bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Response of wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) to sulfosulfuron: The role of degradation
Authors: HOSSEINI SEYED AHMAD , MOHASSEL MOHAMMAD HASAN RASHED , SPLIID NIELS HENRIK , MATHIASSEN SOLVEJG KOPP , KUDSK PER
Published: June 2011

Wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum) is one of the most troublesome weed species in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) in Iran. Two bioassay experiments were conducted in order to study the response of wild barley and wheat to different herbicides and to study the efficacy of pre‐emergence (PRE), postemergence (POST), and PRE followed by POST applications of sulfosulfuron on wild barely. Moreover, the degradation of sulfosulfuron was studied by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS). The results showed that wild barley was highly tolerant to clodinafop‐propargyl and its dry weight was reduced by only 15%, compared to the control, at the recommended dose (64 g ai ha−1). Sulfosulfuron reduced the wild barley biomass by ≤50% at the highest dose (90 g ai ha−1) in the first bioassay but by not more than 20% and 12% at the recommended dose (22 g ai ha−1) in the first and second bioassay, respectively. Significant differences were found among the application methods of sulfosulfuron, with the POST application being the least effective method. In contrast to the POST application, wild barley was severely injured by the PRE application of sulfosulfuron, with an ED50 dose of 7.3 g ai ha−1. The degradation study showed that wild barley can metabolize sulfosulfuron that is applied POST, but at a lower rate than wheat. By 4 h after application, wild barley had metabolized 26% of the sulfosulfuron, compared to 46% by wheat. In conclusion, wild barley can metabolize the recommended dose of sulfosulfuron that is applied POST; thus, the PRE application of sulfosulfuron or other integrated methods should be considered for the effective control of wild barley in wheat.
Organism diversity between women with and without bacterial vaginosis as determined by polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and 16S rRNA gene sequence
Authors: Diao Yutao , Fang Xueqiang , Xia Qing , Chen Shouqiang , Li Hao , Yang Yanfang , Wang Yan , Li Huiqing , Cui Jia , Sun Xiaomeng , Zhao Zhongtang
Published: June 2011

Aims:  The aim of this study was to characterize the different structures of microbial communities between 20 healthy women and 17 bacterial vaginosis (BV)‐positive women of reproductive age using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE).

Material and Methods:  Vaginal samples from 17 BV‐positive and 20 BV‐negative women were subjected to DNA extraction, and amplified with eubacterial 16S rRNA gene‐specific primers via polymerase chain reaction. The polymerase chain reaction products were separated using DGGE. Bands were excised, re‐amplified, purified and sequenced. DNA sequences were compared with GenBank database. Phylip software packages were used to calculate sequencing data and form a phylogenetic tree to identify the genetic relations for microbiota inhabited in vaginal ecosystems of BV‐positive women.

Results:  In total, 28 kinds of organisms were detected that comprised BV(+) vagina microbial community, varying from three to nine kinds with an average of 5.71 kinds per woman. Only seven species were detected in BV(−) women, ranging between one and five species with an average of 2.40 species per woman, which was significantly lower than that detected in BV(+) women (t = 7.39, P < 0.001). A strain of Uncultured Lactobacillus sp. clone EHFS1_S05c (29/37; 78.38%) was most commonly presented in both BV‐negative and BV‐positive women, but the mean proportion of this Lactobacillus sp. strain to the whole microbial population colonized in the vaginal tract of BV(−) women was sharply higher than that calculated from BV(+) women (t = 2.92, P < 0.01).

Conclusions:  The findings indicate further diversity in the category of vaginal microorganisms associated with BV. The presence of Gardnerella vaginalis is not necessary as a sign for gynecologists to determine whether or not a woman is affected by BV.
Comparison of risk factors for major obstetric complications between Western countries and Japan: A case–cohort study
Authors: Shiozaki Arihiro , Matsuda Yoshio , Hayashi Kunihiko , Satoh Shoji , Saito Shigeru
Published: June 2011

Aim:  The aim of this study was to demonstrate the differences in risk factors for obstetrical complications between Japan and Western countries.

Material and Methods:  Using the Perinatal Database of the Japan Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology, we studied singleton deliveries after 22 weeks of gestation (n = 242 715) at 125 centers of the perinatal network in Japan from 2001 through 2005 as a base cohort. In total, 3749 births (1.5% of the base cohort) were randomly selected as a subcohort. We compared the rate of risk factors in the cases with ten obstetrical complications with that in the subcohort (case–cohort study).

Results:  Almost all of the evaluated risk factors were common between Western countries and Japan. Older age at pregnancy was a common risk factor for pregnancy‐induced hypertension, placental abruption, placenta previa, and placenta accreta/increta/percreta. On the other hand, younger age at pregnancy was a common risk factor for eclampsia and preterm delivery. Smoking during pregnancy was a common risk factor for pregnancy‐induced hypertension, preterm premature rupture of the membranes, preterm delivery, cervical insufficiency, chorioamnionitis, and placental abruption. In vitro fertilization and embryo transfer was a common risk factor for cervical insufficiency, placenta previa, and placenta accreta/increta/percreta.

