‐escalation manner (doses of 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/body, six patients/one cohort). Safety and immunological parameters were assessed. No severe adverse effect of grade 4 or higher was observed. Of the 18 patients who completed at least one course of the treatment, 15 (83%) developed immunological reactions at the injection sites. Specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) reacting to the VEGFR2‐169 peptide were induced in 11 (61%) of the 18 patients. The disease control rate was 67%, and the median overall survival time was 8.7 months. This combination therapy for pancreatic cancer patients was tolerable at all doses. Peptide‐specific CTL could be induced by the VEGFR2‐169 peptide vaccine at a high rate, even in combination with gemcitabine. From an immunological point of view, the optimal dose for further clinical trials might be 2 mg/body or higher. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrial.gov (no. NCT 00622622). (Cancer Sci 2009)