bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Papaver rhoeas extract on in vitro maturation and developmental competence of immature mouse oocytes
Authors: Golkar‐Narenji Afsaneh , Eimani Hussein , Samadi Firooz , Hasani Saeed , Shahverdi Abdol‐Hossein , Eftekhari‐Yazdi Poopak , Kamalinejad Mohammad
Published: June 2010

Purpose

This experiment examined the effect of Papaver rhoeas L. extract on in vitro maturation, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and subsequent developmental competence of mouse oocytes.

Materials and methods

Cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) at germinal vesicle stage were collected from female Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mouse ovaries. The COCs were transferred to maturation medium supplemented with different concentrations of P. rhoeas extract. Two trials were carried out to examine the effect of low concentrations (0, 10, 15, 20, 25 μg/ml) and high concentrations (0, 50, 100, 200 μg/ml) of the extract. The maturation rate was recorded. After IVF, embryos were cultured and their developmental process was monitored for 96 h.

Results

Maturation rate and blastocyst formation improved by using low concentrations of the extract; however, no significant increase was observed when compared to the control group. In addition no significant differences were observed in the fertilization rates of oocytes treated with both low and high concentrations compared to the control group. However, among higher concentrations, 100 μg/ml, P. rhoeas extract significantly increased both the in vitro maturation rate and in vitro developmental (IVD) competence when compared to the control group (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

It was concluded that natural extracts increase the IVD competence of oocytes. The improved effect on oocyte maturation was dependent on the addition of optimum concentrations of P. rhoeas extract to the maturation medium.
DNA hypermethylation markers of poor outcome in laryngeal cancer
Authors: Stephen Josena K. , Chen Kang Mei , Shah Veena , Havard Shaleta , Kapke Alissa , Lu Mei , Benninger Michael S. , Worsham Maria J.
Published: June 2010

This study examined molecular (DNA hypermethylation), clinical, histopathological, demographical, smoking, and alcohol variables to assess diagnosis (early versus late stage) and prognosis (survival) outcomes in a retrospective primary laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) cohort. The study cohort of 79 primary LSCC was drawn from a multi-ethnic (37% African American), primary care patient population, diagnosed by surgical biopsies in the Henry Ford Health System from 1991 to 2004 and followed from 5 to 18 years (through 2009). Of the 41 variables, univariate risk factors of p < 0.10 were tested in multivariate models (logistic regression (diagnosis) and Cox (survival) models (p < 0.05)). Aberrant methylation of estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1; p = 0.01), race as African American (p = 0.04), and tumor necrosis (extensive; p = 0.02) were independent predictors of late stage LSCC. Independent predictors of poor survival included presence of vascular invasion (p = 0.0009), late stage disease (p = 0.03), and methylation of the hypermethylated in cancer 1 (HIC1) gene (p = 0.0002). Aberrant methylation of ESR1 and HIC1 signified independent markers of poorer outcome. In this multi-ethnic, primary LSCC cohort, race remained a predictor of late stage disease supporting disparate diagnosis outcomes for African American patients with LSCC.
Long‐term vaginal administration of Lactobacillus rhamnosus as a complementary approach to management of bacterial vaginosis
Authors: Marcone Valentina , Rocca Giuseppe , Lichtner Miriam , Calzolari Ettore
Published: June 2010

Objective

To investigate the advantages of long‐term vaginal administration of Lactobacillus rhamnosus after oral treatment with metronidazole to prevent the recurrence of bacterial vaginosis (BV).

Methods

A total of 49 women with a diagnosis of BV were randomized into 2 groups. Group A was treated with a twice daily dose of 500 mg oral metronidazole for 7 days. Group B was treated with the same schedule followed by a once‐weekly vaginal application of 40 mg of Lactobacillus rhamnosus for 6 months. A non‐parametric analysis of variance for repeated measures was used to test whether there were significant changes in the vaginal ecosystems in the 2 groups.

Results

During the first 6 months of follow‐up, a constant percentage (96%) of patients in group B had a balanced vaginal ecosystem. Follow‐up over 12 months showed no statistically significant difference among vaginal ecosystems in patients in group B (P = 0.40), whereas in group A there was a significant increase in the number of women with abnormal flora over time (P = 0.01).

Conclusion

The vaginal administration of the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus allows stabilization of the vaginal ecosystem and reduces the recurrence of BV.
Whole grain intake, incident hip fracture and presumed frailty in the Iowa Women's Health Study
Authors: Jacobs David R. , Hohe Christina , Mursu Jaakko , Robien Kim , Folsom Aaron R.
Published: June 2010

