bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Use of Aluminum‐ and Iron‐Rich Residues to Immobilize Phosphorus in Poultry Litter and Litter‐Amended Soils
Authors: Codling Eton E. , Chaney Rufus L. , Mulchi Charles L.
Published: July 2010

Poultry production is concentrated on Maryland's eastern shore on areas with sandy soils low in sesquioxides. Water quality has been affected by runoff and leaching of phosphorus from poultry litter‐amended fields. Phosphorus movement is of major concern because P is a limiting nutrient for eutrophication in surface water. The objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate the ability of Al‐rich drinking water treatment residue (DWTR) and iron‐rich residue (IRR) to reduce water‐soluble P and Bray and Kurtz no. 1‐extractable phosphorus (BK‐1 P) in poultry litter and three long‐term litter‐amended soils and (ii) determine the effects of these residues on pH and electrical conductivity (EC) in the amended litter and soils. Poultry litter and soils were treated with four rates of DWTR and IRR and incubated for 7 wk at 25°C. Litter and soils were sampled at 2, 4, and 7 wk. Both residue materials increased the pH of the litter and the soils. The DWTR was more effective in reducing both water‐soluble P and BK‐1 P in litter at all rates. At the 25 and 50 g kg−1 rates, reductions in water‐soluble P with IRR were comparable with that of DWTR, but DWTR was twice as effective as IRR in reducing BK‐1 P concentration. The results showed that water‐soluble P and BK‐1 P in poultry litter and long‐term litter‐amended soils can be substantially reduced by incorporating residues rich in Al and Fe; these residues may be useful for reducing P runoff and leaching from poultry litter and litter‐amended fields.
A Water Chemistry Assessment of Wastewater Remediation in a Natural Swamp
Authors: Zhang Xiaowei , Feagley Sam E. , Day John W. , Conner William H. , Hesse Irene D. , Rybczyk John M. , Hudnall Wayne H.
Published: July 2010

Various aspects of water chemistry of a natural forested wetland were studied in order to determine the possibility of using the wetland for advanced wastewater treatment in Louisiana and to evaluate the wastewater effect on swamp water quality. The study was carried out by comparing treatment and control cypress‐tupelo forests separated by a bottomland hardwood forest ridge. The treatment area (231 ha) received secondarily treated municipal wastewater at a rate of 6.3 × 106 L d−1. The calculated hydraulic detention time of the wastewater was 120 d. Electrical conductivity (EC), pH, and concentrations of 5‐d biological oxygen demand (BOD5), dissolved oxygen (DO), solids, nutrients, and trace metals were monitored. Mean concentrations for the wastewater were 14.6 mg L−1 for total N and 2.5 mg L−1 for total P. The dominant form of N in the wastewater was NO3‐N. The swamp system attenuated the NO3‐N by 100%, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) by 69%, and total P by 66%. It appears that tertiary wastewater treatment was achieved due to the nutrient attenuations. Based upon our findings, we predict that the high N attenuation efficiency would enable the swamp to work well if the N loading rate were doubled. However, P removal was dependent on loading rate, hydraulic retention time, and temperature. The swamp was more efficient in treating wastewater during warm seasons than cool seasons. During the monitoring period, trace metals were not significantly increased in the swamp water because of very low concentrations in the wastewater.
Coal Fly Ash as a Soil Conditioner for Field Crops in Southern Ontario
Authors: Cline J. A. , Bijl M. , Torrenueva A.
Published: July 2010

Sixty‐eight percent of the 957 000 Mg of fly ash (FA) from coal‐fired generating stations in Ontario was landfilled in 1998. Current restrictions by government regulators prevent its use for agricultural purposes. Greenhouse and field experiments were therefore initiated to assess the effects of FA on plant growth. The objective of the greenhouse study was to evaluate various rates of FA (0–80 Mg ha−1 equivalent) on soil pH, soil and plant nutrient levels, and plant growth using representative acidic clay and sandy soils from Southern Ontario. After 90 d of soil incubation, the highest rates of FA increased soil pH, but had no significant effect on hot‐water extractable B. Dry weights of plants grown in the same soil types were unaffected by FA rates. In a 3‐yr field study, FA was applied to acidic clay and sandy loam soils at rates ranging from 0 to 50 Mg ha−1 (dry wt. basis). Lime control treatments were also included. In Year 1, corn (Zea mays L.) plant emergence, grain yield, percent moisture, and harvest index were not significantly influenced by FA applications. However, soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] yields treated with 50 Mg ha−1 FA increased by as much as 35 and 31% in comparison with untreated and lime control treatments, respectively. Selenium and boron, while presently the rate‐limiting elements for maximum permissible loading rates of FA for soil amendments in the province, did not accumulate in plants in quantities that would be of concern for plant health or animal and human consumption.
Wildfire and Charcoal Enhance Nitrification and Ammonium‐Oxidizing Bacterial Abundance in Dry Montane Forest Soils
Authors: Ball P. N. , MacKenzie M. D. , DeLuca T. H. , Montana W. E. Holben
Published: July 2010

