bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trait-Environment Relationships and Tiered Forward Model Selection in Linear Mixed Models
Authors: Jamil Tahira , Opdekamp Wout , van Diggelen Rudy , ter Braak Cajo J. F.
Published: June 2012

To understand patterns of variation in species biomass in terms of species traits and environmental variables a one-to-one approach might not be sufficient, and a multitrait multienvironment approach will be necessary. A multitrait multienvironment approach is proposed, based on a mixed model for species biomass. In the model, environmental variables are species-dependent random terms, whereas traits are fixed terms, and trait-environment relationships are fixed interaction terms. In this approach, identifying the important trait-environment relationship becomes a model selection problem. Because of the mix of fixed and random terms, we propose a novel tiered forward selection approach for this. In the first tier, the random factors are selected; in the second, the fixed effects; in the final tier, nonsignificant terms are removed using a modified Akaike information criterion. We complement this tiered selection with an alternative selection method, namely, type II maximum likelihood. A mesocosm experiment on early community assembly in wetlands with three two-level environmental factors is analyzed by the new approach. The results are compared with the fourth corner problem and the linear trait-environment method. Traits related to germination and seedling establishment are selected as being most important in the community assembly in these wetland mesocosms.
TGF-β2- and H2O2-Induced Biological Changes in Optic Nerve Head Astrocytes Are Reduced by the Antioxidant Alpha-Lipoic Acid
Authors: Yu Alice L. , Moriniere Jerome , Welge-Lussen Ulrich
Published: June 2012

Background/Aims: The goal of the present study was to determine whether transforming growth factor-β2 (TGF-β2)- and oxidative stress-induced cellular changes in cultured human optic nerve head (ONH) astrocytes could be reduced by pretreatment with the antioxidant α-lipoic acid (LA). Methods: Cultured ONH astrocytes were treated with 1.0 ng/ml TGF-β2 for 24 h or 200 µM hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for 1 h. Lipid peroxidation was measured by a decrease in cis-parinaric acid fluorescence. Additionally, cells were pretreated with different concentrations of LA before TGF-β2 or H2O2 exposure. Expressions of the heat shock protein (Hsp) αB-crystallin and Hsp27, the extracellular matrix (ECM) component fibronectin and the ECM-modulating protein connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) were examined with immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR analysis. Results: Both TGF-β2 and H2O2 increased lipid peroxidation. Treatment of astrocytes with TGF-β2 and H2O2 upregulated the expression of αB-crystallin, Hsp27, fibronectin and CTGF. Pretreatment with different concentrations of LA reduced the TGF-β2- and H2O2-stimulated gene expressions. Conclusion: We showed that TGF-β2- and H2O2-stimulated gene expressions could be prevented by pretreatment with the antioxidant LA in cultured human ONH astrocytes. Therefore, it is tempting to speculate that the use of antioxidants could have protective effects in glaucomatous optic neuropathy.
Ketamine-Associated Urinary Tract Dysfunction: An Underrecognized Clinical Entity
Authors: Lai Yongqing , Wu Song , Ni Liangchao , Chen Zebo , Li Xianxin , Yang Shangqi , Gui Yaoting , Guan Zhichen , Cai Zhiming , Ye Jiongxian
Published: June 2012

Introduction: The use of ketamine as a recreational drug is on the increase among young adults attending clubs and parties. Recreational ketamine users have anecdotally reported increased lower urinary tract symptoms while using the substance. Methods: We describe the severe lower urinary tract symptoms experienced in 6 patients with chronic recreational ketamine use. We obtained a detailed history and physical examination along with further investigation to identify a relationship between recreational ketamine use and these symptoms. Results: The urine cultures were sterile in all cases. Intravenous urography was performed in 3 patients and demonstrated bilateral upper ureteric narrow, mild bilateral hydronephrosis and contracted bladder urodynamic studies showed detrusor instability with urinary leakage when the bladder was filled to a capacity of 30– 50 ml. Cystoscopy revealed a small capacity bladder with erythematous lesions throughout the bladder. Bladder biopsies were performed in 3 patients and showed up as chronic cystitis. Ketamine cessation along with intravesical sodium hyaluronate solution appeared to provide some symptomatic relief. Conclusion: Ketamine-associated urinary tract dysfunction appears to be a relatively new clinical phenomenon. The pathological mechanism of ketamine-associated urinary tract dysfunction is unknown and current management strategies are ketamine cessation along with intravesical sodium hyaluronate solution.
Pride Diaries: Sex, Brain Size and Sociality in the African Lion (Panthera leo) and Cougar (Puma concolor)
Authors: Arsznov Bradley M. , Sakai Sharleen T.
Published: June 2012