Conclusion:  This case–cohort study in Japan clarified the common risk factors between Western countries and Japan as well as the risk factors indigenous to Japanese women. To identify the risk factors for a disease in a specific country, we should use data derived from its population.
Screening for Type 2 diabetes. Lessons from the ADDITION‐Europe study
Authors: van den Donk M. , Sandbaek A. , Borch‐Johnsen K. , Lauritzen T. , Simmons R. K. , Wareham N. J. , Griffin S. J. , Davies M. J. , Khunti K. , Rutten G. E. H. M.
Published: June 2011

Diabet. Med. 28, 1416–1424 (2011)

Aims  To describe and compare attendance rates and the proportions of people identified with Type 2 diabetes mellitus in people with previously unknown diabetes who participated in screening programmes undertaken in general practice in the UK, Denmark and the Netherlands as part of the ADDITION‐Europe study.

Methods  In Cambridge, routine computer data searches were conducted to identify individuals aged 40–69 years at high risk of Type 2 diabetes using the Cambridge Diabetes Risk Score. In Denmark, the Danish Diabetes Risk Score was mailed to individuals aged 40–69 years, or completed by patients visiting their general practitice. In the Netherlands, the Hoorn Symptom Risk Questionnaire was mailed to individuals aged 50–69 years. In these three centres, high‐risk individuals were invited to attend subsequent steps in the screening programme, including random blood glucose, HbA1c, fasting blood glucose and/or oral glucose tolerance test. In Leicester, eligible people aged 40–69 years were invited directly for an oral glucose tolerance test. In all centres, Type 2 diabetes was defined according to World Health Organization 1999 diagnostic criteria.

Results  Attendance rates ranged from 20.2% (oral glucose tolerance test in Leicester without pre‐stratification) to 95.1% (random blood glucose in opportunistic screening in Denmark in high‐risk people). The percentage of people with newly detected Type 2 diabetes from the target population ranged from 0.33% (Leicester) to 1.09% (the Netherlands).

Conclusions  Screening for Type 2 diabetes was acceptable and feasible, but relatively few participants were diagnosed in all participating centres. Different strategies may be required to increase initial attendance and ensure completion of screening programmes.
To What Extent Did the Financial Crisis Intensify the Pressure to Reform the Welfare State?
Authors: Vis Barbara , van Kersbergen Kees , Hylands Tom
Published: June 2011

If ever there was momentum to roll back the welfare state, it is the (aftermath) of the financial crisis of 2008–09. All theoretical perspectives within comparative welfare state research predict radical reform in this circumstance, but does it also happen? Our data indicate that – at least so far – it does not. Focusing on a selection of advanced welfare states (the UK, the USA, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden), we find that these countries face similar problems and that their initial response to these problems is also similar. The latter is surprising because, theoretically, we would expect varying responses across welfare state regime types. Rather than retrenchment, we observe a first phase of emergency capital injections in the banking sector and a second of Keynesian demand management and labour market protection, including the (temporary) expansion of social programmes. Continuing public support for the welfare state was a main precondition for this lack of immediate radical retrenchment. However, the contours of a third phase have become apparent now that budgetary constraints are forcing political actors to make tough choices and introduce austerity policies. As a result, the question of who pays what, when, and how will likely give rise to increasingly sharp distributional conflicts.
Crisis and Welfare State Change in the Netherlands
Authors: Yerkes Mara , van der Veen Romke
Published: June 2011

The current economic crisis is assumed to create new pressures for the welfare state. In this article we investigate to what extent the crisis leads to changes in Dutch welfare state policies and institutions. Usually these changes are operationalized in terms of retrenchment (cost reduction) or restructuring (institutions). We focus, however, on developments in social rights in the hope of gaining better insight into the content and extent of policy change. This perspective combines attention for costs and institutional structure with attention for the content and substance of social rights. We start by analyzing the development of social rights in the Dutch welfare state as a reaction to the economic crisis of the 1970s and 1980s. Consequently, we will analyze current perceptions of social risks and social rights as well as how we think these perceptions will be affected by the pressures brought on by the economic crisis of 2008–09. Using an institutional perspective, we examine the consequences of the current economic crisis for perceptions of social citizenship and entitlement to social risk protection within the welfare state.
Between Mobility and Mobilization – Lifestyle Migration and the Practice of European Identity in Political Struggles
Authors: Janoschka Michael
Published: June 2011

Lifestyle migration, such as the temporary or permanent movement of European citizens to coastal areas in Southern Europe, widely responds to the freedom of movement that EU citizenship provides to all its members. Although this migration can be evaluated as an individual and rather apolitical expression of a politically intended mobility within the European Union, it may seriously alter political life within destinations. The following article presents a case study about the political mobilization of lifestyle migrants living on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. It is based on empirical research and explores narrative interviews with members of a transnationally active political pressure group that campaigns against misapplications of local and regional land use policies. The central aim of the text consists of evaluating how central actors draw on European identity within conflict negotiations that traverse diverse scales including the European level. Referring to this, the article engages with key issues in contemporary sociological debates addressed in this monograph, namely the question of how sociologists approach the study of the political in general and how imaginations of Europe and European identity are strategically appropriated within political debates.
High‐frequency sampling of a continuous‐time ARMA process
Authors: Brockwell Peter J. , Ferrazzano Vincenzo , Klüppelberg Claudia
Published: June 2011