Whole cereal grain foods are rich in phytate, a Ca chelator, and could increase the risk of hip fracture. The objective of the present study was to investigate the association between baseline whole grain intake and incident hip fracture. In the present study, 29 192 women who at baseline in 1986 were aged 55–69 years, free of diabetes, and reported a plausible energy intake of 2508–20 900 kJ/d and reported no fracture since the age of 35 years were followed. Hip fracture (n746) was self-reported in five questionnaires through 2004. Of 1451 hip fractures identified passively by Medicare linkage through 31 December 2004 (Medicare hip fracture), 507 had also been self-reported. Whole grain intake was inversely related to Medicare hip fracture (Ptrend = 0·02), but it was unrelated to self-reported hip fracture (Ptrend = 0·27). The hazard ratio in the highest to lowest quintile of whole grain intake for incident Medicare-only hip fracture (n944) was 0·66 (95 % CI 0·53, 0·82) after adjustment for age, energy intake, education, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, farm residence, physical activity, oestrogen use, smoking, alcohol use, history of cancer and other dietary variables. Medicare-only cases may have failed to self-report due to severe illness; hazard ratio for total mortality after hip fracture was 2·92 (2·37, 3·59) for Medicare-only casesv.Medicare-confirmed self-reported cases. In conclusion, in this cohort, the inverse association between whole grain intake and hip fracture was explained by ascertainment bias. Whole grain intake may increase the ability to respond to a questionnaire and self-report hip fracture, and could reflect less undocumented frailty.
The risk of exotic and native plants as hosts for four pest thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripinae)
Authors: Schellhorn N.A. , Glatz R.V. , Wood G.M.
Published: June 2010

Interactions among insect pests, crops and weeds are well recognised. In fact, the elimination of weed hosts outside of the crop is a common practice to control many insect-vectored viruses. However, little is known about interactions among insect pests, crops and native vegetation, and whether native plants may be used to revegetate areas where weed hosts have been eliminated as part of horticultural management regimes. We used the Northern Adelaide Plains horticultural region (South Australia, Australia) as a model system to study the potential of various plant taxa in hosting four pest thrips (three exotic, one native; Frankliniella occidentalis, F. schultzei, Thrips tabaci and T. imaginis) when located adjacent to, and distant from, horticultural crops. Flower funnels were used for standardised sampling of thrips on flowers from 19 exotic weed and 12 native plant species, representing 13 and three families, respectively. Flowers were sampled monthly over a year, and statistical analyses were performed to identify significant determinants of probability of thrips occurrence and density. Plant family was found to significantly influence both measures for each thrips species. In addition, crop proximity influenced the probability of occurrence for the two Frankliniella species (but only influenced density of the key pest F. occidentalis), and season influenced density of all four pest thrips. All native plant species tested had a low likelihood of hosting the three exotic thrips species. Overall, results suggest that judicious choice of surrounding vegetation has potential to be an important component of integrated pest management (IPM) while increasing biodiversity conservation.
Life tables for sunn pest,Eurygaster integriceps(Heteroptera: Scutelleridae) in northern Iran
Authors: Iranipour S. , Pakdel A. Kharrazi , Radjabi G. , Michaud J.P.
Published: June 2010

Life table studies of sunn pest were carried out in Varamin, Iran, from 1998–2001 in order to determine stage-specific mortalities and the impact of specific natural enemies on population dynamics. Populations were sampled 2–3 times weekly in agricultural fields during the growing season and monthly during the period of dormancy at resting sites in nearby mountains some 30 km away from cereal fields. Adults spend a period of 9–10 months in diapause and suffered overcompensatory, density-dependent mortality during this period. Variation in adult overwintering survival was inferred to be largely a function of the physiological condition of bugs that is reduced in a density-dependent manner by intraspecific competition for food among newly molted adults prior to migration to resting sites. Adult mortality emerged as the primary factor in key factor analysis, contributing 73% of the total variance in mortality. Other important factors were egg parasitism byTrissolcus vassilieviMayr and adult parasitism by several species of Tachinidae. AlthoughT. vassilievimade only a minor contribution to overall variance in total mortality, it had a significant effect on the number of newly molted adults, the life stage that is most damaging to cereal crops. The equilibrium level of the pest population in wheat fields was inferred to beca. 72.6 adults m−2, a number that substantially exceeds the economic threshold that ranges from 3–5 adults m−2.
Oviposition of diamondback moth in the presence and absence of a novel host plant
Authors: Henniges-Janssen K. , Schöfl G. , Reineke A. , Heckel D.G. , Groot A.T.
Published: June 2010

The diamondback moth (DBM, Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)) consumes a wide variety of brassicaceous host plants and is a common pest of crucifer crops worldwide. A highly unusual infestation of a sugar pea crop was recorded in Kenya in 1999, which persisted for two consecutive years. A strain (DBM-P) from this population was established in the laboratory and is the only one of several strains tested that can complete larval development on sugar peas. The oviposition acceptance and preference of the DBM-P strain was assessed in the presence of cabbage plants, sugar pea plants or both, in comparison to another strain (DBM-Cj) that was collected from cabbage and is unable to grow on pea plants. As expected, DBM-Cj females preferred to oviposit on cabbage plants. Surprisingly, DBM-P females also laid most eggs on cabbage and very few on peas. However, they laid significantly more eggs on the cabbage plant when pea plants were present. Our findings suggest that DBM-P manifested the initial stages of an evolutionary host range expansion, which is incomplete due to lack of oviposition fidelity on pea plants.
Syllidae (Polychaeta) from the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions
Authors: Ramos J. , San Martín G. , Sikorski A.
Published: June 2010