The purpose of this study was to examine if differences in social life histories correspond to intraspecific variation in total or regional brain volumes in the African lion (Panthera leo) and cougar (Puma concolor). African lions live in gregarious prides usually consisting of related adult females, their dependent offspring, and a coalition of immigrant males. Upon reaching maturity, male lions enter a nomadic and often, solitary phase in their lives, whereas females are mainly philopatric and highly social throughout their lives. In contrast, the social life history does not differ between male and female cougars; both are solitary. Three-dimensional virtual endocasts were created using computed tomography from the skulls of 14 adult African lions (8 male, 6 female) and 14 cougars (7 male, 7 female). Endocranial volume and basal skull length were highly correlated in African lions (r = 0.59, p < 0.05) and in cougars (r = 0.67, p < 0.01). Analyses of total endocranial volume relative to skull length revealed no sex differences in either African lions or cougars. However, relative anterior cerebrum volume comprised primarily of frontal cortex and surface area was significantly greater in female African lions than males, while relative posterior cerebrum volume and surface area was greater in males than females. These differences were specific to the neocortex and were not found in the solitary cougar, suggesting that social life history is linked to sex-specific neocortical patterns in these species. We further hypothesize that increased frontal cortical volume in female lions is related to the need for greater inhibitory control in the presence of a dominant male aggressor.
TNF-α Stimulates MMP-2 and MMP-9 Activities in Human Corneal Epithelial Cells via the Activation of FAK/ERK Signaling
Authors: Yang Yan-Ning , Wang Fang , Zhou Wei , Wu Zhi-Qing , Xing Yi-Qiao
Published: June 2012

Aims: Herpes simplex virus type-1-induced herpes simplex keratitis (HSK) is a common immunological cornea disease. While previous studies have addressed the role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in HSK, the mechanistic link between TNF-α and MMPs in the pathogenesis of HSK remains elusive. Methods: We first established a HSK mice model and measured the levels of TNF-α, MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the corneas at different time points by ELISA. Next, we employed cultured human corneal epithelial (HCE) cells as an in vitro model and performed gelatin zymography analysis. Results: We observed that the change in the TNF-α level shared a similar pattern to that of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the HSK mice model. Furthermore, TNF-α stimulated MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities in a dose-dependent manner, but either knockdown of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) by short interference RNA or inhibition of extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK) by chemical inhibitor could block TNF-α-stimulated MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities in vitro. Taken together, our results provide in vivo evidence that the TNF-α level is positively correlated with MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels in a HSK model and in vitro evidence that TNF-α stimulates MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities via the activation of FAK/ERK signaling in HCE cells. Conclusions: Our findings shed new light on the pathogenesis of HSK and open up new possibility of modulating the TNF-α-FAK-ERK signaling cascade to pursue therapeutic measures for HSK.
Functional and Phenotypical Impairment of Polymorphonuclear Cells in Atopic Dermatitis: An Additional Cause for the Known Susceptibility to Infections?
Authors: Fierro Maria Teresa , Banche Giuliana , Marenco Federica , Novelli Mauro , Allizond Valeria , Mandras Narcisa , Murabito Pierangela , Merlino Chiara , Quaglino Pietro , Bernengo Maria Grazia , Cuffini Anna Maria
Published: June 2012

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) patients present an high susceptibility to infections. The phagocytic activity of polymorphonuclear granulocytes (PMNs) is mediated by the interactions between Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and pathogen-associated molecular patterns. Objective: To investigate functional activity and phenotype of PMNs in AD patients. Methods: In vitro PMN phagocytosis and intracellular killing towards Klebsiella pneumoniae were evaluated in 24 AD patients; flow cytometry was applied to analyze PMN phenotype. Results: PMNs from AD patients displayed both reduced phagocytic activity and intracellular killing against K. pneumoniae than healthy subjects (HS). CD11b, CD66b, TLR2, TLR4 and TLR5 median fluorescence intensity (MFI) on PMN membrane were significantly higher in AD patients than in HS. Conclusion: PMN functional impairment in AD patients could represent an additional cause of skin infections, coupled with other known defects in the innate immune system. The increased MFI of adhesion molecules and TLRs is rather a consequence of the increased skin barrier permeability to bacterial molecules capable of stimulating immunological reactions.
Evolutionary Molecular Cytogenetics of Catarrhine Primates: Past, Present and Future
Authors: Stanyon R. , Rocchi M. , Bigoni F. , Archidiacono N.
Published: June 2012