All forest fire events generate some quantity of charcoal, which may persist in soils for hundreds to thousands of years. However, few studies have effectively evaluated the potential for charcoal to influence specific microbial communities or processes. To our knowledge, no studies have specifically addressed the effect of charcoal on ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in forest soils. Controlled experiments have shown that charcoal amendment of fire‐excluded temperate and boreal coniferous forest soil increases net nitrification, suggesting that charcoal plays a major role in maintaining nitrification for extended periods postfire. In this study, we examined the influence of fire history on gross nitrification, nitrification potential, and the nature and abundance of AOB. Soil cores were collected from sites in the Selway‐Bitterroot wilderness area in northern Idaho that had been exposed twice (in 1910, 1934) or three times (1910, 1934, and 1992) in the last 94 yr, allowing us to contrast soils recently exposed to fire to those that experienced no recent fire (control). Charcoal content was determined in the O horizon by hand‐separation and in the mineral soil by a chemical digestion procedure. Gross and net nitrification, and potential rates of nitrification were measured in mineral soil. Analysis of the AOB community was conducted using primer sets specific for the ammonia mono‐oxygenase gene (amoA) or the 16S rRNA gene of AOB. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis was used to analyze the AOB community structure, while AOB abundance was determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Recent (12‐yr‐old) wildfire resulted in greater charcoal contents and nitrification rates compared with sites without fire for 75 yr, and the more recent fire appeared to have directly influenced AOB abundance and community structure. We predicted and observed greater abundance of AOB in soils recently exposed to fire compared with control soils. Interestingly, sequence data revealed that Clusters 3 and 4, and not Cluster 2, of genusNitrosospiradominated these forest soils, with a shift toward Cluster 3 in recently burned sites.
Degradation Kinetics of Testosterone by Manure‐Borne Bacteria: Influence of Temperature, pH, Glucose Amendments, and Dissolved Oxygen
Authors: Yang Yun‐Ya , Borch Thomas , Young Robert B. , Goodridge Lawrence D. , Davis Jessica G.
Published: July 2010

Land application of manure may contribute endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) such as steroid hormones to the environment. Little attention has been paid to the potential for degradation of steroid hormones by manure‐borne bacteria and their degradation kinetics and pathways. In a laboratory study, the potential for biodegradation of testosterone, 17β‐estradiol (E2) and progesterone by swine (Sus scrofa) manure‐borne bacteria was examined. In addition, the impact of temperature, pH (6, 7, and 7.5), glucose amendments (0, 3, and 22 mmol L−1), and presence of oxygen on testosterone degradation kinetics was determined. Testosterone, 17β‐estradiol and progesterone were biodegraded within 25 h of reaction initiation under aerobic conditions. The degradation of testosterone followed pseudo first‐order and zero‐order reaction kinetics under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, respectively, in tryptic soy broth (TSB) pre‐enriched systems. The half‐life (t1/2) for the degradation of testosterone under anaerobic conditions was six times longer than aerobic conditions. Testosterone degradation was found to significantly increase (∼ 17%) when incubated at 37°C vs. 22°C. The impact of pH (t1/2 ranged from 4.4–4.9 h) and glucose amendments (t1/2 ranged from 4.6–5.1 h) on the testosterone degradation rate were found to be small. Testosterone was transformed to dehydrotestosterone (DHT) (major degradation product), androstenedione (AD), and androstadienedione (ADD) under aerobic conditions as revealed by liquid chromatography‐time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (LC/TOF‐MS). These results indicate that testosterone is rapidly degraded by manure‐borne bacteria under a wide range of environmentally relevant conditions. However, the formed degradation products are still of potential concern due to their endocrine disrupting potential.
Fate of Two Herbicides in Zero‐Tension Lysimeters and in Field Soil
Authors: Kasteel R. , Pütz T. , Vanderborght J. , Vereecken H.
Published: July 2010

In Germany, zero‐tension lysimeters are used as part of the registration requirements in case pesticides pose a potential threat to contaminate the groundwater. However, the water regime and the method of pesticide sampling differ between the lysimeters and the field. We monitored the transport of the two herbicides ethidimuron [1‐(5‐ ethylsulfonyl‐1,3,4‐thiadiazol‐2‐yl)‐1,3‐dimethylurea] (ETD) and methabenzthiazuron [1‐benzothiazol‐2‐yl‐1,3‐dimethyl‐urea] (MBT) and their main metabolite, accompanied with bromide as conservative tracer, in zero‐tension lysimeters filled with undisturbed soil and in the field. The herbicides were applied as a short pulse to the bare soil surface. Herbicide concentrations were analyzed in the drainage water of the 1.2‐m‐deep lysimeters and from soil cores taken from the field during six campaigns. Soil coring in the field emphasized matrix flow and allowed us to estimate the field‐based dissipation and sorption parameters. Based on mass recovery calculations, the field fate half‐life was 870 d for ETD compared with 389 d for its main metabolite. The initially fast field‐based dissipation of MBT with a half‐life value of approximately 1 mo was followed by a much slower dissipation. The retardation factor was estimated from the concentration profiles by inversely solving the convection–dispersion equation and yielded 18.2 ± 1.3 for ETD and 36.9 ± 17.5 for MBT. For the lysimeters, a leaching period of 2 1/2 yr was too short to monitor bulk herbicide mass through the soil matrix. Only 1.7% of the applied EDT and 1.4% of the applied MBT were sampled in the drainage water at 1.2 m depth. Despite contrasting sorption and dissipation properties, both herbicides appeared fast and at the same time in the drainage water, hinting at preferential flow phenomena. Compared with field fate of herbicides measured by soil coring, zero‐potential lysimeters emphasize the transport of small amounts of herbicides triggered by preferential flow events.
Estimating Catchment Vulnerability to Diffuse Herbicide Losses from Hydrograph Statistics
Authors: Leu Christian , Schneider Manuel K. , Stamm Christian
Published: July 2010