A collection of over one hundred specimens of Syllidae (Polychaeta) from the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions has been examined and identified. The specimens were obtained from 26 stations in the Barents Sea, some Norwegian fiords and localities of the northern North Sea. A total of 21 species were identified; three species (Myrianida langerhansi (Gidholm, 1967), Syllides longocirrata Örsted, 1845 and Sphaerosyllis taylori Perkins, 1981) are new reports for the Arctic Ocean; 2 species are new to science, Streptodonta exsulis sp. nov. and Trypanosyllis troll sp. nov. Streptodonta exsulis sp. nov. have 4 thick, distally strongly knobbed aciculae on each anterior parapodia, shifting to a single, slender acicula on posterior parapodia; falcigers and pseudospinigers distally bidentate; and pharyngeal tooth located centrally and relatively close to anterior rim of pharynx. Trypanosyllis troll sp. nov. have 2, occasionally 3 straight aciculae in parapodia protruding out from parapodial lobes; falcigers bidentate; and body surface densely covered by numerous, small papillae. Based on the description of these 2 new species, some modifications are proposed in the diagnoses of the genera Streptodonta San Martín & Hutchings, 2006 and Trypanosyllis Claparède, 1864.
Macrobenthos–sediment relationships in a sandy bottom community off Mar del Plata, Argentina
Authors: Arrighetti Florencia , Penchaszadeh Pablo E.
Published: June 2010

The aim of this study is to characterize the different macrozoobenthos communities in Mar del Plata waters (south-western Atlantic) on the basis of their abundance and habitat, and to determine how sediment characteristics, like the grain-size composition, affect macrobenthic community structure. Multivariate techniques indicated that benthic communities and sediments in the surveyed area were included into the following five well-defined groups: (1) a medium sand assemblage dominated by the bivalve Crassinella marplatensis and Diplodonta patagonica, the echinoderm Encope emarginata, the tanaidacean Bacescapseudes sp. and the polychaete Armandia loboi; (2) a medium to very fine sand assemblage dominated by ostracods, the tanaidacean Bacescapseudes sp., amphipods and polychaetes of the family Nephtyidae; (3) a fine to very fine sand assemblage dominated by the tanaidacean Bacescapseudes sp.; (4) a silt and fine sand assemblage dominated by polychaetes particularly Scolelepis sp. and individuals of the family Nephtyidae; and (5) a fine sand assemblage dominated by amphipods and the tanaidacean Bacescapseudes sp. These results revealed the patchy distribution of macrobenthic assemblages as a result of sediment characteristics and serve as baseline information for this area strongly subjected to trawling perturbations.
Physical activity, immunity and infection
Authors: Romeo J. , Wärnberg J. , Pozo T. , Marcos A.
Published: June 2010

During the last few decades, scientific evidence has confirmed a wide range of health benefits related to regular physical activity. How physical activity affects the immune function and infection risk is, however, still under debate. Commonly, intensive exercise suppresses the activity and levels of several immune cells, while other immune functions may be stimulated by moderate physical activity. With this knowledge, the understanding of the relationship between different levels of physical activity on the immune function has been raised as a potential tool to protect health not only in athletes but also in the general population; the mechanisms that translate a physically active lifestyle into good health continue to be investigated. Reviewing the literature, although several outcomes (i.e. the mechanisms by which different levels and duration of physical activity programmes affect numerous cell types and responses) remain unclear, given that the additional benefits encompass healthy habits including exercise, the use of physical activity programmes may result in improved health of elderly populations. Moderate physical activity or moderate–regulated training may enhance the immune function mainly in less fit subjects or sedentary population and the pre-event fitness status also seems to be an important individual factor regarding this relationship. Although adequate nutrition and regular physical activity habits may synergistically improve health, clinical trials in athletes using nutritional supplements to counteract the immune suppression have been inconclusive so far.

Further research is necessary to find out to what extent physical activity training can exert an effect on the immune function.
Time Travel, Parahistory and the Past Artefact Dilemma
Authors: Richmond Alasdair
Published: June 2010

In 1987, Roy Sorensen coined the term ‘parahistory’ to denote the study of genuinely anachronistic artefacts delivered by time travel.1 ‘Parahistory’ would thus stand to history rather as parapsychology is claimed to stand to psychology, i.e. the parahistorian would study historical data that were obtained through channels that orthodox science does not recognise. How might one establish credentials as a time traveller? What sort of evidence could a time-traveller point to in support of claims that would presumably command a great deal of scepticism? While successful predictions might be one confirmatory tool, supporting evidence needn't take the form of predictions. (Although Sorensen offers an intriguing argument that a Humean about miracle-testimony would be obliged to reject any testimony to the occurrence of time travel.) Perhaps artefacts that time travellers retrieve from other times (past or future) could usefully supplement testimonial or predictive evidence for the parahistorian. However, this paper will argue, any appeal to past-artefactual evidence for parahistorical claims faces a dilemma that threatens to undermine its value: appeals to past-artefact evidence must either collapse into appeals to predictive evidence or see their value diminished by such past artefacts' necessarily exhibiting contradictory indicators of age and period.
The Languages of Rights and of Human Rights
Authors: Platts Mark
Published: June 2010