The catarrhine primates were the first group of species studied with comparative molecular cytogenetics. Many of the fundamental techniques and principles of analysis were initially applied to comparisons in these primates, including interspecific chromosome painting, reciprocal chromosome painting and the extensive use of cloned DNA probes for evolutionary analysis. The definition and importance of chromosome syntenies and associations for a correct cladistics analysis of phylogenomic relationships were first applied to catarrhines. These early chromosome painting studies vividly illustrated a striking conservation of the genome between humans and macaques. Contemporarily, it also revealed profound differences between humans and gibbons, a group of species more closely related to humans, making it clear that chromosome evolution did not follow a molecular clock. Chromosome painting has now been applied to more that 60 primate species and the translocation history has been mapped onto the major taxonomic divisions in the tree of primate evolution. In situ hybridization of cloned DNA probes, primarily BAC-FISH, also made it possible to more precisely map breakpoints with spanning and flanking BACs. These studies established marker order and disclosed intrachromosomal rearrangements. When applied comparatively to a range of primate species, they led to the discovery of evolutionary new centromeres as an important new category of chromosome evolution. BAC-FISH studies are intimately connected to genome sequencing, and probes can usually be assigned to a precise location in the genome assembly. This connection ties molecular cytogenetics securely to genome sequencing, assuring that molecular cytogenetics will continue to have a productive future in the multidisciplinary science of phylogenomics.
Young Children’s Human Rights: a sociological analysis
Authors: Alderson Priscilla
Published: June 2012

Children tend to be missing from the literature on human rights. Sociology can help to fill the gap by providing evidence about the importance and benefits of recognising children's human rights, the dangers of not doing so, and joint rights-promoting work by adults and children. However, sociology has paid relatively little attention to human rights, and to the related topics of the Holocaust, human nature, real bodies, universal principles and moral imperatives. This paper examines splits in sociology around a central absence, which could partly explain these omissions. Then it considers how inter-disciplinary approaches and critical realism can help to theorise and validate “the inherent dignity and…the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family”. The youngest children's rights illuminate meanings in all human rights, which depend less on the rational person approach than on recognising human nature, vulnerability and solidarity interacting with social structures.
Science on the Fringe of the Empire: The Academy of the Linceans in the Early Nineteenth Century
Authors: Pia Donato Maria
Published: June 2012

The article treats the Academy of the Linceans in the early nineteenth century, and more particularly during the Napoleonic domination of Rome in 1809-14.

For the French regime, the Academy was instrumental to turning intellectuals into notables; pursuing the advancement of knowledge; stimulating industry; fostering secularization and orientating public opinion. But these goals did not always harmonize one with the other. Moreover, the local agenda was subordinated to strategic and ideological considerations pertaining to the organization of the Empire, relations with the Papacy, and internal politics. Hence, support to the Academy was subject to changes and contradictions. Within the Empire, the small local scientific elite found a place within international networks of science. Men of science increased their visibility and social standing, and greater symbolic and material resources were granted to the practice of science. The Academy, however, was left in the unclear status of a semi-public establishment, and it eventually imploded after the Restoration.

The article analyses the Academy’s scientific activity and its role in public life, focusing on material history as a key element to understand the ambiguous nature of Roman scientific institutions both under the papal government and the French regime.
Imaging the Experiments on Respiration and Transpiration of Lavoisier and Séguin: Two Unknown Drawings by Madame Lavoisier
Authors: Beretta Marco
Published: June 2012

This paper presents two hitherto unknown drawings by Marie-Anne-Pierrette Lavoisier dating to the early 1790s that illustrate the experiments on respiration and transpiration of her husband Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier and his assistant Armand Séguin. These works may be associated with the well-known sepia drawings that were published for the first time by Edouard Grimaux in 1888. Details contained in these newly discovered drawings by M.me Lavoisier provide fresh evidence as to the nature and aims of Lavoisier’s innovative experiments. As we will show, these drawings were intended to illustrate the collection of papers on respiration being prepared by Lavoisier for his Mémoires de physique et de chimie (1792-1805).
Elusive Unity: The General Will in Hobbes and Kant
Authors: Flikschuh Katrin
Published: June 2012

According to one interpretation of Leviathan, Hobbes sinks the democratic argument in favour of government by representation into his own argument in favour of absolute rule. This paper argues that Kant in turn sinks Hobbes’ argument for coercive political authority into Rousseau’s construction of the volonté générale. Why does Kant reject Rousseau’s argument in favour of popular sovereignty; why does he revert to Hobbes’ endorsement of a coercively unifying political authority? The paper examines the different responses given by Hobbes, Rousseau, and Kant to the problem of political unity and unified political decision-taking. While for Hobbes and Rousseau political unity must be empirically real – there must be an actual unifying authority – in Kant the idea of the general united will is a rational criterion of just lawmaking. For Kant, it is not the form of government that matters, but the manner of governing.
Irreconcilable Differences? Realism and Idealism in Cold War Korean-American Relations
Authors: Matray James I.
Published: June 2012

Anti-Americanism never should have emerged as a major force in South Korea. After all, Washington was responsible for the creation of the Republic of Korea in August 1948 and provided major support against North Korea during and after the Korean War. After 9/11, however, American failure to balance means and ends in the pursuit of realistic goals caused anti-Americanism to reach a crescendo because it revived with a new ferocity at least four historical factors: (1) American disregard for Korea and Korean incomprehension of American priorities; (2) American support for Korean military dictatorship; (3) United States military presence in Korea and refusal to deal with incidents of military misconduct in ways that appeared just to Koreans; and (4) American racism. Koreans, however, also do not understand that their nation is not the center of American priorities and expect more from the relationship than Americans are likely to provide. This article traces the development of these factors through the postwar period and the impact of Bush administration unilateralism.
Violence, Amnesty and Transitional Law: “private” Acts and “public” Truth in South Africa
Authors: Nagy Rosemary
Published: June 2012