Continuous‐time autoregressive moving average (CARMA) processes have recently been used widely in the modelling of non‐uniformly spaced data and as a tool for dealing with high‐frequency data of the form ,n = 0, 1, 2,…, where Δ is small and positive. Such data occur in many fields of application, particularly in finance and in the study of turbulence. This article is concerned with the characteristics of the process , when Δ is small and the underlying continuous‐time process is a specified CARMA process.
An Exploration of L2 Teachers’ Use of Pedagogical Interventions Devised to Draw L2 Learners’ Attention to Form
Authors: Simard Daphnée , Jean Gladys
Published: June 2011

This descriptive observational study aimed at exploring the form‐focused instruction (FFI) interventions used by four French and four English as‐a‐second‐language high school teachers to draw their students’ attention to form. With the help of an Intervention‐on‐Form(s)‐Observation Scheme (IFOS) developed and tested for this purpose, each FFI intervention observed during 60 hours of video‐recorded class time was coded according to its type (e.g., corrective feedback, explanation, enhancement, form‐oriented exercises) and its related characteristics (e.g., linguistic focus, interactional pattern, source of the intervention). The results show that grammar‐oriented interventions are rather frequent in these second‐language classes and that some differences in preferences of intervention types exist in the two contexts. Although FFI interventions are more frequent in the English classes observed, the overall time spent on FFI is significantly higher in the French classes. The reasons for this as well as details regarding the characteristics of the interventions coded through the use of the IFOS will be discussed.
Separate and Unequal: The Consumption of Public Education in Post‐Katrina New Orleans
Authors: AKERS JOSHUA M.
Published: June 2011

Before the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina had receded, New Orleans was inundated by a wave of neoliberal prescriptions, foundation money and celebrity educators eager to dismantle the city's public education system. The opening of public education to the market has left the residents of New Orleans with an education system that is increasingly separate and unequal. At the center of this radical neoliberal experiment is a 40‐year effort by local proponents of ‘school choice’ for a voucher program. This research examines the links between the system of forces — economic, social, political and (in the case of Katrina) natural — and the transformation of daily life within the city and metropolitan area through policy and media discourse. This article argues that prior efforts to undermine public education at the state and municipal level were key to the velocity and scope of the subsequent changes in New Orleans. Efforts to organize against these changes have focused on the role of think‐tanks and foundations at the national scale. This focus severely limits the power of local organizations to challenge those driving these changes within their communities.

L'inondation causée par l'ouragan Katrina ne s'était pas résorbée que la Nouvelle‐Orléans croulait sous une vague de propositions néolibérales, de fonds caritatifs et d'éducateurs médiatiques impatients de démanteler l'enseignement public de la ville. À la suite de l'ouverture du marché, les habitants se sont retrouvés avec un système éducatif toujours plus séparé et inégal. Cette expérience néolibérale extrême est le fruit d'une entreprise menée sur quarante ans par des partisans locaux du ‘libre‐choix scolaire’ en faveur d'un régime de chèques‐études. Sont examinés ici les rapports entre le système des forces en présence —économiques, sociales, politiques et (dans le cas de Katrina) naturelles — et la transformation de la vie quotidienne, dans la ville et la zone métropolitaine, à travers l'action publique et le discours des médias. Les attaques précédentes contre l'éducation publique au niveau de l'État et de la municipalité ont franchement favorisé la rapidité et l'ampleur des changements qu'a connus ensuite la Nouvelle‐Orléans. Les tentatives d'organisation contre cette évolution se sont concentrées sur l'importance des groupes de réflexion et des fondations caritatives au niveau national. Cet intérêt restreint sérieusement le potentiel nécessaire aux associations ou organismes locaux pour contrer ceux qui mènent ces transformations au sein de leurs communautés.
Extending the actor–partner interdependence model for binary outcomes: A multilevel logistic approach
Authors: SPAIN SETH M. , JACKSON JOSHUA J. , EDMONDS GRANT W.
Published: June 2011

Relationship researchers face many challenges when samples consist of dyads. The actor–partner interdependence model provides a framework for the analysis of dyadic data (D. A. Kashy & D. A. Kenny, 2000). Binary variables like discrete health diagnoses present additional challenges that are not easily handled using existing models. The analysis was demonstrated using SAS PROC GLIMMIX and HLM6. An example is presented where couple's personality traits are used to predict discrete health outcomes. A series of Monte Carlo simulations were performed to compare PROC GLIMMIX to HLM. GLIMMIX performed acceptably compared to HLM for small dyad‐level sample sizes (100 or fewer), but HLM clearly outperformed in larger samples. Both had problems estimating the variance of the random intercept and its standard error.
23. Pain in Patients with Cancer
Authors: Vissers Kris C. P. , Besse Kees , Wagemans Michel , Zuurmond Wouter , Giezeman Maurice J.M.M. , Lataster Arno , Mekhail Nagy , Burton Allen W. , van Kleef Maarten , Huygen Frank
Published: June 2011