The prediction of diffuse herbicide losses to surface waters using process‐based models is data and time demanding. There is a need for simpler and more efficient catchment screening tools. We developed and tested a new proxy for screening catchments for their vulnerability to diffuse herbicide losses relying on widely available river flow data only. The proxy combines the fast flow index (FFI) (i.e., the long‐term average proportion of fast flow to total discharge) and the fast flow volume (FFVs) (i.e., the stormflow component of the hydrograph during the spring flush period). We tested the proxy and the underlying hypotheses by regression analyses of existing high‐frequency, multiannual monitoring datasets of atrazine, metolachlor, alachlor, and acetochlor concentrations from six US and European catchments. The percentages of applied amounts of three of the four herbicides lost to surface water were positively correlated with the FFV, and the slope of the correlation was positively correlated with the FFI. Based on the empirical data, we derived quantitative proxies to estimate atrazine and metolachlor losses based on the measured FFI and FFV values. The application to 65 European catchments revealed that many of them had a lower vulnerability than the six test catchments. The observed FFI dependency of the slope seems reasonable because with increasing FFI less rain is needed to trigger fast flow and more herbicide is available in the topsoil. The proposed FFI‐FFVs proxy can guide researchers and authorities in selecting monitoring areas, setting monitoring results into context, and prioritizing mitigation strategies according to catchment vulnerability.
Nutrients in Runoff from a Furrow‐Irrigated Field after Incorporating Inorganic Fertilizer or Manure
Authors: Lentz R. D. , Lehrsch G. A.
Published: July 2010

Use of dairy manure to supply crop nutrients is gaining broader acceptance as the cost of fertilizer rises. However, there are concerns regarding manure's effect on water quality. In 2003 and 2004, we measured sediment, NO3–N, NH4–N, K, dissolved reactive P (DRP), and total P (TP) concentrations in runoff from furrow irrigated field plots (6–7 irrigations yr−1) cropped to corn (Zea mays L.) in the semiarid climate of southern Idaho. Annual treatments included 13 (Year 1) and 34 Mg ha−1 (Year 2) stockpiled dairy manure (M); 78 (Year 1) and 195 kg N ha−1 (Year 2) inorganic N fertilizer (F); or control–no amendment (C). Available N in manure applied each year was similar to amounts applied in fertilizer. Constituent concentrations (mg L−1) in runoff ranged widely among all treatments: sediment, 10 to 50,000; NO3–N, 0 to 4.07; NH4–N, 0 to 2.28; K, 3.6 to 46.4; DRP, 0.02 to 14.3; and TP, 0.03 to 41.5. Over both years, fertilizer and manure treatments increased irrigation mean values (averaged across irrigations) for NO3–N runoff concentrations (M = 0.30, F = 0.26, C = 0.21 mg L−1) and mass losses (M = 0.50, F = 0.42, C = 0.33 kg ha−1) relative to the control. Over both years, the manure treatment also increased mean irrigation runoff concentrations of DRP (M = 0.19, F = 0.09, C = 0.08 mg L−1) and K (M = 1.13, F = 0.79, C = 0.62 mg L−1) compared with fertilizer and control plots. Average DRP and K runoff mass losses were 2.0 to 2.4 times greater in manure treatments than in control plots. Neither F or M affected season‐long cumulative infiltration. Runoff DRP and inorganic‐N losses appeared to be influenced more by the timing of the amendment application and environmental conditions than by the quantity of nutrients applied. Nutrient additions to furrow irrigated soils, whether from fertilizer or manure, can potentially increase nutrient losses in irrigation runoff, with the degree of impact depending on the nutrient, amount, and timing of application and whether inorganic fertilizer or manure was applied.
Effects of Natural Organic Matter on PCB‐Activated Carbon Sorption Kinetics: Implications for Sediment Capping Applications
Authors: Fairey Julian L. , Wahman David G. , Lowry Gregory V.
Published: July 2010

In situ capping of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)–contaminated sediments with a layer of activated carbon has been proposed, but several questions remain regarding the long‐term effectiveness of this remediation strategy. Here, we assess the degree to which kinetic limitations, size exclusion effects, and electrostatic repulsions impaired PCB sorption to activated carbon. Sorption of 11 PCB congeners with activated carbon was studied in fixed bed reactors with organic‐free water (OFW) and Suwannee River natural organic matter (SR–NOM), made by reconstituting freeze‐dried SR–NOM at a concentration of 10 mg L−1 as carbon. In the OFW test, no PCBs were detected in the column effluent over the 390‐d study, indicating that PCB‐activated carbon equilibrium sorption capacities may be achieved before breakthrough even at the relatively high hydraulic loading rate (HLR) of 3.1 m h−1 However, in the SR–NOM fixed‐bed test, partial PCB breakthrough occurred over the entire 320‐d test (HLRs of 3.1‐, 1.5‐, and 0.8 m h−1). Simulations from a modified pore and surface diffusion model indicated that external (film diffusion) mass transfer was the dominant rate‐limiting step but that internal (pore diffusion) mass transfer limitations were also present. The external mass transfer limitation was likely caused by formation of PCB–NOM complexes that reduced PCB sorption through a combination of (i) increased film diffusion resistance; (ii) size exclusion effects; and (iii) electrostatic repulsive forces between the PCBs and the NOM‐coated activated carbon. However, the seepage velocities in the SR–NOM fixed bed test were about 1000 times higher than would be expected in a sediment cap. Therefore, additional studies are needed to assess whether the mass transfer limitations described here would be likely to manifest themselves at the lower seepage velocities observed in practice.
Reactivity of Nickel in Soils: Evidence of Retention Kinetics
Authors: Liao Lixia , Selim H. M.
Published: July 2010