Whereas amnesty is generally associated with impunity and denial, in South Africa, amnesty was pulled into the reach of justice and reconciliation. This article assesses the extent to which South Africa's amnesty fulfilled these normative goals. It centers on the difficulty of differentiating between “private” acts and “political” crimes deserving of amnesty. It argues that the determination of political crimes obfuscated the full extent of apartheid violence and responsibility for it. Consequently, the amnesty process produced a truncated “truth” about apartheid violence that was insufficient to the task of overcoming the past. This is in part an intractable problem embedded in the conflicting tasks of transitional law. The lesson of hope that South Africa offers to other transitional nations is that amnesty should be wound into the promises of democracy without creating false expectations of reconciliation or simplistic truths about the past.
Reconciliation in Post-Genocide Rwanda
Authors: Zorbas Eugenia
Published: June 2012

National reconciliation is a vague and 'messy' process. In post-genocide Rwanda, it presents special difficulties that stem from the particular nature of the Rwandan crisis and the popular participation that characterized the Rwandan atrocities. This article outlines the main approaches being used in Rwanda to achieve reconciliation, highlighting some of the major obstacles faced by these institutions. It then goes on to argue that certain 'Silences' are being imposed on the reconciliation process, including the failure to prosecute alleged RPA crimes, the lack of debate on, and the instrumentalization of, Rwanda's 'histories', the collective stigmatization of all Hutu as génocidaires, and the papering over of societal cleavages through the 'outlawing' of 'divisionism'. The role economic development can play in the reconciliation process is also discussed. Given the Government of Rwanda's central role in the reconciliation process and its progressive drift towards authoritarianism, the article ends with a reflection on the worrisome parallels between the pre and post-genocide socio-political contexts.
The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights and the Demystification of Second and Third Generation Rights under the African Charter: Social and Economic Rights Action Center (SERAC) and the Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR) v. Nigeria
Authors: Nwobike Justice C.
Published: June 2012

This article argues that the decision of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights in the Ogoni case represents a giant stride towards the protection and promotion of economic, social and cultural rights of Africans. This is predicated on the African Commission's finding that the Nigerian Government's failure to protect the Ogoni people from the activities of oil companies operating in the Niger Delta is contrary to international human rights law and is in fact a step backwards since Nigeria had earlier adopted legislation to fulfill its obligation towards the progressive realization of these rights. The findings of the African Commission demonstrate that economic, social and cultural rights are not vague or incapable of judicial enforcement. They also illustrate how the Charter can be interpreted generously to ensure the effective enjoyment of rights. Novel and commendable as the decision is, it is not without its shortcomings. These shortcomings lie in the failure of the Commission to pronounce on the right to development, its silence on the desirability of holding transnational corporations accountable for human rights violations, and the institutional weakness of the Commission in enforcing its decisions.
Property Restitution Laws in a Post-War Context: The Case of Mozambique
Authors: Unruh Jon
Published: June 2012

Post-war reconstruction environments involve particular contexts within which legal reform must operate in order to facilitate the peace process, recovery, and development. Land and property restitution after a war is an important but difficult issue for the integrity of the process, given the chaotic rights environment created by war and the limited financial, personnel, and institutional resources of governments recovering from war. This article examines Mozambique's experience with the creation of a land and property restitution legal regime within a post-war context that includes: a) strong restitution desires by very divided segments of the population that differ markedly in literacy, access to the state, allegiance during the war, attachment to legitimate authority, and tenure system; b) a history of changing and failed land policy; and c) the extreme lack of state capacity needed to manage a formal restitution program. After setting out the history of the war and land policy in Mozambique, the article examines restitution claims, and describes how the land law reform has attempted to produce a legal environment whereby many complex restitution cases could be 'self managed.'
Crimes Against Humanity: Directing Attacks Against A Civilian Population
Authors: Eboe-Osuji Chile
Published: June 2012

In international criminal law, to sustain a charge of crimes against humanity, the Prosecution must prove, among other elements, that the perpetrator was involved in an attack directed against a civilian population. In Prosecutor v Fofana and Kondewa, the Special Court for Sierra Leone found that the Prosecution failed to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the civilian population was the 'primary object' of the attack and acquitted the accused on the counts of murder and other inhumane acts as crimes against humanity. The Appeals Chamber accepted this view. However, it reversed Trial Chamber I on the ground that the Prosecution evidence did establish that the civilian population had been the primary, as opposed to incidental, target of the attack. The author suggests that this is an error resulting from the undue jurisprudential pre-occupation with the meaning of 'primary' in relation to the notion of attack against a civilian population. Instead, the inquiry should focus on whether the civilian population was 'intentionally' targeted in the attack, notwithstanding that it may not have been the primary object of the attack. He submits that this approach would be consistent with the classic theory of mens rea in criminal law.
Constitutional and Succession Crisis in West Africa: The Case of Togo
Authors: Banjo Adewale
Published: June 2012

