bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On three rugose coral genera from Serpukhovian strata in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin, Poland
Authors: Fedorowski Jerzy
Published: February 2013

Fedorowski, J. 2012. On three rugose coral genera from Serpukhovian strata in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin, Poland. Acta Geologica Polonica, 62 (1), 1-33. Warszawa

The rugose coral specimens included by Schindewolf (1952) in the genera Claviphyllum Hudson, 1942, Fasciculophyllum Thomson, 1883 and Pentaphyllum (Tachylasma) Grabau, 1922 are revised on the basis of the original collection. The first two taxa are included in Antiphyllum Schindewolf, 1952, either in its original sense or in its newly introduced subgenus Antiphyllites. The new genus Effigies is introduced for Pentaphyllum (Tachylasma ) silesiacum Schindewolf, 1952. The reasons for placing individual genera within given families and suborders are discussed. New, detailed descriptions of species are supplemented by text-figures in order to document their intraspecific variability and phylogenetic relationships.
Geochemical and stable isotope patterns of calcite cementation in the Upper Cretaceous Chalk, Uk: Direct evidence from calcite-filled vugs in brachiopods
Authors: Hu Xiufang , Jeans Christopher , Dickson Tony
Published: February 2013

Hu, X-F, Jeans, C.V. and Dickson, J.A.D. 2012. Geochemical and stable isotope patterns of calcite cementation in the Upper Cretaceous Chalk, UK: Direct evidence from calcite-filled vugs in brachiopods. Acta GeologicaPolonica, 62 (2), 143-172. Warszawa. The history of research into the cementation of the Upper Cretaceous Chalk of the UK is reviewed. Calcitefilled vugs within the shell cavities of terebratulid brachiopods from the Cenomanian Chalk of eastern England have been investigated by cathodoluminesence imaging, staining, electron microprobe and stable isotope analysis. This has provided the first detailed analysis of the geochemistry of the Chalk’s cement. Two cement series, suboxic and anoxic, are recognized. Both start with a Mg-rich calcite with positive δ 13 C values considered to have been precipitated under oxic conditions influenced by aerobic ammonification. The suboxic series is characterized by positive δ 13 C values that became increasingly so as cementation progressed, reaching values of 3.5‰. Manganese is the dominant trace element in the earlier cement, iron in the later cement. Mnand Fe-reducing microbes influenced cement precipitation and the trace element and δ 13 C patterns. The anoxic series is characterized by δ 13 C values that became increasingly negative as cementation progressed, reaching values of -6.5‰. Trace elements are dominated by iron and manganese. Sulphate-reducing microbes influenced cement precipitation and the trace element and δ 13 C patterns. Both cement series are related closely to lithofacies and early lithification pre-dating the regional hardening of the Chalk. The suboxic series occurs in chalk which was continuously deposited and contained hematite pigment and limited organic matter. The anoxic series was associated with slow to nil deposition and hardground development in chalks that originally contained hematite pigment but no longer do so, and an enhanced supply of organic matter.
Faunal dynamics of foraminiferal assemblages in the Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) ore-bearing clays at Gnaszyn, Kraków-Silesia Homocline, Poland
Authors: Smoleń Jolanta
Published: February 2013

Smoleń, J. 2012. Faunal dynamics of foraminiferal assemblages in the Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) ore-bearing clays at Gnaszyn, Kraków-Silesia Homocline, Poland. Acta Geologica Polonica, 62(3), 403-419. Warszawa.

The faunal dynamics of benthic foraminifera in the Middle Jurassic ore-bearing clays of Gnaszyn (Kraków- Częstochowa Upland, south-central Poland) are used to reconstruct sedimentary environments. Two types of foraminiferal assemblages, distinct in their quantitative and qualitative composition, were distinguished; type I assemblages, characterizing intervals between horizons with sideritic concretions; and type II assemblages, characterising horizons with sideritic concretions. Benthic foraminifers were further subdivided into eight ecological morphogroups, based on their morphological features and micro-habitats. Type I assemblages consist mostly of plano/concavo-convex, small-sized epifaunal morphotypes, with a restricted occurrence of shallow infaunal forms and a scarcity of deep infaunal taxa, which suggests low-oxygen conditions in both sediment and bottom waters, and a high sedimentation rate in an outer shelf environment. Type II assemblages are characterized by high taxonomic diversity, high specimen abundance and variability of epifaunal and infaunal morphotypes representing a mixed group of specialized feeding strategies. This suggests optimum living conditions controlled by a lower sedimentation rate, relatively well-oxygenated bottom waters and sufficient or high food supply.
Calcareous nannofossils from the Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) ore-bearing clays at Gnaszyn as palaeoenvironmental indicator, Kraków-Silesia Homocline, Poland
Authors: Kędzierski Mariusz
Published: February 2013

Kędzierski, M. 2012. Calcareous nannofossils from the Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) ore-bearing clays at Gnaszyn as palaeoenvironmental indicator, Kraków-Silesia Homocline, Poland. Acta Geologica Polonica, 62 (3), 421-437. Warszawa.