Abstract:  Pain in patients with cancer can be refractory to pharmacological treatment or intolerable side effects of pharmacological treatment may seriously disturb patients’ quality of life. Specific interventional pain management techniques can be an effective alternative for those patients. The appropriate application of these interventional techniques provides better pain control, allows the reduction of analgesics and hence improves quality of life. Until recently, the majority of these techniques are considered to be a fourth consecutive step following the World Health Organization’s pain treatment ladder. However, in cancer patients, earlier application of interventional pain management techniques can be recommended even before considering the use of strong opioids.

Epidural and intrathecal medication administration allow the reduction of the daily oral or transdermal opioid dose, while maintaining or even improving the pain relief and reducing the side effects. Cervical cordotomy may be considered for patients suffering with unilateral pain at the level below the dermatome C5. This technique should only be applied in patients with a life expectancy of less than 1 year.

Plexus coeliacus block or nervus splanchnicus block are recommended for the management of upper abdominal pain due to cancer. Pelvic pain due to cancer can be managed with plexus hypogastricus block and the saddle or lower end block may be a last resort for patients suffering with perineal pain. Back pain due to vertebral compression fractures with or without pathological tumor invasion may be managed with percutaneous vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty. All these interventional techniques should be a part of multidisciplinary patient program.
Threads of Silence: Reflections on Long‐Term Fieldwork in Galicia
Authors: KELLEY HEIDI
Published: June 2011

This short article is about the realization that the most important lessons of the author's long‐term fieldwork in Galicia (Spain) since 1985 are rendered in silence. The disruption engendered by the author's stroke in 1998 and the aphasia, the speechlessness, it created were helpful in her learning process. In this article, the author chronicles how she learned to see her physically induced silence as a source of insight into the disruptions experienced by her participants, including the communal disruption endured by the Galician people after the Prestige oil spill disaster.
Effect of alendronate on healing of extraction sockets and healing around implants
Authors: Kim J‐H , Park Y‐B , Li Z , Shim J‐S , Moon H‐S , Jung H‐S , Chung M‐K
Published: June 2011

Oral Diseases (2011) 17, 705–711

Objectives:  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of alendronates on healing of extraction sockets and healing around implants in the maxilla of rats.

Materials and Methods:  Twenty‐four Sprague–Dawley rats were used. The rats in bisphosphonate group were subcutaneously injected with alendronate (5.0 mg kg‐‐1) three times a week for 4 weeks. Both sides of the maxillary first molars were extracted, and customized titanium implants (Ø1.5 × 2.0 mm) were placed immediately into one side. Rats were killed at 3, 7, 14, or 28 days following surgery.

Results:  New bone formation in extraction sockets, bone area around the implant site, and bone–implant contact were not delayed in the bisphosphonate group. The tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase positive cell count did not differ between bisphosphonate and control groups; however, empty lacunae were observed significantly more in bisphosphonate group. The differences in empty lacunae were shown at different time points between the implant sites and extraction sites: at 7 days after extraction, and at 14 and 28 days after implantation.

Conclusions:  Alendronates seemed to decrease bone resorption but not to decrease bone formation. Empty lacunae were observed significantly more at later time points in implant sites compared to extraction sockets.
Comparison of a New Length Measurement Technique for Inflatable Penile Prosthesis Implantation to Standard Techniques: Outcomes and Patient Satisfaction
Authors: Henry Gerard , Houghton Laura , Culkin Daniel , Otheguy Juan , Shabsigh Ridwan , Ohl Dana A.
Published: June 2011

Introduction

Within a study evaluating the redesigned AMS 700MS inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) (American Medical Systems, Minnetonka, MN, USA), one site used new length measurement technique (NLMT), a more aggressive dilation and measurement of the corpora cavernosa on a stretched penis, to address penile shortening.

Aim

To compare cylinder size and patient satisfaction, between a NLMT and traditional sizing for IPP implantation.

Methods

Fourteen men received IPPs using NLMT, and 55 with traditional sizing. Nationwide sales data from 2005 to 2008 for AMS 700 IPPs was obtained from AMS for comparison; additional surveys captured patient satisfaction.

Main Outcome Measure

Demographic data, cylinder sizes, and patient satisfaction were compared between the NLMT and standard techniques.