The bioavailability and mobility of nickel (Ni) is highly dependent on the mechanisms associated with Ni adsorption–desorption and its kinetics in soils. To examine the characteristics of Ni retention and release, kinetic sorption batch experiments were performed on three soils having different properties, followed by Ni desorption using successive dilutions. Sorption of Ni by all soils was highly nonlinear and strongly kinetic, where the rate of Ni retention was rapid initially and was followed by gradual or somewhat slow retention behavior with increasing reaction time. Desorption of Ni was strongly irreversible and hysteretic in nature, indicating lack of equilibrium retention and/or irreversible or slowly reversible processes. A sequential extraction procedure provided evidence that a significant amount of Ni was irreversibly adsorbed on all soils. A nonlinear multireaction model with equilibrium–kinetic–irreversible reaction sites successfully described the retention (adsorption) and subsequent release of Ni on the different soils. The model was also capable of predicting Ni desorption kinetics based on adsorption data sets only.
Sources, Interactions, and Ecological Impacts of Organic Contaminants in Water, Soil, and Sediment: An Introduction to the Special Series
Authors: Pignatello Joseph J. , Katz Brian G. , Li Hui
Published: July 2010

Agricultural and urban activities result in the release of a large number of organic compounds that are suspected of impacting human health and ecosystems: herbicides, insecticides, human and veterinary pharmaceuticals, natural and synthetic hormones, personal care products, surfactants, plasticizers, fire retardants, and others. Sorbed reservoirs of these compounds in soil represent a potentially chronic source of water contamination. This article is an introduction to a series of technical papers stemming from a symposium at the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America 2008 Annual Meeting, which was held jointly with The Geological Society of America, The Gulf Coast Association of Geological Scientists, and the Houston Geological Society, under one of the Joint Meeting's overarching themes: Emerging Trace Contaminants in Surface and Ground Water Generated from Waste Water and Solid Waste Application The symposium emphasized the role of soils as sources, sinks, and reaction catalysts for these contaminants and the occurrence and fate of these contaminants in surface and underground water supplies. Topics covered included novel advances in analytical techniques, transport of infectious agents, occurrence and fate of veterinary pharmaceuticals, characterization of sorption mechanism, biotic and abiotic transformation reactions, the role of soil components, occurrence and fate in wastewater treatment systems, transport of engineered nanoparticles, groundwater contamination resulting from urban runoff, and issues in water reuse. Overviews of the reports, trends, gaps in our knowledge, and topics for further research are presented in this special series of papers. The technical papers in this special series reflect current gains in knowledge and simultaneously underscore how poorly we are able to predict the fate and, hence, the associated risk to ecological and human receptors of these contaminants.
Volcanic glass textures, shape characteristics and compositions of phreatomagmatic rock units from the Western Hungarian monogenetic volcanic fields and their implications for magma fragmentation
Authors: Németh Karoly
Published: July 2010

The majority of the Mio-Pleistocene monogenetic volcanoes in Western Hungary had, at least in their initial eruptive phase, phreatomagmatic eruptions that produced pyroclastic deposits rich in volcanic glass shards. Electron microprobe studies on fresh samples of volcanic glass from the pyroclastic deposits revealed a primarily tephritic composition. A shape analysis of the volcanic glass shards indicated that the fine-ash fractions of the phreatomagmatic material fragmented in a brittle fashion. In general, the glass shards are blocky in shape, low in vesicularity, and have a low-to-moderate microlite content. The glass-shape analysis was supplemented by fractal dimension calculations of the glassy pyroclasts. The fractal dimensions of the glass shards range from 1.06802 to 1.50088, with an average value of 1.237072876, based on fractal dimension tests of 157 individual glass shards. The average and mean fractal-dimension values are similar to the theoretical Koch-flake (snowflake) value of 1.262, suggesting that the majority of the glass shards are bulky with complex boundaries. Light-microscopy and backscattered-electron-microscopy images confirm that the glass shards are typically bulky with fractured and complex particle outlines and low vesicularity; features that are observed in glass shards generated in either a laboratory setting or naturally through the interaction of hot melt and external water. Textural features identified in fine- and coarse-ash particles suggest that they were formed by brittle fragmentation both at the hot melt-water interface (forming active particles) as well as in the vicinity of the interaction interface. Brittle fragmentation may have occurred when hot melt rapidly penetrated abundant water-rich zones causing the melt to cool rapidly and rupture explosively.
An Examination of Delusional Thinking and Cognitive Styles in Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Authors: Labuschagne Izelle , Castle David J. , Dunai Judy , Kyrios Michael , Rossell Susan L.
Published: July 2010

Objective: Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is characterized by severe dissatisfaction with one's appearance. The aim of this study was to examine belief characteristics in BDD, particularly delusional beliefs and their relationship to other cognitive styles.