Qualitative and quantitative studies on calcareous nannofossils have been carried out on the Middle-Upper Bathonian succession of Gnaszyn (Kraków-Silesia Homocline, Częstochowa region). The nannofossil assemblages are moderately or well-preserved and are dominated by Watznaueria britannica; also common are Staurolithiteslumina and Zeugrhabdotus erectus. The presence of delicate nannofossil forms together with dissolution- resistant taxa shows that the changes in composition of some of the nannoplankton assemblages reflect original variations. The frequency and diversity changes of the calcareous nannofossil assemblages have been interpreted in relation to fluctuations of sedimentation rate versus changes in trophic conditions within the photic zone. The highest diversity assemblages contain a high percentage of palaeofertility indicators, and are impoverished in the genus Watznaueria. This is interpreted as a reflection of a lower sedimentation rate and more stable, possibly mesotrophic conditions within the photic zone. On the other hand, W. britannica-dominated assemblages with low species diversity may represent more unstable environments with a high influx of terrestrial material related to a high sedimentation rate and a high nutrient influx, i.e. eutrophic conditions in the photic zone.
Inoculation Effects of Cast Iron
Authors: Fraś E. , Górny M.
Published: February 2013

The paper presents a solidification sequence of graphite eutectic cells of A and D types, as well as globular and cementite eutectics. The morphology of eutectic cells in cast iron, the equations for their growth and the distances between the graphite precipitations in A and D eutectic types were analyzed. It is observed a critical eutectic growth rate at which one type of eutectic transformed into another. A mathematical formula was derived that combined the maximum degree of undercooling, the cooling rate of cast iron, eutectic cell count and the eutectic growth rate. One type of eutectic structure turned smoothly into the other at a particular transition rate, transformation temperature and transformational eutectic cell count. Inoculation of cast iron increased the number of eutectic cells with flake graphite and the graphite nodule count in ductile iron, while reducing the undercooling. An increase in intensity of inoculation caused a smooth transition from a cementite eutectic structure to a mixture of cementite and D type eutectic structure, then to a mixture of D and A types of eutectics up to the presence of only the A type of eutectic structure. Moreover, the mechanism of inoculation of cast iron was studied.
Specificity of SPC Procedures Application in Foundry in Aspect of Data Acquisition and Data Exploration
Authors: Ignaszak Z. , Sika R.
Published: February 2013

The paper presents an analysis of SPC (Statistical Process Control) procedures usability in foundry engineering. The authors pay particular attention to the processes complexity and necessity of correct preparation of data acquisition procedures. Integration of SPC systems with existing IT solutions in area of aiding and assistance during the manufacturing process is important. For each particular foundry, methodology of selective SPC application needs to prepare for supervision and control of stability of manufacturing conditions, regarding specificity of data in particular “branches” of foundry production (Sands, Pouring, Metallurgy, Quality).
The Influence of Changes in Active Binder Content on the Control System of the Moulding Sand Quality
Authors: Jakubski J. , Dobosz St. M. , Major-Gabryś K.
Published: February 2013

Artificial neural networks are one of the modern methods of the production optimisation. An attempt to apply neural networks for controlling the quality of bentonite moulding sands is presented in this paper. This is the assessment method of sands suitability by means of detecting correlations between their individual parameters. The presented investigations were aimed at the selection of the neural network able to predict the active bentonite content in the moulding sand on the basis of this sand properties such as: permeability, compactibility and the compressive strength. Then, the data of selected parameters of new moulding sand were set to selected artificial neural network models. This was made to test the universality of the model in relation to other moulding sands. An application of the Statistica program allowed to select automatically the type of network proper for the representation of dependencies occurring in between the proposed moulding sand parameters. The most advantageous conditions were obtained for the uni-directional multi-layer perception (MLP) network. Knowledge of the neural network sensitivity to individual moulding sand parameters, allowed to eliminate not essential ones.
Microstructural Analysis of AM50/Mg2Si Cast Magnesium Composites
Authors: Malik M.A. , Majchrzak K. , Braszczyńska-Malik K.N.
Published: February 2013

AM50/Mg2Si composites containing 5.7 wt. % and 9.9 wt. %. of Mg2Si reinforcing phase were prepared successfully by casting method. The microstructure of the cast AM50/Mg2Si magnesium matrix composites was investigated by light microscopy and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). The microstructure of these composites was characterized by the presence of α-phase (a solid solution of aluminium in magnesium), Mg17Al12 (γ-phase), Al8Mn5 and Mg2Si. It was demonstrated that the Mg2Si phase was formed mainly as primary dendrites and eutectic.
Collaboration of Translators with Medical Authors: A Qualitative Enquiry into Writing Articles in English
Authors: Shomoossi Nematullah
Published: February 2013

The interaction between non-English authors of medical articles and translators can be considered as a key component in perfect rendering of the content. In the era of rapid spread of research findings throughout the world, some researchers with little knowledge of English look for translation and editing services in order to share their findings in the global dialogue of science production. This paper will closely investigate the protocol analysis of an interview with a medical researcher and an intimate translator who has helped him for almost 10 years in translating his articles and research reports into English. The analysis will be classified in two major areas: language and publishing. Further details will be presented in the conference session.
Molecular and morphological discrimination of selected plum seedlings for rootstock breeding
Authors: Aran Mehdi , Fatahi Reza , Zamani Zabihollah
Published: February 2013