In an attempt to control the ‘ballooning’ of (discourse about) human rights James Griffin proposes a theory of them grounded in their presumed aim of protecting what he calls ‘normative agency’. This paper criticizes the resulting theory's restriction of those thereby deemed to possess human rights only to functioning human agents, and does so in part through special attention to cases of human beings trapped in non-functioning bodies. The need for a less stringent account of the conditions necessary for possession of human rights is suggested, and is defended against the claim that adoption of such an account would continue to favour debasement of the language of human rights.
Exclusion and Sufficient Reason
Authors: Nathan N. M. L.
Published: June 2010

I argue for two principles by combining which we can construct a sound cosmological argument. The first is that for any true proposition p's if ‘there is an explanation for p's truth’ is consistent then there is an explanation for p's truth. The second is a modified version of the principle that for any class, if there is an explanation for the non-emptiness of that class, then there is at least one non-member of that class which causes it not to be empty.
Re-enchanting the World: The Role of Imagination in Perception
Authors: Lennon K.
Published: June 2010

This paper defends what the philosopher Merleau Ponty coins‘the imaginary texture of the real’.It is suggested that the imagination is at work in the everyday world which we perceive, the world as it is for us. In defending this view a concept of the imagination is invoked which has both similarities with and differences from, our everyday notion. The everyday notion contrasts the imaginary and the real. The imaginary is tied to the fictional or the illusory. Here it will be suggested, following both Kant and Strawson, that there is a more fundamental working of the imagination, present in both perception and the constructions of fictions. What Kant and Strawson failed to make clear, however, was that the workings of the imagination within the perceived world, gives that world, anaffective logic. The domain of affect is that of emotions, feelings and desire, and to claim such an affective logic in the world we experience, is to point out that it has salience and significance for us. Such salience suggests and demands the desiring and sometimes fearful responses we make to it; the shape of the perceived world echoed in the shapes our bodies take within it.
Ordered Anarchy and Contractarianism
Authors: de Jasay Anthony
Published: June 2010

In a recent essay Robert Sugden sets out his view that two foundational institutions of the social order, the convention and the social contract (at least in one variant of the latter) are compatible and that therefore it is not self-contradictory to be a Humean and a contractarian at the same time.1 The proposition, despite appearances, has greater practical importance than most other doctrinal ones tend to do for if widely conceded, it would render current political thought even more woolly than it is already. If so, a critical scrutiny might be of some use.
The Muqannaʿ narrative in the Tārīkhnāma: Part I, Introduction, edition and translation
Authors: Crone Patricia , Jazi Masoud Jafari
Published: June 2010

This article presents a new edition and translation of the account in the Tārīkhnāma of the campaigns against al-Muqannaʿ, which has hitherto been available only in editions based on poor manuscripts. A detailed commentary and an analysis will follow in the next issue. Though the early manuscripts give us better texts than have so far been available, all are too defective to allow us to reconstitute the original wording or to correct all passages that are obviously wrong. For passages which seem wrong or confusing, the reader should consult the commentary.
New copperplate grant of Śrīcandra (no. 8) from Bangladesh
Authors: Fleming Benjamin J.
Published: June 2010

This article is the first publication of the Bogra copperplate, the eighth known land-grant inscription issued by Śrīcandra (r.c. 925–975ce), one of the kings of the Candra dynasty of Bengal. A diplomatic transcription is included, together with an annotated English translation and a critically edited text in Devanāgarī. The inscription describes a gift of land to a Brahmin named Śrīkaradatta Śarman, who probably hails from North Bengal (“Hastipada [in the region of] Śrāvasti”). While thepraśasti(praise) portions largely parallel the king's other known inscriptions, the inscription contributes new information about place names and regions associated with the Candra dynasty, as well as attesting the movements of Brahmins associated with the Parāśara Gotra and Chandoga Caraṇa. The article also provides an overview and assessment of research on the inscriptions and history of the Candra dynasty, particularly in light of the discovery and identification of this new inscription.
The converb -lasin Old Tibetan
Authors: Hill Nathan W.
Published: June 2010

In contrast to its description in available grammars and manuals, the converb -lasin Old Tibetan is used primarily to mark off the following clause as surprising given the background of the preceding clause. The converb-lasenters into two distinct syntactic constructions: after a reduplicated verb it indicates the interruption of a continuous event; and in a three-clause pattern with the converb-kyis, -lasintroduces a surprise or contrast in the second clause, but -kyisin the third clause returns the sentiment to that of the first clause. Although the examples which demonstrate the use of -lasare drawn from Old Tibetan texts, this use continues in later texts.
The origin of the reflexive prefix in Rgyalrong languages
Authors: Jacques Guillaume
Published: June 2010

In the Sino-Tibetan family, reflexivity is either not expressed in the verb, as in Chinese or Tibetan, or expressed by means of a “middle” marker, as in Dulong or Kiranti languages. Among the morphologically rich languages of this family, only Rgyalrong languages have distinct and unambiguous reflexive and reciprocal markers on the verb. This paper shows that the reflexive prefix in Rgyalrong languages has two possible origins. It could come from a fusion of the third person singular marker and the root meaning “self” or, alternatively, come from the free third person pronoun. Both hypotheses are compatible with our understanding of Rgyalrong historical phonology.
Viable microbes in ice: application of molecular assays to McMurdo Dry Valley lake ice communities
Authors: Dieser Markus , Nocker Andreas , Priscu John C. , Foreman Christine M.
Published: June 2010