Methods: Fourteen DSM-IV BDD patients and 14 matched control participants completed questionnaires that measured delusions, creative experiences, self-esteem, self-ambivalence, depression and anxiety symptoms.

Results: BDD patients endorsed three times as many delusional beliefs as controls, but the number of delusional ideas in the BDD sample was on a continuum and did not divide patients into two discrete groups. Additionally, the BDD group had higher fantasy proneness, lower self-esteem, higher self-ambivalence and higher depression and anxiety.

Conclusions: The data support the conceptualization of BDD as a single disorder with varying degrees of delusional thinking and suggests that BDD should not be dichotomized according to the presence or absence of delusional thinking, as is currently the case in the DSM-IV.
Prevalence of Stalking in a Psychiatric Hospital Population
Authors: Dressing Harald , Gass Peter
Published: July 2010

Objective: Study of the lifetime prevalence of stalking and types of stalking in a sample of psychiatric inpatients.

Methods: A total of 300 patients consecutively admitted to the psychiatric hospital of the Central Institute of Mental Health (Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit) in Mannheim were studied by means of the Stalking Behaviour Questionnaire (Stalking-Verhaltens-Fragebogen).

Results: Of the sample, 21% at some time in their lives had been the victim of stalking. Men were affected as often as women were. The course of stalking was more difficult and more violent in this sample than in a sample taken from the general population in Mannheim. In the majority of the cases the mental disorder had manifested itself before the first stalking incident. In only four out of 64 cases did the responsible physicians know of the previous or ongoing stalking victimization of their patients.

Conclusions: Mentally ill individuals are more often affected by stalking than the general population. The topic of stalking should thus be addressed more frequently when taking the case histories of mentally ill patients, in order to provide them with the appropriate type of medical care and support.
Narration, Navigation, and Non-Conscious Thought: Neuroscientific and Literary Approaches to the Thinking Body
Authors: Cuddy-Keane Melba
Published: July 2010

Despite difficulties in finding an adequate terminology, psychologists, cognitive scientists, and neuroscientists offer empirical evidence that the body thinks. Embodied cognition may be non-conscious rather than conscious, but it can influence conscious activity and initiate thought on its own. This paper works at the intersections of scientific research and narrative studies to probe the following questions: what is the use of cognitive functions if they are non-conscious, and how can bodily movements be detectors for such cognition at work? What processes prompt us to shift from one schematic organization to another, to change our patterns of thought? Beginning with Elizabeth Bowen's The Heat of the Day and studies of gesture's influence on learning, the paper then links neuroscientific theory, William James's theory of ‘percepts,’ and novels by Henry James. Interdisciplinary consensus suggests that the body's non-conscious strategies for spatial navigation activate similar schema for the navigation of mental space. Bodies may instigate shifts between way-finding strategies, enabling cognitive change.
‘Just a singing-machine’: The Making of an Automaton in George du Maurier'sTrilby
Authors: Coll Fiona
Published: July 2010

This essay argues for a re-evaluation of the eponymous heroine of George du Maurier's 1894 bestselling novel, Trilby. Trilby's tragic end is generally understood to come at the hands of that archetypally evil impresario, Svengali, who purportedly mesmerizes and manipulates her into becoming Europe's greatest singing star. However, a closer examination of her life reveals that Trilby's fate in the novel can more properly be linked to a lifelong dehumanization that shatters her sense of autonomous self and reduces her to a most rudimentary version of the human. In her progression from aspiring subject to tractable ‘singing-machine,’ Trilby can, in fact, be positioned as belonging to the cultural genealogy of the automaton, a figure that symbolizes a particular nineteenth-century concern about the fate of human subjectivity in an increasingly rationalized, systematized world.
The Stomach and Early Modern Emotion
Authors: Purnis Jan
Published: July 2010

This essay explores the importance of the stomach in early modern understandings and expressions of emotional experience. In it I demonstrate how the prevalence of the word stomach and the variety of its connotations in early modern writing – most of which have become obsolete – reflect the much greater role assigned to the organ in feeling and thinking in the pre-Cartesian mind-body model of the period. In addition, I argue that in discourses and representations of complex emotion in medical texts, treatises on the passions, and fictive literature, the stomach is a site through which gender, ethnicity, and class hierarchies are mapped and maintained.
Autism, Narrative, and Emotions: On Samuel Beckett'sMurphy
Authors: Quayson Ato
Published: July 2010

This essay explores Samuel Beckett's novel Murphy in order to illustrate the ways in which cognitive disorders such as autism bring to the foreground the links between illness, emotions, and narrative. Starting from the premise that the representation of autistic spectrum disorders presents specific problems for literary interpretation, I suggest that Murphy represents autism both at the level of the eponymous hero's characterization and through the discursive and rhetorical disposition of the text as a whole. I outline the concept of a metonymic circle in order to map out the ways in which, towards the end of the novel, the text's inherently realist orientation is disrupted by a series of discursive transpositions between Murphy and Mr Endon, himself a mild schizophrenic. I draw provisional conclusions about the differences between the literary representation and criticism of illness and the process that pertains in real-life medical diagnosis, while also touching upon some implications for interdisciplinarity.
Analysis of Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM) Data
Authors: Pande P. , Trivedi C. A. , Jo J. A.
Published: July 2010

Objectives: A novel Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM) deconvolution method based on the linear expansion of fluorescence decays on a set of orthonormal Laguerre functions was recently proposed. The Laguerre deconvolution method applies linear least-square estimation to estimate the expansion coefficients of all pixel decays simultaneously, performing at least two orders of magnitude faster than the other algorithms. In the original Laguerre FLIM deconvolution implementation, however, the Laguerre parameter α is selected using a heuristic approach, making it unsuitable for online applications.