The politics of succession in post-independence West Africa has left much to be desired and, by extension, has affected the quality of democracy and human security in the sub-region. This article briefly assesses succession politics in Togo, a small West African nation of approximately 5 million people, following the death of President Gnassingbe Eyadema, one of Africa's longest serving dictators. The author describes the military takeover and subsequent election that legitimized the illegal take over of power by Eyadema's son despite sustained domestic opposition from politicians and civil society, as well as sub-regional, regional and international condemnation of a Constitutional "coup d'etat" in Togo. The article concludes that the succession crisis in Togo is far from over, given the continuing manipulation of what the author calls the geo-ethnic divide in that country.
How Sociology Lost Public Opinion
Authors: Manza Jeff , Brooks Clem
Published: June 2012

In contemporary sociology the once prominent study of public opinion has virtually disappeared. None of the leading theoretical models in the closest disciplinary subfield (political sociology) currently provide ample or sufficiently clear space for consideration of public opinion as a possible factor in shaping or interacting with key policy or political outcomes in democratic polities. In this article, we unearth and document the sources of this curious development and raise questions about its implications for how political sociologists have come to understand policy making, state formation, and political conflict. We begin by reconstructing the dismissal of public opinion in the intellectual reorientation of political sociology from the late 1970s onward. We argue that the most influential scholarly works of this period (including those of Tilly, Skocpol, Mann, Esping-Andersen, and Domhoff) face an underlying paradox: While often rejecting public opinion, their theoretical logics ultimately presuppose its operation. These now classical writings did not move toward research programs seeking engagement with the operation and formation of public opinion, even though our immanent critique suggests they in fact require precisely this turn. We address the challenge of reconceptualizing how public opinion might be productively integrated into the sociological study of politics by demonstrating that the major arguments in the subfield can be fruitfully extended by grappling with public opinion. We conclude by considering several recent, interdisciplinary examples of scholarship that, we argue, point the way toward a fruitful revitalization.
The Communist Party and social management in China
Authors: Pieke Frank N.
Published: June 2012

At the core of China’s rise lies the Chinese Communist Party’s ability to reinvent itself and its administration. This article investigates one aspect of the gradual overhaul of administrative institutions, processes, and strategies, namely the increasing prominence of neoliberal ideas emanating from the discipline of public management in the recent emphasis on ‘social management’ (社会管理) in government rhetoric and action. The article concludes that social management may ultimately entail a corporatist re-engineering of Chinese society that allows a considerable degree of pluralism while strengthening the leading role of the Party over society.
Managing people ‘spiritually’: a Bourdieusian critique
Authors: Kamoche Ken , Pinnington Ashly H
Published: June 2012

This article draws from Pierre Bourdieu’s critical sociology to examine how organizational spirituality is being framed as a new way to manage people. The article takes a critical look at the way much of the literature prescribes spiritual values with the subtext that human resource practices infused with spiritual values, inter alia, improve organizational performance. This article demonstrates how ‘symbolic violence’ provides an analytical tool to unravel the theoretical make-up of organizational spirituality. This critique posits that the ‘top-down’ approach to organizational spirituality relies on a Bourdieusian ‘cultural arbitrary’ and the ‘power of pedagogy’ to seek the active consent of organizational members. The article proceeds to identify the ideological underpinnings of this process, thus paving the way for new critical theorizing on organizational spirituality.
Issue ownership, unemployment and support for government intervention
Authors: Jakobsen Tor G , Listhaug Ola
Published: June 2012

In this article an examination is made of the association between unemployment and public demand for government intervention in the economy. The main hypothesis is drawn from the theory of issue ownership: public opinion is likely to shift to the left in times of high unemployment combined with a leftist government. Research on issue ownership has typically focused on case studies of particular countries. We extend the discussion to a much larger setting. Relying on data from the International Social Survey Programme from 23 OECD countries in the time period 1985–2007 we find a combined effect of issue ownership and agenda setting. An increase in unemployment leads the public to hold more leftist economic opinions when the government belongs to the left. However, ownership of an issue cannot be guaranteed to last if a party fails to deliver outcomes that are promised and expected from its historical legacy.
Older employees under pressure? Theorizing reasons for declining commitment
Authors: White Michael
Published: June 2012

If employees are asked to extend their working lives, equity requires that their conditions of work should be improved or at least maintained. This article argues that employees have in the past received relatively favourable treatment from employers in their later careers, consequent on the long-term employment relationship that employers maintain for motivational purposes. But changes in costs, competition and technologies are likely to have affected motivational policy, leading employers to renege on the implicit bargain with older employees. The analysis provides strong evidence of declining organizational commitment, consistent with the proposed theory.
Peering Inside the Pork Barrel
Authors: Sciara Gian-Claudia
Published: June 2012