The permanent ice covers of the McMurdo Dry Valley lakes, Antarctica, are colonized by a diverse microbial assemblage. We collected ice cores from Lakes Fryxell, Hoare and Bonney. Propidium monoazide (PMA) was used in combination with quantitative PCR (qPCR) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to examine membrane integrity of prokaryotes in these extreme environments. PMA selectively penetrates cells with compromised membranes and modifies their DNA resulting in the suppression of PCR amplification. Our results based on analysis of 16S rRNA genes demonstrate that despite the hostile conditions of the Dry Valleys, the permanent ice covers of the lakes support a ‘potentially viable’ microbial community. The level of membrane integrity, as well as diversity, was higher in samples where sediment was entrapped in the ice cover. Pronounced differences in the fraction of cells with intact and compromised cell membranes were found for Lake Fryxell and east lobe of Lake Bonney, both expressed in differences in DGGE banding patterns and qPCR signal reductions. Limitations in the ability to distinguish between intact or compromised cells occurred in samples from Lake Hoare and west lobe of Lake Bonney due to low DNA template concentrations recovered from the samples.
Modelling the individual and collective dynamics of the propensity to offend
Authors: NADAL J.-P. , GORDON M. B. , IGLESIAS J. R. , SEMESHENKO V.
Published: June 2010

We introduce a general framework for modelling the dynamics of the propensity to offend in a population of (possibly interacting) agents. We consider that each agent has an ‘honesty index’ which parameterizes his probability of abiding by the law. This probability also depends on a composite parameter associated to the attractiveness of the crime outcome and of the crime setting (the context which makes a crime more or less likely to occur, such as the presence or not of a guardian). Within this framework we explore some consequences of the working hypothesis that punishment has a deterrent effect, assuming that, after a criminal act, an agent's honesty index may increase if he is caught and decrease otherwise. We provide both analytical and numerical results. We show that in the space of parameters characterizing the probability of punishment, there are two ‘phases’: one corresponding to a population with a low crime rate and the other to a population with a large crime rate. We speculate on the possible existence of a self-organized state in which, due to the society reaction against crime activities, the population dynamics would be stabilized on the critical line, leading to a wide distribution of propensities to offend in the population. In view of empirical works on the causes of the recent evolution of crime rates in developed countries, we discuss how changes of socio-economic conditions may affect the model parameters, and hence the crime rate in the population. We suggest possible extensions of the model that will allow us to take into account more realistic features.
Lithospheric structure of the Chinese mainland determined from joint inversion of regional and teleseismic Rayleigh‐wave group velocities
Authors: Feng Mei , An Meijian
Published: June 2010

We processed a large number of vertical‐component seismograms recorded by broadband seismic stations in and around China and ultimately retrieved ∼33 140 regional and ∼10 360 teleseismic fundamental‐mode group‐velocity measurements at 40 s periods, with fewer measurements for shorter and longer periods. We directly inverted the processed group‐velocity measurements for a three‐dimensional lithospheric S‐velocity model of the Chinese mainland. Synthetic test results and data fit or misfit analysis demonstrated the reliability of our surface‐wave tomographic inversion. The imaged upper‐crustal low velocities are consistent with variations in sediment thickness; for example, the Tarim Basin, which contains a great thickness of sediments, is characterized by a strong, shallow, low‐velocity anomaly. High lithospheric velocities are observed to varying depths in the North China Craton, Yangtze Craton, and Tarim Craton, indicating varying thicknesses of the lithosphere beneath these cratonic areas. Low asthenospheric velocities are widely imaged in eastern and southern China, around the Tarim Basin, and along a roughly north‐south belt in central China. The low asthenospheric velocities in eastern and southern China are attributed to partial melting of a subducted slab associated with the westward subduction of an oceanic plate, while those in central China and around the Tarim Basin are attributed to Indian‐Eurasian collision.
Benchmarking coupled climate‐carbon models against long‐term atmospheric CO2 measurements
Authors: Cadule P. , Friedlingstein P. , Bopp L. , Sitch S. , Jones C. D. , Ciais P. , Piao S. L. , Peylin P.
Published: June 2010

We evaluated three global models of the coupled carbon‐climate system against atmospheric CO2 concentration measured at a network of stations. These three models, HadCM3LC, IPSL‐CM2‐C, and IPSL‐CM4‐LOOP, participated in the C4MIP experiment and in various other simulations of the future climate impacts on the land and ocean carbon cycle. A new set of performance metrics is defined and applied to quantify each model's ability to reproduce the global growth rate, the seasonal cycle, the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)–forced interannual variability of atmospheric CO2, and the sensitivity to climatic variations. Knowing that the uncertainty on the amplitude, in 2100, of the climate‐carbon feedback is mainly due to the uncertainty of the response of the terrestrial biosphere to the climate change, our new metrics primarily target the evaluation of the land parameterization of the carbon cycle. The modeled fluxes are prescribed to the same global atmospheric transport model LMDZ4, and the simulated concentrations are compared to available observations. We found that the IPSL‐CM4‐LOOP model is best able to reproduce the phase and amplitude of the atmospheric CO2 seasonal cycle in the Northern Hemisphere, while the other two models generally underestimate the seasonal amplitude. This points to some shortcomings in describing the vegetation phenology and heterotropic respiration response to climate. We also found that IPSL‐CM2‐C produces a climate‐driven abnormal source of CO2 to the atmosphere in response to El Niño anomalies. Here a good model performance rests upon a realistic simulation of ENSO‐type climate variability and the subsequent tropical carbon cycle response. The three climate models underestimate the sea surface temperature warm anomaly during an El Niño, but HadCM3LC does best in reproducing the interannual CO2 variability. More efforts are needed to further develop metrics for assessing the sensitivity of the carbon cycle to climate change, and this work should now be extended to assess ocean carbon models against observations.
Bridging great earthquake doublets through silent slip: On‐ and off‐fault aftershocks of the 2006 Kuril Island subduction earthquake toggled by a slow slip on the outer rise normal fault of the 2007 great earthquake
Authors: Ogata Yosihiko , Toda Shinji
Published: June 2010