Plum seedlings are extensively used as rootstocks for stone fruits except P. cerasus. Genetic diversity in seedlings used for rootstocks might result in variation of scion performance and subsequently non-uniform orchards. This study aimed on investigating variation among several Iranian plum genotypes sampled from seedlings grown for grafting. Thirty-five 3- to 4-year-old seedlings were characterized using 28 quantitative and qualitative traits, as well as 22 RAPD markers. Results of the morphological study revealed remarkable variability in studied traits. Genotypes were separated into three different groups according to their height using cluster analysis performed by Ward’s clustering method based on morphological data. Twenty two RAPD primers from 120 screened produced 195 polymorphic reproducible bands (86.75% polymorphism). According to the similarity matrix, the lowest similarity was obtained between the genotype Tansgol (control) and S4-13 and the highest similarity between S11-25 and S11-26. According to the cluster analysis based on Jaccard's similarity coefficients and the UPGMA method at a similarity level of 0.56, the genotypes were divided into six sub-clusters. Significant association between eight morphological traits with RAPD markers was found by marker association analysis done using multiple linear regressions. The application of the methodology in screening elite genotypes is discussed.
Mechanical harvesting of plums for processing with a continuously moving combine harvester
Authors: Mika Augustyn , Wawrzyńzak Paweł , Buler Zbigniew , Konopacka Dorota , Konopacki Paweł , Krawiec Adam , Białkowski Paweł , Michalska Barbara , Plaskota Marian , Gotowicki Bogdan
Published: February 2013

Eleven plum cultivars (Prunus domestica L.) for processing grafted on semidwarf rootstock ‘Wangenheim Prune’ and vigorous rootstock ‘Myrobalan’ were densely planted (1000, 1250, 1666, 2500 trees ha-1) and trained to central leader spindle tree. A new training system was applied to obtain trees suitable for mechanical harvesting. The leader was not headed after planting and summer training procedures were performed in May/June. From the third year onwards, renewal pruning was carried out after fruit harvesting. The new training and pruning systems resulted in very fast tree growth, abundant branching, fruit bud formation on young wood and early bearing. The plum trees appeared to be suitable for hand and mechanical harvesting within 3 years from planting. The self propelled straddle combine harvester was able to harvest 2-3 tons of plums per hour compared to 30 kg with hand picking. Harvesting effectiveness was 90-95%. The quality of mechanically harvested plums was a little worse than of those hand picked, but fruits were suitable for processing. The ‘Common Prune’ and the prune type small plums were the most suitable fruit for mechanical harvesting.
Effect of different fertilizers and amendments on the growth of apple and sour cherry rootstocks in an organic nursery
Authors: Grzyb Zygmunt S. , Piotrowski Wojciech , Bielicki Paweł , Sas Paszt Lidia , Malusà Eligio
Published: February 2013

Two independent trials were established during the years of 2009 and 2010 with M.26 apple rootstocks and Prunus mahaleb L. seedlings in three different locations to evaluate the effect of seven organic fertilizers and amendments on the growth of rootstocks in an organic nursery in the first year of an operation. The products tested were a microbial consortium, two kinds of vermicomposts extracts, two kind of seaweeds extracts, a stillage from yeast production and a solution of titanium. Plants receiving these products were compared to untreated and minerally or organically (manure) fertilized during vegetative season. Plant growth was evaluated by measuring the increase of the root neck diameter and the height of the tallest upward growing shoot. The application of the different organic fertilizers and amendments induced significantly higher growth of both kinds of rootstocks in all locations and for each year in comparison to control and, in the majority of the cases, to the chemical and manure fertilization. However, some products (BF Quality, Micosat, Humus UP, Tytanit and Vinassa) showed a more consistent effect on the growth of tested rootstocks under different soil and climatic conditions. It can be concluded that fertilization of apple and sour cherry rootstock with organic fertilizers and amendments of different origin and composition is effective in producing of high quality plants.
Ex situ conservation of endangered Limonium species in the Bulgarian flora
Authors: Kaninski Andrei I. , Ivanova Ivanka , Bistrichanov Sergey , Zapryanova Nadejda , Atanassova Bistra , Iakimova Elena T.
Published: February 2013

Native populations of endemic, rare and threatened Limonium species (L. meyeri, L. bulgaricum, L. latifolium, L. vulgare, L. asterotrichum and L. gmelinii) in Bulgaria were monitored and found seriously declined. To preserve these wild genotypes, an approach involving in vitro propagation of explants isolated from immature inflorescence stems was applied at the Institute of Ornamental Plants, Sofia. The rooted plantlets produced were acclimated and grown outdoors under an optimized cultivation regime, which resulted in the establishment of an ex situ plantation. Plant performance ex situ (determined by leaf rosette diameter, plant height and the number of flower stems) was substantially improved and the variation in the biometric indices was found remarkably lower than in natural environment. The developmental stages of ex situ plants appeared with a delay in relation to their onset in the native environment, but occurred synchronously within each species. Analysis of germination of seeds harvested from ex situ and in situ grown plants showed species-specific behaviour, but in general, seed vitality remained relatively low in laboratory conditions, in the soil and in vitro. In order to assess the potential for protecting the native Limonium species from uncontrolled harvesting, the possibility for the production of cut flowers in ex situ conditions was studied. High yield of cut flowers from ex situ plants in comparison with the potential yield from the wild plants and extended vase life in comparison with commercially produced Limonium sinuatum were obtained. The results demonstrated that the applied micropropagation and agrotechnique for protected cultivation are reliable tools for ex situ conservation of the endangered Limonium genotypes in the Bulgarian flora. In addition to its advantage as a rescue measure, the developed system was shown to be suitable for obtaining cut flowers of competitive market quality.
Miniaturized textile-based multi-layer ph-sensor for wound monitoring applications
Authors: Nocke Andreas , Schröter Anna , Cherif Chokri , Gerlach Gerald
Published: February 2013