This article documents Congressional transportation earmarking practice in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, analyzing how Congress earmarks funds for projects and how earmark features determine beneficiaries. First, it illuminates the Congressional process for earmarking in a bill: Committees solicit requests, leadership structures the terms for earmarking, and members identify final priorities. Second, it distinguishes between authorization and appropriation earmarks, and among demonstration, discretionary, and stand-alone earmarks. Finally, it shows how statutory, nonstatutory, and hybrid earmarks vary in legal significance, with implications for federal, state, and other agencies’ ability to change or challenge a congressionally directed project. Major themes emerge. Increases in earmarking, technological advances, and earmarking reforms have made some stages of the process more formal and visible, although key stages remain opaque. In addition, Congressional earmarking is dynamic, evolving in response to situational opportunities and challenges. Concluding observations discuss how future earmarking could be made more transparent and effective.
Unequal chances: Race, class and schooling
Authors: Satz Debra
Published: June 2012

This article compares a demanding conception of educational adequacy with the Rawlsian idea of fair equality of opportunity. It defends fair equality of opportunity against criticisms, but argues that it needs to be explicitly anchored in a theory of equal citizenship.
Comparison of four antitarnishing self-assembled monolayers on silver coin
Authors: Liang C H , Yang C J , Huang N B , Wu B
Published: June 2012

By accelerated tests and electrochemical measurements, the characteristic of four self-assembled monolayer (SAM) covered silver, which were octadecanethiol monolayer from aqueous solution (OSA), octadecanethiol monolayer from organic solvent (OSO), phytic acid monolayer (IP6) and silicon tungstemic acid monolayer (STA), was studied. The results indicated that the OSA, STA, IP6 and OSO on the silver provided a practical method to prevent silver from tarnishing. All SAMs acted as cathodic inhibitors. The protection effect of OSA was similar to that of OSO, both of which were more effective than IP6 and STA. The charge transfer resistance increased from 76 Ω cm2 for bare silver up to 1456, 474 , 1050 and 1212 Ω cm2 for OSA, STA, IP6 and OSO covered silver respectively. The 48 h accelerated tarnishing tests proved the protection efficient of SAMs, in the order OSA≈OSO>IP6>STA, which indicated that STA and IP6 were not the completely compact film.
Development of a vascular niche platform for expansion of repopulating human cord blood stem and progenitor cells
Authors: Butler Jason M. , Gars Eric J. , James Daylon J. , Nolan Daniel J. , Scandura Joseph M. , Rafii Shahin
Published: June 2012

Transplantation of ex vivo expanded human umbilical cord blood cells (hCB) only partially enhances the hematopoietic recovery after myelosuppressive therapy. Incubation of hCB with optimal combinations of cytokines and niche cells, such as endothelial cells (ECs), could augment the efficiency of hCB expansion. We have devised an approach to cultivate primary human ECs (hECs) in serum-free culture conditions. We demonstrate that coculture of CD34+ hCB in direct cellular contact with hECs and minimal concentrations of thrombopoietin/Kit-ligand/Flt3-ligand resulted in a 400-fold expansion of total hematopoietic cells, 150-fold expansion of CD45+CD34+ progenitor cells, and 23-fold expansion of CD45+ Lin−CD34hi+CD45RA−CD49f+ stem and progenitor cells over a 12-day period. Compared with cytokines alone, coculture of hCB with hECs permitted greater expansion of cells capable of multilineage engraftment and serial transplantation, hallmarks of long-term repopulating hematopoietic stem cells. Therefore, hECs establish a cellular platform for expansion of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells and treatment of hematologic disorders.
Elastic inversion of near- and postcritical reflections using phase variation with angle
Authors: Zhu Xinfa , McMechan George A.
Published: June 2012

Near- and postcritical (wide-angle) reflections provide the potential for velocity and density inversion because of their large amplitudes and phase-shifted waveforms. We tested using phase variation with angle (PVA) data in addition to, or instead of, amplitude variation with angle (AVA) data for elastic inversion. Accurate PVA test data were generated using the reflectivity method. Two other forward modeling methods were also investigated, including plane-wave and spherical-wave reflection coefficients. For a two half-space model, linearized least squares was used to invert PVA and AVA data for the P-wave velocity, S-wave velocity, and the density of the lower space and the S-wave velocity of the upper space. Inversion tests showed the feasibility and robustness of PVA inversion. A reverse-time migration test demonstrated better preservation of PVA information than AVA information during wavefield propagation through a layered overburden. Phases of deeper reflections were less affected than amplitudes by the transmission losses, which makes the results of PVA inversion more accurate than AVA inversion in multilayered media. PVA brings useful information to the elastic inversion of wide-angle reflections.
Numerical simulation of Sector Bond log and improved cement bond image
Authors: Song Ruo-Long , Liu Jin-Xia , Hou Chun-Hui , Wang Ke-Xie
Published: June 2012