The November 2006 great thrust earthquake of moment magnitude (Mw) 8.3 on the plate boundary in the Kuril (Chishima) Islands triggered as many vigorous normal‐faulting aftershocks in the outer rise region seaward of the trench as on‐fault aftershocks. Here we show that the aftershocks for a 40 day period preceding the January 2007 Mw = 8.1 event in the outer rise were less frequently observed than the rate expected by both the Omori‐Utsu formula and the epidemic‐type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model while at the same time were more frequent along the plate boundary. We discuss whether such simultaneous quiescence and activation in the pervasive 2006 aftershocks might have been initiated by the onset of aseismic slip on the 2007 rupture plane. The stable fault sliding in an elastic half‐space demonstrates progressive stress shadowing in the outer rise and stress loading along the plate boundary. Furthermore, the rate‐ and state‐dependent friction of Dieterich quantitatively simulates temporal changes in seismic behavior. The same trends of the anomalous activities last in both zones after the 2007 rupture, which suggests that the slips continuously take place in the similar region on the fault throughout the period before and after the rupture. The Kuril case implies that temporal seismic quiescence in an aftershock sequence is useful in evaluating the possibility of the subsequent triggered event, thus suggesting itself as a potential earthquake‐forecasting model together with pervasive earthquake‐clustering models.
Morphological instabilities of stressed and reactive geological interfaces
Authors: Angheluta Luiza , Mathiesen Joachim , Misbah Chaouqi , Renard François
Published: June 2010

Interfaces between contacting rocks of the Earth's crust are shown to be unstable and corrugating and develop roughness at various scales when submitted to nonhydrostatic stress. This instability may occur in various geological settings as long as a coherent deformation of the interface is allowed and the bodies that the interface separates have different material properties (i.e., viscosity, density, or elastic moduli). Relevant examples include fault planes, dissolution interfaces, or grain boundaries. Performing a two‐dimensional linear stability analysis, we consider two cases: one solid in contact with a viscous layer and two solids separated by a thin viscous layer. In both cases either shear and/or normal loads are imposed on the interface and thermodynamical conditions for the initiation of roughening are established. Applied on several geological systems such as grain contacts and fault planes, we propose that our analysis can explain how complex patterns may emerge at rock‐rock interfaces. Finally, we provide an analysis of the evolution of the static friction coefficient along sheared interfaces. The evolution is shown to depend solely on Poisson's ratio of the solid and the ratio of the shear and compressional stresses along the interface.
Normal faults and thrusts reactivated by deep fluids: The 6 April 2009 Mw 6.3 L'Aquila earthquake, central Italy
Authors: Di Luccio F. , Ventura G. , Di Giovambattista R. , Piscini A. , Cinti F. R.
Published: June 2010

On 6 April 2009, a Mw = 6.3 earthquake occurred in the central Apennines (Italy) damaging the city of L'Aquila and the surrounding country. We relocate the October 2008 to 6 April 2009 foreshocks and about 2000 aftershocks occurred between 6 and 30 April 2009 by applying a double‐difference technique and determine the stress field from focal mechanisms. The events concentrate in the upper 15 km of the crust. Three main NW‐SE to NNW‐SSE striking, 30°–45° and 80°–90° dipping faults were activated during the seismic sequence. Among these, a normal fault and a thrust were reactivated with dip‐slip movements in response to NE‐SW extension. The structural maturity of the seismogenic fault system is lower than that displayed by other systems in southern Apennines because of the lower strain rate of the central sector of the chain with respect to the southern one. VP/VS increases progressively from October 2008 to the 6 April 2009 main shock occurrence along a NW‐SE strike because of an increment in pore fluid pressure along the fault planes. Pore pressure diffusion controls the space‐time evolution of aftershocks. A hydraulic diffusivity of 80 m2 s−1 and a seismogenic permeability of about 10−12 m2 suggest the involvement of gas‐rich (CO2) fluids within a highly fractured medium. Suprahydrostatic, high fluid pressure (about 200 MPa at 10 km of depth) within overpressurized traps, bounded by preexisting structural and/or lithological discontinuities at the lower upper crust boundary, are required to activate the April 2009 sequence. Traps are the storage zone of CO2‐rich fluids uprising from the underlying, about 20 km deep, metasomatized mantle wedge. These traps easily occur in extensional regimes like in the axial sector of Apennines but are difficult to form in strike‐slip regimes, where subvertical faults may cross the entire crust. In the Apennines, fluids may activate faults responsible for earthquakes up to Mw = 5–6. Deep fluids more than tectonic stress may control the seismotectogenesis of accretionary wedges.
Late Noachian to Hesperian climate change on Mars: Evidence of episodic warming from transient crater lakes near Ares Vallis
Authors: Warner Nick , Gupta Sanjeev , Lin Shih‐Yuan , Kim Jung‐Rack , Muller Jan‐Peter , Morley Jeremy
Published: June 2010