Results

The Fisher's exact test (P < 0.001) showed a significant difference between the cylinder sizes with NLMT as compared with standard techniques. Of the 14 NLMT patients, 71.4% (10) received cylinders >21 cm long and 28.6% (4) received cylinders <21 cm long, as compared with 12.7% (7) and 87.3% (48), respectively, for patients implanted by traditional techniques. There were ethnic differences between the samples: 42.9% (6) NLMT patients were of African-American descent, as compared with 10.9% (6) in the standard technique group. However, longer cylinders were utilized more often, with 83.3% (5) of African-Americans treated using the NLMT; as compared with 33.3% (2) of the standard technique group. Nationwide data reveal 12.3% of patients routinely receive 21 cm cylinders. At 6 months postimplantation, patient satisfaction with NLMT was no different than standard techniques. There were no distal erosions, complications, infections, or pain concerns reported through 24 months among the NLMT patients.

Conclusions

The NLMT resulted in a larger number of subjects implanted with larger cylinders. Satisfaction with performance and complication rates for NLMT patients was comparable to those implanted using standard techniques
Discovery of New Antifungal Leads via Pharmacophore Modeling and QSAR Analysis of Fungal N‐Myristoyl Transferase Inhibitors Followed by In Silico Screening
Authors: Taha Mutasem O. , Qandil Amjad M. , Al‐Haraznah Tariq , Khalaf Reema Abu , Zalloum Hiba , Al‐Bakri Amal G.
Published: June 2011

N‐Myristoyl transferase is an essential enzyme for fungal growth and survival. The continuous interest in the development of new antifungal agents prompted recent interest in developing new potent inhibitors of fungal N‐myristoyl transferase. In this context, we combined pharmacophore and QSAR modeling to explore the structural requirements for potent N‐myristoyl transferase inhibitors employing 55 known N‐myristoyl transferase ligands. Four binding pharmacophore models emerged in the optimal QSAR equations ( = 0.81–0.83, F‐statistic = 47.89–58.83,  = 0.77–0.80, against 11 external test inhibitors = 0.61–0.71). The successful pharmacophores were complemented with exclusion spheres to optimize their receiver operating characteristic curve profiles. The QSAR equations and their associated pharmacophore models were validated by the identification and experimental evaluation of new promising antifungal leads retrieved from the NCI database and our in‐house‐built database of established drugs and agrochemicals.
Line managers and the management of workplace conflict: evidence from Ireland
Authors: Teague Paul , Roche William K.
Published: June 2011

In an effort to improve understanding of the role played by line managers in firms, this article examines the role of line managers and supervisors in the management of workplace conflict in firms in the Republic of Ireland. The article finds that while line managers are commonly seen as playing a significant role, they are also seen to do so often without organisational supports in areas such as training and performance monitoring and are seen often to lack the confidence to act independently. Line and supervisory ‘engagement’ in conflict management is found to be positively associated with a series of organisational outcomes, including relative labour productivity, relative absence rates and the capacity to handle change compared with other firms in the same industry. Line and supervisory management engagement in conflict management is found in turn to be associated with the use of commitment‐oriented HR practices and with the adoption by firms of a proactive approach to conflict resolution.
Committed to whom? Professional knowledge worker commitment in cross‐boundary organisations
Authors: Kinnie Nicholas , Swart Juani
Published: June 2011

This paper examines the impact of contemporary cross‐boundary working on employee commitment. It contributes directly to the literature on employee commitment and in particular it advocates a multiplicity approach to commitment. We identify three foci of commitment which co‐exist and illustrate their dynamic interaction. Importantly, our unit of analysis extends beyond the boundaries of the firm to include the actions of professional working which capture the main influences on employee commitment. Thematic analysis of data in 12 professional service firms identifies the interaction between the foci of commitment as well as managerial responses to tensions between the commitment foci that arise within the cross‐boundary context.
Rituals of Solidarity in the New South Africa
Authors: LiPuma Edward , Koelble Thomas A.
Published: June 2011

There is a deep connectivity between the construction of peoplehood and the fabrication of rituals, especially national secular rites of commemoration. The article examines this connection through an analysis of the process of ritualisation in post‐apartheid South Africa focusing on Nelson Mandela's incarceration on Robben Island and subsequent efforts to create a memorial to both person and place.
DNA barcoding of Gaultheria L. in China (Ericaceae: Vaccinioideae)
Authors: REN He , LU Lu , WANG Hong , LI De‐Zhu
Published: June 2011

Abstract  Four DNA barcoding loci, chloroplast loci rbcL, matK, trnH‐psbA, and nuclear locus internal transcribed spacer (ITS), were tested for the accurate discrimination of the Chinese species of Gaultheria by using intraspecific and interspecific pairwise P‐distance, Wilcoxon signed rank test, and tree‐based analyses. This study included 186 individuals from 89 populations representing 30 species. For all individuals, single locus markers showed high levels of sequencing universality but were ineffective for species resolvability. Polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing were successful for all four loci. Both ITS and matK showed significantly higher levels of interspecific species delimitation than rbcL and trnH‐psbA. A combination of matK and ITS was the most efficient DNA barcode among all studied regions, however, they do not represent an appropriate candidate barcode for Chinese Gaultheria, by which only 11 out of 30 species can be separated. Loci rbcL, matK, and trnH‐psbA, which were recently proposed as universal plant barcodes, have a very poor capacity for species separation for Chinese Gaultheria. DNA barcodes may be reliable tools to identify the evolutionary units of this group, so further studies are needed to develop more efficient DNA barcodes for Gaultheria and other genera with complicated evolutionary histories.
From laboratory to the street: Capturing witness memory using the Self‐Administered Interview
Authors: Hope Lorraine , Gabbert Fiona , Fisher Ronald P.
Published: June 2011