Methods: In this study, we present a fully automated implementation of the Laguerre FLIM deconvolution, whereby the Laguerre parameter α is treated as a free parameter within a nonlinear least-squares optimization scheme.

Results: The performance of this method has been successfully validated on simulated data, and experimental FLIM images of standard fluorescent dyes and endogenous tissue fluorescence.

Conclusions: The main advantage of the proposed method is that it does not require any user intervention for tuning up the deconvolution process. Thus, we believe this method will facilitate the translation of FLIM to online applications, including real-time clinical diagnosis.
Investigation of an Automatic Sleep Stage Classification by Means of Multiscorer Hypnogram
Authors: Helland V. C. , Gapelyuk A. , Suhrbier A. , Riedl M. , Penzel T. , Kurths J. , Wessel N.
Published: July 2010

Objectives: Scoring sleep visually based on polysomnography is an important but time-consuming element of sleep medicine. Whereas computer software assists human experts in the assignment of sleep stages to polysomnogram epochs, their performance is usually insufficient. This study evaluates the possibility to fully automatize sleep staging considering the reliability of the sleep stages available from human expert sleep scorers.

Methods: We obtain features from EEG, ECG and respiratory signals of polysomnograms from ten healthy subjects. Using the sleep stages provided by three human experts, we evaluate the performance of linear discriminant analysis on the entire polysomnogram and only on epochs where the three experts agree in their sleep stage scoring.

Results: We show that in polysomnogram intervals, to which all three scorers assign the same sleep stage, our algorithm achieves 90% accuracy. This high rate of agreement with the human experts is accomplished with only a small set of three frequency features from the EEG. We increase the performance to 93% by including ECG and respiration features. In contrast, on intervals of ambiguous sleep stage, the sleep stage classification obtained from our algorithm, agrees with the human consensus scorer in approximately 61%.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that machine classification is highly consistent with human sleep staging and that error in the algorithm’s assignments is rather a problem of lack of well-defined criteria for human experts to judge certain polysomnogram epochs than an insufficiency of computational procedures.
A Data Protection Scheme for Medical Research Networks
Authors: Demiroglu S. Y. , Rakebrandt F. , Pommerening K. , Rienhoff O. , Sax U. , Helbing K.
Published: July 2010

Background: The data protection requirements matured in parallel to new clinical tests generating more personal data since the 1960s. About ten years ago it was recognized that a generic data protection scheme for medical research networks is required, which reinforces patient rights but also allows economically feasible medical research compared to “hand-carved” individual solutions.

Objectives: To give recommendations for more efficient IT infrastructures for medical research networks in compliance with data protection requirements.

Methods: The IT infrastructures of three medical research networks were reviewed with respect to the relevant data management modules. Recommendations are derived to increase cost efficiency in research networks assessing the consequences of a service provider approach without lowering the data protection level.

Results: The existing data protection schemes are very complex. Smaller research networks cannot afford the implementation of such schemes. Larger networks struggle to keep them sustainable. Due to a modular redesign in the medical research network community, a new approach offers opportunities for an efficient sustainable IT infrastructure involving a service provider concept. For standard components 70–80% of the costs could be cut down, for open source components about 37% over a three-year period.

Conclusions: Future research networks should switch to a service-oriented approach to achieve a sustainable, cost-efficient IT infrastructure.
Clonal structure of wild populations and origins of horticultural stocks of Illicium parviflorum (Illiciaceae)
Authors: Newell Darah L. , Morris Ashley B.
Published: July 2010

• Premise of the study: Habitat fragmentation is often assumed to result in limited genetic diversity across impacted plant communities. Central Florida has undergone extensive anthropogenic changes, while also harboring large numbers of endemic species. In this study, we assessed genetic structure and dependence on clonality in a central Florida endemic, Illicium parviflorum (Illiciaceae), as well as evaluated genetic diversity of this species in horticultural stocks.

• Methods: Six sites were sampled across the geographic range of I. parviflorum. A PCR‐based assay using intersimple sequence repeats (ISSRs) was used to assess genetic structure.

• Key results: Results, based on 26 ISSR loci, suggest that clonal structure plays a role in all populations, with PD values ranging from 0.25 to 0.50. Only two populations exhibited unique genotypes, while the remaining four populations shared genotypes. Horticultural samples all shared one genotype, which can be traced back to a single natural population.