Wound assessment has become an important issue in the wound treatment procedure. One important indicator of the wound status is the pH value. Our approach to assess this quantity is through use of a fiber sensor coated with a pH-responsive hydrogel, which functions as a sensitive layer for impedance measurements. An advantage of this is its integratability into wound dressings using standard textile technologies. The pH characteristic shows a pH-dependent behavior of the absolute impedance at certain frequencies. The fabrication technology and sensor characteristics are discussed. The values of almost 14% impedance change demonstrate the potential for improvement by optimizing fabrication technologies. The presented sensor meets all requirements necessary for wound pH assessment
Drape study on textiles for concrete applications
Authors: Eckers Vera , Janetzko Steffen , Gries Thomas
Published: February 2013

Textile reinforced concrete (TRC) is an eco-friendly material with a high freedom in design. As soon as complex
curved parts are to be designed, the question of the drapability of the reinforcing materials arises. Different
process parameters can be modified in the production of the reinforcing textiles which strongly influence the
handling and the draping behaviour. To be able to choose a textile structure in the design stage which fulfils the
requirements concerning drapability, a new test method was developed. This article describes this test method
and shows results of a test series on different textile structures, including a brief discussion of the results. Finally,
a transfer to a sample geometry is shown.
Pore Narrowing of Mesoporous Silica Materials
Authors: Goethals Frederik , Levrau Elisabeth , De Canck Els , Baklanov Mikhail , Detavernier Christophe , Van Driessche Isabel , Van Der Voort Pascal
Published: February 2013

To use mesoporous silicas as low-k materials, the pore entrances must be really small to avoid diffusion of metals that can increase the dielectric constant of the low-k dielectric. In this paper we present a new method to narrow the pores of mesoporous materials through grafting of a cyclic-bridged organosilane precursor. As mesoporous material, the well-studied MCM-41 powder was selected to allow an easy characterization of the grafting reactions. Firstly, the successful grafting of the cyclic-bridged organosilane precursor on MCM-41 is presented. Secondly, it is demonstrated that pore narrowing can be obtained without losing porosity by removing the porogen template after grafting. The remaining silanols in the pores can then be end-capped with hexamethyl disilazane (HMDS) to make the material completely hydrophobic. Finally, we applied the pore narrowing method on organosilica films to prove that this method is also successful on existing low-k materials.
Bilan spatialisé de la mise en valeur agricole au Sahara algérien
Authors: Otmane Tayeb , Kouzmine Yaël
Published: February 2013

Les grandes exploitations agricoles créées dans le cadre de la loi de mise en valeur agricole de 1983 dans le Sahara algérien étaient vouées à une production céréalière sous pivot. L’objectif était de développer économiquement des régions sahariennes pour partie marginalisées, ainsi que de réduire la dépendance chronique en céréales du pays. L’État a considérablement investi pour équiper ces exploitations agricoles dans le cadre d’un vaste plan de développement rural. Mais trente ans après la parution de la loi, les réalisations demeurent limitées au regard des objectifs initiaux. Et la crise du modèle de la grande mise en valeur céréalière au Sahara a pour corollaire l’émergence de réelles dynamiques d’adaptation de la part des agriculteurs sahariens, tant du point de vue des cultures pratiquées que des techniques mobilisées.
Global Consensus Theorem and Self-Organized Criticality: Unifying Principles for Understanding Self-Organization, Swarm Intelligence and Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis
Authors: Rosenfeld Simon
Published: February 2013

Complex biological systems manifest a large variety of emergent phenomena among which prominent roles belong to self-organization and swarm intelligence. Generally, each level in a biological hierarchy possesses its own systemic properties and requires its own way of observation, conceptualization, and modeling. In this work, an attempt is made to outline general guiding principles in exploration of a wide range of seemingly dissimilar phenomena observed in large communities of individuals devoid of any personal intelligence and interacting with each other through simple stimulus-response rules. Mathematically, these guiding principles are well captured by the Global Consensus Theorem (GCT) equally applicable to neural networks and to Lotka-Volterra population dynamics. Universality of the mechanistic principles outlined by GCT allows for a unified approach to such diverse systems as biological networks, communities of social insects, robotic communities, microbial communities, communities of somatic cells, social networks and many other systems. Another cluster of universal laws governing the self-organization in large communities of locally interacting individuals is built around the principle of self-organized criticality (SOC). The GCT and SOC, separately or in combination, provide a conceptual basis for understanding the phenomena of self-organization occurring in large communities without involvement of a supervisory authority, without system-wide informational infrastructure, and without mapping of general plan of action onto cognitive/behavioral faculties of its individual members. Cancer onset and proliferation serves as an important example of application of these conceptual approaches. In this paper, the point of view is put forward that apparently irreconcilable contradictions between two opposing theories of carcinogenesis, that is, the Somatic Mutation Theory and the Tissue Organization Field Theory, may be resolved using the systemic approaches provided by GST and SOC.
Mini-Workshop: Hypergraph Turán Problem
Authors: Haxell Penny E. , Mubayi Dhruv , Pikhurko Oleg , Szabo Tibor
Published: February 2013