The Ares Vallis region is surrounded by highland terrain containing both degraded and pristine large impact craters that suggest a change in climate during the Late Noachian‐Early Hesperian, from warmer, wetter conditions to colder, dryer conditions. However, the regional occurrence of Hesperian‐age crater outlet channels indicates that this period on Mars was characterized by episodic climate fluctuations that caused transient warming, facilitating the stability of liquid water at the surface. An extensive survey of the morphology and topography of 75 impact basins in the region indicates that of the largest degraded craters, 4 were identified with single outlet channels that suggest the former presence of water infill. These basins lack inlets indicating that water influx was likely derived from sapping of groundwater. A comparison of measured crater rim heights to modeled rim heights suggests that the bulk of the depth/diameter reduction on these craters was the result of infilling, possibly by sediments. Crater statistics indicate that crater degradation and infill occurred during a short 200 Ma interval in the Late Noachian, from 3.8 Ga to 3.6 Ga. Craters that formed after 3.6 Ga exhibit a near‐pristine morphology. Our results support the hypothesis of rapid climate change at the end of the Noachian period. However, geologic relationships between the crater outlet channels and Ares Vallis indicate that drainage occurred only after the period of intense crater modification, during the Hesperian (3.5–2.9 Ga). This suggests a delay between the time of infill of the craters and the time of drainage.
An examination of seasonal deformation at the Portuguese Bend landslide, southern California, using radar interferometry
Authors: Calabro M. D. , Schmidt D. A. , Roering J. J.
Published: June 2010

The Portuguese Bend landslide, located on the Palos Verdes peninsula in southern California, is a slow‐moving landslide whose activity is closely tied to infiltration from rainfall. We use radar interferometry to constrain the seasonal kinematics of the landslide from 1995 to 2000. Traditional interferometric synthetic aperture radar methods estimate an average downslope displacement rate of 1.00 m/yr with an uncertainty range of 0.39–2.57 m/yr during the summer months. Interferograms show a consistent loss in phase coherence over the landslide for epochs greater than 6 months, especially in the winter. Interferograms become incoherent as a result of large displacement, and decorrelation is used to map the spatial extent of slide movement through time. The displacement rate increases sharply several weeks after the beginning of the rainy season as rainwater percolating into the slide elevates pore pressures. Phase coherence is lost when the slide velocity surpasses ∼2.6 m/yr for interferograms with durations of a few months. A physically based model based on rainfall‐driven landslide movement incorporates these observations to constrain hydraulic diffusivity to between 0.9 and 3.5 × 10−6 m2/yr.
Geodetic constraints on present‐day motion of the Arabian Plate: Implications for Red Sea and Gulf of Aden rifting
Authors: ArRajehi Abdullah , McClusky Simon , Reilinger Robert , Daoud Mohamed , Alchalbi Abdulmutaleb , Ergintav Semih , Gomez Francisco , Sholan Jamal , Bou‐Rabee Firyal , Ogubazghi Ghebrebrhan , Haileab Biniam , Fisseha Shimelles , Asfaw Laike , Mahmoud Salah , Rayan Ali , Bendik Rebecca , Kogan Lewis
Published: June 2010

Five years of continuously recording GPS observations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia together with new continuous and survey‐mode GPS observations broadly distributed across the Arabian Peninsula provide the basis for substantially improved estimates of present‐day motion and internal deformation of the Arabian plate. We derive the following relative, geodetic Euler vectors (latitude (°N), longitude (°E), rate (°/Myr, counterclockwise)) for Arabia‐Nubia (31.7 ± 0.2, 24.6 ± 0.3, 0.37 ± 0.01), Arabia‐Somalia (22.0 ± 0.5, 26.2 ± 0.5, 0.40 ± 0.01), Arabia‐India (18.0 ± 3.8, 87.6 ± 3.3, 0.07 ± 0.01), Arabia‐Sinai (35.7 ± 0.8, 17.1 ± 5.0, 0.15 ± 0.04), and Arabia‐Eurasia (27.5 ± 0.1, 17.6 ± 0.3, 0.404 ± 0.004). We use these Euler vectors to estimate present‐day stability of the Arabian plate, the rate and direction of extension across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and slip rates along the southern Dead Sea fault south of the Lebanon restraining bend (4.5–4.7 ± 0.2 mm/yr, left lateral; 0.8–1.1 ± 0.3 mm/yr extension) and the Owens fracture zone (3.2–2.5 ± 0.5 mm/yr, right lateral, increasing from north to south; 1–2 mm/yr extension). On a broad scale, the Arabian plate has no resolvable internal deformation (weighted root mean square of residual motions for Arabia equals 0.6 mm/yr), although there is marginally significant evidence for N‐S shortening in the Palmyride Mountains, Syria at ≤ 1.5 mm/yr. We show that present‐day Arabia plate motion with respect to Eurasia is consistent within uncertainties (i.e., ±10%) with plate tectonic estimates since the early Miocene when Arabia separated from Nubia. We estimate the time of Red Sea and Gulf of Aden rifting from present‐day Arabia motion, plate tectonic evidence for a 70% increase in Arabia‐Nubia relative motion at 13 Ma, and the width of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and find that rifting initiated roughly simultaneously (±2.2 Myr) along the strike of the Red Sea from the Gulf of Suez to the Afar Triple Junction, as well as along the West Gulf of Aden at 24 ± 2.2 Ma. Based on the present kinematics, we hypothesize that the negative buoyancy of the subducted ocean lithosphere beneath the Makran and the Zagros fold‐thrust belt is the principle driver of Arabia‐Eurasia convergence and that resisting forces associated with Arabia‐Eurasia continental collision have had little impact on plate motion.
Melatonin inhibits oxidative modification of low‐density lipoprotein particles in normolipidemic post‐menopausal women
Authors: Wakatsuki Akihiko , Okatani Yuji , Ikenoue Nobuo , Izumiya Chiaki , Kaneda Chitose
Published: June 2010