The Self‐Administered Interview (SAI©) is a tool designed to elicit a comprehensive initial account from witnesses at the scene of an incident or shortly thereafter to inoculate against the loss of information associated with delayed interview. Drawing on the principles of the Cognitive Interview (CI), the SAI© provides witnesses with a series of instructions and retrieval cues to support recall. Requesting that witnesses complete an SAI© not only serves to preserve and protect memory but also enables officers to prioritize the allocation of policing resources during the critical early stages of an investigation. The current review traces the development of the SAI© from a series of laboratory studies through to field trials and integrates our findings with theoretical accounts of human memory. We present new data from trials of the tool in the field and consider future avenues for research and further development of the SAI©.
A Theoretical Study of the Carbon/Carbonate/Hydroxide (Electro-) Chemical System in a Direct Carbon Fuel Cell
Authors: Hemmes Kas , Cassir Michel
Published: June 2011

Both the hydroxide and the carbonate melt are proposed and tested by researchers trying to develop a DCFC (Direct Carbon Fuel Cell). It is well known that the hydroxide melt is not stable due to the carbon dioxide formed in the fuel cell reaction. The hydroxide ion reacts with CO2 to form carbonate ions and water. From this reaction it is clear that in either approach the melt is a mixture of carbonate and hydroxide depending on the partial pressures of water and CO2 above the melt. Therefore a good insight in the equilibria present in the melts is essential for understanding and optimizing the DCFC. Following the method introduced by Smith and Missen a complete and independent set of equilibria describing the chemical equilibrium in the melt can be obtained using linear algebra. Using the modification proposed by Coleman and White also electrochemical equilibria are included. This is done for the cathode as well as the anode environment of a DCFC with a carbonate and/or hydroxide melt as electrolyte. Hereby the open cell voltage for a DCFC including the Boudouard equilibrium could be calculated. It was found that the OCV increases as a function of temperature even more rapidly than the standard potential for the electrochemical oxidation of carbon to CO, which also has a positive slope due to a positive entropy change of the overall reaction. This extra high OCV is an additional argument for developing the DCFC in particular a DCFC at high temperatures in which predominantly CO is produced. Since CO can easily be shifted to hydrogen in a water gas shift reaction with steam, coproduction of hydrogen and power can be obtained using carbon and high temperature heat as energy inputs.
A Metric for Characterization of Multifunctional Fuel Cell Designs
Authors: Hilton Corydon D. , Peairs Daniel M. , Lesko John J. , Case Scott W.
Published: June 2011

The U.S. Army has investigated a variety of multifunctional designs in order to achieve system level mass and/or volume savings. One of the multifunctional devices developed is the multifunctional fuel cell (MFC)—a fuel cell which simultaneously provides a system with structural support and power generation. However, there are no established methods for measuring how well a particular design performs or its multifunctional advantage. The current paper presents a metric by which multifunctional fuel cell designs can be characterized. The mechanical aspect of the metric is based on the specific bending stiffness of the structural cell and is developed using Frostig’s high-order theory. The electrical component of the metric is based on the specific power density achieved by the structural cell. The structural systems considered here display multifunctional efficiencies ranging from 22% to 69%. The higher efficiency was obtained by optimizing the contact pressure at the gas diffusion layer (GDL) in a model cell design. The efficiencies obtained suggest the need for improved multifunctional designs in order to reach system level mass savings.
Accelerated Lifetime Testing for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells Using Extremely High Temperature and Unusually High Load
Authors: Zhang Jianlu , Song Chaojie , Zhang Jiujun
Published: June 2011

In this paper, two testing protocols were developed in order to accelerate the lifetime testing of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. The first protocol was to operate the fuel cell at extremely high temperatures, such as 300 °C, and the second was to operate the fuel cell at unusually high current densities, such as 2.0 A/cm2. A PEM fuel cell assembled with a PBI membrane-based MEA was designed and constructed to validate the first testing protocol. After several hours of high temperature operation, the degraded MEA and catalyst layers were analyzed using SEM, XRD, and TEM. A fuel cell assembled with a Nafion 211 membrane-based MEA was employed to validate the second protocol. The results obtained at high temperature and at high load demonstrated that operating a PEM fuel cell under certain extremely high-stress conditions could be used as methods for accelerated lifetime testing.
Experimental Investigations of Transfer Phenomena in a Confined Plane Turbulent Impinging Water Jet
Authors: Koched Amine , Pavageau Michel , Aloui Fethi
Published: June 2011