This mini-workshop focused on the hypergraph Turán problem. The interest in this difficult and old area was recently re-invigorated by many important developments such as the hypergraph regularity lemmas, flag algebras, and stability. The purpose of this meeting was to bring together experts in this field as well as promising young mathematicians to share expertise and initiate new collaborative projects.
Toric Geometry
Authors: Altmann Klaus , Batyrev Victor V. , Karshon Yael
Published: February 2013

Toric Geometry plays a major role where a wide variety of mathematical fields intersect, such as algebraic and symplectic geometry, algebraic groups, and combinatorics. The main feature of this workshop was to bring people from these area together to learn about mutual, possibly up till now unnoticed similarities in their respective research.
Diophantische Approximationen
Authors: Bugeaud Yann , Nesterenko Yuri V.
Published: February 2013

This Number Theoretic conference was focused on the following subjects: the Littlewood conjecture, simultaneous homogeneous and inhomogeneous Diophantine approximation, geometry of numbers, irrationality, Diophantine approximation in function fields, counting questions in number fields, effective methods for resolution of Diophantine equations.
Learning Theory and Approximation
Authors: Jetter Kurt , Smale Steve , Zhou Ding-Xuan
Published: February 2013

Learning theory studies data structures from samples and aims at understanding unknown function relations behind them. This leads to interesting theoretical problems which can be often attacked with methods from Approximation Theory. This workshop - the second one of this type at the MFO - has concentrated on the following recent topics: Learning of manifolds and the geometry of data; sparsity and dimension reduction; error analysis and algorithmic aspects, including kernel based methods for regression and classification; application of multiscale aspects and of refinement algorithms to learning.
La construcción de la imagen de la política en los noticiarios televisivos en España. Exo- y endo- equilibrios de la calidad de la información política
Authors: Guerrero-Solé Frederic , Pont-Sorribes Carles , Palencia-Lefler-Ors Manuel
Published: February 2013

En nuestra sociedad la imagen que los ciudadanos tenemos de la política está fuertemente condicionada por cómo esta aparece en los medios de comunicación y, en particular, en los noticiarios televisivos. Este artículo, fruto de un proyecto de investigación I+D+I financiado por el Ministerio de Educación, Política Social y Deporte, analiza las noticias de temática política de ocho canales de televisión en España con el objetivo de comprobar cuál es la presencia de la política en los noticiarios, qué imagen se construye de la política en ellos. Además, propone una nueva metodología para establecer la calidad de las informaciones políticas en los noticiarios televisivos en España a través de la definición de los endo- y exo- equilibrios de los contenidos políticos de los noticiarios. Las principales conclusiones del artículo son que los noticiarios que construyen una imagen más equilibrada de la política son los de Televisión Española y Cuatro, mientras que los que construyen una imagen más desequilibrada son los de la Sexta y Canal 9. El porcentaje de noticias dedicadas a la política no depende ni de la titularidad (pública-privada), ni del ámbito de cobertura (estatal-autonómica) del canal. En cambio, sí podemos encontrar una relación en la suma de las noticias de política (political issues) y las de gobernanza (policy issues).
Women's Knowledge and Opinions Regarding Emergency Contraception
Authors: Nanda Smiti , Mann Sonika , Dahiya Krishna
Published: February 2013

Aim

To know the knowledge and use of contraceptive methods, especially awareness of emergency contraception among women attending gynecology OPD at PGIMS, Rohtak.

Study design

Cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study

Materials and methods

The study was carried out among patients and their attenders attending postpartum center at PGIMS outpatient department, Rohtak. Both married and unmarried women in the reproductive age group were enrolled. A questionnaire was given concerning questions on knowledge and use of contraceptive methods and awareness of emergency contraception.

Results

Out of 500 women, 450 women consented for the study. The subjects were both literate (65.1%) and illiterate (34.9%), and belonged to an urban (33.2%) and rural (66.8%) background. Of the 419 married women, 92% practiced contraception, among them 70% were regular users. 110 respondents underwent abortions of which 26 had spontaneous and 84 had induced abortions. Among the available contraceptive methods, condom was the most popular method in 171 women (38%) followed by Copper-T in 50 women (11.1%). The use of hormonal contraception was very low 9%. Print and electronic media were the common source of public awareness in 149 subjects (57.7%), 55 women (12.2%) were aware and only six women used emergency contraception.

Conclusion

The awareness of emergency contraception was low in both literate and in illiterate population. With rural background the awareness about emergency contraception was almost nil, about proper timing, use and its side effects. Appropriate awareness programs on EC are needed for the population, so that they can benefit maximum from it.