• Conclusions: Clonal reproduction is an important factor in the maintenance of natural populations of I. parviflorum, although the degree to which this is true varies by population. Horticultural samples likely represent a single or very few collection events, indicating the need for greater genetic diversity within horticultural stocks. Further analyses using microsatellites are planned to confirm these results.
ANALYSIS OF TILT‐BUCKLING OF EULER COLUMNS WITH VARYING FLEXURAL STIFFNESS USING HOMOTOPY PERTURBATION METHOD
Authors: Coşkun Safa Bozkurt
Published: July 2010

In this paper, the Homotopy Perturbation Method (HPM), is introduced for elastic stability analysis of tilt‐buckled columns with variable flexural stiffness. Buckling loads and corresponding mode shapes are determined considering different types of variations in flexural stiffness of columns. The proposed approach is an efficient technique for the elastic stability analysis of specified problems.
RESOLVING NON‐SYMMETRY IN FLOWS VIA SUBDOMAIN SHIFTS
Authors: Turan Erhan , Basol Altuğ Melik , Saygin Huseyin , Ecder Ali
Published: July 2010

In this study, non‐symmetric flow problems are modeled by selecting subdomains and shifting them in such a way that the symmetry is recovered. As a result, the domains are made of simple grid structures and re‐generation of mesh is avoided. Three test problems with various decomposition characteristics, namely, translation, rotation and deformation are selected, and they are analyzed in different flow regimes. To study the internal flow between eccentric cylinders, two cylindrical concentric subdomains are considered, one translated relative to the other. Hence, a simple polar‐coordinates mesh can be utilized instead of generating a mesh for the solution domain between the eccentric cylinders of the original problem. External flow around a curvature tube is studied shifting the subdomain around the object in rotation, relative to the outer domain thus avoiding a re‐generation of the mesh as the angle‐of‐attack changes. A third example involves deformation of an object exposed to natural convection, and the shifting of the domain facilitates the iteration process as the object deflects. Systems of nonlinear equations are solved within Newton‐Krylov framework using the matrix‐free approach. Geometrical and physical parameters are used to improve the solution process. Several results are provided to show the applicability of proposed method.
INVERSE NODAL PROBLEM FOR A CLASS OF NONLOCAL STURM‐LIOUVILLE OPERATOR
Authors: Yang Chuan-Fu
Published: July 2010

Inverse nodal problem consists in constructing operators from the given nodes (zeros) of their eigenfunctions. In this work, the Sturm‐Liouville problem with one classical boundary condition and another nonlocal integral boundary condition is considered. We prove that a dense subset of nodal points uniquely determine the boundary condition parameter and the potential function of the Sturm‐Liouville equation. We also provide a constructive procedure for the solution of the inverse nodal problem.
Influencia de la alteración meteórica de dos carbones coquizables con contenido medio de materia volátil en la calidad del coque producido
Authors: Casal M. D. , Díez M. A. , Álvarez R. , Barriocanal C. , Canga C. S. , Pis J. J.
Published: July 2010

Se presenta el estudio de la alteración meteórica de dos carbones bituminosos con contenido medio de materia volátil y de diferente origen geográfico, que han sido almacenados a la intemperie en el Parque del INCAR. Ambos carbones son constituyentes de las mezclas de carbones coquizables utilizadas por la Corporación Siderúrgica Integral (CSI) para la producción de coque de horno alto. Entre las técnicas utilizadas para detectar el grado de meteorización de dichos carbones, la fluidez máxima Gieseler es el indicador más sensible para detectar la pérdida de propiedades plásticas. Ambas series de carbones presentan diferente comportamiento frente a la meteorización. Si bien la alteración meteórica provoca una pérdida de fluidez máxima con el tiempo de almacenamiento, debido a una pérdida de hidrógeno alifático en los dos carbones, ésta se produce a diferente velocidad. Estas diferencias se ponen de manifiesto en la calidad de los coques producidos en la planta de coquización del INCAR (escala semiindustrial). La serie de coques producidos a partir del carbón inicialmente menos fluido y que experimenta una pérdida a mayor velocidad empeora claramente, mientras que los coques producidos a partir del carbón más fluido presentan una ligera mejora inicial, para terminar empeorando. Estos resultados ponen en evidencia que la alteración meteórica no sólo afecta positivamente en el caso de algunos carbones con contenido elevado de materia volátil, como ya se había detectado en estudios realizados por otros autores, sino también a determinados carbones con contenido medio de materia volátil.
Fallas en la zona del molde que afectan a la colada continua de tubos de cobre
Authors: Rodríguez J. M. , Montecinos J. , Barrera L. , Yurac Y.
Published: July 2010

Se midió la razón entre el flujo del refrigerante y la velocidad de colada y se determinó cuál es el valor apropiado para evitar atrasos o adelantos del frente de solidificación. Por otra parte, mediante un flujo variable de N2 a la salida de los tubos de cobre, se logró mejorar la trasmisión de calor en el molde y mejorar también la calidad interna de los tubos colados.
Películas delgadas de Al2O3 sobre silicio preparadas por ablación láser
Authors: Lamagna A. , Duhalde S. , Correrá L. , Nicoletti S.
Published: July 2010

Se depositaron películas delgadas de Al2O3 por ablación láser sobre Si3N4/Si para utilizarlas como aislante térmico y eléctrico en dispositivos sensores de gases. Se analiza la microestructura de estas películas en función de las condiciones de la deposición (densidad de energía del láser, presión de oxígeno, distancia blanco-substrato y temperatura del substrato). Los estudios de difracción de rayos X, utilizando geometría de ángulo rasante, muestran que sólo puede observarse la reflexión coincidente con la (116) del corundum. Cuando las películas se tratan térmicamente a temperaturas superiores a 1.200°C sufren un cambio en su cristalinidad que depende de las condiciones de la deposición. Utilizando microscopía electrónica de barrido (SEM) y análisis por EDAX, se comparan la estequiometría y la morfología de las películas con y sin tratamiento térmico.
Tratamiento superficial de materiales mediante luz solar concentrada: una opción mediante energías renovables
Authors: Martínez D. , Rodríguez J.
Published: July 2010