In this study, we investigated the short‐term effect of melatonin on the susceptibility of low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) to oxidation in normolipidemic post‐menopausal women. Fifteen post‐menopausal women received 6.0 mg melatonin daily for 2 wk. Blood samples were obtained before and after the treatment and the plasma levels of total cholesterol, total triglyceride, high‐density lipoprotein (HDL)‐cholesterol, LDL‐cholesterol, LDL‐triglyceride, and LDL‐apolipoprotein B were determined. LDL oxidation was performed by incubation with copper ions and was analyzed by monitoring the kinetics of conjugated diene formation and measuring the concentration of thiobarbituric‐acid‐reactive substances (TBARS). LDL‐apolipoprotein B derivatization was analyzed by measuring trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) reactivity. Melatonin treatment significantly increased the plasma triglyceride levels (P<0.05), but did not significantly alter
the plasma levels of total cholesterol, HDL‐cholesterol, or LDL‐lipids.
The kinetics analysis of conjugated diene production revealed that
melatonin treatment significantly prolonged the lag time of conjugated
diene formation (from 64.71±11.89 to 70.15±10.52 min,
P<0.05). The oxidation rate and the amount of conjugated diene,
however, did not change significantly. The TBARS concentration was
significantly reduced by melatonin treatment (from 49.31±7.57 to
38.69±23.90 nM/mg LDL, P<0.05). Furthermore, melatonin
treatment significantly reduced the copper‐induced decrease of TNBS
reactivity (from 79.43±6.19 to 86.50±9.07% at 1 hr and from
71.03±6.74 to 76.31±4.99% at 2 hr, P<0.05). These results indicate that melatonin treatment may reduce LDL susceptibility to oxidative modification in normolipidemic post‐menopausal women.
Evidence for a melatonin receptor within pancreatic islets of neonate rats: functional, autoradiographic, and molecular investigations
Authors: Peschke Elmar , Fauteck Jan‐Dirk , Mußhoff Ulrich , Schmidt Frank , Beckmann Andreas , Peschke Dorothee
Published: June 2010

In a recent perifusion investigation, we showed that the pineal secretory product melatonin reduces insulin secretion from isolated pancreatic islets of neonate rats stimulated with potassium chloride (KCl), glucose, and forskolin. This effect of melatonin was reproduced with doses ranging from 200 pmol/L to 5 μmol/L. Because it is generally accepted that melatonin exerts some of its biological effects through specific, high‐affinity pertussis‐toxin‐sensitive G‐protein‐coupled receptors, we blocked the putative melatonin receptor of pancreatic islets using both the non‐hydrolyzable guanosine triphosphate analog guanosine 5′‐O‐(3‐thiotriphosphate)
(GTPΓS, 30 μmol/L) and the melatonin antagonist luzindole (10
μmol/L). Both GTPΓS and luzindole caused a near normalization of
the melatonin‐induced inhibition of the forskolin‐stimulated insulin
secretion. To localize putative melatonin receptors within the pancreatic
islets autoradiographic studies were additionally carried out. These
investigations showed specific binding of 2‐[125I]iodomelatonin, which were in exact
correspondence with the localization of the islets. In addition,
gray‐level analysis showed that unlabeled melatonin was able to reduce
the binding of 2‐[125I]iodomelatonin
in a dose‐dependent manner. Concentrations of unlabeled melatonin of
10−9 mol/L produced a 50% reduction in specific binding,
whereas concentrations of 10−6 mol/L displaced the
binding completely. Likewise, the results of molecular investigations
showed that the rat pancreas contains a melatonin receptor, since reverse
transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) experiments, using
specific primers for the rat melatonin receptor Mel1a, showed
that mRNA for this melatonin receptor type is expressed in pancreatic
tissue of newborn rats. In summary, it may be said that our functional,
autoradiographic, and molecular results indicate that the Mel1a receptor is located on the pancreatic islets, possibly in the beta cells.