How to cite this article

Dahiya K, Mann S, Nanda S. Women's Knowledge and Opinions Regarding Emergency Contraception. J South Asian Feder Obst Gynae 2012;4(3):151-154.
Use of Differential Capacitance Measurements To Predict the Inhibitive Behavior of Organic Nitrogen Compounds
Authors: MOSIER BENJAMIN , FARQUAR GALE B.
Published: February 2013

Using an impedance bridge, capacitance measurements were made between a pool of mercury as an anode and a dropping mercury cathode. Differential capacitance measurements derived from a series of tests at 22 to 165 C (72 to 330 F) of organic inhibitors diluted with lease condensate or diesel fuel and in a 0.1 M NaCl O4 electrolyte were used to rate probable effectiveness of typical long chain diamine salt, long chain naphthenic acid and a substituted imidazoline salt.

Results indicate that inhibitive action is to some degree controlled by freedom of movement of the inhibitor molecule in the solution and at the surface of the metal and that actual adsorption on the metal surface depends on its polarization. Dipolar molecules that are normally adsorbed with positive end of the dipole to the metal will tend to be adsorbed on the cathodic side of the electro-capillary maximum; those with the negative end toward metal will be most strongly adsorbed on the anodic side. There is a lower concentration limit below which inhibitor effectiveness will diminish.
Environmental impacts of shipping in 2030 with a particular focus on the Arctic region
Authors: Dalsøren S. B. , Samset B. H. , Myhre G. , Corbett J. J. , Minjares R. , Lack D. , Fuglestvedt J. S.
Published: February 2013

Abstract. We quantify the concentrations changes and Radiative Forcing (RF) of short-lived atmospheric pollutants due to shipping emissions of NOx, SOx, CO, NMVOCs, BC and OC. We use high resolution ship emission inventories for the Arctic that are more suitable for regional scale evaluation than those used in former studies. A chemical transport model and a RF model are used to evaluate the time period 2004–2030, when we expect increasing traffic in the Arctic region. Two datasets for ship emissions are used that characterize the potential impact from shipping and the degree to which shipping controls may mitigate impacts: a high (HIGH) scenario and a low scenario with Maximum Feasible Reduction (MFR) of black carbon in the Arctic. In MFR, BC emissions in the Arctic are reduced with 70% representing a combination technology performance and/or reasonable advances in single-technology performance. Both scenarios result in moderate to substantial increases in concentrations of pollutants both globally and in the Arctic. Exceptions are black carbon in the MFR scenario, and sulfur species and organic carbon in both scenarios due to the future phase-in of current regulation that reduces fuel sulfur content. In the season with potential transit traffic through the Arctic in 2030 we find increased concentrations of all pollutants in large parts of the Arctic. Net global RFs from 2004–2030 of 53 mW m−2 (HIGH) and 73 mW m−2 (MFR) are similar to those found for preindustrial to present net global aircraft RF. The found warming contrasts with the cooling from historical ship emissions. The reason for this difference and the higher global forcing for the MFR scenario is mainly the reduced future fuel sulfur content resulting in less cooling from sulfate aerosols. The Arctic RF is largest in the HIGH scenario. In the HIGH scenario ozone dominates the RF during the transit season (August–October). RF due to BC in air, and snow and ice becomes significant during Arctic spring. For the HIGH scenario the net Arctic RF during spring is 5 times higher than in winter.
Systematic residual ionospheric errors in radio occultation data and a potential way to minimize them
Authors: Danzer J. , Scherllin-Pirscher B. , Foelsche U.
Published: February 2013

Abstract. Radio Occultation (RO) sensing is used to probe the Earth's atmosphere in order to obtain information about its physical properties. With a main interest in the parameters of the neutral atmosphere, there is the need to perform a correction of the ionospheric contribution to the bending angle. Since this correction is an approximation to first order, there exists an ionospheric residual, which can be expected to be larger when the ionization is high (day versus night, high versus low solar activity). The ionospheric residual systematically affects the accuracy of the atmospheric parameters at low altitudes, at high altitudes (above 25 km to 30 km) it even is an important error source. In climate applications this could lead to a time dependent bias which induces wrong trends in atmospheric parameters at high altitudes. The first goal of our work was to study and characterize this systematic residual error. In a second step we developed a simple correction method, based purely on observational data, to reduce this residual for large ensembles of RO profiles. In order to tackle this problem we analyzed the bending angle bias of CHAMP and COSMIC RO data from 2001 to 2011. We could observe that the night time bending angle bias stays constant over the whole period of 11 yr, while the day time bias increases from low to high solar activity. As a result, the difference between night and day time bias increases from about −0.05 μrad to −0.4 μrad. This behavior paves the way to correct the solar cycle dependent bias of day time RO profiles. In order to test the newly developed correction method we performed a simulation study, which allowed to separate the influence of the ionosphere and the neutral atmosphere. Also in the simulated data we observed a similar increase in the bias in times from low to high solar activity. In this model world we performed the climatological ionospheric correction of the bending angle data, by using the bending angle bias characteristics of a solar cycle as a correction factor. After the climatological ionospheric correction the bias of the simulated data improved significantly, not only in the bending angle but also in the retrieved temperature profiles.
Winter greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, CH4 and N2O) from a sub-alpine grassland
Authors: Merbold L. , Steinlin C. , Hagedorn F.
Published: February 2013