En este artículo se explica de manera ilustrativa la posible aplicación de los hornos solares al tratamiento superficial de materiales. Se realiza una breve descripción de estos sistemas y se da un repaso a las posibles aplicaciones industriales ó de ensayo para las que se ha demostrado su aptitud.
Síntesis de nitruro de titanio mediante láser y energía solar concentrada
Authors: García I. , Sánchez-Olías J. , Damborenea J. J. , Vázquez A. J.
Published: July 2010

Se presenta la utilización de la energía solar concentrada mediante lentes de Fresnel para la síntesis de materiales por reacción gas-sólido. Estos primeros resultados sobre nitruración superficial de titanio y aleaciones de titanio se comparan con los obtenidos con técnicas similares como el láser de alta potencia y la lámpara de descarga de xenón. Las capas de nitruro de titanio obtenidas mediante energía solar concentrada por lentes de Fresnel y lámpara de xenón son homogéneas, sin grietas ni defectos, y con un espesor uniforme de 6 μm en tiempos de sólo 2 min. La buena calidad de estas capas se confirma mediante difracción de rayos X.
Aleación superficial mediante láser de aluminio con elementos de transición
Authors: Almeida A. , Vilar R
Published: July 2010

En el presente trabajo se estudia la aleación superficial mediante láser de aluminio con metales de transición. El cromo y el molibdeno son particularmente interesantes porque producen aleaciones de alta resistencia y por el bajo coeficiente de difusión y solución sólida en aluminio. Para producir estas aleaciones se ha seguido un procedimiento desarrollado en dos partes. En primer lugar, el material se alea usando una baja velocidad de procesado y en segundo lugar la estructura se modifica mediante un refinamiento posterior. Este procedimiento se ha empleado en la producción de aleaciones Al-Cr, Al-Mo y Al-Nb mediante aleación con láser de CO2 de polvos de Cr, Mo o Nb en aluminio y la aleación 7175. Este trabajo es una revisión del desarrollado en el Instituto Superior Técnico de Lisboa en los últimos años.
Aquecimento de materiais estratificados com laser pulsado de Nd:YAG
Authors: Diniz Neto O. O.
Published: July 2010

Em nosso trabalho examinamos o aquecimento de amostras compostas de duas e três camadas, condutor- isolante e condutor-condutor, com um pulso potente de láser. O comportamento transiente da distribuição de temperatura através da amostra foi calculado. Em nosso modelo de calculo para o processo de aquecimento levamos em conta a dependência com a temperatura dos parâmetros térmicos (difusividade, capacidade e condutividade térmica), óticos (refletividade e coeficiente de absorção), bem como a dependência das condições de contorno com o tempo e consequentemente com a temperatura. Aplicamos nossa metodología para calcular o aquecimento amostras compostas: Al-Au, Al-Ag, Al-Al2O3, Al-Au-Ag e Ag-Au-Al. Concluimos que o substrato influencia as temperaturas máximas nas superfície exposta ao láser e a forma com que a frente de calor se propaga nas amostras termicamente finas.
Revestimentos de cobre em aço inoxidável 304L por laser cladding
Authors: Reis M. , Estanislau S. , Cabral A. , Peças P. , Gouveia H.
Published: July 2010

Foi estudada a aplicação de revestimentos de Cobre sobre ago inoxidável AISI 304L, pela técnica de Laser Cladding. Analisam-se alguns aspectos do processo, relacionando-os com a qualidade do revestimento. É também discutida a influencia de vários parâmetros do processo como a velocidade de processamento e distância focal. Tendo-se obtido revestimentos de pista simples de Cobre com urna boa aparência, uma elevada aderência e um bom acabamento superficial, criou-se urna base de referência para estudos posteriores nomeadamente de aplicação multi-pista tendo em vista a aplicação industrial.
Capas de a-SiN:H modificadas mediante la irradiación con un láser de excímero
Authors: Banerji N. , Serra J. , Chiussi S. , Lusquiños F. , León B. , Pérez-Amor M.
Published: July 2010

Utilizando una mezcla de silano/amoníaco o disilano/amoníaco se obtuvieron capas de nitruro de silicio amorfo hidrogenado (a-SiN:H) mediante depósito químico en fase vapor asistido por láser CO2 y ArF, ambos en configuración paralela. Estas capas se sometieron a irradiación con un láser excímero de ArF en atmósfera inerte. Las variaciones, tanto en su composición química como en su índice de refracción y morfología superficial se estudiaron sistemáticamente mediante espectroscopia infrarroja por transformada de Fourier (FTIR), espectroscopia dispersiva de rayos X (EDS), elipsometría y microscopía de fuerzas atómicas (AFM), respectivamente. Las modificaciones observadas involucran por una parte una gran reducción, con los primeros pulsos de irradiación, del hidrógeno enlazado (Sili y N-H), acompañado por una progresiva incorporación de oxígeno (Si-O y Si-OH) y una reducción de los enlaces Si-N. Este comportamiento se atribuye a la fotoquímica inducida por la radiación ultravioleta, donde el agua incorporada en las capas, entre sucesivas irradiaciones, desempeña un papel muy importante. La comparación entre las diferentes capas indica que la cantidad de hidrógeno enlazado en las capas y su morfología superficial influyen en la resistencia de las mismas a la oxidación.