The two principal functions of a primary cement job are to provide support for the casing and to provide hydraulic isolation between zones. A poor cement job may cause many issues during the well production. Therefore, cement bond evaluation is very important in well completion. The Sector Bond log (SBL) has been widely used for cement bond evaluation for years. The SBL tool has eight pairs of directional transmitter-receivers, which are equally distributed in azimuth and used for identifying channels and channel azimuths. To better understand SBL, using a parallel 3D finite difference algorithm, we numerically simulated acoustic responses of the SBL under a variety of cement bond scenarios and investigated the sensitivity of the integral amplitudes to channel size and its azimuth. We further developed a new approach to image potential channels in cement annulus using the integral amplitudes. The comparisons between conventional SBL images and the reprocessed ones using the new approach showed significant improvement on both synthetic and field data.
Estimation of free gas saturation from seismic reflection surveys by the genetic algorithm inversion of a P-wave attenuation model
Authors: Morgan Eugene C. , Vanneste Maarten , Lecomte Isabelle , Baise Laurie G. , Longva Oddvar , McAdoo Brian
Published: June 2012

Many previously proposed methods of estimating free gas saturation from seismic survey data rely on calibration to invasively collected, in situ measurements. Typically, such in situ measurements are used to parameterize or calibrate rock-physics models, which can then be applied to seismic data to achieve saturation estimates. We tested a technique for achieving estimates of the spatial distribution of gas saturation solely from shipboard seismic surveys. We estimated the quality factor from seismic reflection surveys using the spectral ratio method, and then inverted a mesoscopic-scale P-wave attenuation model to find the parameters that matched the modeled attenuation to our estimates of observed attenuation within the range of seismic frequencies. By using a genetic algorithm for this inversion, we not only searched efficiently for a global solution to the nonlinear set of equations that compose the model, but also constrain the search to a relatively broad set of realistic parameter values. Thus, our estimates do not rely on in situ measurements of these parameters, but on distributions of their possible values, many of which may be referenced from literature. We first tested this method at Blake Ridge, offshore North and South Carolina, where an approximately 400-m-deep gas-saturated zone underlies a field of methane hydrates. The extensive field work and subsequent studies at this site make it ideal for validating our method. We also demonstrated the applicability of our method to shallower deposits by presenting results from Finneidfjord, Norway, where the inversion of the P-wave attenuation model recognizes very small gas saturations.
Extracting subsurface information from ambient seismic noise — A case study from Germany
Authors: Goertz Alexander , Schechinger Barbara , Witten Benjamin , Koerbe Matthias , Krajewski Paul
Published: June 2012

We analyzed ambient seismic noise from a broadband passive seismic survey acquired in an urban area in Germany. Despite a high level of anthropogenic noise, we observe lateral variations in the quasi-stationary spectra that are of natural origin and indicative of the subsurface in the survey area. The best diagnostic is the ellipticity spectrum which is the spectral ratio of the vertical over the horizontal components. Deviations of the observed spectra from a pure Rayleigh-wave ellipticity allow an approximate separation of surface-wave from body-wave components in the analyzed frequency range, distinguishing shallow (upper tens of meters) from deeper (upper three kilometers) subsurface effects. We observe an increase of vertically polarized body waves between 1 and 4 Hz that is correlated to a subsurface structure that contains an oil reservoir at about 2-km depth. We located the source of the observed body wave microtremor in depth by applying an elastic wavefield back projection and imaging technique. The method includes normalization by the impulse response of the velocity model, effects of the receiver geometry, and lateral variation of incoherent noise. The source region of the low-frequency body wave microtremor is centered above the location of the oil reservoir. Two possible explanations for the deep microtremor are elastic body-wave scattering due to the impedance contrast of the structural trap, and viscoelastic scattering due to poroelastic effects in the partially saturated reservoir.
Interval velocity analysis using multiparameter common image gathers
Authors: Dafni Raanan , Reshef Moshe
Published: June 2012

We developed a nonconventional approach to interval velocity analysis. The motivation for this approach is based on the argument that when the subsurface structure is complex, velocity error cannot be related to a single parameter. The suggested analysis uses multiparameter common image gathers (MPCIGs), generated by standard prestack depth migration. The parameterization of these multiparameter gathers is directly related to the structural characteristics of the subsurface image points. The undesirable summation, which is usually involved in the generation of conventional common image gathers, is avoided. During the velocity analysis procedure, depth slices taken out of the calculated MPCIGs are examined. Each depth slice contains all seismic data that were migrated into a single image point associated with the specific depth slice. When the MPCIGs are generated with the correct velocity function, each depth slice holds all structural information associated with the corresponding image point. Through detailed analysis of 2D synthetic and real data examples, the influence of migration velocity errors on the accuracy of the migrated multiparameter gathers is demonstrated. A Kirchhoff-based algorithm is used for the migration along with a layer-stripping method, relying on velocity scans, for the analysis. A velocity correctness criterion was also verified, along with some suggestions on the practical usage of the method.
3D, 9C seismic modeling and inversion of Weyburn Field data
Authors: Rusmanugroho Herurisa , McMechan George A.
Published: June 2012