Abstract. Carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes were measured during the winter 2010/2011 at a~sub-alpine managed grassland in Switzerland using concentration gradients within the snowpack (CO2, CH4, N2O) and the eddy covariance method (CO2). Measured snow densities were used to calculate the respective greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes. Mean winter fluxes based on the gradient method were 0.74 ± 0.53 μmol m−2 s−1 for CO2, −0.14 ± 0.09 nmol m−2 s−1 for CH4 and 0.23 ± 0.23 nmol m−2 s−1 for N2O, respectively. While CO2 and CH4 fluxes decreased with progressing winter season N2O fluxes did not follow a~seasonal pattern. Key variables driving the fluxes of CO2 and CH4 were soil surface temperatures and snow-water equivalent. N2O fluxes were only poorly explained by any of the measured factors in the soil and snow. Spatial variability across the valley floor was smallest for CO2 and largest for N2O. During the winter season 2010/2011 (November–April) greenhouse gas fluxes accumulated to 631–670 g CO2 m−2, −0.04 g CH4 m−2 and 0.13 g N2O m−2. Total greenhouse gas emissions from the grassland were between 669–709 g CO2 eq. m−2, with N2O contributing 5% to the overall budget and CH4 reducing the budget by less than 1%. In comparison with the CO2 fluxes measured by eddy covariance, the gradient technique underestimated the effluxes during the main winter period by 40% but yielded similar fluxes on a seasonal basis. Cumulative budgets of CO2 were smaller than emission reported for other sub-alpine meadows in the Swiss Alps and the Rocky Mountains. It remains unclear how GHG emissions are altered by changes in climate and according snow conditions.
Air-sea exchange of CO2 at a Northern California coastal site along the California Current upwelling system
Authors: Ikawa H. , Faloona I. , Kochendorfer J. , Paw U K. T. , Oechel W. C.
Published: February 2013

Abstract. Uncertainty in the air-sea CO2 exchange (CO2 flux) in coastal upwelling zones is attributed to high temporal variability, which is caused by changes in ocean currents. Upwelling transports heterotrophic, CO2 enriched water to the surface and releases CO2 to the atmosphere, whereas the presence of nutrient-rich water at the surface supports high primary production and atmospheric CO2 uptake. To quantify the effects of upwelling on CO2 fluxes, we measured CO2 flux at a coastal upwelling site off of Bodega Bay, California, during the summer of 2007 and the fall of 2008 using the eddy covariance technique and the bulk method with pCO2 measurements from November 2010 to July 2011. Variations in sea surface temperatures (SST) and alongshore wind speeds suggest that the measurement period in 2007 coincided with a typical early-summer upwelling period and the measurement period in 2008 was during a typical fall relaxation period. A strong source of CO2 (~1.5 ± 7 SD (standard deviation) g C m−2 day−1) from the ocean to the atmosphere during the upwelling period was concurrent with high salinity, low SST, and low chlorophyll density. In contrast, a weak source of CO2 flux (~0.2 ± 3 SD g C m−2 day−1) was observed with low salinity, high SST and high chlorophyll density during the relaxation period. Similarly, the sink and source balance of CO2flux was highly related to salinity and SST during the pCO2 measurement periods; high salinity and low SST corresponded to high pCO2, and vice versa. We estimated that the coastal area off Bodega Bay was likely a source of CO2 to the atmosphere based on the following conclusions: (1) the overall CO2 flux estimated from both eddy covariance and pCO2 measurements showed a source of CO2; (2) although the relaxation period during the 2008 measurements were favorable to CO2 uptake, CO2 flux during this period was still a slight source, (3) salinity and SST were found to be good predictors of the CO2 flux for both eddy covariance and pCO2 measurements, and historical data of daily averaged SST and salinity between 1988 to 2011 show that 99% of the data falls within the range of our observation in May–June 2007, August–September 2008 and November 2010–July 2011 indicating that our data set was representative of the annual variations in the sea state. Based on the developed relationship between pCO2 and SST and salinity, the average annual CO2 flux between 1988 and 2011 was estimated to be ~35 mol C m−2 yr−1. The peak monthly CO2 flux of ~7 mol C m−2 month−1 accounted for about 30% of the dissolved inorganic carbon in the surface mixed-layer.
Development and comparative evaluation of a stochastic analog method to downscale daily GCM precipitation
Authors: Hwang S. , Graham W. D.
Published: February 2013