In this study, we are interested in the hydrodynamics of impinging plane jets. Plane jets are widely used in ambience separation in HVAC, fire safety, food process engineering, cooling of electronic components etc. Despite their important industrial applications, plane jets have not been studied as extensively as axisymmetric jets. Plane jets exhibit different kind of instabilities stemming from either streamlines with strong curvature in the impingement region or inflection points in the transverse profile of the streamwise component velocity in the lateral mixing layers. Previous works in the GEPEA laboratory were performed on these flows. These works and the majority of the studies reported in the literature deal with turbulent air jets in various configurations. Very little studies have been done on water impinging jets. Taking into account the fact that the viscosity of water is smaller than air, at the same Reynolds number, it is easier to detect phenomena such as vortices. Phenomena can be observed at lower velocities making it possible to record signals with standard frequency bandwidths. This makes it easier also to do a Lagrangian tracking of vortices. We specially focused our study on the impinging zone of the jet. The dynamics of the impinging zone has not formed the subject of numerous studies. There were no studies that characterize the vortices at the impinging region of water jets in terms of size, centre position, vortex intensity, convection velocities, eccentricity, statistical distribution and turbulent length and time scales. Consequently, a confined water plane jet impinging a flat plate was studied using standard and high speed PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry). We used POD decomposition for filtering PIV data. Then, we applied the λ2 criterion to the recorded velocity fields to detect and characterize the vortices at the impingement. A statistical analysis was then performed. Turbulent length scales, time scales and convection velocities of eddies occurring at the impingement were determined using two point space time correlations. The obtained results were correlated to the dynamics and geometric properties of the jet. A wide range of Reynolds numbers is considered: 3000, 6000, 11000 and 16000. The corresponding results are presented in this paper.
Analysis of the Flow Past a Fully Appended Hull with Propellers by Computational and Experimental Fluid Dynamics
Authors: Muscari Roberto , Felli Mario , Di Mascio Andrea
Published: June 2011

The flow in the stern region of a fully appended hull is analyzed by both computational and experimental fluid dynamics. The study is focused on the velocity field induced by the rotating propellers. Measurements have been performed by laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) on the vertical midplane of the rudder and in two transversal planes behind the propeller and behind the rudder. In the numerical approach, the real geometry of the propeller has been considered. To this purpose, a dynamic overlapping grids method has been used, which is implemented in the unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes equations (URANSE) solver developed at INSEAN. Uncertainty analysis has been performed on both data sets and the results from the two approaches are compared. The agreement between the two data sets is found to be good, the deviation in the velocity and vorticity fields lying within the evaluated uncertainties. Numerical data allowed the analysis of further details of the flow that could not be measured, like load conditions of the single blades, interaction of the propeller wake with the rudder, and pressure oscillations induced by the propeller on the vault of the stern.
Mathematical Reconstruction of Human Femoral Condyles
Authors: van den Heever Dawie J. , Scheffer Cornie , Erasmus Pieter , Dillon Edwin
Published: June 2011

There is a direct correlation between ligament function and the articulating surface of the normal knee, and changes to any of these structures can affect the other. This is also true for knee replacements, where the articulating surface is greatly changed compared to the natural knee. This study investigated the morphometry of healthy knees and proposes a method to predict original normal knee profiles. A variety of mathematical techniques are compared in terms of the accuracy with which they can represent the original knee joint geometry. Additionally, a method of predicting the irregular femoral condyle geometry for an individual knee is described by making use of the mathematical techniques presented, and the accuracy of this method is also investigated. The mathematical approach using B-splines provides flexibility and can accurately describe the complex geometry of the femoral condyles in both the sagittal and transverse planes. It was further found that the condyles are highly asymmetrical; therefore simpler methods cannot portray the condyles sufficiently and are especially inaccurate in representing the lateral condyle. The study proposes a method for predicting the geometry of the femoral condyles with good accuracy. The B-spline model showed best results.
Temporal coherence of acoustic signals in a fluctuating ocean
Authors: Voronovich Alexander G. , Ostashev Vladimir E. , Colosi John A.
Published: June 2011

Temporal coherence of acoustic signals propagating in a fluctuating ocean is important for many practical applications and has been studied intensively experimentally. However, only a few theoretical formulations of temporal coherence exist. In the present paper, a three-dimensional (3D) modal theory of sound propagation in a fluctuating ocean is used to derive closed-form equations for the spatial–temporal coherence function of a broadband signal. The theory is applied to the analysis of the temporal coherence of a monochromatic signal propagating in an ocean perturbed by linear internal waves obeying the Garrett–Munk (G–M) spectral model. In particular, the temporal coherence function is calculated for propagation ranges up to 104 km and for five sound frequencies: 12, 25, 50, 75, and 100 Hz. Then, the dependence of the coherence time (i.e., the value of the time lag at which the temporal coherence decreases by a factor of e) on range and frequency is studied. The results obtained are compared with experimental data and predictions of the path-integral theory.
Subcomponent cues in binaural unmasking
Authors: Culling John F.
Published: June 2011