Inversion of 3D, 9C wide azimuth vertical seismic profiling (VSP) data from the Weyburn Field for 21 independent elastic tensor elements was performed based on the Christoffel equation, using slowness and polarization vectors measured from field data. To check the ability of the resulting elastic tensor to account for the observed data, simulation of the 3C particle velocity seismograms was done using eighth-order, staggered-grid, finite-differencing with the elastic tensor as input. The inversion and forward modeling results were consistent with the anisotropic symmetry of the Weyburn Field being orthorhombic. It was dominated by a very strong, tranverse isotropy with a vertical symmetry axis, superimposed with minor near-vertical fractures with azimuth [Formula: see text] from the inline direction. The predicted synthetic seismograms were very similar to the field VSP data. The examples defined and provided a validation of a complete workflow to recover an elastic tensor from 9C data. The number and values of the nonzero tensor elements identified the anisotropic symmetry present in the neighborhood of a 3C borehole geophone. Computation of parameter correlation matrices allowed evaluation of solution quality through relative parameter independence.
Retrieving 2D structures from surface-wave data by means of space-varying spatial windowing
Authors: Bergamo Paolo , Boiero Daniele , Socco Laura Valentina
Published: June 2012

Surface-wave techniques are mainly used to retrieve 1D subsurface models. However, in 2D environments, the 1D approach usually neglects the presence of lateral variations and because the surface-wave path crosses different materials, the resulting model is a simplified or misleading description of the site. We tested a processing technique to retrieve 2D structures from surface-wave data acquired with a limited number of receivers. Our technique was based on a two-step process. First, we extracted several local dispersion curves along the survey line using a spatial windowing based on a set of Gaussian windows with different shapes; the window maxima span the survey line so that we were able to extract a dispersion curve from the seismic record for every window. This provided a set of local dispersion curves each of them referring to a different subsurface portion. This space varying spatial windowing provided a good compromise between wavenumber resolution and the lateral resolution of the obtained local dispersion curves. In the second step, we inverted the retrieved set of dispersion curves using a laterally constrained inversion scheme. We applied this procedure to the processing of synthetic and real data sets and the method proved to be successful in reconstructing even complex 2D structures in the subsurface.
Zur Identifikation mehrdimensionaler Kennfelder für Verbrennungsmotoren
Authors: Sequenz Heiko , Keller Kerstin , Isermann Rolf
Published: June 2012

Es werden verschiedene Kennfeldstrukturen zur Identifikation des stationären Verhaltens multidimensionaler nichtlinearer Prozesse betrachtet. Zur experimentellen Bestimmung der Kennfelder werden die Methode der kleinsten Quadrate in expliziter und rekursiver Form und eine Methode mit Zwischenmodell beschrieben. Es wird eine Kennfeldregularisierung eingeführt, welche die Identifikation von nicht angeregten Stützstellen ermöglicht und eine Glättung erlaubt. Die beschriebenen Methoden sind besonders für Verbrennungsmotoren mit vielen Ein- und Ausgangssignalen geeignet. Als eine Anwendung wird die Identifikation und Invertierung einer Kennfeldstruktur für ein Momentenmodell gezeigt.
Einrichtung einer Abteilung Regelungstechnik im Deutschen Museum München — Ein unvollendetes Projekt
Authors: Schmidt Günther
Published: June 2012

Dieser Beitrag stellt die Originalversion eines von Professor W. Oppelt im Jahr 1972 ausgearbeiteten und bisher unveröffentlichten Dokuments mit dem Vorschlag zur Einrichtung einer Abteilung Regelungstechnik im Deutschen Museum vor. Er berichtet über Hintergründe zu der bisher fehlenden Umsetzung und regt eine neue Initiative zu einer angemessenen Präsentation der Leitdisziplin Mess- und Automatisierungstechnik im Deutschen Museum an.
The Social Construction and Reframing of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Authors: Mather Barbara A.
Published: June 2012

In this article, I integrate research in social construct theory, the medicalization of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and strengths-based theory to propose a change in the way American society negatively labels and interacts with people diagnosed with ADHD. This article presents examples of global perspectives on ADHD, the nature of stigma that occurs to those who receive a medical diagnosis of ADHD, and the need to reframe ADHD from a disease to that of a positive difference. The reader is asked to consider the implications for millions who suffer from the stigma of ADHD. Starting with children diagnosed with ADHD, I suggest that members of society begin to reframe ADHD as a social construct recognizing the strengths and positive traits because there are many. This is a call to all members of society, especially those professionals of the medical, psychological, social, and educational systems, to adopt a strengths-based model of support for those diagnosed with ADHD.