Abstract. There are a number of statistical techniques that downscale coarse climate information from global circulation models (GCM). However, many of them do not reproduce the small-scale spatial variability of precipitation exhibited by the observed meteorological data which can be an important factor for predicting hydrologic response to climatic forcing. In this study a new downscaling technique (bias-correction and stochastic analog method, BCSA) was developed to produce stochastic realizations of bias-corrected daily GCM precipitation fields that preserve the spatial autocorrelation structure of observed daily precipitation sequences. This approach was designed to reproduce observed spatial and temporal variability as well as mean climatology. We used the BCSA method to downscale 4 GCM precipitation predictions from 1961 to 1999 over the state of Florida and compared the skill of the method to the results obtained with the commonly used bias-correction and spatial disaggregation (BCSD) approach, bias-correction and constructed analog (BCCA) method, and a modified version of BCSD which reverses the order of spatial disaggregation and bias-correction (SDBC). Spatial and temporal statistics, transition probabilities, wet/dry spell lengths, spatial correlation indices, and variograms for wet (June through September) and dry (October through May) seasons were calculated for each method. Results showed that (1) BCCA underestimated mean climatology of daily precipitation while the BCSD, SDBC and BCSA methods accurately reproduced it, (2) the BCSD and BCCA methods underestimated temporal variability because of the interpolation and regression schemes used for downscaling and thus, did not reproduce daily precipitation standard deviations, transition probabilities or wet/dry spell lengths as well as the SDBC and BCSA methods, and (3) the BCSD, BCCA and SDBC methods underestimated spatial variability in precipitation resulting in under-prediction of spatial variance and over-prediction of spatial correlation, whereas the new stochastic technique (BCSA) accurately reproduces observed spatial statistics for both the wet and dry seasons. This study underscores the need to carefully select a downscaling method that reproduces all precipitation characteristics important for the hydrologic system under consideration if local hydrologic impacts of climate variability and change are going to be accurately predicted. For low-relief, rainfall-dominated watersheds where reproducing small-scale spatiotemporal precipitation variability is important, the BCSA method is recommended for use over the BCSD, BCCA, or SDBC methods.
A fuzzy decision making system for building damage map creation using high resolution satellite imagery
Authors: Rastiveis H. , Samadzadegan F. , Reinartz P.
Published: February 2013

Abstract. Recent studies have shown high resolution satellite imagery to be a powerful data source for post-earthquake damage assessment of buildings. Manual interpretation of these images, while being a reliable method for finding damaged buildings, is a subjective and time-consuming endeavor, rendering it unviable at times of emergency. The present research, proposes a new state-of-the-art method for automatic damage assessment of buildings using high resolution satellite imagery. In this method, at the first step a set of pre-processing algorithms are performed on the images. Then, extracting a candidate building from both pre- and post-event images, the intact roof part after an earthquake is found. Afterwards, by considering the shape and other structural properties of this roof part with its pre-event condition in a fuzzy inference system, the rate of damage for each candidate building is estimated. The results obtained from evaluation of this algorithm using QuickBird images of the December 2003 Bam, Iran, earthquake prove the ability of this method for post-earthquake damage assessment of buildings.
A synthesis of the Antarctic surface mass balance during the last 800 yr
Authors: Frezzotti M. , Scarchilli C. , Becagli S. , Proposito M. , Urbini S.
Published: February 2013

Abstract. Global climate models suggest that Antarctic snowfall should increase in a warming climate and mitigate rises in the sea level. Several processes affect surface mass balance (SMB), introducing large uncertainties in past, present and future ice sheet mass balance. To provide an extended perspective on the past SMB of Antarctica, we used 67 firn/ice core records to reconstruct the temporal variability in the SMB over the past 800 yr and, in greater detail, over the last 200 yr. Our SMB reconstructions indicate that the SMB changes over most of Antarctica are statistically negligible and that the current SMB is not exceptionally high compared to the last 800 yr. High-accumulation periods have occurred in the past, specifically during the 1370s and 1610s. However, a clear increase in accumulation of more than 10% has occurred in high SMB coastal regions and over the highest part of the East Antarctic ice divide since the 1960s. To explain the differences in behaviour between the coastal/ice divide sites and the rest of Antarctica, we suggest that a higher frequency of blocking anticyclones increases the precipitation at coastal sites, leading to the advection of moist air in the highest areas, whereas blowing snow and/or erosion have significant negative impacts on the SMB at windy sites. Eight hundred years of stacked records of the SMB mimic the total solar irradiance during the 13th and 18th centuries. The link between those two variables is probably indirect and linked to a teleconnection in atmospheric circulation that forces complex feedback between the tropical Pacific and Antarctica via the generation and propagation of a large-scale atmospheric wave train.
Efficiency Enhancement of Indirect Transverse Laser Cooling with Synchro-Betatron Resonant Coupling by Suppression of Beam Intensity
Authors: Souda Hikaru , Nakao Masao , Tongu Hiromu , Jimbo Kouichi , Osaki Kazuya , Okamoto Hiromi , Yuri Yosuke , Zhengqi He , Grieser Manfred , Noda Akira
Published: February 2013

The efficiency of indirect transverse laser cooling with synchro-betatron resonance coupling has been improved with the reduction in beam intensity by scraping the tail part of the beam. In order to measure the beam size at a low beam intensity, a new scheme to measure the beam profile by observation of the survival ratio with changing the scraper position has been established. With 104 particles, the transverse cooling time was reduced to 1.2 s, and the cooled horizontal and vertical beam sizes were 0.19 and 0.61 mm, corresponding to temperatures of 20 and 29 K, respectively, which is largely improved compared with that in our previous experiment [Nakao et al.: Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beam 15 (2012) 110102].