The addition of a signal in the N0Sπ binaural configuration gives rise to fluctuations in interaural phase and amplitude. Sensitivity to these individual cues was measured by applying sinusoidal amplitude modulation (AM) or quasi-frequency modulation (QFM) to a band of noise. Discrimination between interaurally in-phase and out-of-phase modulation was measured using an adaptive task for narrow bands of noise at center frequencies from 250 to 1500 Hz, for modulation rates of 2–40 Hz, and with or without flanking bands of diotic noise. Discrimination thresholds increased steeply for QFM with increasing center frequency, but increased only modestly for AM, and mainly for modulation rates below 10 Hz. Flanking bands of noise increased thresholds for AM, but had no consistent effect for QFM. The results suggest that two underlying mechanisms may support binaural unmasking: one most sensitive to interaural amplitude modulations that is susceptible to across-frequency interference, and a second, most sensitive to interaural phase modulations that is immune to such effects.
Production of phonetic and phonological contrast by heritage speakers of Mandarin
Authors: Chang Charles B. , Yao Yao , Haynes Erin F. , Rhodes Russell
Published: June 2011

This study tested the hypothesis that heritage speakers of a minority language, due to their childhood experience with two languages, would outperform late learners in producing contrast: language-internal phonological contrast, as well as cross-linguistic phonetic contrast between similar, yet acoustically distinct, categories of different languages. To this end, production of Mandarin and English by heritage speakers of Mandarin was compared to that of native Mandarin speakers and native American English-speaking late learners of Mandarin in three experiments. In experiment 1, back vowels in Mandarin and English were produced distinctly by all groups, but the greatest separation between similar vowels was achieved by heritage speakers. In experiment 2, Mandarin aspirated and English voiceless plosives were produced distinctly by native Mandarin speakers and heritage speakers, who both put more distance between them than late learners. In experiment 3, the Mandarin retroflex and English palato-alveolar fricatives were distinguished by more heritage speakers and late learners than native Mandarin speakers. Thus, overall the hypothesis was supported: across experiments, heritage speakers were found to be the most successful at simultaneously maintaining language-internal and cross-linguistic contrasts, a result that may stem from a close approximation of phonetic norms that occurs during early exposure to both languages.
Shear and compressional wave speeds in Hertzian granular media
Authors: Chotiros Nicholas P. , Isakson Marcia J.
Published: June 2011

It is shown that the shear wave speed in a granular medium is less than that in an elastic solid of the same shear modulus-to-density ratio. Shear and compressional wave speeds are derived for granular media using a conservation of energy approach. The grains are assumed to be spherical with elastic Hertzian contacts of constant stiffness. The affine approximation is used to determine the relative displacements of grain centers, and it is also assumed that the grains are small compared to a wavelength, consistent with the effective medium approximation. Potential and kinetic energies associated with linear motion are the same as those in an elastic solid, but it is found that shear wave propagation in a granular medium involves additional energies associated with grain rotation. The partition of energies results in a reduction in the shear wave speed, relative to an elastic solid of the same shear modulus-to-density ratio. It is shown that the reduction is an inherent property of granular media, independent of any departure from the affine approximation or fluctuations in coordination number or contact stiffness. The predicted wave speed ratios are consistent with published measurements.
A statistical model of horizontal auditory localization performance data
Authors: McMillan Garnett P. , Saunders Gabrielle , Hanson Timothy E.
Published: June 2011

Horizontal localization experiments are used to evaluate the listener’s ability to locate the position of a sound source, and determine how signal characteristics affect this ability. These experiments generate circular, bimodal, and repeated data that are challenging to statistically analyze. A two-part mixture of wrapped Cauchys is proposed for these data, with the effects of signal type and position on localization bias, precision, and front-back confusion modeled using regression. The model is illustrated using mid- (1.0–2.0 kHz) and high- (3.0–6.0 kHz) frequency narrow band noises localization collected among ten normal hearing listeners.
Perception of sinewave vowels
Authors: Hillenbrand James M. , Clark Michael J. , Baer Carter A.
Published: June 2011

There is a significant body of research examining the intelligibility of sinusoidal replicas of natural speech. Discussion has followed about what the sinewave speech phenomenon might imply about the mechanisms underlying phonetic recognition. However, most of this work has been conducted using sentence material, making it unclear what the contributions are of listeners’ use of linguistic constraints versus lower level phonetic mechanisms. This study was designed to measure vowel intelligibility using sinusoidal replicas of naturally spoken vowels. The sinusoidal signals were modeled after 300 /hVd/ syllables spoken by men, women, and children. Students enrolled in an introductory phonetics course served as listeners. Recognition rates for the sinusoidal vowels averaged 55%, which is much lower than the ∼95% intelligibility of the original signals. Attempts to improve performance using three different training methods met with modest success, with post-training recognition rates rising by ∼5–11 percentage points. Follow-up work showed that more extensive training produced further improvements, with performance leveling off at ∼73%–74%. Finally, modeling work showed that a fairly simple pattern-matching algorithm trained on naturally spoken vowels classified sinewave vowels with 78.3% accuracy, showing that the sinewave speech phenomenon does not necessarily rule out template matching as a mechanism underlying phonetic recognition.